Chapter 3

As he crossed the bridge alongside Kemon, with his aides trailing behind, Noah tried very hard not to look down below, where the bottom of the moat was thick with long sharpened stakes.

On the other side, the fortified wall connected to a main gate with two half-towers and a portcullis in between. A guard on top of one of the towers, torch in hand, exchanged a few words of greetings with Kemon, and the portcullis was lifted for them.

They advanced onto a path lined with wind-rustled pine trees, softly bathed in moonlight, for some thirty yards then reached another wall and another guard post. Again, a look and a word from Kemon Clay and in they went through the gates.

Stable men carrying lanterns came for the horses. Noah unbuckled his saddlebags and slung them over one shoulder before handing over Shadow's reins. Then he fell back in step with Kemon, the white gravelly path crunching underfoot. The castle loomed before them, and Noah had to crane his neck to see the top of the keep.

They climbed the massive stone steps and passed the ridiculous high doors, using a smaller gate inset. Kemon led the way in silence, their heavy steps echoing across the halls, until they found themselves in a vast high-ceilinged room with marble columns and candelabras that didn't provide enough light to illuminate the dark corners.

"You may go," Kemon said to the three in black and blue.

They thanked him with synchronized bows and left.

"Not too keen on conversation, are they?" Noah pointed out.

"Just follow me," Kemon said. "And please be quiet."

They crossed the room, sidestepped a column and turned into a discreet side hall.

"So," Noah said, "what's it like having the name of a god?"

"It's just a name. We're almost there," Kemon announced.

~ I don't like him. ~

Apparently Kemon possessed the ability to differentiate one particular plain door from a row of identical ones running the length of a dim, narrow hall.

He knocked softly and a feminine voice instructed to come in. Kemon pushed the door open, gesturing for Noah to step inside. The small windowless bedroom became very crowded; two women stood waiting with two wolf-dogs at their feet, and a young man lay still on the bed.

What caught Noah's attention, though, was one of the two women, because he knew her. Very well. Kitera T'Sherazee, Mikael's eldest daughter and the closest thing Noah had to a sibling. She was supposed to act as a spy for their magic cult by posing as a maid at the castle. Except she didn't look like a maid.

Her uniform had clearly been tailor-made for her tall, athletic body. The high black boots, tight trousers and blue-lined jacket fit her like a second skin, with the blue star emblazoned on the left side of the jacket. Her long brown tresses were combed back and tied behind her head. Wide dark eyes stared at Noah, her surprise at seeing him reflecting his own.

"Highness," Kemon bowed, "it so happens that Master Victor Starborn regrettably passed away, but allow me to introduce his son, Noah Starborn, who is quite confident he can save Jaden."

Quite confident might be a bit of a stretch.

Choosing to ignore Kitera's raised eyebrow, Noah's gaze shifted to the queen. He had heard she was the most beautiful woman in Fellera, but he had labeled those the words of fools exaggerating everything for attention.

It was not an exaggeration.

~ Oh, so you've seen all the women in Fellera? ~

Queen Tessa Nightvale was lithe and graceful, her skin pale and smooth, her lips full, her eyes the deepest shade of blue he'd ever seen.

"What I'm about to reveal is secret information," she said. "I shall appreciate your discretion."

"Of course," Noah said.

She spared Kemon a glance. "You may leave us."

The soldier bowed then left, closing the door behind him.

Queen Tessa's fingers scratched one of the wolf-dogs behind the ears as she spoke to Noah, her voice soft.

"My brother has just returned from a perilous mission in the city of Treon. He infiltrated a black magic cult, you see. They follow a man who calls himself the Dragon. Do you know of them?"

"I don't," Noah lied. The Dragon's cult was the most famous in their part of the world. Of course he knew about it. But a simple, non-mage, honest working man wouldn't.

For a moment the queen simply observed him, and he couldn't help but let his gaze wander on her pearly blonde curls and night-blue dress, heavy skirts offsetting the tightness of her corset. Her waist seemed so small that Noah wondered how she could breathe. Atop her head rested a silver headpiece with a blue star pendant adorning her forehead, and around her neck was a delicate chain with an opal pendant, this one in the shape of a crescent moon.

"Jaden proved successful in spying on the cult from within, albeit not for long," she continued. "He was found out and cursed by the black mages. My healer claims this curse should have killed him. She tells me magical curses don't always work the same way on different people. It would appear my brother is fighting this. My healer is good, Master Noah. The best I know. Yet she can't help him. The information he gathered on this assignment has great value to me. Should you heal him, the reward will be considerable, as I'm sure Lord Kemon has already informed you."

