James Islington - The Shadow Of What Was Lost

Karaliene watched him for a long moment, eyes narrowed. She looked… puzzled. As if she had been expecting an entirely different reaction.

"Were you trying to run?" she asked. "How did you get out of the Shackle?"

Caeden was silent for a few seconds, trying to think of how best to explain everything. "I wasn’t running. I planned to come back," he said. "I was told that there was a man in the city who knew something about my past. I went to visit him, but it was a trap." He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tone.

Karaliene studied him, looking sceptical. "And you couldn’t have just asked for my permission to see him?"

"It was… complicated," said Caeden, the words stumbling off his tongue. He grimaced, knowing how evasive and vague the answer sounded.

Karaliene frowned a little, but still looked more perplexed than angry. "Then you should probably do your best to explain it," she said quietly.

Caeden hesitated but eventually sighed, nodding. He could see from the princess' expression that anything short of the whole truth would probably land him in the dungeons.

He took a deep breath, and told her everything he could about his meeting with Alaris.

His throat was hoarse by the time he was done. Karaliene watched him for a long few seconds, her expression unreadable. Then she rose, crossing to the basin and pouring a glass of water. She sat back down opposite Caeden, offering him the drink silently.

He gave her an appreciative nod, taking a long swig, using the moment to brace himself for whatever was about to come.

"They were Blind, weren’t they," said Karaliene, her voice soft.

Caeden blinked in surprise at her gentle tone, but nodded his confirmation. “I think so.”

“And you killed them all?" Karaliene watched him closely. "The Administrators found the bodies last night - it’s supposed to be a secret, but the entire palace has been talking of nothing else this morning.”

Caeden nodded again, a little awkwardly this time. “I had to,” he admitted. He didn’t mention that he had left Havran Das alive. If the man had information about who Caeden really was, then Caeden needed to find him before anyone else.

Karaliene bit her lip. “My uncle has ordered Dras Lothlar to examine their armour. Is that what made them so quick? When they caught me, it was like… I was stuck in glue. Every time I tried to hit them, one of them would catch my wrist before I could swing.” She shivered. “And they were strong . Stronger than they should have been, I’m sure. That wasn’t my imagination, was it?”

Caeden shook his head. “No,” he said quietly.

Karaliene looked at him in silence for a while. Gone were the hard, disapproving glares from their earlier meetings. Now she just seemed… curious. “I saw you,” she said eventually. “I saw you move towards them. You were so fast. And graceful, like….” She shook her head at the memory. “You were almost a blur, even compared to them.” She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

Caeden shrugged. “It’s the same as what happened with the Shackle. I have these… other abilities, when I need them. I can’t control them, though. That’s one of the reasons Taeris wants me to get my memory back - so I can understand those abilities, use them against the Blind.” He hesitated. “He thinks I may be an Augur.”

Karaliene nodded. “That sounds about right,” she murmured, almost to herself. She bit her lip. "So what do you want?"

Caeden stared at her blankly. "Want?"

Karaliene made an impatient gesture. "For saving me. We both know you didn’t have to do it."

Caeden frowned. "Of course I had to do it. Those men would have killed you." Taeris had said much the same thing, but he couldn’t understand it - leaving Karaliene to the Blind had never been an option, and the idea that anyone thought it had been was vaguely offensive. "It wasn’t for some sort of reward."

There was a long silence as Karaliene continued to stare at him like a puzzle in need of solving, until Caeden began to grow uncomfortable.

Finally the princess leaned forward. “So you knew that being caught outside the palace could end in your being thrown in prison. You knew I’d followed you. Despite that, you fought off five men, then carried me back here – not just to the palace, but to my own rooms." Her eyes narrowed. "And you want nothing for this?” Her face was impassive, not giving away even a hint of what she thought of that particular scenario.

Caeden hesitated. "Not being thrown in prison would be nice," he said cautiously.

There was another long silence, then Karaliene gave an abrupt, disbelieving laugh.

"You’re serious." She gave a rueful shake of her head, eyes shining for a moment as she looked at Caeden.

He smiled back, a little dazed. “So… you’re not angry?”

Karaliene stared at him, a half-smile on her lips. “No." She brushed a stray strand of blond hair back behind her ear. "It seems I have misjudged you,” she added, sounding like she rarely made such admissions. She glanced towards the door. “Have you seen much of the palace?”

Caeden shook his head.

The princess stood. “Then perhaps I should show you around.”

Caeden stood too, noting the still-dark sky outside the window. "At this hour, Your Highness?"

Karaliene gave him an amused look. "I would like to continue this conversation," she said, still smiling, " but I’m not sure that the two men outside your door would believe that was what was happening in here if we stayed much longer. They don’t need to accompany us, but they will certainly be more comfortable if we’re not locked away together."

Caeden gave a nervous laugh, trying not to look flustered. "Then lead the way, Your Highness. I’d be honoured."

Karaliene snorted. “And no need for the formalities, Caeden. You saved my life. In private, you can call me Kara.”

Caeden ducked his head, still a little bemused at the turn of events. “I will.”

They walked to the door. Karaliene opened it and immediately she was cold and formal once again; to Caeden’s eyes she grew six inches, somehow seeming to tower over the muscular bodyguards waiting outside.

“You may leave us,” she said in a peremptory tone. “I am going to show Caeden around the grounds. Your presence is no longer required.”

The shorter of the men gave her a nervous look. “Highness, if I may suggest -”

“No.” Karaliene cut him off with a slicing gesture. “No discussion. I know my father and uncle worry about me, but I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

The guard opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Karaliene silenced him as effectively as a slap to the face. Caeden tried to hide his amusement, but he still got a dirty stare from both men as they wandered off, their expressions sullen.

Once the men were out of sight, Karaliene relaxed again, and they began walking – not aimlessly, exactly, but at a companionable stroll, chatting about small things as they went.

Caeden’s nervousness soon faded away. The princess was easy to talk to, even charming now that she had dropped her formal facade, and Caeden found himself enjoying the conversation. At certain points, though, he had to remind himself of their respective positions. There was a warmth to Karaliene’s expression now when she looked at him, and she certainly showed no signs of wanting to be elsewhere… but she was still the princess. He knew that this newfound friendliness was nothing more than her expressing her gratitude.

Even so, time passed faster than Caeden would have credited, and it seemed only a few minutes later that they came to a balcony overlooking a wide-open courtyard, the now mid-morning sun bright in the sky. A squad of soldiers trained below, their swords flashing sporadically in the light. Caeden and Karaliene just watched for a while, the pleasant mood of the conversation lost as the reality of what was coming set in. The men below wore grim expressions; no-one laughed or joked as they worked.