As the Shadow Rises: Book Two of The Age of Darkness

by Katy Rose Pool

  Their faces were hidden by green scarves, which Hassan quickly realized were not just to obscure their faces. The scarves protected the Scarab’s Wing from breathing in the smoke. Only the unsuspecting crowd would be affected.

  He tugged his own scarf over his face and looked back down at the roiling crowd below. A woman was shrieking, hitting an already unconscious man over and over. Two other men were grappling on the ground, blood running from gouges where they’d torn into each other’s skin with their bare hands.

  He had to find Zareen, Arash. He had to stop this.

  He fumbled with the device in his pocket that one of the Library artificers had given him for his speech, a sphere of copper and gold wires. When Hassan spoke into it, it amplified his voice.

  “Hey!” he yelled, his voice booming out over the crowd.

  None of them paid any mind to him. They were too lost in their violence, to the senseless riot carrying on below.

  “People of Nazirah!” He tried again, to no avail. These people were beyond reaching.

  His city had become a war zone.

  22

  ANTON

  ANTON SMOOTHED THE LAPELS OF HIS JACKET AND CHECKED HIMSELF ONE last time in the gold wreathed mirror in Evander’s palatial guest room.

  Evander loved nothing as much as he loved clothes, and Endarrion fashions were ever-changing. He would probably rather suffocate himself with magnolia wine than be seen bringing two unfashionable guests to the party of the season. He’d provisioned Anton with dark, narrow trousers tucked neatly into soft boots, a trim cream jacket over a pale blue floral blouse, and finished it off with a flourish that was wholly Evander: a silk scarf, patterned with pink flowers, around Anton’s neck.

  He went out into the hall and spotted Jude peering down over the banister. He turned as Anton approached, looking overwhelmed and somewhat embattled.

  “Tell me you’re not about to throw yourself over the banister,” Anton said. “Is everything all right? Is your Grace—?”

  “I’m fine,” Jude said quickly. He looked down, clearing his throat, cheeks glowing. “You look—different.”

  “Evander really likes clothes,” Anton said with a sigh. “Every time he came to Thalassa, he’d try to give me a jacket or a scarf. I see you didn’t escape his wrath.” He nodded at Jude’s attire, which was similar to Anton’s, but in toned-down dove gray, with a bottle-green jacket that brought out the color of his eyes. One of the jacket’s laces was undone, trailing off his sleeve.

  “Why did we agree to this again?” he asked.

  “Because we’re about two hours from finding the Pinnacle Blade,” Anton answered, taking hold of Jude’s sleeve and doing up the laces of his jacket. “And besides, this will be your first party, Jude. An exciting day.”

  “I’ve been to a celebration before,” Jude said. “The Order had feasts to commemorate the Prophets’ Days.”

  Anton bit his lip to stifle a laugh. “Now that I’ve seen Kerameikos for myself, I can confidently say that place has never seen anything remotely close to a party. I’m guessing these feasts were just a bunch of abstinent swordsmen quietly eating plain vegetables, wearing the exact same expression you have on right now.”

  “Sometimes we would salt the vegetables,” Jude said, and Anton glanced up to see he was trying to suppress a smile.

  Anton laughed and Jude’s smile broke free, surprised and pleased. It was like glimpsing the sun through the trees.

  Anton realized he was still holding on to Jude’s sleeve, but suddenly he didn’t want to release him. He wanted to reel him closer, to say something quiet and teasing to make him blush. The desire surprised him. He’d flirted with Jude before, a lifetime ago at the Hidden Spring, but that had been something different, a way to keep Jude at arm’s length. Now, he just wanted to see the swordsman’s smile again. He curled his fingers around Jude’s wrist.

  Evander emerged from the other hallway. He was a riot of bright pinks and lavender, his jacket decorated with gold buttons and jeweled epaulettes. A glittering crystal earring dripped from each ear, and Anton realized that he and Jude had been spared from Evander’s more boisterous inclinations.

  “Well, don’t you both look handsome? See what a little sartorial upgrade can do?” Evander frowned. “Jude, what is going on with those shoes? Didn’t you like the ones I set out for you?”

