Ebudae (8 page)

“I don’t know if it’s the best day. I think
that was when we first went exploring in the ruined academy.”

“That
was
amazing, but it feels so
good to be out on our own.” She let go and did a spin before
catching Ebudae’s arm again. “I
really
like the group,
especially Lizor. They’re
so
interesting.”

“Lizor scares me, but I like Juggles. Glav
asks too many questions and he’s . . .”

“I know. He disturbs me and I didn’t like
the way he looked at you a couple of times when he didn’t think
anyone was paying attention.” Pelya’s face grew severe and her eyes
narrowed.

“I
thought
he was looking at me. I
don’t like that at all!” It bothered Ebudae. She didn’t say
anything to Pelya, but Glav wasn’t the first man who had looked at
her in a way that made her uncomfortable that day. She was
beginning to think that freedom was overrated.

“I still like them and I don’t think he’d do
anything to you . . .” Pelya’s tone was defensive.

Ebudae caught the inflection and looked
worriedly at her friend. “I don’t think so either and I
do
want to go back.”

Pelya’s eyes were on an alley to their left.
The rest of the street had become oddly empty. “Danger, Ebudae,”
she said quietly. It was the method used in the ruins to alert each
other to peril. Ebudae knew their lives were threatened.

It took less than a second to cast the first
spell protecting them from magic. Ebudae had refined the spell to
be fast. It was powerful and a gust of wind hit her face as she
drew in the energy and then it smacked hard into her back as she
cast. Two seconds after that, another spell protected them from
some forms of physical danger, but Ebudae’s hair was a mess from so
much supernatural wind battering her. She had perfected the casting
so that she never went off balance or lost her concentration.

Once the protections were up, she took a
moment to assess the situation in order to determine what spell to
cast next. Pelya slid her sword out with a hissing sound. She had
explained in the past that it was an effective way to intimidate
people. The quality of the custom-made steel would add to the
intimidation.

There were four treacherous individuals
moving into the street from the shadowed alley Pelya was staring
at. Two more came from another alley behind the girls. Ebudae
concentrated on keeping her breathing steady while Pelya put
herself in a protective position in order to defend against the
brunt of the attack so that Ebudae could counter-attack with
magic.

One of the four was a wizard. Ebudae could
tell by the robe the man wore and the way in which he moved. The
two men behind were swordsmen, but Pelya backed Ebudae close to the
building behind them so that she could keep an eye on them too.

The wizard spoke in a powerful voice, but he
wasn’t casting a spell. “That was very powerful magic cast very
quickly, Boss. I have a
bad
feeling about this.” He was
speaking to a tall, confident man who was crouching in the middle
of the street a short distance away.

Ebudae decided she would kill the wizard
first and knew exactly how to do it. She reached for an ingredient
in one of her pouches.

One of the swordsmen said, “The girl isn’t
carrying a toy sword, Boss. The way she’s carrying it suggests
competence beyond her years. I also have a bad feeling about this.
These are not normal girls.”

The man they called boss made a couple of
gestures with his hands. It was some sort of signal and all of the
men backed up, returning to their hiding places. Ebudae was
disappointed. She wanted to see how fast she could kill the wizard.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins and her legs were beginning to
shake.

“Let’s get out of here before they change
their minds,” Pelya said in a low voice that was half growl. She
sheathed her sword, but kept her hand firmly on the hilt.

They kept their eyes open while moving as
rapidly as was reasonable. By the time they had passed three
intersections, the traffic had become normal again. “I think we’re
safe for now,” Pelya said, looking back in the direction they had
come. “I can’t believe they were willing to try something like that
before the sun had fully set.”

“Shouldn’t we have done something so they
wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else?” Ebudae’s thoughts were
flying in wildly different directions. She wanted to do something
and was both excited and terrified by the real danger they had
avoided. The hardest part was feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

“There wasn’t a good solution. Attacking
them might have gotten us killed. If we had killed them instead,
we’d have had to explain our actions and would never be allowed out
again even when we’re forty.”

“Yeah . . . That’s a good point,” Ebudae
conceded. “What if they hurt someone else or kidnap others?” It
bothered Ebudae.

