A Sword of Fortune and Fate: Dare Valari Book 1

by Devyn Jayse

He retreated into his small side room and returned with a package in hand.

  "I need this delivered to Master Twine, small house at the end of Candlemaker's Lane."

  As I stepped out the door, he called out my name. When I looked over my shoulder at him, he added, "Be careful."

  "I always am," I replied, wondering what that had been about. None of my bruises from the night before were visible.

  I shrugged off his excessive caution and headed out to town. The weather was light and crisp, due to the clouds hiding the sun. The day was still bright, and I was cheerful at the thought of going down to the pier and watching the waves.

  I crossed the boundary without incident although, as always, I was reminded of what had happened that day. I walked down the street, abandoned as usual so close to the Blights.

  As soon as I made it four streets past the boundary between the Blights and town, I saw people. A man and his young daughter were walking toward me. The young girl gave me a smile. I smiled back, and before I knew it she darted toward me and grabbed the package in my hand. For a brief moment I held on, but then a flash of a blade in the man's hand made me let go and draw my own. The girl ran off with her prize while the man and I looked at each other. He had a choice--he had gotten what he wanted, so he could leave or decide to injure me or get rid of me to ensure no witnesses were left. I thought quickly and lunged toward him before he made a decision.

  He held up his blade, a long, wicked dagger--not as strong as the sword I carried but still an effective weapon.

  Metal glinted silver in the sunlight as I pressed my attack. "Who do you work for? Why did you take that package?"

  I was certain this had nothing to do with Prince Jasper, despite our fight the night before. The prince wouldn't have sent someone to steal from me. He would have simply instructed them to get rid of me.

  The man refused to answer, responding to my assault better than I had hoped, for a common thief. He had training and clearly practiced often.

  He slipped into an alley and ran.

  I glared after him.

  I had no idea where that alley led, and I knew he had a companion. That could've been a trap they had practiced, for all I knew.

  All my cheer had left me. I couldn't believe I had lost Oscar's package, and it had all come down to a little girl. I scowled, thinking I should have known better. My earlier cheerfulness had allowed me to let down my guard. Nothing good came of being happy. It just increased my chances for disappointment.

  I wondered how much had the item in the package had cost. I would have to pay it out of my own wages. I walked back to The Fortune in a foul mood.

  34

  As soon as I walked through the tavern door, Horace appeared by my side, his features arranged in a displeased manner. He wrinkled his nose in mild annoyance.

  What have I done now?

  He gave a nod toward the far corner. "That fellow's been waiting for you. I tried to get him to leave, but he said he'd wait as long as it took for you to show up."

  I turned to see who the man was.

  Garren was sitting at a lone table, a mug of ale in front of him. He was sitting in the corner opposite Blaze's corner, which, to my growing dismay, had a full section with Blaze, Ragum, and Penny having dinner in the center.

  Penny spotted me then. She lifted her hand in greeting, waving her fork at me. Blaze followed her movements and saw me standing by the door. I raised my hand in acknowledgement and headed in toward Garren with a mutter of thanks to Horace.

  Garren's eyes watched me as I walked across the tavern and slid into the chair near him.

  "Have you been here long?" I asked in greeting.

  "Not really."

  I raised an eyebrow. "That's not what Horace says. You have to stop coming here to meet with me."

  "How do you know I'm here to see you? I could be waiting for an old friend."

  I paused until his smile let me know he was joking.

  "Why are you so glum today?"

  "I didn't have a good day." Or night.

  Oscar had taken the news of the robbery better than I had expected. He refused the idea of letting me pay for the lost package, but I still felt terrible.

  "Want to talk about it?" Garren placed his elbows on the table, waiting.

  "No," I replied shortly. That I had been robbed and had to tell Oscar was bad enough. I didn't want everyone to know about it. I also didn't want to discuss my fight with the prince. I didn't want to hear any recriminations. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to continue to come here. You're drawing Blaze's attention. Do I need to remind you that isn't the best thing to do?"

  "Maybe that's what I want."

  "Even if it makes him think I'm a spy the crown planted to keep track of his business?" I asked, exasperated.

  At the end of day, I was the one who lived in the Blights and had to deal with people's suspicions. Garren's actions affected me more than they did him.

  "Does he think that?" he asked. "That's not a bad idea. How about it? Do you want to be a spy for the crown? Are you willing to feed me information on the goings-on in the Blights?" His voice was low enough that the noise of the tavern would've drowned out his words if anyone was trying to overhear our conversation.

  "No, I don't ever want to be." Thoughts of my father's work had left a distaste for anything to do with the trading of information and the games played in connection with espionage.

  "Why not?" Garren's eyes were focused on me. "You're smart. You're adaptable. You've got an uncanny ability to get information from people who are standoffish by nature. I think you'd make a fine spy."

  "I'd never want to be one. The thought of working for the crown makes me ill. And even if I--"

  "Someone's coming to see you." Garren tilted his head to his left.

  I looked my right to see Penny almost at our table. Blaze was still sitting at his, having his dinner with Ragum, looking too nonchalant. I had no doubt in mind that he had sent her to us.

