The Eden Series: The Complete Collection

by Stalder, Janelle

  “Does the room suit you miss?” the girl asked. Elisa turned to smile at her. She was very small and looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen years. She had light brown hair pulled sharply back into a bun. Her face was very angular, almost harsh looking, and her eyes were small and a solid brown. She was very plain looking, but Elisa still found something oddly pretty about her.

  “It’s wonderful,” she said. The girl smiled.

  “We have a bath prepared for you if you would like to wash up,” she said in a small, accented voice. A bath was like music to Elisa’s ears. She thanked her generously, following her towards the small bathroom.

  As she soaked in the warm water, Elisa couldn’t help but curse herself for the way things had turned out. Wolf was injured and Logan had almost been choked to death. Both were now somewhere in the palace, she had no idea where, and were probably angry with her for completely ignoring the fact that they had been hurt. Markus was insisting they stay, which meant she wouldn’t get back home as quickly as her father liked, and he hadn’t really explained how long he intended for them to stay, which made her very nervous.

  Lastly, she was expected to attend some ball, which was possibly the worst part of the whole mess. There would be dancing and socializing, and proper etiquette that she did not understand in the least. She could shoot an arrow straighter than anyone else, to talk about events and politics? She was lost. Sighing, she submerged herself completely under the water, letting the warmth cover her from head to toe, washing away any insecurity she had before the day began.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Wolf followed Markus’ men down the hall. His head was pounding, but he ignored the pain. The fact that Markus now knew Elisa was in town was a bigger concern. Logan caught up to him, falling into step.

  “How’s the head?” he asked, keeping his voice low so the other men in front of them wouldn’t hear.

  Wolf shrugged. “I’ll live.”

  “Thank the Gods for that,” he replied sarcastically. “So, we ignored the King’s summons huh?”

  Wolf smiled lightly at his tone. “Don’t ask. I have no idea what the King was thinking with that one.”

  “I’m assuming Elisa doesn’t know why we’re really here then?”

  “I doubt it, otherwise the King wouldn’t have told that lie. I guess he wanted to keep up the façade that we’re only here for leisure.”

  “Doesn’t really make sense,” Logan said, shaking his head. “I mean, she’s the Captain’s daughter. Surely they’d trust her with the truth.”

  “The King told me before we left that to make sure we knew any summons to return was truly from him, he’d send someone personally. Obviously that person is Elisa. He also said the fewer people who knew our reasons for being in the south, the better. I doubt it has anything to do with trust.”

  They were growing closer to the infirmary, and for once Wolf was thankful to be seeing a healer. The pounding in his head was getting worse with each step.

  “Why is he calling us back now? We don’t have anything to report yet,” Logan whispered. “After all the months we’ve been down here, and all the people we’ve talked to, we still have no proof that Markus is working with the north.”

  Wolf let out a long, tired sigh. All he had wanted to do last night was go to bed early, and possibly sleep in. Now look where he was. Every night they spent their time prowling the taverns, listening in on conversations, watching for anything suspicious, but they hadn’t yet learned anything useful. After months of repeating this, he was tired. He had even enlisted Annabelle and her friends to help, on the women’s advice that the men in the south loved to talk while in bed. Not that they knew exactly what Wolf and Logan were looking for, but he trusted Annabelle enough to ask her to listen for anything she thought might be of interest to him. When they had first arrived, Wolf and Logan had come across Annabelle being roughed up by one of her clients. Wolf made sure that the man knew never to bother her again. He guessed she felt indebted to him, because it wasn’t long after that, that she had approached him. The women of the south were observant. It didn’t get past their notice that Wolf and Logan were paying special attention to the conversations around them. Wolf just hoped they were the only ones who noticed. Having their help sounded promising in the beginning, but so far no one had brought him any useful information. The most they learned was that the Chancellor, Antonio, was the closest to Markus. He seemed like their best bet, but getting close to the man was impossible.

  “Gods, you even had to deal with Victoria for this mission, and it got us nowhere,” Logan said with a shudder, his thoughts in line with Wolf’s.

  “Don’t remind me,” Wolf groaned. The look on Elisa’s face still burned in his memory. She must think the worst of him. First she thought he had slept with another man’s wife, after walking into the mess at their hotel. Then she believed he was also sleeping with prostitutes – if her expression at Annabelle’s told him anything. He probably disgusted her. There was nothing he could do. If she didn’t know why he was really in the south, he wasn’t going to betray his King’s confidence by setting her straight. Unfortunately, he was going to have to let her think what she wanted. Wolf came to a stop outside the infirmary.

  “Look,” he said, motioning for Logan to step closer. “Right now our only concern is getting out of here before Markus starts asking too many questions. He was already suspicious when we first arrived months ago. Having Elisa here will only make it worse. He’s going to be on guard. We don’t need trouble, so let’s just get fixed up, find Elisa, and go home.”

  “Right,” Logan agreed.

  “There you are,” Markus called out behind them. They both turned together to see the leader of Nysa striding towards them. “Sorry about that, boys,” he smiled, stopping in front of them. “I didn’t mean for my men to rough you up so badly.”

