Darkness and Beauty (The Fated Series, #1)

Chapter 35 - Fauna - Dawn

After taking a nap and eating dinner, Levi and Mira had plenty more energy to give. It took us three hours, but we finally managed to drain them enough to get them back to sleep for the night. At her request, I laid down beside Mira and sang her Adeline's Lullaby. I ended up singing Levi, Roseia, and Darius to sleep in the process.
Laying on one end of the bed, I watched as all three of their eyes slowly grew too heavy for them to keep open. My cheeks lifted into small smiles every time one of them would finally fail, and after Darius finally gave in on the other side of the bed, I watched them for a while. They were all so peaceful, so serene with the fading sunlight casting their faces in orange tones. When the sun left, my own eyes drifted shut, and I didn't find one bit of fear of what was to come next in my dreams where my thoughts usually sang me to sleep.
This morning was a different story as we took them through the tunnels and to the House of Jade. I dressed in my Jade suit and Darius into his "disguise." Roseia and her siblings didn't seem to care much about who I was, but I was surprised last night when she admitted to knowing who I was without anyone having said something to her. If she hadn't fallen asleep, then I would've asked how she knew. Now, it seemed irrelevant, and I found myself not caring much about it. A few cycles ago I would've pestered her, but now I didn't care as much as I should. At this point, I trust her enough to not tell anyone.
Funny how my trust feels like something I'm just openly giving nowadays when only less than three cycles ago, I was guarding it like a mother bear would with her cubs.
I could tell Roseia wasn't entirely sure if this was what she wanted, so I gave her my room. I showed her around my controlled chaos of a mess and gave her the grand tour of the four stories. When she asked what the door by the stairs led to, I told her that it was where the Jades train. I didn't think she'd want to see it, but she did. Before going down I tracked down Nicholas who we all call Nicky per his annoying insistence. I introduced the two. If anyone could make an assassin keep feel at home, it's twenty-year-old Nicky with blonde hair and amber eyes. Quite a catch, but sadly not my type, and fairly enough, not into my gender.
An hour and a half later, Darius and I walked back to the castle, alone. He was constantly looking out the window of my rooms toward the building as if he could see them. I don't even think that if I walked in front of him with only my undergarments covering me that it would take his mind off those children. He barely paid attention when The Dozen, Lance, and I started piecing together Eleanor and Charles's involvement. He didn't even stir when Garrison submitted my brother to another questioning of his comprehension of what guard means. Julyan would be greatly insulted if he heard Garrison questioning his ability to keep one person safe. I don't know Julyan much, but if Lance chose him to guard the Queen then the Queen was safe.
Garrison, strongly and not so surprisingly, disagreed.
After I told him to go fuck himself, we came to little conclusions about the two traitors in our mists. Darius wasn't much help with his mind elsewhere. Even during his lesson with Aracely he was zoning out. She threw her shoe more times than I could count, her pencil flying through the air other times when her sandals were on the other side of the room. It wasn't until we came down into the tunnels to train that he finally came out of it. He's still drifting here and there, getting a punch in the gut or knee to the groin from Garrison that could be easily blocked or redirected.
"Remember, small and purposeful cuts can do as much damage as one big hit," I yell when Darius tries swinging at Garrison's face.
Everyone else is running through the drills I tasked them with. They're practicing moves similar to the one Lance used the night of the attack on the House of Jade. They're catching an arm aimed at their stomach, jumping to get their leg around their opponent's neck, using their weight to pull them to the ground, and finishing it off with a shoulder dislocation maneuver. They're not actually dislocating each other's shoulders since experienced enough to execute it without fracturing a bone or two in the process, but there is a slim sliver of promise for them.
"Find his tells," I instruct Garrison, who's currently on defense. "Use your heel not your-" before I finish, Darius is on his back "-toes."
He jumps back up and they go again. Swing, dodge, block, parry, near-perfect strike. Garrison finally notices how Darius's nostrils flare right before he punches, and catches his fist. Sadly enough, he was too focused on blocking his face to notice Darius's knee coming for his stomach. A temporarily disarming blow, but not enough to have him losing the match.
"It the unexpected that-"
I spin to the south tunnel that leads to the town, searching the dark. A snap of my finger and a wave of my hand and The Dozen move into position behind me. With the room now settled in silence, I can hear the footsteps that caught my attention.
The echo of these tunnels is both a blessing and a curse to have. I can hear the person approaching and can tell if they draw any weapons or fire an arrow, but at the same time, they know that we know they're here.
The steps are too light to be a man, but they carry a crisp sound, telling me they're either experienced or making sure we hear them. Only four torches are lit, which isn't ideal, but we didn't want to risk anyone coming in without us seeing them. So much for that. Another signal from my hand has them moving silently in an arrowhead, me at the point, and Darius at the center. We made small signals while Darius slept and we waited for the Demoni to wake. They thought it was stupid at first. Bet they're a shit ton grateful for it now.
My ears strain to hear if there's anyone else coming down any other tunnels. Gods what I'd give to have Lance, Blaise, Reynald, and Julyan here right now just to send them into the shadows.
A dark figure steps from the darkness. Female, cloaked, with one visible dagger at her hip, small worn boots, and travel-worn clothes from what I can see. Her face is hidden, and I can't get a read on her enough to tell if I should throw a dagger to be safe, or let her get closer. Anticipation flows through me as she comes to the end of the tunnel.
"Who are you?" I ask loudly.
Her hands move under her cloak and The Dozen take a step back in response, just as we said. Shifting my daggers in my hand so that I can throw them with a flick of my wrist, I watch her hands as they come into the light, empty and in surrender.
"A friend." Her voice is foreign, an accent I can't pin lacing the words. I don't recognize her voice, which makes me doubtful.
"You'll have to be more specific. I have a lot of friends."
"Your mother knew me." Not trusting her answer, I take a step forward, The Dozen one more back.
"I knew all my mother's friends," I tell her, trying to see her face.
"I said I was your friend. Your mother and I...we were something more."
"Are you saying you're my mom's long-forgotten lover?"
"No," her hands move to her hood and I'm in the middle of taking another step when I stop short as her hood falls away and the torches hit features I haven't seen in a decade. "Her sister."
At first glance I see my mother standing before me. A blink and she's gone. Her eyes are a different color, her hair lighter, and her skin darker than my mother's, but her nose and facial structure are unmistakably identical. She looks to be about the same age as my mother would've been, but I'm not convinced. Skilled healers could change one's face to be another's, given enough time. I've had it done myself for a mission, and I did not like it one bit.
I take another step despite the voice in my head telling me to run. My job right now is to give Darius and the other time to run and that means getting closer to the woman I don't want to go anywhere near. "You expect me to believe that? How do you know you're talking to the right person?"
"Your mother kept in touch. Your father wrote letters after she died ten years ago," she explains.
That's...
"That's a good guess, but it's wrong." I avoid telling her which part is wrong, but she'll slip up somewhere.
Rather than answer, she takes a step toward me. Following her pace, The Dozen keep backing toward another tunnel.
"I can show you," she says holding out her hand.
I swipe my arm up and she narrowly dodges the edge of the blade. Before my blade can reach her stomach, her right hand shoots out, catching my elbow and pulling me to her with a surprising amount of strength. Quicker than light, her left hand touches my forehead, and my vision goes white.