“Like…twins.”
“I’m not listening.”
“What if I started calling you brother in bed, would that turn you on?” She leaned across the table, coming out of her chair, her voice a sultry whisper.
“That’s so fucked up, Lerah…I don’t even know how to respond to you right now.”
She fell back into her seat, laughing.
He balled up a small piece of bread and tossed it at her. “You’re a sick girl.”
“But you love me anyway.”
“That I do, that I do.”
Lerah polished off the rest of her fish and picked up her bread before pushing the plate away with the back of her hand. She sat back, kicked her feet up on the table, and crossed her ankles.
“I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”
“What do you mean?” Dominic wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.
“Am I still a handmaid? Roserine is no longer in charge.”
“Did you ask her what she wants you to do?”
Lerah shook her head. “I tried going to see her at the castle, but the soldiers outside wouldn’t let me in; I’m a little worried about her.”
“She’s a strong woman. I talked to her a little before I went to the mine.”
“How was she?”
“Determined. There’s a lot that’s been thrown her way and she’s still standing upright.” Dominic removed a loose cigarette from his pocket and set a weak flame to it. He slouched in his chair and exhaled toward the ceiling. “Their tobacco is shit.”
“Can’t be worse than the other shit you used to smoke.”
“Blues? I’d kill for a pack of Blues. That shit you had in Genesis was better than this.”
“Then don’t smoke it.”
“That’s not an option, baby.”
“Then stop complaining, baby.” Lerah opened her mouth and dropped a piece of bread in; it wasn’t about hunger anymore, it was about killing time.
“How’re you feeling?”
“About what?”
“You know,” he said, waving the cigarette around, drawing wild smoke trails, “about everything that’s going on. I know you said you didn’t want this to be our life anymore. You really haven’t said anything about what happened at the docks today.”
“I stand by what I said. It’s not our life anymore. We’re not mercenaries. We’re not out looking for a fight. There’s a difference between looking for it and standing strong when it’s knocking at your front door.”
“So you’re not against us staying and helping.”
Lerah shook her head. “Fuck no; it’s the right thing to do.”
“Part of you doesn’t feel like the Anthenians may have brought this on themselves?”
“I don’t know.” Lerah shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe the ones at the top did a generation or so ago. But there are people that didn’t do shit stuck in the middle of it. So yeah, I want to try to do what I can.”
“That’s good. Because I already told Roserine we’d stay.”
“Oh, she asked you?”
“Yeah. I refused her at first.” He blew a mouthful of smoke across the burning ember at the tip of the cigarette, causing it to swell. “I want to protect you and Hawthorne, ya know? I promised you we’d settle down. No more bloodshed.”
She removed her feet from the table and sat forward, dropping the remaining hunk of bread back onto the plate. “I know, Dom. But these people need us…Roserine needs us. It’s different.”
He nodded. “I know. I feel for her. She’s torn up over that Emily girl. I remember what it felt like losing you and feeling like I was the only one on the planet that gave a shit you were gone.”
“You’re a good man, Dominic.” Lerah extended her hands across the table. They were slender and calloused, with chipped nails, bruises, and dozens of small cuts and scars; they were beautiful.
Dominic kissed them and massaged her knuckles with his thumbs. “I’m not a good man, Lerah. I’m simply a man that’s been fortunate enough to find the love of a good woman.”
She smiled with her whole face and ducked her head. “You give me too much credit. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be sitting here.”
“Well, if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t—”
“Have been taken, yes, I know what you’re going to say. We could play this game all night.”
“I suppose we could.”
“So how about you just shut up and kiss me instead.”
“I can do that.” He met her midway across the table and exchanged a lingering kiss. “You taste like fish.”
She laughed, her lips still touching his. “And you taste like shitty cigarettes.”
“I told you, they’re bad.”
They sat back in their chairs, still poking at each other.
“Roserine did say one other thing that I thought you’d find interesting.”
“What?”
“She said she’s got feelings for you.” Dominic watched her expression closely.
“Oh,” she let go of his hands and sat back, “she did?”
“Yeah, she did.” Dominic tilted his head. “What do you make of that?”
“I’m flattered, I guess. Not really sure how to feel.”
“No feelings for her?”
“I already told you that I love you.” She sounded annoyed.
“That’s a bullshit answer and you know it; human emotion ain’t a one-way path. There’s all kinds of shit branching off in different directions.” He waved his arms left and right to illustrate the point.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. Am I attracted to her? I mean, yeah.” She seemed slightly ashamed, unable to meet his eyes as she made the confession. “It’s weird; I’ve never been attracted to another woman.”
“Nah. It’s not weird. I’ve known plenty of women that have fucked other women and still fucked guys.”
“It’s not worth wasting all this time talking about it. We had a moment. That moment is over now.”
“You still haven’t told me what that moment was.”
Lerah sighed and dropped her forehead into her hands. “You’re just going to be all pissed off and internalize it.”
“What if I told you I wouldn’t?”
“You will.”
“What if I promised?”
“You’re still going to be pissed off, I know you.”
