“Don’t tease me, Dirk,” she begged. “Take me! Now ... here ...”
“By the lake,” he suggested, in a desperate bid to distract her.
“What’s wrong with here?” She was grabbing at his shirt, trying to tear it off him.
“The ground’s too hard here,” he told her. “It’ll be much nicer down by the lake.”
She giggled. “You want to do it in the water?”
“Even better,” he agreed, peeling her arms from around his neck. He took her hand and she let him lead her down onto the marshy ground. Her skin was clammy and hot. A few feet from the lake she stopped dead and refused to go any farther.
“We’re nearly there,” he pointed out, tugging on her hand.
“I’m not taking another step until you kiss me. Here!” she added opening her shirt and pointing to her left nipple.
“But we’re almost ...”
“Not another step, Dirk Provin.”
Reluctantly, he let her pull him to her and, with a great deal of trepidation, he did as she demanded. Moaning with desire, she grabbed him by the hair, pulled his head up and kissed him hungrily, grabbing his hand and placing it on her breast inside her open shirt. It took all his concentration to keep his mind on the task at hand. He forcibly turned her around with his free hand and then pulled away from her. Her eyes were wide, shining and filled with nothing but blank incomprehension.
“I’m sorry about this, Tia,” he told her ruefully as he nuzzled her ear. “And there’s nothing I’d like more than to give you what you want. But trust me; you’ll thank me for this one day.”
Then with all his might, Dirk pushed her into the chilly waters of Lake Ruska.
He dived in after her as she floundered in the water and pulled her head up. When she reacted by trying to kiss him again, he pushed her back under the water and held her there while she struggled. When she stopped fighting him, he pulled her clear of the water once more, and dragged her ashore, coughing and spluttering.
And then, despite the fact that he had sworn he would not do it, he held her head for her while she puked.
Dirk said nothing as he made breakfast; said nothing as he poured tea for both of them. He then sat on the opposite side of the fire, trying to pretend he didn’t notice Tia scratching at the rash that had formed on her skin in the early hours of the morning. She stared determinedly into the flames and refused to meet his eye.
“This is driving me insane!” she muttered eventually, when the itching became unbearable. “And I think my head is going to explode.” They were the first words she had spoken since he fished her out of the lake.
“It goes away,” he told her. “You should be fine in an hour or two.”
She did not acknowledge that he had spoken. In fact, she refused to look at him at all. They sat in silence for a long time.
“Last night ...” Tia began, eventually. “Did I say anything ... you know? ...”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Did I do anything? ...”
“No,” he assured her.
“And we didn’t? ...”
“No.”
She met his eye for the first time. “Why not?”
“What do you mean, why not?”
“I don’t remember much, Dirk, but I do recall that you could have had me any way you wanted me last night. I’m just wondering why you didn’t.”
“Maybe ... because you would have knifed me the minute you woke up this morning?” he suggested with a faint smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.
A fleeting frown crossed her face. “I guess I’m just a little surprised. I wasn’t expecting you to be so ...”
“Honorable?” he asked.
“I suppose.”
“Thanks a lot.”
She scuffed at the ground with her boot for a moment, and then looked him in the eye. She was not a girl that flinched from much.
“Look ... It was a stupid thing to do, all right? I should have listened to you about those mushrooms, and I’m sorry I got so ... uncontrollable. But let’s just put it behind us. We made it to Omaxin and now we have a job to do.” She smiled thinly. “We have to save the world, remember?”
He nodded his agreement and climbed to his feet. “Let’s go, then.”
“Aren’t we going to wait another day?”
He shrugged. “After the ruckus we made last night, if anybody is looking for us, they’ll know we’re here.”
“And we’re just going to put this unfortunate incident behind us, aren’t we?” she confirmed, rising to her feet.
“Absolutely.”
“In fact, there’s probably no need to mention it ever again. To anybody. Ever.”
“None at all,” he agreed, turning away to check his pack so that she would not see his smile. “Unless ...”
“Unless what?” she demanded suspiciously.
“Nothing,” he replied, fighting to keep a straight face.
She glowered at him. “You miserable bastard! You’re never going to let me forget this, are you?” She kicked dirt over the remains of their small fire and then pushed past him angrily, heading for the ruins. “I was right. I really am going to end up killing you one day.”
Dirk watched her striding away, filled with a deep sense of regret. Before they left Omaxin, he knew, Tia would have plenty of reasons to want to see him dead.
And the least of them would be the night they almost spent together.
Chapter 50
Alenor’s daily ride with her escort soon changed from being a good excuse to talk in private with Alexin to being essential to her sanity. Her responsibilities as queen left her little time for herself. The added burden of dealing with Kirsh, who was still furious at her for rejecting him, meant that the only peace she had—the only time she could be herself—was when she was out riding.
Alexin did not always ride with her. It would have been far too obvious if he had, and even if he was not her only link with the Baenlanders, she could not afford to give the impression that she was playing favorites among her guard.
