Drums in the rain, p.5
Drums in the Rain, page 5
Fagan’s eyes narrowed, then a small smirk tilted his lips, something in his expression softening minutely. “You know this isn’t good for either of us.”
Naral nodded, met his stare squarely with no dissembling. “I know. I know what you’re risking. I am well aware of how others are viewing my relationship with you, the whispers, the rumors. Yet the Chosen likes you. Today, my emperor admired your ability to meet his eyes and say what needed to be said. You’re far more than where you were born, Fagan. As am I. I think it comes down to what we are willing to accept as boundaries from others.”
Fagan gave a soft huff. “I’ve never been good at boundaries. Always want to break them down, see what’s on the other side.”
Naral smiled, his fondness of Fagan’s quirks rising to make his breath hitch.
The sound seemed to make Fagan’s mind up, because he reached out, his small, fine-boned hand taking Naral’s larger, sword-calloused one, the sight satisfying some primal part of Naral’s very being.
The little thief leaned forward. “I think I’m out of my mind, but curiosity has always been my downfall. Let’s see the other side of those damn boundaries.”
Naral gave a choking laugh and lunged forward for a toe-curling kiss.
* * *
Raine
Taldan read the message carefully. He placed the paper down and stared blankly at the desk, eyes wide and fixed.
Raine felt a surge of fear, putting his hand out and covering Taldan’s. “What is it?”
He knew it was a missive from Zaran. Surely nothing had happened to the prince?
“They’re coming home.” Taldan’s hand curled into a fist, and Raine eyed him uncertainly.
“That’s good…isn’t it?”
“He hopes to bring people with him. The king of Bhantan, if he agrees to accept my apology and our hospitality. A man named Ralnulian, who apparently is yet another assassin from the War Guild, but who escaped long ago. His experiences and inside knowledge may be able to help us.”
Raine nodded uncertainly.
“And Hredeen.”
Raine’s heart stopped, then resumed at double beat, a feeling of panic rising in his throat. Despite his earlier words encouraging Taldan to bring Hredeen home, now that the possibility was real, a sense of dread took him. His heart suddenly didn’t want the assassin to return. Not when he and Taldan were finally forging something good and right.
With Hredeen at hand, Raine would be thrust to the background, becoming a very unnecessary part of Taldan’s world. The link, everything that they had worked toward would come tumbling down. He had no doubt of that. The feelings that Taldan had toward his former concubine were nothing that could be denied. He couldn’t speak for the fear he was feeling.
Taldan frowned and turned to face him, obviously picking up at least some of the emotions through the link. “You have nothing to fear. Your role, his role, they are separate. One does not overcome the other.”
“Do you even know what his role will be?” Raine asked quietly. “You want him, you claim that you will name him another Chosen, yet such a thing has never been done. Will he have the same link as we do? What will his duties be? His place?”
Taldan surged to his feet and began pacing, his expression gaining that intense, almost manic look that always appeared when the subject of Hredeen came to the fore. Raine feared that the emperor was not completely himself when he spoke of how he envisioned Hredeen’s return.
He remembered the conversation he’d had with Sarnwa, how the other Chosen had indicated that he felt that Hredeen would not accept any such offer on Taldan’s behalf. Watching him now, Raine wondered whether Taldan was capable of accepting such a refusal.
If he was not able, as Raine very much feared, then what would occur when a man who had no boundaries as emperor faced the denial of his wishes by a man he loved?
In all other things, Taldan was the model of control, as he had been taught since birth. When it came to Hredeen, something else was in play. Emotions. Something that Taldan had little experience with beyond tamping them down, molding them to his will.
Somehow, Raine didn’t think this could possibly turn out well. For anyone.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Did they give any indication of when?”
Taldan blinked, as though coming back from his own thoughts. “They will be traveling by sea, returning on the supply ships I sent to the capital of Bhantan. I’m not certain how long it will take to reach the capital from where they are near the borders of Bhantan. But once they set sail, if the winds hold true and the storms keep to the south, they should be back in our harbor within four days.”
Four days, plus however long it took to march on the capital. It felt far too short a time.
