Chapter 1: Opening my eyes

I had always been different than others of the clan, I was faster and have better endurance. I was better with weapons or my hands, I was also better at solving problems. What I was not was a full clan member. I had been bought in a market by the Quirrin Master and adopted.

My name was Quillan or Clan lost as the clan called me. Most of the clan ignored me and called me Lan. The ones that did not, learned to respect my abilities and stayed out of reach. In eighteen years I had learned and passed all the tests of a clan warrior. I had even passed tests that most masters could not, only the Quirrin Master was my equal. Other people called us assassins, but we only killed to protect the clan ... or so I thought.

I had been given the job of beast master and spent my time looking after the horses or drama. Drama are a huge, light skinned lizard like animal we used mostly as pack animals. Like many in the clan, we were always practicing stealth. I was the best, even masters could not find me if I did not want them to. Several of the younger men and women had come to me for instruction.

I went over how to move or behave and before I knew it they had started making wagers. The clan masters were meeting shortly and it was supposed to be a closed meeting. It was to be held in the Quirrin Master’s quarters. Several of the clan young tried to slip in, I managed to because I came through a little known vent.

The vent was not used because the Quirrin Master put cave vipers in the vents. I had quietly captured the three vipers and released them. Now I lay and watched as the clan masters gathered. I listened as the Quirrin Master nodded to a blood soaked bag, “The duke sent this instead of our payment.”

Master Jerome shook his head, “I told you he could not be trusted.”

Master Palio nodded, “Killing the old duke was not wise.”

The Quirrin Master waved his hand, “That is past. He owes us for a killing.”

Master Celmins sighed, “I am getting to old for this. Kill the fool and have the new duke pay his debt.”

Master Jerome nodded, “Agreed. Kill him and let the next duke pay. We have other business. The Travelers are headed north once again. We all know they pay high prices for killing the human chiefs at the wells of Tara.”

Master Quirrin shifted, “Perhaps they do, but you know they always search for our own wells.”

The other masters nodded and Master Jim stood, “Send Quillan to kill the duke. You know they will blame the Travelers and we can make money from both sides.”

Master Quirrin shook his head, “Quillan will want to know why.”

The masters only shook their heads, “Why do you play at this, bring Quillan into the clan.”

The Quirrin Master folded his hands, “The time is not right and he is not ready. He still thinks the clan is like others and not assassins.”

As they left I remained and waited while I thought about what they had said. We were paid to kill, that was what the clan did. When a shadow suddenly shifted and moved to walk out of the room I smiled. I continued to wait and a few minutes later Master Saris suddenly appeared and walked out. I quietly moved back and started the long climb up.

At the top I started out of the vent opening only to freeze as I felt movement close by. Turning my head slowly I saw two large cave viper coming nearer. I hissed and they stopped to coil. As their heads slowly began to weave I gave a longer softer hiss. The two vipers hesitated and then uncoiled to start crawling away. I grinned, they were the Quirrin Master’s pets and I was the one to feed them everyday.

I slipped the rest of the way out of the vent and walked away. I came back into the clan caves from a different direction and quietly went to the pens. I tended the animals while I continued to think. I did not like the thought of killing people for money. The other thing that bothered me was the Quirrin Master. He wanted to use me for something and I was sure I would not like it.

I sighed as I finished scratching an egg bound drama and turned away. There was only one thing I could do, leave. I walked away and went to the tiny cave that was mine and began to pack. I was only just finishing when Master Jim came into my cave, “So ... where do you think you are going?”

I tied the top of the pack and began dressing in my clan clothing. When I finished and turned to look at him, I could see his anger because I had not answered, “Leaving. I am not an assassin and want no part of it.”

The blurred movement of his striking hand met mine as it slapped the back of his wrist. This was a deadly dance that would leave only one of us alive. I spun to the side as his other hand flicked a small poisoned dart. I pulled the fighting knife from my left thigh and blocked a strike from his dagger as I shifted sideways.

