We rode beside each other in silence, accompanied only by the occasional grunt or snort of our steeds. Parsec was irritated for some reason. And then I noticed Calyx kept veering closer to Parsec and would sometimes push his white-streaked nose into Parsec's personal space. Parsec would invariably curl his lips back in a threatening grimace, showing Calyx each and every one of his large, square teeth. But this thinly veiled threat only seemed to amuse Calyx and egg him on further.
"These horses do begin to emulate their riders after a while," Alex said as he rode beside me with an imperceptible grin.
"Well, that explains a lot," I said. "No wonder Parsec is so irritatingly sanctimonious."
"Touché." He laughed. His cheeks were rosy red from the cold. "I suppose I deserved that." He paused, struck by a sudden thought. "By the way, I meant to ask you—that is, of course, if you're feeling up to discussing it. About last night…"
A little swirling sensation filled my stomach, and I found myself daydreaming about his lips again.
Alex glanced sideways at me. "You said you'd had some vivid dreams…?"
Oh, right. That.
"I did," I said carefully, focusing on the trail ahead. I hoped he hadn't caught my momentary bout of reminiscent swooning.
"Of course, if you'd rather not talk about it…" he continued.
"No, no, it's fine. I want your opinion, anyway." I divulged into a rather detailed monologue about my dreams—what I'd seen and heard and felt. He was an attentive listener. He asked a question here and there for clarification, but otherwise he kept quiet.
"Your mom said dreams can be more here," I continued, watching my own breath rise before my eyes. "And these were so…I can't explain, really, other than it all felt so real. Too real. Do you think they could be…visions? Warnings about the future?"
"I wouldn't think too much of them, Daria," Alex replied slowly. "Dreams can be a lot of things, but you must not forget that they are dreams, first and foremost."
Nearby, a small clump of snow fell from a tree branch and landed silently on the snow-covered ground. A glittering winter spirit materialized for a split second before a new breeze carried it away. "All right," I conceded. "But, what if… what if these dreams are actually Gaia trying to communicate with me?"
Alex gave me an interesting look. I hadn't spoken of Gaia much, and definitely not as a sentient being, not as a divine creature with metaphysical properties, like all the people of Gaia had done. I'd never been much of a religious person on Earth. Alex had always held on to some greater power, but he'd never really shared what that greater power was. I knew why now, and coming to Gaia had challenged all of that for me. I'd seen and experienced things of a kind that forced me to believe in something more. To deny that was to deny my sight and rationale as a human being. And after my father had passed, thoughts of after had haunted me.
I hadn't had much time to sift through all of these new thoughts and feelings, but they were down there, simmering in some tangled mess waiting for me to sort through them. If it were even possible to sort through them.
"I can't claim to understand Gaia's actions—" Alex stared straight ahead "—But suppose these visions, as you've referred to them, were given to you as a means of communication; you mustn't automatically assume Gaia is the source."
He was right, of course. If some external power had sent those dreams, I couldn't just assume that very same power had my best interest in mind. "I believe the woman in my dream was my mother, Alex," I said. "Whoever, or whatever, caused those dreams, I can't believe it used her to cause me harm."
He did not have a response for this.
I was almost afraid to ask my next question, but it had been my main source of discomfort. "The desert," I continued, "I've dreamt about it before. Do you think it could be a glimpse of the future?"
His body swayed in rhythm with Parsec's, but he kept his expression tightly controlled. "A future, possibly."
I couldn’t imagine a future in which I would willingly help Eris. "What I saw couldn't have been an effect of the poison, could it?"
Alex shook his head and a rogue strand of dark hair fell against his forehead. Wrapped in his dark, woolen cloak, with his sword resting against his side, he looked like a winter prince. "I put you in a much deeper sleep last night," his tone was low and cautious, "which is perhaps why you remember them so vividly today. I'm sure they weren't the first; you've slept fitfully every night since we've left the castle."
