“I couldn’t take that. I—”
“Put it on and do as I say, child. If you are to be apprenticed here, I am now your headmistress. No arguments.”
Sheyna took the amulet and hung it around her neck. Fascinated, she grabbed the emblem at the end of the chain and held it in her hand. The circular amulet was of a raised dragon in flight over a silver moon. She let the amulet drop to her chest. “Who would be looking for me, and why?”
“I’m not certain you would understand my explanation.”
“Why don’t you try.”
Enowene’s eyes narrowed. “Impertinent. Very well, you have a rare gift, and there are those who seek it out.” She wrote something on a piece of parchment. “I have been watching you on the streets for a while now. I made a vow to keep you safe, and that’s why I thought it best to hide you in plain sight.”
“What are you saying?”
Enowene strengthened her resolve. “Don’t get too comfortable here. You will not return to the streets, but it is too dangerous to keep you here too long either. If you would have stayed on the streets, no one would have paid any attention to you. You would have been just another unfortunate rogue orphan begging for scraps as I planned.”
Sheyna winched. “As planned? Why?”
“Why?” Enowene repeated.
“Why would you let me stay out there begging for food? If you knew me, you knew I was hungry out there in the wall.”
“I thought hiding you in plain sight was my best option.”
Sheyna ignored her statement. “I just want to know why you let me go hungry if you knew I was out there in the wall.”
Enowene sighed. “It was seen by the masters that you have special talents; it was decided that your skills both put you in danger and protected you. Although we allowed you to roam the streets, we knew that if we took care of your basic needs, you would not wander away and we could keep an eye on you. We tried to place you with a family, but your independent nature proved too difficult. I made a few arrangements for you. Ignacio at the Sleeping Hound is a very dear friend of mine. I have been paying for the food he has been feeding you. He was instructed to never refuse you, to never let you be seen in the kitchen, and to not tell you that someone was paying for your meals. Bahdur is not, and has never been, fooled by your supposed thievery. He purposely put loaves of bread within your reach whenever he noticed you in the shadows across the way. He has been very impressed by your little enchantments.”
Sheyna’s jaw dropped. It took her a moment to speak. “You mean I could have been eating like a princess and I didn’t know it?”
Enowene grinned. “Eating too well might have worked against the plan, but all of that is over with now.” She looked Sheyna directly in the eye. “You have to understand that it was not easy for me to let you stay out on the streets. I definitely wouldn’t have let you starve. If you had not visited Ignacio or Bahdur, I would have found another way to feed you. When you are older, you will realize that sometimes you have to do things that seem unusual, things that you don’t want to do. It is all for the greater good. As I said, you were hidden in plain sight. At any rate, you will be well fed here.” Enowene pointed to the door. “Go now and bring in Marella from the hall.”
“But I have more questions.”
“Please, can they wait until later? I promise we will sit down and talk soon.”
Sheyna nodded and went to open the door. Marella stepped inside, still giving Sheyna an awful, sour look.
Enowene leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands together. “You do not share your rooms with anyone at present, do you, Marella?”
Marella grimaced at the question before shaking her head that she did not. She cocked an apprehensive eyebrow at Sheyna. Marella’s face briefly contorted into an unpleasant scowl before she put back on the falsely-pleasant countenance for the benefit of Enowene.
Enowene nodded to Marella. “Well, introductions are in order.”
The silence was palpable.
“Marella?” Enowene cajoled.
Marella let out a heavy sigh. “My name is Marella Arden,” she stated coldly.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am called Sheyna Namear.”
“Fitting, I have a horse named Sheyna,” Marella commented sarcastically. “She is a stupid horse, barely trainable.”
“Marella, we do not act so rudely,” Enowene scolded. “You are supposed to be a princess with manners.”
“I mean, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Sheyna was unsure of how to reply. She just stood there frozen.
