Tanith & Shaw (The Fealty of Firstborns Series Book 1)

by H. V. Rosemarie

  “You didn’t kill him,” he pointed behind her.

  “Get off me!”

  Both of their heads snapped to the side where two guards were dragging Kent in the direction they came, rounding the rocks. He tried to struggle, but every sudden movement seemed to cause pain in his wound.

  “What about Levitka?” one of the guards grunted, looking back at the man Tanith cut. He was bleeding out, hissing in pain, and it was a real possibility that he could be dead soon.

  “Leave him! The squadron will find him!”

  “Kent!” Tanith called starting after him.

  “No!” Shaw cut in, grabbing her around the waist with an iron grip. He got an elbow in the gut for his trouble, but he didn’t let go as Tanith struggled, stepping on his feet and throwing her head back against his nose. She only succeeded in making him hold her tighter.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she spat, writhing like an injured worm. “They’re taking him! Kent! He’s your brother!”

  “He’ll be fine,” Shaw insisted with a low grunt, dragging her off. He pulled her behind a tree several yards away while kicking and screaming, slipping his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams and he pressed them into hiding. “Shut up,” he demanded. She cursed him before his teeth were at her ear, nipping down on the lobe less than gently. “I’ll bite off your goddamn ear if you don’t stop screaming,” he warned, and something in his tone made her think he wasn’t joking.

  She stilled instantly as he pressed into her from behind, and then she heard the voices. More guards appeared over the rocks, jumping down and scrambling towards the man they’d called Levitka.

  “We have an injured over here!” a guard beckoned the others. Four more followed.

  “They just left him here?”

  “They must have had to. Probably caught the culprits.”

  Levitka shook his head. “Only one. Two got away.”

  “The King only needed one anyway. It’s alright. We’ve got the salve, and you’re already healing yourself nicely. You’re going to be fine.”

  “Should we look for the others?”

  “Don’t bother. We have what we need.”

  They spent less than three minutes on Levitka, cleaning and rubbing his wound before wrapping it and helping him limp away to wherever they’d come from, two others carrying the men who’d been knocked out with no trouble at all. It was only then that Shaw released her.

  She wanted to turn on him and show him her wrath, but she was utterly defeated after watching the exchange with the second band of soldiers. “You let them take him,” she said simply.

  “I had to. They were following Kent. I knew he’d be following you, leading you right to them. I could only save one of you before the others caught up or we’d have all been caught. I chose you.”

  “Over your own brother?” The idea was outrageous unless revenge was truly more important to him than blood. He probably wanted to shove her off the top of the volcano after how they’d left things.

  “They won’t hurt him,” he stated confidently.

  “How do you know for sure? They said the king wanted one of us. That means the city is very real and these people… They’re not illusions.”

  “Of course, they aren’t. You saw the men on the beach.”

  “But you killed those men. We killed them. Why didn’t you kill these ones?”

  “You didn’t kill yours.”

  “He was already down. You choked a man out when you could have cut him open in a second. Maybe if you had, you could have saved Kent from being taken. Don’t tell me you suddenly sprouted morals.”

  Irritation flickered in Shaw’s brown eyes. “I don’t need to explain myself to you. Now let’s go.”

  He started walking off, but Tanith didn’t budge. “Go where?”

  “To the boat. You’re going home.”

  She couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her. “Do neither of the Shaw brothers think I can handle this goddamn mission? I’m not leaving without Kent, and we haven’t even tried to find the Sight yet.”

  “You don’t need to. I’ll get Kent and you’ll go home. The others will follow as they see fit.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  For a moment, it looked like he’d just drag her. “Fine,” he concluded, approaching her again and nodding towards the volcano. “Let’s go, then. You want to find the Sight. Lead the way.”

  Even though Tanith was getting what she wanted, she shook her head. “No. Kent first. Then the Sight. We have to go after him.”

  Shaw leaned his head back towards the sky and closed his eyes as though he were in pain. For several seconds, he breathed deeply before returning to the world. “Fine. We’ll get Kent.”

  She smiled then, a real, victorious grin. “Then let’s catch up to them.”

  “No can do.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because there’s way more of them than us, and they probably have backups that follow their other backups.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  Shaw raised a thick brow. “Really? You got sent to an invisible island to catch ‘the Sight’ that’s supposed to allow you to weed out a disease that no one can see or treat, and the fact that a trained army might be ready for an ambush is the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?”

  She sighed loudly. “Well, when you put it like that.”

  “Just let me make the plans, alright?”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  He pointed northwest. “The civilization is that way. There’s a palace not far off. We’ll rest in the city tonight and break into the palace when we have a clear shot of getting in and out with Kent. Then we’ll come back for the Sight.”

  Begrudgingly, she nodded. “I approve of that plan.”

  “Well thank the Ghods for that. I’d hate for Tanith Estiellon to disagree with one of my brilliant ideas.”

  She rolled her eyes and started off. “You’re such an obnoxious ass.”

  “Feel free to stomp off whenever you like,” he called, his footsteps following. “I don’t mind the view.”

