Page 7 of Winds of Destiny
Turo
A day ago, if anyone had told me I would spend this morning hosting a troop of Dellians for breakfast in the guards’ training courtyard, I’d have laughed and told them they’d eaten too many dreamfish. Now that I’m here, I’m not sure that dreaming all this isn’t the better alternative, at least for me.
I’m exhausted from yesterday, and from spending most of the night praying to the city god for Doric’s soul to find safety within his waters. I’m angry at the very thought of being separated from Cam, especially after losing the only other person in all Zephyth I’ve ever really cared for. I’m heartsick to know that these men are the ones who will take Cam from me, that I’ll have to watch him marry one of them in their prince’s stead, and that there’s nothing I can do about it.
But I’m a professional, and I know my duty. Without Cam or his sister here, I’m the official representative of the king. I won’t shame him by doing anything less than my best, and that includes being polite when I would rather drive my fist into this oversize man’s smug, handsome face.
They want wine with breakfast.
Wine.
With breakfast .
I have it brought, but judging from the way they’re draining their goblets with little to show for it, it might as well be water.
“You seem pensive this morning, Lord Turo.” Kai, their commander, speaks up from his spot at the head of the table. He’s the most talkative of the group by far, probably an effect of his rank and training. The others clearly follow his lead.
I’m devoting most of my attention to him accordingly. He keeps his people in line, and I keep him in line. I have to make sure he’ll be able to do his job well enough. It’s one thing to protect his men on the dangerous roads between cities, but quite another to protect Cam .
I can’t remember the everwinds—I can’t even imagine winds heavy and steady enough to carve waves into the earth, the enormous ruts that roll across the landscape. The older folks speak of them as hard to navigate, slowing commerce to a literal crawl on the backs of whelvers. But at least the everwinds kept bandits and thieves from plaguing the roads like they do now. Most importantly, it made the cities choose to cooperate and trade with each other, instead of looking toward conquest and power like they’ve been doing in recent times.
Kai seems well today. Not tired, not perturbed by yesterday’s violence, more curious about where he is and what’s to come. He and his men are without their heavy metal armor—made from solid sections of bronze shaped to their torsos and limbs—that either costs a stupid amount or is much easier to come by in Huridell.
Not wearing their armor doesn’t diminish their size by much. Dellians are strong, tall, and as wide as the mountains they live in. The shortest one is still a few inches taller than me, probably as tall as Cam. Kai is at least half a head taller than that, and his shoulders are wide enough that he has to turn a little going through most of the doors.
He’s wearing leather pants and a dark-blue shirt embroidered with ram horns in bronze thread. If Cam were here and feeling less threatened by the situation, he would almost certainly be licking his lips. From a certain angle, I can almost see the appeal.
Almost.
“A bit preoccupied is all,” I say to explain away my staring. “I apologize.”
“There’s no need. You did far more yesterday than any of us, after all. I’m ashamed that between us we only killed two of the attackers.” He takes a polite sip from the goblet, in contrast to how his men have been guzzling from theirs, then cuts into a sausage.
“Killing them wasn’t your job,” I point out.
“It wasn’t yours, either, from the sound of things.” He sets his goblet aside and spears me with a piercing gaze. “It’s the city’s guards that make me concerned. They were quickly overwhelmed.”
Ah, now we’re getting into it. He’s fishing for information about Zephyth’s readiness. That suits me fine; I’ll fish right back. “Surprises do that to people.”
“But it’s their job to be prepared, isn’t it? Not surprised when their own leading diplomat returns from a mission.”
“Lord Doric’s mission was of the utmost secrecy,” I say, not bothering to comment on his true role at court. Or mine. “It wasn’t uncommon for him to be gone for months at a time. No one other than the king had any reason to expect him back just then.”
“Still. It doesn’t speak particularly well of your men.” Or their commanders , I’m sure he’s thinking.
