by Aja James
Valerius couldn’t stop looking at Rain in her civilian clothes. Because she was so thin and weakened, she needed extra layers to keep her temperature up. This day she chose to wear a white over-sized cashmere and rabbit hair sweater over black skinny jeans and white calve-high gigantic furry boots. Completing her look was a thick, luxurious red scarf, bright blue wool coat, furry white gloves and a matching knitted cap to hide her startling white mane.
She brought to mind a long-haired kitten, and she looked all of twelve years old.
“Let’s take Boylston Street and go through the Garden and the Commons,” Rain said as they rounded Prudential. “It’s my favorite walk in Boston.”
“Why?” Valerius asked. He never took notice of scenery or sights. He had a duty, and everything else was irrelevant. But seeing Rain’s obvious enthusiasm, he became curious about the cityscape for the first time.
“Because I love the different architecture you get to see,” Rain answered, her face all but hidden by the fuzzy scarf, “the wide sidewalks and the shops, the people in such different sizes, shapes and colors who come and go, the Swan Boats in the little lake, the dogs running around in the park… I just love it. Makes me feel good to be alive.”
Listening to her talk, Valerius felt her joy vicariously and couldn’t help a smile that dimpled his cheek.
Rain paused in her jaunty steps and stuck a furry gloved finger down the groove in his cheek. “My, but your smile is breathtaking, “she exclaimed, “you should do it more often.” And before Valerius could feel self-conscious, she grabbed his hand in hers and took off again.
Holding hands with Rain, strolling down a bustling city street, like any number of couples who passed them along the way, was an experience Valerius would never forget. He felt so good right now he feared it was only a dream and he’d wake up back on the estate of the patrician couple who had purchased him from the gladiator arena.
“I used to walk every morning for three miles around the West Lake in Hangzhou,” Rain’s words brought Valerius back to the present. “Somehow there’s always something new to see, a new treasure to find.” She sighed longingly for her homeland.
“Would you…” Valerius didn’t know how or whether he could ask her about her past. But he had a burning desire to know more about her, so he decided to just say it, “would you tell me about your human life? You seem to remember it fondly.”
“Oh, that wasn’t during my human life,” Rain replied, “but if you wish to know, then I will tell you my story.”
She looked up at him and he nodded in
confirmation.
“Very well,” she said, looking ahead again as they walked leisurely, side by side. “I was born the daughter of a tea trader from Ningluo Mountain village in the Zhuji county of what is now Zhejiang Province in the southeast region of China. Back then, it was part of the ancient state of Yue. My given name was Xishi.”
Valerius listened to her intently, mesmerized by her soft, lilting voice. He forgot about their surroundings, forgot about the throngs of people who rushed passed them on their way to work. He was so drawn to her tale, he felt transported back in time to her ancient homeland.
“As a child, I followed my father in his travels whenever I could. My mother was very ill, and I am ashamed to say I did not want to be around the sickness, it felt suffocating. Ever loving, she encouraged me to go with my father to keep him company, she said. But as I grew older, I came to realize that she did not want me to see her waste away day after day.”
“We lived a simple life in the mountains, barely aware of the war that was waging between our state and the state of Wu. All I knew was that I loved my father and mother, my pet rabbit Momo and my village friends.”
She smiled fleetingly in memory. It was a sad, haunting smile.
“My mother succumbed to her illness when I was ten. And from that day I vowed to face disease head on, not cowardly hiding in the sidelines. I apprenticed with a local medicine man and learned how to make poultices for all kinds of wounds, brew medicines from rare mountain flowers and roots. I began studying the qi system with him, learning about the energy cycles that create balance within our bodies. I was so passionate about healing I could barely sleep at night for the ideas and theories running through my head.”
Rain took a deep breath before continuing, and Valerius instinctively braced himself for what she was about to tell him next.
“Then one day when I was nineteen, a man came to visit our little cottage. He was a minister of our King Gou Jian, and his name was Fan Li. I was by the river washing sheets when he first arrived. And when I got home, I saw him deep in discussion with my father.”
Rain recalled hiding behind the back door to eavesdrop on their conversation. She’d spied the back of the seated minister, looking extravagant in their humble abode, but balancing gracefully on a wobbly wooden chair as he spoke in low tones with her father.
Sir, at the behest of our King Gou Jian, I have come to request your aid. What’s more, to beg your daughter’s aid.
My daughter? But she is a simple country girl.
Let me start at the beginning, kind sir. As you know, our state has become a tributary to our conquerors, and our King has been bound to serve Prince Fuchai of Wu. The people of Yue and our King are outraged by the loss of our independence and would do anything to reclaim it. And we have a plan.
You see the Prince is enamored of feminine beauty. He… spends an inordinate amount of time in his harem, and depending on who his favorite mistress is at any given moment, so his mood sways. We, that is, our King and the high court, have a plan to control the source of his influence.
We plan to send our own beauty into the palace of Wu to… charm the prince and divert his attention. This agent of Yue will be trained in political intrigues and royal court etiquette. Besides the requisite beauty, she must have cleverness, strength, and most of all, courage.
Are you asking for my daughter? How can this be? How can I possibly agree?
