Shadow Blades (The Cimmerian Cycle #2)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The girls were exploring the far side of the island and Cormac found them scuttling over some rocks. The sun was low on the horizon and he used his hand to shield his eyes from the rays of light that were bouncing off of the ocean.

Mouse spotted him and her head turned to face Isabel. Cormac thought he saw her lips move. Cormac grinned as Isabel lifted her head to see him.

"Cormac!" Isabel called out and waved.

They walked towards each other, looking for a piece of flat ground that wasn't covered with stones.

"You ready to go now?" Cormac asked.

Mouse nodded, "I'm tired," she wrapped her small arms around Cormac's legs. He lifted her up from under her arms and swung her onto his back. He was very glad she didn't weigh very much otherwise his knee would have been able to support her weight as well as his.

As the went to the docks to catch the ferry back to the mainland Cormac was acutely aware, once again, that he and the girls weren't completely alone. He tried to take no notice remembering what Damien had said. He would have someone following him until he was well enough to join the guild properly.

The prospect of becoming stronger excited him. He would be feared. That girl would stand no chance of defeating him. He pictured himself pushing a blade into her heart, blood flowing across her lily skin and her eyes glazing over. The image disturbed him more than he pleased him.

How could he damage something so beautiful, so perfect? Killing her would only worsen his pain. He would have to get his revenge another way. Cormac swallowed, wishing he had thought of that earlier. There was no backing out of what he had just signed up for.

He frowned into the sunset, leaning on the railing of the ferry. What were these emotions that he was feelings? At first he thought he was ashamed of his failure, but now he wondered if that sickly bubble of emotions in his stomach could have been something different. Maybe he wanted her. He pushed away the idea immediately, he didn't love some dainty noble woman. He couldn't.

Isabel came to stand beside him and she rested her head on his shoulder. Cormac didn't have the heart to push her away. She had always been there for him, the younger sister he had never had. He was grateful that he had someone to watch his back. And now he was about to leave her for good.

Mouse hugged him and he stroked her hair absentmindedly. How she could be so naïve and yet so far from innocent had always made Cormac uneasy. Many times Cormac hated how the girl had to live her life. But, she, like so many others, had little or no choice. Isabel was the only one who wanted her. Who loved her.

His thoughts trailed away as the ocean breeze snaked through his hair.

For the rest of the voyage Cormac let the salty air he loved so much fill his lungs and the waves calm his thoughts. Lights were flickering on as the boat docked and the trio disembarked. Cormac stared at how the lights seemed to float on the water for a second.

The trip had been far from eventless and Cormac was looking forward to some sleep. Mouse followed him into the city to go back to the hideout. Isabel vanished into the night to do her rounds.

Darkness quickly descended on the city like a big cloud of fog and the two of them were able to slip through into the attic with little fuss. Cormac put Mouse to bed, carrying the little girl in his arms. She fell asleep moments after he had tucked her in.

Before he left the girls' room he noticed a slip of parchment on Isabel's bed. Curious he picked it up. Scrawled in the centre were the words, 'The dawn is our salvation'; he had trouble making out the words and even more trying to understand what it meant. Bemused he replaced the parchment with half a mind to ask Isabel what it was about. He didn't want her thinking that he had been snooping around her stuff, but it was certainly curious. Sighing, he left the room and went to his own bed. He pulled off his boots as he walked, looking down at the floor. He threw them by his trunk and looked up, ready to collapse onto his mattress.