by Kailin Gow
“I would rather that the war did not happen, and that no one got kil ed. After al , your men have family who wil grieve if they die, don’t they? People who cherish them?”
Devon’s eyes widened a little. Gem suspected that he stil did not believe that she could care about whether his men died or not. He shook his head, though.
“No. I chose those who march with me precisely because they have no one, as I have no one. We are knights. Hard men to whom our skil s mean almost as much as our loyalty. The cloying touch of love would weaken us.”
“Do you truly believe that?” Gem asked. She knew something of knights by now, and what Devon said was largely true in practice. Even so, most of them liked to think that they fol owed a more romantic ideal, the sort of thing that had eventual y come to be included in the various codes of chivalry.
Gem tried to marshal her thoughts into some sort of cogent argument. “If you do believe it, then I am surprised. A knight like you should be strengthened by the thoughts of those he fights for, not weakened by them. Do knights here not carry tokens of ladies to fuel their passion for the fray?”
Devon was silent for a while as the group kept marching. He seemed to be considering something. Or at least, he seemed to be considering Gem.
“Some do,” he final y admitted. He smiled a surprisingly winsome smile. “Though since I am of royal blood, I must admit I find it hard to find women of suitable status.”
“Like a queen, perhaps?” Gem said softly.
“Exactly. Of course, it might solve one or two of your problems too, milady. I have watched you, and though your advisors might not have mentioned it, sooner or later you wil need to pick one of the men around you to marry. You are of an age to do so.”
Technical y, maybe, Gem thought, but no. No Technical y, maybe, Gem thought, but no. No way.
“Hang on a minute,” she said. “A minute ago you were saying that you didn’t need anyone, and now you want to yoke us together in marriage? And I’m your prisoner. It’s cal ed capturing people, not speed-dating.”
The last term seemed to puzzle Devon, but he shook his head.
“Nothing like that, I assure you, milady. I have admired you long enough from afar that I am content to do so now.”
Though it didn’t feel quite so afar to Gem, given that he was pressed up behind her on the horse.
“You wil be my lady?” Devon asked quietly.
“Play this game of courtly love where it leads? Al ow me to admire you?”
Gem doubted that she could stop him.
Besides, wasn’t it more or less what she had wanted? She supposed that the difference was between cynical y manipulating her captor, and doing the same to a man who actual y seemed quite nice, in a quaint sort of way. Stil , she couldn’t help feeling that the admiration of this fairy noble would be a good thing to have. Not least because of his simple pulchritude.
“Al right. You can admire me.”
That seemed to delight Devon. He swept up Gem’s hand to kiss the palm with delicate courtliness.
“I wil keep you safe, milady. I promise that. I wil make it my vocation, so that you wil be as safe with me as you would be in your own castle.” Gem briefly found herself thinking of the occasional perils of having a Dragon around the place, which tended to include bursts of flame at unexpected moments if it happened to hiccough.
“Um… actual y, I was sort of hoping to be a little safer than that.”
Chapter 13
They were close enough to make out the Winter Queen’s castle now, and Devon suppressed a sigh at the sight of it in the distance, with its icy turrets glinting harshly in the sunlight. He had promised Gem that he would keep her safe, but just the sight of the place was a reminder that it would hardly be an easy task. Not if his aunt wished her harm. The hierarchy of things was clear in that castle, and Devon was far from at its peak.
For now though, they fol owed the edge of one of the streams that fed the lake around the castle, bubbling with fragments of broken ice and the occasional hardy fish. Trees appeared intermittently along the bank as they rode, bare of leaves for the most part and looking on the verge of death. The Winter was not kind to them. Devon could see Gem gazing at them with sadness, and found his arm slipping around her waist without thinking.
