Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (18 page)

His eyes tightened, though I couldn’t tell
if it was from humor or frustration. “If we could get the Luminos,
Nathos, and Duskies to trust each other on a ship, that is.”

I shrugged. “They trust each other
here.”

He smiled. “Not much of a choice, is
there?”

“
Then they should just get
over themselves and realize their best chance of survival is to
work together.” I regretted the words as soon as they left my
mouth, but several chuckles sounded. I turned to see the rest of
the King’s party gathered around us.

“
You are a little spitfire,
aren’t you?” the King asked, his eyes kind.

I blushed and dropped my gaze. “I guess I
don’t see the point of this war.”

He laughed again, surprising me. “Is there
ever a point to war except to prove to ourselves that we are the
strongest?” His words turned slightly bitter. “If we don’t make a
change quickly, we’re going to have some serious problems.”

“
That’s where I come in,” I
ventured. I looked up to see him studying me. “They would fight for
you. They hold their families and homes just as precious as the
Luminos and Nathos. They should have a chance to defend
themselves.”

He leaned against a thick
table with clawed feet, his green cloak flowing from his shoulders.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You say
they
instead of
we
.”

I looked away. “I’m not from here. I don’t
exactly fit in.”

He was silent for so long that I finally
looked up. I was surprised to see how quickly his strength and that
of his guard was fading. More time must have passed then I thought.
“I don’t think they would fight for me,” he said, but before my
heart could fall, he continued, “But they would fight for you.”

I stared at him. “B-but I don’t know
anything about leadership or war. I’m just a-“

“
Just a Duskie from Firen
Caves who saved my son’s life on more than one occasion fighting
against worse odds than we have here,” the King
finished.

I couldn’t think of a response.

He gave me a kind, weary smile. “Let’s
discuss this in the morning. We should still be here by morning,
right Commander?”

The older man I had talked to about the
Sathen nodded. “Commander Thursten sent word this morning that his
troops were well matched against the Lysus Nathos. If they don’t
gain any ground, at least they’ll hold their own.”

The King nodded. “Reconvene tomorrow at
first light with the results.”

The soldiers saluted and left the room. The
King followed them, then stopped at the door and looked back at me.
“I trust you’ve found your rooms sufficient.”

“
More than sufficient,” I
said, surprised at his sudden concern.

He gave a small smile. “My son cares about
you, much to his mother’s dismay.”

I nodded. “I was summoned to her this
morning.”

His eyes softened as though he knew how the
conversation had gone. “Have patience. You’ll win her over
yet.”

I shook my head. “I’m not so sure.”

He smiled. “If you were as defiant with her
as you are about the battlefield, I can imagine you had quite the
conversation.” He sighed. “Midissa loves her son very much; we both
do. She just wants what’s best for him.”

I lowered my eyes. “A Duskie isn’t what’s
best for him.”

He waited for me to look up, then gave a
smile that was so like his son’s I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Axon knows what’s best for himself, and I trust him to make the
right decision. Midissa will do the same; she just needs time to
get used to the idea.” He gave me a fatherly smile, his lips
pressed tight in concern. “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t
you?”

Tears prickled my eyes and I blinked them
away, not trusting myself to speak.

Understanding reflected in his eyes. “Axon
was right to bring you here; you are more than welcome.”

I swallowed. “Thank you, Sir King.”

He gave a small smile. “Please call me
Adexo. Axon is careful with whom he allows close. If he's dropped
formality with you, then I do the same out of respect for you both.
I have a feeling we’ll be working closely together these next few
days.”

I nodded again and he departed, leaving me
more confused and overwhelmed than I had been when the day started.
I made my way slowly to my room and found a tray of warm peppered
meat, white cheeses, a fruity drink, and several types of bread and
spreads waiting on a table next to my bed. I pushed the worries of
the day to the back of my mind and concentrated on filling my very
empty stomach.

