Easier said than done. Jaden didn’t voice his thoughts aloud as he moved the blanket to cover her as well and closed his eyes.
Nerya awoke to find sunlight filtering through the branches above her head. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up. They’d placed their bedrolls beneath this massive oak tree, some distance from the rest of their traveling companions, to afford themselves a measure of privacy. There’d been little opportunity for her to be alone with Jaden for more than a few moments over the last four days. Fortune had smiled on them to a degree after Jaden’s horrific encounter with the big cat, and their journey had proceeded without incident. They were now deep inside Acheron. Much to Nerya’s consternation, the morning after he’d been wounded Jaden had insisted he was fit to travel. He’d still been very weak, and Tarn had to all but lift him onto his horse, but as the days had passed, he’d grown stronger and stronger.
Last night they’d camped in this wide green valley surrounded by rolling hills. Just over the hills to her right stood a walled city with a large fortress at its centre. Their scout had followed the mercenaries’ tracks, which led directly into the city. At least now they might have a chance of rescuing Brion, although Nerya doubted that would be easy. If Brion was in the city, it was logical to presume he would be held in the heavily fortified citadel.
Jaden had already got up and he stood a short distance away staring thoughtfully into the distance. He turned and, without glancing back at her, walked down the slope toward a small copse. He might only be planning to relieve himself, but as it happened, Nerya was curious about his intentions. By rights, he should still be very weak and in pain, but Jaden displayed no visible discomfort at all. So far his recovery from the attack had been nothing short of miraculous. He almost seemed back to his old self again, even though that should be impossible in such a short space of time.
Jaden, sensing his companions’ suspicions, had told them he kept his pain at bay with a strong tincture of poppy seeds, but he lied. Nerya had surreptitiously tasted the liquid in the small vial he’d shown them and discovered it contained only water. Jaden wasn’t using it to mask his pain, because she was convinced he experienced no pain.
The morning after he’d been wounded, she’d wanted to change his bandages again, but he’d claimed it would be too painful for him and he’d asked her to leave them until later. From then on he’d insisted on tending his wounds himself, which she’d found strange, and he’d not allowed her, or anyone else, to examine them.
Nerya sprang to her feet and ran across the dew-covered grass. Jaden had already vanished from sight. When she reached the copse, she crept through the trees and concealed herself behind a large tree trunk a short distance away from him. Jaden was busy unwinding the bandages from around his upper torso. As he dropped them on the ground, he turned in her direction, and she saw his chest for the first time since the attack. Nerya clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp of amazement. Because of how swiftly he’d recovered from the whipping, she’d expected him to heal fast. But not this! Surely she was seeing things. Not only was his body fully healed, his skin was totally unblemished. Just like his back, there wasn’t even the single sign of a scar on his body.
Nerya stayed hidden, staring in disbelief as Jaden kicked the soiled bandages into a small hollow in the ground and covered them with some leaves. The ornate gold bracelets lay on the ground at his feet. Since the day he’d put them on, she’d never seen him without them.
As he picked up his shirt, she spotted a strange mark on the inside of his left wrist. On the first few days of their journey to Kabra, she’d noticed a faint bruise in the same spot, which she thought had been caused by his manacles. The mark was far more obvious now and appeared to form a pattern of some kind, but she wasn’t close enough to see it in any detail. Jaden slid the shirt over his head, and a shaft of sunlight caught his hand for a moment, making the weird mark appear to glow with an unearthly silvery blue fire.
It must be a trick of the light. She backed away, then turned and ran up the slope before he could catch her spying on him. Catching her breath, she sat on her bedroll, her mind in turmoil. Jaden still wasn’t being truthful with her but she had to pull herself together and appear as normal as possible when he returned. This wasn’t the time to confront him and force him to tell her everything. In less than an hour, she and Jaden would accompany Tarn and Sarin into the walled city while, as agreed, the soldiers would remain in the hills to await their return.
