A Single Spark

by Tayvia Pierce

  I had no answer to give, even if she had waited for me to respond. All I could do was watch her head off in a silent sorrow, the ever present weariness from our family problems settling over me once again. Why can’t we just be a happy family that gets along? I let out a long sigh, setting my elbows on the table and burying my face in my palms.

  The bench shifted and creaked as someone sat next to me a moment later, the familiar low voice of my guard murmuring next to my ear. “You are a good role model to your sister, regardless of what your mother believes, Carys.”

  My head snapped around to stare at him, his familiar use of my name sounding strange on his lips, though I didn’t sense it was spoken from a place of contempt, but possibly out of the friendship I thought I had lost. I watched his face, searching for any emotion that might actually penetrate the stony face he had worn for the last week, seeing a flicker of consolation followed by regret. Regret?

  A moment later, he was apologizing and looking away, fixing his gaze entirely on the front door. “I’m sorry.” He whispered so quietly, I’m not certain he meant for me to hear it. Sorry for what? The informal use of my name? Keeping such distance between us? “You are strong, Carys.” He said with more conviction than was found in his apology, his mouth working as though he wished to say more only to press into a thin line as he kept his closely guarded thoughts to himself.

  I gave him a glum look, turning away when he chose not to continue speaking and I found myself staring into my rapidly emptying goblet of wine. Mother’s hotly spoken arguments echoed in my mind, and and I knew that she had a point, but mother wouldn’t listen to any explanation I would give...she never did. The blame she was placing at my feet might as well have been shackles for the weight of them, and I drained my goblet before reaching for the bottle to pour more.

  Ben quickly snatched the bottle from me and poured me only half a glass, having kept track of the amount of wine I had already consumed. “You still need to be able to sit a horse to get home, Lady Carys.” He grunted to me, tension filling his voice. The compassion and regret I had seen on his face a moment ago had vanished, replaced with a calloused neutrality, and I knew that we were back to whatever tatters were left of our friendship.

  We sat in an uncomfortable silence, in no rush to return home to my family and it’s growing drama, and with Ben’s thoughts clearly millions of miles away, there seemed little point in conversing. What happened to our friendship? I felt so strongly that I had done something to anger him, and while I could run over every interaction from the last few weeks until I went mad, I needed to know. I interrupted his thoughts, asking. “What did I do that offended you?”

  He blinked and came back to the present, turning to give me a perplexed look, the course of his own thoughts obviously nowhere near the path of my own. The look of regret returned for a split second and he shook his head. “It is no matter, Lady Carys.” He looked away once again, watching the doorway almost with an expectant look, though I wasn’t about to let the subject drop so easily, his answer too vague and too easily given.

  “Except clearly I have done something, since you can barely look at me anymore and you certainly don’t talk to me.” I turned to look directly at him, my every muscle tensing with my frustration. “If we are no longer friends, then I would like to know so I can adjust my expectations accordingly.” It sounded cold when I said it, though I didn’t do that intentionally.

  He slowly turned his head to stare at me, an unreadable look covering his face. It was eerie...All of his thoughts and emotions were so completely veiled that in that frightening moment, I wasn’t certain if he felt anything at all.. “I am your guard, Lady Carys. Nothing more.” He spoke softly, yet firmly.

  His words left a dull ache in my chest. Nothing more. I could feel the lump forming in my throat, though I tried desperately to pretend it wasn’t there. Nothing more? Whatever painful distance had been between us an hour ago was now an agonizingly wide chasm, and I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him, knowing the hurt his words brought me would be written all over my face. Was it the fact I wouldn’t break things off with Brynmor or had I been imagining our friendship this entire time?

  I drained my goblet, deciding the awkward verbal combat with my mother was preferable to sitting here in this uncomfortable and painful silence with Ben. My cup clunked on the table as I set it down a little harder than was necessary, grabbing my wrap to pull around my own shoulders as I rose to my feet. He silently rose alongside me, looking around the room one last time before haunting my steps as I made my way towards the door.

  CHAPTER 40

  The foreign couple that had made a stunning and eerie entrance into the Silver Stag some weeks ago made another appearance in Lund the next day, strolling down the street a little ways behind us as Ben escorted me towards the tailor’s shop. I kept looking over my shoulder with a wary eye as they walked with their heads together, both sets of eyes on us as he whispered and smiled, bringing a little nod paired with a demure smile as she answered.

  Ben’s jaw was tighter than usual as we pushed open the door to her shop, my new winter coat hanging near the back by the dressing room. I was here for a fitting, though found myself more worried by the pair following us rather than enjoying the process of getting a beautiful new coat.

  Ben loomed stiffly in the doorway, staring so hard through the door’s window I wondered if the glass would crack. Those blue-grey eyes of his were fixed on the foreign couple, vigilantly observing their every movement and facial expression as they paused at the florist’s stand just across the road. They pretended to look at flowers, though the woman’s dark eyes kept turning to stare intently at the tailor’s.