Sir, your daughter’s beauty has become a legend throughout all of Yue. Second only to her compassion and wit. If you – if she – would agree to be our agent in the Wu palace, we could finally have a chance at redeeming our freedom from Wu.
I cannot imagine sending my daughter so far and for such a purpose. She is a simple, innocent girl. Will I be able to see her again?
When the mission is complete we will bring her home to you, but… you must know that there is also the danger of failure.
I cannot ask her to make that sacrifice. I will not. She is all I have left in this world…
“But I went inside then and faced the minister, and I agreed to his plan,” Rain smiled her sad smile again. “You see the Prince of Wu cared not about our people. He raised taxes and sent soldiers to collect them when villagers could not pay. I had treated many patients dying of hunger because they had to send away their own food stocks as tax payment, men old and young who were beaten by the soldiers when they resisted payment. In medicine you have to find the root cause of an illness or injury and address it; soothing the symptoms was not a cure.”
Rain’s gaze hardened with remembered
determination. “I had a chance to vanquish the root of our state’s illness, and I had to take it.”
“So I traveled with Fan Li to the capital, where they dressed me in fine robes and taught me courtly manners. I spent one year learning history, how to write poetry, play the konghou, a Chinese harp, play games that only men were supposed to play, like weiqi
– in short I was trained to be the perfect consort, an entertainer, a confidante, a friend and – lover.”
Rain’s steps slowed as she spoke until she came to a complete stop in the middle of the bridge crossing over the swan lake. She looked up at Valerius and searched his eyes for long silent moments.
Finally she asked, “Shall I go on?”
Mutely he nodded. He must know the rest of her story. He ached for the sacrifice she’d made at such an innocen
t age, even as he swelled with pride at her courage.
She gave him a small smile, as if she were reassuring him, as if she knew that hearing the rest of her tale would not be easy to bear.
“When I was ready, Fan Li took me before Prince Fucai as a tribute gift from Yue. During our journey there, I fell in love with the wise minister, who had been my teacher, my friend, my inspiration. It was an innocent love, I now know, but I did dream about a life together, back in my village, where we’d grow vegetables, fruits and herbs and have a couple of goats and chickens to keep my Momo company. To my joy, and more importantly, hope, Fan Li returned my affections and pledged to me his undying love before we parted ways.”
Involuntarily, Valerius felt a stab of envy, but he tamped it down. He had no right to feel
possessiveness toward her. He was nothing, and she, she was everything.
“I was welcomed into the capital of Wu with enthusiasm that exceeded our wildest expectations. Prince Fucai dismissed Fan Li immediately and took me to his inner court. Very quickly he came to dote on me, I suspect at least partly because I withheld that which he wanted most. But I accommodated him in every other way.”
Valerius did not need clarification.
“Gradually, he began to neglect his sovereign duties, preferring to play games with me instead. He would take me out on carriage rides throughout the city and boast about having me in his treasure trough.” Her lips twisted slightly in a bitter smile. “Ever the businessman, he would charge people gold coins to look at me. But the added income from those fees did not lead him to reduce any taxes on the villagers.”
“Over four years, I wove my spell around him. And though I succeeded in eluding his advances for the first year…” she laughed shortly, “he finally managed to catch me.”
The slight emphasis on the word “catch” shot through Valerius like a javelin. He looked sharply at her and was about to pull her to a stop, when she wrapped both arms around one of his and leaned into him, determinedly dragging him forward.
“Finally, his subjects grew restless with his distractions, and his friends began to desert him. My killing move was to convince him to execute his shrewdest advisor, the great general Wu Zixu. Political chaos ensued and our King invaded the state of Wu, defeated our oppressors and liberated our kingdom.”
“True to his word, Fan Li brought me back home, but my father was no longer among the living. Fan Li asked me to marry him, but I…”
She stopped again and breathed deeply, a little brokenly. Without looking at Valerius she said in a small voice, “Please don’t think me a coward.”
Valerius pulled her roughly against him and enveloped her in his heat. “Never,” he said fervently.
As if his answer gave her the strength to continue, she said, “I was too ashamed by what I had done, what had to be done to ensure Fucai’s favor. I couldn’t marry a good man and live with him and share his bed, not when I knew how unfaithful I’d been.”
She shuddered and sniffed against Valerius’ chest, her voice beginning to shake. “So on the day of our betrothal, I took a walk along the river that ran through my village. The currents were fast and the rocks were sharp. I-I went in to cool my skin from the summer heat, and fell. I-I fell.”
Valerius squeezed her tightly against him, wanting to absorb her pain. So small a woman, so enormous her burden.
After a long silence, Rain breathed more evenly. “When I woke up, I was surrounded by a bright light, and a woman’s voice asked me, ‘If you could be anything in the world, if you were given a new beginning, what would you be?’ And I answered that I wanted to be a healer, I wanted to devote my life to healing others. So now here I am.”
“Here you are,” Valerius agreed quietly. “My heart is glad that you are here.”
At those brief words, Rain’s spirit eased. She hugged the warrior to her tightly, wanting to extend this moment for as long as she could.
Once again, he had healed her.
