by Megan Derr
Seredia laughed. "I wish it were that simple, but no diplomatic visit is ever so straightforward. We have to travel across half of Benta to reach the Abernoth estate, and it will be in the midst of winter, too, so we'll be stopping frequently along the way. I hadn't realized you didn't know."
Making a face, Jader replied, "Allen probably ordered I not be told."
"I see," Seredia said with another laugh, but before she could say anything further, the door opened again and Captain Tsarana tel Mendi walked in.
Tel Mendi was short, so short he would barely reach half-way up Jader's chest, but he had a sturdy, stocky build. He had light-gold skin and faintly reddish, dark brown hair and goatee, and his eyes were so dark they were nearly black. He wore a dark blue tunic with a swirl of jagged, broken, pale gray lines filling most of it.
"High Commander, Lady Seredia," tel Mendi greeted, and bowed low as he reached them.
"Captain," Seredia replied with a smile and waved him to the seat beside her. "I am pleased we'll be in such excellent company on this journey. I heard about your campaign in Valen. That was excellent work."
Tel Mendi smiled, some of his somber air fading at the praise. "Funny you should grant such a compliment, my lady; it was only because of our silver tongues we managed to calm the rioters and sort out a peaceful solution."
"You had the sense to seek out a peaceful solution rather than skipping right to violence," Jader said. "Not enough of my officers work hard enough at that. They're all still addicted to old notions of blood and glory."
Surprise flitted across tel Mendi's face, and then his smile returned. "Thank you, High Commander. After all the criticism and ridicule we face, your words mean a lot."
"Ridicule? That's the first I've heard of it. Why? And why wasn't it brought to my attention?" Jader asked.
Tel Mendi waved a hand dismissively. "Schoolyard nonsense is hardly something for you to deal with, Commander—but I confess it's the main reason I volunteered us to accompany you. I wanted Shattered Wind to have a chance to shine." He rubbed the side of his finger up and down his nose. "We work hard. My soldiers are some of the best, but a number of different problems over the years have resulted in us dropping to the bottom, and my people deserve more recognition and opportunities than they'll ever get being a laughing stock among mercenaries. I'm lucky to have the numbers I do. I thought a fellow…" he waved a hand and lifted one shoulder, "… eccentricity would be willing to give us a chance."
"Eccentricity," Jader echoed with a snort. "That is the most tactful word anyone has ever used. I did wonder why you had volunteered when we had never even met properly. I hope this venture achieves your goals, and I appreciate your coming." He winked. "Now I won't be the only one along who doesn't speak a single polite word of Bentan."
Tel Mendi and Seredia laughed, and Jader was happy to withdraw slightly from the conversation as they conversed on the ship, traveling, Harken protocol versus Bentan, and so forth. His mind drifted helplessly to Kamir, whom he would be seeing soon as Kamir would be joining them to sign papers. Was he still willing to help? Was his ex-husband still giving him trouble? Jader had neither seen nor heard of the little bottom-feeder recently, but that was only to be expected: people like Theoren tended to stay out of sight of people they saw as actual threats.
The door opened and Sarrica blew in bickering cheerfully with Lesto. They vanished into his private office, and Myra soon followed after carrying a stack of papers.
Of Allen and Kamir, there was no sign, but no doubt they'd both be along soon.
Jader had just returned from the privy chamber and was starting on his fourth cup of tea when Allen arrived, Jac at his side, one of his secretaries on the other. He smiled briefly at them, lifting a hand in greeting, and then he vanished into Sarrica's office as well.
But a moment later, they all spilled out and joined Jader and the others in the sitting area. Papers were thrust at Jader for a final review: the terms of his stay in Benta, the official designation of Shattered Wind as his escort, Lady Seredia's contract, and all the papers that pertained to his new title and the immediate assigning of guardianship to Kamir.
Just as he was about to ask where Kamir was, the door opened and one of the antechamber clerks stepped in and bowed low. "Lord Kamir has arrived, Your Majesties."
