Dusk Gate (Soul Bound Book 1)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “There. No one will be able to eavesdrop. Read lips, certainly, but that’s a bit more difficult,” Xandra said, setting her satchel down. “However, I do find it amusing that you seem to understand my attitude better than anyone else in your church, Jasmine. I wonder why?”

  “Don’t ask me. You were the reason that we survived to escape at all, which I deeply appreciate, and…” Jasmine paused, studying Xandra for a few seconds, then shrugged in embarrassment, finishing, “I don’t know, beyond that. I just like you, even if how you talk occasionally makes me uncomfortable.”

  Xandra laughed, her gaze drifting to the stairwell, then back to Naomi and Jasmine. The elf seemed to be thinking for a few moments, then she spoke again. “Well, if you have questions, I will do my best to answer them. I’ll even try to keep my opinion to myself, though I doubt I’ll succeed.”

  “Who are we meeting?” Jasmine asked quickly. “You said that you knew a diviner, but I’ve heard those are rare.”

  “They are. Cain the Medium is considered an incompetent by many people, due to all the parties he throws for nobility, as well as how much he kisses their posteriors, but he’s actually a quite skilled diviner. He flatters them because they pay him enough to give him a good lifestyle,” Xandra replied, her tone almost clinically precise. “He has the nobles over for luncheon every day, which I do my best to avoid. Some of them have proven to be imbeciles of the highest order. I’d compare them to insects, but that’s going too far. At least the insects have an excuse.”

  Jasmine’s eyebrows rose at that, and she opened her mouth, then shut it again. She wasn’t sure what to say in response, as she’d had some rough encounters with nobility before. Some of them were offended by the idea of Loth being a theocracy, while others simply couldn’t imagine someone not being attracted to them, or thinking they were better than most people. Most of the nobles hadn’t been that bad, but enough had that she couldn’t say that Xandra’s opinion was completely wrong.

  “When will we go there, then?” Naomi asked, her tone far more civil this time.

  “About two hours after noon should do it,” Xandra said, glancing upward as she considered, then added, “So… an hour and a half from now, give or take a little. It gives us plenty of time to enjoy Keith’s food, which should arrive any time now.”

  Laughing softly, Jasmine settled back in her chair, murmuring, “That’s a change. I thought you weren’t the kind to sit around and relax at all.”

  “There’s a difference between relaxing and wasting time,” Xandra corrected, looking at Jasmine calmly. “Wasting time when in a dangerous situation? Idiotic, and I won’t be party to it. Relaxing in a reasonably safe location, when there isn’t some specific task to be done? Especially when the next step needs to be delayed? Then it’s a reasonable choice. Though truthfully, I’d rather read a book in my apartment.”

  Naomi shook her head, while Jasmine couldn’t help a smile. She thought it was an odd attitude to have, but she wasn’t going to object. Then she saw Xandra’s gaze flicker to something behind her, and she looked herself, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

  A pair of servers were coming their direction, with trays piled high with food. First were bowls of salad, then a whole roast chicken, what looked like a plate of roasted potatoes, two loaves of fresh bread, and several mugs alongside a bottle of wine. It was a lot of food, far more than the three of them likely could eat.

  “Um, do you usually get that much for yourself?” Jasmine asked, her eyes wide as the man and woman approached.

  “Of course not. I usually get a quarter-chicken and half a loaf of bread. What’s left over is given to Keith’s dogs,” Xandra replied with a sniff. “Honestly, you think I’ve remained thin while over-eating? Eat what you like, and the remainder will be dealt with.”

  “If you say so,” Jasmine said, watching as the chicken was placed on the table. Despite everything, she felt her mouth begin to water.

  The food looked absolutely heavenly after the last few days, and it was all she could do to keep from tearing into it. However, that would be discourteous, so she refrained.

  Some days Jasmine wished she was brave enough to be as straightforward as Xandra.

