The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (41 page)

“Well, it
is
surrounded by water,” he pointed out reasonably. “But you’re right, it is open and – free.” There was something suggestive about his tone, but Elisa tried to ignore it. She knew the stories about the south and hoped that many of them were exaggerated. There were tales of men and women with multiple lovers; women who sold their bodies openly on the streets; brutal fights between men who can barely stand from alcohol; people who stayed out all night and slept all day. Elisa doubted any were true. The docks along the other side of the water came into view sooner than she expected. Lorenzo was already preparing to tie the boat as they neared. Walking to the stern, Elisa checked on the horse, soothingly stroking his mane. She had forgotten his name – he belonged to a man named Harris, a member of the King’s army.

“Brace yourself Elisa, we’re about to dock,” Lorenzo called out. She held onto the railing as the boat glided to a stop. This was obviously something Lorenzo was good at, because she barely felt a jolt as the boat came to a halt. He helped her get off again, and then wished her good luck on her journey.

“Thank you,” she smiled gratefully at the old man. He began to turn back towards the ship, but she grabbed his sleeve, stopping him before he left. “Do you know where I can keep my horse?” It had occurred to her that the streets here were quite narrow, and if she were going to keep a low profile, parading around on a horse from the Riders wouldn’t be the best way to achieve that. Her father had stressed the fact that no one should know she was there. If Markus, the leader of the Sun People, knew Elisa, daughter of the great Captain Turk, was in town, he would demand audience with her. It wasn’t her father’s normal procedure to ignore court obligations, but he needed her to get back quickly.

“I can keep him here if you’d like,” he answered, his voice slightly unsure. “However, are you sure you don’t want to keep him? You’ll encounter less problems that way, Elisa.”

“Don’t worry, I can take care of myself,” she smiled, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Shrugging his shoulders, he took the reins back from her, absently petting the horse while he looked at her. “You’re Turk’s girl, so I won’t argue. But if you have any problems, you come right back here.” She assured him she would, although in reality she had no intention of doing such a thing. The look on his face gave the impression that he knew she was just saying that to be nice. “If you want to blend in, I would suggest changing your clothes,” he said, eyeing her riding gear. A rush of heat flushed her face as she looked down at her body.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” her voice shook.

Lorenzo smiled gently at her. “Nothing, if you were in the Capital. But things are different here in the south. Women don’t dress like men down here.”
Women don’t dress like men down here
, she thought self-consciously. Did she look like a man? It was one thing to look natural, but to look like a man? Elisa didn’t think she wanted that. In a couple of months she’d turn eighteen, and something about getting older made her more aware of her looks than she had previously been. The old man could see the discouragement on her face. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a slight, affectionate squeeze.

“Don’t worry, I have just the thing.”

Thanking him again for his help, Elisa headed towards the entry to the city. The docks were empty, except a few men working, or carrying things to waiting boats. The night sky blanketed her, full of brightly lit stars, and the two moons with full, glowing faces. She looked up with a smile, breathing in the smells around her.

As Elisa walked under an archway made of stone, she noticed carvings along the inside. There were people dancing, flowers strung through their hair and elaborate goblets in their hands. Children were running naked through the parade, all with smiles on their faces. A great man with vines around his head, sat on a large throne, surrounded by animals, and people kneeling at his feet. The carvings were nothing like the ones back in the Capital. All the pictures Elisa was used to showed warriors – scenes of battles and great triumph. Here, it was simply pure joy depicted on the stone. It was as if the Sun People were not touched by the same trials faced by those outside this city.

Lowering her eyes, Elisa walked into the city that, up until then, had only been one of stories to her. Inside, it was infinitely different than the docks. Crowds of people walked the streets; the air was full of laughter and loud voices. It seemed hotter in here without the breeze from the water. There were bright sconces on the outsides of the buildings, lighting the streets as if it were daytime. Elisa had never seen a city look so bright during the night; nor had she seen so many people awake. It must have been close to midnight, but no one seemed to be the least bit tired as they strode around in pairs or large groups. Some were, to Elisa’s utter embarrassment, even walking around in threesomes, being very intimate in a public way.

