Lynea is gone. It was a litany in his head. Where had they taken her, were they hurting her?
Emperor Tatsuo continued, “I thought you served her. Weren’t you given this position in order to protect her?” The creak of wood from the adjoining room drew his attention. Of course, he wasn’t alone with the ruler. That must be the Emperor’s personal guard.
Breathing deeply, Theron forced calm into his voice, grinding out, “Yes, my Emperor.”
Fear whispered in the back of his mind. “He plans to kill her, why bother being careful with her. What’s to stop him from carrying out his plans right now?”
When Theron gave reports to the Emperor, the ruler was behind a screen that hid him from view. Even as high as he was in the hierarchy of the palace, Theron had met in person with the Emperor only twice. When he was given permission to train with Kino and again when appointed as the Emerald Lady’s Protector. He’d been younger, but even then it was easy to see the leashed power of the man, a dark charisma that made others follow him.
Over these past years, he became aware that the man he’d sworn his loyalty to was ruthless. Feared. People said the ruler’s divine blood didn’t matter, it couldn’t reach into the shadowed corners of his soul. Maybe Theron should have done something when he’d first heard those stories. But refusing the post of Mamoru would bring shame to the Isao name and most importantly, to Kino. So he’d turned a blind eye to rumors of Tatsuo’s ways of making people obey. To whispers of enemies disappearing by dark magic. He was paying for that now.
There was movement near the doorways. Lamps flared to life in the small chamber, dim but revealing. The guards Theron had guessed at earlier. Dark eyes flicking around the room and then back to the Emperor, he nodded and said, “Yes, I was appointed to protect Lady Lynea.”
“And do I need to remind you, that you also serve me?”
In the flickering light, dark shapes appeared through the thin walls at the entry and more in the shadowed opening of the shoji door connecting the lady’s chambers to her attendant’s room. This was more than just the handful of men that made up the Emperor’s personal guard. There were enough guardsmen here to overwhelm him. Theron could sense their grim purpose and pushed back the instinct that he should act quickly and decisively now.
Belatedly taking a knee, bowing his head, Theron said quietly, “No, my Lord Emperor.”
The Emperor was silent for a moment until he said almost casually, “This is a very late visit, Mamoru.”
The room was a trap. Theron still wasn’t certain what had triggered this, wasn’t sure of what the Emperor knew or suspected. But he worried that Lynea had been implicated in whatever guilt he’d been assigned. If he could distance her from his actions, maybe he could still save her. Doing his best to erase any threatening note from his voice, he replied, “I was concerned, my Lord Emperor, for the well-being of the lady.”
“Indeed.” The Emperor made a thoughtful sound and continued with a deceptive calm. “I couldn’t help but notice Mamoru, that you are not wearing what you normally do. In fact, it looks a lot like the uniform of one of the Imperial Guard.” Theron thought it best not to respond to that, as the knot of worry for Lynea turned cold and hard and sank to the pit of his stomach. “And I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to be moving very stiffly.” The shadowed man in front of Theron shifted closer, his voice taking on an eerie and dangerous note. “Are you injured?” The room hadn’t gotten any brighter, but Theron would swear that the eyes the ruler turned on him glittered in the flickering light. There was a terrible rage swirling behind them. “Tell your Emperor, Mamoru, what you have been doing this evening.”
Theron’s pulse quickened. Somehow, the Emperor knew. He may not realize yet that Theron knew the “wedding” was nothing but a horrible farce, but he obviously was aware Theron had left the grounds. It would not have been difficult to discover, it may have been simple bad luck. Even a stable hand checking the stables for Ash may have alerted anyone who wanted to know.
But did he know where Theron had gone? How did he know I would come to her rooms? Did he know Theron intended to take her away?
Theron’s eyes swept the room again, looking for any sign of the lady. But he already knew she wasn’t there. Was she still alive? Please let her be alive.
