Shadow Dagger Ch. 16

"You went this far!" Sophina pleaded.

"Alright," Marcus said, giving in. "Jon met a fellow Magi during the war who would become his best friend. His name was Berrick. Sarah was left behind to give birth. When Jon returned to her, he brought her and their son to the war camps so he could keep on eye on them. Sarah was also a very good battle Magi and her skills were needed."

"Everything went wrong when Jon introduced Berrick to Sarah. After that introduction, Jon's marriage began to strain, for reasons he didn't know. Sarah would frequently find reasons to disappear. They were in the middle of a war, so Jon just assumed that it was related to that. He was wrong."

"She had an affair!" Sophina gasped. Her heart was breaking for Jon.

"Yes," Marcus replied sadly. "Though, not in the way you think. You see, as it turns out, Berrick and Sarah were soul-mates."

"Soul-mates? Like Daminus and Evelyn?" Sophina asked.

Marcus nodded. "Exactly like that. Sarah was caught in the pull of her soul-mate. Jon hated her but I...I felt sorry for her."

"What happened after he found out?"

"They had a falling out. Jon refused to see her or Berrick. It was only at the final battle of the war that he let her come back. Even then, they never had a chance to reconcile. Sarah died in that battle. She sacrificed her life to save Jon."

"She..sacrificed herself?" Sophina asked, dumbfounded. "But...but I thought she was in love with Berrick."

Marcus sighed heavily. "There is something that Jon doesn't know. I have never had the courage or the heart to tell him."

"What is it?" Sophina held her breath in anticipation.

"I..." Marcus bowed his head and Sophina was shocked to see tears falling into his lap. "I saw Sarah. She came to me when Jon banished her and Berrick. She had to talk to somebody. I was in a drug induced haze most of the time but I remember perfectly what she had to tell me. It still haunts me, to this day."

"What?"

"She told me that...that...she had never slept with Berrick."

Sophina stared at Marcus, shocked numb. "She didn't cheat on Jon? What did she do? I thought he caught her?"

Marcus choked out a sob and wiped his face. "She just would just lay with him with his arms wrapped around her. She never wanted to cheat on Jon but she couldn't deny the soul-bond. She said she felt so at peace when he held her. She couldn't resist that feeling."

Sophina couldn't believe it. For over two thousand years, Jon believed that his wife betrayed him.

"What didn't she tell him?" she asked angrily.

"In her heart, what she did was just as bad a betrayal as sleeping with him would have been. She couldn't forgive herself for that. She made me swear I would never tell him, for hating her would be easier for him than knowing the truth."

"And so you have kept this to yourself for all these years," Sophina said slowly. She shook her head. "How many burdens have you had to carry?"

Marcus said nothing. Sophina studied him closely. In the light of the fire, she could see how his eyes were pinched in pain. His shoulders were hunched. His hands were trembling.

"Marcus, how are your dreams of late?" she asked suddenly.

Marcus shook his head. "Chaotic. The future comes and goes and is blown away like a leaf on the wind. I can't make sense of anything anymore. I fear my involvement has clouded my ability to see the future."

"Are they still painful?" she asked gently.

"They have gone beyond pain now. The chaos tugs and pulls me in so many different directions. I can't...I can't last much longer."

Sophina got up and knelt by his feet. She grabbed his hand. "Do you need to take more of the drug? Jon gave me plenty."

Marcus shook his head. "No. Jon wants me clear-headed so I can help you with my magic."

"Marcus...it may not be worth it. Pain can cause a person to do bad things."

"I'm fine!" Marcus suddenly roared.

Sophina gasped and fell back. Marcus' eyes blazed gold for an instant before fading back to their gentle-blue color.

He put his head in his hands. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," Sophina said, uncertainly. She remembered the scene earlier in the day with the Magi Victus. Marcus had scared her then. "Marcus, I'm going to give you more of the drug. Let me find the tea kettle so I can--"

"Somebody's here," Marcus said suddenly, looking over at the staircase.

Sophina felt her heart start to speed up. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, they're outside."

"Who knows we're here?" Sophina asked hesitantly.

"We showed Peron where we're staying but not the hidden staircase."

"You think it could be Peron out there? But it's nighttime! It's too risky to be seen out with the war with the Magi Victus going on."

"There's one way to find out," Marcus said grimly. "Grab your sword."

Sophina hurriedly picked up her sword and followed Marcus up the staircase. They reached the top when Marcus looked at her.

