Deny (The Blades of Acktar Book 2)

by Tricia Mingerink

  Craven’s eyes flicked Leith’s way, his forehead puckering.

  Either way, it worked in Leith’s favor. Leith focused on the map and pretended not to notice. “Not surprising. Lady Lorraine was canny enough to defeat former Second Blade Hess. She won’t be taken easily.”

  Leith fought the urge to frown. Her wariness was both a blessing and a hinderance. It had kept the Blades away from the town, yet it’d also make any attempt by Leith to warn her difficult, if not impossible. Still, he had to try. “I’ll slip into Sierra. Hold off the attack until I return.”

  General Wentle’s mouth pinched even smaller, but he nodded.

  Craven’s eyes narrowed. “If we couldn’t get through, what makes you think you can?”

  Leith whipped out a knife, twisted Craven’s arm behind his back, and touched the tip of the knife to the pulsing vein in the underside of his chin. “Did you want to challenge me after all, Craven? I survived Vane. I can survive you.”

  Craven met his gaze. “No, First Blade.”

  “Good.” Leith withdrew and sheathed his knife. “I’ll leave as soon as it’s dark.” Before either of them could question his plan again, Leith pushed from the tent. He stalked past the other Blades, grabbed a brush from Jamie, and set to work on Blizzard’s dark gray fur.

  Sheltered from sight between Blizzard and the other horses, Leith leaned his forehead on Blizzard’s shoulder. A tremor shook Leith’s body.

  That threat to Craven had come too easily. When he’d reached for his former cold, it had hardened his heart in an instant.

  Hadn’t God softened him? Taken away his darkness?

  Yes, but it still lingered, waiting. And while Leith played this double-life, he couldn’t fully let it go. He needed it to keep up this pretense.

  What choice did he have? If he left now, Lord Alistair and the Resistance would be blind to King Respen’s plans. Leith wouldn’t be able to stop the next assassination attempt, the next attack, when it came. That was the whole reason he was a Blade, wasn’t it? He was supposed to be used by God to save lives even if it cost his own.

  But perhaps, his life wasn’t the only thing this lie would cost.

  Once darkness whispered through the prairie grass, Leith slipped through the army camp and past the sentries. Not that he had to sneak, but it was good practice for getting into Sierra.

  He didn’t pause to take a deep breath until after he’d crested the valley’s ridge and gone partway down the next side. He crouched in a thick clump of grass, a breeze whistling in a dry rasp. The day’s heat radiated from the sand beneath his boots. A few crickets chirped, but most remained silent.

  A rustle crackled the grass several yards in front of Leith. Leith held his breath and cocked his ear towards the noise. It came again, too loud to be an animal. It had to be a person.

  Who else would be sneaking to Sierra? Leith ticked off where he’d last seen the other three Blades. All of them where accounted for.

  When had he last seen Jamie? He’d been at supper. He’d lingered near the horses. Then, nothing.

  Leith crept closer to the noise until a black shape sharpened against the gray-green grass. Jamie eased through the grass in a crouch. He glanced behind him, but his eyes swept past where Leith froze in a patch of shadow.

  What was Jamie doing sneaking towards Sierra? Was he taking his chance to get away from the Blades? Though, he’d be better off waiting until he and Leith reached Walden instead of slipping into a town about to be attacked by the very Blades he was trying to leave behind.

  Unless this wasn’t simply about running away. The boy was trying to warn Sierra.

  With the amount of noise Jamie was making, he didn’t have a chance of getting past Sierra’s guards, and his black clothing wouldn’t help. The guards would probably see a black shape, kill him, and realize he was only a boy later.

  When he was a few feet behind the boy, Leith crunched a clump of dried grass with his boot. Jamie froze. Before he had a chance to turn around, Leith launched from his crouch, slammed into the boy’s back, and clapped a hand over Jamie’s mouth.

  Leith twisted as they fell so that he landed on the bottom instead of smashing Jamie between him and the dirt. He rolled them over, pinning Jamie beneath him where the boy couldn’t reach his knife or any of Leith’s.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Leith withdrew his hand. His shoulder throbbed.

