Lies in the Dark

by Robert J. Crane

  I didn’t know anything about Faerie law, but running from the guards really didn’t seem like the wisest idea when he was already in exile.

  “No, wait!” I said as he ran, and then flew, yanking me into the open air after him. I would have fallen like a sack of potatoes if he hadn’t swooped underneath me and caught me just before we touched the ground.

  He wasted no time being gentle now, though, and we flew off between shop buildings, the cries of other faeries witnessing our mad dash following after us on the wind.

  Orianna was there, pacing us, fluttering over our heads.

  “Where are we going to hide?” she asked, her voice anxious. Who knew if they would check her for a glamour when they caught us?

  “We aren’t going to hide,” Lockwood said. “We are going to blend.”

  “How are we going to do that?” Orianna asked.

  “We are going to use this,” he said, and he pulled a small, glowing green stone out of the bag of charms he had purchased in Stormbreak. It pulsed in his hands like a beating heart.

  “Is that an Evanescent?” Orianna asked, her eyes growing wide.

  He nodded. “It should render us virtually invisible.”

  “For how long?” I asked.

  “Hopefully long enough to get out of the village,” he said, wings beating furiously.

  “Couldn’t we just use it again if it wears off?” I asked

  “No, that would kill us,” he said.

  “What?” I asked, not really liking the sound of that.

  “We don’t have time to discuss this.” He held it up in front of him as we flew. “Everyone touch it on three. One—two—”

  And all three of us reached out and touched it.

  A sharp shock ran up my arm, down my back, and up to my scalp, stealing the breath from my lungs. It was over in less than a heartbeat. I shivered, and looked down at myself.

  I couldn’t see my own hand.

  Lockwood and Orianna had disappeared, too.

  “Okay, the best thing is for us to land and retrace our steps back out of town so we don’t get separated,” Lockwood’s voice said from … somewhere.

  This was trippier than trippy.

  “Can’t we just hold onto each other?” I asked. “I really don’t want to get lost.”

  “Fine,” Lockwood said, and I felt his fingers graze against my shoulder. “Grab onto the back of my shirt. Orianna, you grab onto Cassandra.”

  “If I can find her …”

  “Come on, we are running out of time!” he whispered.

  I felt the fabric of my shirt crumple and had to stifle a gasp. If she could feel the softness of my sweatshirt and not my dress, would she know that I was glamoured?

  At least I was invisible, so she couldn’t see the difference in the fabrics.

  Lockwood’s wings flittered and he brought us down in an alley, the soft impression of footsteps miraculously appearing in the dirt as we landed. He began to walk, and I tightened my grip on his tunic, following. Orianna’s grip on my clothing grew tighter, and I could feel her close behind me.

  It was incredibly bizarre to feel everything I felt but not to see any of it; Lockwood’s soft tunic, the ground scraping beneath my feet, Orianna’s hand knotted in the back of my sweatshirt. I kept tripping over my own feet because I couldn’t see them.

  I clamped my lips shut as we stepped back out into the town square. Faeries were everywhere.

  I chanced a glance up at the porch leading inside the inn, and sure enough, there were guards dressed in white armor speaking to the innkeeper, who was gesticulating wildly and apparently giving them quite the piece of her mind.

  I wondered if Lockwood noticed them. Hell, he’d probably seen them before I did.

  Carefully and slowly, we made our way back toward the main gate into the town. After what felt like hours of slow-walking through the crowds, we were out of sight of the fountain.

  Questions rushed through my mind, unanswerable while we were surrounded by people: How long would this charm last? Would we make it out in time?

  What did Lockwood mean that the Evanescent could kill us?

  That last one kinda weighed on me the most.

  The path leading out of the village was in sight, but a cluster of guards was stationed there. Had they been there before when we passed through? Or were they there to head us off?

  I couldn’t be sure, but with each step, I hoped that the Evanescent’s power would hold and that we’d be able to walk right out under their noses undetected.

