Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1) (5 page)

She kicked her legs hard as she moved in the direction of a massive jade rock sunken in the water near the bank on the other side. As the warm liquid massaged her skin, her thoughts reeled with the unpleasant possibilities of what she might soon encounter. How could she feel unsafe here, in the place that was her own? Without a sword, she was vulnerable and exposed to danger, to a threat that was never supposed to be.

She carried only a small dagger strapped to her thigh—a gift from Solomon on the day of their first lesson and something she made sure she was never without. She knew nothing of treasure, but this was hers. Patting its sheath, she made sure it wouldn’t fall loose in the waters. If she didn’t reach the safety of the rock soon, she’d have no other choice but to resurface and face the danger.

Maybe she could convince the illusion she’d created to disappear, to go back to where it came from? No use. Her mind continued to suit up for battle. Struggling for air, her lungs started to tighten and her muscles tensed, begging her to breathe. Just when she felt likely to drown, her hands grasped the giant rock, and the rest of her body came to rest on the smoothed sides. Arianna pushed upward with her legs and surfaced.

She inhaled the cool air in a gasp that filled her shrunken lungs with much needed oxygen, and it flowed back out of her body in a long exhalation. As the air left her lips, she let out a sigh of relief, clasping her hand around her mouth all too late. Did it go unnoticed? She prayed so, less the monster of her imagination really lurked ahead.

In silence, she listened to her surroundings. Nothing. No sound but for the firebugs glued to the walls. What she thought she saw, just moments before, had vanished. She closed her eyes, relaxing a bit.
It’s nothing
.

Moving around the stone to the shallow part of the water, she rested her feet on the muddy bottom. “The dark does play tricks,” she said as she went to exit the waters.

“Indeed it does.” The words startled Arianna so much that she slipped backwards into the lake, stirring the mud all around her. Pulling her dagger from its sheath, she waved it in all directions, targeting the unknown voice. It felt too light in her palm, but she knew that its sharp blade proved a lethal threat to anyone who found it in their back. This she knew reassuringly well.

Its blade sparkled like tiny black diamonds in coal, and a bright blue metal inspired from the sea and the sky in a tangled battle formed the hilt. Traces of deep violets and greens laced the blue as an elaborate outline of a winged beast or god (to which, she was unsure) made up the guard. Finally, a large black jewel encircling a slither of bright yellow, like a captured lightning bolt, completed the pommel.

“Who are you? Show yourself at once,” cried Arianna, tightening her grasp on her weapon. The firebugs occupying the stone took flight in a cloud of golden light that momentarily disarmed her, scared her. For the first time, she felt her life to be in true danger. Of course, she engaged in many battles over the years but always during practice, and every time she had been prepared. This was different. This was real, and she had no idea what to expect.

“But I’m not hidden. You simply can’t see me because you’re not looking right,” said the voice with a delicate laugh. It belonged to a girl. This revelation did not ease her mind or body in the least.
Who is this ghost?

Arianna turned in circles, trying to locate the source of the voice, but she saw no one.

“Still haven’t figured it out?” said the girl.

As soon as the girl spoke, Arianna let her dagger fly through the air towards the sound. She heard a loud splash in the water where it landed.

“Well that was a wise decision.” The ghost girl snickered.

“Face me, you coward!” Arianna turned in circles.

“You’re the one acting out of fear. Your startled heart has lost you your knife.” Arianna struggled to keep a hold on her temper.

“Enough games,” she said. “Come out from the shadows, and I’ll show you my heart!” Arianna threw her arms out wide in challenge, her impatience at an end.

“If you wish,” replied the voice, softer and more threatening than before.

Arianna lunged past the boulder to meet her opponent. Her movement stirred the mud even more, clouding the pool. Again, she found nothing. Splashing her hands in the water, she searched blindly for the dagger until she felt her fingers slip on the cold steel of the hilt. Grasping for it, she pulled it up from the springs.

“Too late,” said the honeyed voice that haunted the cavern. “Let the water claim your weapon, or I’ll claim your life. I offer no other choices.” Arianna could feel the glare of eyes on her back.