"Are you ready?"

Sophina was too nervous to talk. She nodded. Marcus pressed the hidden switch and the wall swung open.

Peron was standing outside, his sword drawn. "There you are!" he said happily. He sheathed his sword.

Sophina let out a relieved breath. "Peron, what in the nine hells are you doing here?"

Peron shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you needed help keeping your bed warm."

Sophina gritted her teeth. "Please don't tell me you came all the way--"

Marcus lurched forward suddenly and grabbed Peron's tunic. Peron's eyes widened in shock as Marcus lifted him off the floor.

"You fool! You risked being captured by the Magi just to flirt with Sophina! You could have led them here! I should kill you for your stupidity!"

Sophina darted forward and grabbed Marcus' arm. It felt like grabbing the trunk of a tree. She couldn't move him at all.

"Marcus, stop! It's ok! Put him down!"

Peron's face reddened in fury. "If you value your life you better drop me right now!"

Marcus snorted in disgust and dropped him to the floor. Peron landed smoothly on his feet and drew his sword. Sophina drew hers.

"Stop this!" Sophina screamed.

Peron ignored her. He stared angrily at Marcus. Marcus folded his arms and stared calmly back. Peron shifted his feet and Sophina stepped in front of him.

"You want to fight somebody? I could use a rematch. This time, I wont' stop at first blood."

Peron transferred his gaze over to her. For a long moment, neither one moved. Finally, Peron barked a laugh and sheathed his sword.

"I love your spirit. You would do well in my country."

"No thanks," Sophina said, sheathing her sword. "Too hot for my tastes."

"Only under my blankets," Peron replied, without missing a beat.

Marcus growled behind her. Sophina could only shake her head. "Peron, I suggest you leave before Marcus really loses his temper."

Peron laughed. "I don't fear him. But as much as I would love to warm your bed for you, that's not why I came. There is somebody at the tavern who wishes to speak with you. I think you may want to come back with me."

"Who?" Sophina asked.

***

Sanje saw them long before they could see him. There was an advantage to living you life in the dark. A person could become too dependent on light to see. The dark held no secrets for him.

The woman was the easiest to spot. Her footfalls rang too loudly on the ground. The sword on her side rattled loud enough to hear a mile off. Well, at least to a man like Sanje.

The desert warrior Peron moved gracefully and with little sound. He was harder to spot. But not impossible. The moon was bright tonight and he wasn't keeping a close eye on his shadow.

The other man that accompanied Sophina earlier was the hardest to spot. He moved without sound and seemed to know the ways of the shadow. This man intrigued him most of all.

Sanje's instinct told him that he only spotted him at last because the man wanted him to.

They came from different directions to avoid Magi patrols but arrived at the same time. The light from the tavern door drew them like moths. They stopped in front of the tavern and looked around.

Sanje dropped from the sky behind them, silent as death.

"You came," he said.

Sophina gasped and turned around. Peron swore and unsheathed his sword. The other man merely nodded politely at Sanje.

"Who are you?" Sophina asked.

Sanje smiled at the hint of fear in her voice. "I'm the man who nearly killed Jon Laurent."

"Sanje," Sophina hissed angrily.

"My reputation precedes me."

"What do you want?" Sophina snapped.

"We need to talk privately. The streets have ears. Chieftain Peron, is there a room available in that fine establishment of yours?"

"There is, shadow-man," Peron replied. "But we don't rent to the likes of you."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Sophina asked.

"How would I trap you in your own territory? I'm all alone, I assure you."

"He's telling the truth," the tall man said. "I can't sense anymore of them."

Sanje would give a mountain of gold to know who that man was. He looked so familiar.

"You see? Now can we go inside?"

Sophina turned to Peron. "Peron?"

Peron growled but nodded to Sophina. "Follow me."

The tavern grew deathly quiet as their party entered. Sanje saw hard eyes follow him as he walked by. Peron led them through the bar to the stairs on the outer wall.

Several doors filled the upstairs hallway. Peron chose the first one on the left and held the door open.

Sanje was the last to enter. The room contained a bed and a table. The desert people weren't known for their opulence.

Peron checked the room for hidden assassins before nodding his head. "It's clear."

"Please, let us sit," Sanje said.

Sophina watched him distrustfully as they sat down. She placed her sword within easy reach. Peron remained standing, hovering near Sanje's shoulder.

"I don't trust you," he warned.