  Every breath, every step, felt like it was slower than a molasses race in upstate New York in January. My lungs felt like they hurt from continuously catching myself holding my breath out of fear that someone would hear me. The road out of town was a wide path, and that cluster of guards all stood to one side.

  My fingers were sweating on Lockwood’s tunic, and I hoped he wouldn’t notice. I couldn’t hear him or Orianna, but every breath I let out sounded like a horse neighing to my ears. I watched the guards as they chatted to each other, keeping no more than a casual eye on the road, looking for us, presumably, but mostly chatting to each other.

  Something flickered in front of me, and for just a second, I thought I was about to be treated to another of my visions of a more horrific world.

  And, as it turned out, it was horrific. But for a different reason.

  My finger was hanging there in midair, by itself, but only for a second.

  Then it was joined by Lockwood’s tunic. Then the rest of Lockwood. And my arm.

  We were visible.

  The guards were staring at us, those who had their backs turned, looking around to see us frozen in the middle of the road, me clutching Lockwood, Orianna with a hand on my back. A little procession of people stumbling out of town clinging to each other. It must have been quite the sight.

  Crap.

  Fear gripped my heart, squeezing it painfully, my breathing coming faster and harder as I looked around at the guards. Their cold stares told me that there was little chance we were getting out of this without a fight.

  “Stand down,” came a deep voice from behind the group of guards. “Allow me to handle this.”

  The guards closest to him looked and then parted, allowing the faerie who spoke through.

  The man who spoke stepped out in front of us on the path, blocking our escape. He was the same height as Lockwood, and his white armor gleamed in the afternoon light. He had wings and hair the color of freshly cut straw, and eyes as bright blue as Lockwood’s were green.

  “I wouldn’t have believed it if I weren’t seeing it with my own eyes,” he said in a low, deep voice. A voice that sounded like he had great authority.

  His boots brushed along the stone path beneath his feet, the only sound around us. All the soldiers were silent as they watched the unfolding exchange.

  Lockwood’s shoulders tensed.

  “It’s been a long time …” the faerie said, “… Lockwood.”

  My hand began to tremble as Lockwood stared at the man blocking our path.

  This was it.

  We were caught.

  Chapter 20

  For a few moments, the only thing I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears. It thudded dully while the world around me was frozen in time.

  My knees were locked and shaking. I couldn’t have moved if I had wanted to. Fear had drawn the blood from my face, my hands, my feet … I found myself cold. Terribly cold. All of the hair on my arms and the back of my neck was standing up.

  The man standing before Lockwood suddenly broke into a grin. “No need for worry, Paladin Lockwood. Do you not recognize me?”

  He seemed older than Lockwood, but it may have been his beard that made it appear that way. There were no lines in his smooth face, but there was an ancient look in his eyes, like he had lived longer than seven generations of my family.

  Lockwood, for his part, stood stock still. Yeah, he definitely recognized this guy.

/>   Orianna was trembling behind me, her tiny fists knotted in my sweatshirt. I could feel little jerks of motion as she wheeled her head around. I wondered if she was considering fleeing. I wouldn’t blame her if she wanted to, but the soldiers around us held ethereal weapons that looked like they could do some nasty damage, and I hoped that she would use her sense and stay put.

  “Sir Roseus …” Lockwood said through gritted teeth.

  “Ah, so I am not forgotten,” Roseus said, smiling wide. “Though it’s General Roseus now. I was afraid your time in exile might have had faded all memory of me.” He gave a brief wave to his guards, and they lowered their weapons. “Let us give them some room to breathe, shall we? Return to your posts, hmm?”

  “But, sir,” one of the soldiers said, “they are wanted for theft at the inn.”

  “Nonsense,” Roseus said. “This man was a paladin of the court. Any charges left outstanding by my friend shall be covered by me.”

  Friend?

  I didn’t relinquish my hold on the back of Lockwood’s tunic.

