…
She was collecting seashells again. Zachary watched her with a smile, blissfully unaware of his injuries. That is, until he tried to shift his position. Then it hurt. Yes, hurt…just like that. He held himself as still as he could until the pain subsided.
"Are you all right?" Karigan called.
"Perfectly fit," he lied. She considered him doubtfully, then bent down to dig in the sand. Her face glowed with something he hadn't seen in years and he strove to etch it into his memory. She looked almost like a girl, not the seasoned, dark warrior he'd seen come out of the tombs. And here, on this island, she was just a girl, and he was just a man.
In his mind, anyway.
"Majesty," she said breathlessly, dropping to her knees in front of him, "look at these." She held out a handful of sandy shells. He looked obediently and made the appropriate responses, but his eyes drifted to the sunlight blazing red in her hair and splaying across her lips.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
"Do you see the purple in this one?" She pushed one out of the pile. He touched it, then trailed his fingertips over her long fingers. Her hand was instantly snatched away. Shells plopped into the sand.
"I'll go find some more." She hurried away. Zachary let out a sigh. Never in the farthest reaches of his dreams did he ever imagine this – being together, alone, with her, no one demanding any explanations, no expectations, no duties. He could almost pretend he had no responsibilities here, and he would enjoy it as best he could.
Thump.
Zachary doubled over, wheezing and gasping as his injuries yanked in his back. Black dots splattered in his vision.
"Hey!" Karigan's voice, angry. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm sorry! I did'n mean to hit him." A child.
Zachary raised his head and peered at his would-be attacker. A girl, no older than four or five, peered back at him with watery blue eyes and a pouty lower lip. He held out the ball that had come to rest in his lap after knocking the air out of his lungs. "Is this yours?"
She took it from him. "I'm really sorry."
"Apology more than accepted." He struggled to stand and Karigan ran to help him, throwing an arm around his waist and hooking his elbow over her neck. He decided to sit and stand more often. The girl watched the process, amused.
"Don't you know how to stand on your own?" She puffed out her chest. "I could walk before I was one years old."
"Very impressive," Zachary said through his teeth, his breath hissing as his injuries throbbed.
"You're probably just getting old, like my mama. She's really old. She can't even walk up the stairs without her knees hurting. And her back." She furrowed her brow. "You look like you're hurting too. Me 'n Terry were only playing, honest. And if you hadn't been sitting there, you wouldn't've gotten hurt." She frowned at the king. He chuckled.
"I'll be more careful next time."
"You should be more careful next time," Karigan scolded. The girl's pouty lip trembled.
Zachary leaned to Karigan's ear. "It was an accident, merely," he whispered. She looked at him in some surprise, then reddened.
"Of course it was. I'm sorry, I was just – upset." She crouched so she was eye level with the girl. "What's your name?"
Immediately, the girl brightened. "I'm Emmi." She looked at them suspiciously. "Who are you? I've never seen you before and I know everyone on the island."
"I'm Karigan and this is – Zachary. We're not from this island."
Emmi gaped. "You mean…you're from the other side of the ocean? Past the sun?" She pointed.
With a laugh, Karigan turned her about. "From over there, past the moon."
"Have you seen the king's castle?"
They exchanged a look. "Yes, we've seen it."
Emmi gasped in delight. "Have you seen the Black Weapons?"
Amused, Karigan answered, "Yes, we have."
Emmi put down her ball so she could strike a pose. "I'm going to be a Black Weapon when I'm older." She deflated. "Only, my brother says I can't go over the ocean. He says that I'll be caught and sucked in by the waves and drowned in the deeps of the sea." Suddenly, she turned and shouted, "Terrier!"
Terrier?
A dog, bigger than Emmi and far larger than any terrier Zachary had ever seen bounded toward them, tongue lolling and slobber trailing in the wind behind him. He came to a stumbling stop and proceeded to lick every bit of skin he could reach.
"This is Terry. He's going to be a Hilland Terrier when he's older." The dog's ancestry was suspiciously inscrutable, and judging by his matted hair and the limp in his back legs, he was already far past 'older.' Despite it, Emmi threw her arms around his body. "They'll call me Hero Black Weapon Emmi and he'll be Hero Terrer. We're going to save the king's life a lot when we grow up." She beamed proudly at the dog. Touched, Zachary reached down and ruffled Terrier's ears.
"You will make a wonderful Weapon. And Terry will make a – err, very special terrier."
