Divided

by Rae Brooks

  Then, the man who had returned Taeru’s goods spoke calmly. “Every time you tell me to stop, I feel more obliged to do it.”

  What an odd correspondence between a noble and a guard. Taeru had never seen anything like it—especially in Telandus.

  The blond prince rolled his eyes and then dismounted. Fear returned when the prince took a decisive step towards Taeru. Taeru’s entire body stiffened. “What is your name?” Calis asked after a moment. Taeru could see the interworking of anger in the prince’s countenance, but he was doing his best to calm it.

  “Why?” Taeru spat, nearly before Calis had finished the question.

  “I wanted to introduce myself to you properly,” Calis answered. “I’m Calis Tsrali.”

  “I know who you are, prince,” Taeru said dangerously. He finally found enough strength in his body to pull himself backwards a little. Calis let out a long sigh and stopped, staring at Taeru with increasing worry. It had to be fake. “My name is Kilik, but you knew that.”

  “So I did,” Calis answered calmly. “Let me help you, Kilik. You are extremely injured. You won’t make it back.”

  “I can find help with someone other than a prince of Telandus. Don’t you have more important things to do than tend to an injured lowlife?” Taeru’s defenses sounded strong, but inside he felt them falling to pieces. He couldn’t get back to Juliet’s house, and her supplies would spoil if he took too long.

  Still, the prince had to be lying to him—had to be trying to trick him to find out some sort of important information. “I can think of nothing I would rather do, than to help you, Kilik. I would very much appreciate if you would let me.”

  Taeru’s lips trembled as he glared into the blue-green eyes—the ones that looked absurdly sincere and gentle. No, no, no. He had to stop thinking like this, or he was going to deeply regret it. “I can…”

  Calis took another firm step forward so that he was within grabbing distance of Taeru. The smaller boy fought off conflicting feelings of terror and desire as he stared at the blond prince. “You’re bleeding far worse than you realize, I think. Please. I will leave you alone after this if you like, but I cannot leave you here like this. I’d sooner have myself hanged.”

  A prince saying please? What sorcery was this? Princes didn’t say please, and Tsrali princes were rumored not to even know the word. Yet this prince was willing to lower himself to the level of helping a citizen of Dark District—even if he was working under the pretense of a ruse, that was out of the ordinary. Taeru frowned, but denying the help seemed foolish at this point. “I don’t want attention drawn,” he said seriously.

  Calis smiled. “I know Dark District well, Kilik. I will ensure that we do not make a ruckus. Not to mention, your foolish Dark District friends have all gone to hide so they needn’t help you.” The man’s voice was so angry that it trembled.

  “There wasn’t anything they could do,” Taeru assured quietly.

  A flash of thunderous fury appeared in the blue-green eyes, and Taeru winced away from it. “Unfortunate, then, that the Phantom Blade was not here to help you,” Calis said oddly. Taeru felt defensiveness flare up within him.

  “He cannot be everywhere,” Taeru said.

  With a surveying glance, Calis quirked an eyebrow. “No, I suppose he can’t.”

  Then, though, the gentleness returned, and Calis extended his hand to the injured boy. Taeru, unthinkingly, reached to take it, and his injured finger slammed into the prince’s hand.

  With a startled cry, Taeru pulled back, clutching his hand to his chest. With a horrifying thought, Taeru glanced into Calis’s worried, and oddly admiring, eyes. His cheeks burned with humiliation—for if Calis had been searching for an answer—he had it now. This time, Calis knelt and pulled Taeru off the ground, and it didn’t escape Taeru that the prince made very certain that he didn’t touch Taeru’s injured side.

  The feeling of Calis’s arms around him inspired far more in Taeru than it should. Calis seemed as if he was intentionally holding him like this—like the prince wanted to hold Taeru. And he wanted Taeru to feel safe. Possibly another way to trick Taeru into revealing information, but the gentleness was not something Taeru had experienced before—not since he was a child.

  “I need to get you onto the horse, Kilik,” Calis said softly. “How bad is your leg? I saw them chasing you, and then I heard you… but I didn’t see what happened.”

