《The Dawn's Blood》


 Part 1: Prologue

    The heavy footsteps and the jangle of chainmail echoing down the stone hallway roused J¡¯arrin from his fitful sleep. He looked up, trying to determine the time, but there were, of course, no windows underground. And really, it didn¡¯t matter, he could be called upon to work at any time. He took a deep breath, and immediately regretted it as the foul odour of mouldy straw filled his nostrils. Coughing, J¡¯arrin sat up on his cot, seeking fresh air. He reached down and fumbled along the stone floor until his fingers found his cane. Pulling it onto his lap, he prepared to stand and greet his visitors. The wooden door creaked open on its rusty hinges and two guards shoved a young woman into the room ahead of them. Her shackles clanged on the stone as she fell to her knees. Ignoring the guards for the moment, J¡¯arrin leaned closer and studied the newcomer¡¯s face. She seemed confused and disoriented, as if she wasn¡¯t really clear on what was happening to her. That was absurd, of course, it wasn¡¯t like she had just been dragged here off of the street. The scar on her shoulder, peeking just above the collar of her simple grey tunic, showed that she had already been implanted with the security disc. Her clothes were all embossed with the Lady¡¯s insignia. These things had taken time, preparation. J¡¯arrin looked up at the guards. Had one of them struck her on the way here? J¡¯arrin made a mental note to check her for head injuries once they were gone.


    ¡°Hey!¡± C¡¯arren interrupted his examination.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± J¡¯arrin replied meekly.


    C¡¯arren was not one to be trifled with.


    ¡°Got you a whelp for training,¡± he grabbed the woman¡¯s short, mouse-brown hair and pulled her head up. Her grey eyes squinted at him in the dim light, as if looking for answers. ¡°This one was a special acquisition. Watch her careful and make sure she don¡¯t get into no trouble. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir. What are her duties to be, sir?¡±


    ¡°Lady hasn¡¯t decided, just figure something out,¡± C¡¯arren snapped.


    Releasing the girl, he turned to his partner,


    ¡°Give me the key to the cuffs so we can go, B¡¯yern. I don¡¯t want to spend all day in this festering, Void-cursed hole.¡±


    His companion retrieved the key with an exaggerated eye roll. Even the other guards got sick of C¡¯arren¡¯s shit sometimes. C¡¯arren grabbed the girl by the wrists and dragged her roughly to her feet. He unlocked the shackles, and they fell to the stone floor with a metallic clatter. The girl still didn¡¯t react; her eyes were fixed on the floor, silent and distant. J¡¯arrin was just moving forward to examine her more closely, when he felt his cane yanked away. His weak leg gave out and he collapsed to the stone floor.


    ¡°You don¡¯t move in my presence, unless you are ordered,¡± C¡¯arren loomed over him, cruel smile on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. I forgot myself, sir,¡± he curled inward, bracing himself.


    ¡°Perhaps this will remind you.¡±


    J¡¯arrin closed his eyes, but the blow didn¡¯t come. He opened his eyes again to see C¡¯arren doubled over, blood gushing from his nose like a fountain. The new slave was looking down at her own bloodied fist, seemingly as surprised as anyone about what had just happened. C¡¯arren recovered first and backhanded her in the face, knocking her to the ground. He would have done more, but B¡¯yern grabbed his shoulder,


    ¡°The Lady told you to leave this one alone, C¡¯arren. She¡¯s off limits. We¡¯ll both catch shit for this.¡±


    ¡°It would be worth it,¡± he snarled.


    ¡°Not for me it wouldn¡¯t. Let¡¯s go. You can come back on your own time if it means that much to you.¡±


    Reluctantly, C¡¯arren allowed himself to be led from the room. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving J¡¯arrin alone with his new charge. With a trembling hand, he groped for his cane and pushed himself back to his feet. He hobbled over to her fallen form, noting the steady rise and fall of her chest and the trickle of blood oozing from her split lip. As he reached her, she opened her eyes, blinking up at him.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she finally spoke.


    J¡¯arrin couldn¡¯t help but laugh,


    ¡°Am I alright? What in the Void were you thinking? You hit a guard! Why would you even think to do something like that?¡±


    ¡°He was going to hurt you,¡± she pushed herself to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth.


    ¡°Of course he was. It¡¯s what they do. It isn¡¯t our place to question.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± she furrowed her brow.


    ¡°You must be new to this.¡±


    She shook her head,


    ¡°No. I was born a slave.¡±


    J¡¯arrin raised an eyebrow, that seemed very unlikely, but he didn¡¯t press the matter. People were sold into slavery for many reasons, in Esrasea, and it was generally considered impolite to ask too many questions about why. If she didn¡¯t want to talk about it, it wasn¡¯t really his place to insist. But he still suspected that he would need to be thorough in his instructions.


    ¡°Well, your previous master must have been¡­ more forbearing than the Lady and her staff. In future, just remember to stay out of their way. Especially C¡¯arren¡¯s. He will hurt you, simply because he enjoys it. Don¡¯t give him an excuse.¡±


    She nodded but didn¡¯t seem happy about it. Although, who would be? Still, J¡¯arrin made a mental note to reinforce the point later. It would save her a lot of pain to learn it from him, instead of from them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll consider that your first lesson, then.¡±


    ¡°Lesson?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I am J¡¯arrin,¡± he offered his hand. ¡°I will be instructing you in the ways of the house. Allow me to welcome you to the estate of T¡¯emlin and Avrinly Carayan.¡±


    She took his hand,


    ¡°Jade.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you. If you are feeling well enough, I can show you the grounds.¡±


    Jade nodded and offered him her arm to lean on. He was surprised by the kind gesture, but he took it anyway and guided her to the stairs.


    The sun was peering over the horizon as they reached the main hall. Sunlight streamed in through the stained glass above the entrance, casting splinters of color over the floor. J¡¯arrin blinked, eyes adjusting to the first natural light he had seen in days. Jade held out her hand, playing it through the light, the purples and blues streaking her skin. J¡¯arrin took her hand and pulled her closer, angling her head towards the ground as a guard passed them.


    ¡°Keep your eyes down when the guards or the Masters pass. It is never appropriate for you to look them in the face.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you are property. And they demand it.¡±


    Jade frowned,


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    J¡¯arrin guided her through the main house, instructing her on the places she would need to recognize to navigate.


    ¡°The most important thing for you to know,¡± he explained, ¡°is that you are to remain in the corridors that I show you, on the main floor and in basement. Do not stray from these areas. And never go to the upper floor of the manor.¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t we need access to those areas to clean, serve meals, tend to the family?¡±


    ¡°There are some of us that perform those duties, but even they are only allowed in those areas during specific hours. The lord and lady value their privacy and it is as much as your life is worth to be caught where you do not belong. Until you are more familiar with the house and the routines, do not wander off, and ask me if you are unsure of how to get somewhere.¡±


    J¡¯arrin paused to open a heavy door,


    ¡°So, may I ask what your duties were for your previous Master?¡±


    Jade shrugged,


    ¡°Nothing unusual. Very ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Care to be more specific?¡±


    She frowned,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is my job to find you a place in the household staff. It will be easier if you give me some idea of your skills and experience.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really think of any skills that would be helpful. It wasn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t do much, really.¡±


    J¡¯arrin sighed, trying to keep the irritation from bleeding into his voice.


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for new staff to give him a hard time. Small acts of rebellion were often the only power available to them. J¡¯arrin had long ago given up on taking offense. He studied her closely, trying to discern what her ¡®ordinary¡¯ tasks had been. It was often possible; burn scars from the cooking, calluses from cleaning, sun weathered skin from outdoor tasks. But he saw nothing. She was¡­ ordinary. Utterly, almost remarkably ordinary, as contradictory as that sounded. No real notable features at all. Lost in his thoughts, J¡¯arrin didn¡¯t notice that they were in front of the kitchen until the smell of roasting meat intruded on his reverie. He paused, licking his lips, he glanced at Jade. It was as good a place to start as any, the kitchen always needed someone for something. And they might need someone to sample the dinner preparations.


    ¡°Can you cook?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she shrugged.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s introduce you to the Chef. He can assess your skills for himself.¡±


    Jade nodded hesitantly and followed him through the door into the hot, smoky interior.


    J¡¯arrin savored the scraps of crispy duck skin that had been left behind on the platter, crunching it with his teeth, letting the fat coat his palate. It was too rich for him, really, too much would certainly make him ill, but he¡¯d had nothing but weak broth and bread for weeks, so he couldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity. It was heavenly. He smiled up at the young roast chef. He¡¯d placed her here only a few months ago, but he could tell by her quick, precise cuts as she prepared the roast duck breast that she had taken to the work. She seemed content enough. As if to agree with his thoughts, she grinned and passed him another scrap from the cutting board. The tender flesh was just melting on his tongue when a burst of light drew his attention, and he turned to see the stovetop aflame. Hungry orange tongues licked at the ceiling and even from across the kitchen, J¡¯arrin could feel the heat. Over the din of the kitchen, he heard Chef cursing as he pushed Jade aside to deal with the situation.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Get her out, now!¡±


    J¡¯arrin knew better than to argue with the man. He was staff, one of the few paid staff, other than the guards, and that meant he had certain privileges. J¡¯arrin took Jade by the arm and pulled her back into the hallway as the rest of the staff rushed in with water to quench the flames. He closed the door and stepped away.


    ¡°Well, it looks like we¡¯ll have to try something else.¡±


    J¡¯arrin watched Jade attempting to press clothing and added it to the list of things she probably shouldn¡¯t be doing. The laundry supervisor was starting to give him the side-eye, at this point. He could tell what she was trying to convey- don¡¯t you dare leave her here. Jade lifted the iron to reveal another nasty scorch mark on the garment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t seem to be terribly good at anything,¡± Jade sighed.


    She wasn¡¯t precisely wrong. He had never seen someone so uniquely unsuited for such simple tasks. This wasn¡¯t the first thing she had set on fire today, or even the second.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve never done laundry before, either?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not. But is this not the sort of thing that people could train me in?¡±


    ¡°In theory,¡± J¡¯arrin rubbed his jaw, leading her down the hall again. ¡°But it is¡­ more complicated than that.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°In truth, there are far more people in the service of the house than are strictly necessary. The household could run with half the number.¡±


    ¡°Why do they keep so many, then?¡±


    ¡°Status, mostly. The more staff, especially the more slaves, they keep the higher their social standing. So, they keep buying, even when there is no real need. We could train you, but there is no point. No one wants to waste time on an amateur when there are plenty who can easily do the work, already. It is my job to find something to keep you busy, without inconveniencing others. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Mostly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve tried all the usual positions where help would be appreciated. Now we move to something that will merely make you look useful. It will give you less to do, I am afraid, but sometimes that is how it goes.¡±


    ¡°Is having less work¡­ a problem?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It can be. If you don¡¯t look sufficiently busy, you will earn a punishment from either the guards or the Lady herself.¡±


    ¡°Even if there is nothing to do?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You begin to see my problem.¡±


    Jade frowned, considering the idea, and J¡¯arrin pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn¡¯t have her in the stables, too much contact with the guards, given her recent run in. Certainly, she would have to learn to watch her temper before he would let her near them again. The instinct to protect him may have been noble, but she would only make things worse for herself, and for him, by indulging those impulses. She needed discipline, not a kind heart. J¡¯arrin furrowed his brow. Where could he put her where she would stay out of trouble? Something easy, a token position, perhaps. There were plenty of those, in truth. That gave him a thought.


