The Temple of Ardyn Page 5

  Chapter 5

  TARYN drank a second shot of dreem and set the glass on the table. It wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. After everyone had left the night before, she brooded in her sitting room, staring out the window at the raging storm. Despite Faelara’s misgivings, she knew what she saw. It was real. Even if her body was unmarked, her belly was tender where the blade had entered. She pressed against the taut skin of her abdomen, wincing. Raising her tunic higher, she traced a finger along the vorlock scar, feeling the burn of poison that simmered beneath the surface.

  The dreem settled her nerves but did nothing to settle her mind.

  Whether the vision was real, she’d uncovered the secret of the assassin and was determined to duplicate his disappearing act. Her ShantiMari fluttered around her in expectant anticipation. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the shadows to her, wrapping them from head to toe like a mummy. After a few seconds, she coughed beneath the tight bonds and released her power.

  “Okay, not a mummy.” She wheezed against the musty smell of rotting cloth. “A cloak?” she asked Kaida, who meticulously cleaned her paws with long licks of fur. “Right. What does a grierbas know of shadows?” Kaida’s golden gaze followed her as she once more pulled the shadows around her. “Can you see me?” she asked when she’d fully imagined a cloak covering her body, leaving room to breathe.

  I see you. But then, I see the Shadow Demon as well.

  “Good point. Let’s see how it works on the girls.”

  Taryn stepped lightly through the doorway of her bedchamber to the sitting room where Ellie and Lorilee argued about the arrangement of flowers. When neither of them noticed her entrance, a thrill of encouragement raced through her. She intentionally bumped a chair and delighted in their surprised faces.

  “Saeko?” Ellie called, “was that you?”

  Lorilee searched around the chair, frowning. Kaida sat by the doorway, tongue lolling to the side. “Kaida, you naughty pup. Where is your mistress?”

  Kaida barked and trotted to stand beside Taryn.

  “Don’t be coy, you mangy beast. You gave us a fright,” Ellie scolded.

  Unable to suppress her giggles any longer, Taryn released her shadows, causing them to scream and grab their chests.

  “That wasn’t nice!” Lorilee gasped. “My lady.”

  “Oh, stop. It was hilarious and you know it.”

  “For you, perhaps, but you’ve taken ten seasons from my life,” Ellie argued.

  “Where’s Saeko?” Taryn ignored their dramatics. “I want to try this out on her, too.”

  Ellie pointed toward the office and Taryn arranged the shadows to cover her. Ellie and Lorilee’s sharp intake of breath confirmed it worked. She padded to the other room, hearing Saeko’s humming before she saw the girl. When she stepped through the doorway, Saeko paused in her tidying of Taryn’s desk and sniffed the air. Kaida prodded her hand with her nose and Saeko dutifully petted the grierbas. Her eyes darted around the room and then focused back on the desk.

  “Leave those where they are. I want to read them later,” Taryn said.

  Saeko’s head jerked up, eyes scanning the empty room.

  Taryn moved around the desk to stand beside the girl and blew on her neck. Saeko jumped back, stepping on Kaida’s paw. Her yelp further confounded Saeko, and she ran from the room. Taryn released the shadows and doubled over in laughter.

  Three irate faces glared at her from the doorway.

  “What? It’s funny, admit it.”

  “No, it’s not. Scaring people just because you can is hurtful. You should be ashamed of yourself.” Saeko’s hands were planted on her hips, her jaw set, eyes narrowed. “And they call you the Eirielle. Great and powerful balance bringer of Aelinae? Phooey.”

  If Saeko weren’t in Taryn’s office, she was certain the girl would’ve spat on the ground. Her laughter died away and she held out her hands, pleading with her maids. “I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right. I was caught up in the excitement of learning something new. Forgive me?” She pouted and looked pitifully remorseful until they relented.

  Taryn swept them into a great hug and kissed each of their cheeks. “What would I do without you, my lovely, albeit humor-starved, girls?”

  “This is not becoming behavior for a princess of the realm,” Ellie said solemnly.

  “Since when has she ever behaved according to her station?” Lorilee giggled.

