The Pursuit of Conquest

By M.M. Brownlow

Rhys has been alone for as long as he can remember. His parents were forced to give him up at a young age, his fate determined by a spell cast generations ago, and assassins don't generally make friends.

Trained to be one of the deadliest people in his kingdom, Rhys is also blessed with the additional gift of magic, a power that gives him an edge over his competition...and his targets. But when he is passed over for the coveted position of bodyguard, everything that he has worked for comes to a crashing halt. Realizing that his life was taken over by the assassin's guild for nothing, Rhys vows to end the spell that tore him from his childhood and his family. His life may be worth nothing, but he can stop this from happening over and over again, stop other children from being used as pawns. All he needs is patience, money, and a few highly placed allies to help him end the pact between Evendell and Bacovia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.M. Brownlow
• Release date: Feb 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310861406

M.M. Brownlow

M.M. Brownlow works as an elementary teacher and lives with her husband and three sons in Ontario, Canada. She's also surrounded by a variety of "critters" - a dog, two cats, two guinea pigs, a hamster, a pair of frogs, and a leopard gecko. Life is never boring, and she finds herself often wishing for more hours in a day.

Book preview

Chapter 1

His opponent stabbed straight toward Rhys’ thigh, forcing him to dodge back and to the right to avoid being cut. The man pursued him, giving Rhys no time to catch his breath and obviously hoping to catch him off balance, but Rhys was too good for a simple dodge to slip him up. Rhys took another, larger step backward and brought his own blade sweeping around in front of him, the sword whistling from the speed of its movement through the air. The weapons met with a clang that reverberated through his arm, but Rhys’ grip didn’t slip and his reaction was immediate. Using the momentum of his sword bouncing away from his opponent’s blade, Rhys spun to the right and let the weight of his weapon pull him back around. The move left his side and back exposed for a brief time, but Rhys knew that the man attacking him wouldn’t be fast enough to take advantage of his momentary weakness.

As soon as he faced the man once again, Rhys stabbed straight toward the man’s stomach, an attack he’d used already during this fight. And just like the first time, Rhys’ opponent parried by bringing his sword down and across his body, elbows near his head and the tip of his blade near his thigh. Rhys smiled to himself as his blade was forced out and to the side. He knew exactly what was coming, the man across from him already falling into a predictable rhythm. Blessed with a perfect memory, Rhys knew how to take advantage of an opponent who was…less than creative with his attacks and parries.

Rhys started to take a step forward, about to move inside his opponent’s reach as soon as the man lifted his blade for the attack that Rhys knew was coming, but a sudden flash of premonition stopped him. There was somebody about to approach from behind him…

Rhys kept his eyes on the man with the sword in front of him, waiting for the correct moment to move, the moment he’d seen in his premonition. Just when the sword came flashing toward his chest, Rhys stepped to the side, dropping his weapon and grabbing hold of his opponent’s wrist and elbow. As his sword hit the ground with a clang, Rhys threw his weight backward and twisted to the left, the movement swinging his opponent off balance and throwing him toward the new opponent behind him, the man’s sword leading the way.

What the hell? came a surprised shout from the newest man to enter the arena.

Rhys spun on his heel to follow Rupert’s movement with his eyes as he crouched to retrieve his weapon. In the Academy, home to the Gilded Crowns assassin’s guild and Evendell’s training facility for said assassins, it was unwise to be without a weapon for any length of time. He watched calmly as the man dodged out of the way of Rupert’s blade, and Rhys didn’t bother to hide his smirk as the younger assassin tripped unceremoniously to the ground. For good measure, Rhys closed the distance between them and laid his blade against Rupert’s neck.

You lose, he informed the man kneeling on the ground.

Rupert reached up and gingerly lifted the sword away from him before twisting to sit on the ground. He looked up at Rhys and opened his mouth to say something, but ended up just closing his blue eyes and shaking his head instead. Pushing himself up to his feet, Rupert dusted himself off and turned to face the man he’d nearly impaled.

