Divided (19 page)

“To be fair,” Taeru defended, “they don’t have an
opportunity to ask about the Phantom Blade, and he is the one that does most of
the work.”  Taeru didn’t like when Juliet expressed a lack of faith in Dark District. 
He was trying to remove that from the minds of all the residents here, and he
hadn’t even removed it from the woman fostering him.

Juliet was, again, not convinced by his words.  In fact, she
seemed even less happy after he’d spoken.  “No, Kilik has done plenty for them,
and many people knew you were sick.  Very few of them asked about you.  Then,
imagine my surprise when some boy I didn’t know happened to ask about you.”

Taeru flushed.  Some boy that almost no one knew.  In fact,
Taeru knew nothing about where the traveler was staying, and he hadn’t been
overly willing to offer information about himself.  He had given that he was a
trader, but that was it.  “People are busy,” Taeru said.  “I have been asked
plenty if I’m better while I’m out.”

He had been, actually.  Quite a few people had come up to
him and asked if he was feeling better, and when he told them he was, they
seemed genuinely happy.  So, he had to tell himself that he was making some
degree of progress.  “Well, I think you deserve more,” Juliet said.

Taeru’s brow furrowed.  He wasn’t sure if Juliet expected a
line of visitors to wrap around the bend with flowers for him, asking him to
get well.  He smiled a little at the idea.  He would surely have died from
awkwardness if that had ever happened.  He had been unable to handle one blond
traveler asking Juliet about him with any grace.

“I couldn’t believe he helped me.  He actually stayed
through the whole load.  I—I mean I’m aware that you knew that, but I was
surprised.  He wasn’t very good at it, but he almost seemed to enjoy it.  He
looked happy the whole time, and he kept staring at me,” Taeru said.  He tended
to be able to talk more openly with Juliet—mostly because she rarely had much
to say, unless she was expressing dislike for members of Dark District.  He
would never have believed that she didn’t love them by the way she handled
their problems, though.

Juliet quirked her eyebrow as a knowing smile came across
her face.  “Staring at you, was he?” she asked coyly.  Taeru flushed.  Just
when he’d thought it was safe to express his opinion on the issue—oh how he
hated being surrounded by women!

“Not in that way,” Taeru reassured, “he was trying to see
how to do the work more properly.”  That was what Taeru had told himself,
anyway.  The way those blue-green eyes had flickered over Taeru, though, had
him thinking very different thoughts a few times throughout the sun.  And those
thoughts had him blushing profusely.

The healer just kept smiling and watched as Taeru worked to
get his tunic back on.  Taeru let out a breath and stared into Juliet’s hazel
eyes.  He wished she could give him all the answers, and part of him wished he
could tell her who he really was.  Not just the Phantom Blade, but Taeru
Lassau.  Even she would have been obliged to turn him in, though, and he knew
that.  “I thought it was wonderful that he offered to help you, and for free,”
she said.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Taeru could hear those
whispers again.  Somehow, he felt sick again.  He stared up into Juliet’s eyes,
hearing the whispers of people he couldn’t see telling him how atrociously he’d
failed her, and everyone.  He beat them back, determined not to give way to
another round of fits.  His jaw clenched, and he shook his head at her.  “N-not
for free,” he said.  “I made him take half of the earnings.”

Juliet seemed amused, though her eyes flashed for a moment
as she watched Taeru.  Maybe she had seen the way he’d twitched a little bit in
that single moment.  But he’d successfully silenced the whispers for now, and
he was able to see Juliet without fearing her death.  “Did you?” she asked.

“Yes,” Taeru said mournfully.  Juliet had probably been
expecting all of the earnings, and he hadn’t been able to deliver that to her. 
He flushed at how triumphant he must have sounded at the fact that he’d lost
coin. “Ah, I… apologies, Juliet.  I just felt bad—I didn’t want to take coin
from him when he’d earned it.  But!” he said, remembering that Lycael had given
him extra.  He decided not to harp on the fact that he had nearly not taken
it.  “Manali did…” When Taeru looked into his coin purse, he let out a choked
gasp.

“Kilik, what is it?” Juliet asked worriedly.

With a hand trembling with anger, Taeru dipped his hand into
the coin purse and brought out the four shining coins.  “Oh my!” she said.  “He
paid both of you four coins?”

