Crimson Guard

by Rebecca Challoner

  It was a strange, strange thing to have happened. When he grabbed me I fully expected to have taken a beating or jailed, just like the other kids who were caught. It was unheard of that one of us was taken off the streets to apprentice for someone. Children with parents usually got that privilege.

  But here I was, offered an opportunity I had never hoped in my wildest dreams to have and couldn't decide on what I should do. I mean, did I want food every day? Yes, of course!

  And coin, I thought greedily to myself, coin to actually buy new clothes that weren't ripped and stained.

  I ran my hands down the grimy tatters that covered by body, imagining a simple warm cotton gown. My eyes started to water with a mixture of sadness and overwhelming want.

  Clenching my fists as I leaned back against the wall and I bit my lip as my mind wandered to the most tempting offer of all.

  To be educated. It would be more than I could ever imagine. The ability to read, write and learn seemed so foreign and out of this world that I almost couldn't comprehend it. Yes, it all seemed amazing but too good to be true.

  I sat there for hours, thoughts racing through my head trying to decide if I should risk it. So many horror stories and whispers flooded the streets among the homeless about those who got out... Only to find themselves in a worse situation.

  But then, what would I do if I didn't take this opportunity? I would forever be the orphan on the streets, pickpocketing until one day I was caught, just like today and then who knows what would happen to me.

  I settled down to sleep but found I couldn't, my mind looping in circles of uncertainty. Yes, no, yes, no, yes.

  Eventually, I pull a single coin from my pocket, one I managed to hold onto after stealing from Tawney. I studied its surface before flipping it up in the air.

  Heads for yes. Tails for no.

  As the coin flipped in the air, spinning in the dim light, I held my breath as the fates decided where this turn in life would take me.

  Chapter 1

  Tawney's Trinkets wasn't the treasure trove its name made it out to be. Every inch of the small shop was packed with everyday objects that only hoarders would consider treasures. Wooden, worn bowls were stacked in piles, rough dirty clothing stuffed into barrels, broken mirrors stacked against the walls and waterlogged books filled the shelves. Nearly exactly the same as when I entered the room all those years ago.

  But that was the point, to fill the shelves with junk to turn away those who were curious and to hide the store's true business. For this store was a part of the underground of Ebonhost, one of the cities in the great country of Orbain. If you wanted an energy potion, shielding charm, books on history or magic in Ebonhost, you would come to Tawney. In the midst of a war, those items were hard to acquire, unless you were a soldier on the front lines or one of the incredibly wealthy. And the incredibly wealthy were just our clientele.

  I gazed into one of the broken fragments of a mirror, considering the reflection that was staring back at me, at the different face I was wearing today.

  "The Wildecrest family are very influential and wealthy. It's well known that they attend the Queen's annual birthday ball every year, so they have connections to royalty. Which also means they must have some trinkets for us to sell."

  I turned towards Tawney, taking in his greyed thinning hair, round thick glasses, and musing face. It seemed like yesterday since he found me on the streets, picking pockets and trying to survive. Or rather I had found him.

  "Fawn...Fawn, stop daydreaming."

  I blinked out of my memories to find Tawney's amused gaze staring at me.

  Tawney let out a little huff and went back to droning on about the Wildecrest family and I couldn't help but feel a rush of affection.

  He had come a long way from the odd, kind old stranger I met on the streets. When I had turned up the next day after our unplanned meeting, he had taken me in like I was his own child. He fed me until I was no longer skin and bones, he donned me in comfortable and respectful clothing, chucking out the rags that I wore for years. He taught me my numbers, alphabet, sums, and history until I began to read and research subjects on my own.

  He took a grubby street kid who was destined to die in the slums and, within eight years, gave her freedom, and family.

  Throughout the years together we bonded, made our own memories together and learned of each other's pasts. Of how we had both lost our own families.

  After a couple of years together Tawney told me of his son. A soldier in the war who had found love, until tragedy struck and they were both killed only a few years after finding each other.

  He would never dwell on the details of what actually happened but instead tell me of the joy of raising him, the hardships he had faced when his son enrolled in the army and the moments he had cherished with him.

  In return, I eventually told him of what little I remembered of my parents, the whisper of my mother's ash blonde hair and the flash of my father's broad smile and turquoise eyes. I couldn't recollect much of them but I could recall his eyes because they were the same as mine.

  Over time I wanted to find out more about my parents and asked Tawney to help me find as much information as I could about them. At first, we had both assumed that I was born from one of the Cerulean families of Ebonhost, and we spent months researching into bloodlines and gossip that surrounded them, hoping to find out about a lost child. But our research led us nowhere and we soon came to the conclusion that my family must have been undiscovered.

