by Drae Box
I have no idea what I’m doing, he admitted to himself. But there’s gotta be a safety switch somewhere. Where is it? He followed each row of the metal boxes, ignoring every button and every light, only reading the labels. Ah-ha! He grinned as he found the safety lever. He rubbed his palm down the side of his trousers then grimaced as he found the squashed remains of what felt like banana. Raneth wiped that on his chest. He grabbed the lever and pulled.
Chapter Six
Aldora
“Sit there,” ordered Thane, shoving Aldora against a low wall.
She broke her fall with her hands. Reluctantly, she did as Thane instructed, but she folded her arms and glared at him to let him know how she felt. I have to get the Dagger back. She eyed the blade’s hilt and guard peeking out from the back of Thane’s smart waistcoat, but he was already ignoring her, talking to the three female Frey Followers who had accompanied them. If they all just turn their backs on me for one second, I can jump up and grab the Dagger and make a run for it. She touched her forehead as something warm crept onto her eyebrow and crawled along it. When she inspected her hand, there was fresh blood shining in the electric light. Must have got a cut when my head hit the wall.
They hadn’t been walking long but she didn’t recognise where they were at all. The few times she had come to Green, she’d stuck to the same locations, mostly the area around Jim’s The Yelling Beast Hotel, where she and Raneth had stayed when she was looking for the Dagger four years ago. She slipped a hand into her trouser pocket and toyed with the grebunars, careful not to squeeze it. Perhaps, if she could get away from Thane, she and Raneth could figure out where she was. She looked at the Dagger again. Raneth could help her get it back. With the Frey Followers, there was too much that could go wrong if she tried to grab it. Like Raneth had said, he was the better trained of the two.
Without warning, the yellow glow of the light abandoned them. Aldora squinted as her eyes adjusted. She slowly stood up. What now? She looked at Thane as three more Frey Followers strolled up to them from the left side of the street – men this time. Fantastic, she thought sarcastically. Seven of them now. How am I supposed to sneak off without them noticing? She inspected the street, looking for something she could throw to distract them, like Raneth had with the Broken Crown members at Wisner’s gate. Nothing useful that I can see.
Thane half turned to face her, his arms folded. “Any word on Raneth?” he asked one of the male Followers.
“Seen heading towards Beech Estate last,” replied the Frey Follower eagerly as he took a step closer.
“Aldora and I must have missed him,” uttered Thane.
He prowled closer to her and she eased a step away from him, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“He must be involved in the lights going off,” he said quietly to Aldora, a smile expanding across his face. He lifted his free hand and a spark snapped above his palm; a small fireball grew in the air beside them. “Bayre training’s overriding his royal official training – he wants to make it harder for Broken Crown’s men to see him, which means he’s looking for you.”
“He won’t come looking for me,” insisted Aldora as she pulled at her arm.
Thane’s grip tightened. “No? Bayres are a lot tougher than a lot of people realise. Royal officials and Dagger Bearers too.”
Aldora turned her gaze away from Thane, ignoring the warmth of the fireball as it crept closer to her face. “Why are you saying that?”
“These days, you’re just as interesting as a Bayre.” Thane pulled her towards his six Frey Followers and strolled down the street, his hand squeezing her wrist. His ball of fire floated above all of them to light their way. “Especially as you’re not the sort of woman I’d expect Raneth to attach himself to. I expected him to do the same as his predecessors – stick to soldiers or the daughters of lords.”
“Raneth’s mother was an Eastern Barbaric nomad,” hissed Aldora. “So you’re wrong. They don’t just go for soldiers or ladies.”
“She was retired military. His mother used to guard the Eastern Barbaric king,” stated Thane with a small chuckle. “Come on.”
“Thane,” uttered one of the female Frey Followers as she fell into step on Thane’s other side. She murmured into Thane’s ear.
“It would make finding him easier,” agreed Thane, tugging Aldora closer to his side. “Go and do that.” The Frey Follower nodded and grabbed another, leaving Aldora with Thane and only four Frey Followers. That was still too many for her to take on, especially as one of them was Thane.
