AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We traveled as a group of three, blending in with the other merchants, even though we did garner some strange looks from the merchants who had obviously never seen us before. Nobody asked any questions. I kept my eyes on a swivel, taking stock of my surroundings and trying my best to memorize every building and alleyway. There was a fair chance that we might need to make a quick escape, so it was always better to be prepared for the worst.
This task still didn’t sit well with me. The King was too paranoid for his own good, always worried that the world was out to get him. He had it in his head that King Basilius was lying in wait, preparing his magic users for an attack on Avedin, when in reality, that was probably some kind of paranoid delusion.
Perhaps this truth potion would clear up this mess, but I doubted it. Animus was a stubborn man, and if his pride was wounded, I wouldn’t put it past him to launch a preemptive attack just to save face.
The market was already crowded as we pushed our way through throngs of brightly dressed, happy looking people. You’d never see this in Avedin. Our streets were dreary and silent, and the markets were dirty with wilting crops and beggars lining the streets. Nexus appeared to be thriving.
“We’re being watched,” Remus murmured, looking straight ahead.
“I know,” I replied, barely moving my mouth. I’d felt the presence of eyes watching us from afar as we continued through the markets, slipping further into Nexus towards the castle. “The rooftops. One man.”
I felt Caldor stiffen on my other side and knew he was probably aching to reach for his weapon. Smartly, he kept his gait casual, pretending to look around, enjoying the sights.
“We need to split up,” he suggested, and I glanced at him with a frown. Splitting up was a stupid idea. We needed to get in and out of this city and leave before the city guard spotted us. Caldor met my eyes. “If we’re being followed, he’d have to make a choice. We can meet at the gates of the castle.”
I couldn’t fault him for his logic, but I still thought it was a bad idea to split up. Before I had the chance to agree with his plan, a low, lilting voice from the shadows of a nearby alleyway stopped us dead in our tracks.
“Well, if it isn't the infamous X, gracing our city streets with her presence at last.”
Caldor reached for his dagger immediately, but I stopped him, laying a hand on his forearm. Our eyes met again as he stiffened. I shook my head. If he pulled a weapon in the streets, it would garner too much attention, and we still couldn’t afford that.
I peered into the shadows as a tall, handsome man stepped forth. His skin was the color of sand after the rains, and his brown hair reached his shoulders, pulled back halfway, leaving loose strands around his face. Shrewd dark eyes narrowed at the three of us, and his lips that were shrouded by a coating of facial hair smirked at having caught us off guard.
Looking around to make sure we weren't being watched elsewhere, I took several slow steps toward the man, keeping my face neutral and bland.
“Have we met, sir?” I asked conversationally. He’d called me X, which meant he already knew much more than I was comfortable with.
His grin grew wider. “Oh, I’m no sir, and you’re no lady, so why don’t we avoid these tiresome pleasantries and agree to have a chat somewhere with less prying eyes and ears.” He extended his arm as if he wanted me to take it and allow him to lead me into the darkness.
Caldor and Remus immediately moved as if to block my way, Caldor with his hand on his dagger and Remus relying on brute strength. “What do you take us for?” Caldor asked the man. “Why would we follow you when you haven’t told us who you are and what you want from us?”
The man kept his arm extended and bent for me to take, waiting patiently. “My name is Rijjat, if that eases your mind some, but I’m afraid the business I have with X isn’t a conversation for the market square. There are eyes and ears all over these streets, don’t let the pretty trinkets and music fool you.”
I considered my options. I could follow this man and find out for myself what business he claimed to have with me, or I could ignore his request, and he would just continue to stalk us through the streets. I knew if that were to happen, we’d no longer have anonymity, and this man could easily alert the guard to our presence. If we were found out, the mission would be over.
“We’ll come with you on one condition,” I said, and both of my companions turned to face me, frowns marring their handsome faces. Ignored them, focusing on the Rijjat. He nodded curtly. “Answer me truthfully because I’ll know if you’re lying. Do you mean to lure us away and kill us?” My question was as blunt as I could put it, but I had a knack for seeing the truth behind someone’s eyes, and if he lied to me, I would sense it.
He was silent for a moment, and my question hung between us. His dark eyes were full of mysteries that I suddenly had the yearning to uncover. Who was the stranger? How had he known we were in his city so quickly? Unless he’d been expecting us. A pit opened in my stomach, and suspicion bloomed. My mind went back to my Ravens, one dead and one missing, reported just before we left the city. Perhaps this man had something to do with that. If so, he wouldn’t be alive to see the next sunset.
Rijjat approached me, and the men on either side of me stiffened, but to my surprise they didn’t attempt to step between us. I would have taken it as the utmost disrespect. As he came closer, I began to notice that his face was marred with slashes of slivery scars, but it didn’t detract from how handsome he was.
We were only a few paces apart now. Close enough that I could see the flecks of amber in his dark eyes. “I swear on the old gods that I mean you no harm while you reside in my city.”
Our eyes were fixed, unblinking as the words fell from his sharp tongue. He spoke them with clarity and truth. I could feel it emanating from him, a certain sense of sincerity you didn’t often find in many people. As much as I didn’t want to follow this man and be deterred from completing my mission, now that he had my attention, I was going to see it through until I had some answers.
“Lead the way then,” I said, raising a single brow.
His lips quirked again, and his eyes sparkled with what I could only describe as excited mischief. “I knew you’d see it my way,” he said almost smugly, looping his arm with mine as if he were some kind of gentleman and not a street rat, probably a thief or a hired sword.
Caldor and Remus grumbled at my back as Rijjat led us towards the alleyway, but I knew they would be on my heels with their weapons ready for whatever this man had in store for us.
We were deep into the shadows between buildings when he spoke again. “You know, you’re a lot more beautiful than your sneaky little Raven made you out to be.”
I froze, my blood icing over as I stopped dead, grinding Rijjat to a halt. His words and not so hidden meaning bounced around in my head. My Raven… The Raven that never returned back to me. I moved swiftly and had Rijjat pinned up against the wall with a dagger blade to his throat. Caldor had pulled his blade too, and Remus was now on my other side, ready to attack if I only said the word.
Remus pulled a vial from his own pouch and smashed it on the ground. A black fog began to surround us, smelling sweet but blinding any passersby to our presence in the alleyway. We were shrouded in darkness as I pressed in closer to Rijjat.
“What have you done with my Raven?” My words were clipped and low, filled with simmering rage that I refused to let loose until I knew where my Raven was.