“Better. Marella, you will take Sheyna back to your rooms and show her around the tower. She is to share your accommodations, you understand.” Enowene started writing furiously on parchment with her quill. “And Sheyna dear, you will return here in the morning while the others attend their studies, and I will instruct you personally until you catch up.” She absently waved her hand and motioned for them to leave the room without looking up from her parchment.
Sheyna could scarcely contain her excitement at having a room to go to, but she could tell the blonde girl was less than pleased with the news. Marella left the chamber without a word, and Sheyna quickly followed. She tried to stay close behind, but the girl kept running ahead and ducking down hallways and darting behind doors, obviously trying to lose her. Marella would soon discover that Sheyna was a difficult girl to lose. Suddenly, Marella turned to face her.
“Stop following me!”
Sheyna cocked an eyebrow. “You realize that wouldn’t make much sense? I am supposed to follow you.”
“I don’t like you, and I won’t share my rooms with you.”
“Look, blonde girl, I don’t care how you feel about it. Enowene made the decision. You don’t have to like me.”
Marella stood glaring at Sheyna, and then she plopped down in the hallway and leaned against the wall. “I will stay right here all night, then, if I have to . . . dark-headed girl.”
“Are you trying to insult me? It just does not quite have the same ring to it, does it, blonde girl?” Sheyna sneered. “How did you become so spoiled?”
“I am a princess of Trigothia; I do not have to share rooms with anyone.”
“What is wrong with you? Are all the girls here as childish as you? Why is it such an important issue that you have the rooms to yourself? I don’t understand.”
Marella became more furious. “Aye, you cannot understand because you are common.”
Sheyna rolled her eyes. “Princess or not, you are as common as I am.”
Marella got up and bolted down the hallway. Sheyna followed close behind.
“Go away, common black-haired girl,” Marella yelled back.
“You’re senseless,” Sheyna retorted. “And your insult falls short of the mark!” Sheyna noticed doors from the rooms in the hallway were opening as they passed by. Girls were looking out to see what the commotion was about.
“Stop!” Sheyna commanded as she ran up on Marella’s heels.
Marella stopped and whirled around to stand face-to-face with her. “You think I care about any of these nosy . . .”
“What?” Sheyna said, pushing Marella against the wall.
Marella’s face went bright red with anger, and she clumsily tried to slap Sheyna in the face. Deftly, Sheyna responded and ducked the blow, returning instinctually to punch Marella squarely in the eye instead. Marella fell to her backside, staring at Sheyna in shock. “You hit me!”
“You swung first.” Sheyna seized the opportunity and grabbed Marella’s collar, pulling her up from the floor and close to her face. “You are spoiled and pampered, and we will have no more of this foolishness as long as you want to keep that pretty face of yours pretty.” She let Marella fall back. “Now, I have not slept in a bed in a very long time, and people are staring at us acting like fools. It is embarrassing, and I very much wish to go to sleep. Get up and take me to our rooms.” Marella did not move. “Now!” Sheyna commanded,
stomping her foot for emphasis. She disliked being so confrontational and she instantly regretted punching the girl, but she wanted to get her point across.
Marella stood up with her hand over her eye. “If you left a mark, you will be out on the streets before breakfast.” Sheyna again raised her fist. “All right, stop, I will take you to my rooms.”
“Our rooms,” Sheyna corrected.
“Our rooms,” Marella leered and then added, “At least for tonight. As soon as I tell Mistress Enowene how you hit me, you will be out of my rooms before lunchtime.”
Sheyna followed Marella down the hallway and up a winding staircase onto the lower floors of the upper tower and then through a wooden door with the number three carved into it. The room was dimly lit with a single candle on a center table with two chairs. A round window with blue curtains let in the light from the moon. Two doorways opposite each other at the north and south walls entered into individual bedchambers. More tapestries hung on the walls on either side of the doors, but it was too dark to see what was displayed on them.
“There is a bed in that room,” Marella said, pointing to the south door. “I keep my dresses in there; don’t touch them. I will remove them tomorrow, if you are still here by some miracle.”
