The man examined the silver piece. ‘I care not what design is upon it. It is silver and that’s all that matters,’ he said curtly, then looked expectantly at Zene. ‘It is not enough, however.’
She sighed, and tossed him two more silver coins. ‘That’s all I have.’
He seemed content, clutching the coins in his greedy grasp as he looked back at Sarin. ‘If you intend to return directly to Percheron, then the soldiers you seek will be of little help,’ he said grinning. ‘They are travelling north – in pursuit of a thief. That is why they have the letter of safe passage.’
‘What could be of such importance that it requires an entire contingent of soldiers to track down one thief?’ Sarin asked curiously.
‘They would not say. A great treasure perhaps,’ the leader said slyly. ‘All I know is that the thief was a woman. A lady of quality they said.’
‘How long ago did they pass through here?’ Sarin asked, glancing at Zene.
‘Just after dawn. No doubt if you and your friend ride fast you will catch up with them in a day or so.’ The leader pointed north. ‘They took the trail through the forest. It’s narrow but on horseback you’ll move quite swiftly.’
‘I’m obliged to you,’ Sarin said politely. ‘Come, let us depart, Zene.’ He turned his horse in the direction the man had pointed.
The track through the forest was gradually getting narrower as if it were little used and that concerned Leon. He frowned and looked up at the sky, which was covered by a thick layer of grey cloud, just as it had been for the last three days and nights. It was easy enough to know in which direction you were travelling when the sun or stars were visible, but there wasn’t even a glimmer to betray the position of the sun today. Chang insisted they were now travelling due east and should reach Ruberoc tomorrow at the latest. Leon doubted that was true; he didn’t trust Chang, nor any of his mercenaries. They should have reached Ruberoc days ago and his gut instinct told him they were still moving north.
Leon’s men were as unsettled as he was, which was not surprising as they had lost so many of their companions of late. The day before yesterday a small joint contingent had gone on ahead to scout out the route and had been set upon by bandits. All three of Leon’s men, and two mercenaries, had been slaughtered. However, not one of the men who’d returned had been wounded and the bandits had disappeared back into the forest again like shadows in the night. It was almost as if they’d never existed at all.
Early this morning he had discovered that two more of his remaining soldiers had deserted. They had been two of Leon’s most trusted men and he found it difficult to believe they’d departed willingly. He had only five men left now out of the original troop of sixteen. Only one of them, Gavid, did he trust implicitly. The others had been surly and resentful when taking orders of late. When he walked through the camp, Leon felt the eyes of the mercenaries upon him, as if they would as soon shove a dagger in his back as allow him to pass by, and Gavid had admitted this morning that he felt as uneasy as Leon did.
Digging his heels into the side of his horse, Leon spurred it into a trot until he reached Gavid, who was riding at the rear of his very depleted group of men. ‘I need you to take my mount,’ Leon said, as the two men stopped by the side of the track. ‘I’ll travel in the baroness’s carriage for a while.’
Gavid smiled tightly. ‘Did you not have enough of the noble lady’s attention last night? You did not return to our tent.’
‘Maybe not.’ Leon swung out of his saddle and threw his horse’s reins to Gavid. ‘I need to have a serious talk with her. There are matters to discuss.’
‘There are indeed.’ Gavid glanced at the mercenaries, two columns strong, as they rode past in a double line. Shields hung low on their saddles, and their well-worn swords hung at their sides or were strapped across their backs. Some wore armour stolen from slaughtered soldiers from many different lands, others wore garments that displayed their heritage. Yet even with their motley collection of multicoloured finery, and their mismatched armour, they looked far more threatening than a well-turned out troop of soldiers. ‘We should never have travelled with these men. I’ve told you before, Leon, it was a terrible mistake,’ he said in a low whisper.
‘It seemed the best decision at the time.’ Leon resented the way Gavid had begun to voice his own opinions. It was not his place to do so, he was not captain of the troop.
‘To be honest, I don’t blame the others for running off,’ Gavid continued. ‘I would also leave as long as you and Lady Rianna would agree to come with me.’
