Chapter 9
“So, your name is Cal from what the innkeeper told me,” Hal said.
Cal backed away from him, stumbling over the uneven ground and bumping up against a tree. He was too badly winded to outrun the man.
Hal walked up to him and grabbed his collar, shoving him violently up against the tree as he yelped in pain. “I asked you some questions back there. But maybe you don’t like talking in front of a lot of people. It’s just us now, so why don’t you talk to me?”
“I d-don’t kn-know anything!” Cal could barely get the words out.
Behind his back, he had a little pouch hidden in one of his hands. His heart was pounding and he felt like his lungs were going to explode. He was too frightened to look defiant. But he had no intention of telling this animal anything about his friends.
“Why are you being so stubborn? Do I have to break your arm? You’re just a kid. I don’t really want to hurt you,” Hal said in a cheerful tone that gave the boy chills.
Calix shivered as Hal drew a knife. The blade glinted briefly as the man held it close to Cal’s face. “Tell me about the blond guy who joined the princess and her bodyguard. Is he a good fighter? Who does he work for?”
Cal shrank as far back away from him as he could, saying brokenly, “I d-don’t know.”
“Oh yes, you do. And I’m going to-”
Cal threw the contents of the pouch into his face.
Hal staggered back, coughing violently as the herbs burned his eyes and throat and shouting, “You little rat! My eyes!”
Cal dashed away as fast as he could, panting and darting through the trees. He knew the non-lethal substance wouldn’t keep the man detained for long. If he could just get to the little crack in the cliff that led to his home, he doubted Hal would be able to find him.
He glanced over his shoulder several times, but Hal was nowhere to be seen. At length he slowed to a walk, simply unable to push himself any further. He could barely breathe, and his heart was beating out of his chest as he staggered on slowly.
And that was when Hal jumped out at him from the trees, grabbing the front of his shirt as he yelled in terror. Hal punched him, sending him sprawling, sobbing and dazed.
“Until you did that, you could have come out of this alive,” Hal hissed. His eyes were red and swollen, and his face was filled with rage. He slowly walked towards the boy, his feet scattering the leaves and herbs on the forest floor.
Raising his head weakly, Cal saw the verdant opal Kathryn had given him. He carried it everywhere with him, and it had fallen out of his pocket when he went down. As Hal bent down to grab him, Cal desperately scrambled for the opal. His fingers touched it just as Hal seized him by the throat.
Cal choked and gasped, struggling ineffectually. Already winded, he was almost unconscious in seconds as the world began to turn black around him. His mind roared. He didn’t have the presence of mind to realize the verdant opal was glowing, but Hal saw it and his eyes widened.
Then a blast of bright green magic erupted, and Calix’s eyes flared green as well. The blast threw Hal backwards, but it was brief, and then Cal sank down, barely conscious and utterly defeated.
Hal cursed as he regained his footing. It hurt his pride that a mere child like this had held him off for so long. He abandoned the idea of trying to get information from the boy and drew his dagger.
Then he dimly heard a rush of footsteps and a sharp “shring” sound. As if from far away, he heard a harsh voice say, “Drop it or I take your head.”
Hal was no fool. He knew that Xian was serious. He instantly dropped the weapon and held his hands up, staring down at the blade against his throat. “No need to get excited,” he said with a smirk. “I was just teaching the brat a lesson.”
“You are pathetic.” Xian’s hand trembled with rage. “Abhorrent.”
“Oh, don’t give me your self-righteous crap. You’re worse than I am. Can a Viper change its spots?” Hal sneered.
Osric arrived, panting and shoving his way through the trees. He could hardly believe how fast the giant scarred warrior could move. Xian was evidently also an excellent tracker, since he’d managed to find Hal without any real trouble.
General Valen had a son of his own, and when he saw Cal lying there bleeding and whimpering, the man felt even more disgusted with his traveling companion.
He hurried over to the boy and knelt next to him. “Are you all right?” he began, reaching to help him up.
Cal slapped his hand away and struggled to his feet, panting. His eyes were full of terror, but Osric was more concerned about the blood trickling from his split lip and the fact he was limping badly. “You’re hurt, kid. Let me help-” Osric began.
