by Devyn Jayse
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Thank You For Reading
Acknowledgments
A Sword of Shadows and Light
Devyn Jayse
A Sword of Shadows and Light
Book 2 of the Dare Valari Series
Copyright © 2017 by Devyn Jayse
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Natasha Snow
For my Family
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Thank You For Reading
Acknowledgments
1
I was at my job when the corpse was found.
As was usual for most mornings, I was at The Fortune, a specialty store for wickedly sharp weapons. At the time the body was discovered, Oscar and I had been about to attack someone.
We were hunched over a tattered parchment when the door burst open, setting the bell jingling furiously.
Oscar and I both looked up at the same time while my hand reached for the sword at my side.
"Morris, do try not to break down my door when you enter." Oscar's tone betrayed none of the alarm I felt at the abrupt entrance. "Dare was ready to gut you."
"Sorry." Morris walked over, carrying a number of packages.
I let go of my sword and picked up the map. I moved it away, storing it in the drawer beneath the counter before Morris could notice it. A blink of his eyes was all Oscar showed as appreciation for my hasty action.
A loud thump sounded as Morris dropped the packages onto the counter.
Oscar's fingers were already working at unraveling the knots in the twine wrapped around the packages.
"What have you brought today?" I asked Morris.
"An unexpected bounty! A new ship docked at the port, and I managed to get some very interesting pieces, indeed."
I raised an eyebrow. Morris had a gregarious nature, and I didn't have to ask him for more details. He continued immediately, knowing he held our interest.
"You'll never guess where the ship is from, so I may as well tell you it was Shreperi."
"Shreperi?" I furrowed my brows, having never heard of it. Given that my father was a King's Voice, I was pretty sure I knew all the kingdoms, queendoms, and empires. Shreperi was not a territory I was familiar with.
Morris beamed, delighted at my ignorance. He enjoyed teaching, and I was always ready to learn something new.
"Most people don't know of Shreperi," he said. "It's a land so cold that many of its people don't leave their territory. Only a brave few venture out to claim the sea."
"How did you learn of it?" I asked, intrigued.
"Years ago, I met a man from there. He was forced out, exiled from the land. We struck up a friendship and he taught me much about his country. He still sends me letters from time to time. I think it helps him to know there are people that care about him."
I shifted in my chair, suddenly uncomfortable. Morris didn't know that I was an exile too. I had been banished from the castle and its grounds when I raised a sword against the heir to the throne, Prince Jasper, for striking my sister, his wife. The only option I'd had was to find a home in the lawless Blights.
I didn't dwell on my past for long as Oscar had finally drawn back the coverings of the packages, and I gasped in awe at the weapons within.
Oscar lifted a dagger, raising it to the light. It was a beautiful thing, all sharp sides. Instead of one single blade, the dagger was splintered into several edges. He mimed a stabbing action. "Once this gets a grip in someone's body, it will inflict maximum damage as you pull it out."
I winced.
He continued to take deadly weapons out. Each one was as beautiful and clever as the last. The three of us picked up and studied each piece to admire the work taken in creating it.
"Are these all from Shreperi?" I asked Morris.
He nodded. "That's what the sailor said. I'd never seen such fine metalwork before. They're doctor tools, he tells me."
I frowned. "Why would a doctor need these?"
"Sometimes physicians cut into the body to ease pain," Oscar replied.
"Do you have a buyer in mind?" I turned to Oscar. "These would fetch a nice price."
Oscar nodded. "There is a man I know who would pay large sums for such exotic pieces."
"He'll be delighted to own something so rare, I'm sure. I'm loathe to part with them but all they'll do is sit in my own store collecting dust." Morris added.
We spent more time studying each weapon and contemplating its use while Morris told us more about what he knew of the Shreperi and their traditions. It sounded like an unusual country. Before long, Morris turned to go. I spoke up. "I'm curious to know... What kind of banner does the Shreperi ship fly? I would like to recognize it if I ever saw it."
"Why? Do you hope to venture out on the open seas?"
I shrugged. "You never know when such knowledge is handy."
"That's true," Oscar said.
"They fly a light-blue banner, so light it's almost white, with three marks, one above the other," Morris said. "The marks represent mountains, or so I'm told."
I frowned. That sounded familiar. "Can you draw them for me?"
"Yes."
I turned to Oscar, who swiftly produced a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a feather quill.
