Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (11 page)

“
You will be responsible if
something happens to her,” King Ragen replied in a voice laced with
boredom. “But accusing the monarchy of murder is
treason.”

A humorless laugh followed. “It's nice to be
Queen,” she said, her words coated with poison. “And it's not like
I didn't warn her.”

“
It's not like you really
care,” the King pointed out.

She continued talking about the seamstress,
the dresses the duchesses wore, and flaws in the food and the
servants' service. The King gave vague answers and it was obvious
he had heard it all before. Axon and I eventually sat on the dusty
floor and leaned against the wall, the Queen's caustic voice zoning
into the background like the hum of night insects while we waited
for a shred of anything pertaining to the betrothal
negotiations.

The beam of light from the spy hole made a
circle about as big around as my finger on the wall across from us.
I studied the dust motes that spun in briefly in the light only to
vanish when they passed back into darkness. Something touched my
fingers and I looked down to see Axon’s hand close around mine, an
innocent gesture that made my heart race. I shut my eyes and
focused on the way the heat from his hand trailed up my arm. I
wished we could stay like that forever, something unspoken between
us and safe in the darkness I had lived in throughout my life. The
brief moment of safety and familiarity eased years of loneliness
from my heart.

After what felt like an eternity, a door
slid open across thick carpet and soft footsteps entered the room
behind us.

“
Your dress was
unflattering around the hips,” the Queen said without
preamble.

“
I'll talk to the
Seamstress about it,” Princess Tiseria said in a neutral
tone.

“
If she's around,” the
Queen replied, her voice sharp with satisfaction.

“
I’m glad that you had a
nice time,” King Ragen said in a curt tone as though his wife
hadn't spoken.

“
Nice time?” Princess
Tiseria replied shrilly. “Prince Axon barely looked at
me.”

“
Even to pick up your
napkin?” the Queen replied in a cool voice.

Princess Tiseria paused, then rushed on. “I
don’t see why it matters; it’s not like this marriage is going to
take place anyway.”

Axon rose to his knees and peered through
the hole. My hand felt empty without his; I rose beside him in an
effort to forget his touch.

“
He doesn’t know that,” the
Queen said. “And it’s important that he continues to be oblivious.
That is your job, your only job. Do you think you can handle it,
Princess?” She said the last sentence with heavy, hurtful sarcasm.
I wondered what the Princess’ face looked like now.

“
I can handle it, Mother,”
she snapped back. The venom in the young woman’s voice surprised
me.

“
Two more days, that’s all
we need to ensure we take Adexo’s castle by surprise,” King Ragen
said with a satisfied humph.

Axon stiffened and his knuckles turned white
on the wooden beam beside the spy hole. He turned away and I slid
the wooden board back to cover the opening. I rushed to catch up to
him and caught his arm before he tripped over anything.

“
They’re attacking Lumini,”
he said with barely contained rage.

“
They were using
you?”

He nodded and gritted his teeth. “How could
I be so stupid? Ragen doesn’t want peace. He lives for battle. I
just hoped-“ He shook his head again and tripped on a beam but
righted himself before I could help. “I’ve got to get back
there.”

“
You won’t be in time,” I
pointed out.

He clenched his jaw and walked faster, but
tripped again. He finally stepped aside so I could lead the way and
we moved at a quicker pace. “I’ll send a pigeon, a dozen of them.
If I warn Father, he could still have time to defend the
empire.”

We reached the tiny door and Axon barreled
through it. The corner of the door caught on the cloak at his
throat and jerked him back. He ripped it from his neck with an
angry growl and pushed out of the closet.

Axon's men jumped to attention, embarrassed
expressions on their faces as though they had been dozing off.

Axon ignored them, his teeth gritted and an
expression on his face like he wanted to hit someone. Dathien read
the look and his eyes widened. “What happened?” he demanded while I
was still climbing from the closet.

“
They’re attacking Lumini
in two days. We’ve got to leave tonight.”

