Slamming both hands against the table, making the dishes and cutlery shake, he screeched at the top of his lungs, “YOU WILL TAKE ME HOME NOW.”
Without thinking about it, Rune caught his head and gave him a noogie.
Far from shutting him up, this made him screech even louder. “AND STOP DOING THAT.”
Wolf leaned a hip against the table, settling his iron hand comfortably across his thigh. “He doesn’t seem to learn very quickly,” he observed to Rune.
“You’re telling me? I’ve been giving him noogies almost constantly for the past day.”
Alexander-the-brat turned so red in the face that Rune was sure he would pass out and hit the floor soon.
Leaning across the table, Wolf gave the particular smile that was known to scare even minor demons. The boy went from red and outraged to white and afraid in a split second. “You are the reason why my home has been burned to the ground. If you expect mercy in this city, then you are a fool. My guildmaster is of the opinion that we can do something with you. I’m not as convinced. So if you make too much of a ruckus, then you will wake up the next morning in a shallow grave.”
Rune was fairly sure that Wolf would never follow through on that threat. He wasn’t the type of man to kill a child, no matter how annoying he was. But if one didn’t know the giant Wynngaardian, then they would have been convinced that Wolf really would kill the kid and bury him in the middle of the night. Even Rune had a second of doubt.
The young guildmaster believed him, at least. He immediately clamped his mouth shut and just sat there in his chair, shaking.
Rune had recognized all of the yelling for what it actually was. Bravado. In a situation where he was surrounded by enemies on all sides, in a city and continent he did not know, and with no way of returning safely to his home, he had put up a front of strength and bravery. But all that showed was that he had no survival skills. When caught in enemy territory, the best method was to be still and quiet. That way, people would forget you were in the room, and it would be that much easier to escape.
Rune was not about to explain this. Being loud made it easier to find him.
His attention was immediately diverted when Denney walked through the door. Rune had known when he left that people would not be happy with his decision, which was part of the reason why he had not sought a second opinion, or tried to leave a note behind. If they knew where he had gone, they could chase him. So far, it had seemed the right choice to make. No one had been happy with his return, but they had also been relieved, and had not done anything more than say a harsh word to him for his choice.
But he was not going to escape that easily.
One look at Denney’s face was enough to tell him that she was enraged. He had only seen her that angry once before, and what had followed was not something that he would like to remember. In fact, he actively tried to suppress that memory. So to see that expression leveled at him made even his bones tremble.
“Rune. Come with me. Now.”
His survival instinct said it would be much safer to duck underneath the table and hide there for the rest of his life.
Wolf gave a chuckle of dark amusement. “Hiding will not save you, kiō.”
Not bothering to hide his nervousness, he muttered, “How about running?”
“You can’t outrun the dogs. And you know she will send them after you.”
He was unfortunately right. Like a man walking to the gallows, Rune obeyed the summons, his feet dragging the entire way.
Denney did not lead him far. Just around the corner of the building, towards a shade tree in the back of the inn that had a bench. Neither one of them sat, though.
It was a stupid thing to do, but Rune tried to get the first word in. “Ah, Denney? Are you, by any chance, upset with me?”
She gave him a glare that by rights should have borne a hole right through him.
Rune couldn’t quite conceal a wince. “I take that as a yes. Um, why?” There were several things he had done, and he wasn’t sure which one in particular it was that she was upset about.
“You disappear for five days without a word to me and you’re seriously asking me that?”
It was at that moment that he belatedly remembered, very belatedly, that women liked to be notified of things before they happened. Markl had said something about that once, about how half the trouble a man could get into with a woman could be avoided just by telling her in advance what he was planning to do. Rune had been so wrapped up in working out the logistics of how to get to Fallen Ward and assassinating the guildmaster that he had failed to remember that piece of advice. Until just now. When it was worlds too late.
Frantically, he tried to think of whatever other advice that Markl might have mentioned about soothing a woman’s fury. Nothing leaped to mind. And given the circumstances, he couldn’t very well put Denney on hold so he could chase the man down and interrogate him on the finer points of appeasing a woman.
“But if we’re talking about things that you have done to upset me, then there is quite the list.”
Rune could see where this conversation was going. He might as well start digging his own grave now, saving him the trouble later for when he needed to climb into it.
“Why would you just disappear for five days without even leaving a note behind? Didn’t you realize that other people would be worried because they did not know where you were? Robarge is very dangerous right now, dangerous enough that even you should not be traveling alone.”
He could not come up with an argument against that.
“But the point that I am the maddest about,” Denney raised a finger to stab in his direction, “is that you would take this upon yourself. Rune, I know that after a lifetime of assassinating people, that your first instinct when something troubles you is to kill it. But why would you add more blood on your hands when no one has asked you to do so?”
This point, he could at least respond to. Without adding more fuel to the fire, that was. “I thought it was the only way to stop Fallen Ward from attacking us again.”