“It’s a good question. There’s so much crime
in the city and the Guard can’t seem to stop it, so I asked Daddy
about that.” Pelya avoided a couple of college students who had
begun drinking early that evening. To the east of the Mosh District
was a college of business, popular with the children of
merchants.

“What did he say?” She knew that Frath took
crime personally when he couldn’t prevent bad things from happening
to people.

“He said that it’s the fault of the person
who commits the crime, not the fault of the person who can’t stop
it from happening.” They passed into the Noble District and were
walking quickly, making good time to get home. The last rays of the
sunset streaked through the smog in the sky, making it a dirty
orange that was astonishingly beautiful over the slate roofs of the
noble’s houses. “Daddy tells himself that a lot to help ease the
guilt he feels every time he sees another dead body in a gutter.”
Pelya gave her a worried look. “I worry about him sometimes. He
never talks about how much he hurts. Thinking about those men from
the alley helps me understand him a little better.”

“I like your father, Pelya. I think he’s one
of the best men in the city, even if he can’t save everyone.”

“I think so too.” Pelya smiled
appreciatively.

Lady Pallon was waiting for them in the
conservatory. She asked if they had a good time. After they said
they had and assured her that nothing untoward had happened, she
went to bed. The girls ran upstairs and talked about the day’s
events for hours before turning in.

Chapter
5

It was noon the next day before they headed
out. Lady Pallon was allowing them to go to Carnival again. Ebudae
was certain it was because her grandmother enjoyed having a
peaceful house rather than out of any generosity.

The first place they went to was the Carnie
tent. The group did morning shows and had just finished when the
girls walked in. “You have come to see Lizor’s magnificent muscles
again! Good for you.” He performed a muscle builder’s pose. The oil
on his body made every ridge of every muscle show in detail.

“Hello, Lizor,” Pelya said. “Yes, we’ve come
to see your muscles again. They truly are magnificent.”

Ebudae pointed at her friend. “What she
said.” Aphry was nowhere to be seen, but Glav was sitting in the
same spot as the day before and Juggles was by some of his prop
crates. He had swords, unlit torches, different sized balls and
assorted objects that were either dangerous or oddly shaped. At
that moment, he was juggling six multi-colored balls. “Hello,
Juggles.”

“Hello, Ebudae.” His voice was raspy and he
spoke as though trying to hide it. Ebudae liked the way it sounded
though.

“Will you teach me how to juggle?”

“Alright.” He caught all six balls and
handed three of them to Ebudae. She watched as he began tossing and
catching the first ball. She mimicked his motions for a minute
until she got the hang of it. He added another ball and showed her
how to manipulate it as well. When she caught on right away, a
smile touched his face. He didn’t seem the type to show happiness
easily, so she was proud of the accomplishment.

Pelya had gone to sit with the boys around
the hookah and nibbled on a fruit Glav tossed to her. Aphry came
out from behind a changing screen on the other side of the room.
She wore a simple dress and was tying her hair back in a ponytail.
“It feels good to take off that outfit and put on something
comfortable. Hello, Pelya. Hello, Ebudae.”

“Hello,” Ebudae said absentmindedly while
trying to concentrate on the way Juggles was adding a third ball to
the mix.

“Hi Aphry.” Pelya gave a short wave as the
entertainer joined the others in the sitting area. “I hope you
don’t mind that we came back.”

“Not at all. I meant it when I told you to
visit anytime you had the chance.” Aphry gestured to the group. “We
enjoyed your company yesterday. It’s nice to have someone other
than Carnies to talk to every once in a while.”

“Lizor enjoys the company of pretty ladies.
You are both Lizor’s friends.”

“Thank you Lizor,” Pelya replied.

“We all feel that way.” Glav smirked.
“Juggles hasn’t spoken this much in years!” That drew laughter. The
smile touched Juggles’ face again and Ebudae grinned merrily. “I
forgot to ask you yesterday, Pelya, have you heard the rumors about
Tathan of the Shadows?” Glav asked in his ringing voice. Ebudae
dropped two of the balls she was trying to throw. She had forgotten
how powerful the voice was, even in normal tones. Juggles picked
them up and led her to join the others. They took their places from
the day before.

