Loyalty and War

by Devon Vesper

  Valis carefully dropped his feet down and stood, so Dawn was no longer upside down in his vision. After a good stretch, he wiped down his chest with a damp towel and shrugged. “We beat the old ones in a battle of magic and wits.”

  “Gods.” She rubbed her forehead and looked like she had just gone a round with two of her most unruly offspring. “That is quite terrifying.”

  “We did okay,” Valis said with pride.

  “No. No, no, no.” Dawn shook her head and started fussing over Tavros, checking his vitals with the tips of her work-roughened fingers. “Terrifying for your predecessors. When you get so far in life, I imagine it is always terrifying to know you aren’t the top of the world you helped create anymore.”

  “They didn’t seem terrified.” Valis rolled his shoulders and pulled a chair up next to the bed so he could be near Tavros without getting in Dawn’s way. He picked up a cloth from a bowl of water on the nightstand, wrung it out, and started mopping up the sweat on Tavros’s brow as he spoke. “They seemed excited to be able to do their own thing without such strict responsibility.”

  He smirked as he rinsed the rag out. “Well, after we get back from our mission. Until then, Isophel and Ephala remain at their station as acting Grand Master Aesriphos in our stead. I don’t think they were happy about that.”

  “This is it, isn’t it?” she whispered. “The end of the war?”

  Valis leaned his forearms on his thighs, clasped his hands, and stared down between his bare feet, following the grain of the polished wood floor. “I hope so. From what I’ve seen in visions and scrying, I’m led to believe that’s the case. But I don’t know for certain. No one does. Right now, my sole two missions are to rescue one of my teams and complete their objective, and retrieve my father before he succumbs to the illness from which he suffers.”

  Dawn let out a long sigh and stood. Valis lifted his head, watching her as she smeared more of that mentholated gunk on Tavros’s chest. “And if your mission—”

  Valis gave her a tense smile and looked up into her green eyes. “My father is my first priority. But once he is secured, a team can carry him home while my husband and I lead our forces on. It all depends on how the pieces move on the board.”

  She gave him a pinched expression, her lips pursed and her brows furrowed and low. “This isn’t Harbinger’s Way, Grand Master.”

  “No,” Valis said. He rinsed and wrung out the cloth again and laid it across Tavros’s brow. “But it’s close enough. The pieces are on the board, and they are moving whether we want them to or not. It doesn’t matter who thinks what, I’m determined to win this game. And I have a feeling it will happen before this year is over.”

  The look Dawn gave him, one of an adult amused at a child’s bravado, grated on Valis’s nerves, but he let it go. She would see, or she would not. He couldn’t help what she believed, only what actions he took to back his words up.

  Tavros groaned, snapping Valis from his thoughts. He had been doing that off and on for hours, but Dawn said it was normal. It didn’t sound normal. It sounded like Tavros was dying. Didn’t help that when she said it, she scowled and glanced at Tavros as if daring him to prove her wrong.

  Valis hoped, with all his heart, that his ornery husband didn’t take her scowl as a challenge.

  “I need to run back to my shop and pick up another bottle of medicine,” Dawn said as she headed toward the door. “Do you want anything while I’m out?”

  Valis tried to think but came up with nothing but questions. “Wait. If I’m under quarantine, and you’ve been in here every day, why aren’t you quarantined, as well?”

  Dawn winked at him. “I have a shield around me filtering the air before it gets to me.”

  A shield? Valis looked closer, and he could just make out the golden shimmer of a shield. It wasn’t invisible, he just hadn’t paid attention. Rubbing his eyes, he waved her off. “I don’t need anything. Take your time.”

  “Actually get some rest while I’m gone.”

  Groaning, Valis got up and laid beside Tavros. Truth was, he actually was starting to get a bit tired, but he didn’t want to mention it to Dawn for fear of her smothering him with that greasy shit. “Fine.”

  “And stay there,” she muttered before closing the door.

  Valis must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, Dawn woke him up with a cold hand on his forehead.

  “Didn’t mean to wake you,” she said softly. “Go back to sleep.”

