Dare (The Blades of Acktar Book 1)

by Tricia Mingerink

  When he was satisfied, he tossed Leith his shirt. Leith pulled it on. The fabric covered the rows of scars on his arm, hiding his shame. Shadrach inspected Leith’s boots and flung them to him. Leith tugged those on as well.

  “Sit.” Lord Alistair waved at the two leather armchairs facing his desk.

  Leith perched on one where he could keep an eye on both Shadrach and Lord Alistair. Shadrach planted his feet beside Leith’s weapons.

  “What’s your name?” Leather creaked as Lord Alistair settled into his high-backed chair.

  “Leith Torren.” Leith itched at the time this was taking. Even now, Vane was on his way to Stetterly.

  “What Bible stories did Lady Brandiline tell you while you were in Stetterly?”

  A chill tingled down Leith's arms. He’d told no one about that, not even Martyn. “How do you—”

  “Answer the question.” Lord Alistair’s gaze didn’t waver.

  He had no choice but to trust them. “Brandi told me stories about Daniel.” The pieces clicked together. “Abel Lachlan wrote you. He told you.”

  “Yes. He sent me a message shortly after you left Stetterly. We decided to wait and see what would happen before we took any action regarding the girls’ safety.”

  A sinking feeling dropped into Leith’s toes. “The First Blade intercepted a message. He didn’t know how to translate it, but King Respen might guess.” What was in that message? If Lachlan mentioned Leith, and King Respen did translate it…

  Lord Alistair leaned back in his chair. “If he does, he’ll only learn how his First Blade tormented Lady Rennelda.”

  Leith bolted upright. “Is she all right? Did he hurt her?” He gripped the edge of his seat. What had Vane done to her?

  Lord Alistair’s sharp, brown eyes studied him across the desk. “She’s fine but scared.” He picked up a piece of paper. “The First Blade threatened to kill her. Abel Lachlan has asked me to bring Renna and Brandi to Walden to protect them.”

  “Here?” Shadrach’s voice rose. Leith wasn’t sure why having Renna and Brandi come to Walden would cause such a strong response.

  “Yes. Here.” Lord Alistair tapped the paper on his desk. “It took me longer than expected to translate the code or I would’ve informed you sooner.”

  Probably because Leith had stolen the Bible he needed to translate it. Leith glanced at the Bible still sitting on the corner of the desk, guilt squirming in his chest. It most likely wasn’t Lord Alistair’s only Bible, but searching for it and checking for other things missing would’ve taken time.

  But Leith wasn’t going to apologize. He wasn’t sorry he’d stolen it. If only he could’ve read more before he’d had to return it.

  “He won’t kill her. Not yet.” Leith could at least be sure of that much. Still, the knot in his stomach refused to relax. “He might bend his orders, but he won’t break them.”

  “I see.” Lord Alistair steepled his fingers. “What do you get out of this? I understand you are…concerned about Rennelda and Brandiline’s safety. Perhaps you feel you owe them for saving your life. But that can’t be your only reason. You’re risking death if Respen finds out. So what do you want from us?”

  What did he want? Leith let the question settle into his bones. The swirl of things he wanted bubbled inside him. A life. Dreams. The ability to look Renna in the eye without shame. The freedom to return Brandi’s smile. “I want to leave the Blades.”

  A thrill buzzed into his toes. Did he dare dream of something after the Blades? He couldn’t even picture what that would be like.

  “Leave the Blades?” Shadrach’s eyebrows lowered as he clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword. “Why would you need our help to leave the Blades?”

  “Because I can’t leave on my own. The First Blade would track me down like he does all the other Blades that leave. But you must have somewhere safe, somewhere the First Blade couldn’t find me.”

  Perhaps it was a ridiculous thought. Vane could track a Blade across the Waste. Where could the Resistance take him that Vane couldn’t track down? Leith slumped against the back of the chair.

  Lord Alistair studied him over his fingers, his eyes so shadowed Leith couldn’t read their expression. “That’s the deal, then. You’ll spy for us if we agree to help you leave the Blades?”

  “Yes.”

  “I believe that should be manageable, provided you keep your part of the bargain.”

