It was almost mid-day when Grathius finally joined them. Tears were streaming from his eyes.
"Are you well?" Narissa asked as she walked over to him to place her small hand on his fur.
"Somebody does not want me to join you. My best frrreind was murrrderrred yesterrrday and my daughterrr's illness has taken a turrrn for the worrrse,” At the mention of his daughter his tear stream became stronger. "She may die before I get back. The pack healerrr said she would watch overrr herrr.”
The image of the small pup appeared before Taren's eyes. He was right; she was sick. Shaunna gave Grathius a few minutes to pull himself together before calling them back to the task at hand.
"We really should be going,” She sounded apologetic as she spoke. "Let's head north. The forest should be that direction.”
So they set off to continue their journey.
Shaunna was in the lead, as she knew where they were going, followed closely by Narissa, in her cat form. Next was Hope, then Grathius, and Taren brought up the rear. It was hotter than it should have been this time of year, and as such, they all started perspiring profusely in a very short time. They followed a northward heading for the entire time that they walked, not deviating from their heading even slightly. Just as dusk was beginning to settle itself across the land, Shaunna called a halt.
"This is probably a good enough place to stop for the night,” She declared looking around the area to make sure it had what they would need for the night.
A small stream trickled by the campsite, providing water. Animal tracks could be seen all over the area, even to the eyes of those that were untrained to look for them. The ground was covered with a spongy moss-like substance that would cushion the ground. Mushrooms dotted the outside of the mossy area, forming a circle that surrounded them.
Narissa was the first to notice the mushrooms. She approached Shaunna, nudged her with her nose and waited for her to clasp the cloak around her neck. Shifting to her humanoid form, she asked the question they would all be wondering when they noticed the mushroom ring.
"Shaunna, will we be safe here? This is a Faerie ring,” Her luminescent eyes twinkled in fear as she spoke. "Aren't they supposed to be highly protective of these places?"
"Normally it would not be safe to enter a Faerie ring. As long as you are with me you will be safe. Faeries recognize the Dark Elves love of nature. They respect us as no other race does,” The answer seemed to ease the smaller woman's fears until she continued. "We are being followed. We will be safe as long as we are in the confines of the ring.”
Taren was alarmed by the proclamation. "Are you sure? I haven't seen anything.”
"I noticed them about two hours ago. What I have been seeing has me very unnerved,” She looked around at her companions one by one. Seeing that she had their undivided attention she continued. "There are two creatures, both very large. They move with a skill that nothing that big should possess.
The companions looked at each other nervously. The thought of two large creatures stalking them was not at all appealing.
"Don't worry. We're safe tonight,” As she spoke the last sentence, Shaunna began the preparations for a small camp.
They didn't dare build a fire, for fear of upsetting the faeries, so dinner was a simple affair made up of some unleavened bread, some kind of cheese, and dried meat. The meal was eaten in silence as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains.
As they each finished eating the meager meal that had been provided, each of the companions climbed into their bedroll. The exhaustion of the days march quickly overcame them and they were quickly enveloped within the protecting arms of slumber.
Shaunna was the last to allow herself to fall asleep. What she had told them about the understanding between the Dark Elves and the Faeries had been true; there were protocols that had to be observed. She watched in detached fascination as the faerie lights burst into being one by one. She had seen this phenomenon only once before when she was a child. Her mother had taken her to a faerie ring to explain to her the importance of observing the nobility of nature. It was strange that she couldn't remember the details of that conversation now.
As they burst into life, the lights moved to each of the sleeping companions in turn. After they were finished examining the slumbering trespassers to their sanctuary, the faeries turned their attention to the only one that was awake.
The most beautiful of the faeries fluttered up to Shaunna's face. Her butterfly wings were iridescent in the moonlight. She wore no clothing, like the rest of her kind, and her pale skin gave her the look of a porcelain doll. She had long black hair that fell to just below her waist. An ornate crown adorned her head.
"What brings you into our circle, oh daughter of the darkness?" the queen faerie asked. Her voice was small yet clearly audible.
"My companions and I are being followed. I saw the ring here and brought them here to ask for your protection,” Shaunna was having trouble remembering the words that voiced the correct question to the faeries.
"You thought to use the ring for the protection of your friends. That is a noble cause. They will have our protection this night. They will leave unharmed when the light comes.”
Shaunna was happy things were going so well until the queen continued. "You are not like the other night children. You have seen death. You have caused it,” The elation she had felt quickly began to fade. "You must not be allowed the chance to kill again. You will not leave this place.”
"No,” Dread began to seep into her soul as the Queen Faerie spoke. "I have to take Taren to see my grandmother. He will never find her without me.”
"The law is very clear on this. You were once a friend of nature; you are now an enemy. You must not be allowed to kill again,” The queen's face grew fierce as she spoke. It looked as if she was about to attack Shaunna when a voice broke the silence outside of the area where they were conversing.
"Take me instead,” Narissa was standing slightly behind the Faerie Queen. "I invoke the right of substitution.”
