“Are free now,” Verity said with a smile, remembering her sister’s encouraging words. Always ending it with, we will be free one day. And here they were finally free.
Hemera barely finished a piece of bread when everyone rushed to their feet... the King had arrived.
King Talon entered the room from the High Council Chambers, Gelhard at his side, and Paine and Wrath making their way from behind him to join their wives at the table. Curious stares at Hemera from them both had each of them, in turn, looking to their wives, but neither offered an explanation.
“Sit!” King Talon ordered with a dismissive wave. He was busy talking with Gelhard who walked at his side.
Paine looked across the table at Hemera as he sat. “You went to the woods. Tell me Bog was with you.”
“He was and he was of great help. He is sleeping in my dwelling.”
“Attention!” Gelhard called out and a hush fell over the hall.
The King took the seat at the middle of the long, narrow table facing all the other tables in the feasting hall.
Hemera’s hand went to her middle, having felt a strange flutter when her glance fell upon him. Stranger still was the tug at her heart that made her want to run into his arms and hug him tight. She lowered her head, her glance falling on the food on the table that no longer appealed to her, her mind heavy with thought.
“Hemera, step forward and receive your punishment,” Gelhard announced.
Verity poked her sister with her elbow when she did not move, then gave her a nudge when she still did not move.
“Hemera!”
Her head shot up at the sound of Talon’s demanding voice, shattering her thoughts.
Verity helped her sister off the bench and gave her hand a squeeze as she whispered, “I am here for you.”
Hemera made her way to stand in front of Gelhard who looked her up and down for a moment, shook his head, then stepped aside.
Talon’s glare grew as his brow scrunched tighter and tighter. He rose and walked around the table to stand in front of her, his hands clenched together behind his back.
She did not look up at him. She could feel his anger. It burst in great waves around her, drawing her in, tumbling her around, as she fought for breath and balance. Next thing she knew, his hand gripped her arm.
“My High Council Chambers now!”
Gelhard stepped forward. “My King—”
“Not a word, Gelhard, or her punishment will be yours,” the King warned and Gelhard stepped back in silence. He propelled Hemera down the middle of the feasting hall, all eyes following them.
Hemera watched as one of the King’s personal guard, standing in front of the Council Chamber’s door, stood aside and opened it.
“Let no one enter,” Talon ordered the guard.
The door closed and Talon let her go to grab her by the shoulders and give her a slight shake. “What happened? Who gave you that bruise?”
“Why are you angry?” she asked softly and eased her shoulders away from his hands to step closer, wrap her arms around his waist, and rest her head on his chest with a sigh. “I have missed you.”
Talon’s insides twisted in knots and he closed his eyes as his arms wrapped around her. He could feel the chill in her body even through both their garments. He took firm hold of her and refused to let go. He closed his arms tightly around her so that the heat from his body would melt her chill away. He had missed her far more than he thought possible, but he would not tell her that. It would not be fair.
Home.
How was it that she felt at home in his arms? She had not felt that since... far too long.
Talon opened his eyes, scooped her up in his arms and walked to one of the long benches at the table and sat, settling her in his lap and keeping her close, so that his heat could continue to soak into her body and warm her.
He took hold of her chin with his one hand and turned her face to examine the bruise at her temple more closely. “Tell me,” he said, an ember of anger marking his words.
Hemera kissed his lips lightly.
“You play with fire when you do that, woman,” Talon warned, feeling his body flaring to life and it annoyed him since there seemed to be no controlling himself when around her.
“I miss your lips on mine,” she said and kissed him ever so gently.
“Hemera!” Talon warned sharply, forcing his lips away from hers.
“I went to the woods,” she began.
His temper sparked in his eyes. “I have warned you—“
“I was not alone.”
His brow shot up, jealousy rearing its head.
“Bog went with me,” —she was quick to say— “he dragged me out of the pond when I fell and hit my head on a rock.”
Talon felt a vicious stab to his heart. It pierced him so sharply that he wanted to roar with the pain—the pain that he could have lost her.
Hemera gripped his arm, her eyes turning wide with a spark of excitement. “The traitor made another appearance in the woods and he was not alone. I heard a man praise the traitor for a task well done.”
That news twisted Talon’s middle in knots. She was forever placing herself in harm’s way and it had to stop or endless worry for her would drive him mad. How to do that, though, was a question he had yet to find and answer to, especially since she had won the wager they had made and he had been forced to keep his word.
“When I peeked past the bushes, I saw the back of one of your personal guards’ cloaks, though the person was too far away for me to see anything clearly. I saw no one else when I peeked further around. Still, I took a different path home just to be safe.”
“You should not have been in the woods in the first place and however did you fall in the small pond?”
“I was sore from our frequent mating last night and hoped to ease the discomfort with the chilled water.”
Guilt. How was it that this woman could so easily make him feel guilty when he had rarely if ever felt guilty before she had entered his life?
