Promising Light (10 page)

“Are you Thurma? Were you with
Lady Grace before she disappeared?”

Thurma nodded.

“Can you tell me what
happened?”

“Well, she was relieving herself,
and I saw a snake,” Thurma said, her accent thick. “A bright green
one, like I’d never seen before. I told her to be still, but she
stepped back, and the snake bit me, and when I woke up, they said
she was gone.” She let out a shuddering breath. “I don’t know what
happened, everything just got fuzzy, and I heard Lady Grace
screaming before I went unconscious.”

Dar clenched his teeth, reminding
himself they wouldn’t hurt her. He crouched down on his haunches.
“Where did it bite you?”

Thurma showed him the bite on her
shoulder. “It moved so fast.” She had two small bite marks, but the
skin wasn’t red or swollen.

“The bite was probably just to
stun you,” he said. “Not poisonous, so you should be fine. I’ve
seen those snakes before. Their venom only disables prey for a
short while.”

Thurma nodded, letting out a
breath.

Dar could tell she didn’t believe
him. “You heard Lady Grace screaming? Did you hear anything
else?”

She slowly shook her head. “No,
nothing else. I’m sorry.”

He stood and returned to the
prince. “It was probably an Avialie.”

“Why do you think so?” Prince
William asked, his voice tight.

“It wasn’t a poisonous bite.” Dar
gazed into the forest, trying to figure out how far they may have
gotten with Grace. “Nonpoisonous snakes are rare in this area. It’s
a little too convenient that the snake bit at the same time Lady
Grace disappeared.”

“I thought so, too.” A man had
joined them. Dar had seen him before around the castle. He was lean
with a pale pallor and thinning brown hair.

“Dar, this is my advisor, Lesado,”
the prince said. “He knows most of your family.”

“Unfortunately,” Lesado said. He
glared at Dar, perhaps searching for a flicker of anger, but Dar
kept his expression blank. Lesado cleared his throat and asked, “Do
you think Lady Grace is the one to break the curse?”

Dar rolled his eyes. “No. But if my
family has her because they think so, they’ll keep her safe.” He
paused. “They may even send for me.”

Prince William raised his eyebrows
and crossed his arms. “You think so?”

“They must have known about our
relationship from somewhere,” Dar said. “So, they’ll try to match
us since they think it will make it easier for Grace to accept
it.”

“You seem to know a lot about
this,” William said, his voice low.

“I saw it happen with Sierra and
Sashe. Lady Grace isn’t in any danger right now.” Dar glanced at
Lesado. “Except for when it comes to the Protectors.”

William turned to Lesado, his
steely expression flickering with, perhaps, worry. “Are the
Protectors going to hurt her?” he asked. Dar had never considered
the possibility that the prince might actually care for Grace. He
wasn’t sure how to feel about that, wasn’t sure whether it was
better or worse than a political move to please the
general.

“Of course not, your Highness,”
Lesado said in a calm voice. “Lady Grace is an innocent noble
kidnapped by savages. If the Protectors had reason to believe she
may be aiding the Avialies, however… we may have to do something.
But even with the situation two years ago, we left the two women
alive.”

Dar scoffed. “Barely. Sashe was
bedridden for weeks.”

“But she’s alive, isn’t she?”
Lesado asked, glaring at him. “And now serving in the
castle.”

“You’ll help us in finding her,
right, Sir Dar?” the prince asked.

“Yes, of course.”

William turned to Lesado. “Then
tell them to stay away from Lady Grace. Give us a chance to take
care of this.”

* * *

When Grace stirred from her nap, it
took her a moment to remember where she was. Her surroundings were
much darker, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. The contents of the
tent—the trunk and water basin—were only dim shapes. She reached
for the water basin and dampened the piece of fabric she’d used
earlier. The coolness on her warm face was refreshing.

She took a deep breath and thought
about the events of the morning again. The shape changers, the
invisible camp, Adrian and Myra. She pulled on her shoes. They were
thin things and wouldn’t do much good when she tried to run, but
she had no other choice.

She stepped out of Myra’s tent into
the clearing. It was late afternoon now, the low sun hidden by the
trees surrounding them. The horse-man from earlier stood up. “Lady
Grace. We weren’t properly introduced before. My name is
Vin.”

Grace nodded. She now noticed he
had a long scar running down the left side of his face. “Where’s
Myra?”

“She’s out gathering food,” Vin
said. “She said you might be hungry.”

Once Grace thought about it, she
was. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, which seemed ages
ago.

“Would you like to meet my wife?”
Vin asked. “She prepared a meal for you.”

Grace crossed her arms, studying
him. “Fine.”

Vin led her across the clearing to
a smaller canvas tent. A dark-haired, plump woman sat by the fire
pit, grilling strips of meat. The scent made Grace’s stomach squirm
with hunger pains. “Amina, this is Lady Grace.”

Amina stood up, curtsying to Grace.
She had a round face and full lips. “Lady Grace, I’m so pleased to
meet you. Please, sit down.”

Grace glanced around the clearing.
She wasn’t far from the forest. Vin kept his gaze on her, though,
and she saw the knife in his belt. He motioned for her to sit down.
She sat down next to Amina, forcing a smile for her. “Wasn’t
someone named Lisbeth supposed to come?” she asked Vin.

“Yes, she’s coming soon,” he
said.

Amina brought a wooden plate out of
the tent and arranged the strips of meat along with berries and
boiled greens onto it. She held it out for Grace with an eager
smile.

Grace took the plate, her lips
pursed. She waited for silverware, but Amina merely looked at her
with expectancy.

Vin cleared his throat. “Do we have
any eating utensils, Amina?”

Amina’s tan skin reddened. “Of
course.” She ruffled around in the tent and came out with a wooden
fork. “I’m so sorry, m’lady.”