  Roseus stared at the soldiers who were not moving, annoyance puckering his brow. “Go on. You are not needed here any longer.” The guards departed, one of them giving us a long look before walking off along the road with his fellows.

  General Roseus clapped his hands together, all trace of disquiet erased from his face. “Well, now, Lockwood. Why all of the fuss?”

  “With all due respect, Roseus,” Lockwood said, shoulders tight. “I don’t owe you anything, least of all an explanation.”

  “Well, surely you owe me a little something, seeing as I have taken care of the innkeeper for you.” Roseus’s smile did not fade in the slightest. “What was her trouble with you?”

  Lockwood didn’t answer, just stared at Roseus.

  Roseus stared back, puzzling as he looked at Lockwood. “Let me guess. You stopped here some time ago leading a patrol, you drank all her spirits and then made a wreck of the place?”

  “I paid for the damages,” Lockwood said darkly. “I sent the funds along after I dragged my men out of there.”

  “Admirable, and I believe you,” Roseus said. “I know that you are a man of your word.” He took a step closer to Lockwood, his yellow wings becoming lost in the sunbeams leaking through the treetops overhead. He dropped his voice. “… just as I believed what you claimed about Calvor’s son.”

  Now it was my brow’s turn to furrow. What did Lockwood claim about Calvor’s son? Based on his behavior at the hospital, I knew they were connected somehow. Lockwood had said that Calvor’s son had deserved what happened to him …

  “And who are these charming young ladies traveling with you?” Roseus asked, peering around Lockwood’s shoulder at Orianna and me. “You haven’t taken a wife finally, have you?”

  “No,” Lockwood said, knowing full well that I would have protested if he hadn’t. “I have been tasked with bringing these ladies to the court.”

  “I see …” Roseus said. He arched an eyebrow as he scanned over my face, and then lingered over Orianna’s. “An interesting task to be assigned to an exile.” His gaze was piercing, as if he could see right through my glamour. But that wasn’t possible, right?

  “These are interesting times,” Lockwood said.

  “Truly, they are,” Roseus said. “You know, you should really be more careful here. There are many who would have you slain in the streets if they were to discover your return.”

  “I am aware of this,” Lockwood said. “Which is why I am wondering why you haven’t given that order.”

  “Oh, I have,” Roseus said. “Many times.”

  I blanched, my stomach doing summersaults.

  “It came from on high,” he went on, with a wink at me. “I had no choice but to pass it along. But to see it done? Alas … you must have slipped my sight, Lockwood, and I cannot have you killed if I have not seen you, yes?”

  Lockwood stared at him evenly. “I suppose not. But will your soldiers forget me as easily as you have?”

  “They are loyal to me,” Roseus ran fingers through his hair. “It will be no bother. Let me be honest, Lockwood … I am glad to see you safe and well. It was fortunate that it was I who found you, not one of Calvor’s men.” He clapped Lockwood on the shoulder.

  Lockwood gave me a sidelong look. Was he worried that Roseus was going to let too much slip about the reason why he was being hunted? I couldn’t tell by looking at him; Lockwood, even after all this time, and all he’d done, was such a mystery to me.

  Why was he so adamant that I didn’t know?

  “What are your intentions?” Lockwood asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I was about to ask you the very same thing,” Roseus said. “You’re escorting these women to the court? Truly?”

  Lockwood’s face flushed. “I am.”

  Roseus brightened. “Truly? You intend to face the controversy head on?”

  Lockwood stood his ground. “I do.”

  “This is wonderful, my friend,” Roseus said. “Surely you will be able to set everything right with your return.”

  Lockwood glared. “That is a very optimistic view when you and I both know that half the court wants my head on a pike.”

  Roseus waved his hand dismissively. “The king and queen would both happily give you a second chance, especially given recent events. The tensions between Winter and Summer have grown exponentially, and if no resolution comes to ameliorate the injuries that prompted this chain of events, war is certain.”

