“Sure you are. Kitty? Find Rose. Please also bring some healing oil for the water. And would you ask if there’s anything else Rose can bring for these bruises?” His voice was authoritative, but respectful.
“Yes, your highness.” Kitty bobbed a curtsey and quickly disappeared from the room.
Diamond wriggled against Jack’s grip as he tugged her boots off.
“Stop fighting me, you stubborn fool,” he uttered, as she slapped his fingers away from the waistband of her leggings. “Regardless of what you think, I am going to undress you and help you into that bath.” When she continued to struggle against him, he scolded, “Let’s get one thing straight. You are my friend, and despite him being a stubborn bastard and an utter fool when it comes to you, Hugo is also my friend. You have both saved my life, and I owe you. So I am going to help you both to see the error of your ways. What I am not going to do is attempt to seduce you.”
Diamond stared at him open-mouthed, shocked at his candid words. He smirked a little.
“Believe it or not, I have seen a naked woman before, but if you’re that bothered, I’ll leave your underwear on. Stop it!” he ordered harshly as she gripped his wrists. “You need to bathe, put salve on those bruises and rest.” The determination in his eyes told her he meant every word.
It didn’t matter; Diamond had no more fight left in her.
Kitty returned with Rose in tow. Rose glanced at her friend’s battered body and immediately added spell-infused healing oils to the bath water. A minute passed before Rose declared that the water ready.
“Come on,” ordered Jack.
He and Rose helped Diamond hobble to the bathing room. Jack steadied her as she limped down the steps into the sunken bath. She watched him leave; with a groan, she sank down into the softness of the steaming water.
Rose smiled sympathetically. “These oils might make your skin tingle a bit, but they will soothe the pain,” she explained. “I’ll bring you more tomorrow night. It looks like you’re going to need them,” she added before closing the door.
Alone, Diamond struggled out of her underwear and let the warmth seep into her aching muscles and bones, easing her pain. Tomorrow was going to be a living hell. Hugo would not be easy on her, despite her exhaustion. She sighed, deciding it would be best not to think of Hugo. She ducked her head under the surface and remained there for a short time, allowing the soothing softness and heat to engulf her.
Scrubbed clean and skin glowing, Diamond pulled a towel up off the floor to cover herself before calling for Jack. He came to help her out of the bath, telling her he had dismissed Kitty and Rose for the night. Nervously, she glanced sideways at him, hoping neither of her friends would jump to conclusions about her relationship with Jack. Not that Rose could—or would—judge her.
Diamond flushed as Jack glanced down at her wet body. She glared indignantly.
“Jack! Stop staring!” she berated him.
“Sorry,” he grinned, not sounding sorry at all.
“You can wait for me in there. I’ll be fine now,” she informed him, flushing when he chuckled and flashed her a knowing look. They had become close after Diamond had saved Jack’s life out in the forest but that did not mean she wanted him to see her naked. Discarding her wet towel, Diamond covered her bruises in the sweet-smelling salve Rose had given her.
Soothing warmth from a fire washed over her when she emerged from the bathing room. Tying the belt of her robe, Diamond almost giggled at the sight of the soon-to-be King of Rhodainia pouring out her tea. There was a tray of food on the dressing table, and the aroma of beef stew, bread and potatoes made her stomach grumble.
“Sit and eat,” Jack ordered. He dried her hair, rubbing it gently with the towel as she ate. “Are you angry with me?” he asked, keeping his hands wrapped in the towel. “You know, for leaving you? For not getting you out of the palace before the Queen could truly sink her claws into you?”
“Yes,” Diamond said, not wanting to lie. “You left me, Jack. After everything we went through together in the forest.” She released a breath. “I was here on my own, in this viper’s nest for over two weeks. Did it ever cross your mind to come and see me? To help me?” she asked, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.
“I had to take General Edo to meet my commanders,” he explained quietly, looking crestfallen.
Diamond hated to see him looking so upset. “It isn’t your fault the general turned out to be so twisted, you know,” she consoled.
