by Lisa Daniels
Kerensa watched the smile slide off of his face as he turned to look at her. Heath remained quiet as he opened his own door a little ways down the corridor. Kerensa looked at the ground as she entered the cabin because it was only with the look of disappointment on Heath’s face that she remembered their last conversation.
I offer my advice and hope that it will convince you to do the right thing.
As usual, her curiosity had gotten the better of her, so she had completely forgotten his advice.
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t think-”
“What is she doing here?” An unfamiliar voice cut her off.
Kerensa’s eyes snapped up and she found she was looking into a pair of greyish-blue eyes. The man’s hair was long and jet black, like the ocean at night. His skin was nearly translucent in the lighting that came in through the window behind him. Kerensa’s initial reaction was fear. Though the man was not nearly as muscular as Heath, there was something cold and clearly dangerous about him. The young woman could hear the door close behind her and suddenly she felt as if she were trapped.
Then a cool familiar sensation pressed against her lower back. “As I was saying, she is a curious creature who seems unable to act in her own best interest.”
“Typical human.” The man’s eyes took her in, but unlike the man outside, she felt like the assessment was more closely aligned with her species than her actual appearance.
“Perhaps, but not a typical socialite. As you can see, she wants to be a man, and she is willing to do anything to be recognized as one.”
Kerensa’s head snapped to her right and she looked at Heath. His eyes were set firmly on the visitor. Soon the conversation changed to something else entirely as Heath walked away from her. Kerensa was still trying to process how he introduced her as the shifter continued. “It’s alright. She-” his eyes shifted toward her, “Apologies, he hasn’t spoken a word about me. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would say the lad is rather attached to me, as you can see that a few broken ribs have not been enough to keep him confined to his room once I leave it.”
The stranger looked at her again, then appeared to lose interest. “If you feel it is safe, then I will show you about what I learned from the expedition.” The man took a few steps toward a table with several pieces on it. Kerensa looked at it and immediately she forgot about everything that had been said as she took in what she was seeing. The small things on the table appeared to be made of marble, but they moved in a way that suggested they were actually alive. Taking a few steps toward it, she watched as the two men discussed … something. She tried to follow their words as much as possible, but it was only when the stranger invoked some words that she had only read about in the unmentionable war that the young woman realized they were talking about troop movements and a war. Blinking at the board, it suddenly made sense. The things on the board indicated the movement and what was happening. It was news that would reshape the world, happening on a continent far from her own. As she listened, Kerensa quickly realized the reason that no one back on her continent was talking about it was because the war was entirely on the opposite side of the world. Word likely would take several months, if not years to reach her homeland.
“Excuse me,” her voice was soft as she interrupted the stranger. “But judging by the way they are moving here,” the young woman pointed at an area that the men had largely ignored, “I don’t think they are going to attack head on.”
The stranger glared at her, “Heath, please keep your pet quiet.”
Kerensa didn’t hear anything he said as she leaned forward, her mind too focused on the board, “You see how they have been sending in a couple of men at a time. It’s almost impossible to see if you don’t keep an eye on it, but they are definitely building up their army here. And looking at this here,” her finger followed a slim path toward the mountains, “they are filtering just as many people into this area here every day. If this is an accurate representation of the mountains, there is a little opening here. Could they be hiding soldiers there?” Her eyes looked up at the two men, whose mouths were now both open.
The cold stranger leaned forward and looked closely at the area. Heath’s dimple appeared as he looked at her curious expression, “Don’t tell me that you have studied strategy? All you researchers discuss is terrain, weather patterns, and how seasick you feel any particular day. Well, not you, but…” his eyes gleamed, “It is strange Velius, that you can find a way to surprise me after all of this time.”
“It has only been a couple of weeks.” She said as her eyes blinked at him a couple of time. She pushed her glasses back up, “This expedition was meant to expand my knowledge in areas where I know little. While it appears that is nearly everything, there are a few areas where I know a pretty good bit.”
“Like dragons?” Heath’s grin suggested he was enjoying the little chat very much. The stranger’s eyes shot up and watched them.
“Studying dragons is a hobby nothing more. Since there is no chance that I will be able to go out and study them myself, it will have to remain merely a hobby. No, I dare say that most of my knowledge is actually based on military strategy and the history of various wars.”
“Ah, was that why you were so interested in the Samnite Sundown?” He leaned back and looked at her, his expression almost like he was seeing her for the first time.
“It is one of the few wars where I have next to no knowledge, and it is clearly frustrating since it was recent enough that we should have records. They did a magnificent job of hiding it so that even with all of the resources at my family’s disposal, I potentially learned more from our brief discussion than a year and a half of digging.”
“Why wars?” The stranger stood up and folded his arms across his chest as Heath gave her a questioning look. His mind was on a different aspect of her information.
Kerensa turned and looked at him. Shifting her glasses, she finally responded, “My family is what it is today because we stood on the right side of the war, something my father and I discussed when I was young, if only in passing. If one thing had gone differently, I would not be here. War is epitome of chaos, and if there was a way to prevent it, the world would actually find a way to move forward.”
