by Jaye McKenna
The soup went down without incident, and when he was finished, Dani said, “Thank you.”
Rio looked away, but not before Dani saw the small smile curving his lips.
Dani lowered his eyes and noted he was still wearing the same filthy, blood-stained shirt he’d worn last night. In a flash, he was back there on the cold, hard pavement, body curled tightly to protect himself as his father laid into him with boots and fists. With a whimper, he shoved the memories aside and said in a quavering voice, “I suppose a bath is out of the question?”
Rio’s smile was gentle, his dark eyes kind. “I’m sure you want one, but you’re too dopey for it to be safe at the moment. Sleep some more. You can get clean when you wake up.”
“A clean nightshirt, then?” he asked, hating the way his throat tightened and tears threatened.
“That, I think we can manage.” Rio reached out a tentative hand and patted his arm comfortingly. “Where would I find one?”
“In the dressing table. Second drawer down.”
Rio fetched a nightshirt and carefully helped him into it. The gentle, solicitous touches were such a contrast from his father’s rough handling last night that Dani nearly burst into tears.
When Rio helped him settle back against the pillows, he said, “Sleep now. Pen said you were awake all night.”
“I was. Coryn gave me a stimulant to stop the anzaria from putting me to sleep. It kept me awake all night… I couldn’t get comfortable. Everything hurt. And every time I closed my eyes, I was back there on the pavement…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “He was so angry. He’s never hit me like that before. I don’t…” He squeezed his eyes shut against the wave of unhappiness washing over him. “I don’t think I can do the things he wants me to do, Rio.”
Try as he might, Dani couldn’t hold back the flood. Great sobs gripped him and he was helpless to stop them. Cloth rustled, the mattress beside him dipped, and a pair of warm, strong arms went carefully around him.
“Shh. It’s all right. You’re safe now.” Rio’s voice found its way through the wall of despair, and Dani hung on to it like a lifeline. “I’ve got you, skasha. Try to sleep.”
Dani accepted the comfort, turning his face into Rio’s chest and letting out all the pent-up fear and tension from yesterday. He sobbed until his eyes were dry and his throat was sore. When he finally stopped, everything was still and silent.
Then Rio’s arms tightened around him, and he began to sing. Dani snuggled closer and drifted off to sleep to the sound of Rio’s voice caressing the liquid syllables of Djhara.
* * *
Rio jerked awake to find himself pinned by a pair of icy blue eyes.
Where was he? Not in his quarters. No, he was on Dani’s bed, a sleeping Dani warm and relaxed against him, his own arms wrapped around him, holding him close.
Heat flooded his face. He knew exactly how bad this looked, but instead of leaping up and disturbing Dani, Rio carefully freed one arm, met Coryn’s gaze steadily, and brought a finger to his lips.
Coryn’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded and backed off, leaving Rio to gently disentangle himself from Dani’s embrace. Dani was still deeply asleep.
Rio rolled carefully off the bed and pulled the covers up over Dani, then followed Coryn out into the main room of the suite, where Pen was curled up on the couch, fast asleep.
The moment he’d eased the door shut, Coryn turned on him. “What the fuck, Rio?”
“He was hysterical,” Rio murmured, not wanting to disturb Pen. “I was afraid he might do something desperate.”
“He was in too much pain to do anything desperate,” Coryn said flatly. “He could barely make it to his bed. I practically carried him all the way up here.”
Rio didn’t argue. Nothing he could say would change what Coryn had seen, and Bajhan wouldn’t be interested in excuses. He’d committed a serious breach of protocol, and Coryn was right to call him on it. “What are you going to do?”
Cold eyes bored into his. “We both know what I ought to do.” Coryn’s voice was still low, but his tone dripped acid. “You told me you weren’t going to fuck this up. You said you could keep your mind on your job.”
“He was upset,” Rio tried to explain. “I was trying to help.”
“That isn’t your job.”
“I would have thought you, of all people, would have a little compassion for him.”