“Are you feeling better?” he asked, hoping she healed not only because he did not wish to have her suffer, but also because he was looking forward to coupling with her again tonight. And guilt struck him again for even thinking it.
“The cold pond water took the ache away since I soaked in it longer than I intended,” she said with a soft laugh.
He brushed his lips over hers and though it pained him to say it, he said, “I will not visit with you tonight so that you may continue to heal.”
She gasped and threw her arms around his neck, shackling herself to him. “Nay, you cannot do that. My body aches for you now. I cannot bear to think how I will feel if it is not until the morrow that we join once again.”
Her eagerness to join with him stirred an ache in him and he grew aroused. He had to stop this now.
Her words echoed his thoughts. “If we do not leave here soon, I will spread myself naked on this table for you.”
Talon had her off his lap in an instant, the image her remark had created too vivid in his mind to ignore.
“Back into the hall,” he ordered sharply and turned to walk to the door, then stopped and returned to her. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth as he imagined her spread naked on the table, his manhood thrusting into her.
He tore his mouth away from hers and said, “Tonight you will not sleep.” He turned and walked to the door.
Before he could open it, she said from behind him, “Will you be up to it?”
He turned and when he saw her smiling, a smile easily came to his lips. “Is that a challenge?”
She leaned close to him and whispered, “A hope.”
He swung open the door, not trusting himself to remain there with her a moment longer and walked out for her to follow behind him. All eyes once again were on them and Hemera kept her head down, fearful the smile she kept locked away would escape.
She came to a halt as Talon took a stand in front of
the long table and raised her head to look at him, keeping her lips pursed tight to keep herself from smiling.
Gelhard hurried to stand off to the King’s side as the punishment was announced.
“Hemera, I have amended your punishment. You will work with the cook for five sunrises doing whatever chore assigned you.”
Chapter 12
“There were tracks where you said there would be, though they were too marred by animal prints to be able to follow,” Paine said, filling his vessel with wine from the flask on the table, then handed it to Wrath seated across from him.
Wrath spoke as he filled his vessel. “That area by the pond is difficult to keep watch over. It is dense with trees and foliage even at this time when buds are just sprouting.”
Talon listened to his friends, having sent them to inspect the area Hemera had told him about and see if they could find anything.
“If there is one traitor in the stronghold, there could be more,” Wrath warned. “What troubles me even more though is how long this traitor has been among us and how close he may be to you, Talon.”
“I agree,” Paine said. “You must remain vigilant to all around you and trust few.”
“You know me well enough, Paine, to know that I trust no one beyond you and Wrath.”
Hemera.
Her name tolled in his head. He trusted her. There was no doubt in that and why he believed it so he could not say, although perhaps, it was because she spoke with honesty, whether one wanted to hear it or not.
“We do not know what kind of damage this traitor is doing. He needs to be caught so that we can find out what he knows,” Paine said.
“He has been successful in avoiding detection so far and I wonder why that is,” Talon said.
“He blends with others,” Paine suggested.
Wrath offered his opinion. “He shows himself to be no different than others here. He makes us believe he is one of us. How, when everyone looks the same, do we find the one that is different?”
The three men grew silent, giving the difficult question thought.
A hard tap at the door had Talon, bidding the person to enter.
Tarnis, one of the King’s personal guards entered the Council Chambers. “Forgive me, my King, but the cook says it is important and that he must speak with you immediately.”
Hemera.
The name entered all three men’s minds.
Talon waved his consent and when the cook entered he was quick to ask, “What is the problem, Nock?”
Nock twisted his hands in front of his thick waist. He was shorter than most men with a thatch of red hair on top of his head and the sides shorn, defining him part of the servant class. His pudgy face was pleasant to look upon, particularly since he smiled all the time, though he was not smiling now.
“I beg you, my King, please remove Hemera from my cookhouse.”
“Why?” Talon demanded with a sharpness that startled Nock and had sweat beads breaking out along his brow.
Nock kept a cautious tone to his words. “Hemera pays no heed to my commands. She makes changes without my consent and—”
“What changes?” Talon asked curious.
“She tells me that scraps of food should not be dropped on the floor for the dogs to scavenge. She placed baskets at various spots by the cutting table and instructed my servants to deposit the scrapes in them. She chased the dogs outside and refused to let them back in, telling the servants to dump the food scraps outside for them that the dogs would learn to wait for them.”
Talon noticed the smile that caught the edges of Paine’s mouth. Come to think of it, Paine had been smiling a lot whenever Hemera’s name was mentioned.
“Hemera also had the servants scrub the cutting table with heated water that she added herbs to and told them to do it after each cutting of the meat.” Nock shook his head. “Then she tells them that vegetables should be cut on a separate table from the meat and sees a table prepared for it. When I threaten that I would see her whipped for her failure to obey me, she told me that I did not have the authority to make that decision.”
“Hemera is right,” Talon snapped. “You do not have that authority.”
