by Jess Schira
Saika couldn’t argue with Sebastian, his words held more truth than she cared to admit, so she settled for ignoring his rant as she made her way up the stairs and into the small bedroom she shared with her sisters. She hurried to the window and parted the curtain just enough for a narrow shaft of moonlight to penetrate the room and provide the illumination she needed.
She turned and walked towards her bed, counting the steps in her head as she went.
Sebastian leaned against the door frame and glared at her. “Have you heard a single word I’ve said. Being here is the height of foolishness.”
Saika blew out an exasperated sigh and knelt on the floor. “That man in the Tower did not say anything about there being any others watching my movements. It seems reasonable to assume that trio was working alone.”
Her words failed to mollify Sebastian. “Perchance because neither of us thought to ask him that precise question.”
Saika ran her fingertips along the edge of a floorboard. “You were the one who was asking the questions.”
“I was trying to save your life.”
Saika shot him an amused look. “It may have escaped your notice, but one of the few things I’m very capable of doing on my own is saving my own life. I never requested your participate. I certainly didn’t expect it.”
“Fine, when the people who are most likely getting ready to storm this house enter it and launch a full scale assault on you, I’ll stand back and let you handle the situation,” Sebastian said, his tone peevish. He sounded so much like a sulky school boy, Saika couldn’t help but smile. “Would that suit you?”
“Yes, that would suit me nicely.”
Saika shifted her attention to another floorboard, and this time she detected a slight lip on it that hadn’t been on the first one she’d inspected. She hooked her fingernails on the underside of the lip, and lifted while also wiggling the board a bit. It took a moment, the board tended to stick, but after a moment it started to pull away from the others.
Sebastian moved to stand beside her and snorted. “I thought you were clever, smarter than any of the other women I’ve dallied with, now I have to wonder.”
Saika arched a brow and waited for him to continue. It didn’t take long.
“Hiding anything of value under the floor is the opposite of clever. Not only is it one of the first places people look, when they step on the board, a hollow sound is produced, a sound that’s impossible for most people to ignore. Anyone who entered the house and heard the sound would be compelled to find and most likely steal whatever you’ve hidden.”
“Do you speak from experience?”
Sebastian ignored the question and tugged his gold watch from his pocket. “Times wasting. I find it hard to believe you felt the need to risk your neck and that of your family’s for whatever paltry sum of money you have stashed in your hidey hole.”
Saika bit her lip in an attempt to keep a wide smile from spreading across her face. “You assume its money?”
“What else could you possibly have that would be worth hiding in the floor?”
“Something infinitely more valuable.” She reached into the hole and removed a bundle.
“Clothing.” His voice carried an unmistakable ring of derision. “You insisted on risking everything for some rags you stuffed in the floor!”
Saika found it interesting that a man who was currently wearing clothing that looked like it cost more than her father made after an entire year of work should take such a snide opinion on the topic of clothing, but she chose to keep that particular thought to herself. “I filled the space with rags to disguise the hollow sound someone would notice if they stepped on this section of floor. I didn’t want anyone, not even my siblings, disturbing this spot.”
Saika removed more rags from the space and tossed them aside. Her careless attitude shifted to one of reverence as she withdrew a heavy package from the space.
She rocked back on her heels and stared at the cloth wrapped bundle she held.
His curiosity piqued by the change in her demeanor, Sebastian crouched beside her. He reached out to the touch the bundle but jerked his hand away when Saika moved to slap it.
“What is that?”
Saika didn’t bother to answer. Instead she started to carefully unwrap the item.
“It’s a sword.” Sebastian’s voice changed from derisive to awestruck. The change startled and pleased Saika. She tipped her head to one side and studied his expression. He didn’t notice, all of his attention was focused on the sword she’d revealed. “You came back for a sword.”
“Yes. I did.”
“This isn’t just any sword, is it?” The question was redundant. Even though the blade was still covered in a very plain leather saya, it was easy to tell that this wasn’t like any sword Sebastian had ever seen before. Once revealed, he sensed it would be a true work of art.
Saika shifted so the polished leather protecting the sword gleamed in the moonlight. “I don’t imagine there’s a single sword in England, and perhaps all of Europe, like this one.”
She wrapped her fingers around the sword’s tsuka and pulled. Steel whispered against leather, and the blade slipped from its home. Moonlight sparkled along the entire length of the gently curved sword.
Sebastian whistled, the sound almost inaudible. “Is that a …” He shook his head as if he couldn’t quite fathom what his eyes were seeing. “I’ve heard stories from travelers about swords that look like yours and the soldiers who wield them, but I never thought I’d lay eyes on one. How did your family come to own a weapon such as this?”
“It doesn’t belong to my family. It belongs to me.”
Sebastian didn’t miss a beat. “How did you come to own a weapon such as this?”