Denney slashed a hand through the air, the gesture agitated and impatient. “Ryu Jin Ho explained the strategies and what was going on. That is not what I asked. Rune, why would you take on that burden, adding another ghost on your shoulders, when no one demanded of you? You are too quick to sacrifice yourself for our sakes.”
Now that he could not let slide. “Denney, if something is going to hurt you, then I will meet it head on.”
“And what if doing so hurts you? What am I supposed to do? Just sit there and watch you?” Denney shook her head adamantly, sending her hair flying back and forth. “No. No, I refuse.”
Rune tried to reason with her. “Denney—”
“No. No, Rune. I know that I am precious to you, but you are just as precious to me. And I will protect you, even if it means protecting you from your own instincts. You are not to go off assassinating people just because you feel like it’s the right thing to do.” She grabbed him by the front of the shirt and shook him. “You will not go off on your own, you will not make rash decisions and disappear in the middle of the night, and you will not do things that will worry the rest of us.”
Having her mad at him was one thing, but halfway through saying all this, tears welled up in Denney’s eyes. It was only then that he realized how badly he had scared her. He didn’t like being the cause of that expression on her face. Everything that he had done was to prevent her looking like that. The tears sent him into a panic.
“Whoa, whoa, don’t cry. I promise not to do anything like this again. My word as a Maley.”
Her fists tightened in his shirt to the point where the seams were in danger of ripping. “You promise?”
“I promise. Never again. Just don’t cry, I seriously can’t handle you crying.”
Denney was not slow on the uptake. “You break that promise, and I will cry for days.”
As physically impossible as that would be, Rune had no doubt that she
would somehow manage it. But it wouldn’t matter if she did. Denney didn’t seem to realize that just a minute would be enough to destroy him.
Hoping that they were at the making up stage, he tentatively put his arms around her back and brought her in a little closer for a hug. He held his breath until she sank into the embrace. Phew, he had somehow gained forgiveness. Better yet, Denney was not crying on him. He seriously could not handle her crying. He would prefer to be stabbed.
“Rune?” Her voice was so soft that he barely heard her.
He put his head right next to hers so that his mouth almost touched her ear. “What?”
“You really can’t disappear like that again. I don’t care what the reason is. You have no idea how badly it scared me. I…I love you, so stay with me.”
The world abruptly went still.
For a moment, Rune doubted his own ears. Surely he had not heard her correctly. But the way she held her breath, as if waiting for his response, told him that he had not misheard her.
Rune had known for months that Denney was fond of him. And that he was important to her. He was her friend and protector whenever she needed him. But until this moment, he had not suspected that she felt for him what he felt for her. Her words threw him, and he did not know how to respond. But fortunately, his heart knew what to do even if his head was still spinning. He pulled back enough to put a kiss first on her forehead, and then lightly on her lips. Or at least, he meant for the contact to be light and chaste, but he found himself lingering.
Denney made a noise of happy confusion. “Wait, Rune, wait, what?”
He found it easy to say now what had clamped his mouth shut before. “I’ve been in love with you for months.”
Her eyes shot wide. “Rune! Why didn’t you say something?!”
“I had too much to learn before I could be a good man to you.”
“Honestly, some days I have no idea if I should shake you or kiss you.”
The happiness he felt was almost euphoric. It was if he had found another place that he belonged. It reminded him of how he felt when he realized that he could stay in Deepwoods. His heart had found a second home. The joy of it made him a little giddy and he gave her an outrageous grin. “I know which one I would prefer…”
ӜӜӜ
When Siobhan made it back to the inn Rune was nowhere in sight. Wolf was sitting on the edge of the table wearing the smile that was known to scare lesser beings. Alexander, for once, was sitting very quietly. So quietly that she wasn’t sure for a moment if he were even breathing. Conli, seeing this, gave an aggravated grumble under his breath and stalked forward.
“Wolf, quit that.”
Wolf blinked up at him innocently as if he hadn’t a clue what Conli meant. Of course he did, and no one else was fooled by the façade. Why he even attempted it was beyond her. “Wolf, where’s Rune and Denney?”
“Out back, I think. She dragged him to the shaded bench.”
Before they got into things with the young guildmaster, Siobhan wanted to check on how those two were doing. “I’ll be right back.”
She scooted out a side door and peeked around the door jamb, expecting to see the two of them in an open fight, or Denney yelling at Rune.
But the scene that met her eyes was entirely different.
“How in the world did those two end up kissing?” she wondered aloud.
Siobhan didn’t realize that Wolf was behind her until he chuckled and said, “Not surprised. I figured it was about time those two realized they had fallen for each other.”
“Yes, but she was mad at him,” Siobhan insisted. “How did she go from that to them kissing?”
“Rune’s irresistible charm?”
She would have argued that, but it was his charm that had convinced her to keep him in the guild. “Conli is going to have kittens when he sees this.”
“But it means I won the bet with Fei.” Wolf wasn’t the least concerned about Conli’s future reaction.