  “Well—”

  “This simply won’t do,” Evander said. “Go take those dirty boots off at once.”

  Jude shot Anton a pleading look.

  “Come now, we’re already running late,” Evander said. He looped an arm through Anton’s, marching him toward the stairs. “We’ll meet you at the dock.”

  Evander shook his head at Jude’s retreating form, and led Anton down the stairs and out into the yard. Now that the sun had set, the grand front lawn was lit with soft yellow lamplight, stretching out to the little dock that cut into the river. The water glinted silver in the moonlight.

  “This is going to be so much fun,” Evander said. “I’ll have the most interesting guests at this party—everyone will want to know where I found you.”

  “Actually,” Anton said. “It would be best if we . . . went unnoticed.”

  Evander’s eyes lit up. “Oooh, keep things mysterious. I like it!”

  “Sure.”

  “You always were very mysterious.” Evander sighed. “I missed you terribly on our last trip and I’m afraid I can’t help myself from asking if you ever missed me, too.”

  Back then, Anton had collected friends like Evander collected clothes. It was easy enough to make them, and just as easy to forget them. Evander had adored him the way a child adores a favorite toy, and when he’d wanted something other than just friendship, Anton hadn’t had any objections.

  But the truth was, as much as Anton enjoyed Evander’s attention and company, he hadn’t missed him at all. He’d barely thought of him.

  Now Evander was looking at Anton with wide eyes, a faint blush tinging his cheeks, expecting Anton to answer with pretty words to match Evander’s pretty face.

  “I loved the time we spent together at Thalassa,” Anton told him, which was close enough to the truth. As selfish and self-centered as Evander was, he was also kind, and that wasn’t something Anton ever got used to. “And I’m glad we have this time together now.”

  “I feel the same way,” Evander said, satisfied. He tugged coyly on the scarf looped around Anton’s neck. “You know, I was worried when you showed up with another boy that perhaps you’d forgotten me completely.”

  He closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Anton’s. Anton let himself be kissed, responding to the familiar softness and warmth.

  Then, quite suddenly, Evander pulled back.

  “Ah, Jude!” he exclaimed. “See, aren’t those shoes so much better? You look like a proper Endarrion gentleman now.”

  Anton stared past Evander at Jude’s stony face in front of them. He had seen Jude angry before—had, in fact, made Jude angry. On those occasions, he’d had the same stiff posture, the same furrowed brow. But Anton wasn’t sure what Jude was feeling now. There was something raw about his expression, a vulnerability that Anton had last seen in the storeroom at Kerameikos.

  “Oh, look, our boat’s arrived,” Evander said, looping his arms through both Anton’s and Jude’s and leading them aboard.

  What followed was potentially the most awkward half hour of Anton’s life.

  He and Jude sat on either side of Evander, who prattled away, oblivious, while the boatman rowed them through the canals. Jude was silent, staring out at the banks of the canal as they drifted past. Anton thought back to Jude’s shy smile at the beginning of the evening, hating himself for wanting to see it again.

  Then their boat turned, and all thoughts fled Anton’s mind at the sight before them. Tiny glowing lights lit the Floating Gardens gold. Platforms laden with flowering trees and lush green plants surrounded a circular pavilion of slender columns, draped in vibrant
blossoms and crawling vines.

  The boatman rowed them toward a barge lit up from the inside and bursting with colorful flowers. Music and mingling voices drifted toward them, and Anton realized the barge was their destination.

  They steered onto a floating platform with a fountain and a man dressed in white who greeted them by handing them each a glass of magnolia wine. Evander swept up the ramp that led them aboard the barge, and when two guards stopped them at the top, Evander merely told them his name, and they waved all three of them through.

  They entered a huge, bright ballroom. Glass cases were displayed throughout the room, where guests could peruse the collection. Anton’s heart sped up and he glanced at Jude. The Pinnacle Blade could be in any one of those cases.

  Jude caught his eye, looking more nervous than the situation warranted. Anton opened his mouth to say something and then Jude turned swiftly on his heel. “I’m going to take a look around the room.”

