by Boone Brux
Luc waited for her to finish the sentence. Instead, she stared at the floor, wrapping her arms more tightly around her torso.
“Betray who?” Ravyn asked.
Jade shook her head, obviously still set against revealing Esmeralda’s existence. But things had changed. It wasn’t just about them anymore. Innocent lives were at stake.
“Her sister,” Luc said into the silence.
All heads snapped in his direction.
“Traitor,” Jade hissed.
He didn’t reply. No matter what he did, he couldn’t win.
“What of your sister?” Rhys said.
She continued to glare at Luc, refusing to answer.
“I once courted Jade’s sister, Esmeralda,” Luc said.
Ravyn shook her head. “But on the ship from Alba, you never said anything about knowing Jade.”
“Because I didn’t recognize her. It had been nearly thirteen years since I’d seen her.” His gaze drifted the full length of Jade’s body. “She has changed much since then.”
“More than you know,” Jade sneered.
“If you were once friends, why such hostility now?” Rhys asked.
It was Luc’s turn to remain silent. He wanted to hear Jade’s accusation. She’d been so young when her parents had been murdered and he’d yet to hear exactly what she believed happened. The Bringers needed to know about Esmeralda, but he wanted Jade to be the one to tell them. That, at least, she wouldn’t be able to blame him for.
“He betrayed us.” Jade’s tone was steady and cold. “Luc was supposed to deliver papers to my father, but he never came.” Her arms tightened around her torso, as if the memories were too painful to repeat. “But the Bane did.” Now she seemed either unable or unwilling to stem her angry words. “That night we were attacked, and it was his fault. He told them where my father lived.”
Ravyn gasped. Rhys stared at Luc, silently asking if what she said was true. As usual, Siban’s stare was steady and revealed nothing of what he thought.
Luc shook his head. “I did betray them, but not like she thinks. My father had given me permission to ask for Esmeralda’s hand in marriage and ordered me to deliver important documents to Jade’s father, saying it would help pave the way for me. It was the first time he’d ever entrusted me with more than managing my monthly allowance. I had every intention of going directly to their home, but on my way I stopped at a pub and had a drink with my friends to celebrate. One thing led to another and I found myself in a spirited game of cards. After several drinks I forgot about my task.” He cleared his throat. “I lost all my money and the very coat off my back to a stranger.” Shame pushed against him, still as potent after all these years. “The documents were inside.”
“What were the contents of the documents?” Rhys asked.
“I don’t know. When my father found out about my gambling and Jade’s family, all he said was, “Their blood is on your hands.” He didn’t speak to me for a month after that.” He stared at the floor, trying to talk through the shame that still gripped him. “He was so angry.” Luc looked at Rhys and shrugged. “It seemed best to never speak of the incident.”
The low moan of the wind whistled through the cracks in the door. Nobody spoke. What was there to say, really? Their deaths had been due to his recklessness. Nothing more mattered.
He chanced a glance at Jade. Her gaze was locked on the window, but he doubted she was focused on the rain beating against the glass. The mournful howl and creaking wood of the rocking ship filled the uncomfortable silence that stretched through the group.
“You said you gambled against a stranger?” Rhys said, breaking the lull.
“Yes.” Luc pulled his attention away from Jade and looked at Rhys. “I’d never seen him before and haven’t seen him…” He stopped, his mind racing. “Until today.”
All eyes turned toward him, including Jade’s.
“Today?” Ravyn said. “Where?”
“In the marketplace.” He held Jade’s gaze. “The man entering the curiosity shop as we were leaving.”
Jade’s defensive posture relaxed. “The man you thought you recognized?”
“Yes. At first I couldn’t remember, but now I’m positive it was him.”
“Yes.” Ravyn closed her eyes and ran her fingertip across her forehead. “That feels correct.” She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed. “But…” She hesitated.
To everybody’s surprise, Siban added, “He feels false.”
