Excerpt & Giveaway: The Guild of Assassins by Anna Kashina
The
Guild of Assassins
Majat
Code #2
By:
Anna Kashina
Releasing
Aug 5th,
2014
Blurb
Kara,
an elite warrior from the Majat Guild, has escaped execution and
achieved something that no Majat has ever managed – freedom from
the Guild!
But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai.
Is their relationship – and the force that makes their union all-powerful – a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a ploy sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?
But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai.
Is their relationship – and the force that makes their union all-powerful – a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a ploy sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?
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EXCERPT 3
The
Jade, Sharrim, had curly red hair, a freckled face, and a perpetual
expression of childlike wonder that seemed odd in someone of his
reputation as the best archer among the Jades. His superior, Gahang
Khall, a pale man with straight black hair and piercing eyes, made a
chilling contrast as the two of them stood in the Guildmaster’s
study with the solemn look of men well aware of due praise for a job
well done. Looking at their silent forms, Oden Lan had trouble
believing Master Tolos’s accusations. Yet now, after summoning the
Jades to his study, he had no choice but to proceed.
“Tell
me how Kara died,” he said.
The
men raised their eyebrows in puzzled silence.
“Is
there a reason for –” Khall began.
Oden
Lan lifted his head. “I choose not to take your words as doubt that
I would ask you anything without reason, Gahang.”
“But
I already told –” Sharrim put in.
Oden
Lan turned, his gaze forcing the younger man into silence. “Tell me
again.”
Sharrim
swallowed, his face losing several shades of color. “After we
received our orders, Aghat Mai and I caught up with Kara after a ten
day chase. Aghat Mai engaged her, and when she was distracted, I shot
her in the forearm. Then I stood down, like Aghat Mai instructed me.”
“He
instructed you to stand down?”
The
Jade’s face continued to show puzzlement. “He told me to stand
down after the first hit. He said that one light wound would give him
all the advantage he needed. And it did.”
Oden
Lan hesitated, searching Sharrim’s eyes and finding nothing but
honest pride at the successful assignment. He was beginning to feel
like a fool. He swore to himself to have another conversation with
Master Tolos after this was over. Now that the yellow-eyed man was
out of the way he no longer seemed so friendly or trustworthy. What
possessed Oden Lan to believe such ridiculous accusations of two of
his best warriors?
“What
happened afterwards, Gahang Sharrim?” he asked.
“After
my arrow hit, it took mere minutes for Aghat Mai to get through. Kara
lost a sword from her injured hand. Then, he struck her down. Death
was instant, Guildmaster. Almost no blood.”
As
before when he heard this, Oden Lan felt giddy. He summoned all his
strength to appear calm.
Instant
death.
When
this was over, he was going to make an example of Master Tolos, to
show everyone what it meant to pry into Majat Guild private affairs.
How dare this yellow-eyed man come here to suggest such
preposterous things and stir up wounds that hadn’t yet had time to
heal?
“You
told me before that Aghat Mai used ‘viper’s sting’ on her,
Gahang Sharrim.”
“Yes,
Guildmaster.”
“How
do you know?”
The
Jade hesitated.
“We
all learned what it’s like, Guildmaster. It’s Aghat Mai’s
signature blow. A deep stab between the collarbones, tilted left and
in to go straight through the heart.”
Yes,
that was how “viper’s sting” was supposed to go. Oden Lan had
never tried it, but he had heard enough talk in the Fortress five
years ago, after Mai, a newly ranked Diamond at the time, had used it
on his first kill. Mai had also used the other one, “viper’s
kiss”, during the same assignment, to harmlessly get the victim’s
bodyguard out of the way. Mai’s fame had spread like fire. Not many
people in the history of the Guild had blows named after their token
rune. Viper.
Oden
Lan strained his memory to recall the details. There was a way
to tell between the two blows, just not an easy one.
“You
said there was no blood,” he said slowly.
“Almost
none, Guildmaster. A splash, no more.”
A
splash. Oden Lan’s heart quivered, but he kept his face
straight. “And what did Aghat Mai do immediately after the fight?”
“What
do you mean?” Sharrim looked lost.
“Try
to recall exactly, Gahang. What happened immediately after the
fight?”
Sharrim
licked his lips.
“I
– I approached the body and checked that she was dead,” he
stammered, trying to speak faster under Oden Lan’s urgent gaze.
“There was no pulse. Then Aghat Mai sent me off to find her
armband.”
“He
sent you off?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Sharrim
hesitated. “I was under his command. I didn’t question his
orders.”
“Didn’t
you wonder why he stayed behind?”
“He
– he said he’d collect her weapons.”
“And
what did he do when you walked away?” Oden Lan prompted.
“He
leaned over her, and –” Sharrim paused, his face going pale.
Oden
Lan waited. After a moment Sharrim spoke slowly, his narrowed eyes
looking into the distance.
“He
hit some points on the neck. Her body shook. I saw it as I left. And
then, Aghat Mai said something to the boy, Prince Kythar Dorn. After
Aghat Mai left, the prince wrapped Kara’s body in a cloak and held
her in his arms.”
“He
told the prince to hold her, so that he could keep her warm,” Oden
Lan said. “Didn’t he?”
Sharrim’s
blue eyes were suddenly dark like Khall’s. His face lost its
innocent expression and became cold and distant.
“I
don’t blame you, Gahang Sharrim,” Oden Lan said. “You couldn’t
have known.”
The
two Jades went so still that they seemed inanimate.
“You
may go,” Oden Lan said.
“What
do you intend to do, Guildmaster?” Khall asked quietly.
Oden
Lan turned to him, keeping his face so straight that it hurt.
“I’ll
do what I have to, Gahang Khall,” he said. “Just like I’ve
always done.”
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Author
Info
Anna
Kashina grew up in Russia and moved to the United States in 1994
after receiving her Ph.D. in cell biology from the Russian Academy of
Sciences. She works as a biomedical researcher and combines career in
science with her passion for writing. Anna's interests in ballroom
dancing, world mythologies and folklore feed her high-level interest
in martial arts of the Majat warriors. She is a recent medalist in
the ForeWord Book of the Year and Independent Publishers Book Award
contests.
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