Jasper smiled and his expressive eyes seemed to twinkle, drawing all the attention away from the ugly scar over his eye.
“Well if you insist.”
The evening went well after that. Jasper avoided the crowd and overly lit areas and so did Shadaya. Their chat was a lengthy exchange that left Shadaya even more intrigued with the Aldorian prince but even more sure of the need for distance between them. When he finally left, she was just about partied out, but of course, her encounters with unsavory personalities were far from over.
Captain Hesk met her at the door, just as she was wishing a couple good night.
“Nice party,” Hesk said.
He looked intimidating and important in his uniform, his sword jutting out from beside him. He held the simple handle with one gloved hand, as he regarded her with hooded eyes.
Shadaya narrowed her eyes at him, “I don’t remember inviting you.”
She appreciated the interruption but there was something about Hesk that made her uneasy. His keen interest in her family and disturbing friendship with her mother always made her wonder what his motives were.
“You didn’t,” he said, “your mother did.”
“Well she has already retired to her chambers so why are you still here?”
“I wanted to talk to the lady of the estate. You have accomplished a feat unheard of, a woman being sole heir to her father’s estate.”
“My father always liked to color outside the lines.”
“That he did,” he crooned, “makes me wonder what other lines he managed to bend before his departure from this life.”
Shadaya felt herself stiffen almost automatically, her father’s death was still a sore point for her. She turned to look at Hesk more closely, with that secretive twinkle in his dark brown eyes. He stepped towards her and then walked around her, drawing her away from the door and passing guests.
“I knew him well you know.”
“So, I’ve heard.”
The tension between them was growing palpable, and Shadaya found herself joining in the odd dance around each other.
“But I always thought it was you and my mother who were close.”
A feeling of satisfaction rested on her at the flash in his eyes, she had gotten a reaction out of him.
“Do not cheapen my friendship with your mother. It is my connection with Mervin that had allowed a bond to form between his widow and I in the first place.”
She found his defense unnecessary.
“Now tell me Lady Quadin, what else did your dare old dad pass onto you besides his entire estate?”
“His distaste for nosy guests and raucous parties.”
Hesk arched a brow but his lips remained in that thin focused line. She doubted the man even knew how to smile.
“Now enough sidestepping dear, we both know you always like to get right to the point.”
“I am only following your lead.”
Hesk stopped moving, “fair enough.”
“What do you want Captain? To cheapen the weight of my position? Or to take another one of my servants away to participate in your… cruel rituals?”
“Those cruel rituals as you call them, keeps us all safe my lady. You as an honored Pillar name know how important these are to keep Dravia from being overrun by dark forests.”
“So, they say.”
“You doubt our ways?” he asked with wide eyes.
Shadaya’s eyes hardened, “I just despise liars,” she hissed.
With that she started to walk away, but Hesk’s next words stilled her feet immediately.
“That sounds like the kind of thing the Shadow would endorse. I hear she is a swift hand of justice, even posing an affront to the late king’s rule.”
She turned around then, mustering every ounce of outrage she had into her eyes. She knew he was baiting her. Her pulse raced despite that knowledge, because he had rightfully identified the Shadow as a woman. Either he was truly onto her or taking a wild guess.
“You come into my house and accuse me… of what exactly?”
“Conspiring with an enemy of the throne.”
“Conspiring?”
Hesk looked mischievous, “or is it more than that?”
“I don’t know what you are getting at?”
Hesk leaned in closer and bent down to whisper in her ear, “tell your friend to meet me at the edge of Or’s pasture or your precious Reeva would meet an even worse fate than selection.”
Shadaya froze and she knew her interest was written all over her face.
“You know where Reeva is?”
Hesk’s face was a stone mask, “you know where the Shadow is?”
“Why is the Shadow an interest of yours?”
“Isn’t my title answer enough?”
“What will you do to… him?”
“We both know she is no he.”
With that he left, the metal soles of his uniform boats clonking against the stone work of the foyer.
She saw Markus approaching her from across the room, looking weary from all the dull conversations he must have been subjected to among the noblemen.
“Well that looked intense,” he said.
Shadaya sighed, “nothing I can’t handle.”
“That I don’t doubt,” Markus sighed, “will you be utterly offended if I take my leave now?”
Shadaya chuckled, “Not likely, I will most likely be jealous.”
Markus laughed.
She felt like their friendship had grown leaps and bounds since their last meeting, she really believed that between him and Jasper she had found people she could trust.
“It’s alright, I release you from this torture. I too am looking to close the night’s events shortly.”
He bowed in response and slipped away.
✽ ✽ ✽
Standing just at the edge of Or’s pasture, Shadaya was sure she heard the trees whisper. There was an eerie hum in the air, like a beckoning call whistling through the haunting trees. The feeling she felt standing on the edge of the dark forest was not unexpected, what worried her was why Hesk had insisted that she meet him here. With her hand resting on her sword, she took a step forward, pausing when she heard dry leaves crunching under heavy booted feet. Hesk. She dropped into a crouch and watched as he emerged from the shadows. She could see him clearly; it gave her comfort to know that he would have some difficulty seeing her.
