Page 10 of Veil of Vasara (Fate of the Five #1)

CHAPTER 10 – NATHON

W ell, the King hadn’t been lying. There really was not one piece of green fabric anywhere in this place. Not even a dishcloth, or a handkerchief, let alone a piece of clothing. It was strange that something as simple as a garment, coloured differently to a Kingdom’s dress codes, was such a luxury in this world, such a rarity.

I’d never really cared much about what we wore in Audra. Swaths of vibrant gold, plum and dark sheer fabrics, adorned with tassels, coins and gems. I preferred the armour. It suited me, the black and the silver. The buckles and the buttons. The belts, the high collars, and supple boots. It was practical and efficient. It gave me enough space to carry a variety of weapons.

And enough fabric to cover up every inch of my skin.

But then again, I wasn’t trying to impress the King. If I had been, I would have failed miserably at that task. I could tell he despised me already.

Even I was beginning to wonder what Loria was wearing underneath that cloak. At first, I had thought she was simply being stubborn, that she was angry about being here at all, which I could understand. But Loria was more intelligent than she let people believe. That was proof of her intelligence in and of itself. To let people buy into an image of you, all the while concealing your true heart, your true self, was a great tool.

And she had cried. I hadn’t seen Loria cry in years. I don’t think she had seen me cry at all.

Although come to think of it, I couldn’t remember the last time I had cried.

Gods knew what they’d dressed her up in.

The streets of Vasara were lively, bustling, and full of chatter. People were basking in the heat, their sharp and strangely cut clothing revealing pieces of their pale, and rosy skin. They were touching one another, laughing, arguing, and hustling. The narrow pathways were surrounded by rust, sand, and beige coloured brick buildings, short and square. Stone steps sprouted from everywhere, and winding rivers, trickling between cobblestoned walkways and paths.

I stopped by the bank of the largest and main river now, peering into it. The current was chaotic, unsteady, ungrounded, reflecting my inner state.

A man had just approached me. He wasn’t saying anything, he was looking at my crotch?

No, my waist.

No, my hips.

No, my sword. Rather, the sword I had recently acquired from that miserable excuse for a liar that had accompanied us.

I was fascinated and taken aback by the man’s brazenness. His glare was open, undisguised, daring almost. It wasn’t hard to recognise where I was from based on my features. It was also obvious; the man was not from here either.

His light skin tone, suffused with a hint of beige. His long silver hair. His violet eyes. This man was from Kalnasa.

After a long moment of silence and unrestricted glaring, I spoke.

“Is it customary where you’re from, to stare so much before introducing yourself?”

The man’s eyelids shot up. At first, he looked embarrassed, then surprised, then serious, all within the space of a second. His ability to conceal his emotions so quickly was worthy of praise, but it wasn’t quick enough for me.

“Apologies. I was admiring your sword.” He pointed at it.

“Yes, many have admired it during my walk, just from a much greater distance,” I replied.

“Then they have not admired it at all,” he asserted, looking at me directly.

The corner of my mouth slid up into a slight smile. “Indeed. I suppose most people would rather not risk approaching me for the sight.”

“Are you that dangerous?” The man looked unconvinced.

“Of course.” I smiled widely. “Don’t you believe the stories?”

“I can’t say I’ve heard them all.”

“Or bothered to listen?”

“Or that.”

As if he had only just realised who he was speaking to, a flicker of recollection spread across his face, and he bowed abruptly. Once he rose, he met my eyes again, this time with more wariness and interest.

“Prince,” he addressed me. “I haven’t seen you for a long time, Your Highness."

“I wasn’t aware we had met before,” I looked him over, trying to recall our previous meeting.

“We were children then, Your Highness.”

“You’ll have to forgive me.” I pressed my palm to my chest. “I have little memory of that time.”

Most of the memories I did have were horrendous.

“There is nothing to forgive, Your Highness. I am glad to meet you once more.”

I laughed out loud at that. “Well, that’s something I don’t hear too often.”

He looked baffled.

I gestured to the people walking as far away as possible from me, shifting to take different routes, darting their gazes between me and their feet. I smirked at the man. “Very few are glad to meet me.”

“Then you may count me as one of them,” he said confidently.

There was something about the man, a severity and tranquillity that was compelling yet alarming. Restraint made someone a far greater threat than impulsiveness, I had always found.

“Then I shall need your name, to add it to that short list.” I outstretched my hand. “Nathon.” I introduced myself informally, curious about his reaction.