Flicking his eyes around the chamber, he counted the number against him. His ruler held the upper hand in every way. Theron needed more time. To think, to see if he could find out where Lynea was.
First, he’d better have an answer to the Emperor’s questions. Something told him it would not be wise to reveal the real cause. Taking a breath, he said quietly, “My Lord Emperor, it was my own fault. After dinner, I went to the inn in the village. A man there insulted the honor of the Imperial house.” Into the silence, he said, “He was a dog, my Lord, but larger than I and armed. I wasn’t able to dodge him completely in such close quarters.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding. “And do you feel you regained our honor?”
That was worrying, the emphasis the Emperor placed on that last word, but Theron continued, hoping to convince him. “Yes, my lord. He won’t be so foolish again,” and adding a note of apology to his tone, he said, “but I was gone much longer than expected. I felt I should … I should check on Lady Lynea before retiring.”
“Mm.” Another nod and then the man stepped up to him, reaching out suddenly and grabbing him by the hair, yanking his head back. Surprised at the quickness of the vicious action, Theron could only wince at the sudden blossom of pain, more from his injured shoulder than anything else. “Lies,” the Emperor hissed. Theron could almost see the madness in his eyes break free. He leaned in uncomfortably close. The Protector could feel the heat of his anger as he said in a voice too low for the guards to hear, “Do you think that I did not witness you killing my pet?”
Theron’s heart lurched. What?
“Did you think that I would not feel it, the nephil’s lifeblood spilled by your hand?” The voice trembled. The gaze on the young Protector grew harder, “Did you think there would be no punishment for that?” until finally, Theron read death in those glittering, black eyes.
As Theron thought desperately of some way to respond, Tatsuo reached down. Yanking the dagger from Theron’s belt, the Emperor drew the blade back and one sharp breath later, it was plunging down.
˜ ˜ ˜
Ria was a fool. Not long after the Protector left, she sat up, pushing off her blankets. He’d told her not to go back to the palace. There’s nothing but heartache for you there.
It wasn’t safe. Listen to him, Ria. She told herself that as she pulled on her soft leather boots again and changed out of her sleeping wear into outdoor clothing, this time a dark wool yukata modified for comfort and better for hiding in shadows. What she hoped to do by following him, she couldn’t say. It was just, something was wrong. And after seeing what she’d seen? She couldn’t let it go.
She must have a death wish to go to the palace grounds again. At night. Now that she knew what prowled (and flew and killed things) when everyone with any sense stayed safely in their homes.
I’m an idiot.
Her feet found their way easily enough though, through the Emperor’s woods and down her favorite path to the least guarded area of the surrounding wall. Fingers gripped the rough stone and in moments she was throwing her leg over the top, knowing the shadow of the trees, especially in the clouded moonlight, would hide her from any patrol.
This late, the palace and its surrounding grounds were nearly dark. Only a few torches burned, marking the progress of the strolling guards. Still, there was that large field of grass to cover. She frowned. It looks like they’ve added more guardsmen. This might not be as easy as she’d thought.
Her eyes scanned the grounds. There weren’t a lot of buildings around the palace. It looked like the closest structure was the stables. Risky, because there may be guards there too, or other servants. But still her best bet.
Timing her run as
the patrolling guard strolled around the corner and out of sight, Ria darted, running low and as fast as she could safely–not stopping until she reached the shadowed side of the large wooden building.
What are you doing? You don’t even know if he’s here. He’s probably asleep in his rooms after getting his wounds tended.
Stepping forward cautiously, Ria moved over to the stable doors. They were open a crack and she was grateful for it. Peeking through, she could just see the fine coat of the Protector’s horse. The animal wasn’t moving, he looked to be sleeping in his stall. Shifting some, she tried to see if there was anyone else in the building. If she could get inside, she might be able to find a window that would give her a better view. It wasn’t until she was right up against the door, trying to be a part of the shadows and see everywhere at once that she heard the noise.