  Anton watched him go, wishing he could take back the last hour. But they had a mission, and no matter how annoyed Jude was at him, Anton wouldn’t lose focus.

  Evander was at his elbow, steering him through the crowd. “Oh, Anton, let me introduce you to the contessa and her daughter.”

  They approached two elegant women dressed in fine gowns who were conversing with another woman and her husband. Anton was drawn into the conversation easily, laughing at the right moments and interjecting his own comments with a small dose of wide-eyed wonder that immediately charmed the group.

  “Evander, wherever did you find him?” the contessa asked, already giddy on magnolia wine.

  “As you all know, a collector doesn’t like to share their secrets,” Evander said with a wink.

  The others laughed, and just like that, Anton had the perfect opening. “I’ve heard so much about this mysterious collector. Have you heard about the private collection? Apparently she keeps the good stuff hidden away.”

  It was a gamble, assuming that there was a private collection. The others paused, and for a moment Anton worried he had overstepped and showed his hand, but then the contessa’s daughter leaned in. “She keeps everything worth seeing upstairs. But only a select few get an invitation.”

  “You’ve been angling for one for years, haven’t you, Lord Hallian,” the contessa said, nudging the man beside her. “Trying to cozy up to whomever you can.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes before Anton excused himself to get food, knowing he’d squeezed all the information out of them he was going to get. He waylaid one of the servers and struck up a conversation, flirting more and more outrageously until the server coyly asked him to meet later in one of the service corridors that led to the upper deck.

  Anton grinned suggestively. “Looking forward to it.”

  He let the server go and was engulfed back into conversation by a new set of guests, laughing and conversing with ease, while simultaneously sweeping the room in search of Jude, whom he had not seen since they’d arrived. Anton’s group erupted into laughter as the archduke’s son concluded some story about the swans at his brother’s manor. Anton laughed, too, and looked up to see Jude heading toward him, his eyes focused.

  The woman at Anton’s elbow put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention, but Anton didn’t look away from Jude. The green jacket Evander had chosen for him made his eyes look dark and mossy.

  As Jude reached their circle, he seemed to realize at the same time as Anton that everyone was staring at him.

  “Anton,” he said, his voice coming out a little strangled. “I need . . . a word.”

  “Quite popular this evening, aren’t you?” the archduke’s son said, eyes twinkling.

  Flashing an apologetic smile at his new friends, Anton placed his empty drink on a server’s tray.

  “Enjoying yourself?” Jude asked as they retreated to the edge of the room.

  “What?”

  “Did you forget why we came here?” Jude asked. “We’re here to find the Pinnacle Blade, not so you can—can flirt and—”

  Anton narrowed his eyes. “Have you decided to be mad at me again? Is this about what happened with Evander at the dock?”

  “No,” Jude bit out. “It’s about you wasting time hanging off the arm of some Endarrion lord while we still don’t know where the Pinnacle Blade is or how to—”

  “It’s on the upper deck,” Anton said.

  “What?”

  “The Pinnacle Blade,” Anton replied easily. “It’s on the upper deck. And I can get us there. See, while I was wasting time and flirting, I happened to talk to one of the servers. He told me there’s a service corridor that goes up there.”

  Jude just stared at him for a moment. “Oh. Well. That might work.”

  Anton hooked his finger through the laces on Jude’s jacket sleeve, tugging him toward the door. When he was sure no one was looking, they slipped out and around to the service corridor. The corridor wasn’t empty, but their attire and a confidently brisk gait carried Anton and Jude through the corridor unbothered, and they were let out into an outdoor deck that surrounded the perimeter of the barge’s upper deck. From up here, they could see all the glittering lights of the party, but they were removed from it, the sound muted by the walls of the ballroom. It felt intimate and secluded, with the legendary Floating Gardens spread out around them.

  It made Anton remember standing on the ship as they sailed to Kerameikos, how Jude had touched his hand in comfort.

  Jude glanced around. “How do we find it?”

  “What, you’ve never snuck onto a boat with the intent to steal a priceless artefact?” Anton asked, leading the way. “Wouldn’t have guessed.”