Saika glanced at Sebastian and read the questions in his eyes. “A few months after my family moved to London, my grandfather grew ill. He died a short time later. It was his wish that his sword, and the rest of the weapons be passed to me. He felt it was only right considering how I was the only member of the family who expressed any interest in my heritage and spent time training with him. It was a huge honor he bestowed upon me.”
“You make it sound like this sword and the other weapons you received are a type of heirloom.”
“Here, my family is considered common, or worse, but in Japan my family was very important. My grandfather can trace his bloodlines back to some of the greatest, the noblest, Samurai soldiers, he followed in the family tradition and defended his master until he grew old. He decided to travel, to see the world, but couldn’t bear to part with the tools he’d used to defend himself behind so he brought them with him. Many of the items, including this sword, had been in the family for several generations. My grandfather explored Asia and a large portion of Europe before he arrived in Ireland where a pretty merchant’s daughter caught his eye and eventually stole his heart. He stayed in Ireland, earning a living as a fisherman and raised a few children, including my mother. She married the son of a watchmaker and had three children before dying. Eventually my father remarried and the decision was made to move to London, where my father wouldn’t have to compete against his father and brothers for sales.
Even though my grandfather left Japan and seemed to be quite content with his new life, he never forgot his training. Each time a child was born, he tried to teach them the way of the Samurai, but none except me were interested.”
“And so he left you the beautiful weapon he carried all the way from Japan to Ireland.”
“It’s more than a beautiful weapon. It’s deadly.”
Saika stood. She took a few steps before turning to face Sebastian. Her grip on the sword tsuka was light but sure, her expression serene.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed and he wondered what she was playing at.
“The swords used by the Samurai have an important task to do and in order to make sure they are up to, the sharpness of the steel was tested on convicts. The best swords, like this one can remove the heads of
five convicts in a single swipe.” Saika raised the sword and pointed the tip at Sebastian. “Between my training and this weapon, there is nothing to stop me if I wanted to kill you right now. You would do well to remember this.”
Sebastian’s heart pounded and an odd weakness settled in the vicinity of his knees, but the tip of the sword digging into his flesh wasn’t the cause. It was the wielder. She was magnificent.
His began to compose a mental letter to his best friend from childhood.
Dearest Sarah,
You will be pleased to know that at this very moment I am with a woman whom I don’t find boring. I believe you will like her. She’s breathtakingly beautiful, every bit as independent and self-assured as yourself, and very proud. Something about her has gotten to me. No matter how much I try, I can’t stay away from her. It’s not love, I don’t believe in such things, but there’s something about her that sets her apart from every other woman I’ve met.
Oh, yes. There’s one more detail I should probably mention. Before the world grows a moment older, she fully intends carve my heart from my chest.
“You’re not going to do it.”
Saika lifted a brow. “I’m sorry?”
“You’re not going to kill me.”
“If you think I’m not capable of doing driving the tip of this sword through you, you’re mistaken. Have your forgotten what happened in my cell?” Saika’s balance point shifted and she tensed her muscles in preparation for showing him exactly how deadly she really was.
Sebastian didn’t wince. Nor did he grovel. He continued to keep his gaze steady and locked with hers. “I suspect that I have not yet begun to see the full magnitude of your skills, and I have no doubts that you wish you could kill me, but you won’t. You told me so yourself.”
For the first time since lifting the sword, Saika’s basilisk like stare faltered. “I’ve done no such thing.”
Sebastian stepped sideways, away from the sword tip and shifted closer to Saika. He reached up and cupped the side of her face. His gaze locked with hers. “Your grandfather was a samurai warrior. He trained you to be the same. Teaching you how to use a sword and handle yourself in a battle would have only been part of the equation. From what I remember of the tales British explores brought back with them when they returned from time spent in Japan, samurai warriors lived by a strict code of honor. Driving your sword through me without provocation violates that code.”
Saika’s jaw tightened. She wished she could prove him wrong, but it wasn’t possible. Still, she didn’t need to concede defeat. “From the moment we met at the Yule Ball, you have done nothing but get in my way. You have ruined my plans. Backed me into corners, and imprisoned me.”
“Not that you stay locked up for long,” Sebastian muttered. “I’m beginning to wonder if a cell has been built that can hold you.”
“I can’t think of a single good reason why I can’t injure you.” Saika’s tone was heavy with warning. “Worst of all, I suspect your actions have put my family in greater danger, assuming they’re still alive. I should have killed you the moment you approached me.”
“Honor comes with its own unique set of problems. It sounds well and good when things are going well, and it allows one to looks at themselves in the mirror and not feel remorse, but it also makes things messy. Honor often forces you to make choices that complicate life.”
Saika gnawed her lip and glared at him. He was right, which infuriated her.
She tightened her grip on the sword hilt. “In the twenty-four hours or so that I’ve known you, you’ve done everything you can think of to turn my life into a living hell.”
“You can make that claim all you want, but you and I both know the truth. The relationship you and I have started to share is a direct result of those who stole your family and your own actions”
“My actions! You dare accuse me of being to blame for all that has transpired. You arrogant swine!”