  Valis was tempted, but when he glanced over, he gasped. Tavros was dripping with sweat so bad that the sheet stuck to him like a second skin and when Valis touched the quilt, it was damp. There were four blankets on top of him, and he’d still shivered. Tavros had sweated through four quilts. Valis passed a hand over his husband’s soaked hair and grimaced. “He’s sweating so bad. Is that normal?”

  The healer leaned in and pressed the back of her hand to Tavros’s forehead. Then she patted his chest and went to the wash basin to wash her hands. “His fever broke. If all goes well, he’ll wake soon.”

  Dawn glanced out the window, then at the clock on the nightstand. “In the meantime, time for another dose of medicine for you both. Might as well get another dose into him before he has to taste it.”

  Valis shuddered. “Good call. That stuff is sickening.”

  She shrugged, not in the least bit sorry and handed him the jar and cup. “Tough. Drink up. Then get your smelly husband—” she sniffed the air and grimaced, “—and your smelly self into the bathing room. I asked my nephew to draw you both baths anyway. They should be ready by the time you choke down your medicine and get into the bathing room. Best to put the hot water to use now that he’s hopefully done sweating out every drop of moisture in his body.”

  Valis pressed his lips together into a disgusted line, almost as if he were about to refuse the medicine, but he poured out the measure and shot it down his throat before he could argue with himself. He chased it with a full glass of tepid water that had been sitting out on the nightstand for most of the day. Once he had administered Tavros’s dose, he obediently took the glass over, boiled it in the kettle, and set it aside to cool and dry.

  “Excellent.” Dawn wrinkled her nose as she looked at the bed. “Get him bathed. Take your time about it, but don’t dawdle. The steamy room will help a bit with his congestion. And while you do that, I’ll change this disgusting bedding and have the boys come up to swap out the mattress so you’re not sleeping in pools of sweat.”

  Valis frowned. “Swap out?”

  Dawn nodded. “This one needs burned, love. We can’t afford to have this sickness running rampant through the city. I’ve already made your men and women take this nasty medicine, as well as any who have been coming in contact with you.”

  “Has anyone else shown signs?” Valis asked.

  She shook her head. “Only a few. A Kalutakeni healer in your ranks, four men—both married couples—and a younger male couple who keep coming up here to try and see you—a redhead and brunette.”

  Valis grinned. “Jedai and Maphias.”

  “Yes, well. They are all fine. We caught it before it got too bad and managed to keep them contained in quarantine for long enough that they’re due to be released today since they haven’t shown any signs of worsening.”

  It never occurred to him that he should worry over his army’s health with all that he had been going through with Tavros, but hearing that they were all well lifted a weight off Valis’s chest and shoulders. He didn’t know where the sudden relief came from, but he hoped it stayed because he felt better than he had in weeks.

  After that, Dawn shooed him to the bathing room with Tavros. Before Valis could close the door, she left a tin of that mentholated gunk and a stack of towels and washcloths.

  By the time Valis was done washing them both and had the grease spread over Tavros’s chest and under his nose, Tavros was moaning and squirming. His head rocked from side to side as if he was trying to get away from
something. Then his hand came up and touched his upper lip, smearing the mentholated grease across his face.

  Valis had to hold his breath and bite his lip because the look of disgust that crossed Tavros’s face was not only priceless but hysterical. Priceless because he’d been expressionless for much, much too long. Hysterical because Valis felt if he didn’t laugh, he’d burst.

  Tavros grunted and tried to open his eyes while holding his hand as far away from his face as possible as if the distance would somehow get his hand clean. In a way, it did, because Valis attacked his fingers with a warm washcloth. “Hold still.”

  Tavros let out a pitiful whine as he flailed. “It stinks,” he mumbled. “Get it off. What the fuck is this shit?” And gods, even whiny and muffled, hearing Tavros’s voice after so long made Valis’s heart do strange things and butterflies alight in his guts.

  He had to get hold of himself. “Calm down,” he murmured. “It’s mentholated grease to help you breathe. You’ve been unconscious for … a long time. You started off delirious from fever. You’re lucky to be alive.”

