by Rae Brooks
Not that it was a debt Taeru would ever bother to repay. He climbed onto one of the lower slung rooftops to assess his injuries. The last thing he needed currently was to run into another of the Telandan guards that were still roaming around searching for him. Tareth himself had been predisposed to accompany his brother back to the castle, but he had dispatched a few guards to ensure that Taeru got no rest.
The only injury Taeru had truly sustained was a bruise on his back, and he wasn’t willing to pull off his outfit to check on it just yet. In fact, the throbbing seemed to be subsiding. So, thanks to the older Tsrali’s timely interference, this sun had gone relatively well. He’d managed to prevent Tareth from hauling some poor girl off to the castle where she would likely have been raped—or something akin to it.
The sweat along his face from the long run was making the leather mask against his eyes itch just a little bit. He had adjusted the mask plenty of times to try to minimize the amount that it itched. He would have removed it, but he didn’t need his identity of Kilik being mixed with that of ‘the Phantom Blade’ as Dark District—and now apparently Tareth—had taken to calling his masked alter ego.
The decision to start interfering in Tareth’s tyranny had been an easy one. Alyx had been so excited by the concept that she had spent countless suns making him a proper costume, and she continued to make copies of it. The dual swords had been more difficult to obtain, but he had them now—so all that was left was to ensure that Tareth’s plans to cause problems to citizens of Dark District never succeeded.
However, his battles certainly didn’t begin or end with Tareth Tsrali. Plenty of noblemen spent their time roaming the streets of Dark District—taking money and well-being from the innocent citizens within it. The mask and bandana were the only things Taeru had ever intended to wear, but he had to admit, he enjoyed the outfit that Alyx had made, and she liked that he wore it.
She had taken great care to strengthen the leather so that it held up against most strikes from swords and maces. He’d even taken an arrow in the back once and managed to brush it off. The brown leather gloves also aided in his ability to wield the swords for extended periods.
the Phantom Blade. Not a name that he would have ever chosen for himself, but there was no changing people’s minds now. He used his gloved hands to glide along the surface of one of his swords to remove the bloodstains from one of the guard’s ears. He made sure never to murder any of the men, just give them a rough time.
He doubted very seriously that they would show him the same courtesy—even without the knowledge that he was a Lassau. He shuddered to think of the sun that particular notion was ever discovered. While his Phantom Blade identity was a secret to most, his origin was not something anyone in all of Telandus knew.
Taeru had heard the rumors. Everyone had talked about it for a time—how one of the Lassau boys had renounced his name. Everyone speculated, and the guards of Telandus were sent on missions for a little while. Nevertheless, eventually, even Lavus had lost interest, and now, Taeru Lassau was not a name that crossed any lips in Telandus.
Once he assured himself that he was not, in fact, badly injured, he hoped off the roof and slid into a cellar of one of the buildings used for trade storage. The outfit was easy to remove, and soon he stood in nothing but his brown shirt and a pair of black pants. He put the rest of his outfit into a brown sack and pulled back out of the cellar. There were many Phantom Blade outfits hidden around Dark District, but this one needn’t be left, as he’d worn it several times in a row and it was wearing down.
The outfit was considerably warmer than he liked, but Alyx had originally constructed it for him in the winter months. During that time, the armor was just short of perfect. However, as it was now summer, the thick, black leather left him sweating. His brown shirt was covered in perspiration. He headed out of the alleyway, letting out a very long breath. “Mommy, look! Is that the Phantom Blade?”
The child’s voice startled him. But the boy was definitely pointing at him. He jerked at once back behind the building, well before the boy’s mother was able to move her head to see him. What? How is that possible? No one has ever recognized me before, well except…
His mouth curved downwards into a very frustrated frown. Then, he immediately reached up to yank the mask from his face and shoved it into his brown bag. He flushed and went around the other side of the building so as not to rouse suspicion. When he surfaced from the other side, the child’s mother was reassuring the boy that the Phantom Blade was not there.
