Shadow Dagger Ch. 13

"The God bless you, Master Laurent," Jin replied tearfully, shaking Jon's hand. "And you too, sir," the man added, reaching over and shaking Ashford's hand. He wiped his eyes and quickly made his way to the rope. Jon heard Ashford gasp as the man climbed swiftly up the rope, as limber as a monkey.

"What was that about?" Ashford asked, his eyes following the retreating figure on the wall above him.

"He was banned from the city several years ago. He has a family inside." Jon gestured at the cart. "Get it," he said, throwing his bag into the back of the cart. Ashford threw his bag in and quickly climbed onto the bench. Jon took the driver's spot and grabbed the reins.

"Hold on," he warned Ashford. He recited a long spell in his mind and watched as the runes settled over the horses.I owe that one to you, Sarah. He snapped the reigns and held on tight as the cart jerked forward.

Ashford cried out and barely kept his seat as the cart thundered off into the night. Jon quickly guided them to the dirt road that led to the gates of the city. There was no traffic at this time of night. Jon didn't need light to see where he was going. He was filled with magic. The starlight was enough for his eyes.

The horses ran at full speed for several hours. The cart bounced around uncomfortably and Ashford was heard to mutter several swear words under his breath. Jon took no notice of his surroundings but kept his gaze resolutely forward. He had seen the countryside too many times in his life.

Ashford, who had made the trip to Raves many times, also didn't seem to care about the surrounding countryside. For a few miles past the wall of the city, Jon drove down a road that led past several large manor houses and farms. Here was where the economy of the city flourished. Magi tended to these crop fields, enhancing everything with magic. There were even several decent-sized villages near the shadow cast by the walls of the capital city. Jon avoided these, however. He didn't want anyone to know where he had disappeared off to.

Eventually, as the morning sun began to tinge the night sky with a riot of colors, they passed fewer and fewer farms and encountered more open countryside. Once the sun had peaked over the horizon, Jon finally slowed the horses down. He released his magic and slumped back against the bench. "I'm going to teach you Organic Manipulation," Jon said tiredly.

Ashford grunted. "I can't wait."

Jon sighed and led the horses off the road. There was a large forest barely more than a half-mile away. He led the horses into the forest for a few minutes before stopping. "We'll camp here for a few hours."

Ashford hopped down and rubbed his back. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to walk by the time we get to the desert."

"You'll get use to it," Jon said, as he rummaged through the supplies in the back of the cart. He pulled out a large pot and tossed it to Ashford. "Get a fire started."

Ashford dug a fire pit while Jon examined the amount of food he had procured. They should have enough to last a month. Jon fervently hoped nothing happened to delay them that long. They had no time to waste.

Neither one spoke as the stew was prepared. Ashford ladled them large portions of beef stew and sat back against his roll of bedding. Jon ate his stew slowly as he gazed up at the early morning sky. Try as he might, he couldn't suppress the memories of the days Sarah and he had stared up at the clouds after long sessions of love-making.

"What're you thinking?" Ashford asked, looking up at the sky.

"Nothing," Jon grunted, turning his attention back to his bowl of stew.

Ashford snorted. "When a man has that look on his face, he's usually thinking about a woman. What's her name?"

"Sarah," Jon muttered, not sure why he said that aloud.

"Good," Ashford grunted. He set his bowl on the ground and leaned back against the bedding. He folded his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes. "For a minute there, I thought you were going to say Sophina."

Jon jerked his head around. "What makes you say that?"

Ashford opened one eye and gazed shrewdly at him. "I saw that kiss you gave her. It looked a hell of a lot more friendly than the one I got."

Jon shook his head.Was it really? No...no it can't be. "You have it all wrong," Jon replied.Me and Sophina? He shook his head again.

"I hope I do," Ashford said, closing his eye again.

It was Jon's turn to stare at him shrewdly. "Why are you so interested? Doyou like her?"

Ashford shifted against the bedding but didn't open his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered.

Jon could see his cheeks reddening. Smirking, he said, "You should probably forget about that. I don't think either one of us has a shot with her."

Ashford opened his eyes and stared at Jon, perplexed. "What does that mean?"

Jon sighed. "I don't think Sophina's interests lie in our direction." Seeing the confused look on Ashford's face, Jon elaborated. "When I say our direction, I meanmen."

Ashford stared, dumbfounded, at Jon for several moments before exploding with laughter. "You almost had me!" he roared, rolling around the leaf-strewn carpet of the forest. "Women, eh? I'd like to see that!"

