by K. F. Breene
“Well, look who showed up.” Sanders looked around Cayan at Rohnan. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that much fire and conviction in his voice.” Sanders looked at the castle again. “But damned if I don’t want to storm the gates.”
“Then let’s storm the gates.” Confidence rushing back in, Cayan turned toward the gathering of excellent and cunning warriors, their faces stern masks of determination. Two cats slunk forward and rubbed their heads and then necks along his legs. The third, Shanti’s, cried, standing on his own. One of the beasts roared, a sound that shimmied up Cayan’s bones. Its mate joined, loud and vicious. The warriors braced, ready.
Somewhere within the expanse of the swamp, the neigh of a solitary horse answered their call.
Shanti rushed to the window and looked out, forgetting that she faced the sea. It stretched out to the sides, filling her world. “Did you hear that?” she asked, trying to look as much to the side as she could.
“What?” Marc skulked up behind her and looked out over her shoulder.
“I thought I heard the beasts.”
“The captain should be here by now, but I doubt the beasts would have made it that fast.”
Wishful thinking, probably, Shanti thought, as she stared out at the water. It was about time to get going. She needed to create a diversion so the Honor Guard could get out of her room and cause chaos of some sort. Alexa hadn’t had another vision, but Marc was certain of her last.
“Okay, we need to—”
“What’s that?” Marc pointed out of the window, almost battering her in the face with his arm.
“What?” Shanti tried to follow his finger. Her eyes got lost in the brilliant blue as the sun showered the sea with light.
“There are shapes out there.” Marc squinted. “Are those ships?”
Searching, Shanti shook her head in confusion. “I can’t see anything.”
“Let’s get going,” Xavier said. He stood by the door with a determined expression nearly covering the tightness of his eyes. He wasn’t looking forward to the next few hours.
Shanti left Marc staring out the window. She gave Xavier a warm hug before turning to Rachie.
“No, thank you.” Rachie put up his hand to stop her. “While being hugged by a very pretty woman is a great thing, you being nice means death. I’d prefer a kick if you do anything.”
Shanti struck out, catching him on the leg and knocking him to the ground. Leilius shook his head at her next, his eyes solemn.
“I agree with them,” Ruisa said, shaking her head.
“Me too,” Marc said, finally turning away from the window.
“Since when did you hug people?” Alexa asked, perplexed.
“Now I feel like an asshole for accepting it.” Xavier hardened his face. “I wish you could do the courage thing. Those Graygual are fast.”
Shanti looked each of them in the eyes. “I am fast.”
“You were never trying to kill us.”
“They won’t be trying to kill you. They have no minds of their own. They will capture you and take you to Xandre. Xandre will then try to use you against me, probably by torturing you. They won’t kill you.”
“You aren’t good at pre-battle speeches, S’am,” Marc whined.
“My point is, they will be more careful with you. You have to pull back when you aren’t trying to kill—especially when all your training has been with killing in mind. Use that to your advantage.” She looked down at another loose bit of fabric. “It’ll be awfully hard to hide a black leg brace with black-handled knives under light cream fabric.”
“I can help.” Ruisa grabbed the discarded sack of Shanti’s from the day before. “We can wrap your breasts and put the knives in between. You can just say you were tried of swinging in the wind.”
“I didn’t need that mental image, Ruisa.” Rachie scrubbed at his eyes.
“I thought you liked looking at, thinking about, and playing with breasts?” Ruisa grinned as Shanti stripped. All the boys turned away without being asked.
“Not hers!” Rachie shook his head.
“Midday, right?” Marc trudged back to the window. “We’re supposed to cause havoc at midday?”
“You’re the one who heard her. Shouldn’t you know?” Xavier joined Marc.
Anticipation ran through Shanti, followed quickly by a jolt of adrenaline. Battle was on the horizon, she could feel it.
“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure, I guess,” Marc mumbled, slouching a little. “How are we going to get out of this room?”
“They’ll either come for me, or they’ll unlock the door and let me come out myself.” Shanti lifted her arms for Ruisa to wrap the fabric around her. Leilius had given her his throwing knives, since he wasn’t good with them anyway, despite having the largest collection of knives strapped to his person out of all of them. The fact lifted Alexa’s brows in surprise.
“These knives won’t be easy to grab,” Ruisa said, her voice heavy with concentration. “You’ll have to dig for them a little.”
“What is that?” Xavier pointed into the distance.
“They look kind of like ships to me,” Marc said.
“Hard-to-get-at knives are better than no knives,” Shanti said
Rachie followed Xavier and stared out. “I can’t see anything.”
“After I leave,” S’am continued, “the Graygual will probably spread around the castle. You should be free to sneak out and spread yourselves around the castle too. Find Maggie and Gracas first, but then get into positions where you can throw knives at the Graygual’s backs. They will be as good as me.”
“At least we have a lot of practice in being up against impossible odds.” Xavier sounded uncharacteristically glum. He clearly thought their chances of survival were low. It was time for desperate measures.
As soon as her makeshift robe was back in position, Shanti moved up behind him and punched him in the kidney. He grunted and bent, staggering out of the way. Marc and Rachie spun around with wary eyes.
