Auguries of Dawn

by Peyton Reynolds

By Thirteenth-hour on the final day of Ardin’s Pride, the Tulan ball was in full swing. The guests had the run of the entire ground floor of the estate, although most were congregating in the ballroom, its tiles shining in flashes of gold and white upon its expansive floor. A well-renowned musical troupe performed, encouraging many to dance. Others lingered by the food tables, sampling the succulent dishes as they gossiped and intrigued with one another.

  Tishan stood alone near the wide, double doors that led out to the bricked patio. Soon, the mages would perform their fire-show out there above the lawns, but presently, only a few couples strolled the lamp-lit paths. But that was currently Knoxx’s territory to watch over—leaving Tishan to oversee what was happening within the ballroom.

  She withheld a sigh of exasperation as Myron Tulan blew a kiss at her from across the room, where he stood conversing with several nobles. He actually wasn’t such a terrible man, but the snobbery he displayed over his highborn status eased any guilt she might have felt over the deception she was pulling on him. She plastered on a smile and wagged her fingers at him in return. Thankfully, his role as host demanded that he spend much of his time mingling with his guests, but he did rush back to her side every chance he got, bringing her wine or cakes or sugared fruit. She would be very glad once this night was over and she would be free of him; rumor had it, he was planning to present her with an engagement ring this very evening.

  It had been but a simple thing to catch his eye. Flynn had worried that her Thieves Birth medallion might cause Myron to keep his distance, but Knoxx had understood her declaration that it would not prove an issue. Knoxx was the only person alive who knew her Secondary was Magic, as well as exactly how this choice had gifted her. It was unlawful, punishable by death, even, for one not to display their Birth medallion at all times. Tishan wore hers prominently this evening, resting at the base of her throat upon its silver chain. But the information it told no longer boasted Thieves. To any eye that looked, it now claimed the Birth Patron of Love.

  Her Magic was only of an illusory nature, but it came as a great aid to someone born to Thieves.

  Tishan turned her attention back to scanning the room. Most guests were the predictable highborn rabble, but there were a few oddities.

  A young diviner was set up at a table in the corner, conducting readings with her augury stones and fortune ball. She looked vaguely familiar, but Tishan could not place her. At another time, she might have been interested in pursuing her own reading, but such would have to wait for another opportunity.

  A troupe of performers littered the far end of the ballroom, singing, dancing, and tumbling to the music they created. Tishan found them enjoyable, and had overheard from other guests that they’d been the ones to open the festival this year. What made their appearance odd was the fact that they’d apparently brought their own security; two young men stood by, their eyes shifting continually between the performers and the crowd. Both wore swords as well as turquoise arm bands that marked them as slaves. Tishan supposed they could possibly belong to the Tulans, but she was certain they’d banned all their own slaves from the ball, and certainly the affair didn’t require the extra security with twenty Justice officers roaming about.

  The presence of the Justice officers was potentially problematic. Both she and Knoxx had faces well known to their lot, and if either was recognized disaster would likely result. Flynn had moved forward on the assumption that those patrolling the Tulan ball were low-ranking officers, delegated to this silly task which was not expected to see trouble, or to men too lazy to take real crime-fighting seriously. In either case, it was questionable whether any of those here would be observant enough to spot a face that they were not expecting to see in this sort of environment. So far, Tishan had garnered many a lustful glance, but none of suspicion. She could only hope Knoxx was also faring so well, although his own risk was low as he would be remaining invisible for most if not all of the evening.

  After a short while, an announcement was made that the mages would soon be ready to begin their show, and everyone should now move outside and find seats at one of the three long tables set up for the display. Before she could take even a step, she felt a slight squeeze upon her arm and knew it to be Knoxx. It relayed to her that all was so far running smoothly, and that he would now be making his way back outside to Flynn.

  Tishan gave no indication whatsoever of his presence, and a moment later, knew he had gone. She stepped toward the open patio doors and immediately felt a hand at her back. It was, of course, Myron Tulan.

  Tishan looked over and aimed a gentle smile at him. “Would your guests be so kind as to relinquish you for the fire-show?” she asked, slipping her arm through his. “I was so looking forward to us watching together.” Mostly because she needed to keep a strict eye upon his whereabouts—the next hour was going to be crucial, and would determine either the success or failure of their venture. Tishan was focused, but not nervous.

