Eldin
Zin was unnaturally quiet, and it was making Eldin twitchy.
They were well away from Nōmahsah, already crossing the Windview
Plains, and naught but a word or two had passed between them. Eldin
would have welcomed the silence had he not known it meant something
was coming.
He was half afraid, half relieved when Zin finally brought her
horse level with his and opened her mouth. She closed it again and
frowned.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Who’s Rowan?”
Eldin froze. “What do you mean?”
“Who is he? He must have been someone special to have
carved his name all over your door.”
Eldin pressed his lips together.
“It was an accident. I didn’t snoop,” she said, glancing at him.
“Besides, I think it’s connected to what happened the other night, and
if we are going to be traveling together, you need to tell me.”
Eldin didn’t need to breathe, but he took a breath now to calm
himself. “I don’t need help with anything.”
“I wasn’t offering it. But what if it happens in the middle of a
fight or something? Even if you can’t die, I can, and if being with you
is a risk, I want to at least know what I’m facing.”
Eldin rolled his shoulders before answering. “Fine. But you
can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Who would I tell?” Zin asked. He glared at her.
“Fine, fine. I won’t say a word.”
Eldin opened his mouth, but found it difficult to put into words.
He had never confided in anyone before. Ghosts were loners. They
didn’t have problems, they solved them, but then again, they didn’t
regain their memories either. He cleared his throat and tried again.
“Something went wrong when I was turned into a Ghost. I
should have lost all my memories unrelated to being a Ghost. They
disappeared at first, but now I’m gaining them back a little at a time.”
“Is that what happened last night? You had another memory?”
“Yes.”
“And Rowan is someone from those memories?”
Eldin nodded.
“Who was he?”
Eldin grimaced at her.
“Oh, stop. Talking won’t kill you.”
He sighed, but said nothing for a long time. It was hard thinking
of the bursts of memories, especially when he didn’t know if it would
trigger more, and because they had been less than uplifting. He wished
he could forget what happened again.
“From what I have seen so far, he was a friend. They’ve gotten
worse since I heard his name spoken.”
“Do you think they mean anything?”
He shrugged. It wasn’t something he liked to think about. Being
a Ghost was all he wanted to do. All these memories were inconvenient,
especially while being paired with a talkative woman.
“I think we should find this Rowan.”
Eldin glanced sharply at Zin. She looked at him with a smug
smile.
“How do you propose we do that?”
“Well, you said you heard his name once already, right? Where
did you hear it?”
“In my memory. We have no lead. There’s no point.”
“There’s got to be a way. What if we—”
“Give it a rest, Zinnia.” Eldin turned in the saddle fast enough
to spook Kūma. Azra whinnied and took several steps away from him.
“He could be dead for all we know.”
Zin’s face paled, and she dropped back to walk behind him.
The next few days were similar. Neither of them talked much
except when Zin asked why they were taking the long way instead of
using magic to travel.
“I can only travel long distances when I’m summoned. We
aren’t all powerful.”
“Why not? You’re supposed to be gods, aren’t you?”
Eldin glared and she pressed her lips together, quiet for the rest
of the day. When they passed by the Broken Hand, he could tell she
wanted to say something, but thought better of it. The flutter of relief in
his chest made him feel guilty.
The sun was just setting when the thin stream of smoke they
were following unveiled an entire city. On either side of them, the Royal
Road came to a head. Travelers were out in droves, going to and from
the city.
Zin stopped Azra next to him at the top of a hill and gazed at
the mashup of homes. Eldin grimaced. One of the busiest cities in
Alarya. He rarely came through unless a job called for it. Everyone was
always in a hurry and there were too many smells.
“Where are we?” Zin asked, standing in her stirrups and
squinting. The last of the sun's rays lit up the buildings in their brilliant
colors. More than half of them were different shades of green.
“Halfway-To-Nowhere.”
Zin’s eyebrows disappeared into her hair. “I’ve heard of this
place before. It’s down the road from Greenrock. Why are we here?”
Eldin urged Kūma forward and Zin followed, catching up to his
side.
“Yrridan’s Comet Festival starts tomorrow. Thought you might
want to have some fun. You won’t get much of it hanging with me all
the time.”
Zin’s face lit up. Eldin silently thanked their separate horses.
They were the only reason she hadn’t hugged him again.
“Race you there!” She snapped her reins and took off towards
the closest road. Eldin had no intention of racing, but he followed her
at a brisk pace. He didn’t want to scare everyone away.