He did the same, stepping closer to me, his face becoming clearer. He was slightly taller than me and older, perhaps about thirty. His hand was adorned with several rings, silver, lilac, and peach in colouring. Some were large and sat just above his knuckle, others were winding, in the shape of a spiral, such as that above his right thumb.

“Hestan Hikari. Captain of the Hunt.”

I shook his hand, his grip was strong, but just like his manner, restrained. I had no doubt, however, he could have crushed all the bones in my hand if he had wanted to.

“Ahhh, yes. I have heard of the Hunt, and its…perils.” I chose my words carefully. I knew being a member of Kalnasa’s Hunt was viewed as tantamount to a death sentence by many. Several people did not survive a decade, let alone a year in its ranks.

A thankless job, not one I myself would have signed up for willingly.

We separated our hands. “I am sure being a Prince is perilous in and of itself,” he said.

“Oh no. It’s all bowing, smiling, and shaking hands.” I shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

The Captain looked at the people, still intent on avoiding us. “I do not think people would be so afraid of you, if that were the case.”

“What makes you think they are afraid of me?”

“You said so yourself, Your Highness.”

“I did not. I simply said people were not glad to meet me, but there could be a number of reasons for that.”

For some reason, I was intent on drawing emotion from this man. It seemed impossible to me that anyone could be as controlled as this, as composed.

“Perhaps they dislike me. Perhaps they are jealous of me. Some may even be hopelessly in love with me. So many possibilities.” I outstretched my palms casually.

“Forgive me, it was merely an assumption.” He sounded unimpressed.

Such self-control. How intriguing.

“All is forgiven. After all, you are probably right, Captain, I was just curious as to why you thought so.”

“It is simply a matter of observation, Your Highness.”

“Something you are good at?”

“I believe so.”

“Good for you,” I said. The Captain still looked thoroughly unaffected.

“What a rare breed you are then Captain. Unafraid of and glad to meet me.”

The Captain smiled tightly.

“So, what is it you want?” I asked. I could feel the conversation shifting and by the deep breath the Captain took, I knew he could too.

The Captain opened his mouth, about to, no doubt, feign innocence and simple curiosity. Then decided against it. “Do people only approach you when they want something from you, Your Highness?”

A cunning response, neither denying nor confirming his need. “Do you always avoid questions so tactfully?”

This man was intelligent and assuming he had heard at least some of the rumours about me, either very reckless or very confident in his own abilities.

“A death wish, then?” I tilted my chin down slightly.

“Pardon?”

“Is that what you want? For me to fulfil it?”

I could sense the cogs in the Captain’s mind turning, and yet his face remained completely calm save for the slight furrowing of his brow.

“I have no death wish,” he decided to reply. A safe response.

“Are you sure?” I tilted my head back and up, still looking at him curiously. “It would certainly seem that way at present.”

“I am sure,” the Captain didn’t sound nervous at all.

I scratched behind my ear, thinking.

He glanced at my belt again.

“You’re going to make me blush, Captain,” I raised a brow.

His face became a stout hardened picture of gravity. “Your blade,” he decided to admit. “I wondered if you would be willing to let me hold it, Your Highness.”

I tilted my head to the right. This was a highly unusual request. I had expected him to ask for a favour, or try to kill me but…this?

“I think it would be unwise for me to draw my weapon in public.”

“You were willing to fulfil my hypothetical death wish just moments ago...Your Highness.” His voice deepened.

“Well, I never said I’d fulfil it here. Did I?”

The Captain remained silent.

“Drawing the sword here might give these fragile people the wrong impression.” I faked a sympathetic glance at the passers-by.

“It seems they may already have the wrong impression of you.”

I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows. “How sure you seem.”

“Am I wrong?" he asked.

A moment of silence stretched out between us. I saw no reason to confirm or deny his highly unusual level of insight.

“Why do you wish to hold it?” I asked, eventually.

“I have heard many rumours about these blades, and how it feels to hold one. I would like to know if they are true.”

“I thought you didn’t pay attention to rumours.”

“I do, to those that interest me.”

I chuckled. “It is true that rumours of the blades are far more interesting than those regarding myself.” I patted the hilt of my sword with my hand.

“I have heard they can cut a man clean in half.”

“Have you really? What else have you heard?”

The Captain cleared his throat, eyeing my sword again. “That they are lighter than any weapon, but much stronger. That it takes little force to pierce a person with one. That they can tear through the flesh of any creature, human, or sorcerer, and through any material.”

“Mmmmm. Not all rumours are lies, Captain,” I said, confirming his statements.

He placed his hands over one another. It was amusing, I thought, that in doing so, he looked far more regal than myself, or most of the Royals I had met.

