I heard a frustrated grunt from the younger man. “Well, should we tell him to make himself useful?”
“No! His knowing that we need whatever information he’s getting out of her will make a real mess of things. He’s egotistical; you, of all people, should know. We’ve got to find a way to use him without feeding his ego.”
I felt my eye start twitching with the instant rise in my blood pressure.
“Good luck with that." Kieran’s voice was bitter, but that didn’t register to me. I looked over at the dwarf next to me, who seemed unfazed by the conversation.
"Open the door, Mack. I think it’s time to interrupt them," I hissed.
He nodded and pressed the panel that made the hidden door slide open. I watched with satisfaction as both Rolf and Kieran jumped at our appearance.
"I have a message for both of you." My voice was icy and detached as if I was simply a vessel for the words. "One of the scouts came across a wounded elf while he was gathering intelligence. She claims that she wishes to defect, so he brought her here. She says she knows both of you."
"Who is it? What’s her name?" Kieran’s voice was breathy and strained as if every particle of his body needed to know the answer.
My stomach knotted with violent dread, but I forced myself to say it. "Adele."
Kieran drew in a sharp breath, and Rolf paled. "Are you sure you heard the name right," Rolf prodded.
"I’m positive." I felt sick, but I didn’t let my outer facade of cold control waver.
"You said she’s wounded," Kieran interrupted, his voice needy and shaking, "How bad is it?"
"Someone stabbed her in the back. She’s lost a lot of blood, by the look of her." I tried not to let my enjoyment of that knowledge show through in my words. "In other news, a blizzard is coming. You need to make sure that the people in this fortress are adequately prepared for it. There are crops to save and firewood to gather before it hits. I have one request to make, for the sake of everyone in this fortress who doesn’t know this elf girl of yours—keep her out of the loop. She doesn’t need to know where food and supplies are stored. She doesn’t need to know about our weapons, armor, or the plans for the linothorax. She may be hurt, but that doesn’t mean she can’t hurt us, too."
A shade of rage flitted across Kieran’s face, and he looked at Rolf. "I’m going to make sure Wynne does everything she can to heal Adele. She could be a valuable asset for us."
My hackles rose, but I refused to fight with him about her. I turned my attention to Rolf. "Do I have your word or not?"
"I promise to do as you requested, for the sake of the people of this fortress. Kieran, you may get Adele care, but I expect you to put the safety of the population in Tiernan first. As for me, I am going to see about preparing the fortress for the oncoming blizzard."
"Good luck to you both," I snapped, storming out of the office before they could say another word to me. It took me a moment to realize that Mack was following me with a neutral expression on his face. "I’m headed to my room. I feel like going to bed early could be good for me tonight. I'm going to get a blood pressure induced migraine if I have to deal with Kieran or the she-elf again today."
"Very well," Mack said, "And since your around-the-clock bodyguard seems to be distracted by the she-elf’s arrival, I am assigning myself to protect you and be your personal valet."
"That’s a sweet thought, but I’m not sure it’s necessary, Mack." I smiled over at him, grateful for the offer.
He shook his head with a stubborn frown. "I am sure it’s necessary. You’ve sensed yourself that there’s an enemy inside the gates, and I intend to see you well protected."
"For all I know, she really does want to defect. I don’t know why I hate her so much, Mack. She rubs me the wrong way, but jealousy could be clouding my judgment." I felt a violent blush creep up my cheeks at my accidental admission.
"I understand that you’re jealous," Mack reasoned. "But I have a bad feeling about her, too. So, it’s not just you."
"Thanks for being willing to protect me, Mack. I think she’s too weak to do anything to me right now, though." I shrugged, trying to come up with something more productive for him to do than wasting time protecting me when I didn't feel I needed it. "Why don’t you offer your services to Rolf and help people prepare for the blizzard? Guide them through the secret passages so they can get the crops harvested without Adele seeing where they’re going. You can check in on me all you want and make sure to keep Adele as much out of the loop as possible."
"A wise choice, lass. I’ll see that it gets done immediately." Mack bowed with a flourish and disappeared into a secret passage as I let myself into my room, where I found Gabriel waiting for me. His puppy face was set in a distinct pout.
"Aw, baby boy!" I was horrified, wondering how long he'd been locked in our room for. "I thought you were roaming free and exploring the fortress. Who shut you up in here?" He gave a dissatisfied snort and looked away, pointedly ignoring me. "You want to go for a walk before bed?"
Gabriel sprang up with an excited bark and wagged his tail. He bounded around the room in frantic circles.
"Come on, then," I cooed, reaching down to stroke him as he came to a stop beside me. "I bet there’s a secret passage we can take so nobody will bother us."
I stroked my hands over the stone walls until I found an area that gave slightly. "Bingo!" I grinned down at the dog and pushed, revealing the hidden passage. "Help me find a way outside, Gabe."
