by Chandra Ryan
Sara’s heart raced and her stomach churned at the announcement. Why would he want to see her?
A number of possibilities sprang to mind, each worse than the last. The worse by far, though, was the thought of him offering her a job at Hunter’s Keep. Wouldn’t that be an experience? To serve at the keep she was once to be the lady of.
“Where?”
“Right here, chickadee,” a deep voice answered behind her. Turning toward the man, she was momentarily stunned. “Not the Hunter you were expecting?” he asked dryly.
“Kavin?” He was Devin’s older brother, although none would guess it if they saw the two standing next to each other. They were almost polar opposites. Devin had been blessed with the graceful beauty of refinement. But Kavin, she looked him over quickly, he was handsome in a more rugged—more natural way. “Gods, no one told me you were here.” No one had even thought it.
“King’s guards do pride themselves on stealth,” he quipped. “You don’t seem very excited to see me.” He gave her one of his signature smiles. The very same smile that had made her knees weak as a young girl.
“Oh, sorry, no, it’s not that. I’ve just been under a lot of…” She stopped to take a breath. “Gods, Kavin,” she started again, “it’s great to see you.”
“That’s more like it.”
Staring at him was like staring into her past. He seemed untouched by age. With the exception of a sprinkling of gray in his black hair and a few lines at the corners of his eyes, he looked almost exactly as she remembered him. Well, that and an angry red streak that raced from behind his ear and down his neck. “You haven’t been very careful, have you?” Absently, she traced the scar with her fingertips.
He deftly stepped away from her touch before gesturing at his uniform. “Hazard of wearing black, I’m afraid.” The solid black leather was broken only by a small golden King’s Crest that sat on his right shoulder and a golden pin of rank that rested on the collar. She’d always loved the way he looked in the uniform, not that she remembered him in much else. “Can we talk, Sara, someplace quiet?”
“The library’s about the quietest place around here.” She looked at Aster for permission as she said the words. The slight nod he gave her was all she needed.
“Then lead the way.”
Walking past him, she smiled at the aroma of sandalwood mixed with fresh earth that greeted her. It was a comforting smell that took her back to her childhood when he’d spend days drilling her on swordplay or horsemanship.
But tonight wasn’t for dwelling on the past. Pushing the memories aside, she forced herself to focus as they made their way through the maze of stone-walled corridors. “It looks like guard life is still treating you well—for the most part.”
“I’ve got no complaints. You look like you’ve lost too much weight, however.”
She gasped at the bluntness of the statement, but then hid her reaction quickly. “I see your social skills haven’t improved. It’s no wonder you haven’t swept some young damsel off her feet.”
His footsteps stopped for a second, leaving her to wonder if she’d overstepped. But the familiar echo returned before she became too worried. “Still haven’t learned to respect your elders.” His voice was dry, but his soft chuckle set her at ease. “What a relief.”
“A few gray hairs don’t exactly make you my elder.” Stopping in front of the large wooden doors to the library, she turned to study him. “So tell me, why have you ventured this far from civilization?” she asked, using her back to push open the door. “Business or did you finally miss me?”
There was a touch of sadness around him, but it disappeared so quickly she wondered if she had imagined it.
“Come on, Sara, you should know me well enough to answer that.”
“Business it is then.” The admission stung a bit, but she dismissed it quickly. He wouldn’t be Kavin if he didn’t commit one hundred percent to everything—especially the guard.
“It’s not that I haven’t missed you, but I’ve been—”
“Busy,” she answered for him. Turning abruptly, she walked into the book-lined room.
As it always did, the calm of the room swept through her instantly. And before he could intrude on the peace, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relishing the smell of worn leather and dust.
“I have been busy,” he argued as he stepped through the doorway.
Smiling at his indignant tone, she realized she didn’t want to fight—not with him at least. Of all the people she’d had to leave behind in her life, he was one of the few she genuinely missed. “It’s okay, Kavin, I’m just glad you made time to see me now.”
He looked at her solemnly as he sat down in one of the overstuffed leather chairs. “Actually, you are my business.”
She managed to hold a stiff smile even as her heart skipped a beat in terror. “That’s not funny.” There were very few things that made someone the business of the King’s Guard and none of them were good.
“And I’m not joking. Sit.” He pointed to the chair opposite him as he gave the command.
“I’m a big girl, Kavin, I don’t need to sit to hear bad news.” Despite her argument, she sank into one of the soft leather chairs.
“You may be of age, but I doubt you’re as big as you think you are.”
A spark of irritation flickered in her stomach but it wasn’t enough to compete with the fear racing through her veins. “Fine, out with it then.” The sooner he talked, the sooner she could figure out how much trouble she was in.
“Sara, the king has asked me to recruit you for the guard.” His gaze caught hers, something akin to sympathy shadowing it.
“Why? I have nothing the king would want or need,” she lied. “I’m nothing, Kavin. A penniless lady, forced to serve at another’s keep in order to survive.”
