War (Guardians of The Realm Book 3)

by Amanda Fleet

  “Those in favour?” said Lord Eredan.

  A subdued response came back.

  Lord Eredan scanned the Council members. “Against?”

  The equally muted calls forced Lord Eredan to demand a show of hands. I swivelled around in my chair to count those voting in favour, my heart in my mouth. Please don’t let the Council choose law and order.

  Eleven. Shit, this would be close. The vote against was called.

  Ten? Had two people abstained?

  I counted again, but the grim expression on Lord Eredan’s face encouraged me.

  Ten. I let out a long breath.

  “The patrols will focus on trapping demons,” ground out Lord Eredan.

  In the corner of the Council, a clerk scribbled the results. Lord Sondan’s shoulders relaxed.

  Both Lord Sondan and I had voted against Lord Eredan on the second motion, and I wondered if Lord Eredan was regretting choosing Lord Sondan as his deputy. Mind you, Faran would have voted exactly the same way.

  The meeting closed, and everyone started to drift away from the Great Hall. I let out a deep sigh.

  Lord Sondan smirked. “That bad?”

  I scraped my hair back and rubbed my neck. “Diplomacy isn’t one of my strengths.”

  “No. It isn’t. But you made good points this evening. Shall I walk you back to your rooms?”

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  As Lord Sondan and I set off from the Great Hall, I remembered that the previous night, Faran had stashed two bottles of beer at the centre of the labyrinth. If anyone needed a beer tonight, it was Faran.

  I turned to Lord Sondan. “May I ask you for a favour?”

  “Of course.”

  “Would you walk with me in the Labyrinth Garden? Just for a moment.”

  He hesitated, then offered his arm to me. “Er, yes. I don’t know the route to the centre of the labyrinth. I’ve never been in the garden before.”

  Access to the Labyrinth Garden was restricted to the First Lord and the Acting or Elected Successor, and their families and guests. This would be the first day Lord Sondan would have been permitted to go there uninvited, but I’d been in the garden many times.

  “That’s okay. I do.” I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm.

  “You’re still entitled to go there. Lord Eredan is your father-in-law.”

  “Mm. I’d rather not push that.”

  We strolled towards the entrance to the Labyrinth Garden, which lay close to the Great Hall. I hoped no one had tidied up and taken away the beers.

  The gardens were completely empty when we reached them. We walked through the fragrant knot-garden close to the building and down towards the high hedges of the labyrinth in silence. It was a place I associated with Faran. It was where we’d always escaped to, in order to avoid public gaze without needing to be trapped in our rooms.

  Lord Sondan and I turned into the entrance to the labyrinth, and I led us through deft twists and turns until we emerged at the centre. When he saw the ornate tiered fountain, Lord Sondan’s face lit up. I left him to marvel at the three tiers of cascading water while I made my way to a bench at the side. To my delight, the two bottles of beer I sought were still tucked out of sight. I grabbed them and joined Lord Sondan at the fountain.

  “Okay. We can go,” I said.

  He glanced at my hands. “There’s beer here?”

  I laughed. “Not really. Faran inveigled some bottles out of the serving staff last night when I was having a particularly bad day. We didn’t drink them all. I figured he needs them tonight.”

  Lord Sondan raised a brow.

  “Oh, come on, Lord Sondan. He’s had a spectacularly shit day! He’s been Outside, been attacked by Aegyir, fought and won a battle, and been made Acting First Lord. Then he finds out that the demons he thought were safe are loose, he’s demoted back to Elected Successor and then instantly loses that too. He’s accused of treason and disobedience, he’s given a public flogging, plus he has to stand there for another half hour. His wife then gets elected to the Council. It’s a pretty monumental fall for anyone, and this is Faran we’re talking about. The man whose world revolved around being Elected Successor and defending The Realm.”

  Lord Sondan stuck his bottom lip out. “And you. His world also revolves around you. His ego is bruised, that’s true, but you’ll be able to soothe him. You always have.”

  I wasn’t so sure, but I shrugged. “I hope so. Hence the beers. Thank you for coming here so that I could get them.”

