Jin looked up from his blade and met her gaze. “Did she now? How in the world did she do that?”
“Come,” Zita said, “I have much to tell you, Lord Jin.”
“We have little time, I fear,” Jin said, “for you see, our armies approach as we speak.”
Zita's eyes widened. “Are you serious? Even Ironbarrow?”
“Even Ironbarrow,” Jin said with a sly smile. “Poor Conley was all too eager to lend us his troops in exchange for the welfare of his citizens.”
“Where are they now?” Zita asked.
“Just over the horizon,” Jin answered. “They'll be upon the Crystal Wood within the hour. Once we take the city, we can focus on finding the key.
Zita smiled again. “Actually, my Lord, that was one of the things I wanted to tell you.”
Jin raised an eyebrow. “Oh, what do you mean?”
Zita edged closer and said, “I have discovered what the key is, but more importantly, I know where it is.”
Varg and Milea returned to the castle to search for Zita, and on the way, Varg explained everything that had happened.
“I went straight to the dungeon when I left you and as soon as I arrived, I noticed something was wrong,” he explained. “For one thing, the guard that was normally stationed by the front door was no where to be found. I ran to the cell and found the guard lying on the ground inside, but Zita was missing. I alerted the castle guards and took the injured one to the medical wing, and then your mother asked me to come find you.”
“How long ago do you think she got out?” Milea asked. “Maybe there's time to find her before she gets too far.”
They darted through the front doors of the castle.
“It's hard to say,” Varg replied. “She managed to slip past everyone unnoticed.”
They turned the corridor and headed towards the dungeon.
“So for all we know, she could still be in the castle,” Milea said.
That was when Shara turned the corner and cut them off.
“She is gone,” Shara said. “My soldiers just found another guard on the edge of the city out cold like the one in the dungeon. She must have fled into the forest.”
“I'll find her,” Varg assured. “There isn't a single fugitive I can't track.”
“It's true,” Milea said, “I've seen him in action.”
“You think I'm a fool?” Shara spat. “I will not allow the two of you to chase after my prisoner. I'm still not convinced that you two aren't in league with her.”
“That's ridiculous!” Milea shouted.
“What's going on here?”
Everyone turned to see Queen Shalia emerging from the dungeon.
“Mother,” Shara said, “I was simply telling these two that they may not go chasing after a Crystal Wood fugitive, that it's my job.”
“Mother,” Milea began, and Varg couldn't help but notice the death glare that Shara gave her when she said it, “Varg is a master tracker; he catches criminals all the time. If anyone can catch Zita, he can.”
“Then why don't you and Varg go with Shara and a few soldiers?” Shalia said.
“Absolutely not,” Shara said.
“I wasn't asking, Shara,” Shalia said. “Besides, it's better to have numbers on your side with all the centaurs running around.”
Shara took in a sharp breath, bowed before the queen, and said, “Very well, Mother. I will bow to your wisdom.”
It didn't take long for Shalia to form a search party, and Varg and Milea were at the head of it. Starting at the edge of the city where the guard was found, Varg led the way through the forest as the rest of the party followed. Milea followed close behind, keeping an eye on the path ahead, and Varg stooped down to examine footprints.
“It looks like she was heading north, straight for the exit to the forest,” Varg said.
“Well of course she is,” Shara said. “She's no doubt heading back to her master to give him all the information needed to attack us.”
“I thought you didn't believe us when we said there was someone trying to attack the Crystal Wood?” Milea said.
“I don't believe that your intentions are pure,” Shara remarked. “And I certainly don't buy for a moment that the barrier just so happened to disappear by accident either. I have my eyes on you two.”
“You should be keeping your eyes out for Zita,” Varg said as he kept his eyes trained on the trail of footprints. “She was running, and fast. It looks like she picked up her pace once she wasn't near the city anymore.”
“Makes sense,” Milea said, “she didn't have to worry about guards catching her way out here.”
