Page 3 of Of Nightmares & Fire (Elusive Umbra #1)

Chapter three

Astraea

Eathian is a wealthy kingdom, but the further I venture out into the parts I’ve not been allowed, the more I begin to see why.

The people are as dirty as the ground they walk on.

The stench of poverty thickens with each dwelling I pass, and the further my hatred of my father grows.

He would not allow me to see these parts because he knew.

He knew that my compassionate heart would not be pleased.

He knew that the more I saw, the more defiant I might become, and one thing he hates worse than women is a woman with an opinion.

It sickens me to know the luxury I lived in every day of my life since my father took rule here. Although I don’t recall much of my childhood before, I know I was never left wanting. These people? They are not just wanting; they are in need .

Men and women lay sick in filth on every corner.

Children play barefoot with nothing but what most in the castle would see as garbage as toys.

My heart breaks at the sight. Too consumed by my surroundings, I trip over a pothole in the unmaintained path, bumping into a woman who sneers at me as she hurls obscenities my way.

Why isn’t my father taking care of the kingdom as a whole?

Are we not only as strong as our weakest?

I turn toward her, offering my apologies as she brushes me off, and because of the distraction, I stumble again. As I turn to right myself in the bustling street, I run right into the back of a man who is pushing a cart mounted with loads of animal skins for trade.

“Watch where you’re going, you daft Kru!” He shouts the insult at me as I wrench upright and put my hands out to steady the angry man, who was at risk of tripping as well from my negligence.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Please forgive me.” I say as I place my hands on his back and shoulder. He spins, surprising me by grabbing my wrist.

“Not just a Kru, but a pickpocket too, are ya?” He growls, bringing the attention of others who are passing by.

That word again. My eyes narrow on the man.

“You know what happens to those who steal from me?” The grip with which he holds my wrist is painful, more so when he twists it further.

The skin heats and burns under his rough hand.

“You’re hurting me. Let me go!” I shriek. I didn’t think this through. I’m not cut out for this. I should have paid a guard to take me. I would have been able to set them up for life judging by the state of the kingdom. My thoughts of what if consume me as the anger in the man rises.

“Oh, I’ll let you go alright. You fu—”

“Think about your next words wisely, Martier. There are children around.” A deep voice speaks behind me, cutting off the brute’s slur.

“She’s a Kru thief!” I’ve heard of the Krusaders.

The remnants of the people who barely survived my father’s usurping.

The people who were stripped of what little they had left to their names and those who were now forced to beg, steal, and cheat their way through survival.

It’s ironic he’s calling me the derogatory name when my father is the one who made it so.

“What did she steal?” The man asks as he comes to stand at my side. I can’t see his face through the shadows of his hood, but the man in front of me seems to be willing to listen to him, so I stay quiet.

“She…she stole…” He pats his pockets down with one hand, looking around nervously.

“I caught her before she stole my coin! I saw where her hand was heading!” He yells and narrows his eyes at me; still holding on tightly to my wrist, he shakes me where I stand.

His lip curls back in disgust, revealing rotting yellow and brown teeth.

“I assume that would make her a pretty poor thief then? Since you can barely see the latrine to sit on most days?” The people who have crowded us laugh at the skin trader’s expense, and the glower he aims at me worsens.

He pushes me as he drops my wrist, cursing.

I don’t think the man who has come to my aid is making anything better, but since they are occupied with each other and I am no longer detained, I attempt to slip away unnoticed.

I make it around the corner of one of the small dwellings, looking over my shoulder, and let out a sigh just as I slam into a hard body.

His large hands curl around my upper arms to steady me.

“And just where do you think you are off to?” My stomach drops at the sound of the dark timbre of his voice.

“I—I’m so sorry. I’m making it a habit to run into people today.

” I try to pull away from his grip, but he doesn’t let me go, and I swallow my fear as I continue to try to backpedal.

“I’m just making my way to the dune ports.

I’m not trying to cause anyone any trouble.

” I say, looking down. I don’t want him to see my face.

This man holds himself differently than the others I’ve seen in passing thus far, and there is a good chance that he could be a high-ranking guard or a nobleman in these parts. Neither would be good for my escape.

Using his gloved hand, he pushes to lift my chin with two fingers, and I sidestep. “If you’ll excuse me,” I say curtly before continuing my trek, face to the ground. To my vexation, he falls into step at my side.

“Are you a handmaiden to the princess?” My feet stop where they are, and my breathing stops altogether.

“No. Why would you ask that?”

“Your finery is—well, much more fine than we tend to see in these parts. What are you trying to get away from?” I dare a glance up at his face for the first time.

He’s removed his hood, and my breath catches in my throat.

He is taller than any man I have come in contact with within the castle, with hair in stark contrast to mine.

Where my wavy, long hair falls dark, almost raven-black, his hair is light, a bright blonde with messy curls that beg for a woman’s fingers. An uncommon sight.

No! Astraea, keep your wits about you. It’s just a pretty face—striking blue eyes, full lips, and—nope. I am not doing this. The thoughts alone evoke enough to think I would remember him had I seen him around the castle.