“No, but I really didn’t see his betrayal coming. I honestly thought Hugo would find a way to get you out before the Queen got to you,” he said quietly. “The stupid ass cares so deeply for you, I really expected him to sweep you up, run—and screw the consequences.”
“Well, you were wrong. He chose the Queen, not me. He is weak, a coward,” she replied with bitterness.
“No, Diamond—he isn’t,” Jack disagreed. “He is far stronger than you think. Has it even crossed your mind that everything he did was to keep you alive? He has ensured you are worth something to the Queen. Don’t forget, Hugo spent many months fighting by my side. He has saved my life countless times and has fought hard for my people. When he first came to Stormguaard it took him a long time to trust us, me included. It wasn’t until he saw my people using magic freely that he began to change. Once he realised he wasn’t under the Queen’s influence anymore, he became a different person. He lost that cold edge and befriended me and my men. He learnt about his gifts, and he was willing to use his magic to fight for us. As soon as we retreated here, she sent Lord Commander Ream for him. The next time I saw him, it was as if all the joy had been sucked from his soul.”
Jack started working at the knots in her hair. Diamond patiently let him, only wincing occasionally.
“Hugo once told me his nightmares are haunted by the faces of all the magic wielders he captured for her over the years. Do you know what she makes him do to them?”
Diamond stared at him, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. “No,” she whispered.
Jack snorted quietly. “Hugo has a special gift. He can absorb magic, like a sponge absorbs water. It’s one of the reasons the Queen covets him. She too has that ability, but she cannot leave this city. Usually she sends her elite guards to hunt down magic wielders, but she only sends Hugo to hunt those who are powerful enough to threaten her: red-or green-winged fae who hide out in the forests far from here. He has to catch them by whatever means necessary and then absorb enough magic to make each victim compliant. He brings them to the palace; when they are weak and cannot fight her, she consumes their power until they die.”
“Why does she do that? And why does Hugo help her?” Diamond whispered in horror.
“I have no idea why she does it. Hugo doesn’t either.” For a moment Jack looked sad. “He has never told me why he always returns to her. He says only that the elite guard have no choice but to return to her side. But I do know he has not hunted for her for at least two years, mainly because he has been with me. For some reason, whenever I leave this valley, she orders him to protect me—even Hugo doesn’t know why. Neither of us complain. He can’t wait to get away from her, and I like having my friend back.”
It took Diamond time to process this new information. “Well, regardless of why he acted the way he did, it’s too late now. I can’t escape. The lives of my friends and the people in this city are my responsibility.”
“No, they are not just your responsibility. Those people are both Rhodainian and Avalonian. They are counting on all of us, including me and the Queen, even if she is an evil witch,” Jack responded, placing his hands on her shoulders as if to add weight to his words. “I am so sorry I left you, but I thought,” his throat bobbed, “if the general had been so close to my father, if he had truly been my father’s friend and primary general, that he would help me be a better ruler, that he would mentor me and teach me things I don’t know. I’ve always felt as if I am expected to know how to do everything. People ex
pect me to find solutions to problems, even without having experienced them before. Trajan was a great mentor and friend, but the Water Leopards need their ruler. Until Hugo came along, I never had anyone to throw around ideas with.” He took a deep breath. “I just thought the general would be a person I could trust.”
“Jack,” Diamond stalled him, reaching up to touch his arm. “It’s okay. I understand, really I do. I’m sorry about the general too. If it makes you feel any better, he fooled us all—my father most of all.” Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a small smile. “We both trusted the wrong people. Let’s make the best of this awful situation we’re in and help each other. Deal?”
Jack nodded, leaning up against the wall as she finished eating.
“What do you think happened to that poor shapeshifter? You know, the boy?” asked Jack eventually.
Diamond stiffened and put her cutlery down. The young boy, Simeon, had only looked about twelve years old. Now he was the Queen’s prisoner. It was his testimony that had condemned General Edo to death. At General Edo’s bidding, the boy and his father had informed the Wraith Lord that her mother’s necklace was in the north. Ragor’s monstrous Seekers had wreaked death and destruction on her hometown of Berriesford looking for her crystal necklace, the necklace now resting in the Queen’s vaults.
