by LJ Swallow
My heart races as I wait for somebody to see us and stop our party leaving. At one point, there’s a whispered exchange about guards approaching and we creep into the dark enveloping the buildings.
They don’t approach where we’re hidden, or appear to be searching for us. How much time do we have before our absence is noted—or the Ebon arrive.
As soon as it’s safe, we canter away. Leander veers the beast to one side, and we move into a wooded field between the sea and the town.
"This way," he says softly to the others as they approach.
We're close enough to the water to hear the gentle lapping and the small boats moored on nearby jetties. The night is dark, the moon hidden behind clouds but glimpses of light illuminate us before the moonlight drops away again.
"We're clear. What now?" whispers Galen.
"We stay away from the roads. I think we're maybe five hours ride from the stronghold if we stick to following the coast road."
"This is my fault, isn't it?" I ask.
"This is nobody's fault. The Ebon will always look for those from the Silvercrest stronghold, whether we have a shadowmancer in our company or not."
I shiver at Leander's words. His kindness helps with my fear over what I am and what I can do, but Rohan's attitude to me remains a worry. What if others at the stronghold share his suspicion, and I'm shunned?
"They fear your power," says Galen in a low voice.
"Power we need to use." Leander shoots a look at Rohan who I'm convinced is about to speak. With a glance at me, Rohan spurs his horse onwards and he gallops ahead.
19
CALLA
A couple of hours later we're clear of all settlements. Nobody speaks, but the understanding which way to go and how fast doesn’t need to be communicated. How well do the three know each other? Their backgrounds and roles seem distinct enough to keep them apart, yet they’re working together intuitively. The moon lights our way, and I’m grateful that the road we follow doesn’t run into the trees.
Our journey leads us further along the low-lying coastal road. As the town buildings and lights retreat, the dark woods to our right grow. We canter upwards and reach a point where the road follows the lines of a cliff. In the ocean, I see lights twinkling, faint, and I squint unsure if I’m imagining them.
"What's that?" I point.
“The lights? Seaborne Isle," says Leander. "If dragons are alive, it’s rumoured they live there."
I straighten and turn to look at him. "Dragons?"
"Remember what we told you? Some are slumbering." He clicks the reins. “Although nobody can be sure. Nobody is brave enough to visit and check.”
My mouth dries but I don't want to ask him any more questions. Are the dragons hiding from the Ebon Queen or preparing an attack on the king’s men? I don’t think I could cope with anything else today.
I shift uncomfortably and Leander pulls his horse to a stop, misunderstanding the reason. "Do you want a break?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Don't feel bad if you’re tired. I imagine the magic took away a lot of energy, and your day has been traumatic enough. You're unused to this lifestyle." His attitude to me has softened since the first day and no longer borders on patronising. He remains aloof, but at least doesn’t seem to judge me the way Rohan does.
I’m surprised any of them want to be near me if what they said happened is true.
"Excuses, Lea," says Rohan as he pulls alongside us. "You’re also unused to roughing it. You want to stop."
"Quiet, lightbringer," Leander snaps.
"Yes," I say hastily before tensions heighten further. "I want to stop. Just for ten minutes, if it's safe."
Galen pulls his horse up beside us. "We won't be safe until we reach the stronghold, but ten minutes is okay."
The rough track hugs the edge of the rocks overlooking the ocean, in places sloping up and down. We reach a place between the ocean and the woods flat enough to see if anybody approaches from either direction. We can’t see into the trees so keep further from them.
Leander lifts me down with his hands at my waist. I curl my fingers around his upper arm to steady myself, and the strong muscle flexes as he moves. He sets me on the ground, gently and effortlessly. I wrap my arms around my chest and gaze at the dark water gently lapping the shore. A small sandy beach stretches in either direction as far as I can see—not far in the dark, maybe ten or so metres from where we are.
I tense when Leander takes my shoulders and turns me to face him. He touches my cheek with soft fingers. "Don't worry. Everything will work out."