  “You’re going to trust me?” The tension drained from Leith’s shoulders. He’d done it. He’d joined the Resistance.

  He could end up dead long before Lord Alistair ever got around to helping him leave the Blades. But having the possibility there, dangling in the air like crystals from a cave wall, was more than Leith had ever dared before.

  Lord Alistair placed his elbows on his desk. “Trust is a strong word. Let’s just say I’m prepared to give you a chance, but I trust you as much as I trust a rattlesnake. Only time will tell which side you decide to bite.”

  Not the most glowing of statements, but Leith would take it. He straightened his spine. Time to prove his worth. “Renna and Brandi aren’t the only ones in danger.”

  “Explain.” Lord Alistair tapped his beard. Shadrach crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

  “All but three of the Blades are on two-month spy missions. We were instructed to get detailed layouts of each of the towns and manors we were sent to watch, including daily routines.”

  “What does Respen plan to do with that information?” Shadrach rubbed his square jaw.

  Leith glanced at Lord Alistair. He could tell by the pale cast to his face that he’d already guessed the king’s plan. “I believe the king plans to kill off a number of the lords and their families.”

  Lord Alistair nodded. “For four years, Respen hasn’t touched us because of the threat of instability. But now the country is stable, and he can afford to kill off those who oppose him.”

  “Including Renna and Brandi.” Leith swallowed hard. With so much death all at once, King Respen would break the spirit of resistance instead of inflaming it. “When do you plan to bring them here? The First Blade is on his way there as we speak.”

  How much would he terrify Renna this time before Lord Alistair could get to her?

  “I had planned to leave in the morning.” Lord Alistair raised his eyebrows at Leith. “But you complicate matters.”

  “I’d have to follow you. It’d give everything away if a Blade spotted you and I wasn’t trailing behind. And the First Blade will be at Stetterly expecting me to report to him when you arrive.”

  Lord Alistair frowned. “How will I know you haven’t stayed at Walden?”

  Leith scrubbed his boot against the green rug. A rattlesnake. That’s how Lord Alistair saw him. “Your family will be safe while you’re gone.”

  Raising his eyebrows, Lord Alistair stared at him, as if he could read Leith’s heart if he looked long enough.

  Shadrach stepped forward. “I’ll tag along with him. If he wants to prove he’s on our side, he’ll have to let me come.”

  “No. Out of the question.” Lord Alistair slapped a hand on his desk. “If he’s lying, he’d kill you.”

  “He won’t.” Shadrach scowled at Lord Alistair. Lord Alistair glared back. Shadrach’s eyes narrowed.

  Leith watched the war crinkling the air. He wasn’t the only cause of this tension. Something else was going on here.

  Lord Alistair raked a hand through his beard. “Fine. We leave in the morning.”

  Not the outcome Leith wanted. “He can’t tag along. Another Blade might see.”

  Shadrach turned towards him, square jaw set, arms crossed over his chest. “Tough. You claim to be good enough to spy for us. You’d better be good enough to avoid the other Blades.”

  Leith shrugged. He couldn’t argue. The risk should be small. Few of the others lords would be traveling this time of year, and the Blades were tied to their missions. “Meet me in the foothills north of here
at dawn.”

  Shadrach nodded. He tapped a toe against the pile of Leith’s weapons. “I’m keeping these for now.”

  “All right. Don’t leave them behind.” Leith slid to his feet, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave yet. “When you arrive in Stetterly, could you tell Brandi that I’m taking care of Blizzard? Blizzard’s my horse. Brandi named him. And tell Renna that I told the king I was saved by a man called Daniel.”

  Lord Alistair’s gaze sharpened at Leith’s words, but he remained silent.

  Leith glanced at the Bible that still lay on the corner of the desk. His fingers itched to snatch the book and flee into the darkness with it. A desire to read more, if just to quench the curiosity burning his brain, urged him to steal the book again.

  “Would you like to keep the Bible for a while longer?” Lord Alistair’s tone softened a fraction from the iron it’d been all evening.

  “No, I…” Leith wasn’t going to admit he felt drawn to that book. He backed away.

  “You might not get another chance. I doubt you’d want to risk smuggling a Bible into Nalgar Castle.”