“There are all sorts of rumors about him,”
Pelya replied. “Let me think . . . His sword is called
‘Lifedrinker’ and is one of the most dangerous in the world. They
say he stole it from a wizard who tortured peasants so that the
sword could drink their pain and blood.”

“I hadn’t heard that.” Aphry paled. “That’s
terrible.”

“I don’t know how many of the rumors are
true,” Pelya said. “Some of them are outrageous. The latest is that
he stole the crown from the Prince of Sooarth, killed him and then
single-handedly killed every member of the Sooarth Army.” She
grinned.

“That tale is taller than our muscle-bound
friend here.” Glav indicated Lizor. “I know for a fact that the
Sooarth Army still exists. I listen to everything and that detail
isn’t true, although the prince did die and his crown was stolen.
Popular belief is that Tathan of the Shadows did it.”

“What brought him up anyway?” Pelya asked in
curiosity. “Was there a specific rumor you speak of?”

“The one that he’s been in Dralin for the
last year,” Aphry said before Glav could answer.

Ebudae looked at Pelya only to see her
friend’s face drain of blood. She grabbed her hand supportively.
“Pelya, are you alright?”

“We thought you might know since you’re in
the guard, but judging from the look of it, I’m guessing not,” Glav
said. “There is talk among a few people, whispered rumors mostly,
that he’s been hiding in Dralin. No one knows where he is if it’s
true though.”

“I should tell Daddy,” Pelya said in a
barely audible voice.

“Who is Tathan of the Shadows?” Ebudae
asked. Studying books of magic alone in her suite didn’t lend
itself to keeping up with the latest gossip.

Everyone looked at her in stunned surprise.
“You’ve never heard of Tathan of the Shadows?” Aphry asked. “He’s
only the most dangerous thief in the world. And they say he’s the
most handsome too.” She winked.

Glav rolled his eyes. “I don’t think he’s
the most dangerous. The reason he’s famous is that so many people
think he’s a hero. It’s ridiculous.”

“Ahh, you don’t think he’s the most
dangerous, but you
do
think he’s the most handsome then?”
Lizor asked with a wink. Ebudae found herself laughing with the
others. It felt good.

Pelya became serious. “In any case, he’s
dangerous enough that the Guard needs to know and be ready for him.
He’s not just a thief. Wherever he goes, big things happen.”

“Can’t we tell him tomorrow when he comes to
take you back to the barracks, Pelya?” Ebudae pleaded. “I’m
enjoying this and we won’t get to stay if you
do
tell
them.”

“Of course,” Pelya replied. “There’s no way
I’m going back to the barracks before tomorrow, even for that. I’ll
tell Daddy then.”

“You don’t want to leave Lizor and his
muscles so soon. That is the real reason,” the giant said with a
wink.

“Yes, that’s the real reason I don’t want to
leave. I couldn’t bear to be away from your muscles, Lizor,” Pelya
replied dramatically.

“Pelya,” Aphry said in a sober tone. “Do you
realize that you’re flirting?”

Ebudae had been worried about the same thing
and
didn’t
want her friend to get involved with Lizor, or
anyone. Pelya looked surprised by the question, glancing back and
forth between the Aphry and Lizor. “I . . . That’s not . . . I
didn’t mean.”

“I thought as much,” Aphry replied gently.
“You talk to everyone with little effort and you smile easily. Many
men would take that the wrong way, especially from someone so
beautiful as you.”

Pelya’s face reddened brighter than any
piece of cloth at Carnival. “I didn’t realize,” she said meekly,
ducking her head. Ebudae held onto her hand to provide support.

“Don’t worry about it,” Glav said. “You’re
among friends and I give each of you permission to flirt with me
anytime.” He waggled his eyebrows and winked. It made Ebudae
uncomfortable.

“No. Nobody is going to flirt with these
young ladies,” Aphry said in an unyielding voice. The others became
serious. “They are naïve to the ways of the world and are not meant
for such as us. We shall be their friends, nothing more, nothing
less.”