Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows

by Cheree Alsop

  The thought that they were my friends made me pause. Despite the strange conditions and trials we had gone through, or perhaps because of them, I knew I could trust Axon’s men and Axon himself. They were the first friends I had ever had, and they had given as much to me as I had to them. And I was about to let them cross the ocean into danger without me.

  I threw the bag over my shoulder and ran out the door. Fortunately, it was growing close to dusk and most of the Luminos at the castle were busy preparing for nightfall. My rushed exit barely turned the heads of a few Luminos servants. I ran out a side door and made my way to the stables by following the smell. A young Luminos stable hand petted the nose of a chestnut mare with a black mane and tail in the yard. Our eyes met and he stared at me in surprise. I ducked my head and moved to pass him when he held out a hand.

  “Are you Nexa?” I stared at him and he took that for my answer. “The big soldier with the Prince asked me to hold this horse for you.”

  “He knew I would be coming?” I asked, amazement blooming in my chest.

  The Luminos servant nodded. “I wouldn’t be here if not.” He turned back to the horse and slipped the bit into its mouth. “The soldier said that Duskies aren’t welcome on boats, so you might have to get creative.” He checked a strap on the saddle and ran a hand down the horse’s side. “She’s a good horse and fast. Watch her head and keep your heels down.”

  I nodded and took the reins as though I knew what I was doing. The boy watched me, openly curious. I smiled at him and swung onto the horse. The horse stomped a front hoof and chomped at her bit. The boy smoothed her nose and fed her something from his pocket, then stepped back. I took a rein in each hand and waved them lightly, but the horse merely stood there.

  “Click your tongue,” the Luminos said. He showed me what he meant, then adjusted the reins so that I held them in one hand. “She’s well trained. You really won’t need these if you just step into the stirrup on the side you want her to turn. Let her know you’re in charge.” He took a step back and then paused. “Oh, and next time mount her from the left stirrup. That way she’ll think you know what you’re doing.” I caught his grin before he ducked his head.

  “Thank you,” I said sincerely. I clicked my tongue like he had demonstrated and the horse’s ears pointed back and then forward. She bobbed her head and began to walk. “What’s her name?” I called over my shoulder.

  “Deseria. The soldier sent a stable hand ahead to the boat to bring her back,” he shouted.

  I waved my appreciation and clicked my tongue again. Deseria lifted her hooves in a bone jarring trot and took us out the castle gates and down the red rock road. Duskies and a few remaining Luminos on the road glanced up, but didn’t move to stop me. I avoided their eyes and focused on the docks below. Three great ships sat out in the bay. Small rowboats made their way to the one in the center that flew a blue flag with a white star in the middle.

  I remembered Dathien’s warning about Duskies not being welcome on boats and stopped at one of the clothing stalls, but I didn’t dare get off the horse because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get back on despite the young Luminos’ tip. A Duskie close to my age with deep blue eyes and black hair that made a flattering contrast to his gently swirled gray and white skin smiled up at me where I sat on Deseria. “May I help you, Miss?”

  I stared at him a moment, surprised at the twinkle in his eyes.

  He smiled again and indicated his wares with a flourish of his hand. “Only the finest for ladies as fair as yourself.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at his flirtatious tone and pointed at a stand of cloaks. “I’d like to buy one of those.”

  He walked to them and ran a hand along the stand. “What color would my lady prefer?”

  “Black,” I said.

  He touched the black one, then pursed his lips and picked a deep green one instead. “How about green to match the flecks of color in your beautiful gray eyes?” He lifted his brows and waved the cloak invitingly.

  I knew my cheeks were red, but I couldn’t help wondering if there really were flecks of green in my eyes. I nodded and pulled out the purse. I dug through the coins, but they all looked the same to me. I picked one and handed it to him. “Is this enough?”

  The Duskie looked up from where he wrapped the cloak in a length of brown paper and his eyes widened. He handed me the package and took the coin, smelled it, bit it, then glanced up at me again. “More than enough. Where did you get this?”