Taldan caught his arm, turned him to face him. “I am not going to cast you aside, Raine. I am not going to jeopardize what we have together.”
“You love him,” Raine pointed out softly, watching his expression.
“I don’t know what I feel for you, but it grows. That is truth. Trust in me.” Taldan gaze caught and held Raine’s.
Finally Raine nodded, though his tension did not lessen. He did trust Taldan.
However, what lay between Hredeen and Taldan had been so intense, so complete, that its loss had broken something within the new emperor. It made Raine fear what would happen when the two met. Neither of them was the same. Such fierce love could turn into something else entirely.
Taldan released him and paced, expression going from anticipation, to worry, to anger, within moments of each.
Raine slowly sat down, his fear rising. He desperately wanted to speak to someone about what he was seeing in Taldan. But who?
Later, Raine stepped out of the room, closing the door softly in his wake and standing with his back against it, sucking in a deep breath.
The two Shadows outside turned their heads and stared at him. At least he thought they were staring at him. Within the darkness of their cowls, only the whiteness of the veil was evident.
He shivered, then gathered his courage and lifted his chin, staring back.
“I need to find Lord Naral.” His voice was steady and sure, despite his pounding heart.
The Shadows glanced at each other, some silent communication passing between them before the one to the right nodded and gestured for Raine to follow him.
The other Shadow remained, and Raine knew that another Shadow would emerge from somewhere and take up the empty post. He had seen it more than once and still found himself awed by the stealth and way the Shadows knew what each of them was doing at any time.
It smacked of magic in his view, something he was not terribly comfortable with. He had come to terms with the Illumitae. For the most part, the emperor’s power seemed to be knowledge, the memories of every man who had sat upon the golden throne. It was rumored that long ago, the Illumitae had been much more than that. It had been a weapon of considerable power. That had been in the beginning, during the first few generations of the empire’s dynasty. Yet there were no books from that era, no writings. Even the Illumitae memories contained no information, according to Taldan. It was an odd gap in the history of Anrodnes, and Raine could not help being curious as to why it had been eliminated.
Stories abounded, many of them saying that the Illumitae had been too formidable, too dangerous in the hands of anyone but the gods themselves. One ballad, its origins lost, spoke of the weapon returning when Anrodnes was most in danger, but Raine discounted that scornfully. What ballad didn’t bring up such a myth? It was a common theme.
The truth was, nobody knew.
Raine felt the Illumitae in his veins. It was more intense when he and Taldan touched, but it was present even when they were apart. He felt no threat from it, no sense it was capable of being a threat, yet it had driven away the other candidates, hurting them.
He shook his head. That was not his concern at the moment. He had to focus on how to help Taldan. The only way he could do that was to understand the man’s past, know what was normal behavior and what was not.
Naral and Zaran would both know, but Zaran was far away in Bhantan. Raine tried not to think who would be returning with him. The thought of Hredeen here gave him chills. Not just on his own behalf, although that was first and foremost in his list of worries, but he had a strong premonition that Hredeen’s return would bring a great deal of upheaval. He desperately wanted Taldan to be happy, but he feared that Hredeen’s arrival would have exactly the opposite effect.
He followed the silent Shadow, trying to tear his mind away from Taldan. He had left the emperor alone after attempting to speak to him several times. Taldan had sunk into introspection so deep he had not seemed to be aware of Raine in the least. Was that what Raine had to look forward to once Hredeen returned to the palace?
The choice to find Naral and talk with him had been a difficult decision. The emperor’s companion had never liked Raine, although they had come to a wary truce since Raine had been Chosen.
Raine always felt like he was in the wrong around the other man, as if he couldn’t do anything right. The nervousness annoyed him. He would be eaten alive if he didn’t learn to at least pretend confidence, even if he didn’t feel it.
They passed through the corridors at a swift pace. It was quiet this hour, as supper was served in the main hall. Raine was grateful for the peacefulness, but it was rather depressing to realize that he didn’t have the first clue where anything was in the palace. Taldan had said that he could still attend college, but as of yet, he had not been allowed out. The threat of a plot against Taldan was still too fresh for Raine to be allowed the slightest bit of independence beyond the palace walls.