  Ben’s focus never faltered, even after I pulled on the coat and took my place on the podium to let the tailor make the needed adjustments to the garment. I was relieved, if I was going to be perfectly honest. I hadn’t wished to bring Ben with me to this fitting, but Brynmor was with Father as he collected our coin from the Winery. Madox was out with Rhian, and that left Ben, and he didn’t seem particularly thrilled about joining me here, either.

  My back was to the window, preventing me from watching the southern couple which made me more anxious as I felt the icy daggers of their attention like a giant target on my back. The few glances I did manage to steal proved more worrisome as they lingered longer than necessary with the flowers. They are definitely following us...maybe it was they who had left the note on our door? They had appeared in town at the same time, if I recalled correctly, and my mind began to analyze the sequence of events and the dreadful possibilities.

  My stomach twisted into knots at the idea of the foreigners’ attentions settling on us and what horrors it might mean for my family. Had those people been the ones to kidnap Rhian? The thought popped into my mind; while the man certainly could have been there at the Bone Farm, the woman certainly hadn’t been, at least not that I had observed. Could it be them, and could they have even more accomplices?

  I was more than happy to shed the coat for the tailor to hang up once again, her newly pinned alterations ready for the finishing touches. I could barely look at Ben as I returned to his side, murmuring. “I’m finished here; we can go.” I looked out the window to the couple still smelling the flowers, another twist forming in my insides at the idea of being tracked further by them.

  He pulled his gaze from the dark couple across the way to look down at me, a permanent scowl etched into his features. “Good.” He grunted at me, pushing open the door to let me pass through before he followed, walking protectively behind me as the foreign couple began to stroll after us once again.

  I could hear the woman’s soft murmuring as we walked, the man’s low chuckle and response too soft for us to hear, and I reached my breaking point and halted, Ben nearly colliding with me. I turned around stiffly without thinking this course of action through. “Is there something we can do for you?” I boldly addressed the couple following, my eyes narrowing as I resisted the ur
ge to set my hands on my hips.

  They looked both surprised and delighted that I had addressed them, the male breaking into an enthralled smile, the female’s lips curling upwards, equally pleased, though her approval was more modestly revealed. They spoke a little louder, though they didn’t answer me but rather, spoke of me like I was a creature at a festival, prominently displayed for their entertainment.

  “She speaks, Pet.” The man pulled the woman into his side, murmuring into her long raven locks as her dark eyes held me in her intense gaze. Pet? He pretended to make it a private comment, though with it loud enough for us to hear him, we saw the ploy for what it was. “Perhaps you are right about her after all.” That comment sent an icy chill down my spine and through to my toes and fingertips. Right about what?

  The woman smiled and tilted her head slightly. “It was only a thought, Amir, but I am glad you are pleased with it.” She said with a voice as hypnotically soft and smooth as velvet.

  The man called Amir broke into a charming smile and released his arm from the woman’s waist, stepping forward to give Ben and I little bow. “Dear Lord and Lady, allow me to introduce myself and my companion. I am Amir, and this is Zahra. I beg your forgiveness for our less than subtle pursuit of you this afternoon, but I admit to being quite fascinated with your exceptionally lovely family. You are Taurovan, yes?”

  There was a look in his eyes that made me even more wary than I had been up to this point, the word ‘fascinated’ causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. I narrowed my eyes a little and thought to avoid answering, but it was already common knowledge around the city, and there was little point to denying it. “Yes...why?”

  Ben shot me a dark look at my admission, stepping forward protectively as his head swiveled back to the foreign couple, lifting his hand to rest on the handle of his blade as his eyes turned to blue-grey chips of ice. “What is it you want with them?” He growled, straightening to his full height like a wolf with bristling fur.

  Amir’s lips curled up in amusement and he shook his head. “Ah, not a Lord, but a guard dog!” He exclaimed with a laugh. “There is no need to snarl, we are only having a delightful conversation.” He flashed a grin at Ben before returning his attention to me. “You are very far from home, dear Lady, and that is something I find curious. I do wonder why you would have left there, naturally, though it is none of my business. A scandal, perhaps?” My heart jumped up into my throat before dropping like a lead weight into my stomach at his remark. He knows!

  A shrewd look crossed his features before he grinned broadly, giving a dismissing flick of his hand as he commented off-handedly. “But it is no matter, you are here now and freed of the shackles of Taurovan dictatorship.” Beckoning to Zahra, he continued. “Come along, Pet. we will leave the Lady to her business. Lady Carys...Guard Dog...it was a pleasure to meet at last. I am certain our paths will cross again.”

  Zahra gave Amir an elegant dip of her head and stepped forward obediently as he beckoned her, looping her arm dutifully through his as he offered it. “Of course, darling.” She murmured, dipping her head demurely to Ben and I.

  If Ben had been bristling, his hackles were up in their entirety after the guard dog comment and the dismissal. He kept himself directly between Amir and myself as the strange pair continued on down the street, and it was only then that I realized my heart was hammering in my chest and I had been holding my breath.

