The Emperor's Arrow

by Lauren DM Smith

  Every thrust drove her pleasure point against him, rubbing it in ways that made her squirm even as she tried to move her body in time with his movements. It was hard at that angle and with all the wondrous, tingling, delightful sensations he was drawing out from her, hard to concentrate on anything outside of that.

  As his movements grew faster and both their breaths came heavier, Evony found herself trembling as the waves of her need went past the usual high water mark. She could barely think, her desire hitting new levels of heat as he slammed himself inside her harder and harder. And then, before she knew it, she was over that edge and caught in the middle of a waterfall of spent desire and need, pleasure making her cry out and her back arch.

  Galen only managed a few more movements after she clamped down on him as he cried out himself, the length of him twitching inside of her as he expelled the milky liquid of his own pleasure. He collapsed on top of her, sweat beaded up on his back and forehead.

  Evony gently stroked his hair as she waited for her chest to stop heaving and her heart to slow again. She enjoyed the weight of him on top of her, felt closest to him in this moment when they were both sated and touching each other, skin to skin. She slid her free hand around his shoulders so she could hug him to her. He pulled away enough that he could look at her face as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb, gaze gentle, not saying anything. She smiled up at him. She leaned forward to peck him on the lips before she said, “I love you.”

  He smiled and kissed her back and for now, that was enough.

  Chapter 21: Preparing

  Evony slid her feet a bit farther apart, knife in one hand, gaze on her opponents. All four were armed with swords, dressed in identical black tunics, none looking particularly happy to be facing her. Not that she cared. She needed to stay in top condition at the least, and improve her ability to fight multiple attackers at once if she could. And the soldiers could use the practice.

  She nodded at them and then tensed, alert to every movement. They all hesitated for a moment before they spread out, trying to surround her on all sides. She smiled slightly at the tactic, thinking they weren’t half bad already. Not that it was going to stop her from winning. They hadn’t had tactics, strategy, and military history beaten into them by their parents.

  Evony went from standing still to rushing across the distance between her and the one farthest away from the others to her left. He saw her coming towards him and blanched, but still raised his blunted practice sword in front of himself. She continued towards him until she was nearly there, only breaking away to his side at the last second.

  He turned to follow her as his fellows hurried to reach him, but Evony went low and got under his guard. She pressed a hand against the arm that held his sword, pushing it away, and used her other to tap his chest with the hilt of her dull knife then jumped back and out of range. “Disabled or dead,” she called as she backed away from the other three.

  Her opponent grimaced, but nodded and removed himself from the field they were in, joining the small crowd that had gathered to watch. He received more than a few backslaps and conciliatory remarks, not that Evony took much notice. She still had three more men to take out.

  In response to her last attack, they moved closer together so she couldn’t pull the same move twice. Evony nearly snorted as she saw how close they were standing to one another. Still, it worked in her advantage.

  She ran towards them, zigzagging her way forward so they were all shifting to keep their weapons between her and them. Only when she was certain that they were focused on keeping their weapons between her and them did she suddenly race to one side, like she was going to go around behind them. They all turned at the same time.

  Watching them hit each other with their swords had her chuckling inside her head as she darted back the other way. Distracted by his sword hitting his ally while the other two had somehow managed to get their arms tangled briefly, the man on the right wasn’t able to move fast enough to intercept Evony. She tapped his neck gently with the flat of her knife and said, “Dead.”

  He sighed and lowered his weapon. Evony was already moving around, trying to get behind the other two. They were just now turning. One was faster than his friend and moved forward, turning his back to his friend’s. It was a good idea, but he had made two mistakes. One, he’d left too much space, obviously compensating for what had happened. And two, he hadn’t noted that his ally wasn’t as focused on her as he should be.

  Evony dodged to the left, keeping out of the reach of the soldier facing her and was able to slip into the space between the two of them. There it was easy to do a double tap on both necks, before either of them could stop her. “Dead, and done,” she said, lowering her dagger.

  The soldiers’ swords drooped and they both sighed. She smiled, only now realizing that she was breathing hard, sweat sliding down her back and forehead. It hadn’t been a long match, but she’d had to keep running hard the whole time to keep from being hit by anyone. She thought she would need to start improving her stamina even more. This was one of the few times she’d executed these tactics alone and it was obvious she couldn’t keep it up for long without help or more training.

  “You need to work together more,” she told them. “You need to be aware not only about what you’re doing, but also what the people around you are doing. That’s how you avoid getting tangled, or leaving each other open. I know you can work together well. I’ve seen you and your shield drills. You just need to apply that to your sword work as well.”

  The man with black hair shook his head. “I get what you’re saying, brightness, but keeping an eye on you is hard! You’re fast and kept going right where we didn’t expect you.”

  Evony nodded. “That’s what I’m trained to do. I did my best to take advantage of any weaknesses of yours I could see, and use any opening I could. Amazzi use a lot of hit and run tactics. We’re not the type to stand and fight unless we have superior numbers, and that’s rare. We make up for that where we can with speed, tactics and training.”

