The Ghost Princess (Graylands Book 1) Read online

  The wine available with the meal didn’t help. Not without some bitterness, she drank only water.

  It was early evening when they finished and left the farm. Once they were back on the main road, Katrina demanded, “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Could you be more specific?”

  “Back in Dictum, the Sentries found the house you were staying in,” she said. “The place was ransacked. We thought you were taken or killed by the pirates. Where the hell were you?”

  “I’m afraid that was a close call,” said Kader. “After you—erm—refused me, I decided I would continue my search on my own. When I returned to the boarding house, I found men—whom I assume were pirates—breaking in through the window. Naturally, I left Dictum right away.”

  “Why didn’t you come to the Sentries?”

  “I told you, Ms. Rien, secrecy is of importance to my mission. I would not involve the Sentry Elite or Guardian Mages unless I felt it absolutely necessary.”

  Katrina cringed and bit her lip, resisting the impulse to punch him.

  “I fail to see how this concerns you, Ms. Rien. You made it quite clear you had no interest in my mission, and I would’ve expected the Sentry Elite to be capable of keeping you safe from any further attacks.”

  “Do you have any idea of the shit I’ve been through for the past few days? Since I met you, I’ve dealt with assassins, the Enforcer, pirates, and demons. I’ve almost been killed three times, and guess what..? I think I found your mystery girl!”

  Kader had looked bored and irritated with her, but his expression instantly changed. “You what..? You found her? How do you know? Where is she? Who..?”

  “Hold on,” she said. “First, you explain to me what’s going on. Why are people after her, and what do you plan to do with her?”

  He sighed and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. “Very well,” he said. “I suppose I might as well tell you. I’m sure you know the story of the Dark Emperor—said to have united the demons of the Dark Lands under one banner and later invade, hoping to conquer the Realm.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said. “The Great Dark War. I know my history.”

  “At the end of the war, after the Emperor was killed, it was said one day a new one would take his place. Reunite the Dark Lands under one ruler, breach the borders, and consume the Realm in a new dark age.”

  “That’s just legend, though. I can tell you a dozen other ‘end of the world’ stories.”

  “You may be right, Ms. Rien. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who would see themselves as potential Dark Emperors. One such individual is a warlock by the name of Jacob Daredin. He believes it his destiny to unite the demons under his banner and claim the Black Throne.”

  “Okay. So where does this girl of yours fit in?”

  “It is said there is a girl,” Kader continued, “marked by birth, who may mean the difference between a new Dark Age and everlasting peace. They say she is the last descendent of holy men that helped bring about the Dark Emperor’s defeat. If Daredin sacrifices this girl—stamps out the light in her soul—he will achieve a power over evil not seen in ages. I have spent my life trying to find this girl before he does.”

  “Who is she? Do you know her name?”

  “I’m afraid not. At least not exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was given a clue: ‘the thorn of a lily.’”

  Katrina shivered. “Lily,” she choked out. “It has to be her.”

  She told Kader of how she encountered Lily. How she knew nothing about her past or family, and how she claimed she was being followed. As she told the story, Kader’s face grew increasingly ashen and stern.

  “It’s her,” he said. “It must be. She’s the one. Where is she now? Where did you last see her?”

  “We were separated in the woods when the pirates and demons attacked. I think ... they might have her.”

  “Oh no,” he choked out, sounding like the life had been drained from his body. “Then I haven’t much time. Daredin must sacrifice her under the Devil’s Moon.”

  “Where would he be taking her?”

  “I believe there are ruins south of Fane. I understand it is a place of evil.”

  Katrina shivered again, remembering Marcus told her of the growing evil in the south. She recalled he mentioned ancient ruins.

  “He’ll sacrifice her there, I’m sure of it,” Kader said. He mounted his horse and prepared to leave. “Thank you, Ms. Rien, but I’m afraid I have no time.”

  There was a moment’s hesitation in Katrina’s mind, thinking of how she almost froze up during the fight. But she pushed it aside. Whether she was ready to face down demons and sorcerers or not, Lily was in danger, and she needed to help her.

