The Stones of Kaldaar (Song of the Swords Book 1)

by Tameri Etherton

  “Leave, Ebus.” When the man left, Rhoane apologized for the intrusion.

  She threw her sword on her cot. “Why keep it from me?”

  “I did not want you to worry. Ebus is able to see this assassin when others cannot, and right now, that puts us at an advantage.”

  “As long as he doesn’t try to sneak in here without telling me, I guess it’s okay.” She yawned and sat on the edge of her bed. “I’m exhausted.”

  Rhoane sat next to her, rubbing her back. “Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we will be one day closer to the Crystal Palace.” He kissed her forehead and then scooped up Kaida, setting the pup in Taryn’s lap. “I do not mind saying, I envy that beast.” After another light kiss for her and a pat for Kaida, he left the tent with a promise to send in Sabina.

  The grierbas pup snuggled next to her, warming her, but instead of her anxiety decreasing, it amped up. Seven more days on the road until they reached Talaith meant seven sleepless nights filled with stress and apprehension. Even with Ebus around, the assassin could find his way in if he wanted. Darkness was his cloak.

  She sat up, heart pumping against her chest. The assassin had pulled shadows over himself the same way Valterys had at Ravenwood. That’s how he was able to disappear seemingly without a trace. She paced her room, testing her memory to recall exactly how Valterys had done it. She’d been in another room, fevered and delirious; if she’d been near him, maybe she could recreate the effect, but without knowing exactly how he’d used his Dark Shanti it would be dangerous to try.

  Sabina flung the tent flap aside and strode into the room. “If I never have to travel in a carriage again, it will be too soon. You have no idea how uncomfortable it is.”

  “You could always ride with me. I’m sure there’s a spare horse to be found.”

  Sabina scrunched her nose. “Not until I’m better at riding. The few times Hayden’s tried to teach me haven’t ended well.” She rubbed her backside. “I’ll just take more pillows for tomorrow.” Sabina flopped on Taryn’s cot, a hand over her eyes. “Gods, but I’m exhausted.” She propped herself on her elbow, and a frown made delicate creases in her burnished skin. “Do you know, I saw Celia just now. That fool girl is going swimming. In the lake. At night. Gah!”

  “Well, the girl is odd.” Taryn agreed, mind racing. Why the hell would Celia sneak off at night?

  Sabina lay down again, covering her eyes once more, and mumbled about the idiocy of some people. Despite her prowess in the ocean, Sabina had a mortal fear of swimming in a standing body of water.

  Taryn placed Kaida on Sabina’s abdomen. “Look after her.” She grabbed her sword and looked back at her friend, cutting Sabina off before she was able to respond. “I’ll be back soon, but please stay here. And don’t tell anyone I’ve gone.”

  And then she was out of the tent and making her way through the camp with as much speed and care as she could afford. Light from the many fires gave an ethereal glow to the area, making the surrounding woods look even more ominous. Her ShantiMari spread around her, probing for Celia’s presence. When she felt a prick against her power, she pulled back, shrouding it from anyone who might be near. Low voices came from her right, and she turned in their direction.

  Celia stood on the edge of the lake, her cloak billowing in the breeze. It was too hot for a heavy cloak, or even a hood, for that matter, but Celia wore hers low over her face. She spoke rapidly in that manic tone she’d had the other night. Half giggle, half hysteria. The hairs on the back of Taryn’s neck rose, gooseflesh covering her arms.

  Alone on the shore, Celia spoke as if to another. Taryn strained to hear the words, but they were a mumbled mass that tumbled over itself, incoherent. Then Celia stood on tiptoe and bent her head as if being kissed. The moan that came from her was of passion, shared with a lover.

  Taryn stared hard at the air in front of Celia. She could make out no ShantiMari, no telltale threads to give away the mysterious invisible visitor.

  The girl’s cloak slipped to the ground, revealing her nakedness. Deep blue marks covered her body, shifting and settling with her movements. They flared as if being seared into her skin, and the smell of rotting flesh caught on the wind. Taryn gagged, but Celia paid the burns no mind. She writhed and undulated in the air, her body several feet above the ground. Whatever the creature was, it possessed Celia completely.

