Nineteenth of Nirakos
Year 1182 of Emancipation
At first, Davos didn’t realise what had awoken him. His eyes opened slowly as he found himself laying across the seats in the rear of the carriage, and a pain in his back told him that he’d been unconscious for a while. It took him a few moments to register that he was alone, and he slowly raised himself up into his seat. His hand ran over his leg where he’d been stabbed, but to his surprise he found that there was no wound. Whatever poison had knocked him out had also healed the initial injury. He frowned at that realisation. Why such mercy from a confessed killer of the Arcane?
The door swung open without warning and Adrianna climbed inside, kneeling before him as she brushed a lock of hair out of her face and behind an ear. She wasn’t wearing the silver dress anymore, and the look in her eye told Davos that she was in quite a different state of mind than she had when they’d spoken the previous day. She wore a plain white cotton top that fit tightly to her curves, and a skirt clung to her hips. She reached behind her back and tugged her dagger out of the back of the skirt and held it between their faces. Her free hand rested softly along his thigh as she leaned close.
“I am going to cut you free,” she whispered. “You will come out of this carriage and follow me without any resistance. If you struggle, I will kill you and leave your body for Belkai to find.”
“Where are we?” He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of a simple surrender. Adrianna didn’t seem to mind. Two quick flicks of her wrists dropped his bonds to the carriage floor and she stood, her breasts brushing against his face before he could move out of the way. Her lips curled upwards and she shrugged.
“I need a drink.”
She climbed back outside without a word, and Davos followed soon after. They’d stopped in a quiet street whose architecture he didn’t recognise. That made it the Tios Principality; he’d visited Lustria once or twice and would know their buildings on sight. The carriage driver had his back to them as he led the horse to a stall where the town provided free food for the animals. They were outside a tavern, Davos saw, the ‘Wayward Sons’ – probably one of the most accurate names he’d seen. For a moment he considered making a run for it, but he knew that he wouldn’t escape. He could outrun most people, but a werewolf was an entirely different story.
Adrianna pushed the tavern door open and waved Davos inside. There were only a dozen people inside, and they gave the new visitors a quick glance before returning to their drinks and conversations. Adrianna led him to an empty table in a far corner, where they were met by a young ginger-haired woman wearing a tight corset. Adrianna ordered four beers and sent the girl on her way.
“It is hard to find a good place to drink,” Adrianna said wistfully. “Beer seems to get weaker each year.”
Davos didn’t answer at first. He wouldn’t allow himself to be lulled into a false sense of security. This woman was a killer, a beast who could not be controlled or bargained with. Still, there was no sense antagonising his captor, so he finally said,
“It depends on where you go, I assume.”
“Quite,” Adrianna agreed, and nodded at the servant girl when she returned with the beers. Adrianna kept three and pushed the fourth across to Davos. She smiled at the frown that he quickly hid. “Like I said, it’s gotten weaker.”
They drank in silence as Davos studied the tavern. It was a small affair, with a fireplace burning on the far wall. The servant girl wandered the tables, welcoming the attention of her male guests. The Principality was known for loose morals, and she seemed to be quite willing to indulge that. The owner would expect it, Davos thought, and no doubt she got extra coin on the side. Still, the practice disgusted him. Svaleta had far higher expectations on its people. His attention shifted to escape routes. There was only one easily accessible door, the one they’d come through. He could see into the kitchen, but he had no idea what lay beyond that. If there was no clear exit in there, he’d be trapped. There were plenty of windows letting light in, but they were all glass. He’d break through, but he’d be bleeding and in pain.
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“There is no easy escape,” Adrianna said, reading his eyes. She set aside an empty mug and picked up another. “But what shall the scout do? Will he risk injury breaking through a window? Will he simply run and hope that he doesn’t get caught by the carriage driver? Or will he brave the kitchen and hope a knife will save him?”
Davos turned back to her, and shuddered at her grin.
“And why do you assume that anyone here will let you go?”
Davos froze. She was right. No one had given them a second glance when they came inside, but that was wrong. Even without her sheer dress, Adrianna was one of the most beautiful women that he’d seen. But it wasn’t only that. Her features were a curious blend, not quite matching any of the known kingdoms, but seeming to combine traits of each. She was a unique individual, and Davos didn’t know a single man who wouldn’t have stared when she entered a room.
He closed his eyes as he finally understood. “Everyone in this room?”
“Gold speaks a very particular language,” Adrianna replied. “If you try to run, they will kill you. If I don’t get to you first.”
She sighed and leaned back as she yawned, stretching her arms and letting her chest push out. “But why must we speak of death all the time? I have no intention of harming you, Davos. I have no desire to see the witch’s lover become a corpse.”
“Then why am I here?” Davos found his eyes drifting below her neck and forced them back to her eyes. He frowned. Something didn’t feel right. Did they put something in the beer?
“You’re here because only a fool or a lunatic would attack Narandir directly,” Adrianna said honestly. “But to draw Belkai out and leave her vulnerable, well, that would meet our purposes just fine.”
“You don’t intend to fight her in a tavern,” Davos pointed out.
“Of course not. We will be going somewhere very different, I assure you.” Adrianna smiled. “But you don’t need to worry yourself about that. When the time comes, you will play your part. I am confident of that.”
“What part?”
Adrianna smiled and put the mug back on the table. “I can see why she likes you, Davos. You have strength, more than most that I’ve met.”
And, she saw, he had the wisdom not to answer. “But I am surprised that you married her after only knowing her for all of a week.”
“The context of that week makes the difference,” Davos pointed out.
“I imagine it would. You set out to find a murderer but were confronted by an admittedly beautiful woman. You denied your orders to ensure she completed her mission. And you, Davos, helped kill a Watcher hunting party who, in fact, knew exactly who and what she was and recognised the threat that you missed. And now you live in Narandir having left your kin behind.”
She cocked her head and watched him for a moment. “I wonder if you know what exactly you are dealing with when you bed a Brilhardem.”
He didn’t answer, but Adrianna could see the fury in his eyes. “I am a woman of passion, Davos, I have been for a long time. I have enjoyed many warm beds and killed many people over the years. I am a hunter by nature and by the blessing of the Arcane. But a Brilhardem, that is a different breed. They don’t just kill. They get into your head and control every part of you, right down to the movement of blood in your veins. They twist your thoughts and emotions and make you turn on those you love. And when they kill, they don’t just use a blade – but you know that, don’t you? They use their power to control every part of their victim and they specifically choose what part of their body to devastate. Every kill is a personal endeavour to destroy a life in the most exact and unforgiving way possible.”
“A Brilhardem does not kill without provocation,” Davos said, his voice low. “Belkai has not killed without just cause.”
Adrianna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms beneath her chest. “So she says. And what proof do you have that your thoughts are your own? That your emotions are your own?”
To his credit, not a hint of doubt flashed through his eyes. Adrianna was surprised, but didn’t let it show. “Perhaps she is more powerful than you think, Davos. That is something to think about.”
She sighed and looked down at the three empty mugs before her. “Well, it is best that we keep moving. But ponder my question, Davos. How much of your relationship with Belkai is real? Is any of it real?”
Davos stared at the table for a long moment, then looked at her with eyes full of sadness. “She is going to kill you, Adrianna. For all of your passion and power, she is going to kill you for what you have done.”
“She will try. I’m counting on it.” Adrianna smiled. “And she will fail. She won’t be the first of Elkur’s children to die by my hand.”