Divided (3 page)

Tareth was stunned into silence for a brief moment.  That
was no doubt due to the fact that Tareth knew very well that the boy only
interfered when he was making the other citizens miserable.  “I… well, yes.”

Lee and Calis exchanged a glance, and Lee let the issue go
without another word.  So Dark District had gotten itself a regular vigilante. 
Well, then perhaps this return wasn’t going to be as dull as Calis had
predicted.

“Ah, Calis—does our father know of your return?”  Tareth
asked, obviously itching to change the subject so that light didn’t shine on
his own crimes.  Not that Lavus would have done a bloody thing about it. 

Calis smiled.  “No, brother.  I wanted to find you first.  I
never expected to locate you in Dark District.”  The lie was obvious, and
Tareth knew it as well as Calis did, but Calis’s younger brother had never had
the guts to call him on his lies.

However, Tareth did display a certain amount of irritation
at his brother’s obvious mockery.  Tareth was probably none too happy about
Calis’s return, regardless.  He would not have been pleased with it even if
Calis hadn’t thwarted his attempt to apprehend the so-called criminal.  “Then,
ah… perhaps we should go present you to father?”  Tareth asked.

Calis shrugged briefly.  He was in no hurry to return to
their overbearing father, or mother, for that matter.  But if he’d said as much
to Tareth—he would never have heard the end of it.  “I suppose it would be a
good time to tell father of my premature return.  He’ll be disappointed at the
lack of festivities, I’m sure.”

“I’ve no doubt we’ll still be having the festivities,” Lee said
dolefully.

“And upon that sun, the hero put his faith in the lands
and their people, promising his own and his descendants’ lives should that
faith be destroyed or proven false.”

-A Hero’s Peace, v.i

Taeru’s back screamed in protest as he moved through one of the
alleyways.  Granted, he wouldn’t have needed to move so quickly had he not
stayed for a moment to witness the correspondence between his savior and Tareth
Tsrali. 
Brother
.

Well, there was certainly no denying that Alyx and her
mother had been correct in their assessment of the two brothers’ differences.  However,
perhaps they shared the trait of obliviousness, as the elder Tsrali had seemed
unaware that he’d just ruined Tareth’s plans.  In fact, the older brother had
probably unknowingly saved Taeru’s life.

Not that it was a debt Taeru would ever bother to repay.  He
climbed onto one of the lower slung rooftops to assess his injuries.  The last
thing he needed currently was to run into another of the Telandan guards that
were still roaming around searching for him.  Tareth himself had been
predisposed to accompany his brother back to the castle, but he had dispatched
a few guards to ensure that Taeru got no rest. 

The only injury Taeru had truly sustained was a bruise on
his back, and he wasn’t willing to pull off his outfit to check on it just
yet.  In fact, the throbbing seemed to be subsiding.  So, thanks to the older
Tsrali’s timely interference, this sun had gone relatively well.  He’d managed
to prevent Tareth from hauling some poor girl off to the castle where she would
likely have been raped—or something akin to it. 

The sweat along his face from the long run was making the
leather mask against his eyes itch just a little bit.  He had adjusted the mask
plenty of times to try to minimize the amount that it itched.  He would have
removed it, but he didn’t need his identity of Kilik being mixed with that of ‘the
Phantom Blade’ as Dark District—and now apparently Tareth—had taken to calling
his masked alter ego.

The decision to start interfering in Tareth’s tyranny had
been an easy one.  Alyx had been so excited by the concept that she had spent
countless suns making him a proper costume, and she continued to make copies of
it.  The dual swords had been more difficult to obtain, but he had them now—so
all that was left was to ensure that Tareth’s plans to cause problems to
citizens of Dark District never succeeded. 

However, his battles certainly didn’t begin or end with
Tareth Tsrali.  Plenty of noblemen spent their time roaming the streets of Dark
District—taking money and well-being from the innocent citizens within it.  The
mask and bandana were the only things Taeru had ever intended to wear, but he
had to admit, he enjoyed the outfit that Alyx had made, and she liked that he
wore it.

She had taken great care to strengthen the leather so that
it held up against most strikes from swords and maces.  He’d even taken an
arrow in the back once and managed to brush it off.  The brown leather gloves
also aided in his ability to wield the swords for extended periods. 

the Phantom Blade.  Not a name that he would have ever
chosen for himself, but there was no changing people’s minds now.  He used his
gloved hands to glide along the surface of one of his swords to remove the bloodstains
from one of the guard’s ears.  He made sure never to murder any of the men,
just give them a rough time. 

He doubted very seriously that they would show him the same
courtesy—even without the knowledge that he was a Lassau.  He shuddered to
think of the sun that particular notion was ever discovered.  While his Phantom
Blade identity was a secret to most, his origin was not something anyone in all
of Telandus knew. 