“Wish Drigoe was still on our team,” muttered one of the women behind Aldora. “He could just materialise us to Raneth.”
Aldora glared at her over her shoulder.
“I told you,” growled Thane, “we can do just fine without Drigoe. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”
No, he won’t, thought Aldora with a smile. He’s far too happy being part of my sister’s life.
“Go and make yourself useful – find the nearest Brethren or Guardsmen and distract them.” At his words, two more of his lackeys left, leaving just two left. Both walked in front of Thane and Aldora.
She glanced behind her. Escaping was starting to look more like an option. My gift. Why didn’t I think of it earlier? She picked the fox, the one animal she was constantly able to imitate with her ability, and snapped at Thane.
The Master Frey flew backwards, his hold slipping from her. Aldora didn’t stay to watch as he barrelled into the Frey Followers beside him; she ran in the same direction Thane had been pulling her.
“Grab her!” yelled Thane.
Is this what it’s like for Raneth? I don’t know if I could do this every day. She grabbed the edge of a building, propelled herself onto a side street and burst from the other side. She quickly inspected the left and the right, then picked left. Raneth’s not the monster. Thane is.
Aldora jerked down a private alleyway and knelt behind a bin. She rested the back of her head against a wall as she caught her breath, listening carefully for the rushed steps of Thane or his Followers, but instead she caught onto the slow steps of someone else. Raneth? She peeked out from behind the bin then froze as an unfamiliar face looked back at her, his body covered by a black jacket. Brethren. She ducked back down.
“Hey, I saw you. Come out from there before I force you.”
Warily, Aldora stood up and folded her arms. “I’m the Dagger Bearer,” she stated fiercely, lifting her chin. Just pretend to be confident. “I demand you leave me alone or go and arrest Thane Frey.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” snapped the Brethren.
Aldora unfolded her arms as she strode closer. “Then get out of my way.”
She strode closer to the Brethren. Her hand fell to her right hip and grasped air; she peered down at the spot where the Dagger normally sat. Damn it.
“Get back.” She pushed against the Brethren’s chest, trying to free the mouth of the alleyway enough that she could slip past him and run.
He stepped backwards but he grabbed her elbow. My gift. Aldora opened her mouth and sucked in a lungful of air.
The Brethren shoved a rag into her mouth that tasted like a used handkerchief.
Don’t you smirk at me, thought Aldora. He grabbed her ponytail and slammed her into the alleyway’s wall, knocking the Dagger Bearer out.
Chapter Seven
Raneth
This is one of the streets I took Aldora down, noted Raneth as he strode down the street where the fiery furniture shop had been. Now the smoke was worse than the yellow arms of the fire, which no longer reached so high into the morning sky. He stepped into an adjoining street. The royal official listened to his surroundings as he walked, making sure that he didn’t walk too fast or too slow; his pace allowed him to hear over the sound of his movements and, more importantly, to focus in on any noise that caught his attention. He frowned as he heard a familiar voice telling someone off.
Thane? Raneth warily inspected his imme
diate surroundings. On the street there was almost nothing to hide behind. It was wide, with a few bags of rubbish dotted outside the front of every other building, but the bags weren’t big enough to hide a fully grown male. Gotta move! It didn’t matter where he went. If Thane was around, his needed to put distance between them. Right now. Raneth spun round and hesitated when a woman jumped down from the rooftop to his right, landing almost directly in his path.
“Hey, Baby Bayre,” she cooed with a smile. She crooked a finger, urging Raneth nearer.
Raneth glared at her and eased back a step instead. He looked over his shoulder and spotted Thane meandering closer. Too late. The woman’s ringed hand smashed against the side of the Bayre’s face, wrenching his body to the side. He stumbled and shoved a hand out to break his fall. Thane’s knee-high boots came to a stop next to his hand, but he didn’t stamp on the Bayre’s hand as Raneth looked up at him.
“Good morning, Raneth. How was Newer?”
Is there anybody who doesn’t know what Aldora and I were doing? “Thane,” growled Raneth as he slowly stood up.
