Gordon spun on the agent, his finger raised. “No! I will not be dissuaded. I am the king, and this is my command! Victor, when Gregor retires, you are my new chief agent. It is time for you to step up and show me you are ready for the task. Can you do it?”
Victor shrugged. “Sure, I can do it. I should be able to make it to Brolla about two days after the courier. If Adam and Garran don’t get horses any time soon, I should reach the capital within days of their arrival.”
“Do it. I want you to leave at once.”
Gregor halted Victor with a touch on his arm. “Be careful. Garran is an idiot, but he’s still dangerous.”
“I sparred with him for years. I’m not too worried about the outcome of a fight.”
“You know he won’t fight fair.”
“Neither will I. Besides, if Anton can lock him up before I get there, I’ll just shoot him through the bars with a crossbow.”
Gregor gave a resigned sigh and clapped his number two on the shoulder. “I wish it did not have to come to this.”
“You were always too fond of him.”
“He amused me, and I had hoped he would prove valuable. I was wrong.”
Victor hastened down the hall to fulfill his orders. Gordon glared at the scrawny wizard standing nervously next to the table trying his hardest to be invisible. He spun toward the door and stormed out with Gregor close on his heels.
The King paused just outside the door and whispered to one of the guards. “He does not leave this room alive.”
The soldier nodded and stalked into the chamber. Gregor followed the fuming monarch, unable to suppress the grin carved onto his face. Gordon stomped into one of his rooms, poured a glass of whiskey, and downed it in a single gulp.
He refilled his glass and flopped into a chair. “What kind of man buggers a goat in the off chance it might affect me?”
CHAPTER 17
Garran raised his hand and called out, “This guy, right here!”
The serving woman set a plate of food before Garran and the other in front of Adam. Adam did not look at his food, instead sat glaring at the agent.
Garran stopped eating and held the fork before his mouth. “What?”
“You’re just going to sit there and eat. There’s nothing weighing on your conscience at all that might affect your appetite in the slightest?”
“Is this about the goat?”
Adam slammed his palms against the table and leaned forward. “Yes, this about the goddam goat!”
“Why are you still on about that? Get over it. Hell, the goat’s over it by now.”
“I just saw a man sexually abuse a farm animal, and you think I should just get over it?”
“First off, it wasn’t about sex. It was a display of dominance coupled with a strong political statement.”
“I had to beat you with a stick to make you stop!”
“And that was rude. You don’t let a guy not finish. You’re a celibate priest. Surely you are no stranger to the painful affliction of blue balls.”
“I have no idea what that even is,” Adam hissed.
“Seriously? And you think I have problems. Do you want to know why I did it?”
“I don’t think that even matters at this point.”
“You know what he’s doing to your sister. Now, imagine the goat’s expression on Gordon’s face and tell me that’s not hilarious and that he didn’t deserve it.”
Adam tried but failed to block the image from his mind and grinned despite himself. “It still doesn’t make it right.”
Garran smiled and winked. “Yeah, but it makes it a hell of a lot less wrong.”
Adam braced his elbow against the table, buried his face in his hand, and shook his head.
“You know, the goat wasn’t nearly as traumatized as you think. He even started to push back toward the end.”
Adam raised a hand and fought back his laughter.
“You heard him when we were walking away. He said ‘Garraaaaaan, come baaaaaaack’.”
Adam covered his face with both hands and laughed hard enough to draw everyone’s eyes toward him. He shook off his mirth and picked up his fork.
“You are such an asshole.”
Garran smiled and pointed at him with his fork. “Right back at you, kid.”
***
“It is nice to walk the palace halls and see so many fewer faces that remind me of that awful day,” Evelyn said to Aniston. She nodded and smiled at the kindly old chandler as he went about his duties lighting the evening lamps and candles.
Aniston did not share in her delight. “I am glad it pleases you, and I appreciate bringing justice to the wicked, but even the most oblivious people are becoming suspicious. I fear that to continue will likely result in my being caught. Gregor is aware of these men’s connection to each other and is certain their deaths were no accident despite what he says publicly.”
Evelyn sighed. “You’re right. I suppose I must give up my vengeance, at least for the time being.”
“That is not what I am saying at all. I want to start investigating the parliament members and ranking officials who I suspect actively collaborated with The Guild.”
“That sounds even more dangerous.”
“I do not intend to assassinate them—not at this time. You were witness to the atrocity those soldiers participated in. Their guilt was never in question and their sentences just. These others, the true snakes hiding in the grass…we need solid evidence. Not only that, I need to use them to implicate others and not simply kill them. You don’t kill weeds by lopping off the heads. You have to dig them out by the roots.”
“That sounds wise,” the young queen said with a nod.
Both fell silent at the sight of Gregor’s approach. Aniston could tell by his walk and the look of intent on his face that this was not a random encounter. His stomach churned as his brain concocted and played out the worst of possible scenarios.
Gregor ducked his head at Evelyn. “Highness, would you permit me to walk with you?”
“You are my jailer, Mr. Ward. I fail to see that I have a choice in the matter.”