"I hope so." His kind brown eyes stir tears in mine, ones I've refused to shed. I refuse to be the weak girl.
"Are you hungry? It’s some time since we ate, and I noticed you only had a few mouthfuls. Let me find some food."
Leander turns away as if understanding I need to be alone for a few minutes. Rohan sits on a grassy clump close to the beach, digging around in the remaining pack and grumbling. He hands a small bottle to Galen, which glints in the moonlight, and they exchange words.
I pull Galen’s cloak tighter around myself and stare at the dark water glittering nearby. I've never been close to the sea and I'm fascinated. I've heard stories from the merchants who visit Westdale selling exotic seafood and wares and have longed to see for myself.
I always expected the sea to smell like the fishmonger’s store, but that scent mingles with an unfamiliar one. The air smells salty and the leaf-like plants strewn at my feet give off a strange odour too. The sand crunches beneath my shoes as I step onto the beach, and my feet sink into the uneven surface as I walk. The closer I get to the water, the more they squelch.
Small jagged rocks with holes weathered by the tides are dotted along the shore. I sit on one and pull off my shoe, eager to feel the sand beneath my toes. Will I have time to paddle in the water too?
"Calla! Get off the beach." Rohan's tone is sharp and frustrated.
"Shit!" Leander's voice joins him and I stand.
"What's wrong? There's nobody around."
"Get off the sand!" Rohan urges. He looks down and steps forward but as soon as his feet touch the sand, he edges back.
A shuffling sound below my feet joins with the sound of something dragged through the sand. Around me, the ground tremors, the sand shifting as if someone has picked up the ground and begun to shake it.
I back off but something cold curls around my ankle. Shrieking, I lean down and see what looks like a massive tendril from the green plant on the floor curling around my leg, moving upwards and snaking around my thigh. I trip as a second one seizes hold of my other leg and I'm pulled forward, hard, as if I'm an animal roped for the slaughter.
I shout out again as something emerges from the sand. A creature hulks at least a metre higher than me and stinks like a pile of week old fish. I can't tell if the plant I saw on the beach hangs from a creature’s face or if the green, dangling attachment is skin. What wraps around my body isn't a plant tendril. It's the creature's tentacles and he has at least four. It drags me towards him and I gag as the stench of rotting vegetation hits me too, as I hit the cold, sand-covered chest.
I'm lifted face to face with the blackened eyes and wide mouth. A black substance drips from between its lips and coats the creatures teeth. I shout out again and claw at the tentacles holding me, but the grip is unlike anything I've felt before, like chains made of metal rope. They tighten, and I gasp as the creature's other tentacles rise up and encircle my chest, squeezing the breath from my lungs. The cloak is ripped from me as the creature unwraps his meal.
The night grows darker as my dizziness blackens towards unconsciousness. The creature howls, rousing me from the dark. The sound echoes along the beach and rings in my ears. The creature lurches to one side and howls again, and I'm tipped downwards, half-upside down, tentacle still squeezing my life. Where's my magic when I need it?
My vision focuses and I see Rohan standing close to the creature. A dark su
bstance covers his sword and he stands in fighting stance, the way he did earlier when we sparred. A black substance flows from the creature’s side and onto the sand in front of him. He dodges as the monster flails a tentacle at him.
Nearby, Leander slices at the outstretched tentacle but can't cut through the solid flesh. More blood spurts from the wound and the creature's unearthly howl assaults my ears again.
From my weird position, I watch as both men slice at the creature's tentacles and my fear drops enough for me to dig at the creature's grip with my fingernails. My relief is cut short as the creature flings me violently to one side, and I land with a hard splash in the nearby water. My head goes under as I plunge downwards into the dark ocean. Water bubbles from my mouth as the shock of the cold and the water hits me. Instinctively, I struggle to swim upwards and break through the water with a gasp.
Unable to touch the floor, I paddle furiously as I spin in the water to get my bearings. My skin stings where I hit the water hard, worse than the slaps my aunt would give me as a child, pain covering my whole back. On the shore, twenty or so metres away, the two men fight the monstrous creature.
