by Brandon Barr
“No,” said Aven. “What do you mean, try anything else?”
“I’ll leave that up to your imagination,” said Daeymara, with a stilted laugh. “Trust me, that girl’s as sexually pent-up as a corked bottle of wine. Vintage and unopened, if you know what I mean.”
A picture of Arentiss stood in his mind. Her petite nose and mouth. Her sharp eyes, almost always so serious. But her face changed when she held his hand, the sharp edges dropping off. The thought of it made him smile.
Daeymara pressed the button for the lift and the door swooshed up. He followed her inside and stopped just within the entrance. She stepped close to him, her shoulder touching slightly against his arm. Her fingers brushed against the side of his hand, then lingered so close he felt their warmth on his skin.
Was Daeymara enticing him to hold her hand? No, that didn’t make sense. She had just been making light of Arentiss for this…or was her laughter only at Arentiss’s awkwardness?
The lift door opened and Daeymara’s finger brushed against his as she exited. Aven felt desire well up inside him, but accompanying it was a cacophony of conflicting emotions. This was not how girls behaved where he came from. Daeymara barely knew him. How could she be so…confident about him? Was this how her culture initiated interest? By this physical touch? Perhaps she intended to talk to him about her feelings now that she had him alone.
“So,” said Aven, coming beside her. “Which way to your room?”
Daeymara smiled warmly. “Follow me.”
Her quarters were just around a bend in the corridor. The door slid open and she whisked past him and spun. “Let me turn down these horrid room lights. Way too bright in here.”
Aven hung by the door, watching Daeymara scurry to get something. To his surprise, Daeymara began lighting candles. The tiny flames springing to life called to him in so many ways. They reminded him of his family, and life in his old hovel. As Daeymara moved about the room, lighting more candles, he was warmed by thoughts of his new farm and hovel, and how superior the firelight would be to the bland glare of the lights in the Gaurdian Tower.
But the lit candles called to him in other ways. He sensed the candlelight’s true purpose, amplified by the occasional glance from Daeymara, and the way her lips communicated her intentions, slanting upward at the left corner.
She wanted kissed. He was almost certain of it.
Again, an inner struggle warred within him. To give in would be awfully disrespectful to Winter. Usurping her role, as well as breaking the traditions of the farmers. But then, Winter was so consumed with her destiny, and eager to travel the stars, did she even intend to make time for matchmaking? But beyond that question was another. He barely knew Daeymara. Something about that felt improper. And…what of Arentiss?
But the desire was there…to get to know Daeymara.
And to kiss her.
He felt frozen.
“Room lights off,” said Daeymara.
The entire room turned to soothing shadows.
One side of Daeymara’s lips curved into a half smile. “So much better,” she said.
“This feels like my old home,” said Aven, more at ease under the gentle glow “You’ll have to take me out to buy candles. I’ll need some for my new hovel.”
“I’d love to take you. Maybe I could come over to see them lit.”
“I would like that,” said Aven.
Daeymara brushed the straight line of hair away from her eye and tucked it behind her ear. She leaned her hip against the footboard of her bed. “Aren’t you going to come in?”
The hum of tension vibrated beneath Aven’s skin. His emotions fought in his chest.
He feigned a look of confusion, as if he were so innocent as to not know what she wanted. But then, did he really know? Did she desire something more than a kiss? He knew so little of other worlds’ customs.
He stepped in a few paces, and the door hatch he’d been standing by swooshed to a close.
Daeymara was alluring. Beautiful. Her parted lips were full and expectant, silently promising things to him.
“This button is so stubborn,” said Daeymara, her hand lamely tugging at a button on her white Guardian shirt while her eyes stayed on his. “Could you help me with it?”
Aven breathed long and deep.
“I should get going. It’s late,” said Aven.
The spark in Daeymara’s eyes dimmed. “You don’t want to stay?”
He hesitated. A part of him longed to stay. But if he did, he felt he would no longer be the same man, with the same goals. He wanted a wife to love. Not something lesser.
“I should return to my room,” said Aven.
Daeymara’s lips pinched together, and she forced a smile. “I think I understand. I have offended you, haven’t I?”
Aven smiled. “No offense. It’s just…our cultures are just very different.”
“How does one get here, uh, to the bedroom, on your world?”
Aven drew his eyes up to the ceiling. “Oh, well…our parents choose a mate for us. But, in my case, my parents are gone, so it is the duty of my sister to find me a mate.”
“So, if anyone wants you, they have to win her over first.”
“Yes,” said Aven. “Winter would have to feel they were a good mate for me. A mate for life.”
Daeymara eased away from the bed and came up to Aven. “You won’t stop speaking to me after this, will you?”
“Of course not,” said Aven with a smile. “I like you.”
She stepped close and looked up at him, the one eye partially obscured by the lock of hair fallen untucked again. “On my world, the idea of mating for life is laughed at, but hearing the concept from your lips helps me see it differently. There is something romantic about that kind of faithfulness. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around, though. What do you do when you want to be intimate with someone other than your mate?”
Aven cleared his throat, the odd question banging around in his head. “We train our mind not to want that.”
“So you just shut off that desire?”
