by Drae Box
“You’re welcome to look,” she said softly.
Raneth swallowed again, resisting the urge to look below her neck, to take in her torso. Feeling guilty, aware she was watching him too, he lowered his attention to her left side, between her hip and her belly button. A scar nestled in her skin there, no longer as angry as he suspected it had once looked.
“I’m sorry,” he uttered, looking her in the face again.
She frowned and looked down at the scar, trailing a finger across it. She slid a hand down Raneth’s scarred left arm.
“Don’t be,” she said. “You were being run too hard and you were looking for Cray. It’s not your fault.”
“Still,” uttered Raneth, his right hand going to touch it before he withdrew.
Aldora took his hand and pressed it to the scar. “Girls are not delicate flowers. We can train and fight just like you boys.”
“I’ve never–”
“I know,” she uttered softly. She pressed her lips to his, giving him a quick kiss. “You’re a good man, Raneth.”
He frowned and then gave a shrug. “I try.” He unbuckled his belt and took off his weapons, placing them on the stone as Aldora did the same. “Which shower do you want?”
“That one,” stated Aldora, pointing to one close to the corner stone. She walked towards it, reaching back for Raneth’s hand. He grabbed the soap then slipped his hand into hers and followed.
Together they stepped under the stream, wincing in unison at the water’s heat. It was almost too hot, but after a few seconds they both grew accustomed to it. Raneth positioned himself to interrupt the view of Aldora from the doorway. “Tell me about your visitor last night,” said Raneth.
Aldora eased one of the soaps from his hand and rubbed it against his chest. He jerked at the touch.
“Easy,” she said with a light laugh. “Anybody would think you’re nervous, royal official.”
“I am a bit,” he admitted, the lopsided smile reappearing. “This is the first time we’ve seen each other in almost nothing, other than hospital smocks.”
“Relax,” requested Aldora softly.
Easy for you to say, thought Raneth as he enjoyed her smile. I’m not used to anyone but the royal doctor seeing me in my underwear.
“Rena came by last night. She lockpicked her way into my room.”
This can’t be good. “Rena is Regina’s eyes and closest confidant. Good soldier too. What did she want?”
“I messed up at the lunch yesterday. She warned me that Algernon’s grown interested in the Dagger.” Aldora hesitated, frowning up at Raneth. “Has Regina made any moves towards you?”
“To ‘borrow’ me? No, weirdly. She must like you, otherwise she would be up to her normal behaviour. Algernon putting me in the same wing as her isn’t a coincidence – he’s trying to angle for something to happen between her and me. It won’t though, I promise.”
“I know. You’re a good man,” she stated again, smiling. “What do we do after this?”
“Have breakfast and then leave to continue looking for the Shotput. We’re gonna need to head back to Oreg. We’re not finished there. There’s a pattern in Regina’s cubes – it looks like someone has travelled from Giften and caused a good chunk of those incidents. Sasha will probably put us up at Oreg so we don’t have to sleep anywhere dangerous. The prince thinks we shouldn’t worry about the cause unless it’s related to the Shotput, but we should follow the pattern.”
“Is Pedi aware we’ll be staying at Sasha’s? He didn’t exactly approve of its condition.”
“I didn’t mention that bit when we were talking about it,” said Raneth, as Aldora gently placed his hand holding the other bar of soap against her stomach. He dutifully started sliding the soap in small circles across her skin, creating a lather that the water quickly stole from them.
“Good morning, you two.”
Aldora shrieked, and in her surprise her voice gave way to the screech of a hawk. Raneth winced as a sharp pain erupted behind his eyes. He clamped a hand quickly over Aldora’s mouth, drawing her wet body close to his with his other arm. He trembled against Aldora as his vision slurred the images around him. He clamped his eyes tightly shut, then opened them as Aldora gently pulled his hand away from her mouth. He felt her warm arms wrap around his waist as his knees weakened and gave way under him, knocking him into her hold. She swallowed three times by his ear. “Can you hear me, Raneth? Are you OK?”
He jerked his head back and frowned at her. She’s made my vision all blurred. “Just,” he said, on the verge of shouting. “But everything’s off. My vision, and ringing in my ears like last time.” He rubbed at his eyes with his left hand, using his right to press against Aldora’s shoulder so he could reclaim his weight.
Aldora grabbed his wrist, stopping him from rubbing his eyes. “Come on,” she urged him softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and leading him towards Algernon. The commander was slowly standing up, with a hand on the wall for support.