Ravyn nodded. “Yes, it all feels false.” Her eyes opened and she glanced at the Tell. “The game feels false. The man was there for a reason.”
“For Luc,” Siban added. “The man came for you.”
Ravyn walked to Luc and took his hands. “It was all orchestrated.”
“I don’t understand,” Luc said, his grip tightening around Ravyn’s fingers. “Why? Who sent him?”
She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling as if searching for answers. “I don’t know.” Ravyn detangled her fingers from his. “I can only tell you what I sense. False that the gambling was legitimate. True that you were his target.”
He looked at Siban. “Do you sense anything different?”
Before the Tell could answer, Jade’s sharp retort pierced the tension. “No.” Her green eyes blazed, her head shaking. “No, he betrayed us.” She hugged herself tighter. “He got drunk. That’s what he does. Gets drunk, gambles, and wenches.” She pointed a finger at him. “It’s his fault.”
Nobody said anything.
“He has to be at fault,” she continued, her voice quivering, “otherwise my whole life…” Jade inhaled and stared at him.
For the first time he thought she might truly be seeing him as the man he was, not who she’d always blamed him for being.
Ravyn inched toward her and stopped a foot away. Like reaching for a feral cat, she held out her hand and touched Jade on the arm. “Or your whole life is what?”
Jade flinched and pulled away. Her head continued to shake in denial. “Nothing.”
“What happened to your family?” Rhys asked.
Jade spun and walked to the window, refusing to reply.
“The Bane burned their home.” Luc paused, hoping Jade would finish the story, but knew she wouldn’t. The last thing he wanted was to describe the grisly details of that night. He cleared his throat. “I found her father’s body among the ashes, but never found her mother.”
“And her sister?” Ravyn walked to stand near Rhys. His arm wrapped around her waist and she leaned into him. “What happened to her?”
Luc’s gaze slid to Jade. Her body was coiled tight, her spine stiff. It was the only indication she was still listening to the conversation. “She—”
“Don’t!” Jade spun and held up her hands to halt him. “You promised.”
“No more hiding.” He straightened, strengthening his resolve. “I won’t see innocent people killed because of a misplaced promise.”
“You mean when a promise no longer suits you,” she barked.
“And how would you know?” His anger lashed out, making her the focus of his frustration. “You don’t know me. At every turn you’ve betrayed me, yet still I offer you help.”
“You can’t betray somebody when you hold no loyalty to them.”
“You may think what’s between you and your sister is loyalty, but all you’re doing is serving the Bane.”
Jade gasped, her eyes cutting to Ravyn and Rhys.
“Bane?” Rhys said.
“I hate you,” Jade whispered.
She stomped toward the cabin door but Luc blocked her path. “You’re not leaving.”
“Are you going to stop me?”
He pushed his face toward hers. “You think I won’t?”
They stared for several seconds, neither willing to budge. Jade’s lip curled in a snarl. “I really hate you.”
He shrugged. He pushed his face an inch closer, their noses nearly touching, and lowered his voice. �
��This is about more than you and me. Now sit down.”
“All right.” Rhys walked around the table and stopped next to them. “Both of you—calm down.”
“I’m sorry.” Jade looked at Rhys. “It’s too late for that.”
She shouldered her way past Luc. He turned to follow, but Siban grabbed his arm and shook his head. Jade shoved the door open and staggered against the wind. A sudden gust caught the wood, flinging it open and smashing it against the cabin wall. She hesitated a second and then barreled into the storm.
Siban released Luc’s arm and leaned outside to pull the door shut. He pushed the chocolate brown coils of hair out of his face. “We can speak more freely without her here.”
Luc exhaled and nodded.
“What’s this about serving the Bane?” Rhys said.
Luc and Siban joined Ravyn and Rhys at the table, standing opposite the couple. Luc rubbed his hands over his face and then propped his palms against the edge of the desk. This would not be pleasant but they deserved to know the truth of what was happening. “When the Bane attacked her family, they took Esmeralda. I thought she was dead.”