Shaunna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Narissa had just offered to be taken in her stead. She couldn't allow this.
"You can't…” Her speech was cut short as brilliant lights began to dance around Narissa.
"It is okay,” Shaunna replied. "Taren needs you to lead him to see your grandmother. He needs you more than he needs me.”
The lights started to dance slowly, but they quickly increased in speed and intensity until they completely hid the small woman from view. It only took an instant and when the lights slowed down again Narissa was gone.
Shaunna began to shake her head in disbelief. "No, no, no. This can't be happening,” She sunk slowly to her knees. "What have I done?"
The Queen Faerie fluttered before her eyes again. "It is done, nature has been satisfied,” Then she blew something into Shaunna's eyes.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Confession
“The flames of the past burn fiercer in the future.” - Anonymous
The next morning dawned bright and cold. A light frost had settled on the ground and foliage showing that Winter was not yet ready to relinquish his hold on the world. Birds were singing in the nearby trees, serenading Taren's party as they roused themselves from their dreams.
They again ate a simple breakfast consisting of bread, cheese, and dried meat. They washed the food down with some water from the stream. When breakfast was finished they quickly broke camp.
When each of them had their packs situated on their backs, Taren looked around the campsite. Narissa's pack and bedroll still lay on the ground.
"Where's Narissa?" The question had been simple enough, so Taren wasn't prepared for the response it elicited.
Shaunna gasped as the events of the previous night suddenly returned to her in full-color reality. She saw again the faerie queen telling her that the laws of nature must be satisfied. She saw again Narissa invoking the law of substitution to save her life. As the reality of what happened set in, th
e weight of the facts bore down on her. Shaunna slowly sank to the ground with tears streaming down her cheeks
"No, it had to be a dream. It can't have really happened,” She began to absently toy with the bedroll that still lay on the ground.
Taren knelt next to Shaunna. He spoke as he took her hand in his. "What happened?"
Shaunna's eyes went wide with fear as a feeling of great hate spread through the clearing. "Not here; we must get away from this place,” As she spoke, she rose slowly from where she had fallen.
"We can't leave. Not without Narissa,” Taren was trying to be calm as he spoke, but the look in his eyes echoed the fear he felt in his soul.
Shaunna was frantic. "We can't stay here. Narissa is not coming back. I'll explain everything, I promise. We must go now,”
As they left the protection of the faerie ring, the feeling of overwhelming hate faded. They continued their northward march at a fast pace trying to put as much distance between themselves and their camp of the previous night as possible. They marched straight through the day, not even stopping to rest or to eat lunch. When they stopped at dusk they were all tired and hungry; beyond anything that they had experienced before.
They made camp at the foot of a large tree that would offer them some protection from the elements and something to put their backs against should something attack them. None of them knew what kind of tree it was. The two creatures that had been tracking them were still behind them, trailing them. Taren had seen them a few times throughout that day. Shaunna was right; they were very skilled in staying concealed, but he wasn't the best thief in Brightbay for nothing.
As they all collapsed to the ground, the thoughts of food came to their weary minds. Digging through their individual packs they came upon the dried meat, cheese, and bread that had served as their last two meals. As they began to eat in silence, they each found that hunger notwithstanding, none of them had much of an appetite.
Most of them had not known Parel, or not known her very well, so her disappearance hadn't affected them. Narissa, however, had become their friend. Her vivacious personality had befriended them all.
The disappearance seemed to be especially hard on Shaunna. Her eyes seemed to have sprung a permanent leak. She led the party through the forests of the Canavars in silence, as though lost in thought.
As he nibbled on a small piece of cheese, Taren could not help but think of the distress that Shaunna seemed to be in. Something had obviously happened of which the rest of the group was unaware.
"Shaunna, what happened back there?" Again, Taren was taken by surprise at the reaction to a simple question.
Shaunna dissolved into a heap of sobs as again she relived the final moments that Narissa had been with them. She knew that she had to tell the rest of the group what had transpired, but she was afraid that they would all hate her. They did seem to like the little shapeshifter better than they liked her.
All, except maybe Taren; hadn't he tried to comfort her fears when she confessed them in his room? Had he not told the ghost of Ranan Moonwalker that he had begun to care for her? At least that is what he had told her when she pressed him for details on the conversation. Would this ruin everything?
She curled into a tight ball as the thoughts of her life once again crumbling raced through her mind. She would be alone again. Taren wouldn't want to marry her after what she had done. He couldn't possibly.
A light hand came to rest on her side. A soothing voice penetrated the hateful mist that she was purposefully conjuring in her mind.
"Shaunna, please tell us what happened,” The words were spoken in kindness, but they conjured fear into her heart.
She couldn't tell them. She just couldn't. And yet, she had promised, so she had to tell them. She sat up to face Taren, uncurling from the ball of protection she had tried to form. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from the constant stream of tears that had been issuing forth from them all day. Her breath was erratic as she tried to bring her sobs under control enough to talk. When she was able to speak her voice was small, barely audible.
"It's my fault she's gone.”