  She actually growled, aloud and in frustration only to hear his amused laughter behind her. Every waking moment with Shaw was an unavoidable pain. He was the real the challenge, she decided. The real test. Not the island.

  Him.

  CHAPTER 8

  They didn’t look like the city people.

  It was the biggest problem that had Tanith waiting on the road, refusing to step into the hustle and bustle of the closest island populace. She was tall, but not nearly as tall as the women she could see in the distance. Her clothes were raggedy in comparison, her hair limp and dull.

  Shaw might have been a closer fit, tall like the other men and devastatingly handsome, his hair longer and shoulders pulled back. If it hadn’t been for his clothes and rounded ears, he might have fit in without much trouble at all.

  “Come on. They won’t look at us twice,” he promised.

  “They won’t look at you twice,” she corrected. “It’s obvious I don’t belong here, and who’s to say they won’t alert the king and have us dragged off too? What if they’re torturing him?”

  “They won’t be,” he stated simply.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I’m quite certain. They only shot him so he wouldn’t run, but if he’s important to a king, he’s no doubt protected.”

  Tanith wasn’t convinced. “You can’t be sure of that.”

  “You know what I am sure of?”

  “What?”

  “That if you don’t start walking, I’m going to toss you over my shoulder and carry you into the city. See who looks at you funny then.”

  She clenched her jaw in annoyance. “I don’t need to be carried.”

  “Then let’s go,” he ordered, starting forward.

  After a moment of hesitation, she ran after him. “This is risky. We should have just followed them and taken our chances. Ho
w is breaking into a palace going to be easier?”

  “The guards are more spread out. It’s easier to slip by, and if I can get my hands on a uniform, they won’t even bother looking at me twice.”

  She nodded. “I guess that’s smart, but I don’t think they’d buy me as a guard.”

  “Then you’ll be a maid,” he stated simply. “Or a mistress. Take your pick.”

  “I am a princess,” she stated sternly but lowly as they passed some folks strolling on the sidewalk. They almost looked as though they were waiting to be approached, watching the pair of strangers with curious stares.

  “Not on this island, you’re not.” She followed him to the edge of a smaller row of townhouses. “Stay here. There’s probably an empty one somewhere. If there is, I’ll find it.”

  She crossed her arms and followed behind him, receiving an eye roll as he looked in windows and studied the upkeep of the properties. Eventually, they came across a quaint home with no decoration, the outside absent of flowers and beautiful paint jobs. It was very plain, though still nice. Human, almost.

  Shaw knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, he looked back with a smile. “I think we found our place.”

  “Maybe they’re not home yet,” she suggested.

  He grunted, running his hand over the top of the doorframe and pulling down a key. He shoved it in and opened the door, gesturing for her to enter first.

  “That’s a horrible hiding place!”

  “Apart from wild barbarians and brutal soldiers, I doubt there’s much to worry about in a city like this,” he answered. “Come on, now. Before too many people see us.”

  She stepped inside, astonished by the décor. It was professionally decorated, but there were no personal items or signs of life. It really was empty and ready for squatters to take advantage of. She almost felt bad.

  The kitchen was nice, small, but it had many of the same supplies as her castle kitchen. The sitting room was bigger, though it looked as though the furniture had never been sat on, and the washroom was connected to the bedroom, much more lavish than the rest of the place. The bed was large, four-posted with black tulle cascading around it. Even her own wasn’t as nice, and she had chosen it herself.

  “There’s only one,” Shaw said. “I didn’t see any other bedrooms, and there weren’t any cots laying around.”

  “Isn’t this the part where the gentleman offers to sleep on the couch?”

  Shaw laughed. “I’m no gentleman. I’ll definitely be sleeping on that tonight. Whether or not you’re going to is up to you.”

  “And in the meantime?”

  “I’m going out. I’ll be back with food, and hopefully a more concrete plan.”

  Tanith straightened. “I’m coming too.”

  “No,” he corrected. “You’re not. You were right before. You’ll draw attention, so do me a favor and stay away from the windows.”

  Tanith grumbled in displeasure as Shaw pulled on his gloves and mocked her with an obnoxious smile. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll be right back, and don’t be down about staying behind. You need a bath anyway.”

  She gasped in offense as he slipped out the door, the urge to throw something at it in his wake making her hands tremble. Unfortunately, there was nothing but a pillow, and if she were going to use it, she’d simply smother him.

  The first thing she opted to do was strip, tossing her clothes in the sink with some soap and washing them, hanging the dripping fabrics from the cabinet knobs to dry while the kitchen towels collected the water from beneath.

  The bath was next, though she almost avoided it out of spite. Shaw had been right, though. She smelled of sweat and woods, so she took her time soaking beneath the bubbles and scrubbing her skin clean in the black porcelain tub. The products were to be envied, smelling so strongly of peppermint and lavender that it almost seemed as though she’d sprayed perfume in the air. She’d have liked to see Shaw try to complain of her stench when he got back. Maybe it would be her turn to humble him.

