Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (24 page)

I pushed down my restraint and touched his
elbow. “A parent should never outlive his child,” he said. A
soundless sob wracked his body.

I put an arm around him. There were no words
to ease his pain, so I simply stood there, my eyes on the purple
and green flames that rose when they touched the gilded candles to
the piers, and my memories racing through the bloody battle,
wondering which fallen comrade draped in white cloth seeping red
had been the Commander's son. I wondered if I had acted quicker, if
I could have saved him. Maybe I could have rallied the Duskies
faster, or perhaps we should have burned the ships. My heart grew
heavier at the thought that some of the bodies down there would
still be alive, fathers, brothers, mothers, and sisters saved
instead of burning, their loved ones' hearts broken.

“
I'm sorry,” I whispered,
the words painful past my tight throat.

The Commander shook his head. “Neither of us
could have saved him.”

“
But what if-”

He turned and cut me off, his eyes boring
intently into mine. “No. Accept now what is past or you will
destroy your life regretting something you cannot change. It
happened, and while it is beyond horrible,” his voice caught, but
his forced himself to continue, “We have to live for the living and
do so in a way that honors those that died.”

I thought of Axon's men and my heart rang
true with his words. But I couldn't shake off the heaviness I felt.
“It's not easy to be the one alive while those who died might
deserve to be living instead.”

He nodded without speaking and put an arm
around my shoulder. We watched long after the fires had died on the
piers and the attending Nathos had gone back to their homes. I felt
the Commander sigh just as the first hint of gold brushed the
horizon. I risked one more question. “Where's your wife,
Commander?”

He looked at me, a depth of sorrow to his
eyes that made my own tears feel paltry. He gave a sad smile. “With
Trist; she left along her path the day he was born.”

At my look, he set a hand on my shoulder.
“It's not your place to worry about me, Nexa,” he said gently but
firmly. “Take care of your own and all will go as it should.”

“
I don't have any of my
own,” I said, my voice hollow.

He shook his head. “You're wrong.” He looked
back at the piers. “A great Duskie Commander said that we were one
people, fighting for one city and one love. If that's the case,
then you have plenty of your own.”

A smile touched my lips despite the weight
that pressed against my chest. “You're right,” I admitted. The
horizon had lightened slightly and the Commander didn't stand as
straight and proud as he had at the beginning of the night. I spoke
gently, “You should probably turn in, Commander.”

He nodded and took one last look at the
remains of the pier below, the water lapping gently at its base and
the last red glow of embers burning in the heart of the wood; then
he turned and walked slowly beside me back to the palace.

Chapter 26

The first ship parts floated to shore the
next day. We rode to the beach on the other side of the gulf to
look over the wreckage. I picked up a piece of wood splintered and
torn jaggedly along one edge.

“
Pirates?” Commander Jashen
asked.

My heart slowed at the remembered sound of
teeth and claws tearing chunks out of the side of our boat.
“Sathen.”

Everyone looked at me with a mixture of
incredulity and shock.

“
You can’t be serious,”
Commander Tiben replied.

I met his light green eyes. “I’m very
serious.” He looked away with a barely concealed curl of disgust to
his lips.

“
Then they’re dead?” King
Adexo asked.

“
Or in serious trouble. We
need to send a fleet,” Axon replied. He squeezed my free
hand.

Commander Tiben shook his head. “Why in the
world would we go help Lysus? They just tried to kill us, if anyone
would care to remember.”

Axon’s eyes narrowed. “They’re Luminos,
Nathos, and Duskies. We share races and a similar enemy. Until the
Sathen are destroyed, we need to work together.”

“
So you’ll send a ship?”
King Adexo asked, his glance shrewd as though he already knew what
his son’s answer would be.

“
At least six if we
anticipate a battle with the Sathen at Lysus.” Axon met my eyes
with a lifted eyebrow and I nodded. He turned back to his father.
“We’ll be on the first ship.”