  Taeru set his jaw into a hard line and spoke objectively. “I’m not sure. He held my foot out and hit the center of it. I heard something crack.”

  To Taeru’s surprise, Calis stiffened, and then he jerked his head to the side, as if trying to keep from hurting Taeru. “I should kill him. I should go find that rat bastard and rip his throat out. Worthless…”

  “No, you shouldn’t. Kilik would still be hurt, and you would certainly be questioned on the motive of your action. Imagine your father’s reaction if he knew it was for the defense of a Dark District citizen! On that note, perhaps you should.”

  Calis chuckled darkly, and then leaned Taeru gently against the horse as he climbed on top of it. Taeru had the fleeting thought that Calis might leave him, but then the blond extended a hand dutifully. “Why were you following me?” Taeru asked in a worried voice.

  “I told you—I like you,” Calis said without hesitation or hidden intent. Or, no hidden intent that Taeru could distinguish.

  With much effort from both of them, Calis managed to pull Taeru gradually up onto the white stallion. Taeru noted dismally that the creature looked much more majestic than the other horses that the nobles rode. Calis’s looked like a warhorse. The feeling of being on a horse after so long was disorienting. He was sure that he still knew how to ride, but his head hurt and he didn’t want to worry with proper form.

  Though, the feeling of Calis’s arms around his waist was causing his teeth to grind together. He was sure that the Telandan prince was doing this intentionally. The prince had to know that his arms were in more of an embrace than a support. This would make perfect sense—though why Calis would choose a male at random to try and seduce was a bit perplexing. In fact, it made no sense at all. Taeru must have been imagining it—though, he hadn’t ruled out the idea that Calis was using him for some sort of information.

  He had to accept that Calis’s arms were just naturally this protective. Calis was not attempting to make Taeru light-headed and off-balance. No, that was due entirely to Taeru’s own foolishness. Then, Calis spoke into his ear—though Taeru tried to convince himself that this wasn’t intentional, either.

  The two of them just happened to be in very close quarters, as it was impossible to ride together on a horse without being pressed against one another. Taeru was in front of Calis, so his hands fumbled for reins that Calis already held. “I’ve got you,” Calis said gently. Too gently. Tsrali princes did not speak in gentle tones.

  Taeru found himself a little irritated at the prince’s statement as well. Calis did have him, and there was nothing Taeru could do to defend himself if he was carted off to the Tsrali doorstep. With another moment, the horse began to move forward. Calis had to steer the horse, which he did with experience held only after years of practice, so that it turned and was able to move itself out of the alley.

  The statement the prince had made about the streets being deserted was fairly accurate, but Calis kept true to his word and moved off the main streets after another moment. A white destrier was not easy to hide in the middle of Dark District, but when Calis had said that he knew the streets well—he had not lied. They moved through them easily, and through deserted areas. Most of the areas were ones that Taeru used when changing into or out of his Phantom Blade outfit.

  The horse moved with steady strides, and to Taeru’s surprise, he wasn’t jostled in the least. He had half expected to be thrown about like some sort of ragdoll—mostly because he expected that the prince would be riding very quickly, and he was not. All the while, Calis kept a firm hand around Taeru’s abdome
n, while the other held the reins of his horse. “You’re afraid of me,” Calis spoke without a question.

  There was no denying that point, and even Taeru was aware of how tense he was beneath Calis’s grip. He knew that most of it could be contributed to fear, and he wasn’t about to tell the prince that the other bit of it was due to unbridled attraction. “You’re a Tsrali,” Taeru said stiffly, “and… there are certain associations with that name.”

  To Taeru’s surprise, the prince that held him chuckled lightly. Taeru noticed that the other man, Lee, had dropped steadily back, and was now several paces behind them. He was still there, though, looking bemused. “Associations, are there?” Calis asked pointedly.

  Taeru fervently wished that he didn’t feel so bloody awkward on this horse’s back. He felt silly—and helpless—and many other things that he did not enjoy feeling. Meanwhile, the rider of the horse seemed perfectly at ease. “Yes,” Taeru answered pithily.