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Jade nodded and followed him, seeming a little dejected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll find something that works for you. It¡¯s a big estate.¡±


    J¡¯arrin sipped his tea contentedly, enjoying the silence for the moment. He should go down and check on how Jade was doing, but he needed a break. Honestly, he had never attempted to place a slave who was so uniquely inept. How was it possible? What could she have even done for her former master? She certainly wasn¡¯t telling, for whatever reason. Privately, he suspected that she had perhaps been ¡®favored¡¯ by her owner. It certainly wouldn¡¯t be the first time that a rich man had purchased a mistress for himself. It would explain how she had somehow managed to learn no useful skills, and how reluctant she was to speak of it. Though, she was a bit¡­ plain for that. She was, in fact, almost aggressively average looking. Still, there was no accounting for taste, was there? Perhaps the master¡¯s wife had chosen her in an attempt to prevent just what he was considering. J¡¯arrin shook his head, there was no point speculating. Whatever she had been, she was here now, and it was his job to make her useful. The hope that he had done so already evaporated when Jade entered the room, with the Lady of the house at her heel. J¡¯arrin swallowed hard and scrambled out of his chair, dropping laboriously to one knee.


    ¡°My lady.¡±


    ¡°You had her sent to my chambers?¡± Avrinly pointed at Jade with a manicured finger.


    ¡°I¡­ I placed her doing tea service, my lady, yes.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps my people were unclear,¡± she narrowed her eyes. ¡°I do not want her anywhere near me. I certainly do not want her near my food. Find something to keep her busy and keep her away from me, and my husband. Do you understand?¡±


    J¡¯arrin carefully kept the surprise from his face.


    ¡°Of course, my lady.¡±


    She turned on her heel and marched out.


    J¡¯arrin watched her leave, blinking in surprise, trying to process what had just happened.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± he demanded.


    Jade raised her eyes from the floor,


    ¡°Nothing, I swear. I brought her the service tray, set it down next to her bed, like I was told. She looked up and saw me and just¡­ I don¡¯t know. All the color drained from her face. She seemed¡­ afraid.¡±


    ¡°Of you?¡± that made no sense. Still, J¡¯arrin couldn¡¯t remember the last time Avrinly had even spoken to him, let alone came down to his room. Whatever Jade had done, it must have been serious. ¡°Did you say anything to her husband?¡±


    His suspicions about her previous role returned to him. What could she have done to anger Avrinly, other than pursuing the Lord of the manor?


    ¡°Husband?¡± Jade seemed genuinely confused. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who that is. I haven¡¯t met many people here yet.¡±


    J¡¯arrin sighed and put his tea down. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was being honest or not. There was a time, when his eyesight was better, that he would have counted that amongst his skills, but those days were long behind him. It didn¡¯t really matter either way. He just needed to do what he was told, he didn¡¯t need to understand why. He frowned deeply. Now, on top of everything else, he needed to find her something that kept her away from the Lady. A job away from everyone. A job no one else would want. J¡¯arrin bit his cheek, pondering. Finally, he nodded,


    ¡°Follow me, there is one more thing we can try.¡±


    The room they entered was cavernous and dimly lit. The air was stale and smelled of dust and mildew. J¡¯arrin lit one of the torches on the wall and then crossed to wipe the grime from one of the windows and let in more light.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Jade asked, casting her eyes around a room filled with shelving and draped with cloths.


    ¡°This,¡± J¡¯arrin yanked a cloth up, exposing a large stack of books and filling the air with a blizzard of dust, ¡°is the library.¡±


    The fact that it was also the deepest, darkest hole he could stick her in went without saying. The Carayan¡¯s didn¡¯t use the library, they just felt obligated to have it, for social reasons. They hadn¡¯t even bothered to unpack and shelve the books. They tossed them in a fancy room, called it a library and went about their lives. No one came here. Not Avrinly, not the guards, not even the other servants.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look much like a library.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. That will be your job. Clean, dust, shelve the books. Whip it into shape.¡±


    ¡°There are thousands of books in here. It could take years to do this on my own.¡±


    ¡°Do you have other plans?¡±


    She didn¡¯t have an answer to that.


    ¡°Good,¡± J¡¯arrin clapped his hands ¡°You can get started immediately. I will come by later and show you where to go for meals and rest.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not even sure what I¡¯m supposed to be doing. How should I even organize the books?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you, no one will care. Just make it look nice, don¡¯t burn the place down and you can do whatever you want. Void, you probably don¡¯t really even have to do anything at all. Take up knitting, ballroom dancing. Whatever you want. Just stay here, where you are out of the way.¡±


    Jade blinked,


    ¡°So, I am just here to mark time. To stay out of the way. Forever?¡±


    ¡°Until circumstances change. Until there is something else for you to do. This is an easy job. What more could you want?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Meaning, maybe?¡±


    J¡¯arrin raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t going to find that here. If you are lucky, you¡¯ll find a way to get through the day. Maybe try working on that,¡± he turned to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll be back to get you for dinner in a few hours.¡±


    Then he closed the door and left her alone in the grimy, abandoned room. At least she couldn¡¯t possibly upset anyone in there. Maybe now he would get some peace. But even as he closed the door behind him, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was wrong. That girl was just¡­ off, in a way that troubled him. She should have been happy for an easy job. That she wanted more concerned him. Try as he might, J¡¯arrin couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. With a sigh, he turned back towards the library. He was probably going to have to watch her for awhile, just to make sure she was settling in, and nothing went wrong. It wouldn¡¯t be pleasant, but it was better than what would happen to him if anything went wrong. He swung the door open to find Jade, frozen halfway through the now open window. J¡¯arrin cursed colorfully.


    ¡°Where, exactly, do you think you are going?¡±


    Jade stared at him, wide-eyed. He could see that she was still considering bolting right then.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to do that,¡± he reasoned calmly. ¡°You¡¯ll never make it off the property. Not with the disc they implanted in your shoulder. Surely, they explained that to you.¡±


    It took a long moment, but finally, she nodded and drew herself back inside, sitting down heavily on the frame.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay here,¡± she stated matter-of-factly. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I know this is an adjustment, serving a new master, but you just need to give it some time. You¡¯ll adapt. Don¡¯t throw your life away by trying to run.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t want to adapt?¡±


    ¡°What choice do you have?¡±


    ¡°I can leave. I¡¯ll figure out a way to get past the barriers. There has to be a way.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t. You can¡¯t get out. And even if you could, where would you go? Do you have friends on the outside? Family? Anyone who would help or support you? You don¡¯t seem to have any real skills or talents. What would you do?¡±


    Jade met his eyes, defiant, but wavering,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You need to let this go. People don¡¯t escape from this household. If you were going to try that, why didn¡¯t you leave your last master?¡±


    Jade shrugged,


    ¡°I guess I never thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Then stop thinking about it now. Trust me, it¡¯s better for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying. I can¡¯t. I¡¯ll figure something out once I¡¯m gone. Don¡¯t try to stop me.¡±


    J¡¯arrin took a deep breath. He hadn¡¯t expected this problem. Usually the new purchases were broken before they ever reached him. This was bad. If she bolted, whether they killed her or dragged her back, he would be the one to take the blame. He was supposed to be supervising her, she was his responsibility. What he needed was a way to keep her here, to stall. She would get settled in, with time and even if she didn¡¯t, eventually she would stop being considered his responsibility. He just needed to keep her from bolting until that happened. So, he smiled his most grandfatherly smile and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Are you really serious about leaving?¡±


    She nodded firmly.


    ¡°Then let me help you.¡±


    ¡°Help me?¡± Jade raised a skeptical eyebrow.


    ¡°I understand how you feel, you know. If you are really determined to take that risk, who am I to stand in your way? But you¡¯ll never make it, as you are now. You¡¯ll need to take some time, learn the rhythms of the house, the lay of the land. You¡¯ll need to prepare physically for a difficult journey. I can teach you how to fight, to defend yourself, if you are interested?¡±


    Jade bit her lip, thinking it over,


    ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but what do you know about combat?¡±


    J¡¯arrin laughed, it was a fair question.


    ¡°When I was your age, I was widely considered the greatest fighter in the country. I served with distinction in the War of the Diamonds and when the war ended, I retired early from the soldier¡¯s life and opened my own military academy. Over the years, I built a very distinguished clientele. Earls, Dukes and Barons waited for years to get their children into my academy to learn the martial arts. So, you can trust me when I tell you that you will be trained by the best.¡±


    J¡¯arrin hadn¡¯t trained a student in a long time, but she wasn¡¯t going to be fighting in any grand tourneys, so what did it matter?


    ¡°How did you end up here?¡±


    J¡¯arrin should have seen the question coming, should have been prepared, but even after all these years, it was still like a knife in his chest. He grimaced.


    ¡°It¡¯s not important,¡± he said flatly. ¡°And the first thing you should learn is never to ask that question. Of anyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to pry.¡±


    ¡°Forget it,¡± he muttered. ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡±


    Jade considered for a long moment. Finally, she nodded,


    ¡°We have a deal,¡± Jade extended a hand. ¡°Where do we start?¡±


    J¡¯arrin handed her a stack of books from the table,


    ¡°Let¡¯s start getting this room tidied up.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do for people to get suspicious about what you do all day, would it? A bit of work here will keep up appearances. You need to bide your time, practice being invisible. And remember, always keep your eyes on the ground, never speak unless you are spoken to and never turn your back on your master. Never do anything that might draw attention to yourself. Once you have mastered what you need to survive, then I will teach you what you need to escape.¡±


    Jade nodded, thoughtful. Hesitantly, she picked up the books and began shelving. J¡¯arrin smiled. This was going to work out just fine. Maybe he¡¯d been worried over nothing.

