Dare (The Blades of Acktar Book 1)

by Tricia Mingerink

  Leith resisted the urge to shift in his seat. Did he stand out like one of the candles amid the darkness of this room?

  The door soundlessly swung open. Respen glided inside like a wraith of death.

  Leith rose with the other Blades. Respen claimed his place at the head of the table and intoned his greeting. Leith thumped his hand over his heart with the rest of the Blades. As he mumbled “my king,” Leith focused his eyes above the king’s head.

  Leith sat with the rest of the Blades. Leith listened as each of the Blades made their report. They felt they knew each town inside and out, and that confidence could be their downfall.

  The Fourth Blade finished his report on the layout of Flayin Falls and eased to his seat, his blood soaking into his right sleeve.

  “Third Blade Torren.” Respen’s voice rolled across the room and echoed in the darkness.

  Leith stood and strode to the head of the table. He knelt. He should’ve been trembling, but calm lingered in his chest.

  “What is your report?”

  Leith met Respen’s eyes. He outlined the guard schedule and the layout of the Walden Manor, including which bedroom belonged to each person of the family.

  When he’d described the layout, he gave a quick summary of the events of the past month. “The First Blade and I slipped into Walden the night of Lord Alistair’s celebration, but he had the dining room too well guarded for us to overhear anything.”

  King Respen nodded, his eyes staring over Leith’s head without seeing him. His fingers stroked the arms of his throne. Leith remained silent. Respen shook himself. “You have done well, my Third Blade.”

  Leith pushed up his right sleeve. Respen swiped his knife across Leith’s arm only a few inches above his elbow. His thirty-sixth mark. Hopefully his last.

  Leith let go of his sleeve, stood, and returned to his seat. As he slid onto the hard wood, he had to bite the insides of his cheeks to stop a smile. Respen was blind to what Leith had left out.

  The Second Blade gave his report, followed by the First Blade. Because Leith had told the truth—minus a few details—to the king, his story matched Vane’s, leaving no discrepancy for Vane or the king to question.

  When Vane returned to his seat, Respen swept his dark eyes over the room. “You are prepared for the mission I have for you.”

  Leith tensed. His thirty-sixth mark seeped blood into his shirt, throbbing in time with his drumming heart. What if he’d guessed wrong? What if King Respen chose a different plan than the one that Leith had so confidently told Lord Alistair? All of their counter-measures would be in error.

  “Acktar is growing restless. The nobles who supported Leon Eirdon are growing bold as they conspire against me.”

  Around the room, the Blades sat in silent agreement. Leith tapped his fists against his knees.

  “I will send a message that will shock my enemies into submission. I will show them they are not strong enough to withstand my power, my Blades. I tasked you with watching eighteen noblemen and women. Those eighteen nobles and their families will die.”

  Leith couldn’t feel relieved that his guess had been right. Too many lives were threatened. Even with all their preparations, some of those men and women might still die.

  He risked a glance around the room, lingering for just a moment on Martyn. Due to his planning, some of the Blades, perhaps many of the Blades, could be killed. Blood would be shed either way.

  “You will have one week. On the fourth night, sneak into the manor and kill them.”

  Leith nodded along with the rest of the Blades. Respen didn’t want a smattering of attacks spread out across a long period of time. He wanted to show his utter control over life and death by having eighteen of the most prominent families die on the same night all across the country.

  “My lord,” Vane cut in. “I have a request to make. Allow me to kill Lady Rennelda and Lady Brandiline. Their deaths will add to the shock and will prevent them from becoming a rallying point for your enemies.”

  Respen’s eyes narrowed. Was that suspicion Leith glimpsed? “Of course, my First Blade. It was the task I had for you all along. You will work with the Third Blade since your targets are at Walden Manor.”

  “As you wish, my king.” Vane bowed his head.

  “Execute your orders, My Blades.” King Respen stood and clasped his right hand over his chest.

  Leith stood with the rest of the Blades and fisted his right hand over his chest. He mumbled the pledge with the rest of the Blades, but the words tasted bitter on his tongue.