“Not that well, apparently.”
“Fine,” she slid her hands down her face, “but if you get all mopey on me, your ass is sleeping outside.”
“Psh,” he waved a hand, “I’ve slept—”
“Dominic!”
“Okay, I won’t get mopey and my ass will sleep outside; got it.”
“Don’t make me regret this.” She ran her fingers through her messy, white hair—it’d become wavy with the humidity—and pushed it back behind her neck as if she were getting ready to secure it in a ponytail. “I felt like she understood me.” Her eyes searched the ceiling as she continued to pull at her hair. “Like…you know…the stuff I’ve been through.”
“You mean what happened when you were taken?”
She nodded rapidly and dared a glance in his direction. “Yes. And, I mean, she’s a woman too; so she understands it on a different level. And I know you blame yourself about everything, so whenever the subject comes up I feel like it’s more about protecting your feelings than actually expressing mine; it makes it hard for me to ever accept what happened because I’m not able to say it out loud for fear of hurting you.” She crossed her arms on the table and slowly returned her eyes to Dominic.
Outside, Dominic was a statue. Inside, he churned. He was confused, angry, and sad. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps he couldn’t understand what it was like for her, what it was like to be a woman in a world of violent men. The wars, the bombs, the bloodshed: the inventions of men and the destruction of all. Between them, Lerah was the real survivor; the flower that’d managed to bloom without water
and sunlight. She’d been stomped and plucked but had risen up stronger than ever.
“I guess a part of me is just scared.”
She shook her head, startled by his response.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, wishing he could swallow his confession and erase it from the books.
“I’m not being an asshole, I swear. I just didn’t see that one coming. What do you have to be scared of?”
“That you don’t need me, I guess. I don’t know…it’s stupid; forget I said it.”
“That’s not going to happen,” she laughed, “tell me what you mean.”
“You’ve bounced back after everything that happened. I spent so much time trying to make you okay and not a goddamn thing took. You did it on your own. And you turned to someone else in the process. I guess I just feel like that should have been my job; guess I’m just trying to figure out my place.”
“Dominic,” she offered her hands but he didn’t take them, “take my hands, you brute.” The command was coated in honey, the moniker one of endearment.
He bobbed his head a few times and relented; no surprise to either of them.
“First off, I’m not your job. I don’t want to be anyone’s job, or burden, or calling; the only person responsible for me is me. I want you at my side, walking with me, not at my back making sure I don’t fall. We’re there for each other; it’s not a one-way street. It’s not an obligation. It’s a decision we’ve made freely. I want you with me because you love me, not because you see me as a job or feel some sort of guilt; no girl wants to be a shackle.”
“Come on, Lerah. You know I love you, you know that’s not how I mean it.”
“I know you love me, yes. But I think you view me as being this fragile thing that you need to try to shelter; god forbid a strong breeze comes along and topples me.”
“I know, Lerah; I get it and you’re right. But when you met me, I didn’t have a thing except for the duster on my back and the ammo in my pocket. Everything I’d ever given a shit about was all taken from me by the war. I got so used to losing things. Now…”
“You’ve told me and I understand, I really do. But I need you to watch out for you. Last thing I want is for you to be so focused on me that you don’t see the bad men coming. I don’t want to lose you, either.”
He nodded silently, still looking at the table. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Now can we move past all of this and try to get back to how things used to be between us?”
He smiled. “Oh? And how did they used to be? Fucking in the sand, our arranged marriage in Reeman, is that what you’re referring to?”
“Okay,” she laughed, “so perhaps things have never been normal with us, but lets at least give it a try.”
“That sounds good.”
They moved to kiss, but a knock at the door stopped them short.
Dominic answered it, cracking it open, still on alert from the day’s previous conflict.
Roserine stood on the other side. “Hey,” she gave an awkward wave and sighed, “I’ve got nowhere else to go.” She was carrying two bags.
“Who is it?” Lerah asked.
Dominic pulled the door back and ushered Roserine inside.
Lerah stood; whether it was out of respect or shock was not clear. “Queen—”
“Don’t…please, just call me Roserine.”
Lerah nodded. “Okay, Roserine. What can we do for you?”
“I have no one and nowhere to go.” She dropped her bags and shrugged, defeat washing over her; she suddenly appeared much smaller than she had moments ago. “You’re the only people in all of Anthena that I trust not to stick a knife in my back.”
“Osiris just kicked you out?” Anger sparked in Lerah’s voice.
“No. I left. I couldn’t bear the thought of staying under the same roof with him; or with Eirik for that matter. Not after today. Not after all that was lost.”
Lerah was looking at Dominic, searching his face, allowing him to make the call.
“Well come on, let’s get you comfortable.” Dominic put a hand on her back and reached for her bags.
“Hang on, I almost forgot something.” She knelt down and opened the bag. “I brought you a peace offering.” She came back up with the pistol she’d confiscated from Dominic when he, Lerah, and Hawthorne first arrived.
He gladly accepted the gesture. “I’d forgotten how good it feels to hold a gun. Don’t suppose you came across any more ammunition while you were in possession of it?” He ejected the magazine. “Nope; still one bullet.”