Sheyna ignored Marella’s comment and went directly into the room. The bed had already been turned back for her. She welled up with excitement as she looked over the room in the low light. Another round window with blue curtains was inset in the east wall, and a chest of drawers and a dresser lined the west wall. A wardrobe stood open against the south wall, full of what she assumed to be Marella’s dresses. Sheyna found a nightgown draped over the end of the bed, and she put it on, laying her blue dress carefully on the chest of drawers. She climbed into bed and pulled the quilted covers snug to her neck. Enowene warned her about becoming too comfortable, but for today, she did not care. This bed, any bed, beat the hard, stone hole on the wall she slept in before.
“Good night, Marella,” she shouted. There was no reply.
Whatever might happen in the morning did not matter; she knew from her talk with Enowene that she would not be thrown out of the tower. Maybe she would get another roommate, maybe a nicer roommate! Sheyna closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.
Mistress Enowene stepped out of the side door that faced the courtyard, walked to the spot where the wall curved behind the hedge, and turned into the shadows, where she stopped.
“Mistress, what brings you out here?” a voice said from the darkness.
“You have been careless, Akros, the girl saw you out here staring at the tower windows. Who were you talking to in the shadows?”
“She is here, then? For how long?”
“I have known about her for some time now. Answer my question.”
“You could have let me know. I would have kept the secret.”
“My dear Akros, you may have been able to keep my secret, but I couldn’t risk it.”
“You are telling me now; something must have changed. I suppose you have taken her into the tower, then.”
“Naturally. It is too dangerous for her out here. Will you report where she is? You were talking to one of your master’s agents, were you not?”
“Of course I won’t report her. Now that you have moved her, I can tell my master I found her hiding spot at the tower wall and say that she has run off.”
Enowene nodded. “Excellent plan. Keep our friend off her trail until I can get her away from here. Remember who you actually work for.”
“I will do what I can,” the blond man said.
A rustling of something leathery ensued from the side of the tower. “I am afraid you are too late. Did you believe I could not see though this man’s deceptions?” A mind-numbing screech pierced the darkness, and a bulky, black-winged dragon-like creature, about the size of a horse, leaped from the darkness, clipping Akros, knocking him down.
“Akros, you fool!” Enowene said, and then raced toward the tower door without further hesitation. She had to get to Sheyna. The screeching sharpened in frustration as Enowene slammed and bolted the door before the creature could catch her.
Chapter 4: The Jade Statuette
The creature swooped down into the door with a thud. It furiously clawed at it, but Enowene braced it closed. Another blood-curdling screech, and the clawing stopped. She moved to a nearby window and peered out into the courtyard. The dragon-like creature was swooping at Akros like a bird after a prowling cat. A scraping sound garnered her attention, and she pressed her face against the glass. Her mouth went dry; a figure crawled up the side of the tower, leaving small bits of falling stone in its wake. Something else was not right about the encounter. The tower was silent. Adrenaline pumped through Enowene’s body. No one stirred at the commotion outdoors or investigated the screeches. The adrenaline helped her leap up the stairs two and three at a time to reach the girls. At last, she reached the correct corridor. She flung open the door and rushed directly to Sheyna. With a flick of her wrist, each candle and every oil lamp in the room burst with light. Upon the bed, which was askew with covers in disarray, sprawled out facedown and at an angle edge to center was Sheyna’s lifeless form. A deep wound oozed blood from the middle of her back.
Akros followed the rushing-air sound of beating wings. The creature, wounded by his sword, desperately searched for safe quarters. Unable to take flight for long, it alternated hopping with moments of quick flight. When Akros was close enough, he drew his dagger and expertly lobbed it. The spinning dagger found its mark, and the dragon-like creature fell lifeless. Akros almost lost his footing on the cobblestone street in his haste. Four steps to his left, away from the dead creature, another set of black wings folded into the silhouette of a lithe body. Red eyes fixated on Akros in an icy stare. He did not waver from the shadowy figure’s intense gaze. Instead he leaned against the stone wall and panted, trying to catch his breath. The red eyes blinked. “It is done. The girl is dead. I killed her, disguised as the tower mistress.”