Leon had not seen Rianna since the attack on her, although he had tried to a number of times. He had been told she was indisposed and didn’t want to speak to him. She was keeping herself hidden, perhaps out of embarrassment or shame.
‘All will be well, Gavid,’ Leon said as he watched Niska’s coach trundle past them.
He darted forwards and jumped on to the step, opening the door and swinging deftly inside the carriage in one smooth movement, hoping to see Lady Rianna as well, but to his consternation the only occupants were Niska and her maid.
‘Baroness,’ he acknowledged very formally. ‘Forgive the intrusion.’ He sat down before being invited to do so.
‘Captain Leon?’
‘I wish to speak to you in private.’
Niska glanced over at her maid. ‘You may leave, Tanith.’
The maid looked anxiously out of the window. ‘Leave . . .?’ She wasn’t a very agile person, and it would doubtless be quite hazardous for her to try and leap from the carriage while it was moving.
‘Don’t question my orders,’ Niska said curtly. ‘Go now!’
Niska smiled with cruel amusement as the maid nervously opened the door and left the carriage with an awkward jump. Leon winced as he heard Tanith give a loud, anguished squeal as she landed clumsily in a pile of rotting vegetation.
Showing no concern for her maid’s fate, Niska looked back at Leon. ‘This is a surprise,’ she said coolly.
‘My lady.’ Leon kissed her gloved hand. ‘Where is Lady Rianna, may I ask?’
‘Travelling in the baggage wagon.’ Niska shrugged her elegant shoulders. ‘She chose to, after expressing a strong desire not to travel with me. She had no wish to be seen, so the baggage wagon is the only other conveyance.’
‘Why should she wish to travel alone?’ Leon asked worriedly.
Niska sighed. ‘I tried to make friends with her, Leon. I have done everything I can for her, yet she still continues to reject my attempts at friendship. Rianna has been even more difficult to contend with since the attack on her person. At least before that she travelled somewhat resentfully in my coach, but now . . .’ Niska sighed again. ‘She is behaving most strangely.’
‘I have tried to see her a number of times, but your maid always gives me some excuse or other,’ Leon pointed out.
‘Tanith merely does as Rianna instructs.’ Niska pulled down the window blinds to give them more privacy. ‘The noble lady shares my tent, orders my maid about as if she owned her, yet barely bothers to speak to me. She spends most of her time reading books I have lent her, or sitting alone staring into the distance. I have tried to persuade her to speak to you, but she constantly rejects my advice. Mayhap she is too embarrassed or upset to face you, Leon. After all, her foolish behaviour brought about the death of two of your men.’
‘I fear she needs to see a physician.’ He frowned anxiously.
‘The physicians in Kabra are backward fools who would just bleed her or fill her with purgatives – neither would do her any good,’ she said curtly, stripping off her leather gloves. ‘Rianna is not an easy woman to understand. She has a complex nature. Her mood changes by the moment.’
‘I’ve yet to see that side of her,’ Leon admitted. ‘On the journey to the castle of Dane she was sweet tempered and patient with not a bad word for anyone.’
‘You barely knew the lady before Prince Tarn charged you with escorting her to Harn, so how are you t
o know her true nature?’ Niska said bluntly. ‘She doubtless appeared sweet tempered because she was in the presence of a handsome young captain who was trying vainly to hide his attraction to her. She hungers for a man’s adoration, and without Prince Tarn to satisfy her needs, she turned to you instead. Now, at last, she has been forced to face the consequences of her insane behaviour.’ Niska paused and looked sympathetically at Leon. ‘I forgot – I have yet to express my regret at the loss of more of your fine soldiers.’ She unfastened her cloak and shrugged it off. ‘I only wish we could have found the bandits that slaughtered them. I fear they have fled north. Most of these criminals seem to take refuge in the mountains of Vestfold.’
‘More’s the pity,’ Leon said. ‘They have their strongholds in those mountains and venture forth to attack small settlements in the north of Kabra. They decimate small villages, plundering, killing, or enslaving. Prince Tarn has sworn to stop it, but I doubt he has enough men to carry out his promise. Even during the occupation the invading army was powerless to prevent such attacks.’