  “True point,” Saeko agreed.

  A knock on the door startled all of them, except Kaida, who was halfway to the door before Ellie went to receive the visitor. Rhoane strode in, his face set with grim determination. Being around her maids always made him a bit uncomfortable, but why, Taryn had no idea. She assumed it was because they spent so much time together and knew her more intimately than he did. Whatever his reasons, he didn’t feel the need to share them with her. Therefore, she never asked. But watching him that morning, it was something other than her maids that had him on edge.

  Her hand fluttered to her scar, an unconscious reminder of her stain. He’d been in her head the previous evening and although she tried to hide as much of her taint as she could, he might’ve touched that part of her. She hoped not.

  “Ladies,” Taryn started with false enthusiasm, “would you mind bringing the prince and me some tea and scones?” At her look, they took the hint and left the suite. Once alone, Taryn embraced her betrothed, inhaling his scent of forest. Her lips brushed his before she asked, “What brings you here this morning? I don’t train with the sword master for another bell at least.”

  Rhoane held her against him and the erratic beating of his heart echoed in her ear. He was frightened for her, of that she was sure. When he left the previous evening, she’d assured him she was fine, but she saw the doubt in his eyes.

  She’d not told him of Marissa’s role in her vision, but somehow he’d guessed she was involved. The guilt from deceiving him cut, but she wasn’t sure she could trust him. Not yet. At least not where her sister was concerned.

  If he hadn’t believed her when she told him Marissa was bedding Zakael, there was no way he’d believe her sister was involved with the phantom. Taryn had made the difficult decision to wait until she had proof. If there was one thing she’d learned in the past few months, it was that she needed solid evidence to back up her claims.

  “What is it, my love? You are trembling.” She spoke in Eleri, hoping it might calm him.

  “Did you sleep well?” He gazed at her, frowning. “You smell of spirits. Have you been drinking at this early hour?”

  She seesawed her head from side to side. “Maybe a little. For courage.” She stepped away from him and said, “I have something to show you. Close your eyes.”

  He looked skeptically at her but did as told. When she’d arranged the shadows over her, she said, “You can look now.”

  He opened his eyes and scanned the room. “Are we to play children’s games?”

  Taryn stepped around him and bumped the chair with her hip, making it rock to the side. Rhoane righted the chair, one hand outstretched to the empty air. With deliberate concentration, she held herself aloft, not making a sound. She moved to hover just behind him and pushed aside his hair to kiss the back of his neck. He spun around, eyes wild.

  “How is this possible?” He searched the room, worry creasing his forehead.

  “I’m not sure.” Her voice came from a few paces away. She released the shadows and was once again visible. “When I was fevered at Ravenwood, I saw Valterys pull shadows over himself and yesterday in the garden, I saw Ebus appear to disappear. I’m assuming the Shadow Assassin uses the same trick.”

  She didn’t mention that she saw the phantom show Marissa how it was done. If she hadn’t seen her sister do it, she would’ve thought it a trick of the Dark, but Marissa was of the Light. Which meant either Marissa was like Taryn and had both Light and Dark ShantiMari, or something else. Something Taryn wasn’t yet ready to admit and buried deep within the secret recesse
s of her thoughts.

  Rhoane sat across from her with his hands on his knees, a stern look on his face. “You go too far, Darennsai. Working with Dark Shanti without a mage is suicide.”

  “After what happened at the Stones, I thought we agreed I must push myself. My enemies are powerful, Rhoane. Much more so than I am. I had hoped I managed to hide this fact from them, but after last night, I am not so certain.”

  “I do not like it.”

  “Nor do I, but what choice do we have? I do not have a hundred seasons to perfect my craft as you and Fae have. I might have a week, or a season—I do not know and I must be prepared.”

  “I cannot protect you if you conceal the truth from me.”

  Taryn snapped her head up to look at him. The way he said it, the underlying tone of his voice, worried her. He could never know the phantom had touched a part of her soul with his Black ShantiMari.