“I don’t know what happened to Simeon. I think she took him back to the dungeons, but if I don’t pass the Queen’s test, she will kill him.” Diamond gulped and put down her knife and fork.
Jack huffed lightly, “Well, that might be hard. According to my information, the boy escaped that very night. No one knows how.”
Jack jumped as Diamond whirled around and stared at him.
“I’m sorry. I assumed you knew. The Queen has declared the boy a magic wielder. She is convinced he hid dark magic in his shapeshifting blood. The cell door was locked, and there were no signs of a fight. The boy just disappeared,” he made a rippling gesture with the fingers of one hand. “She even questioned her elite guards, and you can imagine that she didn’t do it gently.”
Diamond felt a rush of relief. “Good for him,” she whispered.
“He was clearly more resourceful than anyone gave him credit for,” Jack responded, pushing her back around. He picked up the silver hairbrush and began gently teasing the knots from her hair.
“Or he’s dead,” Diamond stated. Tilting her head to look up into his chocolate eyes, she answered her own question, “No, she will not have killed him.”
“Why not?” Jack asked.
“Because without him, she loses some her leverage with me.”
“She has other leverage with you: Tom and me,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“You know?” Diamond breathed, twisting around on the stool to face him once again.
“Of course I know. The Queen isn’t the only one with spies.” Jack chuckled. “But it isn’t just Tom’s or my safety that worries you, is it? Or even all those desperate people out there.” The towel sailed through the air as he threw it aside. “It’s Hugo. Your feelings for him have always been written on your face, and I know Hugo feels far more for you than a Queen’s guard should. The Queen saw it too. It’s why she took such pleasure in hurting you. You are her leverage with him, as much as he is with you. I know what she made him do in that throne room, and I get why you don’t trust him anymore, but you must see he had no choice.”
Diamond stared ahead, biting her bottom lip. “I do understand that. But I believe he will do anything for the Queen, and I can’t trust him until he is strong enough to defy her.”
Her heart ached for Hugo, especially after Jack’s insights into his behaviour, but Diamond felt stuck in her whirlwind of feelings, which she had yet to sort through. She didn’t want to see Hugo hurt, but he would be if she failed, just as Jack and Tom would be.
Jack grunted at her expression. “I thought so. You two are impossible. You will work yourself into the ground for his sake, despite your disappointment in him, and he will do anything to keep you from a greater harm.” He huffed. “The Queen really is the mistress of manipulation, isn’t she?”
“Jack, this isn’t only about Hugo, or even you and Tom,” Diamond said. “There are thousands of people in this valley who need my magic to help protect them. I might not be strong enough to do that yet, but I will sweat blood and take every bruise I have to until I can.”
Jack grinned at the steely determination in her tone. “Now there’s the real Diamond.”
“I have to be good enough to pass the Queen’s test, to keep you and Tom and Hugo safe. And I can only help the people of this valley if I pass,” she replied.
“You do realise that insane female will kill who she wants, when she wants? It won’t matter how many bruises you have or if you fit compliantly into her ultimate plans,” Jack replied with raised eyebrows.
“Yes, but I won’t give her the excuse by failing,” she answered resolutely.
Stepping in front of her, Jack gave her a sceptical look before letting it drop. A mischievous glint crept in his eyes. “So become good enough. We’ll need you at the wall soon enough. Have you finished eating?” he asked, changing the subject.
Diamond nodded, feeling so weary now, even the bed looked miles away.
“Come on. Bedtime,” he said, pulling her up off the stool. He picked her up, cradling her against his chest.
Diamond gratefully relaxed against him, enjoying the comfort of his embrace. She winced as he lowered her onto the bed. Gently, he tucked her under the blankets.
“I’ve asked Kitty to wake you at five-thirty,” he told her.
“Thank you,” she murmured sleepily, staring up into his gorgeous brown eyes.
