Ashar'an Rising (Nexus Wars Saga) Read online

  She returned some time later, however, and he grinned at her foolishly, finding her devoid of the apron and carrying two more chalices and a leather bound bottle. She had changed into a black dress, light and split down both sides, sown from arm to hip with crossed silver lace. She wore dark slippers scaled like a fish, and her hair looked combed where before it had appeared disheveled from work. He rose as she sat without a word in the chair beside his and pressed one of the chalices into his hand, and he found his other was empty. He noticed Kaz at their feet, seemingly asleep, his big head resting between his paws, and he smiled.

  “What is this?” he asked curiously as he sat. It was not like ale or wine in that he knew he was not drunk, as he should have been having had about a dozen of them. His body still felt lethargic, but he had no trouble moving, and his mind was sharp though he remained light headedly euphoric.

  Kaylara regarded him with her enrapturing gaze, and he felt himself flushing slightly. She sipped daintily at her own drink, and he wondered how she showed no outward effect of it other than her eyes sparkling even more, until they looked like tiny green pastures covered with dew on a fresh winter morning.

  “It is called Kuratar's Wine, though who Kuratar was I do not know. Wonderful, is it not?” She said this as she raised the chalice before her, spinning it in her hand.

  Valdieron could only nod as he drank again. “Indeed it is. I would love to have some for the road.”

  Kaylara raised her brows approvingly. “That can be arranged.”

  Valdieron whooped with joy, then noticed the pile of coins before him and pushed them across to her. “Is this payment enough? I hope so, because I am all but out of gold.” He said this with a mischievous smile, but Kaylara regarded it without concern.

  “Payment is not necessary, Valdieron.” She pushed the coins back in front of him as he gaped at her incredulously. The he felt her foot lightly caress his leg, first low then creeping higher and he suspected she had an alternate payment plan. He flushed again, but did not look away as he regarded her boldly, wondering if it was the drink that made him so.

  He was drawn in by her charm as they began talking intimately. For all Valdieron could care the others in the room were nonexistent, answering her questions without heed to guard them, and asking some of his own. They laughed and touched, though she did most of the touching, her foot never resting and her delicate hands embracing his, removed every now and then to refill their chalices. Valdieron marveled that the bottle did not run dry, for it seemed they drank enough for more than two such bottles to hold. He excused himself once to relieve himself, not surprised he had to make room for the abundance of liquid he was consuming. When he returned, Kaylara was where he had left her, trailing a fingernail around the rim of her chalice and tilting her head as if to pick up some distant sound. She rose when he drew near and grasped his hand.

  “Let's get out of here.” He only nodded as she picked up the bottle of Wine, not bothering with the chalices. He gave Kaz a concerned look as they left.

  “Your gear will be safe there.” Kaylara's dulcet whisper swept away all of his misgivings and he let her lead him to the door of a room off the hall, the furthest away from the bustling taproom.

  The room beyond was plush and ornately furnished, not what he would have suspected, and he felt himself gazing wondrously about. Heavy velvet curtains covered the windows, with a marble mantle and hearth set in the right wall. In the middle of the room was a canopied bed, light red silk curtains swept aside by Kaylara as she pushed him down onto the soft matt. He gasped with shock, and saw her standing over him with a salacious smirk. With teasing slowness she slipped her dress from her shoulders and it fell from her figure at her feet and she stepped from it to kneel over him.

  He gasped again with shock and a stunned realization of what was happening. His mind reeled, though the lightness he felt did not dissipate. He began to think of many things to say as he thought of Natasha and Kitara, but a distant voice told him Natasha was his no longer and Kitara was a fantasy, already gone from his life, maybe permanently. He saw an image of her, fading into a dim outline and he shouted silently for it to remain. With sudden urgency he grasped Kaylara to push her away, but as his fingers touched her bare arms his gaze met hers, and Kitara's image fading into nothingness.

  Kaylara brought her lips to his and he met them with a cold detachment at first, as if still clinging to his sanity, but he let himself be carried away by her smoldering touch.

  “Come and share your pain with me, Kay'taari.”

  This strange remark fluttered on the edge of his awareness, but her kisses and tender caress drove it away like a leaf carried by the wind. With some urgency he met her force with his own. Though naive in this, he was not without understanding and willingness.

  The press of her warm body against his was purely sensational. Still in his mind he could hear the music, yet it had changed to a slow, emotional tune, which somehow reflected the moment and added to the pleasure. There was pain as she clawed at his skin with her long nails, but it was lost within the writhing pleasure of their unity and longing. He let his enhanced senses draw him into the experience, and he lost every other thought for the moment, the first time he had been able to in many weeks, as bliss carried him to new heights.

  Chapter 2

  Valdieron awoke from a deep but unusual sleep, unusual in that he had not entered the Dream Plane. He suspected it had something to do with the euphoric state his mind had been in.

  As awareness came to him, he wished immediately he had remained sleeping. A throbbing headache struck him as a faint light filtered through the edges of the curtained windows. He guessed it was only just dawn by the angle of the thin rays.

