Sea of Sighs (Empath Book 2) (26 page)

“What’
s
happening?
” She whispered to Pax, her heart racing.

He smiled. “
Your
surprise
, my dear. Well, I admit, this isn’t just for you.
It’s going to surprise you, nevertheless.”

As the silence settled, the baron clapped
his hands three times. The heads shifted back to Pax, and suddenly
every eye in the room was on her, too. The sneaky bastard, this had
been his plan. Quinn was exposed for the entire viper’s nest to
see. Well, she wasn’t going to be the same girl she’d been in
Everfell. Quinn straightened her back and lifted her chin, trying
to look like she was born to belong in this place.

“Tonight as you know, we are going to be
entertained. Usually introductions would not be required, but we
have new guests who are not familiar with our ways. So firstly, let
me introduce you to Quinn.” Pax let her name hang in the air, and
Quinn didn’t miss the ripple of whispers that undulated through the
room. An obvious source of gossip, those at the back of the room
strained to catch a glimpse. She was glad she was in Laise’s gown
now, because Quinn the maid would never have held up under such
scrutiny. She reminded herself that she was the Lady Quinn now, an
empath of the court. There was no sniggering. Her confidence
swelled.

“Quinn, along with her friend Maertn, have
come to us from the court of Everfell. They are the children of the
baron Sammah, adoptive of course, but nevertheless, therefore, my
kin. You will treat them with the courtesy that standing gives
them. Any ill treatment of them not directed by me will surely be
punished.”

That was meant to be funny?
Quinn
thought as a polite laughter sounded. The illusion Pax had been
weaving broke. She did not want to cross this man.

“As they are both new to Farn, neither of
them have heard of the Lady Rhi.” There were a couple of unkind
sniggers around the room, and whilst Quinn felt colour rise to her
cheeks, Pax cut them off. “Yes, you may laugh, but just think about
the glorious experience they’re about to have. You must all
remember where you were the first time you heard the Lady Rhi sing?
Even as a little girl, she stunned us all, and I’m sure you’ll join
me in wishing Quinn and Maertn all the best with her first
experience of the gifted singing of the lands of Sha’sek. I present
to you, the Lady Rhi.”

The baron swept his arm out, wrapping his
other arm around Quinn’s waist and pulling her back. Quinn didn’t
resist, and was swung around to see the most beautiful woman she’d
ever seen. The Lady Rhi looked deserving of her title, and
suddenly, Quinn didn’t feel quite so attractive. Rhi was tall and
elegant, with a short dress that revealed most of her long shapely
legs. The baron led Quinn up to the dais, and she sat in a chair to
his right hand side as the room fell silent. They were waiting for
the baron again, and the Lady Rhi regarded him with a calm
dispassion. The room grew tense waiting for the baron to announce
Rhi could start, and Quinn thought even she would be able to cut
through the tension with her flimsy training sword, never mind a
sharp knife. Eventually, the baron clapped his hands again three
times and the room noticeably eased. Quinn relaxed too, trying to
find the emotion in the hall. She was sent spinning dizzy with the
anticipation she felt, and immediately reined herself in. The last
thing she wanted to do now was faint.

* * *

Lady Rhi opened her mouth, and the entire
room fell silent. Quinn couldn’t help herself, as tears sprang to
her eyes. She had been awake at dawn many times in her life, and
even the most elegant birdsong could not compare to this. No one
needed to tell what Rhi’s talent was, because it was so painfully
obvious. What an amazing gift to the world. Pax had proved his
point, without saying a word.

What was there to fear here
?

Men like Lord Shiver would cut this woman
down without a second thought, but what would that achieve? She was
not a threat, and the world would be a far emptier place without
her kind. No, not all of the gifted of Sha’sek were like Lady Rhi,
but neither were they all like Tarik. To be able to learn, the
student had to have some manner of skill, and Tarik was only one
man. And even with their hospital, an army of the most skilled
healers in the land couldn’t bring a dead army back to life.