Lying in bed that night I couldn't help the
tears that came to my eyes when I thought of Axon's men who should
have been at the castle instead of me. Dathien with his jutting
front teeth and warm smile, his wife and baby girl somewhere in
this city, Jatha, the youngest, who was quick with a shy smile and
was a handy assistant to Staden, the calm, collected doctor who
seemed to view the entire group as his sons to be watched over. The
thought of Marken's desert crabs and cooking, and Rasa's generosity
with the food after I saved them brought tears to my eyes; the
memory of Dyloth's song on the pan pipes made my chest so tight I
could barely breathe.

I could only whisper their names and
remember how wonderful they had been. I was certain Axon had a
funeral planned, but I wasn't sure if I would be welcome to it. I
didn't want to put any additional stress on their families. I just
hoped they had their own warm memories to hold onto. I vowed after
the war was over to make sure their families were well cared
for.

I fell asleep and dreamed that I was
fighting the Lysus soldiers. The battle was thick and bloody. We
held our own, but barely. When I turned to see who was fighting
with me, it was Axon's men, but in my dream they were Duskies
instead of Luminos.

Chapter 20

“
Our Duskie Commander has
arrived,” King Adexo announced when I entered the war room at first
light the next morning.

Axon turned and when he saw I was the one
his father referred to, his eyes widened and he shook his head.
“Not Nexa, she can’t-“

“
She can, and she will,”
his father cut him off with a firm hand gesture. “You know far
better than the rest of us what she’s capable of, and by your
account of her exploits, she’s more than qualified for the
position.”

“
But Father!” Axon stared
at me helplessly and raised his eyebrows as if to ask me if I knew
what I was getting into.

I gave him a small smile, hoping it was more
confident than I felt. King Adexo motioned to a seat at the end of
the table and a servant hurried forward to pull it back for me. I
sat down and tried to pretend that having someone’s assistance with
a chair, as well as sitting at a table of war commanders, was a
common occurrence.

“
It’s alright, Axon,” the
King continued. “I’ll see to it that she’s kept out of harm’s way.
But she’s right that having the Duskies fighting alongside us would
turn the tide of battle. Are you willing to let our people pay for
our reluctance to trust the Duskies?”

Axon grimaced and shook his head. “No, but
neither are the Duskies ready to fight. They haven’t been
trained.”

The King glanced back at me and my heart
raced. I took a calming breath. “It won’t matter. We’ll attack at
dusk when they’ll be at their weakest. It should give us enough
advantage to cause some serious damage and perhaps make King Ragen
second-guess his decision to attack.”

The Commander with the light gold eyes from
the evening before cleared his throat. King Adexo gave him
clearance to speak with a nod. “My King, my Prince, Commander
Thursten sent word that though the troops held their own through
the night, they were unable to make any headway in pushing the
Lysus back to their ships. He agreed that having the Duskies fight
beside us would be a valuable asset.”

Axon looked from the Commander back to his
father. “You already put this before the Nathos Commander?”

King Adexo nodded. “I needed to make sure we
were all on the same page. None of us want this battle to go on any
longer than it already has. It’s on our own docks and streets, and
I want it over with as soon as possible. Nexa has given us the
opportunity to do just that. But I knew that if you were told of
Nexa’s involvement before speaking with her in person, you would be
against the idea.”

“
I’m still against the
idea,” Axon said. “It was a rough journey getting here, she had a
hard life before that, and she deserves a break.”

I met his eyes, willing him to understand.
“Axon, I’m the one that came to your father with the idea, not the
other way around. I want to help.”

“
And I want you alive,”
Axon shot back, then he seemed to remember we weren’t alone. He
looked at the Commander. “Commander Jashen, isn’t there someone
else who can lead the Duskies?”

The Commander shook his head and looked
truly regretful. “I apologize, but there is not. Unfortunately, our
relationship with the Duskies has been a working one at best. There
is no one who has worked alongside Luminos in battle other than
Nexa. The fact that she saved your life at the risk of her own on
multiple occasions shows that we can trust her.” His voice
softened. “Not to mention your own relationship.”

