"Not something we have time for right now," Vargo said. He stepped forward and stared down at the open wound, holding his cigarette up by his face as if shielding himself from the faint light that was streaming in through the open door. "That's a hell of a nasty scrape. What happened?"
For the first time in her life, Ashlyn Li was truly at a loss for words. She bit her lip, rifling frantically for an excuse. "I…um…" She glanced up at Tag, who stared back at her with his jaw set.
She could see in his eyes that he knew. Any Toryn would remember the clan traditions- it didn't take a genius to see what she had done. Ashlyn lifted her chin, unblinking, silently daring the younger ninja to defy her.
"Do you wish me to send a healer, Lady Li?" he asked at length. His voice was low, emotionless.
"Yes," Restlyn said.
"No," Ashlyn snapped, irritated. "I'll have plenty of time to see a healer later. For now I need to find Kou."
"At the gates," Tag repeated, stepping aside for her to pass and nodding towards the door.
"I'll meet him there as soon as I'm dressed," Ashlyn retorted. She gave Vargo and Tag an aggravated look and walked past them, pretending not to notice that she was leaving wet footprints across her wood floors. Thankfully, the two men took the not-so-subtle hint and left her house, sliding the door shut behind them.
Ashlyn pawed through the contents of her drawers, deliberately avoiding looking at her adoptive sister.
"What happened to your ankle?" Restlyn asked.
Ashlyn’s hands clenched over a handful of underwear. "Nothing."
"Don't lie to me. You took off your clan tattoo. Why?"
Ashlyn glanced over at Restlyn, surprised at the venom in the other girl's voice, and saw that the dark-haired martial artist was leaning against the doorway to the bathroom. Beyond that sat the metal tub, which still held the blood-stained water Ashlyn had bathed in.
It was a bit incriminating, to say the least, and Restlyn did not look happy.
Ashlyn cleared her throat and resumed her search for decent clothing. It was unlikely that anything would still fit her well, but she had nothing else.
"There are five Toryn bloodlines that are still considered pure," she said, holding up a white tank top that had always been oversized for her. "Marriages, couplings and births have been carefully recorded for hundreds of years. Monitored. Supervised. The Li is- was- one of those bloodlines, and each Li heir, including my father, has been tattooed with the sign of our house. On the left ankle."
Restlyn's eyes narrowed. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know."
"I'm sure Skye's told you. Tag and Kou are my brothers by blood," Ashlyn said, yanking out a pair of black shorts. She bunched the clothes together, only a little uncomfortable at having Restlyn watch her. "The line is no longer pure. The tattoo holds no significance except for the disgrace of my family."
"So you removed the tattoo, and with it all reminders of your father's indiscretions." Restlyn's face was sad, sympathetic. Ashlyn hated how understanding she could be.
"Nothing could make me forget," she said, hobbling back into the bathroom and putting a hand on the doorknob, "but I haven't been Li for a long time, anyway. This changes nothing, except for the shame my father has brought to his people."
"They're your people, too," Restlyn said gently, "And mine. Whether we want to admit it or not."
"I need to change," Ashlyn said. "Toryn is under attack, you know."
Restlyn sighed and stepped aside so Ashlyn could close the door. "I'll bandage your ankle before we leave," she said. "You don't want to get any mud in that gash before the healer looks at it."
Ashlyn quickly peeled off the wet kimono and hung it on the back of the door, hoping it would air-dry before she needed it again, and reluctantly pulled on the clothes she'd dug up. Everything was, of course, much too small, the bindings cutting unattractively across her breasts, her shorts stretched tight over her hips. She finger-combed her hair into a messy ponytail at the back of her head, picked up her shoes and pulled open the door again.
"Sit," Restlyn said, pointing at a mat in the corner. Ashlyn sat, and the older girl made quick work of a makeshift bandage over the wounded ankle, securing it tightly in place before Ashlyn pulled her sneakers on.