  A twig snapped to her left, and Taryn froze, her heart pounding in her throat. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ebus crouched low, his eyes intent on her, a bit of broken branch in his hand. She motioned to the shoreline, and he nodded, indicating he too saw what was happening.

  She slowly unsheathed her sword, but Ebus made a cutting motion with his hands. Then put his fingers to his lips. She replaced her sword and sat, hunched in the thicket, sweat coursing down her temples to her neck until Celia and her invisible lover were finished.

  Long after Celia left, they sat there. Finally, Ebus tapped her shoulder. She’d not heard the man move. He jerked his head in the direction of camp, and she followed, careful to not make a racket. His moves were stealthy, his feet touching the ground only long enough to spring him forward, as if he used the breath of air to cushion the sound. When the firelight brightened their path, Ebus whispered in her mind. A tremor laced his words.

  Go to bed, Great Lady. Say nothing of this to your beloved.

  She wavered a moment, unwilling to trust him.

  There is evil at work here. If you tell the prince what you witnessed, he’ll seek justice, and then we’ll never know who is behind that girl’s possession.

  He was right. Rhoane would insist on interrogating Celia, and they’d be no closer to understanding who or what that thing had been. Their only hope of catching it was to use Celia as bait.

  We have to tell Rhoane something. I can’t see what it is. We’ll need his help, his strength.

  I need time to sort this out.His little black eyes danced in the dim light, his nose twitching.Trust me.

  Those two words… How often had she heard them? How many times were they spoken in deceit or in honesty? This time she had no choice. She withdrew her sword, and the dragon wings flared.

  Swear on my sword that you mean me no harm. That your motives are true.

  A panicked, frenzied look crossed his face.I can’t.

  You can, and you will. Do it or I tell Rhoane this minute.

  Ebus reached a tentative hand toward her sword. It hovered above the glittering dragons for a long moment before he sighed and placed his palm against the pommel. When nothing happened he looked up at her with surprised relief.

  Swear, Taryn reminded him.

  I, Ebus, swear fealty to you, Great Lady. May my words and actions always be true to your purpose. May you trust I will never endeavor to cause you harm.

  The dragon wings flared again, fluttering against the night before settling back to their immobile stations. A thread of her ShantiMari snaked up his arm, and he snatched his hand back, rubbing it against his waistcoat.

  That wasn’t so bad, was it?Her hands shook as she replaced the sword. It had gone much better than she’d hoped. They were both living, for one.Whatever Rhoane is paying you, I’ll match it. Keep an eye out for the assassin, but follow Celia, as well. I want to know everything she does.

  Ebus nodded and trotted off, making no sound. Taryn returned to her tent and collapsed on her cot. She couldn’t shake the feeling she’d seen the devil tonight, and somehow, he’d seen her, too.

  Chapter 45

  MARISSA stood over the sleeping Sabina, a pinch of regret tugging at her abdomen. The mongrel pup watched her with solemnity but didn’t growl or yip to give away her presence. She held Taryn’s journal in her hand. An elaborate scrawl written in a language Marissa wasn’t familiar with covered several pages. She tapped the book against her thigh, debating. No, she couldn’t take it. That would alarm Taryn. It was probably nothing more than love sonnets written to Rhoane, and Marissa had no need of reading those.

&n
bsp; She carefully replaced the book where she’d found it and returned to Sabina. She ran a hand lightly over the princess’s sleeping form. This time, Kaida growled a warning that sounded much stronger than her size. Not wanting to try Kaida’s patience, Marissa placed a light kiss on Sabina’s lips and left the tent.

  She kept to the shadows to avoid any unwanted attention. As she rounded the corner to her tent, a hand clamped over her mouth, and she was whisked into absolute blackness. Her scream fell in silent air. A moment later, she was standing on the far side of the lake, staring up at the steely gaze of Valterys. She twisted from his grip and looked around wildly.

  “Blood and ashes, what are you doing here?”

  “Protecting our future. Something you should be doing but, since you are too preoccupied with satisfying your lustful cravings, have woefully overlooked.”