*** *** *** ***
Upon Valerius and Rain’s return to the Shield that evening, the entire complex was on high alert.
Without pausing to explain, Ayelet pulled Rain by the arm, as soon as she entered the underground passage, toward the Pure One’s military clinic at a dead run. Valerius followed behind and didn’t ask questions.
Whatever was happening was a Code Red emergency.
They rushed down to the wing where they housed wounded chevaliers and trainees recovering from particularly strenuous mock combat sessions and threw the doors open to find Alexandros lying crippled, ashen and unconscious amidst bloody sheets on one of the beds. Rain flew to his side and immediately began to work.
Valerius stood back against the far wall adjacent to patient and Healer and crossed his arms, gritting his teeth. He knew how weak Rain was, he knew what it took from her to heal him, and his comrade was in a much worse condition than he’d been in. This healing process would cost her dearly. It was all he could do to resist pulling her away. But he knew he could not interfere.
This was her power. This was her deepest desire. To heal others, especially those she cherished.
Tristan came to stand beside him, fists clenched, gaze grim.
“We’ve lost Leonidas,” he said roughly.
“Dead or taken?” came Valerius’ stoic response.
“Xandros saw him fall, then he disappeared. We have to assume he’s taken until proven otherwise.”
Valerius nodded grimly. “Ambush?”
“Aye,” the Champion responded, “ten or more assassins. Same breed as the ones who attacked you. Same tricks too, it seems, for their weapons were tipped with poison. The Horde had been destroyed before Leo and Xandros even arrived, by these assassins or someone else, we can’t know for sure. That was all Xandros revealed before he blacked out.”
“We must recover Leonidas when Alexandros revives. Perhaps he will remember more,” Valerius stated with resolve.
Tristan put a hand on his comrade’s shoulder despite knowing how Valerius eschewed physical contact. This time, the warrior didn’t seem to mind.
“We will get him back,” Tristan agreed, his tone not leaving room for any other possibility.
Valerius scanned the room and found the rest of the Dozen present and accounted for. Sophia was chewing on her fingers and watching silently with wet eyes in Ayelet’s arms. Aella and Eveline sat beside Alexandros and held his hands as if trying to give him their strength. Wan’er gave her lady room to do her magic, but stood close enough to assist if need be. Dalair and Orion leaned against the opposite wall, masks of stoicism on their faces to hide their fury and grief.
Seth, however, sat with his head bowed on a bed beside Alexandros’, seemingly deep in thought. And if the muscle ticking in his jaw were any indication, he was wrestling with some grim decisions.
As if feeling himself watched, Seth raised his eyes to meet Valerius’, and the Protector saw that his friend was deeply shaken. Somehow, Valerius knew that it wasn’t just the ambush and the aftermath, it was more.
The Consul appeared permanently changed after his trip to see the Vampire Queen.
Rain’s collapse, like a paper doll folding over Xandros’ considerably healthier looking form, brought Valerius’ focus back to the Healer.
Without a word, he reached her in two long strides, gathered her up in his arms and took her from the clinic, not once looking back.
When he reached the inner chamber of their Enclosure, he locked the double-doors and laid her carefully on the bed. With some frantic rips and tears, he doffed his clothes and joined her under the coverlets, bringing her pale, fragile body into his naked heat.
He rolled onto his back and draped her on top of him, holding her head against his throat, urging her lips to his vein.
“Sweetheart,” he entreated huskily, desperately, “time to feed.”
He began to panic when she held still for long moments, and he could barely feel her breath against his skin. Just when he tensed to leav
e the bed and find his dagger to cut open a vein to feed her himself, she stirred ever so slightly against him, her lips moving before the soft words reached him.
“Let me rest a while,” she murmured groggily, “I am well. Though the General sustained many wounds, the poison was yet freshly in his system. It was not so difficult to neutralize and take out.”
She pressed closer to him and inhaled deeply his scent at his throat and sighed as if it comforted her. “I just need a little nap. I’ll be hungry when I wake up.” He could feel her smile against his skin. “I promise to indulge myself fully with you then.”
Reassured for the time being, Valerius held her close while she slept and felt himself drift into dreamless slumber as her even breathing allayed his fears.
*** *** *** ***
The vampire gazed into the crackling fire and popped a piece of French chocolate truffle between its full red lips, colored by the aged red wine in the glass beside its chessboard.
On one side, the diamond white pieces sparkled brilliantly in the firelight. On the other side, black obsidian pieces reflected a red glow within them, like red flags in the eyes of an enraged bull.
But there was something peculiar about this particular chessboard: the white side had no pawns in the front line. Instead, those eight positions were taken by two more knights, three more bishops and three empty seats. And in the position of the king, there was a pawn in its place. The white side had no king.
The black side, however, was assembled in the traditional array. It seemed like a spectacularly illmatched display. Surely the white had too much advantage.
But then the vampire smiled a knowing smile. Pawns had their uses. And when they reached the last line of the other side, they could become as powerful as queens.
And besides, a knight and a bishop had already been sidelined, and two more white knights had fallen. The vampire carefully took those pieces off the board and arranged them perfectly on the edge of the table between the white and black sides. It surveyed its handiwork with satisfaction.