The Agrista (Between the Lines Book 1)

by Shannon Lamb

  “You just sent a broken man to a terrible fate. Are you prepared to deal with the consequences?” The cold detachment in Alex’s voice made Marie cringe. She secretly hoped she never found herself on the receiving end of such disdain.

  “Locate Raeph and Cerin, and meet me on the ship,” Fallon kept her head low to hide her glistening eyes as she dragged her feet across the threshold and down the stairs. She bellowed softly to herself as if in mourning, and floated listlessly through the corridors.

  “I can’t believe Cayden left,” Marie shook her head in disbelief.

  “That was foolish. We should remain together!”

  “I can’t believe she actually let him go.”

  “Believe me, it wasn’t out of kindness. He’s likely to end up like Aruzhan and hurt our cause. She did that out of resentment.”

  “Is what he did really so terrible?” Marie rolled her eyes. As an Umbra, Alex himself should find their strict regulations ridiculous.

  “Yes, but that’s beside the point. Fallon couldn’t care less about the rules. She’s angry because she’s in love with him, and he loves another,” Alex said matter-of-factly.

  He began briskly walking away before Marie could inquire further. With an exasperated huff, she scrambled to quickly get her things together. She made damn sure to grab the complimentary items from the dresser drawer, and ran after him.

  RUNNING RAMPANT

  Alex and Marie gave the room a once-over as soon as their feet hit the pub floor. They couldn’t see anything through the hordes of rowdy vendors, but they all seemed to be circled around something.

  Alex wrapped his long, slender fingers around Marie’s wrist and gently guided her through the room as he forced his way to the front of the crowd. At the center of the boisterous masses was a rosy-cheeked Cerin – obviously intoxicated – and an enthusiastic Raeph, egging them on.

  “I knew it,” Alex groaned.

  “What’s going on?”

  “They’re playing Dolus.”

  “What’s Dolus?” Raeph and Cerin had mentioned it a few times, but Marie had no idea what the game entailed.

  “Dolus can be any game or event. The only rule is that you can’t lie. You can, however, cheat. These two are pros.”

  “You can cheat, but you can’t lie? I’m not sure I understand.” Marie considered them one and the same.

  “For example, Cerin is ten. Physically, anyway. In this particular game of Dolus, the event is arm-wrestling. Raeph is taking bets that none of these big, burly men can beat a puny little kid at arm-wrestling. Since Cerin is physically ten, he’s not lying.”

  “So far I’m following, but I don’t understand how Cerin’s actually beating them.”

  “Ah, that’s where the cheat comes in. I’ve seen them play this game dozens of times. In this particular instance, Cerin has a vile of powder in his pocket. Boost, I think it’s called. These men assume that the more he drinks, the easier he’ll be to beat. Little do they know, he puts that powder into every ale he drinks, and it sets off a chemical reaction. It becomes an adrenaline of sorts, making him stronger than ten of these men put together.” Marie nodded, finally understanding. “This is tedious. I’m going to make a path for us,” he whispered. “I know these guys. They’re total pros!” Alex nudged a drunkard to the left of him.

  “Pros? What do ya mean?” the drunkard slurred.

  “They’re hustlers. That guy’s not actually a kid. He has some strange disorder that makes him look like one, but he’s actually in his fifties. That’s why he’s so strong,” Alex lightly slapped the man on the shoulder, laughing like a jackal. Seeing Alex change his personality as easily as he changed clothes was disconcerting, at the very least.

  “What? They’re liars? That’s against the rules!” the man shouted unintelligibly.

  The drunkard turned to the man next to him and whispered indiscreetly, sparking a chain of gossip that spread through the crowd like wildfire on a hot, dry day. Cerin and Raeph felt the sudden shift in atmosphere and knew something wasn’t right. They could see the faces in the crowd growing angry as they moved in closer. Alex stood at the head, grinning from ear to ear as he incited the masses with shouts of encouragement.

  “Time to bail.” Raeph jerked Cerin to his feet with sobering force. The two of them collected all of the money on the table and stuffed it into their pockets while backing away. “Well folks, we appreciate your hospitality, but it’s time for us to hit the road! It’s past this little tyke’s bedtime!” Raeph boasted showily.