  He waited, but Respen didn’t stride toward the door. Instead, he waved his hand. “Dismissed.”

  Leith shoved his chair out of the way to join the other Blades in claiming his weapons, but Respen’s voice halted him. “Third Blade Torren. Stay a moment.”

  Leith froze. What did King Respen want?

  Martyn eyed him, frowning, as he grabbed his weapons and left the room. Vane glared, lingering until all the other Blades had left before he too claimed his weapons and slipped out the door, closing it behind him.

  Respen tapped his fingers against the throne’s armrest. “You neglected to tell me everything in your report.”

  A chill sliced through Leith’s fingers. Did Respen suspect him? Could Leith reach his knives before the king killed him?

  The tapping continued. “What really happened when you sneaked into Walden the night of Lord Alistair’s celebration?”

  Leith swallowed and faced Respen. “The First Blade and I slipped into Walden Manor. Lord Alistair had guards posted around the dining room where he met with the nobles he’d gathered. When we couldn’t listen at the door, we found a room above the dining room, but the floor was too thick to hear anything. The First Blade ordered me to split up to search for anything suspicious in the guest rooms.”

  Respen’s fingers halted. “You split up? You weren’t with the First Blade the entire time?”

  “No.” The muscles at the back of Leith’s neck eased. Respen suspected Vane, not Leith. “I didn’t know where he was until I found him talking with Lady Rennelda.” Threatening her, but Respen didn’t need to know that.

  Respen stood and clasped his hands behind his back. “It has been nine years since I rescued you from your father, has it not?”

  “Yes, my king.” Was that how Respen saw it? Rescue? More like trading one owner for another.

  “And so far you’ve never made me regret that action.” Respen’s dark eyes speared him. “Vane may be the First Blade, but you were my first Blade.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Respen swept from the room.

  What had that been about? Leith shook the shivers from his skin, collected his knives, and left the room.

  As he reached the fourth floor, he found Martyn waiting for him. Martyn slapped him on the back. “Hey, good luck.”

  Leith returned the gesture. “You too.”

  Martyn turned away. He’d leave in less than an hour, and if things went wrong, Leith would never see him again.

  “Martyn.” Leith gripped his arm. Martyn turned back to him, forehead scrunched. Leith swallowed. His mouth burned with a warning. His actions could lead to Martyn’s death. “Be careful. If the nobles are planning something, they’ll be wary.”

  Martyn clasped Leith’s shoulder. “In that case, you’ll be in more danger than me. The lord of Walden is a leader in the Resistance. He’ll be well-guarded.”

  Leith dropped his hand. It was the most warning he could give his friend.

  Martyn strode away and disappeared around the curve of the corridor.

  Leith reached for the latch on his door. A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision. He whirled and reached for his knife.

  Vane bashed Leith’s fingers against the doorframe. Pain shot through his bones, and his knife clattered to the stone. He twisted his body to grab another knife.

  Pain pricked Leith’s stomach in the soft flesh below his ribcage. Glancing down, he spotted Vane’s knife prepared t
o thrust underneath his ribs and up into his chest. Each ragged breath pressed his stomach harder against the tip of the knife.

  Was Vane going to kill him? He couldn’t die. Not now.

  In the light of the torches lining the corridor, Vane’s teeth gleamed with the reflected flicker of orange and red. “Remember, Torren. I’ve always been better than you.”

  Vane released him, sheathed his knife, and slipped into his own room.

  Leith sagged against his door. When he touched the aching spot on his skin, his fingers shone with blood.

  41

  Grabbing a fresh roll from the kitchen, Renna exited the back door and checked the first row of corn for weeds. The tiny stalks waved at her in the morning breeze. At the end of the row, she touched the pile of stones. So far they hadn’t moved.

  Shadrach strolled along the edge of the garden, as if he were pretending he’d happened along at the right moment instead of tailed her from the kitchen to guard her. At the east corner, he knelt, touched the stones, and started weeding. “Still nothing.”