  Marissa could see the tents from where they stood, could see soldiers patrolling the perimeter. If she could see them, they could see her. “We should move this discussion to the trees.”

  Valterys barked a laugh. “They can neither hear nor see us, my darling.” He stroked a finger from her temple to her chin. “While you were visiting my son, I’ve been spending time with your lady-in-waiting.”

  “Celia? Why?”

  “Are you aware of her plans to use the Summerlands girl to bring Kaldaar out of exile?”

  Marissa was agog. Celia? Her Celia? “Impossible. He was banished to the world of nonexistence. There is no return.”

  “False. She’s somehow learned how to do it and is very close to carrying out her plans.” He wrapped an errant curl around his fingertip. “Our lord is most vexed to hear his brother might gain his freedom while he simmers in his prison.”

  A tremble started in her heart and made its way to the tips of her toes. “She wouldn’t. Couldn’t.”

  “Oh, but she would and she has. She’s working with a pathetic twit, but someone else is helping her. I can’t tell who, but they are skilled in the Black Arts. A Master would be my guess.”

  “But why her? Why now?” Marissa glanced back to the encampment. “Is this because of Taryn?”

  “She plays into this somehow, but I’m not sure exactly. From what I’ve learned, Celia’s Master has been grooming her for some time. Several seasons is my guess. The timing of the Eirielle’s return can’t be a coincidence.”

  “For several seasons? I would’ve known.”

  “That’s the tricky thing with the Black Arts. You never know until it’s too late. Celia was lured by the promise of everlasting love.”

  Marissa scoffed. “You’re jesting. Love? She’s jeopardizing everything for something as trivial as love?”

  Valterys’s eyes softened, his breathing deepened. “For some, love is the only thing that matters. For Celia, it’s worth destroying Aelinae.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Marissa fumed. She’d given Celia plenty of love, but it wasn’t enough, apparently.

  “Stop her. Prevent her from carrying out the ceremony. If the vessel is filled, Kaldaar will return and all our plans will be for naught.”

  “What’s this vessel?”

  “That, my darling, is for you to discover. Even Celia doesn’t know for sure.” He looked to where several lights bobbed by the shoreline. “You should be in your tent or they might sound the alarm.” He wrapped her in his embrace, and once again the darkness folded around them.

  Sound returned, and she stood in the center of her tent, alone.

  Celia wasn’t in her cot, a fact that irritated her. The girl was out of control.

  The tent flap opened, and Celia rushed in, out of breath, her hair in disarray. Upon seeing Marissa she knelt before her mistress, kissing her fingertips.

  “Where have you been?”

  “I went for a swim in the lake.”

  Marissa eyed her dry hair, the slight blush to her skin. “You are lying to me, my dove.”

  A frenzied madness lurked in Celia’s eyes. Her cloak slipped to the ground, revealing her trembling, naked body.

  “You were with him, weren’t you? Your mysterious lover?” Marissa ran her hand along Celia’s full breasts.

  “I can’t help it, my lady. When he calls, I feel compelled to join him. I’ve tried to stay away, but I can’t. I’m weak.”

  Marissa knew all too well the pull of Dark Shanti, its intoxication. “What does he tell you when you are together?”

  “He tells me I’m beautiful.”

  Marissa let her fingers trail down the curve of Celia’s belly to the apex of her legs. “And what do you tell him when you are alone?”

  A shudder passed through the girl. Pleasure? Panic?

  “I tell him what he means to me. How he makes me feel.”

  “Is that all?”

  Celia’s gaze darted around the room; an uneasy dance that ended with her eyes rolling up until only the whites could be seen. She collapsed in a heap.

  Marissa leapt back, glancing from left to right for the source of Celia’s ailment. She spread her arms wide, fingers outstretched.“Morn dracthmas kuldirath benyous, soulvalkas teramir.”

  A hiss issued from the unconscious girl, and a moment later the tent filled with blackened smoke. Marissa stared down the face that billowed in the haze. Its unrecognizable features shifted and expanded, its gaping mouth elongating, moving quickly over her until it consumed her and everything went black.