Commander Jashen shook his head. “I don’t
think that’s a good idea, my Prince. If the Sathen attack
again-“

“
Then we’ll be ready,” Axon
finished. “We’ll be taking Nathos and Duskies with us and won’t
have any reason to put in at anchor until we reach Lysus. They
shouldn’t be able to catch us.”

King Adexo pursed his lips, his eyes
concerned. “Your mother is going to hate this. You just got back,
and with the war, she’s barely seen you.”

Axon smiled. “I’ll give you the pleasure of
breaking it to her.”

The King turned back to his horse grumbling
something about children and their adventures.

Axon took my hand. “You sure about
this?”

I nodded. “We’ve got to make sure they’re
safe. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go to the Caves, also.” My
stomach clenched at the thought, but I wouldn’t be able to relax
until I knew they were safe. As much as I hated Firen Caves, there
were Duskies there who deserved to know there was a better life
beyond the red rock walls, and as far as I knew, my parents were
still there somewhere.

We mounted the horses and galloped back
toward the palace, but it was high noon and the marketplace was in
full swing with everyone restocking after the war. We had to ride
slow despite the King's guard clearing the way.

Several Duskies called to me as we passed. I
spoke to the few I knew from battle and was surprised when a lady
handed up several apples; another gave me a shawl made of
beautifully dyed blue yarn. I glanced at Axon, embarrassed, but he
nodded in understanding and recommended that I stay for a bit.

I slid off the horse, unsure of what to
expect. Duskies surrounded me with smiles on their faces and gifts
in their hands.

“
I don’t deserve this,” I
protested.

One young woman with beautiful pale skin and
gray swirls around her eyes smiled. “You let them see how important
we could be, how we could work together.”

An older man in yellow robes nodded as he
pressed an orange into my hand. “You opened a gateway, Commander
Nexa. This will go far toward smoothing relations between the
Duskies and the Luminos and Nathos.”

I accepted the gifts while fumbling over
words. “I didn’t do much, I just-“

“
Do you love the Prince?”
the first young woman asked.

I stared into at least twenty expectant
faces and felt the color rise to my cheeks. It was a moment before
I could nod. “I do love him.”

A rush of exclamations and grins went
through the crowd and whispers passed to the people in the rear. My
heart pounded strangely at the confession, and I wanted to be alone
to sort out the myriad of thoughts that rushed through my mind, but
too many smiling faces blocked my way. I was given more gifts of
food and handmade wares which were packed for me in a soft cloth
bag.

Gentle, aged fingers set a beautiful
necklace of gray and white polished marble stones into my hand. I
stared at it in surprise and looked up to meet the eyes of the old
woman from the pastry shop a few days before.

“
I can’t accept this,” I
said. “It’s too much.”

She closed my fingers around it with a
knowing smile. “It was made for you in gratitude for what you’ve
done. Wear it proudly as a symbol of your Duskie heritage.”

I stuttered a thank you, and was grateful
when a familiar hand touched my arm and I turned to find Pyth
dressed in armor at my side. “The Prince requested that I rescue
you, Commander,” he said softly enough that only I could hear
him.

I breathed a sigh of relief and followed the
Duskie to my horse. He took the bag of gifts and carried it even
though I offered to tie it to the saddle horn.

I rode only because I couldn’t trust my
knees to hold me with the flood of emotions that battled between my
heart and mind. I looked back once and the throng of Duskies smiled
and waved at me from the edge of the market square. I turned around
with a sigh.

“
Trouble, Commander?” Pyth
asked, walking beside my horse.

I shook my head. “No, just an unexpected
turn of events. I didn’t realize how much this would mean to
people.” I rubbed my eyes in a vain attempt to keep them from
filling with tears.

Pyth glanced up with a smile. “You started a
change. This needed to happen, but no one knew where to start.”

I studied the movement of the horse’s
shoulder muscles as we walked unchallenged through the gates. “I
just hope everyone handles it well.” I thought of Axon’s mother.
“There are those who don’t like change.” I dismounted and let a
stable hand lead the horse away.