I had? He hadn't mentioned that before. "I'm sorry…if I've kept you up."
"Don't be," he replied. "I get enough sleep. I don't need quite as much as you."
He tilted his head sideways and gave me a knowing smile. I grinned back at him. I had always been the one falling asleep watching movies at his house when we were young. We'd tried so many times to have a Star Wars marathon, but I never made it past episode five and we'd only been watching the originals.
That was so long ago. Another lifetime ago. Before another world and magic and evil.
And loss. So much loss.
Snow crunched beneath our horses' hooves. "I didn't know it was possible for so much to change," I whispered.
Alex reached his gloved hand across the narrow space between us and rested it on my thigh. "This will not," he said, holding my gaze with an intensity that did not fade, not even as he squeezed my thigh and pulled his hand away.
"It is here." Vera's voice cut through the quiet.
She and Nimarra had stopped before two stone pillars, or what remained of them. One had crumbled to half the height of the other, and both were buried in snow. A piece of worn, rust-colored cloth fluttered like a small flag from the top of the smaller pillar, held in place by a miniature cairn. Beyond the crumbling gate were more piles of stone that had at one time been part of watchtowers and a main walkway, but something—whether time or abandonment or a purposeful, destructive force—had reduced it to snow-covered rubble.
"Follow my lead and stay close." Vera tugged her hood more tightly about her. "Keep your faces concealed, and whatever happens, let me do the talking." She fixed me with a very pointed glare, tugged at Nimarra's reins, and led her forward.
Alex pulled his hood up and so far over his head that all I could see was his square and slightly dimpled chin. I secured my hood then followed Vera, while Alex rode right behind me.
Calyx's hooves clopped and scraped against the stone path, interrupted here and there with a series of broad steps. The path quickly steepened and veered right behind a large cluster of trees, and beyond them was a grand sight.
It had at one time been a small village situated on the narrow spine of a mountain pass. Ruins sprawled upon the rocks, fearless and daring, as though it were a natural part of the mountain. What had at one time been a turret had been broken, looking like a candle that had burnt close to its end. Fragments of walls surrounded it, symmetrical as a grid, as though architects had ceased construction shortly after building the village's framework. Once grand rooms now opened to the gray sky above, and toward the back of it all, at the apex of the mountain ridge, was a series of magnificent stone support beams. A few had broken off, but many had stayed intact, reminding me of a giant ribcage protecting organs of rubble beneath.
Snow had buried everything in a thick blanket of white, and up here, without the protection of the trees, wind ripped savagely about. It howled and whistled, dusting snow across our path while flinging bits of ice in my face.
Despite the emptiness of such a place, I felt eyes. There were others in the shadows, just out of sight. Not shadowguard, but people. I might not have known they were there but for the little points of consciousness all around us—spots of warmth in the biting cold.
Parsec snorted beside me, and a cloud of condensation rose from his flared nostrils. From beneath my hood I looked over at Alex. He sat with Aegis-like rigidity, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood. One hand clutched the reins while the other rested at his waist. Vigilant and wary. He might not
have felt the presence of others as I did, but as an Aegis, he'd made a habit of mistrusting the quiet.
Still, Vera led us forward.
Shadows slipped around us, and the wind continued howling. I gripped Calyx's reins tighter, always watching Vera but also letting my focus drift to my periphery. There was a strange power up here: not quite evil but not necessarily good, either.
We passed another pile of rubble when Vera led us into a broken courtyard filled with small drifts of snow, like waves in an ocean. Wind reigned supreme over these remains, and with every wail, it reminded all trespassers of its might. It was a wild force, formidable with the strength of ages.
The eyes pressed closer. They were all around us now. The back of my neck tingled, but Vera kept leading us forward with her head held high. She was not afraid, so certain she was of her right to be here. But I wasn't so sure. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if coming up here had been a very big mistake.
A voice barreled through wind and courtyard, echoing throughout the skeletal stone remains. "Halt!"
