An Assassin's Anthem

Riley walked into the truthseeker class on Monday afternoon. Pausing to stretch, she looked around the room. The desks were empty. The drapes were drawn, and the class seemed much smaller than the others.

Riley sat and looked at her notifications.

[Your base level has advanced: 162 → 168!]

I should have enough crystals to get two hundred next week. She smiled. While it had taken her eight crystals to get it, it was a nice jump forward.

Clearing it away, she turned and watched the seeker stride into the room.

Truthseeker Holt didn’t bother with theatrics. He strode to the front of the room and studied the group. “Now, we’ve discussed the guilds that we oversee and the basic premise for advancing your skills.” He locked onto a boy and raised his brow.

The boy sighed. “Practice seeking the truth behind any deception or stealth. We can visit shops and barter. We can talk to people, or we can just go try to scout things.”

Holt nodded. “I trust you’ve been doing that because I expect powerful skills from you when you finish this term. If you don’t have at least one, consider your position among the seekers ended.” He searched the room again. “Now, we will use recent events to practice. For any unaware, a baron and his firstborn were killed. How would you find the murderer and any potential conspiracy?”

Riley leaned back in her chair. Talk to Althea. She masked the smile.

“Hassan did it.” A boy scoffed. “I don’t know how he got through the seekers, but he did it. That is obvious. He wanted the barony so bad, and he got it.”

A murmur of ascent spread through the class. Riley didn’t argue with them. Instead, she nodded.

“Let us assume that is the truth,” the seeker said. “How? How would you lie to us and get through it?”

The students shrugged and looked at each other.

“Have a very strong deception skill?” one answered.

The seeker nodded. “Yes, but do you know how difficult those are to get? You need to constantly lie. While it is possible, how would he have gotten through the entrance exam?”

“What if it’s S-tier?” a student asked. He blushed. “Sorry. I forgot Lucas was there.” He frowned.

“What if he cheated during the interview somehow? Did he skip it?” the girl next to Riley asked.

Seeker Holt nodded. “Smart. You do need to consider that option. However, he did not avoid it. Seeker Lucas conducted the interview and verified his skills.”

“What if Seeker Lucas is corrupt?” a student asked. “Maybe Hassan paid him?”

“No, Lucas is not corrupt.” Seeker Holt chuckled. “He has turned in countless criminals and worked tirelessly for the kingdom for the last two years.”

Riley masked her surprise. Is Lucas playing the guild? Did he report me?... No, I’d be dead if they told them the truth. So, he managed to lie. She slammed a mask onto her face. If he had a deception skill that high, he was a thief or assassin. That was the only thing that made sense.

“But what if Hassan was strong enough to lie?” a boy asked, looking toward Riley. “I heard a rumor that she’s one.”

Riley shot him a puzzled look.

“You had contacts for Hassan,” the boy said with a smile. “I can seek the truth.”

Seeker Holt walked forward. “If there are assassins here, we would know.” He spun and met Riley’s eyes. “The king would know.”

She felt his skill slam into her. Like a hot knife cutting butter, it sliced through her surprise before finally slowing and warping around her disguise. She scowled at him, sweat appearing on her brow.

The seeker smiled and looked back at the class. “You can’t lie to a skilled seeker. What would be the reason to have an assassin here?” he asked the class.

They went silent. The seeker turned back to Riley. “Lady Riley?”

“Policing the guild. It’s the same problem you mentioned on the first day. Seeking makes you a good seeker. It doesn’t make you a good killer.”

“Precisely. Yes, there are assassins in our ranks. As to your question about Lady Riley, why don’t you try to figure it out? If you are to be seekers, you should be able to find out if one is in your classroom.” He turned and walked to the front of the class.

Riley masked her emotion. That was the last thing she needed; she was supposed to go hunt down a group of bandits. Pretending that the new obstacle didn’t bother her, she simply smiled.

Holt hit the front and spun. “But back to the topic. How did Hassan get away with it?”

Silence fell upon the group. The instructor turned back to Riley. “Edify them, Lady Riley.”

“He’s innocent,” Riley said.

The seeker nodded. “That is one of two possibilities. The final alternative?”

“The seeker made a mistake during the interview?” a girl volunteered. “Allowing him to omit information rather than lying?”

The instructor paced on the stone floor. “Correct. As it stands, he made no contract with anyone to kill them. He confessed to mentioning it to the guild. That is all.”

“But he could have circumvented it by hiring someone else to make the request?” the girl said.