‘I should speak to my brother when I see him. After all, he is Lawspeaker of Vestfold.’
‘Indeed you should,’ Leon agreed, unable to stop staring hungrily at Niska. The neckline of her tight-fitting bodice was cut low across her breasts and he could see the rise and fall of the pale, tempting globes. He wanted her now more than ever. When they were apart she filled his thoughts day and night. Often he paused to wonder if he was losing his sanity, he was so hopelessly captivated by her charms. A wee voice did occasionally intrude on his thoughts, which begged him to question her motives and goals, but all she had to do was smile at him and his doubts and fears disappeared in an instant.
‘Prince Tarn would doubtless be grateful to anyone who could persuade Ragnor and the other warlords to stop giving the bandits refuge in Vestfold,’ she said as she played with the laces of her bodice, then slowly and very pointedly undid the bow at the top.
‘Very grateful.’ Leon fought the urge to rip open her bodice and bury his face in her breasts, as he moved awkwardly on his seat, all too conscious of his burgeoning arousal.
‘What is wrong, my love?’ Niska teased, easing the laces further apart, until a tempting portion of her bosom began to show. ‘Was there something you wanted?’
‘This,’ Leon leaned forwards and jerked the bodice open by snapping the rest of the fragile lacing. He stroked and kissed Niska’s bosom. Urged on by her throaty laugh of pleasure he fastened his lips on her diamond-pierced nipple, and pulled it into his mouth. He sucked on it, stretched and twisted it until she gave a soft whimper of discomfort.
‘I adore you,’ she purred pulling up her satin skirts with a seductive rustle and parting her thighs to reveal her naked, innocent-looking pussy.
‘And I worship you,’ Leon groaned. ‘Let me taste you,’ he begged, falling to his knees between her open thighs.
‘No,’ she said harshly, grabbing hold of his chin before his lips could taste the sweet liquor of her arousal. ‘I want to feel your cock thrusting inside me.’
Leon slid two fingers into her moist cunt while his other hand fumbled urgently at his breeches. His cock was already hard and weeping salty tears from the tip as he freed it. Excitedly he pressed its length against the edge of the seat, feeling the soft fur rub tantalisingly against his tightly stretched skin, setting each nerve ending alight with pleasure.
Sweet joy filled his chest and he could barely breathe as his fingers slid deeper into Niska’s wet slippery flesh. It felt as if she was devouring him inch by inch. Groaning softly, she spread her legs wider. ‘More,’ she gasped, shivering as he eased two more fingers inside her, twisting and thrusting until her eyes glazed with bliss.
All the while he ministered to her, she rubbed herself gently but deliberately, fixing him with a foxy expression of lust. Frightened that he might climax before he’d even entered her, Leon replaced his fingers with his aching cock, forcing it inside her until his belly was pressed hard against her open quim. He clutched on to Niska’s buttocks, digging his fingers into her taut flesh, while his index finger eased its way downwards, sliding into the deliciously tight hole of her anus. He began to move his hips; his thrusts gaining further power from the rocking motion of the carriage as it trundled over the rough track.
The vehicle swayed from side to side as Leon’s hips moved in a wild dance of pleasure, pounding vigorously into her. Her small breasts jiggled enticingly in front of his face, the diamond sparkling as it swung hypnotically. But Leon did not even have the strength to pull it into his mouth as Niska’s cunt closed tightly around his hard flesh, her juices silkily coating his shaft, dribbling down through his pubic hair to tickle teasingly at his balls as they slapped loosely against the fur-covered seat. One sweet sensation piled on another as Leon continued thrusting, his finger digging deep in her tight little arsehole in an effort to fill her completely.
He felt her muscles convulse around his cock and the blazing fire erupted, spearing through his belly in powerful waves. He spent his seed, pumping it into her until his body was drained and his limbs trembled from the strength of his climax.
Leon leaned against Niska, feeling spent and exhausted, but she seemed invigorated, almost as if she had gained power from his violent release. ‘I want you to promise me something, Leon,’ she said as she stroked his hair.
‘Of course,’ he mumbled. At this moment in time he’d give her anything she wanted, even his soul if she asked for it.