“Better than no bullets,” Lerah offered.
“Can always count on you to look on the bright side.” He reinserted the mag and chambered the round with an effortless pull of the slide.
“And I got these for you.” Roserine pulled two silver daggers from the bag. “They’ve been in my family since long before I was born. They’ve just been sitting on display and gathering dust; figured you’d get some use out of them.”
Lerah eagerly accepted the gift. “Does this mean I don’t have to carry that sword anymore?”
“Feel free to give it to Dominic.”
“I suppose I don’t have a choice with only one bullet and Eirik confiscated the one I had after the battle was over.”
They fed Roserine and sat around the table reflecting on the day’s events.
“So what now?” Dominic asked.
Roserine shook her head. “I can’t predict what Osiris will do. He sees me as a threat to the throne and I imagine he’ll view you with the same sort of contempt.”
“He told me to be ready for what’s to come,” Dominic said.
“Whatever the hell that means.” Lerah was kicked back in her chair, examining one of the daggers.
“It means he expects you to be at his beck and call,” Roserine clarified; she was sitting on the floor, her legs crossed beneath her thighs.
“He threatened us with a cell if we didn’t comply.” Dominic stood from the table. “Guess we better get some sleep; sounds like tomorrow might be a long day.”
“You’re welcome to stay in Hawthorne’s bed.” Lerah walked to Roserine and offered a hand.
Roserine accepted and came slowly to her feet, yawning sleepily the entire way. “Thank you…both of you; I don’t know where I’d be if you two hadn’t come along.”
Lerah and Dominic hugged her and did their best to assure her that everything would be okay before retiring to their room and succumbing to exhaustion.
37
The day started early. Eirik and three soldiers came knocking on their door just after sunrise. Dominic answered it, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Eirik commanded their presence at the north wall. Dominic told him to fuck off and said that he and Lerah would be there when they’d be there before slamming the door in his face and retiring back to his room.
An hour later, Lerah and Dominic arrived at the north wall; Lerah wore the daggers gifted to her by Roserine and Dominic wore Lerah’s old sword. They wore ragged, loose-fitting wool pants and their hair hung messily around their shoulders. Roserine had waited until they’d left before readying herself and following; they’d agreed that arriving at the same time would needlessly complicate things, provoking questions and unnecessary suspicion.
The sun stood tall in a cloudless sky, its heat masked by a strong and pleasant breeze. Fifty soldiers sat on horseback by the north gate. They were dressed in full suits of leather armor. Eirik sat at their head, dressed in full plate. Osiris stood off to the side of the small force, flanked by his own guard detail, wearing a sword and looking uncommonly regal in long black robes; he even had a small crown on his head.
“Little old to be playing dress up,” Dominic said. He stood a few feet from Osiris, his stance wide, holding tight to the handle of the sword on his hip.
“You will show respect when you address the King!” Eirik slid his horse up next to Dominic.
“I’m a cunt hair away from cutting that st
allion out from under your ass.”
“You’ll be dead before I hit the ground.” Eirik leaned off the saddle as he hissed the threat.
“Some pleasures are worth the pain.”
“That’s enough!” Osiris barked as Dominic began drawing his sword. “Back in formation, Eirik. I’m an old man. I’ve got enough salt lining my bones to handle a few cross words from Dominic.” He straightened the crown and smiled. “My brother was never fond of this sort of pageantry. Much of my life has been spent on ships, sleeping next to festering seadogs and eating scraps for dinner, I figured I’d try a little luxury out for once.”
“Put a dress on a horse and it’s still a horse, Uncle.” Roserine stepped between Dominic and Lerah, the wind lifting her red mane from her shoulders. The night’s rest had done her well; she looked fresh-faced and determined.
“You had me worried.” Osiris’ words lacked conviction. “I had men searching the gutters for you.”
“Seems your men have already inherited your incompetence, Uncle.”
He approached Roserine. “What do you say me and you bury the animosity and focus on what’s important.” He leaned in close and spoke in hushed tones.
“What’s the matter, Uncle? Don’t want me undermining your authority and making you look bad in front of your men? I can’t imagine what that must feel like.”
“You know,” Osiris licked his lips as he carefully chose his next words, “whether your fat friend lives or dies depends upon the orders I give these men. I tell them to storm the Eval base, all else be damned, her chances of survival become very slim; perhaps her throat is slit, perhaps she catches an arrow in the neck. So much can happen in the heat of battle.”
“It’d be wise for you to remember that,” Dominic said.
“Is that a threat on my life?” Osiris’ voice grew louder.
Dominic shook his head. “Nah. I’m just echoing your words of wisdom, King.”
“Right, my words of wisdom.” Tremors crisscrossed beneath the jagged scars striping his face. “Let’s get on with it, then.” He returned to his men.
“I’m going to fucking kill him!” Roserine spoke so that only Dominic and Lerah could hear her; it was the first time they had heard her curse.
Blood & Stone: The Saboteur Chronicles Book 3 Page 26
