by Avril Sabine
The front door burst open before she could speak and Hurrin entered. Jurn spun to face his father and his bag dropped to his feet. Hurrin swore and strode across the room to grab his son by the front of his shirt. “I told you to stay away from her. You idiot.” He pushed his son from him and turned to Shadow, a ball of flame appearing in his hand.
“No.” Jurn shoved at his father, throwing him off balance so the fireball hit the floor.
Shadow grabbed a handful more of the letters and ran across the room as she bundled them up. “Jurn. Run.”
They didn’t even make it to the front door that slammed shut, a glimmer of magic visible to Shadow. She turned to face Hurrin who was now magic hid, his eyes on his son as another fireball started to form in his hands. The letters held in one hand, she reached for her knife.
“He’s warded against metal.” Jurn’s gaze flickered around the room.
“You’ll pay for your disloyalty.” The ball of fire was fully formed in Hurrin’s hand.
“I have already. For years.”
Shadow threw herself at Jurn as the fireball flew through the air. They landed together in a tangle of limbs. She quickly scrambled away, still holding the letters and knife. She slid the roll of letters through her belt at the small of her back, watching as another fireball started to form. “Another fireball’s coming.”
“Where is he?” Jurn was on his feet. He pulled out the knitting needles, holding one out to Shadow. When she took it, he took her knife.
Shadow described the location, then yelled, “Fireball.” They both dived out of the way.
Jurn pressed Shadow’s knife against his inner arm. “Catch.” He tossed the knife to her. “I hope that’s personal enough. Use the needle on the door. Run.” He threw himself at his father, the needle held out like a dagger.
Shadow flung herself at the door, running the wooden knitting needle across the magic, pulling the door open as it evaporated. Behind her she heard Hurrin roar and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. A cry of pain from Jurn followed her into the hallway as she raced away, the knife and needle both clutched tightly. She slid the needle into her boot, reaching for the lock of Thornton’s hair in her belt pouch. With a glance behind her, she let the tingle in her fingers take her into a vision. The moment she saw where he was she let it go, racing through hallways.
She burst into the room where he sat playing cards at a table with three men, his guards rushing towards her. “Thornton.” She pulled the knife back when a guard would have grabbed it. “Call them off.”
Thornton rose to his feet, waving the guards away, striding towards her. “What’s wrong?”
Shadow pulled out the magic hid letters. “Who can make things visible again? Where can we talk? Alone.”
Thornton turned to the three men. “Leave. Now.”
They didn’t even protest, scooping up their gold as they rose to their feet and hurried from the room.
Thornton waited until they’d left. “What’s wrong?”
Shadow moved to the table, words pouring out of her as she laid the letters down. She rubbed the back of her hand across her face, surprised to find tears. “We have to save him, Thornton.”
Thornton pointed to the table. “Read them to me.”
“We don’t have time.”
“The important bits. The sections that made you realise Hurrin was behind my kidnapping.”
Shadow shuffled the letters, the knife still clutched tightly in one hand. She read through the relevant sections then turned to Thornton. “Hurrin, his brother Alton who’s chasing Carson and his brother-in-law Demas all have to be stopped. But Jurn’s not part of it. Hurrin attacked him. It was because none of their children have magic. They wanted to make sure their family remains powerful. Vin isn’t part of this either.” She had found out that Vin was Demas’ son and Jurn’s cousin. “We have to help Jurn.”
Thornton turned to one of his guards. “Fetch my father, Dore and the advisers. Urgently.”
Shadow paced while everyone was collected. She glared at them when they finally arrived and spent too long arguing. She pressed her fingers to the blood drying on the knife and sunk into the vision when her fingers tingled. She gritted her teeth when she saw Jurn was unconscious and thrown over a horse like a sack, blood dripping into the puddles of water they walked through in a narrow tunnel.
She turned to Thornton. “Where do I find a tunnel tall enough for a man to walk through leading a horse beside him, puddles of water, and barred gates at regular spaces?”