“That was amazing!” a girl cried from a corner nearby. Taeru’s head immediately snapped to see who was there. Her name was Katt, and he knew her well, as her father was the owner of the trading caravan he helped with transport, and she was the apprentice to the woman with whom he lived.
She was speaking in conspiratorial whispers to one of her friends. Her eyes turned to find Taeru in a moment, and she waved to him cheerfully. “Kilik!” she said.
The girl she was speaking with smiled and offered another wave. This meant that he would be expected to go over there and listen to their gossip. Lovely. Regardless, not wanting to be rude, he headed over to the two of them. Katt was Alyx’s age, with red hair and freckles along the bridge of her nose. Her hair was curled down around her shoulders. She was particularly well groomed for a Dark District citizen. “Good morning, ladies,” he said. He didn’t know the other girl standing near him.
“Did you see, Kilik?” Katt asked. She was entirely disinterested in his greeting. That was to be expected, though. Katt’s mind tended to be less than predictable. Or rather, a little too predictable in there was no steering her away from her desired topic.
Taeru crossed his arms and blinked. He was sure that he had not seen. “See what?”
“The Phantom Blade!” she squealed. So Taeru had actually seen precisely about that which Katt was speaking. They were no doubt discussing his latest venture in thwarting Tareth’s haphazard attempt at causing problems. “He saved Ursula!” she continued, gesturing to her friend.
Taeru was genuinely surprised that he hadn’t recognized the girl he had just saved. He had been rather focused on Tareth, but he had even taken the time to free the girl. “From what?” Taeru feigned curiosity.
“Tareth! The fool was trying to terrorize Ursula for picking up an apple that had fallen from one of the vendor’s stalls—pretending it was his own!” Ursula flushed, as if a little uneasy at having the crime aired for someone else.
Taeru smiled at the younger girl. “I suppose it is a good thing he was there, then,” he said. “Ah, the Phantom Blade… not Tareth.” His voice sounded pathetic.
“He is so handsome!” Katt said, ignoring him entirely. “I would throw myself into danger just to be saved by someone like him! I just wish we knew who he was.”
This line of thought seemed to draw Ursula from her quieter phase. She clapped her hands together with enthusiasm. “He touched my arm!” she said.
Taeru frowned. He didn’t even remember touching Ursula. “How do you know he’s handsome, Katt? You have never seen his face.” The point seemed lost on the two girls, and Katt seemed content to dream up faces for their mysterious hero.
“Oh, you’re just jealous,” Katt said.
A sigh was the only response Taeru offered. “Not that you aren’t handsome. But there is something about that mysterious mask, and the way he moves is so beautiful and graceful! And the swords!” Once again, Taeru just sighed.
“I should be getting home,” Taeru said. “Lady Amaral will be expecting me.” Katt seemed content to shoo him away now that she had lost her mind in thoughts about her mysterious vigilante.
The gossip was in abundance as he headed back towards the Amaral house. Most of it was about the Phantom Blade, but he caught a few scattered mentions of the older Tsrali’s return and his part in the events of the sun.
When he arrived home, Alyx was outside, hanging clothes up on the line. She brightened at his appearance. �
��Ah, Kilik! I was beginning to worry about you.” She went back to her clothes a few moments later, though. She had probably already heard about the events, but she wasn’t allowed to discuss them outside of the house.
He just smiled and headed inside. The sun was really beginning to get to him, and the bag in his hands grew heavier by the second. “Oh, and Kilik,” Alyx said just before he pushed the door open. “You do know that you are taking me to the dance in two moons,” she said.
Not that he was surprised that he would be forced to take Alyx to this dance, but he hadn’t been aware they were even having one. “You don’t mean the ball, do you?” he asked. He didn’t mind going to the affairs they had in Dark District, but he would not touch another ball in his lifetime.
“I wish!” she huffed. “No, we are having a little party of our own to celebrate the prince’s return.”