"Send him in," Sarrica said. "He's to be given immediate access in the future."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The clerk faded off. A moment later, Kamir stepped inside, and Jader forgot all about the stack of papers in his lap.
Kamir was dressed formally, in a long, dark burgundy jacket with thin lines of gold. He'd bound his vivid hair in multiple braids threaded with thin burgundy ribbons, and in his ears were large amethysts framed by tiny diamonds.
His eyes skimmed over the group as he bowed his head, and something—anxiety, disappointment, fear, or maybe all of those at once—flickered across his face before it dipped too low for Jader to see. The happy excitement that had crept onto his face when he first arrived was gone when he rose. Jader, for the life of him, could not deduce what had turned Kamir from excited-nervous to miserable-nervous.
"Lord Kamir, thank you for joining us," Allen said with one of his inviting smiles. He motioned for Kamir to take a seat, and Myra came up to hand Kamir copies of the documents he needed to peruse.
"Jader!"
He turned sharply, and could tell from the tone and the look Lesto was giving him that it wasn't the first time he'd called Jader's name. "Yes?"
"Does anything look amiss to you?"
"This could be a marriage contract to the Crown Princess of Treya Mencee and I probably wouldn't notice, to be honest. I'm so tired it's a wonder I can read at all," Jader said, rubbing at his eyes and draining the tea he'd briefly set aside. He thanked Myra for pouring him another cup and drained that too.
Sarrica's eyes gleamed. "Myra, do up a quick marriage contract."
Myra snorted and returned to his desk.
Allen cast Sarrica an admonishing look that failed to be anything but fond, then turned to Lord Kamir. "Does all look well, my lord?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," Kamir said, appearing a little dazed that Allen was speaking to him. "All seems well to me."
"Excellent." After everyone else had confirmed the papers were accurate, Myra returned with seals and wax and the patiently waiting notary, and the long, tedious process of signing began.
When that was finally done, Myra distributed the imperial tokens that could be taken to the treasury to exchange for the payment they were due.
Sarrica reached into a front pocket of his jacket, pulled something out, and tossed it to Jader.
Catching it, Jader examined the ring in his palm: large and heavy, made of gold, set with three rectangular cut jewels arranged in a column—emerald, green opal, and diamond. Inside the ring was his name and the short form of his title.
"You'll have to pick your new signet and so forth, but that is the old ring and should suffice for now."
Jader didn't grimace, but only just. "It's a bit ostentatious, even for me."
"Then all to the good you are taking up the title and will be improving upon the efforts of your predecessor," Allen said.
Jader huffed, but didn't agree or disagree. It was about the only reason he was glad he was going to Benta. Having a title should have brought him satisfaction, but he preferred the titles he earned, not the ones given to him in power plays.
Lesto gave him a reassuring smile, then turned to Sarrica and Allen and spoke with them about some other matter.
Seredia and tel Mendi departed shortly thereafter, and Kamir rose to follow, lingering at the fringes only to bid a proper farewell to Sarrica and Allen, who were locked in conversation.
But when they finally finished, Allen turned to Kamir and said, "Are you free tonight, my lord?"
Kamir's eyes widened slightly, but he bowed slightly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"You should join me at the High Table for dinner. Sarrica i
s abandoning me to tend to military matters with Lesto and Jader. It will only be myself and Lords Shemal and Tara. Your company would be welcome."
Jader almost strode forward to catch Kamir, he looked so close to falling over and even passing out.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty. It—it would be an honor. Thank you for such a gracious invitation."
Allen smiled again. "I look forward to seeing you." Accepting the arm Sarrica offered, they departed, Lesto close behind, leaving Jader and Kamir alone in the office, save for the secretaries.
Jader looked at Kamir and smiled faintly. "You look like someone who got swallowed by a fish instead of eating it as expected."
Kamir stared at him blankly for a moment, then gave a shaky laugh. "I'm lucky if people acknowledge me politely in the halls, Commander. The likes of me are not invited to dine at the High Table." He uncurled his clenched fingers and smoothed them restlessly down his jacket. He looked up, mouth quirking in a way that conveyed more weary bitterness than he probably intended. "The likes of me are not good enough for you, either."