I shrug. “Zephyth has never had a strong warrior culture. Anyone marrying into it ought to know that much.” Does Eleas? “Personally, I’m surprised your prince didn’t send a larger honor guard. Is he so convinced of your superiority as fighters that he thought you’d be able to handle any attack all on your own?”
Don’t throw stones at our readiness when you’re the one who was stuck hiding behind a wagon while Cam and I saved your asses .
Kai inclines his head, acknowledging the point. “Our leadership underestimated the trouble on the plains, it seems. It won’t happen again.”
We won’t risk your precious prince.
“If you’re worried about our fighting ability, perhaps you’d agree to a spar,” he continues, pivoting smoothly. “I know you’re an excellent archer, but I’d love to test your swordsmanship.”
I bet you would. Despite myself, I’m interested—it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly challenged in a fight with anyone inside the city. Nevertheless, I demur. “Perhaps later. Tell me”— time to get to the point— “is your prince much of a fighter?”
One of the other Dellians laughs, his arm shaking so much that the smoked eel on the end of his fork falls right off it. “The best you’ve ever seen, flatlander.”
“Easy to say when I’ve never seen him.”
Several of the men look at Kai as if expecting him to lead the charge in either being offended or shrugging my comments off. He’s unperturbed—good.
“He’s one of our best,” Kai says after a moment’s thought. “That’s not something I say lightly, either. Zephythans largely appear to be of a more delicate nature than my people, perhaps because it’s relatively easy for you to provide for yourselves. In the mountains, living well takes effort. There’s very little space for farming, so hunting ability is even more prized than fighting. Prince Eleas never fails to bring home a kill after each trip, usually something large enough to feed half the barracks at once. Some say he’s guided by our god, Carnuatu.” Kai shrugs. “That’s not something I can speak to one way or the other, but he is a capable protector and provider. Prince Camrael will want for nothing with him.”
I doubt that very much. Something of what I’m thinking must bleed through my blank expression, because Kai smiles ever so slightly at me. “I can see that you feel as strongly for him as he does for you. Never fear, Lord Turo. Prince Camrael will be a treasure to us, prized as much for his mind as his beauty.”
That isn’t as comforting as Kai probably intends it to be. “Treasures are locked away behind closed doors and only see the light when their owners wish to admire them,” I say stiffly. The idea of Cam being made into any sort of “prize” and restricted due to what his husband feels is his own good is…terrifying. It makes me want to grab my blade and start swinging.
“Not in Huridell,” Kai says definitively. “Not when he is the prince’s husband. My city has been closed off for long enough. My prince is hopeful that, with Prince Camrael’s help, they’ll be able to open Huridell up to new ways, new ideas. I have the authority to make this part of the wedding agreement if you like.”
Does he now? The prince clearly has a high degree of trust in this man if he’s given him permission to sign binding contracts in his name. Despite myself, I’m charmed by Kai’s straightforwardness.
I don’t want to be charmed, damn it; I want to loathe this son of a bitch for taking Cam away from me, but… “That might be for the best,” I finally say. The addition won’t make Cam happy, exactly, but it should allay some of his fears.
It does fuck all for my fears, but this isn’t about me. This is about making Cam as content as possible with his upcoming marriage. That means I need to take a step back and make sure that Cam’s fiancé is held up in the best light possible.
I also need to make Kai, and his people, happy. I stand up and signal for one of the guards. “Bring a barrel of the red,” I tell the man.
The guard looks startled. “A barrel? Sir…”
I know where he’s going with this, but honestly, if we don’t start serving these Dellians something stronger, they’ll go through all of the king’s finest vintages before they leave. “I think they can handle it,” I say. “Go.”
The man goes, and I turn to answer Kai’s unspoken question.
“I think you and your men merit a more potent sort of brew,” I say—and ah, now I’ve got every Dellian’s attention. “If what he’s bringing doesn’t knock you all on your asses, nothing will.”
A ragged but enthusiastic cheer goes up from the men, and I smile despite myself.
Kai raises his glass to me in a toast. “To your health, Lord Turo.”
“And to yours.”