  Tawney tried asking me a few times about what happened to my parents but sadly, the memory was just not there. All I remembered was my mother's voice as she told me to run. Run and hide. Hide to make sure they never found me. I didn't know who they are, but that was the day I found my powers, the day that I could take anyone's face and make it mine. So that's what I did, on Ebonhost's streets and now, in Tawney's shop.

  For today I would be Jaeda Wildecrest, the middle-aged bronze beauty of the elite. The Wildecrest family had a long friendship with the crown, giving their support, funds, and resources to the ongoing war.

  Captain Harrian Wildecrest was the head of the family, commanding Orbain's army and offering strategic advice to the crown. With the ongoing war, which had lasted twenty years so far, he wasn't at his home in Ebonhost often and left his beautiful wife to her own devices.

  I studied my reflection, taking in Jaeda's long luscious golden brown locks, faintly curled in a careless wave. Her proud high cheekbones and full lips made her look like she had a permanent pout and her sultry emerald eyes enticed men of all ages. She was an ageless beauty who married into wealth and adopted the attitude of one who was entitled to the world.

  I tilted my chin up and pulled a face of disgust, imitating the sneering look that was permanently fixed to Jaeda's face whenever she gazed at the working class, often forgetting that just fifteen years ago she was one of us. Then I practiced her smile, a heated look with half-lidded eyes and a faint twitch of her lips. This look she gifted to many men, to get what she wanted.

  "Inside the Wildecrest home, there should be shielding charms, at least five of them. I need you to get two."

  I turned in my seat and stared at Tawney as his tone slid into one of worry. He paced back and forth, his hand ringing in front of him in agitation and a bead of sweat slowly dripped from his wrinkled forehead.

  I was concerned about him. Over the past couple of days, he had been jittery, jumping at shadows and coming home with bruises.

  One day he walked in with a black eye and I demanded to know what happened but he brushed me off, claiming someone stole his coin from the streets and with the war getting worse, thugs were making more of an appearance.

  He wasn't wrong, there were more homeless now and violence seemed like a more regular occurrence, so I reluctantly let the matter drop. Although it didn't make me worry less, especially with this new job.

  "To take two would be very risky, they will know that they have been robbed and that
would put a lot of people in danger." I frowned at him, not happy with putting others and ourselves at risk. Any charm was worth a lot of money these days. Enchanter's charms were only to be used for the war, so they were given to soldiers, not civilians, which made them hard to come by.

  A shielding charm would protect an area from harm and is usually used on buildings, vaults, shields, armor, etc. With Orbain right in the middle of the war, shielding charms are most desired and hard to come by in these parts.

  "Don't you worry about that. I have these for you to put in their place." He opened his hand and presented two glistening topaz stones, swirls of glittering gold pulsing within each one. I reached out for them, feeling no presence of magic within the gem as the swirling lights seemed to suggest. An illusion.

  "They won't realise that the stones are fake until it's too late. And even then they will still have three charms. The family will still be protected." A slight frown appeared on his face as though he didn't particularly care if the family wasn't protected, but Tawney wasn't a killer.

  "Who is the client? They must have paid well if they wanted these charms. Surely if they had that kind of money they can get their own charms?"

  We charged a pretty penny for our jobs. Sure, people could hire a normal thief but with my gifts, we had gotten a well-known reputation on the black market and still managed to stay completely under the radar. Only a handful of people knew about our services and no one knew about my gift.

  Tawney regarded me quietly before turning around to grab the floor plan of the Wildecrest's home. "The client has a much better use for the charms than the Wildecrest's. Now pay attention. We don't want any mishaps on this job. Too much rides on this."

  I kept my gaze on him, confused as to why he wouldn't tell me of this client. We've taken jobs from many people and not once had he withheld information from me unless he deemed it too dangerous for me to know. Which made this job riskier than I realised.

  When we first started working together, it was a shaky alliance. I was very untrusting of him, his freely given kindness mixed with his knowledge of my power had left me on edge and afraid. But over time we built a bond, a trust that grew throughout the years and he had never led me astray.

  "Okay..." I let him know with my tone that I was unhappy with not knowing who had commissioned us for this task, but he ignored me.

  "The shield stones will be in the Captain's office in his treasure trove, probably behind another shielding charm that has been keyed to only open to the Captain himself, Jaeda and his top soldier. The Captain has been called away by the General to help with the war and his top soldier has left with him, leaving Jaeda alone. I have it on good authority that whenever the Captain is away, Jaeda will meet her lover at night in the soldier's district.

  "That means we have a small window, about an hour after she leaves.

  I let out a small snort. Of course, Jaeda would be arrogant enough to find a lover in her husband's command and believe that she wouldn't be found out.

  "When does usually she leave?" I asked.

  "Around an hour's time," Tawney looked to the barely working clock leaning against one of the bookshelves as he replied.

