Jack opened his mouth to argue until he caught the way Diamond was clinging to Hugo. Clamping his jaw shut, he stared hard at her.
Guilty for wanting Hugo so badly, she made herself push back and rasped, “I can walk by myself.” Her lip started bleeding again.
“No!” both men declared at the same time.
“Fine. You take her, Hugo,” Jack acquiesced but held Hugo’s challenging gaze for a moment longer. “But think about what I said before.”
Diamond looked from one to the other, wondering what Jack meant as Hugo gave a cursory nod. Tight-lipped, he allowed Jack to give the order to move out.
“Let’s go. No flying. I don’t want anyone taken down by an enemy arrow. There are already more of them than there are of us,” ordered Jack.
The group moved stealthily through the gloomy trees. Surround by warriors, Diamond felt safer than she had for weeks. Hugo’s arms were wonderfully warm and she couldn’t help but tighten her grip on him and snuggle closer into his chest. His warmth and musky scent over ran her senses. Strength seeming to flow from him into her. Her head wanted him to put her down—he was a guard, a queen’s guard—but her heart wanted him to hold her tighter. Frustrated, she shook her head at her chaotic thoughts.
Hugo flashed her a quick look. “Something wrong?” he asked innocently, his eyes glinting with amusement as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“You can put me down, Hugo. I can walk,” she told him, her words muffled by her swollen lip.
“No.”
Diamond scowled at his refusal but that just seemed to amuse him more.
“We both know you don’t really want me to,” he stated. “And don’t scowl, it’s making your lip bleed all over me and you’ve already ruined one of my tunics,” he reminded her.
Secretly pleased, she crossed her arms and huffed loudly, then found herself utterly transfixed as his lips twitched in a broad smile. His scarred features twisted in a grotesque way but Diamond didn’t notice. Her eyes did not stray from his mouth. Her heart clenched. She had just made this ruthless warrior smile.
Soon, with nothing else to do but stare at his face or rest, Diamond let her exhausted, starving body relax. The rhythmic sway of Hugo’s powerful body was so soothing and she felt so safe and warm. By the goddess, she was tired. Lulled by the heat radiating from Hugo’s body, her eyelids became heavier and her head drooped onto his chest. His scent and magic cocooned Diamond, comforting her.
Hitching her up, Hugo tightened his grip and resettled her weight. Briefly he glanced down, doing his best to hide his satisfaction when she murmured with contentment and nestled her face into his chest.
Chapter 20
Diamond sat with her back against the cave wall watching Jack. Catching her eye, he smiled but it was strained and tired. Her returning smile was a little forced. Since being back with his men, Jack had left her to her own devices. Not that he had a choice really. Diamond leaned her head back and watched him, feeling the gap between them widen. It had begun to sink in, what and who he was. It left Diamond with no illusion as to her unimportance compared to him. His responsibilities would distance them, not to mention her blood. Although she didn’t think Jack as shallow as the Avalonian ruler. Rubbing her temples she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. It would be nice to be free to pick her friends for once, or to have a friend who accepted her for who she was, rather than shunned her for her mixed blood.
Focus on the positive things, she told herself. Valentia is a busy trading city with huge ports. It must have goods and people arriving from the other kingdoms all the time. Surely heritage won’t count for so much there?
A headache pounded behind her eyes. But maybe it did. Hugo had already warned her that as a half-blood she had no rights, no protection under Avalonian law. She would just have to be really careful where she went and with whom. Tom had been her only friend back in Berriesford; nothing need change, she didn’t need other friends.
Diamond sighed. She was being foolish. Of course things would change, her whole life already had. Trying not to think of her father, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and studied the big warriors and tough-looking soldiers that filled the gloomy space.
Sentinel’s Cave was large, its entrance hidden amongst a cluster of ancient, moss covered boulders. Small holes allowed rain and moisture to drip in from the earth above, and the rock wall she leaned against was obscured by a covering of green, velvety moss. Further inside the cave where it was more protected, the walls and floor were dry. Clearly it had been used as a hideout or guard station for years. There were cooking pots piled beside a stone fire pit and several mounds of old dried moss on top of sticks and pines needles that seemed to serve as makeshift beds.