  Myron was practically tripping over his own feet while leading her to their seats at the head table. “Of course my dear, of course!” he enthused. “In fact, I’ve gotten much of the requisite mingling out of the way already, so with luck I am yours for the remainder of the night.” He smiled.

  Perfect, she thought, settling herself gracefully into the seat he held out for her. Glancing about, she saw she was in a prime position. Surrounded by Tulans, she would know immediately if any alarm was raised—and have the perfect opportunity to take advantage of their distraction. She idly plucked a deep purple cherry from the bowl before her and popped it into her mouth.

  She could see the mages a few hundred yards away, out upon the lawns. By this time, she knew much of them, although if matters fell unfavorably they would be Knoxx’s problem to deal with; she had her own task to see to.

  The first mage, Villian, was a heavy-set man of about forty years. His hair and beard were a shaggy brown, and his present mood appeared jovial. According to Knoxx he was a good-natured and friendly sort of fellow, but his power tended to give one pause, no matter his attitude. Villian was a pyromancer.

  The other mage was a woman who looked approximately Tishan’s own age of twenty-one years. Her hair was so pale it appeared almost white in the moonlight, falling about her robes of shimmering silver. Her name was Synna, and her power, like Villian’s, was not one to be taken lightly. She was a waterdancer, able to manipulate and control vast amounts of water—such as what was held within the small lake tucked into the south-eastern corner of the Tulan grounds.

  According to Knoxx, the pairing of pyromancer and waterdancer was a common one when it came to performances such as fire-shows. He had, however, been rather surprised to learn the identities of these two. Evidently, this sort of task was far beneath the both of them, and he’d been left to wonder exactly what they’d been doing in Tyrell in the first place to have even been commissioned to appear at the Tulan ball. He had found the entire matter extremely suspicious.

  This suspicion had in turn given Flynn great pause. The Tulans and Justice officers were one thing, but throwing in a couple of powerful mages who were possibly harboring a secret agenda of their own was extremely risky. He’d finally consented to go ahead with the plan after several assurances from Knoxx that he could handle them if he must—although exactly how he proposed to do this Tishan didn’t know, and was somewhat curious to see.

  Villian and Synna began the fire-show just minutes later. Starting with only the flame of a small candle, Villian’s conjurings swept upward and exploded in the night sky overhead, taking on a life of their own that was almost terrifying. There were krakens, trolls, and chimeras, all monstrous and flaming as they lunged and swooped above the crowd, and then came a massive fire dragon, chased and challenged into battle by Synna’s own water dragon, its form pulled from the nearby lake.

  The Tulans and their guests were transfixed, some of the women shrieking with terror as the beasts roared past, oth
ers simply clasping onto the arms of their men in excitement. Tishan herself had never before witnessed a fire-show, but she now felt she understood all the fuss made over them. Spellbound, she was forced to constantly remind herself not to lose focus.

  If nothing else, the success of the mages’ work assured one thing—it was unlikely anyone upon the property would be paying the least bit of attention to anything but the fire in the sky. Certainly none to the west field, where Flynn and Knoxx would now be liberating the Tulans of one of the two things they held most dear. Tishan herself would be making a play for the other, once the time was right.

  Whatever the true reason that had brought Villian and Synna to the Tulan ranch this night, their proficiency was doing the Thieves a mighty favor. Tishan wondered if they might be so lucky as to have no notice taken of their work until they were all safely away. Unlikely, she finally decided. For there was nothing the Tulans loved more than their fortune—which meant there was nothing they kept more protected than that which funded it. Their racehorses, of course.

  At present, Flynn and Knoxx would be disabling any bodies set to watch over the Tulan’s prize herd. Likely not a difficult task, given the fiery distractions in the sky as well as Knoxx’s ability to remain visibly undetected. Once Flynn was on his way with the horses, Knoxx was set to return and ensure that Tishan had no trouble making her own escape. For if Flynn and Knoxx’s actions did not raise a quick alarm, hers most certainly would.

  Sitting there now, surrounded by Tulans and with her eyes upon the spectacle above, Tishan fought hard to stifle a truly wicked smile. No doubt thinking himself safe from retaliation this past year, Lord Beran Tulan was soon to realize just how severely he’d erred by offending Flynn. Tonight, he would learn exactly how foolish it had been to anger anyone who wore a Revenge medallion, and particularly one with Flynn’s resources. Undoubtedly, it was to be a night Beran Tulan would not soon forget.