  "I have also paid off Jaeda's maid for the knowledge of what she would be wearing tonight for this meeting." Tawney's cheeks coloured as he turned and presented a gown that I was assuming a replica of what Jaeda will be wearing.

  The dress was blood red with a deep v cut neckline that plunged down to the waist, which no doubt showed more than a hint of breast. The arms were covered in a red, sheer fabric with crystals encrusted on them in floral designs. From the waist, the ruby red fabric was soft, flowing and billowed out as though it floated on air. This beautiful dress was clearly designed for seduction whilst showing off class and wealth.

  I groaned and put my head in my hands. I had played the role of the seductress for a job...once. It didn't end well, nearly making me blow my cover.

  I was not a person of sensuality. I could copy a look perfectly and learn mannerisms of my targets. But to learn how to capture the way of seduction, the way to flirt, to move your body to entice a person...it's something that I just can't seem to embody.

  "Why does she have to be such a light skirt. I'm going to feel ridiculous."

  Tawney's lips slightly twitched at my emotional outburst before shuffling over.

  "I'm so sorry Fawn. If we didn't need this job so much I wouldn't have asked you to do it." Tawney placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I hate that I have to ask you to do this, but I have faith in you. You can do it. We've researched enough to know that Jaeda will be with her lover the whole time you're there. All you need to do is claim your 'appointment' was canceled, go to the Captain's office, retrieve the charms and leave."

  I let his reassurance settle over me and took a deep breath. Seeing the dress had made me panic and forget how simple the plan was.

  "What am I supposed to tell the servants when I leave? We need to make this seamless if we are going to cast off any suspicion."

  "A letter will arrive at the house 30 minutes after you enter the home, asking for your presence at your Mother's home. You will leave and demand no soldiers follow as it is a private matter."

  I nodded.

  "Jaeda will be leaving soon. You best get yourself ready," He smiled, passing me the dress and gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked toward the door. "I have a small meeting I need to attend, but I'll be back before you're finished."

  He looked back over his shoulder, an unreadable emotion flickering over his features before he remarked, "Be careful."

  I gave him a reassuring smile which seemed to settle him as he left me to my own devices.

  I looked back to the mirror, staring once again at Jaeda's face, making sure there were no imperfections. Looking down at the dress fisted in my hand, I allowed myself to sigh before heaving out of my seat.

  I walked to my room at the back of the shop. It was a small box size room with a simple single bed, a small wardrobe, and books stacked everywhere. Once I was taught to read by Tawney, I couldn't stop. Through his horde of books, I found texts about Orbain's history and the Orbain's Elite, Cerulean bloodlines and the common men.

  I found how the monarchy was always a partnership of a Cerulean and Elite. This was to keep things fair, to show that those both those with and without powers are important and to keep the laws unbiased.

  However, in the face of war, it was now an internal battle within Orbain between the rich and poor, not the Orbainians and Ceruleans.

  I also found how the Ceruleans were considered the protectors of Orbain, which is why they track bloodline maliciously. It was almost a shock to never find any evidence of my parents within the pages of the ancestry books. But that never stopped me from looking. As much as I loved Tawney, the drive to find my place in the world, to find where I came from niggled at me.

  Sadly, many of Orbain's history books, including bloodlines, had been destroyed many years ago, so to me, the books that I managed to find were treasures. I softly stroked my favorite book, the worn leather making it look unnoticeable to any who looked at it.

  But I knew what lay inside, the contents within interesting enough to intrigue historians.

  With my contacts on the black market, I always looked out for more books about our history. Many relied on rumors and wives tales passed down in generations these days, but I wanted to know so much more.

  I had been contacted about a book that could possibly hold all that information...for a price. A price that I can't afford yet...but perhaps after tonight...

  I looked down at the dress still clutched in my hand and gave a grunt of disgust.

  Now to get those shielding charms.

  Chapter 2

  I hid around the corner as I watched Jaeda stride out of her estate, shrouded in a thick cloak that hid her revealing dress. But I saw a flash of red and knew what she was wearing and what she looked like.

  What I also looked like, I thought wi
th a disgruntled sigh.

  Waiting in the alleyway in the cover of darkness, I internally counted down five minutes before creeping from the shadows, throwing my shoulders back as I made my way down the path Jaeda just left.

  I strode towards the Wildecrest household with my head held high and a sashay in my walk, the long flowing skirt of the bloody red dress swirling around me. I silently chanted a prayer that no one would question why I wasn't wearing the thick coat she left in whilst I also ate up the extravagant sight in front of me.

  The house could only really be described as something close to a mansion, built over three floors, large open windows and a small stable for their horses. Made from sandstone, the building stood out from the worn and tired looking street, showing wealth through the cleanliness of the stone alone. Everything about the building screamed money, even the entrance doorway that a carpenter had clearly carved by hand, making intricate floral patterning swirl around the golden door knocker and handle.