Sands of Aggar: Amazons of Aggar Book 3 (16 page)

Rox stood slowly, grief turned to a deadly, quiet rage. Calder chuckled low and dark as he leaned forward against the bars of Rox’s cell. He was nothing more than a shadow, Rox would never have been able to make out his features if it wasn’t for her night vision.

Rox walked toward him, slow and predatory, stopping just out of arm’s reach. “Are you happy, Calder? Is this what you wanted?”

“It’s a start.”

“I won’t cry in front of you again.”

“Good. I was afraid losing your contract would break you. I want to be the one to break you.”

“If you touch me I’ll–”

“What?” Calder pressed tighter against the bars, “You have nothing. No one to protect you. A few gold coins and you’re mine. You think anyone else will bid on you? A wild, damaged, willful mother past her prime? You will be mine. You have nothing.”

“You’re making a very dangerous assumption, Calder. You think having nothing makes me weak but it’s the opposite. I have nothing else to lose. And I warn you – I’m at my most deadly when I’m desperate and you know it. It’s why you don’t have the courage to face me without metal bars between us.”

“Then perhaps I’ll have to use the rest of my coin on your daughter.”

Rox’s hand shot out on instinct, grabbing Calder by the throat and slamming his head into the bars between them. He fell back a step and grabbed his head, laughing hard and loud. Rox sucked in a deep breath at the insanity of the sound. “I’m so glad this turn of events hasn’t broken you. It’s a pleasure I wanted for myself.”

“Touch my daughter and I’ll kill you.”

“I would very much like to see you try.”

Rox charged forward, reaching out to grab him. She slammed her fists against the bars, snarling and throwing her weight into her reach as if she could move the wall with nothing but the strength of her will. Without hesitation, Calder retaliated, drawing a knife and stabbing it through Rox’s hand.

Rox screamed as the blade split through her skin, the blade hitting the bars so hard sparks flew. Calder removed the blade and Rox crashed backward, scrambling away from the wall. She trembled with pain and shock as she examined the hole in her hand, blood sliding down her arm and pooling at her feet. She could taste bile in the back of her throat.

Rox voice was shaken and soft. “The Twins said…”

Calder rose, still holding his knife, wet with Rox’s blood. “The Twins have given me permission to defend myself. I can’t kill you. I can’t damage you in any way that appears voluntary. But I can strike back when you attack.”

Rox’s hand began to shake, her muscles rebelling against her injury, her body too weak from stress and illness to process the wound properly. “I could get an infection,” Rox grunted. “What then?”

“Then I’ll happily pay for you post-mortem. You’re nothing but a small payout to the Twins now. Killing you in self defense will earn me a small slap on the wrist.”

Fisk crept forward, crouched low, worried about his human and angry at Calder. Rox raised one hand, her face defiant. She wouldn’t let Calder realize she wasn’t alone. She couldn’t lose her beloved pet as well as her daughter.

“Then it’s just the two of us.”

“It always has been, Rox.”

“Then come in here. I’m wounded. Sick. Unarmed. You might stand a chance.”

Calder chuckled again, wiping his blade on his shirt. “There’s no rush. We’ll meet again without bars, without rules or regulations. Then this will end.”

Rox held her hand close to her chest, the wound burning, her head starting to spin from the pain. “I’ll kill you.”

“The desperate words of a wounded animal. Growl and snarl all you like. Before the year’s out you’ll be groveling at my feet.”

Rox curled her knees to the chest, sitting as far from Calder as possible, clenching her jaw to remain silent. A deep loneliness settled over her like fog, paralyzing her.

“No one can save you, Rox. Not even yourself. Give up now.”

Jacquin leaned back against Adrian’s shoulder as she sipped at a bowl of warm broth, her hands finally steady enough to hold the bowl on her own.

Adrian smiled and kissed her cheek. “You’re healthier every day.”

Jacquin took another long sip of the broth and smiled gently. She would never tire of hearing Adrian’s voice. “We’re getting closer to Rox.”

The door to the wagon stood open, the cool dawn air drifting into the main cabin. The horses whinnied softly as they grazed, tethered to nearby trees.

“This pocket of woods is a brilliant hiding place. How did you know it was here?”