  I gave her my word.

  “Kader, wait,” she said. “I’m going with you.”

  * * *

  It was night when Krutch woke up. He was cold, damp, uncomfortable, and he couldn’t see anything. For a second, he thought he was dead, but he saw a faint hint of moonlight painting the land with a dull shade of blue-gray that only crept into the very edge of the cave. Sitting at the entrance, looking like a silhouette, he saw Lily studying his gun.

  “I didn’t start a fire,” she said, seeing he was stirring. “Just in case.”

  “Aren’t you cold..?”

  “No. Why, are you..?”

  “I’ll live.”

  He pushed himself upright and the horrors he subjected his body to throughout the day came back in shocking clarity. He’d be stiff and sore for days—and worse, it would be days before he would even be close to finding a safe, comfortable place to sleep.

  “What were you doing back there?” asked Lily. “What is this thing?”

  “That’s my gun,” he said, leaning against the cave wall, grimacing and groaning. “I thought I might stop him with it.”

  “Oh,” she said, tonelessly. “I’ve never actually seen one.”

  “Yeah. The guy who gave it to me said they’re very rare. Even rarer to find one that works.”

  “And yours does..?”

  “Except for killing the Enforcer—yeah, it’s worked so far.”

  He felt uneasy seeing her with his weapon, but then recalled it wasn’t loaded. He patted his pocket and felt the four remaining shells still there. He worried where he’d find more, but decided not to think too much about it.

  Lily stood up and approached him, and he was suddenly struck by how lovely she looked in the moonlight. Then she punched him in the face.

  “What was that for?!” he whined as she pressed her foot down on his head. “Oh shit, you’re a bounty hunter, aren’t you?”

  “Why are your men after me?” she demanded.

  “Huh..?”

  She pressed more weight on him and said, her crimson eyes seeming to burn in the dark, “Why are you after me?”

  Krutch was never good with names or faces. He’d been roped into plenty of misadventures involving people he never bothered to remember. It occurred to him then she might be someone his gang had previously robbed or harassed and he didn’t remember.

  “And you are..?” he asked.

  “What..?” She hesitated, and he could see even in the dark she looked baffled by his response. She frowned and pressed down again. “I’m the person you’ve been trying to kidnap, you idiot! What do you want from me? Who hired you?”

  “What’s your name, again?”

  “Lily Blackthorn,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You mean to tell me you don’t even know who you’re kidnapping?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The only kidnapping I know of is the Rien lady.”

  “You don’t ... wait. Rien..?” She hesitated again, and her eyes widened. She lifted her foot off Krutch’s face and then took him by his lapels. “Katrina..? You mean you guys were after Katrina?”

  “Who’s Katrina?”

  “The woman I was with.”

  “Who’s that?” />
  Like Katrina had, Lily bit her lip in frustration. Taking measured breaths, she said, “I was traveling with a woman. She introduced herself to me as Rien, but her real name is Katrina. We were attacked by your pirates today, and we thought they were after me.”

  “Ohhhh,” said Krutch, rubbing his cheek. “Well, first of all, they’re not my pirates. Not anymore anyway—I’m not even supposed to be here. Second ... no. We were hired to kidnap a woman with black hair and a white streak named Rien.”

  Lily stood up and walked to the edge of the cave. She paced around, looking like she was trying to figure something out and growing more worried with each passing moment.

  Finally, she turned to Krutch and asked, “You said someone hired you. Do you remember who it was?”

  “Yeah. It was some guy named Kader.”

  Part III

  Crossroad

  14

  Six days before Rasul Kader would meet Katrina Lamont in a small dive-bar in Dictum, Krutch Leeroy sat in the same bar, nursing his beer. Lemmy Hobbs was beside him, drinking from his own pint. He’d been dragged from his crap-shack bungalow, forced into an exhausting ride west, and all he could think of was finding the right time to flee.