“You can come out,” she heard him say, “I know you’re here, I can… sense you.”
Shadaya frowned, Hesk was not captain of the Dravian guard for no reason. She knew that he would be a worthy opponent if his intention tonight was to fight her.
She stood up and stepped forward enough for the dim light of the moon to reveal her to him. But not close enough for him to attack her.
“So, you came,” he said, walking towards her, “the heiress worked quickly.”
Shadaya remained silent, she knew that one word out of her mouth undisguised would surely reveal her identity.
“Silent and brooding, not surprising,” Hesk said, as he drew his sword. Shadaya’s finger’s flexed against the handle of her own blade.
“Let’s see how well you can speak with your weapon,” Hesk said waving his own slim, shiny sword at her.
Shadaya drew her weapon and Hesk smiled with satisfaction, “I have been looking forward to this.”
Their swords met with a loud ping in the eerie darkness and what sounded like cruel excited laughter erupted from somewhere within the forest. Immediately, Hesk threw Shadaya into a desperate parry. His swings were precise and powerful, so that every connection of their blades sent shock waves up her arm. Hesk’s strength and skill effectively rivaled her own, for the first time she found herself facing a challenging opponent. By his foot work, stance and swings a bothersome realization hit Shadaya; Hesk knew the art form her father had taught her. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She stumbled back, already breathless. The smirk on Hesk’s face aggravated her, but it wasn’t en
ough to bring out her voice.
“Still have nothing to say.”
Shadaya took a deep breath and with it drew energy from her mask, she felt its power surge through her. She lifted her chin and sheathed her sword. Then lifted her fists towards him in an invitation to hand to hand combat. Hesk chuckled and sheathed his own sword, then undid his belt, dropped his weapon on the ground beside him in a bold display of confidence. Shadaya felt her own confidence wane. Her sword might hinder her, but she did not want to remove it now as if she had not considered that before. They circled each other, moving closer and closer until they were close enough to make contact. Hesk’s fist launched forward and Shadaya blocked, they proceeded into a dance of fists and boots. Hesk was quick but Shadaya was faster, she quickly gained the upper hand, managing to get a punch in. His head snapped back as her gloved fist connected with his chin and he grunted. She then spun and kicked him in the core, he shot backward and slammed against the trunk of a tree behind him. Shadaya waited as he got up and shook himself.
“Impressive,” he said, “there is only one person I know who could fight like that. Brings back fond memories.”
Shadaya ground her teeth, she knew he was talking about her father.
“Did he give you that sword you carry too?”
Shadaya frowned, but she knew he could not see the confusion written on her face in the darkness. What was Hesk getting at? She lifted her fist in an invitation to resume the fight, but Hesk only shook his head.
“That’s enough, you’ve given me what I need,” he said, “now let’s get to what I really called you here for. Let’s talk.”
Shadaya froze, she would have to speak now for sure. Panic gripped her spine.
“Don’t worry your secret is safe with me, this is way bigger than a girl parading around in a mask and waving her father’s sword.”
All warmth fled from her body and she felt her knees grow weak.
“Yes, I know who is behind the mask.”
“How?” was all she managed, it was barely above a whisper.
“Doesn’t matter. But I’ve known from the moment you showed up at the pass looking for Reeva. The way you fought. I had my suspicions before but… when I saw you fight, I knew. You have a gracefulness about you, that was almost hypnotic to watch. Your father would be proud.”
“Why did you wait until now to confront me?”
“Well I thought that once you were convinced that Reeva could not be saved you would stop all of this masquerading. But when you kept going and using high order magic I started to worry.”
“About me?”
“Yes, and your mother. Mervin and I didn’t always see eye to eye on everything but…he was my friend.”
“Some friend.”
“I could not stop what happened that day. I had warned him on several occasions that his… activities would cost him his life. His position was one of great consequence, he knew too much about the inner world of the Pillar families. And then he too got his head tied up by these… these rebels…”
“There were others, like my father.”
“Just one… he managed to escape with his family before he could be caught. But Mervin, he was strong willed, he thought he could change things… for you. I couldn’t help him once the king had his eyes on him.”
“And yet you loyally served the man who killed your friend,” Shadaya hissed.
For a moment a look of guilt flashed across his flint like face.
“That’s what I am making up for now. Shadaya I need your help. Now that the king is dead, the prince will not release the throne easily and he has means and ways that neither you nor I can fully comprehend. If he gets wind that you are the one behind this hood and mask, it will be the end of your family name.”
“Your concern is for my family name,” she said with disbelief.
“My concern is for you. But I know now that you are more than capable of handling yourself and I could use someone like you.”
“Really, how do I know you’re not working for Ha...”
“Shh,” he interrupted abruptly, “Let’s not say anymore now.”