Jacquin set the broth aside and turned, wrapping her arms around Adrian’s waist and resting her head on her chest. She was slowly regaining her senses, but her strength still hadn’t returned. Just sitting up, even with Adrian for support, was exhausting.

Jacquin stared out the door at the twisting, ancient silverpines. She’d never seen a forest before, only imagined what they were like when she read old stories from the north. The stories didn’t do them justice. She’d never seen anything more alive. “The Purge wasn’t the first time the Amazons were hunted. Back when the Amazons were still a presence on Aggar, they established Shea holes. Hidden camps tucked away across the planet where hunted Amazons could hide for a time. The stocks are dust now, but anyone who has studied the old records knows what to look for. There are a number pocketing the Great Forest.”

Adrian ran her fingers through Jacquin’s hair. “We have to leave the wagon here. The paths are becoming too steep, too treacherous.”

Jacquin could tell Adrian wasn’t being completely honest. There were major merchant routes that would take them safely through the forest to the Core. Adrian tensed beneath her as she sensed Jacquin’s thoughts and Jacquin laughed, tipping her head up to kiss Adrian’s neck. “Your Blue Sight abilities grow stronger the closer we get to Rox, too.”

Adrian blushed lightly. “It’s a strange sensation.”

“It’s who you are.”

Adrian looked up at the ceiling and sighed softly. “I’m not trying to hide from you, Jacquin. I’m trying to protect you.”

“I think we’re beyond that.”

Jacquin held her tighter. “We’re not. I have a lot of enemies. Powerful people who could do a lot worse than a band of raiders.”

Jacquin pushed away from Adrian just enough to draw her attention. “If they really want to hurt you, everyone you care about is a target, no matter what they know. And I fear it’s rather obvious that you care about me.”

Adrian chuckled and kissed her, the embrace tender and gentle, her lips soft against Jacquin’s mouth. “I’m still worried about you.”

“Then tell me what you can. Tell me what may affect our journey.”

“I am… known in the Core. My illusion spells won’t always work and if I’m recognized, I’ll be killed on sight. We have to enter stealthily. The merchant routes are watched. We have to cut through the forest by horse, cross the river Ma’naur and work our way into the Core on our own.”

Jacquin chewed her lower lip, deep in thought. “Will we need a guide?”

Adrian shifted uncomfortably and Jacquin could tell the question had angled too close to Adrian’s truth for comfort. “No. We won’t need a guide. I know the way.”

Jacquin took her hand. “I promise not to ask any questions.”

Adrian kissed her forehead in thanks. “The real question is if you’re strong enough to travel. You’ll grow stronger the closer we get to the Core, but that won’t mean anything if you fall ill from riding outside.”

“Can I ride with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll be sure I’m strong enough.”

Adrian nodded slowly. She knew they had no choice. Jacquin wouldn’t continue getting better unless they were traveling closer to Rox. “Alright. We can leave the wagon here. It’ll be safe. We can return for it later. We’ll take the horses, one for each of us.”

Jacquin nodded and fought to come to a kneeling position. Her stomach turned once and her head spun, but she held herself upright. “Let’s go.”

Adrian tethered the Oasis cart horses to a nearby tree. “We aren’t far from the Ma’naur. About an hour on horseback. I know a ferryman who can take us to the Core discreetly, but then we have to be more careful.” Adrian ran back to join Jacquin on Dread. She leapt up onto the saddle wrapping an arm around Jacquin’s waist and grabbing Dread’s reigns with the other. “You stayed up on your own.”

Jacquin smiled and leaned back against her lover. “I almost feel like myself again. The color has returned to your cheeks, too Adrian.”

“Rox is very near. We just have to find her.” Adrian clicked her heels and Dread rode forward. “The Circle stays in the military barracks in the main castle, but if Rox is seen as independent she may be staying in town.”

Jacquin shifted, her body aching from riding for so long. “How will we find her?”

Adrian sucked in an uncomfortable breath. “I have… allies in the city. Allies who can give us information and hide us for a time. Still, we’ll have a day, possibly two, to find her and convince her to leave with us. Anyone harboring us for long is putting themselves at risk. The Twins have eyes everywhere and a violent sense of revenge.”

