The Midnight Spy

by Kiki Hamilton

  A bitter smile twisted her lips. But for Jonn to fall in love with her identical twin—a girl she hadn’t even known existed until a month ago—it was a bittersweet twist only the poets who sang in the town square could imagine. Her eyes stopped on his face. He looked so tormented she almost felt sorry for him.

  “What exactly are you saying, Jonn?” She pinched her lips together to stop the tears that threatened to fall. She needed him to say it.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

  “But?” She forced the word out of her mouth.

  “I love her, Jaani.” Shanks words were soft, his eyes tortured. “When I find her, I won’t try to spare your feelings any longer or wait until the time is right. I’ll declare my love for all to know.” He dropped his hands. “It’s only fair you know the truth. If you don’t want me to return to Jarisa, I’ll understand. But I’ve got to go after her.”

  Jaaniyah straightened her shoulders against the pain that wanted to knock her to her knees. Jealousy was a cat clawing at her insides and she threaded her fingers tightly together and held them in front of her to overcome her burning emotions.

  “Of course you will come back.” Jaaniyah frowned. “Where else would you go? She’s my sister and belongs here in Jarisa. And you are my father’s soldier. You saved his life. How would I explain your absence to him?”

  Shanks’ face lightened with a smile of relief. “Thank you, Jaani. It’s right for both of us. You’ll see with time.”

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “We’re loaded and ready,” Sebande said from the doorway. He nodded at Jaaniyah. “M’lady.”

  Jaaniyah whirled to face Jonn. “Take whatever soldiers you need.”

  Shanks kissed her on one cheek, then the other. “Thank you, Jaani,” he whispered before he disappeared out the doorway.

  Jaaniyah stared at the empty doorway, frozen in place. How could he love someone who looked exactly like her but not love her? Her heart ached as though it had been broken in two.

  “How would my father react?” she whispered as tears slid down her cheeks. “Like a king. And so then, shall I.” Jaaniyah crossed her arms in front of her chest with a look of determination. “But we’ll see who you love in the end, Jonn Shanks.”

  ica followed Toppen’s zigzag path through the brush and wondered if he had any idea where he was going. Their horses were forced to jump through some parts of the trail, so thick were the vines and leaves that covered the path. Toppen glanced over his shoulder and his face twisted with panic. Nica followed his gaze and to her horror, saw the soldiers were giving chase.

  Toppen cut back through the trees and headed for open ground near the edge of the Great Divide. The hooves of the horses clattered on the rocks. Before they could cut back to the forest, two of the Sartisian soldiers, one of them armed with a bow, bolted from the forest and cut them off.

  Nica jerked her horse to a stop next to Toppen’s, the animal snorting in alarm at being forced to halt so abruptly.

  “Hello—” Toppen called out in Sartish, holding his hands up— “we mean no harm.”

  The three soldiers pulled closer, their swords drawn.

  “Declare yourself,” said the middle rider. “How do you speak Sartish? What is your business?”

  “I’m Toppen Bakerswith,” Toppen began. “Wine apprentice traveling for Mosaba.”

  One of the soldiers peered over at Nica. He began to edge his horse in her direction and her heart danced in an unsteady rhythm. Without taking his eyes off her the guard called over his shoulder. “I think we’ve got something here.”

  Nica gripped her dagger tighter and pointed the knife in their direction.

  “Don’t come one step closer,” she said. For the love of the Ancients, why didn’t she have a sword? She’d have to be right next to this one to stab him. “I will kill you if I have to.”

  His look of surprise shifted into a grin. “Ho, with what? Your words?” he chuckled. “I’ve been too long without a woman. I can see I’m going to enjoy you.”

  Nica clucked her horse into backing up a few steps, tapping the beast gently with her heels.

  “What’s your name, sweet?” The Sartish soldier urged his horse straight toward her. Before the animal had gone two strides a strange humming noise filled the air and a cross bow bolt landed in the center of the man’s chest. His eyes went wide before blood spurted out of his mouth and he tumbled from his horse.