  Chapter 16

  Trianna examined the tree closely, tapping her upper lip as she thought, then chose which of the buds to snip. The tree shuddered as she did so, its mana veins realigning ever so slightly, changing to be perfectly in line with what she wanted. It made her smile, and she nodded, tossing the bud into the compost pile without even looking.

  “What is it?” Trianna asked calmly, not even looking at the man behind her. She didn’t need to look to sense him, not with the scent of fear that he was exuding. Ignos had noticed him coming over an hour before and told her, but she hadn’t thought much of it. Fear could come from many things, and she wasn’t going to bother guessing why he was afraid this time.

  “One of the holy maidens escaped, Milady,” the fair folk said, his voice gruff, likely due to his canine features. “We learned too late to stop her.”

  “Ah, the best laid plans…” Trianna murmured to herself, sighing as she turned her attention to the next tree in her garden, her gaze critical as she studied its leaves, each of which glimmered like a star. “How did that happen?”

  “She acted quickly, leaving the mortal city within a day of our descent. Our soldiers winnowed the numbers of her company, but she has mastered some of her lady’s accursed fire,” the man said, a faint whine to his voice at the last. He paused for a few seconds, then continued, “They were almost depleted when they went over the border. Some of the soldiers pursued, eliminating all of her guards. The last we heard from them, they were preparing to eliminate her since she was so far away… but a different flame appeared. One which scorched far more deeply. Their overseer barely escaped with her life, and she was injured by the flames even when concealed within the soldiers.”

  That prompted Trianna to pause, glancing toward the man speculatively, her eyebrows rising involuntarily. “Truly? How unusual. Most fire cannot do that. No normal flame, at least. One would have to… ah, of course. One who has tapped primal flame. I wonder how the girl managed to find someone who could use that? No, I’m not asking you.”

  The man looked visibly relieved at her lack of anger, Trianna noted in amusement. He really should know better. All her rage was focused on a single man, not on her subordinates, no matter how incompetent they might be. Instead, she examined the next tree critically, then nodded, patting its trunk approvingly, prompting it to shudder in relief. It hadn’t grown wrong, unlike so many of its fellow trees, which made her happy. Perhaps it would even be a success, unlike some of the others. The fair folk waited silently while she worked, and she let the night breeze relax her for a time, not rushing. Rushing led to mistakes, and she didn’t want to make mistakes.

  “What about the others? The cities?” Trianna asked at last, running a hand up a branch, using her magic to straighten the branch and heal some of the damage within it. At least this one wasn’t the tree’s fault, a gust of wind had struck at the worst possible angle and damaged it.

  “The cities have all been surrounded and their fields choked out. As you ordered, many mortals were allowed to flee into the cities, and the remainder were captured or killed. The other four holy maidens have been captured, and are being brought here,” the fair folk said quickly. “They believe they are holding off our assault through their skill of arms, but we have not thrown the bulk of our forces at them. We are ready to attack whenever you give the command, Milady. Only the capital has any way of getting supplies, and only by sea.”

  “Good. Then let them suffer. Cease the assaults on the cities, simply form an impassible barrier around them. The harvest can wait,” Trianna said, shaking her head gently. “No, your priorities are twofold. First, to plant the Trees of Transference in the designated places. Second, to hunt down the holy maiden. Bring her to me if you can, kill her if you cannot. If necessary, you may even e
mploy mortals to do so.”

  “As you command, Milady,” the fair folk acknowledged.

  “Good. Now go. I have gardening to do,” Trianna said, gesturing to shoo the man away. He quickly rose to his feet and left, his relief shown by the spring to his step, and she chuckled softly, then murmured, “Ah, paranoia. Well, he’ll learn. Or he’ll die. Either way, it’ll solve his paranoia.”

  She paused at the sight of the next tree, looking at two of its branches that were tangled together, then looked at its trunk and put a hand on her hip as she asked, “How did you manage that?”

  The tree rustled its leaves in embarrassment, and Trianna sighed, then got to work.

  Chapter 17

  Hearing laughter from the house ahead of her, Xandra slowed, frowning unhappily as she listened more closely.