Chapter Nine
People packed the large square in front of the walled citadel. It appeared to be market day, as stalls selling all kinds of good crowded the area. Most of the merchandise was familiar enough, but one stall displayed bizarre, multi-colored fish with bulging eyes, and strange creatures, a cross between lizard and snake, hung from poles at the sides. Nerya grimaced as she saw one twitch. They looked disgusting. The towns in Freygard were all small, as were the markets, and Nerya found this place fascinating. The citizens here appeared prosperous, while closer to the city gates they’d ridden through narrow, dirty streets lined with run-down houses and ramshackle buildings. There the scrawny inhabitants, clad in little more than rags, scurried around as if fearful to be away from the safety of their homes.
The soldiers at the gates hadn’t challenged them as they entered the city, and no one paid any mind to them as they rode through the busy square. The men all wore breeches and doublets made of fine wool and velvets, but the vast majority of the females were swathed from head to foot in all-enveloping black garments. Some even had the lower parts of their faces covered as well, as if they were ashamed to be seen.
“We’ll try in there.” Jaden pointed to one of the buildings lining the square. Despite the fact it was constructed from stone, it seemed far from safe. The masonry was cracked and scored in places and the wooden shutters had seen better days, hanging haphazardly from the sides of the grubby windows. Judging by the noise emanating from inside, it was a tavern of sorts. The bulky man guarding the door vetted everyone who tried to enter. Once they were close to the building, Jaden stopped, dismounted and fixed Barsan’s reins to the long hitching post.
“I wonder what the ale’s like.” Tarn joined him as Nerya and Sarin also dismounted and tied up their horses.
Nerya glanced at the door of the tavern, just in time to see the guard refuse to let in a man dressed in grubby, well-worn garments. She hoped they wouldn’t have any trouble gaining admittance as Jaden took her arm and led her up the short flight of stone steps toward the entrance, Tarn and Sarin following close behind them.
“No females in here.” The doorman moved to bar their way. “It’s forbidden.”
Oddly enough, she understood him, although the dialect he spoke was a little different from hers. It appeared all the people of the Western Kingdoms, even those in Acheron, shared the same language.
“My apologies. We’re newcomers to this city.” Jaden drew Nerya to one side of the doorway. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait outside.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Sarin offered.
“No,” Nerya insisted. “Really, I’ll be fine. I’m not a weak and helpless female.”
“We’re well aware of that.” Jaden still seemed troubled. “But I don’t like leaving you out here.”
“You need to go into the tavern if you want to find someone to help get into the citadel. There are so many people. I’ll be safe enough in such a crowd.”
“Don’t stray far. And don’t talk to anyone.”
She understood his concern, but she still resented it. He often forgot she too was a warrior. Nerya slipped the hood of her dark cloak over her head and made sure it was pulled together at the front. She didn’t want to look any different from the other women in the square. “Jaden, I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“We shouldn’t be long.” He squeezed her arm affectionately.
“You worry too much. I’ll be fine.” She lifted her hand to touch his cheek, then realized this might
not be the time or the place to show that, despite everything, she’d fallen for him. It hadn’t been easy to admit, even to herself, that she cared for a member of the male sex and a former slave. Also, Jaden needed to be more open with her first, tell her everything about himself before she dared reveal how she felt.
Nerya watched Jaden, flanked by Tarn and Sarin, disappear inside the tavern. She descended the steps and walked toward the stalls, far preferring to explore this fascinating market than sit in a stinking tavern trying to ferret out the more disreputable elements in the city. Not wanting to stand out in any way, she wandered around as if she planned to buy something. Nerya soon learned to be careful not to linger too long in any one place. Any sign of interest immediately prompted the stall holders to step forward and make an overzealous attempt to sell their wares. To one side of the square stood a statue of a man on horseback, and a stone bench sat at the base of the plinth. A little weary of the overenthusiastic traders, she decided to rest there for a while and survey her surroundings.