“Not everything in the Winter Court is like that,” Devon promised. “Parts of it are rife with living things. Frankly, there are places you can hardly move without tripping over a penguin.” That got a transient smile from her, which was more than Devon could have hoped for. It was part of why he had spent so long watching her over the last months. There wasn’t much ice to use in Manhattan in the summer, but he had found it where he could, in ice cubes, in refrigerators, anywhere that would let him see that expression.
“If I could have,” he whispered, “I would have courted you truly, not taken you as a prisoner. For the vicissitudes of war, I must apologize, milady.” Devon thought that she might reply, but the moment was interrupted by a low growl. It came from the muzzled werewolf boy, and dropped in pitch even as Devon listened. His anger was bringing him closer to changing, it seemed. Gem obviously noticed it too, because as he began to draw his sword, Gem clamped her hand firmly over his.
“Devon, you can’t let this happen.”
“How can I stop it?” As far as Devon could see, what was to happen was inevitable. The werewolf would change, and, despite his chains, attempt to lash out. “Al I can do is to kil him before he tries to kil us.”
“Are you real y so ready to engage in wanton slaughter?”
Devon had been prepared for vitriolic comments, but not for the simple disappointment that he heard in Gem’s tone.
“How can I stop it?” he repeated. “What would you have me do, milady?”
Gem was quiet for a moment, and al Devon could think about was her closeness…pressed against him on the horse. He shouldn’t be thinking that way. Not when there was a threat to be countered. Had he lost his wits? What was it about her that was so prepossessing to him?
Her voice, when it came, was low.
“You could let Rio go.”
“My aunt would execute me, Gem. That or turn me into one of her sculptures. Is that what you want?
Was everything you said before just an act to make me more pliable when it came to this?” Hurt flowed through Devon just at the thought of it.
“No. I swear that, Devon. But Rio is going to hurt you, your men, or himself. I cannot al ow that. I cannot. If you won’t help him, then I wil have to.”
“You would not succeed, milady Gem. Please do not be rash.”
Even as he said it though, Devon knew that he would not be able to fight against her, if it came to it, and fights were uncertain things. It was even possible that with her ruler words, Gem might be strong enough to overcome the others. Gently, she ran her fingers over his knuckles.
“There is another way out of this, Devon. Help me, and I wil go with you wil ingly. No one has to get hurt.” Gem looked away from him. “You said you wanted to be considered as one of my suitors when the time came. Are you going to be the sort of man that I might consider seriously, or not? Did you mean it when you said that I was your lady?” That was enough for Devon, regardless of how serious the reproach would be from his aunt.
Even spending days as an ice statue might be worth it. He sighed.
“Command me to do this, milady, and I wil do it. It seems to me though that, if you wil do al this for yo ur friend, you must have already made your choice.”
“Not yet.”
Devon didn’t entirely believe it, but he made to give the order anyway, waiting only for the most propitious moment. Gem stopped him with a shake of her head.
“Rio has to be freed,” she said. “He is too wild to stay chained up like that. It doesn’t mean that there has to be trouble for you, though.” So she wanted the best of al possible worlds.
Devon felt like laughing at the quixotic nature of her demands, but he didn’t. Gem’
s expression was too serious for that.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I wil let Rio go,” she said. “That way, it wil look like an escape. If I do it, it doesn’t matter what your aunt has prescribed about your behavior.”
“And you wil not escape?” Devon asked.
“You have my word as a queen. I just need you to give me the opportunity.”
Devon knew he could do that much. He cal ed to the rest of his men, ordering a rest for them. One of them looked up at him in puzzlement.
“But my lord, we wil soon reach the castle.”
“And do you think that my aunt wil give us time to rest before she throws us into battle?” Devon demanded. The Queen’s parsimony with kindness was wel known. The man looked away. “No, I thought not. In any case, things wil be hard enough for the prisoners when they arrive. We should give them at least this much comfort.”
That seemed to placate them. Drawing to a halt, Devon dismounted, helping Gem to do the same. By the time they had done that, one of his men had already chained the young werewolf to one of the withered trees. Devon fished a flask of fairy juice from his belt, passing it to Gem.