They slid the door shut behind them, and Ashlyn made her way towards the front gates, noting immediately that there were no sounds of battle, no clashing of swords or hissing of magic. The rain had not let up, however, and she knew from experience that the noise of war could be lost even in a faint drizzle.
As she strode across the grass, Restlyn beside her, Ashlyn couldn't help but notice that Toryn warriors were everywhere- against the walls, patrolling the bridges. Most of them were clustered together around Kou, who was standing on top of a large boulder, speaking. His words were indistinguishable from the surrounding noise. Ashlyn stopped in front of him and caught his gaze, feeling every eye in the city turn on her when Kou stepped down and came towards her.
She swallowed the words that sprang to her tongue when she saw Kou, forced her hatred into a manageable position at the back of her mind. Toryn came first. Personal vendettas could be settled later.
"My Lady," he said, stopping in front of her and inclining his head slightly. "We are under attack."
"So I'm told," Ashlyn said dryly. "Have you brought in the people from outside the gates?"
"I have, yes. They are…in your father's home, as you requested." His eyes asked her not to argue, at least not now. "I ask that you would allow me to escort you to the crow's nest atop the walls, Lady, so that we may better see our enemy."
He was trying to get her away from the rest of the troops, probably so that he could explain whatever was happening. Smart guy, she thought begrudgingly, and followed him to the shoddy wooden stairs that led them to the tops of the walls surrounding Toryn.
She glanced over at the soldiers as she climbed, trying to seem casual about it, and a hundred pairs of eyes stared back at her. Oh yeah, real casual. Among them she picked out Restlyn and Vargo. She didn't know where everyone else was, or even if anyone else had come. Would Drake have healed enough in the past few days to travel all the way to Toryn? It seemed doubtful, but he did have superhuman healing powers.
She ascended the last few steps and moved up next to Kou, who was staring out at the hills and plains surrounding the city, and beyond that, the craggy mountains that made up part of the island.
"What's the story?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low and level.
"They're out there," he answered, not facing her. "You won't be able to see them, but I know they're out there."
"Who?"
"The army who follows the man I spoke of earlier."
It took her a few seconds of digging around in her not-so-clear memory to realize what he was talking about. "The man with the other shift stanes?"
"Yes."
"Great." She blew out a breath. "And they're going to attack, right?"
"Yes."
"How is it that you know they're out there and I can't even see them?"
"The effects of the shift magic don't completely abandon their master," he said, tapping a finger to his temple. "I can sense them."
"I should try that out," Ashlyn said ruefully.
He glanced at her. "We need to speak somewhere, Ashlyn. Privately."
"Okay." Not back at her house- she hadn't emptied the bathwater and she didn't want to have to explain that, although Tag would probably blurt it all out to Kou soon anyway. Not at her father's house, either, because the refugees were stowed there, safely beyond the reach of this army that Kou was so afraid of. "Is it something that'll upset me?"
"Yes."
She really didn't feel up to this. "Can it wait?" she asked hopefully.
"No."
Darn. "Enough with the cryptic answers, already," she grumbled. "I'd rather you just tell me here, and I promise I'll do my best to hold it together."
"We could return to
your home-"
"Just tell me!" Ashlyn snapped, throwing her hands up. "I'm so sick of secrets and lies. A week ago, Kou, I thought Devlyn was the enemy. I thought he was waging war against the rest of the world, and my friends were trying to fight him off. Then I meet you, and I find out you're Devlyn, which you still haven't completely explained to me, and suddenly everything's all hunky-dory and you're not my enemy, even though you attacked January Harbor and lied to me and almost killed one of my best friends, and even though Toryn ninjas have been trying to kill me for the past year. Oh, and one more thing- you just so happen to be my half-brother!"
She took a deep breath, staring into his sharp black eyes. "So whatever you're about to throw at me now, just tell me and get it over with, because I'm tired of lies. I'm tired of games. And if this whole twisted web doesn't get sorted out soon, I'm going to start beating it out of people, starting with you."
