Keys of Candor: Trilogy

by Casey Eanes

  “Oh, we wouldn’t want that now would we, Filip?” Willyn whispered mockingly. “I would not want to be the cause of an international conflict.”

  Filip looked back to Willyn. His jousting words fell flat and serious. “You are still just a child. You do not know the way the world truly works yet, but trust me, when you are alone, you will find that your arrogance will have done nothing but hurt you.”

  Willyn blinked, taken aback from the comment. What is this old fool saying to me?

  “Now come on and I will introduce you to your escort.”

  Willyn motioned her personal security detail forward as Filip spun back around on his heels.

  “Leave your brutes behind, Willyn. I personally will guarantee your safety in my Realm, but I really don’t care to have my rugs soiled with your men’s boots. Now come on and get in here. It’s cold out and I am ready for another drink.”

  Willyn could not help but laugh. “A bit early isn’t it, Filip?”

  “It’s never too early for the finer things in life,” Filip said as he and Willyn stepped into the grand main parlor.

  He turned and addressed her, “Wait here, I will be back in just a moment. “

  Filip scurried away, leaving Willyn alone. She sat down at a sprawling pine table in the middle of the room and slowly examined the intricate interior surrounding her. The embellished moldings, crystal chandeliers, and hand-crafted furniture stood in stark contrast to the cold cement walls that made up her home in the Groganlands. Both were a show of power, the Grogan halls as a nearly impenetrable fortress, which could withstand assaults of nearly any kind. The nation of Elum, however, had no shame in putting its riches on display, flaunting its wealth and prestige.

  After a half hour of sitting alone in the grand foyer, listening to the nearby clock tick by the minutes, the door that Filip disappeared behind creaked open. Willyn was not greeted again by the diminutive ruler, however, but instead a lean, dark-haired man, who, without a word, stepped into the room and sat down across the table from her. He was handsome but plainly dressed, and Willyn noticed instantly that he did not carry himself in the same fashion as the Elum royalty. The man sat and stared at her with his cold, gray eyes, completely silent. He slowly and deliberately kicked his legs up on the table, never breaking his eyes from her.

  The two sat in silence for a few moments. The stranger continued to stare. He did not blink, not once, and Willyn locked her eyes with him, accepting his unspoken challenge. They sat there for what seemed like an eternity. She could not maintain the strange ordeal a moment longer.

  Willyn bulldozed through without a pause, “Introduce yourself, stranger.” She reached down for her sidearm, threatening to release her pistol from its holster. “I don’t have time to waste so you need to speak up or get out.”

  The man slapped the table with such force that it nearly buckled, and he began to laugh. The laughter, if you could call it that, came in strange controlled bursts, rolling out slow and deliberate. Willyn sat dumbfounded as the stranger spoke.

  “Ha! Ha...ha. Oh, I do love a good laugh. You Grogans and your guns.”

  The stranger quickly straightened himself and stood to his feet. This oddness, along with the laughter, disappeared in an instant as he calmly addressed her.

  “Willyn Kara, what a pleasure to meet you. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Luken, and I will serve as your escort as you visit Elum. I am thoroughly at your service.” He bowed quickly and sprung up. “Now, I understand you have lost something.” A wry, knowing smile grew on his face. There was something captivating about the man with the gray eyes, as if he released a tangible energy that permeated the air.

  Willyn sifted through her feelings, relieved that the conversation was turning to what really mattered. “Not something, but someone. I am in search of a terrorist that I have reason to believe is hiding in Elum. His name is Grift Shepherd, though I doubt that name means anything to you.”

  Luken’s face dropped and his eyes became distant upon the mention of Grift’s name. He murmured something to himself, turning to stare out of the clear glass wall that overlooked the royal promenade. Willyn approached him, reading the recognition on his face.