“She’s not?” Ravyn asked.
“Not completely.” He took a deep breath and exhaled, rushing on while he still thought it was the right thing to do. “Actually, she’s a Bane Demon.”
Silence filled the room as the weight of his statement was absorbed.
Finally Ravyn said, “Are you certain?”
He gave a humorless laugh. “Quite sure. It seems she and Jade have been plotting my death for some time now.”
Stunned expressions registered on his friend’s faces.
Siban crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “And I thought I was bad with women.”
Luc stared at the top of the desk, unable to meet their eyes. “If it hadn’t been for me, Rell wouldn’t be a demon, and Jade wouldn’t be trying to kill me.”
“Rell?” Siban lowered his arms, his gaze settling on Luc with disturbing intensity.
“Jade’s sister. That’s what she calls Esmeralda.” Luc waited for Siban to reply but the Tell remained silent.
Luc sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, the weight of his past growing heavier.
“It’s my fault Bowen and Willa are dead.”
Ravyn straightened. “Bowen and Willa?”
Luc glanced up at her surprised tone. “Yes, Jade’s father and mother.”
“No.” Rhys’s brow furrowed. “It can’t possibly be.”
“What?” his gaze bounced between his two friends. “Can’t possibly be what?”
“Willa and Bowen,” Rhys repeated. “It’s too much of a coincidence.”
“Luc.” Ravyn turned to him. “We know Willa and she is very much alive.”
He heard her words, but their meaning took its time sinking in. Like a cruel joke that was almost too ludicrous to believe. “No.”
Ravyn nodded. “Yes, alive and remarried.”
“No.” It seemed to be the only word he could form. He ran his fingers through his hair, gripping it at the back of his head and stared, his gaze darting between Ravyn and Rhys. Were they joking? “No.”
“I’ve known Willa for years,” Rhys said. “Knew that her husband and children had been killed, but we never spoke of it.” He slowly shook his head. “I had no idea Jade was her daughter.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t see it,” Ravyn added. “Their resemblance is rather obvious.”
Luc lowered his hands, the unbelievable finally sinking in. He turned toward the door. “I need to tell Jade.”
“Now?” Rhys asked. “You’ll never find her in this storm.”
“I have an idea where she’s headed.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “She needs to know her mother isn’t dead.”
“We’ve got to tell Willa,” Rhys said.
“I’ll go.” All eyes turned toward Siban in surprise. “Barring any unforeseen delays, we can be back within a week.”
Rhys glanced at Ravyn. “We owe her. She’s been nothing but kind to us.”
“Of course.” Ravyn looked at Luc. “Do you agree?”
Not only was Willa alive, but she could be reunited with Jade within a matter of a week or two. The weight of ever-pressing guilt lifted slightly. “Yes, she needs to know Jade is still alive.”
“Leave as soon as possible,” Rhys said to Siban. “The repairs to the ship’s deck can wait until you return.”
“We’ll need new lodgings.” Ravyn waved a hand absently toward the door. “With Delphina and her three children, Jade, Willa, and Saints knows who else, we’re running out of room, besides having to leave the ship.”
Luc thought of his father. Surely he would help them, especially upon learning about Willa’s miraculous resurrection.
“I’ll ask Jacob.” He tapped his knuckle absently against the desktop. “He has a manor a few miles from Illuma Grand. It’s large enough.”
“That would be convenient,” Rhys said. “Close enough to keep an eye on the Council, but away from prying eyes and ears. I’d appreciate it if you’d ask him, Luc.”
“I will.” He straightened and walked to the door, making another command decision. “Right after I find Jade.”
Not waiting for the others to reply, he stepped onto the deck. The wind built to a crescendo, as if raging at him to go back inside and forget about her. Rain slanted in a solid, gray sheet across the deck, seeping through his clothes. Within seconds he was drenched.
She could be anywhere, but since she’d sought refuge in the Shrouded Forest after she’d stabbed him, more than likely that was where she had gone now. He’d grown up in these parts, had played in the forest when he was young. She would head for the small chapel she’d spoken of.