His eyes narrowed at the threat, but Ashlyn wasn’t about to apologize. She still didn’t trust Kou entirely, not with the attacks over the last seven months, and she wasn’t going to pretend that she did.
"Fine," he said finally. "I told you that the shift stanes began to control the evolved generations of Angels. What I didn't tell you is that shift does not simply control its user's actions; it eventually completely incapacitates the user's mind." He raised his chin slightly, looking as if he'd much rather be talking about something else, but continued, "The more you use the magic, the less human you become. The more insane you become.
"The man out there, who wields the magic, is beyond help- at least as far as I can determine," he told her. "I've tried and tried to reason with him, but he is intent on taking over Toryn- and the rest of Kresmir."
"So we kill him. Kill him, destroy the stanes, go back to our happy little…" Ashlyn trailed off, puzzle pieces suddenly clicking together in her head. Kou was making a big deal out of telling her who this mysterious shape-shifter guy was.
Obviously he thought it was going to upset her quite a bit.
Who…?
The last piece fell into place.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
"Oh," she said glumly. "I think I know what you're going to tell me."
Kou wet his lips. "I know you've been through a lot in the past week. He was the one who ordered an attack on January Harbor. I did everything he asked. I killed the ambassador from January. I don’t know if he sent anyone to kill you, but I wouldn’t doubt it. People follow him- I followed him. He's my father, and…I couldn't…I couldn't defy him…at first. Later, I tried to stop him, Ashlyn-"
"No one could ever stop my father from doing what he wanted," she said, her voice flat. Her stomach lurched. "I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered, clutching at the railing in front of her. She couldn't look weak in front of the soldiers. She couldn't.
"I wish there was an easier way to tell you this," Kou said, standing stiffly beside her, as if he didn't know what to do with himself.
"Don't worry about it," Ashlyn ground out, hanging onto the railing like it was the only thing keeping her upright. "I'm fine. I'm fine." If only she could make herself believe it.
"We could capture him," Kou suggested. "See if there's any way to rehabilitate him from this…sickness."
"Right," Ashlyn said faintly. The sudden meaning of his words hit her. There were so many questions to be answered, and yet right now all she could think was that she might never see her father as himself- as her dad- ever again.
I can handle this, she thought. I’m stronger than this.
"You are Lady Li," Kou murmured, touching a hand to her shoulder. "I have done my best to lead the kingdom of Toryn in your stead, but now it is your time. They will trust you to defeat this new enemy. They will follow you to death, if that is what you ask."
"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?" Ashlyn said, shaking her head. "I think…I think what you just suggested sounds a hell of a lot easier than the Leadership Duel I was counting on."
He didn't answer, and she cleared her throat. "Where are the rest of my friends?"
"I believe they're in Heaven," Kou said. He dropped his hand from his shoulder. "You should speak with them and decide your strategy. I will keep watch."
"Thank you," Ashlyn said. She turned and made her way slowly down the rickety stairs, each time moving her foot to the next step slowly and deliberately, as if it took a great effort just to descend.
Restlyn met her at the bottom. "Are you all right?" she asked, concern showing in her sweet copper eyes.
Ashlyn looked out at the hundreds of Toryn soldiers still staring at her. They were unwavering in their stalwart observance; she couldn't even see if any of them were blinking. No familiar faces were in the crowds. She didn't recognize anyone. Had all her friends gone with her father?
"Ash?" Restlyn prompted, touching her hand where it lay on the railing.
Achieving leadership had been the plan all along. Ashlyn couldn't bear to think of herself as Li. The house was broken, the bloodline impure, and the blood soaking through her sock was proof enough that she no longer carried the mark. She would defeat her father's army and find someone else to lead Toryn.
Ashlyn took a deep breath.
"Yes," she said, meeting Restlyn's eyes. "I'm fine."
Chapter 13
The Bridge is Crossed
Ashlyn walked across the bridge and made her way briskly towards the Heaven tavern, careful not to limp and trying to ignore the hundreds of pairs of eyes boring into her back as she did. In the three years since she’d left Toryn, she’d forgotten what it was like for everyone to know your name, for everyone to be following your every move. She hadn’t missed it.