 Part 1: Chapter 1

    The sun was just peering over the horizon as Jade dropped from the back window of the manor and onto the dew-soaked lawn. The morning was crisp, and her breath misted in the cool air, but she knew that in a matter of hours the day would be blazing hot and humid. In the 2 years since she had been sold into the Carayn household she had become used to the strange weather in eastern Esrasea. That was why she always made sure to do her run early in the morning. Jade began to jog, her feet pounding the hard earth and her breath creating shimmering clouds in the air in front of her. The sun painted the sky the rosy colours of dawn as she traced her usual route around the spacious country estate. There were several types of terrain to cover; open fields lead to a bridge which spanned a deep lake, over the bridge was a dense forested area through which a small stream ran, and around the other edge of the property there was a large expanse of hilly, rocky terrain that eventually petered out into fields again. Jade ran the perimeter of the property every day; it gave her time to think, and it helped her to memorize as much of the land as she could. As she moved, she let her mind wander and eventually, her thoughts turned, as always, to her dream.


    The recurring dream had plagued her ever since she had arrived at the house. It was always the same: in her mind, she could see a field filled with flames; the sky was stained orange and red. It was raining, but the heat from the fire was so intense that the droplets evaporated before they hit her face. The crackle of the flames was deafening. As she looked out over the landscape, she could see a person standing on a precipice, overlooking the fire. They turned to her and fixed her with a searching gaze, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t make out their face. Still, something in their expression wrenched at her soul. Then the voices came, they filled her mind, drowning out even the fire. But she couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. Only that they were urgent, desperate. She knew that they were pleading with her, begging for something, but she couldn¡¯t understand, they were too indistinct, all mumbles and mutters. Faces would then fill her field of view, out of focus, but so familiar. If they were just a bit clearer, just a tiny bit more detailed, then she would know who they were, and then all of this would make sense. The faces continued to beg and plead with her, their desperation so overwhelming that she eventually collapsed to the ground, her hands over her ears. She always awoke screaming, covered in sweat, her heart racing. It was terrifying and frustrating, to feel that there was something just beyond her grasp, so close, but still too far for her to reach. The urgency seemed to grow worse with each passing day and it was becoming harder and harder for Jade to shake off the feeling in the morning. There were times she feared she was going mad. She was sure of one thing; she needed to get out of here, soon. Once she was free, maybe she could find out what was haunting her.


    Before she knew it, Jade had arrived back at her window, drenched in sweat, her mind swirling. The sun had risen higher in the sky and now it was beginning to burn with some of the fierce intensity that characterized the afternoons.  Jade heaved herself back into the living quarters.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± the voice greeted her.


    ¡°What business is that of yours, C¡¯arren?¡± Jade replied curtly, not even turning to look at the guard.


    ¡°Everything that happens in this house is my business,¡± C¡¯arren snapped back.


    Jade snorted derisively; she didn¡¯t have much patience for the man today. He had dogged her every action since the day she had arrived; clearly, he held a grudge long past the point of reason. Jade mostly just ignored him, and for some reason, no matter how much this angered C¡¯arren, Avrinly never intervened, and he never laid a finger on her, despite that she had seen him do to others. It was as if some sort of uneasy truce existed between the three of them. So, Jade used it to her advantage, even if she didn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference? It¡¯s not as if I could leave the property, even if I wanted to,¡± Jade frowned, reaching back and grazing the small, well-healed scar on her left shoulder with her fingertips.


    ¡°That really isn¡¯t the point,¡± C¡¯arren grumbled angrily, but didn¡¯t press the matter.


    Jade moved to leave, but before she could go, C¡¯arren called after her,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why the Lady indulges you, but even you can¡¯t keep this up forever, Jade. Mark my words.¡±


    ¡°That much, we can agree on,¡± Jade muttered quietly.


    C¡¯arren was a problem she hadn¡¯t figured out how to solve. Mostly, it was that he was in the way. Always watching, always poking his nose into Jade¡¯s business. He made things more difficult, delayed her progress. Even now, he was shadowing her, making sure that she was going to work. Why anyone cared was beyond her. Jade often wondered why the Carayn household had purchased her at all; they had too many people on staff already. Which, presumably, was why no one but C¡¯arren cared that she occupied her days as the librarian in a library no one ever used. Or even seemed to remember existed. Not that she was complaining, it gave her plenty of time to work with J¡¯arrin, and she had gotten a lot of reading done. Like J¡¯arrin had told her early on, greed and disinterest were excellent qualities in a Master. Walking briskly down the hall, she pushed open the library doors and stepped inside. Spacious and bright, with every shelf lined with rare and expensive tomes, the library was an oasis in the house. It had taken over a year to make the place useable, but it had been worth it. It was a strange source of pride for her. Jade turned back at the door, but C¡¯arren wasn¡¯t behind her anymore. She breathed a long sigh of relief. Slipping out the back way, she hastened down the stairs toward J¡¯arrin¡¯s room, wondering what new task he would have for her today.


    ¡°Jade!¡± the voice interrupted her reverie, she spun around.


    Had C¡¯arren circled around to wait for her at the back entrance? She wasn¡¯t sure if that made him paranoid or clever.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± the guard asked, falling into step alongside her.


    ¡°Getting cleaning supplies, obviously,¡± Jade gritted her teeth and tried to move past him.


    ¡°Bullshit. Why sneak out the back way, then?¡± the guard stepped closer; he was right in her face now.


    She knew that he was daring her to start something, to give him an excuse. She clenched her fists and turned away. C¡¯arren, aside from being an ass, was also one of Avrinly¡¯s favourites; it just wasn¡¯t worth starting anything with him. Not again. She tried to walk away, but C¡¯arren grabbed her wrist and pulled her back,


    ¡°Don¡¯t you turn your back on me,¡± he snarled.


    ¡°Leave me alone, C¡¯arren,¡± Jade twisted free.


    ¡°You don¡¯t decide where I go, slave.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you can help me carry the polish and rags back to the library, then,¡± she opened a nearby storage closet and offered him a rag. C¡¯arren snorted in disgust and finally turned and walked away, unwilling to dignify that with a response. As soon as his footsteps faded, Jade dropped the supplies and hurried down the hall, before she could be interrupted again. She was relieved when she finally reached J¡¯arrin¡¯s doorway. C¡¯arren was right about one thing, this couldn¡¯t continue. She had tried to keep her head down, and for a time, it had even worked, but she was losing her patience by the day. She had only two choices, to give in or to get out, and she wasn¡¯t willing to give in. J¡¯arrin opened his door, interrupting her thoughts.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Jade,¡± her master greeted her. He settled himself in a chair by the fire, laying the smooth, knob-handled cane on his lap. Jade couldn¡¯t help but smile. It had taken her almost 3 months to smooth and shape the raw wood with pilfered tools, but it had been worth it, J¡¯arrin loved that cane. But her smile was tinged with sadness too. When she saw him these days, Jade was shocked to see how much the previous years had aged him, he looked so much frailer now then he had when she had first arrived. Jade was sure that training her was taking too much out of him and she had often insisted that he stop, but the old man flatly refused. Even last year, when the lung infection had almost killed him, he had continued her instruction from his sick bed. At least the illness had gotten him moved out of the damp basement and into a private room with a window.


    ¡°Hello, master. How are you feeling today?¡± Jade asked, sitting down on the floor.


    ¡°Oh, would you lay off of that! I am not an invalid, you know,¡± J¡¯arrin huffed.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Good, you¡¯d better be,¡± J¡¯arrin crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°What shall we do today then, hmm? There is so much we need to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there always?¡± Jade laughed.


    She retrieved the straw dummy they had constructed from its place under his tiny cot. He obviously couldn¡¯t spar with her himself, but he was always watching, correcting her form as she delivered a series of blows. It would be nice to have a flesh and blood sparring partner, but there was no one else she could trust. J¡¯arrin demonstrated a punching and blocking sequence for her. He moved more slowly than he had in his youth, but that was better for demonstration purposes, anyway. He then stepped aside,You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Try it.¡±


    Jade mimicked his motions, as he corrected her mistakes. She repeated it over and over, nothing less than perfection was ever good enough for J¡¯arrin. When he was finally satisfied with her technique, he stopped her and demonstrated another. Time slipped away quickly this way and before she knew it, it was getting dark.


    ¡°You should be going, Jade,¡± J¡¯arrin said, motioning to the darkening window.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jade panted, returning the dummy to its hiding place. ¡°C¡¯arren will be looking in on me soon.¡±


    ¡°Excellent work today. You have been improving quite dramatically, lately.¡±


    Jade grinned broadly,


    ¡°Thank you, master.¡±


    ¡°But it is your 2-year anniversary today, and I can see that you are getting impatient.¡±


    Jade blushed,


    ¡°You can¡¯t rush this. If you wait, your opportunity will come.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± she replied softly.


    Privately, she wondered how much longer she could keep following that advice. Bowing, she left the room and ran down the hall. If she was late, C¡¯arren wouldn¡¯t let her out of his sight for a week.


    After Jade left, J¡¯arrin warmed himself by the fire. Thinking about how far she had come in only 2 years. Moreover, trying to determine when he had started training her in earnest, instead of just as a distraction. He had started out just going through the motions, to keep her from running, but she had a talent that had truly surprised him. She was strong-willed and driven; always pushing to learn more. But what made her truly exceptional was the fierce intelligence that she applied to everything she did. He hadn¡¯t been able to resist challenging her, seeing how far he could push her. And despite himself, he had enjoyed it, too. She was right; marking time, getting through the day, it wasn¡¯t enough. He¡¯d had a purpose once, and it was refreshing to have one again. But her restlessness had not abated. If anything, it had only gotten worse. A certain cold pragmatism that threaded its way through her personality was all that held her here. And its grip was loosening. J¡¯arrin could tell she was already halfway out the door, and he wasn¡¯t going to be able to hold her back forever. Jade was just waiting for an opportunity to present itself, and she would be gone. Part of him hoped she would succeed. In their time together, he had grown to care for her and truly wanted her to be free, if that was what she needed. But part of him hoped that opportunity never came. Not because he feared punishment. She had ceased to be his official responsibility long ago, but rather because he enjoyed having her here, and he wasn¡¯t ready to be alone again. J¡¯arrin tried to ignore that feeling. It was selfish, and besides, there was probably no need for him to worry anyway. She couldn¡¯t leave, not with the disc in her shoulder binding her here. It was specifically positioned so she could not remove it herself, his hands and his eyesight were too bad to help her, and no one else could be trusted to do it. Until that changed, she was stuck here. Probably for the best, they still had a lot of work to do on her form. She left herself too open on the left side when she countered. They would have to work on that tomorrow.