“Here, this should help revive your friend.”
“Trust me,” Gem said, taking the juice and stealing a sip of it, “after what happened last time he had this stuff, the last thing Rio needs right now is juice.”
Stil , he let Gem go over to the boy. Devon found himself drifting closer too, on an oblique angle to the tree that hopeful y would not be too obvious. He did not trust that this would end wel .
Gem looked over to him.
“My lord knight,” her voice was cool y formal and just a little too loud, fal ing into an act for the benefit of the others. “I wil need you to un-muzzle my friend if I am to give him juice.”
friend if I am to give him juice.”
To Devon, it seemed a little too obvious, and he found himself thinking of how lenient his aunt would be when she found out. Stil , he moved forward, removing the device. Covertly, while his back
shielded
the
movement,
Devon
also
unfastened the very end of the chain. Hopeful y, Gem would be able to get the rest.
Devon moved several steps back then, ostensibly to chat to one of his knights about the latest sled races from around the castle. It would hopeful y dispel any thought of his collusion in the escape to come. The position kept him just close enough to hear what the other two said, if he strained. He just hoped that the others would not do the same.
“But I said to him ‘no way is a lighter sled going to win on the dark slope, not in those conditions’. Of course, he didn’t believe me, and…” Thankful y, that probably wouldn’t be a p r o b l e m . Clandestinely, making
noises
of
encouragement to the talking men, Devon half turned. He saw Gem unwrapping the young werewolf like a particularly complicated package. He fel into her arms to kiss her, and Devon felt a pang of jealousy. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one.
“I saw how he looked at you,” Rio said. “I thought for a moment that you’d fal en for him.” Devon tried to listen closer, but was cut off by a question from the idiot muttering about sleighs. He mumbled what he hoped was the right answer, before turning his attention back to Gem and her werewolf.
“You have to run, Rio. Run back to the others.”
“Not without you.”
“Devon has promised to keep me safe. I’l be fine.”
“-and then he actual y tried an ice spel on the runners,
which
as
you
know
completely
contravenes section… hang on, why is he off that tree? What the…they’re escaping!”
Devon cursed inwardly. It seemed that there was only so long that contentious sleigh decisions could captivate an audience. Even a Winter Court one. He knew what he had to do.
“Escaping? Seize them!”
He lunged forward, grabbing Gem’s wrist just as the werewolf boy said something that sounded a lot like “I love you”. Hopeful y, he would have the sense to run, Devon thought. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
With another snarl, he shifted shape, and the resulting wolf flung itself at Devon. The fairy knight braced for the impact.
It didn’t come. With a speed that impressed Devon, Gem flung herself between them. She cried out as the wolf struck her, fal ing backwards into Devon’s arms. A sudden, vindictive part of him wanted to go at the wolf with his sword, but by the time he had put Gem down gently, the wolf wasn’t there to attack. It took one look at her, let out a whine that was ful of sorrow, and ran.
“Should we go after it?” one of the men asked. Devon shook his head.
“We cannot spare the time, and there are more important things to deal with.”
He nodded to where Gem lay on the ground, unconscious, her blonde hair spread out around her like a halo. The wound in her shoulder was obvious, but other than that her beauty was stunning.
“I wil heal her,” Devon said. “Be ready to leave when I am done.”
Devon lifted her easily, carrying her down to the edge of the water, where the bank provided some privacy. As careful y as he could, he peeled the top of Gem’s dress open to look at the wound that ran nearly up to her throat. The gash nearly missed her throat. He kept his eyes firmly on it. This was about helping her, not about some prurient interest. The wolf’s claws had left deep gashes, and Devon laid his hands on them.
Gem gasped as she woke, though it wasn’t in pain. She felt the coolness flowing through her. This was the second time a fairy had placed his hand on her to heal her, but instead of Spark’s warm glow, she now felt the healing power of ice through Devon.
