diviners curse

by Nicolette Andrews

  "Why indeed."

  "Don't play coy. You sent them after me. Adair knew we were coming to Sanore, and he sent soldiers to capture me and bring me back to Keisan. What I want to know is, why are you here?"

  He smiled, and it made my stomach drop. "You certainly think highly of yourself, don't you, Lady Diranel. Do you think the king would send an army after you?"

  I blushed. When he put it that bluntly, it did seem a bit shallow. I refused to be cowed by him.

  "Then tell me why are they here, then?"

  He shrugged. "I am an ambassador, more diplomat than ruler. I merely do as my sovereign bids, no more, no less." His eyes danced with mischief, and had my emotions not been balanced on a knife's edge, I might have thought of a clever counter.

  "You cannot think I believe you have nothing to do with this."

  "I am not asking you to believe anything, Lady Diranel." He stood up, went to the door, and knocked on it. The door eased open, and a frowning guard appeared in the doorway. "Can you ask Lylia to bring me and my guest some wine and maybe a bit of that mutton." He smiled, and the soldier's frown deepened. "That's a good man." Jon patted him on the arm and turned back to me.

  "What do you want from me?" I ground out once the soldier shut the door once more.

  He pressed a hand to his chest. "Nothing, Lady Diranel, I just thought you would be thirsty and hungry after your journey here."

  "You have a strange way of treating your prisoners." I regarded him with my arms crossed over my chest. He was not acting as I expected him to. He did not accuse me nor did he force me to talk. He almost seemed amused, and I felt as if I had been left out of some joke.

  He gazed at me for a moment and then stood and walked to the door. He stuck his head out and spoke with the guard before throwing the door open. "If you do not wish to stay, then you are free to go."

  I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you think me naïve? Why would you let me go?"

  "Why would I force you to stay? Danhadine soldiers mistook you for someone and brought you to me in error. I showed you hospitality, and then you went back to your husband and your guard."

  "How...?"

  He bowed at the waist, and I stared at him, baffled by his behavior.

  "Your husband should be reaching the city soon. Perhaps you should greet him at the city gates?" He straightened once more. "I apologize for my men's rude behavior. I hope you can forgive me. Perhaps we shall dine together another time to make it up to you."

  I had no proper reply, and instead, I stepped out into the hall, expecting soldiers at the ready to apprehend me. The soldier at the door watched me with a suspicious gaze but made no move to stop me. A servant carrying a platter of wine and meat came around the corner.

  "Oh, Lylia, my guest has to leave. Will you show her out?"

  Lylia looked to me and then to her master. She handed the tray to the soldier and said, "This way, madame."

  I followed her down the corridor, my mind reeling. I was shown to the door, and I emerged onto the city street. The sun had set, and the only light was coming from the windows of the nearby homes. What just happened?

  I wandered down the street in the direction of the city gate. My horse had been left with the caravan, and I was without resources. I did not know where I was going except I was heading away from the ambassador's villa.

  I glanced over my shoulder once. Why did he let me go? More than that, he knew about my cover story and gave me an alibi. The encounter had discomfited me, and before I realized it, I was back at the city gates. I sat down beside a building on an overturned crate and waited. Citizens passed by, some pushing carts straggling on their way back home for the night, others in fine silk heading the way I had come, perhaps to some engagement. I saw a few covered wagons with merchandise piled high and lanterns swinging from arms on the back. I spotted Johai and Beau as they rode into the city. They were riding cloaked, but I knew Johai from a distance. When they drew close to me, I stood up and waved to them. Johai jumped from his horse and ran to me.

  He grabbed me in a fierce embrace that took the breath out of me. After a few moments he pulled back and looked at me. "How did you escape?"

  "Jon Sixton let me go," I said.

  "He let you go?" Johai asked with a shake of his head.