Sorry about that, Rupert greeted the man with a small smile. What can we do for you?

The man who’d entered the arena unannounced, another guild assassin, was still glaring. Rhys guessed that he was likely waiting for some sort of apology, but he could keep right on waiting. It was common practice – and common sense – to announce one’s arrival when assassins were sparring. Just wandering into a combat arena when trained warriors were fighting was a good way to get yourself hurt.

Don’t you have something to say? the assassin growled when it became obvious to everyone that Rhys wasn’t going to add to Rupert’s apology.

No, I can’t think of thing, Rhys replied with a smirk.

The assassin glared and took a step forward, but stopped immediately when a low growl from the side of the arena’s ring rumbled through the air. Turning his gaze to the side, the assassin took note of the large cougar pushing himself to his feet before immediately backing away from Rhys. Rhys smiled and let his hand rest on Caris’ head when the cougar joined him, the eesprid leaning into the caress and beginning to purr loudly. The cougar had been Rhys’ magical companion since shortly after his birth, but people still often forgot about the large cat’s presence.

The Master wants to see you, the assassin stated with a frown. Both of you. Immediately.

Rupert nodded and smiled at the man before bending down to retrieve his weapon. Rhys just sheathed his sword and strode from the arena’s circle and then from the room, running a hand through his black hair to straighten it a little, and smirking again when he heard the assassin’s not so subtle comment about his parentage and attitude. Rhys had learned long ago that nobody in this building was his friend or had intention of being more than a colleague, and he’d worked hard to cultivate a certain reputation. He took pleasure in maintaining his aloofness with little demonstrations like these.

You don’t have to be such a jackass, Rupert told him when he caught up. He was a few inches shorter than Rhys’ nearly six feet, and needed to walk quickly in order to keep up with Rhys’ longer stride. The older assassin just shrugged Rupert’s comment away, making the man sigh with exasperation.

Rhys could sense that Rupert wanted to say something else, and if he bothered to exert himself, he’d be able to pluck the thoughts right from the young man’s mind, but Rhys didn’t care to. In his experience, very little of what went on in other peoples’ heads was meaningful to him in any way, so why bother expending the energy?

The guild master’s office was on an upper floor of the Academy building, and he and Rupert jogged up the stairs quickly, Caris padding silently behind them. Rhys might be a little irreverent with his fellow assassins, but even he knew not to keep the master assassin waiting. The man was, despite his advancing years, a force to be reckoned with. Small in stature, the guild master more than made up for his lack of height with his weapon expertise, and even Rhys was somewhat in awe of the man’s prowess. If the Master wanted to see him immediately, then he’d get to the man’s office as quickly as he could.

Rupert knocked on the door to the office, and Rhys blinked in surprise when the man in question opened the door himself, his usual secretary apparently absent at the moment. The small man gestured them both across the threshold and then closed the door behind them, a quick twist of his fingers sliding the lock into place before he led the way into a second, larger office. Rhys blinked, understanding the secretary’s absence. Whatever the Master had to tell them, it wasn’t public knowledge.

I’ll get right to the point, the man told them, sitting behind the desk and gesturing them both to select chairs. A rustle of wings heralded the arrival of Rupert’s eesprid, a hawk Rhys had never bothered to learn the name of. The bird settled onto his partner’s shoulder, running his beak through Rupert’s brown hair in greeting, and the Master nodded his acknowledgement of the creature’s arrival before continuing.

The king is dying, the man stated bluntly.

That’s… Rupert trailed off, apparently at a loss for words.

What does that mean for us? Rhys asked into the silence. The king’s health obviously had something to do with them, or they wouldn’t be here.

The king sent for Jackob this morning, letting the prince know that it is time for him to return home. When he arrives, the king is planning to abdicate the throne and Jackob will be crowned immediately, the man explained.

That means that Jackob’s position needs to be filled, Rhys supplied with a grin. Finally! This is what he’d been waiting for, what he’d been training for, for nearly his entire life.