Sha’sek were not going to send an army of
immortals against them in Everfell, and the men of Everfell were
waging an unfair war against a people who were no threat to them.
Pax wanted his to live on the mainland to make their lives easier.
There wasn’t enough land on the islands for them to farm, and the
less and less resources there were, the more expensive it became.
The baron’s logic was flawless, and selfless. He
did
want
the best for his people, and he couldn’t achieve that out here,
even on larger islands like Farn.
This
is why he was so
confident the war would be inevitable. Even if it wasn’t in his
lifetime, even if the next council were the ones to make that
judgement, at some point, Sha’sekians would have to leave their
islands. Staying would be a long and slow death sentence.

Quinn let her tears fall. As Rhi sang on,
Quinn realised what she was missing out on. She relaxed her power
again, and the most immense feeling of euphoria washed over her
body. She wasn’t just enjoying Rhi on her own now, she was
experiencing it with every other person in that room. The
concentration which, when she been younger, overwhelmed her so
easily, was now an intense force of pleasure. Nothing Quinn had
experienced in her life so far—absolutely nothing—compared to what
she was feeling in that moment. Rhi was pleasing everyone at the in
that room, and Quinn could experience every single joyful pulsing
heartbeat of that pleasure. She closed her eyes and sank into
herself, sank back into her chair, and couldn’t resist the pull of
her power. She knew she was going to pass out, but
oh, what a
splendid darkness
.

“I thought this place
was meant to be exotic! Why is it bloody raining?”

Eden snorted at this outburst, but didn’t
answer his guardsman. Aaron had been the most talkative of the five
since they’d left Everfell, so it was only fitting that he’d be the
first one to complain now they had finally landed on the shores of
the island. The Sea of Sighs had been crossed without hindrance,
and most of the sailors had adhered to the old wives’ tale that
someone on the previous crossing had been killed; a sacrifice to
appease the hungry spirits, for the time being, at least. The
unlucky victim had been from Everfell, and Eden had been too scared
to ask more questions. He hadn’t needed too, as no one on board
considered his feelings when rumours ran rampant. Thankfully,
through this Eden knew that Quinn wasn’t the dead one, nor was
Maertn. The man had been described as tall and muscular, so that
ruled out the healer in an instant. So that left Ross, and Eden
didn’t want to think about that possibility. To have the mercenary
die so easily on his crossing over to Sha’sek would have been
heinous, and it would have left Quinn and Maertn without their
protector.

They had disembarked on the docks outside
Farn, declaring themselves to the harbour master. For now, they
were setting up camp, and would approach Farn tomorrow. Eden had
everything needed to officially approach the baron, and he didn’t
think it was suitable to do so in the dead of night. No, better to
make a camp and wait, than force an unwelcome entry.

Eden kept quiet as his men bickered among
themselves. They probably thought he was a sour bastard, travelling
across the provinces to bring back a strange foreigner who he
loved, but couldn’t have. Eden didn’t want to be disliked, but he
didn’t want to get close to these men either. He had left court at
the worst—and only—possible time. Playing between Vance and his
brother, Eden didn’t know which side he’d be on in six months’
time. If there was a chance of conflict, he didn’t want to be
forced to raise a sword against men that had become friends. Better
they thought him an arrogant lord, like all the rest.

“What do you think we’ll find in there, my
lord?”

There was another thing Eden couldn’t get
used to—another ruler’s men treating him with respect. Rowan had
never given him any deference, and his father certainly never had.
Under Vance his court standing had improved immeasurably, and Eden
didn’t think he could go back to being a third son now.
That
would be an interesting conversation when he got home. Eden didn’t
even want to begin thinking about what his mother would say.

“I’ve never been to Sha’
sek: I don
’t know what to expect. Just don’t panic.
You all knew Maertn; he’s a Sha’sekian. They’re not all monsters
like we were brought up to believe.”

“Are they all barbarians, my lord?”

“Does that look like a city built by
barbarians to you, Aaron?”

Aaron had to shake his head. “No sir.”

“When we go in there, remember your manners.
We’re treating them like you’d treat your own mother.”

“You haven’t met my mother, my lord.”

“Perhaps not
your
mother then,
Aaron.”