"Good, you're learning," Sanje said sarcastically.

"What do you want, Sanje?" Sophina asked bluntly.

"I want you to back out of your deal with Raynolt," Sanje replied just as bluntly.

Sophina didn't reply immediately. Whether from shock or because she was thinking over what he said, he couldn't tell.

"Why?" she finally asked.

"Because if Jon Laurent really gives Raynolt that kind of knowledge, you will have an enemy on your hands the likes of which you won't believe."

"The secret of the Shadow Dagger," Sophina said.

Sanje nodded. "The teaching of magic I don't care about. But Jon Laurent must not tell Raynolt how to make a Shadow Dagger. He will doom us all."

Again, Sophina took her time replying. "But you said earlier that the knowledge of how to make it would be useless to Raynolt. I took that to mean that making a Shadow Dagger is only possible for Magi Victus."

"I bluffed," Sanje said bluntly. "The truth is, I don't want to think about what Raynolt could do with that kind of knowledge. I say it's only useful to us but I can't be sure of that."

Sophina sighed. "How can we trust anything you say? You hate Jon Laurent and want him dead. This could just be another ploy of yours."

Sanje scowled. "That's true. It's also true that Jon Laurent is the worst kind of man there is. The world would be better off without him."

It was Sophina's turn to scowl. "You don't even know him."

"I don't need to," Sanje said, his temper starting to boil. "The man betrays everything that he is. He is Magi Victus and yet he has never cared about us. He would leave us to rot if it suited him."

"The Magi Victus aren't what they used to be," the tall man said. "I would say that they betrayed him."

"What do you know?" Sanje sneered. "You have no idea what it's like to live like we do. Jon Laurent says we're just assassins now. That we lost sight of what we were meant to be. I think it's Jon Laurent who has lost sight. He doesn't see what we've had to do to survive."

The tall man frowned. Sanje could swear that he knew him from somewhere. But where?

"Do you still keep to the faith?" the man asked.

Sanje stared at him. So did Sophina. "What does that mean, Marcus?" she asked.

"What do you know of the Magi Victus?" Sanje asked. Marcus, was it? The name didn't sound familiar. Sanje would figure it out later, when he had time.

"I know that you were once the true faithful," Marcus said sadly.

"That's dangerous knowledge," Sanje said slowly. "Our history is fragmented and incomplete, but the knowledge we do possess is only known by the Master Victus."

"Do you still keep to the faith?" the man asked again.

"We still kill Magi, yes. We just get paid to do it now."

The man nodded. "Jon is not as bad as you think."

"Forget about Jon Laurent," Sanje growled. "I didn't come here to talk about him. So, will you back out of the deal?"

"No," Sophina said. "We need his Magi in order to overthrow Reynar."

"Then kill Raynolt," Sanje said. "Use him and then kill him after it's done. Just don't let him have that knowledge."

"That's for Jon to decide," Sophina replied.

"Are you forgetting that Raynolt has your family hostage? With just a word, he can have them butchered like dogs."

"They're safe, for the time being," Sophina said coolly, though her eyes blazed with suppressed rage. "I can't let him split my focus."

"You're all fools," Sanje said, shaking his head. "You have no idea what Raynolt is capable of. He will be worse than Reynar if he gets his hands on that knowledge."

"We will deal with him when the time comes," Sophina said guardedly.

"I knew this was useless," Sanje said. He rose to leave.

"Wait," Marcus said suddenly. "I want to know why you aligned yourself with Raynolt."

Sanje hesitated. He had already betrayed himself if they were to speak of this with Raynolt. It was a gamble he had to take. Might as well take another one.

"He promised freedom for the Magi Victus and a place in society if I helped him gained power."

Sophina shook her head. "You actually believe that? Raynolt would sooner give up his power than let the Magi Victus walk free."

"I'm not an idiot," Sanje said. "That's the excuse I used to manipulate him. In the end, I intend to completely wipe out the entire Emporium."

"You murderer," Sophina hissed. "How many lives are you willing to sacrifice? I should kill you where you stand."

Sanje shrugged. "I'm ready to die. Are you?"

"Wait," Marcus said, holding out his hand to Sophina. He eyes were locked onto Sanje's. "Tell me true, Magi Victus; you only care about your people?"

"I just want us to be free, one way or the other," Sanje said.

The man nodded. "I believe you. If you ever have the chance to talk to Jon Laurent, tell him what you just told me."