Well, that was lovely. Taeru couldn’t remember the last time anyone had celebrated anything about nobility in Dark District. The usual opinion was that anyone who lived in Shining District was scum—and the Tsrali’s were the worst. “This older brother must have quite the reputation.”
“I told you he did,” Alyx said. “Everyone loves Calis, even in Dark District. Especially in Dark District.” She paused. “Before, there were rumors that he actually disguised himself as a Dark District citizen and roamed the streets sometimes, but I’m sure that was all heresy. No prince would ever walk these streets without the intention of causing trouble to commoners.”
No prince, Taeru thought, except the one that had saved him from what would have been certain death. Calis’s appearance in the events had been strange, to say the least. In fact, it made no sense at all that Calis would have been in Dark District, ever. Taeru had heard him mention that he had been searching for his brother, but that didn’t sound likely.
Regardless, Taeru doubted that the prince would go so far as to disguise himself as one of the citizens. And if he did, that would have only meant trouble for the actual citizens—since he would have been something of a spy. If King Lavus knew any of the nonsense Dark District said about him, he would have them all hanged.
“Yes, well, I’ll take you to the dance,” he said before he eased into the shack.
As he entered, he was surprised to find that Lady Amaral and Aitken were not the only two people waiting for him. Juliet, Alyx’s mother, was tirelessly running a rag over a young girl’s forehead. Taeru knew the girl at once. Her name was Merril, formerly Leliana. She was one of the reasons Taeru had made his few trips to the Shining District.
A servant girl for Tareth—though she had originally been from Dark District. Tareth had apparently come into the district one sun, cited some crime that Merril didn’t remember committing, and then demanded she serve him for the rest of her life. Merril had been a good friend of Alyx’s, though, and once Taeru had established himself as capable, Alyx had requested that he try to save her.
The trip had earned him a particularly nasty scar along his back and, as he’d succeeded, Merril’s eternal affections. She had never spoken much about what had happened while she served Tareth, but from her tattered appearance when he found her, Taeru was sure that Tareth had made her serve him in ways that no one should ever be forced to serve. In addition, she had been forced to change her entire appearance to blend back into society. Tareth had tried many times to reclaim her only to find that the woman he’d held originally had vanished.
“Is she having another fit?” he asked. Merril, even before she had been whisked away by Tareth as a young girl, had been prone to fits of madness. Her family swore that she was a prophet—able to tell the future. However—while the young woman did have a knack for guessing certain events—Taeru did not believe any single person possessed the ability to know the future.
Not to mention, Merril had yet to reference that he happened to be the son of the ruler of the nation’s sworn enemy. She hadn’t even figured out his real name. So, on that count, Taeru was able to dismiss her ramblings as mad. “Yes.” Juliet let out a slow breath. “Her family brought her in a few shifts ago.”
Taeru stepped uneasily to the trembling girl. “Has she spoken?” he asked. Merril was usually shouting nonsense in these fits, but for now, she seemed quieted. Perhaps Juliet had managed to calm her well enough.
Juliet didn’t seem as though she had accomplished much, though, especially with that frustrated look in her hazel eyes. “She has. She keeps talking about the war with Cathalar.” Taeru cringed. He hated that topic. “I can scarcely understand her.”
Merril was a tiny girl—even smaller than Alyx. Her black hair, formerly blond, was cropped short, and her skin was dark from suns of working in the shops. Her forehead glistened with sweat despite Juliet’s best efforts. Her green eyes stared at the ceiling, glazed and unseeing. She was definitely still in one of her trances. “Merril,” Taeru whispered as he knelt down next to her. “Can you hear me, Merril?”
With his voice, her green eyes widened and she found his face. “Kilik!” she hissed. He started a little at her irritation. Then, she seemed to relax. “A hero made the deal, and a hero will pay the price!” she said, as if this made all the sense in the world.
