Gaia's Secret (15 page)

Alex went still beside me.

“Impossible,” Cicero hissed.

Otis held up a fat, square hand. “Whatever it
is, the things they speak of ‘er gruesome things. I don’t much like
it when they give me th’ details.”

“Have they informed the king?” Cicero
asked.

“They says they sent word, but can’t get
through. King’s too busy. Probably planning his banquets, they
says.”

Cicero and Sonya exchanged a glance.

“Do you think this person—if they exist—is
the same that sent Pykans after her?” Cicero nodded to me.

“Makes sense.” Otis took a swig of the foul
liquid. “Can’t think o’ too many others that would have the nerve
to go after that one.” Otis glanced at me.

I was about to ask Otis what he meant by that
when the chatter in the room abruptly died. Even the instruments
stopped playing.

Three men wearing full armor stood in the
hall. Their silver was dented and tarnished, their chain mail
kinked and dirtied, like they’d just escaped from years of
imprisonment. They scanned the room as they took seats at the bar,
faces dark and brooding.

The room began to return to its normal
volume, but the music didn’t resume. I felt a wave of anxiety from
the Del Contes, who were silently eyeing the newest guests.

Beads of sweat were forming on Otis’
forehead, his black eyes shiny. “Time to show you to your rooms, I
think.”

The Del Contes stood from their seats. Alex
grabbed my forearm, pulling me from mine. His grip was delicate,
but I knew it would be difficult to break free even if I tried. We
all followed Otis along the outskirts of the room while keeping our
heads low.

But my eyes kept returning to those men.
Something about them was wrong. Felt wrong. There was a blackness
in them—an evil presence I could feel. One of them turned his head
just enough, the hair falling away from the back of his neck, and
the edge of a black symbol became visible. I strained to see the
rest, but it was hidden beneath greasy black hair. The man beside
him turned around and locked eyes with me.

A deadly chill passed over me.

“You there!”

I froze. The room went silent at the sound of
such vehemence and hatred.

The man jumped from his stool, making his way
towards us. Alex yanked me behind him; Cicero and Sonya staggered
beside us, hands at their waists.

The man halted, a terrible grin across his
face. His eyes were cold and hard, like looking into onyx.

The room waited and watched.

“You aren’t from around here, are you?”

“We’re just passing…” Cicero began.

“Not you,” the man hissed. No one missed the
flicker of candlelight accompanying his anger. “I was talking to
the…young lady.” He tilted his head, his dark eyes trying to see me
behind Alex.

“Come, now,” Otis grumbled. “I don’t need no
problems ‘ere.”

The man stared only at me and my eyes could
not leave his face. That malignant, hostile face.

Alex pulled me closer behind him.

The man’s grin widened, his companions having
joined him. “Well, well, well,” he laughed. “It seems I have
competition. I’m not sure it’s considered fair to duel with a
noble, considering they train you boys in the art of handling
women’s undergarments rather than swordsmanship.”

Light chuckles erupted about the room. Alex’s
blood ran hot, heating my own body.

“Where are you from, young lady?” The man
continued, dark, hostile eyes burning through me. “There is a
uniqueness about you I’ve not seen since—”

“Leave,” Alex growled in a voice that
frightened me. A sharp scrape sounded in the air as he drew his
sword half from its sheath.

The man’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Alexander Del Conte.”

Air whispered through the mouths of many
people in the room as I glanced up at Alex.

“You’ve no business here,” Alex said.

“I’m curious,” the man continued, now
glancing between Cicero and Sonya in realization. “What business
could bring the entire Del Conte family to these parts. Aren’t you
supposed to be
comfortable
…on the other side?”

Cicero drew his weapon, the eyes of the
onlookers wide in expectation. “Our business is none of yours,”
Cicero spat. “Remember who you serve, soldier.”

Pure hatred flashed in those black eyes and
he spoke in a voice that threatened to wither all life. “I do not
serve
your
king.”

Cicero’s eyes narrowed. “Who do you serve,
traitor?”

