Zambini got up and poured himself a drink from the decanter next to Ruskin, who’d been quietly making little smoke rings float to the ceiling.
“Which brings us to Zacharias’ note,” their host continued shrewdly. “Why would he think our young friend here is a Wielder?” he asked of no one in particular, taking a sip from his cup.
“Because he is.” Ruskin stated.
Nobody spoke as Zambini looked first at Ruskin, then at Braxton, his eyes focused, masking his thoughts.
Be careful, child, do not underestimate this one, Serene said quietly.
“Show him your chest.” Ruskin waved a hand casually toward Brax.
Is that all right? he asked Serene, grateful for her presence.
It is too late now; you have no choice but to trust him. He is a good man with much heart, but he may find a way to profit from this knowledge.
Brax watched Zambini. Their host’s face was completely blank, hiding his emotions, calmly sipping at his drink. Only his eyes told Braxton he was in the presence of a masterful negotiator—one whose mind never stopped thinking or calculating.
He got up, lifted his shirt and revealed the Chosen Cross.
“Oh, you poor dear!” Brennah exclaimed, causing Braxton to jump. She crossed the room, put her arms around him, and drew him close. He remembered how his mother used to embrace him that same way. Closing his eyes, he stood there in Brennah’s arms, her maternal scent filling his senses. Then slowly, he reciprocated the embrace, burying his face deep into her shoulder, accepting her surrogate affection. When he pulled away, he looked back at Zambini.
Their dark-skinned host, with whom he’d now entrusted his life, eyed him before turning to Ruskin. “As much as I learn about you, my old friend, you always manage to surprise me every time you visit.” He smiled at the dwarf. Then he faced Braxton and inclined his head. “It is an honor to serve you.”
Ruskin choked on his drink. “You’re not getting all soft on me, are you, Zambini? I thought I’d taught you better than that.”
Brax stared at them. “What about Kalendra? Can you help her?”
Zambini’s smile dropped. “This is another surprise to me.” He shook his head and sat at the table. “How is it that she knew you were a Wielder?”
Braxton quickly retold of the incident in the bath, downplaying the details to avoid any embarrassment. “I didn’t think she’d know what it meant. I was obviously wrong.”
“She must’ve been feeding information to the Brotherhood about the goings-on at the inn,” Zambini said. “I took her into my service three years ago because I knew her mother years back. I must admit, I never expected her to betray me.” A deep furrow creased his brow, and a look of disappointment flashed through his eyes. Braxton realized that he was hurt as much by Kalendra’s ability to fool him as he was by her spying on the inn.
Brennah glanced at her husband. “Don’t be too hard on her, dear. You don’t know the full circumstances under which she revealed this information. Perhaps it would be best to find her before making any more assumptions.”
“Good advice,” Ruskin said.
Zambini nodded, but his face still showed deep thought on the matter, and Brax could tell the barmaid’s betrayal ran deeper than he let on.
Gavin stood up. “I’m willing to help rescue her if needed.”
“Me too,” Brax added.
“No, you won’t.” Ruskin looked at Brax. “You’re staying put. I don’t want you leaving the inn, or the cottage, for that matter.”
“I’ll see what I can find out tonight,” Zambini commented. “If she’s not already dead”—he looked at the others—“we may be able to help her.”
Chapter 12
On the morning of their third day in Falderon, Braxton woke early yet again, worried about Kalendra and anticipating the patrol’s arrival that would allow them to continue on their journey. He pulled on his boots and quietly strapped the Unicorn Blade to his back, hoping not to wake Gavin. Bear stretched and padded over to him. Brax rubbed the elkhound’s ears, glad to have him with them.
He left the cottage as the sun was rising, a gray glow burning through the mist that had settled in on the city. Barely able to see more than a dozen feet ahead of him, he crossed the courtyard to the inn. The moist fog seeped into his clothing, causing Brax to shiver in the cool morning air. Ascending the back stairs, he passed through the doorway and down the hall into the common room. The main area of Zambini’s was unusually quiet, most of the patrons still asleep on their makeshift cots brought in after dinner. Brax found a secluded spot near the fireplace and stoked the embers into a low flame that cast a dim light across the room. Locating the cook, he returned a few minutes later with a warm breakfast and a small mug of trill.