Jacquin tensed, remembering the way the Twins had treated Rox in her visions. She hadn’t told Adrian what she knew of Rox’s involvement in the Circle. She never revealed the information she learned in her visions without permission. “What if they target Rox?”

Adrian’s grip around her waist tightened. “Do you have any reason to believe they would?”

“No.”

An awkward silence fell between them, each realizing the other held secrets they didn’t want to share. Finally, Adrian spoke. “If they turn on her, she’d be in the prisons or the slave yards.”

Jacquin shuddered. “Perhaps we should travel faster.”

Jacquin and Adrian stood along the banks of the Ma’naur, more than a league up river from the main ferry crossing. The banks were crusted with ice, only the rapidly flowing water kept the river from freezing over as well. Jacquin trembled, hugging close the fur cloak Adrian had purchased for her in a small town at the base of the mountains. She shifted uncomfortably, her legs aching from finally being able to stand on her own, her body nearly numb from the frigid cold.

She missed the desert. The clouds hung low and heavy, closing in on Jacquin like the lid of a box. She missed the sun, the heat, the sand of her home. Only Adrian’s presence kept her from being completely miserable.

Adrian knelt along the bank, her fingers in the water, small streams of pale blue light spreading from her hands out into the river like tiny snakes. Adrian sighed and stood, wrapping an arm around Jacquin’s shoulders. “Gavin will see my call soon. We have to give him some time.”

Jacquin shivered again, her jaw tight and aching. “I never knew I could be so cold. Not even winter nights in Oasis are like this.”

Adrian chuckled and kissed her cheek. “That’s how I felt my first few nights in the desert. I never knew I could be that warm. I admit I prefer the cold.”

Jacquin smiled mischievously. “We must be highly incompatible.”

Adrian turned her, pulling her close, pressing tight against her until Jacquin could feel every line of her body even through her fur cloak. “Yes. Totally incompatible.” She kissed Jacquin gently, warming Jacquin from the inside out. “I’m so happy you’re walking again. That you came back to me.”

“Thank you for saving me. I couldn’t find my way on my own.”

“I think that makes us a bit more compatible than our taste in weather.”

They kissed again, Adrian guiding Jacquin back against a black pine, her mouth finding its way down Jacquin’s throat and chest. Jacquin arched her head to the side, making the lines of her body easier for Adrian to reach, when she spotted a forest green light float back on the water, riding the waves like a trail of slime in a swamp.

Jacquin grabbed Adrian’s shoulder, nudging her away. “Adrian! Look!”

Adrian turned and smiled as she ran back to the shore and touched the trail of light. It instantly disappeared beneath her hand. “It’s Gavin. He’s on his way.”

Adrian raced away from the shore into the forest to check Dread, whom she’d tethered to a tree.

“Are we taking him with us?” Jacquin inquired as Adrian returned.

Adrian shook her head. “Not now that you can walk on your own. The main town of the Core is a maze of waterways. Dread would never be able to get around unseen. When we get Rox, we’ll have Gavin take us back here and we’ll take Dread back to the cart horses.”

The boat slid against the bank, the ferryman using his pole to drag the boat closer, his thick biceps taut beneath his heavy wool shirt. Gavin leapt to shore, his tall leather boots crunching against the rocks, his dark cloak billowing with the motion. He brushed a lock of ebony hair from his eyes as it fell out of the tie at the nape of his neck.

Gavin pulled Adrian into a tight hug, nearly lifting her off her feet in his burly embrace. “It’s so good to see you again, Adrian.”

Adrian hugged her friend tight, slapping his back as she pulled away. “I’m glad you’re still willing to ferry rogues and scoundrels into the Core.”

Gavin brushed her compliment aside. “I’m not brave enough to join the Exiles, but I’ll help their cause as long as I can.”

Adrian turned to Jacquin. “This is my friend, Jacquin.”

Gavin shared a knowing look with Adrian and scooped Jacquin into his arms, squeezing her hard, his beard brushing against her neck. “It’s good to meet you, Jacquin!”

Adrian ran to her friend and touched his arm. “Gavin! Please. She’s been sick.”