“No,” Taeru said flatly.  “He paid us both two.”  He tried
to think back on when the blond would have gotten the opportunity to put the
coins back in Taeru’s bag.  He couldn’t think of a time. 

Juliet giggled, covering her mouth when she realized how
girlish she sounded.  Taeru’s head snapped up to her, with irritation glinting
in his eyes.  “Were you reverse pickpocketed, love?” Juliet asked.

The thought of the blond flashed across Taeru’s mind, and he
could feel his heart speed up a little.  When had the traveler gotten the
opportunity to put the coins back in Taeru’s coin purse?   Surely not easily—as
Taeru was known for being fairly observant.  And yet, he had been entirely
unaware of when the coins had been replaced.  His cheeks flushed, and he felt
an intense want to go find the traveler and give him his share.  “I wish I knew
where he was staying,” Taeru moaned.  “This isn’t fair.”

“Oh, if he gave you them—then he obviously deemed your
having them more worthy than his own.  Don’t be so troublesome, Kilik,” she
said gently.  He hardly thought that returning the coin that someone had earned
to them was troublesome!

“Still, he knew, there were those in the lands that
fought only because they thought they must, and that was what he must end.”

-A Hero’s Peace v.i

Nervousness swelled through Aela’s system like a ton of
stone.  She glared into the mirror before her.  She could see her own hesitancy
reflected in her brown eyes.  Her black hair, down to her shoulders, flowed
unknowingly around her.  She chewed on her lips, trying the image one last time
in her head.

She would look foolish without her hair!  As far back as she
could remember, she had always had her hair.  However, her father would
certainly be suspicious if an abnormally small boy with flowing, black hair accompanied
the convoy to Telandus.  He would be far less suspicious of a small male
without much hair.  She had to cut off her black hair, and she had to do it
soon.  The next sun was when Leif and the others would be leaving, and Aela had
long since decided that she could not continue to stay. 

Leif had agreed to help care for her if, and only if, she
was able to sneak out of the castle and onto the journey without incurring her
father’s attention.  She had already gotten out of wishing the wagon farewell
by feigning sick to the others in the castle.  The changing room was quiet, and
for the first time in a very long time, she had locked the door.  Even Ryo
couldn’t know what she was planning this time.

Aela wondered if Taeru had felt this nervous.  Father had
known that he was leaving, and he had no intention of coming back—so perhaps
the feeling had been different.  Still, she couldn’t help but feel the ghost of
her brother with her now, as she prepared to leave—like he had those five years
ago.

Fortunately for her very handsome brother, though, he had no
reason to cut off his hair.  Even if he had, he would not have understood—as
his hair had always been rather short.  Taeru looked lovely without much hair,
but Aela was sure that she would look foolish.  The idea of Leif seeing her
without her hair flushed through her again, and she saw her cheeks turn pink in
the mirror.

Oh, who cares what Leif thinks?  You don’t like him!  And
even if you did, you’ve been too mean to him for so long for him to consider
you anything but someone to tease.  So just do it!  Before Ryo comes looking
for you!

Ryo had been in to check on her a few times, which meant that
she had to pretend to be sick.  But once she’d cut her hair off, she would have
to find a way to hide that, as well.  The scissors that she’d stolen from one
of the stylists sat on the desk before her.  A strange metal contraption, with
which Aela had no experience, but she’d already attempted to use a hunting
knife to cut her hair—and that had not gone well.

She could not spend any more time thinking of it, lest she
back out entirely.  There was no other way, as all the methods she’d attempted
of pinning up her hair would have been too easily discovered.  Squeezing her
eyes shut, she moved the metal shears over her hair.  The sharp edges cut
quickly, and after a few movements, her head felt considerably lighter.

When she opened her eyes, she could see that she had cut
most of her hair off, but if she were going to try to look truly boyish, she
would have to do better. 

“Magisters help me…”

After much fretting and snipping, she finally stared at
herself in the mirror and saw an image reflected that—while not looking overly
boyish—had a decent hairstyle.  She’d cut the hair up to her neck, and left it
very short in the back, though she’d kept a few bangs hanging just over her
eyes.  If she had styled and spiked her hair a little, she would have looked remarkably
like Taeru Lassau.

The thought made her smile so that she didn’t miss her hair
too badly.  With a quick sweep over, she disposed of her curly hair that had
fallen to the floor and slipped back into her room.  There were only a few more
shifts until they were supposed to be departing, and she was sure that she
would need all the comfortable sleep she could get.