  Twisting his protesting head to the side, he found the bed empty beside him, though he did not know if that surprised him or not. Even with the intimate time he had shared with Kaylara, he had felt she was somewhat distant, eager to share the emotions of their coming together, but not letting herself be totally consumed by it.

  With a confused sigh that rattled from his dry throat, he coughed in his chest and settled his head back in the soft pillow. He stretched a leg across the bed as if searching for residual warmth from Kaylara's body, but there was nothing. This brought another sigh from him, though he did not know why. He felt he needed time to think now, so he was glad she was not there.

  If he dozed he could not remember, but his eyes snapped open at the quiet squeaking of the door swinging open. The room was no lighter than before, but still it hurt his keen eyes, which would have preferred the solitude of darkness. He did not shift his head far to have to see the doorway off to the right, and he suspected it was Kaylara returning.

  Two figures shifted through the dark doorway, and he recognized them instantly as the two men who had confronted him in the common room the previous evening. The older of the two entered first, his unshaven face twisting to peer at him on the bed, though Valdieron could tell he could not see him properly in the dim light. The handsome young man entered behind him, his face set with the same roguish smile as he looked around casually, pressing the door closed behind him.

  Valdieron guessed they were not here to bring him breakfast, and he made to rise when the first stranger spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.

  “It seems the job is done.” He chuckled softly as he began to skirt the room, towards Valdieron's discarded clothing and equipment.

  “Are you sure he is dead?” The younger man did not sound alarmed, merely curious.

  “You saw how much he drank. That was twice as much as any man could withstand, especially for their first time. Plus, who can say how much more he had up here.” The man eyed the empty jug on the table beside the bed and the two chalices nearby. “No! Either he is dead or in no condition to be of threat to us. Paralysis is a common side effect of the drug.”

  Valdieron was bemused by their words. Drug? The drink he had consumed had been different from any he had drunk before, but that was n
ot to say it hadn't been drugged. They spoke of death: had they tried to kill him? Why? He had guessed them to be nothing more than acrobats, and if they had wanted him killed it was an elaborate plan where a dagger in the back would have sufficed.

  He suddenly thought of Kaylara. Had she been a part of this? They did not name her, but she had been the one to bring him the drinks.

  The older man began to rummage through his clothing then, searching for something specific, it seemed.

  “He must still have it on,” offered the younger man at the door, leaning casually against the wall.

  Valdieron started, realizing instantly to what they referred, as the Dragon's Tear pendant was the only thing he was wearing beneath the blanket. Had Kaylara told them of the pendant? It was the only reasoning he could come up with at the time. She was in on it! She had plotted with them to kill him, but why? They could not have known who he was, and may have been after his sword. Perhaps they did this to many people passing through. Perhaps the Inn was a front for their crimes?

  He knew his sword was beside the bed, within easy reach, but what weapons did these two have that they could bring to bear on him? They were thieves, but how competent he was yet to know. If they were half as deadly as they were cunning, he might be in trouble.

  The one who had searched his clothes came closer, easily visible to Valdieron in the dim light, and he could see a slender sword belted at his hip beside a long knife. He wore the same clothes as the previous day, and looked tired. With his eyes all but closed, he watched the figure stop at his side.

  The unkempt man reached out and shifted the blanket from Valdieron's chest, revealing the pendant he had obviously been looking for as his eyes widened with glee and he reached for it.

  As he touched it Valdieron exploded into movement. Bringing his right hand across his body he struck the man in the face with the palm of his hand, smashing his nose with a sharp crack and a spray of blood. As if struck by an even greater force, the man was hurled backwards to slam against the wall, then slid limply to the floor.

  Stunned by the reaction, Valdieron was jolted from his shock as something thudded into the bed head beside his face and he turned to see a thin dagger quivering with its tip dug into the hard wood. He turned as the younger man moved again, stepping closer and cocking his arm.

  Rolling from the bed Valdieron had his sword in hand before a second dagger tore into the bed where he had just lain. He came to his feet and leapt towards the man who had drawn a sword of his own, long and slender with a dark blade. Valdieron noted as he rushed forward that the young man's face was twisted into a mocking smile, as if he had been waiting for the fight and expected to win.

  It became obvious his expectation was well founded as he easily defeated Valdieron's attacks and answered with a flurry of his own, fast and with the practiced ease of a veteran warrior. That he was an ordinary thief was out of the question, and Val would have pondered it further had he not needed all of his concentration to survive.

  The bedroom was not the most convenient location for a battle, as it hindered Val's movements. He was faster than the young man, something that would have aided him in an open area, but here he could not roll or jump away, and was forced to make desperate parries he would not normally have had to make.

  This seemed to surprise the young man, whose dark eyes widened as Valdieron rolled across the bed away from him; a lock of dark hair falling behind him an indication of how close the blade had come. He nodded commendably as he skirted the bed, but his smile remained as if the game had merely become more interesting for him.

  Anger began to overtake the surprise and shock Valdieron had initially felt, but above it all rose a feeling of hurt at having been deceived by Kaylara. Not that he was expecting what they had started to continue, but that she had used her body as bait to trap him made him almost ashamed he had fallen for it.