Grace took the fork and had a few
bites. The meat was spiced with something unfamiliar, but she
enjoyed it. Amina watched her as she emptied her plate and then
offered her a glass of wine. Grace sipped without thinking. Her
eyes widened; how did she know the wine she was drinking didn’t
have poison? She looked down at it, watching the rich liquid
settle. “Is this safe to drink?”

“Of course,” Amina
said.

Grace held it out for her. “Then
you take a drink of it.”

Amina’s stared at her in confusion.
Vin nodded at her, so she took the goblet and took a drink of the
wine.

They said they weren’t going to
hurt her. But Vin had also said the kidnapping wasn’t about money.
If not, then what? She couldn’t help thinking of the man she met at
the Boar’s Bar.

The three of them settled into
silence. Grace watched the bustle of the camp: people building
fires, women hanging up damp clothes, men smoking and playing
games. Many of them seemed to notice her, glancing over often. Vin
sat on one side of her, Amina on the other. Grace saw more scars on
Vin’s arms and hands. She wondered what happened to him.

“When will Myra be back?” Grace
asked.

“I don’t know,” Vin said, resting
his arms on his knees.

“What about Lisbeth?”

Vin shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t
know. They only asked me to watch you until Myra
returned.”

She was hesitant to make
conversation, but she couldn’t deny she was curious about these
people. “So, the two of you are married?”

“Yes,” Amina said,
smiling.

They looked like an older couple,
at least five years older than her, maybe even ten. “How long have
you been married?”

“Four years.”

Grace glanced around their tent for
signs of children. “Do you have any children?”

Amina’s face fell, and she looked
at Vin, her mouth falling open. “She doesn’t know?”

Vin shook his head. “No, they were
waiting for Lisbeth.”

“Does she even know why she’s
here?”

“No, they’re—”

Amina let out an exasperated
breath. “But she must know how important she is.”

“Amina, they told us to stay quiet
about it,” Vin said, his voice firm.

She fell silent. She looked at
Grace for a moment, then turned to stare at the fire
pit.

“What do you mean how important I
am?” Grace asked.

Vin met her eyes. “Please, Lady
Grace, Adrian asked us to let him tell you.”

Grace put her plate down with a
clatter. “I have to… relieve myself.”

After glancing at Vin, Amina stood
up and said, “Come, I’ll take you.”

Grace followed her to the edge of
the clearing and beyond. The camp was still visible behind them.
The sounds slowly faded as they went further and further into the
trees. “How was the camp invisible earlier?” Grace
asked.

“It’s a cloaking enchantment from
the Cosa family,” Amina said. She stayed close to Grace, matching
each of her steps so she was never out of arm’s reach. Grace tried
to get her bearings, glancing back at the village and trying to
discern which way they’d come from.

“The Cosa family?”

“Yes.” Amina paused. “Dar didn’t
tell you about them?”

“No,” Grace said, “he didn’t tell
me anything about magic or shape changers. He left Renaul so I
wouldn’t find out.”

“I can understand that, after…
well, we are the Avialie family, and there are five other magical
families, including the Cosas.”

“How did they make the camp
invisible?”

“It’s magic in their blood. They
hide and reveal things using their language. I don’t know how it
works. It’d be like trying to explain shape changing. It’s just a
part of us.” Amina gently took Grace’s arm. “This is good.” She
motioned to a wide tree that had vines twisting around the
trunk.

Grace stepped on the other side of
the tree, out of sight. “How did Vin get those scars?”

“In a battle ten years ago,” Amina
said.

Grace was almost sure they’d come
from her left. She had no idea how far she’d get before they
captured her again, but she had to try. They had to know she
wouldn’t accept this. Maybe they’d tell her why they’d kidnapped
her in the first place. Grace glanced at Amina around the tree; she
was crouching down, picking at the leaves on a nearby
plant.

Grace picked up her skirt and ran
to the left as quickly as she could. She heard Amina yell out
behind her, but didn’t look back. She moved her legs as fast as
they’d go, avoiding fallen logs and twisted vines. Her hair and
dress kept catching on stray branches, but none of it was enough to
slow her down.

She saw a group of people ahead.
She nearly cried out for them until she recognized Adrian and the
rider. Amina behind, Adrian in front of her. Shouts filled the air
once they saw her. Panting, she turned to run away from both of
them.

Someone caught up to her and got a
handful of her dress. She lost her balance and fell hard on the
ground. She scrambled away from him, trying to get to her feet, but
another man reached out for her. Screaming, she fought until the
men had each of her arms firm in their grips. The others surrounded
her, including Adrian, Myra, and an older woman. Amina and Vin
stormed in just as the men forced Grace to her knees.

She glared at Adrian, gasping.
“Tell me why you kidnapped me,” she said, her heart pounding in her
ears.

The older woman approached her,
gazing at her face. Her long hair was dark gray, her sunken eyes
dark, her face wrinkled. “Lady Grace, I am Lisbeth. We will tell
you everything as soon as we’re safe under the enchantment again.”
She nodded to the two men.

They dragged her back to the camp
and walked to Adrian’s tent. Adrian pulled Grace into the tent, and
Grace pushed him off. She crossed her arms, standing in the corner
while Lisbeth and Myra came inside. The tent was bigger than Myra’s
tent, but had similar contents. A trunk, a basin of water, and a
cot next to the canvas.

Lisbeth motioned to one of the
cots. “Please, take a seat.”

Grace shook her head, gritting her
teeth.

Lisbeth sat down, and Myra took a
spot next to her. Adrian stood, pacing around the tent and stroking
his goatee.

“Adrian said you were surprised at
our shape changing,” Lisbeth said. “Dar didn’t tell you about our
powers?”

“He didn’t tell me anything about
you,” Grace said.