by Megan Derr
Beraht raised his brows, but did not ask. He had known that Sol and Tawn were not close friends, but he had not known they were hostile. Something in Sol's face told him his questions would not be taken well. Not that he particularly cared. The Brothers were the real ruling body in Salhara, but that didn't mean they got along. Hostility generally seemed to be the preferred state of things.
He didn't have to worry about it anymore; not until the Seven Star learned they were traitors and came for their stars. He swore he could feel it burning on his back. The mark was passed along when a bearer died; there was no other way. It was given through a spell to whomever the dying Brother chose. Beraht's captain had given him his star. He had thought it would mean he finally had a place to belong, something better than the army.
As usual, he'd been horribly wrong, but had continued to press anyway. Now he was in a cabin with a Salharan traitor, a blind Illussor, and a man he longed to shove off a cliff. Beraht downed the remains of his wine, and considered pouring a third. But too much and the next day would be more of an agony than it was already looking to be. "So where are we all sleeping?"
"Perhaps the thin-blooded Salharans should take the bed," von Adolwulf said, looking directly at him.
Beraht considered pitching his cup at von Adolwulf's head. "So long as I don't have to sleep with you again. You put off more heat than a house caught on fire in the middle of summer."
"Too cold, too hot—is nothing good enough for you? If you insist, then by all means take the floor." Von Adolwulf stood and stalked across the room to the kitchen. Stripping off his tunic and shirts, he then ripped off the blood-soaked bandages on his arm. From a saddlebag in the kitchen, he drew out fresh bandages and rewrapped the wound.
"Does that need stitches?" Sol asked.
"No," von Adolwulf said. "A night's rest will suffice." He pulled his clothes back on, then grabbed his cloak from beside the door and sat by the fire with it over his shoulders. It had to be soaking wet, but Von Adolwulf acted as if it were dry and comfortable. They watched in silence as he drew his sword and began to clean it.
"Che," Beraht said, stifling a yawn. Enough with the waking world. It was time to sleep. The bed in the corner was neatly made and covered by a heavy, hand-made quilt and probably had a few more blankets beneath it. At the foot was folded another blanket. Grabbing the spare blanket, Beraht stretched out by the fire. He ignored von Adolwulf, who continued to work on his sword. He was nearly asleep when he heard the others move and saw the room go dark as the lamps were extinguished, leaving only the crackling fire to provide light.
The bed creaked as Sol and Iah lay down.
Von Adolwulf lay out on the floor beside him, all but buried by his cloak, though Beraht could just see where one hand lay on his sword. He turned his head the other way and fell almost immediately to sleep.
Part Two: Illussor
A man with a sword has a means to stay alive.
A man with a named sword has a reason to stay alive.
-Krian saying
Chapter Fifteen
"Esta!" Trul was bellowing her name even as the door slammed open. "You must come!"
"What in the world—" Esta looked up with a frown. She'd worked hard to earn a small space of free time and had been quite happy to spend it reading. It figured a crisis would crop up.
Trul grabbed her hands and hauled her up. "It's your brother."
Esta was running almost before she had her slippers properly on her feet. She gathered her silk skirts high and barreled through the hallways, nearly falling down the grand staircase. Matthias caught her as she reached the grand hallway. "Essie."
"Where is he?" Esta looked wildly around then bolted from Matthias as four men entered the palace. She'd recognize him anywhere. "Iah!"
"Esta?" The voice was his, and Esta wanted to cry.
She stumbled to a halt when she reached him. "Iah—what—" She stared in horror at Iah as his appearance finally struck her. Clearly he and those he was with had been traveling hard. There were several days growth of hair on his face, his hair in disarray, he smelled a fright, and it was nearly impossible to tell the true color of his silver-white hair. The bandages on his eyes, however. Oh goddess. "What happened, Iah?"
An awkward silence fell. At last Iah spoke, voice faint with dread and misery. "They're gone, Essie. I don't—I can't see anymore. Not ever."
"Oh, Iah…" Esta threw herself into his arms and held on for dear life. "Are you okay otherwise?" she asked at last, wiping her eyes and resuming her usual calm as much as she could.
