The crimson liquid delicately swirled in the gold rimmed cup, catching the reflection of the lamps burning above. Its shade was the same of blood, deep and thick, but its smell was fruity instead of nauseating, reminding me of the ripe cherries growing during summer in the orchard back at home. A pity it was. To blood I was used, to wine not much.
"It seems to me that you are not truly enjoying yourself."
I carefully placed the cup on the wooden table in front of me, before turning to face the man who had silently approached me from behind. Albeit he had addressed me, his eyes were focused on the room, where people were laughing and drinking, enticed by the joyous atmosphere of the feast.
"It's because I am not, my Lord."
Lord Lederos' lips twitched momentarily before settling in a thin line, the same previous neutral expression adorning his features. He was dressed similarly to this afternoon, his imposing frame clad in layers of dark blue and gold, but the cloak was now missing.
My eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for a glimpse of the dark luscious coat of his feline companion, but came back empty. He was alone, his panther nowhere in sight.
"Shalaya doesn't like people, especially strangers."
He tilted his head in the direction of a dark corner of the room, where two emerald gems were eyeing warily the commotion coming from within the walls. Her body was blending with the shadows, darkness against darkness, but her eyes were bright and sharp, unconcealed.
"It seems to me that I am not the only one, my Lord."
Another little twitch graced his lips, partially concealed by the short trimmed stubble, but it was the only response I received. My attention shifted towards the long table situated on the left side of the room, where the King and the Queen were seated, smiling and beaming at their guests. The royal eagle was resting on the seatback of its master's chair, ruffling the bronze colored plumage with its sharp beak.
"I agree with you, as a matter of fact."
From the corner of my eyes I caught Lord Lederos watching me, his inquisitive gaze leaving a path of fire on the exposed skin of my face.
"You should stay in Vharys with the King. My presence is more than enough to protect the Queen; you coming with us will only leave the Crown unsupervised. In a period of uncertain safety like this, the Lord Commander should stay in the capital, ready to intervene if needed."
I faced him, locking our gazes. His eyes, contrary to his face, were extremely expressive, piercing through mine with their intensity. Their color was as warm as grass after a rainy day, but no real warmth was to be found in them; his stare was cold and calculating, unforgiving like the silver of my dagger.
"But it was an order coming from the King, so we must abide by his wishes. I bid you goodnight. I will be ready to leave at sunset."
With a bow of my head I departed, leaving the fruity wine and chaotic celebrations behind, and disappeared through the darkness of the hallways, where I preferred to be.
***
Two days had passed since our departure from Vharys, meaning that three suns were still to raise before we could reach Selyris' port, where the royal vessel was docked awaiting for our arrival.
Ten guards had joined our journey, some of them belonging to the Royal Guard, the others to House Lederos' army. The former's wariness in my regard was obvious to the eyes, their stiffen postures and shushed whispers proof enough of their distrust. The latter, on the contrary, seemed unaffected by my presence, following in the steps of their Lord.
The carriage hauling the Queen was slowly oscillating in front of me, its wheels adhering to the uneven path on the ground. I was closing the formation, flanked by the silent shadow of Shalaya. She was as marvelous as she was wary, looking at me with narrowed slits every time my horse neared her space in order to avoid obstacles on the ground. It was quite clear that she didn't enjoy my presence and the thought was amusing; even animals seemed to dislike me now.
The sun was setting, casting long shadows on the trees that sided the muddy path we were taking. Soon the night would come, bringing with her a penetrating chill. We needed to find a shelter for the night, as the Queen and her maids were not used to sleep in such low temperatures.
Lord Lederos broke from the formation, leaving his position in the front, and commanded his horse to slow down until they were flanking the carriage. His gloved hand left the reins, knocking on the side of the vehicle.
A slit opened, revealing the face of one of the two maids accompanying the Queen. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Lord Lederos' figure, her cheeks soon becoming tinted by a light shade of pink.
"Tell the Queen that in an hour we will be arriving at the town of Wheil, where a house has been prepared for us."
I watched as the girl blushed further and bowed her head, before closing the slit with trembling hands.
Witnessing women's strange reactions to the presence of men had always held interest in me. At the Guild, interactions between the sexes had always been considered normality, so it was strange for me to observe such responses as blushing and shying away. When puberty hit, we were free to explore our sexuality as we wished, laying with men and women of our preference. It was not unusual for relationships to flourish between members of the Guild, but that didn't arise interest in me. What I shared with my lovers was physical, a mere satisfaction for the pleasures of the flesh. Even for Rhys, who sometimes warmed my bed, I felt nothing more than a friendly deep affection. And there was no shame in that.
Lord Lederos spurred his horse forward, returning to his previous position at the front of the lineup.
By the time we almost reached the town, darkness had already descended upon the land. The moon was full tonight, allowing us a clear vision of the surroundings even without the light coming from the burning torches. A glimpse on my right caught my eyes, making me turn. I watched as the moonlight reflected on the dark coat of Shalaya, making her body look like dark liquid, her bulging muscles moving sinuously and powerfully.
Her stance, however, was not relaxed. She seemed distressed, eyeing the woods around us.
I pulled at the reins, halting my stallion.
My eyes studied the shadows between the trees, focusing on every little movement coming from the leaves blowing in the wind. My ears didn't catch any suspicious sound from within the woods, but that wasn't enough to assuage me. Shalaya was still tense and my stallion was beginning to agitatedly shake his head too. I stroked his neck, but even my touch didn't reassure him. Strange.
The carriage was still proceeding in front of me, nobody aware of my halt. I opened my mouth to warn my companions that something was amiss in the stillness of the night, but it was too late. A low hiss pierced through the air, followed by a scream and a loud thump.
We were being attacked.