Alexin was with her today, however, and they rode on ahead of the escort, Circael flying beneath her as if she had sprouted wings. When she finally reined in, there was no sign of her escort.
Alexin galloped up behind her with a scowl.
“If you get killed in a fall while I’m supposed to be protecting you, I’d have to fall on my sword, you know,” he complained.
Alenor laughed, still exhilarated from the ride. “Then I shall try not to get killed, Alexin. Just for you.”
He dismounted and walked over to her, offering her his hand. “That would probably make me feel better if I thought you meant it, your majesty.”
Alexin helped her down and stepped back to allow her to look at the view. They were on the cliff path that wound down from the palace to a small rocky cove at the base of the cliffs. The Tresna Sea crashed against the rocks below them and a sliver of red sliced across the horizon as the first sun began to rise.
She studied the glorious sunrise in silence for a moment. “I hear Kirsh has been spending rather a lot of time training with the guard lately.”
Alexin nodded. “He does seem a bit ... aggravated. I had a short bout with him yesterday. For a while there, I thought he was really trying to kill me.”
Alenor smiled. “I hear frustration will do that to you.”
“Frustration?” Alexin asked in a puzzled voice.
“His Royal Highness, the Regent of Dhevyn, isn’t finding married life quite what he imagined.” She turned to face him. “I told him to go to hell, Alexin. He can have his Shadowdancer or he can have me. He can’t have us both.”
The captain frowned. “Was that wise, your majesty?” “Probably not. But you’ve no idea how good it felt,” she said. “And do you think you could stop calling me that?”
“Calling you what, your majesty?”
“Your majesty!” she said. “It makes me feel like I’m my mother.”
; “It wouldn’t be appropriate ...”
“It’s not terribly appropriate that a captain of the Queen’s Guard is plotting with the Baenlanders to bring down the Lion of Senet, either, Alexin, but that doesn’t seem to bother you.”
“It’s not quite the same thing, Alenor.”
She smiled. “There! That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
“Not difficult at all. But it’s a dangerous habit to get into.”
Alenor sighed. “I seem to have developed quite a taste for living dangerously, since I became queen.”
“You handled yourself very well with Antonov,” he told her. “I think you have quite a flair for intrigue.”
“Really? I was shaking so hard I thought Antonov would know I was lying, just by looking at me.”
“Well, it certainly set off a flurry of activity among the Senetians,” Alexin remarked. “There’ve been so many birds flying back and forth between here and Avacas it’s a wonder they don’t collide with each other.”
“I know. Belagren’s been very busy. I’ve barely seen her. She sent Ella Geon and a few others back to Avacas the day after the wedding.”
“I imagine Dirk will be close to Omaxin by now.”
“Do you like Dirk, Alexin?”
The captain shrugged. “I don’t know him well enough to say.”
“Do you trust him?”
“Do you?”
“More than you know.” She walked a little way along the path, and then glanced back at him. “If we ever manage to free Dhevyn, it will be Dirk who does it, you know. It won’t be me.”
“I think you underestimate your own determination, Alenor.”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing to do with determination. Johan Thorn was determined. So was my mother. Determination isn’t enough.”
“Aren’t you afraid that if he does defeat Antonov, he’ll want your throne in return?”
“Dirk doesn’t want to be king.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes.”
Alexin came to stand beside her on the cliff top. She glanced at him for a moment and then looked back at the rapidly reddening sky. “When I saw him on Grannon Rock, Dirk made me promise I’d trust him,” she told the captain. “He made me promise I would keep my faith in him, no matter what happened in the future.”
“An odd promise to ask for.”
“I thought so, too,” she agreed. “It makes me wonder what he’s really up to. That whole thing with the corpse and Antonov ... I just have a feeling that we were doing what he asked, but not for the reason we think.”
“Don’t let it concern you, Alenor. You did what the Baenlanders needed you to do, and it appears to have been successful. Belagren has ordered her Shadowdancers out of Omaxin, and the Lion of Senet is preparing to head home, none the wiser that you were involved. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
“I could ask for a great many things, Alexin. I suspect most of them, however, are out of my reach.”
“It will all work out in the end,” he assured her with a smile.
“Now you sound like Rainan.”
“Your mother’s methods were not entirely without merit, Alenor.”
“I suppose not,” she agreed. “But you can’t keep giving in to the Lion of Senet without it eventually becoming first a habit, then a way of life. That’s why I took a stand with Kirsh. I may go down in history as the Virgin Queen of Dhevyn, but at least I have my pride.”
Alexin looked her oddly, and then he smiled. “If it were up to me, your majesty, you’d not be the Virgin Queen for long.”
Alenor blushed. “Alexin! That’s a rather risqué suggestion from someone who not five minutes ago was suggesting it might be inappropriate to address me by name.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you ...”
“I’m not offended,” she assured him. “Actually, I think I’m flattered.”
“Well, there you go then,” he said with a grin. “A queen should have at least one courtier whose sole function is to flatter and beguile her.”
“And what would be the function of the other fourscore courtiers I seem to have acquired since Antonov and Belagren arrived?”