  She shivered and shook off the thought. Rhoane sat beside her and stroked her arms, warming her. “You cannot be so overly concerned with my protection when what you are really doing is preventing me from growing.” She turned to face him, cringing at the fear hidden in the mossy depths of his eyes. Fear she shared. “You have to let me take risks or I will never become what I must.”

  They both knew what she wasn’t saying. That had she not pushed herself, the phantom might have succeeded and Kaldaar would’ve been freed from his banishment, taking Sabina as his brood mare to spawn generations of followers. It was Taryn’s strength that had kept Sabina alive, and with the power of her sword, cleansed the girl of the Black Brotherhood’s taint.

  And now the phantom wanted her as Kaldaar’s vessel. Marissa had said he always gets what he wants.

  Well, she thought with a bitterness that soured her stomach, he should prepare to be disappointed.

  “I could not bear it if anything happened to you,” Rhoane said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to him. She breathed in the clean scent of the vier and laid her head on his chest, comforted by the feel of his arms around her.

  “We cannot let anything change us. We have to stay strong together. If I lost you, I do not know what I would do,” Taryn murmured, not wanting to ever leave his embrace.

  “You will never lose me, mi carae.”

  The spoken oath should have calmed her agitated thoughts. Should have prompted her to open up to him, to tell him all the secrets she kept from him. But it didn’t. It only made her want to shove the truth of what had happened to her at the Stones farther away from her mind. She never wanted him to know the phantom had infected her with his vileness. Never wanted Rhoane to look at her in disgust.

  Chapter 6

  THE small group dodged busy shoppers rushing to complete their errands before the pregnant clouds released their charges. They walked with purpose toward a specific tent, heavy cloaks muffling the sound of their boots on the cobblestones, hoods covering their faces. Taryn shifted beneath her cloak, trying to peer out from under the brim of her hood and failing. She kept her head down and followed Baehlon’s movements as best she could.

  Anonymity was his idea and she’d gone along with it from sheer lack of energy to argue. At least this time she remembered to tell him she was going to the docks. He could’ve pretended to be happy. Instead, he’d lectured her for half a bell about the dangers of traveling with so few guards, especially to that part of town.

  In the five days since her last visit, she’d heard no less than a dozen times how foolish she’d been. When he wasn’t reminding her to take a guard everywhere she went, he was questioning her about the mysterious ailment that caused her to call out to all of her friends.

  She’d listened without argument and accepted his reprimands for what they were—genuine concern for her well-being. If he didn’t care, he would’ve ignored the entire situation.

  Like her mother had done.

  She was certain Lliandra knew about the encounter on the docks, but Taryn had received no royal command to visit—in fact, since the incident at the Stones, she’d only seen her mother on three occasions, all of them formal dinners.

  The sting of tears surprised her and she hastily wiped them away. Lliandra was a conundrum, to be sure. A fanciful riddle wrapped up in a huge swath of crazy. Taryn snort-laughed, eliciting the attention of her travel mates.

  Hayden raised an eyebrow at her while Rhoane simply smiled that devilish little half-smile he had that made her belly tighten and knees weaken. The thoughts that skittered through her mind when he gave her that smile sent heat flaming across her cheeks and she pulled her hood farther over her nose. They were not thoughts a lady should have, she was certain.

  Good thing she wasn’t raised a lady.

  Rhoane slipped his hand in hers and she bit her cheek to keep from grinning like a foolish schoolgirl. Truth was she loved the attention he lavished on her. Loved that each morning when she woke, he was at her rooms within minutes. Loved that he trained with her and never let her give less than her best. Loved that each night he would stay with her until she fell asleep.

  She knew he would gladly stay the night, but she held back. For no other reason than she was afraid. Afraid he might see into her soul and realize she wasn’t the Eirielle, but just a freak of nature who happened to have both Light and Dark powers.

  “Never going to happen,” Rhoane whispered to her.

  She jerked in his direction, her hood blocking her sight. “Seriously, how do you see anything wearing this?” She pushed the offending material from her head and shook out her braids. Several heads turned to stare in her direction and Rhoane gently replaced her hood.