  “Ah, so Filip actually did send me someone useful. I see you know exactly who I am looking for.” Luken did not acknowledge her, but continued to keep his back toward her. Softly, Willyn laid her hand on Luken’s broad shoulder and whispered. “Tell me, Luken, have you seen Grift Shepherd recently?” Her hand squeezed into his shoulder as the question lingered in the air.

  He stood motionless for several moments before blinking and reconnecting his sharp eyes with hers. Willyn could tell that he was weighing his words carefully. He knows something. He knows something about Grift.

  Luken spoke. “I know exactly who you are looking for. Have I seen him recently?” He shook his head. “No. I haven’t seen him in many years. However, I do know him, know of him. He is a Guardian, correct?”

  “Yes, he was the head guard, or guardian as you say, for King Camden’s security detail, but according to evidence I have received, he is also the man that attempted to assassinate my brother, Hagan.”

  Luken shook his head and looked back out into promenade. “No, that does not seem right. I believe you are mistaken about him. There is no way that Grift Shepherd would have attacked your brother. It actually makes no sense. You are clearly looking for the wrong person.”

  Willyn snapped back, “And clearly, you are a fool. I know who poisoned Hagan, and I have evidence to prove that Grift Shepherd was the man who attempted the assassination. Now quit with your petulant games and let’s start searching.”

  Luken made no rebuttal. “As you wish, Mistress Kara.”

  “Good.” Willyn turned for the door to the outer courtyards where her men were still waiting.

  Luken redirected her, “My lady. You are going the wrong way.” A small, wiry smile grew on his face.

  Willyn looked back over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. Her sneer produced no visible sign of fear in him, and it made her loathe him all the more. Luken chuckled and exited from the door where he first emerged. Willyn reluctantly followed.

  “You see, my dear Mistress Kara, Shepherd would not be on the mainland had he sought exile in Elum. People around these parts like to talk too much about good-looking strangers. They also are incredibly vain and materialistic. They would sell out their own mothers if it would buy them credits. No, he’s definitely not on the mainland.”

  “Then where is he?” Willyn asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious? If you are certain he punched a ticket to Elum, he’s on one of the hundreds of islands just off the coast.”

  Willyn cursed her luck underneath her breath. Islands meant boats, and Willyn hated boats.

  “Now, please, dear one, if you would kindly follow me down to the dock where my ship is waiting.”

  Willyn scowled. “I am not your dear one. What about my soldiers?”

  “Don’t worry about them. They will only slow us down. Filip will arrange for them to have a good time while we are out.”

  “And of my safety? How can I trust you?”

  “Did not Filip already guarantee your safety? Rest easy in the knowledge that my country has no desire to have a conflict with the Groganlands. That should be enough for you to know that I mean no harm to you and I will protect you from harm as well.”

  Willyn was surprised to find herself satisfied with this answer, and followed Luken out to the docks. Despite the answer, she still ran her hand down over her pistol as she reminded herself that she could never trust anyone too easily, especially some odd Elumite.

  Luken weaved her through the clear palace, out into a gleaming courtyard of white stucco. From there, he led her through the Filip’s garden courtyard and out through an open archway. From this vantage point, The Endless Ocean filled the horizon, its breaking waves hitting the cliffs far below her. Willyn felt her heart slam against her chest. She recoiled at the thoug
ht of having to travel on the sea, but it seemed she had no choice.

  “Watch your step. The dock is below us. The steps here can be slick.”

  Carefully she followed him down the winding steps hewn in the steep cliff face, down to the dock.

  There a small, black vessel bobbed in the deep blue water, and Luken held out his hand for her to board.

  The wind whipped and churned out on the open water. The tiny vessel rocketed through the large swells sweeping up toward them, threatening to overturn them into the deep. The salty air wafted over Willyn as she fought the ongoing weight of nausea that grew deep within her gut. Luken sat behind the wheel piloting the water craft with a mad smile, the wind blowing back his dark hair.

  “Not a fan of walking on water, are you?”

