“We were just getting a drink at the pub,” the one on the right answered. His speech was clear and articulate. He sounded like an Emperion to Allyssa.
“Why are you in Emperion?”
“We live here.”
“You’re lying.” Savenek raised an eyebrow at Allyssa. “Do you want me to handle this, or are you in the mood to rough one of these buggers up a bit?”
“I want one.” Preferably the smaller of the two.
Savenek released the man he’d been holding with his left hand. “Take that one.”
The man swung toward Allyssa, pulling a knife out of his boot. He rushed at her. When he was close enough, she spun and kicked, hitting his right hand. The knife dropped to the ground.
Savenek slammed his forehead against the other man’s. The brutality of it stunned her.
The man Allyssa had kicked said something in a language she didn’t know. When he swung, she ducked, the punch narrowly missing her. She rammed her knee into his side, but he barely moved. His right hand shot out, clutching onto her arm. Using the momentum, she spun in toward him so her back was against his chest. Then she leaned forward, flipping him over her shoulder. When he hit the ground, she slammed her fist into his stomach. Not having any rope to tie him up with, she withdrew her dagger and smashed the hilt against his forehead, knocking him out.
She righted herself. Savenek stood leaning against the wall, watching her. “Are you done?” he asked. The man he’d struck was lying at his feet. She hoped he was still alive.
“How did you know they were from Telmena?” She wiped her brow. “And how did you know they were up to no good?”
He pushed off the wall and came over to the man she’d fought with, kicking him in the side to ensure he was indeed knocked out. She tried not to be offended that he felt the need to check.
“See his ear.” He pointed to the man’s right lobe. “It has a mark. That is a hole for an earring. People in Telmena often wear them.”
She’d never heard of such a thing. “And you managed to see that from where we were standing at the bar?”
“Well, no.” He smiled. “I noticed when we walked past him.”
They needed to take these men to the City Guard. She’d let them handle the investigation.
Savenek rolled each man over before checking pockets, boots, and sleeves. He found one small tube filled with red liquid.
“What is it?”
“Kepper poison,” he said, pocketing the container. “The castle is fourteen blocks from here. That’s roughly a mile.” He scrutinized the men. “I’m not sure I can carry both that far.”
“The prison is two blocks from here.” She pointed to the left. “Can you drag them there?”
“I guess that will do. But I want them turned over to the Brotherhood for questioning.”
“Because they’re from Telmena?”
“No,” he said, reaching down and grabbing the arms of the larger man. “Because of the kepper poison.”
Allyssa flicked her eyes at her brother’s poison-filled pocket. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Destroy it.”
That was good enough for her. “I’ll help you.”
Someone banged on Allyssa’s door, startling her awake. Darmik poked his head inside her room. “Get up. It’s time for our run. You have fifteen minutes.”
Groaning, she pulled one of her pillows over her head. It was still dark outside, and she’d only just crawled into bed. It seemed as if Darmik always wanted to run the mornings when she’d been up late gallivanting the night before. It was almost as if he knew. She flew upright. Somehow, he knew. She was sure of it. Allyssa threw her pillow at the door even though Darmik was no longer there. If Savenek had told Darmik she’d snuck out, she’d kill him. He was just as guilty as she was.
Allyssa slid out of bed, then headed to her dressing closet. Half asleep, she pulled on her army pants and tunic, the standard uniform the soldiers wore. Pulling her hair back, she quickly braided it and wrapped the braid around her head. As ready as she’d ever be at this forsaken hour, she headed to the sitting room where she found Darmik and Savenek waiting for her. Savenek was similarly dressed. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Apparently, Darmik was going to punish them both. Maybe this run wouldn’t be so bad after all.
They headed out of the castle, joining a dozen soldiers.
Darmik led the way, keeping a steady pace toward the forest. Allyssa and Savenek followed him, the soldiers running in two lines behind them. The sky had started to lighten, but it was still fairly dark out.
They made their way to the dirt path that cut through the trees.
“I don’t know why I’m jogging alone,” Darmik said.
Allyssa rolled her eyes and caught up to him, running on his left side. Savenek did the same, coming up to Darmik’s right.
“How far are we running today?” Savenek asked.
“Five miles,” she answered.
“Actually…” Darmik said. “I was going to head around the lake today.”
“Bloody hell! That’s ten miles.” There was no way she could run that far right now. She was barely managing to remain upright.
“Watch your language,” her father chided her.
“Are you too out of shape to run that far?” Savenek teased.
“She can run that far,” Darmik said.
“Too tired?” Savenek asked. “Need your beauty sleep?”
Reaching behind Darmik, she hit her brother. “How are you not tired?”
“Neither of you should be tired,” Darmik said pleasantly. “You both should be well rested and ready for this run.”
“I could run all day,” Savenek said. He pulled ahead of them. “In fact, I think I’ll run at a faster pace.”
Blimey. She would not let him outrun her. Pushing her legs faster, she caught up to him.
“Let’s make a bet,” he said. “Loser has to stand up at supper before the entire court and sing a song.”
Allyssa sounded like a dying dog when she sang.