“No more of that.” Shanti skewered them all with a hard stare. “They are faster. They are better. But you have the element of surprise. You have more knowledge. They don’t even know you’re here. Stick something sharp in them before they do know, and then run like hell. A dying man doesn’t run very fast. Even these dying men. Got it? I didn’t train you to give up when you were needed most, did I?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Shanti struck out, hitting Xavier in the chest and kicking Rachie in the thigh.
“No, S’am!” Marc said quickly, backing up. He was always first to remember the training when she started doling out punches.
“No, S’am,” Ruisa quickly repeated as Alexa said, “No, Chosen.”
“Okay, then.” Shanti positioned herself in the middle of the room, as Cayan might’ve done, and braced her hands on her hips. Their backs straightened, as they’d been taught in the army. Then she dropped her stance and moved among them, as she’d done since they’d known her. It was this that had created the tight bond. The unit. This was how they became the Honor Guard. “This is just like the Shadow Lands. The principles are the same.”
They all said, “Yes, S’am,” at the same time.
“You’ve been across this land, in countless battles, seeing horrific things, and still you are here, in the belly of the enemy. You made it here without the captain. You made it here without the army at your back. You started just like this—removed. With me. We have each other, we’ll work off each other, and we’ll cut Xandre’s throat together.”
“Yes, S’am,” they said, a little too loudly.
Shanti glanced at the door. It wouldn’t do for anyone sitting on the chair outside to hear a chorus of voices coming from her room.
She nodded but then couldn’t think of any way to end what was probably her first great pre-battle speech, so she punched Marc for good measure.
“Why?” he asked as he huffed out a breath and leaned against the wall.
/> She looked out of the window, trying to see the phantom ships. Only endless blue filled her gaze. The sky was brighter now. Someone would come for her soon.
As if someone had heard her thoughts, a knock sounded. Her adrenaline spiked and she touched her chest, familiarizing herself with the positioning of the knives, and nodded to the others. They scattered to the edges of the room, curling into shadows or sliding under the bed.
Shanti yanked the bedcovers onto the floor before opening the door. One stood there, straight and tall. His eyes flicked, darting into the room behind her, and paused. A crease formed between his brows before he met her eyes again, disapproving. Or maybe disappointed; she couldn’t tell. Judging her for the mess, definitely.
“You are wanted,” One said flatly.
“In a great mood this morning, I see. And here I thought you’d be devoid of personality. How silly of me.” She stepped out the door, leaving it open. He didn’t move as she passed, waiting.
“Right. The stickler for everything just so.” Shanti sauntered back and grabbed the door handle, closing it behind her.
“Lock it,” he said, his gaze assessing. He handed over the key.
She frowned, because while he always seemed to assess her, this time there was a hint of suspicion in his tone.
A quick surge of fear that One knew about the Honor Guard ran through her. Why else would he insist that she lock the door behind her? Even he would be hard-pressed to fight all of them right then. Clearly he was saving the capture for another time, in which case, they’d need to make a stand now.
Heart in her throat, fingers itching to grab her knives, she schooled her tone into one of calm unaffectedness. “What’s the point? I thought you had control over your people?”
“You are too smart to ask that question.”
“The faith you have in me nearly brings me to tears.” She blinked and fanned her face. After a moment she affected a scowl, needing more information before she took action. The man wasn’t doing much in the way of facial expressions, sadly. “But really, it’s fine. If someone wanders in, I’ll have an excuse to kill them.”
His jaw clenched. “Soon the master will have me punish you for not obeying. You do not want that.”
Shanti laughed. She couldn’t help it. “I look forward to your attempted punishments. We’ll see if I am as easy to cull as your normal charges. I suspect I am not.”
Fire sparked in his eyes. His jaw clenched again. “You are unsettling the balance in this castle. Places and positions are being called into question. The ambitious are growing in number and desperation. I lock my door for a reason. You will, too.”
“Tac, do you also lock your door?” she asked, looking at the man sitting in the chair. He was trying to keep her alive, not kill those in her room. It spoke volumes about Xandre’s shaky leadership style.
“Of course,” Tac said before licking his finger and turning a page. “I wasn’t too keen on the idea of the Inkna trying to kill me in my sleep.”
“At least I’m keeping with the popular crowd,” Shanti said sarcastically as she forced herself to quash the fear of discovery. “Pity. I was hoping my room would be clean by the time I got back.” She turned the key in the lock and sincerely hoped the Honor Guard thought to make a rope out of bedclothes so they could get out. There was nothing for it, though. She couldn’t very well shove the key under the door.
One held out his hand, palm up.
“I’m not one for handholding. Thanks, though,” Shanti said as Tac stood.
“Key.”
“If you’d just given me pockets, I wouldn’t need yours.” She handed the key over.
“I see you bound your breasts.” One nodded her forward and kept pace, his eyes scanning. As they passed a large tapestry down the way, he focused his attention on a little alcove next to it.
“It’s not polite to look at a woman’s breasts.”
“Be that as it may, are you planning to cause trouble today?”
“Yes.”
His jaw clenched again.