He immediately trotted into the passage, sniffing as he went. I followed, feeling completely at ease knowing I wouldn’t run into anyone besides Mack in the passages. I took Gabriel for a leisurely walk in the thicket where I’d cried with Mack earlier in the day. We were both significantly happier, worn out, and chilled when we let ourselves back into the secret passage and headed to bed.
When I woke the next day, Mack was asleep on a cot near my door, Gabriel was snuggled up under my arm snoring softly, and I had no idea whatsoever what time it was. The fire looked as if it had been stoked and tended well during the night, and I made a mental note to ask Mack how high up the chimneys in the rooms went. I was willing to bet the dwarves had been wise enough to place the chimney vents above the cloud cover that usually hung around the top of the mountain, regardless of the weather elsewhere. It occurred to me that the constant cloud cover around the peak was probably heavily contributed to by chimney smoke. I wondered, for a fleeting moment, if the Smokey Mountains were inhabited by dwarves, stifled a giggle, and shuffled into my bathroom.
I was startled when I saw a steaming tub of water that must have been placed there recently. There were soft linens folded neatly on the table. I saw clean clothes that seemed to be similar to mine in design, but they were obviously newly sewn, along with various bottles of what turned out to be perfumed oils. I stuck my head out of the bathroom door.
"Mack!" I called, excited.
He jumped from a dead sleep to standing at attention beside the cot in an instant."What can I do for you, lass?"
"Did you set up the bathroom like this for me, and keep the fire in my room burning, too?" It seemed like an unnecessarily immense amount of work for someone as insignificant as I felt I was.
He blinked at me as if it was a stupid question. "Of course I did. I told you that I’ve decided to be your personal valet when you’re in Daraglathia. Did I miss something? Is there something else I can do for you?"
I stared at him, momentarily mind-boggled at the increased luxury of my situation. "Miss anything? Are you serious right now? No, you didn’t miss anything! This is AMAZING! Thank you, Mack. You have no idea how much I appreciate all this."
He shrugged, dismissing everything he'd done as if it were nothing at all. "I consider it my duty, lass. Nothing more, nothing less."
I couldn’t help grinning at him. "You’re the best. I’m kind of surprised that Gabriel didn’t try to eat you alive when you came in last night. He’s been very protective of me."
&nbs
p; Mack shrugged again. "The Messengers sent him to you, just as they sent you to me. He recognized a kindred spirit and a common goal when he saw it. We both want to protect you, and we both want to see you succeed here. Of course he doesn’t want to hurt me."
I let out a sigh of relief and gave him a significant, grateful look. "Now that you’re here, Mack, I finally feel like I have someone who’s really on my side. I feel like you have my best interests at heart. Do you know what Rolf and Kieran have planned for me today?"
He nodded. "Why don’t you take that bath before the water gets cold? I’ll take the pup for a walk and see that he’s fed. Once that’s taken care of, I’ll bring him back up here and brief you on the plans for today. How does that sound?"
I chuckled and nodded in return. "That sounds like a great plan. I’ll see you when you get back."
14
Linothorax
When Mack returned with Gabriel, I was clean, dry, dressed, and ready to take on whatever the day had in store for me. I sat on the bed, and Gabriel jumped up in my lap with a wagging tail, and I smiled at Mack. "So, what have they got me slated for today?"
"Burns will be training you in archery."
I frowned, and an involuntary sigh slipped out. "I assume that means Kieran is wrapped up with Adele, then?"
Mack nodded and gave a quick, apologetic bow. "You guess correctly, my dear. Rolf felt that it might be better to have Kieran keep the she-elf entertained than leave her to her own devices inside the fortress walls."
"It makes sense," I groaned, "But that doesn’t mean I have to like it."
Mack chuckled and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You remind me so much of Queen Morven, Lauren. Early in her reign, she had a lot to learn, just like you. She learned quickly and was a very successful leader. I think you will be successful in your mission, as well, even if your sweetheart has gone temporarily amiss."
I facepalmed and let out a frustrated grunt. "Is it that obvious that I’m into Kieran?"
"Yes." Mack gave a firm nod. "To everyone in the world except him, as is the custom with men throughout the universe." I laughed so hard it startled Gabriel, my eyes watered, and my ribs hurt. "He did, however, leave a gift for you with me. It’s grown considerably colder. He sent fur-lined gloves, boots, and a cozy cloak to match. He told me to tell you not to have an emotional crisis over the animals because these things belonged to his great-grandmother. What does he mean...emotional crisis?"
I blushed and stared down at my feet. "I may or may not have cried hysterically over some rabbits he killed for Gabriel's dinner when we were on our way here."
Mack frowned and shook his head. "While it’s sweet that you care so much about relatively defenseless creatures, I feel obligated to remind you that people need to eat, and I’ve seen you eat meat before."