"I'm fine, Essie." Iah settled his hands on her shoulders awkwardly, then followed the line of her neck up to her cheek, touching it softly. "I missed you, little sister. Are you well?"
Esta threw her arms around his neck and hugged him again. "You're alive; I'm fine." She finally stepped aside so that everyone else could greet him, but did not let go of his left hand.
"Iah," Matthias said, "it looks like you've got quite a story to tell. Don't think this will get you out of taking your title back. Your sister has been absolutely intolerable as a duchess. I demand you take it away from her."
Esta glared at him.
"Matti," Iah said with a grin, "she's glaring at you, isn't she?"
"Isn't she always?" Matthias, and Esta swatted at him, annoyed that he dodged just out of range. She gave up, not really angry, and watched as Matthias stooped to embrace Iah briefly. "I'm glad you're back, safe and—well, mostly sound. It could have been worse."
"Where is Kalan?" Iah asked, gripping Matthias' shoulder briefly in acknowledgement of his words.
"Here," Kalan said, stepping forward. "I was terrified of the blue dress that came streaking down the stairs. Those dresses are dead frightening when they get going."
Esta rolled her eyes and did not deign to reply.
Iah shook his head and held fast when Kalan gripped his arm in greeting. "Have you two done nothing, but torment her while I've been gone?"
"Yes," Esta said tartly. "Not that you would have been any better had you been here."
"Isn't that what you asked us to do?" Kalan asked with wide-eyed innocence. "Oh! I shouldn't have said that in front of her." He danced away before she could hit him.
Esta clung to Iah as he began to greet others, but allowed her attention to wander toward the men who had walked in with him. They all were filthy and clearly exhausted. She caught the eye of the housekeeper and gave her a slight nod. The woman vanished to start preparing rooms.
The first man, standing on Iah's other side, was clearly Salharan. His eyes burned dark yellow, and he watched the room like a wary cat. He had dark gray hair and his build was lithe, though obviously strong. His hair was a strange contrast to his yellow eyes—like silver and gold. He wasn't pretty, or even really handsome, but he caught the eye all the same. There was a melancholy air about him. She slid her eyes toward the next man.
He towered, massive and dark, with a wildness about him that wasn't helped at all by the fur on his cloak. Wolf fur, she thought. His hair was silver at the temples, but otherwise he didn't look all that old. Perhaps only a few years older than Matthias, who was thirty. He wore a sword, she realized a moment later, eyes going wide. A sword. It was huge. How did he wear it so lightly? There was a jewel in the top of it—a real jewel as dark as blood. Pretty. Why was it on a sword? Why was there a Krian in the palace?
She set the question aside for later and looked toward the last man. And felt her heart speed up. He was handsome, even when filthy. His eyes were bright yellow like the sun, different from the other Salharan's. Currently those yellow eyes were looking nervously around the grand hall as though he were expecting some trap to spring. That wouldn't do. Esta squeezed her Iah's hand and let it go. "Enough, Matthias. Can't you see they're exhausted? Let them all rest and tomorrow you can pester them with questions. Iah is home, that is all that matters for now. Give them a chance to recover; it's amazing they made it through the snow."
Matt
hias grinned. "Yes, Duchess. Your will is my command."
Esta ignored him and clapped her hands briskly, dismissing everyone gathered and summoning servants to send scurrying off with orders. When the hall was empty, she turned to Iah. "Now, Iah. Who are your companions?"
Iah hesitated, lifting his hand. Esta watched as the gray-haired man took it and realized he was letting Iah know where he was. She kept back a worried frown. Iah—blind! How was she supposed to manage that? She'd never—Esta stopped. Later. Now was not the time.
"This is Sol deVry, formerly of the Salharan Royal Army."
Sol sketched a bow. His eyes wandered the room and alighted on Kalan, who looked back at him in question. "Spiegel, perhaps, might sound more familiar to you."
Kalan broke into a grin. He surged forward to clasp Sol's arm. "Are you really? It is a pleasure to finally meet you! I wondered which one of you was—"
Esta looked at them. Something else to investigate later. Iah continued the introductions. "The other Salharan is Beraht—" Esta watched the way Matthias and Kalan turned to look at Beraht. So that was his name. But it was a Krian name… strange. Something was going on that she did not understand.