“We’ve never played games, you and I. I don’t want to start now.” “He knows, little one,” he thought, his gaze still holding hers captive.
The intimacy of the intrusion was startling. She’d caught stray thoughts here and there over the past week, but had never had anyone speak directly to her mind.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you had to know the king would find out. He had us on our way to collect you before the sun set on your birthday.” This time he softened his tone and his thoughts flowed over her like the gentle breeze after a storm.
“And if I decline?” She was stalling as the room closed in around her. “What then? Would I be executed or imprisoned?” There had to be some consequence for refusing a direct order from the king. And since those two seemed to be the favored punishments, it was a logical leap.
“There’s no need for drama, Sara. No one’s going to die or be imprisoned over this. If you decline, you would simply drink some Royalsbane and I would be on my way.”
Thinking of the poison that would strip her of her gift permanently only made her fear grow. “Oh, just drink Royalsbane? Is that all?” She mustered up a disappointed glared for his benefit. “I would never drink it and you know it.”
It had nothing to do with her gift being telepathy specifically. But the magic was the only thing she had left of her Raven ancestry. The last tie she had to her family. If she gave it up, it’d be like giving them up—again.
“Well then, we have your answer, don’t we?”
“No, we most certainly do not.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she stood so she could pace. Pacing always seemed to help. “There has to be a way around this. All the royals have a gift, but no one else has ever been forced into the guard.”
“No one else can read minds, Sara. We haven’t seen a telepath born in three generations. And you know the stories of the last one as well as I do.”
She nodded slightly. Yes, she knew the stories too well. All royalty did. He was the last man to challenge the king’s line. And when his power wasn’t strong enough to win fairly, he’d used the handy ability to cheat. He’d discovered one of the king’s secrets and then tried
to blackmail the man into giving him the throne. It would’ve worked too, if the Oracle hadn’t stepped in. Sara had no idea how the woman had pulled it off, but everyone credited her with the current line of succession being secured.
“Also, none of the other royalty share your dire circumstances. You can see why the king has mixed feelings about your gift. It would be a powerful tool for him to use, or a powerful weapon to be used against him.”
“But I’m not strong enough to challenge. And I would never betray the king. No matter how dire my circumstances,” she insisted.
“He’s not so sure, especially after the way he left you to twist in the wind after the raid.”
The words brought back images of her home burning. “That was a little hard to swallow,” she admitted reluctantly. “Especially when he did little to find those responsible. But it doesn’t mean I would turn traitor.”
“He doesn’t plan on giving you the chance.”
“As King’s Guard, though?” She suddenly understood why he’d been concerned with her weight loss. Being a guard took a lot of stamina and muscle; she most likely looked short on both right now.
“King’s Guard is the perfect solution. You’re skilled with weapons, you’re cunning as hell, and I’ve never met anyone—man or woman—with half your courage. Hell, your life has pretty much groomed you for service.”
It was as close to a compliment as she ever heard from him, but it wasn’t exactly true. “My swordsmanship is rusty at best.”
“That’s all right. Our line of work most often calls for more…discreet weaponry. Have you kept up with the hand-to-hand techniques I taught you?”
Remembering the time she’d been cornered by one of the visiting knights, her mouth twisted into a sadistic smile. “Actually, they’ve really come in handy around here. They’re very effective.”
“That’s my girl.” His nod of approval only irritated her further. She wasn’t his girl and he didn’t need to talk to her like she was a child in search of praise. But he continued without noticing her reaction. “I have a feeling you’ll be fine. Here.” He handed her a black leather uniform and a small satchel that jingled with coins. The leather was so soft she had a hard time resisting the urge to run it along her cheek. “You’ll need these. I’m sorry if the uniform isn’t an exact fit. We’ll have the tailor take your measurements once we get to King’s Keep. You’ll find one month’s wages in the purse.”
“Not going to wait for an official answer?”
He stood and winked at her teasingly. “I knew what the answer was going to be a week ago.”
Another sting of irritation almost pushed her into saying something she’d later regret, but she took a deep breath against the urge. She was going to do this. He was right. Taunting him wouldn’t change what was going to be. It’d only make things strained between them.
Accepting the inevitable, the weight of her decision wrapped around her tightly. “I should get changed then. How long do I have before we leave?”
“Not long,” he answered, already walking toward the door. “The king has need of your gift sooner rather than later. And I’d like to be out of here before Devin knows you’re to wear black.”
The part about Devin was intriguing, but not as intriguing as the bit about the king. “The king already has need of me? And just think, a week and a half ago he probably didn’t even remember my name.”
“Trust me when I say there are few in court who have forgotten your name.” The wicked smile he shot her made the hair on her arms stand on end. “But the game has continued in your absence. And with the power almost equally divided between several houses, the king needs to know which pieces are still loyal to him, and which ones aren’t.”
“The game, of course.” She stared down at the uniform in her hands. Once she put it on she’d be forced back into the politics that’d followed her all through her childhood. “And here I actually thought I’d escaped that mess with my family’s death.”