  Chapter 46

  A CHEER went up from the travelers when the Crystal Palace appeared on the horizon, with Taryn adding her voice to the others. The trip had been uneventful, but the amount of apprehension surrounding her was claustrophobic. Ebus kept watch on Celia but had witnessed no other visits. In confidence, he told Taryn about the conversation he’d overheard in Marissa’s tent after Celia’s visit with her phantom lover.

  Ebus didn’t see anyone else enter the tent, but when he heard Celia collapse and Marissa’s hastily whispered spell, he’d known something terrible had happened. Not wanting to expose himself, he’d screamed, high pitched like a woman, calling the attention of a nearby guard. They’d found Marissa unconscious, a dark stain covering her hands.

  It had taken the healers until morning, but Celia and Marissa had recovered, neither remembering anything. After that night, neither woman mentioned the lover again.

  For the remainder of the trip, Taryn had divided her time between riding alongside the younger princesses’ carriage and that of her oldest sister. Despite their claims of amnesia, Taryn suspected Marissa and Celia recalled everything. They’d danced and drank as normal, but a haunted expression hid in the depths of their eyes.

  The entourage crested a ridge and outriders raced to greet them, once again escorting them through the streets of Talaith. Kaida rode in Taryn’s pouch, face and paws hanging out to better see. She barked at the same time a chill ran down Taryn’s spine.

  Baehlon wheeled his horse, scanning the area, as did Rhoane, but they saw nothing. The icy clutch of dread did not leave Taryn as the group continued up the short hill to the palace; only once they were through the gates did Taryn truly let out her breath. She kissed the grierbas on her head, whispering, “Welcome to your new home, Kaida.”

  My home is with you,mi carae.

  “Was that you?”

  Of course. Who did you expect?Kaida’s high-pitched voice sounded much like a small child’s.

  I didn’t know you could speak to me.

  Kaida’s little mouth opened as if she were grinning.It is you who finally learned to speak to me.

  Are we speaking the language of grierbas?

  Of course. What do I know of the language of man?

  Taryn laughed out loud, eliciting strange looks from Hayden and several other riders. She fluffed Kaida’s fur, kissing her again.I love you, my little furball.

  Kaida growled, but with her little muzzle and tiny voice, it came out more like a giggle and not at all threatening.

  Taryn didn’t know who was welcomed less at the palace�
��Lorilee or Kaida. Ellie reserved her opinion, but Cora made it clear neither was appreciated. When she refused to speak to Lorilee or acknowledge Kaida, Taryn had no recourse but to release her from service. Incensed, Cora stormed from her rooms, vowing the empress would hear of Taryn’s actions.

  “You’ve not made a friend with that one,” Lorilee said with no small amount of relief.

  “I think I’ll get over it.” As a precaution, she warded all her rooms to keep Cora out.

  Although little had changed at the palace, her return to Talaith was much different from the first time she’d arrived. She had a household to set up, and with Hayden’s help, within the first week she’d added several members to her staff, including a new maid named Saeko. She blended well with Lorilee and Ellie, but there was something mysterious about the girl that intrigued Taryn. Margaret Tan supervised Taryn’s choice for her House colors and insignia, settling on a silver sun and star pierced by a sword on a midnight blue background.

  Settling into her new role as head of House Galendrin was only part of the challenge Taryn faced on their return. Kaida grew at an alarming rate, her soft puppy fur giving way to a smooth overcoat covering her gangly adolescent body. Despite her insistence that she knew nothing of man’s languages, Taryn spoke to her mostly in Elennish, only using the language of grierbas for private matters.

  Since Taryn refused to leave her penned up in her rooms, she brought her everywhere she went, except formal dinners and feasts, where Lliandra forbade her presence. Her mother’s fear of Kaida becoming a wild beast was unfounded; in truth, Kaida was better behaved than most of the courtiers.

  Taryn spent most of her free time in the library poring over ancient texts, trying to unravel the mystery of what happened between Rykoto and Daknys. Believing that in their story lay the crux of what was happening on Aelinae. She was determined to discover all she could about the prophecies and the Shadow Assassin.