  Jamie’s jaw tightened. “I’m not going to tell you anything. You’re going to have to kill me, First Blade.”

  “I’m not going to kill you.” Leith bit back a growl. He didn’t have the time to waste chatting with Jamie. “Sierra’s guards would’ve done just that as soon as they spotted you.”

  “You’re not going to kill me?” Jamie twisted his head to try to see Leith over his shoulder. “Why not? I was…”

  Trying to sneak into Sierra, most likely. As First Blade, he should punish that. Perhaps he could pretend to be an ignorant First Blade.

  Leith eased off Jamie. Since Jamie was here, he might as well be useful. “You can help me sneak into Sierra.”

  “No.” Jamie crossed his arms and lifted his chin. “I’m not going to help you attack Sierra. So you’d better kill me.”

  How much did he dare tell Jamie? Was Jamie trustworthy? Or was this a trick?

  But if he really was this determined to warn Sierra, then Leith could use his help. Sierra would be difficult to enter, even for him.

  Was this the tension Lord Alistair and Shad felt when Leith first offered to join the Resistance? Words were cheap. Actions could be faked. In the end, it came down to a leap of trust.

  Should he make that leap?

  “Like I said, I’m not going to kill you.” Leith drew in a deep breath. “Because I’m trying to warn Sierra too.”

  Jamie’s body tensed. “How do I know you’re not trying to trick me into helping you get into Sierra and then you’ll kill me?”

  They could be at this all night. Leith met Jamie’s gaze. “If I’d wanted your help as the First Blade, I would’ve just ordered you to come along. Or I would’ve brought another of the Blades to help me sneak in. But I came alone because I don’t want any of the other Blades to know what I’m really up to. Seems you had the same idea. Now are you going to help me or not? Because if you aren’t, I’m going to tie you up and leave you here until I get back.”

  Jamie studied him. His eyes widened. “You’re the Resistance spy.”

  Leith swallowed. Should he try to deny it?

  No, he’d gone too far now.

  “Yes.”

  With narrowed eyes, Jamie nodded.

  Leith crept towards Sierra, Jamie crunching behind him. Unlike Walden, which was set in the bowl of several hills, Sierra Manor loomed on a hill with the town flowing down the hill to the east.

  At the base of the hill, Leith crouched at the edge of the tall grass. The grass rising up the hill had been scythed short to deny the Blades cover if they tried to sneak close. Guards circled the manor in layers, following each other with only a fifty foot gap between them. Each ring of guards moved in the opposite direction so they could see anyone sneaking up behind the other guards.

  Leith studied the guards, the timing, the manor. No wonder the Blades hadn’t tried to sneak into Sierra. “Jamie, I’m going to need a distraction. If you could rustle through the grass headed west, I’ll slip toward the manor from the east.”

  “All right.” Jamie rose and turned to leave.

  “And be careful. If they spot you, they could mistake you for a Blade.”

  Jamie disappeared into the blackness. Leith edged through the grass the other way. According to the report by the former Second Blade Hess a few weeks ago, Lady Lorraine’s bedchamber lay on the second floor of the east wing where she could watch the sunrise each morning.

  A section of grass waved and rustled a few yards in front of a guard. The guard froze and peered into the grass. After a moment, he waved another guard over, creating a gap in the gu
ard perimeter.

  Leith slithered on his stomach and elbows across the open space. He froze as the guard going the opposite way came into view. Leith held absolutely still, a black patch in a blur of shadow. When the guard had passed Leith and his attention turned to the commotion by the tall grass, Leith wiggled forward.

  After several more pauses, he reached the east wall below Lady Lorraine’s window. He flexed his fingers and rotated his left shoulder. Two weeks wasn’t enough time for the wound to completely heal, but he didn’t have a choice. He’d have to grit his way through this and hope he had the strength.

  A newer manor than Walden Manor, Sierra Manor was built of brick instead of stone. Most of the cracks between bricks were too small for him to grip. Instead, he used the shutters to boost himself onto the windowsill and from there onto the ornate molding on top of the window.

  That put his head level with the sill of the second story window. He peeked into the room. A form lay under the filmy sheets on the bed across the room from the window, blond hair draped across the pillow.