The Master nodded, agreeing with Rhys’ assessment of the situation. The pact between Evendell and Bacovia must be maintained, and that means that a new bodyguard for King Tarren will be needed. One of you is most likely to fill that position, and since we have a little warning this time, you will both have the opportunity to make sure that everything is in order, in case you are called upon.

Rhys nodded his understanding, seeing Rupert do the same from the corner of his eye. He began to compile of list of things to do, knowing that this was likely the last few days he’d spend in the Academy. He was eager and ready to take his position at King Tarren’s side, protecting the powerful monarch from whomever sought to do him harm. With Caris there as well, they’d be an unstoppable team, and Tarren would rule for a long time under their protection.

Rhys, I need to speak with you for a moment before you leave, the Master’s voice cut into his thoughts. Rhys noticed that Rupert was already partway to the office door, but he remained seated.

When the door closed behind the other assassin, Rhys turned his attention back to the man in front of him, tilting his head to the side slightly as he waited for the man to speak.

Your presence has been requested at the School, the man informed him, naming the building on the opposite side of the palace complex courtyard. They have an assignment for you.

But I thought we had this time to get our affairs in order, Rhys protested. The mages couldn’t take this opportunity away from him, he wouldn’t allow it. Surely there’s someone else who can take the job.

The assignment is something only you can do, the Master informed him. They need someone with your specific areas of expertise. And I needn’t remind you that the Headmaster of the School commands just as much of your loyalty as I do.

But when Jackob returns and the new bodyguard is chosen—

If you are chosen, the man informed him, then it will not matter if you are still on assignment.

Rhys nodded, mollified. I’ll go now then.

At his Master’s dismissal, Rhys made his way out of the office and out of the Academy, Caris trailing along as always, his silent companion and protector. The Mage School was a building nearly identical to the Academy, making up the other arm of the U-shaped courtyard. The palace, home to the royal family and seat of Evendell’s government, sat at the bottom of the U, all three buildings carved from the mountains that sat guard over the largest area of fertile soil in the small kingdom. The courtyard was bustling with guards, mages, assassins, courtiers and townspeople, but nobody approached him or called out a greeting as Rhys made his away across the busy space.

Entering the School was like entering a second home for Rhys. After his magical gift was discovered around his ninth birthday, Rhys had been forced to split his time between the two schools, learning to be both an assassin and a mage. The final result of all his hard work made him one of the most dangerous and gifted men in the kingdom, but he’d sacrificed a lot for that power. Being neither fish nor fowl, Rhys had never made friends in either profession, all of his free time spent practicing one skill or another. He’d learned to survive with little sleep, though his perfect memory ensured that his lessons were learned quickly and thoroughly, at least. If he’d been forced to study in order to memorize the facts he needed to know about spell combinations, poisons, governments and all of the other things stuffed into his head during his time in Hearthridge, Rhys wasn’t sure how he’d have survived. Now approaching his twenty-first birthday, he had attained the rank of both master mage and master assassin, allowing him to earn income from both professions.

Come in, called a voice when Rhys knocked on the door to the Headmaster’s office. Taking a deep breath, Rhys did as he was bid, slipping across the threshold and into the presence of a man that he had a hard time working for. He kept his sneer internal through sheer force of will, knowing that Timothy had attained his position mostly through his knowledge of things that others would not like revealed to the general public. The man had been a few years ahead of Rhys during their training at the School, but Rhys had learned quickly to avoid him and to avoid doing anything… unfortunate that the man could find out about. Still, he was forced to answer to Timothy’s call now, and it aggravated him to no end. He had no respect for someone who attained their power by leveraging the secrets of others. Blackmail was a weak man’s game.

You called for me? Rhys stated bluntly, uttering no greeting and giving the man no respectful bow or inclination of his head. Rhys’ pride wouldn’t allow him to do so, and Timothy knew better than to push it. The man knew that Rhys could make his life very uncomfortable if he decided to do so, as he’d discovered some of Timothy’s less savory deeds in their time together as students.