  The fire-show ended without incident, meaning that, so far, none knew what was occurring in the west field. Before she could begin to follow the others back into the ballroom, however, she noted something quite worrying. Villian and Synna, their presentation now complete, appeared to be heading off in the one direction Tishan did not want to see them go. Their steps were casual, unhurried, but still, something about their movements concerned her.

  Leaping forward suddenly, she grabbed hold of Myron’s hands while adopting both a look and tone of breathless excitement. “That was brilliant!” she gushed, as he blinked in surprise at her sudden enthusiasm. “I must speak to the mages and tell them how much I loved their performance!”

  “Certainly,” he replied, appearing pleased.

  Her eyes darted past him and she let out a cry of disappointment. “Oh—but they’re leaving!”

  As she’d hoped, this had the desired effect. Myron sprung forward, waving his arm.

  “Mages!” he cried, hurrying out onto the lawns. “Mages, could you wait but a moment?”

  Tishan moved quickly after him. She saw that Villian and Synna had both paused and turned back at his call, and while their expressions were bland, Tishan was quite certain she’d glimpsed the faintest flicker of irritation pass over Synna’s features.

  Now just what are the two of you up to?

  Whatever it was, it would have to wait.

  She pranced over to the mages in a show of excitement and spent the next several minutes telling them how wonderful they were and how their performance had been the most exciting thing she’d ever seen. Myron appeared to think nothing of her words, smiling and nodding when appropriate to second her claims, but it was clear both Villian and Synna thought her a silly, empty-headed highborn who had nothing better to do with her time than attend parties and balls.

  Tishan kept on until she began repeating herself, unable to devise new and interesting ways to appear a dullard. The mages remained polite but were beginning to look irritated. Myron, apparently, was simply growing bored.

  “All right, my dear, why don’t we let the mages see to their needs now, after all their wonderful efforts?” he broke in and suggested, taking her arm.

  Villian and Synna barely disguised their relief.

  “Lord Tulan,” Villian said, nodding. And then he and Synna were gone, turned and stepping away quickly to vanish into the darkened grounds.

  Tishan thought furiously.

  “But where are they going?” she asked. “Surely they would like to join us for the remainder of the ball?”

  Myron began leading her back toward the patio. “Unfortunately, no,” he said. “They informed me days ago that they would need to depart immediately after their performance. Evidently they have urgent business to attend to back on Venaris Sheea.”

  Venaris Sheea was the Mage’s Isle, positioned just off the western coast of Dhanen’Mar. And Tishan doubted very much that any urgent business taking place there was the true reason for Villian and Synna’s hasty departure. She was intrigued, but more so worried for Knoxx and Flynn. Unfortunately, she had also done all she could for them.

  Once back in the ballroom, the musical troupe had again taken up, and Tishan found herself pulled onto the dance floor by Myron. She managed to remember most of the steps, no easy feat as she was now tensed and expecting an alarm to sound out at any moment. It had actually been part of the plan, to presume discovery at about this time, and so the longer no shouts of warning sounded, the more nervous she became.

  But she also had a job to do, a second target to acquire to ensure that the Tulans felt the full weight of Flynn’s vengeance this night. And she saw her perfect opening to do so as the music slowed and Lord Beran glided his wife out onto the ballroom floor for an intimate dance.

  Tishan moved mechanically in Myron’s embrace as her mind raced furiously. Did she dare do this, here and now? She knew her skills were good, but were they this good? She had been counting on confusion and panic to have overtaken the guests by this time, a result of Flynn’s discovered thievery, but calm continued to prevail, and she was unsure if she could truly be so bold as to do this without the distraction she’d been waiting for.

  But this might be her only chance.

  She swayed to the music and tilted a look up at Myron. “I see your parents have joined us on the floor,” she said.

  He glanced over, smiling and nodding when he saw them. “It’s so good to see mother up and about. You know her health has been ailing.”

  Tishan withheld a snort. Myron’s mother was a lazy, conceited woman whose recent “ailments” had been nothing more than attempts to ensure the family’s attention remained on her. Or so she had overheard a few of the Tulan slaves claiming.

  “Perhaps,” she began, smiling sweetly, “you would care to dance with her? I would not object if so, for it would give me some moments with your father. You know how I so hope to gain his favor.”

