by C. Ellsworth
After a pause, Ryan answered. “No. You?” But his eyes narrowed slightly, and his jaw clenched, betraying the lie.
“Of course not.” That wasn’t true either, but just saying it seemed to calm her stomach a little.
Ryan stepped lightly to the cliff’s edge and sat down, his legs dangling over the side. There was nothing between him and a two-hundred-foot drop, but it didn’t seem to bother him at all!
Addy stepped forward and sat down beside him, legs crossed well away from the cliff’s edge. She looked at him, and her stomach fluttered. With the sun almost straight overhead now, the day was growing hot, and his copper-skinned chest glistened through the part in his shirt. His eyes looked almost amber in the sunlight. “Tell me something about yourself. What was it like growing up?”
The muscles in Ryan’s jaw flexed, and his eyes narrowed a little. She had touched a nerve. He breathed a sigh, and some of the tension seemed to dissipate. “There’s not much to talk about.”
“You . . . seemed uncomfortable talking about your past in the dinner hall. What happened? I’ve heard only rumors, and for the sake of . . . trust, I’d like to know the truth.”
Ryan sat upright, bringing his hands into his lap. He turned his eyes away. “Do you remember Ahl Brokerman?”
“Mr. Gorty’s helper.” Mr. Gorty was the owner of the town’s largest fruit and vegetable stand.
“Yes.” Ryan nodded. “Used to fetch the vegetables from the fields for him.” He turned his attention back to her, his mouth moving as if he was uncertain of what to say. When he finally did speak, his voice came out as if dragged. “We had . . . gotten some food from Mr. Gorty . . . but we couldn’t pay for it. My papa was in no condition to work for trade, and I was already working from dawn to dusk for herbs and medicine.”
Ryan’s papa had been a ring maker, if memory served, shaping metal rings for tools and such for Mr. Blasak when Addy was around ten-years-old. Not a very profitable profession, but then not everyone in town could be Mayor.
After a long pause, Ryan continued, his voice so subdued so that Addy had to strain to hear him above the noise of the falls. “That night . . . Ahl came to the house, drunk to his eyeballs, and demanded that the food be returned.” Ryan’s fists clenched until his knuckles whitened. “My papa tried to reason with him, but Ahl could barely walk, let alone think clearly.” He paused again, and then his brows drew down and his expression grew dark. “I was watching from my bed in the corner when Ahl got . . . rough. I couldn’t just watch the man beat my papa senseless.”
For a long moment, Addy watched him. “What did you do?” Her voice was nearly as soft as his.
Ryan’s jaw clenched. “I took up my papa’s cane, and I beat him.” Addy’s heart skipped. “I beat him and beat him until he finally fell. Papa tried to stop me, but he was too weak, and I just shoved him out of the way. I just kept beating Ahl until he . . . until he stopped fighting back. He was just lying there, apologizing, crying, begging me to stop.”
Ryan was trembling now, shoulders slumped. Addy’s mouth had dropped open and turned dry. She licked her lips. “You didn’t kill him, though, Ryan.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You were just protecting your papa. Anyone would have done the same.” But would they? Would Addy beat a man so severely to protect Papa or Gevin?
“Yes, well . . .” Ryan cleared his throat and heaved another sigh, brows furrowed. “Not everyone felt the same. Perhaps Ahl was a good friend to the Mayor . . . or the Guard Captain. Either way, they felt I was a danger to the town. They tossed me in a cell and left me there for weeks. And when they finally let me out, I was assigned to the Guard. ‘Rehabilitation,’ they called it. Whatever that means.”
So, he had been made a servant to the Guard. Against his will. Rehabilitation. Such a cold word. He had had cause to do what he did at least. It wasn’t wanton violence, like rumor told. It wasn’t madness. He was fighting for his papa. His ill papa! “I’m sorry, Ryan.” She gave his shoulder a light squeeze before lowering her hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Ryan turned to her, his gaze penetrating. “Well, now you know.”
Addy gave a soft smile. Yes, now she knew. He was undoubtedly a troubled man, but there was also remorse in him. And where there was remorse, there was opportunity for redemption.