Yes, well, part of her was very happy that this had happened. As Wolf said, it was rather overdue. But her plan to let Denney handle Rune’s punishment had obviously not worked out. She would have to do something about it later. Lifting a hand to her mouth, she tried to wipe her smirk away before going back into the building. It wouldn’t do for Conli to see it. She’d let Rune and Denney break the news in their own time.
Retreating back into the main room, she found Conli seated at the table and already talking to the boy guildmaster. Alexander was still subdued but he was no longer cowering in his seat. She wasn’t surprised, as Conli could be quite charming when he put his mind to it. Not wanting to interrupt the rapport that Conli had developed, she chose to stand against the far wall and simply listen. Wolf emulated her and braced his shoulders against the wall as well.
“—you took over the position of guildmaster after your grandfather died last year?”
“That’s right,” Alexander confirmed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I am the last Jonquil left. I am the only one that can be Guildmaster of Fallen Ward.”
Siobhan did the math quickly in her head. The boy’s grandfather had died early last year. Alexander was ten now, which meant that he’d been nine at the man’s death. They had seriously given control of an entire guild and city to a nine-year-old boy?! Siobhan felt like banging her head against the nearest hard surface.
“The decisions that have been made over the past year, are they all things that you agreed with?” Conli’s tone was extremely neutral, as if he were actively trying to not be judgmental.
“Obviously. If I don’t sign the paper, then it can’t be done.”
Conli persisted, “So you are the one that ordered men to come and ransack the cities here in Robarge?”
“I had to. They told me we needed money to run the city on.”
“What about the bridge? Did you order that built?”
“No, grandfather started that. But it was silly. I’m not going to wait fifty years for something to make money. Getting gold from other cities is faster.”
Siobhan cringed just listening to this. She now understood what Rune had meant earlier. Alexander truly did not understand right from wrong. He had no idea that his faster method had destroyed thousands of lives. Nor did he seem to care because he did not even try to excuse what he had done.
Conli seemed to realize that asking any further questions was useless. He might have suspected that the boy did not have control of the decisions coming out of Fallen Ward. But Alexander seemed to know exactly what was going on and even took credit for everything that happened. Conli switched tactics and asked instead, “Before being brought here, have you ever left Coravine before?”
“No.”
“But you ventured out into the city, correct?”
“No,” Alexander denied with a pout on his face. “Why should I? I had everything I needed in my rooms.”
In a low tone, Wolf said to her, “Now I get it. Boy’s got no experience with the world. It’s not a matter of choosing right from wrong, he doesn’t even know what wrong is.”
Siobhan’s head spun. “How can he be ten years old and never have left his guild compound?”
“As Beirly would put it, that’s a head scratching question. But it does give us a good starting point. He needs to know what the world looks like. Why don’t we show him Goldschmidt first?”
“And then show him a place that has been destroyed? Say, Stott or Channel Pass?”
Wolf bobbed his head in agreement. “Give him a clear black-and-white comparison.”
From the table, Alexander burst out, “I WON’T TALK TO YOU. TAKE ME HOME.”
Conli just gave a long sigh before he pushed away from the table and came to where they were standing. “I thought that he might be sheltered, but not to this extent. It’s a strange combination where he is very informed about the decisions he made, but at the same time he has no idea what he actually has done. Even now, he does not seem to realize that we are enemi
es. He seems to think that he can order us about like he would his own people.”
“Wolf thinks that we should show him Goldschmidt and then take him into one of the destroyed cities, like Stott or Channel Pass. Give him a clear comparison.”
“Siobhan, I’m not sure if that will be enough. He is unbelievably spoiled. Before you came into the room, he told me that today was the first time he had to feed himself.”
Siobhan’s eyes crossed. “What kind of life does he have that he doesn’t even have to feed himself? Isn’t that a basic skill?”
“I thought so until just now.” Conli’s face possessed the ruminative expression that meant he was analyzing things at high speeds in his head. “I think we need to take this one step further. I think we need to teach him what it would be like if he had absolutely no one to depend on. But we have to gauge this just right or we risk breaking his spirit.”
“Do you have a plan, then?” Wolf asked him.
“I do. But it will take Fei and Tran to pull it off.”
Conli was interrupted by the entrance of Hyun Woo. The man was sweating heavily at the temples, and there was a hard look in his eyes. Siobhan gathered the impression that he had heard the news of Rune’s return from somewhere and had run straight here without pause.
When he looked at her, she said without prompting, “He’s in the back of this inn. Feel free to punish him however you see fit. I punched him, but I don’t think what I did made much of a dent.”
Hyun Woo gave her a commiserating nod. “The very young are sometimes too cocky with their own beliefs. I will attend to him.”
“Please do.” Siobhan watched him go and smiled at his back. Denney had let her down, but she could trust Hyun Woo to do the job of scolding Rune properly.
Wolf gave her a look askance, as if surprised that she wouldn’t forewarn either Hyun Woo or Rune. She wasn’t about to do so. Being caught in an embarrassing situation by his master was just part of the punishment to her mind.
Fallen Ward (Deepwoods Saga Book 3) Page 14