Taking a deep breath, she started to make her way deeper into the city. The streets were narrower here, tall buildings towering on either side. Curtains of deep reds and purples hung in the windows, and women stood at the doorways calling out to passers-by. One woman even called out to Elisa. When she turned to look, she realized that the woman was actually a man who happened to look very much like a woman. His lips were painted red, eyes rimmed in kohl and rouge on his cheeks. Long tresses of dark hair curled artfully around his face to frame it in a feminine way. If Elisa hadn’t noticed the telltale bump in his throat that labelled him a man, she would have never suspected differently. Her cheeks grew hot again. She quickly lowered her head and continued on.

Thankfully no one seemed to take special notice of her. Lorenzo had inexplicably had a dress onboard, in a style popular amongst the women of the south. It was white, the neckline trimmed with gold ribbon, and capped sleeves with lace. The top was an empire waist, a string of pearls wrapped just underneath her bust. The rest of the dress flowed gracefully to the ground. It was a light fabric, something that made her feel like she could fly as it floated around her. At first she was appalled at the thought of wearing it, but Lorenzo assured her all women wore clothes like this and it was her best bet to fit in.

He was right to a degree: most women did wear flowing dresses like this, some in the same style as hers, others in styles that better flaunted their attributes. What was different, however, was that no one really seemed to wear white. A lot of the women wore reds, blues, bright greens, but she seemed to be the only one in white. She wondered if it made her stand out more.

The flat sandals he had given her were something new as well. The cobblestone roads made it hard to walk on, so it didn’t help that she had delicate, unfamiliar shoes on. He stressed that there was no way she could wear her riding boots under the dress. “It would look strange,” he had said.

A man appeared in front of her, causing Elisa to narrowly avoid crashing head first into his chest.

“Where are you going, my fine little angel?” he said in a smooth, deep voice. “With golden hair and a white dress, surely you have fallen from the sky.”

Elisa tried to smile politely, her hands bunching into fists at her side. She hated when men tried to compliment her. It always sounded fake. “I’m looking for a hotel,” she replied, ignoring his comments. “Would you be able to give me directions?”

“I can certainly try,” he smiled, his eyes lowering down the front of her, then reaching back up slowly to meet her eyes. It took all her strength not to punch him. His dark hair curled at the temples where it was damp with sweat, and his deep brown eyes looked slightly unfocused. He was intoxicated, she realized. It was evident in the way his slight body leaned against the wall. His small mouth wore a confident smile as he watched her take stock of him.

“I’m looking for the Red Phoenix,” she named the hotel. He nodded, pointing her down the street, telling her to turn left at a water fountain.

“There is a sign outside of it. You can’t miss it.” Elisa thanked him and hurried off before he could take up more of her time. She already knew that Wolf and Logan, who had followed his friend down here, were staying at the hotel. The problem she faced now was how to see them without anyone else noticing. She’d have to find their room and sneak in, she realized. Otherwise she risked someone recognizing her, and news would travel fast to Markus’ ears.

The narrow street suddenly opened up to a small square. In the middle was a large fountain: a naked woman decorated the middle, her thin arms holding a large jug, delicately balanced on her wide hips. Out of the jug poured water, filling the square with a soothing sound that vibrated off the walls. A few people sat on the edge around the fountain, some talking intimately to each other, others sitting with their feet in the water, laughing loudly. Elisa quickly turned the way the man had pointed, and followed another narrow lane further into the city. All the buildings were similar, only minor decorative differences on the outside identified the change in residence. The Capital City had always seemed like a confusing place to her, and it was, especially to those who were not familiar with its twisting streets. This place was, somehow, even more puzzling. With all its buildings so tall and narrow, Elisa wondered how anyone found the one they were looking for. Luckily the hotel she was heading to had a sign outside, creaking slightly in the breeze. A picture of a large red bird decorated the wood, with the name of the hotel scripted in large black letters beneath it.

