The Halo Of Vakh (BOOK 1)

RIDICULOUS

Rueen always had a reason for what she did, said and believed. She wasn't one to blindly tread on someone's heels and she wasn't one to lash out against others and answer brutality with violence until pushed to her extremes. Patience had been carved into her during her studies, driven through her soul since the death of her mother. Unlike Sapphire, her decisions were never impulsive; that woman had a knack for hurling headfirst into danger's claws without any plan and still came out victorious.

Rueen thought it was what happened in families. People balanced each other out. Some qualities were similar while some were such a drastic contrast from each other that at first glance it would seem that those family members would never get along. That was not the case with her and Sapphire, but at that moment as she stood on the dark street of Medlar, looking out at the gate through the window of the inn, she could do nothing but feel anger rise up in her chest. Her father paced behind her, twisting his fingers around each other.

Their plan had seemed to have gone awfully awry. Sapphire should have been able to sneak into the city two hours ago and yet there was no sign of the woman walking in through the gates or round the bend in the street below. Every time Rueen caught a glimpse of a ruddy head down below, her heart would leap and a gasp would leave her mouth only to be turned into an "Oh!" of disappointment the moment she realised it was not her cousin she had seen, but a man.

She turned around and settled herself in one of the beds that seemed to have been cleaned months ago as a plume of dust rose around her and she wrinkled her nose.

"She's not coming," Rueen said. "Something's gone wrong."

Something's gone awfully wrong. I'll kill her when I get my hands on her.

"I'll head out," her father said, turning towards the door. "See if I can spot her somewhere near the periphery."

He was gone before she could stop him. She settled herself on the window sill, looking at the empty streets below, plucking the petals of a daisy in the pot on the sill. She sat there for another two hours, not willing to sit on the dust-ridden bed, with heaven only knowing how many bugs hid between the sheets. Restless, she pulled her cloak close and covered her head with its hood. The stairs of the inn creaked beneath her feet. The sounds below told her people were still awake during the late hour. Her skirts rustled as she walked, keeping her head down so as to not draw attention to herself.

She walked past a party of three men delving into the watery stew; soup would be a better name for the concoction. She had barely reached the entrance to the inn when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She forced her mind to relax and whirled around and raised a brow at the brown haired man who had demanded her attention. She had to turn her head up to look at him.

"Are you..." he seemed to choke on his words and Rueen's brow rose higher still. "Are you the witty eight-pound healer?"

Her brows disappeared into the curls peeking beneath her hood and her mouth opened in affront.

"I beg your pardon?!"

The man had the decency to look ashamed as he fumbled in a small pouch around his waist. A young boy appeared over his shoulder.

"Are you related to a Blake?"

Rueen froze and narrowed her eyes at the young boy. "I don't see what that has to do with you."

The boy huffed and punched the older man's shoulder. "Don't tell me you lost it."

"Shut your peanut hole, Drew," the man muttered under his breath, before pulling out a leaf from his pouch. "This is for you."

Rueen took the leathery leaf the size of her hand and stared at the words that had been scratched into the green tissue with a blade. Her heart leapt.

I've headed to where the ring endS. I MANaged to get away. Follow the tRail. ~ thIrd Blake