  I tucked the two bottles into my jacket to conceal them and led us back through the high hedges.

  “Perhaps one day you can teach me the route?” he said as we made our way through the halls near the Great Hall.

  I glanced up. Yeah, the Labyrinth Garden was a bit dull if you didn’t know how to navigate the labyrinth part of it. “Of course.”

  We arrived at mine and Faran’s new rooms and I pushed the door open. Faran sat on the dark leather sofa, reading, his jacket discarded for the evening, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His face fell as he saw Lord Sondan, but he recovered quickly.

  “Sondan. Come in?”

  “I won’t stay. I merely walked Lady Aeron back. You’ll both have breakfast with me?”

  Faran mustered a smile. “Of course.”

  Lord Sondan bowed and retreated, whispering, “Good luck with soothing his wounded pride.”

  I smiled thinly and shut the door behind him.

  Faran’s face was stony. “What did he just say?”

  I pulled the two bottles of beer out of my jacket and put them on the low wooden table in front of the sofa. “Nothing. Don’t you dare get jealous over Sondan walking me back.”

  His eyes narrowed. “It’s Lord Sondan. Unless you two are now such close friends you’ve given each other permission to skip your titles?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Sorry. Lord Sondan. Seriously, don’t get jealous. He walked me to the Labyrinth Garden so that I could get the beers for you.”

  A smile softened his face. “What are we celebrating?”

  I took my jacket off, draping it over the arm of one of the two tub chairs in the room. “Nothing. I thought you might want to drown your sorrows. It’s been a monumentally horrible day for you. Why don’t I open the beers while you get your top off, and then I can rub your shoulders?”

  I perched on the sofa next to him, wondering what I could do to mend his demolished pride. From memories of our life before I was banished, I knew that going to bed for more than sleep would help, but I wasn’t ready for that. I did love him; I just wasn’t comfortable enough with him. Not yet.

  He canted his head towards me, his eyes soft. “Thank you. Today’s been hard.” He swallowed. “How was the Council?”

  “Difficult. Do you really want to talk politics now? Or would you rather have a beer and a massage and go to bed?”

  “Talk politics. I’m not used to not knowing things.”

  I slid my fingers into his hand. “Okay. First things first, did you get to see Orian?”

  He shook his head. “No. He’s already out on patrol.”

  “Shit. I don’t like the idea of him out allegedly hunting demons when we don’t know which side he’s on. When’s he back?”

  “Tomorrow. But we’re on patrol then. Perhaps we should talk to Sondan?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand. “Maybe. Let’s talk to him at breakfast. Mathas told me not to say anything about Orian at Council. He said that ‘matters were in hand,’ but didn’t say what he meant.”

  Faran frowned. “What else was said at the Council?”

  I fiddled with his fingers, turning his wedding ring round on his middle finger. “Three men have been killed by demons. The people are asking for increased protection from the Guardians. They’re pissed off about the posters warning them of the punishments for not following the law, and there’s general unhappiness and anger at the Guardians. Votes were emphatically in f
avour of concentrating patrols near the city, and narrowly in favour of trapping demons rather than maintaining law and order. Now. Enough politics. Beer. Kit off. Massage. Bed.”

  He laughed, finally. “You win.” He handed me a knife to open the bottles while he peeled his top off, then stood and headed towards the bedroom.

  I called him back. “Just sit on the floor here while I do your shoulders. The bed’s too high for me to reach you if you sit on the floor, and you’re too tall for me to sit behind you on the bed.”

  He stopped, his hand on the door-frame, eyes wide. “I can’t be out here half-dressed. What if someone came?”

  I snorted. “One, they would knock and you could scoot through. Two, who’s going to come?”

  “Sondan?”

  “Nah. He knows I’ve got beer for you.”

  Faran prickled. “Did you discuss our private life with him?”

  “Seriously? No. Why are you jealous of him? I have no interest in him. Nor him, me!”

  He paused, breathing deeply. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had a bad day. I’m jealous that he talks to you and that you’re on the Council. He’s my best friend and always talked to me about politics.”

  “I know. Come on. Get your arse on the floor, open this beer for me before I do myself a mischief with your knife, and relax.”

