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Looking into his green eyes, it was suddenly hard for me to form the right words. I was mad at myself for allowing myself to care about what he thought of me. But I did care. At least, I wanted him to know I didn’t hate what he was. I needed him to know that I wasn’t one of them.
“Let’s go. The sun will be up soon.” I turned away from him, heading the way we came without looking back, letting the herbs smolder to ash behind me.
We left the altar room, heading down another corridor, this one mostly intact. In a small alcove that housed only an old wooden desk and an empty bookshelf, I shoved aside a dusty old rug, revealing a trap door. Remus tugged it open, revealing a set of wooden stairs descending into darkness.
I took the lead, taking the stairs one at a time, feeling them out for creaks and cracks. Remus pulled the trap door closed after him, shrouding us in blackness. The smell of smoke filtered through the air, and when I reached the very bottom, I spied a flickering light up ahead and headed for it.
We came to a cavernous room lit with candlelight, about fifty or so cloaked figures occupying various seats salvaged from the temple ruins. Black netting shrouded each of my Raven’s faces, making sure that they were not only discreet in public but also anonymous to each other. Not a single person used their real name in this place; to do so would be a death sentence. Save for me. Keeping a low profile in my position as the King’s poisons master was hard, so I didn’t bother covering myself.
The low murmuring of voices quieted down as I stopped at the head of the room. Remus remained by the doorway, eyes scanning the hooded figures. I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do once we got back to the castle. I was placing an awful lot of trust in him, letting him witness a meeting with my infamous Ravens. But I had news, and he needed to hear it too.
“I have orders from the King, and I’ll be away for some time. For how long, I don’t know, and where is not yours to know.”
Some of my Ravens shifted on their feet, their heads moving as if glancing at one another. Remus looked at me too, with confusion in his narrowed eyes.
“It might be days or months, but I’ll send word. In the meantime, I need eyes on the King at all times. Who is he speaking with? Who comes and goes from the castle? Nothing will be overlooked. A Raven has been killed, and I want to know who is responsible.”
Now there was murmuring amongst them, a nervous hum through the room. I watched them all carefully. Every Raven in the room was vetted by me carefully. They might not know one another, but I knew them. None of them would betray me, and I was confident I could rely on their information.
Remus was frowning at me, probably wondering when I’d planned on telling him about my summons from the King. I’d received the letter this morning, signed and sealed by his highness, ordering me to travel to Nexus, his enemy’s kingdom beyond the river and forests to the south. Normally I gritted my teeth at such orders when I had plenty of work to do here in Avedin, but this time, I welcomed them.
I met with each of my Ravens. Debriefing was tedious, but necessary. There had been sightings of strangers in Avedin over the last few weeks, turning up in taverns and inns. I had to know it all. Every sordid detail.
We stayed until the sun was high in the sky. I questioned their whereabouts the night of my Raven’s failed mission, not because I suspected any of them of wrongdoing but because I needed to know who they saw, where they were, and what was said. They had their eyes and ears open at all times. There wasn’t a single event or gossip in Avedin that I was not privy to. It would be up to them to run this city while I was away.
Rijjat
There were whispers of outsiders in the city. It was easy to spot them in the crowds of colorful silks, jewels, and finery. Nexus, otherwise known as the ‘kingdom of plenty,’ was lush and wealthy beyond comprehension, and it was my home. I knew every face, every name, and every story. So who were these strangers skulking about my streets in the night?
I followed from above, traveling by rooftop as the unfamiliar man hurried through the night market. His face was lit by the torches lining the cobbled streets, bouncing off jewels hanging from the vendor’s carts and wagons. The air smelled like roasting meats and spices, laughter and music filling the night even at this late hour. Nexus rarely slept. There was always something to taste, do, or see.
The stranger paused, staring straight ahead, eyes locked on a pair of fire dancers performing for a crowd of children. Flames flickered from their fingertips, the air around them buzzing with the Source. The man was entranced. I didn’t blame him; the fire dancers were certainly enchanting in their long, colorful dresses made of gossamer and silk, their shiny hair braided through with glass beads and ribbons. Fire danced in their eyes and crackled over their skin. Magic was alive in Nexus.
He remained in one spot, further confirming my suspicions that he didn’t belong here. Nexus was one of the very last kingdoms in the realm where the Source was not outlawed. King Animus had managed to conquer everything from the seas to the East, to the mountains in the North, forcing kings to bow at his feet and fight for him if he ever called upon them. Only a few outliers remained, and Nexus was the strongest of them all.
The man managed to pull his eyes away from the fire dancers, hurrying through the crowded street towards the edge of the city. His dark cloak was pulled up to cover most of his face, but I could see his shifting eyes bouncing off every strange shadow and alleyway. I followed him, my feet carrying me over the edge of rooftops, landing lightly as I rolled, bracing myself on a clothesline before landing in the middle of an empty alcove. The direction the stranger was heading in would lead him to dead end after dead end, eventually bringing him to this very spot.
I waited, leaning casually against the dirty wall, crossing my feet at the ankles. Sure enough, he rounded the corner, and now that I was on his level, I could see that he was clutching something beneath his cloak. He didn’t see me right away. Not until it was far too late. I stepped out of the shadows, making him stop in his tracks and freeze.
I grinned at the stranger, sauntering towards him slowly. “Well, well, aren’t we a sneaky lad.” Clicking my tongue as I neared, I took my time sizing him up. Now that I was closer, I could tell whoever this man was, he was less of a man and more of a…boy. A young boy, possibly no older than seventeen.
If he ran, I would catch him, and he knew that. I followed as he backed up. Step after step, I kept pace with him. He looked left and then right, panic flashing through his dark brown eyes.
“Sir, let me pass,” he said in a choked plea. He even sounded young. I almost felt bad for scaring him, but I needed to know what mischief he was up to in my city before I let him go on his way.
“Who isme?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “Doesmehave a name?”
“I do not.” The boy straightened his shoulders, trying to make himself appear larger than he was, but even as he rose up as far as he could, he still only came up to my shoulders.
I tapped my chin as I neared him, watching as he shoved the item further into his cloak. “Now thatisstrange. A boy without a name. However do you manage it?” I stuck out my hand, and he flinched as if I were about to strike him. I made a come hither motion with my fingers. “Give it here, boy.” His eyes darted over my shoulder as if contemplating making a run for it. I sighed, feeling a warm tingle travel down the length of my arm, letting the Source flow through me, leaking out of my fingertips in the form of dark purple hued smoke. “Don’t make me ask you again.”
His eyes were wide, staring at my magic like it was a coiled snake about to sink its fangs into his soft skin. “She’ll kill me…” he whispered, dread lacing every word.
I stepped closer. “Who will kill you?”
“I cannot say—”
“Can’t or won't?” I snapped, already beginning to lose my patience. “Give it here, and I promise to give it right back.” My word was my bond, and I meant what I said. I would let him live tonight, as long as he promised to leave Nexus before the sun rose, but not without leaving me with information. “You’re testing my patience, lad.”
