Caldo hefted the clinking bag, then grinned. “Why not? After all, we’re friends now. And since we’re friends, my lord, may I ask your name?”
“King Matthias VI of Ypres, at your service.” He had to swallow a laugh as the headman’s expression.
****
As the carters worked to repair the Tsinti wagon wheel and re-attach it, the royal cooks set up their camp kitchen. Soon enough pleasant scents were drifting over the impromptu camp site.
Upon the urging of their men the Tsinti women made their appearance, emerging from the wagons with children gathered around their skirts. They all had the characteristic dark hair and eyes of their people. Soon enough the children’s hesitation disappeared and they started playing along the roadside with a motley collection of balls under the women’s watchful eyes.
Matthias sat down to eat with Danaë, Darius, Caldo, and Ife, with Flavia serving them. The Tsinti man with the lush mustache also joined them, introducing himself as Rondo. In between spoonfuls of a tasty stew he said that a blond man who matched Lukas’s description had traveled briefly with the troop of Rondo’s brother-in-law. “My sister’s husband said that the Ypresian gave them much gold for shelter, but after a few nights they gave it back and made him leave.”
“Why?” Matthias asked.
Rondo frowned. “He was demon-ridden. He stayed awake all night long, begging the creature to leave him alone. My sister’s husband said he never saw the demon, but scratches opened by themselves on the man’s hands and face. His cries disturbed everyone’s peace and frightened the children.”
Matthias glanced at the two mages. Danaë seemed alarmed by Rondo’s words, but Ife was thoughtful. “Did your sister’s husband know where he was headed?” he asked.
“The man said he wanted to go to Hellas.”
Danaë jerked at that, her fork squeaking on the metal of her plate. Matthias kept his tone calm. “Do you know where they left him?”
Rondo nodded at the road. “Somewhere along this road, my lo—majesty. More than that I don’t know.”
If one of the mirror demons had somehow escaped and attached itself to Lukas, he would need the assistance of an Aqua mage to recapture it and send it back to its realm. But it was almost guaranteed that any mage dwelling in Ypres would recognize their future ruler and wonder how a demon had come to haunt him. There would be too big of a risk that they would make the connection to their queen’s recent death. It was logical that Lukas would have to leave Ypres to find a mage who could help him. And what better place to look than the realm of his betrothed, with its plethora of Aqua mages?
Before he could ask anything more an old Tsinti woman hobbled up to the ring of guards protecting the diners. “I must talk to them,” she announced.
“Madam, please return to your wagon,” Matthias heard one of the guards say.
Caldo turned, brows coming down as he spotted the woman. “Mami?”
“I must talk to them,” the old woman insisted, smacking the guard in the stomach with the back of one wizened hand. “Let me through.”
Clearly not wanting to lay rough hands on the woman, the guard looked over his shoulder at Matthias for instructions.
Matthias nodded and the guard stepped to the side, letting the old woman limp closer. To his surprise she didn’t even look in his direction. Instead, she went straight to Danaë.
“Mami?” Caldo said, standing with a frown. “What is it?”
The old woman waved off her son, dark eyes focusing on Danaë. “I have a warning for the sea-born,” she said.
Danaë seemed taken aback, but nodded.
“Heed me, then.” The old woman’s voice dropped, taking on a strange, harsh tone. “One who is uncrowned and closer than you know will set you on the road to calamity. To win the day you must travel the road of dawn.”
Danaë waited, but the woman said nothing else. “I thank you for your warning,” she said after a moment, nodding to Flavia. The maid got up and dug in her purse, handing the old woman a gold coin.
The Tsinti woman peered at the coin, bit it, then slid it into a voluminous pocket and hobbled back towards the wagons. Matthias turned to her son. “Is she a seer?”
The headsman sucked on his lower lip. “Mami often sees through the veil to what lies beyond,” he admitted. “You would do well to take heed of her words, majesty.”
Danaë wore a bemused look. Next to her, Ife sat quietly, but her expression was one of a scholar working through a riddle.