Yes, I did, Timothy confirmed, nodding his head and revealing to Rhys’ gaze the rapidly expanding area of thinning brown hair on top of his head. There is something we need you to retrieve for us.

I’m not a thief, nor am I a messenger to fetch things for you.

This isn’t something…solid. We need you to retrieve some information for us.

Rhys sighed, closing his dark brown eyes in an effort to maintain control of his temper. I’m not a spy either, he stated. Why don’t you ask the king for access to his spy master?

Because none of the spies are Spirit mages, Timothy stated bluntly. They have the skills to get into the target’s residence, but not the skills to get the information we need. Not without attracting too much attention, anyway.

Rhys smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "How does it feel to need me, specifically? he asked. I bet it bothers you immensely, doesn’t it?"

Timothy ground his teeth together, the only sign that Rhys was correct about how much this was grating on the other man. We’ve already agreed to pay twice your usual fee, the man spat.

Rhys felt his smile widen. Really? You must really want this information. What is it?

So you’ll take the job?

Now Rhys’ grin faltered. If I don’t, you would just order me to, wouldn’t you?

I could, Timothy agreed, but there would be no guarantee that you’d bring the information back if you don’t agree voluntarily. It’s much easier to appeal to your sense of greed.

Rhys grimaced. Fine. Tell me what it is you’re after so I can get it over with.

There is a treasure vault that we need the location of, the Headmaster told him. We need the location and how to get in. You know, how to avoid or disarm any traps, where false paths are placed, that sort of thing.

What’s inside this vault? Rhys wanted to know.

It doesn’t concern you, came Timothy’s quick reply. That sort of answer made Rhys want to dig deeper, but he knew the man across from him well enough to know that he wouldn’t cave. There were other ways to get the information, however.

Okay, what do I need to know?

Chapter 2

Rhys crouched on a small outcropping of rock, gazing across the ravine at the mountain fortress where his target apparently made his home. He could understand now why Timothy had referred to it as a ‘residence’ instead of a house; the place was enormous and more similar to a castle city than a single person’s home. From his current vantage point, Rhys could see a lowered portcullis that blocked entrance through the thick stone walls, the only entrance he’d managed to locate thus far. The walls of the fortress were tall enough that he could only see the very tops of building roofs beyond them, and while he couldn’t determine exactly how thick the walls were, Rhys guessed that it would likely take an army to get through them. Everything was currently locked down for the night, but as far as he could tell, there was only one way in or out, and that was through the gate.

Guards patrolled the tops of the walls at regular intervals, and there were at least four men stationed directly over the gate and the lowered portcullis. Rhys knew that his best bet to gain access to the fortress would be to climb the walls and descend into the courtyard, but that would mean leaving Caris behind. That wasn’t exactly a problem, but Rhys preferred to keep the eesprid close at hand, if he could. Still, unless he wanted to wait through the next day to see if there was a secondary access through the walls, he had no real choice. With a sigh, he straightened and called the cougar to his side.

I’m going to go ahead and take care of this tonight, Rhys told the animal. He’d never been able to determine exactly how much Caris understood, but he knew that the cougar was far more than the animal he appeared to be, with far more than an animal’s intelligence.

I hate to leave you behind, but I can’t see another way inside, so you’ll have to go to ground somewhere outside the walls. I’ll be back out before morning, I hope, but if I’m not, see if you can sneak through the gate if they raise the portcullis tomorrow.

Rhys patted the cougar on his head, then turned away and started down into the ravine, knowing Caris would follow, choosing his own path through the rocky terrain. As soon as he cleared the rocks he’d been using for cover, Rhys pulled his magic around them, shielding them both from sight.