Diamond’s tired eyes stung, so she leaned her head back and closed them for a moment. The first time she had suffered a nightmare she had awoken with sweat coating her body and running between her breasts. Terrified and trembling, she had found Hugo kneeling next to her asking if she was alright. It had been too dark to see his face, but she was sure she had heard concern in his voice. Without asking, he had settled his bulk next to her, his sapphire and silver energy had wrapped itself around her protectively; Diamond had not even thought of protesting. Twice more nightmares had jolted her awake. Each time Hugo had reached out a big hand and rested it on her shoulder, gently rubbing his thumb against her neck, calming her. Even now Diamond was left with a sense of gratitude for him watching over her.
The protection and warmth of the cave was wonderful after being so long out in the open. Bags of supplies lined the far wall next to a row of full water skins. It seemed an age since food had last passed her lips. A painful ache rumbled through her belly at the thought. She rubbed at it, sorely tempted to sneak over and rummage through the sacks. A tall female warrior lounged against the wall near the bags, clearly supervising them. With long, light brown hair and sharp features, she was perhaps the most intimidating female Diamond had ever seen. Her eyes wandered over Diamond, completely disinterested, before moving on to rest on Roin.
Perhaps not, thought Diamond, discounting the food. It was not worth a confrontation with such a female.
Damp-loving plants crawled up the ancient rocks near the cave entrance, their spiral bright green stems intertwining and hanging down to conceal the cave from the outside. Soldiers guarded the hidden cave mouth, coming and going for the past few minutes as they swapped the watch, their faces drawn and bodies tense.
The water leopard, Trajan, crouched near Jack, flicking his barbed tail. Clearly they were communicating through telepathy. Jack shook his head vehemently. Snarling, Trajan stood.
Diamond gaped in amazement, never having been this close to a water leopard before; she was stunned. He was huge, his head easily as high as Jack’s chest. Peculiar gill-like structures stood out at the base of his jaw and black markings covered his white fur. But it was the exposed bony ridge of spine that travelled from the base of his huge skull to the tip of his barbed tail that drew Diamond’s attention. He was beautiful in a savage, dangerous way. Clearly he had recovered well, only the scab on his chest wall any indication of a recent injury.
Diamond’s eyes widened as Tom pushed himself off the ground and bowed slightly to something Jack said before following Trajan out of the cave. Tom had never been that respectful to anyone before.
Tom had also lost weight, but when she had spoken with him this morning, he had been far more positive about the city than she felt. Zane, who stood guard next to his prince, watched Tom disappear before his eyes drifted to Diamond’s. The hard planes of his face split into a sheepish grin and he shrugged. Even with a split lip, Diamond found it hard not to smile back. So Zane was interested in Tom. She wondered if Tom realised the broad-shouldered warrior ribbed him every moment he could because he wanted Tom’s attention. Probably not.
Diamond knew Tom wasn’t interested in girls. When they had just reached their teens they had decided it was time to experiment with their fir
st kiss. It had been a weird experience for both of them, more sloppy and uncomfortable than passionate. They had both shrugged it off and decided not to repeat the process with each other. Tom had experimented once or twice with other partners but he had never wanted anything serious.
Diamond hoped a tough warrior fae like Zane would not be too overbearing or possessive of her friend. Tom would hate that. Still, her eyes watched Zane’s attention shift back to the cave entrance. Maybe Zane was more than just a bit interested. At least Tom would be cared for and safe if he found a partner in a fae warrior.
More weary-looking warriors returned from watch and went to rest quietly on the moss beds near Jack, who was now talking quietly to an archer with sinewy strong arms covered in intricate swirling tattoos. Her eyes must be tired, she decided, because those tattoos seemed to be swirling like the markings on a fae’s wings.
