Chronicles of Alcamene Book One: Gunn Sight

By Edward Owen

For twelve generations, Le Couteau Noir has been under the rule of the House of Gunn....

With thirteen seasons, Sunni Gunn is the youngest Apprentice Adept in the history of Le Couteau Noir assassins. She has surpassed even her mother, Soniah, now the Gynrahl of the House of Gunn. For Sunni, life on Alcamene is one of regimented training and contracted killing. A chance meeting brings peaceful Wyatt into her life. He is a censeur, a telekinetic with a life very different from Sunni’s. As the two become friends, they discover one of Alcamene’s oldest secrets.

Political treachery and accusations against Sunni and Wyatt for unsanctioned murders threaten to destroy the House of Gunn and Sunni’s world. Their new found friendship is put to the test as they are forced to battle traitors, cheats and thieves. Sunni is the rightful heir to the Gynrahl, but her enemies are determined to keep her from taking command. She and Wyatt are unlikely allies in the battle to clear their names.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edward Owen
• Release date: Apr 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476399881

Edward Owen

Edward Owen has been writing stories since childhood. His style ranges from horror to humor with a healthy mixture of sci-fi, paranormal thrillers and murder mysteries. His works include “Gunn Sight”, a sci-fi novel and 'The GAME', a horror novella and audio book. Nightmares and Body Parts, a collection of short stories, was released last November. Current projects include a web series called Black Rabbit and a multi-genre novel called “Equitorius”. He was a winner in the 2012 NaNoWriMo contest, completing fifty-three thousand words in the month of November. He lives in Rancho Cucamonga, CA with his wife and sons.

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Chronicles of Alcamene Book One: Gunn Sight

by Edward Owen

Published by Edward Owen at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Edward Owen

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

~*~/\~*~

Thank you to all my author friends, those from the Coffee House Writers’ Group in San Dimas, CA and all those I have met in cyberspace. Your guidance and support has been invaluable. Thank you to my family for putting up with my long bouts of writing to the exclusion of other things. And finally to Jeff, thank you for your encouragement and help.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: First Contract

Chapter 2: Wyatt

Chapter 3: Family History

Chapter 4: Plans and Politics

Chapter 5: The Cavern

Chapter 6: Eskil Budnik

Chapter 7: Discovery

Chapter 8: Conspiracy

Chapter 9: Kaleb

Chapter 10: Return

Chapter 11: Promotion

Chapter 12: Free Time

Chapter 13: La Femme Nasoir

Chapter 14: Malger Grogin

Chapter 15: Walk of Daggers

Chapter 16: The Tunnel

Chapter 17: Visit to Paransa

Chapter 18: The Council

Chapter 19: The Mase

Chapter 20: Gantlet

Chapter 21: Black Law

Chapter 22: The Lake

Chapter 23: Palace of the Assassins

Chapter 24: Islands

Chapter 25: Sunni’s Bedchamber

Chapter 26: The Weapon

Chapter 27: The Box

Chapter 28: The Alley

Chapter 29: Betrayal

Chapter 30: Escape

Chapter 31: Refuge

Chapter 32: The Ony’Tan

Chapter 33: Discovery and Decision

Chapter 34: Millepont

Chapter 35: Horace McDoolian

Chapter 36: Kaliope

Chapter 37: A New Life

Book Two: Gunn Down Chapter 1: Night Raid

Other Titles by Edward Owen

About the Author

Contact Information

Chapter 1: First Contract

Sweaty palms; she wiped her left hand on her trousers, then her right, switching the needle blade from hand to hand as she did so. Were it not for her mastery of Lapaye, her heart would be racing. The woman, walking briskly down the alley, was less than twenty meters from her now.

In her mind, she could hear Rade’s voice as if he were standing next to her.

Apprentice, what is the First Law?

Patience makes the assassin deadly; haste and carelessness are the instruments of her demise, she muttered under her breath.

Eridani had nearly set, its twilight mixing with the long shadows that stretched across the street. The night lamps were not yet active and her cloak absorbed any lingering light, rendering her all but invisible. She stepped forward, crouching down and balanced on the balls of her feet. The needle blade slipped silently out from under her cloak. Hardly longer than her hand and as narrow as her smallest finger, the weapon was jet black save for the small drop of bright blue poison at the tip.

The woman’s thoughts were unguarded. She was apprehensive of walking alone at dusk, but gauged the risk to be a small one. The memory of where this woman had been flooded the assassin’s mind and the motive behind this assignment became clear.

The sound of the woman’s steps on the walkway echoed down the narrow alley. It would only be a few moments now. The blade felt alive in her hand, almost humming with anticipation.

Patience, above all, patience, she reminded herself.

