by Ryder Bailey
The herb ready, she bit down on the man's tongue.
He released her with a snarl. Then he grabbed her hair with both hands, forcing her head back, and used his body to flatten her to the floor. He straddled her and moved one hand to her throat. But he still hadn't noticed that her right hand was free of the rope and only rested against her hip.
"You want this rough?" he growled. "I can –"
She lifted her hand and shoved the herb into his mouth before he could say any more. He screamed and fell away from her, clawing at his throat and spitting. Myri had told her that the herb would cause blisters in an attacker's mouth instantly.
She looked up as the door flew open and felt relief flood her when Shelton and Coulta ran inside, followed by Yvona, Rohan, and Wildas, then some Guardsmen. Shelton and Coulta went to the choking man first, then Wildas was beside her, untying her other hand.
"Are you all right?" he asked, helping her to sit up again.
She nodded. "Yes."
He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Gods, Anil. I'm sorry this happened."
She held him and pressed her face to his neck, breathing deeply to relax. "It isn't your fault."
Yvona knelt beside them and gently rubbed Anil's shoulder. Anil pulled away from Wildas enough to look at the former queen.
"Did you use woman's flower on him?" Yvona asked quietly.
"If that's the herb Myri gave me, yes," Anil answered. "She said it would blister."
Yvona nodded. "That's it. I'm very thankful you had some."
Anil smiled faintly. "Me as well."
Wildas helped her stand, and she looked to where the man was being searched. Shelton seemed uncomfortable touching everything the man had in his pockets, which included the black dagger and some pieces of paper and red chalk.
"I recognize him," Coulta stated. "He worked for Varin. His name is Llyr."
"He works for Kemale now," Anil said, still happy to let Wildas keep her on her feet. "That's what he told me."
Shelton nodded. "That's where his magical items came from. Did he tell you anything else? It seems he won't be speaking for some time."
Anil nodded and told them everything the man had said to her.
"I truly do need to strengthen the spells on your rooms," Shelton sighed.
Once Rohan and his Guardsmen had taken the man – who was still sputtering and spitting – from the room, Coulta stepped up to Anil and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so thankful that you're safe," he whispered.
Anil leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She could still feel that Wildas had a hand on her lower back. "Thank you all for finding me," she said quietly.
"I would die before letting anything happen to you," Wildas whispered, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
"Me, too," Coulta said softly.
"Come," Shelton's voice said gently from nearby. "I need to seal these rooms again."
Despite not being injured, Anil was happy to allow her husbands to escort her back out of the tower, where they found Myri waiting impatiently.
Myri hugged her even harder than their husbands. "I saw him when they brought him down. I'm glad you still had that with you."
Anil gave her a small smile. "So am I."
***
Myri left Anil's room and sat down with Wildas and Coulta in Wildas's bedchamber. "She'll be fine," she assured her husbands, taking the cup of wine that Wildas offered her. "She wasn't injured. She did stop him from attacking her, it wasn't just something she said so you wouldn't worry or be ashamed of her."
"Ashamed of her?" Wildas questioned, giving Myri a puzzled look. "Why would any of us have been? Is she still doubting me?"
Myri sighed and took a long drink of her wine. "Not consciously. She still has fears, but not a conscious doubt. She and I are very different. I never dreamed of having a man court me and win my love, but I believe she has. You never took the time to court her, you simply brought her here and asked her to marry you when you got your wits about you with Coulta. I don't mind. I never wanted romance or marriage. But I am happy," she clarified when she saw Wildas's expression become even more distressed. "I'm happy with our situation. You're all good friends, and I have no complaints. I enjoy being a part of this relationship with all three of you. But Anil's life is far different than her dreams, in many ways. Especially after what happened today, I believe she would benefit from some added attention. From both of you," she added, glancing at Coulta, who nodded.
She finished her wine and handed the cup back to Wildas. "I'm going to stay with her tonight. The two of you should talk with each other about how you can help her."
"We will," Wildas assured her as he took her cup.
Coulta nodded to her again, but didn't speak. Myri gave them each a kiss and returned to Anil's room to sit with her. She wanted to be right there for Anil in case she needed a tea to help her sleep or wanted to talk.
4
It was three days before Llyr was fit to be questioned. With regular treatments from the healers, the blisters in his mouth and throat had almost completely healed. Guards still had to force him to eat and drink, but Coulta thought Llyr's refusals were likely more related to preferring starvation over speaking to anyone than the pain from the blisters.
"We will speak to him alone," Shelton explained to Coulta as they walked to the dungeons.
"Because I knew him?" Coulta asked.
Shelton shook his head. "Well, that is something of an advantage, but not the reason. The royal spymaster not only directs and coordinates with our spies, but he also speaks to other's spies that get captured, so we learn as much as we can. You haven't asked for the full responsibility of that position yet, but you should be learning how to do things."