  Roseus was searching Lockwood’s face. Lockwood was inscrutable to me, but Roseus must have seen something there that I missed. Maybe he really was an old friend of his. Lockwood said nothing.

  “Lockwood,” Roseus said, “my time with you as a paladin showed me that you were incapable of the deception you were accused of. Calvor’s son … well, anyone who knew him knew the sort of man he was. He never should have been—”

  “You do not know of which you speak,” Lockwood said. He was reddening again, his jaw tightening after he finished speaking.

  “My apologies.” Roseus offered a slight bow. “I speak out of turn. I know that I have not been much help, and for that I am sorry. I have done my best in your absence to help keep the peace.”

  Lockwood’s jaw clenched. “With a promotion, I see,” he said, somewhat bitterly.

  Roseus glanced down at the medal adorning his breast. “This? Is nothing. A show of good will from the queen after you left. I think she would have sided with you too, had Calvor not been so …” he trailed off once more. “Perchance … if you let me, I could get you back to the court so you may plead your case once more. If we were to go together, no one would stop you, not even Calvor’s men. I would be able to get you an audience at the court.”

  “What of my friends?” Lockwood asked, gesturing to Orianna and me.

  “They would be welcome, of course,” Roseus said. “I will arrange everything, never you worry.”

  Lockwood stared at him, eyes slightly narrowed. “Why are you so eager to help me now? When I was exiled, you stood by with the others and did nothing.”

  “Lockwood, surely you know why,” Roseus said. “You defied the court, and I was but a paladin. I had no power to influence the course of events. But I believe you. I truly do. And now I am a general, and my influence waxes. I can add my voice to yours, and together, your truth will reach the ears of the court.”

  Lockwood searched Roseus’s face, his eyes narrowed.

  “We have been long acquainted,” Roseus said. “We have trained together, fought together … defended Summer together.” He reached out a hand, palm up. “Come. Let us be brethren once more, in this cause. I give my pledge—I will see you safely to the court so your truth may be heard.”

  Lockwood looked down at that, his eyes tight. “You speak, and your truths sound good. Get us to the court safely. But know why I am hesitant, Roseus. I want to trust you, I truly do. But everything as pertains to the court seems to hav
e gone awry, and not in my favor. See me safely there, though, with my companions …” Lockwood licked his lips. “And perhaps that will change.”

  “I will see it done,” Roseus said. “No harm will come to you—any of you—in our journey. You will be borne to the court and have your words heard by all.”

  Lockwood looked at Roseus once more. The two men stared at each other, each sizing the other one up, a mix of emotions in their eyes. Roseus looked the more earnest, his hand extended for Lockwood to take, like he was reaching out for a high five and Lockwood had just left him hanging.

  Faeries couldn’t lie, so Roseus was telling the truth about escorting us safely. What was going on in Lockwood’s head, though? He seemed to be having a hard time trusting anyone … even me, I realized. He hadn’t been forthcoming about the events that led to his exile, all the while relying on me to dig him out of whatever trouble he was in. If that wasn’t a sign that he was blocking everyone out, I didn’t know what was.

  I had a sudden pang of fear that this pride, this reluctance to trust might be what got him killed. Him … and me, of course.

  “Lockwood …” I said gently. “Not everyone is your enemy.”

  He held my gaze for a moment, too, the bright verdant green narrowed just slightly with suspicion as he pondered my words, and Roseus’s offer.

  “I mean, in my own life I’ve seen it,” I said. “I couldn’t have gotten through everything I have without Xandra, for example. She was the only one who believed in me when everything went south, remember?” I cast a look at Roseus, who still stood with his hand extended. “Wouldn’t it be better to just trust your friend here?” I asked.

  I hoped he knew that I was talking about myself as much as Roseus.

  Lockwood stared at me for a moment, and then reached out, placing his palm against Roseus’s. They clasped hands in some weird, sideways faerie version of a handshake.

  “Welcome back to the lands of Summer, my friend,” Roseus said, his smile triumphant. “Long have they missed your presence and steadfast defense.”