Jon smiled and shook his head. "I'm serious," Jon said quietly, once Ashford's laughter had died down. "She's in love with Evelyn. Take a moment and think about it."

Ashford still looked on the verge of laughing. He clasped his hands behind his head and gazed up at the clouds. Jon watched as his smile slowly faded from his face. He frowned. Finally, he turned to Jon. "Do you really think so?"

Jon nodded. "She never outright told me, but it was pretty obvious. She knew that I knew and I think that's all that mattered to her. We didn't need to talk about it."

Ashford spent several silent minutes frowning up at the sky. "I'm going to set up the tent," he said grumpily, moving off toward the cart.

Jon sighed and laid back against his bedding. He stared up at the sky and thought about Sarah. It was becoming less and less painful to think about her. He didn't know if he had completely forgiven her yet but he truly understood her choice now.

It's been a long time since I was with a woman. Was that kiss with Sophina really more than a friendly kiss? For a brief moment, I thought I felt her mouth open against mine. Jon shook his head but the thought clung stubbornly to his mind. He didn't have time for romance.

For some reason, that thought didn't sit well with him.

***

Evelyn sat in her familiar spot by the window and watched the sun set over the wall of the city. It had been the longest week of her life and it wasn't quite over just yet. Reynar never did have breakfast with her after the first meeting. He sent his apologies and insisted that the war took up all his time. She wasn't fooled; she knew he was giving her time alone to reach her decision.

Watching the sunset paint the night sky pink and orange, Evelyn finally decided on her answer. She rubbed her stomach.Whatever happens, I will take care of you. I promise.

The sun had barely set when someone knocked on her door. "Come in, Eve," Evelyn said. She had decided to nickname Evelyn 'Eve' because she felt uncomfortable about her hero-worship.

Eve opened the door and bowed respectfully. "My lady, King Reynar kindly requests--"

"I know," Evelyn said, standing up. "Lead the way."

Evelyn walked silently next to Eve. Her mind was far away, trying to see the possible consequences of her decision. She prayed she was making the right one. She rubbed her stomach again. It became something of a comfort for her. Daminus was with her, giving her strength.

"You look...different, my lady," Eve said suddenly.

"How so?"

"I can't put my finger on it. When I first met you, you seemed frightened and unsure about yourself. Now, you walk with a confidence I didn't see before. You seem...more at peace. I hope you don't mind me saying all this, my lady," Eve muttered, blushing.

"I value your opinion," Evelyn said gently. "Yes, I am more at peace than I was a week ago. My grief for my husband has transformed into something else." She rubbed her stomach as she spoke.

"What?" Eve asked excitedly, and then, apparently recalling her surroundings, she hurriedly said, "Forgive me, my lady! It's none of my business."

"It's quite alright," Evelyn said, smiling. She didn't answer her question, however. The fewer people who knew about her pregnancy the better.

"We're here, my lady," Eve said, bowing low. She straightened up and knocked on the door.

Sereph opened the door. "Thank you," he told Eve. She bowed and left. "Please, come in, my lady."

Evelyn walked into Reynar's personal chambers. Reynar was sitting at his desk, reading several large pieces of parchment. He looked up when Evelyn entered the room. "Ah, my dear Evelyn! How are you? You must forgive me for canceling our breakfast appointments."

"It's fine," Evelyn assured him. "I used the time to make my decision."

"Truly?" Reynar asked, looking suddenly nervous. "Please, have a seat."

Evelyn sat in the chair in front of his desk and carefully arranged her robes around her legs. "Yes, I have reached my decision. But first, I need to know something so that I know I made the right decision."

Reynar nodded. "You wish to know the source of my information, correct?"

Evelyn inclined her head. "Yes, please."

Reynar opened a drawer on the bottom of his desk and reached inside. He pulled out a thick, leather-bound book and set it on the desk. "This is the source of my information."

"What is it?" Evelyn asked, her eyes riveted on the ancient book.

"When I waged war on Raves, I eventually came to discover that their people were led by what they called a 'goddess.' I use that term, loosely, as you can imagine. I eventually earned enough of their respect to be honored with a meeting with their goddess. As it turns out, their goddess was a very old woman, and a mad woman at that. She claimed to be a Oracle of the God."

"An Oracle? You mean, someone that can see the future?"

"Exactly," Reynar said, nodding. "I didn't believe her at first, of course. But then she pulled this book out and offered me its secrets in exchange for peace with her people. That's when she told me the secret of the book. It had been written by Jocelyn d'Ontorio san Tumari. Do you know this name?"