The sound of heavy, thundering footsteps silenced the group. The sounds grew closer and louder with each passing second, prompting Shara to draw her weapon.
“Get down, everyone,” Shara urged in a hushed tone.
Everyone obeyed and dropped below a long set of brush and watched for what was happening. After they looked over the edge of the brush, they could soon see a large herd of centaurs barreling away from the entrance and away from the road.
Once they were cleared, Shara was the one who broke the silence, “They don't run like that unless they are outnumbered. There must be something waiting for us near the entrance of the forest.”
“Like an army,” Milea remarked.
“How can they be here already?” Varg asked. “Zita couldn't possibly have delivered the news yet.”
“Maybe they were already on their way,” Milea said. “Which also means that...their conquest of Ironbarrow was likely successful.”
Varg's heart sank at the thought. “Then Conley and the others...”
Before they could continue, Shara stood up and said, “Enough. Now then, I believe we were tracking a fugitive. Shall we get back to it?”
“Shara, wait,” Milea said. “If what you say about the centaurs is true, then there must be a very large army entering the forest. I don't think it's safe to proceed. We need to get back to the city and warn the others.”
Shara stared at Milea as though she slapped her. “You do not give the orders, I do. If we head back now without knowing what we're dealing with, we will be preparing for battle blindly. We need to proceed with caution and find out what we're up against.”
“Shara, if who we think is there is indeed there, then sneaking up on them isn't an option. If we venture closer, there's a good chance we will face an ambush,” Milea warned.
“That's a chance we have to take,” Shara said. “If one of us can return to the city to warn the queen, then that's good enough. Now move out.”
Milea sighed and shook her head. Varg placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and turned back to the trail.
The party continued in silence save for the clinking of metal armor and the scuffing of boots in the grass. There was also the occasional brush of foliage with his hands as he examined the disturbed earth to determine where their quarry went next.
Varg could see what appeared to be light up ahead and figured it was likely the tunnel that led outside of the Crystal Wood. He looked around and stopped to smell the air, then he caught a whiff of something that made his heart sink.
“Everyone get ready for battle,” Varg said.
Just then, there was a thump, and then one of the guards moaned and fell to the ground, a poisoned dart sticking out of his neck under his helmet.
“Shadow Hand, look out!” Milea shouted as she whipped out her bow and nocked an arrow.
As Shara drew her sword, the guards had little time to respond as they all got hit with poisoned darts and fell to the ground before they could even draw their weapons.
Varg drew Frost Fang from his back and whipped it over his head, sending icicles flying in all directions. Some of them made impact with the members of the Shadow Hand that were hiding in the bushes, others drew the ones who survived out of their hiding places. Milea began to let loose a torrent of arrows and Shara charged valiantly towards a group of cultists with her sword. Varg char
ged for another group, but as usual they were quite fast and hard to catch.
Suddenly, they heard more footsteps approaching.
“There are more coming, we need to retreat, now,” Milea cried.
“I won't let them get away with killing those soldiers. We can defeat them!” Shara exclaimed as she slew one of the cultists with ease.
Milea loosed another arrow into the face of the cultist who tried to flank her, then she faced Shara and said, “Shara, we will soon be outnumbered. It doesn't do any good to keep fighting if they just kill us. Who would go back to the city and warn our mother?”
Shara killed another cultist. “Don't you dare call her 'our' mother.”
“Shara, now isn't the time-”
“Run, now!” Varg shouted.
The women finally complied and Varg released an icy mist that obscured them from view long enough to run out of harms way. They darted back to the city at full speed, determined to make it back in time to warn the queen and the rest of the Crystal Wood about the looming threat.
CHAPTER 20
Along the way to the Shadow Hand camp, Zita told Jin what she overheard from Varg and Milea as well as where the key to the Crystal Wood. His expression shifted from curiosity to intense purpose and he picked up his pace, determined to find Alastor.