    **


    The bar was crowded, even though it was well past 2 in the morning. The Mare¡¯s Hooves was popular with the seedier crowd in the city of Ayveness and tonight the place was packed to its mouldering rafters with a heaving mass of the humanity, mostly a motley crowd of assassins, grifters, and thieves. Av¡¯ry March did not technically fit into any of those groups, anymore, but this was still where he felt most at home. He sat in a dark corner, smoking a long, curved pipe. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes as the smoke filled his lungs; he held it for a moment, then let it flow slowly through his nose. Leaving his eyes shut, he breathed in the smoky air and motioned to the waitress for another drink. She already knew what he wanted. Benefits of being a regular. This was the best place to be when you had something that you needed to forget. And these days, forgetting was pretty much all he had the energy for. No one here asked too many questions, no one cared who you were. And that anonymity was valuable to him; using his name or even showing his face in some areas of town, would mean his death. So, instead Av¡¯ry spent his days hiding from the past, both the memories and the complications that they entailed. He could see no way out of this situation, not that he was looking very hard, so he simply worked on not caring. Alcohol usually facilitated that nicely, as long as he didn¡¯t stop drinking. It was the sobering up that was the problem, so he typically didn¡¯t.


    That was going very well today, the only wrinkle being that the waitress seemed to have forgotten about him entirely. It wasn¡¯t surprising, really, the place was so crowded that Av¡¯ry was amazed she was able to push through the jam and serve anyone at all. After careful consideration, he decided that his odds would be better up at the bar itself, so he rose unsteadily to his feet and began to push his way through the throng. Miraculously, he was able to find a recently vacated seat; catching the bartender¡¯s eye, he reordered his drink, but he wasn¡¯t holding his breath for speedy service. Leaning against the bar, Av¡¯ry was just beginning to wonder if it might finally be time to call it a night and try again tomorrow when a snatch of the conversation going on next to him caught his attention.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you one thing,¡± the man next to him shouted over the din, ¡°This is going to be our ticket. And we ain¡¯t gonna need to wait much longer for it, either.¡±


    ¡°What good is a war?¡± his companion slurred, clearly less enthusiastic than his friend.


    ¡°Well, when we win, we¡¯ll get new land, new opportunities, there will be easy riches! War is a treasure trove for the daring my friend. Mark my words.¡±


    ¡°What makes you so certain we¡¯ll win?¡± the second man pressed.


    ¡°What, you think a bunch of pacifists can win a war with Esrasea?¡± the first man laughed, ¡°Maaskalans can¡¯t fight, everyone knows that. It will be a bloodbath. And even if we don¡¯t win immediately, there will be plenty of desperate people out there who need things. They¡¯ll be so eager to be exploited we won¡¯t even need to try. We start stockpiling now and we¡¯ll be able to¡­¡±


    The two men received their drinks and drifted off into the crowd, still conversing animatedly, but Av¡¯ry could no longer hear them. War with Maaskal? Av¡¯ry frowned at their backs as they disappeared, trying to discern from their retreating forms how reliable a source of information they were. If they could be believed, then this was big news. Moreover, something about it bothered him. Like he should have been expecting this, somehow. He shook his head, no, that was ridiculous. There hadn¡¯t been a war in this part of the world in decades. The peace treaties had held for as long as he had been alive and there was no real reason to doubt that they would hold for the rest of his life, too. However long or short that may be. It was probably nothing but idle, drunken gossip. And as for his own feeling of unease? That was probably just d¨¦j¨¤ vu. What else could it be? He didn¡¯t involve himself in politics these days, so it wasn¡¯t like he had any inside information. He was seeing things that weren¡¯t there. Wasn¡¯t he? At that moment, his drink finally arrived, and Av¡¯ry managed to put that line of thought out of his mind.


    It was still dark when Av¡¯ry eventually stumbled out into the alley behind the tavern, but the horizon was just beginning to fade to a deep blue that forecasted the dawn. Despite the fact that it was well into fall, the night air felt warm on his face and a light breeze brought the smell of the sea. Walking slowly, Av¡¯ry crossed the street to the river that ran perpendicular to the alleyway. The city of Ayveness had sprung up around that river, and now it wound through a maze of streets and buildings, dividing the city in two like it had been sliced by a blade. Leaning heavily on the rail, he followed the path towards the center of the district, on his way home. It was early enough that the square was still deserted when he arrived, the respectable element having yet to awaken and begin their day. This square was as old as the city, and it had been built in keeping with the grandiose vision of a beautiful, nobleman¡¯s refuge, full of the rich and the powerful. The centerpiece was a large marble fountain, water spilling down the figure of a beautiful woman, naked but for the carved likeness of foaming crests of water rising up around her. Av¡¯ry vaguely remembered that she was modeled after one of the gods, but he couldn¡¯t remember which one, exactly. Arrayed around her, the four corners of the square housed a government office, a hall of records, and a bank. The fourth building was empty, consigned to a purpose that was never fulfilled and remained a mystery to the descendants of those who had commissioned it. Each structure was old, ornate and at some time they had probably even been beautiful. But, like everything else in the city of Ayveness, reality had fallen short of their creators¡¯ grand dreams. The buildings were old and weathered, and cracks wreathed the stone like spider webbing. Large chunks of marble had fallen away, leaving unsightly holes in the walls and, often, pedestrians diving for cover. No one had bothered with upkeep. They had simply built something newer in another section of the city, and the wealthy had migrated there. Av¡¯ry paused at the edge of the fountain and reached down to splash some water on his face. As he glanced down idly at the water, he noticed the reflection of the bank, wavering in the pool across from him. He paused, staring at it, and a carefully buried memory suddenly asserted itself.


    Promise me.


    He shook his head and tried to will the voice away.


    Promise me, Ave.


    It insisted stubbornly. Av¡¯ry didn¡¯t want to hear it. Went to great lengths to avoid hearing it. He turned to leave, maybe a change of scenery would put the ghosts to rest.


    I don¡¯t want you involved in this. But if I¡¯m right and she starts a war with Maaskal, then I need you to make sure this information gets to the right people. You are the only one I can trust with this.


    Don¡¯t do this, Fox, he remembered his response so clearly, even though it had been years ago. She hadn¡¯t listened. She never listened.


    Just promise me, Ave. Please.


    Alright, I promise. But¡­


    Remember, you can find it in the safe deposit box. But only if we go to war. I don¡¯t need you getting yourself killed over this.


    Shaking his head to clear it, Av¡¯ry looked up at the bank again. A war. The safe deposit box. That was what his brain had been trying to tell him earlier. Av¡¯ry shook his head. He wouldn¡¯t do it. He couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t go back to that time, that life. But even as he turned to leave, he knew he would. It had been the last thing she had asked of him. The last promise he had made her. He couldn¡¯t let her down, not again. Heaving a deep sigh, he turned towards the bank and took a few tentative steps towards the building. The desire to get it over with before he changed his mind pushed him to cross the square, but as he reached the entrance, the dark glass doors reminded him how foolish he was being. Even if they were open, which seemed unlikely, he couldn¡¯t go in there like this. Not with three days growth of patchy beard, reeking of liquor, and without a key or any documentation to support the identity he would need to claim. He¡¯d be lucky if they just threw him out. More likely they would call the guards. Av¡¯ry rubbed his face with his hands. He wasn¡¯t thinking clearly, obviously. It was time to go home and get his shit together. Sober up. Shave. Maybe take a bath. Then he would dig through the attic and find Taevyn Fox¡¯s old papers. He would deliver whatever she had left behind there to the proper authorities and be done with it. He would keep this one last promise, and then he could return to the perpetual haze he¡¯d surrendered himself to. This time for good.

 Part 1: Chapter 2

    As she left J¡¯arrin¡¯s room, Jade took a sharp turn down a narrow corridor. The hallway was largely unused, but it was an excellent short cut to the library. She had never encountered another person here, until today. As she turned a blind corner, someone grabbed her and shoved her back against the wall. Fear and anger flared, each vying for prominence.


    ¡°What do we have here?¡± C¡¯arren purred. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you. Where are your cleaning supplies?¡±


    Jade swallowed, a not insignificant feat with his hand around her throat. This wasn¡¯t good. Normally, no one particularly cared where the slaves went or what they did, not as long as the work was done, and no one disturbed the Lady. But C¡¯arren was always looking for an excuse to harass her. And evidently, he had followed her further than she had expected, today.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you bother,¡± Jade shoved his hand away, and massaged her throat. ¡°We both know the Lady won¡¯t actually punish me. We have¡­ an understanding.¡±


    That was a bald-faced lie. Avrinly was strangely reluctant to punish her, but Jade had absolutely no idea why, or how far the courtesy would extend. C¡¯arren didn¡¯t need to know that, though. The guard pondered this for a moment, then nodded brusquely.


    ¡°Perhaps you are right. Maybe the Lady really won¡¯t do anything about this blatant disregard for the rules. So, perhaps I should punish you a bit, myself. In self defense, of course. After all, with no witnesses, far from your designated post, who would they believe?¡±


    Jade pursed her lips. That wasn¡¯t exactly how she was hoping this would go. She turned to run, if she could find some witnesses he would probably back off, but he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back.


    ¡°Oh no, you stay right where you are. Someone should have disciplined you long ago. I am not going to let another minute pass without taking care of the problem.¡±


    Jade glanced around. The hallway was narrow, he blocked the only way forward. The way back led to no one but J¡¯arrin, and she couldn¡¯t involve him. She wasn¡¯t getting out of this. Only 2 options left. She knew she shouldn¡¯t let him provoke her into a fight. She should just grit her teeth, take his ¡®punishment¡¯ and let this blow over. But there was one more thing that she knew, and that was the fact that she didn¡¯t like who she was becoming in this place. She didn¡¯t like pretending to be this girl, the one who kept her head down, took the abuse, didn¡¯t cause trouble. It wasn¡¯t who she was, but she had spent so long pretending that she was afraid it was who she was becoming. And nothing he could do to her was worse than that. Enough was enough.


    ¡°Fine. You want to hit me? Give it your best shot,¡± she jutted out her chin, inviting the blow.


    C¡¯arren tightened his grip on her wrist and took a swing with his free hand. It was a bad choice.


    She used his own grip on her to pull him forward as he swung, throwing him of balance and sending his fist over her shoulder and into the wall and bringing his face in range of her elbow. His nose snapped satisfyingly, and his grip on her wrist loosened. She stepped away quickly. C¡¯arren smiled, a gruesome sight with the blood streaming down his face and over his teeth.


    ¡°Such violence,¡± he licked the blood from his lips slowly. ¡°I told the Lady that you were dangerous. Now she will have to see it my way. This won¡¯t be ignored.¡±


    He was right. She would surely suffer for this. But what was done was done. Might as well finish what she¡¯d started. Get some real practice in, for a change. C¡¯arren wiped the blood from his face with the back of his sleeve and advanced towards her. Jade studied his movements as he approached. He was fit and had the weight advantage. But he wasn¡¯t really a fighter. He was an ornament. A well-muscled statue, placed in a room to intimidate meek staff and noble visitors. He was no soldier, no brawler. His movements were sloppy, undisciplined. Jade smiled. She could take him.