  I propped a plump red cushion behind his back, waited for him to open the beers, and let him settle on the floor in front of me. His broad shoulders were full of knots and tension under my hands, and he caught his breath a couple of times as I massaged him. It was going to take some effort to unwind him.

  I leaned down to blow in his ear and nibble his earlobe. “Today was spectacularly shit. But nothing’s permanent. Lord Sondan obviously trusts your judgement and wants your counsel. You may get re-elected.”

  Faran made a non-committal grunt.

  “Shall I do your back?” I said. “I’ll need the bed for that.”

  We went through to the bedroom, and he lay face-down on the bed, his head propped on his arms, the two pillows shoved together. The narrow bed had, as ever, been made up by the housekeeping staff. Crisp linen sheets and pillowcases were topped off by a luxurious feather-filled quilt. I sat astride his hips and moved his arms down to his sides.

  “Is my back very marked?” His voice was muffled by the pillows.

  I traced faint white lines criss-crossing his skin. “Only a little. Did I not put enough salve on?”

  “It’s because of the delay.”

  “So putting more on now won’t fix it?”

  He squirmed as I ran my fingertips lightly over his back. “No.”

  I smiled, watching his muscles twitch. He was incredibly ticklish. “Thank you for not whipping me.”

  He snorted. “It would only have served to make you angry, not obedient.”

  “Yeah, well. Thank you.” I worked my fingers into his muscles, making him flinch as I hit a particularly knotty bit. “Sorry. Sore?”

  “Mm.”

  “Wimp!”

  “What?”

  “Ha. I definitely need to teach you more English.” I pushed the heel of my hand in, and he groaned. “Good?”

  “Mm. Why have you never done this before?”

  “Haven’t I?” I scoured my memories of our time together and couldn’t recall giving him a back rub, yet Finn and I had done this all the time. Probably best not to say that, though.

  I worked on his back until my hands ached, then slid off him to fetch the beers from the outer room. He was sitting up on the bed when I returned, his face drawn. I handed him his beer and sat across his thighs. “Am I heavy?”

  “A little. Move up a bit.”

  I budged up so that my legs wrapped his hips. “Better?”

  He smiled, his eyes sultry. “Yes.”

  I sipped my beer. “I’ve never rubbed your back before?”

  He settled his free hand against my backside. “No. But I’ve no objection to you doing it again. Thank you. For understanding. For remembering about the beers in the garden. For rubbing my back. But most of all, for always being able to make me feel better.”

  His thumb chafed my backside, sending an unexpected bolt of electricity through me. I shifted, not entirely comfortable. Whereas my body would happily wrap itself around him, relishing how much he could turn me on, my head didn’t feel anything like that close to him. I didn’t want my body taking the two of us somewhere I might then regret. That wasn’t fair on me or him.

  “Finish your beer and let’s go to bed,” I said. “It’s been a long and horrible day.”

  Faran nabbed the bathroom first. When I joined him in the bedroom, his bare shoulders peeked out from the covers. Before I’d been banished, we’d both slept naked. Since my return, I’d preferred us both clothed. I slipped under the covers and wriggled over to him, relieved to discover he still wore shorts.

  The bed was narrower than a standard double-bed was Outside, and the two of us filled it. At least it was longer than a bed Outside, otherwise, Faran’s feet would be poking out of the bottom. The quilt rustled as I cuddled against him.

  “Don’t ask me to put a top on.” He drew me into his arms. “You make me too hot, and there hasn’t been a single night that you haven’t slept in the exact part of the bed that I’m already in.”

  “Okay, grouchy.” I tickled his abdomen lightly, making him growl.

  “Stop it.”

  “Or?”

  He turned his head to look at me, a smile lifting the corner of his mouth. “Fair point. I’d say I’d tickle you back, but there’s no contest over who’s more ticklish.”

  I laughed, then tickled him again. He grabbed my wrists, pinning them behind me and shooting me warning looks. He released my hands almost immediately, rolling me on to my back and kissing me, taking his time.

  “Mm. You’re too good at that,” I murmured.

  “You haven’t complained before.”