Coryn went utterly still. “Do not. Go there. With me.” If his voice had been any louder, it would have been a snarl. “You’re off duty now. Get the fuck out.”
Rio flinched, but said no more. Nothing he could say now would help. He crossed the suite to the door, pausing only long enough to exchange a worried look with a sleepy, rumpled Pen before knocking for the guards to let him out.
He didn’t bother stopping in the servants’ dining hall for dinner. His stomach was twisted up in a tight, burning knot, and he couldn’t stop seeing the look in Coryn’s eyes when he’d found him on Dani’s bed.
Would Coryn report him to Bajhan?
Back in his quarters, Rio sank down on his bunk and unclenched his hand to stare at the scar across his left palm. He and Coryn were years and leagues away from the boys they’d been when they’d exchanged knives and blood, binding themselves together with the oath of brotherhood.
Did the vow they’d made to each other still mean anything to Coryn?
Rio had been able to read his blood brother easily once, but those days were gone. The difference between the boy he’d left behind in Vhalion and the young man who’d arrived at the Khalshir compound two years later was a vast, dark gulf separating them, and Rio had no idea how to cross it. Coryn had changed in those two years, and in the time since, their training and assignments had kept them distant. Rio no longer knew Coryn well enough to predict which way he might jump.
Chapter Seven
Rio plucked a handful of bright red and yellow blossoms from the vase in the servants’ dining hall, thinking they might brighten Dani’s suite. A week had passed since the beating, and Rio hadn’t been pulled off the assignment. Whether that meant Coryn had kept his mouth shut or Bajhan was giving him another chance, Rio had no way of knowing, and dared not ask.
Dani’s bruises had faded, but he was still confined to his suite, and growing increasingly restless. Rio had been doing his best to help him pass the days. He’d kept up the language lessons, even though Mistress Orlina wasn’t there to help. That kept them busy for the morning, but afternoons had dragged until Pendrin brought in a set of Castles, a complex strategy game that had come across the mountains from the Tovashi Domains some years ago. Rio had never heard of it before, but listened with interest as Pendrin patiently explained the rules to Dani and set up the board every afternoon. Dani had asked Rio to join in after the second day, and Rio had agreed, telling himself it wasn’t really any different than helping him learn Djhara or teaching him self-defense.
When Rio reached Dani’s suite, he met Coryn coming out of the bedroom. Coryn gave him a sharp nod. “Quiet night. Pendrin’s just getting him dressed.” His eyes shifted to the flowers. “What’s this?”
“Something to brighten the place up. It’s starting to feel like a prison.”
One dark eyebrow arched. “You’re not being paid to decorate.”
Rio couldn’t help but wince at Coryn’s callous tone of voice. “I don’t have to be paid to show a little human decency. You should try it sometime. You weren’t always this cold.”
Coryn recoiled as if he’d been slapped. “Suit yourself,” he muttered, and turned away.
“Coryn, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
Coryn turned back to face him, expression guarded. “No?”
“No. I—”
“You need to be careful, Rio,” Coryn said in a low voice. “Very careful.” He turned on his heel and left without another word. Rio stared after him, trying to decide if Coryn had been delivering a threat or a warning.
Warning, he decided, and
promised himself he would give Coryn no more reason to doubt his loyalty.
Dani and Pendrin emerged from the dressing room, and Dani’s eyes fixed on the flowers. “What’s this?”
“Ah. I… um…” Rio’s cheeks heated, and he was glad, not for the first time, of the dark skin tone covering his blushes. “They had a big vase full of flowers down in the servants’ dining room. I… I took a few. Thought they might brighten things up in here.”
Dani reached out and took them from Rio, bringing them to his nose to inhale their sweet scent. “Pen, find some water for these, will you? And put them on the sideboard so I can see them.”
He handed the flowers to Pendrin, who slipped out, saying, “I’ll just go down and find something, sir.”