“I assure you,” Matthias said, “I will.”
****
Once the wagon wheel had been repaired and reinstalled the Tsinti troop got back on the road towards Mons while the royal party headed further up the mountain. As the sun began to approach the horizon Schrader called a halt and ordered his men to set up camp.
Danaë slid out of the saddle with a muffled groan. The muscles in her thighs and buttocks were becoming more used to riding on a horse, but it still wasn’t her favorite activity in the world. At least she had been distracted with the seer’s words during the afternoon’s ride.
One who is uncrowned and closer than you know will set you on the road to calamity. To win the day you must travel the road of dawn. The first half seemed to indicate Lukas and his lust for Matthias’s crown. What he had done with the mirror would count as striking from within. But for the life of her Danaë couldn’t figure out what “the road of dawn” meant. It wasn’t something she’d come across in any of her studies, and Magistra Ife had admitted that she didn’t understand it either.
“But the woman was a true seer,” the mage told her as they prepared to leave. “I could feel the power of her words. I think we need to work out their meaning, and soon.”
Danaë had no argument with that. Rubbing her aching backside, she felt a not-so-hidden sense of relief when Matthias said that he wanted to walk the picket line and speak to the guards, suggesting that she go relax in their tent. She limped to Ife’s wagon and waited there while the servants erected the small pavilion that was reserved for Matthias’s and her use. Both Ife and Flavia received smaller tents nearby, plain but comfortable with a camp bed and other little luxuries befitting their status.
“The Tsinti’s story about Lukas bothers me, assuming that it was indeed Lukas,” Danaë admitted as she walked Ife to the mage’s tent. “If a demon had managed to breach the barrier between our worlds, the mirror would have been cracked, yes?”
Ife nodded. “And there’s no reason why it would have gone after Prince Lukas,” she said, eyeing her overnight residence. “It’s much more likely that the creature would have laid waste to the palace first.”
“So if it isn’t a mirror demon, what is he being haunted by?”
“It could be a variety of things. When we find your prince, we’ll learn more. In the meantime, we need to focus on what the seer said.” Ife frowned. “Something about it nags at me. I do wish I had my books with me.”
“When we get to Hellaspont we can use the library at the Quad,” Danaë said. Every major city had a Center for the Quaternary Arts, with quarterhouses for each branch. The structure as a whole was referred to as the Quad. “If there’s some mention of a ‘road of dawn’ we should be able to find it there.”
“I hope so.” Ife patted her arm. “But for tonight I believe I’m going to turn in early. Have one of the servants bring me a simple meal and some clean water, if you please.”
Danaë pursed her lips to hide a smile. A mage student’s social rank didn’t matter; when a tutor asked for something, the student jumped. “Yes, magistra.”
She summoned one of the servants and passed the instructions along, then realized she was free for the rest of the evening. The servants knew how to set up camp, the guards would protect it, her tutor had retired for the night, and Matthias was busy speaking with the guards.
With a weary sense of giddiness she went back to her tent, relieved to see that Flavia had already had her trunk brought in and was laying out a night s
hift on the large camp bed. The maidservant nodded at her entrance. “I’ve told the cook’s assistant to prepare mulled wine and a meal for you, mistress, and there’s hot water and a sponge on the box over there if you’d like a wash.”
“Flavia, you’re a treasure beyond rubies.” Danaë undid the fastenings of her riding outfit, slipping off the jacket and then the breeches. The cool mountain air chilled her sweaty skin on contact. She was more than happy to give herself a fast wash and even faster toweling off before donning the shift and crawling into bed. “I’ve realized something very important on this trip.”
Flavia gave her an indulgent smile as she gathered up the riding outfit. “Yes, mistress?”
“I’m not a horsewoman.”