"That's not for anyone but you and I to decide," Jader said, making a mental note to find who was saying such nasty things and encourage them to find something else to gossip about. "So are you only free this evening, or do you have a couple of hours to spare now as well?"
Confusion and surprise rippled across Kamir's face. "My whole day is free. I knew this would take some time, and if anything was amiss we would have been here well into the evening, so I arranged for the children to be well-occupied until late tonight."
"May I steal some of your time?"
More surprise filled Kamir's eyes, but after a moment of hesitation, a soft, shy smile curved his mouth as he accepted the arm Jader offered. "You may."
Jader held out the ring Sarrica had only just given him, and when Kamir slowly took it, said, "You may as well hold on to that since you are guardian of my estate for the foreseeable future. I've also taken on the previous Marquis's secretaries since they're familiar and that will make matters easier on all of us. However, I'm not as familiar with them as I would prefer to be, so I'd appreciate it if you'd watch them as closely as you comfortably can and discipline or terminate as you see fit."
"I'll do my best," Kamir replied, offering again that shy smile Jader realized was becoming one of his favorite things. They'd only known each other a couple of weeks, but he would miss Kamir fiercely when he was in Benta.
And didn't it figure he found someone so interesting right before his life was swept up in a tsunami and out to sea.
"I hope no one has been giving you trouble because of your sudden association with me," Jader said into the easy silence that fell between them as they left the office and walked through the halls. "I know we discussed it before, but I hope they are leaving you alone now it's apparent we are lovers. Let me know if that is not the case, and in my absence feel free to speak with Sarrica or Allen. As I've said before, you clearly can handle yourself, but if you want help, it's there."
Kamir's smile was soft and a bit wobbly at the edges. "I appreciate the offer, as always." He smiled up at Jader, though there was a tightness around his eyes now. "But you don't have to say we are lovers, Commander. I know rumors are abounding, but—"
Drawing then to a halt, Jader said, "I think it is safe to say we are lovers. I do not say that because I feel an obligation. I say it because it's true. I'll be honest and say it's not what I intended, but neither am I unhappy with the unexpected turn of events—though if you want me to back away, of course I will. I admit my experience with abuse, and those who have endured all you have, is limited, so you must tell me if I overstep or—"
"You haven't," Kamir said, offering another of those wobbly-edged smiles. "It's not what I expected either, and I am happy to take matters slowly and see what comes or doesn't." He started to say more, then gave a bare shake of his head and fell silent, like he could not quite form, or perhaps voice, the words he wanted.
But he certainly looked like a man in need of a kiss. Jader was more than happy to provide. Pulling his arm free, he wrapped it around Kamir's shoulders to draw him close and dipped his head to drop a kiss on that sweet, addictive mouth. Kamir gasped against him, but in the next breath happily succumbed, his arms curving awkwardly around Jader's cumbersome layers of fabric and armor to hold fast.
"Not that I mind, Commander," Kamir said when Jader finally released his mouth, "but making a spectacle of us is not going to lessen the number of people who think they need to air their opinions on our relationship."
Jader let him go and smiled as he once more offered his arm. "I suppose you have a point." His heart tripped at that word. Relationship. It wasn't wrong. He'd just said himself they were lovers. Given all the papers they'd just signed, they certainly had a relationship. But that word sounded so much more important and permanent than the more casual 'lovers'.
It was also something he was content to think about later.
The hall they were in was occupied by only a palace guard and the woman who'd been speaking to him, but they gaped unabashedly, and Jader had no doubt what one of the more popular topics of gossip would be at dinner that night.
No doubt there'd be theories regarding marriage, as well, especially with Kamir playing the role of estate guardian, but Jader had no desire to broach that topic, even in jest. Even if he had any interest in marriage, which he certainly didn't, Kamir was a poor choice in spouse—rather, Jader was a poor choice. He'd been honest when he'd told Allen he didn't know what was going on between them, but it certainly wasn't the sort of thing that led to marriage.