  The neighborhood was far nicer than most of those in Evren, with properly paved roads, brick and mortar buildings, and more luxuries available. The roads were also patrolled by guards in the colors of the noble district’s private guard, funded by the nobles and merchants that lived there, and even with those guards, each of the compounds she could see had tall fences, many of them topped with sharp wrought iron spikes. Not that it would stop a determined thief, Xandra knew. It merely stopped casual intrusions.

  In this case, the laughter was coming from Cain’s backyard, and Xandra’s frown eased as she recognized a woman’s voice. She couldn’t make out the words, not with the enchantments that carefully made words unrecognizable, but Mora didn’t like Cain’s parties any more than Xandra did. If she was there, the party must already be over. Since that was the case, Xandra reached into her belt pouch to retrieve her access token.

  The token wasn’t much to look at, as far as most people were concerned. It was an orb of amber glass with copper wrapped around half of it in a swirling pattern. While not valueless, it didn’t look like anything expensive either, which was the entire point. Xandra channeled a tiny amount of her mana into the token, and in response she saw a similar glass bead light up at the top of the elaborate wrought iron gate blocking the way to Cain’s pale brick home. The gate slowly swung open at her approach, and she smiled, knowing that most people would think that all they needed to get in was to use the token. They’d be wrong, as the token let the house identify the mage asking for admittance.

  “Hm? Xandra?” Cain asked loudly, and she heard a chair scrape behind the house. “I thought you left town on a job!”

  The house gardens weren’t enormous, but they were exquisitely manicured, with plants growing in boxes that obscured most lines of sight on path meandered through them, making the gardens look much larger than they were. Xandra particularly appreciated the care that had gone into making it look nice.

  “I did,” Xandra replied, pitching her voice so it’d carry. She did glance behind her, just to make certain the two priestesses made it through the gate before it closed. They did, so she gave Jasmine a slight nod, and turned her attention back to the path in front of her, circling the house. “I also was forced to rescue a pair of pitiful priestesses from a host of angry plants, and they told me enough to turn back. I need your help.”

  There was a thud, cursing, and the sound of a mug bouncing off paving stones. Then Xandra turned the corner in time to see Cain clutching a knee as he swore, while a mug rolled on the ground by his feet, liquid staining the paving stones.

  Cain was a modestly handsome human, with lightly tanned skin, sandy blonde hair, brown eyes, and a ready smile that made most people feel he was trustworthy, as well as making him look a little more handsome than he was. The problem was that he tended to use the smile with everyone, which had led to him breaking up with three girlfriends in the short time that Xandra had known him. He was currently wearing sandals, a pair of well-tailored leather trousers with gold embroidery, and a similar shirt that was bright blue, as well as several ornate rings and bracelets that glittered with magic. Most of his guests didn’t know that the jewelry was almost all useless.

  “What did you do to yourself?” Xandra asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

  “I was so distracted by hearing something I’d swear was impossible, that I kicked a flower box,” Cain replied, glancing up at her in consternation. “I could’ve sworn I heard you say you needed my help.”

  “You heard me correctly,” Xandra replied, half turning as she gestured at Jasmine and Naomi, speaking slightly more formally. “These two are my guests in your home, Cain. They are Jasmine and Naomi, both native to Loth. Your skill with divination magic is needed.”

  Cain straightened, his eyebrows rising as he took in the sight of the two women, pursing his lips for a moment, then smiled broadly. “Jasmine? Naomi? If I recall correctly, those are the names of two of the people who escaped the lower planes with you. Does that mean that this is Holy Maiden Jasmine Alexis?”

  Irritation welled up within Xandra, and she narrowed her eyes, her voice turning sharp as she crossed her arms in front of her. “Have you finally let your mind be replaced by the wine you’re so fond of? I formally introduced them as my guests, you imbecile.”

  Naomi gasped, and Cain blinked, then flushed as he stood up even straighter. At least he was used to Xandra, as it meant he actually paid attention to what she’d said.