Emmi stared at him. "Zachary…" she said. He looked up. "You're very handsome."
Karigan snorted, then threw a hand over her mouth. Zachary smiled blankly. "Thank you."
Emmi continued to gaze dreamily at him. "Maybe I can be your Black Weapon."
"They're called Black Shields, Emmi, and didn't Mama tell you not to talk to strangers?"
The voice belonged to a gangly young teenager, one with the same watery blue eyes and curly brown locks as Emmi. He frowned at Karigan and Zachary as he approached. "Who are you?"
"Mat! They're from over the ocean! They've been to the castle and saw the Black Weapons."
"Shields, Emmi." He picked up her ball. "I've heard of you. You're the ones staying with Rena and her husband." He lifted his chin and looked at them as if from a great height. "You're the ones that helped Dagon Spinter yesterday, aren't you?"
"What of it?" Karigan snapped, irritated by his condescending tone.
Mat shrugged. "Just that…well, you probably shouldn't have done it." He smiled knowingly. "You should try to avoid the other villagers. You didn't exactly impress them."
Emmi reached out and took Zachary's hand. She tugged until he crouched painfully in front of her. Fixing her eyes on his face, she said, "Mama says that they do bad things...with magic. You need to stay away from them. I don't want you to get hurt again." Turning to her brother, she explained, "I hit him with my ball." She turned back to Zachary. "Please don't get in trouble with them."
"I'll be very careful," he promised, standing slowly and very grateful for Karigan's support. Emmi, however, didn't let go.
"Promise me you won't get hurt," she begged, clutching his hand with both of hers, gazing into his face with abject adoration. Zachary sent Karigan a sidelong look.
"I promise."
Mat snatched his sister's hands. "Time to go, Emmi." He leveled Zachary with a warning glare and pulled Emmi away. "Come, Terrier."
The big dog, who had been happily drooling on Zachary's boots, heaved his body up and trotted unevenly after his masters. Emmi turned and waved. Zachary and Karigan waved back.
A heavy silence fell between them, until Zachary said, "At least I have one Weapon that is still loyal to me."
Karigan laughed outright. "And a new dog to add to your kennel."
Zachary grinned and began walking. Karigan fell into step beside him. "Magic," she said, picking up a shell.
"Superstition," Zachary replied, taking it from her.
"The boy did have a tattoo." Karigan took it back.
"We didn't see it clearly." He watched her smooth the sand off its opalescent surface. "However, any hint of Second Empire is worth investigating." He stroked his beard as he thought. "We can't be prying, however. If they do have something to hide, then his family will be on their guard."
"We can go under the pretense that we want to see how Dagon is going along. He was badly beaten, after all."
Zachary smiled in approval. "Rena will most likely know where they live."
"And if she has the same suspicions as everyone else on this island, she'll forbid us from going. You – " she started, dropping the shell into the sand, " – should be resting. If you pulled your stitching, Rena will bite my head off."
"I was resting," he protested. However, he didn't protest when she checked his back for fresh blood.
"The sooner you heal the sooner we can get back to Sacor City and solve whatever happened there. That is, of course, if that pleases Your Majesty."
"What would please me…" he said, meeting her eyes. She stiffened. "…would be to exercise Night Hawk and Condor today. It's a beautiful day for a ride. We could – ah – meet some of the locals?"
A knowing look came into her eyes. "Just a ride."
"That's all."
"No trotting."
"Oh, gods, no."
"And if we were to happen upon Dagon Spinter's home…"
"We would just inquire after his general health."
"Just a simple inquiry."
"Nothing more."
"We'd be back at Rena's by sunset?"
"By suppertime."
Karigan twisted her lips as she thought. "Fine. But we still need to find out where he lives so we can plan our – ride accordingly. Rena's smart. She'll know what we're trying to get out of her."
Zachary smiled coyly. "Leave Rena to me. She won't know what she told me."
Karigan had no doubt about that. They exchanged a conspiratorial smile as they turned toward the house.
…
The Spinter house huddled a little ways from the edge of a sea cliff. It peeked at the visitors through the shuddering copse of trees. Karigan and Zachary exchanged a look. "Creepy," Karigan murmured. Zachary watched her easy dismount enviously. Mounting Night Hawk had been a whole affair of its own and he didn't look forward to getting back off.
Karigan came around to his left leg. "Ready to come down?"