“Well, it’s not as if you were born to the beasts, mistress.” Flavia arranged the leathers over one arm. “I understand you wanting to ride with the king and all, but I have to admit I much prefer riding in the wagon. I’ll go fetch your dinner now, then I’ll clean these for tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Flavia bustled out. Danaë shifted onto her side. The down-filled mattress was a luxury and more than comfortable enough, but her muscles still ached like fire after a day in the saddle. She hoped the mulled wine would have a soothing effect on the pain.
As it turned out the drink did, and a nice slab of mutton, bread and some cheese made her feel relaxed enough to doze. She didn’t stir until a warm body slid into bed next to her, snuggling next to her backside and providing some very welcome pressure on the muscles there.
“Mmm.” She kept her eyes closed but wriggled backwards. “Is there any way I could persuade his majesty to rub some very sore parts on his queen?”
Matthias’s chuckle was low and warm in her ear. “Little bird, I consider rubbing my queen to be a privilege, not something I have to be persuaded to do. What pains you?”
“My bottom and thighs. And my lower back.”
“Turn over.”
Danaë did, shifting onto her stomach and resting her head on her folded arms. She felt her shift being tugged up, then Matthias’s large, warm hand started massaging the small of her back. She groaned with relief as the knots there began to untwist.
Once Matthias was satisfied with his work on her back he moved to her buttocks, squeezing the flesh there in order to get to the muscle underneath. Despite her weariness Danaë felt heat flare into life between her hips as he stroked and rubbed, sensitizing all the nerve endings that had been numbed from sitting on a saddle. She couldn’t help wiggling a bit under his ministrations.
He chuckled again. “Not so achy anymore?”
“Mm, much better.”
“Good.” He spread his fingers over the curve of one cheek, lightly scratching the place where it met her thigh. Danaë squeaked as the simple caress sent a flash of erotic fire through her. “Oh, gods. Do that again.”
“As you wish.” Now he dragged his fingertips across the bottom of her ass in light spirals, sending more of those delicious sensations rushing along her nerves. She couldn’t help rubbing her hips against the soft cotton of the sheets as an aching, needy sort of pleasure built between her thighs.
“Open your legs a bit so that I can tend to the muscles there,” Matthias whispered, sliding his hand down. The curve between his thumb and forefinger now rested on the crease where her buttock and thigh joined. His index finger lay on the furrow that led to her dampening flesh. He teased the hair there, making her shiver. “Can’t leave you sore and aching, after all. It wouldn’t be right.”
She bit her lip, smiling against her arm. “My thighs aren’t all that sore, come to think of it. But the area between them is. I’ve been sitting on that hard saddle all day, you know.”
“Poor little bird. I’ll have to rub that area, as well.”
His hand turned and two fingers slid deeper between her thighs, rubbing slowly against her outer folds. She wanted to purr as she pushed back against them, offering herself.
He took the hint, his fingers moving towards the center and playing in the wetness there. They slid a little lower, brushing over her clitoris and sending heat into her core.
“Ah, now there’s your problem,” Matthias said, sounding amused and more than a bit aroused. “You’re very achy and swollen here. I’m afraid I’ll need to give you a good, deep massage. With your permission, of course.”
Danaë moaned something akin to agreement, giving herself up to the blissful magic her husband was working between her thighs. The tips of his fingers were calloused from years of holding a sword, and the mild roughness felt wonderful as it stroked and teased her clitoris, especially when he caught it between two fingertips and squeezed. She bucked harder against his hand, craving his touch. “Please, I need more.”
“Shh. I’ll give it to you,” he crooned. One thick finger bent, sliding between her folds and into her hungry flesh. It swirled inside her, setting nerve endings alight and making her cry out in pleasure.
“Yes, there we are,” Matthias said, half to himself. “You feel so tight, little bird, so hot and wet for me. I can’t wait to sink into you. I love the way you stretch around me, taking my cock the way you do. Sliding deep into you is like plunging into living silk, all soft and clinging, and so needy for me. Gods, I love riding you and watching you lose yourself in the pleasure you take from me, just as I lose myself in you.”