‘I want you to promise that in future you will do exactly as I ask, without question.
‘Yes . . . anything,’ he said shakily.
‘Let me move, my love,’ she said, waiting while he eased himself away from her and perched on the opposite seat. The warm smell of sex assailed his nostrils, filling the interior of the carriage, as he watched Niska dab delicately between her legs with a lace kerchief. Her pussy was pink and swollen, gleaming wetly with their combined leavings. It looked so delicious that Leon would have given anything to fuck her again. He had the will but not the energy, he was so exhausted he barely had the strength to move.
‘My lips would do that for you,’ he said with a hungry groan, watching intently as she delicately wiped herself.
‘Are you never satisfied? she said with a teasing smile, as she tossed the kerchief to him and watched him raise it to his nostrils to savour the strong fragrance of the soiled linen.
‘I can’t get enough of you, my love. You know that.’ He tucked the kerchief in his doublet and eased his cock back into his breeches.
‘Why not move your things into my tent tomorrow evening?’ Niska suggested. ‘It will be some days yet before we reach our destination.’
‘Ruberoc is not that far,’ he said haltingly.
‘Be honest with yourself, Leon. If we’d really been travelling to Ruberoc we would have been there days ago.’
‘Then where are we going?’ he asked, very aware that he’d been trying to hide the painful truth from himself.
‘I think you know that already.’ She slid her skirt over her knees and began to refasten her bodice.
‘Vestfold?’ he asked falteringly. ‘But I cannot . . .’
‘You promised you would do what I asked without question,’ she reminded him.
‘I know,’ he admitted awkwardly.
‘Then you will come to Vestfold with me,’ she demanded.
‘Niska . . .’ His mind was in turmoil. Leon knew without a doubt that he would lose Niska if he didn’t do as she asked.
‘You have a deep loyalty for Prince Tarn, and I find that loyalty commendable, but you promised me, did you not?’ she challenged, and as Leon stared at her beautiful face he couldn’t bear the thought of never possessing her again.
‘Yes,’ he reluctantly admitted.
‘Think of it, my love. We could persuade Ragnor to form a treaty between Vestfold and Kabra. This would allow the bandits that plague your land to be hunted down and destroyed. Your new king wo
uld grant you riches and power if you could achieve that!’
‘Maybe so,’ he agreed, swallowing awkwardly. ‘But I was charged by Prince Tarn to escort Lady Rianna safely back to Ruberoc.’
‘That can be easily settled,’ Niska smiled persuasively. ‘Her company palls on me, she is nothing but trouble. We could determine a way to return her safely to her betrothed.’
Leon was confused. He trusted Niska and couldn’t quite understand why she had been lying about their destination all this time. Did she ever plan to go to Ruberoc, he asked himself, as Niska moved across the carriage and sat on his lap.
‘Poor Leon.’ Niska twined her arms around his neck. ‘So loyal, so loving.’ She kissed his cheek, and smoothed his furrowed brow. ‘We will discuss my plans later. There are so many other more pleasant ways to pass the time,’ she murmured, fastening her lips on his.
Chapter Six
THE ROYAL CASTLE at Ruberoc had changed little during the intervening years. It looked almost the same now to Tarn as it had the morning he’d watched his father surrender to the invading army of Percheron. The following day he’d been sent to Aguilar as a royal hostage. Tarn had arrived expecting to be imprisoned, but he had received a welcome befitting his royal status. Lord Sarin had been kind and had treated Tarn like a well-loved, younger brother. However, in time Sarin’s affections had begun to extend way beyond friendship.
Tarn had managed to persuade Sarin to allow him to return to Kabra to see his ailing father, and once there he had tried to raise an army to free his people. He might well have succeeded if he had not been betrayed by a comrade in arms, one he trusted implicitly. The rebellion had failed and Tarn had been captured and returned to Percheron in chains.
Now Brion was dead and Tarn was king. Dressed in royal robes of satin and velvet, he paced the great hall, pausing to stare up at the domed ceiling and the stone walls hung with elaborate tapestries from a bygone age. Sighing, his heart heavy with concern, he sat down on his gilded throne and stared thoughtfully into the distance.
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