    ¡°I am feeling charitable today,¡± C¡¯arren paused. ¡°So, I¡¯ll make you a deal: you come over here, get down on your knees, and beg me to forgive you. If you do, I¡¯ll take it easy on you. I¡¯ll barely hurt you at all.¡±


    He was trying to provoke her, to goad her into making a stupid mistake, but he would fail; the time for anger had passed and all she felt now was cold resolve. C¡¯arren advanced a few more paces.


    ¡°A chance to back down? Don¡¯t make me laugh. You¡¯ve wanted this since the first day we met. You scared now?¡±


    ¡°Of you?¡± he scoffed. ¡°Obviously not.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should be.¡±


    He took another clumsy swing at her, Jade blocked, just as she had been taught, deflecting it off her forearm to the side. The hit jammed her arm into her shoulder and drove her back a step. He may not be terribly imaginative, but he hit hard. She was going to have to avoid, rather than block. Not much room for that here. So, she would have to be quick. She moved in closer, blocked him at the elbows, preventing him from getting any momentum to his blows. He grabbed her around the waist, squeezing the air from her lungs. She hooked a foot behind his knee and threw her weight forward, knocking them both to the floor. With his hands around her, he couldn¡¯t protect his head, which smacked the stone hard. While he was dazed, she squirmed from his grasp and rolled to the side. He grabbed for her legs, but she kicked him in the face, and he recoiled. Regaining her feet, she pressed her boot into his neck. He struggled, trying to stand, but she held him down. The leverage was hers; he wasn¡¯t getting up until she let him.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Surrender,¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Never!¡± he hissed. ¡°You¡¯ll have to kill me first.¡±


    She pressed harder, a strangled gasp escaped his lips.


    ¡°Surrender and I let you go. I¡¯m no murderer.¡±


    He snorted in disgust but refused to respond. Jade held him for a moment, but she knew she wasn¡¯t going to take it any further. It was time to get out of here, back to where other people were. She turned to walk away,


    ¡°You are nothing more than a spoiled child, C¡¯arren,¡± Jade admonished as she walked back towards the main house, ¡°who can¡¯t even admit a clean loss.¡±


    The sound of a foot scraping stone caused her to spin, barely in time to block C¡¯arren¡¯s wild attack from behind.


    ¡°We¡¯re not done here!¡± C¡¯arren bellowed.


    She deflected the blow to the side, shifted her weight to her back foot and kicked him in the stomach. As he doubled over, she drove her heel into the side of his head, harder than she probably should have; he dropped to the ground, insensate.


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Jade muttered.


    A gasp echoed down the vacant corridor to her left. Jade looked up and cursed under her breath, as the girl at the end of the hall dropped the broom she was carrying with a deafening clatter. Their eyes met for just an instant, she was barely in her teens and the terror on her face was plain to see. Looking down at the bloodied man at her feet, Jade understood why.


    The girl turned and ran. Jade didn¡¯t bother going after her, or even calling out. There was no point. The heady rush of victory had subsided almost instantly, and she was left only with the sickening panic of reality. She berated herself for letting this happen. Though she had beaten him, she hadn¡¯t won. In fact, she would certainly be in serious trouble because of it, even if no one had been here to witness it. She, after all, had not killed him, and would not kill him. He would be up any moment now, and he certainly wouldn¡¯t be keeping this to himself. This wasn¡¯t good. Not even a little. She should have taken the hits. Should have suffered the indignity. But regret wouldn¡¯t do any good now. The girl would summon the guards. The other guards. Jade hesitated, unsure what to do now. She couldn¡¯t run, she was bound to this place and hadn¡¯t yet determined how to get around that. She could try hiding. Might even get away with it for a while, but not for long. It wouldn¡¯t solve anything. The only thing left was to turn herself in and face the music. But before that, she had to get to J¡¯arrin, because as much trouble as she was in, he would be in more for training her in the first place. She had to make sure that they never found out.


    **


    When Av¡¯ry returned, the central square the plaza was bright and teaming masses of people, but all he saw was the bank. Sliding through the crowd, he headed straight for the building, unwilling to delay even a moment longer. Pushing open the large glass door, his heart beat faster in his chest and he had to work to control his nervous excitement. The woman at the desk offered him a half-hearted smile. The tellers that worked first thing in the morning were never as pleasant as the ones who worked in the afternoon, he didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°I need box 1679,¡± he said, producing an envelope with a small metal disc inside. The disc was imprinted with the box number on one side and on the other side with the runes that deactivated the wards. The invention of these discs had been quite a boon to the banking industry; it allowed all customers to have the increased security of a warded box, protected by interwoven skeins of magic, without the banks needing to employ a full-time mage to open them. He turned the disc over in his hand, remembering the moment Taevyn Fox had pressed it into his palm, the moment she¡¯d left for the last time. She¡¯d made him promise to never, under any circumstances, go near that box. Unless the war came. He wasn¡¯t about to break his last promise to her. So here he was.


    ¡°Certainly sir,¡± the woman took the disc from him. ¡°Your name, please?¡±


    ¡°D¡¯emian Prinder,¡± he replied calmly. That was the name he had been told the box was registered under. To use his real name in any place affiliated with the crown would mean certain death; he may be depressed, but he wasn¡¯t suicidal. At least, not today. The girl took out a large, leather-bound register, with a golden ¡°P¡± embossed on the side. Leafing through it for a moment, she found the name he¡¯d given and matched it to his box. Closing the book, she motioned for him to follow her into the back. The room itself was empty, except for a large table with 2 chairs, but every wall was full of lock boxes of varying shapes and sizes. The teller walked over to the box bearing the number 1679 and inserted the disc into the circular opening in the front. The air crackled and several brilliant flashes of light emanated from the box as the wards were broken. The sharp shocks of magic struck him like a blow, disrupting his mental defences. Suddenly, he could feel the power of all the wards humming around him. He had forgotten about the sheer volume of magic in this room, and he hadn¡¯t adequately prepared himself for the onslaught to his senses. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs and struggled to regain his composure before the clerk turned back. Fortunately, she had to wait for a moment, letting the box cool, before she pulled it from the wall and placed it down in front of him. She barely looked at him as she did. He had never been so glad for the disinterest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be up front if you need me,¡± she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her, to give him privacy.


    Alone at last, Av¡¯ry covered his eyes and tried to refocus. His head was pounding and the power bleeding from the luminescent lighting crystals and the boxes along the walls was not helping matters. He cursed how much magic places like this employed, and his own weakness to it. But he had come here for a reason; he just needed to get this done. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the box open and forgot his discomfort. It had been a long time since he had seen that handwriting. It reminded him of better days. He leafed through the papers for a few moments, smiling wistfully. But it was quickly apparent that there was too much here for him to read it all now. No, he needed to get somewhere he could examine these things in depth, somewhere with less eyes on him. Fortunately, he had come prepared for that eventuality. Av¡¯ry quickly stuffed everything into his bag and reclosed the now empty box. Thanking the teller on his way, he hurriedly walked back out into the street.

 Part 1: Chapter 3

    Arriving at the door, Jade didn¡¯t even knock, she simply burst in. J¡¯arrin, startled from his light sleep, watched in confusion as she stuffed the practice dummy into the fire and set about retrieving all the equipment that they had painstakingly accrued over the years.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Jade?¡± J¡¯arrin asked.


    ¡°I did something stupid,¡± Jade replied. ¡°C¡¯arren pushed me too far¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill him, did you?¡± J¡¯arrin interrupted urgently.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. But he¡¯s lying unconscious, in the hall as we speak,¡± Jade¡¯s voice was clipped, it was taking some effort to remain calm and in control of herself. ¡°And someone is already on their way to get the guards. It¡¯s not going to be pretty.¡±


    J¡¯arrin sunk his head into his hands,


    ¡°You know you will be punished, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± J¡¯arrin smiled, clearly trying to comfort her. ¡°You are a much stronger person than I ever was.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± she protested.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s true,¡± he sighed. ¡°I knew that this would happen eventually, he was never going to leave you alone and you were not going to hide from him forever. It just isn¡¯t who you are, and be glad of that.¡±


    ¡°Still, I could have¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t second guess your decision. You¡¯ll need the strength of your convictions. After all, the only person looking out for you here is you, so don¡¯t doubt yourself, understand me?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± J¡¯arrin paused. ¡°So, how did it feel?¡±


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Jade laughed. ¡°It was like, I was finally myself, for the very first time. I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    J¡¯arrin nodded approvingly,


    ¡°You have the soul of a fighter. Your body and your mind already know the rhythm of a fight. That feeling is the one thing I couldn¡¯t teach you, and yet it is the most important part of being a warrior. That final lesson is worth whatever silly punishment you get.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Tell me it wasn¡¯t worth it, just to see the look on C¡¯arren¡¯s face,¡± J¡¯arrin grinned.


    A smile spread across Jade¡¯s face in return,


    ¡°Ok, yeah, that was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever Avrinly gives you as punishment, just remember that. I am proud of how far you have come in such a short time.¡±


    ¡°I have a good teacher.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is gratifying to learn that I can still see the potential in a pupil. All this time, I was convinced that I had lost my ability to judge people.¡±


    Jade shot him a quizzical glance,


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°I made a mistake. Many years ago, I misjudged someone, significantly. They did not turn out to be who I thought they were.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what made you doubt your instincts? Something so small?¡± Jade was puzzled. A single error in judgement was not something to dwell on.


    J¡¯arrin laughed, but it was tinged with bitterness,


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t so small, really. In fact, it¡¯s the entire reason I¡¯m here.¡±


    Jade was surprised. In all their time together, she had come to know J¡¯arrin quite well, but he had never once even touched on the reason that he had been enslaved. Though she had been desperately curious, she hadn¡¯t pressed the matter. It was a question that simply was never asked.


    ¡°It is just hard for me to talk about, even after all this time,¡± J¡¯arrin sighed. ¡°But perhaps it is a story I should tell at least once, hmm?¡±


    Jade knew she should go, she likely didn¡¯t have much time, but she couldn¡¯t leave without hearing him out. She sat next to him and waited for him to proceed.


    ¡°I did tell you that I once owned a school, of course,¡± J¡¯arrin continued. ¡°It was very successful, in fact. In a matter of years, my small training academy grew into a prestigious boarding school for the elite. In that time, I gathered a staff consisting of a mix of educators and martial instructors, to provide a world-class education in many areas of warfare and tactics.