  "Yes, I don't know why, but..." As I sat waiting for them, I had done some thinking, and I was hesitant to tell Johai what I planned. I looked Johai in the eyes, the same ones that had been transformed by the specter. I had sworn to save him, but with the diviner's warning and Jon Sixton's strange behavior, I could not leave Sanore until I knew what game he was playing. These things could not be mere coincidence. The diviner's warning, my dreams of Sarelle, and Jon's game of cat and mouse, they were all connected to me and Johai; I could feel it.

  As much as I fought it, I was born for this. I had been gifted with the power to see into the past and future. The first diviner had guided me here. There was something in Sanore that I had to find. It was linked with Princess Sarelle's death, and I knew that if I did not take this chance, Adair might win his long game and thousands of lives would be lost in his quest to power. He told me he would not start a war to take Neaux, but how could he take a kingdom without bloodshed? Our two countries had warred for hundreds of years before the truce was signed. The Neaux people would not bow down to a Danhadine king, that much was obvious from the hostility I had seen against the soldiers stationed at the gates.

  "Last night, I dreamed of a crossroads. The first diviner told me I would need to choose between two paths. I think I need to stay in Sanore. There is something happening here, and I think I am meant to stop it."

  Johai's hands dropped to his sides. "Oh."

  "Just for a fortnight, that should be enough time, I think, to find out what this all means and discover why Jon is here." It was a stretch, but I was desperate.

  "This is folly. You are falling right into Adair's web," Beau interjected.

  I glanced in his direction. "I will not keep you here. If you wish, you can leave at any time."

  He glowered at me but did not respond. Beau's assistance had been priceless, but I could not be deterred. I was all that lay between stopping Adair and the death of many if a new war began. I turned back to Johai. "I have to do this. I know it will be dangerous, but I cannot let Adair win."

  "As you wish," Johai said tightly. The white lines around his mouth were stark against his skin. "I will not assist you in this, but you must promise me that you will use the utmost caution."

  "I am always cautious." I smiled, but he did not return it.

  Johai nodded sharply. "Very well, it's getting late. We should look for a room for the night."

  He went over to their mounts. They had brought my mare back for me, and I climbed into the saddle. We rode down the city streets. I glanced at the palace, gray and imposing in the dying light of the day. Though I had tried to fight it, I had been drawn back into the game of intrigue, and the game had just begun.

  Chapter Five

  I RETURNED ONCE MORE to the playhouse; this time I went alone. Philippe answered the door once more, and with a haughty sniff, he led me to Elenna's chambers. It was a small room just beyond the theatre itself. He knocked on the door, and when she came to answer and saw me, she did not hide her surprise or her displeasure.

  "Madame, I did not expect to see you back," she said in a stiff tone that had lost its musical edge.

  "May I speak with you, alone?" I asked and gave a pointed look towards Philippe.

  "Philippe, will you give us a moment."

  He scowled at me but walked back down the hall in the opposite direction. Elenna stepped aside from the doorway and showed me into her chamber.

  "How can I be of assistance?" she said with her arms crossed over her chest.

  There was so much I wanted to ask her, but from her guarded stance, I did not think I would be getting the answers I sought today. Instead, I focused on the task at hand, and that was getting into Jon Sixton's fet
e. I needed an excuse to enter his home once again, without detection; the playhouse was just the cover I needed.

  "I want to join your troupe," I said.

  Her brows furrowed in a perplexed expression. "You wish to act with our group?"

  "Yes."

  She paced away from me and walked over to the fireplace at the far end of the room. Once she reached it, she turned back to look at me. She had regained her composure, and she seemed a bit more at ease. "May I ask why?"

  I had anticipated that question. I lifted my head and looked at her straight on. "I had a vision that led me to believe the Danhadine ambassador, who you are performing for, is involved in something that could affect my kingdom and Neaux. I need access to him to find out what he is planning and how to stop him."

  She sighed and recrossed her arms over her chest. "You would have me put my people at risk to expose this man when you are not even sure what he has planned? Do you think this ambassador will help you save your friend?"

  I did not look away though I felt her assessing gaze probing into my psyche. "Not exactly but I cannot give up hope that there may be a way to save him."