It was the last night before a three day holiday, and the town
emptied quickly, everyone returning to bed early to start festivities as
soon as possible. It was difficult to find Zin a room for the next few
nights, but Eldin turned on his power of darkness and bullied an innkeep
into giving him a suite, which he claimed he was saving because there
were rumors the Crown Prince would be in town.
“Don’t kid me, or yourself. The rumors are just rumors. Take
the gold or someone else will, it makes no matter to me.” Eldin slammed
five gold coins on the counter. The innkeep was short, balding, and
rather pudgy. He glanced from Eldin to the coins before slipping them
off the bar and replacing them with a key.
“Fine. Breakfast is free for customers, but you have to pay extra
for dinner.”
Eldin swiped the key, turned with a swirl of his cloak, and as
he walked off, heard the barkeep mutter, “Damn Ghosts. Think they can
always get what they want.”
Eldin stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at the
barkeep. His eyes grew wide, and he ducked behind the bar. Eldin
grinned to himself and stalked out the door.
Zinnia waited around the corner with the horses, and he placed
the key in her hand.
“Top floor. Suite. Breakfast comes free.”
“You aren’t coming?”
Eldin cocked his head at her.
“Right, right. You don’t eat, you probably don’t sleep either.
Thanks for telling me after all those nights.” She glared at him as she
placed the key in her pocket and passed over Azra’s reins.
He shrugged.
“What will you do instead?”
“Same thing as always.”
“Which is?”
“Working or scouting for information.”
“Scouting for information?” Zin wrinkled her nose. “What does
that even mean?”
“Sitting in taverns and listening to people.”
Zin covered her laughter with a hand. “Really? You sit in
taverns to eavesdrop?”
“Yes.” Eldin found himself glaring again, but it only seemed to
encourage her giggles. He clenched his fists.
“Go have fun.” She waved him away, a wide grin on her face.
Eldin scowled as she rounded the corner to the Traveler’s First Stop
Inn. When the front door shut, he led the horses into the stable and
relieved them of their saddles.
Twisting his cloak from the clasps on his shoulders, he folded
it and set it on Kūma’s saddle.
“Tak je,” Eldin said, signing over his chest. The shadows
swallowed him and spit him back out on the roof of the stables. He
turned slowly, taking in the darkened rooftops and poorly lit side roads.
It was only his third time here, and the jobs he took had him moving
quickly. Despite telling Zin his plan to listen at a tavern, the thought of
time by himself was too alluring, and now would be a good opportunity
to scout. He picked out a rooftop just above his head. Judging the
distance with a glance, Eldin ran at the gap.
“Oni’ā.”
Shadows swirled around his feet, muffling his footsteps. When
he jumped, the shadows swirled beneath him, allowing him to go farther
than a normal jump. He caught the overhang of the roof with his fingers
and pulled himself up.
With each bound between houses and shops, the pressure in
Eldin’s chest lifted. He had wanted to take on an apprentice, but he
wasn’t expecting Zin. She had more energy then he knew what to do
with.
Even though there was a limit on how far he could go, the
physical activity helped more than sitting in a room of rowdy people.
He felt more himself since marking Zin with the Rite. The adrenaline
rush was almost as intense as a kill.
He could feel heat in his cheeks and fingers when normally
there was none. The amount of times his heart beat was actually
countable in an hour, and his body instinctively felt the need to breathe
hard.
As the sun peeked over the horizon, Eldin made his way back
to the Travelers First Stop stables and swung into the window. His cloak
lay where he left it, and with a flourish, latched it about his shoulders.
“I thought you’d be back sooner. Taverns close long before
sunrise.”
Eldin hissed and a throwing knife leapt from his wrist to his
fingers to the wall across the stables.
“Oh, ow!”
He stalked over to the figure and found Zin pinned to the stable
wall by her sleeve, a line of blood seeping from the tear.
“Don’t sneak up on me. Or next time it might be your neck.”
He flicked the hilt of the knife, making it wiggle, and stared her down.
“It’s not my fault I got here before you. That scary guy trick
doesn’t work on me.” She glowered, but Eldin could see her hands
trembling.
He pulled the knife from the wall and tucked it back into the
sheath strapped on his forearm, missing the night's escapades already.
“Did you hear any good information?” she asked, looking at
the cut on her arm. Eldin sighed and waved her over to Kūma. Reaching
into the saddlebags hanging over a hook, he found a phial with a
flowery smelling tincture inside.
Only when he popped open the cap and lifted Zin’s arm to tap
the mixture onto, did he speak.
“Despite what I said, I did not end up going into a tavern. There
will be enough gossip going around the festival. I scouted the city
instead, making a mental map.”
“Oh.”
Eldin smeared the substance over the wound. The bleeding
stopped right away. “Here, you should keep this. I have no use for it.”
