by Eve Langlais
If looks could kill, he’d have died.
Chapter Thirty-Five
He used me.
It hurt. More than Agathe would ever care to admit. Then again, what did she expect? They’d spoken no promises. Nor words of affection. She’d kissed him, not the other way around. As far as he knew, she just wanted physical relief.
It wasn’t as if anything could have come out of it. They both had very different missions in life. Hadn’t she been telling herself that since she left his bed?
Let him ignore her. It was for the best. She should focus on more pressing problems. What would she do if she couldn’t get access to the Citadel?
The one person she’d counted on to help her had chosen to pretend she didn’t exist. Perhaps she should ask Xaav. Maric’s public rejection meant he’d been the one to offer his hand so she could ride behind him.
He murmured a soft, “Ignore him.”
“Already done,” was her light reply as they cantered onto the last leg of their journey to the King’s City.
Maric remained close to the group, too close for her to ask Xaav if he could get her inside the Citadel. Given his devotion to his leader, it was doubtful he’d even agree.
Stupid jerk. She’d honestly not expected Maric to treat her like this. He’d fooled her, though, and it burned. The ire at her gullible nature boiled.
She needed that anger to push against the sudden fear that hit her as they came in sight of the center of the King’s Valley, a large dip filled with a perfectly designed city. The buildings were built in rings, bisected with roads. Mostly homes on the outer circles, with shops and more lavish residences as you neared the center where the Citadel jutted, a thing of seemingly seamless stone. Home of the King.
As they neared the outer walls, Agathe noticed that an empty ditch surrounded the city, its depths filled with shards of glass and sharp stakes. A trap for monsters that traveled over the ground. Unlit torches lined its length, and she spotted archers watching from crenellations along the wall.
That wasn’t the only defense. A squad of King’s Elite in their silver armor marched in formation around a well-worn path.
“You’ve got a strong defense around the city,” she said to Xaav. “Have there been problems?”
“No, but once they start, it’s too late to prepare.”
“Smart planning.”
“Credit goes to the King and the general knight.”
“I imagine the Citadel is even more closely guarded,” she softly hedged.
“No one goes in or out without being scrutinized.”
Implying tough security. How would she make it inside? Presenting herself at the gates without an invitation might get her thrown into a jail cell. Or killed, if they thought her a rebel.
As they trotted over a wooden bridge that could easily be collapsed into the hand-dug gorge, people noticed their arrival.
Every single one waved and cheered. “Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!”
As they chanted, the men in the Brigade sat taller. It seemed stories about their exploits ranged far and wide. Having seen them fight, Agathe could at least agree most of it was probably merited.
The group didn’t stop to enjoy the adulation; they followed Maric and his quickened pace. They soon passed the residential rings and emerged into the center, where a moat circled a massive stone wall.
The general pulled up his steed at the foot of a bridge. Belle leaned forward impatiently, eyeing her new home.
Maric signaled to Xaav, who trotted over. “Only the Blessed have permission to enter. See that the Soraers are given accommodation at the Shield Inn.”
Wait, was he trying to ditch them? Silence was no longer an option. “We’re staying with the acolyte.”
He didn’t look at her as he replied, “Once she passes those gates, she’s no longer your concern.”
Belle took offense at Agathe’s attempt to save her. “Leave me alone, already. I want to do this. I’m ready to serve the King.”
“You heard the girl.” Maric’s knees nudged the horse, readying to leave.
It was too much for Agathe. “What about my audience with the King?”
Finally, he glanced over his shoulder at her, his mien serious as he said, “I will ask him. You’ll be informed once he makes a decision.”
So much for sex softening the man. Her chances of getting in appeared to have sunk.
“He’s got a lot on his mind.” Xaav tried to excuse him.
It made her reply curt. “He is acting exactly as expected for someone of his ilk. And I really don’t care. I am glad to be rid of him.”
She jumped off the horse the moment it stopped in front of the inn bearing a shield as its sign. “Thank you. Bye.” She strode inside the establishment, angry at Maric, herself, the world.
The inn oozed age, built of mortared stone blocks and granite floors worn by the passage of feet. Trestle tables with benches reminded her of home.
I have no home.
The monsters had taken it. She’d once more lost everything.
Hiix and Venna entered, bickering, and it continued all the way up to their already reserved rooms. It indicated preplanning. Maric never had any intention of taking her to see the King.
The betrayal burned bitter.
The three rooms adjoined, and of course, her Soraers immediately opened the connecting doors so Agathe could enjoy the arguing. This time, it centered on Hiix’s menses being one day late.
To which Hiix replied, “This isn’t the first time my menstruation has stopped. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m getting old again.” They all were. With Agathe, the youngest of them all, looking the oldest, four decades at least. No wonder the at-least-ten-years-younger Maric didn’t look back.
“You are not that old, and you are always regular,” Venna argued.
“We’ve had a stressful few days. Not to mention, it’s only one day late.”
“You didn’t use protection!” Venna reminded, wagging a finger.