  “We’ve had worse,” Wolf replied shortly.

  “Of course you have. Since you’re here, I thought it might do you some good to train with my men this afternoon. I’d like you to stay for the ball this evening, so it will give you something to do until then.” Wolf stood up straighter. He saw Logan glance at him out of his peripheral vision. “My men have been looking forward to working with you two ever since you showed up. They want to see what skills the King’s men have. Plus, it will be good for you,” he said smiling, while he leaned over and hit Logan in the stomach. A puff of air escaped Logan’s mouth, as he bent over with a soft groan. “I’m sure your Captain wouldn’t want you two getting soft from being down here.”

  “That’s true,” Logan wheezed.

  Wolf smiled, trying his best to keep it friendly. “Of course. We’d love to join your men for their training.”

  “Perfect!” Markus exclaimed. “I’ll see you in an hour then.” He turned to leave, but stopped as Wolf spoke.

  “Make sure to invite Elisa as well,” he said.

  With raised eyebrows, Markus looked between the two of them, before stopping on Wolf again. “Elisa?”

  “Oh yes,” Wolf smiled, secretly enjoying himself now. “She’ll be very upset if she’s not included in everything that we do.”

  He nodded slowly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Of course, I’ll make sure she knows then. See you both shortly.” He turned and left them, his stride a little stiffer than it had been previously.

  Wolf turned to look at the still hunched over Logan. “Honestly,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Did you have to groan like that? You made us look weak.” He turned to enter the infirmary, Logan close on his heels.

  “Aw c’mon! He caught me off-guard!”

  “Yeah, well, now it’s our turn to catch him.”

  * * * * *

  Elisa exited the palace on the south side. The rest of the Nysan army was already doing drills. Despite the early morning hour, the air was thick with heat. She could see the men’s perspiration through their thin shirts. Instead of the usual black, they all wore plain white shirts for training. S
he looked down with a scowl at the outfit Markus left her. The shirt was two sizes too big for her, and almost reached down to her knees. She was thankful for the pants, but the shirt was ridiculous. She looked like a child. No one here was going to take her seriously dressed like a little girl in her father’s shirt.

  “Elisa!” Logan called out. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she saw him running up to her, his axe strapped to his back. He stopped just short of where she stood, a goofy grin on his face. “You look hilarious.”

  “Shut up,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “So what exactly are we supposed to be doing out here?” They turned to watch the other men.

  “I don’t know? Wait for instruction I guess?” he replied. A small tug on the back of her shirt startled her. Wolf stood behind them.

  “Nice shirt,” he snickered.

  “Ugh, shut-up! This was the only thing they gave me, and my other clothes are back on the boat I took to get here.” Both boys laughed at her. Ignoring them, she started off towards the middle of the training area. It was a squared off area, separated from the rest of the city. It looked like the men were starting to pair off for sparring. They used blunt weapons that hung on the far wall. You could still get hurt, but the most would be a bad bruise. The King’s army used their regular weapons. Her father said it was the only way to learn. If they thought the weapons couldn’t really hurt them, they’d get lazy. If there was an actual chance you could lose a limb, you were more likely to get out of the way quickly. It was definitely not the nicest way to learn, but certainly more effective.

  “Which one of you is going to spar with me?” she asked, turning to look back at them. Both froze. She almost wanted to laugh at their stunned expressions, but decided to keep a straight face. “Well?” They looked at each other, then back to her.

  “I’m not fighting you,” Logan stated.

  She straightened. “Why not? We’ve sparred before!”

  “Yeah, but now you look all tiny and frail in that enormous shirt. It’s like fighting a child!”

  Wolf sucked in a breath, and said softly, “You did not just say th–”

  “Did you just call me a child?” Elisa asked, interrupting Wolf. Her eyes narrowed on Logan as he shifted nervously.

  “No! I just insinuated you looked like a child…not that you were…a…child…” He shut up, gulping audibly.

  “You’re so dead,” Wolf muttered.

  Elisa ignored him, and launched herself at Logan. They fell to the ground with force. He rolled her under him, trying to pin her arms, but she was ready for him. Twisting, she brought her elbow up to smash into his cheekbone. “Ow!” Logan cried out, inching away. With the extra room, she bent her legs, placing her knees between them, and then pushed off. Logan tumbled back onto his rear.

  “Looks like a little girl can still beat you!” Elisa said, smiling proudly. Logan sat rubbing his cheek.

  “Geez Elisa, you didn’t have to attack me like that,” he grumbled.

  Wolf laughed. “I told you. You shouldn’t have said that.” He reached down to help her up. Her white shirt was now covered in dirt, but she didn’t care. When she glanced up, she saw that they had garnered a lot of attention with their antics. Every set of eyes was looking their way. She saw Wolf take notice too. “Come on you two. Let’s show these guys what we’re made of. Elisa I’ll spar with you. We’ll let Logan spar with someone a little easier.” Logan mumbled something back, but she didn’t hear him. Her eyes were glued on Wolf’s now retreating back. In some roundabout way Wolf had just complimented her! He actually thought she was a better fighter than Markus’ men! Feeling a million times better than she had when she first came out, Elisa headed towards the training weapons.

