by Dawn Chapman
The stall holders panicked as the magic from Vee and Zeb pulled the rest of their illusions apart. Other people had started to come into the area attracted by the smell, and all around me, people were coming out of trances.
Vee and Zeb’s frozen magic had started to fade as their concentration waned. I saw Zeb step back and focus on the crowd. They stalled once more in their antics, then froze again. It was better they didn’t witness this.
I was the one who reacted now everyone else was occupied, before the now lizard looking creatures, not human at all, could get away. I moved out from behind the girl, then I yanked the door and pulled the stall owners out, one in each hand.
“You played in the wrong neighbourhood,” I spat at them before pushing them past the young girl. I flung them at Zeb and Vee, who caught one each. Alia smiled at me as more guards came into the surrounding area.
“They shouldn’t cause you any more bother,” I said to the guards who began to talk to the others who were still in shock.
Steve grinned at me. “That was a damned fine takedown.”
Chapter 9
I wanted to be the one that held everything at my heart, to trust no one and to let no one in, but I couldn’t. I was more than Puatera had ever seen before, or I think any human had ever.
Looking at Steve now as we made our way back to the Guild Hall, I started to see much more than there was about the world. And what I had seen not only scared me but worried me for many other reasons. I loved what Puatera was, I loved what I’d become, and I wanted to do more than I think I ever could to save her.
I’d been swept up in the takedown of the magical stall. It wasn’t till the Guild Hall was in sight that I had to stop Steve. My thoughts drifted back to the girl, the way she held herself and had gone for her daggers knowing something was wrong.
It couldn’t have been, could it?
I slapped the side of my head. I was so stupid.
“What’s wrong?” Steve asked.
“That girl in the market was Lila!”
He looked back to where we’d been. There was no way we’d track her now, long gone by the commotion. “Damned, we should have known.”
“I need to figure out where’s best to put my Karma to use,” I said. “I need a way to see more than I am in here. This world hides things from me.”
“You need an identifying ability. I am not sure if we can buy it with Karma for you, but we could try.”
“You do know there’s a lot going on here, and I am sure there are some things I know compared to you that you don’t know and vice versa. I want you to know now, I’m not going to hide anything from you, no matter if it’s in my detriment.”
He looked at me, and I saw his eyes move and shift.
“I want what’s best for the game world, Maddie. I actually really do care for you and for those here. I’ve got to know and love this place as if it were my own world, and I really want everything to work out.”
I could see that, and I wanted him to feel everything that I did.
“Steve, what’s your real name?”
He ignored me and threw a glance at the guild halls. I watched as some of the guards along with Alia, Zeb, and Vee had managed to make their way back with the creatures they’d caught. I liked this from them. They were gentle in their approach but very thorough at what they wanted. They followed Alia and her orders to the tee.
“You like the guild?” Steve asked.
“It seems to be a good place to be, so yeah.”
“But you like the way they think and what they want for Puatera.”
I nodded at him.
“Good,” he said. “Because I’m not sure my gut instincts were right. I just needed to hear it from someone else.”
“That’s okay.” I said. I could see his nerves.
He put a hand on my shoulder and leaned in. “My name’s Heather. Heather Delupont. I’m originally from France but lived in the U.K. for many years. I moved to work with Dresel in the early stages of this game’s development because of my background in gaming. I regard Abel and the others as close friends.”
“Yeah, I think we did notice this, but I’m not worried about that. I actually want to do what’s right. It’s good to meet the real you, Heather. I’m glad here you can be you, and I thank you for telling me who you are. I will value that.”
He smiled at me and winked.
“Then let’s get back inside the walls and make sure that everything is all right from this afternoon’s antic.”
I nodded, and together, we moved inside the walls.
The guards didn’t bat an eye at the two of us, but then Alia and Noc found us in the hallway and ushered us toward the meeting rooms we’d seen a time before.
I wanted to listen to what she had to say, especially as I’d stepped in on their operation.
The door closed behind me, and all eyes looked at me. I wanted to turn away. I felt ashamed for something I’d done.
But should I?
No. I then faced her and what she wanted to tell me.
“Maddie, you intervened in a takedown today, and I’m not sure why. It wasn’t until I got back here that Noc told me of something, and I believe that you also need to know this.”
She pointed to a seat.
So, I took it, with Steve at my side.
“You touched a young girl today. what did you say to her?”
I remembered what transpired before the fight and what I did to grab the enchanters from their trap. “Nothing much, to stay still? I think that was about it.”
“Nothing more?”
“No.” I was really confused by this statement.
Zeb and Vee were the ones who stood. They both left the room, leaving only Noc, myself, Steve, and Alia.
“The girl has a ward over her the likes I’ve not seen in a long time. I think she’s the one working for Gestal’s harem. She’s going to come for us.”
I sucked in a breath. If I had known this earlier. I kicked myself for letting her go. Deep inside me, it also meant something else was going to happen. No, something else was happening, and Alia knew it. Noc.
