Ashes of Dearen: Book 1

by Jayden Woods

  As Sean and Kyne made their way to the dungeons, Sean replayed the events of the evening in his mind, over and over again. He had hardly stopped to think about his actions and their repercussions until now. When he pressed Fayr to the bed and took her, he had hardly thought at all except about how wonderful her flesh felt against his. His desire for her had left room for little else. He could only compare the intensity of it, most disturbingly, to the desire Belazar sometimes gave him to kill someone. Did Belazar have anything to do with how he had felt towards Fayr? The possibility made him shudder.

  After leaving the princess in her room to get dressed, Sean had continued to delay thinking about such things by engaging in the duties at hand. First, he needed to deal with the bodies of the dead hordesfolk, and then communicate with her incompetent guards as to what had happened.

  So in the hallway, Sean had dragged the four dead hordesfolk to a dark corner. He retrieved his throwing stars from their wounds and wiped the blood on the wool of their clothes. Next he pulled a tapestry from the wall and wrapped them up in it. Fayr did not need to know he had killed all of them, along with the khan.

  As for Fayr’s guards, they had not been back long from Sean’s wild errand when he confronted them. They had managed to find Sir Gornum, but to little consequence, as they all just stood around talking.

  “Sir Gornum,” said Sean. “A word in private.”

  The chubby Master of the Royal Guard complied. Sean guided him back towards the princess’s bedchamber, then grabbed a torch from the wall and brought it closer to the floor. The guard had no choice but to stare upon the spatters of blood.

  Holding the light thus, Sean also noticed that Gornum’s mouth and tunic glittered with safra. Haze or no Haze, this man had consumed a great deal recently. At the worst, he was a little glum. But after a moment he smiled and said, “I’m so glad you were here to help, Chief Darius.”

  Sean grinded his teeth with frustration. “Did you even check on the princess when you returned?”

  “Yes, I did. I saw her in there with you. She seemed to be enjoying herself.”

  Heat rushed to Sean’s cheeks. How could he have not noticed such an intrusion? The princess had a way of overwhelming his senses. Just remembering it made him want her again.

  “There were also four bodies here,” Gornum pointed out. “Were they the Khan’s men?”

  “Yes. Don’t worry about them. I will dispose of the corpses.” He had already been thinking about this and had an idea. If it worked, then it would solve more than one of his problems. “Have you seen Prince Kyne?”

  “Last I knew, he was in his chambers.”

  Sean looked reluctantly at the prince’s door, which was shut. He hoped the prince was a very deep sleeper. “I will tell him what happened. As for you, Sir Gornum, you and your men will let no one into this hall. You will tell no one what happened last night. As far as you know, the Violeni royalty sleep soundly in their beds. You will also have one of your men clean up this blood as best as he can. But most importantly, no one enters this hallway. If they try, you must stop them by force. These are Princess Fayr’s orders. Do you understand?”

  Gornum nodded.

  “You must also refrain from safra,” said Sean, more harshly now. “Is it your custom to eat it while on duty?”

  “No, but it was a party ... and besides, I usually don’t have to work nights!”

  “Your duty to the princess never stops,” hissed Sean. “And if anything happens to her while I’m gone, I will hold you personally responsible.”

  Gornum just blinked at him in a daze. Then Sean left to check on the prince.

  The prince’s door was bolted shut. Sean pushed against the wood, testing its durability, and sensing that he could break it down with a well-placed shove. His body already seemed to know that his prey awaited him on the other side. His muscles itched with power.

  Restraining himself, he knocked. “Kyne? Prince Kyne, are you in there?”

  No one answered, but Sean heard something inside. No average man could have heard it; the sound was no more than a faint shuffle of movement. But to Sean, the sound roared in his ears like thunder. He put his hands against the door and pushed.

  The bolt strained under his strength, then snapped. Splinters spewed as the door swung open. Then Sean stepped inside. There was no one in sight. He stopped in the middle of the room, closed his eyes, and listened.

  He could hear Kyne’s heartbeat pounding rapidly, his breath pumping through his nostrils in little bursts. Tight confines—perhaps wooden—muffled the sound. Sean opened his eyes and turned to a large oak chest against the wall. Without a doubt, the prince hid within it.

  Sean walked up to the chest and stood over it. The prince appeared to have locked himself inside, perhaps on accident, for the latch of the lid had closed over the knob upon shutting. Sean felt a surge of disappointment from his belly, and his strength faltered briefly. He wondered if the disappointment was his own, or Belazar’s. Either way, he wished that Prince Kyne would have been more of a challenge. Killing him would just be too easy.

  Sean lifted the latch and threw open the lid.

  Immediately the boy sprang out, thrusting a little dagger. Sean grabbed his wrist and twisted it until Kyne yelped and dropped the knife.

  “D-Darius?” Sweat drenched Kyne’s face, which was completely devoid of color. His body shook like a leaf in Sean’s grip. “W-what’s going on? I thought there was an assassin. I thought—”

  “You thought there was an assassin,” snarled Sean, “so you hid here all night?”

  “I … I … I didn’t know what else to do! I heard Fayr scream and … and I panicked! I didn’t mean to lock myself in here, but … but … what else could I have done? Is she all right?”

  “The ‘assassin’ was Leonard Khan, and I took care of him. As for your sister ...” He flung the prince from the chest none too gently. “Go see for yourself.”