  “Remind me to never try invading Silvinsula,” joked the soldier with the most startling shade of green eyes Evony had ever seen.

  “Glad you’re on our side,” said the last, his brown eyes serious.

  She smiled. “And I’m glad you lot let me abuse you. I need the practice as much as you do. I’m used to fighting in a unit with the other members of my clan. Amazzi rarely fight alone.”

  “Makes me glad Amazzi don’t fight in the festival,” said the first one again. “None of the rest of us would stand a chance. And as much as I like you and am glad you’re back, brightness, I wouldn’t want to face you in the coliseum.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve been told that as long as I’m a bride candidate I’m not allowed to enter. But there’s always next year. I have half a mind to enter any archery competitions then.”

  The man with green eyes groaned. “I’d better win this year then or I’ll have to switch what I’m entering next.”

  “Are you all entering?”

  “Those who have proved themselves are. Everyone dreams of participating,” said the first again. “People who win in the coliseum get recognition, fame, and better positions. Many nobles hire their personal guards from people who compete, and those who win always have choice of the best paying positions. The emperor has been known to promote those who do especially well as well.”

  Evony nodded. It made sense and it also gave her an idea. If this was where the best warriors were, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have several members from each clan attend when looking for a stud. She imagined those who were looking for more strength in their children would find the coliseum the best place to find a suitable man for it. She didn’t know where to send those looking for intelligence, but thought maybe Galen would know. It wasn’t as if most Amazzi could be as lucky as her mother an
d have the men come to them. “I’ll look forward to watching you all compete. And if anyone would like extra practice, I’m more than happy to help,” she said with a wolfish smile.

  Her opponents winced and she chuckled. Looking past them to the crowd starting to dissipate, a bright spot of colour in the midst of the black drew her attention. Paran watched her, her purple overdress obvious, two guards in the same shade standing behind her. About to wave, Evony saw her turn and leave, the men falling into step behind her.

  She supposed with the competition fast approaching, Paran’s family must be here as well. She’d heard some people considered personal guards a sign of status. Evony was still getting used to the mainlander mindset. Because any Amazzi would consider needing guards to be a sign of weakness, of not being able to defend oneself properly. Still, here, even the strong like Galen needed guards. People here were a lot less direct about their problems and it seemed like the relationships within the palace were a mess of tangled threads that Evony doubted she’d ever be able to read properly.

  But maybe Admina might be able to help. Evony resolved to talk to her friend about what she knew about the alliances within the palace. Or at least how to get an idea of it, since it was clear she was far more observant than Evony. With that in mind, Evony turned to finish up her morning practice.

  * * *

  Lips moving as he read in a boyhood habit that he still sometimes slipped into, Galen reviewed the additional guards chosen for festival duty. Most of the names didn’t mean anything to him. But as always, Balint or one of his aides had carefully marked what each man was capable of or known for beside the listing. Most were trained in the use of sword and shield, though there were more than a few archers.

  As always, the thought of archery brought Evony’s face to the fore of his mind. Dark eyes and darker hair over an animated face he hadn’t yet tired of watching. He always pictured her smiling, liking the way her eyes lit up when she did so, the way her whole face was involved in the expression. She never smiled just with her lips the way many in the palace did.

  He hadn’t had a chance to speak to her recently, what with the upcoming festival in addition to trying to follow the trail of those who hunted him. Still, he had been able to see her. She had apparently taken it on herself to stop by twice a day to check on him. Galen occasionally caught sight of her in the hallways, before she slipped away. She always flashed him a smile then ran off again. Evony was quick to disappear, her movements almost silent. He’d been tempted to follow more than once, but the needs of the empire came first.

  Balint sighed and tossed the stack of papers he’d been reviewing onto the table, drawing Galen’s attention away from his thoughts of Evony. “As always, this damned festival is giving me a headache. Tradition or not, we should cancel it. The extra training the guards we borrow from the city and local regiments need is nightmare enough without everything else that’s going on.”

  “I intend to bring the bride candidates with me to the imperial box.” Galen lowered his own papers to his lap. “That should discourage most assassination attempts. I am certain we can come up with some plausible task or another to explain their presence.” And he thought it would be easy enough to ensure that Evony ended up beside him, though he would need to be subtle about how he arranged it. He knew Rakin wouldn’t approve.

  Like he was following his thoughts, his aide’s lips thinned. “Is that the best idea? I would think continuing to isolate the candidates until this situation has resolved itself would be best. Surrounding them with our guards will make their families hesitant to try anything. I am aware that the Regem, Argentia, and Dimon families have all requested that their personal guards be allowed to escort their daughters from now until the end of the festival.”

  Balint snorted. “If they’re loyal, they’ll be doing it to show off. If they’re not...”

  Rakin’s expression was icy as he nodded. “That was my thinking as well.”