  Leith swayed, torn between the desire to read that book and the fear of what he might discover if he did. He didn’t trust gifts. Lord Alistair must have some plot in mind if he was offering his Bible to Leith. As Lord Alistair had said, no one did anything without wanting something in return.

  “Go ahead. Take it. You’ve stolen it once already.” A smile tugged at the corners of Lord Alistair’s mouth.

  Leith swiped the Bible from the desk, whirled, and slipped out the window as quickly as he could. He didn’t look back, and he definitely didn’t question why he cradled the Bible like it was the most precious thing he’d ever held.

  20

  When the sky lightened to misty grey, Leith woke, dressed in his light brown clothing, and packed his gear since he wouldn’t be returning to this campsite. When he’d strapped everything to Blizzard’s saddle, he scattered leaves and sticks to return the hollow to its natural state once again.

  He walked Blizzard to a hidden vantage point in the foothills, hobbling his horse behind an outcropping of rock while he worked his way into the gnarled branches of a small fir tree.

  After half an hour of waiting, he spotted the black dot of a rider on the horizon. As the rider drew closer, he noted the quiver of arrows poking up over his shoulder. Even from this distance, Leith could see he had his bow strung. After several more minutes, the rider drew up below the crest of a hill, waiting.

  Leith slipped from the fir and crept through the trees. Shadrach faced the ridge ahead of him, eyes scanning for movement. Leith circled through the firs and exited the tree line behind Shadrach.

  After sneaking a few yards closer, Leith purposely stepped on a stick. The snap echoed around the hillside.

  Shadrach drew an arrow from the quiver, nocked it to his bow, and whirled in one motion. He was well-trained, but not jumpy. Leith wasn’t going to be stuck with someone who lacked discretion in dangerous situations.

  “Now that you have me out here alone, what do you intend to do, Blade?” Shadrach’s voice cut like the steel of Leith’s knives.

  Leith spread his hands. Not that he had any weapons to draw if he wanted to. “I know you don’t trust me, but this will work a lot better if you aren’t pointing an arrow at my chest.”

  Shadrach glared at him, the arrow never wavering. “What’s your interest in Lady Rennelda?”

  “What?” Leith lowered his hands. That wasn’t the first question he’d thought Shadrach would ask. “Nothing.”

  “You mentioned her just about every other sentence last night. That isn’t nothing.”

  “I just want to make sure she’s safe. That’s all.” Shadrach didn’t understand. Renna hated Leith. She’d never see him as anything other than a Blade. Leith crossed his arms. “So what’s your interest in her?”

  Shadrach scowled, relaxed the bow, and slipped the arrow into his quiver. “We were friends a long time ago.”

  Leith sensed it wasn’t that simple. But he wasn’t going to press for answers. Not yet.

  Shadrach unstrung the bow, his movements slow and deliberate. With his bow tucked across his shoulders, he crossed his arms as if to mimic Leith’s stance. “What now, Blade?”

  So that’s how it was going to be. Undisguised hostility. “We’re going to sneak back to Walden to watch Lord Alistair leave. And, it’s Leith.”

  Shadrach eyed him, as if debating what to tell him. “I’m Shad. Shadrach Alistair.”

  Leith straightened. “You’re the lord’s eldest son.” He should’ve noticed Shad had the same brown hair and eyes as his father, though his face and build was leaner and taller.

  Lord Alistair risked his son’s life by placing him as Leith’s watchdog. Yet, why had Shad been so eager to volunteer?

  Shad rested a hand on his sword’s hilt. “That knowledge won’t do you any good.”

  Leith shrugged. No, it probably wouldn’t. “Better hobble your horse. We have to walk.”

  Shad loosened the girth on his horse’s saddle and hobbled its front legs. Leith’s weapons hung from the saddlehorn.

  Leith led the way out of the foothills and onto the prairie. It was later and lighter than Leith would’ve liked, but they stayed below the horizon line and slipped up the hill that overlooked the town.

  As he wiggled on his belly and parted the grass, Leith spotted the bustle of activity below. A horse pawed at the dirt in front of the manor. A few guards darted around, tightening the girths of their horses’ saddles.

