by Frost Kay
“That makes it okay to strike back? To hurt her?”
“She has never been hurt. She’s been fed, clothed, and well taken care of. She hardly has reason to complain, all we’ve asked for is her cooperation. The information she has could save hundreds if not thousands of lives.”
“Not that it matters,” Sam added. “She’s not given us a bloody thing, so it’s turned out to be a useless gamble.”
“You’re more morally corrupt than I thought. Basic human needs are not a privilege, not something to be rewarded, or they shouldn’t be,” she said softly before pinning Sam with her gaze. “And she’s not useless. I spoke with Blaise today.”
“Blaise?” Sam scooted forward with excitement. “She gave you her name? She’s hardly spoken a word these three months past. What did you do? We’ve tried everything.”
“Not everything obviously. If you had you’d already have known that a little human kindness goes a long way. People don’t like to be manipulated, Spymaster.” Sage stared his brother down. “They like to be treated as fellow humans and not just assets.” A pause. “They are people, not things to be used and tossed away, a lesson it seems you haven’t learned yet.”
Sam flinched and dropped his eyes looking upset. “She’s a prisoner of war, Sage. She made her choice when she attacked Aermia.”
Her lips pursed, but she didn’t argue.
Tehl frowned. Now was neither the time nor the place for moral lessons. It was a war meeting for God’s sake and she needed to get off her high horse. This did nothing for the unification of the council, and it was high time for her show to end. She’d made her point. “Are you about done?”
Sage turned placing her boots on his knees and leaned forward. “Not yet, but almost. I don’t take kindly to lies of omission, nor do I care to be manipulated. If you think the Scythians are dangerous then you have never been on my bad side.”
“Duly noted.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I know several of these meetings have happened and yet this is the first one I’ve been to. I am not your errand boy, your steward, or even your wife. I am your consort, your balance, your judge, and your fellow in arms. Do not think to exclude me.” Her hair had fallen around her face framing her flushed cheeks and fiery eyes.
For one moment, he let himself admire her wild beauty. He admitted to himself that her inner fire was appealing. A life with her could actually be enjoyable one day if they could be true comrades in arms, but, until then, it was fight or die. She could have her say but making a scene was not acceptable.
Tehl placed his palms on either side of her thighs and leaned into her space, their noses touching. “I’ll make sure you’re included but just because we have an alliance and a document that states we are bound, it doesn’t mean you are privy to everything that happens in my kingdom.”
“I understand.” A smile flitted across her mouth. “But just because we have an alliance and a document that states we are bound, it doesn’t mean you can order me around and exclude me from matters of our kingdom.”
Stubborn wench. She never made anything easy.
His nose twitched. Cinnamon.
Tehl tipped forward, his nose against her jaw and breathed in. The blasted cinnamon. He loved that smell. A month of sharing a room with her and it permeated everything. Even his clothes smelled like her some days.
She jerked back and crossed her arms. “I am not your mistress, either.”
That startled a laugh out of him as he sat back in his chair. “Indeed, you are not.”
“As long as we understand each other.”
“You’re my wife.” Her face soured. She didn’t like that reminder.
“In name only.”
“Not for long.” Tehl barely held in the snigger at how her whole body stiffened.
“As long as I say.”
“You don’t have forever.”
“Drop dead.”
“Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“If only,” she muttered.
Tehl studied her. She was a giant pain in his ass, but she wasn’t without virtues. As long as she used good sense, Aermia could well benefit from that fire of hers.
Her lips turned down. “What?”
“I think you have the potential to be exactly what Aermia needs.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Remember that the next time you try to hide something from me.” She swung around and stood on the table.
Tehl rolled his eyes as she strode down it, everyone’s eyes on her. So dramatic.
She paused at the end and eyed the group with a grin. “Never underestimate women, gentlemen, especially when provoked.”
Rafe stood and held his hand out to her. She ignored him and smiled at Zachael, who stood and offered his hand. Sage accepted and jumped down from the table, then waltzed to the empty chair next to William and flopped into it, lacing her hands across her stomach. “Well, that’s taken care of. So where were we gentlemen? What’s on the agenda today?”
Silence descended as all the men in the room stared at her, some annoyed, some condescending, and others a bit awed. Tehl cocked his head and watched Rafe stew at the vexing creature his wife was. Seemed she didn’t just get under his skin but the rebellion leader’s as well.
One by one, his advisers looked back at him.
“Your hands are full with that one,” Jaren remarked, eyeing Sage as she fluttered her fingers at him.
Tehl rolled his neck and stared at the ceiling. “You have no idea.”
“I heard that.”
Tehl tipped his head forward, one side of his mouth lifting. “You were supposed to.”
Mason coughed and arched his brows. “Now that we all understand your theatrical skills, we are still anxiously awaiting more information on the Scythian woman.”
Her careless smile fell from her face as she straightened in her chair. “There isn’t much to tell. She revealed to me that Scythia was coming, time was short, and that we needed to prepare ourselves.”
“Did she give you any details, anything specific? Anything more helpful?” Zane asked.
