Reaper Academy: Book One

Chapter TwentyThree: PLEASE REVIEW

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

“Where are we?” Articus immediately asked when he was through.

“In Capri,” Weryn said from over Akara’s head. The girl brushed passed Articus to lock the portal.

“Did you kill her?” Nina whispered from a secluded corner of the room. Loosing both Waylon and Cedrick was almost too much for her.

“No,” Articus replied just as quietly. “Celia got caught trying to leave. Nicolas and the Head Mistress were suspicious. I slit her throat but she healed within seconds after. Surprised me from behind when I attacked Nicolas. I don’t know if Celia made it out alive, I know I barely did.”

Nina only nodded.

“She knows I’m a Hunter too,” Articus added.

“It was inevitable,” Mia said as she patted her mare.

Weryn tossed Articus a large cloak and a bag of clothes. Nodding his thanks, Articus stripped off the blood stained clothes and quickly pulled on the fresh ones. He pulled out his long coat before he donned the oversized cloak with the deep hood. If they were in Capri, Articus had to hide his Ce’lian features.

Akara caught his eye as she rummaged through her pack. She pulled out a small package. “General Briar wanted me to give you this.”

Upon opening it, Articus found three things: a letter and two three golden striped pins. The later making his heart skip a beat.

Articus,

I’m sorry you had to be used like this. She knew of the Fourth Triangle and planned to use you as her weapon. I hope you have succeeded in your mission, for all of sakes. As a token of her appreciation, you have been promoted to Major. Since the law has yet to be changed concerning people born of peasant backgrounds, She has sent the request to the House’s Family Tree that you be adopted as a cousin. I hope you can forgive me my friend. See you in three days.

B

The letter had been written carefully so that no names were given away.

“Mother of Gods,” Articus gasped as the implications of the letter penetrated his mind. Mia curiously picked up the letter that Articus had unknowingly dropped. Her eyes slowly widened as she read it.

“This is great news Articus!” she said when she finished.

“No, it isn’t.” It was the first thing Articus thought the moment he read the ‘Family Tree’ part. “She is chaining me to her. Manipulative bitch.”

Before he came to Tekal, he would have never had interpreted the letter the way he had. Celia had told him once before that he would be able to catch things he would have normally missed. In essence, he’d get smarter and, at that moment, he wished for ignorance.

Blind bloody blissful ignorance.

Mia waved a dismissive hand and plucked the two three golden striped pins out of his hand. She pinned them on to each side of his shoulder and said, “Nonsense. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

“She is going to kill me,” Articus groaned.

Weryn gave a low whistle at the pins and shook his head.

Will, who couldn’t stand it any longer, made a hurry-up motion. “Come on. We still have to get to the other side of this gods-forsaken city to get to the next portal.”

Articus nudged Nina, snapping her back into reality. “Don’t worry. Waylon is too stubborn to die and Cedrick is too smart.”

She gave a small smile and nodded.

Without another word, Weryn lead them to a ramp. They had landed in someone’s cellar, similar to the Fishy Entrance.

Sunlight, bright and welcoming, crept through the cracks of the two doors at the end of the ramp. Weryn pushed the doors back and the group filed out. As Will had suggested, the city reminded Articus of Seq’l. It was a dump.

Beggars dotted the streets like flies over a carcass. “Lovely,” Nina murmured, her mood having changed slightly for the better.

“How far?” Articus asked.

Mia glanced back at Nina before she said, “To get to High Lord Vaunder’s estates we will have to take another portal. The closest portal to the Vaunder’s Estates is roughly a day’s travel. We will have to take lodging in Casenda, four hours from the portal we are about to take.”

Articus kept his eyes on the people as he followed Mia and her group to the next portal. As Will had said, it was on the other side of the city which took them close to an hour to get to. Unlike Seq’l, the nameless city they were in was much larger and had a lot more people.

The multinational group reached a low squat building that had a painting of a herb hanging in front of the door.

“A portal that Tekal’s mages have yet to find.” Weryn said from someplace inside Articus’s head.

Mia walked into the store and Articus heard a few words exchanged before Mia came back out. She led them around the store to another cellar. At the bottom of the cellar’s ramp, they came to another portal. As if it had all been rehearsed, Akara reached the portal and started dialing while everyone got into a line. By the time Articus had closed the two doors, the portal was activated. One by one they all walked through.

On the other side, Articus found a forest of all things. Having been use to civilization built around the portals, he was surprised to find overgrown vines and shrubs surrounding him.

Looking up at the sky, Weryn said, “We don’t have much time if we want to get to Casenda before nightfall.”

“Let’s pick it up a notch,” Mia said just as Akara hit the kill switch. Unlike Reapers, Hunters had to physically touch the symbols.

They all followed Weryn down a deer trail for half a league to a road that looked like a trader’s route. Their guide led them west.

Most of the trip was held in silence as everyone kept to their own thoughts. Articus thought Nina, who hadn’t said a single word during the ride, wasn’t being silent just because of Cedrick and Waylon’s disappearing act.

Her father. She is going to see her father who she thought she’d left for good. What a day.

Ghourd was mostly forest, like the surrounding area of Tekal. Articus had seen mountain tops in Capri but here he didn’t. It was a new lesson in geography for Articus since the Empire was mostly grassy plains with only a few sparse forests. He took in all the sights and sounds like a kid with a new toy. His enhanced senses had never been assaulted like the way he was being now.

Articus caught Mia smiling at him from the corner of his eye but when he looked at her she’d turn to Weryn, speaking in low voices. It was only polite for him not to eavesdrop but he was tempted.