  Leith counted a five-man guard party going with Lord Alistair. Small, but perhaps small enough to be unnoticeable.

  Mid-morning, the group headed to the east. Leith waited another half an hour, but Shad didn’t fidget. Another mark in his favor. He could be patient.

  With a small nod of his head, Leith directed Shad to crawl down the hill. Shad wiggled through the grass, and Leith followed, rising to his feet when they reached the bottom. Hiking back the way they’d come two hours ago, they retrieved their horses.

  Leith swung onto Blizzard and led the way through the scrub brush, junipers, and conifers covering the hills. To their left, gray rock crags poked above the spikes of firs and pines. Below and to their right, the prairie rolled away in waves of grass to the horizon.

  Blizzard flicked his tail, his ears swiveling to track Shad’s horse. He snorted, weaving his head to get a glance behind him. Leith scratched his horse’s sleek neck. “It’s all right, boy.”

  Leith glanced over his shoulder. Shad’s eyes were locked on Leith’s back. The sun glinted on his sword’s hilt and shimmered over his horse’s chestnut fur. The chestnut would stand out more than Blizzard’s dark gray, but Leith didn’t dare argue with Shadrach’s choice of horses. They had bigger issues to deal with.

  They followed the ridgeline until they were well east of the town. Then they exited the foothills and skirted farmers’ fields before picking up the line of beaten grass left by Lord Alistair and his guards.

  Occassionally, Leith dismounted and studied the shape and particular nicks and cracks that made each hoof print distinct.

  The third time Leith dismounted, Shad did as well. “What’re you looking for?” His tone was too casual.

  Leith hunched and pointed at a hoof print in a patch of soil. “Studying for later. This horse’s hooves need a trim. See how the front is long and deep?”

  Shad bent and studied the hoof print. “You can tell all that just by looking at the ground?”

  Leith nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Shad eying Blizzard’s tracks left in the soft ground. He got the feeling Shad wasn’t as untrained in tracking as he pretended.

  They followed the trail until nightfall. Leith found a curve in the hillside that provided some shelter and called a halt. They ate dry rations and curled in their blankets several yards away from each other.

  Shad lay with his and Leith’s weapons close to hand. As he tried to s
leep, Leith’s back prickled with the feeling of being watched.

  “I’m not going to kill you in your sleep.” Leith didn’t bother to open his eyes. If Shad wanted to keep himself awake all night to keep an eye on Leith, then let him. He’d pay for it in a few hours.

  When Leith woke, the moon inched below its zenith, showing they had several hours until dawn. He rolled from his blankets. Across from him, Shad still slept, huffing in and out.

  How to wake him without getting killed? Leith slipped around Shad’s sleeping form, stretched out, and nudged his shoulder.

  Shad jerked awake, swiping his knife from the ground. Leith jumped back, hands in the air. “Sssh, it’s just me. Time to get moving.”

  With a glare, Shad sheathed his knife and gathered his weapons. Leith rolled his bedroll and strapped the bundle onto Blizzard’s back.

  With the moon painting the prairie silver, Leith took his horse’s reins and walked along the trail left by Lord Alistair and his guards. Shad fell into step beside him.

  After a quarter hour of walking, Leith spotted the glow of a dying fire ahead of them. He halted, scanning the area. Lord Alistair and his guards had chosen to camp in a valley next to a creek. Trees scattered in clumps across the hillside, breaking up the monotony of the prairie.

  Leith waved Shad to a clump of trees, below the rim of a hill out of sight of the camp up ahead. Together, they slipped through the grass and brush to overlook the campsite.

  Lord Alistair slept in the center of a ring of guards. One guard walked around the campsite, eyeing the darkness behind the glow of the embers. The horses bobbed their heads in restless sleep a few yards away on their tether lines.

  Leith settled down to watch and wait. Shad sprawled beside him. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth and puckered his forehead.

  By the time the sun splashed pink across the landscape, the camp below them stirred. Lord Alistair glanced towards the different hills surrounding the campsite, as if searching for Leith and Shad, but his eyes never focused in their direction.

  After an hour, Lord Alistair and his guards turned their horses east and disappeared over the horizon. Shad glanced at Leith, his eyes wide. “The guards never knew we were here.”