Though, her mind certainly didn’t want her getting any
sleep.  She kept going over her plan.  She had already gotten a pair of the
leather garments the rest of the team would be wearing.  Still, she couldn’t
help wondering what would happen if someone stopped her and told her that she
couldn’t go.  She knew she wouldn’t stay here.  At this point, she would leave
by herself the following sun if she were thwarted.

Clearing her throat, Aela tried to speak in the deepest
voice that she could muster.  She was fairly certain she sounded like a
handicapped child more than a boy, but she couldn’t risk sounding like
herself!  She decided to focus on what she would do if she were asked about her
being there.  She would simply say that she was a last moment addition. 
Soldiers were always saying that about their watches.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to count on Leif for any
support until they were safely out of the city gates.  She wouldn’t want his
support either, as she could quite certainly get him in a very large amount of
trouble.  It would be best for everyone involved to think Leif was as innocent
as the other soldiers were in the matter.

Every single shift of the moon, she spent going over bits of
her plan.  She was fairly certain she would be able to react to any given
situation when she rose early the next sun.  Ryo checked in briefly, and she
was able to bury herself far enough under the covers to ensure that he did not
see her hair.  As soon as he left, confident that she was well enough, she
leapt from the bed.

She yanked off her sleep-dress and took one last glance in
the mirror.  She could see the white linen wrap that she’d put around her
breasts to make the boy disguise more convincing.  She certainly didn’t have
much to hide, but she had enough to raise suspicion certainly.

Now, though, Aela was fairly certain they were flat enough
to pass for the chest of a man, albeit a small man.  After one last glance,
Aela pulled the leather armor over her body, easing into the black leggings
that she’d padded for extra convincing.  The leather armor was small enough,
after she pulled on the boots, so that she could even throw a cloak around
herself as she slipped out of her window and down into the courtyard.

The process was easy, but the realization that she wouldn’t
be returning here for a very long time struck her.  She thought of simply
returning to her room, and though she wasn’t sure how she’d explain her
haircut, she was sure that she could find a reason.  Perhaps she would say that
she’d cut it off in a fit of delirium in her illness.

No, though, she didn’t want that.  She didn’t want to remain
here anymore with no Taeru, and no Leif.  There was nothing here for her, and
no matter what preconceived notions of safety that she had, they were only
that—notions.  She would be in as much danger here as anywhere else.  A war was
coming, and she should be doing her part to stop it or at least prepare for it. 
While everyone else was still rousing from their slumber, she tiptoed into the
armory. 

After some debate, she decided on a bow and a relatively
small sword.  She had gotten permission from her father—or rather, they had
fought so much that he had finally told her alright—to learn the bow. 
Therefore, despite Arthal’s training with the sword, she was much better with a
bow.  Grabbing a quiver and a few arrows, ones that she knew she could wield
with precision, she exited the armory with a wooden bow on her back.

Now, all she had to do was wait for the wagon to arrive and
ensure that she was one of the first people to get in.  If she was already
inside, there would be less chance that a noble would ask what she was doing
there.  Soldiers tended to go about their own business, so none of the men
would be inclined to ask about her presence. They would be glad for the
additional help, most likely.

Waiting in the bushes took longer than expected, and the sun
was nearly up by the time she saw the wagon at the castle yard gate.  Her heart
began beating too fast in her chest, and she breathed steadily to calm it. 
This was it—this was where she knew she might fail. 

She could see a few men milling about in preparation.  She
could easily pick out who was going and who wasn’t by what they wore.  The
soldiers that had come to see their friends off were in simple uniform, whereas
the others were in the same leather armor that Aela wore.  Leif was nowhere in
sight yet, but she knew that he had stayed the moon at the castle.  Apparently,
they had a large dinner and celebration, all of which she elected to skip under
the pretense of illness.

Once the wagon came to a stop, the men began exchanging
words.  Veyron wasn’t there, nor was Leif.  In fact, very few of the soldiers
that would be leaving in the wagon were there.  She didn’t want to appear
overeager, and if she tried to get into the wagon prematurely, she would surely
be questioned.

So instead of heading out towards the wagon, she remained
where she was and waited as people continue their idle conversations.  The
people were in good spirits, laughing and gesturing towards the wagon in
amusement.  She was just out of range, and so she couldn’t hear them, but she
was certain it had little to do with the journey ahead of the soldiers. 