Sage stared at him drolly. “Why yes, she handed over a detailed plan while we were braiding each other’s hair.”
“Why would she warn us?” Zachael questioned.
“Scythia is founded on the ideal of perfectionk, on achieving the perfect warrior, love for battle. She warned us so that the battle would be more difficult for them, thus the win more satisfying,” Lelbiel explained.
“That makes no sense,” Garreth argued.
“Neither did the eradication of the Nagalians in their pursuit of perfection, yet it happened,” Rafe pointed out.
“She could be lying. How do we know the information is trustworthy?” Jaren inquired.
“She could be, and we don’t, but are we willing to take that chance?” Gav asked.
“We treat this like the threat it is,” Tehl stated. He cut his attention to his wife. “Can you get her to speak with you again?”
“Yes.”
He turned to his brother. “Sam, will you collaborate with Sage?”
“That won’t work,” Sage cut in. “She doesn’t trust any of you, and certainly not the man who has been interrogating her for the last three months. I need someone else.”
“I’ll join you.”
Tehl glanced at Rafe, his look not quite friendly. “What do you plan to do?”
“Sage and I work well together. We’ll figure it out.”
Turning to Sage, Tehl met her eyes. “Does that work for you?” It was her choice now.
Her lips thinned, and she shot Rafe a look, but nodded. “Rafe is the best at what he does. If there’s anyone who could secure her help, it would be him.”
“It’s settled then.” Tehl’s gaze swept the table. “You all have your assignments. We’ll meet here in three days to discuss our progress and any other concerns. I have things I need to attend to. Good day.” With the dismissal, his advisors filed out of the room.
Closing
his eyes, Tehl listened to the murmuring voices of the councilors drift farther away, though neither his brother nor cousin made move to rise, both choosing to remain in their chairs. Tehl heard the door close and the sound of footsteps approaching. One guess as to who that was. He snorted and opened his eyes as Sage kissed Gav on the cheek and sat next to him.
“What about my kiss?” Sam complained.
Sage pierced him with a look. “I am so angry at you right now, Samuel, I don’t even want to see your face.”
“What did I do?”
“Don’t play stupid. You could have come to me with this. You know I would have helped you with her. Yet you stayed silent.”
Sam pursed his lips.
His wife rubbed her temples. “But I have a bigger issue to deal with than my anger at you.” She peeked at him. “She knows we aren’t a love match, Tehl.”
Tehl jerked back. “How?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. The best I can figure out is that someone in this room is a traitor or a spy.”
Gav blanched. “What led you to that conclusion? There were many in the room when the treaty was negotiated that are not present here.”
Sam swore. “She’s right. The Scythian woman has been in our dungeon since before the Midsummer Festival. The only ones who both have access to the dungeon and know about the treaty are those serving on the council.”
“So there’s a spy then,” Gav growled.
“Yes,” Sage replied.
“If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” Tehl grouched.
“Such is the life of ruling,” Sage stated.
“Indeed. Welcome to the rest of your life.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sage
The rest of her bloody life.
Sage stared blankly at the princes of Aermia. It truly sunk in for the first time.
It was forever.
Here.
With him.
Her body flashed hot and cold.
The crown prince’s smile fell, his brow furrowing. “Are you all right?”
His distorted voice reached her ears as pinpricks of light danced across her vision. Stars above, she was going to pass out.
“Sage!”
Sage blinked and jerked her head toward Gav. “What?”
Her friend looked at her with concern. “Are you all right? The color in your face drained, and you swayed.”
She pasted on a weak smile and waved away his concern. “It’s nothing. I skipped lunch, and all I have eaten is that apple. I am starving, I need meat.” Male grumbles of understanding sounded as they accepted her excuse. Carefully, Sage met Tehl’s eyes. “Why did you keep me in the dark?”
“I didn’t think it was necessary. She had nothing to do with you.” The crown prince shrugged. “You’ve had many new duties and burdens you’ve taken on since we wed. You didn’t need this one on your shoulders too.”
She gritted her teeth and sucked in a deep breath. Patience. She needed patience or she’d knock his head off. “And you’re the one who gets to decide that for me?”
“It’s a trap, brother. Don’t answer that question,” Sam whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
Tehl glanced to his brother. “I am the crown prince,” he said slowly before looking at her. “And acting sovereign of Aermia, not to mention your husband, so yes. I do get to decide.”
Sage blew out a breath and clenched the arms of her chair.
“Bad choice,” Sam sniggered.
She glared at Sam who promptly turned his snigger into a cough. She turned her neck and stared at Gav attempting to gather every last thread of her control. “I will kill him. That’s all there is. How can anyone expect me to spend my life with that blundering offensive oaf?”
Gav smiled at her. “He’s what I like to refer to as a very smart-dumb person.” A growl from Gavriel’s right made his smile widen. “He’s not so bad. Emma and I used to argue all the time, and we grew up together. You’ve only known each other a handful of months. You need to keep in mind no one is perfect, Sage, including yourself.”