  They sparred in groups, since their training area was small. While they waited for their turn, Elisa watched the other men. They were pretty good, but the blunt weapons definitely made them a little less cautious. She saw a number of men make mistakes. If her father was here he would have been down their throats.

  When it was finally their turn, she stood across from Wolf, waiting for the Captain to direct them to start. Wolf had a short sword. Since a bow wasn’t very practical for hand-to-hand combat, Elisa had picked a halberd. It was one of her favourite weapons to use. The axe was dangerous, and the longer staff made it easier to attack her opponent while keeping a greater distance. All she had to do was keep Wolf away. It would make his short sword useless. She had also grabbed a dagger in case he got past the halberd.

  “Begin!” the Captain shouted. Elisa backed up, putting some distance between them. Wolf smiled thinly. He lunged forward, but her axe swooped down before he could get close. He jumped back, narrowly missing being hit. They circled each other slowly. He faked left, before lunging towards her right side, but she was ready for this. She knew Wolf better than he thought, considering they had trained for years together. She spun the opposite direction so he wouldn’t get close, swinging the weapon high over her head and down, knocking his arm away. She saw him wince, but he didn’t cry out. He’d be bruised.

  This went on for a while, until she finally managed to knock the sword out of his hand. She thought she heard a few laughs, but she ignored them. Soon the men here would realize she was just as much a warrior as they were. And if they didn’t believe it, she’d drill it into their heads – literally. Wolf cursed, but didn’t lose focus. He pulled out a dagger from his waistband. Elisa kept the halberd diagonal in front of her. He shifted from foot to foot, but didn’t move towards her. Tired of waiting, she swung out the end of the staff, taking a step forward, and hooking it behind his knees. As she did, Wolf grabbed it just under the axe head, and pulled her closer, while also pulling it free from her hands. They both fell to the ground.

  Elisa quickly grabbed her dagger, but Wolf was on her before she could do anything with it. He pinned her shoulders to the ground while he sat on her stomach. All the breath rushed out of her under his weight. His blade was held steadily against her throat.

  “You weigh a ton,” she gasped.

  He smiled down at her. “Do you give up?” he asked. They were both breathing heavily.

  “No,” she squeaked, trying to shift under him so she could bring her dagger up. It was useless. Blowing a strand of hair off her face with a huff, she stopped struggling. “Fine. You win. Now get off!”

  Wolf smiled triumphantly. He hopped off, offering his hand to help her up. She grabbed it and was instantly on her feet. They were both caked in dirt and sweat. As they brushed off some of the dust from their clothing, she heard someone approach. Markus stood looking at them curiously.

  “Hello,” she greeted with a polite smile.

  “That was an interesting fight,” he commented. She didn’t understand what he meant exactly by “interesting”.

  “Elisa is an excellent fighter,” Wolf said. Elisa turned in surprise. She was beginning to wonder if he was ill. That was two compliments in the same day!

  “You didn’t seem to hold back at all,” Markus noted.

  Wolf shrugged. “We’re taught not to. Elisa went through the same training as we did.”

  Markus nodded and dropped the subject. “The next session will be held in the garden maze. This is a race. It measures your sense of direction. You and Elisa will be a team. Whoever gets to the middle first, wins. No weapons. No fighting. Just a clean race. Understood?”

  “Yes,” they said together.

  “Hurry and lineup at the entrance with the other teams.” He turned to leave, but stopped midway. “Oh, I almost forgot to mention. You’ll also be tied together,” he said with a smile. “Hands and wrists. You must still be attached by the time you reach the middle, or you’ll be disqualified. Both team members need to reach the end together. Have fun.”

  When they got to the maze there was already a large group gathered. Logan walked up over with two strips of fabric in his hand as he approached.

  “You want me to tie you up?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

&n
bsp; “You have serious problems,” Elisa replied dryly.

  He laughed. “I know.” He proceeded to tie her left ankle to Wolf’s right, and the same for their wrists.

  “Who are you partnered with?” Wolf asked him.

  “Roberto…from the ally,” Logan answered. “He’s actually a nice guy. Has a lot of interesting stories.” He looked at Wolf pointedly. Something passed between them, but Elisa didn’t understand it. She wasn’t fooled. They were definitely up to something.

  When he left, she turned to Wolf. “What did he mean by ‘interesting stories’?”

  “No idea,” he answered quickly. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but he ignored her. “It’s Logan. He finds cow dung interesting.” Well that was true, she thought. They stopped talking as everyone lined up.

  “Alright, first team to the middle wins,” the Captain shouted from the front. “Ready, and go!”

  Now she realized why they tied you together. It was definitely not easy to move quickly when your leg was attached to another person. They argued almost the entire time. She would have left if she could, but unfortunately Wolf seemed driven to win. He pushed them forward into the seemingly impossible maze. Elisa didn’t know where they were. It felt like they would be stuck in the damn thing forever. With the sun on her head, and Wolf’s body close to hers, she began to grow tired and thirsty.