Akros tried to disguise the pain that gripped his heart. “What will you do now, then?”
“I will report her demise to the master, of course.” The figure turned toward the orange moon in the background. “The moon is bright tonight. I must be off.” The creature again focused his red eyes on Akros. “You will come with me to the master.”
Akros resisted. “Now that the girl is dead, what use am I to the master?”
“Indeed, what use are you?” The creature’s wings expanded. “I do not question the master’s intent.” With blinding speed, the shadow creature lurched for Akros, whose instincts made him dodge. The creature proved to be too fast for him, and two talon-like claws penetrated both his shoulders. He clenched his teeth against the pain as the creature took flight. He gripped the talons and pulled up so the bulk of his weight no longer rested entirely in his shoulders.
Enowene’s breath came forth in tiny gasps. Tears flowed, welling up to block her sight. She wiped them on her sleeve. She bent down to touch the lifeless girl’s youthful face. Movement in the corner of her eye revealed a small green statuette of an elven princess, tumbling off the edge of the bed and landing on the floor with a tinging thump. A skinny, girlish hand reached out from under the bed and grasped the figurine. Enowene let out a sharp yelp. She scrambled to grab the arm and pulled a tearful Marella out from under the bed. As soon as she was clear, Marella jumped into Enowene’s arms.
“It was awful; that creature looked exactly like you, but I knew it wasn’t. It smelled dirty and earthy, not your scent at all.”
Enowene squeezed Marella tightly. She did not want the girl to see Sheyna’s body on the bed. Holding the blonde girl’s head in close, she let her eyes wander to Sheyna. The tears of pain turned to tears of joy. She pushed Marella away so the girl could peer into her now beaming face. Enowene pulled the girl in close again and kissed Marella’s forehead over and over, muttering, “You wonderful, wonderful girl.”
Tucked in her bed fast asl
eep, Sheyna dozed safe and sound with soft, slumbering breath.
Sunlight poured in brightly through the round window, reminding Sheyna where she was. It was not a dream; she was in the tower. She stretched out her legs and then flung the covers off and raced to the window. The sun was still low on the horizon. She changed into her blue dress and pulled the covers of her bed straight. She planned to leave the room when she happened to catch sight of herself in the mirror of the dresser. Her hair was sticking out in all directions. She searched the drawers of the dresser and found a brush.
She hesitated for a moment. “Well, even if this brush does belong to Marella, I’m still going to use it,” she said to herself. She brushed out the tangles and carefully placed the brush back into the dresser drawer. Her stomach began to growl, but being used to it, she ignored it.
Upon entering the common room between the bedchambers, Sheyna could now see what was displayed on the tapestries. They were depictions of women in formal clothing attending a gathering in a forest of green and picking wildflowers. On the table at the center of the room was a flower pot with blue flowers. Sheyna heard no movement from Marella’s room, so she peeked in to see if Marella still slept. There was no sign of the girl, and her bed was made. Marella had already gone.
Sheyna shrugged and headed for the door to the hallway. Before she could reach out for the handle, there was a knock on the door and then Mavis entered. “Ah, there you are. Mistress Enowene has sent me for you. Come along now,” Mavis said, motioning for her to follow. Sheyna sighed, unsure of what was going to happen and of what lessons Enowene had in store for her. She wondered if Marella had gotten up early to go complain about her. Despite what Enowene had told her earlier, Sheyna worried that the head mistress would surely still expel her from the tower for fighting if Marella complained enough.
Mavis led her down the long, now familiar, halls to Enowene’s chamber and opened the door for her. “Go on inside; Mistress Enowene expects you.”
Wielder: Apprentice: Book 1 of Lady Shey's Story (The Wielder Cycle) Page 3