  Willyn barely could contain the curses that ripped through her mind. “I would hardly call this walking. This boat of yours is as smooth as a drunkard.”

  “Speaking of drunkards, I do miss your brother. He was a lot like Filip in that regard. They both like their stiff drinks.”

  Willyn’s temper flared like a hot furnace. “How dare you insult the Sar! Don’t make me remind you of who I am and exactly what I am capable of.”

  Luken replied with a dry smile, “Oh please, mighty Willyn, sacker of cities and scourge of the Grogan people, I meant no disrespect. But I would like it very much if you would stop trying to remind me of who you are.” His voice broke from its normal cadence and fell to a growl. “I know very well who you are, dear girl. Your reputation is known throughout all of Candor, so please, drop the threats. You wouldn’t want today to be the day you finally met your match, after all.”

  Willyn stood up from the ship’s rail. “Is that a threat?” She reached for her stun stick. Luken threw the wheel to the right, and the vessel sliced through a small opening between a collection of rocks jutting up out of the water, threatening to shatter the vessel. The turn sent Willyn reeling across the deck.

  Her chin smashed against the cabin’s wall, and pain riveted through her, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She could feel her face burning hot, glowing as red as her hair, as she leveled her gaze back on her impossibly irreverent guide.

  She stood as straight as she could on the bobbing vessel and tried to approach him, but Luken’s attention was fully focused on the shoreline. She wiped her bloody lip as she lifted her voice at him trying to regain his attention, “I swear I will…”

  “Shhh! Be quiet! If we are going to find Grift anywhere I would expect this to be the place.”

  Willyn blinked and looked. She had not noticed an island on the horizon as they traveled, but here it was, nonetheless. Luken throttled down the engine and allowed the boat to drift slowly into a cove obscured by a heavy grove of large, ancient mangrove trees, their long branches dangling into the salt water below. The cove was quiet with an uncanny stillness; the only sound was of insects chirping within the trees. Luken leaned on the edge of the hull as he squinted, staring through the canopy of foliage. Willyn also strained her eyes on the shoreline, attempting to find any sign of a Shepherd.

  Why was this particular island any more likely a hiding spot than any of the others that lined Elum? Any fool could see that the mangroves didn’t provide adequate cover.

  As if he could tell from the look in her eyes, Luken spoke.

  “You are familiar with the Rihtian War, yes?”

  “Of course I am. My father was responsible for ending the revolt and rebellion of Riht.”

  “Ah yes, the ‘rebellion of Riht.’ What a nice trope your people have constructed. Well, this, my dear,” he held his hands out to the island, “is where we hid many of the Rihtian refugees from your father. In fact, the Realm of Lotte was instrumental in helping transport many of them here. Grift would be very familiar with this particular island chain, and my bet, if he’s out here; this is one he would have visited.”

  Luken eased the vessel closer to land. He cut the engine, grabbed a rope, and dove into the water. He swam to the shoreline, towing the boat closer with each stroke, and quickly tied it to one of the trees. Willyn bobbed up and down in the skiff as she peered over the bow at Luken standing on the sandy shore with his hands on his hips, staring back at her.

  “Well, are you coming?”

  Willyn bit her lip. “Ugh...I...I can’t...”

  “What?”

  “I can’t...”

  “You can’t what?”

  “I can’t swim!” Willyn blurted out the hard truth before she could stop herself, and Luken looked at her with a blank expression. After a pause, he leaned over his knees laughing, holding his side. The laughter echoed over the water. Rage threatened to rattle Willyn’s heart from her chest.

  She screamed, “How dare you laugh at me, you stupid fool.”

  “Oh, ho, ho...I’m sorry it’s just...it’s just that...you of all people. HA! It’s that easy to defeat you?! I’ve put you in a never-ending body of water, and now you, YOU are defeated!” He pointed at her, “Who knew that this was all it took? If only all of Candor knew what it took to stop the Grogan hoards! HA, the thought of...”

