by J. M. Miller
“Because I’d rather not. Mistakes happen.”
“So you think he made a simple mistake? What was it? Not having the decency to stand up to his mother to save your skin from the whip?”
I ground my teeth. “Why do you care so much about that? What do you want to hear from me? That I deserved it? Fine. I am his Guard. I wasn’t just saving the prince that night. I was the one who made a mistake. I entered the Sacred Lake, somewhere off-limits.”
“Yet weren’t you the only one who was taken to the prison chamber? I understand that the queen would spare her son from any punishment, especially after almost having been killed by assassins on the eve before meeting his potential bride, but why is it that the other Guards skipped out on such a generous fate?”
“I was the lead Guard on the prince’s detail. The fault of decision-making was on me.”
“Only you? No one else would be punished for entering this forbidden lake?”
“It’s a spiritual place. Traveling there is not advised, but also not forbidden at the time … to them. But I’m different. I’ve been tainted. Cursed. Something that could potentially ruin its sanctity.”
He eased back farther into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you believe it’s a spiritual place?”
I leaned back into my own chair, nearly drained from all the emotional flares I’d felt since his arrival. “I think it actually might be, yes. Prince’s Night, when you almost killed Caulden and me.” He lifted an eyebrow, but I pressed on. “The water is different there. It didn’t hurt when I went under.”
“Does it usually?” The intensity in his eyes had melted into something else. Curiosity. Or was it more? Perhaps empathy. He was wearing my skin after all, feeling what I was.
“Yes,” I replied, taken aback by my own thoughts. “It didn’t that night. It only hurt when the skin was reforming like usual.”
“That’s what that was,” he said, more to himself than to me.
“And do you remember the glow of your skin?”
“Yes, I do remember. I wasn’t as focused on it after getting out of the water and feeling the pain.”
“Well, it’s not normal either.”
“So there is something special about that lake.”
The lake was definitely special. And its water … The queen’s questions. I sat straighter. “They’ve been asking about our crops. The grapes, the wine.” I lifted my goblet, sloshing what little wine was left inside. “When we were out at the vineyard, Caulden told the princess about Vitae River. How it twists through the island, sometimes above ground, sometimes below. It’s our main river. It feeds the vineyards and farms. And it comes from Sacred Lake.” The realization hit me hard.
He sat straighter too, mirroring me. “That could be it.”
“But what is it? What are they looking for?”
His gaze shifted, looking at the small flame inside the lantern closest to us. I felt its hum, and I was certain it was calling to him also. I stared at him, watching the flame’s reflection in his eyes.
“We didn’t know what they’d be looking for. We only knew that there was more to this trip than a royal engagement.”
“Maybe it is for the better crops. Maybe they knew there was something more. A reason behind the growth. They are trying to find it to take it, or cultivate it, to reproduce the process in Islain.”
“That could be all it is. Still, I won’t discount that there’s something else behind their motives.” His eyes snapped to mine. “Vala, Elige has been watching the queen for a while, using Oculi and other ravens. The queen has been gathering people, sending word to others, almost as if she’s preparing for something.”
I nodded. “Queen Havilah already knew Queen Meirin would be preparing for a hostile takeover here in the event our queen or prince refused the marriage. Queen Meirin knows we wouldn’t last in a war against them.”
He propped his elbows on the table and ran a few fingers over his lips with a squint. “Yes, but there are other things. Believe me when I tell you, there’s more to this. Knowing that it might have to do with the lake is a good start to finding the answers, though. I’ll need to go back, preferably during the day when I can actually see. And I’m sorry to say, but in the event I need to take a swim, I’d rather not be in pain. So you can’t come.” His lips tipped into a smile, and I couldn’t help but to do the same.
“Not that I’d be able to anyway. Unless you’d like me to bring the princess along, of course,” I joked. “She really wouldn’t mind as long as I grabbed her some mourning flowers.”
“Mourning flowers?”
“The ground cover plants, with wide, red-orange petals. Did you see them?”
“I have to admit, I wasn’t paying much attention to the vegetation. I was focused on not being seen by the assassins I’d followed on the way in and on my changing skin potentially killing me during the climb out.”
“Ah. Right,” I said, both the pain on the assassins’ faces and on his that night flashing in my mind. My smile was gone.
Xavyn stood, filling the room again. “I should go. I’ll check in again soon.” In a few strides, he was at the back door, drawing his hood.
I stood and moved his way, questioning why I was being so casual, so friendly, with each step. “I’ll keep listening, but I agree that there’s something with the lake. You shouldn’t have to worry about anyone showing up. After the quakes, the queen deemed it unsafe and forbade travel there. This time, to everyone.”
“Good. It’ll be nice not having to look over my shoulder as much,” he said, opening the door and looking out into the darkness. I wasn’t expecting a goodbye, but after making sure all was clear, he turned back around. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” I gripped the door handle, leaning into the edge of the door as I inhaled the night’s salty breeze.
He grabbed the top of the door and leaned in closer. “If it hurts … the water … is there a reason why you do it?”