  “Not so fast!” a burly man stepped forward from the crowd. “This fella here says you’re both liars. The one and only rule in Dolus is that you can’t lie,” the man crossed his arms over his chest and demanded an explanation with his bulging muscles and creased brow.

  “Well, then it’s a good thing he’s not playing, since he’s the liar!” Raeph pointed at Alex accusingly.

  “I can prove it,” Alex said smugly. “Look at the insignia on their coins. They have Quinque’s royal symbol on them. Neither of these two are the right age to be an heir of Evangeline and Xenos. The only way they could’ve gotten those coins is by stealing them, and if they’re thieves, why not liars?”

  “He makes a good point,” the brawny man nodded, and murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the crowd.

  “Alex! What are you doing?” Marie hissed, nudging him in the ribs.

  “You don’t need to be an heir to bare the royal insignia. I’m a cousin of the Queen!” Cerin said defiantly.

  “Liar,” Alex witlessly retorted.

  “Am not!”

  “You two sound like children!” Marie groaned.

  “I am a child!” Cerin stuck out his tongue, as if to prove his point.

  “Yeah, when it’s convenient,” Alex murmured.

  “Enough! I don’t know what’s gotten into you two, but I’m leaving!” Marie huffed.

  “You’re not going anywhere!” A gruff man thirty years her senior wrapped a thick, hairy arm over Marie’s midsection.

  Sensations of pain reverberated throughout her body from the sudden pressure on her tender ribs, causing her to cry out. Alex spun his body around and assessed the situation faster than she could blink, reacting even faster.

  It was obvious he was primed for violence by his quivering, jerky movements as he fought an impending transformation, triggered by the sound of her scream. All the color drained from her face when he suddenly appeared before her in his Umbraic form, not knowing if she possessed the power to quell his instinct.

  “What the? He ju-ju-just...d-disappeared!” The man pulled Marie closer and used her body as a human shield, which only incensed Alex further.

  “Now’s our chance,” Raeph nudged Cerin. The two of them took advantage of the growing confusion, and stealthily disappeared into the glare of blinding streetlamps illuminating the dusty street outside.

  Those two are unbelievable! Marie watched them melt into the shadows, leaving her alone to deal with Alex.

  Marie was more afraid for the drunken man cowering in the corner than she was of his unwanted advances. He held her flush against his body, all prurient thoughts forgotten with the rush of adrenaline drenching him in sweat and shortening his breaths.

  He slowly blinked several times, as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. He couldn’t see Alex in all of his terrifying glory, but his sudden absence proved to be even more frightening. The man trembled with each powerful footstep grinding into the battered wooden boards as they cried out beneath Alex’s weight.

  The man shakily staggered back, dragging Marie with him. Alex hastily advanced with their retreat. A maelstrom of dust motes swirled around his feet as they sank into the crumbling foundation. Each explosion of noise made the man wince as he edged closer to the wall. He stumbled backward over a poorly placed barstool, convulsing and wheezing as he tumbled to the ground.

  Sick of being treated like a ragdoll and respected even less, Marie seized the opportunity and jamme
d her elbow into the man’s tensed abdomen, loosening his weakening grasp. She threw his arms off of her as he went flailing backward, and rushed to Alex’s side. Alex seemed to be in a trance, seeing red and seeking only vengeance.

  A guttural snarl erupted from the Umbra’s throat, silencing the drawing crowd. It was evident that words weren’t going to make a difference at this point, so Marie did the only thing she could think of. She jumped onto his tensed back, straddling the taut cords of muscle and demanding his attention with a strong tug of his mane. The mass panic only escalated when Marie disappeared too. Their presence was still wholly felt and feared by the people.

  “Where’d sh-she g-go?” a terrified man called out from the crowd.

  “What in Lucidus’ name is going on?” another cried out, quickly joined by a chorus of screams and prayers.

  “Alright!” The barkeep, who’d been idly watching until now, threw his damp rag down in frustration and hopped over the bar.