  “Did you know that, Lee? There are apparently associations attached with being a Tsrali!” the fake shock in his voice only insulted Taeru further. His teeth ground together as he stared at the ground. He wished Calis would run back to Juliet’s—or whatever foul location to which Taeru was being taken. He’d rather be beaten than whatever this was.

  Lee laughed, and the laugh was not one of mockery—in fact, Calis’s friend seemed genuinely amused at the situation. “I hadn’t the slightest.”

  At that moment, there was a change in the air—a stillness that Taeru couldn’t place the reason for, and Calis spoke with sincerity. “I apologize for my brother. I’d apologize for all the nobles, but I’m hardly close enough to them for that to mean anything, and I doubt you would take it to heart.”

  The words shocked Taeru, but he’d convinced himself that this prince wasn’t going to do anything predictably. “There is no reason for you to apologize.”

  “I think there is,” Calis disagreed immediately, “my brother has hurt you before, I would wager.” There was that undercurrent of anger that Taeru felt himself frightened of and drawn to concurrently.

  This seemed like a delicate topic. Of course Tareth had hurt Taeru. He had hurt Kilik, in attempts to get him to admit to being the Phantom Blade, as he had done to every able-bodied man in Dark District, and he had found ways to injure Taeru as the Phantom Blade. Still, Taeru was contented not to blame the blond’s brother for anything.

  Taeru knew his cheeks were burning, and he wished fervently that there was anything he could do about it. This situation was the opposite of what he had anticipated when he’d left Juliet’s this sun, in fact, if he’d foreseen it—he may have let the healer go herself. Not because of his injuries, but because of the strange feelings Calis’s firm arm was inspiring in him.

  “Have you ridden a horse before, Kilik?” Calis asked after a moment of silence, likely when he realized that he wasn’t going to get a remark on Tareth.

  For a moment, Taeru thought of blatantly lying. No, surely there was a reason the prince was asking him, and he didn’t want to be caught in an obvious lie. “Why?” he asked warily.

  “You hold yourself rather well, and you don’t seem to have any trouble moving with Talon. That tells me that you’ve ridden before.” If nothing else, Calis was being rather up front with him, which was more than Taeru could say for himself. Then again, Taeru was in no position to hurt Calis.

  Letting out a breath, he responded honestly. He didn’t intend to answer any further, but there was no harm in admitting that he’d ridden a horse. “I have,” he said.

  “I assume the last time you rode there was not an overly dressed prince sitting behind you?” Calis asked, and the teasing was almost enough to make Taeru smile. He didn’t know why, but a smile actually tried to force its way onto his lips and he forced it away.

  He blinked instead, glaring at the ground as if it had wronged him terribly. “No, there was not,” he answered with too many words.

  Finally, as Calis seemed contented to ride in silence, and Taeru felt some nagging need to start a conversation—as their correspondence up until this point had been rather flat, and Taeru was to blame for that, Taeru managed to speak. “I… why did you help me?” he asked. “Why did you… lie to me?”

  For a moment, Calis didn’t answer, and Taeru thought that he was returning the favor. After all, Calis would have been perfectly within his bounds to ignore Taeru’s question entirely. Then, though, he spoke. “Trips to Dark District are looked upon with scorn by my father, and the other nobles. Not that I care much for what they think of me, but I’d rather not trouble myself by having to answer their questions. I could have told you the truth at the dance, but I hardly think you would have continued speaking to me.”

  Taeru, admittedly, would not have continued talking to Calis. He didn’t want to do so now, but as the prince had saved his life—thrice, the matter wasn’t really up for debate. “The moon I met you,” Taeru said, “there was a ball. It was in your honor. Did you miss it?”

  “I went briefly,” Calis answered, and this time his answer was prompt. “But, my father is overbearing, and so are the women. So, when a friend of mine told me that there was some sort of festival in Dark District, I found a way to leave the ball. The nobles in Telandus are far too absorbed in themselves to notice when someone leaves—even the guest of honor.” His words were so real that Taeru felt his defenses falling.