Her subject appeared in the opening between the bins where she crouched. Her body uncoiled and she sprang, launching herself upward. With her left foot, she pushed off a small crate and increased her speed. Her attack was swift and silent; the blade found its mark before the woman ever saw her assailant.

The wound itself was not immediately life threatening, but the poison acted quickly. The woman uttered a small noise as her arms and legs went limp and she collapsed to the ground. Her breathing and heart rate began to slow down. A shadowy, hooded figured loomed over her and watched the fear growing in her eyes.

The hood fell back and the woman’s eyes widened in shock. Long, blond hair cascaded around the face of a young girl. Her brilliant green eyes had the cold, focused look of a killer. Her voice was soft and lilting but her message was harsh and unyielding.

Dame Regine Larrimore, under the laws of Le Couteau Noir, you have been contracted for assassination. As such, you are entitled to buy out the contract for the amount of two hundred twenty-five Kiloros. If you possess this coin on your person, I will administer the antidote and summon a medico directly.

I… have it at… my home, the woman croaked. I will pay you double that… if you let me live.

Since you have stated that you are not in possession of sufficient coin to buy out the contract, I am duty bound to complete it.

Although the poison would have finished the woman, it would have been a slow, agonizing death. The girl hesitated for a moment, watching the rise and fall of the woman’s chest slow with each breath. Her eyes fluttered and closed even as her body fought to stay alive. The tip of the blade wavered slightly and despite her training, the assassin’s pulse sounded loudly in her ears. Her hesitation lasted long enough for her to look at the woman’s face and then, the blade, expertly inserted, stopped the woman’s heart and spared her any further anguish.

The girl placed her hand against the woman’s neck for a moment before withdrawing a slender, black stylus from her tunic. With a practiced hand, she left her mark upon the woman’s forehead. The death of Dame Regine Larrimore would be registered as a contracted assassination, sparing the Mages any further investigation.

The night lamps sputtered to life, their greenish yellow light washing over the scene. Her hood once again concealing her identity, she headed down the alley away from the woman’s body. Despite her youth and small frame, the night held no danger for her; few citizens were brave or foolish enough to accost a cloaked assassin, assuming they even saw her.

Chapter 2: Wyatt

I can feel you looking at my thoughts, Apprentice. Have you now resorted to cheating? Rade’s question echoed in her mind.

Only a diversion, Maestro, Sunni thought privately as she made her way through the orchard. Rade’s mind was far too disciplined for her to see any thought he chose to keep hidden. When the image of the stone pile leaped into her mind, Sunni smiled.

Who’s cheating now? You never give me the answer like that. You’re trying to confuse me.

As silent as smoke, she moved through the trees away from the stone pile in her vision. Her senses strained to pick up clues but she detected nothing. Two more steps and her hands and feet began to tingle, stopping her in her tracks. At first glance she could not see what had triggered her reaction. Her pupils dilated and the orchard was bathed in a crimson glow. The familiar throbbing in her temples was a reminder that using bloodsight in the daytime was risky. At the very least her head would ache for several hours; temporary or permanent blindness were not unheard of.

Avoiding the brighter areas, she scanned the tree on her left. The sap flowed yellow beneath the bark as she followed the trunk downward; the thin, metallic trip wire shined blue-green against the soft orange glow of the ground. Another three millis and she would have stepped on it.

As she carefully backed away from the tree, she reached down and picked up a small twig. From a safe distance, she flipped the twig end over end onto the trip wire. A loud pop was followed by three darts hitting the tree right where she had been standing. Each left a bright red stain on the bark.

Clyamine juice!? I would have been itching for a quarter cycle and Maestro would have been laughing at me for twice that long!

Scanning the area past the trees revealed three more trip wires just above the carpet of leaves. The pain in her head intensified in protest to the bloodsight, prompting her to blink it away. The trip wires became invisible again and she considered her options.

Walking around will take too long and there are probably more traps. If I trigger these, I could get caught in one of them. Maestro might have them alarmed and I will give myself away.

Almost unconsciously, as she always did when faced with a challenge, Sunni recited the Laws under her breath.

First Law: Patience makes the assassin deadly; haste and carelessness are the instruments of her demise.

She made her way around the outside of the trip wires with slow, careful steps.

Second Law: An assassin is diligent in keeping her body strong, her mind sharp and her blade honed.

With every sense tuned to her surroundings, she crept through the orchard. Rade’s presence was not far away and it was a sure bet that he would be near the target.

Third Law: An assassin must see what others would keep hidden as well as those things conspicuous in their absence.

As she spoke the words, something began to resonate in her mind. An idea, not quite there yet, started to form.