“There’s tunnels under the city, but all the entrances and exits should be guarded,” Thornton said.
“How do I get in them?”
“You can’t go alone. We’re sorting this out.” Thornton stepped towards her. “Be patient a little longer, Shadow.”
She shook her head. “He’s dying. Losing blood constantly. He saved my life so I could tell you. Are you going to let him die too?” She met his eyes, not feeling even a little guilty when she saw him flinch.
“You’ll get him killed if you rush in unprepared,” Dore warned.
“You won’t see them without me. Guards will be useless and he’s protected against metal. There’s only three of them. Hurrin, Jurn and a woman.” She described the woman.
“Lida, Hurrin’s wife. She has magic skill too,” Dore said.
“How do I get into the tunnels?” Shadow demanded.
Dore stared at her a moment longer. “The moment he sees you, he’ll know we’re there. You’ll get Jurn killed.”
She shook her head. “No. You have to remain hidden. I’ll find a way to show you where he is. He won’t expect you. I’ll tell him no one believed me because his letters are still magic hid and no one could see them.”
“Which tunnel are they in?” an adviser asked.
“How would I know?” Shadow asked.
“Each gate is different. At the top. You need to tell me what’s at the top of a gate,” Thornton said.
Shadow nodded and fingered the blade of her knife. It took a moment for the vision to start and several minutes before Hurrin led his horse through a gate. She let go of the vision. “A metal leaf with a curved rod of metal under it.”
“I know where that comes out,” Thornton said. “A clearing in a thickly wooded area. But the sun will be in our eyes. He’ll have the advantage.”
“No he won’t.” Shadow stared at the knife and a smile slowly formed. “The shadows will be long. If I come at him from the right angle and threaten him with my knife I can mark the ground where his feet are.”
Dore clapped her on the shoulder. “You mark him, I’ll kill him.”
“It’ll have to be with wood. He’s warded against metal,” Shadow reminded him.
“Never thought I’d see the day when I wanted a knitting needle.”
Shadow grinned at Dore and withdrew the sharpened one from her boot. “I only have the one, but I guess you’re not planning on making a baby bonnet.”
Dore chuckled before he beckoned a guard forward. He gave him orders to have Hurrin’s brother-in-law found and imprisoned and horses readied. Within minutes they were racing towards the location. Shadow, Thornton, Dore and a handful of soldiers. Shadow wished Iain was with them. She didn’t know the soldiers she waited with, didn’t know if they were trustworthy.
When the sound of the grate opening reached her, Shadow rushed into the clearing, the knife at her side. “Let him go.” None of her fear touched her words.
Hurrin stopped in mid stride, dropping the reins of the horse to bring his hands up. “Tell them to come out or I’ll kill him.” He nodded towards his son as a fireball formed in his hand.
“They didn’t believe me, but I don’t need them.” She raised the dagger, letting the tip of its shadow touch Hurrin’s feet. “I’m going to kill you all on my own.”
Hurrin laughed, the sound cut off by the knitting needle piercing his stomach. He swore and pulled it out, throwing it on the ground, but it was enough to break th
e spell. Dore and the soldiers poured out of the trees and quickly disarmed Hurrin and tied him up.
Shadow ignored everything to check on Jurn, tugging him from the horse and struggling to lower him to the ground. It wasn’t as gentle as she’d hoped, but it jolted him awake and he groaned, blinking up at her. “You’re alive.”
Jurn groaned again. “I won’t be if you keep throwing me around.”
Shadow couldn’t resist smiling at him, her finger tentatively checking the cut on his forehead.
Jurn hissed and pulled back from her. “Watch it.”
“Shadow.” Dore stopped beside her. “We need you to find Lida.”
“But Jurn-”
“Now.” Dore turned to a soldier. “Watch the lad. Protect him.”
Shadow stared to rise, but Jurn grabbed her hand and tugged her to him. “She causes pain. That’s her speciality. Don’t get close. She isn’t protected from metal.”
