Tales of Darkness and Light (Book 1 Complete)

Chapter 11: Of Alura and Rebellious Daughters

Chapter 11: Of Alura and Rebellious Daughters

    Their group had left Lunaris with the satisfaction of a job well done, and thirty more gold coins each. They had told the High Priest that they hadn't needed any sort of payment, but he had simply shaken his head and pressed the bags into their hands.

As they had looked upon the wreckage in various parts of the town, Addy had felt a strange sense of foreboding. Why had the rats spoken to her, and - perhaps more concerningly - why had no one else heard them?

She had thought about what the infernal creatures had said for hours afterwards, lying in her room in a local inn. She wasn't quite sure who King Theodore was. She was certain that she had heard the name before, probably from one of her tutors, but she couldn't place it. Not paying attention to her schooling was really having problematic effects in later life.

    Addy exhaled. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the feeling of her hair ruffling in the wind, as she sat on Apple's back. There really was no other feeling quite like riding a horse. It was a shame that she had scorned the art so much when she was younger. Addy knew now that, if she had just been open minded, she would have enjoyed it.

    "Well, what's with the sudden change of mood?"
    Addy jolted upright at the sound of Hayden's voice. Even with nearly a week on the road with him, his voice disarmed her every time. It reminded her of when they were children, young and carefree.

    "What do you mean?" Addy tried to keep her voice light.

    "You've been brooding for hours, all dark and mysterious. For a few seconds there, you looked like the happiest person on the planet. I thought, thank Alo, she's better. But no, you're brooding again."

    It was probably the most Hayden had said to her throughout the entirety of the trip. Though their hostile days were long gone, he hadn't said much to her either. Addy and Lillian had filled most of the conversation with their chatter, while Hayden watched on with an amused glint in his eye.

    Addy tried her best not to show her surprise at his analysis of her emotions. Had he really been watching her that closely? She couldn't imagine why. "I really love horseback riding, so I suppose you can attribute that to my good mood."

    He stared at her for a long second, seemingly looking for more information. When none was forthcoming, he only raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Mysterious, just like I said."

    Addy couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her. "Mysterious? How in Delos's name am I mysterious?"

    "All the mystery, I'd guess."

Seeing her incredulous expression, he elaborated. "You speak nothing of your past, interests, or hobbies. All I know about you is that you're from Alura and you're good with your sword, and I only know the former because Lillian told me."

She shot a disbelieving look at Lillian, who shrugged, as unfazed as ever. "We are going to be travelling with each other for weeks on end, you know. Besides, the poor boy seemed so desperate to know something, anything about you that I had to throw him a bone."

Addy saw Hayden's cheeks flush a bright pink. It was almost a welcome sight, reminding her of the shy child she had befriended all those years ago. Though she did wonder what he had to be embarrassed about - perhaps he didn't like being reminded that he was Lillian's junior?

It was strange, though, that Hayden now thought that she was the mysterious one. It was a motion that would have gotten a laugh out of her, if she had heard it back when she was thirteen. Hayden had been so guarded when they first met, it had been a small miracle to get him to talk about anything. Now, she was the one with the secrets.