Shalaya launched herself between the trees, her fangs bared and glinting in the moonlight; a roar erupted from her chest, shaking the momentarily dead calmness of the night. The men in front of me shouted, unsheathing their swords under the Lord Commander's order. A dozen figures emerged from the darkness, clad in clothes I couldn't recognize. At their sight, the soldiers broke the formation and dismounted the horses, preparing themselves to fight.
I spurred my stallion forward until we reached the carriage, where I commanded the beast to stop, abruptly opening the slit. Queen Seline was hugging her frightened maids, her lips whispering soothing words to the trembling figures in her arms. She raised her head, her eyes locking with mine; they held no fear, but only the perception of what was happening outside.
"My Queen, stay inside and lock the door. We are under attack. I'll knock three times once the fight is over."
With a sharp nod of her head, I closed the slit. Standing on the back of my horse, I jumped on the carriage's peak, crouching on my legs to diminish the impact. My hands swiftly unlaced the knot on my neck, and my dark cloak crumpled on the wooden surface. I brought my right hand on my back, gripping the carved material of my bow; feeling the texture of the fletching of my arrows with my other hand, I nocked and fired, hitting one of our attackers in the head. His body fell to the ground, motionless within the mud. I fired again, the arrow piercing through the neck of an enemy on the right. The man, however, seemed unfazed by it. He turned his head, following the arrow's trajectory, until his eyes settled on me. They were dark and empty, two pools of darkness, almost soulless. It was impossible for him to be alive, but I couldn't waste time reflecting on it. I had a mission to complete.
I fired two arrows, both sinking in his chest, their sharp points piercing his heart. His body fell to floor, limp. I rotated on my knees, the leather of my pants gliding smoothly on the carriage's peak, and fired two more arrows at two enemies that were approaching from the left. More of them appeared from the woods' borderline, charging for the soldiers fighting ahead. We were outnumbered.
My eyes followed the movements of our men fighting, dodging and slicing flesh. Some of our enemies were badly mutilated, missing hands and limbs, but they seemed unaffected by pain, carrying on fighting savagely. Lord Lederos was battling without rest, his moves fluid and graceful despite his impressive frame. Two enemies were trying to surprise him from behind, so I nocked and fired, my arrows penetrating their skulls. Other injuries didn't seem to slow them down, but targeting their heads and hearts conveyed the impression of killing them.
"Their heads! Target the head!" I shouted, "Or their hearts! Those are their weak points!"
Placing the bow back in my quiver, I jumped down from the carriage and landed on top of one of our enemies. I swiftly picked up my daggers from my belt, sinking their blades deep in his chest. Throwing the lifeless body aside, I launched myself forward, dodging and parrying their attacks; they moved swiftly, but almost unnaturally. Every single one of them I battled with had soulless eyes, two deep abysses of darkness. I bent forward, avoiding the unforgiving kiss of steel, and kicked my attacker on his chest, making him tumble on the ground; I swung both of my blades at his head, finishing him.
I turned, my braid dangling with the momentum of my move. Since my advice, our men had been able to kill more of our attackers, restoring a sort of equilibrium between the ranks. When my blade tore through the flesh of the last one standing, my body was covered in filth and gore.
I looked at my hands, finding them coated in dark liquid, thick droplets of it dripping from my fingers to the mud under my feet. The droplets resembled tears of darkness, their contours disappearing through murkiness when connecting with the ground. My eyes were still observing my hands, uncertain of what they were seeing, when the door of the carriage opened, revealing the Queen.
"My Queen, I didn't knock on the carriage. It still could be dangerous-"
She raised her hand, silencing me.
"Hush, Teleite. I won't sit in the carriage like a scared mouse; I want to see the faces of the men who dared attacking the Crown."
Her figure, draped in a royal blue gown, appeared out of place within the massacre our blades had left behind. Her face held no emotions as she scanned the scene, the moonlight casting a shadow on her delicate features.
"How many losses did we suffer?"
"Only one, my Queen."
The voice that spoke was deep, belonging to the Lord of Goldmount. His expression was hard, his face covered in the same substance that was dripping from my fingers. He was still gripping the hilt of his sword in his right hand, pointing the weapon in the direction of a corpse not far from where he was standing. The man lied on the ground, an arrow wedged in the nook between the neck and the shoulder. He bore the crest of House Duval.
I slowly approached, crouching down to study the bolt. Its shaft was long and thin, but sturdy under the inspection of my pads; I tugged at it, releasing the point from the flesh of the man.
My eyes scanned its form, assessing the peculiar color of the material. It was black, but when catching the moonlight, undertones of purple appeared within its borders. Only one material of the same color was resistant enough to pierce through an armor without being subjected to damages.
"Aleämara."
A look of incredulity passed imperceptibly through Lord Lederos' eyes, but I was able to catch it. Aleämara was rare nowadays, almost scarce, and absolutely not affordable by common thieves. He repositioned his sword in the sheath and turned to face the Queen.
"Your Grace, what to do now? Shall we return to Vharys?"
The Queen's eyes were fixated on a corpse at her feet, scanning the rags in which it was covered. She jerked her head in our direction, the red strands of her mane falling on her chest like curtains of fire.
"No, we shall not. Thieves and brigands are common in this land. Send one of your men back to Vharys to report the incident to the King, we will continue our journey towards Silverfall. We will bury the fallen soldier in Wheil's ground."
With a last glance at the corpses she departed, the silvery hem of her gown now dirtied by mud, and got back on the carriage, closing the door behind her.
I raised my gaze, finding Lord Lederos' penetrating eyes already focused on me. A mutual understanding passed between us, both of us aware that the attackers had not been mere thieves or brigades, their weapons too expensive and well crafted to belong to woods' robbers.
And they had not been human either.