Fourth Law: An assassin will take no life without just cause or contract.

The small clearing at the end of the orchard was visible from where she now stood, and the trip wires were all set, but something just wasn’t right.

Fifth Law: An assassin must respect the subject’s right to negotiate their own death.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pushed everything from her mind except the orchard and the target.

Something does not feel right… ‘as well as those things conspicuous in their absence’… she thought.

Or maybe just conspicuous.

Sunni’s discipline kept her enthusiasm in check but it could not prevent the smile that spread across her face as she turned and hurried toward the pile of stones. A quick scan of the area with her bloodsight showed it to be clear of any of Maestro’s traps.

Rade’s mind was ever present, but she could not sense his location. With caution borne of training and instinct she approached the stones. On the backside of the pile the white target disk hovered near the ground. As she reached for her flyknife, she sensed movement behind her. The baton barely missed as she dropped to the ground and rolled to her left. Before Rade could swing again, Sunni flipped the throwing blade from her left hand, sinking it in the center of the target.

I win and you promised! Sunni cried with delight as she jumped up and down. For a brief moment, the apprentice faded replaced by an exuberant young girl who had yet to see her fourteenth season.

Rade rolled his eyes in mock irritation before conceding her win.

Very well, you may be excused, he said. As soon as you tell me what revealed the answer.

The Third Law, only it was just conspicuous. You put four trip wires in my way when you know I can see them. And you showed me the location of the target. At first I thought you were trying to confuse me, but you didn’t shield the thought well enough. The rest was just me being smart.

Sunni reveled in her victory as she pulled the flyknife out of the target and slipped it into its sheath. An entire half-day with no training and no studying! That was a reward she would relish until long after Eridani had fallen beyond the horizon to sleep with her sisters.

Rade cleared his throat to get Sunni’s attention. With her head bowed in respect, she turned in his direction.

Merci, Maestro, for my training. May my success honor you.

She raised her head and met his eyes, a mischievous smile on her face.

And you walk like a herd of bataks. I could have heard you from two clicks away. By your leave, Maestro.

Rade raised an eyebrow at her use of the old language following the taunt. Sunni turned and scampered off across the orchard, kicking up leaves along the way. A song whose words were now forgotten popped into her head and she began to hum the melody. Her destination promised excitement and escape, but she refused to be rushed. After spending the entire new-day being quiet and sneaking around the orchard, she wanted to do anything that made noise.

It was mid-Vembrana, before the heat of Half-season started. Eridani was in her glory, painting the sky a brilliant shade of green with a gentle breeze blowing from Loeust. The orchard gave way to the forest proper. Sunni wandered between the trunks of the towering tan-trees whose bark resembled cured leather. Before long she heard the familiar gurgling of a small stream. She gave in to her excitement sprinted the final thirty meters to the sandy bank.

Peering into the water she saw the living rainbow of creatures that made the stream their home. Kettlefish, with their bright orange and red stripes darted between the rocks. Sysenths, whose long, sinuous bodies and glowing purple scales gave them a sinister appearance that belied their peaceful nature. Iridescent scuttle bugs crawled across the bottom, shimmering like living jewels. Every color of the spectrum was represented; Sunni always imagined that Eridani was showing off simply for her benefit.

With her boots and leggings shed on the bank, she slipped her feet into the cool water, allowing the current and small eddies to whirl around them. Several fish, curious about the intruders into their world, brushed against the soles of her feet. The tickling sensation made her giggle out loud.

Eridani’s bright rays broke through the tree cover and shone warmly on her back. Her tunic was close fitting and could turn any blade, but it was making her sweat. The forest was empty and she could neither see nor sense anyone close by, so she unfastened the garment and stripped it off over her head. Although her body was changing, it had not yet matured enough to necessitate a woman’s undergarments; she wore only a simple white camisole against her skin. The cool breeze blew her blond locks about her face and gave her a chill as it dried her sweat. The smell of kili berries drifted in the air, reminding her of Kaliope’s fresh baked tarts.

The stream was less than a meter deep next to the bank, reaching barely mid thigh as she lowered herself into the water. For the most part, her feet encountered sand on the bottom of the stream. The few rocks were worn smooth and covered with a soft layer of bright red chismo. Schools of fish swam around her legs and the scuttle bugs tickled her toes as they crawled over them; even the normally timid sysenths brushed against her calves. The toxin in their scales, although harmless, made her skin tingle. She ran her fingers across their long, supple bodies until the tingling gave way to numbness.

Distraction like this was rare in her life; she was so entranced that she did not notice someone standing on the bank until he spoke.

Those are poisonous, you know. They can make you sick.