As she walked toward the bench, a small dark-haired boy moved to bar her way. “Noble lady, you must look at what my sister has for sale.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Please. She gets into trouble with the man who owns the stall if she doesn’t attract a fair number of customers.” He grabbed her cloak and tugged at it. “You don’t have to buy, just look.”
Even standing here with him was getting her some unwanted attention. “Very well.” She allowed him to lead her toward a jewelry stall tended by a petite, very pretty young woman.
“My lady, you might like to look at my merchandise. We have necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anything you could want.” The girl smiled at Nerya.
“They’re all very reasonably priced,” interjected her brother.
“Are they?” Nerya picked up a particularly stunning necklace made of filigree silver and decorated with pale blue stones. “This is lovely. Such fine workmanship.”
“Moonstones,” the young woman explained. “They protect the wearer. You should try it on. You can come behind the stall and step into my booth.” She pointed to the cloth tent, which was tall enough to stand in, but would hold two people at most. “There you can remove your cloak and try the necklace on.”
“Sorry, it’s much too expensive for me.” Putting down the necklace, she glanced over at the empty bench.
“I see you’re looking at the statue of the great mage, Lord Naga,” the young woman said before Nerya could turn to leave.
“Lord Naga?”
“You must be a stranger to these parts. By the grace of the Dragon Lords, Lord Naga rules this town and the surrounding countryside.” She opened a plain wooden box, her gaze never leaving Nerya. “This is much cheaper.” She pulled out a delicate silver necklace set with tiny green stones. “It only just arrived, and it matches the color of your eyes, lady.”
It seemed rude not to at least look at it. As Nerya picked up the necklace, a stabbing pain lanced her thumb. A piece of sharp metal protruding from the clasp had pierced her skin. It was little more than a pinprick, and only a few beads of blood seeped from the tiny wound.
“I’m so sorry.” The young woman took the necklace from Nerya and slipped it back in its box.
“It’s nothing,” Nerya said, all of a sudden feeling weary. The woman’s face started to swim before her eyes.
Jaden picked up the foaming mug of ale and took a cautious sip. It wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. He tried to pick out any likely subjects from the tavern crowd. Every man had his price, and Tarn had enough gold with him for a very generous bribe if they found someone who could be persuaded to help them find a way into the citadel unseen.
A servant placed a plate of dark brown bread and hunks of meat of unknown origins on the table in front of them. As the servant went to step away, Tarn grabbed his wrist. “Tell me, how can a man find work round here?”
“You don’t look like you could do an honest day’s labour, judging by those hands,” the servant sneered. His were grubby, his nails torn and ragged, while Tarn’s hands were clean, his nails well-tended.
“Who said we wanted honest labour?” Jaden growled.
“I don’t want to get involved.” The servant managed to wrench his hand away. “I keep my hands clean, I do.”
“Ye gods.” Jaden grimaced as the servant hurried away. “Those hands haven’t seen soap and water for months.”
“You’re going about this the wrong way.” Sarin reached out and grabbed a half-naked girl who just happened to be sauntering past the table. There were a fair number of whores in here servicing customers. The girl smiled as Sarin pulled her onto his lap and fondled her small, naked breasts.
“Don’t you think—” Jaden started to say.
“It’s been an age since I had a woman.” Sarin threw him a warning look. “This pretty wench is exactly what I need.” He caressed her breasts and kissed her as he squeezed her nipples. “You’re so sweet,” he purred as he slid his hand under her filmy skirt. A second or so later, she gave a soft moan of pleasure. “Let me ask you…” Sarin continued pressing his lips close to her ear, so his companions could not hear what he said.
Tarn took a large swig of his ale and glanced at Jaden, as if asking, “What the hell is he up to?” Jaden shrugged and shook his head.
The girl giggled softly as Sarin said, “Could you do that?”
She bent forward and whispered in Sarin’s ear while his hand continued its seductive movements beneath her gown. “Would that please you, lord?”
“It would,” Sarin replied. “But it would have to be somewhere more discreet.”