“Someone who will be very interested in
knowing
you
are here.” The man’s eyes darted to me.

One of the men in the rear of their group—the
man whose neck bore the marking—was drawing something from behind
his back. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I could feel his
violence directed towards Alex, to get to me.

And it didn’t seem like any of the Del Contes
noticed.

I had to do something.

A half-empty glass mug sat on the table next
to me. In one swift movement I snatched the mug and chucked it
between the two in front, right at the third man’s face. A dagger
fell from his hands and clattered on the ground as he hurried to
catch the glass hurtling straight for his forehead.

Cicero and Alex had their swords at the
throats of the leader’s companions, Sonya holding a dagger high,
prepared to throw at the instigator.

The leader stared hard at me. “Sharp senses
for an outsider.”

The room was so quiet all I could hear was my
own racing heart.

The man raised his hands, nodding towards his
companions with a wicked grin. All at once they left through the
door, the hinges creaking after them.

Everyone ogled the four of us, their
curiosity overwhelming.

“Git back to yer business, ye bloody
barbarians!” Otis yelled.

The room filled with movement, the
instruments took up their plucking, and the people conveniently
forgot what had just transpired.

And I was yanked after Alex.

When the door to the room closed behind us,
Alex spun me around, a fire in his eyes.

“Are you
trying
to get yourself
killed?”

I was taken aback. “No.”

“You’re already being hunted—there’s no need
to draw more attention to yourself.”

His harsh tone angered me. “That man was
about to kill you!”

“I knew what he was doing.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“That’s the point, Daria. They aren’t
supposed to know what I’m thinking.”

“What are you, a professional liar?”

“What’s going on?” Cicero looked between
us.

Alex’s eyes narrowed as he lowered his
accusative finger from my face. “We never should’ve come here. It’s
not in her nature to follow directions.”

Had Alex and I been on good terms, I might
not have been hurt by his tone. But it cut deep. He’d acted like I
was a complete idiot, and was responsible for putting us all in
danger. Even if it was true, he didn’t need to be so berating.

I glared at him. “It’s not my fault.”

His eyes turned to fine slits, his face
inches from mine. “If you would’ve done as you were told and kept
your eyes in front of you, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Well, that explained it. He had caught me
staring. “If you wouldn’t have overreacted, they wouldn’t have been
suspicious.”

“They were already suspicious—”

“Alexander,” Sonya interrupted. “That’s
enough.”

Alex stepped away from me, but his irritation
spilled freely over me.

Otis, who had been quiet during this little
conversational aside, was staring at me with a smirk on his face.
“Quite the popular one, aren’t ye?”

I scowled, trying to calm my rage.

Otis continued walking down the corridor and
turned up a narrow flight of stairs. We all followed; Cicero and
Alex lingered behind speaking in whispers. It was obvious they were
bothered by what happened. And what had happened? How was it those
men knew anything about me?

We continued down a long, narrow hallway,
passing door after door. People lingered about as candles in
sconces sent shadows dancing across the walls. Even here the women
made eyes at Alex, and then looked me up and down with disdain.

Otis stopped before a pair of doors that were
a few feet apart. He pulled out a large, rusted key ring, jingled
one of the large keys into each door, and then faced us.

He lowered his head and spoke so that only we
could hear. “I got two rooms set up for ye. In order to keep this
one ‘ere—” He nodded towards me “—safe, best have her stay with the
young master.”

Cicero’s expression was solemn when he
nodded, and Alex went still as a corpse beside me.

“Master Durus will be ‘ere right before
sunrise, out back by the stables.”

Cicero sighed. “Thank you again, Otis.”

“Bah,” Otis grumbled with a wave of his hand.
He glanced at me as he tottered by, leaving us standing in the
hallway full of doors and a few onlookers.

Cicero flashed a stern look at his son before
turning a soft gaze to me. “You’ll need to stay with Alex tonight.
It will be more difficult for people to recognize your importance
this way and we don’t want any questions. Not after what happened
below.”