  Leith inspected the window. The panes swung inward, their hinges on the inside. He’d have to hope they didn’t squeal when he pushed because he had no way of oiling them.

  Hoisting himself onto the sill, he balanced himself with one hand on the molding while he eased his smallest knife between the panes. The latch caught on the tip of his knife. He lifted it and pushed the panes. They gave tiny squeaks.

  He peered inside. Lady Lorraine still slept, the sheet rising and falling with her steady breaths. Easing through the window, he closed the window behind him and tiptoed across the room.

  Lady Lorraine rested on her side, her long hair flowing across her pillow in a cascade.

  He pressed his hand over her mouth, pinning her to the bed. Her eyes flared open, then narrowed.

  Pain pricked his stomach. Leith jerked and caught sight of a knife gripped in the lady’s fist.

  Lady Lorraine’s eyes flashed to Leith’s empty right hand, and her knife paused in its thrust.

  So that’s how former Second Blade Hess died. He wasn’t killed by Lady Lorraine’s guards. He’d been stabbed by the lady herself when he’d bent over her with his knife in hand. Only Leith’s empty hand had saved him.

  Leith let go of her mouth and stepped back, both hands in the air where she could see them. A dribble of blood tickled his stomach. “I’m Lord Alistair’s source in the Blades. I know I can’t prove it, but I’m here to warn you.”

  She rolled into a sitting position, her knife poised in front of her. “There’s one way to prove your loyalties. Sit.” She pointed at a rocking chair a few feet away.

  Leith hesitated. Waste time following her demands or waste time arguing? How much time would General Wentle give him before he moved the army into position?

  Biting his cheek at the delay, he perched in the rocking chair.

  She whipped the belt from the dressing gown lying across the trunk at the foot of her bed and looped it around his shoulders before tying it tightly behind his back. Leith didn’t resist as she blindfolded him, then tied his wrists to the rocking chair’s arms.

  Just cooperate. It had worked with Lord Alistair to prove his sincerity. Hopefully it’d work with Lady Lorraine too.

  Her door opened and shut. Where was she going? The spot under his ribs throbbed. His shoulder ached after his climb. Was she fetching the captain of her guard?

  The door’s hinges creaked. As soon as Leith heard the rhythm of the second set of footsteps, he relaxed. “Shad, could you please convince your lady’s mother not to kill me?”

  Shad’s footsteps halted a few feet away. “Wouldn’t the other Blades like to see you now? Their First Blade, bested by a five-foot woman and trussed up with hair ribbons.”

  Hair ribbons? That must be what tied his wrists to the chair. “If you don’t untie me quickly, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

  Someone reached behind his head and untied the blindfold. Leith blinked his eyes into focus. “I didn’t expect you to be here, or I would’ve tracked you down instead.”

  Shad set to work on the ribbons holding him to the chair. “I decided to swing through Sierra before heading home to Walden. I arrived this afternoon. What are you doing here?”

  “Respen has gathered an army under a general named Wentle. Three of the Blades are stationed with it. In less than an hour, it’s going to surround Sierra and attack.” Leith shook off the ribbons as Shad loosened the knots. “Respen ordered me to assist in the attack. Naturally, I volunteered for one last scouting mission.”

  Shad untied the knot in the dressing gown’s belt. “What direction will they be coming from?”

  Leith raised his eyebrows. “You aren’t surprised? You knew about the army?”

  Shad rested his hand on his sword hilt. “A few of the survivors from Aven made their way here, and the scouts we sent out failed to return yesterday. We got everyone out except for a few of us that stayed behind as rearguard in case anyone else from Aven managed to escape.”

  Lady Lorraine planted her hands on her hips. For the first time, Leith noted she wore a dark bodice and a divided riding skirt. Unusual attire for sleeping, unless she expected trouble. She speared him with a gaze as sharp as the knife now belted to her waist. “What information do you have for us, Blade?”

  “The army is assembling a few miles from here. They plan to divide into three wings and encircle the town and manor, coming in from the southwest, southeast, and north.” Leith fingered one of his knives but stopped when he spotted Lady Lorraine’s hand shifting towards hers. “The army isn’t supposed to attack until I return, but I’m not sure how long General Wentle will wait for me to get back.”