Just as Mia had claimed, four hours later they reached Casenda. Casenda was a small town housing maybe two hundred people at the most. It was one of the many trading posts that dotted the various major cross roads. Since most of the town’s visitors were traders, there were more than a few inns that dotted the streets. The people that walked the streets were mostly Ghourdian but there were some Caprian and even a few Kalians.

Weryn led them to a seemingly random inn along the main road they had been traveling on but, upon entering, the innkeeper instantly cried, “My Lady! I didn’t receive a pigeon that you were coming!”

Mia flashed a smile at her and bowed her head by just a hair at the innkeeper’s graceful back breaking curtsy. Not once did the innkeeper look up. Articus wondered how the woman could do such a thing.

“I’m afraid it was a spontaneous decision. I have two guests with me today so please arrange for another room.”

“Of--course, my Lady. Room thirteen is open for your guest.” Articus got the feeling the woman was looking at him through her veil of hair before she said, “I will have the baths drawn for you as well, my Lady. Is that girl taking care of your horses? Good, good. Is there anything else that I may do for you, my Lady?”

“Have some food brought up to our rooms. We will only be staying for a night.”

I really don’t know my slave.

My slave, listen to yourself. She isn’t your slave any longer.

“Of course, of course, my Lady. It is as you wish.”

Mia didn’t bother with the woman and walked right passed her down the hall and took a right. Articus realized Weryn and the two kids had taken on the same stance as the innkeeper had--head down and quite.

Nina breathed, “Caprians,” as if it explained everything.

Mia stopped at one door and pointed to a door across from her that had a thirteen scrawled on it. “For you Nina.”

Nina smiled at Articus as she walked though and closed the door. He suddenly realized that the others had taken the room before Mia’s.

His redheaded ex-slave opened the door and settled her saddlebags off to the side. Articus hesitated.

“Are you going to just stand there all night?” Mia mused.

“You called me Articus earlier today,” he answered instead, dropping his bags next to hers and closed the door.

Articus saw steam coming from the bathtub and food on the small table in front of the only bed in the room. Damn they are quick.

“I did? I’m sorry Master. Forgive me.”

There was no hint of mockery in her voice.

“That’s not what I meant. I--Why am I in here?”

“You are posing as my lover. Have to keep up appearances.”

Articus blinked.

Mia turned on her heels and looked at him from across the room, near the bed. “And you are still my Master. You are going to bed aren’t you?”

One bloody bed.

“Like hell you are, my Lady.”

“If I remember correctly, you are a Ce’lian nobleman now.”

“And Maidens are slaves to their husbands, is that it?” It was out of Articus’s mouth before he could stop it.

He had learned there were two types of wives. The Roof Mistress and the Maidens. You could have only one Roof Mistress but a man could have multiple Maidens. There were social rules to what a Roof Mistress could do and what a Maiden could do. A slave could be a Maiden by taking on her master’s House but not a Roof Mistress. All in all, Articus thought it was silly. He couldn’t imagine having a wife let alone five.

“If you want to get technical…” Mia mused. She had a catlike look about her and it was making Articus uncomfortably comfortable.

Mia suddenly stopped her teasing and asked, “Do you love her?”

“What?”

“Do you love her?” she repeated.

Articus busied himself with unbuckling his weapon belt and tried for stupidity. “Who?”

Mia rolled her eyes and started shedding her riding dress she had dawned on after they had taken the second portal. “Celia.”

He decided to go the defensive route. “Why do you ask?”

“You know why.”

It was the exact answer he didn’t want to hear. Articus dutifully looked away from the woman’s naked body. While he had seen it all, it wasn’t helping the situation.

“I don’t even know if she is alive. And--and love is a strong word.”

“So you like her?” she said as she advanced to him. When she reached him, she started prying off his clothes, not at all in a rush. He focused his eyes on the choker he had given her seemingly eons ago.

This is unreal.

“I suppose. I--I haven't really given much thought in a future. I was married to the Vanguard and… and I just haven’t given much thought.”

Real smooth there Lordling.

“What are you afraid of?” Mia whispered all too breathily for Articus’s ears.

“I’m not afraid,” he said defensively as the last of his clothes fell to pool around his ankles. “It just never occurred to me that I’d live to see forty.”

“And now that you will see four-hundred?” Mia pressed.

“Mia…Please, not now.” It came out more of a plea than a sigh.

She exhaled and leaned her head against his chest like she had before. Articus took in the smell of her flowery soap.

“Let’s go to bed,” he almost croaked. His throat had gone parched.

Mia leaned more into him until he was sure he was the only support she had.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m normally not this forward. You just--”

Articus smiled at the words and brushed her hair back. She looked up at him and he saw the Mia he had always known. Slave or Lady, she was still Mia.

The woman grabbed his forearm and led him to bed. He wasn’t sure where their relationship would go, or even if they had a future, but Articus knew she wanted it and would wait for him to make up his mind.

When she reached the bed, Articus stopped.

“What is it?”

The thing that had been gnawing at Articus since they had left Tekal suddenly clicked.

“Celia.”

Mia looked taken aback.

Articus shook his head and then frowned. “Celia had taken me to the stables portal, not the Guardian’s room. Directly from Ce’l.”

“But… that’s not possible.”

“I know,” Articus rubbed his forehead. “It doesn’t make sense. How does this fit?”

Mia’s foot snaked itself between his legs and hooked his thigh, pulling him into bed unceremoniously. “Tomorrow, Master. Tomorrow.”

She moved her head up into his shoulder as she had done the previous night and curled into him.

“Mia?”

She rubbed her face into his arm comfortably, “Hmm?”

“Call me Articus.”

“Okay Master.”