He contemplated her for a few seconds. “Diamond, do you really still have feelings for Hugo?” he asked, smiling at her droopy eyes.
“I don’t know,” she responded, not entirely truthfully. Of course she had feelings for him; she just didn’t trust him anymore. Her cheeks flushed a little at her lie.
“That’s what I thought,” he retorted, smirking.
“Jack, it doesn’t matter how I feel. Hugo doesn’t feel a thing for me, not anymore,” she declared, swallowing the ache in her throat.
“Of course he does. He simply needs to realise that unless he shows it, he will lose you.”
“Really? And how do you propose to convince him of that?” she grumbled.
“No idea, but I have every faith in my friends. Although I might give him a little push if the opportunity presents itself.”
“Fine,” she grumbled, still not convinced Hugo was in the least bit bothered about her.
Jack kissed her eyelids, then pulled himself away.
“You should sleep. I will see you again tomorrow. I’ll keep you company as much as I can over the next few weeks,” he promised before he left.
Diamond was asleep before the door clicked shut.
CHAPTER 4
The fine drizzle plastered Diamond’s hair to her face. In a fit of irritation, she pushed the loose strands out of her face, summoning all her self-control. This could not be happening!
Attion’s hands were clenched behind his back. His shoulder-length brown hair was braided away from his face, his greenish-brown eyes regarding her steadily.
Diamond’s chest tightened. Hugo could not be asking her to accept Attion, the guard who had groped her, as a training partner.
“Diamond!” Hugo warned. “Attion is here to train with you. He is experienced and good at what he does. He will help you learn. Also, Attion is required to report your progress back to the Queen on a weekly basis.”
Her violet eyes flashed with anger as she whipped her head towards Hugo. “I will not train with him,” she tried again, unable to keep the tremor of disgust from her voice.
Attion glanced at Hugo, but was otherwise stoic.
“Yes, you will. You both have to do this, so put your feelings aside and get on with it. Attion will respect you as a trainee warrior. If y
ou feel like he doesn’t, I suggest you become good enough to make him.”
Diamond clamped her jaw shut, remembering her purpose: become good enough to protect her friends and the people of the valley. If that meant training with this abusive, cold guard, then that is what she would do.
***
Hugo worked Diamond into the ground. All day, every day, he pitched her against different training partners. Attion was always included and was never easy on her, but always remained respectful. Hugo knew Attion had not had many assignments away from the palace. He suspected the other guard enjoyed mixing with the Avalonian soldiers and warriors. Attion even seemed less cold towards Diamond.
Attion’s life will change after the war is over. When Diamond and I kill the Queen, he will be free, Hugo thought. Pursing his lips, Hugo was painfully aware his plans of treason were still only seeds.
He hovered above the barracks, his sapphire wings armoured and glinting in the sun. The view of the steep city slopes was clear from the sky. Unable to stop himself, he glanced down to the area of the city where Diamond had been kidnapped. Whoever had taken her wielded magic. Red magic. A living adult fae with red wings and magic was unheard of in Valentia. If the Queen found out, she would hunt the culprit down. Thankfully she had accepted his explanation it had been human rebels who had initiated Diamond’s kidnap. Hunting down the red warrior had become one of Hugo’s main priorities. He needed the fae’s help, and Diamond deserved to find out what her kidnappers knew about her mother.
Tallo looked up as Hugo lowered himself to the ground. Grinning, the master-at-arms gestured with his head to where Diamond and Attion were practising with short swords. Hugo knew Tallo was starting to lighten up her training to counter balance the onslaught of demands Hugo made of her, but never did she balk from her tasks. Whatever weapon Hugo thrust into her hands, she took it and listened to his words of tutelage. Not a single tear fell when her skin was marred by a knife or her face bruised by a sword hilt. Hugo saw her grit her teeth, lift her chin defiantly and try again and again, until her body shook with weariness. Her spirit and prowess as a fighter were growing more impressively than some of the guards Hugo had trained with since he had been a child.
A Bond of Blood and Fire Page 3