The sharp hissing behind him had the master suddenly springing forward. A solid flat punch into his chest stopped him in mid air and he staggered back. He spun sideways as a large cave viper emerged from its hole and began coiling to strike. I let a thin dagger drop into my right hand as my left swept forward. Master Jim blocked the knife easily and tried to move away from the viper.

The slim dagger came up into his blocking arm. I twisted and the dagger in his hand fell as he jerked back. That was a mistake, the viper struck and his eyes went wide. I struck as his eyes went to the viper attached to his leg. My fighting knife swept across his throat and he stumbled before falling to the floor. I moved back and turned to a small box. Inside was a large rat and I grabbed it before turning back to the fallen man and the coiled snake.

I tossed the rat to land right in front of the viper. Before the rat could even get to its feet the viper struck. It wrapped its body around the rat as I picked my pack up. I slipped out, leaving the scene behind, it was not the first time I had killed. In the pens I pulled out a special saddle I had made and put it on one of the bigger drama. I tied my pack onto another and led them out of the clan caves.

Escape

I slipped onto the drama and headed into the desert. I knew they would be searching for me and wanted some distance between us. I was quiet as I thought about my life and where I could go, most cities hated or feared us. All the other clans would try to kill me on sight. The only ones that would not care were the Travelers. Once every decade they made their way around the continent, looking for something lost long ago.

It was almost dawn when I saw the sand spider’s trap. A sand spider is huge, six or eight feet across. I looked around and dismounted to lead the drama to a small outcropping of stone. I unsaddled them and removed the face harness, “Just wait girls.”

I picked up a piece of stone and moved out towards the trap. I weighed the stone and tossed it to land in the center of the trap. With a slithering hiss the sand erupted and the huge spider came out fast. I stood still as the spider spun around. Before it could do anything else, the two drama charged. They all crashed together and dropped into the open pit that was the spider’s home.

I moved to the lip to watch as the two drama tore the spider apart. I grabbed my pack and jumped down into the musky pit. In a far corner was a huge egg sack hanging from the ceiling. I prodded one of the drama and was treated to an angry hiss. I hissed back and slapped her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder at me angrily and I nodded towards the corner.

She turned her head and growled before rushing to attack the sack. The other drama joined her as I moved to an opposite corner. I sat down and leaned against the wall, it was only a few minutes before I fell asleep. I woke to the dry shifting of the drama and looked around the pit in the gathering dusk. I stood and stretched before picking up my pack and vaulting onto one of the drama, “Up!”

Almost in one move the drama leaped up through the hole in the roof of the pit. It was a moment before the other joined us while grumbling. I grinned as I slid off the first one, “It is not my fault you gorged on the eggs.”

The drama hissed lightly as I put their saddles back on and swung into the saddle. I only had one water bag left and the next well was a long way from here. Some clouds had begun to move in and almost at midnight the two drama slowed, we were in a dry ravine that I did not like. The drama were looking around nervously as I heard the loud explosion of thunder.

I saw a large opening in the side of the ravine ahead and up one side before a wall of rain blocked my view. I slapped the shoulder of the drama I was on and pointed. She hissed and broke into a rush that went straight up the side of the ravine and into the opening. The other drama followed and I jerked in surprise when several wild drama turned to look at us.

I heard a rushing roaring sound from the ravine and slowly slid off my drama. I moved towards the hissing crowd of wild drama and hissed back. The wild ones stilled and seemed to look at each other before looking at me. I scratched one behind his ear hole as I moved past and he shivered and hummed. I slowly moved through the crowd and scratched a drama here or there on my way.

By the time I was done, I was back at the entrance staring at the rushing water in the ravine. I used a large cloak to gather water and refill all my water bags during the storm. It was almost an hour before the rain stopped and we were able to leave. The wild ones went with us and gradually the group broke up into couples or singles. As the sun peaked over the horizon I made camp in a cluster of large rocks. I used my cloak as a roof between two boulders.