  His teeth grazed my lips, and a low current thrummed through me. He kneed my legs apart and lay between them, kissing my neck. The lump in his shorts pressed against me, and I tensed.

  “Faran, slow down.”

  He pressed a single kiss to my neck, then stayed still, his head bent. Frustration poured off him. He raised his head, breathing deeply, his shoulders taut. “How am I moving too fast? I’m only kissing you and you seemed to like it.”

  “I know… It’s just where you’re lying…”

  He arched a brow. “Aeron, we’ve tried a wide variety of things in our time, but having sex while we’re both still dressed isn’t one of them.”

  “I know. But I don’t think you’d have wanted us to stay dressed for long and it’s too soon for me. Please? Be patient?”

  He exhaled heavily, then lay on his back next to me, staring at the stars through the glass ceiling. “I thought…” He tucked a tentative hand against my waist and closed his eyes, his brow wrinkling. “Outside, we seemed close… Closer than this.”

  I stroked my fingertip along his cheek. “I just need some time before things get more physical between us again.”

  He inched me closer. “We can see the adviser if you want. If it would help.”

  “Maybe.” I moved my hand down to his chest, teasing my fingers through the light hairs there. “Faran, I do love you, and you do turn me on. A lot. But my head still feels like I only met you a few days ago.” I tilted my head back to look at him. He was still staring at the sky. I tweaked one of his chest hairs. “Hey. Look at me.”

  He turned his head, nibbling his lip.

  “I promise you, I want to make this work,” I said.

  He fluffed my short hair. “Thank you. I’ll try to be patient.”

  I rested my cheek on his shoulder. “Not one of your strengths, normally.”

  He huffed. “No. But I promise I’ll try. Go to sleep.”

  4

  I stuffed the last of my change of clothes into a brown canvas duffel bag. Faran, Valgan and I were being sent to Sto
rvik, the village where three people had been killed, presumably by a demon. Despite the clothes, there was still space for a vessel – each of us would be taking one, though the idea that we would manage to catch three demons in a two-day patrol was faintly ludicrous. I was also still concerned that we hadn’t managed to talk to Lord Sondan about Orian’s questionable loyalty yet. Lord Sondan had breakfasted early and had finished before we got to the Great Hall.

  I carried my bag through to the lounge and plonked it on the sofa, then looked up. Leaden skies threatened rain. Great. Faran was no fan of the outdoors at the best of times.

  “Remember to pack your seal, my lady.”

  Faran stood next to the desk, holding a metal seal out to me, about the size of a chess-piece. My brow crumpled.

  “You need it to seal your field reports,” he said, an edge to his voice.

  “Me? Aren’t you captaining the group?”

  “No. You are. You’re more senior, remember.”

  Oh. That was why he was pricklier than a hedgehog this morning.

  “Really? You’d be better than me in the role.”

  “Nonetheless, you’re more senior.”

  I took the seal from him and tucked it inside my bag. “How are you feeling?”

  He cocked a brow.

  “Well, you were attacked by Aegyir while we were Outside,” I said. “Are you back to full strength yet?”

  He’d been dead on his feet after the battle. Only some potions from the healer had got him back to even half strength yesterday.

  He bit his lip. “No. But enough.”

  “You going to be okay on patrol?” I might be being forced into leading the group, but I hoped I could rely on his beef.

  He shrugged. “Mm. Even if it’s one demon that’s killed all three men, it won’t be strong. I’m still stronger than most Guardians, despite Aegyir’s attack.”

  “Are you looking forward to going to the provinces?”

  He scrubbed a hand through his hair, making it stick up in clumps. “No. They can be cold and wet if the weather’s bad. I prefer the city. It’s always warm here.”

  Faran slung his bag over his shoulders, and we made our way to the armoury before our scheduled meeting with Valgan. I could have done without Valgan as the third member of the group. He’d tried to stab me only a few days ago. If he pulled that kind of stunt again, it would be a tight contest between me and Faran as to who would beat Valgan into the ground first. It wouldn’t have escaped Faran’s notice that Valgan had been given a suspended sentence for trying to kill me, yet Faran had been publicly flogged for mere disobedience.