The Mercenaries of the Stolen Moon

by Megan Derr

"Be that as it may," Sarrica replied, "Captain Chass has never been anything but fiercely loyal to Allen. And Penance Gate is fiercely loyal to Chass. Right now that could be a problem. So it's vital we have someone to watch him, protect him, and intervene if you think he is going too far or is in danger of breaking. Understand, Lieutenant?"

  Charlaine bowed his head. "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "Good. You have tomorrow to recuperate and will begin your duties the day after that." Sarrica turned to Jac. "Given your reckless behavior and brash decisions, I think you would be served to take on some authority, Sergeant. Starting the day after tomorrow, you will be put in charge of all military personnel in this building until our departure."

  "What!" Jac said, the word coming out shrilly. "I'm just a sergeant!"

  "Well let's see if you can earn a promotion," Lesto said.

  Jac wilted in her seat, but after a moment straightened and set her shoulders. "Yes, Your Majesty."

  Sarrica smiled. "Well, now that's taken care of, I think you three are dismissed for the day. Hopefully someone will have had the sense to prepare rooms for you."

  Myra rose and bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. If you don't mind, I had a question—when we arrived, Chass was arresting people on the docks, including my brother Ryan. Something he said made it sound like the rest of Iron Moon would soon be arrested as well."

  "Yes, all of Iron Moon is being rounded up. They're the ones who actively broke the treaty, and we've reason to believe they're a danger to the Triumvirate as well. Your family is going to be executed," Sarrica said. "I am sorry. They're your family."

  "I killed my own father," Myra replied quietly. "They haven't been my family for a long time. You owe me no apologies. I was only confirming that was their fate."

  "Yes, and you are forbidden from attending the executions. That is not something you should have to see, and I do not trust them not to try to do something to you."

  Myra started to argue, but then closed his mouth and gave another bow. "Yes, Your Majesty."

  Sarrica rose and hugged him again, mindful of his ribs. "Go rest. The day after tomorrow is soon enough to be my secretary again."

  Out in the hallway, they spoke briefly with Kimberly and the others before they were summoned to speak with Sarrica and Lesto.

  A servant stepped forward and shyly said they would guide the three up to their rooms, apologizing along the way that there were only two for the moment, as all the other rooms were occupied and they hadn't had a chance to move anyone.

  "That won't be necessary," Myra said as they were led into the first room, which was meant to be shared by him and Charlaine. "We can all three use this room. Please inform whomever needs to know."

  The servant frowned but forbore comment, only bowed and murmured that the housekeeper would be informed.

  "Did we just cause a scandal?" Jac asked.

  "It's generally frowned upon for men and women to share spaces if they are not blood relations or married," Myra replied. "That wasn't always true, but it's one more change forced on us by Benta that has never gone away."

  "Well, I'm sure Sarrica will ensure all of that starts to change. Look how hard he's working to ensure the Islands are treated properly should they join Harken, and that they're representing themselves throughout. Mark is a good fit for Acting Margrave until they can find someone who's actually from here. She'll ensure the people here are treated fairly and heard and train her replacement. But I've had enough talk of politics." Sitting down on a stool, she set to unlacing her boots, throwing them aside when she finished. Then she stood and started working on her clothes.

  Normally Myra would have been more than happy to enjoy the view and show his appreciation, but right then he was too exhausted. Not to mention filthy from all the fighting. Fortunately, it looked like baths had already been arranged, though there was only two since Jac had been expected to take a different room.

  But just as Jac finished stripping and Myra and Charlaine were half done, a sharp rapping came from the door. Charlaine motioned he'd get it, and Jac slipped behind a changing screen.

  Servants came in with a third tub and bucket after bucket of water.

  "Thank you," Myra said when they were done, and locked the door once they'd gone.

  Jac immediately threw herself into one of the baths. "Oh, merciful Pantheon."

  Charlaine shook his head as he settled into one of the other tubs. "You act like you didn't have a good bath back at Dark Tide's home."

  "I will always act like each bath is the greatest bath," Jac replied as she set to cleaning. "I hate being smelly, especially when killing people has been involved."