It was weird and she couldn’t place it. It was a scrabbling. And a grunting and what sounded like muffled cursing, all at once? Looking around her to be sure she wasn’t seen, she took another look through the crack in the door and tilted her head at what she saw. Just at the edge of what she could see, were feet. Toes, in fact. As if someone were sitting on the ground without stockings. Which made no sense at all. You don’t slog barefoot around a barn unless you wanted to hurt your feet.
Cautiously, she tugged at the door, shifting it just enough to slip inside. Somehow she was getting the impression that whoever that person was, they were not a threat to her.
She was shocked at what she found. Apparently, so was the person who’d been found, who, as soon as the door creaked open had cringed away and was presently looking at her through one eye, the other eye squeezed tightly shut. She almost jumped back herself, this man was large. She’d recognize him anywhere. The guard who’d nearly caught her those few weeks ago. Eyebrows hiking up, she didn’t stop the sides of her mouth turning up. This was too perfect.
Actually, this was too bizarre.
Who’d done this? Surely not the Protector. He was a servant of the lady. Of the Emperor. She knew in her heart he wouldn’t betray them. The lady’s Protector was honorable.
It was insane to think she really knew anything about the man from her few days of stolen observation, but she didn’t question the belief. She just knew it. From everything she’d seen of him, from the way he’d treated even her, the village outcast, a few short hours ago.
So certain of his loyalty, that Ria could only think there was some kind of horrible scheme against the Emperor. What if someone plans to halt the wedding? Is that why he hadn’t wanted her to come with him?
Was he in danger?
Well, wasn’t that what you were afraid of? Isn’t that why you came here, beyond any kind of logic, beyond any kind of safety, in the dead of this wretched, frightening night?!?
“Who did this to you?” she demanded of the guard, almost breathlessly.
At which point she rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, as the man bobbed his head and sent a muffled growl her way. Ah, right. The gag. She had one hand reached out to remove it when her sleep-deprived brain finally caught up and she snatched those fingers back. Take it off and in seconds this place will be full of guards. Ria didn’t think the dungeon would be a comfortable place to sleep.
“Mm. On second thought, I don’t think so. I guess I’ll have to take a minute and see if I can’t figure this out myself.”
She looked around the stable. Her entrance to the room had woken up that magnificent horse, and he was currently watching her with a dark and unblinking stare. It was a little unnerving. She took in the fresh water, food. The horse had obviously been cared for. Remembering the careful way the Protector had looked over his horse’s injuries, she didn’t have to guess to know that the man must have taken care of Ash (that was his name, right?) himself before leaving. Her eyes dropped to the floor.
The guard was missing his tunic and some armor, sitting there in only his linen undershirt and pants. His boots were also missing, hence the bare feet. Near the man on the ground (who at this moment was watching her with angry, mistrustful eyes), she saw what was left of the Protector’s leather tunic, blood-spattered and torn. But it was folded, neatly and off to the side, as if the one who’d done it couldn’t help falling into long habit.
And suddenly, Ria understood what had happened here and it confused her even further. He’d taken the guard’s uniform for himself, discarding his torn leather tunic. The only possible reason for him to do so would be to disguise his identity. Why had the Protector been so intent on returning to the palace before tending to his injuries?
She ran to the other side of the stable and peering through the shutters of the stable window, she looked out over the dark grounds towards the sparsely lit building.
By the goddess, what is he doing?
“I have to do something.” Everything was so quiet. What was going on in there? Was Theron, no, she corrected herself, was the Mamoru caught in some life or death battle, alone and injured? She knew she shouldn’t have let him come back here. “And how would you have stopped him,” asked that annoying little voice, the one that was always telling her she was being foolish.
“I should have stopped him.”
She looked over at the man still tied up on the floor, the look in his eyes clearly saying what he thought of her comment.
“Pheh. Like you even know what I’m talking about,” she said scornfully, smiling again as his forehead creased and he made an angry sound. For some reason, irritating this man pleased her to no end.