Dani smiled, the first real smile Rio had seen in the last week, and said, in clear, perfect Djhara, “Thank you for the flowers.”
Rio couldn’t help but return the smile. “Your accent is excellent. You really do have an ear for languages.”
“I wish I had an eye for them, too.” Dani’s smile turned rueful. “Speaking it fluently isn’t going to please my father unless I can read it, too.”
They settled at the little table in the corner of Dani’s sitting room and Rio set to drilling Dani on the vocabulary they’d been working on. Pendrin returned shortly with a vase full of water for the flowers, and arranged them on the sideboard before approaching slowly, a worried frown creasing his brow. He pulled an envelope from inside his jacket and laid it on the table beside Dani.
“There’s been word from your mother, Master Dani.”
Dani froze for a moment, then asked guardedly, “Does Father know?”
“No, he does not,” Pen assured him. “It came to me through a friend of your mother’s. She didn’t want to risk having it to fall into your father’s hands.”
With trembling hands, Dani took the envelope and examined it. It was addressed to him in flowing script written in green ink. Dani broke the seal and pulled out a sheet of thick, creamy paper. He studied it carefully, lips moving as he struggled to sound out the words. A few minutes later, his shoulders slumped in defeat, and he passed it across the table to Rio. “Would you?” he whispered. “I can’t.”
“Certainly.”
“Master Dani, are you sure?” Pen asked.
Dani’s eyes met Rio’s. “Ai. I’m sure. He hasn’t told my father about the anzaria, has he? I think we can trust him with this, too.”
Rio scanned the page, heart sinking as he read the graceful, flowing lines of green script. He read the entire letter aloud to Dani:
My Dearest Dani,
I dared not send this directly to the house, as I feared your father might intercept it. I have spoken with Tyvirion and he has expressed both sorrow and outrage at your situation. He tells me relations between Altan and Tallin have been strained since Nezaine took the throne, and he regrets he has no influence over King Nezaine. He says any attempt on his part to retrieve you is likely to incur Nezaine’s wrath.
I fear I have only one shred of hope to offer you: Tyvirion says if you can make your own way to Altan, he will grant you sanctuary.
I am sorry I cannot send better news.
I hope to see you soon.
Yours always,
Mother
Dani crumpled in on himself a little more with each line Rio read. By the time he finished, Dani’s face was bone white, and a single tear tracked down his cheek.
“Tyvirion?” Rio said softly. “As in High Lord Tyvirion of Altan?”
Dani nodded miserably. “He’s married to my mother’s sister.” He took the letter from Rio and pressed it against his chest. “I don’t know what to do. I… I was sure Uncle Ty would help.”
“He will help,” Pendrin said encouragingly. “He’s offered you sanctuary. You just have to get across the border.”
Dani snorted and shook his head. “You make it sound so easy. Father would never let me go. And if I tried to escape, he’d have Hawk and her men after me so fast it would make my head spin.” He stared down at the table, narrow shoulders trembling. “What am I going to do?”
While Pen did what he could to comfort his charge, Rio remained silent. Getting Dani across the border would be no challenge for a Khalshir operative. But in doing so, he’d betray the Guild, his mentor, and his blood brother.
* * *
Dani stared at the flowers on the sideboard, the only bright spot in this whole, miserable day. Mother’s letter had dashed all his hopes of escape. Much as he loved her, she was terribly naive if she thought there was any way Dani was going to reach Altan by himself.
After hearing the argument the night before Mother left, Dani knew Father would never agree to letting him go. The only way he was going to get to Altan was to escape and try to make his own way there. How he would manage that, he had no idea. The thought of braving the mountain pass by himself was beyond frightening. Wild animals, freak storms, bandits… and those were only the dangers he knew about. Doubtless, there were plenty of others he hadn’t thought of. And even if escape was an option, it would cause problems for Rio, who had admitted to being in trouble with his superiors before he’d even come here. The last thing Dani wanted was to be responsible for ruining Rio’s career.