"He has," Noah said. "I'll see what I can do."

Approaching the narrow bed, Noah noted the resemblance between the queen and her half-brother. Alhough Tessa Nightvale's pallor looked eerily beautiful and right now Jaden's appearance was ghastly, with dark circles under his eyes and dry lips. He seemed as skinny as a rake under ill-fitting clothes.

"My healer gave him a dose of sleeper's fix for the pain," the queen explained.

"Right. Good choice," Noah said.

Kili?

~ This will cost you. ~

I don't care. And obviously he can't have a mark. Take it all out on me.

It would be unwise to leave the queen's brother all healed up with a big black mark to show for it. Noah might as well confess to black magic practice and find his own way to the dungeons.

~ Can't you find money for your travels some other way? ~

He could ask Kitera. Or he could just camp outside in the cold, eating the last of his flatbread and dried meat for a couple of days instead of spending his nights at nice inns.

But this wasn't just about the reward anymore. He'd had such a shitty day, and then somehow, somehow he'd ended up here of all places, in the royal castle, pretending to be a healer.

"Master Noah?" Queen Tessa called. "What are your thoughts?"

Kitera cleared her throat. "I assume your materials are in those bags, Master?"

"Yes, my materials, of course." Noah tossed his saddlebags to the foot of the bed. "But I'd like some privacy, if you don't mind. I always work alone, you see."

The queen hesitated. "I'm not quite sure . . ."

"I believe it is common for healers to make such a request, Your Majesty," Kitera said.

"All right, then." Tessa gathered her skirts. "Onyx, Warrior, come on now."

The dogs followed her obediently out of the room.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Kitera hissed at him the second they were alone.

"And you do?" he replied. "Since when are you a guard?"

"Since when are you a healer?"

The queen's voice came from the hall, "Kitera?"

Kitera's gaze darted from Jaden to Noah. "I know I couldn't pull this off. You never talk about it, but I'm not an idiot. I know your demon's more powerful than you let on."

When Noah didn't reply, Kitera stepped out and shut the door, leaving him alone with Jaden.

"All right," Noah whispered, "let's see what this stupid curse looks like."

He pressed his hands to Jaden's chest, feeling his bones through the shirt's fabric. Jaden seemed very cold, as though deprived of body warmth. But he was breathing still.

Every time Noah used magic, an inhuman, otherworldly energy coursed through his veins, yet he wasn't afraid. He'd never been afraid of Kili.

~ You were a little bit afraid, in the beginning. ~

You take pleasure in ruining my inner monologues, don't you?

~ Yes. ~

Noah focused on Jaden, feeling out the curse that afflicted him. There was something wrong with his blood, a taint or poison. He focused his energy on absorbing this curse into himself.

~ It won't work just like that. ~

Knowing what she meant, Noah drew out one of his knives and made a shallow cut across his palm. He took Jaden's hand and cut his skin in the same way. His eyelids fluttered, but he didn't wake up. Noah held Jaden's hand tight in his own, and tried again.

This time, he felt it. From Jaden's blood to his own, the taint left a trail of fire that seemed to burn him from within, as though he'd swallowed liquid fire and it was now spreading down his limbs. He clutched the bed frame with his free hand and gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to cry out as his body was stormed by waves of searing pain.

Then it was over as abruptly as it began, and he was left panting, beads of sweat trickling down his temples. The burning sensation was completely gone, only the memory of it remained.

A familiar tingling spread across the skin of his chest and neck. Noah opened up his coat and tugged at his collar, trying to see as much as he could of the fresh black lines that twined from the side of his chest and up to his neck. He couldn't see how high it went, but from the lingering itch, the black mark reached past his collarbone.

A charm to hide in the summer, that one.

~ Told you it would cost you. ~

Oh shut up.

He glanced at the young man whose life he'd just saved as he heard a whisper.

"Matt?"

Jaden's eyes were grey rather than blue, but the resemblance with his half-sister struck Noah again.

"Um, no, that's not me," Noah said. "How are you feeling?"

But his eyes closed again, frowning as though the candlelight was hurtful. He still had a fever. He whispered something incomprehensible before passing out. At least some color was returning to his face.

Leaning over the nightstand, Noah dipped a cloth into the pitcher's water to clean the cut on his palm, then he grabbed another dry cloth to tie around his hand as a makeshift bandage. He did the same for Jaden's hand.

A wave of exhaustion crashing over him, Noah went to gather up his bags. He just wanted to get out of here.