  Myron beamed at her thoughtfulness. “You have nothing to worry over, my heart, for he is already as enchanted with you as I am. But it would make for a nice gesture, certainly.” He swung them nearer his parents.

  Moments later Tishan found herself held loosely in Lord Beran’s arms, making slow steps to the music as he guided them about the floor. Myron and his mother swayed nearby. The dance floor itself was busy but not crowded. If her timing was at all off, chances were high that she would be seen and caught.

  “I hope you realize that I cannot possibly let my son marry you,” Lord Beran said suddenly, twirling her.

  She swung back to him and met his gaze. “My lord?’ she said, feigning concern.

  “While you are no doubt a charming young lady, I know nothing of your family name,” he explained, keeping perfect time.

  Tishan fought off her amusement. Had she given her true family name, known only by Knoxx, he most certainly would have recognized it. As it was, she’d made one up, claiming to be from Dhanen’Mar’s mountainous eastern regions.

  “But my lord, I lov
e your son so very much,” she said, deciding to play out the conversation as a way of keeping Beran distracted. Tears welled into her large, hazel eyes.

  He sighed, still flawlessly keeping to the beat. “Of course you do. He is a Tulan, after all. But you must realize that his lineage implies that he was bred for a much nobler stock than you. I have no objections if you want to keep on as his amusement for a time, of course, or even as his mistress once a more appropriate bride can be found for him to wed. No doubt such a position will garner you many fine gifts as well a certain level of prestige. But I’m afraid you must discourage any ideas he has of actually marrying you.”

  Tishan was now inwardly battling with herself not to punch this man. Her hand, held loosely in his, was reflexively trying to curl itself into a fist. Her eyes, however, leaked out a few more tears as she stared back at him with mounting distress.

  “This will break his heart, my lord!” she insisted, as he released her hand so that she could twirl again.

  “For a time, perhaps, but ultimately he will accept it,” Beran told her firmly. “Now, you must get yourself together and not cause a scene. For doing so would only stain you as the baseborn that you are.”

  Tishan managed a brave nod as she turned back into him, her hand sweeping ever so gently at his waist, across the walnut-sized diamond he wore affixed to his belted waistband. The Tulan diamond had been in his family for scores of generations, passed down through the heads of the clan and worn only upon occasions that were meant to truly impress. It was now in Tishan’s hand, come free from its setting easily as she’d been relentlessly practicing with a replica all this week and knew precisely where its release springs lay.

  “I will do as you say, my lord,” she sniffled, making a show of pulling herself together even as the diamond vanished into a hidden pocket of her dress, designed specifically for this purpose.

  Lord Beran grasped both her hands and lowered her into a slight dip as he nodded. “It is for the best. And worry not, for so long as you play the matter out smartly, you will be well cared for.”

  Tishan smiled, wishing again to cause him physical harm. Instead, they finished out the remainder of the dance gracefully as well as wordlessly, and then joined in the applause that sounded out to regale the musicians for their efforts.

  She leaned in to Lord Beran so that he would hear her over the sound of the applause. “I fear I need a moment or two to properly collect myself, my lord. Would you be so kind as to let your son know that I will return to him shortly?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  Tishan turned and started for the patio doors. Her heart was now racing furiously, but she managed to keep her steps unhurried, even smiling and nodding to the other guests as she moved past. She was nearly to the doors when a piercing, shrill blast began, cutting through the musicians’ song and causing them to abruptly fall silent.

  “Someone is stealing the horses!” a yell bellowed out, followed by the appearance of a disheveled stable-hand as he raced through the patio doors.

  Tishan froze, her eyes darting about as noise broke out all over the ballroom, not the least of which Lord Beran’s furious yelling. It would be only moments before he also noted his missing diamond—or until someone else pointed its absence out to him. She had to find a clear path from here now. Her only other option was to put the entirety of her trust and faith into Knoxx. She made the decision quickly.

  “All right, everyone calm down and remain here,” one of the Justice officers commanded, pulling free his sword and making his way toward the doors leading outside. “We will handle this.”

  “You’d better!” Lord Beran screamed back at him, storming forward.

  Tishan gave a quick, forlorn look to the freedom that lay just steps away. And then she spun, pointing dramatically to Lord Beran as he continued to approach furiously. “Your diamond, my lord!” she exclaimed. “It is gone!”

  Chapter 10