Startled, Sunni looked up to see who had spoken to her. A young boy, about her age, stood on the opposite edge of the stream watching her. He was dressed in a green tunic and brown trousers with a mop of curly dark hair and deep brown eyes. Her camisole, now soaked through, clung to her skin as she stood up, rendering it nearly transparent. His gaze lowered and his face flushed bright red. Every detail of her body was visible as if she was naked. Her face grew hot and she wished she had not been so careless.

In her haste to get to her clothes, she tried to climb out of the stream and stepped on a chismo covered rock. Her foot went out from under her and her hands, still numb from the venom, could not stop her fall. As a result, she pitched headlong into the water. None of her training helped and it took her several attempts to climb up onto the stream bank. Carrying her clothes in one hand and her boots in the other, she ran until she found a warm, well lit clearing out of the boy’s sight.

A flood of emotions poured through her.

How did he get that close? I can’t believe that I didn’t sense him. And the way he was… looking at me. What’s he doing here, anyway?

To make sure she was really alone this time, she focused her mind and searched the area around the clearing, then used her bloodsight as an extra precaution. Her trousers and camisole were soaked completely through, so she removed and hung them over a low bush to dry. Standing in the forest in nothing but her culottes (which she refused to remove, no matter how wet they were) made her feel weak and vulnerable. This sensation was so alien to her that she found it difficult to get her emotional balance.

She shivered in the breeze, sat on the ground and wrapped her arms around her bare knees. There was nothing she could do until her clothes dried.

"This is not what I wanted to do all half-day, she said to herself. It’s all his fault, that stupid boy. He should keep to his own business."

The sheath holding her flyknife hung from the bush on her belt. Out of frustration, she pulled the blade free and flipped it at the nearest tree. The blade sunk into the bark nearly to the hilt. When she realized that she had imagined the boy’s face on the tree, she started to shake.

Fourth Law, fourth law says…. an assassin will take no life without just cause or contract…. I thought about it, about taking his life.

Too many emotions, piled up behind her resolve, finally broke through and Sunni began to cry, something she had not done since she had had three seasons. Her tears rolled down her face unchecked, dripped from her cheeks and onto her thighs.

If Maestro saw you like this…..

The voice in her head refused to finish the thought, but it was enough to pull her back. She put all thoughts of the boy out of her head and stood up. A series of stretches and exercises warmed he body and improved her spirits. By the time she was finished, her camisole was nearly dry. She used it to wipe her eyes and nose before slipping it over her head. The tunic was dry but the trousers were still a bit damp; they would have to do. After donning her tunic, leggings and boots, she stood in the clearing, unsure of what to do next.

Curiosity waged war with irritation and embarrassment; she really wanted to know who he was but the thought of facing him again made her face hot. Her heart was beating rapidly, as if she had been running; she closed her eyes and concentrated on her Lapaye training. Within a few moments she regained her composure.

Why are you scared of him? He’s just a stupid boy, she thought.

With her confidence partially restored, she pulled her flyknife from the tree and retraced her steps back to the stream.

Chapter 3: Family History

Her original plan was to march right up to the stream and confront this boy, whoever he was, and ask him what he was doing here. The closer she got, however, the less her resolve held up and she finally decided to keep to the trees. As she approached the stream, she tried to sense him, but her mind registered no one in the area.

Maybe he left and went home. Good riddance if he did.

The thought of using her bloodsight was dismissed as she still had a headache and didn’t want to risk it. She continued toward the stream, scanning the far bank for any sign of the stranger.

He could be anywhere by now, she thought. I need to check the other side.

Thirty meters upstream she found a place where the water level dropped to expose a few large rocks and used them to cross. Once she was on the other bank, she began to look for signs of the stupid boy as she now thought of him. Leaves and twigs had been disturbed where she had seen him earlier and it looked as if he had walked away into the forest.

Are you looking for something?

The voice came from behind her and Sunni whirled around at the sound. He was standing not two meters from her with his arms crossed over his chest. Instinct took over; she dropped into a fighting stance and aimed a snap kick at his left knee. Before her foot connected, she found herself flying through the air. She hit the ground and leaves scattered, her lungs expelling their air with a grunt.

It took her a moment to catch her breath and her head was now throbbing unmercifully. When she got back on her feet she saw him standing there, arms still crossed as if he hadn’t moved. She couldn’t remember being hit; it was more like she had been thrown.

I would be justified in killing you right now, she said through clenched teeth. You attacked me.

He flashed a toothy smile which only succeeded in infuriating her.

"First of all, you attacked me, he replied. and second of all, no, you couldn’t kill me."

His comment pushed her past the constraints of her discipline.

As long as I don’t actually kill him…

The flyknife flashed briefly as it sped toward him, intentionally