Villainous [Wattys 2021 Shortlist]

3: Beginnings

The glare she gave him should have scorched him to cinders.

He turned and led her at an impossibly fast pace through empty corridors. No torches were lit – supplies were precious and had to be rationed down here – and Dante didn't carry a lamp. But he knew his kingdom like the back of his hand, and Delilah hurried along in his footsteps, cursing herself for relying on him. She felt like a lost kitten. The darkness pressed on her eyes like a real, tangible beast.

A small, foolish part of her wished she'd been given warning so she could have said goodbye to Kaya and Nell. But she had told them it was going to be her and Dante. They had accepted that they couldn't come. It didn't matter.

I wish I could have given them some last minute instructions. Tail Hawk, look for secret passages, eavesdrop on the council meetings.

After what seemed like an age, Dante led her to a cave entrance blocked up with rocks. They shoved a few boulders out of the way, clearing a tiny gap for them to crawl through.

She breathed in the fresh, crisp night air with relief as her hands and knees met grass. Dante straightened up and scanned the mountainside.

Delilah barked a laugh. "Oh, you are a mighty ruler. Literally crawling your way out of your kingdom! Like a bab–"

A heavy force collided with her, buckling her knees and forcing her flat to the ground.

"Stay down and shut your miserable mouth. Maidens are patrolling."

Delilah couldn't see anything. "I thought you wanted a fight."

"Not here. Not so close to the cave."

When they had gone, Dante led her down a trail that twisted and turned, meandering down the mountain's flank. They kept to the shadows – Dante insisted the moon was too bright – and set a punishing pace.

Delilah couldn't get used to seeing Dante outside. With no crown. In black clothes similar to her own. Did he really trust Vale would be managed well by the council while he was away?

They were almost at the foot of the mountains when Dante lifted an arm, signalling to halt. They stopped and Dante slowly unsheathed the sword at his belt. Delilah mirrored him.

Wind ruffled the dark grasses around them.

"Where –?"

A cackle interrupted her.

Maidens materialised from nowhere. The female vigilantes ranged from old crones to young yet wicked-looking girls, marked by the blood symbols painted on their faces.

Dante gave them one of his terrifying smiles. The Maidens stepped closer.

"Night Bringer," a crone croaked, strength showing in her wiry frame as she lifted a double-headed axe. "You know we cannot let you leave this mountain."

"I know. I wanted some fun, anyway." Dante shrugged elegantly before he unleashed himself on the Maidens.

He was a dark storm.

Delilah darted hastily after him, stabbing and ducking and weaving as their blades clashed under the moon's watchful eye. She parried the Maidens' blows and drew her blade across throat after throat, feeling grim, dark satisfaction as her opponents crumpled. None who dared try to hurt her would ever walk again.

The younger, more beautiful Maidens were gathering around Dante, lips curling in malicious delight. Dante's expression matched theirs, as if this was how he regularly tried to court girls – one slash of his sword had three of the Maidens collapsing, their lifeblood spilling from them.

Eventually the mountains fell silent and Delilah and Dante halted, surveying the circle of dead bodies around them.

Delilah wiped her sword clean on a corpse while Dante tried to scrub a streak of blood from his face. His sharp gaze flitted to her as he assessed her for injuries. Not because he was worried, of course, but because this had been a test.

And Delilah had passed. She stepped out of the circle, arms swinging loosely, showing Dante she was barely out of breath. "Ready to continue, Your Highness?"

She had meant it to sound as scathing as possible, but Dante only gave her a satisfied look before he spoke. "You do not mean to lead the way, do you? Only, you don't know where I plan to go."

"Enlighten me."

"There's an illegal trading point called the Viper's Nest on the border between Vale and Pelenu. The outlaws that gather there should have information on a secret road through Pelenu. We need it to remain undetected."

"How do you expect to find this information? Will we be torturing every living soul inside?"

"If that is what it takes." Dante sheathed his sword and set off. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course not. I'll butcher as many as I want to get my Opal."

Dante said nothing. Why was it that everything she said seemed to amuse him? Delilah had no intention of letting Dante wield the Fire Opal until she had used it to gain control of her kingdom. As the future ruler, it was rightfully hers.

They did not stop for the sun as it rose and kept going even when it set. Dante only slowed as dusk bled into the world around them. He hadn't offered Delilah any food or water, and although her mouth felt dry and cracked, she was not ready to succumb to the humiliation of asking him for anything. She couldn't even tell if he carried any supplies.

They had passed around many small villages on their way to the Nest: clusters of log cabins inhabited by miners or farmers. These mountain folk were huge, packed with muscle, and intimidating. Delilah knew the only reason they had been spared from confinement underground was that the other kingdoms wanted precious metals from the mines, or wood from the mountainside forests. But they were still Dante's people.

Dante pointed wordlessly at a towering wooden structure nestled among hills. It looked like it had been built on and added to several times, some box-like rooms only supported by stilts, and the entire thing seemed to creak in the wind the closer they drew to it. It was a tavern, packed with people.

"Whenever we're around people, I will be a wealthy nobleman and you shall be my slave," Dante said. "It shouldn't be too hard for you to grovel – you've been doing it all your life to your father and brother. Remember to call me 'master' at all times. Even when we're alone, if possible."

Delilah gaped at him, her head spinning from lack of nourishment. She had half a mind to unsheathe her sword right now, but... He'll get you the Fire Opal. He'll help you take back what is yours. Agree with him. Just agree.

"Yes, Master." Oh, gods, the words nearly killed her.

Dante stepped towards the building with murder written all over his face.