by Devyn Jayse
A flicker of flame from the corner of my eye made me yell, "To the ground!"
Penny dropped immediately, and I jumped to cover her. Overhead, I heard a loud noise and a burst of flame as I made sure to cover Penny completely. Ragum let out a roar of pain. I quickly got to my feet and found him waving around his sleeve, which was aflame. I undid my cape and covered his arm, patting it frantically to get the fire out.
By the time I managed to contain the flames on Ragum's arm, the boys had dispersed, making off as suddenly as they had appeared.
Penny was still cowering on the ground, hands shielding her head.
Ragum saw me glancing toward the alley. "Don't even think about chasing them. Penny's safety is the priority."
"Of course." I agreed, but I was furious that the boys had managed to escape again after the mischief they had caused.
I reviewed their faces in my mind and didn't recognize any of them from the Blights. There was a chance their target had been me. The prince could have sent them.
I returned to Penny and pulled her up. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she replied as she dusted off her dress.
"Are you sure?" I looked her over and noticed a tear in her dress. Did I cause that when I jumped on her?
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm a little shaken. But I'm fine." She was clearly upset but composed enough not to burst into tears. "Why are they doing this?"
"I don't know," I replied honestly.
"I'm so glad you were here. Both of you." Penny said, looking between the two of us. "Thank you for protecting me."
"Thank Dare. That was some quick thinking." Ragum turned to me. "If you hadn't spotted the flame, Penny would have suffered grievous harm."
I shrugged, still upset that they had managed to get away.
"Let's get back to the inn," he said.
The walk back was more subdued.
I don't know how Ragum did it, but by the time we reached The Rebel Hare, Blaze was waiting at the door. Two men hung back. He rushed over to Penny and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Her words were muffled against his chest.
He let go of her, pushing her back away from him at arms' length. His eyes traveled down her body, and his eyes stopped at the torn fabric on her knee.
Blaze turned his gaze to me, and I nearly took a step backward from the fury I saw there.
"Who were they?"
I couldn't answer him, taken aback by the violence in his eyes. That was the reason he was feared.
"The same as before, boys sent to inflict harm," Ragum replied for me.
"Did you recognize any of them?" Blaze asked, turning his gaze to him.
"No," Ragum admitted.
A fierce sound came out of Blaze's throat, half growl.
"It's okay," Penny repeated. "I'm fine."
"It is not okay." Blaze snapped back. "We will find these boys and the person who is carrying out these attacks."
He turned to Ragum again and ordered him, "Take the men and return to the scene. You know what to do."
"I'll go with him," I volunteered.
"I want you to stay with Penny," Blaze replied.
"But--"
"You're staying with Penny." His words offered no room for change.
I watched Ragum leave with the men, frustrated that I couldn't do more. What if I'm right, and this was an attack against me? Should I share that with Blaze? Will I also have to reveal who I am?
Blaze pulled open the door and stepped aside for Penny and me to walk into The Rebel Hare.
Thoughts churned in my head. Could it be that the boys had been after me? What if I was risking Penny every time I took her out? I had to inform Blaze.
Penny and I headed to the washroom to clean away the dirt from our hands. I left her to scrub out the stains on her dress. I said it was fine, it hardly showed, but she insisted, so I left her to it and went to join Blaze at his usual table.
"How did you know to be here?" I asked.
Blaze studied me. "Not many people know this, but in thanks for what you did for Penny today, I'm going to reveal one of my secrets. I would appreciate that you keep this knowledge to yourself and not share it with others."
My throat went dry. He was trusting me. I felt worse about my suspicions that the attack had been aimed at me.
He waited until I gave him a nod then continued. "We have people situated around the Blights that keep watch during certain times. We've developed a series of hand signals that communicate effectively if help is required, among other things. One of the signals is for me to show up immediately."
I had to take a moment to fully absorb the reach of his informant network. The network must have been wide since word had reached him so quickly. I could hardly grasp how it must feel to have your every move be monitored. I had thought life in the Blights would offer me the freedom I didn't have back in the castle.
"These people keep track of everyone you associate with?" I asked, wondering how many people were watching me.
Blaze gave me a look that indicated he knew what I was thinking. "They only monitor key members of my team."
"Only key members?" I repeated.
"Only the key members know the hand signals."
That didn't mean he hadn't asked his network to keep an eye on others at his request. I wondered if he had asked them to monitor me. I opened my mouth to ask the question but snapped my mouth shut again. I didn't want to know the answer.
"It seems like an effective manner to show your enemies that you know everything that happens in the Blights," I said.
"It is."
My throat was still dry. I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. "It may not be the best idea for me to continue acting as Penny's guard."
"I disagree. If anything, you've proved worthy of escorting her." He added, "I'll increase the guards that accompany you. There will be enough to give chase to the boys and catch them. We'll get some answers then."
I should tell him about the price the prince has put on my head. I had to, for Penny's sake.