While my father wished me pious, I am no prude when it comes to men. If I were to be given to a man for the rest of my life, unwillingly , then, as I saw it, while I was able to decide for myself, I would bed the men of my choosing...

In secret, of course. Only a few lost their lives because of it. They knew the risks. Even if it hurt me, my father only caught word of their indiscretions by their own mouths. No one who knew of my exploits would have betrayed me.

“Yes. I worked in the castle, but my assignment has ended, and now I seek my next adventure.” His blue eyes narrow as he tilts his head, surveying me. I tug my hood forward more, making sure that my face is well hidden in the shadows.

“Very well…” He quirks an eyebrow, the question of my name distinct in his tone.

“Sienna,” I extend my hand to him, relieved I took any rings I was wearing off, and he lifts it, kissing my knuckles. I send a silent apology to my deceased friend, hoping she can forgive me for using her name in aid of my escape. I don’t think she would mind after knowing what my life was like .

The people here in the wallows of the kingdom may be suffering, but wealth and position can’t buy happiness.

Even those in great positions have demons they battle.

That I know from experience. I am the highest matriarch of the kingdom, save the king himself, and happiness is an emotion that I can’t say for certain I’ve felt.

At least not since my mother was taken from me.

Since I was forced into this position by my father.

“Safe travels then, Sienna.” My cheeks heat at the softness of his words, and I say my thanks in return, then urge my feet to quickly get moving toward the dune ports. I can feel his eyes trail my wake, and I don’t look back.

With any luck, a convoy will be leaving today, and I will be out of the kingdom by nightfall.

I’ve heard from talk around the castle staff that it’s not every day that convoys are safest to leave.

Maelstroms of rain from the north threaten to bring back the long-since-dried sea on some days, and sandstorms from the east aim to bury those unlucky enough to find themselves in one alive on others.

The best travelers have it down to a science, or so I’ve heard.

With that thought, I look out at the horizon and the clouds that seem to be rolling further in by the minute.

I have a feeling my luck is running out, and today is likely not one of the days that they leave.

Wrenching a door open, I step over the threshold sopping wet.

My cloak clings to me and drips on the wood floor, causing a circle of puddles to form around me, but no one notices my entrance.

It’s a welcomed feeling to be unnoticed.

Able to enter a room without an audience of people gawking and pining over your every move.

It’s freeing. Smirking under my hood, I stomp my feet and close the door behind me.

Closing myself into the tavern and away from the monsoon that invaded the land only moments before I reached the ports.

I won’t be traveling today. There are no travelers who will be heading out until the rain stops.

Keeping my head down and hood up, I cross the room to the back where the bar is. The barmaid looks up as I approach, and I place my hand down on the surface, sliding two coins to her.

“I would like a room for the night,” I say curtly.

“Very well, but it’s a full house tonight.

No rooms are being unshared.” She says, sliding the coins into her palm and pushing them into the pocket of her dress.

Leaving no room for argument, she lifts the bar, stepping through gruffly and shouldering past me.

“This way.” She says, not waiting for a response, she cuts through the crowd of people blocking the narrow stairway.

I look around nervously, and my lip rolls inward, my teeth chewing on it.

I can’t go back out into the monsoon, so I will be forced to share a room with a stranger.

If they recognize me, all of this will be for nothing.

Taking a steadying breath, I pull steel into my spine and take my first step in the direction the barmaid headed, only to collide once again with a hard body .

“Shit,” I curse, and the wide smile on the man’s face becomes even more prominent, his straight white teeth sparkling in the low light.

“Very becoming language for a lady, princess.” My eyes widen, my pulse ramping up by his words.

He can’t know I am the princess. My hood surely still covers my face.

I take a step backward. The urge to flee burning at my heels.

I will find somewhere else to wait out the storm.

Surely there is another tavern nearby. If I—

“Miss?” The barmaid leans from behind the man, still looking at me.

Her words pull me from my internal turmoil.

Reflexively, I glance up at the man who is causing my heart to feel as though it is going to jump out of my throat.

His expression has changed from jovial to curious, and he tilts his head as he eyes me.

“Did you want me to show you to your room?”

“Yes,” I cough, stepping around him. “Please excuse me.” I nod my apologies and hurry up the stairs.

When I reach the top, I can’t help but look back down at the man.

It’s the wrong thing to do. From this angle, he surely sees into my hood.

The expression on his face changes once again.

Whatever he sees causes his dark eyes to round as they meet mine.

The stranger with golden curls from the alleyway steps up to him, clapping him on the back, breaking the trance we were locked in.

I turn the corner, letting my eyes fall closed while I try to take a steadying breath before quickly making my way to the door the barmaid impatiently holds open for me .

“Thank you.” I rush into the room, not waiting for her response before I shut the door between us and press my back to the wood. Chest heaving, I tip my head back with my eyes trained on the dark bedchamber as my mind races and those dark eyes haunt me.