“Leave him alone,” Xian said quietly. “The boy does not want your help.”
Cal started and gave him a brief look of gratitude before darting away into the trees as quickly as he could.
“He could have been injured inside,” Osric said angrily. “I only wanted to make sure-”
“He was scared.” Xian sheathed his sword and, almost as an afterthought, backhanded Hal, sending him sprawling. “It would have distressed him.”
Osric hesitated, but he had to admit that, based on how the boy had looked at him, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of allowing him to get any closer.
Hal struggled to his feet, grumbling, “I wasn’t actually going to kill him, you know. I was just trying to scare him.”
“I’m debating whether to kill you and leave your body here,” Osric told him grimly. “The next time you sneak off, no matter what the reason, I’m going to assume you snuck off to hurt someone. And I’ll take your head. Understood?”
Hal rolled his eyes and smirked. “Of course, you must do what you think is best, General,” he sneered.
Xian said, “We could bury him under that tree over there.”
Hal looked briefly alarmed, but he relaxed as Osric said, “I’ll give him one more chance. My king wants to use him for something. After that, if you want to kill him, I’ll gladly allow it.”
“What bloodthirsty companions I have,” Hal snorted.
Xian said quietly, “You are the cold-blooded assassin here.” He grabbed Hal by the collar. “We shall go back to the inn.”
Osric watched him half-drag Hal with some fascination. Hal wasn’t exactly a weak man, and it was evident that Xian was extraordinarily powerful. “How did Ren survive against him?” he muttered before following them.
Far away, in Tephraya, Ren was fascinated by the strange outfits and the striking looks of the travelers outside the capital city. He gawked at everything, and when they reached the top of a little sand dune and saw the capital, his mouth dropped open with shock.
Tephrayana was stunning. The gold that adorned the palace and hundreds of other buildings glinted in the morning sun. The architecture was quite unlike the smooth, marbled Navinorian buildings or the rougher, squarish structures of Iridalys. It was filled with stone arches, elaborate shapes, and high towers.
But Ren noticed that Chance, Brenin, and Kathryn each had expressions of faint distaste on their faces. Kathryn remarked, “It’s amazing what you can do with an endless supply of slaves.” Brenin grunted in agreement.
In truth, Ren had never thought much about slavery. His whole life had revolved around Kathryn, not politics. But it was different for Chance. Every glimpse of slavery was a glimpse of the horrible life his sister had lived. His heart ached at the thought.
Ren saw the look on his face and patted him on the back. “Let’s get moving,” he said.
“Iridalys natives in Tephraya?” a female voice behind them asked. Whoever it was spoke with a pleasant, lilting accent and a tone that seemed to contain mild curiosity rather than any sort of threat.
They turned, and Chance audibly caught his breath. The Tephrayan woman who stood before them was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes were the color of amethysts, and her lips were full and gently curved into a smile. She wore a light, lace-trimmed headscarf to protect from the sun, but her hair was shimmering black beneath it. And her bronze skin was nearly flawless except for a small scar just over lips, which only added to the character of her face rather than detracting. She was taller than Kathryn, and carried herself with remarkable grace. She wore simple flat-bottomed shoes, billowy pants, a flowing emerald-colored tunic that reached her knees, and gold earrings, bracelets, and rings. All in all, she was a stunning figure.
Ren glanced at Chance in surprise, as he’d expected him to be the first to speak. Instead, Kathryn was the one who spoke first. “Yes. We’re from Iridalys,” she said. She glanced at the gold bangles on the young woman’s arms and bowed her head. “Princess,” she finished.
The young woman laughed heartily. “I’m not a princess, my dear. I am a lady, though. I can see why you were confused.” She held up her arm to show the bracelets. “The markings are royalty, as you suspected, but they’re from a rejected suitor, not from my family.”
Kathryn noticed the little bit of emphasis the young woman put on the word “rejected.” Then the woman turned to Ren, looking up at him with a flirty smile. “What is your name, warrior? Are you here for the Contest of Champions?”
Ren glanced at Kathryn, as he wasn’t sure if they should betray their intentions so soon. But she nodded slightly and he replied, “I’m Ren Patrick. And yeah, I’m here to fight.”
“That will be a spectacle!” The woman clapped her hands playfully. “Do you have a place to stay, Ren Patrick?”