  Horrified, Nica watched him fall, her mind trying to make sense of what her eyes were telling her. She jerked her head up as several more arrows whistled through the air into the group. The archer from Sartis only got one shot off before he was struck in the throat. The third soldier seemed to understand they were outnumbered and wheeled his horse around to race for the sliver.

  Jarisan soldiers poured from the woods, their brown coats blending with the forest in the afternoon light. Before she even had time to react, Shanks was at her side, steering his horse around to grab the reins just under her horse’s bit. He pulled her with him back into the forest away from the exposure along the rim of the Great Divide. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sebande streak by, followed by several other Jarisan soldiers, their eyes focused on their prey.

  “What are you doing here?” Nica cried.

  “We’ve been following your trail for days.” He indicated the Sartisian soldiers. “Are there more of them?”

  “No,” Nica said, “I only saw the three.”

  “All right, hold on.” He gripped her reins as he led her horse down the trail, heading back the direction they’d just come. A scream of pure terror pierced the air, growing fainter until it faded into silence.

  Nica shuddered. Someone had fallen off the sliver—but who?

  A PAIR OF Jarisan soldiers fell in behind them, acting as guards, until they reached a small hut hidden among the trees. Once there, Shanks slid off his horse, dropping the reins to Nica’s mount. The other soldiers busied themselves with their animals as Shanks walked back to Nica. He held his hand up to help her dismount. His hand felt warm and rough against her skin as she gripped her fingers and stepped down from her horse.

  For a long while he just looked at her. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re a lot of trouble?” he finally said.

  Nica returned his stare, though it was more in wonder that he stood before her. “I did tell you I could disappear right from under your nose.”

  He propped his hands on his hips, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

  “And what was my response?”

  She titled her chin up. “You threatened me.”

  “I promised to find you,” he corrected her. “Hopefully this is the last time I will have to chase you down.”

  “You didn’t have to come after me,” Nica said in a low voice. “I understand your responsibility is to Jaaniyah.”

  “It’s true—I do have a responsibility to Jaaniyah.” Shanks cupped her face with both hands. “But I love you, Nica. More than I knew was possible.” He didn’t smile. He looked deep into her eyes until she feared she would melt from the inside out. “Where you go, I go.” There was an honesty in his eyes and she knew his words didn’t come lightly. “For now and forever.” His voice softened and he rubbed his thumbs along her cheekbones. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” For once, she understood perfectly.

  His lips were warm on hers and she returned his kiss with a hunger she didn’t try to restrain. She inhaled his scent and buried her hands in his hair, pressing herself tightly against his hard chest. His lips slid from hers and traced a burning path along her jaw.

  Nica’s lips brushed his ear. “I love you too, Shaun,” she whispered. He buried his face in her neck and held her close.

  “Nica—” his breath was ragged— “don’t ever leave me again.”

  SEBANDE RETURNED WITHIN half an hour, Toppen in tow. He reported that a Sartisian guard had fallen to his death off the sliver. Nica hoped to talk to her friend
but Sebande sent Toppen with the other soldiers and didn’t bring him anywhere near her and Shaun.

  When he had finished with his other duties, Sebande sauntered over to where Nica and Shaun sat by the fire. He looked Nica up and down. “Still in one piece, I see.”

  “Yes, thank you for coming after me.” Nica gave him a hesitant smile, not sure of his mood.

  “Seems to be my new job,” Sebande muttered. “At least you can cook.” He cocked a dark eye at her. “Oh, that’s right. You can’t cook, can you? Why exactly did we risk our lives to save you, again?” But a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he walked off, still muttering under his breath.

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON the Jarisan soldiers departed with Toppen, leaving Shanks, Sebande and Nica alone in the hut. They sat in several rickety wooden chairs they had found, warming themselves before a small fire burning in the hearth.

  “Why aren’t we returning to the palace with the others?” Nica asked.