This brought a titter from some of the men,
and Eden felt more at ease. They trusted him as well as showing
respect, and he felt settled in their camp. He issued their guards
for the night, making sure they all took turns at watch, Eden
taking the most disliked shift between midnight and early dawn. His
men protested, but he insisted. He didn’t expect them to do things
he wouldn’t be capable of doing himself.

* * *

The crescent moon didn’t yield much light on
their camp, but as Eden looked up at the blanket of stars he
couldn’t help but wonder how beautiful it was. Sure, he’d seen the
stars before, but coupled with the gentle pulsing beat of the waves
on the shore, they cocooned him in a serene calm. He’d never felt
this peaceful, undoubtedly he never would again. He was nervous to
seek Quinn again, he’d missed her—and his hated the fact that he
was about to be paired up with some noble strumpet back in the
castle. Lady Isabella had been circling him like a vulture. How
would Quinn react to him? What kind of people had she met? Had she
already found someone to take Eden’s place in her heart? Ice
clutched him. He desperately hoped not.

“Did you really fall in love with her, my
lord? Quinn?”

Eden had decided to pull watch with Aaron.
The lad couldn’t shut up, but Eden found his company good.

“I did. Did you know Quinn?”

“No one really knew Quinn, we just knew of
her. She’d always
been
there, in the background. Even if
anyone
had
wanted to get to know her, they’d have needed to
get past Baron Sammah first.”

“She was mocked, wasn’t she?”

Aaron dropped his head. “She was my lord,
though I can’t say I had any particular part in that myself.”

“You’d say that to me even if it
wasn’
t true.
”

“Would you lie to someone about the woman he
loved?”

“What if she were here, now, and could tell
me if you were being honest?”

Aaron shuddered.
“So the Satori stories were true? She can read minds?”

“No. She can’t. She can just sense
emotions.”

“Isn’t that the same thing, my lord?”

“No. She is affected by certain emotions,
and it means different things. If you’re lying, for example, she
gets thirsty. She doesn’t know what you’ve lied
about
, just
that you have.”

“I couldn’t fall in love with someone like
that.”

“Why not? It was…liberating.”

“How?”

“You’ve been a guardsman in Everfell for
long enough; you know what that court is like. Men will lie about
anything if they think it will advance their position.”

“So you think that, because Quinn always
knew when people were lying, that she’d always be honest herself?
That’s not necessarily true, my lord, if you’ll pardon me for
saying.”

Eden thought about this. “No, you’re right.
But I trusted her.”

“
Trusted
my lord? Like you used to?
Not anymore?”

“She’s not mine to trust right now, whether
I’d like to or not. I’
ll
find out
tomorrow, if she’s behind those walls still, just how she
feels.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Of course I’m nervous.”

“I never met the Quinn you know. I’ll be
honoured to meet her tomorrow, no matter where she’s from.”

Eden opened his mouth to respond, but hoof
beats sounded in the distance.

“Who’s that?”

Eden swore. “Aaron, how by the spirits could
I know who it is? We only just landed. Curse that harbour
master.”

They rushed to the bedrolls, kicking the
others awake. The men grumbled, but got to their feet quickly,
understanding that they wouldn’t be woken for no reason. Eden was
doubly glad for their presence then. He didn’t fancy facing down a
Sha’sekian battalion on his own. His men rallied around him,
hastily tugging on their kit and drawing their weapons.

“Are you ready my lord?”

“Aye. Weapons to bear, lads.”

Eden squinted at the shadows, realising that
they weren’t coming from Farn. They sounded like they were coming
from the shoreline. “Aaron, where do you think the horses are
coming from?” Aaron cocked his head and pointed his hand down the
shore. “
Damn it.
”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why would they be coming from there? If
Baron Pax has sent someone, then they’d be coming from Farn. Farn
is to our left.”

“I take it manners can be put to one side
for now, my lord?”

“Be certain of it.”

Unable to see in the darkness, Eden formed
his men in a rough triangle facing the direction he hoped the
horses were coming in. Unless they were in a wide line, their
unseen assailants shouldn’t be able to bear them all down in one
go. Eden suddenly had a thought. “Here, get behind the embers.
It’ll help obscure us.”