My eyes widened a tad, reacting to the question that very well could have been on his mind all night—seeing me at the door, looking at me with that penetrating gaze that made me angry for feeling so weak, and then hearing that the water was painful. The question held more concern than curiosity, and that shocked me the most. I blinked a few times, then answered, “The pressure. It builds over time and eventually takes on its own life. Unbearable. Water wipes it away, resets everything. So it’s necessary.”
He didn’t move for several moments, only looked at me. Then with a nod, he straightened. “Thank you, Vala. Sleep well.” And then he was off, disappearing into the night between the dark and fog. No longer a shadow.
NINETEEN
“You wanted to see me?” I asked, stepping over the threshold of Captain Baun’s office. When I moved past the alcove of the door, I scanned the room and found more than his eyes had turned my way.
Captain Baun stood beside his desk, which was as narrow as he was wide, in a room smaller than the prison chamber residing beneath it. He wore no leathers, only a simple tunic covering his too tight pants and worn boots. He had the morning off from the queen’s detail it seemed. Haidee stood with one boot propped behind her on the ledge of a tiny bookcase at her back, her long plaits loose, parting around her face when she looked up at me. Leint lounged in the only other chair in the room that wasn’t behind the desk. His rust-colored hair stuck up in spots and the lids over his icy eyes drooped as if he had slept there all night.
“Good. I’m glad you got the message before reporting to the princess,” Captain Baun said. “I got word that this Shadow may be staying at Lord Wyntor’s vineyard. With the watch still on, everyone was notified to keep track of changes with their workers. It can be especially difficult for the farmers during this season when so many help out with harvest. But Lord Wyntor sent word yesterday and again this morning that he recently took someone in claiming to be a newcomer from one of the Islain ships, wanting to stay here permanently. He gave the name X
avyn.”
They knew. I squeezed my nervous hands into fists. He’d given his real name, and now they knew his human form.
“There are newcomers on every trade ship, heading in either direction. Why should we think this one is who we’re looking for?” Haidee asked without a single glance my way.
“He takes in many newcomers, and usually finds it beneficial to hire them. But this Xavyn has been acting differently than most. He’s worked hard … when he’s there. The messenger said that he’s been spotted leaving late at night, sometimes not returning until early morning, as if he’s barely sleeping.”
I bit my tongue. Traitor. Was that what I had become?
“What about the taverns? Maybe he’s just seeking friendly company in town?” Haidee asked.
“I was in town all night,” Leint murmured from his slouched position. “One of Lord Wyntor’s workers went with me and several other Guards to see if we could find him. He either got bored of each tavern very quickly or found a companion very early in the night.”
A companion. I wasn’t that to him, no. He was only using me for information, and I was using him for the same. But that would all change if he was caught. Everything would change and nothing would be answered.
“Actually,” Leint said, his eyes opening wider as his face tilted toward me. “The worker that was with me last night did mention that this guy was the one who tended to some of the horses when we had visited the vineyard. Do you remember the one, Vala? You were on the same side of the manor with him.”
I fixed my eyes on him, steadying them so as not to blink or flinch my guilt while everyone’s attention was directed toward me. “Yes, I remember him. Light-sandy skin. Dark hair in a thick tangle at the top of his head.”
“That fits the description we got. I know you couldn’t see The Shadow well during your encounters, but did this Xavyn appear similar in any way? His height or his posture?” The captain had perked up at having more inside information.
“I didn’t consider him a threat in any way or even think he remotely looked like the one I’d fought. He carried himself differently, wore farming clothes. No leathers. No cloak.” It was the truth to a degree. I hadn’t known at first. I wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t made sure of it.
“Did you speak to him?”
“He complimented the horses. Mentioned the possibility of the prince leaving. I was shocked he spoke to me at all, but I didn’t think much else of it.”
“Perhaps it wasn’t of importance before, but did his voice or the tone of it sound familiar in any way?”
I shook my head as an answer, not wanting to vocalize it fearing the memory of the vineyard might leap from my mouth and call me a liar. After a deep breath, I said, “What’s puzzling to me, though, is if he were there that day, why not attack the prince or princess then?”
“Because we were all there,” Leint said. “Don’t tell me you still think that he’s here for another reason.”
I shrugged. “Why isn’t anyone else considering that? He’s had opportunities.”
“Sure he has,” Captain Baun interjected. “But those opportunities could have ended in his own death. He’s biding his time, waiting for the best moment. That’s why we will not give him one.” His voice was as firm as his hand as he slapped it down upon his small desk, its legs wobbling like it was close to taking its last beating.
“So what are you thinking?” I asked, giving up on my attempt to open the captain’s or Leint’s eyes to an alternative reason for Xavyn’s visit. There was no telling when I’d see Xavyn again, and there was no way for me to go looking for him. I’d have to wait and hope he’d have enough sense not to go back to Wyntor’s Vineyard.
Haidee stole a glance at me, quick enough to miss yet long enough to see all the questions stirring inside. I wanted to tell her everything, to tell her all about the princess and every detail from the night before, including the answer she was possibly most puzzled about—that my skin wasn’t permanent for Xavyn. We wouldn’t have the time or the privacy, though.