“You really think she’s who I am looking for?”
Alia nodded, and I felt a weight shifting off my shoulder, but Noc shook his head.
“No, Maddie, this isn’t a good thing. It’s a really, really bad thing.”
“Okay, so why?”
Noc seemed to stall, then look to Alia, and on her nod, he started to talk again. “We’ve heard a few things from Gestal’s Hamu from those we trust. They’ve been telling us he’s been training a new champion.”
My anger rose instantly. “You thought this was Lila, and you never said anything?”
“No,” Alia said. “Let him finish.”
I looked back to Noc. “Go on.”
“This new champion’s been going against some of the best he’s ever trained. Deadly. Our only hope of being able to get closer was to send in some of ours, but that’s taken too long.”
“So why are you just telling me all this now?”
“Because rumour was the champion was let out of the Hamu. To do a job. You don’t understand. Gestal’s bad, and although the city needs many things for it to run properly, he’s tipping the scales at any time he can.”
“And Lila? What’s this job?
“She’s been tasked to kill you,” Noc stated.
I swallowed. They were saying how powerful she was moments before. “What are you suggesting we do?” I looked at Alia, feeling everything slip away that was and could happen. I worried about my life. I wasn’t that powerful. I didn’t want her to come for me. I didn’t want to fight her.
Noc stepped closer to me, placing a hand on my arm, drawing my attention back to him, his eyes glowed gently. “Maddie, I see a lot of things. I don’t always see the outcome, but trust us here, we’ll do everything we can.”
“We need to let her come to us still,” Alia said. “Lila saw what we were capable of on a small scale I thi
nk she will want that. The people around her will guide her here. She’s powerful in those dark arts because she’s with him, but she’s also tainted and in a big way because of that too. We’re watching her.
“You won’t hurt her, will you?” Noc said looking at his mother.
I wasn’t sure that Alia knew the difference between helping and not harming anyone, but this Visitor I needed, and I needed her on my side, and I couldn’t get away from that.
I touched the side of my hair that I knew was white from my gifts, and Steve watched me for any signs that I wasn’t comfortable with this.
“How long do you think before she comes here to seek you out?”
“I don’t think long from today, maybe just one day, that’s all. I think she’ll want safety and help.”
“So, we let her come, then what?”
“I guess that comes with what her real intentions are. I think only my son can let us know what they’ll be.”
“Because he’s gifted?”
“In many ways, yes he is. I trust him and what he wants for us.”
This was going to be tough. I wasn’t sure I wanted to just let her wander in off the streets, to see what her intentions were in that capacity. What if she was too far gone? What if there was nothing I could do to help her?
Steve reached over and smiled at me. “Maddie, we will do everything in our power to help her.”
I managed to smile back at him, but I knew they had Puatera’s best interests at heart, but hopefully, mine too.
“Maddie, we will make this work, whatever she needs, whatever you need for Puatera.”
I sucked in air and made a stand. “Then I’ll wait, and I won’t do anything that will harm this. Though I want to go at it like I usually do, with my full force, I also know I can’t.”
I looked at each of them and knew it.
We had no choice.
Wait it was.
I have to admit it wasn’t a very long wait. The day ticked by. We went for dinner, and the food was great, then Noc got a call from the front gates.
He looked at me and smiled. “New recruits are lining up. She’s here.”
I swallowed and nodded at him. “Go, I trust you.”
Watching him leave that dining hall and head down to the courtyards was the toughest thing I’d ever done, but I allowed him to do it.
I put my eating utensils down. and picked up my glass. I took a sip then couldn’t do anything else but get up to go watch from one of the larger windows.
The courtyard had maybe a few hundred people in it, and I knew not all of them were going to be coming in properly. I saw the young girl in a hooded jacket, her small features easy to pick out, but I also saw something of what they did. Through the wards in the guild that Alia had placed, I could see the darkness surrounding her, and I instantly worried. This was bad. She was very, very dark. Murderer, blood lust, the darker side of life had her in its grasp. I had no idea how the hell we could ever break this. Would she know what was right or wrong anymore? Had power and greed won?
Steve by my side said the words I didn’t want to hear. “This is dreadful. She’s a higher level than Noc and even Alia.”
“How’s that possible.”
I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure how we could do this and help her, but we would try.
“No, there’s a way. We just need to be extremely careful. I think we can save her and do this the right way, but it really must be on her terms, right, nothing else.”
He nodded at me. “I’ll make sure that everything goes well on our end. I’ll see Alia now.”
When he moved away from me, I watched for a brief moment and then allowed him from my sight. I turned back to watching the courtyard.
It took a few moments for Noc to approach her and then he side-lined her for a quieter talk. This I liked. He was gentle, and she seemed to take to it.
I admit, seeing this young girl talk to him in a way I wish I could have. I was jealous. And in a way that I never thought before. I wanted to be the one who won her over but looking out at her aura, I could see that this wanted something different. A female hand wasn’t going to work.