Addy arrived at the door to their quarters, having returned with Ryan from the falls without incident. Ryan had bid her farewell just moments ago after saying something about sneaking into the mess hall for a snack. Apparently trekking into forbidden parts of the barracks wasn’t enough adventure for one day.
Addy pushed open the door, the familiar musky scent of the room swirling in her nostrils as she entered. The place could really use some incense, or a pot of fresh flowers at least, but Traizen would surely balk at the idea of roses at his bedside. A small smile grew on her lips.
The room was dark this evening, the candle on the table illuminating the area with its soft, yellow glow. Liah, sitting cross-legged on her bed, looked up and gave her a small grin. So that’s where she had gotten to. Liah had left the mess hall shortly before Addy had, her mood seeming to darken after the discussion had turned to family. A difficult topic for more than just Liah. How long had it been, now, since Addy had seen Papa and Gevin? Too long.
Liah turned her attention to something in her hand, the light of the candle reflecting off its smooth, polished surface. A necklace of some sort, made from a loop of simple string.
Addy crossed the room and sat down on Karine’s bed, across from her. “What is it?”
Liah smiled. “It belonged to my sister, Kat . . . Katie.” She held the necklace for a moment longer before she pressed it to her lips and then held it up for Addy to see. It was made of marbled stone, carved roughly to look like a girl or a woman in a dress, but the figure was missing its left arm. And by its faint coloring, it had been painted once, but the details—especially the face—were no longer distinguishable. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
Addy turned her eyes to Liah and gave a sly grin. “Only the clothes on our backs?”
Liah barked a soft, somber laugh, then nodded. She lowered the figure to her lap, knuckles turning white for a moment as she clutched it.
“Your sister . . . Is she . . . ?”
Liah’s jaw clenched, and her eyes grew misty. “She was six when she passed. She used to drive me mad some days with her constant questions, but she was the sweetest, most innocent thing.”
Addy’s heart sunk. So young. Would she hold one of Gevin’s little wooden cows on a string someday?
Liah sighed, her eyes sorrowful. “The Faege was . . . especially hard on Kat . . . toward the end.” She shook her head, brows bending in anguish. “On her . . . last day . . . she handed this silly thing to me and said—” Her voice caught, and her eyes welled with tears. “She told me . . . ‘Liah, you keep Anna safe, okay? She’s always been good luck.’”
Addy’s heart clenched, and her own eyes threatened tears.
Liah pursed her lip. “But if the thing had any luck, it didn’t work for me. It didn’t keep me from . . . Walt.”
Addy frowned. “Walt?”
Liah bit her lower lip, pausing for a moment. “Walt was my . . . betrothed; though, he was more like my keeper. . . . Oh, he was nice at first, generous . . . funny, but the longer I knew him, the more I could see what really hid behind the mask.” She paused again. “After a few months he became . . . possessive, controlling. He expected me to be at his side from sunup until sundown, a decoration like the many jeweled rings he wore. I could not speak without permission, I could not eat until he allowed it, and he kept me from my papa and my sister.”
Addy shook her head.
Liah shrugged. “You grow accustomed to it after a while. It just becomes . . . part of your life. Here is this . . . person you once thought you loved and couldn’t imagine life without, and all the while he’s . . .” Her words trailed off.
Addy sighed. How
could anyone be so cruel?
“Toward the end of our . . . relationship . . . his words were like hot pokers against my skin. Every day. And finally, I could take no more. Kat was gone. I hadn’t seen my papa in months. He had beaten me down with his words, convinced me I was trash and that I couldn’t survive without him. And so . . . I told him I could be with him no longer. I could not marry him. I would not.”
Addy nodded slowly. “Was he angry?”
Liah snorted. “Was he angry? He was furious! He tried to chain me to the wall—no joke!—said I was out of my mind, affected by the Faege.” She took in a shuddering breath and let it out slowly, the pain and sorrow in her eyes fading to a simmering anger. “And so I fought back. I knocked him down with a vase and . . . wrapped that cursed chain around his neck until his face turned blue.”
Addy shook her head. To come near to killing a man that way . . . Could she do that? “I’m sorry, Liah.” Sorry? Was that even the right thing to say? Lord of Light, the woman had almost killed someone! “But you let him go, didn’t you?”
