A Sword of Fortune and Fate: Dare Valari Book 1

by Devyn Jayse

  I waited until midday then realized that neither my father nor my sister was coming to bid me goodbye. I was sure my sister would want to but would probably have been ordered by my father or her husband not to see me. Even though I knew that, I was still hurt.

  I had guessed I wouldn't see Opal because I rarely saw her even when my father was around. Whether she came or not didn't make a difference.

  Also, I knew my other friends in court would stay away to avoid being associated with my troubles. Their parents were likely to have given them strict orders to avoid contact with me.

  That's why, when a knock came at the door, I was taken aback.

  My heart leaped in my chest. Gwen made it after all.

  I pulled open the door and felt the smile slide off my face as I saw my sister's maid, Nura.

  She was carrying a long package wrapped in fabric. "Lady Darelynn, this is from Lady Gwendolynn." She handed me the parcel.

  I unwrapped it and found a small pouch. From its weight and the way the items inside shifted, I knew it held coins. I would open it later. I looked at the other item within, which was wrapped.

  "She couldn't come here herself, but she wanted you to know that she was thinking of you."

  I unfurled the fabric and found a sword and sword belt. The blade was a beautiful piece, sleek and deadly. It felt right between my fingers, as if the creator had known exactly how to mold it to fit my hand perfectly.

  "Where did she get this?" I asked in wonder.

  "It was supposed to be your nameday gift. She's had it hidden away for some time. She says to conceal it before you leave the castle." I thanked her for delivering the gifts and buried the sword deep in my large valise.

  Realizing I didn't have to wait until sundown, I looked around my room and decided the time to leave had come.

  I stepped outside my room. The halls were crowded with people. Everyone seemed to have heard the news, and people craned to catch a glimpse of the exiled one.

  My father and sister were nowhere in sight. I knew Father was keeping his distance so that the stain of my exile didn't spread to him. He would hate to have those whispers aimed at him. I ignored the people gawking as I made my way to the castle entrance, but I noted the faces I knew.

  Things were much the same as I walked through the castle courtyard, but there the guards were the ones turning to look at me and common people mimicking the stares others gave me. They were probably wondering who I was to garner that much attention. News would trickle to them later, as it always did. I would probably become the bad example mothers held up to their children.

  As I stepped through the castle gateway, I realized I hadn't thought to take in my last look of the place I had called home. I paused and turned back. Things were going back to normal. People had dispersed, but the guards still stood at attention, watching me carefully. I studied the gray stone walls and wondered at my own numbness. It didn't feel as though that was going to be the last time I would see the castle.

  I turned away and moved toward the town.

  9

  The only times I had visited town was when Tobin and I sneaked out of the castle. The castle was large enough that visits outside the walls were unnecessary. Anything worth finding was within the walls. Those outings stopped when he became a guard. He didn't have time to run away to town.

  To get to town, one had to walk a long, winding way down the road. At one point, the road forked. Keeping to the right, one would be able to walk straight to town and to the port. One who chose the left path would make faster time reaching the outer territories.

  I passed a number of people making their way to and from the castle. Everyone who saw me greeted me with a smile though their eyes darted to the valise I carried. They had no idea they were greeting a disgraced noblewoman. I wondered how they would have treated me had they known.

  By the time I made it to the end of the road, my arm was beginning to hurt from the weight of the valise.

  "Excuse me," I asked the nearest woman, who was struggling to keep her youngest from running off. "Do you know where I could find The Green Ferret?"

  She pointed, and I continued along that way. All the people who passed me smiled or nodded in greeting. Walking around in town in a dress felt strange since I had always come into town before in a tunic and trousers, masquerading as a boy.

  I wondered what they thought of me when they looked at me. From the way they eyed my valise, I believed that not many of them came across women carrying heavy items through town. As I continued on my way, I stopped occasionally to ask for further directions to The Green Ferret. Everyone I asked was polite and helpful. Some offered to accompany me, but I turned down their offers.

  The houses in town were different from those in the castle. They were not clustered by one another, coming in all colors and sizes--small, average, large. Everyone looked content and prosperous. The homes were well kept and gardens neat and tidy.

  Finally, when I thought my arm was going to give out from the weight of the valise, I reached The Green Ferret. It was a medium-sized inn with a ferret wearing a green hat painted on a wooden placard outside.

  I stepped in and looked around, finding several lounge seats. A couple sat across from each other in one of them. The rest were empty, other than an armchair closest to the door. The man sitting there looked up at my entrance and made his way over to me, a wide smile on his face.

  "Good afternoon," he told me. "I'm the innkeeper. How may I help you?"

  "Good afternoon. I'm Lady Darelynn. I'm looking to take a room. I'd need it for some time, and I can pay you up front," I replied. I would have to find the means to pay for my rooms in the future, but I had enough coin to stay at a decent inn for some time.

  The innkeeper's smile slid off his face, replaced by a nervous expression. He licked his lips. "Unfortunately, we don't have any rooms available."