“I’m too old to be pregnant.” Hiix snorted.
“Hardly. Even Agathe could still have a baby.”
Wait? She could? She almost put a hand on her stomach. It had never even occurred to her, hence why she’d not taken precautions. Wasn’t sure how she’d feel about it. Not that it would matter. She probably wouldn’t live out the week if she got to see the King.
“I am not changing diapers,” Venna declared.
“Seeing as how I used to help you with yours before your rewind in life, that’s kind of rude.” Hiix sniffed.
Venna turned red. “That was a secret.”
“From who? Was only the three of us at the time.”
“Four,” Agathe reminded. But they rarely spoke of that time before everything went bad. “I need some air. I’m going for a walk.”
“We’ll join you,” Hiix offered.
Quickly, Agathe shook her head. “I want a moment to myself.”
Before they could argue, she left, heading down to the establishment’s main floor, which currently catered to the midday meal patrons. The noise drove her outside. where she walked and walked, ring after ring, ‘til she made it past the hubbub of the central city for the quieter streets with houses and a few scattered stores.
A small shop offering drinks and treats had a table and two mismatched chairs in front. A pity she had no money.
A woman with florid cheeks emerged, wiping her hands on her apron. “Can I help you?” The most heavenly smell wafted behind.
“I don’t suppose I could work for a pastry?”
“Ain’t got no jobs to give unless you know how to exterminate rats. None of them rodent killers will help since the last one died in the basement.”
Rats? The Soraers had to subsist on them quite a bit during the lean years. Agathe smiled. “Actually, I can help you with that.”
The baker, a woman with seven daughters, was amazed when Agathe returned from the cellar with not one giant rat but five. She said nothing about the actual k
iller, a mutated version of a lizard, that had snapped open a sewer grill in the cellar. She’d managed to block it but made a note to mention it to Xaav or someone else so they might check more basements.
“Aren’t you just a marvel? A true Soraer of the Shield.” The baker beamed. “Thank you. Choose any treat you like. And a drink.” The woman bustled around, readying a reward.
Agathe was sitting, sipping on some hot cocoa and nibbling on a piece of cake when she heard the thunder of hooves. She watched Xaav go flying by. Then return, trotting more slowly. He stopped by her table before sliding off his horse.
“Hello, Xaav. Going somewhere?” she asked casually, taking a sip of her drink.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“Whatever for?”
“You went missing.”
“Not exactly. As you can see, I’m sitting right here.”
“Your Soraers—”
She cut him off. “Wouldn’t have sent you so quickly after me.” She eyed him. “Only one reason you’d be concerned, and that’s because you were ordered to watch me. Who gave you the command?”
“You didn’t really think Maric had forgotten about you?”
“Actually, I did. Our business together is done. But I am glad you found me. Did you know your basements have infestations? At least, this one did. So be sure to tell your precious leader when you go report on my activities.” She kept in the rest of her anger. When it came to confronting Maric, she’d do it in person. “You can go now. Bye-bye.” She waved.
“I can’t go.”
“I just told you there are monsters in the city.”
“That aren’t going anywhere. My orders are to keep an eye on you.”
“Because he doesn’t trust me.” Agathe couldn’t deny Maric’s instincts were good. She shouldn’t be trusted.
“Would you feel better if I said he’s like that with everybody?”
“Not true. He trusts you.”
“One of the few.”
She eyed Xaav. “You saved his life, didn’t you?”
“Not as many times as he’s saved mine. We don’t keep count.”
“You make it sound like you see a lot of action.”
His lips flattened. “These are dangerous times.”
“Have you met the King?” She changed tactics, and he grew wary.
“Yes.”
“What kind of man is he?”
“The kind who will do whatever it takes to serve his people.”
Another brainwashed soldier. “So, you don’t have a problem with what he does with the Blessed?”
“No. I don’t have a problem with him keeping King’s Valley from being overrun by perverted wildlife.” He sounded angry, but she latched onto a word.
“Perverted? What do you mean?” She’d thought some of the creatures she’d seen were similar to animals she knew but…twisted.
Xaav’s lips flattened. “I have to go.”
He suddenly mounted his horse and left, but Agathe remained, finishing her treat. After all, she’d discovered something important.
Maric wanted her watched.
The question being: why?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Knowing she was probably being spied upon, Agathe took her time returning to the inn, talking to people she met along the way, browsing the shops. She tried to spot her tail. Xaav, with his lack of hair, would have stood out. Actually, any of the Ghosts in their silver armor would have drawn attention. Meaning, whoever spied probably wasn’t someone she knew. It might not even be a soldier.
Eventually, she spotted her spy. A man armed with a sword, which peeked from the opening of his cloak. He picked up her trail, and while he did a decent job of ducking from her, once she’d spotted him, he was easy to lose. From a nearby rooftop, she watched him frantically search. How long before he reported to Maric that he’d lost her again? And why was she being so ornery about it?