Kamir was the kind of man who merited a spouse who'd be there to support and dote on him, not someone who was going to be missing most of the time—and a good measure of that time spent in the types of situations that could very well one day lead to his death. Allen could nudge and plot all he liked, but Kamir could and would do far better than Jader.
They reached his private office without further incident. Like Lesto, Jader kept his personal and military matters firmly separated. Unlike Lesto, until very recently he'd only required one private secretary. Now he had four. Beckoning them to leave off work and join him, Jader introduced them to Kamir and made clear he spoke for Jader in all estate matters until his return.
Quiet and shy, Kamir might be, but he seemed to have no trouble acquainting himself with each of them, and asking a hundred questions that never would have occurred to Jader. By the end, they did not seem half as tense or anxious as they'd seemed the past few days.
The whole interlude reminded Jader strongly of Allen when he was in his element. The only time he'd seen Kamir happier was that moment in the garden when Jader had spent time talking to his children, and their night together in the city. Allen had been right: Kamir was trained for this, and more importantly, he seemed to genuinely enjoy it.
Kamir had two adoring, clever, lively children. He'd overcome difficult circumstances practically all on his own—while pregnant and then with young children. He already showed every sign of being highly skilled at running a household.
Why in the Mother Ocean had he never remarried? The people of the High Court should have been fighting for the honor, not sneering and laughing behind his back. Jader would never entirely understand Mainlanders.
Though he could have stood there admiring Kamir for hours, Jader eventually tore him away. Back in the hallway, he said, "I will have to rejoin Sarrica and the others soon, but I've a couple of hours free. I can show you more of the paperwork and such that has been tossed at me lately, if you want. I think I left most of it in my room, though, since late at night is the only time I ever have to attend such matters, I swear. I'm honestly surprised I've not yet been pulled away to manage some disaster."
Kamir laughed. "Well, there's plenty of time for disaster left. By all means, show me more." He took Jader's arm when offered it, and they wended through the halls to the imperial wing, where Jader's room was located close to the entry doors.
He nodded to the Fathoms Deep guard who stood outside his door, then pulled out the key kept on a heavy chain around his neck along with his imperial ring. He still could not believe he'd eventually have the Kyrmine ring to add to it. "We're not to be disturbed save for emergencies."
"Yes, Commander." The barest hint of smile flitted across the guard's face before he settled once more beneath a mask of impersonal blankness.
Jader snorted softly and led the way inside, leaving his belt and armor on their respective hook and stand near the entryway.
Then he passed through the archway and into the main portions of the suite, smiling faintly as he always did at his little haven. Sarrica had given him leave to alter it howsoever he saw fit, and Jader had done precisely that.
The main room had the usual seating area, but it was also filled with pots and trenches and even special trellises of various plants. Maintaining them was no easy feat, but the palace gardeners had not come by their jobs lightly, either. There were also aquariums of fish and other sea life, even more finicky to maintain than the plants, but his caretakers were paid very well indeed for the trouble.
"Incredible," Kamir said, moving to the nearest of the aquariums, a large circular one that held an octopus and a handful of fish, along with the various plants needed to keep the aquarium clean. "How did you do this?"
Jader laughed and stripped off his heavy military jacket, dropping it into a nearby chair and running his fingers through his hair. "I paid for it. Told the gardeners what I wanted, in both plants and fish, and they took care of the rest. I am not the only one in the palace to have aquariums, but I do have the most."
"They're amazing," Kamir replied, moving on to one filled with tiny fish in a variety of colors, their scales flashing in the sunlight as they darted from hiding spot to hiding spot. Along the bottom of the tank were a couple of old lobsters that would probably outlive everyone in the palace.
Across the room were doors of similar design, and they opened onto a garden filled with still more plants and aquariums of creatures that needed more sunlight than those indoors. Jader walked over to the doors and threw them open, stepping out into the middle of the patio. It was covered in smooth stones that formed a mosaic of Shahira.