Taeru had heard the rumors.  Everyone had talked about it
for a time—how one of the Lassau boys had renounced his name.  Everyone
speculated, and the guards of Telandus were sent on missions for a little
while.  Nevertheless, eventually, even Lavus had lost interest, and now, Taeru
Lassau was not a name that crossed any lips in Telandus. 

Once he assured himself that he was not, in fact, badly
injured, he hoped off the roof and slid into a cellar of one of the buildings
used for trade storage.  The outfit was easy to remove, and soon he stood in
nothing but his brown shirt and a pair of black pants.  He put the rest of his
outfit into a brown sack and pulled back out of the cellar.  There were many
Phantom Blade outfits hidden around Dark District, but this one needn’t be
left, as he’d worn it several times in a row and it was wearing down.

The outfit was considerably warmer than he liked, but Alyx
had originally constructed it for him in the winter months.  During that time, the
armor was just short of perfect.  However, as it was now summer, the thick,
black leather left him sweating.  His brown shirt was covered in perspiration. 
He headed out of the alleyway, letting out a very long breath.  “Mommy, look! 
Is that the Phantom Blade?”

The child’s voice startled him.  But the boy was definitely
pointing at him.  He jerked at once back behind the building, well before the
boy’s mother was able to move her head to see him. 
What?  How is that
possible?  No one has ever recognized me before, well except…

His mouth curved downwards into a very frustrated frown.  Then,
he immediately reached up to yank the mask from his face and shoved it into his
brown bag.  He flushed and went around the other side of the building so as not
to rouse suspicion.  When he surfaced from the other side, the child’s mother
was reassuring the boy that the Phantom Blade was not there. 

“That was amazing!” a girl cried from a corner nearby. 
Taeru’s head immediately snapped to see who was there.  Her name was Katt, and he
knew her well, as her father was the owner of the trading caravan he helped with
transport, and she was the apprentice to the woman with whom he lived.

She was speaking in conspiratorial whispers to one of her
friends.  Her eyes turned to find Taeru in a moment, and she waved to him
cheerfully.  “Kilik!” she said.

The girl she was speaking with smiled and offered another
wave.  This meant that he would be expected to go over there and listen to
their gossip.  Lovely.  Regardless, not wanting to be rude, he headed over to
the two of them.  Katt was Alyx’s age, with red hair and freckles along the
bridge of her nose.  Her hair was curled down around her shoulders.  She was
particularly well groomed for a Dark District citizen.  “Good morning, ladies,”
he said.  He didn’t know the other girl standing near him.

“Did you
see
, Kilik?”  Katt asked.  She was entirely
disinterested in his greeting.  That was to be expected, though.  Katt’s mind
tended to be less than predictable.  Or rather, a little too predictable in
there was no steering her away from her desired topic.

Taeru crossed his arms and blinked.  He was sure that he had
not seen.  “See what?”

“The Phantom Blade!” she squealed.  So Taeru had actually
seen precisely about that which Katt was speaking.  They were no doubt
discussing his latest venture in thwarting Tareth’s haphazard attempt at
causing problems.  “He saved Ursula!” she continued, gesturing to her friend.

Taeru was genuinely surprised that he hadn’t recognized the
girl he had just saved.  He had been rather focused on Tareth, but he had even
taken the time to free the girl.  “From what?”  Taeru feigned curiosity.

“Tareth!  The fool was trying to terrorize Ursula for
picking up an apple that had fallen from one of the vendor’s stalls—pretending
it was his own!”  Ursula flushed, as if a little uneasy at having the crime
aired for someone else.

Taeru smiled at the younger girl.  “I suppose it is a good
thing he was there, then,” he said.  “Ah, the Phantom Blade… not Tareth.”  His
voice sounded pathetic.

“He is so handsome!”  Katt said, ignoring him entirely.  “I
would throw myself into danger just to be saved by someone like him!  I just
wish we knew who he was.”

This line of thought seemed to draw Ursula from her quieter
phase.  She clapped her hands together with enthusiasm.  “He touched my arm!”
she said.

Taeru frowned.  He didn’t even remember touching Ursula. 
“How do you know he’s handsome, Katt?  You have never seen his face.”  The
point seemed lost on the two girls, and Katt seemed content to dream up faces
for their mysterious hero.

“Oh, you’re just jealous,” Katt said. 

A sigh was the only response Taeru offered.  “Not that you
aren’t handsome.  But there is something about that mysterious mask, and the
way he moves is so beautiful and graceful!  And the swords!”  Once again, Taeru
just sighed.

“I should be getting home,” Taeru said.  “Lady Amaral will
be expecting me.”  Katt seemed content to shoo him away now that she had lost
her mind in thoughts about her mysterious vigilante.

The gossip was in abundance as he headed back towards the
Amaral house.  Most of it was about the Phantom Blade, but he caught a few
scattered mentions of the older Tsrali’s return and his part in the events of
the sun.