Zachary took a steadying breath, pulled his right foot out of the stirrup, and dragged his leg over Night Hawk's rump. The wound at the base of his back screamed furiously at him. He jerked his leg the rest of the way over, toppling away from the horse into Karigan's ready arms, and the pair of them dumped onto the dirt.
Karigan held him tightly as his body convulsed with pain, barely audible whimpers emanating from his mouth. All the pain, the anger, the betrayals bubbled up in her throat and she fought tears as she pressed his head into her chest. Her fingers curled into his hair.
He clutched her in a vise, trembling, and she tried to soothe him, praying he hadn't injured himself further. Finally he slumped into her lap, his gasps diminished into rattling breaths. "How…" he breathed, his hand tightening and releasing her arm weakly, "…embarrassing."
Karigan snorted. "It really is," she whispered. "But not many people are as graceful as me."
He chuckled and the sound reverberated deep in her chest. Her fingers uncurled and combed through his amber hair, just once. He shifted and she felt his face raise toward hers. A very familiar need to run shouted at her, but she couldn't. Literally, because his weight pressed her legs into the ground, but also because he was her responsibility. If she left, he would be alone. No protection. That would be unacceptable.
She had no choice.
"You've trapped me," she muttered.
His hand crept over her sleeve and shoulder, his fingers sifting through her hair until they caressed the back of her head. He pulled her head down and their lips touched –
"Hey!"
Karigan jerked her head up and Zachary's hand fell. A man came toward them from the house, his face a mask of confusion. He stopped, took in their position, and smiled. "I never saw our little road as a lovers' getaway, but I guess when the need takes you, it takes you."
Karigan's face flamed.
"My horse threw me," Zachary said. He reached out a hand. "Mind?"
The man hoisted him up and Zachary grasped Night Hawk's mane to keep from collapsing again. "You too?" Before Karigan could answer, the man grabbed her wrists and jerked her up.
"What brings you to our cliff?" the man asked, taking the horses' reins. With an expressive wink at Zachary, he added, "Other than – well, you know."
Karigan stared at her feet. She heard Zachary reply, "We've come to see how Dagon is doing. We witnessed his beating yesterday."
"Oh! Are you the ones that helped him? What a pleasure!" He turned and shook their hands briskly. "Fedir Spinter. I'm Dagon's father. Come. You must come in." They reached the house. "I'll take care of your horses. Go right on in."
Karigan followed Zachary up the wooden staircase. She forced her eyes up from her feet. "Your back," she gasped. "You're bleeding!"
He leaned against the door. "I'm fine," he replied.
"Um, no." She took his arm. "We shouldn't have come. I knew we shouldn't have come."
"Breyan's gold! Your horse really did throw you. Inside, inside, quickly." Fedir ushered them in and guided them to a small kitchen. Zachary was settled into a chair and rags and hot water were gathered. Fedir thrust the cloth into Karigan's hands. "Please, start. I'll fetch my wife. She's a mender."
He hurried out of the room. Karigan pushed his shirt up and gritted her teeth. The stitching had torn through his skin and the little bit of healing that had begun was shredded.
"Stupid," Karigan muttered, pulling the thread out. "This was stupid."
"It was my idea."
"I'm here to protect you from your stupid ideas," she snapped, wiping away the rivulets of blood.
"My ideas are never stupid."
Karigan scoffed. "Please."
The door opened and Dagon Spinter crept into the room. His lip was scabbed and one eye swelled angrily, but he appeared otherwise healthy. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"We came to see how you were doing," Karigan snapped, hurriedly rinsing the blood out of the rag. Dagon's hands were thrust deep into his pockets. The king looked over his shoulder and Karigan's eyebrows raised imperceptibly in response.
"I'm fine. You shouldn't have come." He eyed Zachary's injuries. "What happened to you?"
"My horse threw me."
Dagon frowned. "Onto spikes? Those are very small wounds to be bleeding so much."
"They were…very sharp rocks."
"Liar. My mum's a mender. I'm not stupid. There isn't any bruising around them and those threads say that they were stitched once. Who did that to you?"
"Why were those men beating you on the beach?" Karigan retorted.
"That's none of your business."
"Then these injuries are none of your business."
He glared at her. She glared back.
"Don't get into a contest, my friend," Zachary told him. "You'll lose."
A tall woman entered the room next, carrying a bag of supplies. She was lighter than her son and husband, with sandy hair and green eyes. Her husband must have been somewhere in his fifties, but her porcelain skin was ageless, stretched over elegant cheekbones, framing elegant lips.
