Letting out a deep breath, I snuck further into the room. An array of gleaming swords, knives, bows, and armor decorated the walls but unfortunately, no sign of my blades. I darted over to the closest table and picked up a topmost sheet of paper. After perusing it, I snatched up another.
A sharp knock sounded on the door. Damn. I had barely even started looking and I was already out of time. Once I had replaced the documents, I sprinted back to the door and slipped out.
“Hurry!” Shade hissed at me before shoving Elaran forward. “Go distract her.”
My heart slammed against my ribs as I relocked the door behind me. It clicked in place. I shot to my feet in time to see Princess Illeasia making her way towards us. Elaran was already moving to meet her but we still needed a reason to be all the way over here after she had left us in the middle of the crowd.
“We need an excuse for being here.” My eyes flicked between the assassin and the approaching princess. “Something that would explain why we wanted privacy.”
Shade pushed me up against the wall and placed one hand next to my head and the other on my cheek. His fingers caressed my jaw as he leaned forward and put his lips to my ear. His breath against my skin sent bolts of lightning through my body.
“How’s this for an excuse?” he whispered.
“What are you doing all the way over here?” Illeasia’s voice said from somewhere to my right. “I was... oh.” Satisfied laughter bubbled from her chest. “I see.”
Elaran cleared his throat. “Yeah, they... uhm...”
I couldn’t see either of them because my vision was filled with intense black eyes staring at me barely a breath away but I was pretty sure Elaran was blushing.
“Let’s leave them to it,” the princess said. “Niadhir is helping them fix the machine. It should be ready in a few minutes.”
Once we were sure they had left, Shade withdrew. Slumping back against the wall, I heaved a deep sigh as if I hadn’t breathed at all in the last couple of minutes. That strange tingling sensation was back on my skin where his fingers had been. I shook my head to clear it.
“I only saw the guard positions for the wing next to ours,” I said, trying to get my scrambled brain back on track. “There are almost no guards there but it doesn’t help us because we have no way of getting there.” Blowing out an annoyed breath, I clicked my tongue. “So, nothing useful.”
Shade was silent for a moment before nodding. “We should move a bit further down so that we’re not standing right outside this door.”
We moved closer to the waiting star elves but didn’t join them. Instead we both leaned back against the wall and watched them talk and grumble from a short distance away. I scanned the scene. Illeasia and Elaran had joined a distraught-looking Lady Nelyssae while Captain Hadraeth was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m thinking about getting rid of the darkness,” I announced out of the blue. I wasn’t even sure why I’d told him that.
The assassin next to me twisted his head to look at me, surprise evident in his dark eyes. “Why?”
“Because it will eventually kill me or make me kill someone I love.” I let out a long exhale. “And I can’t let that happen.”
“You don’t know that it will.”
“It’s happened to everyone else. Why would I be any different?” Flicking an impatient hand over my skirt, I blew out another sigh. “Besides, it’s demonic powers from hell. Why would I want to have that inside me?”
“Because it’s a part of you. Part of who you are.” He held my gaze. “And having power doesn’t make you evil.”
“I sold my soul to a demon for it. How does that not make me evil?”
Giggling drifted from the group closest to us as a lady with dark silver hair gestured expressively about something. We watched them in silence for another few seconds before Shade broke it.
“How many times has it saved your life?”
Startled, I turned back to stare at him.
“Saved your friends’ lives?” he pressed on. “I know it’s saved my life more than once. You should see it as an asset.”
Lost for words, I simply continued studying his face. Just for him to admit that he would be dead if it weren’t for me was huge and that was what reined in my feelings of dread. Maybe he did have a point. The darkness had helped me through a lot of dangerous situations too.
“Ashaana have taken a lot more lives than they have saved,” Captain Hadraeth cut in as he stepped in front of us. “I would recommend not listening to someone who knows absolutely nothing about the curse you suffer from. If you tally up the corpses you’ve left in your wake and compare it to the people you’ve saved, you will know it’s the truth.”
Irritation at him butting in on a conversation that was none of his business was dampened by the fact that he was right. I had left a rather long trail of bodies behind me.
Shade opened his mouth but before any sound made it out, the Guard Captain continued. “Lady Nelyssae is looking for you. You’d better go to her.”
The Master Assassin gave me a long look before striding off into the crowd. Not wanting to be left alone with the strange captain, I wove through the sea of murmuring people as well.
Conflicting emotions battled for supremacy in my chest. On the one hand, I wanted desperately to cling to Shade’s reasoning. The darkness had saved the people I loved more than once and it was definitely an asset when I found myself in a tough spot. But on the other hand, Captain Hadraeth was also right. I had used it to kill far more people than I had saved. And because of it, I had almost killed someone I cared about as well.
Was it a curse or an asset? I wasn’t sure. As I neared our small group, I shoved out the annoying feelings digging holes in my chest and blew out a forceful breath. It didn’t matter anyway. Tomorrow we would be one step closer to our escape and I couldn’t afford to get distracted. Forcing a smile onto my face, I rejoined my companions. I had to stay focused. Otherwise, we were all doomed.
20.
