Page 107 of To Kill a Shadow
With a shake of my head, I splashed into the lukewarm stream, a squeal escaping my lips. My bare feet touched the bottom, polished rocks tickling my toes, a floral scent mixed with what smelled like heavenly sugar coating the water.
Dipping my head beneath the surface, I went about my task, meticulously scrubbing my skin clean of dried blood and muddy streaks, the water seeming to wash away my sins. Perhaps The Water God had magicked it himself.
“You havegotto take a dip,” I insisted when I returned to Jude and the fire. The warmth radiated across every inch of my skin, and I sighed dramatically before plopping down before it. I slid my bare hands into my trouser pockets, not quite ready for full exposure just yet. “Whatever’s in there, it has to be imbued with magic.”
Indeed, even in my filthy clothes, I still felt squeaky-clean. “Go on,” I urged, tilting my head, “enjoy yourself.”
The corners of his lips quirked, and without any more prodding, Jude bolted to his feet and raced off, leaving me alone.
While sorely tempted, I kept my eyes lowered, snagging Jude’s creased map instead. The weathered page was worn with age and use, but thankfully still legible. I rubbed at the bottom corner, my thumb brushing over what appeared to be a single eight-pointed star, the ink smeared and faded. There were no other ornamental designs, the land drawn out simply and without excessive detail. After careful perusal, I took a stab at our location—it all looked the same to me—though the glen we were settled in was not on the map.
A crudely fashionedXwas marked about ten miles north. That had to be where we were headed. A bolt of excitement lifted my spirits, and the idea of actually fulfilling this mission andnotdying sounded marvelous.
“We’re almost there.” I flinched at Jude’s voice.
Tilting my head up from the weathered parchment, I drank in the commander as he placed his blood-spattered shirt beside the fire to dry.
He was a sight to behold, stunning enough to drive away any more thoughts of death.
With his dark hair slicked back from his face, I itched to run my fingers through the mess of glistening locks. Jude’s wide shoulders and the rippling muscles of his abdomen were on full display, droplets of water glancing across every ridge and dip. I greedily inhaled the divine sight.
“We should reach whatever lies at theXno later than early afternoon. Or sooner, if the map is correct.”
“You have a good swim?” I said, unable to focus on the damned mission. I prayed he was ignorant as to the direction my eyes strayed. At least he’d done as I’d instructed. His shoulder was carefully bandaged with fresh linen. I’d have to keep an eye on it for infection.
Jude shook his head. “I’m not a piece of meat, recruit,” he scolded playfully.
He caught me. No longer making a point to hide it, I leisurely perused him from head to toe, arching my brows and whistling.
“You’re incorrigible.” He sighed, still beaming.
I was about to tell him what he meant to say was “perfect,” or even “enchanting,” when I recalled the time I’d run into him at the bath.
“Your tattoo,” I blurted, and Jude’s face scrunched in confusion. “What does it mean? The three interwoven circles?”
Jude gave me his powerful back, displaying the three perfectly rounded circles inked into his abused and marked skin. Tiny whorls decorated the insides of every loop, the intricate designs reminding me of flowing vines.
Or of my scars.
But that couldn’t be right.
After a moment, he shrugged his broad shoulders and eased closer to the fire. “I got it when I was younger,” he admitted, seemingly mesmerized by the dancing flames. “I kept drawing that symbol as a kid. I had notebooks filled with it.”
“That’s…odd.” I had expected them to have some greater meaning.
“Yeah, well, it means nothing, really. A few Knights and I got tattoos after our oaths. This was what I chose.” He shrugged again, his many silvery scars glistening in the soft blaze. They lined his arms and torso, some raised, others faint. I wanted to know the story behind every single one.
“You think we’d be lucky enough to find all the keys in one place?” I mused, changing topics. Jude had fallen into his own thoughts at the mention of the tattoo, delving somewhere I couldn’t reach him. I scoured the map, searching for any other intricate markings.
Jude scooted beside me on the boulder, his leg resting against mine. “There’s only oneX. But I’d be a hopeful fool to assume all three keys are in one place. That would be too easy, and I hardly count us as lucky. We’ve encountered more danger than I expected, mainly the masked inhabitants.”
His nose wrinkled. “I wonder if the king knows of their presence. If he sent us this direction knowing what we’d face. Their blood was black, for gods’ sake, and they certainly didn’t appear entirely…human.”
Not in the way they moved or how their skin shone gray. Jude was right. Something about them was different…disturbing.
“If he did know, he kept them a secret for a reason,” I mused. If Asidia learned of their existence, I imagined the people might try and venture into the lands by themselves, perhaps believing there was a chance at survival. And a way out of our kingdom.
“That man has more secrets than truths,” Jude grumbled.
