Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (20 page)

I glared up at the giant Luminos, defiance
and anger rising to the surface as my last weapons. “You will
regret the day you set sail for Lumini,” I said. I pushed against
the horse, but the animal didn't move.

The Luminos let out an ugly laugh. “You will
regret the day you lifted a sword, little Duskie,” he said; his
foul breath washed over me potent enough to make my eyes sting with
tears. He lifted his axe and I kept my gaze locked on his despite
the cold fear that ran through me at the thought of the blade
slicing into my neck. He grinned again at my challenge and began to
sweep the axe down in a death blow; then his eyes widened and a
gurgling gasp escaped him. His free hand clutched at the handle of
a knife that had suddenly blossomed from the front of his throat,
while the axe fell from his other hand and sunk blade-first into
the ground barely inches from my head.

I looked up to see Pyth jump over the fallen
horse and finish the giant Luminos with a slice across his stomach
that exposed his internal organs and then when he doubled over,
Pyth sunk his sword deep into the Lysus soldier's back. The Duskies
who followed him fought against the other soldiers around me,
pushing them back so that Pyth could pull me free.

“
Is your leg broken?” he
asked, holding my arm in case my leg gave way.

My knee twinged when I put weight on it, but
the pain was minimal. “I'm alright,” I replied. I motioned toward
the empty long boats. “Light them on fire. Leave two for the Lysus
soldiers to use for retreat, and burn the rest as an example to any
others who might choose to join the battle from their ships.”

He nodded, a smile touching his lips, and
motioned for the other Duskies to join us. We ran to the boats and
had several up in flames before the Lysus soldiers noticed what was
happening.

It didn’t take long for most of the Lysus
Luminos to either lay dying on the docks or fleeing wounded and
weak across the bay to the ships. Duskies pulled the oars and
helped their Luminos back onboard, but showed no motivation to arm
themselves and fight back. Our own Luminos had returned to the
castle long before. Though I hadn’t had the chance to talk to Axon,
the pride in his eyes when he left was enough.

“
We could send a troop out
to burn their ships,” a Duskie beside me urged, the heat of battle
in his eyes and blood smeared across his face from a cut by his
eye.

My heart clenched at the thought,
remembering the terror of being adrift at sea. A shiver ran down my
spine at the image of dark creatures lurking beneath the
surface.

I shook my head. “No, never. They will be
allowed to return to Lysus, hopefully with a change of heart about
our weakness.”

“
And hopefully not to arm
their Duskies and come back,” another Duskie said.

I shook my head. “They don’t show any will
to fight, and I don’t think the Lysus will trust them if they
did.”

Pyth ran to my side, his chest heaving and
face beaming. “Commander Nexa, the last of the Lysus are fleeing.
Should we pursue?”

I shook my head. “No; send your men through
the city and make sure any remaining pockets of Lysus soldiers are
told of the retreat and escorted back to the docks.”

“
And if they refuse to be
escorted?” he pressed.

“
Then fight steel with
steel. Their battle tactics showed no mercy, and neither will ours
if they press our patience,” I replied. I had seen too much cruelty
to trust an enemy soldier with the lives of the Lumini people. “But
with the sun pretty much set, they’d be foolish to think they have
any advantage over us.” Pyth saluted and ran off, several others
following close behind.

I turned to the two dozen Duskies that
waited at the edge of the docks. “Make sure the retreating Luminos
reach their ships, and send warning if you see any sign of Nathos
coming back to fight.”

I caught up the reins of a black horse that
one of the Duskies brought over, then swung into the saddle with a
sad pang at the horse I had allowed to get killed. I turned my
horse’s head and followed the path the Duskies had taken to make
sure the Lysus Luminos knew better than to resist.

Chapter 22

“
It’s imperative that we
disarm the Duskies.”

The angry voice echoed down the palace
hallway I followed to the war room. Weariness flowed through every
muscle of my body and I wanted more than anything to sleep instead
of reconvene to review the battle, but an order was an order and I
wasn't about to miss an opportunity to hear their thoughts on the
fighting.

“
A little ridiculous, don’t
you think? They make our weapons,” a calmer voice pointed
out.