He chuckled. “That’s what I thought. You can’t sing worth cows, can you?”
“How’d you know?”
“I was watching you closely last night. I might have even heard you trying to hum along.”
She had no idea if he could sing or not, but she was certain he wouldn’t be embarrassed standing in front of all those people. “If I win, you have to let me help you run the Brotherhood.”
He stumbled but caught himself. “You’re not involved with the Brotherhood?”
“No. My mother has been solely in charge of it. I’m quite surprised she’s letting you have as much control as you do.” Nope, Allyssa definitely didn’t sound bitter when she said that. She had enough other duties to tend to. However, there was something alluring about the secret organization.
“Fine. Because you’re never going to win.”
“I didn’t bring you out here to bicker,” Darmik said from behind them. “I thought the three of us would have a nice jog around the lake.”
“I say we shorten it to five,” she mumbled to Savenek.
“Okay, but you need to tell me where we’re going ahead of time.”
That was only fair. “Take this path for about two miles. When we reach the lake, turn right. The path will loop back to the castle. First one to step foot in the stables wins.”
“Deal.”
She wasn’t about to let him win. Using her elbow, she nudged him in the side. Hard. He grunted. She stuck her foot out, trying to trip him. He jumped right over her foot, not missing a step.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” he said with a wink. And then he took off, kicking up dust from running so quickly.
Dread filled her. The prospect of losing to her brother was bad enough. But to have to sing before her entire court? Unthinkable. Sucking it up, she sprinted as fast as her legs would go. Time seemed to stop, and all she could see was the back of Savenek’s head. She focused on that, runni
ng hard, trying to breathe in and out. She had no idea if her father and the soldiers were following. All that she cared about was keeping her brother in sight. Then when they neared the finish, she’d sprint around him.
It didn’t help that she was starving, tired, and not in the mood to run. She would not let her cocky, arrogant, think-he-knew-everything brother win.
A cramp formed in her side, but she ignored it. Or at least she tried to. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. They came to the lake. Savenek veered to the right. This was the halfway point. The first part was always the worst. She’d made it this far. She could finish.
Savenek smiled over his shoulder at her. She didn’t know what she looked like, but there most definitely was not a smile on her face. He didn’t even look winded! She should have known better than to make a bet with him. Of course Nathenek would have trained Savenek to survive on very little sleep and be able to run long distances. She was out of her league.
One foot in front of the other. Was Savenek getting farther away from her? She had to run faster. Her legs started going numb. Allyssa never ran this fast for this long. She couldn’t breathe. The stables came into view. Someone was standing near the entrance, waiting for them.
Savenek started running backward. “And here I thought this race was going to be close,” he teased.
Using every last ounce of energy she had, she sprinted toward the finish line. She just prayed her feet didn’t get tangled up and cause her to fall. Savenek’s eyes widened and he spun around, facing forward as he ran the rest of the way to the stables.
Savenek reached the door first and he slowed to a jog, crossing the entrance. Neco stood there with his arms folded, watching them. Allyssa started swaying on her feet, veering to the left and then the right. She motioned for Neco to move out of the way. He stepped to the side, and she ran past him into the stables. Savenek stood there with his hands on his hips, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Allyssa ran right past him and out the other end. She slowed to a walk and went to the first bush she saw, bending over and vomiting.
Her brother came up behind her. “Are you okay?”
“I hate you.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. Everything hurt. She had sweat dripping off her face, running down her back, and covering the front of her shirt. Her legs wobbled, barely holding her upright. She wasn’t sure she could make it to her bedchamber—where she planned to collapse and sleep for a very long time.
“I thought Darmik said he was going on a nice jog with his children,” Neco said as he joined them. “I’m not sure what this is, but I’m certain it’s not what Darmik had in mind.”
Allyssa and Savenek stared at one another.
Her brother grinned. “No, but he might enjoy the entertainment at supper tonight.” With that, he turned and strolled away, whistling as he went.
Allyssa entered the Dining Hall holding her head high. She would not let Savenek see how much she didn’t want to do this. Earlier in the day, he’d told her which song he wanted her to sing. It was one she’d never heard of. He’d gladly volunteered to write the lyrics down for her so she could memorize them before supper.
She strode to the head table, taking her seat alongside Savenek.
“You’re here before Rema and Darmik,” he said. “I’m shocked. I thought you were always late.”
“When do you want me to sing? Shall I do it before we eat? Or wait until people have food in their mouths so they can spit it out from laughing?”
He snorted. “You’re entertaining.”
“Glad I can be of amusement.” She took a sip of her wine.
“How about you sing in the middle of supper? That way you can spend the first half dreading it and the second half facing everyone you’ve serenaded.”
“You’re evil.”
Rema and Darmik entered, taking their seats next to Allyssa. The food was brought out and served.
She scanned the room, estimating there were about forty people present tonight.
As she ate, she went over the lyrics in her mind. They were crude and would humiliate her. No doubt it was why Savenek had chosen this particular song—if one could even call it that. The only way to pull this off was to stand up and be absolutely ridiculous. She hadn’t told anyone what she was going to do tonight, not even Mayra. Her face heated up just thinking about it.