  Hobbs hadn’t said much about the job Vicar Frost set them up with. All Krutch gleamed was they were going to meet the man actually hiring them in the bar. He didn’t care or want to know. Bad enough he should be roped into another misadventure by Hobbs, but the fact it should originate in some way from Vicar Frost was worse.

  “I’m going to grab another brew,” said Hobbs with a burp.

  The Vicar may have been the man that gave Krutch his gun, but he was always a shifty and shady man, never to be trusted. He spoke in riddles, always seemed to have some hidden agenda, and at all times acted like he knew something you didn’t. In fact, no one could even say what exactly he was a Vicar of. He always wore dozens of religious symbols and talismans, suggesting he was a man of several unrelated faiths.

  Krutch didn’t know much about being a real pirate or thief, but he at least learned putting one’s faith in Vicar Frost was always a gamble.

  He considered making an escape while Hobbs was getting more beer, when he heard a pleasantly slick voice behind him say: “Mr. Leeroy.” The speaker approached—a young man with long, well-groomed brown hair, elegant clothes, and wearing glasses. He sat at the opposite end of the small table and said, “Very nice to meet you.”

  Krutch said nothing.

  “Hey,” said Hobbs, returning from the bar with a pair of overflowing mugs of beer in each hand. “This is the guy Frost told me about, boss.”

  “Yes. My name is Kader. Rasul Kader, and I have a proposition for you.”

  Krutch stared at Kader, glanced at Hobbs, then looked at the beer in front of him and replied, tonelessly, “Neat.”

  “There is a woman,” Kader began. “She calls herself ‘Rien.’ She’ll be arriving here in town in less than a week. She is of great importance and most valuable to me.”

  “So, what..?” said Hobbs. “You need us to kidnap her or something?”

  “Not necessarily. Or at least, I’d rather it didn’t come to that. You see, Rien is not ... shall we say, inexperienced in combat. If at all possible, I’m hoping we can do this without violence.”

  “Oh, come on, man,” Hobbs said, laughing. “We can handle some broad.”

  “I’ve no doubt you can.” Kader smiled, and Krutch found it a little condescending. “I just feel this would be much simpler if I can convince her to come with me willingly.”

  “So what’s the deal?”

  “I intend to approach Rien when she arrives and request her assistance in a ... quest, if you will. If all goes well, she’ll accept and join me, in which case, what I’ll need from you is to act as ... an incentive. Something to help motivate her into following me.”

  “What if she turns you down?”

  “Again, I will need you to act as an incentive. Have some of your men attack her. If necessary, take her by force. If by some chance, she should elude you, then—”

  “Then she goes running to you,” Hobbs finished for him. “I get it. What do you think, boss..?”

  Krutch was barely paying attention. All he gathered was they were going to be tormenting some woman to trick her into being Kader’s buddy. “Why not just ask her straight up to go where you want her to go? Why this smoke and dagger shit?”

  “You have to understand, Mr. Leeroy,” said Kader. “Rien, you see, is a deeply ... troubled woman. She may very well be resistant, if not hostile. I’m hoping to orchestrate a scenario in which she will feel obligated to go along with me without resistance.”

  “And what happens next?” he asked. “What happens to her when all is said and done?”

  “That needn’t concern you, Mr. Leeroy. As I said, Rien is most valuable to me.”

  Krutch sneered and sipped his beer. Kader and Hobbs went over specific details of his plan, considering potential variables, but he paid no attention. He didn’t like being suckered into more pirate nonsense with Hobbs—he liked the idea of harassing a woman so she could be sold like property even less.

  If he was a different kind of man—if he was more like the Krutch Leeroy all the stories made him out to be—he might have drawn his pistol and shot them both right there.

  And maybe then, things would’ve been very different.

  * * *

  Krutch told Lily this story, explaining how Kader was turned down and they tried to kidnap/provoke her that night. Unfortunately, Rien—or Katrina, according to Lily—still wouldn’t go along with Kader and went to the Sentry Elite instead. Ever since, they’d been trying to take her by force, as was the back-up plan.

  “But I guess that’s all in the shitter,” he said, “now that freaking demons have entered the picture.”