Waves crashed against the shore. Closing my eyes, I drew a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of the sea. Each city might have its own signature scent–crisp and cold and pine needles for Keutunan, spices on a warm summer day for Pernula, and jasmine and roses for the City of Glass–but everywhere I went, the sea always smelled the same. Salt. Seaweed. And home.
“This was a great idea, Nely,” Princess Illeasia chirped as she twirled around in the black sand. “I haven’t gone swimming in ages.”
Her eyes were as bright as the sun above us when she gazed at the glittering water. Undoing a knot on the side of her dress, she slipped out of the outer layer to reveal a much smaller dress. I squinted at it. The short skirt ended mid-thigh and straps across her shoulders held the whole thing up. Moving my eyes to Lady Nelyssae, I found her in something similar after she had dropped her long white dress on the sand.
Uncertainty filled me as I glanced down at my own body. I was wearing nothing of the sort. Instead, I had put on the simple white dress I usually wore when I didn’t have to dress up for some formal dinner or other. Was I supposed to swim in that?
“Let’s go!” Sand sprayed into the air as the princess raced to the shoreline. “What are you waiting for?”
While walking backwards towards the water, Lady Nelyssae curled a finger at Shade and Elaran, beckoning them to join her. “Come on then, boys.”
The wood elf and the assassin exchanged a look before giving each other a synchronized shrug. Airy white shirts and pants hit the beach as they stripped out of their clothes until they only wore a pair of light pants that ended above the knee. I studied them. Lean muscles rippled as they straightened and started towards the sea.
Shade whirled around. A smirk played over his lips when he found my eyes roaming his body. “Coming?”
Startled, I cleared my throat and hoped the ridiculous blush that had flash over my cheeks was invisible in the bright sunlight. “I...”
“She is not wearing any bathing clothes
,” Niadhir cut in. He shook out a large blanket and placed it on the black sand. “And neither am I. We will remain ashore.”
The Master Assassin turned hard eyes on the scholar, and for a moment it looked like he was about to say something, but then he just lifted his shoulders in another shrug and strode towards the water.
Niadhir lowered himself onto the blanket and started pulling books from a satchel. He patted the pale fabric on the ground. “Come sit down. I brought your embroidery.”
Oh, hurray. Stifling a snarky remark and an eye roll, I plopped down next to him. White skirts billowed around me before settling over my legs. I blew out a sigh. Doing needlework wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind when they said we were going to the beach.
Out in the water, Elaran was standing at knee-depth glaring skeptically at the water. “It’s a bit cold, isn’t it?”
“Are you serious?” Shade arched his muscled back and dove under an approaching wave before popping up again. “It’s a lot warmer than the sea back in Keutunan.”
The grumpy elf crossed his arms. “We didn’t swim in the sea. We swam in lakes in the forest. And they were much warmer.”
While the cranky wood elf had been preoccupied informing Shade about the difference in water temperature, Princess Illeasia had swam around him and snuck up from behind. Just as the last syllable left his mouth, the princess drew her arms in a wide sweep and splashed a wave of water over him from behind.
A startled yelp leaped from his throat and he drew his arms up in shock at the sudden cold washing over his body. Joyous notes echoed across the beach as Princess Illeasia doubled over and laughed like there was no tomorrow. The grumpiness and shock melted from Elaran’s features as he looked at her. His mouth drew into a smile as he placed his arms in the water and splashed twice that amount back on the princess. More laughter rang out.
Even I couldn’t stop a wide smile from spreading across my face. Princess Illeasia was the perfect complement to Elaran. While he was always so full of duty and seriousness, she radiated excitement, playfulness, and a joy of living. He needed someone who brought light to his life. Looking at the expression on his face now as he joked around in the water made me forget for a moment that we were prisoners here.
“Are you not going to start your embroidery?” Niadhir asked.
I scrambled to my feet. “No, I...” Running my fingers through my hair, I cast my gaze around the area. “I’m just gonna walk around the beach a little. Need to clear my head.”
Before he could respond, I strode off towards the dark gray cliffs boxing in this hidden beach. My head and my heart were getting all tangled up and I didn’t like it. Elaran looked happy here. And from what I’d seen when I was out in town, so was everyone else who lived in the city. For a nation waging war and conquering others, they were a strangely peaceful people. I leaned back against the cool rocks. Maybe there was more to them than the villain stories I’d previously heard.
My eyes drifted to Shade. Droplets glinted off his skin as he emerged from the water. Lady Nelyssae swam forward and lifted a delicate hand to his head, pulling out a piece of a reed that had gotten stuck in his hair. She drew her fingers down his cheek as she removed it. I wondered if he was happy here too.
So as to not have to deal with the hurricane of emotions whirling through me, I tore my gaze from the assassin and pushed off the jagged cliff wall. A rowboat lay nestled in the black sand further down. I set course for it.
It was in surprisingly good state considering the fact that it had been lying out here in all kinds of weather. Placing my hands on the rough railing, I peered into it. Two oars, an empty bucket, and some coils of rope littered the bottom. I straightened and turned back to Niadhir.
“Hey, do you wanna go rowing instead of swimming?” I called.