When he arrived home, Alyx was outside, hanging clothes up
on the line.  She brightened at his appearance.  “Ah, Kilik!  I was beginning
to worry about you.”  She went back to her clothes a few moments later,
though.  She had probably already heard about the events, but she wasn’t
allowed to discuss them outside of the house.

He just smiled and headed inside.  The sun was really
beginning to get to him, and the bag in his hands grew heavier by the second. 
“Oh, and Kilik,” Alyx said just before he pushed the door open.  “You do know
that you are taking me to the dance in two moons,” she said.

Not that he was surprised that he would be forced to take
Alyx to this dance, but he hadn’t been aware they were even having one.  “You
don’t mean the ball, do you?” he asked.  He didn’t mind going to the affairs
they had in Dark District, but he would not touch another ball in his lifetime.

“I wish!” she huffed.  “No, we are having a little party of
our own to celebrate the prince’s return.” 

Well, that was lovely.  Taeru couldn’t remember the last
time anyone had celebrated anything about nobility in Dark District.  The usual
opinion was that anyone who lived in Shining District was scum—and the Tsrali’s
were the worst.  “This older brother must have quite the reputation.”

“I told you he did,” Alyx said.  “Everyone loves Calis, even
in Dark District.  Especially in Dark District.”  She paused.  “Before, there
were rumors that he actually disguised himself as a Dark District citizen and
roamed the streets sometimes, but I’m sure that was all heresy.  No prince
would ever walk these streets without the intention of causing trouble to commoners.”

No prince, Taeru thought, except the one that had saved him
from what would have been certain death.  Calis’s appearance in the events had
been strange, to say the least.  In fact, it made no sense at all that Calis
would have been in Dark District, ever.  Taeru had heard him mention that he
had been searching for his brother, but that didn’t sound likely. 

Regardless, Taeru doubted that the prince would go so far as
to disguise himself as one of the citizens.  And if he did, that would have
only meant trouble for the actual citizens—since he would have been something
of a spy.  If King Lavus knew any of the nonsense Dark District said about him,
he would have them all hanged.

“Yes, well, I’ll take you to the dance,” he said before he
eased into the shack.

As he entered, he was surprised to find that Lady Amaral and
Aitken were not the only two people waiting for him.  Juliet, Alyx’s mother,
was tirelessly running a rag over a young girl’s forehead.  Taeru knew the girl
at once.  Her name was Merril, formerly Leliana.  She was one of the reasons
Taeru had made his few trips to the Shining District.

A servant girl for Tareth—though she had originally been
from Dark District.  Tareth had apparently come into the district one sun, cited
some crime that Merril didn’t remember committing, and then demanded she serve
him for the rest of her life.  Merril had been a good friend of Alyx’s, though,
and once Taeru had established himself as capable, Alyx had requested that he
try to save her.

The trip had earned him a particularly nasty scar along his
back and, as he’d succeeded, Merril’s eternal affections.  She had never spoken
much about what had happened while she served Tareth, but from her tattered
appearance when he found her, Taeru was sure that Tareth had made her serve him
in ways that no one should ever be forced to serve.  In addition, she had been
forced to change her entire appearance to blend back into society.  Tareth had tried
many times to reclaim her only to find that the woman he’d held originally had
vanished.

“Is she having another fit?” he asked.  Merril, even before
she had been whisked away by Tareth as a young girl, had been prone to fits of
madness.  Her family swore that she was a prophet—able to tell the future. 
However—while the young woman did have a knack for guessing certain
events—Taeru did not believe any single person possessed the ability to know
the future.

Not to mention, Merril had yet to reference that he happened
to be the son of the ruler of the nation’s sworn enemy.  She hadn’t even figured
out his real name.  So, on that count, Taeru was able to dismiss her ramblings
as mad.  “Yes.”  Juliet let out a slow breath.  “Her family brought her in a
few shifts ago.”

Taeru stepped uneasily to the trembling girl.  “Has she
spoken?” he asked.  Merril was usually shouting nonsense in these fits, but for
now, she seemed quieted.  Perhaps Juliet had managed to calm her well enough.

Juliet didn’t seem as though she had accomplished much,
though, especially with that frustrated look in her hazel eyes.  “She has.  She
keeps talking about the war with Cathalar.”  Taeru cringed.  He hated that
topic.  “I can scarcely understand her.”

Merril was a tiny girl—even smaller than Alyx.  Her black
hair, formerly blond, was cropped short, and her skin was dark from suns of
working in the shops.  Her forehead glistened with sweat despite Juliet’s best
efforts.  Her green eyes stared at the ceiling, glazed and unseeing.  She was
definitely still in one of her trances.  “Merril,” Taeru whispered as he knelt
down next to her.  “Can you hear me, Merril?”