  “It will be easy enough to use the appearance of favoritism to cut that idea down.” Galen tapped his thigh with a finger. “Not all of the candidates will be able to provide escorts for themselves, so we cannot allow any of them to do so.”

  “You’re going to have Marcellin of Argentia complaining about it the whole time,” Balint replied, leaning back in his chair. “He’s dead set on his daughter becoming empress.”

  Galen grimaced inwardly at the thought. Venita of Argentia was pretty but poisonous, not what he wanted by his side. He didn’t think he’d have much of anything to talk to her about. The few times he’d spoken to her had made that clear enough.

  Rakin’s expression sucked in, as if he’d drunk wine gone sour, his feelings on the girl the same as his. Then again, the only candidate Rakin ever had anything positive to say about was Chana of Yarkona. “I am certain he will live with the disappointment.”

  “He won’t be happy, but he’ll eventually accept it. Then he’ll look for another angle to work. The man is tenacious.” Balint chuckled.

  “The man is dangerous. He is a Primus and wields more influence than most nobles. We should take great care with him.”

  “That’s true of the Yarkona and Regem families as well. Even the Dimon and Miletum families have supporters at court. The only one who doesn’t have any ties or interest in court posturing is Evony of clan Aureline.”

  The sidelong glance Balint turned first on Rakin then on Galen had two distinct edges. Galen knew that Rakin favoured Chana of Yarkona while Balint had backed Evony almost from the beginning, and it was something the two of them had been snipping at each other about since they’d both come to have favourite candidates. The look for Galen was entirely too knowing for his tastes. Then again, it wasn’t as if his uncle hadn’t seen Galen and Evony—

  Galen cut that thought off. He didn’t need a memory that would make the direction of his thoughts obvious to the other two once he stood. He coughed to draw their attention back to him, holding up the sheaf of papers again. “We will need to increase guard patrols as well as increase the amount of time our men and those from the city and army are training.”

  Rakin and Balint exchanged a look. Galen braced himself for whatever was coming, knowing that when the two of them agreed on something, it was rare that it was something he wanted to hear. Balint rubbed a stubble-covered cheek. “We have our people training half the day, with the other half spent going over procedures, their placements, and different scenarios. Any more training and the men won’t be happy.”

  “It is their duty to train and fight.”

  “Yes, but they need time away, to relax, or you’ll find the men more easily exhausted. Even you take breaks. Though not nearly as many as you should.”

  Galen frowned, but considered it. Balint was almost never wrong when it came to the troops. He wanted his guards ready for anything, ready to defend himself and anyone near him from assassins or whatever else might happen. He didn’t want those who weren’t his chosen guards put into any further danger or injured again. For a moment, he could hear the cry Evony had made as the arrow sliced through her arm again. He pushed the thought away and refocused on his uncle. “If you think it best to leave the schedule as it is...”

  Rakin’s face lost some of its tightness while Balint nodded. “I do.”

  There was something about the way they both watched him that had his frown deepening. “What is it?”

  They looked at one another again in a way he sometimes found irritating. “We do not want to see you return to the way you were at...at the beginning of the war,” Rakin said, folding his hands neatly on the table.

  When he said nothing, Balint elaborated. “You declared war on everyone who stood against you and seemed to only be animated by rage. We don’t want to see you like that again. When you start pushing the soldiers and guards, it makes it look like you’re going back to that time. You were hard on the troops
and harder on yourself.”

  Meeting the steady gazes of his closest advisors, Galen found he couldn’t really argue with them. They weren’t wrong. He’d been hard on everyone at that time. Evony’s words about him pushing people too much came back to him, and with Balint and Rakin saying the same thing, he would have to watch himself to avoid falling back into that rut. “I understand.”

  Balint grinned and Rakin bowed his head, before all three of them turned their attention back to the troop allocations for the festival. No matter what else was happening, the work of the empire marched on.

  * * *

  Settling herself down under the shade of a tree in one of the gardens a ways away from most of the main buildings, Evony rubbed the back of her neck. She hadn’t spoken to Galen for two days now, and while she knew he was most likely busy with work, she still worried. She decided it was worry, because just wanting to talk to him because she hadn’t for a day or two was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. At least every time she’d popped by to check on him he’d had at least four guards on him.

  She shook away the distracting thoughts about Galen and smiled at Admina. Her friend sat beside her, legs folded gracefully to the side, embroidery hoop resting on her lap, her needle already in hand. She smiled back. “Thank you for coming with me.”

  Evony chuckled. “No need for thanks. I’m always glad to get outside. I’m still not used to having all that stone between me and outside. We mostly use wood for our buildings, but then again, when you live amid forests, what else would you use?”

  “I would like to see Silvinsula one day.”

  “You’re welcome to come any time. We’d love to have you. I think you’d really like it,” she replied, grinning. “Though I should warn you, we don’t get many visitors, so you would be the centre of attention for a while. My clan...well they’re very friendly but they can be kind of loud.”