White swept through the gray faces around
me. The looks that were exchanged told of loved ones back home.
“What do we do, my Prince?” Marken asked.

“
Get us a ship, any ship
that can take us to Lumini quickly. I want to be at sea before
dusk,” Axon ordered. Marken bowed and turned to leave, but Axon’s
voice stopped him. “We have to take care that the people of Lysus
don’t know we’re leaving, so give the captain all he asks in return
for his silence.”

Axon turned to Dathien. “I need a dozen
pigeons from Lumini.”

“
You’re going to send a
warning?” the big Luminos asked.

Axon nodded. “Let’s just pray it gets there
in time. We’ll release the pigeons ourselves when we get to the
boat. I don’t want to risk someone reading the letters before they
go out.”

Dathien bowed and left the room with
gigantic, league-eating strides.

Axon turned to the others. “We need supplies
for the trip, horses to reach the boat, and people we can trust to
carry out the loading.”

Dyloth nodded. “I have contacts here, my
Prince. It will be done.” He left with Rasa and Staden.

“
Raid our rooms,” Axon
ordered Jatha. “I have no qualms about taking anything we might
need on our trip. Pack clothing, weapons, and any other necessary
supplies.” The soldier bowed and disappeared from my room, leaving
us alone.

Axon leaned against one of the couches, his
face still pale. He buried his head in his hands so that his white
blond hair fell over them. I stepped closer, but didn’t know what
to say. He took a deep breath, then lowered his hands and
straightened up. The moment of weakness was gone.

He looked at me, his expression serious.
“You're welcome to come with us or stay here and make a life for
yourself.” He pulled a purse from his pocket and held it out to me.
When I didn’t take it, he set it on the arm of the couch. “There’s
enough gold for you to buy a house and live comfortably for the
rest of your life.”

I couldn't explain why my heart fell, or how
my chest constricted at the thought of being left alone in Lysus.
He was giving me the freedom I desired with every breath I had ever
taken, with every glance at the dried leaf, and every time I gazed
across the desert, hoping one day to see the lands beyond its sandy
reaches. He was given me the chance to live my own life without
someone telling me what to do every moment of every day. But now
that it was there in front of me, tied up in a little leather bag,
I didn't want it. The chaos of the last few days crowded my mind,
and for it to suddenly be over felt unreal, like awakening from a
dream.

Axon studied the bag for a minute with a
slight frown, then his piercing blue eyes softened. He closed the
distance between us, took my hands, and looked intently into my
eyes. My heart skipped an unwilling beat at the frankness of his
gaze. “Nexa, there’s no way to thank you for what you’ve done. You
saved our lives in the desert and now revealed that my country is
under attack. I don’t want to leave like this, but too many lives
are in danger. Come with us or stay, whatever your heart tells you
to do. You will be well cared for in any case.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

I was saved a reply when Dathien entered the
room again. “The horses are ready, a ship is being supplied, and
our passage will be covered. We are ready when you are, my
Prince.”

Axon threw him a surprised look. “That was
fast.”

Dathien smiled. “Never underestimate the
influence of a Prince.” He paused. “And what a few extra pieces of
gold can accomplish.”

Axon nodded and turned back to me. “Thank
you, Nexa. I hope we see you again.” There was a strange tone to
his voice that I didn’t recognize. He kissed the back of one of my
hands, then turned and left my room before I could respond.

Dathien gave me a calculating look. “Is that
little door to the passage shut?” At my nod, he smiled. “Never know
when it might come in handy. Better keep it a secret.” He motioned
for me to follow him to my closet. “You’ll want to pack up whether
you’re coming with us or not.”

I watched him open the closet door. “None of
that’s mine. I shouldn’t take it.”

Dathien clicked his tongue. “Nexa, these
people are attacking our country even while they house us in their
castle under false pretenses. I think Prince Axon will take it as a
personal insult if you don’t at least make a slight dent in some of
these clothes.”

