Chapter 15. An Unlikely Arrangement.

Dukemot led Manie through the green door and out into the hall she and Shawn had come from.

It was really good to meet you, sir!” Shawn called after them from his seat. “I mean, Your Grace! Thanks for the food!”

Manie turned back, giving Shawn a last look of despair before disappearing beyond the walls. And that was it, she was gone. Maybe they’d never see each other again. There was no way to know what was going to happen next. Shawn tried to take a breath. He felt calmer now that the king was gone. Being in Dukemot’s presence was unnerving. One wrong word and he could’ve been sent to the gallows. The King seemed to have no idea that they were working with the Protectors, which was exactly what they wanted.

Shawn swiped his eyes across the room to be sure it was empty. He saw only rows of creepy paintings staring back from walls painted with red and black diamond patterns.

I need to find Gale and Silvan, he remembered. They’re here in Denengear somewhere. He'd have to wait for Dukemot’s guard to show him back to his chambers and get instructions about where to receive the gold, then he could look for them in earnest. He had to at least try to keep up the appearance of being a bounty hunter. Shawn humored himself with the idea of returning home with so much gold. He imagined his mother and sister’s eyes lighting up when they saw it. He’d even be able to make Spencer’s dreams of finding gold at the mineshaft come true. Real gold, not a bunch of forgotten maps in a safe. I wonder if he ever got his reward.

Shawn grabbed his cup and looked at the wine within. He’d never tasted it before tonight. It wasn’t as bad as he thought. Bitter, but fruity. He took another small sip and stuck out his tongue after he swallowed. That’s probably enough for now. He looked around at all the food, feeling hungry and drowsy. There were so many different types of meat and cheese he couldn’t name them all. He settled on the pheasant and cut off another wide slice, setting it onto his plate. He cut out a bite, then brought the meat up with his fork. It was too big to fit in his mouth, so he had to pull open his lips with his other hand to shove it in.

“Fit enough between your teeth?” A girl’s voice suddenly asked, giggling.

Shawn jumped back and knocked the chair off its legs, falling to the carpet with it. He tried to stand, but his feet got tangled in the wooden legs and he fell again, landing on his shoulder at the feet of whoever had just spoken. He looked up and saw a girl with black hair staring down at him. Her hair was perfectly straight, not a single frayed strand out of order. The edge was a perfect upward angle to the back of her neck like her hair had been cut by a single swing of a blade. Two locks of red hair twisted down from the right side of her head to her waist–the only pieces spared from the razor line below her ears.

“Who are you?” Shawn asked, trying to catch his breath as he swallowed the bite of food. Her face was familiar to him in a way he couldn’t explain, almost like he’d seen her before.

The girl giggled. “I’m Valery. Nice to meet you, Shawn.”

“Have you been here the entire time?” Shawn asked, looking around the room for more hidden intruders.

“Maybe,” Valery said, taking a step back from him. “No, honestly I just came in from the door behind you. I guess you didn't hear me.”

Shawn untangled himself from the chair and got back to his feet, coming to the same height as the girl. “Did Dukemot send you?”

“Also maybe.”

“What are you doing here?” Shawn asked, annoyed by the way she’d made him embarrass himself. “What do you want?”

“I want to take your soul,” the girl said, smiling and reaching out to trickle her fingers up Shawn’s chest until she touched his chin.

Shawn slapped her hand away. Valery covered her smile with the hand she’d touched him with.

“Are you going to show me to my room or not?” Shawn asked.

“I’m going to show you a lot more than that,” the girl said, her voice a seductive whisper.

“Enough games. What do you want?”

“You had it correct before, the king sent me. He wants me to show you your chambers.”

“I thought he said it would be a guy named Willhelm.”

“Willhelm? Oh, he’s dead,” Valery said.

“Dead?” Shawn asked. “How can he be dead?”

“We’re all dead, here, Shawn. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

“Everyone looks pretty alive to me.”

“It’s just an illusion,” Valery said, turning her face away from Shawn. “The people in this city have been lost for a long time.” She turned back to Shawn. “But I know how to find them.”

“Whatever you say,” Shawn said, rolling his eyes. He was getting tired of this girl’s word games. “Let’s just get to my room. I’m very tired from the journey.”

“I will, as soon as I learn something about you. What are you really doing here in King Dukemot’s mansion, Shawn? I suspect you didn’t come all this way just to trade gold for a girl.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It’s a lot of gold,” Shawn said, raising his eyes.

“A lot more than you’ve ever seen, I’m sure. But is it enough for a kingdom?”

“A kingdom? How should I know the answer to that, I’m just a bounty hunter.”

“Of course you are,” Valery said with a giggle. “You look very threatening in your little coat and boots. And, oh my, is that a dagger on your hip? Careful with that blade, it looks sharp.”

First Markus, then Dukemot, now her? Something was suspicious about the way everyone was acting. They knew much more than they were letting on. Someone close to the Protectors must have beat them to Denengear. “Do you know anyone named Gale or Silvan?”

“Can’t say I do. But I know you. You’re Shawn McCully, the hero from the Battle for the Beacons, the one who defeated Goroth and Duncan.” Valery reached out to touch Shawn’s chest again, but he grabbed her wrist before she could.