Zin took the phial and slipped it into her ever present bag.
“Thank you.”
He turned away, then stopped and looked back, searching her
with his eyes.
“Sorry about the cut. Have fun at the festival. I’ll be around if
you need me.” He left her in the stables as he slipped into a shadowed
alley. The morning sky had a green tinge to it as Yrridan’s Comet
climbed its way above the western horizon, signaling the start of the
festival.
The streets were already buzzing with merchants bellowing out
their wares, street performers singing and juggling, and laughter from
children. The warm smell of fresh bread wafted between the alleys,
chasing Eldin as he scaled a wall. People flowed around one another,
clumping up around stalls and the performers.
Eldin leaned over the edge, scanning the crowd. He thought he
could pick out Zin’s bright red hair among the slew of people, but he
wasn’t sure. The vantage point he had chosen last night was across the
city's town square and over a few streets. With a leap, he landed on the
next roof and climbed up a ladder to a lookout. From here, he could see
exactly where he wanted to go.
“Tak je.”
The shadows took him, jumping from shadow to shadow until
he reformed in the alley he desired. This one spot gave him the widest
range of buildings to watch. It was near a bakery with tables set up
outside. He could easily listen to what people were saying as they ate.
Leaning against the side of the building, he folded his arms and scanned
the area from underneath his cowl.
Observation mode overtook Eldin, eyes twitching from the
rooftops, to the balconies, over the crowd, edges of buildings, in
doorways. He spotted a teenage boy and young lady approach long
before they realized he was there. The woman pointed to the boy's hand
and then to Eldin. With a sigh, he kept his eyes moving while they
approached.
“What?” he growled.
They both jumped. The woman paled. Close up, she looked no
more than a year or two older than Zin. She pushed the boy forward,
who swallowed and looked up at Eldin, not meeting his eyes.
“I-I am Ashtyn! The Chosen One as decreed by the prophecy.”
“And?” Eldin growled, glowering at them. Their hair were
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different shades of orange, but they were obviously related, brother and
sister most likely.
Ashtyn stepped back. “You are in the prophecy.”
Eldin highly doubted it. These two were probably part of the
Adventurer’s Guild, which tended to use its members as a free way to
get rid of nuisances instead of just paying for a Ghost. They called them
adventures and a fake oracle would give out prophecies for people to
follow, oftentimes to their death.
“I believe you are mistaken.”
“No, no, please! Just let me read it to you.” The boy stepped
back again, holding up a paper. Eldin could see the Guild’s seal on it.
“Please, sir?” The woman asked, her eyes wide.
Eldin rolled his eyes. They were both pathetic. “Fine, but hurry,
I’m busy.”
“Oh, yes, yes, of course! The prophecy,” the boy stood up
straight and cleared his throat. “If ever found halfway between here or
there, a stranger in the dark you will meet. See? That part’s about you.
Hidden from the sun, for all but one. Our time is nigh, to fight the guy,
enslaving the people around him.”
Eldin stared at the siblings.
“Do you know what it means?” Ashtyn asked, taking another
step back and running into his sister.
Eldin grunted and looked away. “Sounds like Shadowrun, but
that’s all I can tell you.”
Ashtyn turned to his sister, and they both looked at the
prophecy. A grin spread across Ashtyn’s face as his sister nodded.
“Thanks, mister!” They waved and ran off. Eldin went back to
scanning the festival. It was in full swing now. The streets were packed
with humans calling out to one another with cries of delight, piscine
flashing their scales in the morning light and scrutinizing each stall, and
even a few tribesmen with their thick hair coiled in braids about their
shoulders.
When night fell, he finally caught a glimpse of Zin again. A
band played in the middle of the town square and people were dancing.
If Eldin hadn’t been wearing a mask, his mouth would have dropped
open.
Zin had given herself a makeover. She now wore a green dress,
her hair was brushed, and she had tied a white ribbon around her neck
in the same fashion as the local women. A smile graced her lips as she
twirled around the dance floor. A pair of soft leather gloves hid the
Ghost Rite on her palm. Smart woman.
As he watched, the music seemed to fade into the background
and the laughter dulled. Every hair on his body sprung to attention.
Eldin ripped his eyes from Zin and scoured the rooftops and the darkest
shadows.
A reflection of light caught his attention, and he flicked his
wrist, hurling a throwing knife over the heads of the party-goers. A ting
was lost in the sound of the band as two knives hit each other in midair and fell into the dancers.
Someone screamed.