Morris took off the cap and inserted the feather quill. Making sure not to drop any spare ink and keeping a steady hand, he drew the three marks he had mentioned.
I closed my jaw before Morris noticed, but I couldn't help throw Oscar a quick glance. His eyes betrayed his surprise. He blinked and the expression was shuttered away by the time Morris looked up from his work.
"What else do you know about the marks?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Morris frowned, putting the quill down and securing the cap of the ink bottle. "Just that."
"Do you ha
ppen to have any books from Shreperi?" I asked Morris.
He shook his head.
"Is the ship still at the harbor?"
"Yes, they depart tomorrow at dawn when the tide is right. Why the sudden interest?"
"I'm curious to learn about a new place I've never heard mentioned in my life. I think I may go down to the port and take a look at this ship for myself."
"Pass by my store if you do. I've been gone long enough now, I should return." Morris turned to leave, raising his hand in farewell.
The bell jingled merrily as he opened the door and stepped outside. Only after the door had closed shut did I turn to Oscar.
His shining eyes betrayed all the same excitement I was feeling.
"The map is from Shreperi," I exclaimed as he withdrew it from beneath the counter.
It was an old thing, full of indecipherable runes, or so Oscar had claimed. He'd gotten it as a commission from a client he refused to name. He wouldn't tell me how long he'd had it, only that it had been a long time.
The mystery of the map only made it all the more alluring to me. It could be a normal map, for all we knew, but I felt in my gut that something was special about it, and I was keen on unlocking its mystery. The problem was we couldn't work out the cipher used to mark the map.
"Do you think we can find any books from Shreperi?" I asked.
"It's worth a try, but we have to be careful not to raise any interest when we do."
"We'll have to put in the request along with books from other kingdoms and territories," I replied.
"I'll think on how best to proceed."
"Oscar, we could be closer to solving the mystery of the map!" I exclaimed.
He smiled at me. "Until then, we have to resume our usual routine. Return tomorrow. I'll have a package ready for delivery."
2
"Hello, Dare. Here for the midday meal?" Hazel greeted me as I stepped into The Honest Tavern.
The tavern was more than half empty, which explained why she was loitering by the door, waiting for customers to walk in. I suspected that, had I not come in, she would soon have been standing outside, ordering people to step inside for a meal. Hazel was a serving girl at the tavern and my source of any local gossip.
"Yes, please." My stomach growled in agreement.
Hazel laughed. "We've got a nice stew today. I'll bring it over to your table."
"Thanks." I gave her a wide smile.
I moved through the tavern toward the back, where three tables were unoccupied. That was known as Blaze's section, where anyone who worked for Blaze was welcome to sit. I worked in The Fortune most mornings, but on other days, I usually played escort to Blaze's younger sister, Penny. As a result, I was welcome to sit in Blaze's section any time I wanted.
I shrugged off my cape and set it on the back of my chair. Only a short time before, I would have stood out like a sore thumb in a place like that. Lately, people didn't look at me twice despite my unusual appearance. I ran my fingers through my closely cropped hair. Most people didn't usually see women with hair as short as mine dressed in men's clothes. Some could be found here or there, but we were few enough that people gave us second and third looks. At a glance, I could pass for a youth with my slight body. I didn't mind that. In the Blights, I felt safer when people thought of me as a youth carrying a sword at my hip. Youths were rash, dangerous creatures. People tended to give me a wide berth when crossing my path in the night.
Hazel returned with the stew and a side of bread. I broke the bread in half, inhaling the delicious smell wafting from it. I put a small piece in my mouth and chewed. It was well baked, full of hearty nuts. I picked up my stew and had a taste then looked up at Hazel, who was waiting expectantly. "It's delicious."
She beamed at me. "I thought you'd like it. Eat all of that, and I'll see if I can get you seconds later."
I laughed. Hazel was eager to fatten me up. She always claimed I was too thin for her taste. The truth of the matter was most of the people around there were too thin, but that was not from a scarcity of food but of coin. In the kingdom of Valona, the Blights were the roughest part of the kingdom you could live in. I would know.
Engrossed in my soup, I didn't notice a figure until he slid into the chair at my side. I jumped, the bowl jolting. We both reached out to stop it from toppling over and spilling its contents onto the table.
"Why do you keep doing that to me?" I scowled at Blaze.
Even sitting down, he was much taller than me. He gave me a lazy grin, and I tried to ignore how my body warmed at the sight of it.
