Kaina's Dawn (Kaina Saga Book 1)

by Brittany Comeaux

  “I never said I trusted her,” Tristan remarked. “That's why I'm going with her.”

  Abigail nodded. “You want to keep an eye on her?”

  Tristan stared ahead. “I have a hunch she isn't telling me everything she knows, but hopefully I can coax it out of her.”

  Abigail smiled. “She won't be easy to persuade; she's a smart one.”

  “Which is precisely why I'm not taking my eyes off of her for the duration of the trip.”

  “Not even to sleep?”

  “I've gone longer without sleep.”

  “We'll see. Meanwhile, I'll be sure to help our new friend get acquainted with the base,” Abigail said. “I'm nothing if not a charming hostess.”

  Abigail marched off, but Tristan didn't pay any attention to where she went. Instead he inspected the lockey around his neck, one that brought him a strange combination of comfort and anticipation when he held it in his hand. With its silver trim and engraved designed, the oval, thumb-sized locket had been gifted to him by his mother on her deathbed. He remembered her quivering, dying breath assuring him that it would help him in his time of need, but Tristan was never able to open the locket despite years of effort.

  Tristan stuffed the trinket back into his jerkin and leaned against the wall. He continued to watch his fellow Riders, as he often did when he needed time alone to think. Something about the way they interacted and formed bonds no tyranny could break gave him all the hope he needed when he was at his most vulnerable moments. It was the very foundation of his cause to ensure that friends and loved ones could hold together no matter what, and that no one would have to suffer again.

  Then, in that rare moment, Tristan smiled.

  It came as no surprise to Casimir when the Haventhorn family heard no further news from Kaina's “abductors” by night fall. The prince finally retired for the evening after spending the entire day listening to Lord Elias blantantly lie to his face about the whole dreadful affair, which was only less unbearable than Lady Matilde's feigned wails for her daughter's safe return.

  Casimir had only had a short break from the unfolding drama when Azemar entered his room again.

  “Have you sent the messengers out yet?” Casimir asked.

  “I did,” Azemar replied. “I sent a carrier pigeon with the encoded message, so it should reach Eldercliff long before Kaina does.”

  “Good,” Casimir replied. “I must retire soon, so I will speak to you again in the morning.”

  Azemar turned to leave, but hesitated. Without turning back around, he said, “You wrote to him, didn't you?”

  Casimir didn't look at him. “I will take no chances. With him on our side, we will have the book in a matter of days.”

  “Sire, surely you should only enlist him as a last resort. My men would be perfectly adequate--”

  “Your men couldn't handle it the first time,” Casimir barked. “That is why I am bringing in someone who can get the job done easily.”

  “But the price you must pay...is it truly worth it?”

  Casimir glared at the old man, turned away, and said, “Make sure I'm not disturbed.”

  Azemar shifted nervously and said, “As you wish, Sire.”

  The adviser shuffled out of the room and shut the door behind him. Casimir soon heard the old man's footsteps receding down the corridor, so now all he had to do was wait. He walked over to the hearth and stared into it. It wouldn't be long now before his guest arrived, and the signs would be there long before he was.

  Not a second after he thought this, Casimir noticed the first sign. The fire in the hearth grew weaker by the second, despite plenty of logs feeding it, until not even a single ember remained. Casimir let out a heavy breath and as he predicted, a small gust of fog came out as the air plummeted to colder levels.

  “I know you're here, Mareth,” Casimir said. “Show yourself.”

  A low, playful laugh resonated throughout the room, though it was nothing benevolent about it. “You play a dangerous game, Prince...”

  Casimir scanned the room, but could find no source of the disembodied voice. “Where are you?”

  In response, a black mass took shape and the figure of a man emerged in the darkest corner of the room. Tall, thin, and draped in black, the figure had a face so white that just looking upon it seemed to drain the life out of the viewer. The “clothing” he wore took the shape of a plain, long-sleeved robe, the surface of which still emitted the black mist that formed it. His glowing red eyes peered at the mortal who would dare summon him, and the cruelest of smiles spread from ear to ear upon the face of the entity.