He backed away so he was facing the female Frey Follower, Thane and the two other men who had appeared behind him. Small number of Frey Followers, but not the smallest I’ve ever seen. Still odd though. She came off the roof, so that could mean the others are canvassing. Thane’s always liked that hunting tactic.
“Newer was different,” admitted Raneth. He gestured at the Frey Followers. “Are you planning on killing me today?”
“No,” admitted the Master Frey. “I’ve postponed killing you and your father until the kingdom is restored, or you get yourselves killed trying. I’m hoping for restoration, personally.”
Makes sense that he would. It would screw his family up if we were wiped out. Just like Master Bayres wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if the Frey weren’t around killing us.
“What do you want then?” asked Raneth. “You’ve never been one for small talk unless you’re toying with me.”
“Astute, aren’t you?” Thane smiled. “You picked up on my patterns faster than your father ever did. He still hasn’t noticed some of them, but you have.”
Toying with me. Why? “Thane, what’s going on?” He doesn’t usually lie, so with a bit of luck he’ll spill the beans. If not, I’m just gonna have to fight this out and leg it.
“We saw Aldora,” explained Thane, “and I realised that meant you had arrived. The Brethren are not trained – they’re like schoolboys in a public school. They know very little of the necessary knowledge to replace royal officials like you. With murder, yes, some are quite adept, but most of them are just simple-minded thieves. I want to protect you from them.”
Protect me? It wasn’t the first time Thane had helped him but he never did anything unless it helped the Frey. His family’s culture, he realised. “Never mind that. Aldora,” stated Raneth. “Where and when?”
“Misplaced her, did you? I did wonder. She was a bit feisty. She was taken by one of the Brethren.”
“I didn’t…” Raneth quietened as he shifted his weight onto the balls of his toes. Why am I explaining myself to him? “Where are they taking her?”
“That way.” Thane turned sideways and pointed back the way he had come.
As he turned, Raneth spotted the familiar hilt of the Dagger of Protection at his back, and he lunged for the grip. The female Frey Follower slapped his hand away as one of the others in Thane’s employ pulled his boss back a fraction. Thane frowned and pulled the Follower’s hands away from his waistcoat, then looked at Raneth and the other Frey Followers.
“Ah. The Dagger?”
“You’ve killed her, haven’t you?” uttered Raneth.
His left hand clenched at his side as he watched his enemy’s eyes carefully. Three years to finally decide to ask her to marry me, and the Frey kills her before I can! I never should have let her get involved with me. I never should have looked for love instead of a good marriage arrangement. I should have known better. I’m a Bayre. That’s why I was putting it off – I didn’t want her to die, and now there’s a good chance she’s killed her.
Thane didn’t smile. “I told you – a Brethren took her. I just happened to take the Dagger before he took Aldora.”
He’s never lied to me before. Could it be he’s still holding to that habit? Raneth eyed the Dagger. That’s twice he’s had the Dagger now. Why?
“She’s being taken to the Mening in charge of Green City and all the Guardsmen in Giften – the brown jackets.”
“I’m somewhat up to date,” confessed Raneth. “I know about the Brethren and the Guardsmen, at least.”
“Good. Then you’re aware that if you see two or more Brethren together, it’s generally a good idea to turn tail and run like a good Bayre heir?” asked Thane. “Because they will outnumber you with their gifts, and each gift will be different to the next, meaning more firepower than you can handle with your Common Gift of Ice, or even in the air in your blood-gift form.”
“I’ve seen what they can do.” Raneth gave a firm nod.
“Good. Now, I need you to right the kingdom as quickly as possible. Dragon left for the Southern Kingdom with King Cray and Lady Lemuela. The others of the royal household followed by carriage, seeing as there aren’t many of them. It seems your father has left the kingdom in your hands. Cray too.”
I’ve already accepted the role I have to play. Raneth folded his arms.
“I was a weapons smuggler for Broken Crown. Have been since you were assigned Jules Rivermud. I can help you take them down.”