Chapter 4
Thieves
The word "halt," when it's yelled, has an interesting effect. For all its intention of commanding one to stop whatever it is they are doing, it actually drives them to do the exact opposite, and usually in a hurried and desperate fashion.
Like now.
I wanted to run. I wanted to go back the way we had come and keep running until we were far away from this place. But it was too late. There were at least a dozen shadows all around us, seeking refuge behind broken rocks and walls. We would already be dead if they'd willed it.
Vera sat as tall and as proud as ever, exuding the confidence one only carries when they find impossibility in defeat.
I, however, did not share her confidence.
"Identify yourselves!" the voice continued. His voice—for it definitely was a he—bounced around the ruins.
Calyx whinnied and tugged against the reins.
"Shh," I whispered, stroking his mane.
"Watchman of the mount." Vera's voice rang clear despite the howling wind. "I am a friend." She extended her empty palms in a gesture of surrender. She dismounted fluidly, landing on the ground with bent knee and a bowed head. "My companions and I have come to request an audience with Myez Rader."
Silence.
The wind stirred a tiny cyclone of snowflakes across the courtyard, and a large figure emerged from behind the rubble. Whoever it was looked like a bear, they were covered in so many layers of fur and leather. A bow and quiver had been strung over the person's back and they held a very scary looking sword in one gloved hand. The person stopped a few paces before Vera. "No one goes through the mount right now. And definitely not a wolf." He growled this last word, and Vera went still.
I wasn't sure what the term "wolf" meant, but one thing had been made perfectly clear: it hadn't been a compliment.
The shadows pressed closer. I noticed the tip of an arrow poking out from behind a boulder, leveled on Vera. Alex was as still as death beside me.
"By the Code of Mirin," Vera said tightly, "you are bound to—"
"I am bound to no code." The man cut her off. "Your words are nothing here, wolf. But there is a mighty high bounty on wolf skin…"
Alex shifted beside me, and the little points of life in the shadows grew warmer. This wasn't good. We were completely outnumbered, and if this broke into a fight, odds were not in our favor.
The man stepped toward Vera and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Her hood fell back, exposing her white-blonde hair, and her face filled with fury. "Ah, a pretty wolf." The man's voice took on a slightly different timbre.
"You will let us pass, or you will pay for it with your lives," Vera spat.
A strong gust of wind ripped through the snow-dusted courtyard, moving so fast and so strong that it ripped my hood right from my head. I tugged it back over my face, but it was too late; a bolt of curiosity shot through me from the bear-man.
The man shoved Vera aside. "What is your name, girl?"
"That is none of your business—" Vera started.
"I am not talking to you, wolf." The man cut her off sharply and took a step toward me. "You there—the one with raven's hair. What's your name?"
In my periphery, I saw Alex's hand flex around the hilt of his sword.
The bear-man waited. Such a simple question, but its answer was crucial to our survival. Did I tell the truth? Did I tell this boorish man I was King Darius's granddaughter? Would he let us go?
No. I couldn't tell him who I really was.
Then what did I tell him? If these men were the guardians to a city of thieves, they would be masters at sensing a lie. I had to tread forward very, very carefully.
I dismounted Calyx, feeling every ounce of Alex's anxiety while fighting hard not to show the weakness in my body. My arm pulsed in pain as I reached up and pulled back my hood, letting my dark hair spill over my shoulders. My brain whirled to come up with something good. Something believable.
A gust of wind whirled around me.
I am here, it seemed to say, and then as quickly as the wind had come, it dissipated.
And I suddenly had a plan. It was a risky plan—quite possibly the dumbest plan I'd ever come up with in my life—but that was exactly why it just might work. Who would possibly expect this?
Names and places from books Fleck and I had read ad nauseam in the castle library filled the blanks in my mind so quickly it was as if someone had planted them there.
