Protector (Little Death Bringer, #2)

by Banks, Catherine

  “Are you going to stay single the rest of your life, not telling Favian how you feel and not allowing yourself to feel for others?”

  He was right, but I did not have an answer for him that he would like. It was better if I went away from everyone and lived a solitary life so that no one would be in danger of dying like my human family had.

  “At least I got a kiss from you,” he whispered with a wicked grin, “Now I can die happy.”

  I laughed and wiped the stupid tears off of my face. “I’m sorry.”

  He hugged me and then put his arm around my shoulders as we walked back into the castle. “Don’t apologize for your feelings. I’m glad that you think so much of me.”

  “You’re going to flirt with me still in front of Favian, aren’t you?” I asked with a smirk.

  He smiled. “Of course! Besides, it’s not like he is going to have you and a woman as beautiful as you are deserves to be flirted with. Plus, I have heard what a terrible flirt you are when Favian isn’t around.”

  “Rumors travel fast in the Elven Kingdom,” I mumbled.

  Favian turned the corner and stopped in front of us. He looked at Sebastian’s arm around my shoulders to the tear tracks on my face and asked, “What were you crying about?”

  “Truly it was me who was crying,” Sebastian said as he released his arm from around me, “My heart is broken.”

  “Can I talk to you?” Favian asked.

  “I think we have talked enough,” I said as I walked towards my room to grab my bag.

  “Marin, please let me talk this out with you,” he asked.

  “There is nothing to talk out.”

  “You’re being stubborn and hiding yourself from me,” he said.

  He was right. “Marin,” Kato called, “You have received a summons to Macon.”

  I nodded my head and said, “I was already on my way.”

  “I will come with you,” Favian said.

  “He did not summon you,” I reminded him.

  “And I do not leave your side unless you run away in the dark of night,” he said angrily, “We are a team and I will go with you to Macon.”

  “Fine, I will meet you at the stables,” I said resignedly. I was happy and yet part of me knew I should have truly ended our partnership already.

  I hurried to Baldemar and retrieved my weapons from him, giving him back the loaners. “Those blades are special,” he told me, “be careful with them.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a bow.

  “Stay safe,” he said as I walked out. “Come home to see us soon.”

  Alex was standing in front of Fire’s stall when I came in and did not turn around when I walked inside the stable. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “Yes, I was summoned by Macon,” I said as I grabbed my tack.

  “You would have left anyways,” he said knowingly.

  “It is time for me to go,” I whispered.

  He turned around and said, “You are always welcome here, Marin. I know you don’t need to hear that from the stable boy, but no matter what you think or feel, I will always welcome you here and in my house. Some of us look forward to your returns.”

  It was one of the nicest things I had heard from an elf other than my family in a long time and I appreciated it. I hugged him and then kissed his cheek. “You will make some female very lucky. I value your friendship.”

  He hugged me again and whispered, “Please stay safe.”

  “I will try.”

  Favian entered the stable and got Ice ready, waiting for me as I got Fire ready.

  I put the gear on Fire and then mounted her and we set off at a gallop out of the barn. The journey to Macon took half a day and as I entered the Academy grounds I felt a little better. This had been my second home and I really enjoyed being here. I walked into the office and found him sitting at his desk with his fingers steepled. He saw me and smiled, “Marin. I am glad to see that you are no worse for wear after that last mission.”

  I sat in the chair in front of his desk and smiled, “Elves are amazing healers.”

  He looked at Favian and said, “You were not summoned.”

  Favian said, “No, but she is my partner and we rarely separate. Would you like me to stand outside?”

  “You may stay.”

  Favian sat in the chair next to me and I felt the pressures of our royal life slip away being in the Academy and in front of Macon.

  “So, do you know why I brought you here?” he asked me. That was part of why I liked him, he was straight to business with no fluff.

  “I am guessing that you’re sending me out on another mission,” I said.

  He nodded his head, “Yes, but first thing is first. Please stand up.”

  I stood and he walked around the desk. “Follow me.” I obeyed and followed him outside and towards the arena where there were several mercenaries and the Council, a group of five Protectors and five Mercenaries who essentially ran us and decided who promoted.

  Macon made me stand in front of them in the arena as he went to stand with them, being the Chairman of the Council.

  “Marin, your recent mission along with your many others have been brought to our attention for our consideration,” one of the other members said. If I remembered correctly his name was Octavius and he was one of the few humans capable of taking down rogue shapeshifters.

  “After careful consideration we have decided to award you the title of Protector. It is not a title to be taken lightly and it is not given lightly. Your power and passion and the desire to protect the people of this land with your own life are the reason you are being given this title. We have all heard how you saved your partner and the child from the magic user in Grundio and are very impressed,” Octavius said, “Congratulations and may you use your title with honor.”

  Protector. I was a Protector. I wanted to shout for joy, but instead bowed and said, “I humbly accept the title and will ensure I do not tarnish it.”

