A Shade of Midnight

TWENTY-SEVEN

"They declined our offer and now they're coming at us with their tails between their legs." Melisandre paced the foyer. Nakarating na kami sa Varsis at pinag-uusapan na namin ang liham na natanggap namin mula sa tatlong reyna. Naikuyom ko ang mga palad ko habang iniisip ang naging huli naming pagkikita. I still can't forget the look on their faces as they told us they won't be cooperating. And that they would sacrifice the lives of their people to protect what matters to them: their lands.

"That was the last time we will be meeting with them. If they want to take part in the coming war, they have to submit to the Alvaros clan. They can go there and cooperate." Raven's voice was cold as the wind outside. 

"Az, bring the message to them," Aliana said and Az did not say anything and immediately went outside. Akmang maglalakad na rin si Mel palabas nang pigilan siya ni Bryen. 

"No, Mel. You can't go with Az," sabi ni Bryen. Melisandre's glare at Bryen was something I would never wish to receive. Pero hanga rin ako sa tapang ni Bryen at nakipagsukatan ito ng tingin kay Mel. 

"I will annihilate those arrogant queens and we'll see what happens next." Mel's voice contained enough venom that Raven closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I have something else for you to do, Mel," sabi ni Raven at agad namang napatingin si Mel kay Raven. 

"What is it? Tell me it's better than murdering those queens." 

Raven smirked before he said, "You and Aliana shall send letters to different courts. Tell them you're visiting. Send your letters now and visit them tomorrow." 

"Me and Aliana?" Mel asked. 

Tumango naman si Raven. 

"Why not you?" tanong naman ni Aliana. Part of me knew why but I didn't think much about it. 

But Raven said, "The other courts hate me. We have already convinced Matthew Guderian to cooperate without having to gather the other High Lords first, thanks to Delta. And I am too kind not to snap at them. Melisandre, I give you permission to do whatever you can to have them come to my Court. And Aliana, you decide when to stop Melisandre." 

Both the second and third in command grinned at their High Lord's orders before they went somewhere to discuss what they were tasked to do. 

"You know Melisandre is like you, Raven. Minus the calm. Once she starts, there will be no stopping her. She might as well declare war against the courts." 

Raven flicked invisible dust from his suit before he said, "The courts will not be hardheaded enough to decline my invitation. There would be no need for Melisandre to force them." 

"What if they do decline, Raven?" Bryen's voice was on edge and I know what he was concerned about. Alam kong si Maxim ang tinutukoy nila. Alam kong malaki ang posibilidad na tatanggi si Maxim. If that happens, then Aliana and Mor might be using their force, then. 

"If that happens," Raven said. "Melisandre will know what to do. Like you said," he grinned, "she's just like me." 

***

Kinabukasan, maagang umalis sina Aliana at Mel. Raven left a note in on the table na agad ko namang nabasa kinaumagahan nang magising ako. He said he has something to do in his other court, the Court of Darkness. He once told me that if the Liber forces should come, it would be fine if they would go straight to that court. Alam ko ang kadilimang naroon. And should the Liber forces go there, good luck to them.

There was just me and him in the townhouse and Raven was...let's just say he took that as another opportunity para solohin ako. Not that I am complaining, though. Azrael and Bryen were on the other house at the top of the hill. Ngunit nang magising ako kaninang umaga ay naroon na sila sa townhouse at prenteng nakaupo sa sofa. 

Bryen just opened one of Raven's bottles of wine and both of them lounged on the couch, playing darts.

Nang mapansin nila akong bumababa sa hagdan ay agad naman silang lumingon sa akin. 

"Hope you don't mind us crashing here," saad ni Bryen. I waved a dismissive hand. 

"Just make sure you won't tell Raven you stole another bottle of his precious wine," I said and walked towards the kitchen to find some food. 

"We'll just tell him you gave this to us. Hindi siya nagagalit sa iyo." 

I gave Bryen an incredulous look. "That is if he believes you. Your Oregonian language is getting better, by the way." 

Bryen scoffed. "I know how to speak your language. I just don't find it convenient." 

Fair enough. 

Tahimik lang si Azrael na nakaupo sa gilid at patuloy na nagtatapon ng mga darts sa board na nasa harapan nila. 

Hinayaan ko silang dalawa na tumambay doon. Ang buong akala ko ay aalis din sila ngunit sumapit ang hapon ay hindi pa sila umaalis. I sighed. Azrael had told me the queens did not take Raven's orders lightly. The queens have been calling themselves the rulers of the free people. And to submit to the ALvaros clan is somehting hard for them to do. But Azrael did a good job in telling them that either they submit or they're all on their own. The queens didn't have a choice and I bet today, the queens and Master Hol and other leaders of the tribe are already discussing their plans. 

Naririnig ko sina Bryen at Azrael an nag-uusap tungkol sa nalalapit na giyera. Strategies, plans--everything is being calculated. And I decided I can't think about it. Not right now. I will be dealing with that later. For now, kailangan kong makausap si Raven. 

So I grabbed my phone and composed a message. How do I tell Az and Bry that I don't need them here to protect me? I appreciate their company but I don't need sentries. 

Hindi inabot ng minuto at agad naman siyang sumagot. You don't tell them. Set boundaries if they cross a line, but you are their friend. My lover. They will protect you naturally. And even if you kick their asses out of the house--which, by the way, would be a sight to see--they'll just sit on the roof. 

You men are insufferable. 

Then he responded, Good thing we have large hands to make up for being insufferable. 

I bit my lip as I read his response over and over again. My blood heated and my toes curled. 

I'm missing that impressive hand in bed. In my body. 

He replied, Of course, you are. 