She forced herself to remain silent, however. In the morning Kalan, Matthias and Iah were all going to feel her wrath for obviously being kept out of whatever was going on. Not now.
"And the last…" Iah hesitated a moment, "Dieter von Adolwulf, formerly—"
"The Wolf!" Matthias exclaimed. "Never say so!" He stared at Von Adolwulf as if he had not noticed him until then. "Are you really the Scarlet Wolf? Obviously you're Krian. Why are you here?"
"Matthias!" Esta snapped, hands on her hips so their trembling would not show. The Wolf? That could be a problem. "Didn't I say it could wait until tomorrow? It's late. Or late enough for them, I'm sure. Get back to work, for I'm sure you've been slouching off. That goes for you too, Kalan."
They all jumped when von Adolwulf laughed. He looked at Esta. "Are you a duchess or a queen?"
For a moment the group was quiet—and then every Illussor in the hall except Esta began to laugh.
"Dieter," Iah said. "You've just made yourself one more enemy."
"Then I guess the world is not so different here," von Adolwulf said.
Esta ignored him and eyed Matthias and Kalan until they wisely shut up. She saw the housekeeper appear in the doorway from the corner of her eye. Thank goodness. "Come along," she said, polite, but cool. "I will show you to your rooms. Baths have also been drawn for you." She smiled at Beraht, then took her Iah's arm and began to walk.
Iah tripped as they hit the stairs. "Oh!" Esta bit her lip. "Iah—"
"It's all right," Iah said, but she could see he was humiliated. "It takes getting used to."
"Duchess," Sol stepped forward. "Allow me to help? I am used to assisting him."
She blinked then nodded slowly. Wow. Perhaps he did not look like much, but that voice was positively entrancing when he wanted it to be. She had not noticed before when he had spoken to Kalan. "Very well. I am sorry, Iah."
"Don't be. It's all right, Essie." She saw him visibly relax when Sol took his arm and walked alongside them. Listening to what Sol said and watching what he did.
"Twelve stairs more, Iah." Sol said quietly. "I'm sure you must know the turns."
"By sight," Iah replied. "Better tell me."
Esta gathered her skirts and increased her pace to lead the way, mind whirling. Iah blind. Were they really gone? Couldn't he be fixed? She chastised herself. There was nothing to be fixed.
But poor Iah…
"This way, gentleman," She said briskly, knowing exactly which rooms would have been prepared. Iah slept in the east wing, closer to where the soldiers trained. He had moved there after the fight with their father, not wanting to stay in the suite of rooms allotted to the Cehka family, even if their father hadn't been to the palace for more than a decade. She opened the first door, two away from Iah's, and took a quick look around. Brown, maroon, heavily masculine. "My Lord von Adolwulf," she said with a half-bow, "if this room pleases?"
Von Adolwulf nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course. Relax, rest. If you need anything at all, you've only to pull that cord and a servant will come immediately. Should there be a problem, have me summoned at once." She pointed to a door. "That leads to the room next door, though of course it's locked right now. It's intended for those who arrive with families." Turning, she led the rest of the group out and went to the next door.
The next room was predominantly blue in a variety of shades against dark wood. She beamed at Beraht, wishing suddenly she could get him to smile. He looked like a man who spent all his time frowning. "Is this all right?"
Beraht looked around the room. "Yes, thank you."
"You're welcome," Esta said with another smile. "If you need anything at all, just have me summoned. Food should be arriving shortly." Beraht barely seemed to notice the words, though he nodded absently.
Esta murmured a good night and then led the way to Iah's room. "Lord Sol, your room—"
"He's staying with me, Essie."
"What?" Esta blinked. Then the words registered. She took a second look at her brother and the man still holding his arm. Too much was going on in one small evening. He'd been lost, then found—though not whole—and now apparently he'd brought home a Salharan lover. "Very well. But I want the full story in the morning. You've no idea how badly I want to drag you to the library and pepper you with questions, Iah."
"I can hear it in your voice, Essie." Iah said with a laugh. "I promise, tomorrow I will answer as many questions as I possibly can. Even the ones for which you can't beat answers out of Matti and Kal, because even blind I can see you're seething."