He tossed the first dark blue dress on the
bed followed by more dresses in peach, rose red, deep green, and an
elegant black dress that was sewn with beautiful black jewels that
caught the light of the sun setting outside my window. He grabbed a
couple more pairs of pants and two shirts, one maroon and the other
black, gathered some under clothes, then pulled out a shoulder bag
and began to stuff them unceremoniously inside. I pictured the
seamstress shrieking at the thought of her dresses being treated so
poorly and stifled a laugh.

“
There you go,” Dathien
said. “Now you’ve got the right spirit.”

He went to the mirror and packed a soft
horsehair brush and a small hand mirror with a beautifully wrought
silver handle.

“
Dathien-“ I protested, but
he held up a hand. He shoved them both into the pack and tied it
shut.

“
There, everything a young
woman needs to woo any man for miles around.” He glanced at the
expression on my face and the big smile he had plastered on fell.
He sighed. “The truth is, Nexa, I wish you were going with us, but
I know how dangerous it’s going to be. You’ve been through so much
and it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to face more. We’re heading into
certain war with an uncertain outcome. For all we know, our
families and Lumini Castle will be burned to the ground before we
reach land.” I heard the pain in his voice and tried to listen to
reason. “If I were you, I would stay here until things blow over.
Keep a low profile in case King Raden starts a search, but I think
he’ll assume you went with us when he finds out about the stolen
ship.”

My eyebrows rose. “I thought you found a
captain willing to take you.”

“
Oh, he’s willing,
alright,” Dathien replied with a jutting smile. “It just needs to
look like he took us unwillingly or he’ll never be welcome in port
here again.”

He tossed in the money from the couch. I
sighed and took the bag from him. “You don’t miss much, do you?” I
asked with a wry smile.

“
Not when it comes to
Prince Axon,” he answered with a smile gentler than one I had seen
from him before.

“
You really care about him,
don’t you?”

He nodded. “I was an outcast in my city
growing up if you can imagine,” he said with a gesture to indicate
his size. “Axon made me a soldier and gave me something to live
for.” He gave a proud smile. “I have a wife and a beautiful baby
girl waiting for me back home.”

“
Then why did you come
here?” I asked.

A spark lit Dathien’s eyes. “To stop a war
so that my daughter can grow up in safety.” The spark deepened.
“Too bad it didn’t work out that way.”

Darkness chased across his face and I
touched his arm. “They’ll be alright. If Axon’s father is anything
like his son, he’ll protect them.”

Dathien nodded, then without warning swept
me up in a tight hug. He set me down just as fast and a slight
blush colored his gray cheeks. “Sorry, I just- thank you for
everything, for saving us, for showing us that something good can
come from somewhere as terrible as the Caves, and for watching over
Axon.” He saw my surprised look and grinned. “He’s a good guy, even
if he is a Prince.” He turned and left the room with a bow as
formal as the one he had given Axon earlier.

Chapter 13

I stared at the door for several minutes,
the bag in my arms and the soft white carpet under my feet,
surrounded by luxury and comfort the likes of which I could never
before have imagined, let alone pictured myself in. I pushed the
door open to the great hall and sighed softly at the lack of my
Luminos friends.

The thought that they were my friends made
me pause. Despite the strange conditions and trials we had gone
through, or perhaps because of them, I knew I could trust Axon’s
men and Axon himself. They were the first friends I had ever had,
and they had given as much to me as I had to them. And I was about
to let them cross the ocean into danger without me.

I threw the bag over my shoulder and ran out
the door. Fortunately, it was growing close to dusk and most of the
Luminos at the castle were busy preparing for nightfall. My rushed
exit barely turned the heads of a few Luminos servants. I ran out a
side door and made my way to the stables by following the smell. A
young Luminos stable hand petted the nose of a chestnut mare with a
black mane and tail in the yard. Our eyes met and he stared at me
in surprise. I ducked my head and moved to pass him when he held
out a hand.

“
Are you Nexa?” I stared at
him and he took that for my answer. “The big soldier with the
Prince asked me to hold this horse for you.”