Savenek nudged her. “It’s time.”
Pushing away from the table, she stood and went to the center of the room. Everyone stopped talking to stare at her.
She cleared her throat. “Thank you for joining us for supper. My esteemed brother Prince Savenek has suggested I provide you with some entertainment this evening.” She could have sworn she heard Darmik groan. How would she convince them she wasn’t looney from her time in Russek? “I’m going to sing a favorite of the prince’s. In fact, he specifically requested it. If I had chosen a song on my own, it would have been a very, very different song.” She glared pointedly at her brother.
Instead of seeming embarrassed, a smirk spread across his face. She wanted to throttle him.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves. There was nothing to do but get it over with.
So she sang.
A song appropriate for a pub—not a royal court.
And she made sure she bellowed it out:
“Pour a cup, yo ho
Down your belly it goes, oh no
Drink another cup
Before you barf it up
Tallie ho
Yo ho
Drink another cup before you go.”
She was going to die of embarrassment.
The entire room was silent, every single person’s eyes wide with shock or horror, she couldn’t be sure. She curtseyed and returned to her seat, holding her head high. Savenek started slowly clapping.
“Well done, Your Highness,” Mayra said as she began to clap enthusiastically.
Soon, everyone in the room was applauding.
Allyssa glanced over at Darmik, who sat there shaking his head. Rema blinked several times, but said nothing. Yup, this was going to earn Allyssa a stern lecture tonight. She sighed. At least it was over.
And the night couldn’t possibly get any worse.
The door flew open, and a sentry entered. “Your Majesties.” He bowed and hurried forward, stopping before the head table. “A messenger just arrived with this letter.” He held out the sealed parchment.
Darmik reached forward and took it, dismissing the sentry. Since everyone was still focused on the head table, he told them to resume eating their meals. Once attention was diverted, he examined the seal and opened the letter, reading its contents. He folded the letter back up, then tucked it into his tunic.
He didn’t rush from the room, which meant the news couldn’t be that dire. Allyssa lowered her gaze to her plate.
“That certainly was entertaining,” Savenek mused. “I think I enjoy life here at court.”
“I need you two to hurry and finish eating,” Darmik whispered to Allyssa and Savenek. “Then leave and go straight to the Royal Chambers.”
Maybe the news wasn’t so good after all.
Darmik stood, Rema joining him. They headed out of the room. As Darmik passed Neco, he pulled on his ear.
Blimey. That was the sign Darmik gave Neco whenever he needed him.
Not bothering to finish her meal, Allyssa stood and hurried after her parents.
“Wait for me,” Savenek said, catching up with her. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
Shaking her head, she glanced back. Sure enough, Neco was following them. A thought suddenly occurred to her. Could Kerdan be here? She wanted to shove past her parents and run to the Royal Chambers. Instead, she forced herself to stroll slowly behind them. Reaching up, she made sure her hair was in place. She hadn’t heard from him since they parted ways in Russek. She’d sent many letters, but he hadn’t responded. Darmik said Kerdan probably didn’t write back because h
e was too busy being crowned king, gaining control over the army, putting an end to Russek’s civil war, and not being assassinated. Which meant if Kerdan was here, things were going well and he was safe.
“Are you okay?” Savenek asked.
Unable to form words to respond, she simply nodded. She hadn’t realized how much she missed Kerdan until now.
They entered the Royal Chambers. It was empty. Maybe he was being escorted here at this very moment. She eagerly waited for Kerdan to join them. What would her mother and brother think of the man she’d chosen to spend her life with? Would they approve of him?
A sentry opened the door, revealing a visitor. Only, it wasn’t Kerdan who stood there dressed in his finest. Instead, Prince Odar of Fren strode forward, his eyes focused on Allyssa. He looked like a prince should. A crown atop his head, the royal crest embroidered on his blue tunic, a fine sword strapped to his waist.
Allyssa couldn’t breathe. What was he doing here? And where was Kerdan?
“Prince Odar,” Darmik said dryly. “Welcome.” Folding his arms across his chest, he waited for Odar to speak.
He seemed healthier than the last time she’d seen him. He’d gained some weight and his coloring was better. She went over to the sofa and sat, not having much energy left to stand about after the long day she’d had.
“Thank you for admitting me so readily. I need to speak with Princess Allyssa.” He purposefully scanned the guards around the room.
“Everyone out,” Darmik commanded. All the guards filed out of the room, leaving only the royal family, Odar, and Neco.
“My parents have officially sent me here to reestablish my relationship with Allyssa. They expect us to marry as soon as possible.” Odar rubbed his face. “However, that’s not why I’m really here.” He went over to one of the chairs and sat.
“I’m not following you,” Darmik said, sitting across from him on the sofa.
“As you know, Fren has a treaty with Telmena since my brother and Crown Princess Jestina married. When I refused to marry Princess Jestina, certain…elements…were put into the treaty. Me being here is now one of those requirements if you will.”
Oath of Destruction: Reign of Secrets, Book 5 Page 12