  "Hello, Dare," she said to me with a bright smile. She turned expectantly to Garren, who had risen out of his chair to acknowledge her.

  "Hello, Penny." I looked from one to the other. "Penny, this is Garren. Garren, this is Penny."

  He extended his hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

  She allowed him to take her hand in his, and he bent over to press a kiss on the back of her hand. The flush that rose to her face showed the impact of his looks and manners. "All mine, I'm sure."

  I allowed myself a small smile, wondering if Blaze had seen that and if he was about to rush over to tell off Garren for his manners.

  Garren stepped away from his chair and drew back a third chair. "Please join us."

  Penny sat, still flustered. I risked a glance at Blaze, who had a scowl on his face. I could see the conflict on his face as he realized he was the one who had sent Penny over in the first place. I hid my grin.

  "You're done with dinner?" I asked Penny.

  "Yes."

  "Do you come here often?" Garren asked.

  "Not really," she confessed. "My brother allows me to dine with him here from time to time. But it's a rare occasion."

  "I don't blame him. It's a rough place for a woman like you to dine," Garren said.

  "Dare eats here all the time," Penny countered.

  "Dare is... a different sort of woman." Garren's pause in the middle of his sentence was not flattering.

  "Hey!" I frowned.

  Penny giggled. "She might be, but she's wonderful."

  "Have you ever seen a woman who decides to shear her head until she resembles a hedgehog?" Garren asked.

  "I like my hair." My frown grew deeper as I ran my fingers over my head.

  "There she goes again, trying to make it stand up as much as possible."

  Penny turned her laugh into a cough.

  I glared at Garren. I knew what he was doing, building a rapport with Penny at my expense, and I didn't have to like it.

  "Have you ever se
en a horse from Serakastra?" I asked.

  She shook her head.

  "You should go out to the yard and see Garren's horse. You'll know which one she is at first sight. She's a beauty. Go see her. We'll come join you after Garren pays his bill."

  She gave us a smile and left without a further word.

  Garren raised an eyebrow, but he took out a few coins and left them on the table. The servingwoman quickly came to scoop them up and clear away the table. We made our way out of the tavern and found Penny stroking the horse's nose.

  She glanced at us when we appeared. "She is a beauty."

  "Do you know how to ride?" Garren asked her.

  Penny shook her head.

  "I can bring her back tomorrow."

  Her eyes went wide. "Really?"

  Garren smiled. "Yeah, we can meet at the edge of the Blights. We can ride around there. There shouldn't be any prying eyes to watch you learn."

  She beamed at him. "That sounds wonderful!"

  "Well, it's nice to know that no one thought to ask me if I had anything to do then," I said.

  "Do you have anything to do then?" Garren asked.

  "No," I admitted begrudgingly.

  Penny laughed. "Dare, it will be fun! Do you know how to ride a horse? She can ride too, right?"

  Garren grinned.

  "Yes, I know how to ride," I said. "No, I'd rather not ride tomorrow."

  "She's not the best rider," Garren told Penny in a mock whisper.

  I sighed, knowing I would never live down my childhood horse-riding stories.

  "Oh, then would you be all right just being there?"

  "Yes, we can go to the shelter after."

  Penny skipped back into the tavern.

  I looked after her, a reluctant smile on my face. "That was kind of you."

  Garren shrugged. "I have my reasons."

  "I know. Still, it's a kindness to her."

  He gave me a smile.

  "I'll see you tomorrow." I left him and walked back into the tavern.

  I pulled open the door and stepped back into the tavern, not looking forward to Blaze's many questions, and I knew he would have many if his sister was going to ride a Serakastran horse the next day.

  35

  "Do you think he'll be there?" Penny asked. She had been repeating the same question in different variations for the entirety of our walk from the inn.

  "He said he would be."

  "But what if he's not?"

  "There's no reason for him not to be."

  "What if something else came up?"

  "Penny, he told us he'd be there. If he's not, he'll just bring around the horse another day, and you'll have your lesson then."

  "But what if Vincent doesn't allow me to ride then?"

  Blaze had not been too happy when we informed him what we planned to do the following day. He had wanted to send an army of men with us, but Penny had nearly come to tears about that.

  "He listened to you when you told him you didn't want any of the men to accompany us, didn't he?"

  "You saw how long it took to convince him, though."

  "You made a good point, though. It is really difficult to learn something if there are people staring at you when you're doing it." And I had no doubt that Blaze would have one of his men following us even if we couldn't see him.

  "He only listened when I threatened that it would increase my chances of falling off the horse." She paused. "Will I fall off the horse?"

  "Not likely. If you listen to Garren and keep your seat, you should be fine. How come you've never learned to ride a horse?" I had seen a stable in the Blights, so I knew it wasn't for lack of horses.

  Penny shrugged. "I suppose it's because Vincent is overprotective. Anytime I asked, I was too young. And then I stopped because I got tired of asking. I've always wanted to learn. Ever since I read my first book about luwians."

  I snorted. "Thank goodness you're only learning to ride a horse today and not a luwian. All horses tire eventually if they take off with you on them, but a horse with wings? I would never be able to find you, and your brother would be very unhappy with me then."

  Penny gave me a strange look.

