Noble Assassin

Chapter 5.3 (The Apprentices)

They didn't encounter anyone until they reached the living room. A cheery fireplace lit it, revealing a billiard table, chessboard, large bookshelves, and a ring of comfortable sofas and armchairs surrounding a coffee table. Ayris lounged on one couch, a book in hand. She didn't even glance up as they entered.

A middle-aged man sat at the chessboard, by all appearances competing with an invisible opponent. Rugged, with dark brown hair and intelligent eyes, a strong jaw lined with short, neat hairs, and a deep, golden tan, he probably would have turned a few heads in his youth – probably still did.

"Here she is," Feyn announced, and the man turned to them. "Rizelle, meet Tauver. I've been his apprentice for a month now, but I've known him for a while before that."

Apprentice... 'Colleague', Feyn said...

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Rizelle," said Tauver. "Ayris has been searching for an apprentice for years, but more so in the past month – always so competitive, she is. She's fussy, but ever since she found you, she's prattled on about how you're the right one."

A silver goblet sailed across the room, which Tauver caught just in time to prevent from knocking the back of his head. Ayris mustn't have agreed with him, then, but a glance at her showed that she was still engrossed in her book. As though nothing happened.

Rizelle shook her head slightly in wonder. "So, you're an assassin, too. Why are you with Ayris, may I ask?"

"We have a sort of partnership. We don't work together – she believes I would just spoil her jobs – but we do look out for each other."

"Whoa. None of the rumours even suggest that. Not that I pay much attention to them."

"Exactly. She's never given them reason to start. Our partnership is a closely guarded secret."

Ohh... "So anyone seeking to entrap either of you would be unaware of the other, and thus wouldn't account for this in their plans, and would fail."

Tauver nodded in approval.

She hesitated slightly. "If Ayris did so much to conceal this, why did you just tell me about it? Do you actually trust me?"

Ayris finally looked up, directly into Rizelle's eyes. "No, we don't," she said. "But we are confident in our ability to deal with you if you prove untrustworthy."

Dread chilled her bones, and a shiver lanced down her spine at the reminder that she was among dangerous people. "I assure you, that will never happen." She meant every word. Attempting to lighten the mood, she added, "I do like my neck intact."

Suddenly, like clouds uncovering the sun, the darkness in Ayris's expression cleared, and she beamed. "Good. Now show her the garden, Feyn. I'm sure our new friend is burning to get some fresh air."

"Of course," Feyn replied. "I was just about to do that anyway."

"Really?" Tauver said teasingly. "It's more likely that you're saying that to cover up for the fact that it never would have occurred to you to do it if you hadn't been told to."

"Come on, Tauver, you're making me look inconsiderate in front of the lady!"

"Nah, she could already see that anyway, so it makes no difference."

Feyn turned to her, attempting to enlist her help. "Rizelle, do you think—"

"As entertaining as this is," Rizelle broke in, "I really do need some fresh air."

Tauver chuckled, "Oh, I like this one. You made a good pick, Ayris."

"The answer is no, Tauver." Ayris flashed her pearl-white teeth. "No matter how much you beg, you can't swap with me."    

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welll, it's been a while, I know *looks at feet in shame*. I'm really sorry. I hit a writer's block and never recovered, hence this late, measly bit of writing.

Oh, and since some of my friends had trouble figuring out how to pronounce 'Tauver', I decided to help out: Tao-ver