  A slow smile crept up her face. "Very well. I think I have a job for you, then."

  I exhaled. "Thank you, I promise I will find a way to make it up to you."

  She held up her hand. "It is no matter. I was in need of a fortuneteller anyway."

  My stomach dropped. "A fortuneteller?"

  Her grin widened. "Yes, and I think you will not need to fear detection while you play spy. I have just the costume for you. Come back tomorrow, and we will practice your part."

  I was overwhelmed with excitement; it had been too easy. Once I was in Jon's home, I would find out what he was planning and stop him. Then we would be on our way to Jerauch. I do not need to choose after all.

  How wrong I was. This was only the beginning.

  Over the next fortnight, I went to the theatre and learned how to perform as a fortuneteller. I promised Johai once this was over, we would leave the city. My heart wanted to go north to Jerauch and search out the priest of Mrawa and beg him for answers to Johai's possession, but my head would not let me. Adair had designs for the Neaux court, and these Danhadine soldiers and Jon could not be mere coincidence. I needed to discover what they were plotting and find a way to warn the Neaux court. I had no real plan, per se, and I was limited on time, but I figured once I had the evidence, I would find a way to tell the royal family.

  The night of Jon Sixton's fete arrived. Johai had given me a stony farewell before Beau and I set out for the playhouse. He did not approve of me working for the troupe, but he did not raise an argument against it, which was strange but also a relief. If he did not inhibit me, then I could settle this matter quicker, or so I told myself. Perhaps he has given up, a voice nagged at the back of my mind. We will be out of the city within a month's time at most, I reassured myself. How can I hope to unravel this mystery in such a short time when I did not solve my missing memories for nearly a year?

  The realization was a bitter pill, but I remained optimistic. Beau accompanied me to the playhouse as usual. Once again, we entered through the side door. This time a flouncing young Neaux woman met us there.

  "Ah, the illusino!" she said and grabbed my hands, pulling me into the dark hallway. "We have been waiting for your arrival! Elenna has a surprise for your performance tonight!"

  "Thank you—" I fumbled. Antoinette was full of energy that radiated from her and ensnared people unknowingly.

  She waved off my awkwardness and tugged me along after her. "Follow me. You will love it, I am sure." Beau moved to follow, but she stopped him with an upturned hand. "Ladies only." She winked.

  Beau stared back at her with arms crossed over his chest.

  "It will be fine," I said to Beau. He nodded and stood sentry outside the door.

  Antoinette huffed and swished her hips as we walked away, leaving Beau behind us.

  "Not very friendly, is he?" She pouted.

  "Not really," I said and suppressed a smile.

  Inside the dressing room, three other women, in different states of undress, did not glance up as we entered. Antoinette led me past them to a vanity at the back of the chamber. A dress hung on a hook. It was dark midnight blue velvet with silver threading and a hood trimmed in silver. A silver mask hung on the end of a ribbon over the edge of the mirror.

  "Your costume," the woman said.

  I stared at it as Elenna's veiled reassurances became clear. My only requirement in joining them had been a disguise. I pretended it was to keep my husband from knowing what I was doing. This was Elenna's idea of a disguise: a mask. Anxiety coiled in my stomach. It would not be enough; Jon would recognize me in an instant. I should turn back. It is not worth the risk, I thought. For a moment, I selfishly thought of using Johai's powers. The last time had ended in disaster, and I dared not bring him into this. Guilt piled on top of my anxiety.

  I cannot let Adair win. I balled my hand into a fist. I have to stop him. Perhaps Jon Sixton will not recognize me behind the mask. I could only hope.

  I undressed and folded my gown, leaving it over the back of the vanity stool, and then slipped on my costume. It glided on, and the fit was close to the waist and flared at the hips. I stood before the mirror. I fastened the mask on with the pearlescent ribbon and hid it beneath the curtain of my sable hair, which hung loose. I stared at my reflection with my hood pulled up and the mask on. I looked like a vision from a dream. The silver mask glimmered in the candlelight, and the shadows the hood cast over my face made my features hard to distinguish. I hardly recognized myself, and I doubted anyone else would either. I was indistinguishable but for the flashing of my violet eyes in the right light.