  “We are sure that you will not,” Macon said with a smile.

  “We have a mission for you and Favian,” Octavius said.

  Favian stepped up next to me and we waited to be given our mission instructions.

  “Our spies learned that there is a group of rogues gathering ogres and others to use in an attack against the human King. We need them eradicated before they can start the war. If you can kill them before then you will save hundreds of human lives,” Octavius said.

  I nodded my head. “I understand.”

  “Macon will give you a map of the location. We look forward to tale of your victory,” he said with a smile.

  I bowed and smiled at him. “I look forward to finishing this mission.”

  “Congratulations,” Favian said.

  “Are you mad?” I asked him softly so the Council members and Macon who was walking in front of us would not hear us.

  “No, why would I be mad?” he asked me, looking geniunely confused.

  “Because you might have become a Protector too if you had come on that mission like you were supposed to,” I said.

  He shrugged. “It was always your goal to become a Protector. I am fine with just being a mercenary.”

  Probably because he would have to quit soon anyways.

  Macon gave us the map and dismissed us. We would stay the night at the Academy and leave early in the morning tomorrow. We had a very long trip south before we reached our foes.

  We bowed to him and left to the dining hall to eat. I was very hungry. I opened the door and most of the people inside were students, but a few were familiar faces from when I had attended the Academy. I went up to the cook who smiled happily at me. “Marin! I did not expect to see you here so soon! Congrats on becoming a Protector!”

  “Thank you,” I said with a wide smile.

  He gave me my tray of food and I sat down at an empty table to eat. The students whispered loudly around me and it pleased me to be so infamous among them already.

  “How do
es it feel to be the first female Mercenary and the first female Protector?” Doug asked me as he sat down across from me.

  He had attended the Academy with me and Favian, but had not really interacted much with me. “I’m shocked and pleased,” I said honestly. And I really had not thought about being the first female Protector!

  “You deserve it,” he said honestly, “We have all heard about your missions. You’re quite an amazing woman.” He finally turned to Favian to acknowledge him. “Favian,” Doug greeted him with a handshake. “How’s it going?”

  “Good.”

  “So now that you’re a Protector, what are you going to do?” Doug asked, turning back to me.

  “Go on missions like usual,” I said with a shrug. “Not much will change except my title and probably the difficulty of the missions.”

  “We should get some rest,” Favian said. Clearly he was uncomfortable, but I wasn’t sure why. He had just said he did not care about not being a Protector.

  I nodded my head without looking at him and then grabbed a bread roll and left the room. I walked to the stables and tossed an apple into Fire’s food bucket. “Eat up, girl. We are going to be riding very far tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this mission?” he asked me softly.

  “Yes.”

  He looked away from me and exhaled. “Mother is very upset that you left without saying good bye.”

  “I’ll send her an apology note when we finish the mission,” I said.

  “Sebastian almost followed me here,” he said.

  “Did you tie him up?” I asked only half joking.

  “He told me that you refused to court him,” Favian said softly, “But he would not tell me why you refused him.”

  “I don’t need to give a reason,” I said as I waited to find out where he was going with this.

  “Alex seemed very distraught when we were leaving,” he noted.

  I cringed. “He is a more emotional elf than most, but I’m sure he will be fine.”

  “So what is your plan?” he asked me.

  “Find the rogues and ogres and slay them all.”

  “Not for the mission, for your life,” he said.

  I sighed. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly, “I’m already a Protector so I guess I can focus on finding out who my Father is for a while. I know you have to help Father with the Festival next month.”

  “Are you planning on going alone?” he asked me.

  “Yes,” I answered simply.

  “Whatever it is that you’re hiding from me, you can tell me,” he whispered. “No matter what it is you know that you are my best friend and nothing could come between us.”

  I said nothing because there was nothing I could say to him. I could not tell him that I loved him and that this distance and this coldness between us was killing me.

  “Amile has been following Sebastian around,” he said with a laugh.

  “Does that upset you?” I asked him.

  He frowned. “Why would that upset me?”

  “She used to follow you around all the time and now she is following him.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t care about her. I’m glad that she has found someone else to flirt with and bat her eyelashes at.”

  I wasn’t sure if I believed him or not, but I did not press him on the matter. “At least he seems to be fitting in nicely,” I said.

  He nodded his head and opened his mouth, but then closed it again. I was curious what he was going to say, but he stood up and said, “Let’s go get some rest.”

  Chapter Ten

  The next day we packed our supplies and headed south. We barely spoke, just checking to make sure the other was ready and then brief comments. It was weird and I could feel our friendship straining. I needed to fix this, to keep our friendship intact. Maybe I should try to talk to him about females.

  “So, how was your night at the ball?” I asked him with a smile.

  He glanced at me and shrugged. “It was okay until I realized that you had run away.”