“I’ll arrange it.” She gave a satisfied moan and arched her back, reaching a fast and mercifully quiet climax.
Sarin tipped her from his lap. “You know what to do with those hands of yours, my lord,” she said, pulling down her skirts. “Most of my customers are clumsy and useless at pleasuring a woman.”
“He’s had lots of practice.” Tarn grunted as Sarin produced two gold coins and handed them to the girl.
“Two more if you do as you promised,” he said as she bit on one of the coins.
Apparently satisfied they were real, she nodded at Sarin. “Behind the tavern, at dusk,” she said. “And don’t be late.” She swung her hips as she wandered off across the tavern, ignoring any customers who tried to get her attention.
Tarn cast a scathing glance at Sarin. “I’m pleased you found time to arrange an assignation.”
“Depends who I’m meeting, doesn’t it?” Sarin wiped his soiled fingers on the hem of his cloak. “If you think I’d dip my cock in that cesspool, you’re sadly mistaken. I may be feeling a little horny, but I wouldn’t stoop that low.”
Jaden leaned forward and asked in a low voice, “So you were furthering our cause, were you, Sarin?”
“You could say that,” Sarin agreed. “That whore knew just about everything that was going on in this place, and she proved to be very helpful. We meet her contact behind the tavern at dusk.”
“By the gods, it’s good to get a lungful of clean air,” Jaden said.
The tavern had stunk of grubby bodies, stale ale, sex and a multitude of other unpleasant odors. Dusk was almost upon them, so they hadn’t much time. They had to meet the contact soon. Where was Nerya? The square was far emptier now and most of the stall holders were packing up. There were still people about but he couldn’t see Nerya. All the women were dressed much the same, in all-enveloping, dark garments. It wasn’t easy to make out which one might be her. He hoped she’d soon notice the three of them standing outside the tavern and come to join them.
“You look a little concerned,” Tarn said. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
”I shouldn’t be concerned.” Jaden scanned the square. “She’s well able to look after herself, but where on earth is she?” It came to him with a jolt. He was worried because somehow Nerya had wormed her way deep into his heart.
“I don’t understand why you never mentioned that while I was in Vestfold, you were held captive in Freygard, and Nerya helped you to escape,” Sarin said. “Tarn told me her mother is that bitch, Danara.”
“Danara isn’t her mother.” Jaden turned to face Sarin. “She’s adopted, and she’s nothing like Danara, believe me.”
“Sir.” A young boy hurried toward them. “There was a lady in the market earlier.” He stared enquiringly at Sarin and Tarn. “I think you might have been traveling with her.” He pointed at Barsan. The white stallion stood out among the brown and black horses. “One of the men with her was riding that horse.”
“What about the lady?” Jaden snarled, grabbing the boy’s arm.
“She was taken away by Lord Naga’s guards.” The boy glanced up in terror. “By the grace of the Dragon Lords, Lord Naga is the great mage who rules this city.”
“Are you certain, boy?” Tarn asked. “They definitely took her?”
“Yes, sir,” the boy answered. As Jaden released him, the boy held out his hand. “I’ve no doubt you’ll reward me for telling you.”
Jaden let go of his arm and thrust two pieces of silver in his open palm. “Where would they have taken her? Into the citadel?”
“Yes.” The boy nodded. “It’s said Lord Naga has many concubines. The lady was beautiful, so no doubt she’ll end up in his seraglio. Be assured she’ll lead a good life there. Far better than life in this accursed town.”
“Concubine!” Jaden knew he should have never left her alone.
“Be off now, child,” Sarin said, glaring at Jaden, perhaps fearing he’d say something he shouldn’t in front of the boy.
“Yes, sir.” The boy trotted off.
Tarn put a restraining hand on Jaden’s arm. “Keep calm. We have to think this through.” He dug his fingers into Jaden’s taut muscles. “We can’t just draw our swords and fight our way into the citadel. You know that.”
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