"What is it?" he asked.
I licked my lips, my throat as dry as parchment. I looked down at the table, my finger circling around a name carved into the wood. Why is it so difficult to tell him who I am?
"I think the boys may be after me and not Penny."
Blaze's frown grew deeper. "What do you mean?"
"She's only attacked when she's with me. So she may not be the target."
"Who and why would anyone want to attack you?"
"Who and why would anyone want to attack Penny?" I turned the question back on him.
"To get to me," he replied promptly. "The question is who is crazy enough to do it, knowing they'll incur my wrath. Now, why would they attack you? What reasons would they have?"
"I was exiled from the castle."
"You wouldn't be in the Blights if you had somewhere to go," Blaze said, a frown on his face. "But that doesn't answer the question. Why would they still be after you if they've already punished you?"
"Because some people think exile was not punishment enough."
His frown grew deeper. "What did you do that exile wasn't enough to satisfy them?"
"I raised my sword against the prince," I admitted.
Blaze let out a low whistle. "So you're the one."
"What?"
"Word had reached me that someone challenged the prince to a duel. But no one mentioned that it had been a woman."
"Yeah, well, I don't think he'd like that."
"Why did you raise your sword against him?" Blaze asked, his curiosity clear in his features.
I hesitated. I didn't want him to know about my relationship to the prince and how closely I was tied to the throne of Valona. I had no doubt in my mind that he would use the information to his advantage.
"He made me angry," I said finally. "I don't think straight when I'm angry. I reacted, and well, now I'm exiled," I said with a shrug.
"And why do you think the boys are
after you?"
"The prince wants me dead."
"Why?"
"I embarrassed him. He likes to punish people. It wasn't enough for him that my... friend... had to die. It wasn't enough for him that my sister is suffering with me gone. He doesn't want anyone around me. He wants me alone, preferably in a grave. He's put a price on my head. Being around me is putting Penny at risk. I think it would be best that I didn't escort her anymore."
I waited for Blaze to talk, but he didn't say anything. I looked up at him.
"Penny was attacked a couple of nights ago."
"What?"
"You were nowhere near her. It was the similar pattern, a group of boys suddenly descending on her and her escorts."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
His silence answered the question. He didn't trust many people. He didn't trust me.
"Did you catch any of them?"
"No. Their orders are clearly to try to inflict as much damage as possible and flee. By the time the men had thought of giving chase, the boys were gone."
"It's all my fault." Maybe they had mistaken Penny for me.
"It's not. The incident had nothing to do with you," Blaze argued.
"Who else would be after Penny?"
"Think it through," Blaze countered. "You said the prince wants you dead. Are you certain of this?"
"Yes."
"Then he wouldn't send boys to inflict minor injuries. He would send men to do the job right and bring back proof that they had done the job so that he would give them payment."
That had never crossed my mind, but of course it made complete sense.
"It's how I would do it," Blaze said with a shrug. "I am not certain the prince wants you dead. I think you're wrong there."
"No, I've had word that he does."
"Who told you that?"
"The man you saw me with." And an assassin in a dark alley.
"Do you trust him?"
"Yes."
Blaze was thoughtful. "It could be that he is after you, but also I believe someone is also targeting my sister. The incidents may be connected, but I think not. It won't hurt to be more aware of your surroundings. You'll take additional men with you when you're out with Penny. That should contain the risk. I can also assign men to accompany you."
"I'd prefer not."
"Even if the prince wants you dead?"
"I'd rather no one else die for me."
Blaze studied me for some time before he nodded. "I see. Have it your way. But the men are with you when you're with my sister."
At that, Penny made an appearance. "Sorry it took me forever to wash out the stain in my dress." She pointed at it. "I want to start repairing the tear as soon as I get home. What are you two talking about?"
"Just giving Dare some free advice. Trust no one. Question everything."
Penny let out a low laugh. "Vin, you're so cynical. Ignore him, Dare. Good people can be trusted."
Unlike Penny, I wasn't so sure.
29
Seeing Penny work with the women made me realize what an eternal optimist she was, not to mention how caring and giving.
"She's magic, that one," said a voice at my side. When I glanced over, Jade was standing there. "I never knew such kindness existed in the world."
"You had it pretty bad before you met her," I stated. One only had to look at Jade to see she was a survivor.
"Yes, my husband was an awful man. He was angry at the world, resentful that he wasn't the firstborn son, lucky in trade, and a host of other reasons. He never looked at himself. All he would do was blame, blame, blame until he worked himself up into a state. And then he would take out his rage on me."
"I'm sorry. I'm glad you managed to get out of there."
"I didn't know that I didn't have to live with it. If I had known such a place like this existed, I would have had the strength to leave him well before he destroyed me."
"He didn't. You're here now."
"Aye, and I have her to be thankful for that, or I could have gone the way of my own mother."
Sadly, I knew many women who had gone through what she had. My heart hurt for my sister.