My eyes widened in disbelief, and for a
moment I stopped breathing. I couldn’t stay in a room alone with
Alex—not all night. I glanced at Sonya in desperation.

“Don’t worry. If you’re safe with anyone,
it’s Alexander.” Her eyes drifted to her son, her expression tight.
Placing her hand on Alex’s arm, she leaned over to kiss me on the
cheek. “Good night, dear. We’ll wake you early in the morning.”

Cicero exchanged a knowing glance with his
son, and then he and his wife vanished into their room.

I wasn’t sure what was worse: standing out
here in this dark and shadowed hallway with strangers, or spending
a night with Alex. On second thought, I did know which was worse.
The latter.

A
lex held our bedroom
door open, his expression hard. “After you, princess.”

“Don’t call me that.”

He raised a brow, but didn’t respond.

This was a fabulous way to start the evening.
Delaying the inevitable wouldn’t make the morning come any faster.
So, setting my jaw with determination, I strode past him into our
room. He followed after me, closing and bolting the door behind
us.

It was just as I feared. One queen-sized
bed.

Other than that, the room looked comfortable
enough. There was a fire blazing in a stone hearth, and a large
colorful woven rug hid the rotten floorboards. A few lanterns hung
along the walls, lighting the corners. An antique wooden armoire
stood off to one side and a square table sat in the middle of the
room. On the table was a pitcher of clear liquid with a few empty
glasses. I hoped it was water. After inhaling all the smoke below,
I was dying for something to drink.

A loud thud sounded. Alex had dropped his
pack and sword at the foot of the bed and was winding out of his
cloak. He hung it on a small hook besides the door, and walked to
the table, pouring himself a glass of the mystery liquid. But
instead of taking a drink, he looked up at me.

“I know you’re thirsty. You didn’t drink
anything earlier.”

My parched throat was turning drier by the
second, but I couldn’t reply. I still couldn’t believe I was going
to spend the night with my sworn enemy. Alone.

“Here, the glass is on the table if you want
it.” He set it down and poured another for himself, taking a
seat.

The fire crackled and spit. Alex studied the
glass in his hands, turning it in his fingers, and his eyes moved
back to me.

I couldn’t take it. “Remind me again why it’s
safer for me to stay with you?”

A grin twitched at his lips. “Unfortunately,
those in the king’s immediate company, including the Aegis’, don’t
have a very—” he looked to the ceiling for his word
“—
honorable
reputation when it comes to women. No one will
suspect your value this way.”

“Oh, so your method of safety is ruining
my
honorable reputation?”

He folded his fingers together and rested
them on the table. “Daria. Anyone that actually knows you knows
they’d be better off going after a porcupine.”

He wasn’t smiling. There wasn’t even the hint
of one. I glared back at the fire, wishing the night would hurry up
and end.

“Sit with me.”

I looked back at him. The muscles in his face
were tight but there was a warmth in his eyes that was
disarming.

Oh, come on. Quit being so melodramatic. It
won’t kill you to sit next to him.

It might. Or I might kill him.

As I hung up my cloak, that little voice
kicked it in high gear and I thought only of my parched tongue. I
felt Alex’s eyes on my back, waiting to see what I’d do. What I
wanted to do was walk right back out that door and take my chances
with the strangers. But my dry mouth was screaming so loud that I
gave in and made my way over to the table. He was on his feet at
once, pulling out my chair.

“Really, this isn’t necessary.”

“I know.”

He stood there, waiting for me to sit. Taking
a deep breath, I sat as he pushed in my chair.

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” He seated himself
across from me.

“No. There are only a couple of things I can
think of that might be worse.”

He looked at me, a single brow arched. “Do me
the favor of keeping those to yourself.”

“Done.” I picked up my glass and sniffed.

The liquid was odorless, so I took a cautious
sip. It was water, and the most refreshing water I’d tasted in my
entire life. In no time, the glass was emptied and I returned the
mug to the table. Right next to a fresh roll.