When he glanced to Juliet, the woman just shook her head. “This is what she has been saying all mid-sun. She isn’t well,” she said. There was not much Taeru could do, and after all, Juliet was the healer. That was why Merril’s family always brought the girl to Alyx’s mother. She was known as the best doctor in all of Dark District, and she was probably better than most in Shining District. However, Merril’s ailment was not physical, and Juliet was no magician.
“Calm down, Merril,” he said. He placed a very gentle hand on her forehead, and her body trembled a little at the touch. “It’s alright.”
“The battles must end, they said, the battles will tear apart our world and so the battles must end!” she told him. He flinched when her hand snaked up and seized his wrist. Her green eyes found his, determined to hold his blue ones. He tried not to get uncomfortable in these situations, but there was just no getting used to Merril when she was like this.
Taeru let out a flustered breath. “There is no battle! You must listen to me, Merril! You are safe. I promise!” he said. He held her eyes, since she seemed to want that sort of contact, and he didn’t bother trying to free himself from her tightening grip.
“Not yet,” she said, whispering. “But there will be. There will be, and the curse will return. When the curse returns the hero will be lost—and so will the nations. Both will be torn asunder by their own doing! Because they do not understand peace! The Magisters were right! Telandus and Cathalar cannot have peace!”
The words ran together so that he only understood a little of what she said. She seemed to be harping on the idea of a hero, and the Magisters, who were the religious creators of Elyst—the land that held every other land. Statues of them were erected all throughout the Shining District, just as they had been in Upper Town back in Cathalar. Though, naturally, the two different nations held different opinions of the Magisters.
Taeru listened as best as he could to the girl’s words, since he’d found that interrupting her never seemed to help anything. When she finally seemed to calm down, he spoke. “There is no war yet. You must calm down.” Perhaps this was brought on by the girl’s own fear of the impending war. That was certainly a concept that Taeru understood well.
“There will be nothing left! The moment the first blood is drawn! There will never be peace again! The hero’s curse will destroy him, and then it will destroy us all!” she shrieked.
Really, this got incredibly tiresome, and Taeru was normally better at finding ways to calm Merril down. However, on this sun, she seemed in rare form. “Merril! We will do our best to ensure that peace remains! Stop this before you hurt yourself!” he said firmly.
Though for a moment she continued to stare at him in terror, gradually, her eyes calmed, and she was staring at him with her simple, complacent
green eyes. “Kilik?” she asked. She never remembered any of her ranting, which made it even more impossible to get angry with her. Better yet, to figure out what was wrong with her.
“Merril,” he said, just relieved that she was back to normal, “you were having another fit. Are you alright?”
She nodded simply, and then she offered him an apologetic look. “I’m very sorry. I wish I knew what was causing them. What did I say?” she asked. At first, Merril had been certain that everyone was making up her fits—but slowly she had come to accept and work towards stopping them.
“You were talking about the war, Merril,” Juliet offered. She seemed more relieved than Taeru that the girl had returned to her normal self. Taeru couldn’t have imagined dealing with fits like these all sun-up. Juliet agreed to do things like this for the citizens of Dark District though, and that was why he admired her so.
Merril didn’t seem to understand why she would be speaking of this. “Oh, well, I don’t really know much about that. So, I apologize. I still have no idea why this keeps happening to me.”
Taeru just offered her a kind smile and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. There was no sense holding her responsible for something that she clearly could not help. Enough of the townsfolk ignored her, anyway—he didn’t want to count himself among them. “It’s alright. Do you feel well enough?”
She nodded, and then she offered him one of her sweet smiles that meant she was going to display that affection that he’d earned so long ago. “I feel fine, Kilik, thank you.” When she stood, she bobbed a quick curtsy.
Unable to do anything but smile, he did so and offered a quick nod of his head. He should have been accustomed to people curtsying to him from his years living in his father’s castle, but the entire idea of someone bowing to him here was odd. “I’m glad,” he said simply.