  I’d forgotten about that. “Did you have fun with the females? Was it less painful getting to split the duties with Sebastian?”

  “The females were much different this time,” he admitted, “In fact it seemed like they were more enthusiastic than usual to dance with us.”

  “Well there were two of you this time,” I reminded him.

  “Does it bother you?” he asked me.

  “What?” I asked him, unsure what he was specifically asking me about.

  “That he looks like me.”

  “Very much,” I told him honestly.

  “Is that why you turned down his courtship? Because of how similar we look?”

  “No,” I answered honestly. It wasn’t just how they looked, but that they weren’t the same.

  “You know that you can be honest with me,” he said, “I won’t hate you if you do like him.”

  “I do not like him in that way,” I said, “And that is why I turned down his courtship.”

  “Jovian said he saw Sebastian kiss you,” Favian whispered.

  Crap. Why had I brought this up again? “He did.”

  “Did you punch him?” he asked with a smirk.

  “No, but I told him I could not court him right after he kissed me.”

  “So he didn’t even ask to court you? You just refused him?”

  “I guess,” I whispered. “Why are you so worried about me courting him or not?” I asked him.

  “I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” he replied, but looked away from me. “I still don’t fully trust him.”

  “You never will,” I said. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, he would always distrust Sebastian. There was nothing that Sebastian could do to earn his trust either.

  “So are you and Alex courting?” he asked me.

  “I’m not courting anyone,” I answered through gritted teeth. Why was he suddenly so interested? Usually you did not start courting until eighteen and that was still two years away.

  “I know there are many who want to court you,” he said, “I saw the way they looked at you at the ball.”

  “None of them will court me,” I said, “And besides, I won’t court any of them.”

  “Elven men not good enough for you?” he asked a bit angrily.

  “It has nothing to do with that!” I yelled in shock. “You are well aware that I prefer elves to humans.”

  “Then why?”

  “I don’t want any of them!” I yelled and then turned away. Dammit.

  “Who do you want?”

  “Who do you want?” I asked him back.

  “You answer me first,” he said.

  “What I want doesn’t matter anyways. I am going to be a Protector and spend my days hunting ogres so I won’t have time for a domesticated female life.”

  “You can’t do this when you’re old,” he said.

  “Watch me.”

  “Don’t you want children?” he asked, “I’ve seen you teaching the young ones when you think no one is watching.”

  “The thought has crossed my mind, but until I found out my true patronage I won’t subject that upon my children.”

  “I take it Sebastian wasn’t able to help you with those books?” he asked.

  “No…wait? How did you know about that?” I asked him suspiciously. He pretended to scout the trees around us, avoiding looking at me. “Were you spying on me?”

  “Jovian seems fond of you,” he said to try to change the subject.

  “He likes sparring with me. Now, why were you spying on me?”

  “I was worried about you. You spent a lot of alone time with him and you stopped talking to me about stuff. You’ve been hiding things from me since we left the Academy.”

  “I’m sorry,” I answered him honestly.

  “What can be so terrible that you won’t tell me about it?” he asked.

  “There are some things that you are just better off not knowing,” I answered hi
m honestly.

  “That’s not fair,” he said, “You should give me the information and let me deal with it myself. I am more level headed than you.”

  I ignored the dig at me and stayed quiet.

  “Will you ever be able to tell me?” he asked me.

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I can’t tell you,” I said.

  “Did you kill someone?” he asked.

  “You know about everyone or thing I have ever killed,” I said.

  “Are you pregnant?” he asked me with a disapproving look.

  “Favian?!” I yelled, “How dare you insult my honor! I have never lain with a man!”

  “Just checking,” he said, “It would explain your mood swings.”

  “Rude.”

  “Did you do something against Elven laws?” he asked.

  “Almost, but no that’s not what it is about.” I really did not like this twenty questions game.

  “Almost?” he asked.

  “I went to see Queen Silvermist that day to make the bracelets, but she stopped me before I set foot in their land.”

  “You were going to enter the Pegasus lands?!” he asked in shock.

  “I had a good reason,” I mumbled.

  “You’re lucky she stopped you! I can’t imagine what Father would have done if you had entered their lands.”

  “Calm down I didn’t enter their lands so there’s no reason to get so worked up,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

  “What else could it be?” he asked me, “What else could you think that I would possibly care about that you are hiding it from me?”

  I said nothing. I could not tell him the truth.

  We rode in silence and now he seemed even more agitated. I was glad that our ride south did not involve us riding over mountains and into the cold. We made camp off of the rode and ate our dinner in silence. I could tell he was in deep thought and so I let him be. He would probably just ask me more questions that I could not answer for him. Part of me wanted to tell him and to be honest with him, but the other more dominant part of me did not want to hear his reaction and know our friendship was over because he did not love me or think I was pretty. He had said I looked beautiful when I had come to breakfast in my dress, but he could have meant that I had looked good for me since I rarely dressed womanly.