Agathe kept to the heights to make her way back to the inn, an easy thing to do given the buildings were close together. She didn’t climb down until she reached the inn. She went up to the third floor and knocked once before entering Hiix’s room. Venna happened to be there, as well. Both turned wide eyes on her with weapons drawn, ready to slice her.
“Glad to see you’re alert,” was her casual greeting.
“Where have you been?” exclaimed Venna.
“Out. Why? Has something happened?”
Hiix chewed her lower lip. “Baer was just here asking where you’d gone.”
“Not sure why it’s any of his—or anyone else’s—business,” Agathe sassed. “The Soraers of the Shield answer only to the Goddess.”
“Do you think it’s wise to antagonize the general knight?” Hiix proffered.
Venna wrung her hands. “If you make him angry, he might arrest you.”
“Do you think he would?” The idea piqued her interest. “I wonder if they jail people somewhere in the city or within the Citadel…”
“You can’t be serious,” Hiix snapped. “How is being put in a cell supposed to help?”
“It’s better than sitting in this room doing nothing.”
Venna stiffened. “For your information, we’ve been busy. Look.” She bustled to a table and held up a book. “The King sent this over. It’s a history of King’s Valley’s.”
“And? We’ve read that story before.”
“The widely disbursed version, yes. The very first monarch’s scribe wrote this one.”
Oh, that was interesting. “Does it differ from the usual accounts?”
“This one actually states that the reason for settling here was because of the appearance of the mist.” Other versions had them living here lawlessly and without prosperity until the King took them in hand.
“Does it mention the origin of the mist?”
“Just that the mist began appearing one day and swept much like a sickness across the land, forcing humanity to climb a mountain to escape it.” Lending credence to Maric’s claim that there used to be other places outside King’s Valley once habitable to people.
“It’s a good start. I wonder why the King sent it.” Had Maric spoken to him and convinced the King to let the Soraers help?
“Who cares about moldy old books,” Hiix jumped in. “While she’s been bookworming, I’ve been studying some of the city’s defenses. They’re using some innovative ideas to fight all kinds of monsters, not just those on the ground. Things that we can implement at the Abbaes and towns on the rim.”
“Not sure a moat would have helped us in the cliffs.” And most of the rim towns were situated atop rock or on the very edge.
“They’ve got actual archers. Also, a thing called a ballista, which fires giant missiles into the sky. And a chemical compound that, when lit, acts like daylight that can drive the monsters back.”
“I had no idea.” It struck Agathe that while she’d been moping, her friends had actually been productive. “Tell me more.”
Discourse would apparently have to wait, as the door to the room slammed open.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Weapons dropped to their sides as Maric strode in, expression fierce, every inch of him vibrating. “Where have you been?” he barked.
Agathe arched a brow. “Hello, General Knight. Did you forget how to knock?”
“Don’t you start with me. What have you been doing? Where did you go?”
Her Soraers eased out of the room and closed the adjoining door.
“Well, since you’re asking so nicely, I was exploring your fine city. Even stopped for a bite to eat. Is that a problem?”
“It is when you disappear,” he growled.
“Hardly disappeared since I’m right here. What I did was lose the tail you put on me.”
“For your safety.”
She snorted. “I don’t need your protection.”
He stalked closer. “You can’t wander around by yourself.”
“Why not? I’ve been doing it for a while n
ow. Or are you claiming the city you defend isn’t safe?”
“Safe enough.”
“Really? Because the kind baker who fed me had a problem with oversized rats and a mutant in her basement.”
His turn to appear surprised. “Where?”
“Ask Xaav. He’ll know the place, I’m sure. And don’t worry. I took care of it. But I assume where there’s one infestation, there’re others.”
“Which will be handled.”
“By whom? Your soldiers are stretched thin, what with guarding the Citadel, the city wall, and patrolling the vastness of the kingdom.”
“I’m aware.”
“If you’re aware, then why aren’t you doing something about it? Like asking the Abbaes for aid or training the citizens to fight?”
He kept walking until her back hit a wall and he bracketed her with his arms. “I don’t need you telling me how to defend this Kingdom.”
“Are you sure?”
“You need to stop testing me. I don’t have time for this.”
“If my words bother you, then just ignore me. It seemed easy enough for you this morning.” She could have kicked herself for revealing that it bothered her.
“Nothing easy about it. Would you rather I’d ravished you in front of everyone?”
Her mouth went dry. “I would have liked for you to acknowledge my existence.”
“Your existence is the problem. I can’t afford distraction.”
There was something heady in the fact that he considered her distracting, but at the same time… “You acted like a cad.”
“You would have preferred I show everyone how we spent the night?” He grabbed her buttocks in a firm grip and drew her against him.
“On the previous legs of our journey, you managed to comport yourself like a professional soldier.”
“That was before I discovered my weakness.” His eyes took on a dangerous glint.
Agathe licked her lips. No denying his intent. It sent a thrill through her, but she wasn’t about to melt. He’d treated her abominably.