As the inn’s guests started to rise, and the hall began filling with visitors and regulars alike, Brax headed back out toward the cottage. The rain had started up again, coming down in sheets. He bent his head low and scrunched his shoulders, preparing to dash across the seemingly distant courtyard in hopes of avoiding being drenched by the sudden downpour.
He’d just left the porch when Serene’s warning echoed in his mind.
Draw my sword, child!
Stopping, he slid on the cobblestones, ignoring the pelting rain and reached for the blade, unable to see beyond a few feet ahead of him. He’d barely pulled the sword free, when a large form emerged from the fog, racing toward him. Braxton raised the Unicorn Blade awkwardly in an attempt to block the unexpected charge. But his opponent barreled into him, knocking him backward and sending him sprawling onto the ground. The spirit sword slipped from his grip and skidded away. He lay stunned for a moment, a brief wave of nausea flowing through him.
“Well, that was easy,” a deep voice said with an evil chuckle. A man towered over him, his sword pointing at Braxton’s throat.
Brax lurched toward the Unicorn Blade, but the man was ready for him.
“Oh no, you don’t.” He thumped a heavy booted foot down hard on Braxton’s forearm, pinning him to the ground and sending a wave of pain shooting into his hand. The big man reached down and lifted Brax easily, gripping him by his clothes.
“Hey, boss, I’ve got your little runt. Now what?” His fetid breath washed over Brax’s face, exposing his yellowed teeth. Braxton recognized the man from the image of Kalendra’s cell.
Zacharias and four other guards appeared, materializing like ghosts out of the fog. Dressed in dark crimson shirts and black leather pants, they held short, curved swords. Three of the men had their hoods pulled up, concealing their faces, but the fourth man—an ugly thug with a curved nose and scarred chin—had his long, greasy hair exposed to the rain, pasted down now to his wet head.
“Krag, watch the inn,” Zacharias ordered, and the ugly man moved quickly toward Zambini’s.
“Now we’ll see if you live,” Zacharias added, watching Braxton from under his round-rimmed hat, “or if you die here and now. Hold out his arms!”
The big man grabbed Braxton’s wrists and forced them apart. Zacharias lifted Brax’s shirt, exposing his bare chest, finding the Chosen Cross.
Serene, help me! he called out.
Zacharias looked up at him, his eyes wide. He’d heard Braxton’s call.
Send the energy into the big one’s arms, Serene responded. Help is coming.
Frantically he summoned the spirit magic as best he could and sent it into the man’s hands, pushing at him with all his might. Howling in pain, the man dropped Brax, stepped away, and shook his hands in response to the shock he’d received.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Braxton dove for the Unicorn Blade, sliding across the wet cobblestone floor. He grabbed the sword and rolled over onto his back, raising the weapon against the man he knew would be pursuing him. Having recovered from his shock, the large thug jumped at Brax, but then hung in air, as if frozen in time, a look of surprise on his face, the spirit sword piercing his chest. A dribble of blood fell onto Braxton’s hands and
the man’s eyes rolled back as his full weight crumpled toward the ground, pulling Braxton and the Unicorn Blade with him.
“Grab him!” Zacharias barked, backing away as the remaining men rushed forward.
A series of whizzing sounds pierced the air, and two of the thugs fell backward, a small dagger protruding from each of their necks. Lying on his side, the Unicorn Blade still piercing the big man, Braxton looked back at the inn. Zambini stood at the top of the stairs, with Kalendra behind him, her clothes torn and stained, and her face heavily bruised. Krag, the man who’d been sent to watch the door, was dead, his throat slit. Zambini pulled another dagger from his boot and picked up the dead man’s sword, ready to fight.
The remaining guard hesitated, looking first at Zambini and then at Brax, unsure what to do. A piercing howl emanated from the fog. Bear smashed into the man’s back, knocking him forward several paces. The elkhound’s jaws gripped the man’s neck. Yelling with pain, the guard struggled to get free, then lay still.