  “Few mortals would summon me even once, much less as many times as you have,” Mareth said.

  “Three times,” Casimir corrected, “this time being the fourth.”

  “Yet you still come back for more,” Mareth said. “If I didn't know any better, I would say you were beginning to like me.”

  “I only like those who are useful to me,” Casimir said.

  Mareth uttered a deep, guttural laugh that sent a chill crawling through Casimir's skin, but if the latter showed any signs of fear, the former didn't acknowledge it.

  “What do you require of me?” Mareth finally asked.

  “I need you to find a girl,” Casimir said.

  “I don't have a talent for romance,” Mareth replied, circling him like a vulture, “but if the shadows speak the truth, neither do you.”

  Casimir clenched his teeth and continued, “This...girl, is in fact in possession of something that I think you may find quite interesting.”

  Mareth stopped directly in front of the prince, cocked his head to the side, and said, “Do tell, mortal.”

  Casimir held his breath and replied, “The book...”

  A smile spread across Mareth's face, which was easily the most terrifying thing that Casimir had ever witnessed. “You mean...that book?”

  “The very one,” Casimir replied. “The one that will lead us to the Lost Library.”

  Mareth's devilish eyes lit up. “My Lord will be quite interested in this development.”

  Casimir caught his breath and said, “The job I have for you is simple: bring me Kaina Haventhorn and the book before she opens it.”

  “The girl?”

  “Is to remain unharmed,” Casimir said.

  Mareth bowed before him, though he knew fully well that it wasn't out of respect. “It shall be done. Now, about your payment...”

  Casimir felt his blood run cold. He held out his hand as though he were offering a handshake to Mareth and said, “A piece of my soul, same as always.”

  Mareth smiled and at this point, Casimir saw sharp, white fangs protruding from beneath his curled lips. He placed his white hand in his and in an instant, Casimir's entire body went rigid. The blinding pain was as he imagined it would feel like to have one's organs ripped from their body, only in this instance it was something far more precious...

  Once it was over, Casimir collapsed onto the floor. The black mass that made up Mareth's body retreated into the corner it came from and said, “The girl and the book will be delivered to you before it is opened. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Prince Casimir.”

  The shadows faded, and as Casimir finally opened his eyes, he was met with the warm, raging fire in the hearth as thought the entire encounter had been nothing more than a nightmare.

  Chapter 9

  When Kaina awoke, she immediately thought something was wrong. Although there were other women in the room, they were only just getting out of their cots and getting dressed. She had no way of looking outside from where she was, so it was hard to tell if it was day or night.

  “Good morning.”

  Kaina turned to see a woman with flaming red hair looking down at her.

  “You must have been exhausted,” the woman said, “you've been asleep for nearly sixteen hours.”

  Kaina stared at the woman. “Sixteen hours?”

  “That's right,” the woman said, “I'm Abigail
, by the way. I'm a friend of Tristan's.”

  “It seems like everyone is around here,” Kaina remarked. “Where is he, anyway? Aren't we supposed to be leaving soon.”

  At that point, Kaina made a subtle move to place her hand on her hip and breathed when she felt that the book was still there.

  “He's in the mess hall,” Abigail said. “He wants to leave as soon as possible, so he had Angi pack your breakfast. Also, he wanted me to give you these.”

  Abigail picked up a folded pile of clothes on the next cot and held them out for her. “You'll soon find it's much easier to ride a horse without a dress on. I'll give you some privacy to get dressed. Come into the main hall when you're done.”

  “All right,” Kaina answered. “And thank you.”

  Once Abigail was out of sight and the room was finally empty, Kaina removed her dress. She unfolded an off-white tunic with a blue vest, brown leather bracers, brown knee high boots, a pair of lightweight trousers, and a gray cloak. Kaina also found a dagger resting in between the pile. She dressed herself in the clothing that they had provided, then she tied the dagger to the belt Aldis gave her and fastened it over her vest and tunic.