  “You will get used to it.” He squeezed her hand and hurried his steps, putting distance between them and the curious onlookers.

  They reached Adesh’s tent a few minutes later and went inside, the eight of them crowding the small space. Carina and Timor slipped out to keep watch. The fragrance of spices filled the warm space and Sabina pushed her hood away from her face, inhaling as she did. The young boy Taryn met on her previous visit entered through the back of the tent and froze when he saw the group.

  His wary gaze traveled over each of them, taking in Sabina with a slight widening of his eyes. When he saw Taryn, a broad smile broke the tension of his face.

  “Princess, it is good to see you again.” He pressed his hands together at his chest and bowed to her. “I’m sorry. Adesh is out of town at present, but I can help you with tea or spices.” He gestured expansively to the many jars and bottles lined on shelves around the tent.

  “I would love to sample some of your teas,” Sabina said, a sultriness to her voice. Not since Paderau had she been near products from her homeland and Taryn knew the familiar scents made her homesick.

  “I am Bornu, Adesh’s apprentice,” the young boy said with no small amount of pride in his voice. He stood taller than Taryn remembered, and spoke perfect Elennish.

  Their visit lasted near on a bell, and by the time they left, Taryn’s belly sloshed with too much tea. Sabina spent a fortune on spices that she had sent to the palace. She and Faelara delighted in every sample Bornu brought to them, comparing notes of bergamot and cinnamon with each other. Taryn had no idea teas had so many nuances, but after an impromptu lesson from the ladies, she considered herself an eager student on her way to becoming an aficionado.

  “Do you have any grhom, Bornu?” Taryn asked as she perused the jars.

  The lad blinked at her, uncomprehending.

  Rhoane chuckled. “It is a spiced drink enjoyed by the Eleri,” he explained. “Most other kingdoms prefer tea or spirits. Only the Eleri know the exact ingredients and how to prepare the drink.”

  Bornu’s eyes brightened and Taryn suspected Rhoane had issued a silent challenge to the boy.

  After tea, they made a hasty stop at Sulein’s shop. Taryn asked the others to wait outside, only allowing Timor and Carina to accompany her to pick up Rhoane’s gift. A beautifully made dagger caught her attention and she lingered over the
display case while she waited for Sulein to return with Rhoane’s pendant.

  Thecynfarwas even more elaborately detailed than she’d envisioned. A diamond glittered in the center of the piece, a perfect stone without a single flaw. Tiny spider-webbed veins of silver crossed the crystal. Upon closer inspection, she saw they were roots, all emanating from the diamond. A laurel wreath enclosed the pendant, its leaves fluttering at her touch. Sulein had infused ancient Artagh ShantiMari into the charm.

  “It’s remarkable. Thank you, Sulein.” She took him in and noticed he’d recently bathed and attempted to comb his matted hair. She fished a gold crown from her pocket and handed it to him, but he waved her off.

  “You’ve paid too much as it is. I can’t accept your gold.”

  Taryn narrowed her eyes at the funny little man. “Then you still have my gratitude.”

  A smile teased the outer edges of his lips. “Don’t need none of that, either. Just be careful with godsteel. It can turn on you if abused.” He shuffled behind the counter, kicking straw with his toes. He’d even clipped his nails.

  “I will.” Her gaze drifted to the display case, and she decided to purchase the little dagger for Tessa. Her mother would most likely kill Taryn if she knew she’d bought the girl a weapon, but it was perfect for her sister. “I’ll take that dagger. Can you wrap it and the pendant, please?”

  Sulein eyed her appreciatively. “You have a good sense for quality metals. This was forged from ore from the deepest mines on Haversham. It will never miss its mark, nor will it allow any harm to its owner.”

  A dagger made with Artagh power. It was perfect for her adventurous sister.

  Sulein left them for several minutes and Taryn used the time to study his other masterpieces. For that’s what his work truly was. Each item, whether a weapon or stylized trifle, was exquisitely crafted. The image of a grierbas caught her attention and she reflexively reached to stroke Kaida, but she’d left her at the palace. Her hand felt strangely empty and a desperate darkness overcame her.