Ren was a bit flustered for the first time. “Wha-I mean, not yet,” he stammered.
Beside him, Chance rolled his eyes and muttered, “Should’ve known.”
The young woman glanced at him, but after a brief inspection seemed to decide both he and the grizzled old warrior beside him were of little interest. She returned her gaze to Ren’s slightly confused face. “Then you may avail yourself of my hospitality.”
“Why should we?” Kathryn asked quietly. “Or rather, why would you offer?”
“Because, my dear, I am so very intrigued by you all. You’re all quite exotic,” the woman said cheerfully.
Kathryn had to smile a little at the word, as she’d never thought of herself as “exotic.” But she said, “The truth is that we do not have a great deal of money at the moment, and to take advantage of you would be entirely too disrespectful.”
“Right,” Ren said hastily. “Plus, we don’t even know you. So if you don’t mind, miss, we’ll be on our way.”
As he turned to go, she put her hand on his arm to stop him, and he froze. “My name is Zafiyah Nour,” she said, cocking her head slightly. “Now, you know me. And it is rude to insist on rejecting hospitality when it is offered in Tephraya.”
Kathryn couldn’t decide exactly how she felt when she saw the way Zafiyah looked at Ren. It was clear she was attracted to him. Still, this was clearly an opportunity.
Kathryn jogged Ren’s elbow to catch his attention. “She’s right,” she said quietly. “It’s Tephrayan etiquette not to insist on a refusal.”
Zafiyah raised an eyebrow. “You know about us!” she said pleasantly. “I take it this beautiful warrior serves you?”
Chance coughed pointedly, but Zafiyah ignored him. “We’re friends,” Kathryn said with a smile.
Ren glanced at her in surprise, as she’d never referred to him that way to other people before.
Zafiyah seemed quite pleased. “Only friends,” she repeated. “Then you are not involved, Ren Patrick?”
“Oh, I’m in love with her,” Ren replied coolly.
The young woman glanced at Kathryn and saw the hesitation in her face. Zafiyah remarked, “What a pity. Anyway, you must come to my home.”
“Are all of us invited, or only the two you’ve noticed?” Chance asked wryly.
Zafiyah smiled at him. “We always invite the whole group. It would be rude not to do so.”
“Well, at least I have that working in my favor,” Chance muttered. Brenin grunted in a way that sounded like an agreement. He’d already decided he didn’t like this strange young woman one bit.
Zafiyah certainly seemed interested in Ren. In fact, she wouldn’t stop asking questions. “So Ren Patrick, how old are you? Are you really going to fight in the Contest of Champions? Have you been here in Tephraya before?”
Ren answered her questions steadily, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she kept staring at him in fascination. Kathryn felt a bit uncomfortable, but she didn’t show it. Not even Chance could tell she was bothered, and he prided himself on being able to read faces.
For his part, Chance seemed to have gotten over his annoyance. He was busy casting his sharp green eyes around the streets as they headed for one of the massive, gilded mansions that housed the noble families of Tephraya. Signs of slavery were everywhere. People were bought and sold on street corners, and many were led around in chains.
“You know that you have to have a noble sponsor in order to fight in the Contest of Champions, right?” Zafiyah asked suddenly.
Kathryn started, as did Ren. He said, “But I thought anyone could take part.”
“Oh, that’s under the old rules. There were too many people joining in who were just riff raff, and so many of them got killed that the streets were practically running with blood. Anyone who had a grudge would use it to kill someone else. King Tarik used to enjoy that sort of thing from what I heard, but ever since his son’s mother died, he hasn’t been as excited about it,” Zafiyah explained.
Chance remarked, “Well then, it looks like you’re out of luck, Ren. You’ll have to find a different way to get yourself killed.”
“I have an idea,” Zafiyah interjected, clapping her hands like an excited child. “I’ll test your prowess. If you please me, then I’ll sponsor you.”
“Ha. Won’t be a problem. Who do you want me to fight?” Ren demanded, missing the potential double meaning in her words that made both Chance and Kathryn flinch.