  Lily was silent, rubbing her mouth. “But how do I fit into this?” she said, more to herself than him. “Did ... could Kader have known she’d meet me and assume I was the girl everyone was looking for?”

  “I remember he asked Hobbs if we had any women working for us,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Maybe he was going to have one of them pose as the, uh, girl or whatever, and, you know, you just happened along?”

  “Maybe,” she said. “But why this whole ‘girl’ story at all? If he wanted Katrina to follow him somewhere, why didn’t he just offer her money or something simple?”

  “I think the whole girl and destiny bit was supposed to really mean something to her. It would, like, push the right buttons and make her more willing to go along.” He chuckled. “I guess it sort of did—just not in the way he expected.”

  “No,” said Lily. “He was right though. Last night, when she told me she thought I was the one he wanted, she—she seemed to take it all ... personally.”

  “Do you know who she is? Kader didn’t tell us anything.”

  She shook her head. “I guess the question now is what happens next?”

  Krutch threw his hands up and said, “I don’t about you, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m getting the hell out of here, first chance. I’m washing my hands of this weirdness, and if Hobbs isn’t dead, he can have this freaking job.”

  Lily smirked and looked at him with curiosity in her eye. “You know,” she said, “you are not what I expected.”

  “No..?”

  “Just up and leaving at first opportunity,” she said. “To hear your story, you make it sound like you were dragged along, kicking and screaming. And then what you did with the Enforcer earlier. Just not what I expected from the infamous Krutch Leeroy.”

  “Bleh,” he groaned, sticking his tongue out. “Yeah, you don’t have to tell me about the ‘infamous’ Krutch Leeroy and my damn reputation.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He looked at her and was struck by how pretty she looked in the dim moonlight. She looked genuinely curious, and he wondered if it was worth trying to tell her the truth. Part of him thought he shouldn
’t believe her—that she was trying to get him to lower his guard. But for some reason, that part of him seemed far away and unconvincing.

  “You see, Lily,” he said, sighing, already thinking he was wasting his time. “My whole reputation—the whole ‘great-infamous-legendary Krutch Leeroy’ thing—none of it is true. It’s a curse. Literally, a curse.”

  She didn’t say anything, only looking more curious.

  “A few years ago, I kind of ran afoul of this sorceress ... or a witch ... whatever she was—don’t ask, long story. Anyway, she put a curse on me. See, I’m not a great warrior. I’m no thief. I’ve never been in a real fight in my life. I have allergies. I hate being outside. I hate ... doing things.”

  “So who are you..?”

  “Nobody,” he blurted out. “I’m just ... I’m just some guy. All I’ve ever wanted in my life is to sit on my ass and draw. But the witch, she cursed me with the worst thing a guy like me could ever have: a reputation.”

  “I don’t ... what does that mean..?”

  “You’ve heard all the stories about me. About how I did this, fought that guy, robbed these people, burned this, blah-blah-blah. But where do these stories come from? It’s always ‘they say’ Krutch Leeroy did this stuff. But who’s ‘they?’ Who is this ‘they’ everyone is always referring to, and how do ‘they’ know all this stuff about me?”

  Lily thought it over. “I ... I don’t know,” she said, surprising herself with the answer. “It’s just stuff you hear about.”

  “Yeah, and everyone believes it. So all I deal with are thieves trying to rope me into their gangs, Sentries trying to arrest me, bounty hunters trying to kill me, macho muscle-heads looking to kick my ass to prove how tough they are ... all I want is to be left alone.”

  “But how does that work? I mean, when these people see you, don’t they realize you’re not ...”

  “That’s part of the curse, too. Even when I tell someone, they don’t believe me. They always think I’m lying or trying to con them. Somehow everything I do gets twisted into some great plan or big scheme. I could collapse on the ground and start crying in the middle of a battle, and people will say I was just playing possum. It’s like this stuff goes on without me, but somehow everyone is convinced it was all my idea and my doing. Hobbs had this whole history between us in his head—hell if I know how he started believing it.”