ARC: Assassin Queen Read Online Free PDF Page B

Bashi went on, “ among the consequences of the link, control is by far not the worst that can happen in Kara ’ s case. ”
    Mai glanced up sharply. “ Not the worst? ”
    “ Do you remember the time the Kaddim tried to capture you and Prince Kythar, Aghat Mai? ”
    Mai briefly glanced in Kyth ’ s direction. Kyth shivered, remembering. Back then, he and Mai had barely escaped with their lives. Mai would have died from his wounds, if Egey Bashi had not conjured some of the darkest Keepers ’ remedies to bring him back. It still seemed like a miracle that they both survived.
    “ From what I know, ” Egey Bashi went on, “ the Kaddim ’ s reason for capturing both of you that time was to try and take over your gifts: Prince Kythar ’ s command of the elements, and Aghat Mai ’ s Diamond-level fighting skill. ”
    Mai ’ s gaze wavered.
    “ The mark the Kaddim placed on Kara, ” Egey Bashi said, “ could, among other things, serve the same purpose. To capture her skill, which equals that of Aghat Mai. The process is slower over a distance, but no less certain, if the mark is placed correctly. ”
    “ Capture her skill? What does this mean? ” the King asked.
    “I ’ m speaking of the worst possibility, Your Majesty, but if I ’ m right, this means that when our forces march against the Kaddim, we may potentially be facing an army of warriors, each of them fighting with the skill of a Diamond Majat. ”
    Silence greeted his words as everyone at the table exchanged stunned glances. Kyth ’ s heart quivered. Up until now they had been successfully defeating the Kaddim by using the Majat fighting force protected by Kyth ’ s magic. Mai put a lot of effort into training Kyth to defend larger groups of warriors. Kyth had come to believe their main challenge lay in his ability to keep up. But if all the enemy ’ s warriors – or even a few of them – could fight like Diamonds, all would be surely lost. Mai ’ s reinforcements brought their total number of Diamond-skilled warriors up to eight, which included the retired Seldon – no longer in top shape – and Kara, whose gift could potentially be in jeopardy. Added to the Rubies, Emeralds, and Jades, it seemed like overkill only this morning. Was the Kaddim link going to upset this balance and all their plans?
    “ An army like that could destroy the world, ” the King said. “ It would be useless for us to even try to stand up to them. ”
    Egey Bashi nodded. “ Unfortunately, yes. However, even if they can truly capture Kara ’ s skill, they ’ d need to amplify it too, and then transfer it to their warriors one by one. It would take considerable time. ”
    “ How long? ” Mai asked.
    Egey Bashi shook his head. “I can ’ t tell for sure, not without doing much more research. But if I were to guess – months, perhaps? ”
    What will happen to Kara in the meantime? ”
    “ Like I said, Aghat Mai, I need time to give you full answers. I am fairly certain, however, that using her skill would make her more vulnerable to these attempts. She must refrain from any fighting, even in practice. ”
    Mai exchanged quick glances with the other Diamonds. Kyth could guess the thoughts behind their grim expressions. For someone of their skill, fighting was as natural as breathing. Like the rest of them, Kara spent hours on the practice range. If she was deprived of this, on top of everything else …
    Egey Bashi sighed. “ I know it won ’ t be easy. And even if she manages to be completely idle all the time, they will still be pulling at her, slowly. Speaking in military terms, it works much like a siege. ”
    “ Then, ” Mai said, “ we must not lose any time. Now that the Majat reinforcements have arrived, we must move out right away. ”
    The Keeper shook his head. “ We don’ t even know the exact location of the Kaddim stronghold. All we know is that it ’ s somewhere in the mountains on the northern border of the kingdom of Shayil Yara. ”
    Mai