  Shanks sat next to her, close enough to touch her, leaning back precariously on two legs of his chair. Sebande was on the other side of Shanks, quiet as usual, his elbows braced on his knees, staring into the flames.

  “Because we’re not going back to HighGarden,” Shanks replied. “Remember Jaaniyah said she was going to send some troops up to the Pian’glo Pass in search of the Valley of the Gods because she thought there might be some connection to the Getheas Stone?”

  Nica nodded.

  “Well, she did and the troops were ambushed by Mosaba’s men. Somehow he knew she’d sent a group there. Based on that and some other recent events we’re convinced there’s a spy in the palace. Someone in addition to Tarantu. Sebande and I—” he nodded at his friend— “are also convinced that we need to find the Getheas Stone before Mosaba does.” Shanks put his hand on Nica’s knee. “We think you’re our best chance of finding the thing.”

  “Me?” Nica gasped. “Why not Becknah?”

  Shanks shrugged. “You seem to have a special sense about these verses. I talked to Becknah at length and he told me you were quite brilliant in your understanding of the quatrains.”

  “Well, I…” Nica stuttered, “I don’t know what would have made him think that. I enjoyed discussing the subject with him but….” Her words died off. “I wouldn’t even know where to look without The Ages. That book is the key.” She looked from one to the other. “But I didn’t bring it with me.”

  Sebande pushed out of his chair and walked to his knapsack, leaning against one wall. He lifted the book out with an unemotional flourish.

  “We brought it with us,” Shanks smiled as Sebande handed the book to Nica.

  She stroked the silver letters embossed upon the black leather cover, her finger tracing the odd symbol at the bottom of the book. She flipped the cover open and counted through the pages until she found the page she wanted. “Listen to this:”

  “Above you’ll find a glorified knight

  Near year’s end he returns to fight

  His sword held high will be your guide

  Follow to where power divides.”

  Nica lifted her head to find Shanks and Sebande watching her intently.

  “I don’t think Jaaniyah had read the quatrains before she decided to send the troops to the Valley of the Gods.” Nica tapped the page with her finger. “This sounds like we need go to Berjerac—to that statue outside Ravensfell. Do you remember it?” She looked from one to the other. “It’s the only thing I can think of that might fit this verse. What do you think?”

  Shanks shrugged. “Sounds reasonable to me.”

  “Shaun,” Nica began. She consciously chose to use his real name, here where it was safe without being overheard. She enjoyed the intimate connection it gave them. “What happened to the soldiers who went to the Pian’glo?”

  “Slaughtered.” His voice was flat, emotionless. “Mosaba’s men apparently couldn’t get the information they wanted so they killed all six of them.” He heaved a sigh. “I suspect Mosaba is sinking deeper into his madness with each failure, while at the same time he becomes more desperate to succeed in this quest. It would be unthinkable if he were to find the Stone first.”

  THEY LEFT LATER that afternoon and headed north, following trails that looked like nothing more than animal tracks. Shanks and Sebande seemed to know the shortcuts like the lines on the palms of their hands. They traveled for almost two days striking through what looked like uncharted territory to Nica.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” she asked.

  Shanks smiled and nodded. “We’ve made this journey too many times to count.”

  “But there’s hardly even a trail.”

  “That’s because we’re headed to a sliver very few people know about.” He gave her a sideways glance. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you? Because this one’s a little narrow.”

  Nica’s stomach sank. “How narrow?”

  Shanks gave her a teasing grin. “Well, it’s wide enough for a horse’s hoof, but not much more,” he chuckled. “You might want to close your eyes and say a prayer when we go over.”

  Nica fell silent, unsure whether to believe him or not.

  THE SUN EMERGED from behind the clouds at the end of the day, casting a golden glow over the umber colored stones through which they traveled. Once they moved away from the trees, the landscape was a wide open vista, stretching toward the gaping chasm that was the Great Divide.