  I exhaled slowly, trying to pretend that this interaction hadn’t completely rattled me, though there was something about the couple that made my skin crawl. Amir knew exactly why we had left Taurova, I was certain of it, but why was he so interested in us? Was is due to the accusations, or something else? I turned to look at them as they wandered down the street, Zahra’s alluring walk suddenly making me feel like I wore paving stones for shoes.

  Amir called her ‘Pet’. Were they married and it was his nickname for her? It was an eerie choice, Zahra almost seeming more like a servant with her subservient demeanor, but the implied intimate relationship made me think they were wedded. Maybe he is just a commanding husband, I decided, suddenly wondering if Brynmor and I were going to turn out like them?

  That thought turned my stomach and I cleared my throat instinctively, drawing a frown from Ben as he turned to face me. “What’s wrong?” He asked, though I quickly shook my head.

  “They just make me nervous.” I admitted to him, and his eyes narrowed, though with the look on his own face, I suspected he was feeling the same way. I lowered my voice and shook my head. “The way he calls her Pet...it's unnatural.” A muscle in Ben’s cheek twitched in agreement and he took my arm, gently pulling me down the road with him in the opposite direction of Amir and Zahra.

  “They have been watching you and your family.” He grunted, then shook his head as he began walking a little faster. “They arrived two months ago and we have hardly seen them in that time, so how is it they are spying on your House? What do they want of you?” His lips pressed into a thin line, eyes boring into me as though I held the answers.

  I shook my head, perplexed, and finally voiced my thought from earlier. “Do you think they are the ones that left the note on our door two months ago?”

  His brow creased deeply with a growing concern as he considered that possibility.“They arrived right around the same time…” His expression darkened as he followed that line of thought without seemingly coming to a conclusion, at least not one he shared with me. My jaw tightened as he changed our course without warning, steering me up the next street towards the Inn.

  I hadn’t expected this change in direction, and I couldn’t wrap my mind around why we would suddenly head towards the Silver Stag. I was hesitant to question him, but hated feeling ignorant more than I valued my pride. “Where are we going and for what purpose?”

  He grunted a soft response. “We are going to ask the Innkeeper a few questions about those two.” I felt like an idiot. That was something I hadn’t even considered as a course of action, and swore to myself to be less dense in the future. I kept pace with Ben as we headed up the road and ascended the front steps of the Inn, pushing open the door to the dimly-lit warmth inside.

  I moved into the room a few steps, Ben stepping around me to search the room through narrowed eyes. “Go sit.” He ordered quietly, and I nodded, making my way to the nearest table under his watchful eyes.

  I had only been seated a minute before a figure rose to his feet in the back corner of the tavern, moving silently through the room towards me. Ben moved quickly to my side with his hand on the hilt of his blade with the full expectation of a threat to my well-being, particularly on the heel of our encounter with Amir and Zahra. Every muscle in my body tensed with his approach, though there was a familiarity with which he came towards me that made me reach out a hand to stay Ben’s defense.

  It took me a moment before I realized who it was, instantly relaxing as I offered a faint smile to the newcomer. “Owain, hello.” Ben’s confusion radiated from him and he frowned even deeper, shooting me a swift glance before glaring at the newcomer.

  The Velynesian smiled warmly down to me and nodded. “Lady Carys, it is a pleasure to see you once again. I have heard rumors of the wealthy Taurovan family that has settled here; I can only assume they speak of you and your kin?” He looked from me to Ben, doing a faint double-take to study my guard curiously before focusing on me once again.

  Ben’s lips tightened beneath Owain’s perusal, turning his gaze from the Velynesian at last to give me a look. His eyes were no longer filled with hyper-vigilance, but with warning, though I didn’t understand why. It was enough to fill me with doubt, and I found myself stammering though the usual social niceties. “Owain, this is Ben, my, uh...guard.” Ben rose to his feet to greet Owain, the two nearly matched in height, coloring and bearing.

  Owain looked surprised, though smiled again as he extended his hand to Ben. “It is a happy meeting when I find another of our kind.” He grinned, studying Ben
intently.

  I blinked. Ben is Velynesian? They certainly shared several similar characteristics, and my mind raced as I tried to connect his heritage to his search for his master, but nothing was making much sense. Why didn’t he tell me? How did I not notice? I knew so little of the man who protected me, and now I was determined to change that. No more mysterious and vague pasts, it was time to get a few details.

  Ben looked less than thrilled with the meeting with Owain, but the two gripped each other’s wrists in greeting, the former glancing down to me with an uncomfortable look before responding to Owain. “We are few and far between.” He grunted before running his hands through his dark hair again. He growled as politely as possible, “Excuse me, I have to speak with Redding.” He gave little time for farewells, pausing only long enough to give Owain a brief nod and headed to the counter where the barkeep was cleaning up a spill.

  Owain’s grey eyes followed Ben until he was deep in conversation with Jack, brow furrowing ever so slightly though he rounded the bench to sit across from me. “An interesting choice for a guard, Lady Carys.” He commented offhandedly, though I sensed the undercurrent of curiosity, possibly suspicion, though I had to admit that Ben’s warning look had filled me with a wariness of the Velynesian, though I couldn’t explain why.