  She was slow to undo the braid on the half of her hair that Meelah had woven with such care, wishing she had the talent to do it up again. Instead, she washed it and left it down to dry before stepping free and wrapping a dark towel around herself. Momentarily, she cursed.

  Her clothes would still be sopping wet. They probably wouldn’t even be dry until morning, and she didn’t have another pair to change into. On top of that, the towel was now wet like her, and she couldn’t find another one. It had been the only one hanging from the hook, and the dresser drawers in the bedroom were miraculously empty.

  With a sigh, she used the towel to dry her hair as best as she could before walking naked into the bedroom and pulling the top sheet off the bed. She wrapped herself in the black silk before surveying the house one last time. There was nothing to do, unless…

  She turned towards the bookshelf, pulling out a familiar title and settling back into bed before cracking it open. It almost felt like a waste of time, but there was nothing else to do, and she couldn’t go outside in a bedsheet, so she read quietly, and let the words soothe her mind.

  +

  “I could get used to this.”

  Tanith’s rested eyes shot open as she jerked upright to see Shaw leaning against the door, a smirk on his face that quickly widened into a full smile when his gaze moved south.

  She looked down at herself before yelping, tugging the sheet over her exposed breasts and scrambling back. “What the hell are you doing in here?” she yelled, grabbing her discarded book and launching it at his head.

  He ducked easily and tossed his gloves on top of the dresser. “I just wanted to let you know I was back. I brought some things.” He raked his eyes down her as though the sheet were as invisible as the island usually was. “Clothes too.”

  “Thank the Ghods,” she muttered, making sure she was still wrapped tightly when she stood and begrudgingly followed him to the quaint sitting room.

  The table was filled with food, baked goods, and fresh meats that made her stomach growl embarrassingly loud. On the couch, two dresses laid sprawled across the gray fabric, one of them as beautiful and poised as she’d seen the women in the streets wearing. It was a deep green with straps three fingers thick and corset waist, cream fabric running up the middle, and a large skirt that would have stopped below the knee.

  The other was less modest. Long white silk with spaghetti straps and a neckline that hung dangerously low. It was light and thin, probably the form-fitting kind, and Tanith couldn’t help but scoff. “These are my only two options? What about a nightgown for bed or something casual for here?”

  Shaw sprawled himself out on the single chair and laced his fingers behind his head. “Well, I figured the green one is something you’d wear out of the house and you could wear the white around here. For me.”

  “For you?” she parroted in disbelief. “As if.”

  “Well, I didn’t have any money and that’s all I could steal, so take your pick. I really would suggest the gown. It would look so lovely against your skin. Feel free to keep using the bedsheet if you prefer, though,” he mused, and Tanith suppressed the urge to strangle him.

  “What did you find while you were out?” she asked simply, sitting on the couch and reaching for a slice of cinnamon raisin bread.

  Shaw sighed. “This place is real, obviously, but there’s no such thing as the Sight.”

  Tanith choked, hacking up the bite of bread she’d taken and spitting it onto a napkin. “What?”

  “There’s no Sight. It’s not real and it won’t do anything for the Crish in the homeland. Good news, after we find Kent, we can go home.”

  “They told you that? That the Sight isn’t real?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh, though there was no real humor in it. “They’re lying, Shaw. You don’t really believe them, do you?”

  “I’m really good at telling when people are lying,” he assured. “They were seri
ous. There’s a reason our ancestors never found it.”

  “Because it’s well hidden! That doesn’t mean it isn’t real, and we can’t just give up. We have to try.”

  She watched his jaw tick in irritation. “Why?”

  “Because Hisrele believed in it and he’s dead. His brothers, Hemes and Himsen, are all the Kingdom of Menne have left to look to. Xeres is as close to crumbling as it can get without collapsing in on itself, and they’re next. We’ll all be next if we don’t try to stop the Crish.”

  “Then leave Ardeen, Ekko, and Ward to figure it out.”

  “We have a responsibility,” she cut in. “Is that not why you showed up after all these years? For your duty as a firstborn?”

  “No,” he admitted blandly. “I came back so Kent wouldn’t have to take my place. The dumbass wasn’t supposed to swim all the way here. He was supposed to swim home.”

  “Well, he didn’t.”

  “No shit.”

  A heavy silence hung between them. “Why do you stay, then? You could have come here and turned around after the attack on the beach. Why did you bother to stay if you thought Kent was going back to Shadow Hunt?”

  Shaw sighed deeply, slipping off his boots and surveying the room—doing anything but looking her in the eye when he answered. “For you.”

  She blinked. “You don’t know anything about me. Not anymore, at least. Why would you care?”

  “I didn’t. Originally. I had a plan coming into this, and then I saw what my father did to you. You’ve been hurt enough by the Shaw family. It seemed only right to make up for those sins.”

  “So, you stay out of pity,” she declared in disgust. “That’s worse, almost.”

  “It’s not pity,” he corrected defensively.

  “It sure seems like it.”

  “I don’t care what it seems like. You can’t do this alone, and since you’re not leaving the island without Kent…”