"Why aren't you more aware of your surroundings?" His deep voice contained both laughter and censure in his reply.
"I didn't realize I had to be on the lookout for you in a tavern."
"You should always be aware of where I am. I am always aware of where you are."
I swallowed hard. Realizing my fingers were still on his, I drew them back abruptly as my face heated up.
He raised an eyebrow, slowly letting go of the bowl.
"How was your morning?" I asked, trying in vain to distract him from my reaction. I shouldn't be so attracted to the criminal lord of the Blights.
His face darkened.
"What happened?" I asked. "Is Penny okay?"
"Penny's fine." His expression lightened, and he looked pleased at my concern for her. Then he frowned. "Unfortunately, the same can't be said of her friend's mother."
"Why?"
"We found Jessie's body this morning. Penny doesn't know yet."
"How did she die?" I asked, my meal ignored.
"Murdered," he said shortly. He grabbed a piece of my bread and dipped it into the stew. He raised it to his mouth and ate it while his dark eyes watched me.
"Usual for the Blights?" I asked. Having resided in the place only for some time, I wasn't sure if all the rumors I had heard were true or not.
"Murder? Yes. This? No." A lock of his hair fell forward, tempting me to sweep it back away from his forehead.
"Why? What makes this one different?"
"The fact that it's not different. Several women have been found with similar wounds. All dead."
"That's terrible. Have you talked to her family?" I asked.
Blaze shook his head. "Not yet. Kay's been told, of course, about Jessie, but I haven't seen her myself."
"Was her mother the only family she had?"
"Yes," Blaze replied.
Another person joined us. I looked up to see Ragum, Blaze's best friend and most loyal ally. He was also Blaze's second-hand man, which meant he was the second-most dangerous man in the Blights. I kept company with some interesting people.
I didn't have a bad relationship with Ragum, but I felt as though he was always baiting me. Ragum found it funny to put me in strange positions, like the time he fooled me into insisting to Blaze that I wanted to work for Miss Ruby.
I didn't know at the time that Miss Ruby owned a brothel.
Needless to say, I was not amused.
"Anything?" Blaze asked him.
Ragum shook his head, his eyes betraying his frustration.
Blaze's fist slammed on the table, causing the few people in the tavern to turn our way.
"I need to find out who's killing our women"--Blaze looked grim--"and I need to stop him."
"How long has this been going on?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two. Their expressions mirrored each other.
"It started before you came to the Blights," Blaze answered "As far as we know, there have been five victims. This is the sixth."
"What has the Watch said?" I wondered how six women had been killed without more of a fuss being raised.
Blaze and Ragum looked at me blankly. Then both spoke at the same time. "Watch?"
"Yes, the keepers of the peace," I replied, frowning. "What have they said about these murders?"
"Have you forgotten where you are?" Ragum asked. "You're in the Blights. There is no Watch."
"No Watch? But what about--"
I snapped my jaw shut. Right. The Blights. That was where crime ran rampant in the streets and where only the truly desperate lived.
I should have known. I was one of them.
Only one type of order existed in the Blights, and Blaze ran it. The Watch had no place there.
"How do you deal with incidents like this?" I asked the leader of the Blights with some awkwardness.
"We find who's doing it, and we end it," Blaze said simply.
I gaped at him and Ragum. Ragum returned my look with a blank expression. Blaze frowned.
I repressed a shudder. I knew Blaze's reputation--he was the criminal leader of the Blights--but from time to time, I forgot whom I was dealing with. I found it difficult to reconcile the lord of the Blights with the protective man I knew as Penny's caring older brother.
"What have you discovered so far?" I pressed on, trying to ignore the fact that I was friendly with and worked for the one of the most dangerous men in the kingdom.
"The murderer seems to target young women from poor backgrounds. They tend to be quiet girls. Some of them have been from Miss Ruby, but since we talked to her about keeping an eye on her girls, the girls have changed."
"Are all the girls...?" I trailed off, unsure how to delicately inquire whether those girls sold their bodies for money.
"Whores? Yes," Ragum said, his blank expression replaced by a smile. A dimple blinked in his cheek.
I scowled at him, aware that he was frequently amused by my discomfort. "Right. So have there been any new faces to the Blights?"
Ragum raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean the ominous stranger that has been showing up right before the murders are committed? Could he be the man who's doing this? Why did it never occur to me to suspect him?"