Jacquin laughed. “It’s alright. I feel fine.”

Gavin released her gently, his eyes apologetic. “Forgive me, it’s just been years since Adrian traveled with anyone, let alone a beautiful woman.”

Adrian blushed lightly. “Gavin, a friend of ours is in the Core. We need to get her out.”

“Do you need me to deliver a message?”

Adrian hesitated. “I think we’re going to need to see her in person. Negotiating might prove difficult.”

“Where is she?”

“She works with the Circle.”

Gavin’s eyebrows rose in shock. “You want to infiltrate the Circle? You?”

“I know it sounds insane.”

“It sounds like suicide.”

Jacquin raised a brow at Adrian and Adrian pulled Gavin aside, stepping far enough away that Jacquin could barely hear her. “I’ll be fine. I need to get in and out, that’s all. She may not even be in the Circle’s barracks.”

“Then you need to get to the inner-city Exiles.”

“Yes. Ariana will know who I’m looking for.”

Gavin shifted uncomfortably and glanced back at Jacquin. “How much does she know?”

“Not much, and I want to keep it that way.”

“You want to bring her into the world of the Grey Exiles without knowing where she is?”

“She’s from the desert, Gavin. She barely knows about the Twins. The less involved she stays, the safer she’ll be.”

“Then why is she here?”

Adrian’s eyes narrowed into a fierce glare. “Just get me to Ariana.”

Gavin grunted disapprovingly, but he nodded. He turned back to Jacquin and waved her forward. “Come on. I have a stack of empty crates you can hide in.”

Adrian and Jacquin loaded their supplies into an empty crate and climbed into crates of their own. Jacquin held her legs close to her chest, resting her head against the wooden wall. The distinct smell of fish and tar was nearly overwhelming. Gavin dragged an oiled skin over the crates, hiding Jacquin and Adrian from view before pushing off back into the river.

The ferry swayed back and forth as they moved through the river. The motion made Jacquin’s stomach turn. She’d never been on a boat before, and she quickly decided she didn’t like it. She’d thought the desert was unstable, but she’d take sudden sandstorms over ice and the rolling rivers any day.

After nearly an hour of traveling, the boat began to slow, sliding over stone as well as water at they entered the waterways of the Core. The boat slid to a stop and the sound of boots on wood echoed through the crate wall.

Jacquin tensed, but when the guard spoke he sounded more bored than threatening. “Hunting again, Gavin?”

“Yeah, just getting a bit of rabbit for the missus. Her cravings have become chaos with this child.”

“Third child now, yeah?”

Gavin’s voice was calm and familiar, without a hint of nervousness. Jacquin wondered how long Gavin had been smuggling people into the Core to remain so calm with the guards. “Yeah. Midwife says it’s another boy.”

“You must be proud! Three boys in a row.”

“Tell you the truth, after the chaos of the first two we were hoping for a girl.”

“Well, maybe the midwife got it wrong.”

Gavin laughed. “We can only hope. See you and the wife for dinner next week?”

“Sounds good. Have a good day, Gavin.”

The boat pushed off again and moved slowly through town before pulling to a stop again. Gavin pulled back the tarp and beckoned Jacquin and Adrian out of the crates, a finger to his lips. They had pulled to a stop beneath a tall porch built like a dock over the waterway. A trapdoor was open above them, a rope ladder hanging down.

Adrian pointed Jacquin toward the trap door and Jacquin scaled the ladder, Adrian close behind. They climbed into a small, dark pantry. Adrian pulled the ladder up and closed the door behind them, walked to the door and knocked four times. The door opened and a willowy, elderly woman with long silver hair guided them into her home.

“Adrian!” the woman exclaimed, pulling Adrian into a tight hug. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

Adrian pulled away with a smile. “Aw, you know I always intended to come back.”

“Yes, but I’m an old woman.”

“You’ll outlive us all.”

Jacquin looked around Ariana’s home in awe. The plank wooden walls were lined with charms and spells, scrawled on paper, the walls, embedded in talismans and spell bags. The only furniture in the room was a cot, a small fireplace, a stove and a massive table covered with notes, messages, a large map and series of scrying crystals.