“What would you do if you were held captive?” Shanti asked, genuinely curious. “Would you do nothing?”
“So far, yes.”
Shanti looked over in surprise as they entered the stairwell. Behind them, mild surprise flitted across Tac’s face, and then disappeared.
“Ah, Shanti Cu-Hoi,” Xandre said as they reached the bottom of the stairs, cutting out Shanti’s desire to pepper One with questions. Not that he would answer… “Please, join me for breakfast. We are in a new place today. I think you’ll love the entertainment I have planned.”
Something heavy and hot lodged in her chest at the satisfied little smirk on Xandre’s face. Graygual flocked around him, eyes burning, ready to fight. With dread, she followed them around the castle, this time not going to the area overlooking the ocean, but climbing to a wider part of intact wall where another table and chairs looked out over the swamp. Some breakfast items lined trays with plates next to them. Three spyglasses lay to one side.
A sweat broke out on Shanti’s forehead. She knew what this was. Knew what she’d be watching.
“Have a seat.” Xandre indicated a chair in front of the table with a bowl for washing up in front of it. “I’d hate for you to miss the show.”
Shanti sat down slowly and took the quickly proffered spyglass. Unable to help herself, she looked through it, tracing the swamp. It didn’t take long to find the collection of people, less than two dozen, picking their way through the watery land. Judging by their slow pace and how far they were in, they’d could have already been at it an hour or two.
“They are just getting to the first obstacles,” Xandre said, sounding giddy. He sat as far from her as possible, angled so he could see both her and the swamp.
Shanti traced the way in front of them, seeing nothing that looked like any more than natural hazards, something that particular team of people could easily traverse. Taking down the spyglass, she noticed bows positioned along the wall. Even if Cayan made it, he’d be easy pickings for the archers.
She barely stopped herself from looking behind her, wondering how the Honor Guard would sneak up on this group without being seen. It would be a miracle. Which was exactly what Cayan would need.
17
“This isn’t good, right?” Rachie tried the handle. “We’re going to have to go out through the window.”
Alexa stood with her back against the wall next to the door, her eyes closed. Leilius watched her, wondering if she was going to give them some helpful advice. Xavier was watching her too, probably for the same reason.
“They really do look like ships. Four of them,” Marc said from the window.
“Who cares?” Ruisa asked, joining him. “A few ships making a run for it are not going to help us get out of this room.”
“Neither is standing there, staring at Alexa. Clearly we’re going to have to climb out of this window.”
Ruisa glanced back at Leilius. “Not without a rope.”
Leilius examined the sheets. “Anyone really good at knots?”
Marc flinched away from the window. He held his finger to his mouth before edging closer again. “Someone just passed by for the second time since I’ve been standing here. They are patrolling.”
“Inkna or Graygual?” Rachie looked through the keyhole before straightening up and looking back.
“Graygual. Same one. I haven’t seen any Inkna.”
“The Inkna are gathered together.” Alexa opened her hazel eyes and stared at Xavier. “Why haven’t they felt us?”
“They wouldn’t be looking in the castle.”
Her brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because they don’t think there is anyone in here. You guys, we need to get out of here and get in position before the captain shows up. Or worse, some curious Graygual tries to sneak in here.” Leilius looked down and saw that the coast was clear. For now.
“Marc, keep watch here,” Xavier said, taking c
ontrol. “We need to be sure of how often that Graygual walks by, and if anyone else is making rounds. Leilius, strip that bed and let’s fashion a rope as best we can. No one is climbing down a wall like that.”
“Falling down, more like,” Rachie muttered, helping with the sheets.
“I can’t believe he didn’t notice his stuff had been rummaged through,” Leilius said as he worked.
“Watch the ground, not the sea, Marc,” Xavier said.
“I have a thing called peripheral vision. I can do two things at once.” Marc huffed.
“I told you, I put everything back.” Ruisa crossed her arms, bending to the fireplace. What she was looking for, Leilius didn’t know.
“What are you talking about?” Xavier asked.
Leilius told him how Ruisa went through One’s trunk last night.
“That was stupid, given your description of how he folded and placed his clothes,” Xavier responded.
“I found the key, didn’t I?” she asked as she felt along the brick.
“Let’s be thankful he didn’t look in the trunk, then.” Xavier ripped a strip off a sheet. “Because there is no way you put everything back, perfectly, in the dark. Something was off, and it sounds like he’s the type who’d know it.”
“Are you expecting this debate to go anywhere?” Ruisa pinched a protrusion. She scowled down at it and tried to wiggle it.
“What are you doing?” Leilius asked, pausing in his work.
“Shhh.” Marc ducked back from the window. He shook his head, and a moment later, whispered, “He’s coming often.”
“I’d thought the Inner Circle was six people, or something.” Rachie was staring down at Leilius’ pants.
“Clearly he added more when he decided to bring S’am into his life.” Leilius backed away from the intense stare. “What are you looking at—”
Rachie’s hand shot out. Leilius flinched, thinking the other guy was trying to grab his junk. Instead, a tug on his pocket and Rachie was holding the key to One’s door. “Why didn’t you tell us you had a key?”