  The horses carefully picked their way across the rocky ground working toward the edge of the canyon. Nica’s gaze swept the landscape, looking for the sliver they would cross. A few fingers of land stretched partially into the void but none appeared to reach completely across the great expanse. They pulled up their horses in front of a strangely angled sliver and stopped.

  Suddenly suspicious, Nica traced the winding piece of land into the distance. Because of the odd twists and turns of the rocky path, it was difficult to determine how far the sliver stretched. She looked over at Shanks in alarm. They weren’t going to risk their lives on this worm-trail of a cliff, were they?

  “This isn’t…”

  “Yep.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Yep.” On the far side of Shanks she could hear Sebande laughing under his breath. Nica considered the precipice before them. “I doubt the horses will even walk on that.”

  “They will,” Shanks said confidently. “Do you want me to lead your horse?”

  “No.” But Nica wasn’t sure she meant it.

  “Listen to me, Nic,” Shanks said, suddenly serious. “This is a bit dangerous. You have to give the horse his head. He’ll know what to do. Don’t try to steer him, don’t squeeze his sides. Just relax and enjoy the ride, all right?”

  Nica nodded, her palms sweating against the leather of the reins.

  Sebande kicked his horse into the lead. Nica took a deep breath as she tentatively urged her horse to follow him. As the horse gingerly stepped onto the sliver, Nica’s eyes were drawn to the breathtaking drop on each side, the vast open space all around her made it feel as though they were walking on air. Pebbles, jarred loose by the hooves of the animals, trickled off the edge of the rocky trail, rattling for a moment before dropping silently into the abyss.

  Nica swayed in the saddle, suddenly dizzy at the open space plummeting away all around her. She gripped the saddle horn and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Are you all right?” Shanks called up to her.

  She shook her head.

  “It’s shorter than it looks,” Shanks said. “Enjoy it while you can because the view is spectacular.”

  Nica’s eyes flew open. Was he serious? He sounded like he was enjoying this tightrope adventure. She tightened her grip on the saddle and cautiously turned her head to look south down the canyon in the direction of the Sea of Nephalon. The view was breathtaking, in more ways than one, and for a second she realized how awe-inspiring the Great Divide actually was. And there, so far distant it appeared to be the horizon, she
thought she saw the green-blue waters of the sea.

  Her horse navigated around a wide turn and suddenly she had reached the other side and was on solid ground again. She released a sigh of relief and smiled at Sebande. “That was quick.”

  Shanks pulled up beside her and Sebande. “You can’t tell from the other side, but this is one of the spots in the Divide where it’s very narrow from one side of the canyon to the other.”

  “How did you ever find it?” Nica asked.

  “Oh.” Shanks shrugged. “We just happened to stumble across it one time.”

  Nica shook her head at his non-answer. Maybe it was better if she didn’t know.

  Shanks urged his horse into motion and Nica fell in behind him with Sebande riding behind her.

  “Keep a sharp eye,” Shanks said. “There are a lot of people looking for us here.”

  t was past midnight when they stopped to make camp in a cave tucked among a group of large boulders. The blackened walls of the stones silently spoke of the many campfires that had been lit in that location in the past.

  Every bone ached as Nica slid from her horse and began to help gather kindling for a fire. She racked her brain for any other meaning to the Avedla verse as she bent down to pick up several branches beneath a large Junbutgen tree. The statue in front of Ravensfell was the only answer that seemed to fit the words of the poem.

  THEY WAITED UNTIL late afternoon to start off on the final leg into Berjerac. They timed their arrival to be close to dusk, leaving enough daylight to inspect the inscription on the statue before it became too dark to read, but at a time when people would be headed home for the evening and paying less attention to those around them.

  Nervous bubbles churned in Nica’s stomach at being so close to her old home. There were people who might recognize her, even in her breeches and large cloak.

  Before they’d left, Nica had tied a black scarf over her hair. Without a valote hat or glasses to distort her features she felt terribly exposed, even with the dirt she had spread across her cheeks and under her eyes.