I'm not a strong swimmer, but I spent time in the lake as a child. Relieved the ocean is calm tonight, I attempt to swim towards the shore. Something grabs my leg and I'm dragged back beneath the water. I open my eyes, which sting with the salt and a mass of writhing black surrounds me. I make to swim upwards but the movement doesn't work, as if a ball and chain wrapped around my ankles drags me to the ocean floor.
If I panic too much, I'll waste my breath. Struggling to find my knife, I slash at the nearest tentacles. The water around me swirls with a black cloud as I sever a few from around my legs. Enough to manage to swim to the surface and gasp for breath.
For a few seconds.
I'm pulled down again, arms thrashing upwards as I tip my face and try to take another breath. Continuing to hack and slash at the things around me, the water clouds further with blood from the severed tentacles.
A focused beam of light hits the water and forms a pillar in front of my eyes, momentarily illuminating the scene before the rope-like bonds disintegrate. The light disappears as quickly as it came and I break the surface again.
Galen stands on the shore, hands held upwards towards the moon as he watches me. He strides into the water until it reaches his waist and then launches forward, moving through the water like I've seen otters in the rivers near my house. Fluid. Graceful. Quick. He reaches me and seizes me around the chest. Lying on his back, he holds me to him and kicks backwards, gliding back across the water until we reach the shallows and he can stand.
Galen carries me from the water and across the beach, as if I'm weightless and gently lays me on the sand at the edge of the beach. I splutter out the water that I breathed in and lie on my side, the sea grass tickling my nose. Galen sits beside me with a hand on my back, rubbing in a soothing motion but tense as he surveys around us for more attackers.
Nearby, the huge sea creature lies slumped on the floor with Rohan and Leander on their knees, heads bowed and breathing heavily.
As I sit, I brace myself for a scolding about wandering off, but everybody is silent. My damp clothes stick uncomfortably to my clammy skin and the breeze sends shivers through me. I drag my salty and fishy smelling damp hair from my face and see the black stains on my hands. The trembling intensifies as the two men approach.
"Sorry," I say, not looking up.
"Don't be. Nobody warned you," Leander says.
I go to chew my nail, but the moment the bitter taste hits my lips I stop myself. "I did look before I stepped onto the beach. I didn't go far," I say in a small voice.
"It's fine," adds Galen. "You didn't know what lives beneath the sands."
Rohan says nothing, as he sits on the floor cleaning his sword, face streaked with black. The blade's gold shimmer has dulled, but it brightens as he rubs with a cloth from his bag. He looks up at me. "Take your clothes off."
"Excuse me?"
"Clothes. Damp. Covered in sea monster blood. We've already had one bad experience with poison. The stars know what that thing's blood might do to you." He turns the cloth over in his hand to a clean part and drags it along his face before wiping his hands. "You too, Galen."
Without protest, Galen pulls his tunic over his head, revealing the chest I’ve been pressed against and confirming my thoughts. He’s solid and, due to his pale skin, Galen’s muscle definition looks as if he’s carved from alabaster.
Galen examines the cloth. "We need to find somewhere to wash our clothes."
Rohan snorts in amusement. "Typical elf, bothered by how your clothes look."
"I'm not riding naked into the stronghold," he retorts. "Calla certainly can't."
Leander swears beneath his breath. "You're right. We'll need to stop. This is bloody bad timing."
My stomach twists with guilt. "I'm sorry," I repeat.
I wince at the pain on my legs and back from the ocean and whatever tried to drag me below. The creatures' blood stains my skirts and where the bodice laces against my chest.
I stand and look down at myself, three pairs of eyes on me. My skin is sore but I’m worried about more. Stripping in front of them in a bedroom where I could lie under a blanket straightaway was bearable, but this... What if the blood goes through my slip to?
I am never setting foot on a beach again.
I edge into the shadows, beneath a nearby tree in the copse bordering the beach, and for the first time since this nightmarish change to my life started, tears spill from my eyes.
