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“That stopped when I arrived.” His voice was as hard as his clenched fists. I knew that he wouldn’t allow the same to happen again.
I turned back toward the young Shade. I pulled softly where her braid was caught in a piece of rope. “I’m going to remove your gag now,” I whispered. “I need younotto scream.”
She nodded again.
I pulled out one rag and another behind it. Complete overkill on the part of her captor, though I assume that was the point. Collin had wanted some retribution before he killed her too.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
The Shade shifted her jaw up and down in stiff jolts before she answered. “Alys.” The word was raw and labored.
“And your partner’s?” I asked as gently as I could.
“Elinar.”
“Why did you and Elinar attack the Halflings?” My eyes darted back to Collin, whose arms were crossed along his chest, raising with each heavy breath.
“He was speaking ill of you,” Alys answered.
My eyes widened. “Ofme?”
She nodded. “He said it was stupid to believe anything the Blade said... That they shouldn’t trust someone who spent her life killing her own kin.” Her eyes dropped down to the ground.
I placed a gentle finger under her chin and lifted her gaze back to mine. “What else did he say?”
“That you were luring them all to their deaths. And that if they were smart, they should kill you in your sleep.” She sliced Collin with her eyes and spat in his direction. I was tempted to smile at her guile, but a wave of dread burrowed into my chest so hard that each breath left my lungs raw.
“So you attacked because he was going to kill me?” My eye twinged where hers was bruised. She was hurt because of her devotion to me, and I hadn’t even known her name. My hands were iron fists, clenched so tightly that I dented the skin of my palm. I didn’t care. It was nothing compared to Alys’s wounds or Elinar’s fate.
“We assumed you must be in the midst of some plan to lure the Shadow out of hiding. He was threatening that plan. Elinar—” Alys broke off as tears poured down her face. I reached out to Nikolai knowing he would have a handkerchief. He passed me a small square of silk without saying a word.
After a moment, Alys started again. “Elinar and I were in the woods to bathe and pick some burning leaves for a healing ointment. The group appeared on the trail, and we hid to surveil them. But we’d only brought two weapons between us. It was not enough to disarm them.”
I closed my eyes, trying to keep my face neutral. It was against protocol for Shades to travel anywhere with so little to protect them, but Alys was young. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had graduated with the last group of initiates. With only two years on, she hadn’t seen enough of the world to grow wary at every turn.
And now she would never get the chance.
I pulled out a small case from the inner pocket of my tunic. Inside were seven glass darts filled with a flaming red liquid. One spot was empty from the sleeping draught I’d used in Aralinth. I pulled one out and pinched the tiny vial between my fingers.
“You’re safe now,” I murmured, bringing the dart against Alys’s arm. Her brows furrowed. Her eyes widened even further, dancing back and forth between my hand and my face. I grazed her cheek with my thumb. “Shh... This will help you sleep. I won’t hurt you and you won’t feel any more pain.”
It was all I could offer her.
When her breaths settled, I raised my hand to her arm again.
“Okay,” she said. I pushed the dart against the sleeve of her tunic until it pricked her skin. Within seconds her body slumped against my shoulder. The dart would keep her unconscious for most of the day.
But she wouldn’t live that long.
I lowered Alys’s unconscious body to the ground, careful to make sure that nothing pressed too hard against her swollen cheek or bloodied ribs. A loose strand of hair covered her face, I tucked it behind her ear. Despite the bruising, she looked peaceful and even younger in her sleep. Long lashes framed her unlined eyes and tickled the soft freckles along her nose.
The handkerchief she had used to wipe away her tears was still clutched between her fingers. I pulled it free and tossed it into the fire. Someone behind me gasped, but I didn’t have the patience to argue with Nikolai over fine silks. There were matters to be discussed.
“Where is Elinar’s body?” I asked Riven, standing to my full height. His dark eyes were studying the unconscious Shade at my feet. I could see the thoughts swirling behind his furrowed brow.
“She was left by the creek,” Riven said in a low rasp. His eyes were locked on Alys’s face.
“Send two of your best to retrieve her. If they touch her with anything other than the gentlest of hands, I will slit their throats.” His violet gaze shifted to me for the briefest moment before he nodded to two Halflings dressed in green cloaks.