The instructor nodded. “A broker. Yes, that is the easiest way. When a third party does everything for you, it opens a door. So, how do we circumvent it?”

“Ask who you discussed it with?” a boy asked. His eyes went wide. “You have to ask about everything else.”

“Exactly.” The instructor smiled, spun, and scrawled it on the board. “Focus beyond just the crime. We did so with Hassan. Lady Riley’s name was mentioned. But he didn’t discuss the matter with her or any other potential broker. So, how?” He spun back around.

The room went quiet. Riley shook her head. “He’s innocent.”

Seeker Holt nodded. “Correct, and that leaves us with another problem. Who killed them and why? How do we solve that?”

“Ask the guild?” the black-haired boy asked.

“Yes. We did,” Holt replied. “There was no contract.”

The room fell quiet again, and Riley grew bored. You don’t. That’s the good news.

“How do we solve their murder?” Holt called out. He paced and sighed. “There is magic to speak to the souls of the departed. That is our hope. A priest was dispatched. If the killer went unseen, we will lose the answer. If they were seen, we may be able to find them.” He picked up chalk and started scrawling the techniques that people used to lie.

Riley jerked back to attention, carefully listening to the spells and abilities most often used to pick up a cold trail. A pattern quickly emerged. You can’t be seen, and you can’t have stolen things they can trace.

Nodding to herself, she listened and tried to find other methods until the bell tolled loudly, booming through the halls and ending the day’s lessons.

Riley stood.

“A word, Riley,” Holt called.

Riley waited while the others filed out. “Sir?”

Seeker Holt walked up to her. “I apologize for telling them that, but I think it would be a good experience for them to try to find the truth. Let me know if it gets out of hand in any meaningful way.”

“Of course, sir. Happy to help,” Riley lied.

The instructor paused. “I, of course, know the truth.” He smiled. “Don’t do anything foolish, assassin.”

Riley swallowed. “Of course not, sir. I understand what must be done.” He did tell them that. What else did he say?

The seeker paused and studied her. “I also heard that you have a psychic skill.”

Riley nodded and kept her mask in place.

“If you acquire Psion, Spell Thief, or Void Mage, inform me. We’ll discuss the training for such magics.”

Riley let some surprise show through. “The seekers monitor such skills?”

“Indeed. Void Mage isn’t restricted, but it must be registered. The others are restricted. You must inform the seekers if you get them, though that is likely some time away. They are difficult to acquire.”

“Does that mean I can equip the skill, sir?” Riley asked.

“For your skill, yes. Notify me if it changes to anything beyond a combat skill. As to Assassin? Hide it and ensure your fellow students can’t see it.”

Riley nodded. “I will, sir.”

“Good.” The seeker nodded. “Do try to get at least one of those classes. They’re useful.” He walked for the door.

Riley followed. So, Lucas told them everything except the two things that would get me killed. But then he left the — oh, he’s covering himself and me. If someone were to see the skill used, it would explain it. She nodded. Smart guy. I wonder if he has Spell Thief or something. She mused on it and walked into the dining room.

The enchanted lights glowed. Students chattered at the tables, and she saw her friends. Dread flashed through her.

Emma was sitting quietly. She had a note clutched against her chest, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Riley strode across the room, ignoring the prince and taking a seat next to her friend. “Emma?”

Emma sniffled and wiped her eyes.

Lin leaned forward. “She was robbed. They won’t be able to afford the taxes,” she whispered. “They’ll probably have to pull her from the academy.”

Icy anger churned through Riley. There was no way that was a coincidence.

“Oh, how unfortunate,” Lily said, pausing next to the table. “Shame you didn’t pick better friends, Emma. I could have helped.”

Suppressing the desire to kill her, Riley forced a blank mask across her face and spun. “You did it?” she asked.

“Of course not. I’m offering to help.” Lily smiled. “I suppose I could use my connections if you want to make a deal.”

Riley frowned at her. “The prince will handle it.”

Lily shrugged. “We’ll see if you wise up.” She turned and walked away.

Riley spun toward her friend. I need to take care of this. Lin gasped and straightened her dress.

Riley looked up to see Timothy standing next to her.

“Riley?” Timothy asked.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, my prince. I need to help her.”

Timothy nodded. “Do what you can. I can’t have thieves in my territory.” He turned and walked back up to his table.

Riley reached over and patted Emma’s back. “It’ll be alright. I’ll go talk to some people.” She looked longingly at the kitchen before dismissing her hunger. Dinner would slow her down, and she needed every minute.

Standing up, she headed for the door. It was time to clean up some thieves.

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