“No,” Liah said curtly. “Not by choice. His stableman walked in, and . . . I don’t remember much after that, not until I found myself locked in the dungeon.” She turned to Addy, her midnight eyes glistening, a small frown on her lips. “Do you see why I did not want to tell you, Addy? You must think I’m a monster. Perhaps they really should have banished me to the Waste. They spoke of it at length, from what I had heard.”
Addy made a shushing sound. “Don’t say that, Liah. You’re not a monster. You did what you had to do. And I would have done the same.”
Liah’s dark eyes met hers, considering. Then a soft smile crept onto her lips. “Truth?”
“I swear on the Spirelight.” And hopefully Addy would never have to prove that!
Chapter 16
“Adele, in the center!” Guard Captain Aeric’s voice echoed across the training yard.
Twelve weeks had passed since Addy had come to the barracks. She still could not climb that cursed rope, but her sparring skills had definitely improved. Addy’s heart raced as she stepped forward under a hot sun. She came to stand in the center of a circle of people, each one carrying a weapon of one type or another while shifting into ready stances. Her companions stood among them, each carrying weapons of their own, but unlike the lighter, blunt, and edgeless training weapons they had used before, these were all too real.
Grasping a foot-long dagger in each hand, Addy twirled them with a flourish, the polished metal catching the sunlight and throwing diamond reflections about the yard. Yes, her training had born results. Oh, there was still so much to learn, no doubt, but the blades were like extensions of her arms now.
Sweat beaded on Addy’s brow, dripping from her nose and chin. The new, thick leather vests they all wore weren’t as hot as the weighted woolen ones they were used to, but the padded shirts beneath made up for it. No wonder the boy, Saem, stood at the ready with water bucket and ladle at the ready in case another guardsman succumbed to the heat.
She turned slowly in place, eyeing each one of those around her. If their stares had been as deadly as their weapons, she might have fallen already.
“Ready!” Aeric’s voice came in a harsh shout.
Addy took a wide stance, holding her daggers before her. Those around her tensed and readied their weapons as well. One false move on her part—or anyone else’s—could mean a nasty cut or even a lost eye, but Aeric knew what he was doing, right? He wouldn’t let her wade into battle if he thought there was a good chance she would be seriously injured. Would he?
“Karine!” Aeric shouted, and she darted forward, her short sword leading the way.
Addy met her in the middle, blocking the first strike with a dagger and ducking under the second. Then she rolled away and stabbed with her other blade, Karine knocking it to the side at the last moment. Careful, Addy! You don’t want to accidentally kill her! Karine better have been thinking the same thing.
As Karine dodged the attack, Aeric shouted, “Ulon!” and a scarred guardsman with one mangled eye jumped forward with a spiked club. Karine returned to her place, but Addy’s eyes were on Ulon’s now as he swung hard, roaring like a beast. She ducked under his first swing, and then rolled away after the man followed up with a backhand swipe. Those spikes came deadly close to piercing her skull, but she was already swinging her own dagger, the point catching on Ulon’s vest before he knocked it away.
After Ulon, two more names were called in turn, and Addy fought them as they came at her. Aeric allowed a few attacks before sending the next person in, each presenting her with a unique challenge. Sweat streamed down her face, and her breath came fast and heavy.
“Ryan!” Aeric called, and Ryan stepped forward. His dark hair was pulled back in a tail today, and he wore that crooked smirk. He charged forward, blade arcing in the sunlight. Long sword and dagger clashed once, twice, then three times, the clang of steel on steel echoing off the stone walls. He swung hard, his blade coming in a downward stroke.
Addy spun to the side and jabbed toward his ribcage, but Ryan managed to get his buckler into position just in time. The point of her blade bit hard into wood. For a fraction of a moment, the dagger was stuck in place before she could pull it free, but it was just enough delay for Ryan to strike, his elbow flying forward to crack her in the temple.
There was a burst of light across her vision, and she stumbled backward a few steps. If he had hit her with all of his strength, she would be splayed out on the sand. Rot me! Watch the eyes, not the weapon!