  "Fair enough. Pantheon knows a bath is the first thing I do when I get back from a mission," Charlaine said.

  "The only thing better will be that food I'm going to devour in a few minutes."

  Charlaine snickered. "You and your food."

  Myra yawned as he settled into his own bath. He scrubbed through his shorn hair, sad all over again that it was gone. He cleaned himself quickly, then simply enjoyed the water until it cooled.

  They climbed out and pulled on dressing robes that had been laid out for them—including clothes brought from Jac's room—and sat to eat the meal that was waiting for them. Though it was barely dinner time, Myra finished eating and promptly crawled into bed.

  Charlaine slid in one side, Jac the other, and Myra kissed them both before settling more comfortably and closing his eyes. "It's hard to believe it's over. And that we haven't been arrested or thrown out."

  "Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll still wind up arrested," Charlaine muttered. "Or dead."

  Jac laughed. "If you can survive everything we just went through, you can survive Captain Chass."

  Myra didn't bother to open his eyes as he replied, "At least Captain Chass or one of his subordinates will kill you quickly."

  Charlaine heaved a sigh, but Myra could hear the smile in his voice. "Thanks for that reassurance. Still, at least I'm not being put in charge of all military personal in Sarrica's temporary home."

  "Ugh, don't remind me." Jac dragged the blanket up, and moments later all three were asleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "I'm fine," Charlaine said, waving off the alarmed looks of the attendants who opened the doors to Sarrica's commandeered manor. "It looks worse than it is." He walked stiffly inside and breathed a sigh of relief as the doors closed behind him.

  Officially, his day was done. Thank the Pantheon, because twelve hours with Chass felt like twelve years. He'd only ever interacted with Chass in bursts. Being with him for hours on end…

  Pantheon, the man was intense. He was like a bottled storm, and someone had done a poor job of sealing it. But he was also suffering intense pain, even the densest, most disinterested person in the world could see that. Charlaine had thought at first that Sarrica was overreacting about Chass needing a shadow, but he was starting to think that one wasn't enough.

  But Chass was off duty the rest of the day, and Mark had promised to keep an eye on him while Charlaine got some rest. Which he sorely needed, because babysitting Chass left him three times more exhausted than anything else he'd ever done.

  Pantheon, he couldn't wait to return to his normal duties. Being thrust back into his old life had made one thing clear though: he much preferred his new life of guarding Kamir and struggling to fill his free time. Especially now that there wouldn't be much, if any, struggling at all.

  If the past several weeks had made nothing else clear, it was that he was happy to muddle along with his career as second, even third, place.

  Yawning, Charlaine trudged his way down the hall to Sarrica's office.

  He was distracted from his mission as he saw Hibiki coming down the hall. Lady Yugao and the rest of Dark Tide who'd come with them to Odokka had returned to clan lands to begin speaking with all the others. Hibiki remained in Odokka as a liaison, though according to Jac both he and Kimberly were thinking of traveling to Harken. Permanently or temp
orarily, he wasn't certain. "Merry afternoon."

  "Merry afternoon," Hibiki replied. "You look like you had a fun day."

  "Fun is one word for it, certainly. How are you?"

  "I had a favor to ask, actually, if you don't mind."

  "I'm at least willing to hear you out and consider it," Charlaine said with a smile. "What do you need?"

  "My mother has granted me permission to travel abroad. With all the changes happening here, I thought visiting Harken for an extended time would be prudent. The High Commander has said I might join the army as an adjunct and consultant, if you or Jac would provide a recommendation."

  Charlaine's smile widened. "Of course, I can do that gladly. Did he say whether he wanted it written or verbal?"

  "He said verbal would suffice."

  "Sounds like he just wants it as a formality, in case anyone back home tries to whine or fuss. Is Kimberly going as well?"

  "Yes, though not as an adjunct. She wants to go simply as a student and is working the matter out with His Majesty and Myra."

  "I'm glad you're both doing so well, given all you did to help us." Charlaine clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll hunt down the High Commander tomorrow and give the recommendation."

  "Thank you."

  Charlaine nodded, squeezed his arm lightly, and excused himself. He continued on down the hall to the clerk station outside's Sarrica's office.