  Shad nodded. “Do what you can to delay them. The north wing of the army could pose a problem. We had planned a tactical retreat in that direction.”

  “Shadrach.” Lady Lorraine’s sharp glare swept between Leith and Shad. “Do you think it’s wise to tell the Blade our plans?”

  Leith hung his head. Would he ever be trusted based on his word alone like Shad was? Or would he always have to prove himself?

  “He’s trustworthy.” Shad’s voice carried a dangerous tone to it. “You owe him your life. In fact, every noble who survived the assassination attempt owes him their life.”

  “I see.”

  Leith felt her gaze prickling across his scalp as if she could tear through his skull and read his thoughts. He met those hard eyes and forced himself not to look away.

  Her eyes and face didn’t soften. “Are you the Blade who killed my husband?”

  He should’ve expected the question. Of course she’d want an answer to that mystery, the same way Renna had wanted to know the details of her parents’ deaths the night he’d met her. Answers soothed the itch of old scars. They didn’t change anything, but they helped a person move on.

  “No.” One death he wasn’t responsible for. Leith’s hand crept to the tender spot on his stomach where she’d started to stab him. “Second Blade Hess killed him. If it helps anything, you killed Hess two weeks ago.”

  The glint of pain crossed her eyes. The iron in her spine flexed a fraction. “It does.” After a moment, her posture straightened. “Will you be able to delay the army? Or at least give us some idea what the Blades stationed with the army will do?”

  Shad grinned and shot a glance toward Leith. “I think the Blades are the least of our worries.”

  Leith pushed his right sleeve to his shoulder, revealing the long line of scars marching down his arm nearly to his elbow. “I’m the First Blade. The Blades will do whatever I tell them.”

  “First Blade.” Lady Lorraine’s eyebrows rose. “That does change the tactical picture, doesn’t it?”

  A knock rang against the door. Leith froze. Shad stepped between Leith and the door.

  “Mother?” A girl’s voice filtered through the wood.

  Shad relaxed. Lady Lorraine hurried to the door, opened it barely wide enough f
or a girl to step through, and closed it quickly. The girl’s long, golden blond hair draped down the back of the dark dress she wore.

  “What’s going on? I thought I heard voices.” She glanced around the room. Her gaze turned towards Leith and Shad, a smile freezing on her face as her eyes widened. “Shad! There’s—”

  “It’s all right. He’s on our side.” Shad strode to her side. “You’d better fetch your bow, Jolene. The army’s going to attack tonight.”

  Leith faced Lady Lorraine. “I’ll do what I can to delay the army and keep the Blades out of the action, though I can’t do much without raising their suspicions.”

  Lady Lorraine reached for a set of saddlebags next to the door. “I need to assemble the men. Jolene, you’d better fetch your things from your room and join me.”

  When the door closed behind Lady Lorraine and Jolene, Leith met Shad’s gaze. “When the fighting starts, I’m going to have to join them. I’ll do my best not to kill anybody, but you can’t hold back when you see a figure dressed in black. If you or your archers have a shot, take it.”

  Shad sucked in a breath, opened his mouth, then let out the breath in a whoosh. His shoulders sagged. “All right. It shouldn’t come to that. We don’t plan on staying long enough for a pitched battle. Whatever you do, stay out of the first ranks of men.”

  “Got it. Delay the army and stay back when the fighting starts.”

  Shad clasped Leith’s forearm. “God go with you.”

  “And you.” Leith eased the window open and swung over the sill. Both his arm and his stomach ached at the movement. As he dropped to the ground and belly-crawled the way he’d come, he prayed that God would protect both him and Shad that night so that neither of them ended up killing their best friend.

  7

  When Leith rolled into the deep grass at the base of the hill, he lay still for a moment. Where was Jamie? Had he been captured by Sierra’s guards?

  He touched the throbbing spot on his stomach right under his lowest rib. His fingers came away sticky with blood, but the wound didn’t seem too deep. He smeared the blood across his hands. This might work to his advantage.