“Fascinating,” he whispered.

I weighed my options, of course I could give him the sword to hold but what did he intend to do with it? He could slice my head off in one clean stroke, with little effort or force. Of course, he could have attempted that prior to holding the sword, but with it currently at my hip, it would be him that ended up dead. Despite the fact I had two daggers of the same material hidden in my clothing, if I gave him the sword, and he tried to murder me, my chances of death would be much higher.

But this man seemed far too measured to assassinate someone as well-known as myself in a public place. Many people had already seen and noticed us talking, it would be easy for them to describe such a slaughter in vivid detail. Besides, his features stood out enough that it would be easy for people to identify him as the killer.

But I found it hard, no impossible, to believe that the Captain simply wanted to hold the sword for the pleasure of doing so. There was no doubt he was a capable man, but most people would never dare to touch a weapon of Noxstone, had they never handled it before.

The Captain could clearly see I was debating my course of action and decided to interject. “Your Highness?”

I thought about that offer. What could the Captain of Kalnasa’s Hunt do for me?

There was one thing I needed and had failed pathetically at acquiring. It was worth asking, I supposed.

“Do you own anything green?”

The Captain looked at me as if he were concerned for my sanity. “Pardon?”

“Do you own anything, anything at all that is green?”

“You mean…the colour?”

“What else would I mean?”

“It’s a rather…unusual request.”

“So is yours.”

The Captain nodded, clearly deciding not to dig deeper into my comment, for the desire, I guessed, to keep his true motivation for his interest in my blade hidden.

“No. I do not. Green is not a colour we wear in Kalnasa.”

“I know, but there’s always a chance you own something rare.”

“Why do you need something green?” he asked.

“Why do you need to hold my sword?” I replied in kind. I had thought he would have been astute enough to avoid that question.

He didn’t respond. “I do not own anything green, but I know someone who may.”

“Is this someone nearby?”

The Captain sighed. “I’m not sure.”

“A shame. It was nice to meet you, Captain.” I moved to leave.

“Wait,” he called out, with my back to him. Then remembering who he was addressing. “Your Highness, please, if you’ll allow me, I can find them for you,” he added in haste.

“And how long will that take?” I turned back around, spinning on my heel.

The Captain’s gaze shifted to the side and up, then back to my face. “Less than an hour.”

I was intrigued. “We’ll meet here in an hour. If I like what you bring, you can hold the sword.”

The Captain cleared his throat, then placed one hand over the other. “I should like to borrow it.”

“Borrow it?” I said dryly, raising my eyebrows. This was becoming concerning. “No, Captain, that will not be possible.”

“It would only be for a short while,” the Captain said calmly.

“How reassuring. Only a short while is plenty of time to murder a person with a blade I own and have been seen to possess.”

“I do not intend to murder anyone.”

“Again, that does little to reassure me.” I placed both my palms on my upper chest.

The Captain looked ever so slightly exasperated beneath his composed exterior. “What would reassure you?” It sounded as if he was squeezing out the words, as if each and every one was painful to him.

“People do not ask to touch a blade of Noxstone, let alone borrow it. Your request is no longer unusual Captain it is suspicious,” I said bluntly.

The Captain looked past my shoulder to the streets behind us, deep in thought. I could tell he was deciding whether to share his reasoning with me.

“Very well. I will bring you something green at the hour. If you should be so kind as to let me hold the sword, that will suffice, Your Highness.”

I tapped my fingers rapidly against my thigh. “You are a very dubious character, Captain. It is not in my nature to deal with such people.”

“It is up to you, Your Highness.”

I thought of Loria, and everything riding on this forced mission of ours. Something green could make no difference, or it could make all the difference. I didn’t know Vasara’s Prince well enough to be sure.

But I knew Loria well enough to hope.

“At the hour, Captain.”

He nodded, bowed, and walked away. His silver hair fluttered in the wind as he went.

An interesting person indeed.

It would be a shame if I had to kill the Captain. As per my father’s orders, I was to kill anyone who got in the way of his goal. The Captain may very well do that.

I admired inquisitiveness and curiosity in a person, but it was also a trait that got people killed. For as long as I was a designated assassin, the inquisitiveness of others would remain an inconvenience to me, rather than something that I could, that I wanted to appreciate. The more questions someone asked, the more murdering I would have to do.

I was truly hoping to keep the murdering to a minimum this time.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter what happened, no matter how careful we were, this Captain would be a problem.

And worse, that he would not, by any means, be an easy person to kill.