  I forced a smile, my heart wavering. “You don’t want to know.”

  He took the coin back to the stall with him. “I guess I don’t.” Then he shrugged. “Stolen coins buy just as much as honest ones.” He dropped the coin in a leather purse and dug through it.

  “I didn’t steal it,” I said, aghast.

  He came back with a handful of silver and copper coins. “You said not to ask, so I’m left to make my own assumptions.”

  I took the proffered coins and poured them back in the purse, frowning. “But thinking the worse of someone isn’t right either.”

  His eyes creased thoughtfully for a second and then he shrugged again. “Perhaps not.” The twinkle came back to his gaze. “But it makes life more interesting to believe that than to believe someone earned their money pulling vegetables or kneading bread.”

  I laughed and clicked at the horse.

  “Good luck on your travels, Miss. That there cloak was made for a good adventure. Trust me!” the Duskie shouted.

  I turned on Deseria’s back and waved at him. He waved back and then blew me a kiss. I blushed again and turned away. For a moment my thoughts were on the Duskie’s dark blue eyes and soft swirls, then Deseria stepped into a slight depression in the road and the package crinkled under my fingers, turning my thoughts back to the present. I looked up and realized we were almost to the docks.

  I untied the tawny twine that bound the paper around the cloak and drew it over my shoulders. The thick, velvety material enveloped me in a warmth and comfort greatly welcome at the thought of what was to come. I folded the paper and stuffed it in one of the saddle bags out of habit from the waste nothing attitude of the Caves, then drew the hood up over my head and hid in the shadows. I regretted that I hadn’t thought to buy gloves to hide my hands. I could go back to the vendor, but the thought of talking to the Duskie again made my heart beat faster; I pushed forward.

  Deseria blew out her breath softly and bobbed her head when we neared the boat. A Luminos leaned against one of the thick pillars along the dock. He wore the same red and gold crest on his shoulder as the boy at the castle, a silhouetted horse’s head with a pitchfork underneath. He turned our way at the sound of Deseria’s hooves on the cobblestone of the worn road.

  “It’s getting late, you know,” he said chidingly with a glance at the setting sun.

  “I apologize for keeping you,” I replied, dismounting with as much grace as I could manage.

  “I was beginning to worry that you would miss your boat,” he said in a gentler tone. He slipped the bit out of Deseria's mouth; she ground her teeth appreciatively and pawed at the cobblestones with a front hoof.

  “I needed to make some preparations,” I explained, embarrassed. “I'm not really sure how this is all going to work out.”

  He met my eyes with a smile and loosened the girth on Deseria's saddle. “You'll be fine.”

  His smile eased the tightness in my heart. I fumbled for the money bag in my pack and tried to give him several coins, but he refused. “I insist,” I said. “You've gone far beyond your duty and I've kept you.”

  He shook his head. “This is my duty, and it was worth it to see what all the fuss was about.” His eyes creased at the corners. “And you're definitely worth it.”

  I let out a breath, flustered. I had received more compliments in the last hundred heartbeats than in the rest of my entire life put together. “I don't know about that,” I replied, trying to get my thoughts in order. “But they're worth it.�
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  He nodded, running a hand over Deseria's flank. “She’s quite a lady, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she is,” I agreed, petting her velvety nose.

  He looked at me with a laugh in his light golden eyes. “I was talking about you.”

  “Oh,” I said, then I realized what he said. “Oh! What makes you say that? You don’t even know me.”

  He gave a smile that deepened around his eyes. “It’s quite the risk for Dathien to allow a Duskie on board, but he was adamant if you came along to reassure you it would be alright, just be careful.”

  I blinked, touched and comforted. “Thank you very much,” I said quietly.

  He nodded and took Deseria’s reins. “Good luck. May your journey be a safe one.”