She needed not only training in their ways but guidance in many others.
I saw him take her inside the main building at the end of their chat. I knew she was with us now. It was all a matter of time, right?
This was a great thing and one that we could work over. It would be fine. I started to pace the room, my fists curling in and out.
Then I felt pain. Sitting so quiet without being able to do anything wasn’t me. I looked to my fists to see my nails had dug into flesh, pinking the skin. Breaking it at one point.
I had to force myself to not worry. It hurt, so I channelled my energy into being coached with the others. I listened in the yard. I took part in sparring that day. Letting them train her and fighting them worked. Even for a short time. I didn’t think we’d be like this for long. Katie, she’d called herself, in here was itching to do something. Like, kill me…
Noc and Alia talked to me daily on the antics of the enemy, the one who shrouded her in darkness. But it wasn’t enough.
She would eventually want to do more than be in here, that much was obvious. When I got the chance, I would allow myself to sneak around and watch her.
I saw Alia’s men, Vee and Zeb, tailing Lila and Noc. Then I got opportunities to talk to both of them. They were good solid men. They followed Alia’s orders to the letter, and they’d also been told to watch me, watching Lila. Fun…
Alia moved to my side only a few days after Lila’s arrival. There was worry in her eyes. “She’s been injured.”
Panic filled my veins, and I wanted to rush to her, to help.
“No, Noc’s still with her, she took a beat down in the training hall.”
“Why?”
“Because she could.”
I didn’t know why anyone would do this.
But then it dawned on me, she didn’t want the others to know how powerful she was.
“She’s very clever. You’ve got to be really careful here.”
Alia nodded. “We know. Noc’s got a few plans to try to ease her out of her shell, to get her away from her master on a more personal level. Then she needs to open up to someone, and I think that’s my son.” Alia didn’t look pleased.
“I’m sorry, is he at risk?”
“Yes, the closer to the dark side she is, the harder it is for him to reach her. For her to come back to us, we may need stronger intervention.”
I wasn’t so sure what that was, so I asked.
“We need to trap her in a safe location somewhere that she can’t be seen and that we can fight off the control he has over her.”
“Okay, I think I can agree with that. Is he in any danger?”
“Of course, we all are while she’s here under his spells.”
“He’s that powerful.”
“Not just him, Maddie, she is.”
I sucked in a breath. I think I could see that. I managed to get a rerun of her fights with the girl who beat and broke her. She was playing her and on so many levels.
Almost a day later, we passed in the corridor. The young girl looked right at me, and yet she seemed to look right through me too, like I wasn’t there at all.
I tried not to let it bother me, but I also knew if I’d reacted that day, then I’d be in more trouble.
She would have me collared. She did want me dead. It was the quest that I got out of Noc and the young girl’s teacher. She’d given a false name, after all. This wasn’t the true person she was.
Noc, however, had told me that Lila wanted to talk, that she had almost spoken about a few things on her arrival.
This to me meant that the young girl was okay, that her mind was intact. No matter how much we thought the dark side was in us, we realised it wasn’t and that we could fight it. Silently, all over the guild halls, I wished that she was fighting and that she would blow everyone out of the water. I knew s
he had it in her.
The few moments we had laid eyes on each other, I wanted to say something, but I never did. I couldn’t let her know I knew she was going to try to kill me.
I let it pass, and I let her pass. Though, on the inside, the fact remained that I could see her intentions in everything she was doing. Every time our paths crossed, I felt how badly she wanted to kill me.
Noc came to me a couple of days later, and his face was grim. He’d knocked on my door in his pyjamas and fluffy slippers
“She’s going to go,” he said. “I feel it, I know it. We can’t keep her in here.”
“Then don’t stop her. She has to do what she must, and we can’t let her mind do anything else.” I watched as he frowned at me and he folded his hands before him. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Yes, I really do like her, a lot.”
“She’s young, you know?”
“So, I’m not much older.”
I watched the way he held his head, the way he looked to me now. And I saw for once that he really wanted her, as a partner, a mate.
“I forget that we age so differently in the world they call a game. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I just wanted you to know that I don’t and would never push myself on her.”
I smiled and nodded. But I couldn’t be passive here anymore. We were wasting too much time. “She’s going out tonight, you know that. Stop her and then help her. Help her decide what side she needs to be on.”
He looked to the door and frowned. “I might be able to do that.”
I made my way to the doorway and watched him leave. Then I followed his process out into the courtyard as he stopped her while she was picking out some deadly plants. She was thinking of poisoning me, staring at the combination of flowers and poisons that could be created. I knew it. I grinned at this, there was no way that she would ever slip a poison through the wards in the Guild Hall. I just didn’t think she knew it.
He stopped her for quite some time. They talked, and I saw her point at his furry slippers and laugh. He had her, I knew he had. Steve approached behind, and said, “Are we going out after them?”
I turned to him. “We have to. We have to see this through tonight. She needs to know we’re on her side, not the man she’s with.”