“
But what if they
retaliate?”

I pushed the door open. “Retaliate against
what?”

King Adexo, his head commanders, and Axon
turned at my entrance. Commander Jashen filled me in. “Commander
Tiben is afraid the Duskies will take certain liberties now that
they’ve had a chance to fight.”

I took the empty seat next to Axon and
frowned. “What liberties have they been denied?”

“
The palace, for one,”
Commander Tiben, a very skinny, overly pale Luminos stated
abruptly.

I glanced at Axon. “Why would they want to
come in the palace?”

He shrugged, but Commander Tiben said, “To
take over, of course! If they attack us at our weakest, we couldn’t
defend ourselves.”

“
Couldn’t the Luminos do
the same to the Nathos and Duskies when you’re at your full
sunstrength?” I asked, curious.

Commander Tiben’s mouth flapped for a
moment, but he couldn’t come up with a reply.

I turned back to Axon and King Adexo. “The
Duskies are happy. Their families and homes are safe, and they can
go back to their normal lives. They’re content with the trade and
markets. It’s what they know and what they like to do. They have no
reason to ‘take over’.”

The King met my eyes. “We can trust them?”
he asked with all seriousness.

I nodded. “With a surety. They’re your
people, too, and you’ve treated them well. It would perhaps help to
acknowledge their bravery in rising to fight without any training,
and I suggest creating a Duskie battalion in case something like
this happens again-“

“
A battalion?” one of the
other commanders sputtered.

I pressed on without acknowledging him. “The
sense of home comes from the ability to defend it, from knowing
that you are doing all you can to keep your families safe from
harm. The Duskies can be your biggest asset or your greatest
weakness. They want to protect their homes, which means protecting
you. Regardless of what you may think, they are grateful for their
lives here and for what you’ve done for them.”

When I fell silent, Commander Jashen cleared
his throat. “It would be pertinent to point out that the Duskies
need the Luminos and Nathos to protect them from Lysus. They
couldn’t have stopped the army by themselves.”

I nodded. “The truth is that the races
combine to make one solid family. You all need each other, and you
can trust each other to defend Lumini, or you can continue with
doubt and suspicion, causing a greater rift in your relationships
and leaving Lumini exposed to danger.”

King Adexo fell silent for a few moments,
his face thoughtful. When he spoke again, it was in a voice of
command. “Commander Jashen, get a recommendation for a Duskie
Commander from Nexa and let him choose five hundred men to train up
alongside our soldiers.”

“
But my King-“ Commander
Tiben tried to argue.

King Adexo held up a hand. “This is not a
suggestion, Commander.” Commander Tiben fell silent and King Adexo
continued, “We were fortunate this time. Had King Raden been the
first to allow Duskies into his militia, we would be the ones
running with our tails between our legs. We will not be caught
unprepared again.”

“
Yes, my King,” Commander
Jashen said. He threw a triumphant smile at Commander Tiben, who
turned away with a look of disgust and outrage.

The King motioned for the maps on the table
to be gathered up. “For now,” he said, rising. “Let’s get a good
night’s sleep while Commander Thursten collects the bodies. We’ll
hold a burning by the docks tomorrow and give tribute to those who
died to protect our city.”

The others rose and followed him out, a few
of the Commanders still muttering to each other. Signs of weariness
from the day's battle and the setting sun showed in their slumped
shoulders and dragging steps. Axon put an arm around my shoulders
and we walked down the hall and up the flight of stairs to our
rooms. He stopped at my door and turned with a sigh. “What a
day.”

I leaned against his chest and he put his
chin on top of my head. “I have a feeling you’re always going to
surprise me, Nexa,” he said into my hair.

“
Is that a good
thing?”

“
Most definitely,” he
replied and I smiled at the softness of his tone.

I watched Axon walk slowly to his own rooms
and he turned with a weary smile. He paused a moment, a thoughtful
expression crossing his face. “Promise me something, Nexa.”

“
Anything,” I said, caught
by the way his light blue eyes held mine with trust and
honesty.

“
Promise me you're done
fighting so I won't have to worry about you anymore.”