"Please, move aside," she said in a soft, alto voice. Karigan did so, shocked to find such a fine lady on a fishing island. Zachary seemed similarly entranced. He didn't even wince when she began stitching the wounds. "These were torn when your horse threw you?"
"Yes," he answered.
"They're very recent. I hope they didn't happen on our island."
"Err – no. They happened on the way."
"Mmm."
"Marli, these are the people that helped Dagon yesterday."
Karigan jumped. She hadn't noticed when Fedir came in. Marli pushed her hair out of her face and smiled. Elegantly.
"You have my thanks."
"Anyone would have done the same," Karigan mumbled, blushing. Zachary smiled proudly at her.
A significant look passed between Marli and Fedir. "You might be surprised," Marli responded, tying off the stitches and readjusting the king's shirt. "Dagon, go fetch a clean shirt."
The boy slunk out of the kitchen, his hands still in his pockets. Zachary thanked the mender and, with a glance at Karigan, ventured, "We're not from here and we were actually curious as to why the men would beat an unarmed boy like they did."
"Fear," Marli growled, gathering her supplies. "Ignorant superstition. They channel their own stupidity through violence because they're afraid of what they don't know."
"Now, Marli, don't – "
"No, Fedir. I'm tired of it." She threw her hand up and there it was – a black tree, tattooed on her palm. Zachary stood quickly and Karigan stiffened. Marli watched them carefully, then smiled. "Ah. You recognize it."
"Second Empire," Karigan said, her eyes flashing. "Mornhavon's followers."
Fedir stepped in front of his wife. "Marli was born into one of their families. Her mother took her away. She's not involved with them anymore."
"Really."
Zachary stepped forward. "The villagers seem as convinced as Karigan. We noticed a similar marking on Dagon's hand – could that be why he was beaten?"
Marli furrowed her brow. "Dagon doesn't have a marking."
"My son is not Second Empire," Fedir emphasized. "It must have been blood, or a bruise."
Karigan opened her mouth, but Zachary rested a hand on her shoulder. "It must have been," he said, giving her a warning look. "I apologize. This is a poor way to repay your kindness."
Marli smiled. "Think nothing of it."
Dagon reappeared, holding a wad of cloth. He thrust it at Zachary, who took it with thanks.
"Will you be staying for supper?" Fedir asked, slapping a hand on his son's back.
"Oh, well, we were actually just out riding and decided to stop by. To see how you were doing." Karigan smiled at Dagon. His hands were back in his pockets.
"Riding? Oh no. Not with your back. Fedir has a wagon that can carry you." Marli frowned in a way that put Karigan in the mind of Master Mender Destarion. "You need to rest. No riding. No walking, even."
Zachary blinked. "No – walking?"
"Guess that means we're not staring at the ocean anymore," Karigan said, trying to keep the jubilance from her voice.
"And no more collecting seashells for you," he replied.
"I think I'll manage to carry on."
He turned. "So I'm expected to lounge around while you…?"
"Ride on the beach with Condor every morning until the day you can dress yourself."
He considered her with a slight smile. She held his gaze, then looked away with a blush.
Fedir, who had watched the exchange with amusement, said, "I can help you two back to the road."
Marli pulled a jar from her bag and handed it to Karigan. "Put this on the wounds."
Inwardly, Karigan groaned. This again.
"Come help me hitch the horses. Marli, help the gentleman change his shirt." Fedir took Karigan's elbow and led her out of the house. They went around to the stables, where Condor and Night Hawk munched happily on grain. Fedir proceeded to lead a beefy white gelding out into the yard where a cart waited. Karigan followed for a bit, leaning on the stable walls to watch. She took a deep breath, recalling the scent of the castle stables, of the snuffling Rider horses, of the hay….
She frowned. There was something else. Something she shouldn't be smelling. Fedir was busy hitching the cart, so she stepped back into the stable. Condor and Night Hawk gazed at her as she snooped around the stalls. Gods, what was that? Awful, that was for sure, but familiar. Too familiar.
She put her hands on her hips and drummed her fingers against her belt. Not in any of the stalls. Fedir's incessant talking drifted to her from behind and she continued her hunt, climbing up a ladder to the loft.
"Karigan?" Zachary's voice from below. "What are you doing?"
"Give me a second." She grabbed the edge of the floor and hoisted herself up to peer into the loft.
A half-rotted corpse gaped back at her, a dagger still in its holey neck.