  “I’ve had enough o’ this. Everybody out!” He herded everyone out the doors like a barking sheepdog, spooking the drunken cattle into acquiescence. “Who’s going to pay for these damages?” he muttered to himself, eyeing the fresh holes in the floor.

  The barkeep seemed to be completely oblivious to the presence of three other people in the room: Marie, Alex, and the man still shaking in the corner. He was about to be torn to tatters if she didn’t do something.

  “I’m no longer in any danger. The threat has been eliminated.” She dragged his ear through her teeth in a show of dominance, channeling her own animal instincts. “Let’s go back to the ship.”

  “That means you too. Out!” The barkeep pulled the terrified man to his feet and shoved him out the door.

  The man broke into a sprint and wove through the back alleys, seeking refuge among the shadows. Little did he know, Alex was a creature of the dark. By igniting the chase he had awoken his primal hunter. Alex immediately began pursuit.

  The man didn’t get far. He clumsily stumbled over his own feet and pitched forward, taking a nosedive into the cobblestone that left him cracked and bleeding. The sudden flash of crimson aroused Alex’s baser animal nature, invoking a steady growl as he stalked toward the trembling man.

  “Alex, stop this foolishness at once or I will never forgive you!” and she meant it. Surely, the man had learned his lesson.

  With a flare of his nostrils and an indignant huff, he charged forward, using the man’s crumpled body as a springboard. The man cried out in pain when Alex burrowed his back feet into the tender flesh of his belly, just enough to assure a fracture. His ribs crumbled under the strain of their combined weight, and Alex let out a satisfied puff of air.

  He shot straight into the air and soared through the sky at dizzying speeds. He angrily sliced through the clouds as Marie felt the chill of the backlash and the brunt of his anger. She lurched forward, holding her stomach and burying her face in his mane.

  “Alex, you need to slow down or I’m going to be sick.” He immediately calmed at her words. Once again, his temper had gotten the best of him, and had done more harm than good.

  Marie wistfully watched the shrinking village with secret longing as they flew overhead. The sea of lights undulated in a rippling current as the lively crowds cavorted through the streets, bobbing like fireflies during mating season. The cacophony of merry voices lent a subtle cheery hum to the breeze that made her croon as they parted ways.

  Just ahead of them, a mob of angry drunkards chased Raeph and Cerin down the main road with glinting pitchforks and smoking muskets. Serves them right, Marie thought, taking a sadistic amount of joy in their plight. Alex didn’t seem to think they needed any assistance, so she didn’t think to offer any.

  She resolutely searched the verdant outskirts for a sign of Isa-hell, thinking the ship might cause some kind of discrepancy in the smooth line of the horizon. Everything has a weakness, she thought with stubborn determination, but that dinky little ship seemed to be the exception. It truly was completely undetectable in stealth mode, at least to her.

  Marie sharply looked down when a loud metal clank rang out from below. Fallon had made the ship visible at the very last second so that Raeph and Cerin didn’t run past it – at least, that’s the excuse she’d offer, if any – causing them to run directly into the surprisingly malleable steel.

  It was more likely she decided to have a little fun and teach them a lesson, all while relieving a modicum of pent up anger. It worked, too. Cerin hit the door hard enough to leave an impression and knock himself out cold, and Fallon felt just a little bit better upon seeing Raeph’s sour expression.

  “Let us in! They have weapons!” Raeph pounded on the door. Fallon was tempted to let him fight it out. She knew he could handle himself just fine with a handful of farmers, but she wasn’t about to risk exposure just to prove a point. There would be several eyewitnesses and several casualties. Cailene would sniff them out faster than a starving bloodhound, and they weren’t quite done on Ovis.

  “Damn,” Fallon sighed ruefully and opened the door to the ship.

  A set of stairs rolled out from the doorway as if Isabel were sticking out her tongue, mocking them like a ventriloquist dummy while Fallon pulled the strings. Raeph threw the unconscious Cerin over his shoulder and clambered up the cold metal steps as they creaked in protest. He threw Cerin onto the nearest bunk and adroitly jumped out of harm’s way.