Coulta supposed that made sense. He followed Shelton down into the dungeons, remembering despite himself how it had felt to spend his first night in Ryal locked in a dungeon cell. Surely Llyr's experience was worse, and not only from the pain of his injuries. Coulta had known he was guilty of nothing, but he'd had nothing to lose if he were killed before Wildas could speak for him. Certainly Llyr stood to gain something by acting against the crown. In all the years Coulta had known him, he'd always stayed as far from the violence as he could. Even if he hadn't been sent to kill any of them, his actions were still unusual for the man Coulta had once known.
They reached the cell where Llyr was being held and Shelton took the offered keys from the guard standing beside the door. Then he dismissed both guards, who bowed and made their way to the other end of the passageway.
Shelton unlocked the heavy wooden door and entered. Coulta followed and closed the door behind him.
In the dim light from the single, small barred window high up near the ceiling, Coulta could see Llyr sitting on the thin pallet on the stone floor, chained by the leg to the wall.
Llyr looked up at Coulta and smiled sinisterly at him. "Someone I never thought I'd see again," he croaked, voice hoarse. "I see you've had an upgrade of masters, too. If only you weren't on the wrong side this time. And it's a shame you had to get here by sleeping with a man."
Coulta leaned against the wall. "Are you trying to insult me?"
"Am I?"
"No."
Shelton abruptly took over the conversation. "Why did you come here?"
Llyr shrugged. "To kidnap the queen."
"And what was Kemale going to reward you with?"
"Ryal."
"At least you're being honest," Shelton commented.
Llyr laughed – or tried to – and winced. "Why would I not be? A rescue wasn't in the agreement."
"What was to happen if Wildas chose to meet you?"
"I was to threaten to kill the queen while he wrote an abdication. Then I was to kill her and take him prisoner."
"And what about the rest of the people in the castle? The guards and the rest of the royal family. Were they expected to accept this?"
"I would have forced him to tell them to accept it."
>
"Do you truly believe that would have worked?"
Llyr shrugged. "Why not?"
"Some of us would not have easily accepted that. You would have been captured and prosecuted, as you are now. This was designed to fail from the start. Was he planning to attack once you had Wildas?"
"He gave me magic to contact him with when it was done. He didn't tell me what he planned, but I assumed he would come then."
"You told Anil he still hasn't regained his full power."
"He hasn't. He wanted me to distract you and make it easier for him to take over."
Shelton glanced at Coulta. "Do you have anything to add?"
He shook his head.
"Very well," Shelton said, turning back to Llyr. "We will give our report to Grand King Wildas, and he will decide on your punishment. I'm assuming it will likely involve death. Whether quick or slow will be up to him."
Llyr merely shrugged and rubbed his throat.
Coulta and Shelton left the cell and sent the guards back to their posts with the keys.
It wasn't until they were nearly out of the dungeons that Shelton asked, "What do you think?"
"Kemale is just toying with us," Coulta stated. "That plan was nearly guaranteed to fail."
Shelton nodded. "My thought precisely. And it means that this isn't the end of the games he will play. He's angry that I was able to weaken him and he wants to remind us that he plans to destroy us. Perhaps he meant us to catch Llyr and then fall into a false sense of security until his next attempt. We need to be even more watchful. "
When Coulta returned to his rooms he found Wildas waiting for him in his office. He barely had time to ask why he was there before Wildas quickly closed the hallway door and dragged Coulta toward the bedchamber.
"Tell me about the conversation later," Wildas said quickly. "Myri took some fertility potion and I need you to distract her from me. She'll need to get me drunk if she expects much more from me." He opened the door and shoved Coulta through. "Good luck."
The door slammed behind him and he found Myri grinning at him.
"I suppose you will do," she said with a shrug.
"What -" he began, but was cut off when she quite literally threw herself at him.
Coulta never was able to speak to Wildas about his interrogation of Llyr that day. After dealing with Myri he decided to avoid both her and Wildas for as long as possible, and was happy to let her drag Wildas to her room that night, ignoring the pleading look Wildas gave him as she dragged him away. Myri had a bottle of the aphrodisiac wine they called spiked wine in her hand.
"No, I just want you right now," Myri said to Wildas. "He'll distract you."
The door closed heavily and Coulta was left alone in Wildas's central bedchamber. Shaking his head, Coulta went to his own room to change. But the longer he was alone, the more haunted he felt by the ghosts of the people he had killed as an assassin in his former life. So he left his room.
***
When Anil heard the knock on her door she expected it to be Wildas, who had been visiting her for the last few nights. So she was surprised to see Coulta when she answered the knock. He was dressed for bed - he was the only person she had ever known who wore loose trousers to bed along with a short shirt, instead of a nightshirt or gown.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said. "I just wondered if I could sit with you a while."
She smiled and motioned for him to come in. "I was just doing some knitting. I know it's not required of me but I wanted to make some baby blankets. Myri ordered me to rest more and not visit the stables again for some time. She's afraid the shock of the attack might make me lose the baby."
Coulta nodded as he stepped inside and closed the door. "I would offer to help, but I don't know how to knit. I can mend, but that's all."