  My eyebrows met in a frown as I looked around me. The place looked empty.

  "Are you sure?" I asked. I had no reason to suspect he would be lying, but his reaction had been strange.

  "My regrets, Lady Darelynn."

  I thanked him and asked him for directions to The Honeycomb Inn. His eyes darted when I asked, and I wondered if he would give me bad directions, but his directions were true.

  The innkeeper at The Honeycomb Inn had the same reaction as the one at The Green Ferret, so did the one at the Spruce and Ivy. They greeted me with smiles until I told them my name, then the smiles were replaced by apologies and regrets.

  Someone must have told the innkeepers not to give me a room.

  Only one person would have done that--the prince.

  "Would you recommend any other place for me to try?" I politely asked the innkeeper at the Spruce and Ivy. I didn't want to waste my time walking from place to place, only to be turned down. My feet and arm were aching.

  "I've heard that most of the reputable inns in town are fully occupied. Someone came by and bought out all the rooms for the foreseeable future."

  I wondered when Prince Jasper had sent his men to do that--probably as soon as I had defied him. He would want to make my exile as miserable as possible.

  The innkeeper hesitated. "But I haven't heard of them reaching the outer neighborhoods."

  "Outer neighborhoods?" I asked, a small frown on my face. I knew of the outer territories but not the outer neighborhoods.

  "The Blights," he replied bluntly.

  "Oh."

  The Blights.

  I had heard of the Blights, where crime and corruption ran rife. I'd never been there, of course. The only thing I knew about the Blights came from rumor and talk around the court. Despite the king's attempts to curb the negative influences, the crime in the Blights thrived, and that was where undesirables congregated.

  I'd heard talk that the poison Lady Rendurian used to murder her cheating husband had been bought in the Blights. Only the desperate and dangerous lived in those parts.

  "I wouldn't send my daughter there,
but if you had to go, I would recommend you try The Rebel Hare. It's the best of the worst."

  "Thank you," I replied.

  I walked outside and stood in the sunshine for some time, thinking about what I had just learned.

  So the prince wanted me to go to the most dangerous area in the kingdom. I wondered what was he hoping would happen. My reputation was already in tatters due to my exile. I was friendless, alone, and without any shelter. This was probably what he wanted, for me to be scared. He had no limits to his cruelties. If he thought he could worry me, he was wrong. I looked down at my outfit. Even I knew that going to the Blights dressed as I was would be asking for trouble.

  A horse whinnied within the inn's stable. I walked inside to see three stalls. The horse snorted at me.

  "Don't worry, I won't be long." I told her.

  Stepping into the nearer empty stall, I opened my valise and took out the sword I had hidden within. I changed out of my dress and into my tunic and trousers, then I strapped on my sword belt and placed my sword into its scabbard. I was about to step back out but noticed my heavy braid across my back.

  My long hair was going to give me away.

  Back when I'd sneaked out with Tobin, I would hide my long hair under my cape or a hat. I didn't have a hat available, and I would attract attention if I walked around in daylight with a hood over my head.

  Only one solution to my problem existed.

  Without overthinking my decision and before I lost my nerve, I took my sword and hacked at my braid. It dropped to the ground and long locks fell to my feet. I cut away at my hair until it cupped my head.

  My fingertips brushed through my hair, smoothing it into place. The longest strand was now the length of a finger. My head felt lighter, and the back of my neck was cold.

  If the prince had sent people to seek me out, I doubt they would recognize me as Lady Darelynn.

  I dragged some hay over my shorn hair, covering it up. I packed all my items again into my valise, at the last moment I included my fallen braid, and walked out of the stables.

  Anyone who might have been watching would have seen a lady step into the stable and a youth walk out.

  10

  I walked away from the town with the air kissing at my neck, my head feeling light. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through my short hair knowing it would draw attention.

  A boundary stretched between the town and the Blights, where the street stopped as if the town didn't want to touch anything to do with its disreputable neighbor. The area was grassy, with a well-worn path between the street from town and the street in the Blights.

  Walking onward, I reached the cluster of buildings on the outskirts of the Blights. They were old and falling apart, with broken windows and gaping doorways that gave them a neglectful and unkempt air. I could feel eyes watching me from the windows, but when I looked, no one was there.

  As a shiver ran through my body, I clutched my valise more tightly while the other hand went to my sword for reassurance.

  Continuing down the street between the abandoned buildings, I noticed refuse littering the street. None of it was rotting, but people clearly left things wherever they wanted, keeping them exposed to the elements.

  I reached a split in the street. To my right, the street narrowed, leading to a group of low buildings crammed together. People were milling outside. To my left was a long stretch of road with no people. I decided to head toward the people.

  Keeping aware of my surroundings, I walked with confidence, hand steady on my sword hilt, the other carrying my valise. The street I had chosen had different alleyways on both sides.

  Whereas the houses in town had been taken care of, the ones here were worn down. Gardens grew haphazardly, out of control.