Esta smiled and kissed his cheek. She nodded to Sol, giving him a more hesitant smile. This man hadn't won her approval yet. He did take care of Iah, that was obvious, so he had a chance. He seemed to sense this and returned her smile. "Goodnight, Duchess. Thank you."
"Goodnight." She turned and strode down the hall, head aching with a million new thoughts and problems.
*~*~*
Iah sighed as the door closed behind them. "She's upset."
"I would imagine so," Sol replied quietly. "Your sister looks as though she carries a lot on her shoulders."
"She does," Iah whispered. "I don't know how much of it I can take back. It was never fair of me to put it all on her, but at least—well, if Beraht succeeds, the worst of her burdens will end."
Sol's arms came up around him, tugging him close. Iah clung to his tunic, comforted despite the fact that they both smelled wretched. Lips brushed his forehead, and he felt a small thrill. "Yes, but if she is going to be queen—even an idiot can see that is the prince's goal—then she will have many more. I do not think she will break. And did I not promise to help you?"
"Yes," Iah said with a smile and pulled away. It faded slightly as he recalled the help recently given. "Thank you, by the way, for helping at the stairs. It's awful thinking you know your own home only to realize you don't know it at all."
Sol stroked his cheek. "You are quick to learn. By the end of the week, you will no longer need me."
"That's not true." He pressed a quick kiss to Sol's palm then let it go. "I don't know about you, but I could use a bath."
"I certainly would not mind being clean again," Sol said with a laugh, taking Iah's hand. Iah let Sol lead him to the fireplace, strip him, and settle him into a large bathtub. He rested his head against the back of it, sighing in relief. The water was scented with something that smelled like the pine forests.
His room, on the other hand, smelled slightly stale. Iah sighed. Though he'd always returned every winter, it felt as if he'd been gone a lifetime. In a way, he did not even feel like he was home. Esta had smelled like lavender, their mother's perfume, which meant she was upset. Otherwise she would have worn lilies—or roses if she was angry with Matthias. Of course she was upset; she'd probably thought him dead.
He heard Sol moving around the room and smiled. Ever restless, Sol. He was in motion even when he held perfectly still. "There's plenty of room for two," he said, "if you want." He tried not to let his uncertainty show. Beyond the night Burkhard had died, they'd not been together. The soft kiss from a moment ago was the first display Sol had made since they'd left Kria. It only made sense, of course…
Was he only clinging to Sol because he literally had nothing else? Iah frowned at the thought. No, definitely not. He refused to think that. Surely Sol would have pointed such a thing out to him?
He heard clothes fall to the floor and felt as Sol climbed into the tub, feet toward Iah's head.
Well, that wouldn't do.
Iah moved and shifted until he could rest his head against Sol's shoulder, not caring one whit for the water that splashed onto the carpeted floor. He slid a hand across Sol's chest, feeling a pang that he would never see the man who was now his lover. At least he had some idea—and that voice. Always that voice, which had first drawn him out of the worst of the dark.
Sometimes that day seemed far away. Other times it felt as though it had happened only days ago.
An arm came up, sliding up his wet skin, almost tickling.
"I wish I wasn't so tired," Iah said. "Here we are finally alone, and I'm too exhausted to take advantage of it."
Sol's chuckle rumbled in his chest. "I was beginning to think everything a figment of my imagination. I'm glad it was not."
"Me too," Iah said. He sat up slightly, hands sliding along the edge of the tub, searching for the small shelf that would hold soap and cloths for cleaning. "Let's get rid of the smell of horse and go to bed. Maybe I can take advantage in the morning before Esta attacks us." His hands knocked against what sounded like several glass bottles, and he heard the bar of soap drop into the tub.
Sol laughed and retrieved it and proceeded to wash them both.
When they finally made it to bed, Iah thought it the softest, most splendid thing he'd ever felt. It smelled clean and not like horse or dust or cold ground. He heard Sol put out the lights and reached out as he climbed into the bed, tugging him close. His fingers sought and found Sol's face, enjoying the soft-rough feel of his skin, and leaned in to kiss him.