Another finger slid into her, filling her more and causing her inner muscles to stretch a bit. She keened at the sensation, grinding on his fingers. “Please, love,” she gasped. “Please.”
He tutted at her. “Please what? Tell me exactly what you need.”
“I need you inside me.”
“But I am inside you.” He did something with his fingers that sent stars across her vision. “Is there something else you want from me?”
His hand was amazing, but it still wasn’t enough. The sheer naughtiness of what he was making her say made her face flame, even as she could feel more wetness trickling around his busy fingers. But she didn’t care anymore, didn’t care that she was a queen and he a king. Right now she wanted to be mounted by her man and fucked into glorious oblivion.
“I want your cock inside me,” she panted. “Like one of your stallions. Ride me hard, fuck me, fill me with your seed.”
She heard him groan, and the wet sound as his fingers slid out of her. “Gods, Danaë. What you do to me,” he muttered thickly. The mattress dipped as he knelt between her legs, urging her thighs wider. She let him tug her up until her ass was in the air, only her lower legs and forearms on the bed now, forehead resting on one arm.
One hand gripped her hip, holding her immobile as the large, rounded head of his cock slipped between her legs, pressing against the entrance to her body. She was so wet he slipped past it, cursing softly as he repositioned himself. And then she was invaded, his thick shaft stretching her open inch by slow inch, giving her time to adjust to the sweet burn. She felt free and possessed by him at the same time, and mewled when she felt the head of his cock kiss the mouth of her womb.
“So tight,” he growled. “So perfect. Like you were made for me, my love.”
Her eyes flew open at that. He’d called her dear, little bird, and a handful of other sweet endearments, but never ‘my love.’ “I’m yours,” she murmured, rocking her hips back onto him. “All yours. Take me.”
He pulled almost all the way out, making her ache with the loss of him, then surged back inside her. She moaned at the sheer sensation of his shaft filling her, gifting her with that delicious stretch that made her want to purr. He shifted until she felt his chest against her back, his hands covering hers. Their fingers twined together and she clung to his grip, rolling her hips to meet each thrust. The pleasure and joy shuttled back and forth between them, building with each stoking motion until Danaë felt like she was about to fly apart at the seams.
She sucked in a breath to scream and his hand tugged loose from hers, coming up and covering her mouth. “We’re no
t alone, little bird,” he panted. “Unless you want everyone on this trip to know how well I’m servicing you, you need to be quiet.”
Her oncoming orgasm receded, doused by the realization that they were in a tent surrounded by an entire convoy of people. She nodded and he lifted his hand. “When we get to Hellas, I’m taking you to one of our private islands,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m going to ride you like a stallion there and scream as much as I want.”
He chuckled. “I’ll be honored to be your mount. But for now, try to stay quiet.”
That turned out to be easier said than done. Danaë discovered that having to stay quiet and not advertise their activities to the rest of the camp did something delightfully wicked to her desire, making it even hotter than before. She bit down on her arm, using it to smother her moans as Matthias rode her hard and fast. When his free hand slithered between her legs and caressed her clitoris, it pushed her over the edge, making her inner muscles quiver and clamp down on Matthias’s cock.
He thrust into her again, stiffening as he reached his own peak. Danaë gasped as he set off a second orgasm, causing more pleasure to flutter through her. He moaned her name again, collapsing over her back.
She managed to brace, taking his weight well enough to breathe. “Matthias. I love you, but please get off me.”
“Sorry.” He straightened, sliding out of her and collapsing onto the bed. She turned onto her side and curled close to him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, little bird. But I give thanks to the gods that you’re in my life.”
She rested an arm across his chest. “I plan on holding you to that, you know.”
“I would expect nothing less from you, my queen.”
****
The trade road continued to wind upward, leading the convoy through more of the evergreen forest until they exited into a narrow plateau. To Danaë’s surprise a thick cluster of cottages, huts, and other small buildings occupied the far end of the plateau, a village of some sort. A group of men in dark clothing came out from the buildings, eyeing their visitors.
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