  With a growl he hefted his sword and narrowed his gaze on the young warrior stepping around the large bed to confront him. He marveled at not blushing at being naked, but knew such a reaction was ridiculous, considering he was in the middle of a fight for his life. He steeled his resolve and determined he would not let this stranger kill him.

  He parried two quick thrusts with arcing parries high then low, continuing with the low spin to arc his foot at the thief, who swayed back from it and came in again, his smile flashing momentarily to a surprised frown. The next attack started a flurry of diagonal slashes left and right at Valdieron's shoulders, and he was forced to block as he stepped slightly back under the force.

  Forced to make a move or be pressed back to the wall, Val feigned a straight kick as the thief leveled another slash. He was expecting it as he swept his sword down in a strike which would have severed Valdieron's leg had he continued with the kick, but Val reversed the direction, sweeping it up in a crescent at the man's face.

  Fear crossed the man’s features, as Valdieron had hoped for. Unlike his companion he was obviously vain, wearing clothes not ideal for thievery or tavern life. The vanity he felt for his features made him baulk away and throw his arms up to intercept the kick.

  Valdieron's foot knocked against them, but not hard, as the kick had been to set him up. He recovered quickly, and thrust his sword at the thief’s unprotected stomach, realization striking the man an instant before Valdieron's blade pierced him beneath the ribs.

  Valdieron pulled the blow sufficiently that he did not kill him, but his sword penetrated some distance, flicking his lower rib before he jerked it free and punched the man in the face with the hilt as he buckled forward, sending him reeling with a despairing cry that seemed more from anguish than pain. He landed on his back, his hands going first to his blood splattered face then to the pulsing wound at his sternum.

  Without waiting, Valdieron crossed to his clothing and jerked them on, casting a last look at both prone figures. The first man had not moved from where he had slumped to the floor, and Valdieron wondered what power the pendant had used to strike at him, for it had definitely been a reaction from the Tear which had thrown him away with such force, almost like a lightning strike. He looped his baldric over his shoulder but kept his sword out, wondering if there were any more from the taproom who were a part of this.

  Shouts were springing up around the Inn as he kicked open the door, suddenly feeling the pain of his protesting body and the aching of his head. A slight haze still enveloped the corridor and taproom as he emerged, only helping to worsen his ill feeling. Figures were fleeing across the room, whether patrons from the previous night or those enjoying breakfast he did not know, nor did not care as long as they did not confront him.

  Kaz and his other equipment were missing.

  Two men who looked like guards he had not noticed the night before rushed at him from across the room, both dressed in dark leather armor. One carried a single bladed axe, long and hooked with a spiked counterweight, while the other carried a spiked ball swinging on a short chain from a metal handle.

  Cursing this and his headache, he leapt at the man with the strange weapon as he swung it around his head. The guard reacted quickly, angling it across his body at Valdieron, who was forced to drag his chest back from its path, his sword dropping low and wide out of its path, knowing the chain could hook it and pull it from his grasp.

  The heavy ball slammed into a nearby chair, splintering wood and knocking it across the room, but Valdieron hardly noticed as he reversed his weapon into a spin, keeping it low so that it circled to catch the man behind the knees as he tried to bring the awkward weapon to bear. The flat of his sword connected with considerable force, knocking his feet from under him and he tumbled, hitting his head on a nearby table as he fell, rendering him unconscious ever before his head slammed into the hard floor moments later, and blood began to pool from a gash.

  The crescent shaped axe arced past Valdieron's face as he rose behind it, grimacing as it smacked into the floor, digging a groove into the stone where it struck. He backpedaled then
as the big guard reversed the long hafted axe with remarkable speed and sent it at his stomach. It passed within a hairs breadth, tearing a long cut in his shirt.

  Another double handed chop arced at his head, the guard buoyed on by his first two strikes, but Valdieron realized his opportunity and stepped to the side as the weapon descended. Despite his skill, the big man was not able to divert its path this time, especially as Valdieron batted it away with his sword, straight into the path of a table, where it dug into the hard wood.

  Valdieron released his left hand from the hilt of his sword and snapped his elbow into the man's face. His conical helm offered no face protection, and Valdieron's elbow caught him flush on the jaw. There came a loud crack of fracturing bone and his head snapped back. With his balance lost, he flailed backwards and he careened over several chairs before falling to the ground, dazed and inert.

  Determined to find his equipment and Kaz, Val scanned the room quickly, but it was deserted, the last of the patrons fleeing through the door with screams of surprise and fear. He paid them no heed as he heard yelling from the kitchen, but decided to check on the other bedrooms first.

  Most were empty and did not hold his belongings, while in one a young couple were just rousing on a curtained bed, clinging to each other as he entered, sword in hand. The woman screamed, while the man stared at him fearfully. Any other time he would have flushed at the sight of the half naked woman who was indeed pretty and womanly in all the right places, but his unblinking eyes scanned the room quickly. He winced as the woman screamed again, the high pitched sound reverberating through his already booming head. He frowned at her as he left with a frustrated growl.