The scholar looked up from his book with a befuddled expression on his face. “Rowing?”
“Yes. I wanna get out on the water too.”
He looked about to refuse but when I put on my best sad face, he closed the book he’d been reading and got to his feet. “Yes, alright.”
The keel of the rowboat left a rut in the sand as we pushed it to the waterline. It bobbed up and down on the waves once we got it out. At least it was too small to make me seasick. Niadhir rowed us closer to our swimming friends while I contemplated when to make my move. The sparkling blue waves hit the side and sprayed mist over the railing. I guessed this was as good a place as any.
A shocked gasp resounded as I stood up and pulled the dress over my head. Niadhir blabbered something incoherently before he finally pressed out a fully-formed sentence.
“Oh, by the Stars! Storm what are you doing?”
“Swimming.” I dropped the white dress atop the coils of rope.
“In only your undergarments?” The distraught scholar averted his gaze so that he wouldn’t have to see the two offending pieces of clothing. “This is not the proper way for a lady to behave.”
Amusement blew past on Shade’s face as he watched me from the water. I put one foot on the railing.
“Good thing I’m not a lady,” I said before diving into the waiting sea.
Soft water enveloped my body as I disappeared below the surface. Relishing the refreshing coolness around me, I stayed below the waves for another few moments before kicking back towards the land of breathable air. Warm winds met my face when I broke through.
“Oh by the Stars, there you are,” Niadhir’s distressed voice rang out above me. “I thought you might have hit your head and fallen unconscious.”
“Calm down.” I executed a few long backstrokes. “If I can survive diving from a Pernish warship, I can survive diving from a rowboat.” Swimming away even further, I called up at him, “I’ll meet you back on the shore.”
His disapproving comments fell on deaf ears as I let the waves carry me away. These star elves’ strange sense of propriety was exhausting. Though, I suppose the nobles in Keutunan had a similar view of what ladies should and shouldn’t do. Maybe the rest of the citizens here lived by less strict rules.
Lady Nelyssae pouted her lips and glared at me. “You should listen to him. This is not how a lady should behave.”
In the water next to her, Shade flashed me a knowing grin that told me we were thinking the same thing. Doing as I was told had never been my strong suit.
“Oh don’t be such a fuss, Nely,” Princess Illeasia quipped. “You have to live a little.”
After sending a quick smile in her direction, I swam back towards the beach before the nervous scholar dropped dead of indecency. As soon as the boat reached the sand, he scrambled out of it and raced back to the blanket. He snatched it up and shook it out before rushing towards me by the waterline. While twisting his head to the side, he held up the large cloth to protect my modesty. I chuckled at the embarrassed look on his face but took the offered cover anyway.
“I’m just gonna go grab my clothes and put them back on,” I said as I wrapped the blanket around me and started towards the rowboat.
“Yes, yes, excellent idea,” Niadhir said. “I shall wait over here.”
Once I reached the boat, I scooped up the bundle at the bottom before moving to a more secluded part of the beach to get dressed.
Niadhir had pulled the rowboat back to its original position and our four swimming friends had gotten out of the water when I returned, wearing my white dress again. All five of them had squeezed together on the remaining blankets. I studied them.
Elaran and Illeasia were discussing something with their heads close together. The princess gestured wildly around her with an ecstatic look on her face, making the wood elf break into a smile as well. On their other side, Shade stretched his athletic body across the white fabric.
Most people would only appreciate his lean muscles, and though I did very much enjoy the view of them too, I also found myself staring at the pale scars decorating his skin. I say decorating and not marring because to me, they didn’t diminish his looks. They ad
ded to them. As a person with a rather vast collection of scars myself, I understood what someone with marks like that had lived through. Surviving things like that took a lot of strength, mental and physical, and a great deal of cunning. And those were qualities I found very attractive.
Lady Nelyssae’s eyes took on a malicious glint when she noticed my gaze. Propping herself up on one elbow, she placed her other hand on the assassin’s chest in a possessive gesture and leaned down over him to whisper something in his ear. Narrowing my eyes, I shot her a dirty look but then glanced away because I didn’t want Shade to catch me staring at him.
I might find the Master Assassin ever so slightly attractive but I’d never admit that to him. He received enough attention from women as it was. Women far more beautiful than me. Huffing, I crossed my arms. And feelings were still a bloody inconvenience.
We spent another hour so or drying off, chatting, and soaking up the sun. Niadhir pestered me about resuming my embroidery but I was content simply watching the waves and listening to everyone else talk. After a while, the dutiful scholar suggested that we should return to the castle, as too much sun might be bad for us, so we packed up and started the walk back.
“So is this like a private beach for royalty or something?” I motioned at the path cut into the cliffs around us.
“Not for only the royal family per se,” Niadhir supplied. “But we are inside the castle grounds so only residents of Starhaven have access to it.”
I already knew that, of course, since I had seen this path from my window but I still found it odd that no one else had been there today. In Keutunan, the harbor was usually packed with people trying to cool off during hot summer days. Maybe swimming wasn’t a popular activity in this city.
A Storm of Glass and Stars (The Oncoming Storm Book 4) Page 13