I rolled my eyes. There's still the arrogance and even as I read his message I could hear his voice inside my head. 

Prick. 

When I return, we're going to that shop in the city and you're going to try those lacy little underthings for me. 

Hindi na ako sumagot at baka sa kung saan mapapadpad ang usapan. 

Kinabukasan, hindi pa nakauwi si Raven. Mel and Aliana were still going from court to court at base sa sinabi nila sa akin kaninang umaga, nasa Atkins na sila. Sa pagkakaalala ko, narito ang court ng ama ni Tyrell. Aliana had told me Rusen Toriel was easy to talk to and that he sends his regards to me. He is, as Aliana said, still grateful for what I had done at Hamris.

Marfori Sardon's court is cutthroat. That's what I remember. Tyrell left his court after his brothers did something horrible to him and the women he loves. Hindi ko alam kung may plano pang bumalik si Tyrell doon. And I feel like, Atkins would be the second most difficult court to persuade. Maxim would be the first. 

Bumaba ako sa sala at nakitang si Bryen nalang ang naroon. 

"Where's Azrael?" tanong ko sa kanya. 

He looked at me. "Camp."

I did not ask more. Tahimik kaming tumambay sa bahay. He was in the living room, while I was in the kitchen or in the veranda reading a book. It was when the sun was setting when I decided to take a walk. Nang makita ako ni Bryen na papalabas na ay agad naman siyang sumunod sa akin. 

Binabantayan nga talaga ako ng lalaking ito. Raven said I could set boundaries but I shoved the thought away. Naiintidihan ko naman kung bakit ganito si Bryen. Raven has many enemies. This court has many enemies. Compared to them, I am just a puppy. Yes, I can stand for myself ngunit ibang usapan na kapag totoong digmaan. I should continue my training with Bryen. 

"When will be our next training session?" tanong ko sa kanya habang naglalakad kami sa kahabaan ng daan.

"When Raven stops being overly protective like a b***h," he answered. 

Napatawa naman ako sa sinabi niya. Raven is indeed protective. But he always makes sure to ask me what I want. And if what I want is opposite to what he has in mind, he would not push it. 

"You know he won't stop me from training, though," I said and he gave me a smile.

"That, he won't. Well then, we'll start training again tomorrow. Although I saw you can hold yourself pretty well against Aliana." 

I shrugged. "I think that was pure luck. And besides, I don't want my newly acquired skills to get rusty." 

Nahinto kami sa tulay na naroon. Raven's favorite. From a distance, I could hear the music from street musicians. And I heard the song that Raven played to me when I was in the dungeons at that time. 

I looked at Bryen at halatang nakikinig din siya sa musika. 

"What is that song called?" I asked. 

"A warrior's promise," he said and then looked at the waters running below. "It tells about a warrior who has gone to war. Promising everyone he would return victorious." 

Ngunit habang nakikinig ako sa kanta ay hindi ko maiwasan ang nararamdamang lungkot. 

"He came back but he was not the same. He came back with the same face, but not the same heart. He came back with wounds healed and complete limbs. He came back whole but he was broken." Sinabay niya ang lyrics nito sa musika. "It tells about suffering in exchange for victory. It tells about sacrifices." 

I stared at the water and saw the moon reflected from it. "Raven played it to me one night while I was in the dungeon," I said. Naramdaman ko naman siyang nakatingin sa akin. "I was dying. I was losing hope. I was so, so thin and I didn't know if I would live or die. I had finished Meredith's two trials and I was so scared of failing the third. I lost hope. But Raven..." I gripped the concrete. "Raven believed in me. He fought for me. Even when I can't believe in myself and fight for it." 

"He always does." He was now looking at the musicians playing on the streets. Then he said, "It's Varsis' traditional song." 

Napangiti naman ako habang nakatingin sa buwan at sa mga bituin. "Perhaps that is why it gave me hope. It made me think of a future. It made me think, in a short while, about the family I left home. And the future I wish to achieve. And I will be forever grateful to Raven for that." 

Narinig ko naman siyang tumawa. "You have no idea how much he freaked that day when he found out you were in Maxim's manor. I didn't know about it at first. I didn't know about you and that he was looking for you. But I had my suspicion. Ganoon din yata si Azrael. We did not ask him, though. We waited for him to tell us. And when I saw him freaking out in the foyer, pacing back and forth, it was perhaps the first time I saw him so...confused." 

"You know the history between him and Maxim. And to think that the woman he was looking for almost all his life is in his enemy's lair, you wouldn't believe me, but Melisandre calmed Raven down. Melisandre, who was always in favor of violence and attacks first and questions later. It was a sight to see her calming Raven. But all he could think about was you. And how vulnerable you are with the coming threat." 

"He knew about Meredith and her plans." 

Bryen nodded. "We did. Azrael knew it first. After all, he is this court's spymaster. The north wasn't supposed to get involved but when Raven knew about you staying with Maxim, he warned Maxim. Warned the other courts. But of course, you know how they see Raven as the wicked and cunning High Lord. Hindi sila naniwala at mas pinaniwalaan nila si Maxim. He didn't have a choice but to go to the south himself. He instructed us to stay in Varsis and managed everything while he was gone. And while we did so, we also constructed a plan to attack once we deem fit. The rest of Sandovia thinks that the Court of Darkness is the Varsis City. Hindi nila alam ang syudad na ito na nakatago."  

Which is only right. Dahil kung nalaman ni Meredith and tungkol sa Varsis, I knew she would terrorize this beautiful place. This paradise. And I couldn't help but feel the dread with the war coming.

Because I know, once the war comes, Varsis will not be hidden for long. And I wonder what I can do to protect it. I need to protect it. Even if it costs me my life. 

* * *