“We turn that intimacy toward our mate.”
Daeymara’s lips spread playfully. “Your farm traditions are so mysterious to me, but also intriguing. Mysterious and intriguing, like you. You said you’re not going to ignore me now, right?”
Aven laughed. “Why don’t we set a date to go buy candles? I’ll need lots for my hovel. And I’d like it if you could come over and help set them up.”
“Damn, you’re sweet,” said Daeymara. “Maybe your sister can come, too. I mean, if I want to keep my options open with you, I’ve got to start with her, right? Flirting with you isn’t going to get me anywhere.” A saucy spark lit in her eye and curved the corners of her lips.
“A good strategy,” said Aven. The awkwardness seemed gone now. He reached out and took her hand. “Goodnight, Daeymara.”
“Goodnight, Aven.”
CHAPTER 24
KARIENCE
Karience sat at her desk, a notice signed by Baron Rhaudius half-crushed in her hand. The fine calligraphy of the disturbing message only served to increase her fury. Nephitus stood quietly, waiting for her to speak. Beside him stood Hawth, the captain of the Royal Protectorate who had served five years heading the Guardian Tower post.
“Their heads were found in the basket with the note.”
She took a second glance at the faces wrapped in bloody cloths. It was Grey Bear and Rabbit, the two farmers she’d ordered the Baron to leave unharmed.
Once this world was chartered, the gruesome act before her would be murder, but until then, it remained the foul justice that ruled the day. Accompanying the heads was the notice. Baron Rhaudius must have known how her blood would curdle at the list of names and signatures penned at the bottom of the paper.
It was a short message. It detailed a grievance being filed against the Guardian order on Loam for her intrusion into the affairs of Baron Rhaudius, who had signed contracts with his farmers. Karience
was being charged with breaking order eighteen of the charter.
She glared up at Captain Hawth, “Is there no one amongst the Royals who would decry this? Is this not a violation of human dignity?”
The captain looked dejected. “Many would find it distasteful, but there is no violation. These two were essentially breaking their contracts by leaving.”
“And I helped them,” said Karience. “Now they’ve been murdered!”
“There are many who look forward to the charter passing,” said Captain Hawth. “As you know, I am one of them.”
“I wish I could promise you this charter will indeed pass,” said Karience, “but you see the signatures here. The resistance is growing stronger—and now they have a legal case against us; I smell a battle coming.”
Karience nodded to Hawth. “That will be all, Captain.”
As the door closed, she turned to Nephitus. “Aven and Winter must not find out about this…not yet, at least. I fear it would crush them. I advise that we do not tell any of the Missionaries.”
“Agreed,” said Nephitus. “I am concerned the resistance sent Pike, intending to use him as a spy.”
“Yes, there’s no question there,” said Karience. “Any discomfort I felt at wiping the boy’s brain is blown to the wind. I have half a mind to send him back to them as he is. Give them a taste of what we’re capable of.”
“I’d strongly advise against that,” said Nephitus.
“Don’t worry, Warden. I said I only had half a mind to do so. The other half knows better.” She glanced again at the bloody basket on her desk. “I need to visit the Magnus Empyrean and inform him of recent events. These heads only add weight to my many other concerns.”
_____
AVEN
Aven took a bite of the sweet, chewy bread on the table as Rueik tore a chunk off for himself and eyed him speculatively.
The bright kitchen lights were almost painful reflecting off Rueik’s light skin. Aven tore off a large piece of the loaf and stared at the rising steam.
He’d woken early and had gone out to the cliff’s edge beside the portal to watch the waves crash upon the sand. So much was stirring inside him. Last night, he’d felt truly embraced by the Missionaries as they spent the evening laughing and talking and watching the strange vid screen together. Of course, last night, he’d almost been literally embraced…
Daeymara’s captivating eyes floated into his mind. He pushed the image away. Thankfully, he’d kept his head. Each Missionary had treated him and his sister with kindness, inviting them to be a part of their odd little group. A few more nights like last night, and he could call them friends. But, at the same time, he’d lost none of his suspicion of the Guardian order. The vids only served to confirm it more—their power, their influence. Each world they encountered was analyzed and strategically coddled into the whole with promises of protection from the Beasts.
As he had stood looking out at the sea, taking in its sounds and smells, he had thought of Daeymara and Arentiss. And then she came, her recollection rising like a treasured ghost. Harvest. He remembered being there, among the sape vines, her body warm against his. And the slow, soft kisses melding into the ones that betrayed urgency and a need to express so much more.
The last thing he had experienced before Rueik found him at the edge of the cliff was a welcomed peace about Winter. Her choice to become a Missionary.
He still had to tell her about his farm.
As soon as he finished breakfast.
“Out of all the applicants,” said Rueik, fingering another piece of bread, “why do you think you and Winter were chosen?”
Aven looked up at Rueik. Karience had given him a hint to that question when they’d first boarded The Relic. It was because of Winter’s gift, but he had to keep his mouth shut about it.
Aven shrugged. “I don’t know why were here. How many others wanted our position?”
