Page 8 of Ash and Roses

CHAPTERFOUR

ABBY

The garden is not much of a garden at all, though I imagine it would be beautiful if our land wasn’t spoiled. This was once an empty courtyard on one of the upper floors used only to pass from one side of the palace to the other. In Lunae, when a person of royal blood reaches the age of their maturity, they’re given a gift of considerable value. I could have asked for anything, but what I wanted most was this courtyard converted into a garden.

Very little grows here, just as with our land, but tending to pale sprigs of grass and low shrubbery gives me hope that whatever curse plagues us will one day be lifted and that I will be the first to see it. Every time I come here, I imagine that I’ll walk into a new world. The needle-grass will be gone, and in its place will be a sea of flowers. Not just the yellow and orange blossoms I have a vague memory of, but flowers in every shape, size, and colour imaginable.

Arabella thinks me foolish for spending so much time here, and perhaps she’s right, but I have another reason for loving this place. I move to the stone bench that lines the parapet that looks out over the palace grounds. From here, I can see over the towering wall that keeps me imprisoned—or tries to—and look out over the city.

I focus my attention on the ring where the Guardians train. There’s enough light still to see the men swinging swords at each other. The Commander is there berating some poor Guardian who probably did nothing wrong. I’m too far away to hear their words, but I can see enough to know this man is not Jade.

It takes some time, but eventually I find him away from the others on the far side of the training grounds. I may be six floors up, but I know it’s him. His sand-coloured hair stands out, almost glowing in the subdued light of the setting sun. He’s the only Sealander Guardian that I know of, but even if that weren’t the case, his aim with a bow would have given him away.

It’s difficult to see, especially as the pink and yellow sky turns darker and the light of day dissolves into night, but his aim appears true with every shot he fires at the target. So true, in fact, that I can’t even blame my father for his suspicions. Jade has been Marked for fifteen years, and in all that time he would have been forbidden to touch a weapon. Even if the scrawny boy from my dreams and memory had such skill, how could he still?

One by one, the Guardians leave the grounds. Some will be on duty tonight and leave to claim their posts in the city or along the wall, while others will be retiring to their tents for a night of drinking. Lunae may not have much in the way of food, but we’re not short on spirits. Before long, only Jade remains, never seeming to tire of firing his bow and walking the twenty-five paces to reclaim his arrows.

I let out a long, heavy sigh. If I’m to make a move to speak to Jade, this is the time. It shouldn’t be this hard. I’ve sneaked out of the palace more times now than I can count, and most of those times were to spring myself on unsuspecting Guardians. Though, in all of those instances, I’d worn a disguise. Some may have wondered if the woman they’d lain with was not who she said she was, but most didn’t care. Besides, they had enough evidence to ignore their suspicions. One look or touch of my back and any doubts of my common blood would have been washed away.

“You’re braver than this,” I chide myself as I stand from my perch on the bench. The sky has become a dark purple-grey, and the waning moon is half visible over the mountains. In just a few minutes, it will be dark enough. I step up on the stone bench and swing a leg over the wall. There is a small ledge on the opposite side that only I seem to know about. I carefully scale it, taking only minuscule steps until I reach the far side, where it nearly connects with the outer palace wall.

With a quick filling of my lungs, I leap from one wall to the next and pull myself up. My landing isn’t as graceful as it would have been if I were wearing my usual pants, but I handled it pretty well in a dress. I don’t know why I never thought to change. Perhaps on a subconscious level, I thought it would keep me from going through with this, but knowing Jade is down there alone is all too tempting. Even just a moment with him would be worth needing to explain away a ruined dress come morning.

I keep low as I scurry along the wall. This area is sometimes patrolled, but so rarely that my need to keep to the shadows is probably unnecessary. Still, this is not the night to be caught. I move to the spot I know has the shortest drop. The land below is uneven, and a small incline creeps upwards. It’s still a fair distance, but not one that would cause anything more than a broken ankle if one was to mess up the landing.

“Don’t mess up the landing,” I tell myself, as I always do, before kicking off my shoes and tossing them over. I pull in a quick breath of air and jump.

I land with a soft thud and only a dull aching in my knees. Most of the time I barely feel the landing at all, but I’m unbalanced with so much fabric covering me. I should have switched clothing with Teagan, but at least I got through the hard part with no real damage.

I slip my shoes back on and move around the edge of the training ring, keeping to the shadow of the wall. When I hear voices, I press my back against it and pray I’m not noticed.

“Are you sure it was Gregory?” one Guardian says to another. I can tell they’ve been drinking by the slight slurring of their words. Neither of them is on duty, and they’re likely just moving from one secluded place to another to continue their night of indulgences.

“Aye. No one has seen him for three days.”

So they’ve identified the nameless Guardian who met a terrible fate. Nothing will be done for him, of course. Lunae has held nothing that resembles a proper funeral since before even my mother died. She doesn’t even have a grave I can visit.

“Do we know what got him? He shouldn’t have been at the border. I suppose he could have been deserting, but that doesn’t sound like Gregory.”

“Isn’t it obvious? The monster took him.”

The second Guardian groans loudly. “Not this again.”

“I’m telling you, I saw it! It was perched atop the stables and had massive wings. It was probably after the horses.”

“An ordinary beast of fang and claw killed Gregory. Nothing more. You’re going to get yourself into trouble spouting that nonsense.”

“Then what did I see?”

I don’t hear the answer to that question because the two men move out of earshot, so I continue my way along the wall. I’m sure this is where I’d seen Jade, but now that I’ve arrived, the space is empty. It’s possible I’ve made a wrong turn. Everything looks so different when you’re six floors up, but I’m certain I’ve gotten this right. Unless my timing is just so bad that I missed him…

My breath and my thoughts are cut short when I turn to find him only steps behind me. He’d been silent in his approach, which means I must not have been. “Jade,” I breathe his name.

His striking green eyes study me with cool precision, like a hunter analyzing prey. “Abilene,” he says in greeting. “I don’t think you belong on this side of the wall.” No ‘princess’ or ‘my lady.’

“It’s Abby,” I tell him sheepishly, and the sting of disappointment is sharp. I thought he’d be happier to see me. After all, this is the first moment we’ve ever had alone together. I can’t have read this wrong. Not after all those years of distant intimacy.

He moves closer until we’re mere inches apart. I can smell the jerky on his breath, but no hint of the spirits that Guardians usually reek of. “Go back to your palace, Abby.”

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