This girl… or ghost, whatever it claimed to be, had cornered her. Arianna stood stunned, waylaid by a voice. Nonetheless, Master Bell taught her well in all areas of battle, of conflict, so she pulled a piece of his advice from her mind.

Never bargain with your life. It’s always an unwise gamble if in fact the right hand leaves you lucky and the left leaves you dead.

Remembering Solomon’s words, she could now see the wisdom in what was once just a hypothetical situation. For all she knew, this ghost girl could have a sword an inch from her back. On the other hand, she could be playing tricks. Arianna wanted the truth of the matter before she gave up her dagger, her dignity, but her master had warned against it.

If it’s your weapon or your life, choose your life. Maybe then, you’ll live to fight another day.

In a slow gesture of forfeit, the black-stoned blade sank back to the floor of the springs, and Arianna raised her hands above her head as she did so often when defeated during duels. “Yield.” Such a sour tasting word.

“Turn around.” Arianna’s face flushed at the command, her fear replaced with pure animosity towards this cowardly ghost as she turned to face the opponent who claimed victory without a fight.

Arianna was stunned when she laid eyes on the girl behind the voice. Ghost? Sword? Not in the least, but still, a dagger would have done her little good here anyhow, assuming this girl was quick with a bow. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the sharp point of a long arrow, and the archer behind the bow surprised her just as much.

Arianna surveyed a girl who stood at about the same height as she, maybe an inch taller. Lean muscles tensed as her opposer tightened her pull on the arrow. She seemed well trained with her weapon.

Long arms held the bow and arrow steady at Arianna’s waist. She pulled the string back with her elbow extended at exactly eye-level, with perfect form. Arianna didn’t know much about wielding a bow, but she knew enough. This mystery girl had a sharp aim.

In the Warrior’s District, the law required slaves to learn and accomplish the basic skill-level for at least three weapons. Arianna chose archery as one of her three but never took it past the early stages. She left the bow to practice the mastery of her swords, like most of the slaves did. People teased archers during their training. Some said they would never need to show up for battle since they could fight from a high ground or in the safety of the trees.

Either way, Arianna found herself without bow, without sword, and without dagger… no battle to be fought. If she made one wrong move, she would end up with an arrow in her belly. As miserable as life proved day in and day out, she refused to let hers end in the depths of the mountains.

“I said I yield, ghost,” said Arianna in an icy voice. Her body slumped in defeat, and she narrowed her eyes in contempt as a last resort scare tactic.

“Very well.” She eased her stance and lowered the weapon. “But if you try for your dagger again, I will release my arrow.” 

“And if it missed my heart and fell to the water to lie with my dagger, then where would we be?” She stared ahead in defiance, rivaling with undisciplined arrogance. The girl glared back with large, pastel blues which stood out bright against her porcelain skin.

“I never miss a target.” Of course she didn’t.

She seemed so delicate though… with cherry-colored cheeks and straight, sun-yellow hair sweeping just past her shoulders. The several untreated bruises up and down her legs and stomach may have also proved her theory, if not for the bow and arrow attached to her arm.

“So, now what?” asked Arianna. She began to fidget, her arms still raised.

“Now, we talk.” The mystery girl lowered her bow a bit. “Tell me no lies. Who are you, and how did you find this place?”

“I should ask you the same thing.” She took a slight step forward. “How did you evade my sight so easily?”

The girl stiffened, aiming her arrow just inches from Arianna’s heart. “I think I’ll be asking the questions here… if that’s okay with you?” Arianna stopped dead in her tracks.

“Mind if put my hands down at least?”

“Fine by me.” She nodded, her expression still wary.

Arianna rested her tired arms at her side and began to answer the questions. “My name is Arianna Belvedor. I’m a slave from the Warrior’s Distri—”

“A slave of the Jar?” The girl’s face lit up as Arianna’s words caught on her tongue. “How did you find these caves?” she asked.

“Well, that’s somewhat of a long story,” said Arianna. She hated being questioned like a child by someone who could not be much older than herself. 

“Give me the short version. I don’t have much time. Does anyone else know of this place?”