  “How soon do you think they might return?” Her stomach churned. How long did she and Brandi have? Weeks? Days? Hours? Was the First Blade on his way to Walden now?

  Shadrach tossed a handful of weeds from the garden. “I have no idea. It’s been five days. Enough time to ride to Nalgar Castle and back. Any day, I’d guess.”

  A tremor racked her body until she thought her bones might rattle apart with the force of her shaking. She didn’t want to die, not by a Blade’s knife. She could picture it, slicing through her chest, the pain exploding outward until it encompassed her whole body, her screams choked by her own blood.

  Shadrach touched her arm. “It’s going to be all right. You’ll be protected. And God is in control.”

  He meant to reassure her, but Renna didn’t find those words comforting. God’s control didn’t necessarily mean safety. He didn’t stop the bad things from happening. In fact, He’d planned for them to happen. What if His plan involved her death? Or Brandi’s?

  Some of her thoughts must’ve shown on her face. Shadrach’s eyes grabbed hers. “God is God, right?”

  “Yes.” She flicked a clod of dirt from her skirt.

  “Is He good?”

  Renna picked at another smear of dirt. “Yes.”

  “And does He love His people?”

  Her shoulders sagged. What else could she say besides the correct answer? “Yes.”

  “Since God is God, He is in control. Since He is good, everything He does is good, including His control. Since He loves His people, He controls everything that happens for their good.” Shadrach shrugged and pulled another weed. “It’s as simple and as hard as that.”

  Renna hung her head. She was such a weak Christian. People like Shadrach trusted God even through bad times, but Renna wavered like the prairie grass blown in the wind. What could be good about death and bloodshed?

  Do not be afraid. Only believe. She bowed her head and touched the silver cross on her necklace. She had to trust God no matter her doubts. After all they’d been through, surely God wouldn’t take Brandi now.

  Renna waited for a feeling of peace to come over her. But nothing happened.

  Shadrach climbed to his feet. He held out a hand to her. “Come on. Let’s find my father and go over the plan one last time. Then, you can spend some time with Brandi.”

  Renna took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. She needed to hug her sister tightly. She’d write to Uncle Abel and Aunt Mara to let them know how much they meant to her.

  If something did happen to her, there’d be no regrets, nothing left unsaid. She wouldn’t make that mistake a second time.

  42

  When the prairie wallowed in the blackness of full night, Leith and Vane slipped from their campsite in the Sheered Rock Hills and hiked across the prairie, leading their horses.

  Something itched at Leith’s spine. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something felt wrong. Maybe it was the moonless darkness that ached against his eyes. Or the sly smile that twitched Vane’s mouth.

  They crested the hill overlooking Walden and padded through the grass toward the town, circling to enter the trees lining the edge of the manor’s property. When they reached the trees, they dropped their horses’ reins onto the ground.

  Leith crouched at the base of a large cottonwood tree. Vane hunkered a few feet away. Leith tracked the progress of the guard walking the edge of the estate.

  As he turned the corner, the next guard stepped into view around the far corner. Leith suppressed a smile at the normality of the routine. Lord Alistair was doing a good job of keeping up the appearance.

  Lights remained lit in the manor. Leith spotted the candle flickering in the window of Renna’s room. Someone snuffed out the candle in Brandi’s room, the one next to it.

  Vane glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Leith. Only his teeth flashed in the faint light of the stars. He, like Leith, had held the blades of his knives over their small fire, burnishing them with a dull layer of smoke to prevent them from glinting and giving away their position. “Let’s get closer.”

  Leith’s back tightened. Why did Vane want to get closer? They’d observed enough. They couldn’t risk alerting the guards before tomorrow night, the night King Respen had ordered them to complete their mission.

  Leith could do nothing but nod. Perhaps he’d have a chance to slip away from Vane and move the rocks at the edge of the garden. He watched from cover as Vane slunk across the open space and into the safety of the hedge before the next guard rounded the corner.