“Hmmm…not today. I’ll find you a worthy opponent tomorrow,” Zafiyah decided. She glanced at Kathryn sideways and smirked a little as she saw her breathe a sigh of relief. “So, tell me about yourself, dear. If this Ren Patrick is the one I’ve heard of…you must be the former princess of Iridalys?”
“You do not seem to miss much,” Kathryn observed quietly. “Yes, I am Kathryn.”
“I see. So this beautiful warrior is meant to win you the position of a noblewoman of Tephraya, is he?” Zafiyah rested her hand lightly on Ren’s arm and smiled up at him. “Tell me about yourself, Champion. How did someone like you become the bodyguard of the former princess?”
Ren shook her off, saying shortly, “There’s not much to tell, my lady. I was sent to the royal family by my parents when I was a child. So what about you? What’s your story?”
She smiled at the sudden change in subject as she replied, “Oh, my story is utterly disinteresting. I was born to a noble house, and my family has been nobility here in Tephraya for generations. But you intrigue me. You were the royal family’s slave, yet you chose to remain with the former princess even after she lost her position?”
Kathryn flinched at the word “slave.”
“I’m not a slave,” Ren replied, furrowing his brow in irritation. “Not sure why you’d think I was. I earned wages for my service; or rather, my parents did until I came of age.”
Zafiyah cocked her head slightly. “Oh, no offense! It’s just that, to me, that sounds no different than how Tephrayan families will sometimes sell a child into slavery if they fall upon hard times, and they will receive wages for the child. For example, Patrila here,” gesturing to her handmaiden, an unobtrusive girl who stood by, “was given to me as a child to pay her father’s debts.”
Her words seemed to rile Brenin up. “We don’t practice slavery,” he told her bluntly, speaking for the first time as they left the bustling streets and entered the courtyard of the towering structure that apparently served as Zafiyah’s home. “Don’t speak about it if you don’t know about our customs.” His face was red and his eyes narrow.
“Then I suppose I can’t buy him. What a shame,” Zafiyah said teasingly.
Chance snickered at Ren’s startled face. But then Zafiyah asked more seriously, “If not to pay debts, why did your family send you away?”
Chance perked up his ears, as he’d been curious about that for some time.
“Well, we were mostly scholars in my family,” Ren explained. “My older brother was quite renowned for his literary knowledge and intellect even as a kid. He wrote all about science and architecture, and his designs created several royal palaces, including the one requested by Kathryn’s father upon her birth. I, on the other hand, was a sort of a misfit. I loved fighting and couldn’t stand books. I guess I just didn’t fit. My father was disappointed. At first he said he’d put me in a military school, but they heard the royal family was looking for someone to train up to grow up alongside the princess as her bodyguard. So they sent me there.”
“How fascinating! Did your family often visit you?”
Ren looked slightly pained. “I never saw the kids – or my mother – again,” he admitted. “My father visited once about four years back, and I saw my older brother a couple times in court. So Kat…her ladyship is the closest thing to family I’ve got left.”
He wondered impatiently why the courtyard was so large and why it was taking so long to get to the entrance as Zafiyah continued, “I suppose that explains why you’re so loyal. You’ve never known anything else.”
“Here we are,” the young bodyguard interrupted, feeling he’d talked about himself enough for a lifetime.
The massive double doors swung open, and half a dozen servants swarmed out to meet Zafiyah, bringing with them bowls of water and washcloths to help her remove the dust. Even Kathryn, who was used to living as a princess, had rarely seen such a fuss. One of the servants spoke to Zafiyah in Tephrayan, which Kathryn and Chance could both understand but felt it was better to pretend otherwise. He said, “Your mother wishes to see you immediately, my lady. She says it is urgent.”
“Then I will go.” Zafiyah turned to them. “My servants will make you comfortable. You are my guests for now. And in a couple days, when you have fully recovered from your arduous journey, Ren Patrick, I will arrange a friendly match between you and one of my men. We will see what Iridalys generals are made of.” She smiled up at him and then turned to go.
As soon as she was gone, Ren breathed a sigh of relief and remarked seriously, “That woman makes me uncomfortable.”
Kathryn actually let out a little laugh, which surprised both men. “What’s so funny?” Ren demanded.
Kathryn smiled at him and took his hand. “You are. Now, let’s get some rest and discuss our next steps.”
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