Guisarme

By Barbara G.Tarn

Members of the Assassins' Guild can be as honorable as anyone. They might be trained to kill, but they're just people with loved ones to protect and avenge.
This short story is also included in "Saif&Kilig" and in the free anthology with various authors "Wyrd Worlds 2"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unicorn Productions
• Release date: Nov 22, 2014

Barbara G.Tarn

Barbara G.Tarn had an intense life in the Middle Ages that stuck to her through the centuries. She prefers swords to guns, long gowns to mini-skirts, and even though she buried the warrior woman, she deplores the death of knights in shining chainmail. She likes to think her condo apartment is a medieval castle, unfortunately lacking a dungeon to throw noisy neighbors and naughty colleagues in. Also known as the Lady with the Unicorns, these days she prefers to add a touch of fantasy to all her stories, past and present – when she’s not wandering on her fantasy world of Silvery Earth or in her Star Minds futuristic universe. She’s a writer, sometimes artist, mostly a world-creator and story-teller. Two of her stories received an Honorable Mention at the Writers of the Future contest. She writes, draws, ignores her day job and blogs every other day.

Book preview

Guisarme

by Barbara G. Tarn

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Barbara G.Tarn copyright © 2014

electronic edition by Unicorn Productions

November 2014

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GUISARME

by Barbara G.Tarn

Guisarme woke up in anguish. She'd heard a desperate cry for help and now felt the emptiness of loss in the pit of her stomach. The bond was gone. Francisca was probably dead.

As she realized this, her eyes popped open and she gasped. The pearly light of dawn filtered through the window and the building, the seat of the Guild, was quiet. Which didn't mean much – the Assassins' Guild was always a quiet place since its members might need to sleep during the day.

She jumped off her pallet, her heart racing. Something had happened to her acharya. She rushed through the empty, darkened corridors, but the Head of the Guild was not in his office. She went downstairs to the canteen, and saw only three people were already up – or maybe didn't go to sleep at all in the case of the raven-haired young man who sat nursing a goblet of ale, looking dejected.

Startled to see him alone, Guisarme joined him.

Kilig! Where's Acharya Saif?

Dunno, was the somber reply.

Kilig, it's important! I think Francisca failed her mission! she insisted frantically.

His brown eyes looked at her from behind the bangs.

I don't know where he is, Guisarme, he said slowly.

He didn't take you with him? Incredulous she shook her head and slumped on a stool. I wish Francisca had taken me with her on this mission! She started biting her nails, frowning in concentration.

She knew her relationship with Francisca wasn't the same as the bond Saif and Kilig shared. Francisca had taught her the trade, given her her assassin's name – Guisarme the Throwing Spear –