Her lips thinned at the gentle chastisement. Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that Gav was right, but it still didn’t excuse the words that came out of Tehl’s mouth. “Agreed, no one is perfect, but I am not the one in the wrong this time.” Sage looked at her clenched hands and tried to loosen her grip. Gav’s large hand came into view and squeezed her hand once.
“What he said has merit.”
Sage whipped her face toward Gav. He was taking the crown prince’s side?
Gav held his hands up at the hostile expression on her face. “Before you bite my head off, just listen. There was truth in his words, what you’re upset with is how he said it, which makes sense because you and he are different. Tehl doesn’t see why what he said could be offensive because he was being truthful. You need to explain why it made you angry or he won’t understand.”
“I am still here,” the crown prince cut in.
Sage stared at Gav wishing to bang her head against the wall. “Why me?” she moaned.
His lips twitched as he held back a laugh. “Because you’re not the emotionally stunted one.”
Sage narrowed her eyes at him and turned her attention to the irritated prince glaring at her. She needed to speak to him like a child. “Do you like to have your opinions acknowledged?”
He squinted for a moment before answering. “Yes.”
“Do you like controlling choices that will affect your life?”
“Yes.”
“Do you enjoy being belittled?”
“No.”
“Do you like being patronized?”
“No.”
“That’s how your statement made me feel, like I am ignorant and don’t understand what’s best for myself.” Sage paused, noting how his forehead wrinkled in thought. “You don’t know me, you don’t know what I can or cannot handle. Don’t presume to run my life because you are the crown prince. And, as far as we’re both concerned, our marriage is a piece of paper, but if we had a real marriage that would mean a partnership, a team, not a man ruling over a woman. I am here to solidify our kingdom, and I can’t do that if you don’t include me in things that are important.”
His eyes dipped to the table before meeting hers again. “I understand.”
Sage arched a brow. “Do you?”
“You don’t want to me to tell you what to do.”
“That’s not what I am saying. I want you to speak with me before you make a decision that concerns me.”
“Did it occur to you I said nothing because of the situation? Because it was similar to something you experienced, and I—” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want it to trouble you.”
She straightened in her chair. If he was trying to say he kept the Scythian woman from her to spare her any trauma he had to be lying, but, for the sake of the argument, she would entertain the idea. “If that was the case, you could have just asked and I would have answered.”
He scoffed. “Because you’re so approachable and reasonable.”
She barked out a laugh. “Mmmhmm.. because you’ve given me so many reasons to be courteous to you.”
Sam rolled his eyes.
“Don’t you roll your eyes!” Sage stabbed a finger at him. “Think of the information we could have had by now if I had been made aware a month ago.”
“Could have,” Sam emphasized.
Sage smirked. “In a half hour on my first day I received more information from her than you have in the last three months.” That snapped the spymaster’s mouth shut. Sage threw her hands up. “And why in God’s name would you pair me with Rafe?”
“I left the decision in your hands,” Tehl barked, “exactly like you just asked me to.”
“I was put on the spot in front of your war council, what was I supposed to do?”
“Say no.”
“Men,” Sage muttered, “you understand nothing.”
“It
seemed like you enjoyed the spotlight, what with the performance you put on. I thought you would give Jaren a fit.”
That brought a smile to her lips. “If you hadn’t excluded me from the meeting, which is a violation of the treaty I might remind you, I wouldn’t have had to do so.”
“Children, children,” Sam sang.
“Shut up, Sam,” both of them snarled, at the same time.
Sage paused, meeting Tehl’s eyes. His eyes crinkled and the corners of his mouth hitched up. Suddenly Sage had to purse her lips just to keep the laughter from spilling out. When Gav gurgled next to her, trying to keep his own humor in check, that was the end of it. All of them burst into laughter, and the tension melted away. Sage felt a lightness she’d not experienced in a while. Shaking her head, she pushed back from the table, still chuckling, and rubbed her forehead. “Well, that is as good a note as any to depart on. It seems I have to go and make plans with Rafe.” Sage made a face.
“Do you need assistance?” Sam asked, wiping the corner of his eye and standing.
“No, you nosy thing, I have it handled.” Sage waved his forlorn look away and strode toward the door.
“We have a dinner party tonight. It’s a dressing-up affair.”
Sage smiled at Tehl’s grumpy tone. He hated court almost as much as she did. She schooled her features and peeked over her shoulder.
“Eight o’clock?”
He nodded.
“Will there be dancing?”
Sage had to smother another smile at the grim face he wore as he nodded a second time. She turned back to the door and reached for the handle and said, “I’ll be sure to wear my dancing shoes.” His responding groan brought a full-blown smile to her face. At least he would be as miserable as she was.
When she’d quit the room, the first thing she spotted was Rafe, and, immediately, the smile left her face and tension crept back into her muscles.
He pushed off the wall and scanned her from head to toe. “Little one.”
Pausing in front of him, she arched a brow. “That’s not the proper way to address a princess.” Sage knew it was petty, but she didn’t want him acting familiar with her. She wouldn’t allow herself to be sucked back into a friendship with him. All he did was ruin people.