The sound of boots on wet stone echoed across the courtyard. Brax turned to see Zacharias running toward the stables. He leaped up onto a pile of barrels and scaled the wall, disappearing from view.
Pursue him! Serene’s voice shot through Braxton’s mind.
Scrambling to his feet, he pulled the Unicorn Blade free, his gaze momentarily falling on the limp body, and followed his adversary, scattering barrels into the courtyard as he cleared the wall.
“Wait!” Zambini called, but Brax didn’t stop. He chased Zacharias down the side street. Turning this way and that, Zacharias darted first down one path and then another, crossing alleyways and pushing over carts and people to get away.
Brax’s heart pounded and his head throbbed, but he pursued his prey, anxious not to let him escape. For a minute, it reminded him of hunting deer back home in the Crimson Oaks.
He narrowed the gap as Zacharias began to tire. Realizing his opponent was gaining, Zacharias darted into a small alleyway between some shops and headed toward the open market. A wave of panic washed over Brax as he realized he was going to lose him in the throng of villagers in the plaza. Intuitively he pushed out with the spirit magic, knocking Zacharias off balance. He stumbled and crashed into a nearby tent, causing it—along with a row of hanging wicker baskets—to collapse on top of him.
Brax slowed to a trot and exited the alley into the crowd milling around the commotion. He scanned the area for his adversary and noticed a city patrol approaching. Zacharias was hurrying away through the villagers. Braxton was about to pursue him when a familiar voice called out.
“Braxton. Braxton Prinn!”
Turning in that direction, he saw Phinlera bounding toward him. She threw her arms around his neck as she arrived. “How in the world did you get here?”
“Phin!” He hugged her in surprise. Then he broke from her embrace and looked around for Zacharias. But all he saw was the crowded plaza and more city guards heading his way.
Zacharias had escaped.
Chapter 13
After the fight with Zacharias and the Scarlet Brotherhood, the little cottage behind the inn was brimming with people. Penton and Phinlera were there, along with a young girl. The patrol had arrived earlier than expected. Starting several hours before dawn, north of Falderon Lake, they had made the mountain climb in the cool early morning, driven on by their captain’s eagerness to reach the walled city.
“Her name is Cassandra, but we call her Cassi.” Penton looked fondly at the six-year-old girl. She had long blond hair that hung loosely down her back, and her blue eyes were bloodshot and circled by dark rings that detracted from her otherwise sweet and innocent face. Her dark green jumper was stained and covered a dirty white blouse that had a slightly ruffled neck, which Brax imagined must have looked quite pretty once. Her leather shoes were scuffed and in much need of repair.
“Pen and I had split up to try to find a place to stay when we arrived, seeing how crowded the city was,” Phinlera explained.
“Not ideal, I know, but the best plan for finding refuge for the night,” Penton added, seeing Brax’s questioning look at leaving Phinlera alone.
“Cassi’s father was killed by the Mins when they attacked Amberdeen,” Phin said quietly to Brax. “Right in front of us too. It was a terrible sight.” She looked down and swallowed hard, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Anyway, Penton saved her when she ran to her dying father’s side. He promised the man we’d see her home safely to Montressa, and she’s been with us ever since. Your brother’s a good person, Brax. He allowed Cassi’s father to die in peace.”
Kalendra was also in the cottage, sitting at the table in front of Zambini and Ruskin.
“I didn’t know what the markings were,” she said defensively. “I walked in on Brax taking a bath and saw the rings on his chest. I mentioned them to Caryle, someone I’d been seeing for a few months. He took me to Zacharias right away and told me I had to tell him. I never knew he was a member of the Brotherhood. I swear it, Uncle!” She looked up at Zambini.
“I knew those two were related when I first saw them,” Phinlera murmured to Brax.
“No, I don’t think so. She just calls him that because he knew her mother and took Kalendra into his service at the inn.”
Phin nodded, but looked unconvinced.
“I’d never betray you, Uncle, never!” Kalendra sobbed at Zambini’s scrutiny.