She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head as she stopped in front of the huge double doors marking the entrance to Heaven. Restlyn stopped just in front of her, one hand poised to push the doors open. "Are you going inside?"
"Oh yeah," Ashlyn said. "But maybe you could-" She broke off as Vargo appeared beside her, raggedly stylish in his suit jacket. His clothes were rumpled, the half-buttoned dress shirt underneath his jacket revealing a wrinkled t-shirt that had seen better days. Meeting her gaze evenly, he flipped open a lighter and lit his cigarette, not breaking eye contact.
She suddenly remembered that the last time she'd seen Vargo alone, she'd kissed him. And knocked him unconscious immediately following. Of course, she hadn't exactly thought that whole development through before she'd acted, and she certainly hadn't expected to have to explain herself.
Mental note: only kiss and knock unconscious men that you will never ever have to see again.
"You go on in, Restlyn," Ashlyn said, giving the other girl a slight smile. "I'll be there in just a second."
One of the things that she had always liked about Restlyn was that the half-Toryn didn't question much. That was not to say that the look in her eyes wasn't curious, but Restlyn was much too smart to ask what was going on in front of Vargo. Instead she simply nodded and slipped inside, leaving Ashlyn and the redheaded Spartan alone.
Well, alone save for the several hundred soldiers that were watching Ashlyn's every move. She suddenly had the intense urge to pick her nose or hock a loogie across the bridge- anything to save her from being regarded as Toryn’s last hope.
Ashlyn leaned back against the wall of Heaven and stared at Vargo. "You have something you want to say?" she asked, and was pleased with how calm and level her voice sounded.
Vargo smirked as he flicked the cigarette above the stone trash can to remove excess ash. "I might," he replied. "You got something to say in return?"
She was silently running through her options before he had finished his sentence, and it didn't take long for Ashlyn to decide that a good defense might be the best offense. "Depends on what you're going to tell me," she responded.
"You know what I'm going to say," Vargo retorted. "You kissed me, princess, and whether or not it was to distract me long enough to get a solid hit in or not, it
was still a kiss and you know it."
She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "So?"
He hesitated for the slightest fraction of an instant before saying, "You can deny it all you want, but there was something there."
An image of Drake flashed before her eyes, unbidden, followed almost immediately by the still-painful memory of Tag's awful transformation into the shift monster. Ashlyn shuddered, closing her eyes for just a second in an attempt to clear her mind.
The people of Toryn were counting on her. FLD was counting on her. She couldn't handle this right now. Not from Vargo, at least. She liked Vargo- well, a lot more than she had a week ago, anyway- but she didn't need to be dealing with his romantic advances right now.
"If by 'something,''" Ashlyn said slowly, "you mean revulsion, you're absolutely right."
The red-haired man smiled, accustomed to the insults she so casually flung at him. "Is that so," he drawled, taking a step closer.
Ashlyn met his eyes. "Yes," she said. "That's so."
For a torturous moment there was a tension that reverberated between them, singeing Ashlyn's skin with its electricity and forcing her to acknowledge the brutality of her remark. She'd never said anything so openly cruel to him before, and the shock in his eyes was obvious as her meaning sank in. Vargo stared at her for a long, long time before he looked away, swallowing as he regained his composure, and a heart-wrenching coldness settled over his face like a mask.
"My mistake," he said softly.
Ashlyn clenched her fists beside her, pursing her lips to keep herself from taking it back. It was strange. Before, she'd had no qualms about insulting Vargo. Now, she was so ashamed that she could hardly stand to look him in the eye.
He looked as though he wanted to say something more. She wanted him to say something more. She wanted him to laugh it off and smirk at her in that completely irritating way that he always did; she wanted him to grab her and kiss her senseless. She wanted him to drag her out of this place and away from this war.
The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) Page 16