"I am Astaire Dothrai, Mistress of the Vale." My voice rang out across the courtyard so that all the shadows might hear it. "I seek an audience with Myez Rader, and I must not be detained, for the matters I must discuss with him are of a sensitive nature."
I stood tall and the courtyard was silent. Alex's surprise and confusion trumped all other curiosities that had sprung up in the shadows around us. The wind slipped through my hair, reminding me it hadn't left.
"Mistress of the Vale, eh?" The bear-man folded his furry arms.
Keep your composure or it'll never work.
I looked at him as though he were a waste of my time, because that's exactly what the great sorceress Astaire Dothrai would do, at least according to her memoirs I'd found in the castle library. What they'd been doing there, I'd had no idea, but right now I didn't care.
The bear-man removed his leather mask so that I could see his face. His cheeks were scarred with pockmarks, and there was a nasty scar through the center of one bushy dark brow that ran all the way to his jaw. There was malice in those dark eyes, unfettered and probing, as well as something else that turned my stomach over. He was a brute of a man, and no doubt he was used to getting his way.
Stay strong. It is you he should fear. You must believe or he most certainly never will.
I didn't know how long he stood there staring into my eyes, waiting for a sign of weakness. Five seconds. Five minutes. Either timeframe was too long for my comfort, but I held myself together, hoping he saw the woman I wanted him to see. Not the weak and injured woman I really was.
Finally, he broke the silence. "It seems to me a Mistress of the Vale wouldn't need an escort of wolves."
I frowned. "It seems to me a watchman shouldn't have an opinion of my needs." All cordiality in my tone vanished, and I leveled my gaze with his. "As it stands, I suggest you cease threatening my companions and me and let us proceed before my needs involve stealing your wretched life from that hideous thing you call a body and binding it to a real wolf for all eternity."
The guard shifted, uncertain. No doubt he'd heard the horrifying tales about what the real Astaire Dothrai could do to spirits—binding them to creatures in this world so they could never find rest. I'd always found the tales frightening and unsettling myself, but it seemed appropriate given our current circumstances.
Still, he hesitated.
Open your palms, said a voice in my mind.
Okay…?
I opened my palms, an
d the wind suddenly ripped around me with wild and savage force. It twisted silently, faster and faster, lifting up snow and ice in a small maelstrom of winter. Our horses brayed, backing away from the force. The man stepped back with wide eyes, but the wind moved beyond me, reaching out toward him. Already, the edges of his furs were fluttering as though the silent vortex were trying to pull him inside of it.
"Enough." He held up pacifying hands.
"My companions go with me," I said, still letting the wind twist toward him.
"Of course, of course!"
The wind twisted a second more and then dissolved into thin air.
He didn't bother hiding his relief. He patted his furs, his leathers creaking as he did so. "The horses have to stay."
"The horses will not stay," I said. "They come with us."
Fear flickered in his eyes. "It's not my rule, Mistress—unless you intend to sell them. Even your magic will not be able to protect them below. And besides, they won't fit on this side."
I glanced at Vera. The look in her eyes suggested that this man spoke truth. I clenched my teeth and looked back at the brute, careful to hide my dismay. I couldn't leave Calyx out here. He'd never forgive me! "A moment, please," I said to the man.
He nodded and backed a few eager steps away from me.
I leaned to Calyx's ear. "Do you know the way back?" I whispered.
Calyx whinnied and shook his mane. He didn't like where this was going.
"I know," I continued, "but I can't take you with me. It's too dangerous."
Calyx's front hoof clawed and scraped on the stone.
"I'll be fine, but promise me you'll go straight back to the castle with the others."
Calyx raised his nose in the air like he was pretending he didn't hear me.
"Please." I rested my hand on his mane. "I need you to keep an eye on Stefan."
With a loud and irritated snort, Calyx turned on his heels and started trotting back across the courtyard in the direction we'd come. Alex dismounted Parsec, and Parsec followed Calyx, and then Nimarra trotted after them. I hoped they'd be all right.
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