Axon’s eyes sparked. “We’ll keep off that
topic, Commander.”

His vehemence surprised me and I turned
away, wondering if he truly was having second thoughts like his
mother implied. I met the King’s eyes. He gave me an understanding
smile and mouthed something that looked like ‘young love’.

I blushed and looked down. Silence fell over
the war room and a guard by the door coughed. I took a deep breath
and looked at Axon again. “I don’t want you to fight alone.”

He smiled at that, surprise in his eyes.
“I’m hardly alone. There are thousands of troops out there.”

I nodded. “Exactly. I’ll be fine, especially
adding another thousand Duskies to the battle. You don’t have to
worry.”

His eyes narrowed when he realized I had
trapped him with his own answer, then he sighed. “Fine; you’re
right. Let’s finish this war.”

Commander Jashen clapped twice and a map was
unfurled on the table. “Nexa, Commander Thursten was busy last
night. He’s had the Duskies gather at the market square in order to
listen to you.” He glanced at the King. “He’s not one to wait
around when a plan is presented.”

King Adexo nodded with a rueful smile. “A
valuable asset, when not a hasty one. In this instance it proves
timely. Commander, please escort the Duskies to the gathering court
so they can be addressed.”

The Commander’s eyebrows lifted and I
realized inviting the Duskies onto the castle grounds was something
they had never done before. My respect for the King rose higher.
Commander Jashen nodded. “As you wish, my King.” He turned back to
me. “This will be up to you, Nexa. The Duskies have never fought
before; they don’t trust us more than just as business relations,
and they have never followed a single leader. The odds are stacked
against you, so if you don’t come out on top, don’t be too hard on
yourself.”

King Adexo met his Commander's gaze frankly.
“Is this how you inspire confidence?”

Commander Jashen shrugged. “I just don’t
want her expectations to be too high. These people are difficult in
the best of times.”

I bristled at the comment, then saw the
poorly concealed humor on Axon’s face. I fought back a laugh when I
realized the Commander’s tactic was just a ruse to provoke me into
trying my hardest to prove him wrong. I vowed to do just that.

There wasn’t time to talk to Axon after the
meeting. I was taken immediately into an armory and given a curved
sword, a round shield, a silver helmet with leather that hung down
over my ears and the back of my neck, and leather armor with a
silver breastplate emblazoned in gold with the rising sun of
Lumini. I twirled the sword slowly and my heart ached at the memory
of Dathien handing me a similar sword in the desert. With
everything that had happened, I hadn’t even had a chance to
properly mourn the Luminos who were killed on the ship.

Dathien with his steady pace and unfailing
strength as he carried me across the desert, Staden and Jatha's
steady hands as they tended to our wounds, Marken, Rasa, and
Dyloth’s fierce courage against the Sathen; they were the first
friends I had ever had. They had risked their lives to save mine
and I, theirs. I kept telling myself in the back of my mind that
they were still here, fighting in the battle beside Axon like they
had done in the desert. I couldn’t accept that they were gone.

I shook my head and gripped the sword
tighter. I would fight for them and save their families. It was the
least I could do.

Commander Jashen met me at the entrance to
the armory. “Does your armor meet your needs, Commander?”

I frowned at the title, and was tempted to
ask for a spear instead of the sword, but I slid it into the ring
on my belt and nodded. “Yes, thank you.” I followed him up several
sets of stairs and down a curved hallway to a set of double doors
that were opened to reveal Axon and King Adexo standing on a
balcony in full battle attire; the murmur of hundreds of people
down below in the courtyard sounded like the drone of angry bees. I
hesitated, then took off my armor and set it near the doors,
leaving only the curved sword in the metal ring from Dathien.
Commander Jashen gave me a curious look. “A little too flashy if
I’m supposed to ask them to trust me,” I explained, my heart
thundering in my chest.