  Once Kaina was ready, she tied the sides of her hair up in a loose knot, folded up her dress, grabbed her old boots, and headed out of the barracks.

  The main hall was mostly empty, but she spotted Tristan waiting near the opposite side of the room, presumably the entrance. She approached with her things, but when Tristan saw them, he said, “Just leave those here. The others will take care of them.”

  Abigail approached her and took her things, leaned in, and said, “Blue suits you.”

  Kaina smiled and said, “Thank you.”

  As Abigail walked away, Tristan turned back to Kaina and said, “We need to first head west and go through Crescent Valley. There are usually thieves roaming around there waiting to ambush travelers, so keep your eyes peeled. With any luck, we should be out of the valley by the afternoon and into the Black Forest by nightfall. For obvious reasons, we do not want to travel through the Black Forest at night, so we'll make camp before that and get through it first thing in the morning.”

  “What's wrong with the Black Forest?” Kaina asked.

  Tristan kept a stone cold expression and replied, “I'd rather not get into it. Let's just focus on avoiding it altogether.”

  Although Kaina wasn't satisfied with his answer, she didn't feel the need to press further.

  Though the sun had barely risen, it seemed as though an entire day spent in a mine made Kaina's eyes more accustomed to the dark. She placed a hand on her brow to better transition to being outside again, but soon she was able to get a good view of her position.

  A stable and a few other men guarding the area stood just outside of the mine, and Kaina was surprised to see Froki there as well. He stood with two horses, one being Duchess and the other being Tristan's horse, and held their reins up as they drew closer.

  “They're all groomed, rested, and fed,” Froki said. “They'll get you anywhere you need to go. I also packed some oats and carrots for them.”

  “Thanks, Froki,” Tristan replied as he took the reins.

  Tristan handed Duchess off to Kaina. She mounted the saddle, and examined it further to discover it had been polished and the Duchess' mane had been brushed and cleaned.

  Kaina smiled at Froki and said, “Thank you. You certainly have a way with animals.”

  “I've been caring for horses since I was a lad,” Froki replied. “I used to care for the ones at the inn my parents ran.”

  Kaina chuckled.

  “Now that we're ready,” Tristan said, “we make no stops until meal time, then as soon as we reach the Black Forest, we make camp for the night. Understood?”

  Kaina nodded. “Right behind you.”

  Tristan whipped his reins and sent his horse into a full blown gallop, then Kaina followed close behind on Duchess. As she caught up to him, she turned back to catch one last glimpse of the Azure Riders' hideout.

  “Any sign of her?” Roland asked Hugo at the breakfast table.

  “None,” Hugo said, running his hand through his hair, “and I fear that Prince Casimir may soon suspect something.”

  “The prince won't suspect a thing,” Hamelin said. “He's just as adamant about finding her as we are.”

  “What if he does find her? What if she tells him that no abduction took place?” Roland asked.

  “That is why we must find her first,” Elias said as he cut into his eggs. “The best bounty hunters couldn't even hope to make the amount on her reward poster in a year, so you can rest assured that there will be plenty of competition to find her.”

  “I should go,” Hugo said. “I can bring Gabriel and Devon with me and we can find Kaina ourselves.”

  “Not yet,” Elias said. “Let us wait a day before sending our own out there to look for her.”

  A servant came into the room a moment later and went over to whisper in Elias' ear. The patriarch stood at once just as the door opened again, and that was when Azemar the Wise and Prince Casimir entered the room. Everyone else stood, and the room fell silent when their eyes fell upon the prince.

  Casimir's sunken eyes and waning skin made him look nearly ten years older than the night before. While he normally stood straight and tall, his shoulders now slouched as though he were carrying another man on them. His eyes darted to every corner of the room but never landed on a single person.