  I thanked him again and made my way to the boats by the dock. The area swarmed with workers loading a flat-bottom boat with supplies for the trip. A system of pulleys and wooden beams lifted boxes twice as tall as me off the dock and down to the boat. I slipped among them while the workers struggled with bales of hay that had split their twine. I found a box filled with barrels of rice and climbed in between the barrels, then slid to the floor of the box and ducked my head with the hood of my cloak pulled up. I could only hope that if anyone leaned in to check the contents, I would be just one more shadow among the gaps between barrels.

  Several heartbeats later, the voices of the dock workers moved my way. They chatted heartily about the weather and a storm coming off the coast, a dead whale that had beached not too far away with huge bites taken out of its side, and the appearance of more mosquitoes than usual for this time of the year. Ropes slid between the wooden panels and before I could move, someone shouted and the box was lifted into the air. I fought back a sudden wave of nausea when we spun in a complete circle, then the box was lowered at a dizzying speed. It thumped onto the flat-bottom boat, which rocked gently under its weight and increased my dizziness. I hoped I could keep a hold of whatever was left in my stomach because I had a feeling it might be a while before my next meal.

  Several more thumps sounded followed by additional rocking, then someone whistled; there was a slide of wood against wood as oars were set out, then water lapped against the sides as we moved against the waves toward the waiting boat. I shut my eyes tight and prayed for my stomach to stay strong.

  It felt like a lifetime passed before the flat bottom boat hit against something that didn’t give. More shouts went up, a creak of pulleys and ropes, and I could hear boxes being raised into the air once more. Each time one left the boat, it swayed like a mother rocking her baby; but I had never been rocked and I wondered briefly if that had anything to do with my current nausea.

  Before I could think it through, the ropes were fastened to my box and we were lifted into the air again. The box threatened to spin, but was stopped by other ropes held by men on the ship. The box was lowered to the ground, shoved a few feet to sit firmly against something solid, then the men turned their attention to the next pallet of supplies.

  I tried to listen to them, but the lull of muted voices and the soft lap of waves against the side of the boat eventually soothed my nerves and invoked a feeling of safety. I fought to keep my eyes open, but I didn’t plan to leave my hideout until nightfall and knew a little sleep couldn’t hurt. I shut my eyes and drifted off.

  Chapter 14

  Stars shone high in the diamond-shaped patch of sky I could see from my crouched position when I awoke. I straightened slowly and bit my lip against the rush of blood that raced back to my legs. I eased up to the top of one of the rice barrels and then lowered down off the edge of the box to the ground. My legs quivered and I leaned against one of the barrels while I checked to make sure the area was clear.

  I felt tired, hungry, and cramped from sleeping in one position for so long. My legs wobbled with the strange rhythm of the waves and I staggered against another large pallet of barrels. I worked myself along its side and almost tripped over the first Luminos. He slept with his back against the box, his light blond hair over his eyes and his feet bare. I smiled at the bare feet, remembering how out of place I had felt at the castle when I refused to wear shoes. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about that here.

  I tiptoed around him even though I knew at this time of night nothing short of a hurricane with gale-force winds and lightning close enough to crack the mast would wake him, and even then he wouldn’t have the strength to do anything about it; but it felt better to tiptoe rather than remind myself that I was the only one awake on the massive ship. I passed a couple more sailors stretched out on the wooden deck as if it was a luxury to sleep with splinters, then I saw the thick chains that connected the ship to the anchor far below the ocean’s surface. I put a hand on the links that were thicker than my arm. They felt cold to the touch, and the thrum of the chain rubbing against the side of the boat ran up my fingertips. My heart throbbed as the boat pulled against the anchor, and though the ship wasn’t alive, I felt a kinship to something so free and spirited chained against its will. I shook my head to center my thoughts and crossed the deck to the cabin hatch.

  It was easy to find Axon’s cabin for the Captain had done as I guessed and given up his own room in order for the Prince to rest comfortably. Snores came from the behind the door and I grinned. Dathien could best a cave bear on even his lightest nights. I wondered if Axon regretted sharing the room, but knew he slept better with his men nearby on such a dangerous voyage. I made my way past the room and down the narrow hallway, following my nose to the kitchen.