Rueik smirked. “At least fifty. Probably many more. It’s very unusual for someone to be chosen from the lower classes. I wish it happened more often.” He stopped and searched Aven’s face. “Pike is Baron Rhaudius’s son. I understand why he might be chosen, but not the two of you.”
“Rhaudius wanted to make a show of giving Winter and I to the Guardians. He thought it would stop a farm rebellion. I don’t know how we were chosen, but I suppose Rhaudius is powerful enough to have influenced the decision.”
“Powerful to you,” said Rueik, “but he’s a minnow among the Royal fish. And he couldn’t have swayed the Guardians. They choose based on mathematical calculations.”
That last phrase, mathematical calculations, came into his mind so seamlessly. He barely remembered the VOKK device was there anymore.
Rueik lifted a pear to his mouth but didn’t bite. “There’s some deeper reason the two of you are here, and if you are in the dark about it, that makes it all the more curious.”
Aven grinned. “It’s nice knowing I’m special, even if I don’t know why.”
Rueik laughed, but the muscles on his face seemed tight. “Have you talked to Pike since he returned from the portal with Zoecara?”
“He went with me to look at farms.” Aven glanced over to the kitchen door. They were alone. “Half of me gets angry seeing him so happy. He wears that big dumb smile that has no memory of its past. But then, something else in me likes that smile. We were friends of sorts, in our childhood. Before the Baron corrupted him.”
Rueik nodded and set the pear back on the table. “I’m concerned Zoecara might have done something to Pike when they stepped through the portal together.”
Aven scowled. “What do you mean?”
“Zoecara hasn’t been acting right lately. She…” his voice trailed off, then his eyes met Aven’s and fixed there. Rueik said in a whisper, “She suspects you and your sister are Shadowmen.”
Aven tensed at the accusation. Was he joking? Rueik’s face said he wasn’t. “Why would she think that?” asked Aven.
“Do you know about the murders yet? The three Emissaries who you replaced?”
“Yes. Karience told us.”
“Zoecara can’t figure out why you or Winter are here, so she thinks the murders were carried out to make room for the two of you, and that your spies for a Beast.”
“Has she told Karience this?”
Rueik folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. “No. Only me. She doesn’t trust anyone else.”
Rueik glanced at the door. “I have to tell you something, for your own safety. I’ve had this concern about Zoecara in the back of my head for a time. She and I have been together for five months now—courting—and she’s always made me uncomfortable with how close to the edge of ethical she pushes things. Snooping, stealing documents from the Royals, trying to figure out the murders, and…I honestly don’t know how far she’ll go to try to prove that you and Winter are Shadowmen.”
Something about the way Rueik broached the problem didn’t sit right with Aven. “Why are you telling this to me, and not the Empyrean?”
Rueik leaned forward and cleared his throat. “Look, I want you and your sister to be careful. That’s all.”
“Alright, we’ll be careful,” said Aven, unnerved by the intensity behind Rueik’s words.
Rueik nodded. “I just have to be sure Zoecara hasn’t tampered with Pike. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I know how desperate she is to uncover why you and Winter are really here.”
Aven watched him in silence. He couldn’t help but feel Rueik testing him in some way, by telling him so much information. To see what he would do with it. Or maybe it was like he said…Zoecara had made him paranoid. Of all the Guardians, Aven had spent the least amount of time with Zoecara. He didn’t know anything about her.
“I’ll ask you again,” said Rueik. “Can you think of any reason at all you might have been chosen as Emissaries? If I could only give Zoecara something to calm her fears.”
Aven hated to lie to Rueik, but he had no other choice. “I
have no idea,” he said.
Rueik shrugged. “Just be cautious, alright. You understand now.”
Aven nodded. He had an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. He needed to tell Winter about Zoecara’s suspicions of them. They could decide the next step together.
_____
WINTER
“It’s nice seeing a light in your eyes again,” tapped Aven.
“I’m feeling better. I’m working with the Missionaries now.”
They stood just outside the Guardian Tower, overlooking the worn path that led to the God’s Eye. The cloudless sky was bright, and the warmth of midday sunlight tingled her skin.
“I have a surprise to tell you,” Aven tapped.
“I like those.”
“I bought a farm.”
“What?” said Winter.
“I bought a farm,” repeated Aven.
“Where? How?”
“North of here, about an hour walk. The land is on gently rolling hills, and, best of all, it’s in a free farm region. Arentiss and Daeymara helped me get a loan. Apparently being a Guardian means you don’t need money to buy something.”
“You bought a farm?”
Her brother nodded with a broad smile.
“So when do I get to see your land?”
“Tomorrow evening they’re handing me a paper of some kind. Then it will be mine.”
An inner excitement warred with the shadows on Aven’s face. She knew a farm was really all he wanted. That and a family. Then he could live satisfied. She pushed aside the sudden, intruding thought of her last vision. Aven dead in the teeth of a monster. She wasn’t going to let them come to pass. She would act, and the terrible future would be averted, just as it had happened with her and Karience on Bridge.
“I’ll have to be on the lookout for a mate now,” said Winter. “Then you’ll have everything. Only, if I find you a mate, the hovel won’t be like the old one we grew up in. I won’t have my own room and I’ll have to knock before I go inside.”