“Forgive me, my King, I know that I do not, but I was so frustrated with her that I did not know what to do.” He ran his shirt sleeve across his sweaty brow. “She also had leaves of a plant I am not familiar with added to the stew that cooks and I fear how it will taste, or that it may poison everyone.”
Wrath spoke up. “How has she accomplished all this in such a short time?”
Nock shook his head again. “I do not know. Everyone seemed to follow her lead without question, though she did explain that the changes would make for better tasting food.”
“Then we will see if she is correct when the evening meal is served,” Talon said.
Nock twisted his hands tighter. “Please, my King, I fear—”
“Hemera’s punishment stays.”
“But, my King—”
“I will hear no more from you, Nock,” Talon ordered sternly.
Nock bobbed his head. “As you say, my King, but there is one more thing.”
“What is it?” Talon snapped annoyed.
“Hemera insisted that the size hole in the cookhouse dwelling was not adequate enough for the smoke to escape.”
“I will have Paine look at it,” Talon said.
Nock sighed heavily. “I told Hemera the same, but she believed it was too important to wait for Paine to have a look.”
Talon hurried to his feet. “What did she do?”
“Hemera is on the roof, widening the hole.”
Talon cursed and marched toward the door, Paine and Wrath following quickly behind him and Nock moving nervously out of their way to wait and trail behind them.
Talon’s heart slammed against his chest when he caught sight of Hemera up on the thatched roof, on her knees, with a saw in her hand.
“Hemera!” Talon cursed himself when she startled and stopped herself from falling over and off the roof.
“You might want to try talking more calmly to her,” Paine suggested and received a scowl from Talon that stabbed at him like a sharp knife, though did not penetrate... a smile being his shield.
Talon came to stand a short distance away from the ladder leaning against the roof. His voice remained strong, though he did not bellow at her. “Get down from there now, Hemera.”
“I am not finished yet,” she said and returned to her task, her head looking as if it disappeared down the hole.
“You are finished!” Talon ordered with a shout.
“I do not think she heard you,” Paine said and locked his lips tight to prevent himself from laughing.
When the King headed around the dwelling, Wrath jabbed his friend in the arm. “You are not helping the situation.”
Paine released his laugh. “No, I am not, but I am enjoying it.”
Talon entered the cookhouse and the servants scurried to a corner. He looked up at the hole to see Hemera’s face almost sticking through it. “You are finished!”
“Nay, I am not,” she said, her head tilting a bit to the right. “I little more off this side and I should be done.”
“You are done now! Paine will see to the rest.”
The servants in the corner cringed at the King’s forceful tone.
“I will be done quickly enough.”
The servants cringed again, hearing her defy the King.
Talon stormed out of the cookhouse and returned to the ladder, placing his foot on the bottom rung.
“My King, let me,” Wrath said, stepping forward, fearful for Hemera.
A threatening glare had Wrath halting his step.
Talon climbed the ladder quickly, stopping on a rung when the middle of his chest met the edge of the roof. “Come here now, Hemera!”
Hemera turned with a smile. “I have no need of help. I am finished.”
Talon raised his hand and summoned her with one finger.
Hemera cautiously eased her bottom along the roof until she reached him.
“The saw,” he ordered his hand stretched out to her. She handed it to him and he dropped it to the ground. “I am going to place you over my shoulder and carry you to the ground.”
Hemera stared at him, tilted her head, stared some more, then strained her neck to look over the edge. “That would not be wise.”
“Why?” he asked annoyed that he did.
“The ladder will not hold both of us.”
“The ladder is sturdy enough,” Talon said and held his hand out to her.
“It is worn with time and you would do well to climb down, for it surely feels your bulk,” she warned with concern.
“You try my patience.”
Hemera leaned closer to whisper, “I worry for you and a crowd gathers. Do you truly wish your people to see their King crash to the ground?”
“We will not crash to the ground,” he said his patience growing shorter. “Now come here to me.”
Hemera moved closer. “If I am right, and we crash to the ground, will you suspend my punishment?”
“This is one wager I will win and gladly gloat when I do.”
Hemera smiled and moved closer. “Do not let me land on my head when we fall.”
He looped his arm around her waist. “It is my hand that will land on your backside after we climb down.” He eased her over his shoulder and stepped one rung down. He was about to take another step when he heard the snap and felt the ladder give.
In a split moment, Talon yanked Hemera off his shoulder, wrapped his arms around her, and twisted his body so that he would take the brunt of the fall.
Talon felt the jolt to his back as he hit the ground hard. Hemera landed secure and safe in his arms on top of him.
Wrath and Paine were at their sides, Wrath helping Hemera up and Paine offering his hand to the King.
Talon brushed it aside. He needed no help and he would never show weakness in front of his people.
“Hemera!”
Talon heard the fear in Verity’s voice before he saw it in her eyes and he swerved around to look at Hemera. Blood was pouring from her mouth, down her chin, and onto her garment. He rushed to her side.
The King & His Queen (Pict King Series Book 3) Page 10