  Alex swooped into the narrow space just as the door began to close. He’d made it, but not totally unscathed. The sharp edges of the door clipped the side of his torso right before he managed to squeeze through, biting into his thick hide and breaking the flesh. Once inside, he retreated to the bathroom to lick his wounds, not thinking to close the door behind him.

  Marie found herself absentmindedly staring at Alex as he stood stark naked before the sink, deep in thought. She watched as beads of sweat hypnotically ran down the declivity of his well-muscled back, licking his naked flesh with agonizing slowness as it followed the sharp line of his spine. Suddenly realizing that she’d forgotten to take a breath, she let out a loud, shaky exhale.

  “Get a good look?” Fallon mercilessly prodded Marie in the ribs with a stiff finger.

  “Ow!” she inhaled sharply, glaring at Fallon.

  “Leave my patient alone,” Raeph ordered dryly.

  Patient? Please! All he’d done was give her pain killers and send her on her way. Today had been a particularly painful day, but she couldn’t bring herself to take another pill for fear of returning to Sopor, whether she possessed the ability or not. “Don’t act like you care! You totally abandoned me back there!”

  “I did no such thing. You were perfectly safe in the hands of Prince Valiant,” he said bitterly, flashing a cruel smile as he bowed at the waist.

  “Milités, being part of the Iunctus Galaxy, falls under the rule of Quinque. Mariella is the youngest heir of Quinque, and therefore your superior, soldier,” Alex said the word as if it were an insult. “Treat her with respect when you speak to her.”

  “It’s really hard to take you seriously when you’re naked as a baby,” Raeph smirked, rifling through the clothes in storage and hurling a pair of pants at Alex’s face.

  Being a soldier, he’d seen more naked men than he could recall. Alex’s state of undress hadn’t bothered him in the slightest, but the glimmer in Marie’s eye when she observed his virility in her periphery made him grit his teeth.

  “Technically, Quinque falls under Cailene’s command, and I certainly don’t consider that shrew my superior, or even on the same plane as us humans,” Raeph said in a thinly veiled insult.

  “Are you comparing Mariella to Cailene?” Alex smirked, hungry for a fight.

  “Calm down, you guys! All you do is fight!” Cerin popped awake with a squeaky hiccup. “My problem far supersedes your petty trifles! I can’t find my bag, and I have the biggest craving for cheese. I love cheese, don’t you?” he giggled. “I think there’s cheese in it,
but I can’t find it. My bag, that is. Do you know where it is?” The four of them could barely understand Cerin through the slur of inaudibly cohesive words. Obviously, he was still inebriated, even more so than they’d realized. Marie turned away to hide her smile. “God, I want cheese.”

  “There’s cheese in there,” Raeph rolled his eyes toward the bathroom.

  Cerin giddily skipped into bathroom, only to have Alex slam the door and hold it closed behind him. No one felt like dealing with a drunk right now.

  “There’s no cheese in here, you bastards! Let me out!” he demanded with a squeak.

  “Wash yourself off! You reek of ale!” Raeph crinkled his nose in distaste.

  “You don’t smell much better yourself, Raeph,” Alex sniffed.

  Jokes were thrown in poor taste, and their harmless jostling quickly evolved into a full-blown fight. It went from a sizzling ember to an explosive backdraft of merging tempers as the men shouted at each other simultaneously in warring decibels, launching a twenty-one tongue salute on Marie’s poor throbbing eardrums. Fallon couldn’t care less.

  “Enough!” Marie cried out, slapping her hands over her ears. “I never realized quite how important Cayden is. He doesn’t just keep her in line, he keeps everyone in line!” The mention of Cayden made Fallon somberly turn away. Much to her surprise, Marie actually felt guilty about it. “Act like adults!”

  “Where is Cayden?” Raeph finally asked.

  “He has business to take care of back on Milités. We’ll meet him there when we’re finished here.” Fallon heaved a sigh. “Did any of you find out anything useful?”

  “I hope someone did, because we can’t show our faces back there anytime soon!” Raeph guffawed.