“Commander Algernon, do you have a doctor here?” she asked, talking louder than normal.
He nodded, then grimaced and raised a hand to the top of his head. “This way. What was that?”
“My gift. It isn’t mastered yet,” stated Aldora.
Algernon looked at her and then beckoned for her to follow him.
Aldora
The walk to the doctor was slower than Aldora would have liked. Algernon was resting a hand against the walls for support, and she had Raneth’s weight on her shoulders. A unit of Newer Royal Guards strolled down the corridor towards them and she called to them for help. Four of them relieved her of Raneth and helped to carry Algernon too; the other guards left, running off to another part of the palace. The guards peppered Aldora with questions, but she waved them away, watching Raneth and Algernon closely. Raneth doesn’t look good, and Algernon’s going green.
Raneth jerked in their hold as he tried to look over his shoulder. “Aldora, watch out!” he cried.
Aldora hurriedly looked around them. There’s nothing to watch out for, she thought. “We’re safe, Raneth,” she stated loudly.
“Where are you, A?” he grumbled.
Quickly, Aldora stepped to his side. “I’m here,” she said softly. She gently tapped his shoulder. “I’m here,” she repeated, speaking louder than before. She watched as his blue eyes swept over her and strayed down the corridor before he clenched them shut. When he opened them, he looked Aldora over, like he did whenever he was worried she was hurt.
Algernon puked on one of the Newers helping him. Aldora grimaced and watched the Newer covered in the vomit heave before he swallowed and clenched his jaw. He lifted his chin and continued as if he didn’t have his commander’s puke steaming on him.
“What’s wrong?” murmured Raneth, watching Aldora.
“Nothing, darling,” she promised him.
“Here we are – doctor’s office,” stated one of the Newers, studiously ignoring the commander’s vomit on his friend’s chest and legs.
“What happened to these two?” asked the doctor, as the Newers set Raneth and Algernon onto two of the beds in the small room. Aldora followed them inside.
“My gift hurt them. Algernon surprised me,” said Aldora, watching as Raneth stood up.
The doctor pressed a hand against Raneth’s shoulder until he sat back down. He slapped the doctor’s hand away and stood again.
“Sit down!” snapped the doctor, shoving against Raneth’s shoulder. The doctor’s superior muscle forced the Bayre to sit. “Don’t leave this bed!” To Aldora, he added, “Tell me what I need to know about your gift so I can treat them, then get out.”
Aldora glanced at Raneth then frowned at the doctor. “I–”
Queen Regina stepped into the room, and Pedibastet trailed along behind her. He tapped his tail against Aldora’s leg in silent greeting. “Tell them,” he said. “In case it’s more serious than it was on the Quest.”
Aldora nodded. “It affects t
he head. It usually affects hearing, and sometimes creates wind.”
“Just the human response,” stated Pedibastet gently.
“There’s usually dizziness, some difficulty walking and ringing in the ears. Anything else is new. It affects by noise.”
“Alright. Now everyone out!”
“The commander threw up on me, and the Bayre told the Dagger Bearer to watch out for something,” stated one of the guards who had assisted Aldora.
“And he’s agitated,” stated the doctor, shoving against Raneth’s shoulder again as he tried to stand. “Now, I really must insist you all get out.”
“Come, Aldora,” said Queen Regina gently, resting a guiding hand on her shoulder and applying pressure so that Aldora turned to the doorway.
Pedibastet pressed a paw to Aldora’s foot and led her, Regina and the others out into the corridor.
When Regina’s hand fell from her shoulder, Aldora paced from one side of the thin corridor to the other, retracing her steps as she held her arms tightly to her torso and watched her feet against the blue carpet. What have I done? If I don’t get my gift mastered, I’m going to end up killing someone! Probably Raneth or Dad! Aldora ran a hand over her hair. I have to find a way to practise more often, and without help. I can’t keep putting people in danger because I might get surprised or angry.
“Aldora!”
Aldora jerked to a stop. She looked at Pedibastet, who was staring up at her, the tip of his tail twitching.
“Sorry,” she uttered.
“Don’t apologise,” stated Pedibastet, a purr rumbling under his words. “But please do not walk back and forth. It makes it difficult to talk with you. I do not enjoy running after you or watching you like a dog does a ping-pong ball.”
Aldora glanced at the guards and Regina, then knelt down in front of Pedibastet and held out her arms. The Prince of the Cats strolled into them, and waited patiently as she picked him up. He snuggled his head against her left cheek with a purr, his paws going to either side of her neck and his back legs resting on her right forearm as her left arm held him to her chest.
