Silk & Dagger (Vascan Empire #1)

Chapter Four

Val couldn't sleep that night. She tossed and turned in her bed briefly before she rose to dress. She needed some fresh air. More like she needed to identify and memorize the ins and outs of the palace. They had been given a tour on their first day but she needed to explore it on her own terms. Without her sister's knowledge.

If she was caught wandering, it had to look like she was on a stroll and had gotten lost. Hence, she skipped her boots and slipped on a pair of muddy flipflops. That meant leaving her dagger behind as well. She wasn't too concerned about that. She could stand her ground without a weapon if she had to.

She quietly opened the common door and looked both ways before closing it silently behind her. Clearly, they weren't important enough by the lack of guards in the corridor. But she knew they would be patrolling the grounds. She will have to escape their notice to avoid any confrontation. She started walking aimlessly in a vague direction studying the walls closely for hidden entrances. She came to a stop at a junction. One way led to the East wings and the other to the common gardens. She opted for open air.

She was still intensely studying the walls while walking because she didn't notice the figure creep behind her silently. So, when she was lifted off the ground at the waist and a hand slapped over her mouth, she reacted out of instinct. She arched inwards to free herself from the attacker's grasp and landed on the floor on her feet. She turned and melded her fist with the attacker's masked face with enough force that the bones cracked. The way his eyes widened meant he wasn't expecting her to fight back. The man went down with a muffled cry clutching his face. Judging by the built and the sound he made it was a man.

Val didn't stop. She couldn't, with the adrenaline rushing through her. She kicked the attacker in the stomach several times. She was high on violence. She got on top of him and started pounding him with both her fists. The man was containing his screams with effort. But he cried out in pain anyway. He gathered the strength to push her off him and ran. He stumbled on his way several times before he disappeared down the long corridor, his steps echoing loudly. The guards would be here soon and Val had to make a quick exit. Val rushed back the way she came not before she noticed some blood on the floor. Good, she had made the man bleed at least.

Prince Rhell was in absolute agony as he clasped the thin branch of the tree that hugged the walls of this side of the palace and swung inside through an open window. The window he had left open. He groaned in pain and cupped his nose gently. He pulled the mask off his head and squinted at himself in the mirror. He had never looked worse. His face was a mess, his nose was broken and bleeding. His lips were swollen and the side of his right eye was turning purple rapidly. He needed to see a healer. Like right now.

But the healer would be forced to alert the guards if he called upon him at this hour. They would assume he had been attacked, rightly so. He was not in a position to divulge further details regarding his attack. He was not supposed to be lurking outside at night without security.

If the news reached his father, he would increase the guards patrolling the palace every night putting an end to his nightly outings altogether. He had been sneaking out the window and climbing down the massive cedar tree every night since he could remember. He had complete access to the palace at night to execute whatever prank he had planned for the day.

Tonight, he had simply wanted to check if Lady Derrick had left the windows of her room on the ground floor open. He would have flung in a spider or two. She usually slept with her windows closed for fear of something slipping inside due to his consistent efforts. But the nights in Rheva were hotter during summer and it was demanding to sleep with no air circulation.

He was on his way to Lady Derrick's rooms on the South wing near the servant quarters when he saw a shadow surface from the aisle and move towards the garden. He saw a girl in flipflops and a nightdress with dark hair from the back. No lady in the royal palace would venture out on her own at night so he knew instantly who it was after confirming the direction she had emerged from. He only meant to give her a fright by grabbing her narrow waist from behind and snapping his hands over her mouth. He was going to put her down and run. She would be scared to death and hopefully never wager another walk at night alone.

Instead, she had turned and punched him hard in the face. He remembered the crunching sound when her fist met his nose. He still couldn't process what happened after that. The girl had landed blow after blow upon him. She had looked possessed with her hair down and her face hard with barely contained fury as she pounded him. He could barely shove her away from him before making a run for his life.

He grabbed a washcloth and wiped the blood off him. He rummaged his bedside table drawer for a muscle healing balm he kept for emergencies. He had slipped and broken his arms or legs many times over the years. This should do until he could visit a healer tomorrow and hopefully make up a valid excuse for his injury by then.

He tugged his tunic off and settled in bed. He prayed he wouldn't have nightmares of dark-haired demons hunting him down. He was beyond petrified of Karine Litsky's sister.