    ¡°I was proud of what I had built,¡± J¡¯arrin smiled wistfully. ¡°Those were the best times of my life. I loved my work and loved the kids too. But love isn¡¯t always a good thing, is it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jade asked.


    J¡¯arrin sighed,


    ¡°You see, there was one particular teacher at the school. She was beautiful and intelligent and ambitious,¡± the look in his eyes had grown abstract and faraway as he spoke. ¡°She was a mage, hired to teach the students with power. And she was very talented. I grew to love her deeply and it seemed that she returned my affections. A year later, we were married, and I was sure that life could not get any better. As it turned out, I was more right than I could ever have imagined.


    ¡°The school thrived under our instruction. Some of the most powerful men in the land had sent their sons and daughters to me, and our reputation was growing year by year. When the crown prince of Esrasea himself was sent to train with us, we were ecstatic. It was the culmination of all our work, a sign of our great reputation.


    ¡°The prince was a nice lad, almost 18 years old; he was the only heir to the throne and his father wanted to polish and refine the training he had already received, before he became king. The prince did show great promise as a warrior, but he never had a chance to live up to his potential. The month after he arrived, he was murdered.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Void.¡± Jade gasped.


    ¡°Yes, it was a shock to everyone. Most of all to me. I had felt that the school was well guarded, even unassailable. We made quite certain that our students were protected, and I had been so sure¡­ At the time, I couldn¡¯t imagine what I had missed.


    ¡°An investigation, of course, began immediately. In short order, evidence was found that the prince and my own wife, the woman I loved, had been having an illicit affair. They claimed that I had found out and tried to kill both of them, for their treachery. The murder weapon was found in my home, there was blood found on my clothing. Then the final blow came. My wife appeared before the tribunal to testify that I had come after the two of them, insane with jealousy. She claimed she had seen me kill the prince, and that I had gone after her as well, but she had driven me off with her magic, just in time. With those tears in her eyes, who would doubt her?


    ¡°The prince lay dead; there was ample evidence against me, and an eyewitness. What was worse, I had no alibi. In fact, I couldn¡¯t even remember the night in question. I remembered meeting my wife for dinner as usual, but after that, the whole night was a blank. I protested my innocence anyway, of course. After all, I had no idea that my bride was anything less than faithful, and I certainly would not have tried to kill anyone, even if I knew. But nothing I said could convince them. I was convicted quickly and very publicly.


    ¡°The king would have had me hanged for my supposed deeds, but at the time I was an influential man with influential friends, and the country was rife with internal turmoil. Students who had graduated from my school, many of them now powerful and influential in their own right, spoke out on my behalf, claiming I must have been driven mad when I discovered my wife in the arms of another man. A boy really. They said my memory loss was conclusive proof of this. In the end, the king could not hang me without the risk of inciting a civil war.


    ¡°So, to solve this problem, he stripped me of everything I owned and sold me as a slave. He called it a mercy, but really, he simply intended to have me killed as soon as no one was looking. Even told me as much. However, before that could happen, the family I was serving was killed by bandits on the road, and the slaves with them were stolen and sold at auction. The people who bought me had no idea who I really was, and I was certainly not going to bring it up. So, I became just another anonymous, invisible slave. Over the years, I was sold from house to house before winding up here. I don¡¯t think there is anyone left who even knows who I used to be. Frankly, it¡¯s better for me that way.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°What really happened to the king¡¯s son?¡± Jade asked.


    ¡°Ah, now that was the most shocking part of all,¡± J¡¯arrin chuckled, darkly. ¡°That I discovered it at all can only be due to fate. You see, one day, I was sold into a household where I was meant to serve in the kitchens of an exceptionally large and luxurious mansion. I would likely have never even encountered the lady of the house, except that in my first week there I got lost and ended up in the library by mistake. Seeing that I was obviously in the wrong place, I turned to leave, but as I did, I caught sight of the mistress herself, sitting and reading in a chair. She was clothed in the finest and most luxurious clothing I had ever seen, and she was simply dripping with gold and jewellery. But there was no mistaking who she really was underneath, none other than my own ever-loving wife. She did not see me, but I saw her quite clearly, and I could never have forgotten her beauty. Her honey brown hair, the subtle curve of her neck, her smooth skin and her exquisite violet eyes, everything was the same. I can¡¯t fully describe my shock. For a moment I stood, dumbfounded, and just stared at her, but when she stirred, I knew I had to get away. I barely escaped back down the hallway before she spotted me.


    ¡°As the days passed, I could think of nothing but her. How could she be here? Why had she framed me? I did not understand what had happened, but I knew that she must have been involved, because she had blatantly lied to incriminate me. I needed to know why. The thought consumed me. Then, one day most of the household was out travelling and I seized the opportunity to sneak in and search her room. I found her diary, just as I knew that I would. She had always kept a meticulous journal; it was one of her little habits. She kept it well hidden, and locked with a magical ward, but I knew her and fortunately the password was the same as the one she had used for many things when we were together. The diary opened for me, and I began to read.


    ¡°She detailed the events of those fateful days leading up to the murder. I discovered that a man had approached my wife several days after the prince arrived at our school. Apparently, he read her better than I ever had. He knew that her marriage to me had been solely for the influence and prestige. Her only desire was for greater power, and I had simply been the fool willing to give it to her. He promised her a position beyond her wildest dreams, if she would assist him in his plan to weaken the royal line. He had a plan to pave what she described as a slow and subtle path to the throne. She accepted this offer without hesitation. Far from hesitant, she was eager. It had been her idea to frame me for the crime; removing suspicion from herself and removing her unwanted husband from the picture in one motion. It was she who had made it appear as though she and the prince had been lovers, planting love letters in both of their rooms. It was never true. Once the scene was set, she had made me dinner and drugged me, so that I would be unconscious during the deed. She then called the prince to her classroom, making some excuse about his work. When he arrived, she stabbed the defenceless boy in the heart herself, smeared my clothes with his blood and left the weapon in our home. It was all, apparently, very easy for her.


    ¡°With the crown prince dead, there was no clear heir to the throne. This destabilized the royal line. All part of his plan. The deaths of many potential heirs would follow and at the same time, my wife climbed through high society with surprising alacrity. Once she was firmly ensconced, they had planned to take the throne so subtly that their litany of crimes could never be traced. Based on her position at the time I read her journal, I assumed their plan was going well.


    ¡°Once I knew, of course, there was nothing I could really do about it. I had no one to tell, and besides, who would believe a slave who was also a convicted murderer? No, coming forward would only expose me, and likely get me killed. Maybe I should have killed her myself, but I suppose I am a coward. I was too afraid of the consequences, so I just replaced the diary and went about my work, being sure to carefully avoid my wife. Eventually she married into an even more powerful family, and I was sold to this house, without her ever knowing that I had been in her employ at all. And that, Jade, is the end of my tale, such as it is. I am here because I never saw the truth, until it was too late. Had I judged her better¡­¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so hard on yourself; apparently she was quite skilled at deception,¡± Jade offered.


    ¡°True, but that does not change the outcome.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jade conceded. ¡°But neither does regretting the past.¡±


    ¡°Sound advice. I would tell you the same for the days to come. C¡¯arren deserved what he got, do not forget that. In fact, if you ask me, the man deserved worse.¡±


    Jade dropped her gaze, for a moment she had forgotten what she had just done. She didn¡¯t have long now. She had to leave.


    ¡°Thank you, master,¡± she said quietly. ¡°It means a lot that you trusted me enough to share that story. I know it can¡¯t have been easy, and I hate to leave now. But they will be looking for me, and they cannot find me here with you.¡±


    ¡°Wait! There is one more thing I need to tell you, before you go,¡± J¡¯arrin rose to face her, eyes serious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the truth is¡­ I really am a coward. I never intended to help you, Jade. Just to keep you from leaving, so I wouldn¡¯t get blamed. I¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jade smiled.


    ¡°What?¡± J¡¯arrin looked a bit taken aback.


    ¡°It was pretty obvious, master. In the beginning, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Because you weren¡¯t wrong. I had no real plan. No way to escape. Staying was the better choice. And the training was helpful, whatever your motives. Sometimes it was the only thing that kept me sane.¡±


    ¡°It was good for me, too. I¡¯d forgotten how much I missed it. The teaching. And you have been an excellent pupil,¡± J¡¯arrin put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°But it was wrong of me, to try to keep you here. You deserve a life. A real one. If that is what you want, if you are willing to take the risk. Don¡¯t wait any longer. Don¡¯t wait until they break you. Find a way out.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Jade nodded. ¡°And thank you for everything, master.¡±


    J¡¯arrin embraced her,


    ¡°I am very proud of you, Jade.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, J¡¯arrin.¡±


    Jade turned and headed for the window, unlatching it, she swung her legs over the ledge. Before she dropped over the side, she paused,


    ¡°You know, you never told me her name.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± J¡¯arrin asked.


    ¡°Your wife,¡± Jade replied.


    ¡°Oh,¡± J¡¯arrin laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know her name already.¡±


    Jade tilted her head to the side,


    ¡°I do? How?¡±


    J¡¯arrin smiled sadly, and then he replied,


    ¡°Her name was Istaria. Now, Istaria Lorval.¡±


    Jade¡¯s mouth dropped open in shock,


    ¡°The Queen of Esrasea!?¡± Something tugged hard at her subconscious, as if those words held some deeper significance to her, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on why.


    J¡¯arrin nodded slowly.


    ¡°But she is so young! How could she have been your wife, so long ago?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long ago,¡± J¡¯arrin protested. ¡°But also, she is a mage, Jade. They do not age the same way we do, surely you know that. She could be a hundred and still look as she does.¡±


    Jade blushed; she should have remembered that. She opened her mouth to ask more, but at that moment she heard footsteps in the hallway outside J¡¯arrin¡¯s room.


    ¡°They are coming,¡± J¡¯arrin hissed.


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± Jade whispered.


    Then she dropped from the window onto the lawn. The next instant, she heard several of Avrinly Carayn¡¯s guards burst into the room.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡± J¡¯arrin snorted indignantly.


    ¡°We are looking for Jade,¡± the guard replied. ¡°Someone said she was seen coming this way.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea who is spreading these lies, Sergeant. As you can see, there is no one here.¡±


    There was a brief silence as the guard presumably searched the room. Jade held her breath, pressing her back tightly to the wall below the window, so no one would see her if they thought to look out.


    ¡°We will find her. She has nowhere to run. If you know where she is, you should do yourself a favour and tell us now,¡± the sergeant advised.