Thinking of fae—Hugo stood tall and rigid in the shadows, his eyes constantly scanning the cave and the men, running over her every now and then, making her skin prickle with awareness. The hilts of his swords were visible over his shoulders, glinting in the dimness of the cave. His beard was matted, but he had cleaned his face and hands. Diamond, on the other hand, had blood leaking down her face again from her torn lip. With a jerky motion, she used Hugo’s dagger to cut a piece of the blanket someone had given her and held the scrap firmly against her lip. She winced. The split must be deeper than she thought. Maybe she should see if someone could stitch it for her.
“Hi,” General Edo said gruffly, sitting down next to her. He propped his large forearms on his bent knees but did not look at her.
“Hello,” she answered, feeling a little awkward but not sure why.
“So, do you want to tell me what happened to you?” he asked quietly, studying her swollen black eye, bruised cheek and the scrap of blanket pressed to her lip.
“Aren’t you going to order me to?” she asked wryly.
“No. I’m going to order him to tell me,” he said with a nod towards Jack.
“Why did you fight Jack the day the dragon took us?” Diamond asked, picking at a loose thread on her ragged dress. She still hadn’t forgiven him for that.
The smile he gave her held no amusement. “I needed to assess very quickly what sort of man Jack is.” He paused glancing at Jack. Diamond waited, trying to be patient. He seemed to be weighing whether to tell her more, then he took a deep breath, “Before I found you and your father in the north, I was King Oden’s primary. That meant not only was I a general in his army and responsible for planning and executing his campaigns in the west against Ragor, I was also his advisor—and friend. Along with your father, I took responsibility for and commanded the Combined Army of Rhodainia. It was the greatest army in the world….” he said shaking his head in what looked like disbelief.
Diamond kept quiet. It must be hard to see that army in tatters, she mused, feeling sorry for him. Her father had told her of the army. It had never occurred to her to ask how he knew so much about it. Only now did her perception of him as a lowly woodcutter strike her as foolish. He shouldn’t have known how to fight so well or talk with such authority and diplomacy to the town sheriff and his men.
General Edo didn’t notice the tightening of her mouth.
“For hundreds of years men have been conscripted to fight alongside Rhodainia’s own soldiers, though most would apply to their monarchs or leaders to be allowed to serve. The Combined Army has been in existence since Ragor was banished to the Barren Waste Lands by Lunaria thousands of years ago. His monsters were contained by us. Your father was a good friend and an even better general—until he left with your mother.”
Diamond tried not to react to the bitterness in his tone at those words. He coughed, and when he spoke again his voice was neutral. “Your father and I advised King Oden on battle strategy as well as coordination and execution of any attacks. In fact, we advised on most things: patrols, supplies, even who should be on his council or promoted to captain of his personal guard.” He took a deep breath and sighed sadly. “After Jack was born and the Queen died, King Oden wrote a decree and placed it in the king’s vault deep under Stormguaard. The king’s council witnessed it and I was given a copy, as was your father.”
Diamond sat up straight. “What did it say?” she asked quietly, gasping when he pulled a yellowed wrinkled piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her. Diamond carefully straightened out the wrinkles. Not even half way down the page she stopped. “Is this real?” she whispered, incredulous.
“Yes. I’ve carried this with me for the last fourteen years. The king is dead and his son is not twenty. That means either your father or I should take the responsibility of regent. King Oden ordered us to give guidance to Prince Jack and involve him completely in the running of Rhodainia. Now your father is gone. It falls to me to decide if Jack is competent to continue ruling until his twentieth birthday.” He turned to look right at Diamond, and she almost shrunk from the ice in his eyes.
“About eighteen months after the king released your father from his service, he found out something about your mother. He wouldn’t tell me what it was but ordered me to find Arades and Tanelle and bring them home. He told me if Arades refused, I was to stay and protect them both and that I should not return to Stormguaard until they agreed to return with me. Now my king is dead and so are your mother and father. When you are safely in Valentia, my responsibilities will lay with His Highness over there.” His voice faded.
“I see,” she said. It was clear she was not going to be his responsibility anymore. Diamond kept her face down so he could not see how much that hurt her.