“I could have seriously hurt them, Pedi,” she whispered.
His purr rumbled louder. “They’re not dead. They’ll recover.” Pedibastet paused. “And it was an accident. Make sure you stress that. We don’t want an incident involving two kingdoms.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “Besides, it’s not like you harmed Regina or me. It’s completely forgivable.”
“Pedi!” said Aldora in a rushed whisper. “It’s just as bad, no matter who I hurt. I need to find a safe way to train so this won’t happen again.”
“Have you been visiting a giftologist?”
“No,” admitted Aldora. “They’re too expensive.”
“Cray could organise for you to work with the royal giftologist when you get home, expenses paid by him. I will ensure it too.”
“I don’t think that’s appropri–”
The doctor’s door opened and he inspected everyone in the corridor. “Commander Algernon and Captain Bayre will be fine,” he stated. “Both have concussion and will need to be observed closely.”
“Can we see them?” asked Queen Regina, stepping nearer the door and Aldora.
The doctor shook his head. “The Giften is a little too agitated to have guests in the room right now. Perhaps later, when his symptoms lessen and he stops thinking he’s been captured by Eastern Barbarians. Miss Leoma, I suggest you dry yourself before you get a cold.”
Aldora looked down at her damp body and blushed. Just as well I’m holding Pedi, she realised, though she knew the guards would have gotten a good view of everything. At least Raneth and Algernon will be OK. That’s the important thing.
“Aldora, we should talk,” stated Queen Regina, before ordering one of the guards to bring Aldora a towel to the mission room. “Follow me.”
“I need to know what happened,” stated the queen once she, Aldora and Pedibastet were in the mission room and by themselves. The queen sat down in a corner on an armchair, near a small bookcase. She crossed her legs and looked at Aldora expectantly. The Dagger Bearer knelt down in front of the Newer queen and Pedibastet poured himself from her arms. He waited until Aldora had crossed her legs before curling up at her side.
“It was an accident,” said Aldora.
She told the queen everything, pausing only when a guard knocked and entered to give her a warmed towel. When Aldora had finished explaining how she had hurt Raneth and the commander, she waited quietly for Regina’s response.
“Well,” uttered Regina, frowning at Aldora. “I suppose it was Algernon’s fault then. Your gift concerns me though. I may not be as familiar with gifts as you Giftens are, but I know a dangerous one when I hear about what it can do. And yours is clearly dangerous.”
Oh heck. She’s going to have me arrested or something! Aldora glanced at Pedibastet.
The Prince of the Cats looked back at her before turning his green eyes on the Newer. “Regina, it was an accident, remember.”
“Be that as it may, I cannot have someone that dangerous near Algernon or myself. One of us dying could affect the kingdom. Both of us dying would definitely be the last nail in the coffin. I need you to leave, Aldora. Until you have mastered your gift.”
“What?” Aldora glanced down at Pedibastet, who was being unusually still now. You don’t want me to fight this then, she realised. “I can’t leave without Raneth. It’s my fault he’s with your doctor, but this is his assignment.”
“I will be able to make sure he wastes no time finding his way back to you. Perhaps you could impress him – find the Shotput in the time he is under the doctor’s care.”
“Do his assignment without him, just to impress him?” grumbled Aldora. “I don’t need to impress him.”
“No, of course not,” said Regina, smiling. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”
“Why?” asked Aldora, pulling the towel tighter around her.
“Well, if you’re serious about sharing your life with him, he needs to know you can look after yourself when he’s not around. Otherwise his loyalty to his three family duties when he becomes the Master Bayre – kill the Master Frey, protect his heir and protect his wife – will cause a lot of upset and probably more injuries for the both of you.”
“Aldora is more than capable of looking after herself,” stated Pedibastet, standing up. His tail’s tip twitched side to side. “She is, after all, the Dagger Bearer. If there is anything she cannot do, she will learn to. She is a formidable lady.” He purred and rubbed his brown cheek with its black tear track against the side of Aldora’s knee. “But we will go, to avoid upsetting our two kingdoms.”
“I would recommend staying at that brothel you were seen in,” stated Regina. “Without the royal official safehouse, that is probably the safest place for Giftens right now in Oreg… I’m assuming you are going to Oreg?”
“We agreed it should be our next stop,” admitted Pedibastet. “Please have your people arrange a carriage for us, Regina. Aldora, we should probably get you dressed and retrieve the Dagger of Protection.”