And again, she felt like she was experiencing the best kiss she had ever had, leaving her and Devon breathless, as though they had shared an intense intimate moment, a strong bond. When it was done, she and Devon were staring at each other in silence breathing heavily. Gem’s eyes were warm and thankful. Devon’s eyes were fil ed with wonderment.
It was fairy magic, and Gem could feel her body heat up with the strong and fast pounding of her heart.
He was almost surprised to have Gem suddenly lean in to kiss him, her eyes staring deeply into his, her hands reaching up to touch his face.
Devon pul ed her in and wrapped his arms around her waist as he tenderly kissed her back. It was minutes before he could think to push her back. He found he couldn’t resist kissing her. His head was swimming. He had dreamed of it for so long, ever since he first saw her in Manhattan, through the ice.
And it was everything that he thought it would be. It was longer stil before he could actual y bring himself to pul back.
“Oh Gem,” his voice wavered a bit, betraying his cool passion. As much as I hate it, I have to take you to the Winter Court, remember?”
Gem nodded, even so, she drifted back towards him, her arms wrapping themselves around his waist. Devon inhaled slightly pul ing her close.
“Gem, what you’re feeling now is the aftermath of the healing. It involves mingling our life forces, and so it creates a… pul , between us. We must be careful.”
Gem nodded, and in doing so, she looked down. She blushed.
“You know, just once, I’d like to get through an adventure without ruining my clothes.”
“I’l find you some more,” Devon promised, grateful for the excuse. He left and found a spare tunic and hose from one of the men. In it, Gem looked, if anything, even prettier than she had before. As they rejoined the others, Devon could see several of the men giving her lingering looks. She real y was that beautiful. Devon’s eyes narrowed, feeling a fierce possessiveness overwhelmed him.
What was wrong with him? He was a fearless knight who did not need a woman. He was the Dark Knight of the Winter Court, who led brutal battles without hesitation. The pul between Gem and himself was clou
ding his judgment. But as he stared intently at Gem, he knew it was useless to fight the feelings he had toward the Queen of Anachronia.
“Queen Gem wil ride with me, and you wil treat her with respect. I lay claim to her. Anyone who touches her wil face me.”
Gem raised her eyebrows at that, but Devon didn’t care. With the pul of the shared healing thrumming in him, he didn’t care about anything but keeping her close to him.
Chapter 14
Gem rode in front of Devon on the way back, pass the rest of the woods and into a clearing. It got colder and colder, but Devon and his Winter fairies didn’t seem bothered by the cold at al . Gem had begun to shiver when Devon pul ed out her pelt jacket and wrapped it around her. When it got colder, he wrapped his arms around Gem, holding her tight. “You’l get used to the cold,” Devon said.
“Eventual y. For now, rest your back into my arms, close your eyes, and let me hold you.” He touched Gem’s eyelids and said a few words before she fel asleep, snug within his embrace. Moments passed by. Then she was being nudged awake. Devon pointed out the Winter Court’s palace. As the horse made its way along the bridge of ice, Gem could only look up in awe at the Winter Queen’s castle. The gateway to it rose above her like the maw to some great beast, icicles as large as people hanging down, the accretions of ice threatening impalement to any intruders. Behind Gem, Devon was quiet. He had been that way ever since abetting Rio’s escape. Gem hoped that he wasn’t starting to regret it. Not the least because, despite Devon’s warning, several of his men had given her hungry looks.
The party was met by a gaggle of servants, who took the horses as they dismounted. A smal penguin waddled among them, stopping before Devon and waving its flippers in elaborate motions.
Devon reacted to it as though it was communicating.
“I had thought to bring her to a room in the castle first, and al ow her to refresh herself. It has been a long ride.”
The penguin gave a squawk that managed to sound
remarkably haughty,
under
the
circumstances. Gem saw Devon’s eyes narrow.