Pyth nodded. “But this change was necessary.
It means a better life for our people and perhaps less animosity
between all the races in time to come.”

His words smoothed away the last shreds of
doubt that I had made the right decision. “Pyth, you fought hard
and showed great bravery and foresight on the battlefield. The
Lysus have been attacked by Sathen, and we’re leaving to see how we
can help. I was wondering if you would accept the position of my
Lieutenant.”

Pyth stared at me. “Lieutenant?”

I nodded. “It would mean gathering two
hundred of our best soldiers and appointing your own captains.
We’ll be spread out on different ships, so be sure to choose people
you trust.”

Pyth’s mouthed opened and then closed. He
merely nodded as though he didn't trust himself to speak. I smiled
at the amazement in his eyes. “See you at the docks,
Lieutenant.”

I turned away, but his voice stopped me.
“Commander?”

I looked back and he snapped a smart salute.
I waved a hand. “That’s really not necessary. In fact, I’d
appreciate it if you never did that again.”

He laughed and nodded. “Yes, Commander. And
Commander?”

“
Yes?”

Delight and amazement shone on his face.
“Thank you very much.”

I knew what an impact my actions would have
on his life and the life of his family in Lumini and smiled.
“You’re welcome, Lieutenant.”

Chapter 27

We rode on the first ship, the other five
trailing close behind. I couldn’t fight the sadness that rose in my
chest when I stepped into the captain’s cabin and saw shadow
memories where our party had sat on the other ship teaching me the
dice and trinket game. I settled on a chair in the flickering lamp
light and let my body remember the gentle rise and fall of the
ocean.

The hinges creaked as someone pushed open
the door. “Thinking sad thoughts?” Axon asked.

I opened my eyes and sighed. “I miss
them.”

He didn’t need to ask who I referred to. He
sat on the bed and matching sorrow showed on his face. The light
caught in his eyes and mirrored the depth of sadness he felt. “I
hand chose them years ago. Though we lost several men in battle, at
sea, and to Sathen, I never added anyone to our group until I met
you.”

I looked at him in surprise. “You counted me
as one of your group?”

He nodded. “They all did by the end. It was
impossible to ignore how selfless you were, and how brave.”

A lump formed in my throat and a tear traced
its way down my cheek.

Axon gestured at the memories on the floor
as though he saw them too. “We bled for each other, and several of
their fathers had fought alongside my father. I've never been
completely alone since they joined me.”

I went and sat next to him on the wool
blankets. He put an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against
his chest. “I’ve never been a part of anything until I met you,” I
said quietly. Admitting it made my heart ache, but Axon’s arm
tightened around my shoulders and he rested his chin on my
head.

“
We make a strange couple,”
he said softly into my hair.

I fought back a smile. “We really do.”

He fell silent a moment, then said quietly
as though testing the waters, “I heard something you told the
Duskies at the market square.”

My heart slowed. “You did?”

He nodded and I could feel him smile. “I
did.”

“
And?” I asked, barely
trusting myself to speak.

“
And I think you look very
good in blue.” I hit his shoulder and he laughed. His eyes were
bright and overwhelmingly deep. I felt like I could fall into them,
never find my way out again, and never care to. He smiled gently.
“And I love you, too.”

My throat tightened and I tried to speak,
then he kissed me so sweetly and tenderly that it stole my breath.
I closed my eyes and let myself live in the brief moment of his
kiss, the touch of his lips, the feel of his hand in my hair, the
way he brushed my cheek with his free hand as if he couldn’t touch
me enough.

When he lifted his head, I couldn’t help the
sigh that escaped my lips.

“
What?” he asked, suddenly
anxious.

“
What about your mother?” I
replied. I dreaded the answer, but knew it was a bridge we would
have to cross soon if anything was to truly happen.

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “What
about her?”

I stared at him. “She obviously hates me.
I'm guessing she had a conversation with you very similar to our
conversation, and ours was not pleasant.”