  "What?" I asked frowning.

  "You're the first person who didn't laugh at me for mentioning luwians."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Everyone else says they're imaginary creatures, that they don't exist. They're only found in storybooks."

  "They exist." We hadn't discussed whether they were real or imaginary the day we went to the bookseller.

  "Have you ever seen one?" Excitement returned to Penny's voice.

  "No, but my father has. He told us about it when we were younger." When he was more interested in talking to us.

  "Why didn't you tell me this the other day? I didn't know your father had seen one! Did he ride it?" Her eyes were shining.

  "No," I replied. I gave her a long look. "You know not anyone is allowed to ride a luwian. They're very particular. That's what makes them special--that and the fact that they don't breed often, which makes them rare. At the time, my father was away on a journey and saw several of them. He said the Royal Riders were disciplined and fierce warriors."

  "Why don't they come here?"

  "They live far away. They live to serve their own kingdom and protect its interests. I don't think they'd have much of a reason to visit us. Our closest neighbor is Serakastra."

  "I would love to see a luwian. Would you?"

  "I wouldn't know what to do if I did. I'm content just seeing a Serakastran horse."

  "Do you think he'll be there?" Penny returned to her earlier line of questioning.

  I bit back a smile. "We're almost there. Look, I think that's him up ahead."

  She immediately turned and saw that the figure in the distance was actually Garren and his mount. Penny gave me a glance.

  "Go on. You can run ahead." I nodded toward them.

  With a grin, she took off running toward Garren as I made my way leisurely to them. By the time I got there, Garren was midway through his instructions on how to hold the reins and guide the mare.

  I gave him a nod and then took a seat on a nearby tree trunk. I took out a couple of my smaller blades from within my hidden pockets and worked on sharpening them.

  In time, Penny was on the horse as Garren was guiding it, walking it around in circles. I grinned at her nervous look, but she soon got used to being astride the Serakastran steed. She showed Garren how she could make the horse move in the direction she asked.

  "Can I go farther, please?" she begged Garren.

  He grinned. "Are you sure you've mastered how to get her to turn?"

  "Yes," she replied.

  "Then go as far as you want. She's a gentle soul unless you get her riled up. Turn back when you think you've gone far enough."

  "I will. Thank you!" She kicked her heels against the mare and was off.

  I watched her. "Think she'll be okay?" I asked, a little worried.

  "No one will drag her off the horse. She'll be fine."

  No sooner had he said that when we heard a shout and a scream in the distance.

  Garren and I looked at each other, horrified. Then we took off running.

  We came across the scene, and I tried to make sense of it. Garren's mare was dancing around a figure. Penny was halfway off the horse. A man had a hold of her and was trying to drag her off fully. She was resisting, trying to claw and kick at him.

  "Let go of her!" I yelled, drawing my blade from its sheath without slowing down.

  He looked up, startled. His expression changed from anger to fear at the sight of two strangers brandishing weapons, running straight at him. He let go of Penny and backed away from her and the mare. I reached him and pointed my sword against his gut.

  Garren got Penny away, pulling her safely off the horse. She was shaking but appeared otherwise unharmed.

  I beheld the man in front of me. He was a middle-aged man, his features set in a sullen expre
ssion, a bit fat around the middle and losing his hair. I wondered if he was the man behind all the attacks on Penny or if that was a strange coincidence.

  I pressed my sword against him. "Who are you?"

  He spat on the ground.

  "Are you going to answer me, or will I have to run my sword through you to get some answers?"

  He glared at Penny. "I was teaching her a lesson."

  I frowned. "You attacked a young girl to teach her a lesson?"

  "That young girl is a harpy. She ruined my life!"

  "Do you know this man?" I asked Penny.

  As Garren watched carefully, she shook her head, still incapable of speech.

  The man yelled at that. "You know me! You ruined my life! You stole my wife away from me!"

  "What?" I frowned.

  "She stole her, took her away. She had no right. She was my wife."

  He spat again on the ground, that time in Penny's direction. "You don't remember me. You think you're better than me. But you're just a little brat. Taking what isn't yours."

  Penny took a step back at the vitriol in his voice.

  "You sent the boys after her?" I asked.

  "Yes, to teach her a lesson. But they couldn't do the job right. It was my fault, sending boys to do a man's job. I had to come here myself to punish the brat and find out what she'd done with my wife."

  "What's your wife's name?" Garren asked. He stood closer to the man, almost behind him.

  "Jade. She took Jade away. I don't know where she is."

  Jade was the petite woman in Penny's shelter, the one Penny had saved from a drunken husband, the one who wouldn't have had the strength to leave him, had Penny not interceded.

  "You were beating her," I stated, remembering why she was in the shelter.

  "For her own good."

  "Not for her own good. For your ill temper," I snapped.

  "She's mine. I can do as I please." His jaw jutted out.

  "She doesn't belong to you."

  "She's my wife. Of course she belongs to me. She's my property."

  "She deserves better than to be the wife of a man who beats her for his own shortcomings."

  "What did you say? How dare you disrespect me, you... you... unnatural thing!" He sputtered as he scrambled to find the only insult that he thought would hurt me.