"Of course!" Evelyn gasped. "She was the first Grand Master of the Emporium!"

Reynar smiled. "Very good. It was a book of her life's history and, consequently, the history of the Magi. It was then, sitting in that humid tent, with sweat pouring off my face, that I learned our deepest secrets. I learned that I was the descendant of a man who had betrayed everything. I was the descendant of Jon d'Thelas san Ronar."

"That must have been hard to accept," Evelyn said softly.

Reynar sighed. "You have no idea. I was...in a bad state for a long time before I could digest that. In any case, it turns out that the book had been passed down from generation to generation of the goddess' family. Jocelyn had chosen her family to safeguard her book because in their blood ran the gift of the Oracle. The goddess told me about her dreams and what I had to do to save this world. She requested that I stay with her for a year. To everyone else, I was merely learning about my heritage as a blood member of the tribes of Raves. However, I was really learning everything I needed to know to save the world."

"And your magic?" Evelyn asked.

Reynar tapped the book. "Jocelyn wrote about everything, including the spells she had learned. It's fortunate that the God blessed me with great intelligence because, otherwise, the advanced magic in this book would be unintelligible to me. With the help of the goddess, who knew all the book's secrets, I was able to master quite a few spells. However, I have yet to master the majority of the spells in that book."

"Why not?"

Reynar sighed heavily. "I suspect it's because Jocelyn was one of the original half-breeds. They had the blood of the Order of the 12 in their veins. That generation is far more powerful than ours. A lot of these spells require such a great amount of focus and mental stamina that I couldn't hope to possess."

"So that book would be useless to anyone but you," Evelyn said, musingly.

"For now," Reynar agreed, but he nodded down at her stomach. "But when your baby is old enough, this book will be our great hope. Your child will be able to easily master the spells in here. With it, your child can change the destiny of this world."

There it was. Evelyn now knew that the decision she made earlier was the right one. She opened her mouth to tell him but he suddenly held up his hand. "Wait, Evelyn, there is something I must confess to you."

"What?" she asked, apprehensively.

Reynar looked highly uncomfortable. He frowned down at his desk and shuffled some papers. "Evelyn...I wasn't going to tell you this until it was too late, but I've decided I've had enough with secrets. I know it may affect your decision, but it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Yes?" Evelyn prompted him when he fell silent.

He took a deep breath. "We both know that if you decide to marry me, it won't be about love. This is merely to protect your child and give it the chance to change this world. But if you do decide to marry me, there is something you must know. It concerns the future of the Lobare line."

He fell silent again. Evelyn let him collect his thoughts. She felt her heart flutter wildly in her chest. "It's very important that the king or queen carry on the Lobare line. It became of great importance when our treaty with the Magi Victus forced us to only have one child per Magi couple."

"That treaty extended to the royal line?" Evelyn gasped in shock.

"Surely you have noticed that there is only ever one heir? So to ensure that the line will survive, certain measures have been taken." Here he paused again before licking his lips and continuing. "We have to consummate our marriage on the night of the wedding," he said in a rush.

Evelyn felt her heart sink down into her stomach. "We...have...to...have sex?" she panted.

Reynar coughed roughly into his hand. "Yes," he gasped. "A physician will come examine you after the act to make sure the seed has...uh...taken root."

Evelyn shook her head wildly. "Can't you do something about that! You are the king!"

Reynar held up his hands helplessly. "It's the law! My advisors are already worried that I waited 200 years to get married. They will want to ensure my line will continue."

Evelyn stared at him in shock. She had only ever been with Daminus in her entire life. She wanted to keep it that way. She looked down at her stomach and patted it reassuringly. She had made a decision earlier. This new information couldn't change that. Could it?

Evelyn sighed. It was time to grow up and make the necessary sacrifices. "I've made my decision," she said quietly. She felt nauseated.

Reynar looked at her worriedly. "I can give you another day, if you need it. What I told you...it has to be a great shock for you, so soon after the death of your husband and soul-mate."

Evelyn shook her head. "No, my decision is set. Another day won't change it."Am I sure? This new information... Evelyn shook her head again. It had to be done.

"What is it?" Reynar asked nervously.

Evelyn said a quick prayer. "I...will marry you."Daminus, forgive me.

***

Chapter 14 - The Meeting: Sophina meets a mysterious stranger and learns shocking news. Only 6 more chapters left...