  I turned and realized the room had hushed; the other women had dressed and stood about. I faced them, and the woman closest to me recoiled.

  "You look like a wandering spirit!" Antoinette said with an excited clap of her hands.

  Like the specter. I shivered. I did not like the association, but I felt confident behind my disguise. I took a deep breath. I can do this.

  I raised my arm, and the velvet trailed after me. The silver stitching sparkled in the candlelight. The women appeared torn between fear and admiration.

  "You will be performing first," Elenna said from the doorway to the dressing room. She stood a head above the Neaux women, and her onyx hair was coifed into a bun at the nape of her neck and sprigs of white flowers were tied up in it. She did not wear the overdone makeup the other women favored. Her radiant beauty was natural, with high cheekbones, a bow mouth, and exotic almond eyes.

  "Oh?" Though my clothing gave me false confidence, nervousness twisted my insides once more.

  "Come, we should go before the hour grows late." Elenna beckoned to the girls, and we filed out amid twittering laughter and overlapping excited voices.

  We gathered masks and props and loaded them into a covered wagon with patchwork tapestries that waited for us out back. Philippe sat on the driver's bench between a pair of poles that had ribbons dangling from them. Once everything was loaded, a few of the women climbed into the cart while others prepared to walk alongside it.

  Late night shoppers came out and called out to the players. The women players smiled and waved, and the male players tumbled and did tricks for the crowd. I looked out from the back of the wagon, and a few passersby saw me and pointed. The festive atmosphere the others created was hushed. Many of the shoppers made ward signs: two fingers pressed to their lips and then a slash across their abdomen.

  "They fear what they do not know," Elenna leaned in to whisper to me.

  I looked away and lowered my gaze. I pulled my hood down further. It was better they feared me; I only brought destruction.

  Beau, who sat across from me, cleared his throat. I looked up at him, and he nodded. I took it as a gesture of solidarity.

  Antoinette claimed the seat beside Beau and made it her prerogative to engage him in con
versation. Beau, adversely, ignored her. When driving over some bumpy road, she fell forward and into his lap and let her hands linger on his inner thigh as she pushed herself up and back into a seated position. Beau seemed immune to her advances. He is stalwart. I wonder if he remains devoted to Sabine? I had witnessed men falling for lesser advances than Antoinette was plying on him.

  I did not have overlong to think such romanticized notions because we had arrived at the ambassador's plaza, or rather, Jon Sixton's home. I glanced at the broad exterior that faced out onto the street. A window was lit on the second floor, and I could see shadows moving about. I have to get to his personal quarters. He must have a letter or some kind of instructions, I thought.

  We were greeted by the duke's head manservant, a Neaux man with liberally gray-streaked black hair. He showed us inside and led us to a room adjacent to the kitchens, where we were to make final preparations for the performance.

  Elenna and the man spent several minutes discussing plans and entrances. It was customary for the travelling troupe to practice away from the play of the actual event, which made for a bit of chaos come showtime. I learned later that peoples of a certain social class in Neaux did not linger in the homes of those of a higher, which made the rehearsals difficult.

  Beau approached me as silent as the wind and put a hand on my shoulder. I turned away from Elenna and Jon's servant.

  "What are you looking for?" he said in a whisper. His lips hardly moved when he spoke, and had anyone glanced in our direction, they might think nothing of him standing beside me.

  I did not answer right away, but my building nerves were weakening my resolve.

  "I want to know what Jon Sixton is doing in Sanore," I replied while turning my head slightly to prevent anyone from seeing what I was saying. "Look for letters from Adair or anything written in Danhadine."

  The manservant left with a bow, and Elenna turned around beaming. The others were busy assembling props and placing wigs upon people's heads and did not see me and Beau conversing. Elenna did, and she strolled over to us.