Her dropping his title hit him like a slap in the face, and its sting was equally surprising. “Aniston, please fall back so that the Queen and I can converse in private.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gregor glanced over his shoulder to measure his agent’s distance as he walked beside Evelyn. “You might have heard about the deaths of several palace guards over the past weeks.”
“I pick up bits of gossip now and then.”
“I have some grave concerns about this as they were all part of the guard detail that accompanied you, Marcus, and your mother when…it happened.”
“What fortunate coincidence.”
“Two or three are a coincidence. Nearly a dozen make it a conspiracy.”
Evelyn scoffed. “I am hardly a capable assassin.”
“No, but there are people who still support your father and who are certainly working on your behalf.”
“Gregor, you continue to bring me such pleasing news. Continue doing so and I might actually feel compelled to execute you with some dignity once The Guild is destroyed and I become the true queen.”
“The Guild brought down your father in the height of his power. A few malcontents are not going to harm them now.”
Evelyn beamed. “Thank you for confirming The Guild’s culpability. It is almost as though you are once again an agent of the crown instead of The Guild’s. I will ensure the headsman uses a very sharp axe.”
Gregor cursed beneath his breath. “I truly doubt this is news to you or anyone else.”
“You know how politics work, Gregor. It is not what you do or who knows, but what can be proven. Was there something else you wanted to tell me? Perhaps you would like to furnish me a list of names of those within our government who aided The Guild? No? Such a pity. It would have sped things along nicely.”
Gregor smiled and wagged his head. “It is amazin
g how much you have become your mother. You are right; it is about what we can prove despite the strength of our suspicions. Such as, I suspect you know much more about those soldiers’ deaths than you let on. I know you did not execute them yourself, but I have not been able to uncover with whom you might be collaborating. You do seem to spend a great deal of your evenings wandering the halls.”
“I am in a cage. I like to stretch my legs and see something beyond the walls of my rooms as much as I can.”
“Why the evenings? Why not during the day?”
“I like to make it harder for Gordon to find me.”
“Some might think it has to do with your bodyguard. As you said, there is plenty of gossip within the palace.”
Evelyn stifled a laugh. “I am sure there is. It is true, I enjoy this one’s company more than the other, but I do not think I fit the requirements of his particular proclivities.”
“I had heard whispers of the same. It is one reason why I chose him. Evelyn, I know this is all very difficult for you, and I am sorry it has to be this way.”
Evelyn stopped and glared at the agent. “You have no idea what this is like for me. It is beyond difficult by an astronomical factor. Your people murdered my mother and little brother right before my eyes. You have theirs, my father’s, and God knows how many other’s blood on your hands, but you still insist on speaking to me like the favored uncle you pretended to be all my life!”
Gregor swallowed and glanced at the ceiling. “I know, but if you think your words can increase the remorse and guilt I feel, you are mistaken. Your father was the captain of this ship, and he went down with it when he sank it. I grabbed onto the only lifeboat in the water, and I am ashamed of what I had to do to keep my hold.”
“Do you want me to pity you? Did you come to me expecting me to forgive you?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then if there is nothing else, I would like to enjoy the rest of my walk.”
Gregor paused. “I know I cannot be forgiven for what I have done, but perhaps I can make your life a bit more bearable. Gordon is upset that you have been neglecting your wifely duties, and he is at this moment looking for you.”
Evelyn ran a hand over her stomach. “I am pregnant with his child. What greater duty could I possibly perform for him?”
“I think you know what one.”
“Informing me of his hunt does little to improve my situation.”
“No, but perhaps something else will.”
Gregor looked around, checking Aniston’s distance once more, leaned in, and whispered something into Evelyn’s ear. Her eyes narrowed in confusion then went wide with surprise.
“Why would I do that?”
“Trust me. It might just save you from tonight and encourage him to find release elsewhere in the future. With any luck, it will distract him long enough for you to show your pregnancy and he will lose interest in you.”
“Why are helping me? I will see you dead if it takes my last breath to do so.”
Gregor shrugged. “I expect nothing less. Perhaps these small acts of kindness will grant me enough redemption to ease some of my guilt and see me to a tolerable afterlife.”
Evelyn watched the senior agent stride down the corridor until he disappeared around a corner. He had been like an uncle to her, and his continued kindness twisted her anger into a confusing maelstrom of emotion.
“Are you all right?” Aniston asked when he took his place at her side.
“Yes. You were right. He does suspect me but not you, as far as I can tell.”
“Did he say what he was going to do about it?”
“I don’t think he is going to do anything about it other than to watch. He does not care about those men, but I doubt he will be nearly so tolerant if something starts happening to those who are important to The Guild. You will indeed have to be very careful. You are right about that as well. We must proceed with intelligence gathering only. My revenge will have to wait.”
“What did he tell you, there at the end? You looked shocked.”
Evelyn’s face flushed and she bit her lip. “Nothing, just something about Gordon.”
Aniston could not inquire further as the King rounded the corner ahead. His movements were hectic, and he was clearly agitated. He glared when he spotted the two of them in the hall.