For a moment, I wondered how he'd seen me eat meat, but I shrugged it off. He had to know all the fortress's secrets well, after living in hiding inside it for fifteen years. "I know," I moaned. "I feel guilty about it every time I eat meat, but it’s easier if it’s an animal that I’m not particularly fond of, like a chicken. Rabbits are just so cute that I can’t bear to eat them. I just can’t do it."
Mack dissolved into a fit of laughter that had tears rolling down his face, accompanied by desperate gasps for air. "And I suppose that if you had to kill your own food, you would not eat meat at all."
I gave a firm nod. "You are one hundred percent correct. I could eat a lot of vegetables, bread, and cheese, though."
"I think I understand," Mack nodded. "In any case, I believe that we’ve left Captain Burns waiting long enough. You should get to your archery lessons, and I should see if there’s anything I can do to smooth things over with Rolf."
"All right," I nodded and smiled. "Come on, Gabe. Let’s go have some outside time."
He gave an excited bark and bounded off the bed, running in excited circles as I put on the gloves, boots, and cloak. I reached down and stroked his back for a moment before I led him out the door and down the hall.
As I strode through the main hall and out onto the chilly grounds, I reflected on how I’d gotten so wrapped up in my own mind that I’d neglected to pay Gabriel the kind of attention he deserved. I stopped short and the dog shot me a confused and semi-reproachful look as if reminding me that I had an appointment to get to. I crouched and he wagged his tail with what I’d come to think of as his little happy puppy smile. I ruffled the thick, downy fur on the top of his head into a faux-hawk and chuckled.
"I’m sorry I’ve been a bad pet parent since we got to Tiernan. There is no excuse for how absent-minded I’ve been when it comes to you. Can you forgive me, Gabe?"
He nuzzled my hand through my fur-lined gloves, and I took that as a yes. I shivered at the piercing cold that had settled in around the fortress and pulled my cloak in tight around me as I stood up. I continued the trek to that training area with Gabe trotting along beside me, his tail wagging all the way.
When I arrived, I was a little disappointed to see Burns awaiting me, rather than Kieran. I'd been told I was scheduled to train with Burns, but I'd been secretly hoping for a last minute change, and for Kieran's presence. My disappointment must have shown on my face because Burns gave me an understanding smile in return.
He gave me an understanding smile. "Sorry, dearie. I know I’m not who you were hoping to see, but I can still teach you a bit about combat, and maybe even cheer you up a bit in the process."
I shook my head and let out my pent-up frustrations with a gusty sigh. "I don’t know, Captain...it’s going to be pretty hard to cheer me up as long as that she-elf is here. I don’t like her. I don’t trust her. Nothing good can come from her being here."
Burns nodded, but his smile disappeared. "I am inclined to agree with you, but Rolf and Kieran don’t seem to see the sense we do when it comes to her, so we’ll just have to tolerate her presence for a while."
I wrinkled my nose and grumbled in response. "I guess we will. So, what’s on the training agenda for today?"
"Archery." His answer was short, and nonchalant, but it filled me with dread.
"I think that could be a worse idea than putting a sword in my hand. Did Kieran not tell you how poorly my sword training went the other day?" I sounded like a completely lame pip-squeak, but it perfectly mirrored how I felt.
Captain Burns chuckled and shook his head. "No, Kieran didn’t tell me, but I’m pretty sure Sam told literally everyone in the fortress that you kept throwing your sword at Kieran and running away."
I felt a humiliated blush creep up my neck and burn in my cheeks. "I’m going to kill Sam the next time I see him. He better pray I don’t get my hands around his scrawny little neck any time soon because I’m going to squeeze until his head pops off."
Burns looked both horrified and stunned by how upset I was. "Take it easy, Lauren. Sam didn’t mean any harm by it. Besides, that tendency toward throwing the sword is what gave me the idea to try projectiles with you. You seem to like to keep distance between you and your opponent. That instinct could be an advantage, given some work and fine-tuning."
What Captain Burns called "some work and fine-tuning" turned out to be six hours of extensive training with short, long, and crossbows. I was exhausted by the six-hour mark. My arms burned, my shoulders were tied up in knots, and my fingers were hopelessly cramped when Tamara strode into the training area.
I groaned internally and shot Captain Burns a look that plainly said, "please don’t let this crazy girl kill me," and turned my attention back to Tamara with a stiff smile.
"What can we do for you, Tamara?" I drawled, trying very hard not to sound like I hated her guts.
She looked back and forth between Captain Burns and me as if she couldn’t decide which of us to address. "My father, the blacksmith, sent me to tell you that it’s time to work on the Linothorax."
Frost: An Otherworld Tale (The Otherworld Tales Book 1) Page 19