  “My apologies, Xandra, you’re right,” Cain said, inclining his head slightly as he turned to Jasmine and Naomi again. “I acknowledge the guest-right of both of you. You will come to no harm in my home, so long as you do no harm.”

  “Thank you, Master Cain. We accept your offer of guest-right, and will do nothing to break it,” Jasmine replied, looking a tiny bit startled as she glanced at Xandra curiously, then asked, “It is Master, yes? Xandra didn’t mention what rank of mage you are.”

  “That’s right. I’m on the verge of reaching the sixth circle of divination, or at least I think I am,” Cain replied, giving a wry smile as he reached down to scoop up his mug. “Now, why don’t we go introduce you to Mora and sit down before Xandra rips my head off? She has a tendency to get annoyed when I ‘waste time’ on pleasantries.”

  “Because much of the time you are wasting time. At least you’re beginning to learn better,” Xandra said, striding past him and around the corner to enter the rear garden. “Hello, Mora.”

  Cain sighed audibly behind Xandra, while Mora smiled a little. The human had a pretty face and short, curly brown hair, and wore an elaborate dress with patterns on it that were pretty, seemingly magical, and also utterly useless. The brown-eyed woman was one of the better alchemists in Evren, and as such had to keep up appearances for the local nobility.

  “You could learn to be more polite, you know. It isn’t all meaningless,” Mora said gently, shaking her head. “I don’t know how we even became friends, some days.”

  “She got rid of the bandits who were trying to extort you, and didn’t even ask you to give her half of what they’d taken,” Cain said, his tone amused. “That was enough for you to give her the benefit of the doubt. Then she dealt with the trolls moving into the forest, which caught all of our attention.”

  Jasmine’s eyebrows visibly rose as she paused, looking at Xandra, then asked, “You did all of that, Xandra?”

  “It isn’t what you’re thinking. The bandits had a bounty on their heads, and they’d attacked me the day before. As for the trolls, a young man was begging anyone in sight to rescue his fiancé,” Xandra replied, rolling her eyes as Jasmine began to smile, and she pulled out one of the chairs to sit down. “He was being honest, and I wanted to practice my spells anyway, so I went. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time. She was long dead by the time I got there.”

  “Oh. That’s unfortunate,” Jasmine replied, her smile fading as she asked, “Was she able to be resurrected?”

  Cain snorted, shaking his head. Naomi looked at him sharply. The young woman opened her mouth to speak as she flushed, but shut her mouth instead, looking disgruntled. Which was just as well, in Xandra’s opinion. It was Mora who
replied instead, which was good. Mora had more patience than Xandra did.

  “I’m afraid that if he couldn’t afford a group of mercenaries to deal with the trolls, he certainly couldn’t have afforded to have her resurrected,” the alchemist said politely, gesturing to the chairs with a sad smile. “Even then, I’m afraid that she was in no state for resurrection, from what Xandra said. These trolls preyed on humans, and liked to fill their larder with them. Most easy resurrection spells require a relatively intact body.”

  “Oh. Oh. My… my apologies, I didn’t entirely understand,” Jasmine said, her eyes wide, while Naomi’s face turned a little green. The two looked at each other, then carefully took seats around the table as well. Naomi was sitting next to Cain, while Jasmine was between her and Xandra. That was enough idle conversation anyway, at least if you asked Xandra.

  “No, you didn’t. However, we’re here for an entirely different purpose,” Xandra said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table while looking at Cain. “I know that your home is warded against eavesdropping, so I won’t mince words. Loth has been invaded by some type of plant monsters, and a shadow shrouds it from horizon to horizon. Jasmine barely made it out, and lost all of her guards in the process save for Naomi. We need to find out what the source of the monsters is, whether it’s something underground or from another plane of existence.”

  Mora paled slightly, while Cain just looked at Xandra for a few seconds, then closed his eyes, sitting back in his chair as he sighed. He didn’t say anything for a moment, then murmured, “Well, that explains why so many omens have been strange. I was starting to wonder why a lot of divinations for merchants were recommending they invest in shipping across the Sea of Mists.”