"If you really want to, I can try to teach you. I have some extra needles."
Coulta smiled. "I'd like to try."
Anil led him to the fire, which was mostly for light and not heat, as it was still summer. "I thought you were Wildas again," she admitted as she sat down and motioned him to the other chair nearby.
Coulta brought the chair even closer. "Myri has him busy for the night."
Anil had to smile. "She told me about the tea's effects. I tried to spare you both a bit, but she claimed it made her crave him more than anything."
"Apparently I'm a worthy enough substitute," Coulta commented. "He spent the afternoon avoiding her and I spent it avoiding both of them."
"Why avoid him?"
"He was using me to distract her from him. He caught me off guard the first time, but he forgot I can hide myself with magic. Even with the soul-link he can't know for certain if I'm nearby without looking foolish in front of others."
Anil laughed. "I never thought I'd hear of men going out of their way to avoid sex."
Coulta had what could almost be called a look of fear on his face. "The tea's driven her mad."
Anil had to laugh again. "I doubt it will last very long. So, let me show you how to knit."
For the next hour, Anil focused on trying to teach him the craft of knitting, and he mostly caught on. Though he appeared disappointed to learn that his magic couldn't do much to help him not lose stitches. They were mostly quiet as they worked, until she finally put down her knitting to yawn.
Coulta set his practice piece aside and smiled at her, though it looked a bit strained. "Thank you."
"Is something wrong?" she asked, reaching for his hand.
He held his hand out for her and shook his head. "Just dreading a night alone."
"The dreams?"
He nodded, but said nothing.
"Will staying with me help?" she offered. "At least you wouldn't be alone."
He nodded again. "It may help."
"Stay. Maybe my magic can help if you have any dreams. At least I can help you relax to sleep again."
"Thank you," he replied quietly.
So they put out what was left of the fire and settled into bed together. Anil couldn't help hoping for some intimacy between them, but she reminded herself that he'd already spent time with Myri earlier, and that perhaps that was enough for him. She wasn't Wildas, after all. Coulta certainly didn't yearn for her like he did for their husband.
But she could try.
She snuggled up against him and quietly said, "If I might need to use magic later, maybe I should gain more now."
Coulta cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I can do that. I had a power share with Myri."
Anil felt a wave of disappointment and gave him a bit of space. "That's all right," she assured him and gave him a smile, trying not to let her feelings show.
Strangely, he looked as disappointed as she felt. "That's all you'd want me here for?"
"I enjoy having you here," she assured him. "Being this close is enough."
The silver flecks in his dark eyes practically glowed as he looked at her intently. "I mean, you wouldn't make love with me for the sake of it, only for the magic?"
She blushed and ducked her head. "I wasn't sure you'd want that."
He let out a breathy laugh and she felt suddenly embarrassed. She turned to face away from him, her face hot. Of course he thought she was foolish. So did she.
Coulta surprised her by moving close and slipping his arm around her. He pressed his lips to her neck, making her relax. When she turned to look at him he gave her a smile that was anything but teasing. She reached up to trace the lines on his face with a gentle touch.
"They never look the same," she murmured.
"I know. I'll never understand."
She met his gaze again. "There are better times to think on it."
He smiled again. "I agree," he breathed before kissing her.
5
They were pushing hard to make it to Ryal as quickly as possible and Jaimathan did his best to keep his mind off how exhausting it was. They rode all day, changing to new horses along the way, which was accomplished by sending Shan Hawk, the
Shifter courier, ahead with the money to buy new ones. Cyra had given them a hefty purse to travel with, after all. They spent every night sleeping in small tents under protective spells Braith set on their campsites. Jaimathan was thankful that at least it was summer and the nights were not yet too chilly for comfort – though a few were rather uncomfortably hot and it rained several times.
Now they were less than a day's ride from the bridge that crossed the river separating Algoma from Phelin, and Jaimathan had been experiencing an odd feeling of unease since they had started riding that morning. It was almost a feeling of dread, accompanied by the memory of a scent – the scent of dead things. It wasn't anything he had ever experienced before, and he wasn't even sure if the sensations and smells were a trick of his mortal mind, or his magical senses. It wasn't a real experience, that he knew for certain, because Fae and Braith didn't seem to notice it.
It only grew worse as they looked for a place to camp for the night, growing so intense he could hardly breathe. Suddenly, Shan, who had been scouting along the road, came darting back at them from the patch of woods ahead in hawk form, shrieking. They immediately halted the horses and drew weapons.
Shan landed on the single pack horse with practiced ease and gave one more, short call. It was part of the method of communication they had worked out from the beginning of their journey.
"Ambush?" Jaimathan asked, to be clear.
The hawk appeared to nod.
"How many?" Braith questioned.
Shan made a series of short chirps. Jaimathan counted seven.
"Is there any way to get around the woods safely before dark?" he asked next.
Shan's head shook emphatically.
"We can't stay here for the night," Braith stated. "Not when we know there are people waiting for us in there. I'd be afraid my magic wouldn't hold them all night."