“They would be the ones whose sole function is to remind you why we have to free Dhevyn,” he replied, his grin fading.
“Oh, Alexin,” she sighed. “I swear that at times, you’re the only thing that keeps me sane.”
“Which is a very sad state of affairs for a queen to be in,” he remarked with a slight frown. “You really should have someone nearby whom you can trust.”
“Who?” she sighed. “There’s nobody I dare trust, Alexin. Except you and my mother, and I worry about her at times. She does all the wrong things for all the right reasons.”
“I was actually thinking of your cousin in Bryton.”
“Jacinta? She hates court life, Alexin. Mother invited her to Kalarada when I first returned home and she flatly refused to come.”
“Perhaps if you ask her she might consider it,” he suggested. “Jacinta and your mother differ somewhat in their views about Senet.”
Alenor looked at him curiously. “You’re not implying that Jacinta is in league with you and the Baenlanders, are you, Alexin?” She laughed suddenly. “Oh dear! Lady Sofia would curl up and die if she knew that!”
“As would your mother if she realized the same thing about you,” he reminded her with a smile. “Please, Alenor. Send for her. I can’t watch over you all the time.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason you want her to come to Kalarada?” she asked curiously.
“What other reason would there be?”
“She’s very pretty.”
Alexin smiled. “She’s also as sharp as a diamond blade, and passionately loyal to Dhevyn.”
“All admirable qualities,” Alenor agreed. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
“If you’re asking me if I have designs on Jacinta D’Orlon,” he said. “Then the answer is no. Even if I did, I’m only a second son. Jacinta’s family would never consider me while Raban is unmarried. Besides, my heart belongs to someone much closer to home.”
Before she could ask who his heart belonged to the sound of horses on the path behind them ended their conversation as the remainder of her escort rounded the bend, walking at a sedate pace. Alenor held out her hand to Alexin and he led her back to her horse. He gave her a leg up into the saddle and she gathered up her reins. The first sun had risen almost fully and the light had turned red.
“Thank you, Captain,” she said.
He looked up at her curiously. “For what?”
“For being my friend.”
He smiled at her, but did not say anything more as he swung into the saddle of his own mount and, with the rest of her escort, they turned and headed back toward Kalarada palace.
Chapter 51
Tia and Dirk explored the ruins for several days, mostly to assure themselves that they really were deserted. Tia was rather concerned at the haste with which the Shadowdancers had departed. They had left behind an amazing amount of gear. Pavilions, bedding, a tent full of food supplies, tools and even a milk goat were scattered through the abandoned camp. Dirk was of the opinion that the Shadowdancers’ orders must have been to leave immediately, and that it had not been possible for them to take everything with them. Tia was not nearly as sure. There was something fishy about the whole setup; she just couldn’t figure out what it was. To her, it looked as if they might return any minute.
“You want to tackle the Labyrinth this morning?” Dirk asked when she emerged yawning sleepily from the luxury of an abandoned Shadowdancer’s tent she had claimed as her own. The upside of the Shadowdancers’ hasty departure was that not only would they eat like kings while they were here, they had most of the creature comforts of a large expedition and none of the effort involved in getting them there.
“That’s why we came, isn’t it?”
She did not mean to snap at him, she jus
t couldn’t help it. Things were still very tense between them. Although Dirk had not mentioned it again, not since the morning after, Tia cringed every time she thought of that night she had eaten those damn mushrooms. He was thinking about it constantly, she was certain. And just because he had displayed a few shreds of honor by not taking advantage of her at the time, did not mean that he was not wondering about what it might have been like if he had ...
“I said, we’d better take a few spare torches. It’s going to be dark in there.”
Tia started as she realized he had spoken to her. “What? Oh. Fine. Spare torches ...”
He snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Hey! Tia! Wake up!”
She slapped his hand away impatiently. “Leave me alone! I’m awake!”
“Just checking,” he shrugged. “Bring the waterskin, too.”
She glared at him, and then picked up the torches and the skin. “When did I get promoted to pack mule?”
“About the same time you got demoted from insatiable seductress, I think,” he replied with a smile.
Tia hurled the load she was carrying to the ground. “That’s it! I’ve had enough of this!”
He sighed. “Just because you spend a good part of your day trying to invent new ways to torment me, doesn’t mean I do the same to you. It was an accident, Tia. It wasn’t your fault and you weren’t responsible for what you said or what you did.” He took a step closer to her and reached up to wipe away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “And I swear, I will never tell anyone what happened. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “That you admit it was kind of funny ...”
She instinctively slapped his hand away.
Then she forced a smile, realizing that Dirk was offering her a way out. He was giving her a chance to laugh it off, to make a joke of it; to trivialize something that was potentially soul destroying.
He smiled at her as he picked up his own torch and plunged it into the cooking fire to light it. “Are you still mad at me?”
Tia hefted the waterskin over her shoulder and turned for the well-worn path to the Labyrinth’s entrance.
“I’ll always be mad at you about something, Dirk Provin,” she said over her shoulder. “You can count on it.”
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