People pushed their way away from the knives, leaving a circle
around them. Zin was on the edge of that circle. A Ghost materialized
in the middle, a manic rage in his eyes. She took one step toward him,
but immediately backpedaled when she didn’t recognize the stance or
eyes. It was enough to catch the Ghost's attention.
“Tak je.”
Eldin appeared in front of the second Ghost as soon as he
launched himself at Zin. He hit Eldin, who caught him and threw him
backwards onto the cobblestone ground. The crowd shuffled
backwards.
The Ghost jumped to his feet and faced Eldin. Not only was the
man manic, but rightly so. His name was Kirtley, one of the oldest
Ghosts. At over two hundred passes, his skin was already beginning to
decay. Under the mask, his cheek was almost completely gone, giving
a good look at his rotting teeth and black tongue.
“Eldin,” Kirtley said, drawing out the first syllable. “Come out
for the festivities too? I had a good look at that girlie behind you just
now, and I think I’ll just snatch her up.”
“Can’t let you do that, Kirtley.” Eldin pulled the dagger from
the small of his back and held the blade in front of him.
The other Ghost took a step forward. “Come on. You know
how it is. The adrenaline from killing. It just gets you going, doesn’t
it?”
Kirtley lunged, withdrawing a dagger of his own. Eldin parried
and Kirtley disappeared in an explosion of shadows.
“Rūkah mo.” The shadows snatched him and followed Kirtley.
Materialize, strike, shadows. Eldin realized in moments the older Ghost
was only playing with him.
The dagger came at Eldin’s face and he stepped sideways,
straight into Kirtley’s other palm. He hit Eldin on the chest.
“Rasȳl.”
A force like Eldin had never felt slammed against him and he
flew backwards, knocking down gawking townsfolk and slamming into
the blacksmith’s wall. He slid to the ground, head spinning.
A scream pushed him to his feet. Zin. He focused his eyes on
Kirtley as he clutched her by the hair.
“Tak je.” Eldin shot through the towns people’s shadows and
reformed facing Zin. A sharp pain in his shoulder made him stagger as
steel bit deep. He grabbed the wrist holding Zin’s hair and squeezed.
Kirtley grunted and released her.
“Run,” he growled through his teeth, eyes focused on Zin. Her
eyes were wide, hands over her mouth, and tears in her eyes. “Run!”
She did, followed by more than a few bystanders.
Eldin twirled, raising an elbow and striking Kirtley in the jaw.
He stumbled backwards, hand at his mouth.
“’uo ‘roke it!”
Without breaking stride, Eldin dropped and kicked the other
man's feet out from under him. With a crack, Kirtley hit the floor,
groaning. Eldin jumped to his feet and stalked over, leaning over the
old Ghost and plucking a dagger with several emerald inlays from the
sheath on his thigh.
“Fancy,” Eldin said, twirling it in his fingers.
Kirtley scooted back, raising his hands over his face.
“No, no, no!” he screamed through his broken jaw and Eldin
slammed the dagger into his chest.
The Ghost collapsed. The square was empty. Not even the bugs
sang. Elden glanced at the body, hands on his hips. Out of everything
he prepared for and thought out, this wasn’t it.
He touched his palm to Kirtley’s forehead and muttered,
“Katəsi.”
The Rite burned, a wisp of smoke escaping, and Kirtley
dissolved into a shadow, swirling around lazily before puffing away
like smoke. The only thing left was the dagger. Eldin picked it up,
turning it over in his hands before tucking it in his belt.
“Eldin?”
He turned and saw Zin standing at the mouth of an ally, her
body tense. When she realized it was him, her shoulders slumped and
she ran toward him, stopping just short of hugging him.
“Can I?” she asked.
“Only if you pull this knife from my back.”
Zin’s eyes widened, but she nodded. Eldin went to one knee,
wincing as it shifted, slicing more muscle.
“Just pull it?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“Yup.”
She did just that. Eldin hissed through his teeth, but the pain
stopped when the shadows closed the wound. He turned and saw Zin
staring.
“There’s no blood.”
“Of course not. We aren’t fully alive.”
Zin dropped the dagger and snaked her arms around him and
laid her head on his chest. “Thank you, for saving me again.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Eldin tried to relax, to convince
himself it was okay to be touched. It almost worked.
“Who was that? And why was he trying to kill me?” Zin looked
up at him and quickly stepped away.
Eldin looked down at the Rite, then curled his fingers into a fist.
“His name was Kirtley, one of the older Ghosts in the order. Sometimes
a Ghost can get addicted to adrenaline. Makes us feel more alive, you
know? It’s like a drug, the more you have it, the more you crave it.
Makes some crazy, especially the longer lived Ghosts.”
“That’s horrible.”