“Thanks.” Shadow rose to her feet and hurried after Dore. It wasn’t hard for Shadow to find Lida in the darkness of the tunnel. The glow of her magic was a beacon. “Lida.” The woman turned at the sound of her name.
“I didn’t know.” Lida spread her hands in front of her, slowly walking towards Shadow. “I wasn’t part of this.”
There was no sun to help her show Dore where Lida was. “Don’t come any closer.”
“Show yourself,” Dore ordered. He handed the crossbow to Shadow. “Or I give the order to shoot you in the leg. She’s hit nearly every bullseye, but there’s been a few that have landed astray. So I can’t guarantee you’ll survive the order.”
Lida took another step forward. “I had to go with him. He stole our son. What else could I do?” Her hands spread further apart and tilted slightly forward.
Shadow wasn’t taking any chances. “One more step and I don’t wait for the order to shoot.”
“One more step and you can shoot,” Dore said.
Lida smiled, leaping at them, forcing her hands forward as if she threw something. Shadow fired at the movement, the bolt embedding itself in Lida’s hip a second before the pain hit Shadow and Dore.
Dore roared for soldiers, Shadow gasped as she struggled to hold onto the crossbow. The pound of feet behind her made her press herself against the cold damp wall of the tunnel so she could keep an eye on Lida and see who ran towards her. Two soldiers raced past to grab Lida who lay screaming in the puddles, blood darkening the already dark liquid. The lanterns the soldiers carried sent crazy splashes of light in all directions.
Shadow held the crossbow out to Dore as the pain started to subside and when he took it she forced her feet to carry her outside.
“You’re fine?” Thornton reached out to her.
She pushed him away, shaking her head, then nodding. Her eyes sought out Jurn. She stumbled to his side and dropped down next to him. “She’s still alive.”
“They were both in on it. I heard them in the tunnels. That’s why he pushed me so hard. They needed a soldier loyal to them for everything to work. Why would they think I’d be loyal to them?”
“Because they don’t understand that fear doesn’t inspire loyalty.” She held out her knife.
Jurn shook his head. “I didn’t know if it’d work.” He ran a hand over his short brown hair. “Unless I shaved it there was no way I could give you some hair. Not that I had time for shaving.”
“You can’t get more personal than blood.” Jurn looked behind Shadow and she turned to see Lida escorted from the tunnel. “I’m sorry.” She turned back to him.
“You didn’t make them do it.”
Before Shadow could answer, Dore joined them. “Yours, I believe.” He held the knitting needle out to Shadow. When she took it, he moved away.
Shadow looked at the dark stain on the timber. “I’m not sure you’ll want this one back.”
Jurn reached out and took hold of the needle. He tugged on it when she continued to hold it. “I want this one.” He continued to meet her gaze and she finally let go.
Thornton joined them, facing Shadow. “What happened to a little warning before all hell broke loose.”
“I’ll see if I can arrange that next time.”
“I hope next time doesn’t come too soon.” Thornton turned to Jurn. “Let’s get you to a healer. Looks like you might end up with a scar on your forehead.” He grinned. “I hear the ladies like a few scars. Ask Dore.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Dore ordered as he reached Thornton’s side. He turned his gaze from Jurn to Thornton. “And you need to get back to the city so we can all leave.”
Shadow looked at the knife she still held before she turned to Thornton. “I don’t suppose you have another handkerchief.”
He handed it to her. “Maybe I should start carrying several at a time.”
Shadow grinned as she wiped the blood onto the handkerchief, rising to her feet. She couldn’t help thinking about the one Krisa had been going to leave her as an excuse. Maybe she should ask her for it. “Hopefully I won’t need any more.” She tucked the handkerchief into her belt pouch and her knife into her boot before she held out a hand to Jurn.
He stared at her hand a moment before he took it and let her pull him to his feet. “You saved my life. How am I meant to repay that?”
Thornton held his hand out to Jurn who hesitantly took it. Thornton shook his hand. “Welcome to the club.”