The men looked at each other before the stranger asked, “Are you sure she’s human?”
Heath let out a loud laugh, “So much for her being a typical human, huh? Yes, you can sense that there is no other species mixed within her, but her ideas are nothing like a normal human’s.”
Kerensa stood by unsure how to speak as they talked about her. Then Heath turned to look at her, “But who is your family that you are so certain?”
“My father is Sir Gwavas of Marcella.”
The stranger’s eyes went wide and Heath placed his hand over his mouth, his eyes now looking at her in a way they had not before. The two men shared another look at her words. Kerensa had no idea why it mattered because they were a long way from where she had lived. Her father was well respected at home, despite his tendencies to criticize war. Her people were particularly adept at it, but her father was one of the most vocal advocates for change. There was nothing that he said or did in their country that would affect the other side of the world – not unless Volsci decided to try to take over all of Letera.
“Dear gods Heath, what have you been doing all of this time? How did you charm a woman of her rank and breeding away from the nest?”
Kerensa had no idea what the stranger meant or if it was meant as an insult to her or her country. Heath’s eyes were squarely on her as he rubbed his chin, “I have nothing to do with it. The young man made his own way onto this ship of his own volition, and it was only here that we met.” The way he was calling her a boy somehow bothered Kerensa, although she didn’t feel that she should correct him as there were more pressing issues to consider at the moment. “If I were to hazard a guess,” he continued, “he is far too intelligent to be doomed by the trappings that they forced on him. You know
as well as I that you can only keep intelligence penned for so long before it finds its own way or dies.”
The stranger nodded, but said nothing else. His eyes looked at Kerensa again, this time she felt that the calculations were entirely different than the first appraisal. The man then turned his attention back to the board, “I will be damned, if those bastards didn’t find the perfect way to hide their movements from us. If she hadn’t pointed out the thin trickle of movement, I would never have believed that they would have the patience let alone the intelligence for such a move. I will need to return and inform them as soon as possible. Dammit!” He hit the side of the table with his hand, “I hate underestimating the enemy. I thought we had more time, but by the look of it, they are going to be ready to move within a week, and we are not at all prepared. This is my fault” The stranger stood up straight.
Heath nodded, “I understand how you feel, but if you could Cyprian, I need a few more minutes of your time before you run off to do something reckless.” He turned to Kerensa, “I’m sorry Velius, but could I convince you to return to your quarters for now?”
Kerensa looked between Heath and the stranger named Cyprian, “Of course. And I promise to stay in my room until you arrive.” She gave a slight bow, then immediately stopped as a pain shot through her body.
The feel of two cool hands were immediately on her, “None of that. We are indebted to you, and I will not have you doing yourself a harm for something so unnecessary. Or any other reason. I swear I will be along directly. Try to stay out of trouble until then.”
Kerensa nodded, then headed to the door. She was about to open it when she realized she had to say something because she did not want to feel that she had not done all she could. Turning back around, she twisted her mouth waiting for a lull in the conversation between the men. Her eyes went to the window and for the first time she realized that the floor was wet. Questions about it formulated in her mind, but she knew that she would never ask. Neither of the men were wet and nothing in the room appeared to be soaked or to even contain water. A slight frown creased her face as she realized that there was nothing in the room to drink or wash. Her mind was working as a silence fell over the room. As if they heard her thinking louder than their own discussion, Heath and Cyprian turned to look at her.
Heath’s voice cut into her curiosity, “Is there something else Velius?”
Kerensa was still looking around the room, her mind not quite registering that Heath had spoken to her.
“Velius?” His voice was a little louder, shaking her from her thoughts.
Without thinking, she responded, “Kerensa.” Then she looked over at the man and remembered where she was and why she was still there. A slight blush rose to her face as she said, “If you send a small party over the mountains, you can effectively cut off their ability to come and go with a well-timed avalanche. The men will be able to leave into your waiting army on the other side, and the others will stay safely on their own side. If you time it well, you may be able to do it while there was no one in the way. They will never know that it was you, and you can stop the fight with minimal casualties.”
Again, the men shared a look. Cyprian stood back and began to look over the area again as Heath’s face broke into the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. With a quick bow of her head, Kerensa said, “I apologize for interfering, but I could not stand the idea of…” Her brow knit together. Feeling self-conscious, she quickly opened the door and left before they could respond.
Chapter 6
The Ugly Side of Privilege
Kerensa moved as fast as she dared from the room, her mind going in several directions at once. She was accustomed to thinking about several things at once, but something about the encounter made her feel uncomfortable, although she was not sure exactly what it was that she felt. She was only vaguely aware of her surroundings, so she was a little surprised when she realized that she was already to her door. Pushing open the door, she was stopped by a voice.
“Velius?”
Kerensa turned to find the speaker, and was surprised to see the man who had held her up walking towards her.