    ¡°I honestly have no idea,¡± J¡¯arrin replied calmly, ¡°But I do wish you luck in your search. Renegades give us all a bad name.¡±


    As the guards left J¡¯arrin shut the door quietly behind them, then he sat down on his cot and rested his head in his hands. This probably wouldn¡¯t be so bad; Jade would be punished, but not killed. Avrinly was not so careless with her property. But it was likely that he would never see her again. Even if she remained in the house, they would be keeping a close eye on her after this, and she would probably be sold on in short order. The Lady disliked troublemakers in her house. So, this had been the final parting of a master and his student. He was going to miss her, but he knew she was ready to be on her own. There was little more he could have taught her anyhow, not in this place, not in his condition. And he truly hoped she would escape. He regretted holding her back for so long. Saying a silent prayer for his pupil, J¡¯arrin lay down on his cot. He was so tired of late.


    Avrinly was seated on the divan awaiting her dinner when the door banged open and a pair of guards, supporting an injured and bloodied man between them, burst into the room. Avrinly rose sharply,


    ¡°What has happened?¡±


    ¡°My lady,¡± the guard on the left inclined his head respectfully. ¡°There has been an incident.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± her tone was withering.


    Avrinly looked the man over. It was C¡¯arren, one of her guards. He was unstable on his feet; a mottled lump had formed on his temple and his face was covered in dried blood.


    ¡°Get him to the settee,¡± Avrinly motioned impatiently.


    C¡¯arren groaned, cradling his head in his hands. Avrinly sat next to him and laid a finger gently on his head wound, closing her eyes in concentration. Slowly, the discoloration drained away and swelling subsided, returning his face to its natural appearance. He winced at the pain, but didn¡¯t make a sound. His ego had likely taken all the damage it could for the day. She finished her healing ministrations and rose, turning to the guards who had brough him in.


    ¡°Now, tell me exactly what happened.¡±


    As the guard, B¡¯yern, relayed what he knew, Avrinly felt her face blanche. By the time he finished, C¡¯arren had recovered enough to speak for himself,


    ¡°The bitch needs to be punished for this,¡± he snarled, catching himself at the last moment he modified his tone and added, ¡°If, of course, my Lady agrees.¡±


    Avrinly hesitated, considering her obligations. If only it had been any other slave. Any one but Jade. Then, she would have had no doubts as to the punishment. She was rarely reluctant to mete out discipline. But her¡­ Avrinly saw the eyes of the three guards on her, surely questioning her reticence. No, she had allowed this to go on too long. She risked looking weak in front of her people. She could no longer spare the rod, even for her. Avrinly nodded,


    ¡°It appears that punishment will be necessary,¡± she turned to B¡¯yern, ¡°Find Jade. Bring her to me.¡±

 Part 1: Chapter 4

    K¡¯ivin stood silently beside his Emperor, as C¡¯ekat detailed their defences.


    ¡°Within 5 months or so, we should be fully prepared,¡± the commander concluded at last.


    ¡°That seems like a long time,¡± V¡¯graen commented disapprovingly.


    ¡°Emperor, it is fairly standard. We need time to assemble and train new men and women. Our army is not prepared for a true conflict. Especially not with a country as powerful and experienced as Esrasea. They have a well-equipped standing army. We do not. It was always assumed that the treaties would protect us better then blades and soldiers could.¡±


    K¡¯ivin¡¯s mind wandered. As the head advisor to the Emperor of Maaskal, he should probably be paying attention, but this was not a new conversation. Ever since word had reached them from his intelligence network that Esrasea¡¯s new Queen, Istaria, was making obvious overtures to war, C¡¯ekat and V¡¯graen had replayed this little chat roughly every other day. Right now, there was too much on his mind to listen to the same old information in a different order. He already knew that Esrasea was stockpiling food, and weapons, recruiting more soldiers. Talk in the pubs centered on rumours of impending war. There had been no formal declaration yet, and the emperor seemed to be expecting one, but K¡¯ivin wasn¡¯t so sure it would ever come. Esrasea¡¯s new Queen was reputed to be cruel, ruthless, unpredictable. The other rumour was that she had killed the former king and gained the throne in a bloody coup, leaving many prominent citizens dead in her wake. If she was willing to do all that to gain power, and if she was willing to break the longstanding peace between the two countries, why would she bother standing on ceremony with a declaration? Better to retain the element of surprise and attack with no warning. Either way, she was obviously preparing for something, and that was disturbing. As far as K¡¯ivin was concerned, they couldn¡¯t be ready soon enough. And they were very far from ready. Not enough food, not enough supplies, not enough trained soldiers. Not to mention the fact that several of the countries that could hopefully be counted on to support them were to the west, on the other side of Esrasea, an obvious problem that could see their supply lines cut, and resources suddenly scarce at precisely the worst time. Maaskal hadn¡¯t seen a war in decades, the people were peaceful, their neighbours were friendly and there were treaties in place that ensured it stayed that way. At least there had been, until now. V¡¯graen wanted to believe they would hold. K¡¯ivin knew that to be nothing but a seductive and dangerous delusion.


    ¡°K¡¯ivin,¡± the emperor¡¯s voice startled him. ¡°What have you been hearing?¡±


    K¡¯ivin was quite possibly the one man, besides the tavern keepers, who made it his business to know every rumour, every hint of scandal, every whiff of unrest that spread through the kingdom, and the lands around it. The emperor relied on him for his judgment and insight, because in situations like this, rumours were all they had.


    ¡°The citizens all know,¡± K¡¯ivin replied. ¡°They all see the war looming on the horizon. Some of the young with more bravado than brains are looking forward to it. They think it will be exciting; bring them glory and riches. The older and the wiser among them are growing apprehensive, even afraid. No one really wants to go to war, and most know we aren¡¯t ready for it. If this goes much further, I am afraid we will have a mass exodus; people fleeing to the south, north, east. Anywhere, to get away.¡±


    V¡¯graen looked troubled; K¡¯ivin knew the emperor didn¡¯t really appreciate how serious things were becoming in his own land. He needed to understand that war was not just about the enemies outside your empire, but also about the demons within it: fear, famine, disease and unrest. C¡¯ekat cleared he throat nervously,


    ¡°K¡¯ivin, are you saying that people will abandon their empire? That we will have panic on our hands, on top of a war?¡±


    ¡°Bluntly, commander?¡± K¡¯ivin asked.


    The military man nodded solemnly.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t act soon, then yes. People will panic. Do you want my advice?¡±


    The emperor raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°That is what I pay you for, advisor.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± K¡¯ivin continued with a mirthless chuckle. ¡°I would suggest acting quickly, and decisively. You need to show the people that we are strong, that we are taking action. Increase the training of our military, immediately. Stockpile from our suppliers to the west and begin going through the diplomatic channels to open new supply lines to the east, maybe the south if we can manage it. Increase military patrols in the city, not so much for the enforcement as to reassure the citizens and quell the hysteria before it gets out of hand. Their presence is all the people need, for now. But bear in mind, we need to keep all this defensive and make no overt overtures of war. Esrasea is much better prepared than we are, if they think we are readying ourselves, they will move right away, before they lose their advantage. We need to strike a careful balance, seem strong to our people but weak to our enemies, and buy ourselves as much time as possible by appearing ignorant. Maybe we can make a show of combating internal crime, as a cover. I am still working on that part.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that seem a bit extreme, before a war even starts?¡± C¡¯ekat replied dubiously.


    ¡°I think extreme may be our only chance,¡± K¡¯ivin replied. ¡°We have a small full-time army and an even smaller militia. Decades of peace have left us unprepared for turmoil. If we act fast, and are very lucky, we might have enough time to catch up, but I make no guarantees.¡±


    ¡°That is a grim view, K¡¯ivin,¡± Emperor V¡¯graen sighed.


    ¡°I fear that these are going to be grim times, Emperor. It seems that Maaskal¡¯s golden age is about to come to an end. And that end will be bloody and abrupt.¡±


    V¡¯graen rubbed his hands across his face,


    ¡°I need some time to think. Leave me now.¡±


    K¡¯ivin hesitated. He knew that V¡¯graen was having trouble with this. He liked being a peace-time leader, he was good at it and as a result, was adored by the people. But K¡¯ivin wasn¡¯t sure he had it in him to lead an army into war. For that matter, he wasn¡¯t sure C¡¯ekat had it in him, either. He hoped that he was wrong, that they would both surprise him. The fate of the empire might depend on it.


    K¡¯ivin exited the throne room and C¡¯ekat followed behind him.


    ¡°Well, advisor, do your rumours tell you if we will make it out of this?¡± C¡¯ekat asked.


    ¡°We are going to need a miracle,¡± K¡¯ivin smiled sadly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± C¡¯ekat grimaced. ¡°It seems I have work to do tonight. Good evening, advisor, may your dreams be better than our present reality.¡±


    As the man strode out into the night, he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. K¡¯ivin almost regretted what he¡¯d done. He had laid out the blunt and ugly truth before them, even though he knew that they had not been ready to hear it. Perhaps he had been too harsh, the doom he had depicted too absolute. But then again, perhaps he was right; perhaps they were about to be crushed under the heel of their neighbour to the west. Still, it was far too early to despair. K¡¯ivin had been the spymaster of Maaskal for a long time, and in that time, he had cultivated much more than just a rumour mill. There were still a few tricks up his sleeve yet, and K¡¯ivin was determined not to give up on the empire without a fight. He entered his chamber and opened the doors to his private porch; leaving them ajar he sat down on the divan in the opposite corner of the room. She should be here any minute.


    ¡°Where have you been? I¡¯ve been waiting forever.¡±


    The voice startled K¡¯ivin, and he spun around, searching for its source. The woman chuckled as she strode out of the shadows behind him. She certainly blended in; her black leggings and tunic matched her glossy, ebony hair, swept up in a loose bun behind her head.


    ¡°Where were you hiding, Mikiva?¡± K¡¯ivin asked, slightly annoyed that she had been able to sneak up on him, but not really surprised.


    ¡°If I told you, that would ruin it for next time,¡± she laughed.


    K¡¯ivin rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I need you, Miki,¡± K¡¯ivin said at last.


    ¡°Of course, you do,¡± she replied, matter-of-factly.


    As she approached, the spymaster appraised her carefully,


    ¡°You¡¯ve added a knife to your left boot,¡± he observed as she took a seat, he knew all her usual hiding places and that one was new.