She couldn’t just sit here and wait like some nursemaid. She needed to do something. She looked through the shutters again. The palace mocked her in its silence. But somehow she knew that inside that quiet building, something very bad was happening. She couldn’t sit here and do nothing.
Looking down at her clothing, she knew that in no way would she even remotely pass for a palace servant. Then she looked at the guard, her eyes flicking over what he was wearing. She almost giggled at the look of alarm that passed over his face. “You wish,” she said, and then she did laugh as sound erupted from behind the gag, completely muffled but still leaving nothing to the imagination. She had no trouble imagining the curses he must be throwing her way. It didn’t bother her in the least.
Glancing over the room again, she could see there was nothing that would help her appearance. Lips twisting in thought, she realized with some chagrin that she could have planned this outing better. She’d brought nothing with her, but what she wore on her skin and the ridiculously small knife on her belt.
And some inner sense told her that the Protector was out of time. If she wanted to help him, it had to be now.
So, before she could think better of it, she carefully pushed open the door to the stable again, leaving enough of a crack to squeeze through. Ignoring the muffled protests of the bound guard, she closed the door as quietly as she could (the rickety thing squeaked unbearably loudly), checked once more to make sure that no patrolling guardsmen were near and darted towards the silent palace.
Chapter 7
This is crazy, this is crazy. Her heart was pounding like a rabbit, and Ria couldn’t stop looking around, expecting a guardsman to jump out of the shadows to grab her. It didn’t happen, though. She made it unmolested over the stone wall and into the courtyard where the Protector trained every day.
Now what?
It looked so different standing here, rather than peering down from a tree branch. She couldn’t help a wry little smile. She didn’t stop for long, though. There was still no movement or sound that she could detect anywhere and anxiety’s bell was ringing in her mind. Quietly, she slid the shoji door into the palace open and poked her head around the corner. There was a torch a few feet down the hallway. A hallway that led toward the center of the palace. Ria wasn’t sure what her plan was. She just felt like she had to do this, even as some small part of her knew that she was possibly headed towards either imprisonment or death.
Her feet padded down
the hallway and she passed several doors that she didn’t bother inspecting. In one of those rooms, she might have found an outfit that would have protected her from detection far better than what she currently wore, but she didn’t have the time to check. She picked up her pace. Her heart was beating more and more quickly. It was almost painful, the way it pounded in her chest. Ria wasn’t sure if it was fear that did it, or something else.
She’d never been inside the palace before, but she knew that the doors she passed were servants’ quarters. She knew that she was heading towards the nobles’ quarters. She knew that if she were to pass the nobles’ quarters and take a right, a few more moments would find the bath house, while straight ahead led to the kitchens. And by now she could admit it was frightening. But she didn’t spend time to question it now, because the inexplicable knowledge was serving her well.
If she went deeper into the palace she would be discovered. One look at her would show she was an intruder. Her best chance at escaping detection would be if she stayed on the outskirts of the building, in the hallways near the sleeping quarters. Hopefully no one would be walking the corridors at this hour. Hopefully she found the Protector before it was too late.
She had just rounded the corner towards the most lavish of the nobles’ rooms, when she found herself standing almost directly behind a group of guardsmen. Big burly men in uniform, clustered around a door in the middle of the night. She was sure that wasn’t normal. The tension was plain. Ria didn’t have to see what they were focused on to know.
She’d found him. But after what she’d seen in the stables, it was with a sinking certainty that she guessed he wasn’t on the guards’ side of things.
Should she even help him, if that were so? Her life was difficult enough. What kind of misery would she be buying herself, if she tried to help someone on the wrong side of the Emperor’s edicts?
Images of her life in the village flashed, of being an outcast, of having to scrape by and always fight to have the basic respect that was shared freely between all of the other villagers.
Splinter (Trapped Souls Book 1) Page 10