“That’s three years,” uttered Raneth. Which could be useful if I can pump him for information about Broken Crown itself, and especially about Aldora’s uncle. “What do you know about Aldora’s uncle? Denzel Leoma. Will he hurt her?”
“Not at first,” replied Thane, gesturing to the Frey Followers to keep an eye on their surroundings. Raneth watched as Thane’s people fanned out a little and watched the street around them.
“But?”
“I feel he will if she doesn’t slot nicely into his plan,” admitted Thane. “Denzel has been planning to take the kingdom from King Cray for years – since before the Dagger’s last theft. I don’t know how many years exactly, but he’s pretty determined to see it through, to eliminate all royal officials and replace you with a system he feels is better.”
“Is it better?” asked Raneth.
Thane glanced towards the smoke in the sky. “It doesn’t appear to be. Raneth, you need to be aware of something. The main weapons I smuggled over the borders for Broken Crown were Southern Kingdom guns. Broken Crown has a stash of them somewhere, and if you’re not careful, you’ll get yourself shot.”
“Good to know. Where’s this Mening? I need to rescue Aldora. Is she at Leighton’s place?”
Thane’s eyebrows rose. “I think you have more important things to worry about than Aldora right now, don’t you?”
Raneth’s glare intensified.
“After all, her uncle is a traitor. Not exactly the blood you should be bringing into the Bayre family’s proud lineage.” Thane paused. “Then again…”
He gestured at Raneth. The royal official looked at his chest, but when he didn’t see anything to worry about he looked back up at Thane.
“…your father did dilute your bloodlines with Eastern Barbaric blood. What’s a little inbuilt treason?”
“Aldora’s uncle’s actions have nothing to do with hers,” stated Raneth. Thane wasn’t the first to call his being half Eastern Barbarian bad. He pushed the matter from his mind. Aldora and Giften. Those were what mattered right now.
“If you say so. Just be careful. I do feel your time would be better spent focusing on getting the Kingdom’s Shield back, or killing Aldora’s uncle.”
“Is the Mening at Leighton’s old place?” repeated Raneth. Just ruddy tell me what I want to know. “I was going to go after the Mening anyway. To help Giften.”
“Then yes. That’s where t
he Mening is at this time of day.”
Thane turned his back on Raneth and started to walk off down the street. A little nervously, Raneth followed, trying to ignore the Frey Followers who fell into step beside him and Thane. They’re escorting me. “Thanks,” he uttered reluctantly. “Hey, Leighton’s place was carefully designed to stop people getting in. Can you help me get inside, Thane?”
Thane turned. “Of course I can. I’m a smuggler and a thief. Getting you in there will be child’s play.”
Chapter Eight
Aldora
Aldora blearily opened her eyes and inspected her body. Her arms were bound at the wrists. What on Giften soil am I doing tied to a chair? How did I get here and get tied up without remembering? Did that Brethren drug me or something? She lifted her hands away from the chair arms, testing the rope that bound her, but it didn’t give. Barely any space between my wrists and the arms. Bummer.
She swept her gaze around the room. It was square in size, with large windows to her right, covered with thin, semi-transparent white curtains that fluttered against a cool morning breeze. Beyond the windows she could see only green grass in bright sunlight. Wherever I am, they have space around the building for a garden.
The room itself was fairly tidy; the floor was covered by two square, red rugs, and the wall opposite Aldora held a large mirror that filled the breadth of the room entirely, allowing the Dagger Bearer to see behind her. The only door out of the room appeared to be on her left; it was white and had a gold lever handle. Against the same wall was a small, dark wooden side table that held a gold vase bursting with flowers. The flowers were an assortment of different colours, and the largest of the buds was a strange dark red with a bright red centre – almost like a sunflower that had turned evil. This room’s a little familiar, but why? Aldora swept her gaze around the room again, trying to remember why she felt an inkling that she had been here before. Leighton’s home. Briefly after gaining the title of Dagger Bearer, Aldora had met the capital city’s representative. It can’t be good news I’m here. Ali said that Mening was here. The one in charge of the Guardsmen.