“Things could be very different if you confided your situation rather than taking matters into your own hands. If you’ll recall, I did give you several opportunities to bare your soul. Each time you held your tongue. The chances you took are as much to blame for the situation as those who took your family.”
Saika’s complexion turned a brilliant shade of red. Her eyes flashed and her breathing quickened. Several times she opened her mouth in preparation to flay him with a string of obscenities the like of which Sebastian had never heard before, but she was too mad to decide which one to let fly first.
“If you want to preserve the health of your family, I suggest we mount up and ride. You’ve tarried far longer than was wise.” Sebastian turned from her and walked to the door. It took all of his self-control to keep his body language passive and to resist looking over his shoulder when he heard the sound of her shoes tapping on the floorboards in his wake. He expected to feel the sharp point of her sword drive through his shoulder blades at any second.
When she pushed past him, he nearly tripped over his feet. Relief coursed through him. He hadn’t been nearly as confident about her inability to stab him as he’d sounded. But his gamble had paid off. He’d won this round and managed to maintain the upper hand while also staying alive.
He didn’t understand the strange compulsion he had to help Saika, but right now. Helping her should be the last thing he wanted to do.
The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn’t find her boring and that the rest of the trip should be interesting.
Whether or not he lived to see it through to its conclusion was another matter altogether.
From Moonlight to Mayhem
Chapter Ten
Honor be damned, Saika decided, at the first possible opportunity, she was going to kill him.
Then, with that deed complete, she’d fall to her knees and kiss the ground while vowing to never ride a horse again.
There had been points during her grandfather’s training sessions when Saika had thought she’d reached ends of her mental and physical tolerance for misery. Now she realized just how wrong she’d been. None of the exercises in toughness her grandfather put her through held a candle to the misery of sitting astride a trotting horse for miles and miles and miles. Each time one of the gelding’s hooves struck the road, she worried the resulting jolt would shatter her spine, and the further from London they traveled, the more intense each bounce became.
The bone shattering movement was bad enough, but the fingers of both hands, which were curled tightly about the saddle’s pommel in an attempt to hold her in place, had cramped several miles ago. Saika didn’t know if she would ever be able to detach them from the saddle again.
Despite the chestnut’s bone jarring gait, Saika found herself fighting to keep her eyes open. Her fatigue had grown steadily worse as the night wore on. Exhaustion created pockets beneath her eyes and softened her muscles till she worried she’d tumble from her precarious perch on the saddle.
If she fell, she doubted Sebastian would notice. The darkness had lightened enough for her to see him riding before her. He sat, tall and straight in the saddle, his body flowing with the movement of the horse in a manner Saika had tried and failed to mirror.
He’d set a relentless pace. He allowed the horses to canter for a few miles at a time before slowing them down to trot several more miles, and then started the entire process all over again.
It seemed to Saika that they had been riding long enough to reach the opposite side of England before Sebastian slowed his horse to a walk and guided it onto a narrow drive that led to a darkened inn. Saika’s chestnut gelding followed suit.
They rode past the inn towards the barn on the other side.
“Hello,” Sebastian yelled.
A few minutes later, the barn door swung open and a sleepy eyed boy holding a lantern stepped outside. He ran a hand through his dark hair, shaking several pieces of hay free and blinked up at them. “Is there somethin’ you want or need?”
“A room with a bed where we can
sleep for a few hours. Do you think that would be possible?”
The boy stiffened and glared up at Sebastian. “Well now, that would be a matter you need to take up with the innkeeper or his wife, now ain’t it.” Impatience and irritation sharpened his words. “I mind the barn. I don’t have nothing to do with what happens in the main building. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to the sleeping I was doing before your yelling woke me up.”
“In addition to a room for ourselves, we also require stabling for our mounts. Since you sleep in the barn, I assume the horses are something you’re required to tend to.”
Under different circumstances, the cold arrogance in his voice would have upset Saika, but not now. She was too tired to care. All that mattered to her was getting off this horse and getting some sleep.
The boy turned, his expression was black with fury, but he didn’t give voice to it. He merely nodded. “It is, sir. Would you like me to take them for you?”
Sebastian dismounted and looked at Saika and a look of momentary amusement lightened his expression “Do you intend on staying on the horse until we’re ready to leave?”
Saika’s grip on the saddle tightened and she leaned sideways to look at the ground. It seemed far away.
“Is there a problem?”
Saika swallowed and shook her head. “No. I just need … a moment.”
Sebastian shrugged and turned away from her to pass his reins to the stable boy who led the bay into the barn.
In her mind's eye, Saika envisioned the fluid way Sebastian leaned forward and to the right of the horse’s neck before standing straight up in the left stirrup while simultaneously lifting his right leg and swinging it over his mount's croup.
She tried to mirror his movements, but only managed an embarrassing wobble.