This was the last thing Taren expected to hear. "Surely you don't think…”
Shaunna brought a finger to his lips to silence him. "Please, this is hard enough for me,” Her voice was stronger as she spoke this time. "You owe that little woman more than you realize, Taren,” She paused a moment to consider where to begin. The beginning seemed like a good place. "I am Nightshade the assassin.”
A look of alarm came across Taren’s and Grathius’ faces, but Shaunna didn't notice. She just continued.
“I was hired to kill you, and Parel,” Her fear intensified as she spoke. “I was only told where you would be, not who you were. When I found you, you were in the midst of the battle with Narissa in her tiger form. It was during the battle that I found out who you are. She saved your life.”
“Why would knowledge of who I am, keep you from killing me?” Taren asked
Shaunna acted like she didn’t hear the question. "She gave her life to save mine,” She was not looking at anybody as she spoke. "I don't understand. Why did she do it?"
Taren was watching Shaunna in silence, afraid of disturbing her, lest she stop talking.
Shaunna suddenly looked at Taren. "To explain what happened last night, I need to go back to give some background on myself,” She was speaking directly to Taren, not taking her eyes off of him. "My story begins the day both of our worlds were shattered. I was at the palace that fateful day when the dragons attacked.”
“My father died alongside yours. My mother was torn apart by elves that were looking for somebody to blame for that attack. There was a dark elf. She had come out of the castle to try and find me, to protect me.”
“The people that had so loved our fathers stripped me of my title and property because of what my mother was. The only thing that kept them from killing me was their love of my father and the respect for his memory. So I was banished instead. For eight years I wandered from town to town, learning the only skills I could pick up from the street urchins. I learned the art of concealment and silence. Then, one day, fortune smiled upon me.”
"I came to this town far in the east. There, a guardsman took me in and got me a job. I was well-liked at the tavern where I was given employment, and the guardsman was held in high esteem,” She paused for a moment as tears began to leak from her eyes again. The memory was obviously painful. "One night it all came crashing down around me. The guardsman came home drunk. Up to this night, he had never touched me, but this night he attacked me, beating me to the brink of death.”
"He would have probably killed me had I not somehow managed to get the knife from where it had fallen from his belt. As I defended myself, the guardsman ended up dead.
"I knew I had to flee. When the townspeople heard what had happened I would have most likely been killed without any kind of a trial. You see, the guardsman had learned what my mother had been, and most likely told the people of the town.”
"So I ran. I ran from the only happiness I had known since before my parents had been killed. I started using the skills that I had learned to survive. I then learned to use them for profit. I was a naturally skilled assassin, and quickly became known as the best. I dropped my first name and began to be known only by my surname, Nightshade. For three years I have committed murder for other people.”
"A few weeks ago I was approached by a strange dark man about a job. I was to track down and murder a young elf and his human companion. It took me a long time to find them. When I did, the young man was already in a life and death struggle from which he should not have survived, but he did. It was at that point that I found out that the elf I was to murder was none other than the son of Paron Elloy. I couldn't do it, for reasons that I will not go into at this time.”
"So I joined you instead. The rest of the story you know except for the fact that Narissa befriended me and we came to trust each other in ways that I have never be
en able to trust anyone else,” She paused a moment to try and regain her composure, but it was out of reach. So she continued.
"I misjudged the safety we would have last night. When the faeries came, I was able to persuade them to offer you protection, but they wanted my life to atone for nature's laws that had been broken. Narissa must have awakened while I was talking to the Faerie Queen. She invoked an ancient law that is known to few. She took my place, so the faeries took her to punish her for my crimes.”
Shaunna couldn't continue. The shame of the situation threatened to suffocate her.
As Taren knelt next to her, his face wore a look of gentleness. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her close to him.
"I know that must have been difficult to tell, but it explains many of the questions that have been on my mind since you joined the party. I do not blame you for the cruel cards dealt you by fate,” As he spoke she nuzzled deeper into his embrace. "I trust you, Cyan vouched for you before he died. That was enough for me.”
Taren looked at the vulnerable form of Shaunna enfolded by his arms. He had not seen her like this before. Is this what she meant when she had said she was scared in his room the other night? Or was there something else? She hadn't told him everything, a fact that she freely admitted, but he thought she had her reasons.
He held her like that for a long time. The sun had set and the double moons had taken dominance of the sky, one full and one half, before he suggested they get some sleep. They laid their bedrolls next to each other; she said that she felt safer when he was near to her. It had cost her much to tell her life story to him.
With every word she uttered, her fear that he would turn away from her increased. What she had not expected was for him to comfort her. She felt as though she could have died a happy woman at the exact moment that she felt the warmth of Taren's arms engulfing her.
His words drove the fear away from her more effectively than anything else could have. He had said he didn't blame her. What about this man that made him so understanding? Two members of his party had been sent by the enemy to kill him, but he had overcome that fact and had welcomed them with open arms.
Master's Mind: The Dagger of Dragon Rose: Book 1 Page 17