At last, after what felt like shifts—Leif walked out.  He
wore black armor, rather than the brown that the other soldiers wore.  Aela was
certain that his dark brown hair had been cut as well, as it looked
considerably shorter.  His dark eyes darted around warily, searching for Aela,
and she smirked when she saw the relief on his face.

Just wait, Leif.  You really think I would back out now?

He probably did.  Leif had surely convinced himself that
Aela hadn’t been serious—that she would never have left the comfort of the castle. 
Imagine how worried he must have been when she hadn’t shown up for the
festivities.  She could only imagine his thoughts. 
Is this true?  Is she
sick?  Or is she preparing something?

Likely now that the time to leave was nearly upon them and
he didn’t see her, he thought the former.  Perhaps he would regret not having
gone to make sure she was alright, but he had stayed away.  Leif had more faith
in her than he cared to admit, and so he most likely felt that she was doing it
all as a ploy.  The more he knew about the ploy, the more likely he would be to
be implicated later, though.  She was glad, in retrospect, that he hadn’t come
to see her.

She was relieved to see that she wouldn’t be the only
soldier wearing a cloak.  Though Leif himself didn’t have one on, a few of the
others did.  Apparently, there were more purposes for a cloak than simply
disguise.  Aela might even be glad she had the cloak later in colder weather. 
The journey to Telandus would take a good three cycles, she was sure.  They
would have to sleep outside plenty of times.

When she felt that the area was crowded enough so that she
could ease into it without being detected, she left her hidden position behind
the few bushes.  She moved into the area without drawing a single eye, and she
recognized this fact with a swell of pride.  She moved the way her brother had
taught her.  Taeru had always moved with consideration, and made little noise
when he did.  Taeru had always hated being noticed by nobles, and so he’d
ensured that his gait attracted very little attention.

She was glad for how much she’d watched him as a child.  She
was able to implement his walk nearly precisely, and it worked just as well for
her.  Finally, though, as she neared the wagon, an older gentlemen in a formal
uniform glanced at her.  “Are you the last soldier?” he asked calmly, “we
should be departing soon.”

With a quick nod, she answered him without speaking. 
Glancing to the rest of the soldiers, she could see that they were bringing
twelve—including her.  That didn’t seem too odd of a number, she assured
herself.  No one would be paying attention, anyway.  Leif’s mother stood before
him with tears in her eyes.  “Please try to be careful, darling.  Telandus is a
hard land,” she said.

His father was there as well, looking uncertain, but
confident in his son’s abilities.  Neither of them seemed to really accept that
they might never see their son again.  Leif had surely considered the idea that
he would be caught, though, and Aela had thought on it as well.  She had
decided also that she'd rather be there, with Leif, than to hear of it second
hand.  That thought brought redness to her face, and she frowned. 

Veyron moved to Leif, and Aela felt a well of panic growing
in her stomach.  Her father was not far from her, and if he looked into her
eyes, he would surely recognize her without much difficulty.  She found that
Ryo had other matters to attend to, and for that, she was infinitely grateful. 
She did wish she had said goodbye to her brother, but Ryo would never have
allowed her to go, and so she hadn’t mentioned it to him.

Silently, she wished him goodbye and stared up at the castle
one last time.  Without another thought, she hopped into the wagon after one of
the other soldiers.  She was the third one inside, and one of them nodded at
her as she sat down.  They weren’t any more interested in conversing than she
was.  The wagon was simple, brown, and all marks that symbolized Cathalar had
been removed from it. 

It was a trade wagon, with a blue cover wrapped around the
back of it where most of the soldiers would be.  Then, there was a small perch
for the driver of the wagon to sit.  The wagon was pulled by two fine looking
horses, the first was black, silky looking with eyes that seemed to blaze as
they observed the world around them.  The second was pinto, with brown
splotches covering its body, and though it would normally be considered in bad
taste not to have matching horses—Ryo had noted that it would be more believable.

After all, once they got far enough away from the walls,
they were to have no association with Cathalar.  That was why none of them wore
the usual Cathalar colors, and none of them wore any emblems that spoke of
Cathalar.  The wagon was even bought from a foreigner so that the style would
be different.  The two horses sat at the front of it now, and though they both
looked far too well-groomed to be simple trader horses, the mismatched manner
of them was enough to steer from that fact.