With freezing cold fingers, I pull at the laces and drop the bodice forward. The blood stains the bottom half of the white cotton on the slip beneath. Crap. A twig snaps and I jerk my head up. Leander stands close by with his cloak draped over one arm.
"Here. Take this."
Relieved he arrived in time to stop my tears, I reach out for the cloak. "Thank you."
He nods at me. "Excuse Rohan's brash words. We wouldn't expect you to walk around naked."
I laugh but the sound is flat. "No. That would be very cold for me."
"And immodest." Beneath the moonlight, I catch a small smile on his face. My heart skips as he steps forward and pushes my damp hair from my face. "You are a brave girl. I underestimated you. I think we all did."
I stare up at him as he smiles down, eyes bright. However hard he tries, Leander never loses the aloofness at the edge of every interaction—with me and the guys. His kind smile means a lot.
"Why didn't my magic trigger?" I ask.
"I don't know. Perhaps you need to recharge after using some earlier? We're unsure of your magic's source. You don't use items to summon your spells so it must come from within."
The tears threaten again and I fight them, but my face scrunches up beneath his hand. I swear under my breath as a tear escapes. His face softens as he gently wipes a tear with his thumb. "Please don't worry. We will look after you."
“What about my family?” I blurt. I’ve tried to keep the thoughts away but I can’t stop the worry nagging.
“What do you mean?”
“My family. Do you think the town will punish them instead of me? Because of me?” The panic grows as visions of my father locked up or my family exiled fill my mind.
“I don’t know,” he replies, fingers still on my cheek. “I’m sorry, Calla. I wish I could answer that question.”
My eyes glisten again and I swallow hard. “Right.”
Leander tips my chin. “I will send someone to the town to discover what happened after we left. Would that help?”
His gentleness and kind offer surprise me. “Thank you.”
“I want you to trust us, Calla.”
I nod. “Thank you. But I’d rather you didn’t watch me strip and Rohan insists that I take my clothes off.”
We share a smile and Leander steps back. "Wrap yourself warm. We’ll find somewhere to stop and make a fire. We can continue at dawn.”
&nbs
p; Before I can protest that a fire will alert anybody looking for us, Leander turns away and walks tall back to the edge of the beach where the other two men sit. I turn my back and undress. The creatures blood means I need to tear half the slip from me and it now barely covers my backside. I sigh. The item no longer offers any modesty or warmth.
I pull Leander’s cloak on and the fur lining brushes my naked skin, the softness welcome against my skin that’s cold from the sea.
I head back to the beach, the cloak and a ripped slip now the only thing between me and them. What has my life become?
20
LEANDER
I agreed to join Rohan and Galen on this mission because I feared they'd fail to find the right girl. This is the third year that stronghold recruiters have specifically sought out magic users. Nobody knew for certain we'd find anybody useful, but something within told me this year we would.
Despite our growing strength and numbers, each scouting party to the Ebon queen's realm returns with fewer men than the number who left—sometimes none. The queen’s combatants grow stronger, and so does her magic. We have spies attempting to locate the source of her power, and we’re convinced the armies she creates are bolstered by the shadow magic she deals.
In order for us to understand that magic, we need to find someone who wields it. Prisoners we've captured from her realm died in our custody by their own hands. With no defectors either, we're lost. Current sorcerers spent years suggesting we seek out and train a shadowmancer, but Mara has always been resistant to allowing such a person into the stronghold. Understandably.
I intend to keep Calla sheltered from the inevitable finger pointing and whispers she should die that will come at the stronghold. I hold enough power to make most bow to what I say—but not everybody. It may take time to persuade the leaders that Calla is safe and not a spy, and I’m worried what might happen once we reveal who she is.
One thing is sure. The experiences we’ve shared—all four of us—are nothing like we expected. I naively expected everything to go smoothly. But that was before we discovered a Daughter. How much risk to ourselves are we taking doing this? Not from her, but from others. As the world grows in fear of the queen, distrust and conflict grows within the stronghold. Myself, Rohan and Galen could come under suspicion too.