  The injured boy quickly attempted to reconstruct them, as this might be precisely what someone who was hoping to gain his trust would want. Nevertheless, Taeru knew that feeling—he knew what it was like to stand in a fancy ballroom and want nothing more than to find an escape. “I suppose that makes sense,” he finally said.

  “I’m surprised,” Calis said, “normally Dark District citizens are very taken with the idea of a ball. The fact that you would understand the need to get away from one is both surprising—and somehow expected, Kilik.” Calis’s voice didn’t hint that he had any information on who Taeru really was—but it did say that he thought Taeru was withholding information from him.

  Taeru didn’t say anything, not wanting to give any more information to this overly observant prince. “I, ah… appreciate your help,” Taeru said. As his defenses had fallen, and they had not gone back up easily, he could feel the pain from the blows to his jaw. Blood loss was beginning to make itself known, and when he looked at his injured side, the red that had coated his shirt made him dizzy.

  “I ought to return,” Lee said abruptly. “The sun grows low, and if I am not present to make excuses for you—I fear your father may come to suspect that you are no better than your scoundrel of a brother.” Lee’s words were light, and Taeru felt himself reassured by the strange camaraderie between the two nobles.

  “I’ll see you soon, Lee,” Calis said without question. Another noble might have asked why the other man was running off, as the excuse was certainly not a good one, but Calis didn’t seem concerned.

  Lee smiled, and his horse stopped. “Don’t linger, my friend, lest you wear out our injured associate’s patience.” After another laugh, Taeru glanced back to see the brown horse stopping and turning. Upon looking, Taeru realized why Calis had commented on Lee’s riding style. His horse walked with high steps, a very sophisticated style. “It was a pleasure to meet you officially, Kilik,” Lee added belatedly.

  “Ah, yes, you too,” Taeru answered awkwardly. He would have worked harder to be kind, but his head was swimming. He wasn’t even sure where they were, and if the two of them had taken him somewhere remote to kill him—he would have been entirely unaware.

  In another few moments, though, Taeru was aware that the horse came to a stop. When he blinked his eyes, trying to get a better grasp on his surroundings, he noticed then that they were standing outside Juliet’s house. His mind told him that he needed to get down, but he wasn’t sure how this was going to go with his injured leg.

  When he attempted to move off the horse, though, those firm arms caught him again.
Calis spoke worriedly. “Stop, let me help you.”

  What an absurdly kind thought, Taeru found himself thinking. Surely, this blond was not a true Tsrali, and if he was, then he must have spent the last five years learning how to act beyond the skills of any theatre performer.

  The hands kept Taeru on the horse as the man behind him dismounted with an absurd amount of grace. When Taeru glanced down, and his vision returned properly for a moment, he realized just how fanciful the prince looked. He wore the black and crimson colors of House Tsrali. His uniform was black, and the red that inlaid through the shoulders and down the front of the shirt was just a shade lighter than crimson.

  The prince’s gloves were the same red. He was wearing a black and red tunic that hugged his body, showing off that charm was not the only attractive feature about him. His pants were just as form-fitting, black and red, and they gave way to his black boots midway down his calf. The entire outfit seemed imbued with crimson light so that when the light caught it, it seemed to shine, as though he had blood on his clothes.

  His blond hair contrasted with the outfit, though it seemed more pronounced because of it—just as his pale skin did. He was entirely striking, and Taeru knew that if Tareth ever stood next to this man, that he must feel infinitely inferior.

  Taeru knew the feeling right now. He flushed for a moment before letting out a breath. Calis’s hand was outstretched, and he was clearly offering to help Taeru off the horse. Taeru worked his mind on how to land without causing much damage to his leg. He gritted his teeth and started to pull himself off the horse. In a moment of utter irrationality, Taeru tried pull himself down with little more than Calis’s hand for help.

  His legs would have hit the ground with enough force to make him cry out, if Calis had not turned his body and swooped Taeru up into his arms, in a position where Taeru’s head was at the prince’s shoulder. Blood rushed to his face, and he felt shock slam into his chest. Then, the shock gave way to a sort of disorientation as his vision blurred. To his dismay, Taeru whimpered faintly.