“I think you just caught his attention. He just wanted to kill and
he found you in his sights.”
“Can we leave? I don’t feel like celebrating anymore.” Zin was
biting her lip and staring at the ground.
“We’ll leave in the morning. You should at least try to rest.”
He put his hand up when she tried to protest. “I’ll be right there the
whole time. I won’t go anywhere. It will be best to lie low. The less
attention, the better.”
Zin nodded, and they walked back to the Inn.
“I’ll meet you up there,” Eldin said, nodding upward to her
room. She strode through the doors and Eldin shadowed through the
open window. It was decent sized, and the mattress looked clean with
the nice linens. A tub for a bath sat in the far corner and several large
cushions surrounded a low to the ground table.
“Passable,” he said as Zin entered. She nodded, looking
flustered.
Eldin frowned. “What happened?”
“The lobby. It’s filled with all these people and they recognized
me as the one the Ghost was after. They had all kinds of questions.”
“Did you say anything?”
“No, I just kinda ran.”
“Good.” Eldin sighed and leaned back against the wall, closing
his eyes. The floorboards creaked as Zin walked, and when he opened
them again, she stood in front of him. She ran her fingertips over the
leather armor covering his chest, brushing them over his cheekbone and
into his hair, forcing the hood from his head.
He froze, the instinct to flee rising as his back hit the wall.
“Zin...”
She ignored him and touched the mask, glancing into his eyes.
He sighed, tapping his finger on the wall. It wasn’t wrong to take off
the uniform, but the isolation of it was so ingrained, he rarely allowed
it to come off in anyone's presence. He gave a sharp nod.
Zin caught the fabric in her fingers and pulled. It fell around his
neck and the breeze from the open window played across his face,
rustling his hair.
“Oh,” Zin said, pulling back and scrutinizing him.
“What?” Eldin’s brows furrowed.
“You’re just… younger than I thought, and not hideous.”
“Thanks, Zin.”
“I expected the mask to hide some sort of scar or deformity.”
She shrugged and closed the gap.
“Zin, you really shouldn’t.” Eldin put a hand on her shoulder.
“Why not?” she asked, brushing her lips against his.
He almost caved, almost let her do it. After all, why not? A kiss
wouldn’t hurt him, and he had never kissed anyone before. But it could
hurt her, and he didn’t want that.
“Because you barely know me. There’s too much about me you
don’t understand before making a decision like that.”
Zin retreated, a hurt flashing across her face before she covered
it with a smile.
“I guess you better start talking.” She turned from him and
walked to the window, pulling the ribbon from her neck and laying it
out on the windowsill.
“I never understood what the ribbons were for,” Eldin asked,
changing the subject.
“They say if you lay out a ribbon while the comet flies over,
the gods bless it with healing and good luck.” She pulled out a black
one, hesitated, then smoothed it out next to the white one.
“Do you believe it?”
She shrugged and turned to face him. “Doesn’t hurt to try.”
Her eyes sparkled in the green light of the comet, arms crossed
loosely in front of her. Eldin never had to fight himself before.
“You should get some sleep,” he said, taking off his cloak and
swinging it over a chair. He went to sit down when Zin put a hand on
his arm.
“Will you…” She gestured to the bed. Eldin narrowed his eyes.
“Not like that.” She wrinkled her nose. “Just sit with me.
Please?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Fine, but the knives
stay on.”
Zin smiled faintly, glancing at the window, and Eldin realized
she was scared. He sat on the bed, sinking into the mattress. He hadn’t
been on one since he became a Ghost. Zin lay down next to him, her
fingers brushing his leg.
“Eldin?”
“Hm?
“I almost forgot to tell you, I think I found Rowan.”
Eldin’s eyes widened. Zin’s voice faded, and the room melted
as another vision overtook him.
“Rowan, they said, why don’t you kiss Henna under the tree? I
told them I don’t want to kiss Henna!” Rowan threw a stone into the
rushing river. His long, untamed golden red hair flowed freely over his
shoulders. He couldn’t have been more than six.
Eldin swiveled his head and saw himself, black hair, dark eyes,
sitting next to Rowan with his shoes off.
“So, who do you want to kiss under the tree?” Young Eldin
asked, wiggling his toes in the muddy bank.
Rowan’s face turned red and he threw another stone. “It doesn’t
matter. Kissing is gross and for grown ups.”
The memory dissolved, and Eldin came back to the present
with Zin shaking his arm.
“Hey, are you okay? Did it happen again? The memories?”
Eldin’s head spun, and he put a hand over his eyes, nodding.
“Where is he?”
“He’s in Kingston. At the castle.