She’d be safe there, even from the Demon Bane—from the sister she claimed to love.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The chapel stood like a beacon against the tempest. Drenched and shivering, the only thing Jade wanted was to get out of the rain. The constant pelt of drops had beaten some of the anger toward Luc out of her, but not all.
Snippets of their conversation rolled about in her mind. Though he hadn’t been completely at fault for exposing her father, that didn’t make him entirely blameless. She stumbled through the door of the chapel and collapsed against the crumbling altar. Slowly, she sank to the floor.
How had things gotten so out of control? Three days ago, her only mission in life had been to kill Luc. The memory of her knife sinking into his flesh still made her stomach roil. Now she was caught up in a battle between the Bringers and the Bane. Where did that leave Rell, part Bringer, part Bane?
Bites of fire ran up her arms. She flinched, sucking in a breath and clutching her forearm in an attempt to stop the spread. Now that she was at full power, her sister’s presence hurt instead of being merely irritating. “Damn.”
“Jade?” Rell’s voice floated through the open entrance. “Are you here?”
She tensed. Damn. She had hoped for a few minutes to collect her thoughts before she had to face her sister.
“Jade, I know you’re in there.”
With a deep inhale, Jade pushed off the ground and walked to the door. Before stepping out, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her tunic to hide the tattoos. “I’m here.”
Unable to pass onto holy ground, Rell stood at the boundaries of the church. The unwavering commitment Jade had tirelessly maintained to Rell slipped. Perhaps from the intensity of the day’s events, or maybe she was seeing things in a new light, but the sight of her sister set Jade’s teeth on edge. Life was black and white for Rell, and the amount of time and effort she demanded made Jade want to hide inside the chapel and never come out.
She schooled her resentment and pasted on a passive expression. There were too many questions she wanted answered. “You wanted to see me?”
Rell glided backward, giving her room to step off the sanctified land, but Jade didn’t move. Her sister’s eyes narrowed. “Yes
. We’ve much to discuss.”
“Like what?” Sharpness laced her words. She might be able to keep her face a mask of compliance, but her voice was not so easily constrained. “I’m tired and wet, Rell.” She tried to cover her resentment. “All I want is to get dry and sleep.”
Her sister’s expression softened. “Then come home with me. The hot pools will warm you.”
Jade resisted the urge to rub her arms against the growing burn spreading across her shoulders. “What about Luc?”
“We’ll deal with him tomorrow.” Rell’s eyes slid toward the dark woods to her left. Jade followed her gaze, but saw nothing. With a slow turn of her head, Rell refocused on Jade, her lips pulling back in a placating, yet somewhat feral smile. “It will be like old times, just you and me.”
“Why don’t you deal with me now?” said a deep voice.
They spun to face Luc. He eased from the shadows to Rell’s right.
Jade cursed under her breath. He must have followed her. Would the man ever stop meddling in her affairs?
Rell’s smile widened, baring her small, pointed fangs. “Luc, why am I not surprised to find you sniffing around my sister?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “If you can’t have what you want, take the next best thing, eh?”
“Shut up, Esmeralda.” Jade emphasized her sister’s human name, knowing it infuriated her.
“Oh Jade, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for his lies,” Rell mocked.
Unlike the last time they’d encountered Luc, her sister’s confidence seemed rooted in place. Jade watched her. Something wasn’t right. Unable to help herself, she rubbed her arms against the growing burn.
“So why have you come?” Rell’s lip curled in a sneer. “Perhaps to save my baby sister from the clutches of her demon sibling?”
He ignored the question and looked at Jade. She shifted under the intensity of his stare. Something in his expression made her want to go to him, but she didn’t move. A throbbing ache radiated up her neck and settled at the base of her skull. Unable to resist, she scrubbed at the bites that were growing more painful by the minute. For so much of her life she’d lived in anonymity. Now she was the center of everybody’s attention.