“You, boy,” Gordon snapped, “take off. Your services are not needed tonight. The Queen will spend the evening with her husband.”
Aniston’s eyes flashed to Evelyn. She gave him the briefest of nods, knowing there was nothing either of them could do. He gave Gordon a small bow and left Evelyn in his company. He detested the thought, but he was helpless to do anything else.
“Have you finally given up the pretense of civility and decided to take me without permission?” Evelyn asked, her voice laced with scorn.
“A man does not need permission to lay with his wife!”
Evelyn gave him a derisive snort. “You are neither a man nor a husband, but a cheap imitation of both. I allowed you to defile me as was my duty, and I am pregnant. I have not spoken against you, as our agreement required. Why do you feel the need to torture me further? Why can you not allow me even that shred of dignity?”
“You speak of dignity? What about my dignity? I have a wife who openly despises me. A Guild bureaucrat tells me what to say, what to do, and when to do it. My own chief of security slaps me as if I am an errant child!”
Evelyn turned her face into an exaggerated frown. “Aw, you poor thing. What did you expect was going to happen? Did you honestly think that someone was going to just set you on the throne, place a crown on your head, and give you all the power that comes with it? Are you so stupid as to not comprehend the very meaning of being a puppet?”
Gordon was livid. He placed his hand between her breasts and shoved her against the wall. His eyes bored into hers, blazing with barely restrained fury.
Evelyn set her jaw and refused to show the fear she felt. “What now, Gordon? Will you begin beating me until I behave? Will you feel like a man then, a king instead of a puppet?”
His anger fled, and he stepped away, abashed. “I’m sorry. I lost myself for a moment. No, I will not hurt you, but I will not have you openly mock and defy me. I am your husband, and you will at least pretend you are my wife.”
“Or what?”
“I will make your life as uncomfortable as I possibly can. Being my queen comes with many luxuries. If you prefer to treat me as your captor, then I will treat you as a prisoner. I will put you in rags, feed you the plainest food, and lock you in a small room with nothing but the spiders to keep you company. You will enjoy our child for one day before I hand him to a nursemaid, and you will never see him again.”
Evelyn took several deep breaths and finally nodded. “Very well. I will play the dutiful wife.”
She let Gordon lead her by the hand to her rooms. He dismissed the chambermaid, kicked off his boots, and hastily stripped naked.
Evelyn turned her back to him. “I need help with the laces.”
Gordon practically tore at the laces in an effort to free her from the confines of her dress. It was not the first time he had lain with her, but he had been rather drunk on the night of their wedding, and much of the activities that had resulted in Evelyn’s pregnancy were lost in a haze.
The dress finally fell from her shoulders and piled onto the floor. Her undergarments soon followed. When she lay on the bed, Gordon climbed atop her and began kissing her neck and face, running one hand along the smooth contours of her body.
“Can you move around a bit?” Gordon asked. “I feel like I am making love to a corpse.”
Evelyn forced down her revulsion, recalled what Gregor had told her, and laid a hand on Gordon’s back. Her hand gently traveled down, caressed the small of his back, and glided over his buttocks.
“That’s better,” Gordon crooned.
As he began kissing her once more and made to position himself, Evelyn extended
her middle finger and stabbed. Gordon yelped a strangled cry, leapt from the bed as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on him, and danced about the floor as if it were covered in broken glass, his hands clasped over his backside.
His eyes were wide with surprise, and his face twisted into a rictus of shock. “What the hell, woman!”
Evelyn held the offending digit out and away from her. “What?” she asked innocently. “I heard that some men like that sort of thing.”
“I don’t!” He looked down at his ‘little soldier’, now lying dead on the battlefield. “You know what? You’re not worth it! This,” he gestured around the room, his wadded shirt in his hand as he pulled on his trousers with the other, “is not worth it! There are dozens of women in the palace who would love to be my concubine. You want to be left alone, fine, I will leave you alone.” He paused just before the door, barefoot with his shoes cradled in his arms. “Know this, we will resume this once you are ready to conceive again, and I will be defended against,” he made a swirling motion with his finger, “this!”
Evelyn smiled and nodded. “As you say…husband. Martha!” she called out to her maid.
The woman avoided Gordon as she entered the room. “Yes, Highness?”
“Be a dear and fetch me a basin of water and some soap. I need to wash my hands.”
The maid looked at Evelyn’s outstretched finger, glanced over her shoulder at Gordon’s hasty retreat, and fought back a smile. “Yes, Highness, right away.”
CHAPTER 18
“Garran,” Adam said from the foot of the bed. “Garran!”
Garran mumbled a response, but his words were muffled by the smothering mass of a few hundred pounds of prostitute. With a sigh, Adam hoisted the bucket he held in his hands and dowsed them both like a fire. The whore made a plaintive squealing sound as she rolled and scrambled away, piling onto the floor with a dazed look in her eyes that the shock of cold water could not extinguish.
Garran got to his feet, blinking and staggering. “What did you do that for?”
“We need to go.”
He looked out of the window. “What time is it?”
“Half past the tenth hour.”
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