“He has means of knowing things. I know he can locate me at any moment. We can’t talk here.”
Chapter 20
Markus looked up from behind his large glass of ginger ale as she slid onto the chair facing him on the small round table.
“You’re late as usual, Zana” he said, his tongue embracing his home language with longing. It felt like ages since he had spoken Ilksvardian, even longer since he’d shared a table with a fellow Ilk.
His stoic companion shrugged, “this is a hard place to find, Master.”
“When I got your message, I was greatly troubled. I knew you would not risk coming here if it wasn’t bad news.”
She sighed, “you were right to think so. Sorry to interrupt your festivities.”
Markus narrowed his eyes at her, “it was not a bother at all.”
Zana was one of his students, the few that he had. Not many Ilks had chosen him to be their master because of who he was and the unorthodox nature of his research. He had left her and the others behind with the task of monitoring the darkness and updating him accordingly.
She slid a slip of paper across the table and reached for his cup of ginger ale. Markus ignored her boldness, it was Zana’s way. As she drank his drink thirstily, he perused the document she had given him. The frown lines between his brows growing deeper. When he looked up, she was nodding at him with reflected concern.
“These readings…” he started.
“We checked them several times, something has upset the balance.”
Markus was shaking his head, “but this can’t be. The Element is no longer here, the king and I took care of that. Could it be that Drayton didn’t hide it in time?”
“What if it wasn’t the Element causing the imbalance?” Zana said with a shrug.
Markus frowned, “what else could be powerful enough…”
“You said that the last recorded Dark Storm was during the time of Queen Luska’s reign. That she had wielded such great power she had caused a power shift like what we are seeking now.”
He shook his head, “but Luska has been banished.”
Zana was slurping the remainder of her drink loudly, she then smacked her lips and replaced the cup on the table with a small burp.
“Maybe there is someone just as powerful… something as powerful as the Element maybe.”
Markus could not discredit the idea, but the only person he could think of was Haddin.
“Oh, this isn’t good at all.”
“Not at all,” she tapped the paper in his hand, “we were not sure of an estimated time,” she replied, “Tiu as hoping you could help us with that.”
Markus nodded, “from these numbers, I would say three days for the least, if the tide shifts anytime during that period it might be five. The greater impact will be here in Dravia, which means the disruption is here.”
Zana scoffed, “are you surprised? You said it yourself, the readings you picked up from Dravia were all over the place. I can’t wait to get back to Ilksvard.”
“How was your journey?”
“Quick,” she replied, “I didn’t waste any time. Tiu thought you might want this.”
She reached down and then raised what appeared to be heavy box beneath a leather covering. Markus lifted one end and peaked beneath it.
“Good thinking,” he said.
She nodded curtly, “is there anything else you needed?”
He knew she was ready to resume her journey back home. Ilks didn’t like being away from home for too long. Not him, he had a nomad’s heart.
“No, keep monitoring, send me word if anything changes.”
She turned to leave then stopped and looked at him, “what are you going to do?”
“What I came here to do.”
She looked at him with respect as she nodded, “the odds are not in your favor.”
He smiled
, “it never is.”
As expected, Zana did not return his smile, instead she got up and left.
Markus left Traver’s spot, the old inn on the far side of Arduway where he had met Zana. His meeting with his student had taken him to the far side of town and by the time he was ready to leave, night had fallen. Now he had to ride back home in the chilly night air. He untied his horse as an old beggar came up behind him.
“My Lord, anything for the poor today.”
He mounted his horse and looked down at the man, he was balding in the middle of his head with stringy grey hair reaching past his shoulders. Markus reached into his satchel and took out a bag of coins and tossed it at the man.
“Don’t spend it all in one place,” he said.
The man bowed his gratitude as Markus turned his horse around and then launched out into the night.
Markus had not gone far from the Inn when he was suddenly knocked off his horse. He hadn’t seen where it had come from, all he knew was something painfully hard had hit him across the stomach and had thrown him from his horse. He rolled over instinctively to avoid the hooves of his horse as it galloped away. A sharp pain in his arm had him wincing as he fought to get to his feet.
As his head cleared from the fall, his attackers came into focus; the old beggar he had just spoken to was standing among them, a greedy toothless grin in place.
“I want no trouble,” he said breathlessly, as he reached for his sword with his good hand.
There was one man looking down at him from atop a horse and now two other men had joined him, one on either side of Markus, advancing on him with a sinister look in their eyes. Markus knew that Arduway often created thieves and robbers. The kind of life some of these people were forced to live, often resulted in desperation and animosity to people like him. People who seemed to have it all.
“Do you want money?”
Markus reached for his satchel, “I have some money here. I understand you must be very frustrated living like this.”
He couldn’t read their expressions in the dark and a part of him was growing wary. He knew his combat skills were mediocre at best, he doubted he could take on three hungry angry men.
Shadaya: Out of Darkness (Gemstone Royals) Page 20