They found him near Jin's tent consulting with Edric Greenwood. Edric flinched upon seeing Jin, but Alastor barely batted an eye.
“You're back, I presume you have news?” Alastor said.
Zita felt her blood boil. Not only was this bastard allowed to walk free, but he had the audacity to speak to Lord Jin so casually. It made her want to whip out her stolen sword and drive it straight through his heart, though Zita suspected that she would only strike an empty cavity if she followed through with her fantasy.
“Indeed,” Jin replied. “Zita here—I believe you two have met—discovered not only what the key is, but where it is.”
“Zita...” Alastor said as his eyes fell onto her. A smile spread over his face, and Zita's scowl grew in response. “Ah yes, I could never forget her.”
Zita began to march forward to wipe that smile off his face when Jin put out his arm to stop her. She was just about to argue when Alastor spoke again, this time to Jin.
“Where is this key of yours, then?” he asked.
“On your belt,” Jin answered.
When Alastor gave him a confused look, Jin clarified, “The dagger you confiscated from Milea when you captured her is the key to the Crystal Wood.”
Alastor removed the dagger from his belt and examined it. He looked back at Jin with a raised eyebrow and said, “This old dagger is the key to the Crystal Wood? Surely you must be joking...”
Jin held out his hand and said, “If you please?”
Zita knew that tone. By “if you please,” Lord Jin meant, “hand it over now.”
Alastor hesitated, and Zita thought for a moment that he was going to take off with the dagger and the rest of the Shadow Hand trailing behind him, but he hesitantly handed over the dagger to Jin.
Jin took the dagger and examined it closely. He held it up to the light like a miner inspecting a gem he just found. He turned the blade around and fiddled with the hilt. “Curious...” he said, “...such an insignificant object, yet it holds the power to open the way to the Dawn. Curious indeed...”
Jin lowered the dagger and said, “Fantastic work, Zita. I trust the rest of your mission went well?”
Zita hesitated, but she knew that she couldn't lie to Lord Jin, not after everything he'd done for her. She gulped and answered, “My Lord, I did not kill Varg as instructed.”
Alastor spoke before Jin had the chance. “You what? How could you have left that oaf alive?”
Zita didn't hide her spite any longer. “The information about the key was far too valuable to risk dying before I could tell Lord Jin about it!” Zita turned back to Jin and said, “If you let me return to the Crystal Wood, I can find Varg, get him alone, and-”
“No,” was all Jin said, and it caught Zita completely off guard. “You had a job to do, Zita, and you failed. The information about the key is crucial, this is true, but Varg is a liability to our cause and I can promise you that if left alive, he will cause more trouble than he's worth to us. If you didn't kill him when you had the chance to, then you've failed in your mission.”
Zita's heart nearly stopped. Never had Lord Jin been so critical of her...
“I'll handle Varg myself; I'm sure he wants to settle the score between us, and frankly, so do I,” Jin said. “Zita, go prepare for battle with the others.”
Zita bowed her head. Heartbroken and ashamed, she began to walk away when she heard Alastor say, “You should have known better than to trust such an important mission to the likes of a harlot.”
Zita's eyes flashed red, and in one swift move she removed the short sword from her belt and charged for Alastor, determined to slit his throat open in front of everyone. Alastor seemed surprised by her sudden attack, but was able to prepare for it nonetheless. Before Zita reached Alastor, however, someone else blocked her.
Zita froze when she saw the blade of Jin's sword blocking her own. She stared into his yellow, snake-like eyes so full of rage and to her shock, disappointment.
“Zita, I warned you,” Jin said. He pushed her back and she didn't try to attack again. “Follow me.”
Jin sheathed his sword and Zita, though she still held her short sword in hand. The crowd that had gathered now pretended they didn't witness her making a scene, but Zita paid them no mind. She refused to look at Alastor as she followed Jin, but she felt his smug grin burning into her flesh and making her blood boil again.