“How did you know that?” Shawn asked with a fierce whisper. “Who told you?”

“The same person who told me that you’re looking for a cure to that awful disease, the Gray Death.” A smile grew across her face that was sharp enough to cut bone.

Shawn could smell the perfume on her skin. “What do you want from me?”

“I need your help,” she said, her smile dying with the words. “And you need mine.”

“I don’t need anyone’s help. I can do this on my own. I have friends here, friends who can help me.”

“No you don’t,” Valery said, sounding amused. “Not yet. But you will if you follow me. I’ve lived in this mansion my entire life. I know all of its secrets. I can help you find what you’re looking for, Shawn. For a price.”

“You know how to find the cure?” Shawn asked, almost too stunned to make his lips move.

“I do,” Valery said. “It’s inside Shaleah’s lab. But first I need you to help me with something.”

The world was rushing at Shawn like a wind tunnel spraying neon lights and screaming sounds past his ears. Could that really be true? He let go of Valery’s wrist at once. “Help you with what?”

Valery smiled and walked around Shawn, dragging her fingers across his shoulder as she circled him. “I’ve been looking for something, too,” she whispered behind his ear. “A Crystal. And I’ve been looking for this Crystal for a lot longer than you’ve been looking for a cure.”

“What kind of Crystal?” Shawn asked as he leaned away from her lips.

“The kind that can change the whole world.” she turned around and looked into his eyes.

Shawn faced away, instinctively trying to hide the blue fire in his pupils. He thought about what she was asking and remembered Shaleah. He didn’t know Valery well, but she didn’t seem dangerous. Having someone to guide him here would be invaluable. As resourceful as the Protectors could be, Valery was right, this wasn’t Gale or Silvan’s home. It could take weeks to find the cure, and Talmoria didn’t have time for that. If what Valery was saying was true, he and Manie could have the cure and be back to the North before anyone could think to blink.

“What does it do?” Shawn asked, looking back at Valery.

“It allows the wielder to speak to the dead.”

“It lets you talk to the dead? Why would you want a Crystal like that?”

“I don’t know,” Valery said, shrugging. “Call it a hobby. I like to talk to dead things–makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

Shawn never thought death could be a thing to draw a person’s interest. “Are you serious? You like to talk to dead things?”

Valery smiled and raised her hands over her shoulders. “What can I say, the graveyard was my favorite place to spend time as a kid.” She looked up into Shawn’s eyes like a hurt puppy. “Or maybe I just miss my dad.” She stuck out her lip and frowned, clasping her hands together in front of him.

She knows about my father. It was a threat in the form of a cute girl's exaggerations. For an instant, Shawn wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with his dad if it was really possible. Back home, that sort of thing was impossible. But here in Talmoria, maybe it wasn’t. “Why do you need my help? We just met.”

“Well, if you really are who you say you are-”

Shawn interrupted her to say, “I never said I was anyone.”

Valery smiled, closing her eyes as she turned to the floor. “Well, if you really are who I think you are, then that means you have Mikhail’s gift.” She turned her eyes back to Shawn’s. “You would be able to unlock the seal on the temple where the Crystal I want is hidden. No one else can get me inside that place.”

Shawn let out a deep sigh and put his palm against his forehead. Here I go again. “Isn’t there anything else you want?”

Valery’s smile dropped in displeasure. “Sure there is, Shawn. Lots of things. But you can’t give me those things.” She sounded frustrated. “The only thing I want from you is your blood and the forgotten power that flows inside it. If you can’t lend that power to me for but a night, then perhaps it's best for both of us if you just find the cure yourself. In that endeavor, I wish you luck. You’ll certainly need it.” Valery turned and started to leave the dining room, but Shawn grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“Wait… Okay, so I help you get this Crystal so you can talk to the dead, and you’ll help me find the cure to the disease?”

“That was the agreement.”

It seemed like his best chance of finding the cure. “Deal,” Shawn said, twisting her wrist so he could shake her hand. He wanted to kick himself, but having this girl as his guide seemed like it would be the quickest path to a cure, and Talmoria couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

Valery smiled, her eyes like a dark sunrise. “I’m glad you came to your senses, Shawn. Very glad. You’ll need them sharp where we’re going.”

“Where’s that?” Shawn asked, regretting his decision already.

“The Forest of Forgotten Dreams,” Valery said, eyes half open. “That's where the temple is hidden. It’s been lost for hundreds of years, but I know how to find it. I found a map.”

“Is it far away?” Shawn asked. I just got to Denengear, is it smart to leave so soon? he wondered. What about Manie? But he knew he couldn’t acknowledge her.

“Not particularly,” Valery said. “It’s just outside the city. But first, we need to get some gear for the journey. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

“Okay…” Shawn said, letting out a deep sigh. The plan he and Manie had come to Denengear with was already in shreds, and they’d only just arrived. Perhaps Gale and Silvan would find a way if he and Manie couldn’t. “Let’s go…” Shawn said, looking back at the doorway he’d seen Manie disappear into, wondering once more if he’d ever see her again. This is only temporary, he told himself. The next time we see each other, I’ll have the cure to the disease in hand, and then everything can finally go back to normal.