Ryan paused, a brief look of concern crossing his face. She used that hesitation to her advantage and attacked, feigning left. He moved to meet an attack that would never come from that direction, leaving his right flank exposed. Her blades flashed, and one came to rest at his throat, the point of the other at his groin.
He froze, the smirk on his face faltering. She had beat him! She had beat a man better trained. How could that be? Had she really been that clever, or had the man merely been distracted?
Ryan gave an uneasy chuckle, swallowing hard against the pressure of her blade. “Nice move.” He sheathed his sword and raised a cautious hand to push her blade from his throat. “I’m glad you have good control over your weapons. If you didn’t, I may have gotten some of my blood on you.”
Aeric’s voice broke in suddenly. “Obor!”
Ryan made a quick retreat, replaced by a man nearly as wide as he was tall. Obor charged in like a rolling boulder, Addy meeting him in the middle. They traded a few blows, she dodging a head-butt and swings from his ham-size fists, and he managing to knock aside her daggers with his plated forearms. The man was slow, though, easy to avoid, but had she taken a full-strength blow from one of his wild swings, it would have been the end of her. Good thing this was just practice.
Liah was called next, and the dark-eyed woman moved like a canth, her two swords coming alive in her hands. Addy blinked. Her skill with her own two daggers was good, but Liah out-showed her by far. It took only four strikes to knock loose the first of Addy’s daggers and two more strikes for the second, both blades now laying at her feet.
Addy’s heart sunk. She must have looked like a little girl playing at soldier. Well, there was nothing to do but swallow her pride. She gave Liah a nod and a small congratulatory smile before bending to pick up her weapons. Liah nodded back, and then took her place in line before Aeric called out the next name. “Traizen!”
Addy’s heart skipped, and a knot formed in her stomach.
Traizen—holding a two-handed hammer in his right hand with ease—strode forward, a confident grin on his lips. “I’ll try not to smash you into the ground, sweetheart.” But his weapon came up menacingly as if he intended to do just that.
How much longer could Addy go on? Sweat streamed down her face, her breath was heavy, and she could barely lift her arms! But if she couldn’t keep moving quickly enough, Traizen would have another thing to gloat about.
Then a fi
re alit in Addy’s middle. Sweetheart? I’ll show him a sweetheart! She darted forward. Perhaps she could catch him by surprise. She swung hard with her right-hand dagger, but the man leaped back. Then she followed up with a jab from her left.
Abruptly, she was flying backward, her breath blasting from her lungs as his hammer seemed to come from nowhere to strike her in the stomach. She crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust and sand. Where had that come from? She lay there momentarily, struggling to suck air into her emptied lungs. She had left herself open to attack somehow.
Sight blurred, she saw Traizen coming at her with massive hammer swinging down. He hadn’t paused to let her recover! Was he mad? This was just a training exercise! Was he actually trying to kill her? Move, rot you!
At the last moment Addy rolled away, the hammer head cratering into the sand where her own head had been a heartbeat before. Her shout was a rasp. “This is just practice, you great, Faege-addled oaf!”
Traizen laughed and moved toward her again, a crazed look in his eyes. He was really going to kill her! Where was the Guard Captain?
The hammer rose.
Addy’s hand closed around sand and she flung it at his eyes, but he turned his face, and the sand billowed harmlessly around him. It gave her enough time to make her move, though, and she somersaulted forward, coming to a crouch behind him.
But he was waiting for her.
Traizen’s booted foot kicked out and struck her in the face, sending her crashing backward once again. The world spun.
“Enough!” Aeric’s voiced sounded distant.
Addy lay on the hot sand for a moment, sucking air into her lungs. The world spun around her, and sleep called to her. But Erabelle had taught them that sleep could be deadly after a blow to the head, and so she kept her eyes focused on the clouds above until things stopped whirling about.
Then, with a soft groan, she rolled onto her stomach and rose to her feet. Her jaw ached immensely, but it didn’t seem broken. Sand covered her from head to toe and gritted between her teeth. Traizen was leaning casually on his hammer, a smug grin splitting his square face. Someday. Someday I’ll show you.