Jin led Zita to a remote area just outside of the camp where they could speak privately. Jin had calmed himself by the time they arrived, something she always envied him for, and he turned around and calmly spoke to her.
“Zita, I warned you that your emotions brought on by your history with Alastor would get in the way of your duties. When you swore to me that you would tolerate him until we didn't need him anymore, I trusted you to uphold that promise. Yet here you are, attacking him in broad daylight and in front of hundreds of people,” Jin said.
Zita stood defiantly and argued, “He provoked me.”
Even she admitted that it came out much more childishly than she'd intended, so she corrected herself, “Alastor is a foul, heartless human being who deserves no love or loyalty. He isn't worth it, Lord Jin. I beg of you, let me kill him.”
“Zita, we've been over this,” Jin said, “Alastor is crucial to our plan. Without control in Fellen, we have no way of moving freely to do what we need to do. And without a substantial army, we are walking into the Crystal Wood blind. I have no idea what awaits in that forest. I need the entire armed forces of a single kingdom aiding our own organization. We may be growing in number, but even that isn't enough. In order to make our way to the Dawn, we must make some sacrifices. If that includes working with someone we would normally deem an enemy, so be it.”
Zita suddenly remembered come of the things that Varg spoke to her about, and something he said suddenly rang through her mind.
“Maybe...” she said, “...the ends don't justify the means, Lord Jin. At least, not always.”
Jin's expression suddenly grew sharp and cold. “You've been speaking to him, haven't you?”
Even if Zita wanted to lie, she knew Jin could peer into her memories and find out the truth. Instead, she chose to remain silent.
Jin scoffed. “I warned you not to speak to him, Zita. Let me guess, he tried to reason with you and tell you about ridiculous notions about how evil we are and that we need to be destroyed?”
Zita took a step back, but Jin edged closer and continued, “You know there is more than just good and evil in this world. I've taught you that and more. I've helped you grow to understand this world and its wretchedness. If you're willing to throw all that away because of what some brute told you, then...” Jin
paused, calming himself, and then he continued, “...maybe you aren't as loyal as I thought you were.”
With that, Jin walked away, leaving Zita speechless. She fought back tears, then found a private area behind a tree to collect her thoughts.
Lord Jin was defending the man who put Zita in the very situation that he saved her from. Perhaps not directly, but he still used her for her body and when he faced the possibility of getting caught, he turned his back on her to find another whore to fool into thinking he loved her.
Zita could no longer hold back the tears. She'd loved Alastor. She couldn't deny that. She willingly gave herself to him in the hopes that he would love her too. She realized too late that Alastor had no heart to give her.
Zita dried her tears. She knew she had to stand tall and not cry anymore. Crying was what the old Zita did, the naive girl without a friend in the world. Now she had new purpose, and she intended to keep it that way.
Zita stood and composed herself. She knew that Alastor wouldn't stay loyal to the Shadow Hand, and she needed to find proof. Then Lord Jin would believe her. If she brought him solid proof that Alastor meant to betray him, then Jin would have no choice but to allow Zita to enact her long awaited vengeance.
When Varg, Milea, and Shara returned to the castle and warned the queen about the enemy approaching, she immediately raised the alarms and called for an emergency draft. Every able-bodied elf, man or woman, was called to arms to participate in the battle that was sure to come. Shara prepared her troops and had them pass out gear to the newcomers, as well as do some last minute training.
“There are at least three different flags flying in the army, according to my scouts,” Shara said. “I assume that this is the combined forces our guests warned us about. If this is true, then our army may not be able to withhold our defense for long, and so it is my opinion that we should attempt to keep in our forests to gain momentum when they strike.”
“That would be unwise,” Milea said, sending a chill throughout the room at the impending argument. “We know from experience that the Shadow Hand is full of assassins who are at their best when in cover, so fighting in a crowded forest could possibly give them an advantage.”
The Crystal Wood (Half-Breed Book 2) Page 22