  Tavros peeked an eye open and winced. “The fumes burn my eyes.” He shuddered then squinted around the room. “Am I dreaming, or am I in a bath?”

  “You’re not dreaming,” Valis said. “I promise. I just got done bathing the both of us, and we’re taking the time to enjoy the steam before I take you back to our room.”

  “Why is this nasty shit under my nose?” Tavros sounded suspiciously like he was about to pout, but managed to keep it in as he tracked Valis’s movements through squinted, watery eyes.

  “I told you, it’s to help you breathe.”

  Tavros frowned and cringed back as if Valis was crazy. Then he slouched as he seemed to realize he was mostly breathing out of his mouth. “Is that why I feel like I’ve been trampled by the army’s horses?”

  “You’re very sick, yes. But your fever broke, you’re awake, and that’s better than you’ve been in what feels like weeks.”

  “Where are we?” Tavros went to rub his face, but Valis caught his hand to keep him from rubbing the pungent grease into his eyes. Since Tavros had woken, it seemed he couldn’t help but keep absently rubbing at his upper lip, getting the grease all over his fingers.

  Valis took care to wash Tavros’s hand again, paying special attention to his fingernails. They needed cut before they went back to bed. “We’re in Venoz City in Ges.”

  Tavros’s eyes widened. “So far? I was unconscious for that long?”

  Nodding, Valis rinsed out a different cloth and wiped away the sticky sleep from his eyes, but Tavros took the cloth away and scrubbed away the grease from under his nose. “How did you manage to get me this far with me being dead weight? You didn’t drape me over my saddle, because that’s not your style.”

  Valis gave him a soft smile as he wrapped a towel about his waist. He started cleaning things up so they could go back to their room before the steam settled and the room grew chilly. “I kept you straddled over my lap, facing behind me so I could hold you and the wind wouldn’t blow in your face as much.” His smile turned rueful as he remembered Tavros’s horse’s antics. “I had to keep letting your horse smell you so he’d quit looking for you.”

  Tavros’s chuckle turned into a hacking cough and Valis got up. “Okay. That’s enough. We need to get you back into bed and warm.”

  With as much care as he could muster, Valis helped get Tavros wrapped in a towel and carried him out of the bathing room, down the hall, and into their room. Dawn closed the door after them and grinned. “Oh, he’s awake!”

  “Barely,” Tavros muttered. Then he yawned so big that his jaw cracked. “Yeah… barely.” Then he squinted at her. “Who are you?”

  Dawn turned down the freshly made bed as she answered, “Your healer. My name is Dawn. Don’t give me any trouble now, you hear?”

  Something shifted in Tavros’s expression before he yawned again and mumbled, “No. Too tired. But I don’t want to sleep.”

  “Tough.” Dawn patted his shoulder and got out of Valis’s way. “You’re going to sleep often for the next few days while your body fights off the rest of your illness.”

  “When can I get some fresh air? It’s stifling in here!” Tavros’s voice wavered with another yawn. As Valis settled Tavros into bed and covered him up, Tavros huffed several sighs and looked up at Valis with glassy eyes. Those eyes told Valis that Tavros still wasn’t in his right mind. But Tavros only asked a simple question. “Open a window?”

  Valis was about to agree and open the sash a crack, but Dawn gave him a hard glare before focusing on Tavros. “And make you worse? Are you mad?” Sighing, Dawn went over to the hearth and adjusted the magic shield letting heat into the room after banking the fire. After a few breaths, it grew somewhat cooler in the room, and Tavros let out a grunt of approval.

  “Valis,” she said, “you know what to do. Keep him in here, and keep him warm and calm. Scry after me if you need anything.”

  “How long do I have to stay cooped up in this room?” Tavros asked, his tone accusing.

  Dawn smirked at him before she stepped out of the room and closed the door. Valis stretched out beside Tavros and pulled his husband close so their foreheads pressed together. He didn’t want to answer, but duty pushed him to. “We’re still under quarantine. It shouldn’t be more than a few more days.