“That is a strange name. Perhaps you are a foreigner too? It is most impressive if you are since you seem to have gotten very close with your accent.” Kerensa could only partly make out the man’s face as he walked towards her. Before she could respond, the man was a few steps from her. “Do you mind if was discuss a few things? I can enlighten you about the grace, civility, and famous hospitality of the Volsci, and you…” his eyes looked down her body.
Repulsed, Kerensa tried to excuse herself. “I do apologize for the disruption earlier. Perhaps we could talk some other time, but tonight, I really must finish some of my research on-”
“Now, now, what kind of exchange is this? We are on a boat,” he spread his arms out wide as if Kerensa did not already know that, “we have nothing but time. I am certain your research can wait just a little while longer.”
Kerensa looked the man in the eye, knowing that she was going to have to be as firm with him as she was with all of the suitors like him that she had turned down. A part of her noted how strange it was that she was comparing the man to a suitor, but mostly she was annoyed by his insistence that they talk. “I would love to have the chance to talk with you, but right now is inconvenient.” She tried to smile as she played a card that should have quieted the man, “Besides, should you not be with your fiancé? I thought you were celebrating.”
He waved a hand, “She has already retired. I’m sure even you have noticed how tiresome our women can be. You can’t get them to bed with you without a ring, and then they are only good for children after that. It is a sad state, but we men must make do with other companionship.”
He closed the distance between them. Kerensa took a step away from him into her room. “Sir, I must ask that you return to your-”
His hand shot out and pushed her shoulder, causing the young woman to stumble back into her room. The man stepped into her cabin and closed the door. Taking a deep breath he looked at her, “Ah, that must be the smell of real manly love. I can’t say that I have ever considered it before now. Well, not too much.” He walked toward her, blocking her way out of the room. Kerensa retreated into her room, but was too afraid to turn her back on the advancing man. She had doubted that he had meant anything he had said as the man knew nothing about her, not even her name until Heath had spoken it in front of the man. She did not even know his name.
Trying to keep herself calm, Kerensa was able to put a table between her and the man as he looked around, “I do not even know your name sir.”
He gave a huge sweeping bow. “Stinton Entrengo Brattle. I cannot tell you,” he lifted his head up and looked at her, “how pleased I am to hear you are taking an interest in me. I am not quite sure how to begin this. Do we just get right to it, or is there some other way with intellectuals? Never having been too interested in the scholarly type myself, I fear I have no idea how to even chat with you. If it is all the same to you, I would prefer just to get down to business.”
Kerensa placed her hands on the table, “If you are speaking of a cultural exchange-”
The man shook his head and knocked the table out of the way. The motion took Kerensa by surprise. The leg of the table caught her shin as she stepped away from the wooden table. Off balance, she felt a pair of rough hands take her arms.
“I want the kind of cultural exchange that does not require clothing.” The man’s face was inches from her own.
Kerensa kicked the man in the shin. As he leaned forward in pain, she tried to run for the door. A thick hand caught her wrist. “Is that how we do it? Rough?”
Without warning, Kerensa felt herself being dragged toward her bed. “Let me go you entitled buffoon!” Her voice was firm and cold, the kind of tone she used when men tried to correct her after she had provided them with a detailed explanation that they did not understand. “I am not here for your entertainment. I am here-”
the young woman was trying to pull her arm free, but her ribs were beginning to burn as she struggled.
“Now, now, that is harsh language. I may think you do not like me.” Stinton pushed her roughly onto the bed, tearing her shirt as he did. Kerensa kicked out at him, nailing him in the stomach. He doubled over, but put a hand on her ankle. She kicked at his arm, trying to get him off of her, but he quickly grabbed her leg with his other hand.
“I don’t think you fully understand the position you are in,” the man growled at her. “I am never denied anything I want, and I am not about to be denied by some twisted little stick of a boy who thinks that he can turn me down. It just makes things that much more certain.”
His hand released her ankle and grabbed at the top of her pants. She tried to kick him, but the man pressed his body against her leg so that she could not do him any more harm.
“Get off me!” she demanded, her voice still calm and controlled. “If I tell the captain about this, you won’t even be a footnote in history.”
The man laughed, “Then that gives me every incentive to end the evening with a terrible accident.”
Kerensa scratched the man’s face as he leaned toward her. Instead of letting go of her as she expected, the man spat on her, “How dare you!”
A low rumble reverberated around the room, causing both Kerensa and her attacker to look around the room.
“How dare you is right, but it is directed at the wrong person.” Heath’s voice was like the sound of a silence proceeding a tidal wave.
Suddenly, the man flew backward across the room. Kerensa’s eyes went to where the man had been and saw Heath’s face looking down on her.
“Are you alright?” He reached out a hand and gently wiped the spit off her face.
Kerensa gave a little nod. His eyes scanned her body to verify her claim, then they fell on the torn pant leg where the table had struck her. Placing his cool hand on it, he looked up at her with concern in his eyes before turning his back on her. Heath strode towards the man, who was now trying to stand up on the other side of the room.