“We were born into it, you and I.” He paused just long enough to throw her a mischievous glance. “Neither death nor disownment is strong enough to take our pieces off the board.”
“I guess.”
She followed him back out into the corridors, lost in thoughts and memories of the past.
“Convenient gift, yours.” Kavin’s voice broke the silence only after a few minutes. “What I wouldn’t give to know what you’re thinking.”
“It’s not as convenient as one might think. And I was just remembering the day you told me you were going into the guard.”
“Really? I didn’t think you were old enough to remember.”
“I was eight, thank you very much.” Her chin shot up and her voice clearly carried her annoyance. “And you were like a brother to me. I cried myself to sleep for a week—refused to eat. My mother cursed you constantly.”
He laughed as he deftly wove around a group of dignitaries who thought themselves too important to move. “I never was her favorite person.”
“No, you weren’t.” Sara smiled to herself as she remembered some of the legendary arguments of her youth. “But then again, neither was I.”
“One thing we had in common.”
“I guess so.” Sara stopped as they reached her quarters. Gesturing to the door, she smiled tightly. “My room.”
“Get dressed. I’ll be back shortly.”
She stared at him awkwardly for a second as she leaned against the door. “I am glad that I got to see you again, regardless of the circumstances.”
“Me too, little one.” He leaned forward to kiss her lightly on her forehead. “Now, go get ready.”
Entering her room, she was surprised by the wave of homesickness that swept through her. She’d never realized how attached to the small room she had become. It’d been her safe haven during the storm that had followed the raid. And what a storm that’d been.
She smiled sadly at the memories as she laid her new uniform out on the bed and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles. They had been the darkest days of her life. With her family dead, her home gone and the royal court abandoning her, she’d lost everything.
The sorrow of that time filled her as she thought back to it. But, try as they might, she was determined not to let the memories take over. Those sorrows belonged in her past and today she wanted to focus on the future. A future that started with this uniform.
In her youth she had been secretly jealous of the social freedoms allowed to female guards. True, their life belonged to the king while on duty. But no one dared tell a lady guard how to spend her free time.
“I guess I’m about to find out what it’s really like,” she whispered as she dropped her cloak to the floor and then pulled the shapeless servant’s gown over her head.
Slipping into the long guard’s tunic, she was amazed at how soft the leather was against her skin, especially when comparing it to the brown sack she had been wearing. The breeches, however, were a bit snug. Pulling and tugging at them, she diligently tried to coerce them over her hips but they fought against her. It was only after a few minutes of wiggling that she was victorious and the leather reluctantly slid over the Raven Crest tattooed on her hip.
Too thin my foot. If I were a pound heavier, I’d have to be presented bottomless to the king. Laughing at the image, she grabbed her beat-up satchel and started to pack what few possessions she had.
But she’d only managed to pack up half her things when she heard the knock at her door. “There’s no way you could expect me to be ready already,” she said, swinging the door open. Expecting to see Kavin, she was momentarily startled when she came face to face with a terror-stricken Liv.
“Oh gods, I had hoped they were teasing. That maybe it was a sick joke. But it wasn’t. You’ve gone and joined the guard,” she cried, pushing past her into the cramped room.
She hadn’t expected understanding, but Liv’s distress seemed a bit much seeing as it was Sara’s life that’d just been tossed into chaos and not h
er friend’s. “It’s true. I leave tonight.”
“What? Why?”
“Would you believe I’ve suddenly become very patriotic?” she teased. The glare Liv shot back at her warned her not to tell another joke. “It’s something I don’t have any control over, Liv. I’ve been told to go and I’m going.”
“I see.” Liv’s sharp tone and clenched jaw told Sara that her friend did not see at all. But there was little that could be done about that now.
“I’m glad you’re here. There’s something I want to give you.” After walking over to the dresser, Sara crouched down and slipped her hand behind it, groping blindly until her fingers brushed against the cold metal. “Here,” she said, holding the necklace out to her friend.
“I can’t take that.”
Despite her protest, Sara noticed how Liv’s gaze was locked on the gleaming firestone that hung from the rope of gold. “It was a betrothal gift from Devin. Either you take it or I will throw it away.” She had only kept it in case she needed something to barter with. But since her position in the guard came with a significant pay raise, she found she wanted to be rid of the thing. “Okay.” Sara crossed over to the waste bin and paused with the necklace dangling precariously from a finger tip.
Liv swiped it to safety just as it slid from the finger. “If you put it that way,” she said. “But don’t think I’ll let you leave peacefully, just because you gave me some trinket.”
“You are welcome. And believe me, if I had a choice I wouldn’t be leaving.”
Liv was going to ask why. Sara could feel the words in the shadows of the woman’s mind. But before she could say them there was a knock at the door, saving Sara from trying to think up a fitting answer.
“Who is it?” She didn’t want to be startled again.
“It’s Kavin. You ready?”
“About,” she answered, opening the door. “Liv, Kavin, Kavin, Liv.”
Sara heard the two of them exchange greetings, but she stayed focused on throwing her things into the satchel.