  “And you’re still sick. Just because your fever broke and you woke up doesn’t mean you’re hale and whole.” He poked Tavros in the side. “No arguing, okay? I want you well, and we can’t leave until we’re sure you’re not contagious anymore.”

  Tavros’s eyes softened and he leaned in and gave Valis a chaste kiss. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a terror. I just feel like absolute shit.”

  He made a face and shuddered. “And my breath smells like shit. When can I clean my teeth?”

  “How about after we nap? You look like you’re fading.”

  “Yeah,” Tavros whispered. “Okay.”

  Valis felt like he must have nodded off the moment his husband uttered that word because it felt like only a moment later that someone repeatedly poked him in the side. He rolled over and grabbed the person’s wrist before he even opened his eyes. When he pried his lids open, he grinned. “Seza!”

  She chuckled. “Dawn said you could have visitors so long as we wore shields against your nastiness. We won’t stay long. She didn’t tell us you were sleeping.”

  “Well, we’re not sleeping anymore,” Tavros said with a grunt. “Thanks for that.”

  Zhasina laughed as she sat in the chair next to the bed. “You are quite welcome.”

  “You have a report for us,” Valis said. He could almost feel it in the air. When Seza nodded and sat on the edge of the bed beside him, she took in a deep breath. “Some from the city wish to accompany us. Zhasina and I asked the more capable of the reliquary guards to test their mettle and skill so we could give you a comprehensive report.”

  “And your findings?” Valis asked. He couldn’t keep the intrigue out of his voice. His army just kept growing, and it was a blessed thing.

  “There were two hundred and forty-one who are proficient in battle enough to accompany us. The rest, we gently turned away.”

  “I trust your judgment,” Valis said. “Thank you. Make sure they’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice because as soon as we’re all no longer ill, I want to head out.”

  “As you say, Grand Master,” she said with a teasing wink. “Go back to sleep, both of you. We need you well.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Time ticked by. Boredom didn’t come close to describing what Valis felt. He was certain Tavros felt worse by the way he complained at Dawn every time she came in. But there were breaks where their friends came in.

  It had been ten days, and they both grew restless. Valis couldn’t help but grin, though. Tavros finally looked healthy for the first time in nearly a month. No matter how hard Dawn tried to keep him in bed with dema
nds, Tavros only tolerated it for the first two days before he started strength training with Valis in the mornings and evenings.

  Now, they waited anxiously for Dawn to arrive. Tavros stared at the door like a starving man. “Where is she?”

  Valis snickered. “Are you sure you want to leave the warmth of the inn for bitterly cold days in the saddle?”

  Tavros groaned. “Anything is better than being stuck in a small room without anything to occupy my time except training.” He flopped back onto the bed. “Sure. Our friends have been coming over. Half the army’s come to see you for advice and suggestions. But I miss… well, I guess I just miss freedom. It feels like I’ve been tossed in prison while I was sleeping.”

  Valis snorted and shifted in his seat. “Well, in a way, you’re not wrong. Only you were mostly comatose instead of sleeping. And it was for your own good instead of doing something wrong.”

  “Yeah.” Tavros sighed and dropped his arm over his eyes with a deep groan that went down Valis’s spine to his dick, leaving goosebumps and an aching erection in its wake.

  “Fuck… Tav, you can’t do that.”

  “Do what?” He raised his arm just high enough to peek at Valis. His eyes trailed down to the tent Valis’s cock made in his loose uniform pants and grinned. “Oh.”

  “Yes. Oh. And Dawn is supposed to be here soon.”

  “And when are we going to get this chance again?” Tavros asked. “We don’t know if we’ll survive the journey to save the anchors, let alone long enough to rescue them.”

  Grinning, Valis shook his head and stripped off his pants. “Let’s make it quick.”

  Tavros gave him a molten look that darkened his gray eyes. “No. I plan on taking my time. Lock that fucking door, Valis. Put a note outside if you must, but I plan on savoring you now that I feel better. Gods, my balls are aching and my poor, neglected cock sees my husband and wants in his ass so bad it’s throbbing in time with my heartbeat.”