  For several minutes, Leith waited. What was Vane doing while Leith remained stuck here? The guard paced slowly along the edge of the property. He paused by the gap in the hedge, inspected it, and continued on his way.

  When he was several yards past him, Leith slipped from the cover of the trees, crossed the open space, and slithered through the gap in the hedge. The cloying scent of the hedge’s flowers choked him. Inside the hedge, he froze, listening for signs the guards had heard him.

  Vane crouched next to him. “We’re carrying out our orders tonight.”

  “What?” Leith gaped at Vane. A buzzing sound filled his ears. They were supposed to go tomorrow night. He was supposed to have time to warn Shad tonight so they’d be ready. “Our orders are to kill them the fourth night.”

  Vane’s eyes glinted. “It won’t matter if we’re a day early.”

  Leith should’ve realized Vane’s eagerness to kill Renna would make him bend Respen’s orders. Only the First Blade could get away with such actions.

  No time to warn Shad. Leith couldn’t call out to the guards. They were too widely spaced outside to succeed in stopping Vane.

  Leith’s heart pounded faster as he followed Vane through the flower garden. He swiped his palms against his trousers, trying to keep them dry.

  After they reached the window, Vane slid his knife between the wooden frames and lifted the latch. Leith gripped the hilt of his knife. He should stab Vane in the back before he had a chance to enter Walden Manor. It was the smart thing—the Blade thing—to do.

  But it wasn’t right. He let his hand fall from his knife. He’d have to stick with the plan and help trap Vane inside.

  The window swung open without a sound. Leith climbed over the sill first. The cushions of the windowseat huffed out air at his weight. Rolling from the windowseat onto his feet, Leith stepped out of the way as Vane came over the sill.

  After peeking through the curtains, Vane brushed them aside and strode through the room, the thick rugs muffling his footsteps. He slid a knife from its sheath.

  Leith drew one of his knives and rolled the leather grip against his palm. As soon as Vane stepped into the corridor, Shad and his guards would surround him. Vane would fight back. Leith would never get another chance to try to talk to him. He couldn’t allow Vane to be killed without talking to him first. Perhaps God would work in Vane’s heart. Leith was, after all, the pro
of that God could touch any heart, no matter how hardened.

  Perhaps it was foolish. But he could still hear thirteen-year-old Vane’s hissed words the night Leith had met him. I saw my mother die.

  Vane was nearly at the door. Leith called out in a soft voice, “Don’t make another move.”

  Vane turned, and a smile wormed across his mouth. “I wondered how long it would take you to show your true colors.”

  Chills trickled down Leith’s arms and legs. “What are you talking about?”

  “I saw how friendly you were with these people. I knew you were up to something, but I never had enough proof to go to the king. Nor could I with you turning him against me.”

  At least Vane hadn’t told Respen. Leith tightened his grip on his knife. “That’s why you decided to carry out our orders tonight.”

  “Of course,” Vane’s pale eyes glowed in the starlight filtering through the curtains. “I couldn’t let you warn your friends.”

  “These are good people. They shouldn’t be murdered like this.” Leith stepped closer. He kept his gaze locked on Vane’s eyes. His heart thumped in a steady rhythm. He should call for Shad. But, he’d lose his chance to try to reach Vane before it was too late.

  Vane scowled at Leith. “You’ve gone soft. Either that or you’re daft. We have orders to kill them. What does it matter what kind of people they are?”

  “Murder is wrong. God is the One who holds the power of life and death.” Leith took yet another step closer. “God worked in my heart. He saved me from my slavery to sin and Respen.”

  “So you have become the Alistair lapdog. You’re spouting their nonsense.”

  “It isn’t nonsense.” It had taken Renna, Brandi, and Shad weeks of patience before the seed of faith sprouted. With Vane, he had only seconds. “It’s the truth of the gospel. Jesus died for the sins of His people. His blood washes away the blood from our hands.”

  “You’re a fool,” Vane growled. “A weakling to listen to their stories.”