Brennah, sitting next to her, pulled her close, comforting her. She gave her husband a stern look as he towered over them that spoke volumes about whose side she was on.
They continued retelling their experiences. Gavin got up and went outside when Braxton mentioned Nenra and the attack on the Keepers. Brax struggled with his own emotions as he relayed the wound their mom had suffered, getting up and hugging Pen at seeing tears on his brother’s face. When they separated, he showed him the necklace, and told of their urgent need to reach Arbor Loren. He mentioned the Unicorn Blade as a gift from their father and revealed the Chosen Cross, skipping over meeting Grandpa Ty and his connection to Serene. When Brax finished, Penton paced the room.
“I should’ve been there!” he exclaimed.
“It wouldn’t have changed anything, lad.” Ruskin puffed on his pipe, sitting now by the fire.
“Maybe, but you don’t know that for sure, do you? I could’ve helped. I might have made a difference!”
“We were all taken by surprise and felt useless. Don’t blame yerself for something you can’t change.”
Penton nodded, reluctantly. He sat back down, his face in his hands.
“It’s taken me a long time to accept this, Pen,” Brax said. “And I still can’t get over it. But it’s helped to know that Mom’s alive, and we still have a chance to save her. If we can just get to the elves in time.”
His brother looked up. “You’re right. I want to go with you. I need to help with this.”
“Of course. We can all do it together.” He looked around the room.
“I can’t!” Penton snapped. “I promised a dying man I’d see his daughter home safely.”
Braxton looked at Cassi, who seemed to understand that she was somehow the cause of his brother’s frustration. Seeing all their staring faces, she ran toward the door. Zambini caught her before she could get away and lifted her up, holding the struggling girl in his arms.
“Let me go! Let me go!” she yelled, and began to cry.
Pen got up and took Cassi from Zambini. “It’s all right, I’m not mad at you. Please understand, it’s not your fault.”
Burying her face into Penton’s shoulder, she sobbed for a long time. Braxton watched his brother quietly comforting the girl, talking in soothing tones and rubbing her back. It occurred to him how much Cassi’s safety meant to him, and how much Penton had changed in their time apart. He’d always been the carefree older brother; now he seemed grown up, matured by an experience and responsibility he couldn’t change and an oath he couldn’t break.
Pen looked at
him. “I need to see her home safely first. Then I can help.”
Braxton nodded.
“May I suggest,” Brennah interjected, “that perhaps Pen and Gavin take Cassi by horseback to Montressa and then follow the rest of you to the elves? As they’ll be riding and you’ll be on foot, you should arrive at about the same time anyway, or at least within a few days of each other.”
For a moment nobody spoke. Brennah’s solution seemed so simple that none of them could find any reason to argue with her.
“I’m not sure Gavin will agree.” Brax looked at his brother. “He was pretty focused on avenging his mom.”
“I’ll go,” Gavin interrupted, standing in the doorway.
“We already have papers for two adults and one child to travel with the patrol to Montressa,” Phin said, looking at Gavin, “so the guards won’t know if it’s me or you traveling with Pen and Cassi.”
“And we have the merchant papers Zambini provided that should get the rest of us out of Falderon.” Brax looked around excitedly. “We can then escape the column and head east during the night.”
Penton shook his head. “It won’t be that easy. The captain of the patrol, a man named Breem, is no fool. He had the guards randomly check everyone’s papers at various times between Amberdeen and here to ensure no one left or went missing. They even caught a couple of villagers trying to escape back to their farms and put them in chains.”
“We were checked three times,” Phin added.
“Then we’ll have to outsmart him,” Ruskin said with a cunning grin.
Zambini looked at the dwarf. “I’ll check to see when the patrol’s leaving. Come on, Kalendra, we’d best get back to the inn.”
The barmaid looked up at him and smiled, stood and hugged her uncle. A minute later they left and headed across the courtyard.
Brax and the others spent the remainder of the day preparing to leave Falderon, wrapping supplies and storing them in a wagon Penton fetched from the entrance. “It was Cassi’s father’s,” he explained. “We rode it down from Amberdeen and stored it when we arrived.”
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