Before reaching the door, Elisa slipped into the narrow alley beside the hotel. The buildings were very close together, which made moving between them difficult. Luckily she was a small person. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if her father tried doing this. Scouting the side of the hotel, she soon realized there was nothing there that would help her get up onto the roof. Taking a deep breath, a resolution came quickly to mind. Rubbing her palms together, she leapt onto the wall of the opposite building and began to climb.

The roof was a relief to reach. She had wedged herself between the two walls, bracing herself on each wall as she slowly climbed up the sides. It was difficult, and had taken all her strength and concentration to achieve. Thankfully the buildings were as close as they were, otherwise this would have never worked. Now, as she lay on her back on the flat roof, she let the breeze cool her damp forehead as her breathing slowly regained its normal pattern. The air was much cooler where there were no bodies. Sitting up, she pushed her hair out of her eyes, cursing herself for not wearing her usual headband. The dress wasn’t helping either. The light, billowy fabric swished around her legs, making quick movements nearly impossible. She had to hike the dress right up above her thighs when she climbed. Fortunately no one had been around to see it, she thought thankfully.

Keeping low to the ground, Elisa inched her way towards the back edge of the roof and peeked over. Just as she had hoped, right below her was a line of balconies. If she guessed correctly, Wolf and Logan would be in one of the top rooms. She could remember them telling her a story once, about a jealous husband who had caught Wolf
entertaining
his wife, resulting in Wolf needing to make a quick escape. He pointed out that it was always safer to climb up than jump down, so the top rooms were the best to rent. “Let’s hope he still thinks that way,” Elisa said out loud.

There were three balconies along the top row. All she had to do was decide which one to try first. As she weighed her options, a loud crash emanated from one of the rooms, followed by yelling. Rolling her eyes, Elisa lithely jumped off the edge, landing neatly on the balcony where the ruckus came from. The doors stood open to the night air, so she stepped in, cautiously, not quite prepared for what found her inside.

* * * * *

Three
very
large men had burst through the doors, scattering bits of wood around the room. Wolf flew off the bed, reaching for the knife he kept hidden under the side table. There was a moment of confusion as the three intruders let their eyes adjust to the dim lighting, which he took advantage of. Flying across the room, quite capably considering how intoxicated he was, Wolf headed towards the open doors to the balcony just as another body fell down from the roof and walked in. Damn it, he cursed inwardly. They had surrounded him from both sides. There was only one way out now. Fight.

Logan would still be down at the tavern, so he’d have to take all four himself, which suited Wolf just fine. The newest adversary was quite small compared to the three buffoons by the front doors, and he was the closest, so Wolf ran straight at him, knocking them hard against the wall. He heard the breath escape his opponent as all the wind exited his lungs. Unsheathing his blade, he held it at the man’s neck, their faces close now. Sweat ran down the sides of Wolf’s face, and his long hair hung distractingly in his eyes. As he shook it back, Wolf looked down with a smile at the man he held pinned. His smile quickly dissolved.

“Elisa?” his voice came out in an accusing tone. Her large eyes looked up in shock at him as she tried to pull her face away from the lethal edge at her throat. Now that he could see her clearer, he saw that she was definitely not a man, nor was she even dressed like one for once. Elisa wore a long white dress, something Wolf would never have expected to see her in. “What the hell are you doing here?” He was angry now, although he couldn’t say why. When he first said her name, a wave of relief had washed over him. It had been a long time since he had last seen her. Now that he saw she was fine, he became angry, cursing her for being in the room when there were three extremely angry men waiting to tear him to shreds.

“I don’t mean to avoid your question,” she said, her voice sounding slightly strained. “But you seem to have quite a situation on your hands, and now doesn’t seem to be the best time to talk.” Cursing out loud, he stood back, giving her room to straighten out. Just as he did, a large object hit him in the back of the head, sending him tumbling to the ground. Groaning, Wolf rolled onto his back, looking up at the figure above him.