“No, but then again, I thought it was my own secret. Now I see I was mistaken.” Arianna sighed, gesturing to the girl with a wave of her hand. “I found these caves when I was young, and I’ve been coming here since my ninth year,” she added.

“Well, it’s no wonder that we’ve never crossed paths.” She nodded to herself, understanding something Arianna did not.

“What do you mean?”

The girl cocked her head to the side. “Have you never ventured the tunnels that line the walls here?”

“No, just the one that leads me back to where I come from. I never have enough time to
venture
.”

“Well, I’ve gone many times. I even mapped some of them out so that I wouldn’t get lost. There’s quite a lot hidden down here, but I’ve never found a way out…” said the girl.

Arianna perked up, all ears now.

“Don’t you realize?” said the girl, noticing Arianna’s dumbfounded expression. “We’re in an unmarked part of the Vanishing Tunnels!” Her face glowed at the affirmation.

Arianna always suspected this, but she never proved the theory as curfew always prevented her from exploring. Maybe naivety poisoned her mind before, but now the magnitude of her betrayal of the law scared her more than ever. She knew that entering the Vanishing Tunnels was a declaration of an escape attempt from the city. If anyone found out, she would face the death penalty, the Pit.

The ghost girl lowered her guard and began moving away towards the bank. “Wait!” said Arianna, wading after her. “Who are you? I have a right to know.”

The girl ran her fingers through her hair. “My name is Lessa… Lessa Thur,” she said as she yanked on a long, blue-hooded robe. Arianna saw just a tiny bit of fur lining and a number embroidered at the shoulder in silver. She recognized those robes. She owned the exact same in red.

“You’re a slave too, aren’t you? I knew it!” she said, pointing her finger. Her mouth hung open at the dangerous confirmation.
Rule Number One: All slaves are forbidden to interact with those from another district.
Of course, no one paid much attention to this rule. It was unimaginable, given that no one could ever escape the Four Corners, let alone their districts. But now…

“Yes,” Lessa said, inching back towards the tunnels.

Arianna’s mind reeled with questions as she pulled on her own clothes and robes. She wanted to know everything in an instant. How did she find these caves, and what was her district like? What year did she claim? Before Arianna could even form a question on her lips, Lessa disappeared into the blackness of the tunnels.

“Wait! Come back!” Arianna’s pleas were lost as she ran after her. Half a dozen tunnels opened on this side of the springs, and Lessa vanished into one… but which?

She leaned against the stone wall, shaking her head, unsure.
Was that real?
Awestruck by the events, she felt a myriad of emotions play around her head, struggling to comprehend them. With her back against the stone, her body began to vibrate with the walls of the cave. They felt alive.

She placed her hand and her ear to the wall, waiting again for the sensation. After a minute, the long vibrations shook her once more. Her expression fell, and her heart started racing alongside her mind. “Oh no, the bell!” she said, pushing her body off the wall. She only had eight minutes left.

With all that had happened, she let curfew slip her attention. She needed to be in her quarters by the tenth ring or… She gulped.
Let’s not think about or
. Tying the belt of her cloak tight around her waist, she donned her boots and dashed to the other side of the hot springs towards the entrance of her district.

That was two.
Dirt and tiny pebbles fell free from the ceiling of the caves with the vibrations of her timer. She pushed her legs faster.
Three
. The firebugs started to buzz in uproar from the disturbance as she tried to fight gravity with her feet.

Four
. Rasped breaths strained her lungs. The weight of her robes and wet clothes slowed her down.
Five
. She could see the exit up ahead, the vibrations stronger now. The faint light of the city spilled through the cracks in the loose rock.
Six.
She slid the stone door to the side and slipped out unnoticed.
Seven
. The vibrations shifted to a sound that echoed through her ears in a low hum as the bell slowly sang.
Three more minutes to go.
She never stopped running. Her lungs burned from the chalky air, hair clinging to her face and clothes dripping with sweat and water.

Eight, almost there now
. Others raced around the city in all directions, all with the same goal. She lost her footing as a boy collided into her, tumbling through the snow and scraping her knees and palms on the icy ground.