Of Tears & Darkness: 2 Where Darkness Treads

Chapter Four: Shadow Spies.

Brenna rolled over in bed, awakened by the patters of a gentle rain upon the balcony. The light of early dawn dimly lit up her room. She had been unable to sleep for most of the night. This was due to a problem which had revealed itself to her last night, at the Grand Assembly.

Two of their new friends were in truth, spies who had managed to infiltrate the capitol. Somehow, Brenna needed to discover who they were. The enemy, instead of chasing them, had evidently chosen to gain information of what they were currently up to.

This morning, a vague sense of unease caused Brenna to reflect on last night's events. She had sensed the fading signs of dark power from two individuals, just before they flickered out entirely in the Great Hall. Both had been faint, and she had first chalked it up to her imagination.

Even worse, Brenna did not know who to approach with her discovery. Last night had been a complete success, in terms of gaining much needed aid to assist in their cause. Who would believe there was a traitor in their midst?

Even the slightest wrong move could serve as a trigger, to cause the spies to sink out of sight. Only to reappear later, at a more critical time. Brenna decided to trust her instincts, without a doubt she needed help. Quickly dressing, she prayed she was making the wise choice.

Stepping into the hallway, Brenna felt as if a thousand sets of eyes were watching her every move. Silently, she reminded herself, it was not a thousand set of eyes she needed to worry about. The question was how to find the enemy before they caused any damage.

She was not the only one who had awakened early, Brenna noted. Already, the castle was filled with a buzz of activity, as couriers came and went, on various errands. It was difficult to act as if nothing was wrong. Brenna caught herself not smiling, while over analyzing everyone she passed. Upon reaching the Royal Dining Hall, Brenna seated herself, while thinking about how to tell Girard what she had discovered. He had shown many times he could keep secrets, plus he had experience in dealing with matters of this sort.

Whether by providence or good fortune, Brenna spotted Girard entering the room, yawning. Quickly, flashing him a smile, she indicated with a motion of her head, for him to join her. Smiling in return, Girard sat down next to her.

"Good morning, Brenna. I trust you slept better than I did last night."

"Well, it depends on whether you call tossing and turning all night long, sleep. I did little else for the remainder of the night."

A serving girl placed a burnt orange fired clay pitcher of juice onto the table. Girard proceeded to fill a cup with juice, while gesturing to her to take it and then promptly poured one for himself.

"What is your opinion on how well we did at the Grand Assembly?" Brenna asked casually. She then took a sip of apple juice, allowing it for a moment to fill her mouth with sweet tartness.

"Well, I thought everything went well. Our new friends appear genuine and very supportive. Why, what are you getting at?"

"How much do you trust me?"

"Trust you? Why I trust you implicitly, without reservation, of course. I am not sure where this conversation is leading, though. What are you trying to tell me?" Girard asked, while looking at her quizzically.

Brenna paused for a moment, while thinking of how best to break the news to Girard, while studying his face. "Last night, at the Grand Assembly, for just a moment, I felt the presence of dark power from two individuals. Then, just as quickly, it vanished. If there is one thing I have learned to do, it's to be able to tell the difference between light and dark power."

Girard's face instantly became serious. His eyes sought instant confirmation of what she had just told him.

"Right now, vitally important plans are being made on how much assistance the Chand will provide. This is information I am sure the dark one desperately desires, for him to counter the threat. Any information their spies can glean, will only serve to make the enemy's job easier," Brenna said in a lowered voice.