“We have Guards searching the farms now with some of the other vineyard workers who can identify him. When they are done there, they’ll move back into the town and all the areas between. For now, you all remain on your details. Leint, go get some sleep and report back to Haidee afterward. I wanted you three aware before the day really began. I was told that the queens, prince, and princess plan to visit the course where the Trials are being set up.” I swallowed hard at his words. If the princess’ information was correct, the Trials were being set up somewhere between the chateau and the lake, where Xavyn could be traveling. Hopefully, he still chose to look over his shoulder along the way. “I’ll advise the queen to wait until after midday when I’ve heard back from the first searches and when Leint and some other Guards have had enough rest. After that, we’ll have to be prepared to be out in the open with them.”
Be prepared to be out in the open. Be prepared to make a choice. What would I do if he were caught?
I nodded my acknowledgment and looked down at my bare hands, thinking of everything Xavyn had said to me especially about a possible family in Vaenen. One who would accept me for who I was, not punish me. One who would care for me, not pretend to for their own benefit.
But here you are. It has to mean something.
TWENTY
Twenty people rode atop horses to the plateau situated about midway between the chateau and the eastern cliffs. The queens, prince and princess, Captain Baun, Haidee, Leint, and I were joined by Transton and Prins, Queen Meirin’s two guards, and eight others of our own. The captain wasn’t taking any chances of being caught unprepared. I just hoped Xavyn had enough sense to stay away from this excursion. With only a thin layer of fog and the midday sun peeking through, projecting slices of light onto the field spread before us, he’d be hard-pressed to find a shadow to hide in this time.
With some high points cutting its path, the Vitae River ran perpendicularly to the downward slope of the north, part of it showing above the ground during this section of its snaking journey through the island. Florisa’s Cove and the town could be seen just past the river in some areas. Large boulders bordered the east, signifying the path to the crevasse fields on the way to Sacred Lake. Breezes of salted air blew into the plateau from the north, hitting the trees and backside of the southernmost peak and whirling around to find an escape. In a way I wished I could find one, too.
“Wow,” Leint whispered with a low whistle as he dismounted his horse, taking in the nearly finished course in front of us. “People have been busy up here.”
He wasn’t lying. There were flats of land that looked like sparring areas, their borders created with stones and natural ditches. Wooden planks and logs had also been brought, creating raised walkways and climbing walls. Some had netting or ropes hanging in sections. Then there were other areas with painted archer targets at different distances, large woven bags stuffed and scattered throughout, and wooden spikes either upright from the ground to divide or diagonally to contain and corral.
“It’s incredible,” Prince Caulden said, his excited voice carrying in the breeze back to all the Guards.
Haidee gave me a sharp look as we slid from our saddles. We waited for the others to do the same, letting them walk forward toward the royals while we stayed back near the horses. She stepped to my side. “What is going on?”
A simple question for everything that had happened during the time we’d been apart. But I knew the main concern pertained to Xavyn.
I looked toward the eastern horizon, wondering if he was there somewhere watching, now with an even bigger target on his back. “He’s not exactly what I thought he was,” I whispered, looking everywhere but directly at her to conceal our conversation. “He can change.”
“So they were right about what he looked like?”
“In a way. He can look human, but he can also look like me if he’s close enough.”
With a single glance her way, I could see
the pull in her brow, the trouble in her eyes. She remained quiet.
“I can’t go into detail. Just trust me when I say that he’s not here to kill anyone. He’s looking for answers to what the queen is searching for. We think it has to do with the lake.”
“The lake?”
“They keep asking questions about it all. There’s something else going on. We know it.”
“We?” she hissed and boldly turned to stare directly at me. “What does that mean, Vala?”
I shook my head, denying what she hadn’t outright asked. “It’s not like—”
“Ahem.” Captain Baun cleared his throat not far in front of us, his head turned, eyes flashing, the lines in his forehead creasing to show his irritation.
We both stepped farther forward, no longer able to speak. All the information I wanted to tell her would have to wait until she had her next break from Caulden, time alone to visit me at Saireen’s house.
“I’m still not sure why you feel you must send your limited amount of people to accompany him,” Queen Meirin said, then took a sip of water—or wine—from a flask handed to her by her guard. He was one of the taller ones, with golden hair much like her own. Though, with her hair knotted securely on the top of her head for today’s trip, her height beat his.
“While I trust your guards, Meirin, I’m not about to send my son off this island without his own people when assassination attempts have been made,” Queen Havilah replied, though I doubted she had any trust in them at all. She kept her eyes on the course, not bothering to look at anyone.
“After the Trials, we should keep this intact, Mother. I’m sure all the Guards would enjoy having this additional place to train. I wouldn’t mind it myself,” Caulden said, eyeing the activities he clearly wanted to test before the Trials even took place.
“I’m sure you’ll like what we have at the palace back home too,” the princess said, threading her arm through his. “It is very much like this one, but even more obstacles involved. It is a test to achieve the highest positions on our own guard.”