Chapter Forty-One
Shadow knocked on the door to Jurn’s room across from hers. There was no answer. Maybe he was already at the training grounds, but why hadn’t he called for her first, like the past days. Was it because it was their last day? She wasn’t going to hold it against him that he was better with a sword than she was.
Reaching into her belt pouch she pulled out the bloodstained handkerchief and tried to see where Jurn was. The vision took a moment to form. He was on the battlements, staring at a knife in his hand. His head came up and he looked around. Shadow quickly let the vision fade and ran through hallways trying to find her way to the battlements. She had to ask for directions twice.
She burst out the door, onto the battlements, coming to a halt beside Jurn. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for the sunrise.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not planning to kill yourself are you? Don’t listen to any of those idiots. Marsh is the biggest idiot of all. People will soon realise you’re not a traitor.”
“I can’t stay here. At the castle. No one’s going to forget while I’m here.”
“Tell me you’re not going to kill yourself,” she demanded.
Jurn finally met her eyes. “Why?”
“I didn’t go to the effort of saving you so you could kill yourself.”
“And that’s it?”
She shook her head slowly. “I have no idea what you’re asking. I hope you’re not expecting me to pledge my love to you because that’s Carson’s. We’re friends. At least I hope so. Although with the way you tried to kill me at training yesterday I’m not completely sure.”
Jurn grinned. “Friends. That’ll do.” He tucked the knife away. “How do you do it?”
“What?”
“The rumours. The conversations that stop when you enter a room. People thinking you’re scum.”
“Hold your head up.” She grinned. “And find someone who’ll let you burn up some of your anger in sword and knife fights.”
Jurn chuckled. “What are you doing after training today?”
“Not knitting a baby bonnet.”
Jurn looked skyward. “Then we’d better move before we’re late.”
Shadow nodded and strode alongside him as they headed to the training grounds. They arrived with plenty of time and Shadow put a hand on Jurn’s arm when he would have answered Marsh’s comment with a punch. She looked pointedly at where Dore was walking towards them and Jurn relaxed slightly.
“Attention.” Dore tossed the ball of wool into the air as he watched them line up. “I’ll be judging
you today. Each and everyone one of you will compete against the other. Hand to hand, daggers, sword fighting and crossbow shooting. We start with the crossbow.”
Shadow did well with the crossbow, as she expected. Hand to hand was worse than she thought it’d be, but she did well with dagger fighting. Sword fighting didn’t look like it was her skill either, but at least she didn’t lose straight away. Then the only one she had left to fight was Jurn and she felt like saying forget it. They all knew what the outcome would be. But she couldn’t bring herself to give in.
And then she was forced to wonder if Jurn was the one giving in. Her eyes narrowed and she moved back, lowering her sword.
“What are you doing?” Dore demanded.
She ignored Dore, stepping forward to Jurn, her sword still lowered. “Don’t do this. You’re not even trying,” she hissed at him.
He kept his voice low. “I owe you this.”
She shook her head. “You owe me better than this. I don’t want it because you’re not trying. I need to earn it. I don’t want anyone to say I bought my place.”
“Sorry-”
“Forget it. You aren’t the only one who’s said that. Now fight me. Like you want to win.”
“If you two don’t start fighting I’m going to fail you both,” Dore bellowed.
Shadow grinned. “If you don’t fight me like you mean it, I’m throwing my sword down.”
Jurn nodded and stepped back, raising his sword. Shadow, still grinning, did the same. Then the real fight began and Shadow could barely keep up. She was forced to defend, attack only directed at her. By the time she was disarmed, they were both breathing heavily, but Shadow was still on her feet.
Jurn stepped forward and held out his hand. He smiled at her when she shook it. “Give it a couple of years and you might have a chance to beat me.”
“Give it a couple of years-” she stopped and shook her head. “Nah, not even then you’d be able to beat me with a crossbow.” She grinned as she turned away and picked up her sword.
“Fall in.” Dore stood, stance wide, hands clasped behind his back. When they were in line, he brought the ball of wool forward and pointed it at Marsh. “You’re out.”