    Mikiva raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the carefully concealed weapon,


    ¡°What gave it away?¡±


    ¡°You only put a knife in one boot, caused some asymmetry in the way the leather flexes as you walk.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°I should have thought of that. I¡¯ll have to even that out later. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± K¡¯ivin leaned back on the divan. ¡°Now for the matter at hand. No doubt you¡¯ve heard of the impending war.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Nasty business.¡±


    ¡°Not for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, no. Wars are notoriously kind to assassins and spies. We have a way of surviving.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± K¡¯ivin agreed. ¡°And of getting rich in the process. But you work for us now, and I don¡¯t want to lose this war.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. But it seems unlikely that you will win. Esrasea has been priming themselves for a long time, and we, well, we have not.¡±


    ¡°I know. I am working on that as quickly as I can. But you are right, we need to buy some time. That¡¯s why I need you.¡±


    ¡°You want me to stop a war? Look, K¡¯iv, I¡¯m good, but I¡¯m not that good.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to stop it, just to get me something I can work with.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Mikiva asked, her curiosity obviously piqued.


    ¡°There is an estate, in Esrasea. It looks like a simple country mansion, but it is unusually well guarded. Your target will be travelling back there from a meeting with the queen soon, and I want you to be waiting for him.¡±


    K¡¯ivin handed her an envelope, full of cash and the necessary papers and instructions for the job he wanted done. He watched her eyebrows raise as she skimmed the pages,


    ¡°Where did you get this information, K¡¯ivin?¡±


    ¡°I have my sources.¡±


    ¡°I know that. But this¡­¡±


    ¡°I may have gotten a tip from an unusual source, this time.¡±


    ¡°Unusual?¡±


    ¡°A priestess of Tasya.¡±


    ¡°Where would a priestess get this information? More importantly, why would she share it with you?¡±


    ¡°She declined to say.¡±


    ¡°Should we be worried about that?¡±


    ¡°I have confirmed as much as I can through other channels. The information is sound, as far as I can tell. The why is unimportant. Probably just one of the games the gods are always playing. You know how the Eleven can be. We need to focus on mortal concerns. You think you can make it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time; I will have to prepare immediately and leave tonight. Can¡¯t afford to be late.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Mikiva.¡±


    ¡°Luck is for amateurs and civilians,¡± she grinned, then she rose and strode out the porch doors and disappeared into the night.


    **


    Jade stood in front of Lady Avrinly, her eyes on the floor, and hands folded in front of her, attempting the most submissive posture she could manage. It was difficult. Jade could have tried to hide in the house or on the grounds, but they would have found her eventually, and it would have only made things worse for her when they did. So, once she¡¯d left J¡¯arrin¡¯s quarters and disposed of the contraband, she had turned herself in immediately. Avrinly was fuming; she paced the floor, back and forth with frantic energy. Jade studied her idly; she was a slender woman, of medium height, with long brown hair that fell to her mid-back. She was supposed to be something of a reputed beauty, but today, the anger twisted her normally elegant visage into something ugly. Avrinly glared at Jade.


    ¡°After all I¡¯ve done for you, after everything that I have given you, you would disrespect my home in this manner!?¡±


    Jade clenched her teeth, biting back a response. Avrinly had done plenty to her, but nothing for her.


    C¡¯arren was standing in the shadows in the corner of the room, smug smirk plastered across his features. What Jade wouldn¡¯t give to wipe that stupid grin off his face. Actually, she supposed she was about to find out what she would have to give, wasn¡¯t she? Lady Carayn continued,


    ¡°You will have to be punished for this crime. Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Nothing mistress, I deserve whatever punishment you give me,¡± it killed Jade to say that; she knew she didn¡¯t deserve any of this. But that was beyond her control at this point, so there was no reason to antagonize the woman.


    ¡°Very well. What should I do with her, C¡¯arren? You are, after all, the victim here.¡±


    Jade glanced over at the man. She could see in his eyes what he wanted to say, but he hesitated because it was doubtful that wish would be granted. Avrinly had spent money on Jade, and she would want her to remain useful, or at least retain her resale value. Still, C¡¯arren tried,


    ¡°Execute her,¡± C¡¯arren pronounced. ¡°She is no good for this house. She does more harm than good. Make an example of her.¡±


    Jade was hardly surprised.


    ¡°Now C¡¯arren,¡± Avrinly said patiently. ¡°You know that I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    The guard¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°But mistress, why do you even want her here?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that I want her here¡­¡± Avrinly chewed her lip. ¡°She just¡­ has to be here. That is not up for discussion.¡±


    Jade raised an eyebrow at that. What reason would Avrinly have to keep her? There was nothing special about her that would merit this. She had no particular skills, and she wasn¡¯t exactly useful to the household. She didn¡¯t have much time to ponder that, though, because Avrinly was already continuing her deliberation on punishment.


    ¡°No. I need to be practical here. This was a first offense, and you have already been healed, after all. There is no reason for me to lose the use of a servant over something that is relatively minor. I see no reason to deviate from the traditional punishment in this situation.¡±


    C¡¯arren¡¯s face puckered at that, like he had tasted something sour. Jade allowed herself a small smile. Avrinly tapped a manicured nail on her chine for a moment before finally nodding, clearly pleased with her decision.


    ¡°I have decided to sentence you to 200 lashes. But who could do it?¡± she wondered aloud. ¡°It would absolutely ruin my hands, and T¡¯emlin won¡¯t be home for days.¡±


    Jade had heard that her husband had been away on business in the royal capital for some time. That wasn¡¯t uncommon. Avrinly furrowed her brow, as if in consternation.


    ¡°I volunteer, mistress,¡± C¡¯arren had a malicious glint in his eyes when he spoke.


    ¡°Hmmm, yes, I do believe that would be perfect,¡± Avrinly smiled broadly. ¡°Justice will be best served that way.¡±


    Jade cringed. C¡¯arren. Great, now her punishment would be both painful and humiliating.


    ¡°Very well, then,¡± Avrinly declared. ¡°There is no reason to delay. Go now and retrieve the cat o¡¯ nine tails from the armoury. We will go to the whipping post out back and administer the punishment immediately. Then I will heal her myself, so she can return to work immediately.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lady,¡± C¡¯arren bowed and exited the room, casting a backwards glance at Jade as he went. His smile could only be described as triumphant.


    ¡°Take her to the yard,¡± Avrinly instructed her personal guards.


    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± they grabbed Jade roughly by each arm and marched her out behind the house.


    Jade was shoved roughly to the ground and stripped her to the waist before the guards locked her into the pillory. Hanging there, waiting for the other servants to be assembled to watch her beating, Jade tried not to think about what was coming next. But that proved impossible. She had never been flogged before, but she imagined that it was unpleasant. And of course, C¡¯arren would be right there, that vicious smirk on his face. Jade clenched her fists tightly enough that her nails drew blood from her palms. She was frustrated, and, she had to admit, a little bit afraid.


    ¡°You need to control your temper, girl. It¡¯s what got you into this mess in the first place,¡± C¡¯arren suddenly appeared next to her.


    ¡°Actually, it was your temper that was the real problem,¡± Jade replied as calmly as she could manage.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t blame others for your problems, Jade. It¡¯s very childish.¡±


    ¡°And what is holding a grudge, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I hold no grudge against you,¡± C¡¯arren sniffed.


    Jade laughed humorlessly,


    ¡°Right. We both know anyone else wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±


    ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t,¡± C¡¯arren agreed. ¡°Everyone else knows their place.¡±


    Jade just snorted derisively. That wasn¡¯t even a little bit true. Many of the other slaves were better at hiding their disobedience, but they were no more docile than she was.


    ¡°Obedience is a trait befitting a servant,¡± C¡¯arren sniffed. ¡°You should try it sometime; it would vastly improve your life.¡±


    ¡°I bet it would.¡±


    ¡°Just remember, Jade, you will break eventually, even as stubborn as you are. Better for all of us if you do so sooner, rather than later. Stop making things worse for yourself.¡±


    Sighing, Jade shifted in her bonds. She needed to find a way out. Before his prediction came to pass. No sooner had that cheery thought crossed her mind then she felt a shadow fall across her back. She looked up and saw a servant pass the cat o¡¯ nine tails to C¡¯arren, his face twisting into a malicious grin. He leaned close to her, so close that his lips brushed her ear,


    ¡°I am really going to enjoy this,¡± he murmured. ¡°After all these years, I am finally going to make you beg me for mercy.¡±


    Jade glared up at him but said nothing. There was no point. Avrinly arrived after a moment, followed by the rest of the servants; a punishment like this was a big event, a spectator sport. Not to mention that humiliation was a significant part of the effectiveness of this particular method of deterrence. The pain was temporary, but the humiliation was a lasting deterrent. Jade cringed as C¡¯arren ran his hand down her bare back, marking his place. His touch lingered longer than was strictly necessary. She gritted her teeth, wishing vehemently that she could break every finger on that hand, one at a time. Jade watched as Avrinly took a seat, watching with passive disinterest. Jade shuddered, feeling the eyes of the crowd on her. They were all waiting to see her bleed, to see her cry out in pain. Though, J¡¯arrin did not appear, and for that small mercy, she was glad. With his deteriorating eyesight, they might not have even bothered to ask him. Either way, at least he wouldn¡¯t have to witness this.


    ¡°You may begin when you are ready, C¡¯arren,¡± Avrinly instructed. ¡°200 lashes, no more.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady,¡± C¡¯arren replied, raising the whip over his head.


    Jade closed her eyes again and braced herself. The flail bit into her skin, cutting deep into the flesh and muscle along her back. It had been brought down with a force borne of hatred. The pain took her breath away, but she bit down hard on her lip. She refused to cry out, refused to give the bastard the satisfaction. Her fists clenched. He struck her again, harder and she could feel the hot blood seeping from her wounds, a thick, slippery film slowly coating her back. C¡¯arren¡¯s movements became frenzied; the blows came fast and hard, over and over. She lost count quickly as everything blurred into a haze of agony. More than once, she thought she was going to lose consciousness and at some point, she bit through her lip, and the blood began to flow down her face as well. She didn¡¯t even notice when it stopped; tears flowed from her still closed eyes and her back burned like fire. After a moment, Jade noticed that they were not loosening the stocks. At first, she was confused, then she felt the hands on her back. Opening one eye, Jade looked back and saw Lady Avrinly, kneeling beside her, hands on her wounds. Jade sucked air through her teeth, she knew what was about to happen, and she wasn¡¯t sure if she could endure it, not after what she had already experienced. The forced healing of her flesh would compel her to relive the pain ten times over. Just as the violent tearing and piercing of flesh was painful, the unnatural and rapid knitting together of that same flesh was a horrifying experience that could make people nostalgic for their original injury. That was one reason why healers were typically only used if it was a matter of necessity, life and death. But Avrinly seemed indifferent to the pain she inflicted on others, and never hesitated to use her power to spare herself even minor inconvenience. Jade opened her mouth to ask Avrinly to just leave her like this, to say that she would heal naturally, but even as she began to form the words, the first wave of magic hit, ripping them from her throat. This time, she did scream.