  "His Majesty is not here at the moment," the man at the desk said, eyes widening as he took in Charlaine. It wasn't the usual clerk who knew Charlaine by now. "Um. Can I make you an appointment, Lieutenant?"

  Charlaine waved a hand. "I'm actually here to see Myra. I'm Second Lieutenant Charlaine."

  The man flushed, his eyes somehow getting even wider. Pantheon, what rumors were already flying? On second thought, Charlaine didn't want to know. "Oh! My apologies, I should have realized. Go right on in, please."

  Smiling to hopefully ease some of the man's flustered state, Charlaine then slipped into the office and closed the door quietly behind him.

  Myra was at his desk, bent over what looked like a weak imitation of the enormous, impossibly complicated schedule chart he maintained back home. He had a pen in one hand, the fingers of the other skimming along the paper, his teeth dug into his lower lip. His short hair looked like fingers had run through it several times, and he had the faintest flush from the wafting steam of the tea at one elbow.

  Charlaine cleared his throat as he pushed away from the door and headed across the room.

  Myra's head shot up, but his welcoming smile dropped as he took in Charlaine's face. "What happened to you?" He rose and moved around the desk, meeting Charlaine halfway and gently cupping his face. "Did Captain Chass do this? I will knock—"

  "He did, but it was an accident. A matter of bad timing, that's all." Honestly, the biggest surprise was how upset Chass had been. Charlaine had been accidentally whacked so many times, he'd lost count. To him, it was usually amusing more than anything else. Chass, though, had seemed genuinely distressed, for all he'd tried to bury it beneath his usual hostility and derision.

  "How does someone accidentally punch you in the eye?" Myra snapped.

  Charlaine chuckled. "Spoken like an assassin rather than a soldier. We accidentally maim each other all the time." He kissed Myra softly, savoring the warmth and softness of his lips, the hint of jasmine tea that clung to them. "We were arguing, but the argument had ended. He turned away to address another matter. There was a group of recently arrested soldiers nearby, and one of them broke free and threw something at Lieutenant Aria. It went wide. Chass turned to block it at the same time I stepped forward to do the same. My face and his hand collided. I'm just glad he wasn't wearing his spiked gauntlets at the time." He kissed Myra again. "Stop pouting. Chass was also the one who treated it with remarkable skill. It doesn't even really hurt. He seemed vastly more upset than I was about it. I'm fine, except not very pretty to look at right now."

  "Oh, be quiet." Myra gave him a bitey kiss. "You know perfectly well nobody looks at your face anyway."

  "Stop making jokes about my ass," Charlaine said with a growl, grabbing handfuls of Myra's ass, pulling him flush and treating himself to a much more thorough kiss.

  The sound of laughter made them jump apart before Charlaine registered it was Jac snickering. "Don't stop on my account. What happened to your face?"

  Sighing, Charlaine retold his story, rolling his eye when Jac just laughed and laughed.

  Myra poked him. "You didn't want sympathy from me, so don't huff that Jac isn't giving you any."

  "Why didn't I have the sense to pick nice lovers?" Charlaine asked, shaking his head and laughing when they pressed close on either side of him and reminded him just how nice they could and would be later.

  The sound of the door opening drew them apart, but there was no hiding what they'd been doing as Sarrica and Lesto strode in. Their brows rose, and they exchanged a silent moment of conversation before Lesto huffed and Sarrica laughed. "No fair misappropriating my office when I can't."

  Myra's face burned as he hastened back to his desk. "My apologies, Your Majesty. It won't—"

  Lesto's sharp laughter cut him off. He leaned against the edge of Myra's desk and turned to cast him an amused look. "Of course it will happen again. Sarrica certainly doesn't restrain himself."

  "I'm the High King, and do we want to discuss how often your office door gets locked when Shemal drops by to visit?"

  Lesto gave him a look that had both Charlaine and Jac snapping to attention, even though he had not been High Commander for years now.

  Sarrica just poured wine and handed a cup to Lesto. "So who won that bet going around about Charlaine?"

  Charlaine groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Why did I ever give up being the man everybody ignored? Why does the High King know about this stupid bet? Why is everyone in the Harken Empire placing bets on my ass and what I like in the bedroom? I hate all of you."