  The cook slept on a counter top, a bottle of liquid gripped firmly in one hand even in slumber. Plates and bowls had been packed away and the pots and pans smelled clean. I don’t know why that surprised me. I had always assumed that a ship’s galley would be the dirtiest place on board, but it looked like this captain kept a tight rein on his crew.

  I found hard rolls in a barrel and put a few in my pocket, added to it an apple and a type of fruit leather that tasted like old prickly pears, and filled up my water skin at a barrel of fresh water in one corner. Further down the hallway, I found a small corner with buckets that worked as a privy and made use of them, then crept back to the box and climbed slowly and unwillingly back into my hiding place. I pulled the bag of belongings Dathien had packed onto my lap and rested my head on it. I didn’t know how long I could last in my tiny hole, but the longer I hid without being found, the less likely that they would turn around and take me back.

  A growl inches from my ear made my heart jump into my throat and swept the last vestiges of sleep from my mind. I turned and saw bared teeth and a huge, wet, black nose poking between the slates of the crate.

  “Hey’um now missy dog you. You leav’um that crate alone. Ain’t not in there but rice ‘n mice.” The chain around the dog’s throat tightened and he lowered his lips to cover teeth as long as my first finger, but that was as far as he would budge.

  “What seems to be the problem?” a voice as deep as Dathien’s but with a lilt I didn’t recognize asked.

  “My’um dog don’t want to leav’um crate. I’m fearin’ somethin’ might be wrong wi’it,” the sailor said in a more respectful tone than he had used with the dog.

  “Wrong with it, huh?” The crate creaked as a boot was placed on the side.

  I pulled the hood over my head and shrank down as far as possible, hoping I couldn’t be seen in the shadows.

  “Hey!” the deep voice said in surprise. “Hey, you there. Get yourself out here.”

  I was tempted to ignore the command, but knew if they had to pull me out, the results would probably be more painful. The man stepped back down the side of the crate and waited while I straightened my sore legs. My heart thundered in my chest. I pulled myself up with my hands until I sat on the side of the crate. The sun behind cast me in a silhouette, hiding my face from the half-dozen sailors that had gathered below, including a tall man with a crested blue hat that I took to be the captain.

  “Come down here,”
he ordered, his voice calm.

  I slid down the crate and glanced cautiously at the huge black dog that ambled over despite the other sailor’s attempts to control it. The dog’s head reached my shoulder and massive shoelaces of drool dangled from its lower lip. The dog sniffed me all over, leaving gifts of saliva which I greatly appreciated in various places on my new cloak.

  “Off with your hood,” the Captain said.

  My heart skipped a beat until I realized that with his accent 'hood' sounded a lot like 'head', and he was just trying to see who I was, not end my life. I took a steeling breath and lowered my dark green hood with both hands.

  The Captain’s lips twisted in disgust and the rest of his men took a step back. Only the dog failed to look like he had either seen a ghost or something repulsive and vile as he sniffed at my pockets for the crumbs of my dinner.

  “Get it in chains,” the Captain snarled.

  My blood froze and everything slowed down. I thought I glimpsed Marken between two crates, but he was gone when I took a closer look. My limbs refused to work as chains were brought and wrapped around my hands and feet tight enough to bite into my skin. Sailors hoisted me onto their shoulders and followed the Captain to the side of the boat. It wasn’t until I was about to be thrown overboard that I could think enough to fight back, but the sailors held fast to the chains and didn’t budge under my thrashing.

  “Heave it over,” the Captain ordered.

  The sailors tipped me to the side and I was about to roll off into the roiling white-tipped waves below when a familiar voice spoke behind the men.

  “What’s going on here?”

  The sailors paused at the voice and the Captain turned. “Just tossing over a stowaway, my Prince.”

  Axon’s eyes met mine and I saw something that looked like pain run through them before he turned back to the Captain. “Is it your habit to bind stowaways so that they sink to certain death, Captain?”