  A bullet screamed by his forehead, and his sentence came up short. Willyn stood on the bobbing boat, eyes smoldering with hot rage, a smoking pistol in her hand. Her mouth was twisted with curses. “Don’t you dare mock me.”

  “Oh little girl, you are going to wish you had not done that.”

  Willyn blinked, and in a flash, Luken was back in the boat and grabbed the pistol out of her hand. Willyn screamed as he chucked the gun from the boat to the beach in a flash. She reached for her stun stick, but Luken threw his whole body on top of her, pinning her down with such strength that it knocked the breath out of her. Willyn gasped violently, her body heaving for the oxygen that had been forced out of her. Luken stared into her eyes as he nabbed her stun stick from her hand and broke it in front of her face.

  “You are testing my patience, little girl. That is more than enough threats from you. Whether you chose to accept it or not, I am here to help you. I want answers as badly as you if Grift did what you claim. Now, snap out of it and get in the water.” With that he jumped out of the boat and swam over to the shoreline again, leaving Willyn gasping.

  She lay in the boat, trying to piece together what had just happened. How did Luken clear that much space so quickly and then disarm her? Slowly, she regained her breath and gradually got up on her feet. She looked across the water at her assailant.

  Luken spoke, clear anger still flowing on his face. “Are you going to come to shore or not? That temper of yours is going to get you into trouble. I hope you take that as a lesson.”

  Willyn held her bruised chest. Each breath she took was met with a hot, dull ache. With each searing inhale of air she was reminded of how much she hated this man, this man who now sat smirking on the beach. She had never been so humiliated in all her life, and now she was trapped out in the wilderness, defenseless and surrounded by deep water she could not cross, her gun lying on the beach. Her eyes flashed as her mind exploded with a solution. She resolutely began to untie the boat from the rope.

  “Willyn, unless you want to die at sea, I wouldn’t untie the boat.” Luken proudly held up the small key that started the engine. The girl threw down the rope.

  I have been defeated. She couldn’t believe her own thought. She had never encountered someone who so utterly confounded her. The only person ever to get the better of her was Hagan, but he never boasted in his power. Now this stranger was constantly a step ahead, toying with her. She looked at the water and then to the island’s beach. Hopelessness washed over her. The journey, all of it, left her spent and powerless.

  I can’t do this. I just can’t keep this up. Hagan is dying and I am here wasting time. Grift is gone. I’ll never find him. I should have killed him when I had the chance. At least I could have gotten justice even if I could not get Hagan back. A torrent of backlogged emotion loosened deep within Willyn, and she felt the fear and
rage swirling against her, melting away into a release she did not want.

  Luken stood up from the shore and saw Willyn standing motionless. She stood silent, distant and solemn. For the first time, he realized that the person before him was not just a ferocious, terrible warrior, but also a girl, a sister overwhelmed with the state of her older brother. He stared at her, not to make her uncomfortable or to bully her, but with pity, and he slowly swam out to the boat.

  “Hey.”

  Willyn looked over the boat’s edge and saw him hovering below, treading water.

  “Get in. You can always learn how to swim later. Just get in. I’ll make sure you won’t drown. I can get you over to the shore.”

  Luken’s calming voice broke through to her, alone, on her floating prison. She was just so tired. Tired of trying to be an unflappable warrior. Tired of trying to save the day and to fight for her brother. As tears rolled down her face, she realized that she had never shown so much vulnerability toward anyone in her life. She pulled back her hair for a moment as she peered over the edge of the boat. The bobbing of the boat mixed with the waves slapping on the boat’s side.

  She spoke softly, “How do I know you won’t drown me?”

  Luken shook his head and smiled, “If I wanted to kill you I would have just thrown you overboard miles back. You are not the most pleasant passenger, you know.”

  The small jab broke through and Willyn knew she could trust him. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was trying to help. She took a deep breath and looked out to Luken, “Just shut up and catch me. I swear you better not let me drown.”