A dark shroud of despair settled over him, and not even Rio’s attempt to draw him into a game of Castles or the slice of freshly baked cake Pen brought were enough to rouse him.
An hour before dinner, a sharp rap on the door startled him. Rio, who had taken up his station beside the door, answered it, and when he closed the door, his expression was grim. “Your father requests your presence at dinner tonight.”
Dani’s chest went tight. The perfect end to a perfectly beastly day. “I suppose I’d better make myself presentable, then.”
“I’ll set out some dinner clothes for you,” Pen said, from the sideboard, where he was dusting.
“Pen, I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything about what sort of mood he’s in today?”
“I haven’t,” Pen said, “but I’ll go down and make inquiries after I’ve seen to your clothes.” Pen disappeared into the bedroom, and Dani slowly followed him to the dressing room, where Pen handed him a pair of black breeches, a dark grey silk shirt, and a formal black dinner jacket.
By the time Dani was dressed, Pen had returned from downstairs none the wiser. Lord Jherek had been out most of the day, and none of the staff had seen him for long enough to gauge his mood. Dani let Pen undo his queue and brush his hair out, then redo it so it would look neat for dinner.
He dragged his feet until the last possible moment, but finally, there was no choice but to go downstairs. When they reached the dining room door, Rio looked up and down the hall, then dared to touch Dani’s hand briefly. “Be brave,” he whispered.
Dani made an attempt to smile past the lump that had been lodged in his throat since Rio had read Mother’s letter to him. “I’ll try,” he managed to reply before squaring his shoulders and pushing the door open.
Father was already seated. Dani’s stomach seized up as he looked to the clock to check the time. No, he wasn’t late; Father was early. Relief weakened his knees as he crept across the dining room floor, feeling like a hapless mouse trying to avoid the scrutiny of a hungry hawk.
It wasn’t until the food had been dished up and the servants had departed that Larrad finally spoke. “I trust you’ve had ample time to reflect upon your performance last week.”
“Yes, sir.” Dani stared down at his food. The roast was rare and bloody in the middle, just the way it always was. Tonight, it turned his stomach.
“Look at me, boy,” Larrad barked.
Dani lifted his head. Hard, brown eyes met his, then swept over him in a scathing assessment.
“You’ve healed up well enough to be seen in public, I think.”
“Yes, sir.”
Larrad grunted and speared a chunk of potato with his fork. “And I trust I made my point clear.”
; “Clear as crystal, sir,” Dani murmured.
“Good. Then we’ll have no more inappropriate displays of emotion during business meetings. Will we?”
“N-no, s-sir,” Dani stammered, unable to keep the tremor from his voice.
“You need toughening up, boy, and since your mother failed spectacularly in bringing you up properly, the job falls to me. You’ll return to your lessons tomorrow morning, and you’ll be accompanying me into the city more frequently. You are no longer confined to your suite, but you may not leave the grounds without me. The guards already have orders to that effect. I expect to see a marked improvement in your behavior.”
Dani didn’t trust himself to speak, so he gave his father a nod of acknowledgment and stared down at his plate, appetite completely gone.
* * *
The defeated, hopeless look in Dani’s eyes when Rio had escorted him to the dining room stayed with Rio all night. It was a good thing he’d arranged to spar with Jordi that evening, or he very well might have gone back to Dani’s suite to check on him. What Coryn would have said — or done — about that, he didn’t like to think.
“Is he in a better mood this morning?” Rio asked when he met Coryn for shift change.
Coryn gave him a long, searching look. “Does it matter?”
Rio shrugged. “Hawk said Lord Jherek had lifted the house arrest. I… thought that might make a difference to his mood.”
“You ought to be more concerned about your performance than his mood,” Coryn snapped.
“Why? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Bajhan sent for me,” Coryn said. “I’m supposed to meet him this morning.”
Rio’s stomach dropped. “What are you going to tell him?”
Coryn glanced at him with veiled eyes. “Haven’t decided,” he muttered, and turned on his heel.