As a Spirit mage, Rhys had the ability to use his magic to effect the minds of others. This included being able to read their thoughts, shield himself from detection, and take control of people for limited amounts of time. The problem was, Caris acted as his magical reservoir, and without the cat nearby, Rhys’ magic would be limited to the most basic spells, those he had the personal energy reserves to cast. As he picked his way carefully through the ravine, Rhys mentally took inventory of what spells and skills he’d have available to him once he cleared the fortress walls and outdistanced his eesprid.

The trip across the ravine, while time consuming, wasn’t terribly difficult, and Rhys found himself at the base of the fortress walls not long after moonrise. He still had plenty of time to get in, find what he was looking for, and get out, but Rhys still wished that Timothy had been able to provide him with more information about the layout of the fortress. He was essentially going in blind, something that would waste a lot of time while he was wandering around looking for the target. He knew nothing about the man, other than what he could infer from where he chose to live. Rhys sighed and began to climb.

The invisibility spell transferred from Caris to Rhys when he was nearing the top of the wall. With a grimace, Rhys split his concentration, casting a second spell to extend his senses. Listening carefully for the approaching guards, Rhys timed his final ascent by waiting until they’d passed, slipping quickly over the crenellations and over onto the opposite side of the wall, ready to descend into the courtyard. Pausing about halfway down the wall, the assassin-mage took a few minutes to take in the layout of the courtyard and the buildings that he could now see, albeit dimly. The moon wasn’t terribly bright, but there were torches here and there for the guards’ benefit, and they helped him to get the lay of the land.

Based on the fact that his target had built a huge fortress in the middle of a remote mountain range a few days away from the nearest town or city, Rhys assumed that the man would likely be in the building in the middle of the fortifications. Where in that building was another matter, but Rhys figured that he’d find him, given enough time. The next stage of his course plotted, the assassin-mage continued his descent, his soft boots touching down on the intricately patterned blocks of the courtyard a short while later.

Needing both his invisibility and his enhanced senses, Rhys started across the courtyard toward his chosen building, forced to trust in his Gift of precognition to keep him safe from any traps that might be laying around. It wasn’t a perfect plan, by any means, but it was all he could do with the limited information Timothy had provided to him. As he moved slowly and carefully toward his destination, it suddenly occurred to Rhys that perhaps Timothy had set him up. Maybe there wasn’t any treasure vault to discover, and instead this was a plan to get Rhys killed while on an assignment he was poorly prepared for. Assassins were killed or captured all the time, so nobody would really question it if he didn’t come back… Shaking such negative thoughts aside and reminding himself of the ultimate position that awaited him upon his return, Rhys picked up the pace slightly.

He was about two-thirds the way across the courtyard when a shiver of precognition flashed through him. He stopped immediately, trying to sort out the impression he’d received, but it had been too fast and too vague for him to make sense of. When nothing else about his surroundings triggered any warnings after a few minutes, Rhys continued his slow glide across to the shadows of the waiting buildings.

The tallest building inside the fortifications was also the most centrally located, leading Rhys to believe that he would likely find his target inside, somewhere. Making his way around the side of the building, he moved past the ivy crawling its way up the side of the stone structure, preferring the shadowed, bare stone on the far side. While the ivy would make his climb easier, the leaves inevitably rustling from his passage would be far more likely to alert the guards. Rhys decided to climb all the way to the highest window and then work his way down inside, looking for whoever it was who owned this place. Damn Timothy and his lack of information!

Again, the climb was an easy one, and Rhys reached the topmost window of the building quickly and without difficulty. The window itself proved to be a bit of a challenge, however, but part of Rhys’ training included ways of opening locks and other such things, and after a few more minutes, he dropped lightly to the floor inside what appeared to be a storage room. There were pieces of furniture strewn haphazardly about the space, and the air with thick with dust. Cursing softly to himself for the footprints he was about to leave behind him, Rhys made his way to the door and listened carefully before stepping out into the deserted hall. Looking left and right, he saw nobody and he heard nothing, so he ventured to the left, toward where he thought the stairs would likely be located.

As Rhys slowly and thoroughly checked each floor he came to, he became aware of the drain on his