“Do you?” he asked quietly.
Time to grow up and fend for myself, she thought and lifted her chin. “Yes, I do. I understand you have a decision to make about Jack and your position in his court. To do that you cannot stay with me.” She frowned. “I don’t understand why King Oden would want my mother and father back in Stormguaard, though.” She winced again as her lip started bleeding.
“I wish I could tell you. All I really know is your father left the city to be with your mother. He had not known her long before they were married. He once told me it took the blink of an eye for him to fall in love with Tanelle—that they had some sort of deep bond and were meant to be together. I laughed back then. I never was one for sentiment of that sort.”
His voice faded and Diamond did not miss the thoughtful look he gave Hugo. Diamond saw Hugo glance at them both and dropped her eyes. General Edo smiled slightly as he awkwardly patted her hand. “Now I utterly believe him. Anyway, I had to assess if Jack is a capable leader. Challenging him was the only way I had to weigh him. Now I know he is not a coward. I also know how easily he can lose his temper and make a mistake. I’ve also had time to talk to his men and build up a picture of what sort of leader he is. Besides, he got you back safely—with a little help from Hugo.”
Diamond didn’t feel like pointing out she had saved the prince’s royal behind, not the other way around.
The general’s boots scraped against the stone as he shifted his position. “We are soon going to have to fight hard to get past that legion of rotting corpses and monsters camped between us and the Rift Valley. I have to decide whether to let Jack lead or whether to take leadership away from him.”
Diamond stayed silent, not really sure if Jack would let the general take anything away from him or that Jack’s men would follow the general. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then he gently took the parchment back, rubbed his eyes with both hands and gave a big sigh.
“I’m grateful to those two young men for keeping you alive. Arades will look on them both with favour from Eternity. Your face will heal if you get a couple of stitches in that lip, but we have a lot to overcome before we can get to the safety of Valentia and any healers. Stick close to Hugo. I will be with the prince, so neither of you need worry about him. Anyway, I have a feeling Hugo won’t refuse to protect you. Do exactly what he says
and you’ll stand a chance of staying alive. Understood?”
Diamond nodded wearily, wondering how happy Hugo would be about his babysitting duties.
“Good. Then I have something to do,” he said quietly but resolutely.
Diamond glanced over at Hugo as the general left her. Her breath caught in her throat and her stomach jumped painfully as his sapphire eyes met hers. Resting her forearms on her knees, she broke that contact, shocked but pleased to see General Edo sink to one knee in front of Jack.
He’s made a decision then, she thought with a mixture of relief for Jack, and regret for herself. She really would be alone if the general resumed his duties—it seemed Tom was comfortable being with Jack, and Zane was not likely to give up on her friend, looking at the way he kept glancing longingly towards the entrance. Determined not to think about what was to become of her in the city, she concentrated on the group across the cave instead.
Jack’s reactions went from shock to disbelief as the general presented him with the yellowed parchment and an explanation. Her heart went out to Jack as he sank to his knees and read his own father’s hand writing. Again and again he read it. His pale face and tight expression said it all. No one spoke to her or paid her any attention at all, they were all too busy watching Jack and General Edo. Standing, she headed for the entrance but changed her mind about getting some fresh air when she felt a sharp tug in her chest. Turning, she found Hugo staring at her. His eyebrows twitched up as he shook his head slightly.
She sat back down on the ground, irritated with herself for giving in to his silent command.
“Arse,” she muttered, flashing a dark scowl in his direction. An amused smile curled Hugo’s lips, and he lifted one dark brow. It was then Diamond realised she had forgotten how good fae hearing was.
Chapter 21
Diamond felt bored. Tom did not return, and Jack stayed occupied with his warriors. They came and went, wanting orders or giving their prince information. Pushing herself up she wandered around to stretch her stiff muscles. Roin, the captain of Jack’s guard, was handing out strips of dried meat and some dried yellow berries from the line of food sacks. Standing behind Roin, the female warrior smiled as Diamond approached. It made her seem slightly less threatening.
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