Jade gave a nod toward Penny. "She's older than her years, but she still has hope. Whenever I think things are difficult, I remember what she does, and it gives me strength."
We watched Penny sitting next to a woman who was forever relegated to a chair because her husband had broken her back. At Penny's age, I had been too busy trying to escape my tutors and governess. I was either at Tobin's house or scampering around the castle, practicing with swords and getting into a variety of mischief.
I felt a pang of shame that I had never made the effort Penny had, to help make the community a better place. Then again, I had not been born in the Blights and seen the desperation that poverty brought people to. I was born in the castle among the wealthy and was not exposed to people in dire straits. The injustice I was exposed to in my youth was limited to why I couldn't do what I wanted. It was incomparable to the injustice Penny saw on a regular basis. I couldn't imagine what kind of person I would have become, had I been born in the Blights. I was not sure how my outlook on life would have shifted if my focus was on survival. I would have liked to think I would have had the same sense of justice and equality, but the truth was I would never know.
I also wouldn't know if Gwen would have left her husband if her situation was a little worse, if she didn't have as much to lose.
"I'm glad you had the courage to leave your husband," I told Jade.
"I wouldn't have had it, had it not been for her," she replied, nodding her head toward Penny. "In the beginning, I was scared every day that he would find me. She would insist that I was safe. She would visit me nearly every day. Then time passed by, and I realized I could build a happy enough life here. I made new friends. I didn't have to worry about my husband returning and taking me away. They wouldn't let him."
Her expression during her speech was telling. She was content. She was proud. She was healing.
"Would you like to learn a bit of self-defense?"
"What do you mean?"
"I can teach you a bit so that if someone makes a grab for you, you'll know how to get away. Things like that."
Jade thought about it. "That would be nice. Would you teach the other women, too?"
"Why not? We could make a lesson out of it, and then you can practice here at the shelter and teach the new women that join."
"That would be wonderful and such a useful skill to have. I'll talk to the women and see what day would work, at your convenience, of course. Thank you, Dare." She beamed at me.
I ran my fingers through my hair, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "No problem."
"Do you want to meet some of the other women here?"
"Yes." I smiled back at her. I wanted to meet the women strong enough to make new lives for themselves.
30
"You have news?" I asked, putting my cup down on the table as Blaze sat in the chair across from me.
Blaze growled in frustration. "We know the boys are coming from the castle or the town. They're not the same boys, so we can't find them."
"What happened to the one boy you did catch?"
"He was from the castle. We found him and asked him if his friends had been indulging in the same pastimes he had. They weren't."
"You're certain?"
A dark look from him was all the answer he offered. I suppressed a shudder at the imagined things they had done to the boy.
"The boy said that an older boy approached them and told them to seek out Penny and harass her. He didn't know the older boy. The boys asked him why, and the older boy said that Penny was a thief that had stolen something valuable from his uncle."
"A thief? Penny?" I repeated, incredulous. "And for that, they found it okay to seek out and injure a young girl?"
Blaze's mouth was set in a grim line. "Not for revenge for a stranger. For coin. The boy we had claimed that others turned away from the
offer, but for some, it was tempting, and they took it."
"How would they know they had the right girl?"
"He told them she lived in the Blights and wore a red coat. It seems they didn't care if they got the right girl or not, as long as they were up to mischief.
"And you haven't identified the older boy?"
"Not yet. There are a lot of people who live in the castle and town to go through."
"Why would anyone want to target Penny? And calling her a thief? That's ridiculous."
"I don't know. But I intend to find out."
"Have you told her any of this?"
"No." Blaze's expression darkened. "I don't want her to worry."
"What if she knew something that could help us figure it out?"
"Penny wouldn't harm a fly. You see all the work she does at the women's shelter. She helps people. No one will be out to attack her. They're trying to get to her because of me. I have to figure out who has decided to come for my family."
"Have you done anything recently that would motivate someone to wish you ill?"
Blaze gave me a long look.
Of course he has. He's the notorious leader of the Blights. What kind of question is that? I sighed. "Have you managed to narrow it down, at least?"
"We visited with the people who made that short list. They managed to convince me that it wasn't them. Just in case they were lying, we gave them a reason to ensure they didn't try anything of the sort."
"You're a scary person, aren't you?"
"I am. You just don't seem to realize it."
"Oh, I know it. I think I just met you as Penny's older brother, so it makes big bad Blaze a little more jarring."
He gave me an odd smile. "It's been a long time since I met anyone who had never heard of me before or wasn't shaking in their boots whenever they talked to me."
"I've seen scarier than you." I scoffed.
He shook his head. "I don't think you have. I think once you do see the scary side of me, you'll run away like a frightened rabbit."
Would I? I didn't think I was the running-away type. I was more the do-something-stupid-and-regret-it-later type.
"If you say so. But so far, what I've seen isn't so scary."
He studied me. "What are your plans?"