My heart leaped at the thought that he
worried about me, but I knew I had to tell him the truth. “If you
fight, I fight,” I said, my voice solemn but a smile in my
eyes.

He opened his mouth to argue, then sighed
with a shake of his head. “You are a feisty little minx, you know.
You did all of Lumini proud today.” He turned and went into his
room.

“
There's only one heart in
Lumini I care about,” I said softly. I watched his closed door for
a minute, then went into my room. My eyes locked on an enormous
cast-iron bathtub with clawed feet and steam rising from the water.
My armor was already back in the armory getting repaired in case
the Lysus decided to regroup and attack again, but the clothes I
had worn underneath smelled of metal, blood, and dirty sweat, all
things a proper girl shouldn't smell like.

A laugh escaped me and I stared at my
reflection in the bathtub water. When did I start thinking of
myself as a proper girl? I was in a palace, yes, but I was a Duskie
without parents, a family, or a place to call my home. I led
soldiers into war and fought against Sathen, I knew the best places
to find water in a desert and what creatures could be eaten there,
and I knew how to repair and maintain weaponry, and recently, how
to ride a horse.

My gaze tightened. None of those things made
me a proper girl. If anything, they did the opposite. I doubted any
of the royalty Axon courted could even lift a sword, let alone use
it to defend her loved ones. I dashed my hand through my reflection
and turned away from the bathtub.

I crossed to the beautifully carved white
wood table next to the wall. A dark green velvet cloth lay along
the top of the table and held six different brushes, a variety of
powders and pastes similar to those I assumed had helped Princess
Tiseria of Lysus maintain her rosy cheeks and bright red lips, and
several bottles of scented water. A small tray of jewelry,
necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and a beautiful green ring sat near
the brushes. I didn't dare touch them for fear that I would break
something.

I eased down slowly on the chair and
stretched my right leg out in front of me. My knee was swollen and
stiff from when the horse had landed on it. Loss touched the edges
of my thoughts when I pictured the horse, beautiful with her gray
coat and black mane and tail, fearless in battle, and keen in
defending us against our attackers. I felt responsible for her
death. I shouldn't have let her rush headlong, but she was brave
and I had been foolhardy. I told myself it was for my own good that
my knee hurt. The horse would still be alive if it wasn't for
me.

The battle between Lysus and Lumini would
still continue if it wasn't for me, a small voice in the back of my
mind whispered. I shook my head. King Adexo and Axon were brilliant
and had smart, capable commanders underneath them. They would have
figured out something.

But at what cost?

I closed my eyes and saw the marketplace
again, mothers and fathers, Duskies with children running about
them and jobs to do, smiles and love in their eyes. If the Lysus
had broken through, the Duskies would have paid as dearly as the
Luminos and Nathos.

I pulled off my clothes and limped back to
the side of the bathtub. I eyed the water dubiously. I had never
had a bath, and I wasn't sure it was such a good idea. So much
water seemed like a waste, especially considering that after I had
bathed in it, the quality would no longer be suitable to even water
a lamak. Still, it was warm. The steam rising from the calm surface
beckoned to me.

I gritted my teeth and stepped over the
side, then eased my throbbing knee over, too. Bruises and a myriad
of minor cuts and scrapes I hadn't realized I had blossomed with
the heat as I lowered into the water, then faded to a dull ache. A
scent touched my nose, peppermint and lavender. I tipped my head
back against the metal side and let the oils ease the soreness from
my muscles. Tension drifted out of my body until I felt so calm and
at ease it felt as though my body floated in a warm cloud. The
throbbing in my knee lessened and I dozed off thinking that a bath
might be the best thing in the entire world.

I woke up in darkness, my head under water,
and for a second I thought I was back in the cage in the ship,
trying to hold the air in my lungs until Axon could reach me. Then
I realized that there were no bars and I shot up from the bathtub
sputtering and cursing my stupidity. The sun had set and dim
moonlight showed through the glass windows of my room. The water in
the tub was cold and I shook as I climbed out, wondering why I
hadn't thought to set out clothes so that I wouldn't have to search
through the closets dripping and naked.