  "You should just appreciate what the Pantheon blessed you with," Jac said with a snicker, and kissed his cheek before whispering in Charlaine's ear, "I'm certainly going to appreciate reaming it once we're upstairs."

  "Stop that!" Charlaine hissed, grateful his tunic was long enough to hide how eagerly he was anticipating her appreciation.

  Myra quirked a brow at them as Sarrica and Lesto laughed. Jac just winked.

  Motioning to the door, Sarrica said, "You three can—"

  He broke off as someone knocked briskly.

  "Come in," Sarrica called with a sigh. "I miss my office."

  It didn't take the longing that flitted across his face or the faint smudge of shadows in his eyes to know that the office was the least of the things he missed. Charlaine could still remember the early days when Sarrica had returned to the palace for good, resigning from the army and leaving it wholly to Lesto's command. He'd been a caged leopard at first and looked for any excuse to leave the palace. Gradually he'd settled, and even more slowly seemed content, but even Charlaine realized he hadn't been absolutely, completely happy until Allen had come along. Sarrica and Nyle had loved each other, but that love hadn't endured well in the confines of palace life, as hard as they'd tried.

  One of the double doors opened, and a terrified-looking clerk scurried in. "Your Majesty, Prince Chass has arrived."

  "Show him in," Sarrica replied and poured a third cup of wine.

  Charlaine and Jac bowed. "We should get out of your way."

  "No, you're right where you should be," Sarrica said. "You are his bodyguard and voice of reason, after all. This will be relevant to you, and Jac will need to know of the changes taking place in her domain."

  Jac didn't groan, but the look on her face was opinion enough.

  Lesto chuckled, but before he could comment, Chass strode into the room.

  In all the years Charlaine had served as a soldier and mercenary, he didn't think he'd ever seen Chass dressed as a prince rather than a soldier. With many nobles who
served in the military, it was hard to forget their station. Chass, however, it was hard to remember. He was a mercenary through and through, carved for battle the way Allen was shaped for politics.

  Seeing him in civilian dress was decidedly strange. Like Sarrica and Lesto, he wore more traditional Harken clothing. His pants were fitted and striped cream and dark green, with a knee-length tunic in a lighter shade of green and embroidered all over with white-and-gold plumeria, the hems embroidered with bands of gold, silver, and dark green. The tunic was belted with a cream sash embroidered with a fine gold geometric star pattern. Around his neck was the famous Gaulden gold torc. He also wore a fine gold chain from which hung a teardrop sapphire. It glittered and cast light upon the walls as the sun struck it.

  He swept a beautifully elegant bow and remained that way as he said, "Your Majesty."

  "Have some wine, Your Highness," Sarrica said, and handed it to him as Chass rose. "Thank you for coming so promptly."

  "My honor to serve," Chass replied, accepting the cup. "Thank you."

  Sarrica nodded and motioned for him to follow as he took a seat on a nearby sofa. "As always, Penance Gate has been absolutely vital to our success. We would not be where we are in this matter without your unique skills and efficiency. I overrode Jader's advice that you should not be brought along, given your personal investment, but I do understand how you feel, at least to some degree." His fingers tightened around his cup, a shadow passing over his face. "Pantheon knows I was not particularly merciful to those who killed Nyle. Now that matters have quieted down, however, I should be sending you home."

  Chass's brow furrowed. "But…"

  "This morning I received some interesting reports and a letter from Allen. We have good reason to believe that King Desmond is in danger—if not now, then soon. You are crown prince, and there's no one left to take the Gaulden throne should you die, so by all rights you should not be involved, but Allen has specifically requested that you be sent to Benta to secure Desmond—by whatever means necessary. Either stabilize the problems there or drag him out of Benta and take him to Harkenesten. You leave in the morning." Sarrica's eyes flicked to Charlaine. "Lieutenant Astor will continue to accompany you, and he will be reporting to me." He shifted his gaze back to Chass. "Your safety is his only priority; I expect you to obey him. I'm not stupid enough to order you to stay completely out of battles, but show more self-preservation than is generally your want. Am I understood, Highness?"