"If I have the pleasure of seeing him again, the only talking I will be doing will be with my Shadow Dagger."

"Please," the man said.

Sanje hesitated. His hatred for Jon Laurent was a raging inferno inside of him. But still, this man and his intense gaze was cutting through that inferno like a spear of ice. He didn't know why, but he found himself nodding.

"If I must," he growled.

Before they could force any more agreements out of him, Sanje walked to the window and flung it open. He turned back to them.

"Remember what I said about Raynolt. Give him what he wants, and you doom us all."

And with that ominous statement, he leaped out the window and into the dark night.

***

Ashford shivered under his blanket while Jon piled up twigs and grass for a pitiful fire. The desert was not very accommodating for human beings. There would be precious few fires in the months to come.

"I'm always amazed how cold it gets out here at night. I've always wondered why," Ashford said, his teeth chattering. The wind blew by and stung his ears. He hated the desert.

Jon paused while he attempted to light the fire with flint and tinder. He looked thoughtful.

And not the least bit cold, damn him.

"I believe I heard a theory about that back in my time."

"You heard a theory about why it gets cold at night in the desert?" Ashford asked in amazement.

Jon struck the tinder and a spark leapt out over the twigs. It didn't catch. He sighed.

"Back in my time, most Magi weren't very interested in learning offensive spells. After the defeat of the Warlords, we didn't know war until 150 years later. No, most Magi were more interested in studying the earth and what makes it tick."

"What did they say about the desert?"

Jon shrugged. "I can't really remember. It was over two thousand years ago. I think it had something to do with the fact that there is very little water in the desert. And maybe something about sand not retaining heat very well."

He struck another spark and this time it caught.

"Huh," Ashford replied. He had no idea what that meant. "Well, I think we would all like the desert to have more water. And trees. And wildlife that won't try to kill you."

Jon laughed as he gently blew on the fire. It quickly spread and began to consume the twigs and grass. Ashford huddled closer to it gratefully. It wouldn't last long.

"This is indeed a strange land," Jon agreed. "And even stranger people. Tell me again, why was it so easy to challenge Sazon for control?"

"The people of Raves have a very complex system of honor, Jon. It wasn't as easy as you think. They worship battles and the heroes it makes. If a man has accomplished enough deeds, he may be worthy of challenging his Chieftain for control of the tribe. It's the way of life here."

"But I'm an outsider."

"Like I said, very complicated," Ashford said. "They don't really place much importance on where you come from. They hate outsiders, true, but they respect warriors even more. It was why they let Reynar challenge Peron for control of their entire army."

"But he is of their blood. It wasn't as complicated as this."

Ashford sighed. "I told you I still don't really understand them. Apparently, the fact that Reynar was of their blood had very little to do with it. They saw him on the battlefield and became to respect his prowess."

"And so by defeating Peron, Reynar took control of all the tribes and was able to arrange a meeting with their goddess," Jon said slowly.

"It was a privilege granted to very few men," Ashford said. "Not even Chieftains of individual tribes can see her. Reynar gained great honor by his defeat of Peron in single combat. Without magic, mind you."

"I know," Jon replied. "I can't use magic tomorrow. I understand."

Ashford leaned toward him over the fire. The flames licked pleasantly at his chest. "If they so much as suspect that you're a Magi, they will come after you until you're dead. So no matter what happens tomorrow, never use your magic."

"I won't need to," Jon said confidently. "I have been a warrior for longer than you can imagine. I don't need magic."

"I hope that's true," Ashford said.

"So," Jon said, holding out his hands to the fire. Maybe he was a tiny bit cold. "What was your position here? Sazon seems to greatly respect you."

"Like I said before, Reynar had me out here as an ambassador. I traveled to the different tribes and spoke to the Chieftains. I tried to show them that Astuari isn't as bad as they think."

"You seem to have made an impression on Sazon."

"He was one of the few," Ashford replied. "I think he's not as scared of magic as the rest are. He even seems to be fascinated by it."

"And does he know about you and his wife?" Jon asked, casting a sly glance at him.

Ashford coughed. Really, there was too much sand floating out in the desert. "That's not what it looks like. We have never--"

"Excuse me, Ashford Caulston?" said a voice from behind him.

Ashford jumped in surprise. The blanket fell from his shoulders and he immediately regretted it. The wind stabbed through his clothing. He nearly blushed when he saw that it was just a woman speaking to him.