  “Your Majesty,” Elias said, “is everything all right?”

  Casimir stood in a dream-like state and although he didn't meet Elias' gaze, he replied, “I didn't sleep well.”

  “Oh dear,” Elias said. “I offer you my deepest apologies. I will see to it that we correct the issue right away-”

  “It was of no fault to you or your family,” Casimir said, “I simply had a lot on my mind.”

  Elias allowed himself to breathe again. “I am relieved that we did not cause you any discomfort, Your Majesty.”

  After Casimir was seated and served a breakfast of sausages, eggs, and jam on toast, he looked to Elias and said, “My Lord, have you received any more news from the kidnappers?”

  “None, but that's to be expected,” Elias replied with a shake of his head, “I don't believe that we will hear anything until the third night, when the ransom drop is due.”

  “Of course,” Casimir said. “With your permission, I would like to remain here at your home until then so I can be certain that my beloved returns safely home.”

  “I wouldn't have it any other way,” Elias replied. “You and your family are always welcome in our home.”

  A silence ensued, and Hugo cleared his throat and said, “With all due respect, Grandfather, I still say that my cousins and I go out and search for Kaina.”

  “Hugo,” Elias said, “I told you that--”

  “That's perfect,” Casimir said. “Hugo is one of my father's best knights, so who else would be better to lead the quest to rescue the future queen of Ilesia?”

  Matilde giggled at the sound of that, so much so that Roland had to tap her on the hand to remind her to remain composed.

  Elias looked back and forth from Casimir to Hugo, who sat eagerly in anticipation of his grandfather's next words, and then he sighed and said, “Very well, Hugo, you and your cousins may suit up and go out to find Kaina. However, I only ask that you wait until morning, and also that you will be...discreet.”

  Hugo understood by his grandfather's tone what he meant. He nodded and replied, “Yes Grandfather.”

  Kaina and Tristan stopped to rest just before the mouth of Crescent Valley as the afternoon rolled in. Tristan explained that resting in the middle of the valley with all the robbers and such would be waiting would be certain death, so they would have to ride straight through without stopping. Once they had finished their meal, the rode on again and found their way into the valley.

  “The Black Forest is just on the other end of this valley,” Trista
n said, “and fortunately the area near the entrance is well out of the danger zone. The river should lead straight through the valley and the forest.”

  “Why can't we just go around the Black Forest?” Kaina asked. “Surely there must be a way?”

  “There is, but it will extend our journey by at least another day. We simply don't have the time to waste,” Tristan explained. “Now hush and keep your eyes peeled. We don't want an ambush.”

  Kaina scowled at Tristan's rudeness, but ignored it for the sake of getting through the whole ordeal faster. Once they made it to Eldercliff, she would be rid of him forever.

  Kaina thought she spotted something out the corner of her eye and looked in that direction. She saw a figure moving behind a tree at the base of the nearest mountain a short distance away, and she knew it would mean trouble.

  “We've got company,” Kaina said as she rode as close to Tristan as possible so she wouldn't have to shout.

  “I know, I noticed one to the left about a second or two before you spoke,” Tristan said.

  “We should probably ride faster,” Kaina said.

  Tristan nodded. “On the count of three, we take off into a full sprint. Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Tristan held up one finger, then two, then three.

  The two whipped their reins and sent their horses into a full gallop. Kaina turned to see the figures emerging from their hiding places. The victory was short-lived, however, as they were soon followed by men on horseback.

  Kaina's blood ran cold and she shouted, “They're following us!”

  Tristan followed Kaina's gaze and shouted, “Just keep going. Maybe we can outrun them.”

  They continued on and all the while, the men were catching up. They certainly looked like bandits, as far as Kaina could tell, with their leather armor and menacing scowls. She soon realized that they were no ordinary gang, however, when a man with a scarred face and enough weapons to rival the king's armory rode towards the middle and shouted orders at the others.

  “They're catching up!” Kaina cried.