  “We can’t all be master sword thieves,” Jude replied seriously, but he was smiling.

  Anton felt warm despite the cool evening air, and a thrill of pride went through him.

  “We should just search all the rooms we can,” he said, refocusing. “If we run into anyone, we’ll just say we were invited up and got lost.”

  “And if there are guards stationed with the Pinnacle Blade?”

  “Fight them?” Anton suggested.

  “We could tell the collector that it belongs to me,” Jude replied. “Which is true. I don’t like the idea of taking it like a common thief. I shouldn’t have to steal it, when it was stolen first from me.”

  “Sometimes, Jude, not everything is as it should be,” Anton replied, pushing open a door that led into another corridor.

  It was dimly lit and gleaming with gilded frames and wall sconces. They crept down, and Anton tried the first door in the corridor. It pushed open, revealing a wide bed elevated on a platform and a balcony that opened out to the gardens.

  “I don’t think it’s in here,” Jude said. “Let’s try a different room.”

  The next room was a study with shelves of books and a brass astrolabe on the desk. They searched in silence, pausing every few moments to listen for voices or footsteps. There was no sword in that room, or the one after it.

  As Jude and Anton emerged again into the corridor, the sound of voices carrying from the outer deck hit them.

  “This is a rare treat,” a man’s voice was saying. “Few people get invited to see the lady’s private collection.”

  Anton and Jude exchanged wide-eyed glances. Whoever was up here was going directly to where the Pinnacle Blade was, but there was the more pressing issue of what would happen if they were caught sneaking around.

  As the voices drew closer, Anton made a decision and threw open the door across the corridor, dragging Jude by the front of his shirt. The door closed with a soft click behind them, which Anton hoped would go unheard by the approaching party.

  But when he whirled around, he realized his error. They were surrounded by three walls of glass, which encased gleaming vases, bowls, and ceremonial weapons. Other trinkets, like hair combs and jewelry, were displayed on pedestals of various heights. What little furniture there was in the room was more ornate than anythi
ng Anton had seen in Evander’s house.

  It appeared they had, at last, found the collector’s private collection. Which meant the people outside were about to come in and discover them.

  Anton glanced at Jude’s panicked face. Thinking quickly, Anton shoved him against the wall and started mussing his hair and tugging at the laces of his jacket.

  In a tone bordering on hysterical, Jude hissed, “What are you doing?”

  “Shut up.” Anton slapped a hand over Jude’s mouth. “Do not say a word.” He persisted in his tussle with the Endarrion clothing.

  Jude’s eyes met Anton’s, green swallowed by wide, dark pupils.

  Without breaking his gaze, Anton removed his hand, curling it instead around the back of Jude’s neck, thumb resting just under Jude’s jaw, where his pulse fluttered. He heard Jude’s sharp intake of breath, felt him exhale warm air against his cheek, as the door of the room swung open.

  “Oh—oh dear,” a voice said.

  Anton spun around, smiling sheepishly.

  “This is so embarrassing,” he said with a small laugh. “We were just looking for a bit of privacy! We thought this was a guest room.”

  The man in the doorway glanced from Anton to Jude. Anton followed his gaze.

  Jude looked as thoroughly disheveled as Anton had intended. The addition of a bright flush on his cheeks only sold the act further.

  “This is not a guest room,” the man said. “How did you even get up here?”

  “We’ll go,” Anton said, seizing Jude’s wrist and towing him from the room. The man stopped him with an arm on the doorframe.

  “No,” he said. “You’ll be escorted back downstairs.”

  With his other hand, he signaled two guards who stood behind him. Anton and Jude followed wordlessly as the guards led them outside.

  Then one of the guards stopped abruptly, turning back to Jude. “You might want to . . .” He trailed off, flicking his gaze over Jude’s disheveled form. Jude’s hands shook as he hastily did up the laces of his jacket, pointedly avoiding Anton’s gaze.

  As the guards escorted them down a stairwell that led back to the ballroom, Anton stole a glance at Jude, trying to catch his eye, but Jude was gazing determinedly, steadfastly, ahead. They descended the staircase back into the glittering ballroom, where the guards left them.