  Most people looked furtively at me. A couple of youths gave me outright stares, eyes lingering on my freshly shorn hair. Their eyes widened at my sword, peeking out from under my cape.

  Unlike in town, where I had been greeted with smiles and nods, here I was met with silence and stares.

  Things were clearly different in the Blights.

  A door opened suddenly on my right, and a man stumbled out. A waft of smells and sounds of glasses clinking floated out behind him. He gave me a glare, spat on the ground, and turned away. I looked up at the faded sign identifying it as The Honest Tavern. I doubted that very much.

  My stomach grumbled suddenly. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten. Did I eat today? Was it yesterday? Since my stomach had woken, it could not be silenced.

  I could go in and grab a bite. I could observe the residents of the Blights at my discretion. My arm could use the rest. I would seek out The Rebel Hare after my meal.

  That's what I thought, anyway.

  11

  I pulled open the door and entered The Honest Tavern. Immediately, a strange combination of smells assaulted my senses: ale, stew, horses.

  I blinked a few times while my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting within. Everyone turned to look at whoever had let in the sunshine. Muttering arose as they took in my appearance.

  I wondered again how awful my hair looked.

  Though my heart was racing, I walked nonchalantly to the nearest empty table and took a seat, looking at the leftovers of the previous occupant, a couple of dishes and a mug of ale. I turned back to peruse the crowd. Many of them had turned back to what they were doing, but a few were still giving me some hard stares.

  A couple of barmaids were bringing dishes out to people at tables. One of them noticed me and turned to make her way toward me when a tall man with a belly as round as a pregnant woman's held her arm. He said something to her, and she looked at me and turned away.

  He moved toward me and stood at my table. "You're in the wrong place."

  "Am I?" I made a point of looking around. "I thought this was the right place for someone to have a meal."

  "I don't think it's the right place for you to have a meal."

  "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is the food bad, then?" I pushed at the half-empty dishes in front of me.

  His face flushed. "It would be best for you to leave."

  "I have coin, if that's the problem."

  "We don't serve the likes of you here."

  I frowned, wondering if my hair was the problem. I ran my fingers through the short strands self-consciously.

  "Do you need a hand, Horace?" a drunken voice asked.

  Horace scowled, turned to the other man, and growled, "Thamir, if the day ever comes when I need your help, I'll gut myself."

  "It looks like you need help," Thamir drawled. Other voices rose in agreement.

  I was attracting attention, which was the opposite of what I had wanted. I rose to my feet, making sure to pick up my valise."I've decided to leave."

  Other places to dine had to be more hospitable.

  I walked past all the eyes and pushed open the door, blinking against the sudden onslaught of sunlight. My stomach growled.

  All right, let's see if the tavern owner at The Rebel Hare is as welcoming as this one, I said to myself.

  A beggar lay sprawled against the building. He hadn't been there earlier. A drunk from his smell, he'd likely been tossed outside once he'd had his fill and finished his coin. Considering him safe enough to ask directions, I nudged him with my foot until he opened a bleary eye.

  "Where can I find The Rebel Hare?" I asked.

  Without speaking, he raised an arm and pointed in the direction I had been heading before my untimely stop. I tossed a coin in his direction. Just because I couldn't get food or drink at the tavern didn't mean someone else couldn't.

  Two women paused at the mouth of an alley ahead of me, peered in, and picked up their speed, making their way toward and past me.

  I didn't have much time to wonder what had caught their attention. As soon as I reached the point where they had stopped, I heard raised voices.

  I paused.

  I peered in but couldn't see anything with the alley curving around
a building.

  "Stop!" The voice was female and young and sounded scared.

  Several boys laughed.

  "If you don't keep away from me, my brother will be upset."

  "And why would you tell your brother about your slipping and getting hurt? Do you want him to know how clumsy you are?"

  Knowing better than to go into an alley unprepared, I slipped a short dagger from my belt. I kept it in my hand behind me, my other hand still carrying my valise. I stepped into the alley, making my way around the short bend until I came across the source of the voices. Three boys had surrounded a young girl. I couldn't see much of her above their heads.

  "What's going on here?" I asked.

  The boys spun to stare at me. They were about Micah's age, but where Micah was clean and well fed, they had lean frames that showed they had known hunger. They all had the same mean look to their faces, like a pack of wild dogs around a hare.

  One of them curled his lips and asked, "What's it to you?"

  "Do you need help?" I asked the girl. She looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years of age.

  She was shorter than the boys but pulled herself together and stood taller at my words, drawing her red coat together. She was proud but not proud enough to let it affect her safety.

  "Yes, if you can offer it," she said politely.

  After placing my valise firmly on the ground, I rested my hand on my sword, drawing the boys' attention to it. That was merely a distraction while I reached with my other hand to the dagger hidden within my cape. A sword wouldn't do in close combat. Daggers were better, easier to maneuver. Letting your opponents know you had bigger weapons at your disposal was helpful, though--or so Tobin had told me. My throat tightened at the thought of him.