It was far too much like being at home, although at least he occasionally learned from Taldan about things in the city, the empire, and beyond the borders. He was grateful for that much at least, even if the man sometimes forgot he had a partner now, someone who wanted to know what was occurring outside the royal quarters.
The loss of Isnay’s presence left him feeling isolated, with only Taldan for company. Their relationship was still forming. He wouldn’t risk voicing his fears and doubts, particularly when a great many of them were about Taldan himself.
He hoped that Isnay would be returning with the king of Bhantan. He missed the other man terribly. Their friendship had grown so swiftly, but the strength of it was beyond any doubt at all.
They reached Lord Naral’s office, and the Shadow leaned forward, opening the door and gesturing Raine inside.
He heard a curse and stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of him before bolting out the door and leaning against the wall. The Shadow eyed him, slowly closed the door with a soft click, then stood calmly, guarding perhaps?
The door flew open again, and Naral strode out, shirtless, pants unfastened, hair on end and lips kiss-swollen.
Obviously, Naral and Fagan were far closer than anyone could possibly have expected.
“You could have knocked,” Naral snarled.
Raine turned to face him, his own temper rising. “Your office is supposed to be a public area where people can contact you. I didn’t realize it was also your love nest!”
Naral reared back, astonished, as though a mouse had threatened to bite him, before a vivid blush flooded his cheeks and down over his neck.
“By the gods! It is not a love nest!” Naral choked out. “Where did you even come by that term?”
“What am I supposed to think? Anybody could have walked through those doors and seen…that.” Raine’s own cheeks were hot.
“I did my job.” Naral’s tone was defensive. “The Shadows are on their way to pick up the two men. I am not shirking. This… This was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I can assure you, Fagan—”
Raine glared at him in disbelief and interrupted. “Please tell me you are not going to blame this on Fagan? It was very clear that you were participating very eagerly indeed.”
Naral rolled his eyes. “I’m not trying to deny participation. I’m trying to tell you that it has not happened before.”
“You’ve never kissed him before?” Raine tilted his head skeptically.
“No! I mean, yes.” Naral ran an agitated hand through his hair, spiking it on end. “But not here! It was on the street…”
Raine raised an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest. “In clear sight of everyone? I can’t think that is going to go over well. The head of security canoodling with a thief.”
Naral stared. “Canoodling? Where do you get these terms?”
Raine shrugged. “I read a lot.” His glare deepened. “Don’t you dare blame Fagan for this.”
“Well, he started it!”
Raine’s other eyebrow joined the first. “And I’m sure you protested.”
“No, he really didn’t.” Fagan lounged in the doorway relacing his pants, shirt untucked and open wide, a smirk curving his obviously well-kissed lips. “He’s been hard to pin down though. Seems to hold some idea that his job title is something important.”
Raine stared for a moment, hearing Naral groan beside him. Then he could not prevent his mouth from forming a smile. “Naral thinks he is important? I haven’t heard that rumor.”
Fagan eyed Naral as the man leaned against the wall, head in hands, the blush clearly visible now all the way down his throat.
“That’s what I thought. He is a little prudish, inhibited. I just thought a few lessons of a sexual nature would break him free from his repression.” Fagan’s eyes glittered with mischief.
Raine laughed out loud. “I like you, Fagan DeLorne. When you are finished with the ‘lessons’ here, feel free to come visit me in the dining hall. I would love to speak to you. Someone with a sense of humor would be a relaxing change. Tell one of the guards that I asked for you.”
Fagan bowed deeply, a hint of surprise in his expression. “I will do so, Chosen. I would be honored.”
Naral had jerked his head up, looking between the two of them with wild eyes. “No. Fagan can’t just go wandering through the palace. Gods know what will end up missing.”
Fagan frowned at him. “I have an invitation. One does not steal from the house that one is invited to. One would think you would know that, being a lord and all.”
Naral pinched the bridge of his nose, and Raine stifled a grin. This was pleasant, Naral being on the wrong foot. Their encounters before had always been with Naral in control and Raine floundering. He was not about to give Naral quarter now, not after his treatment in the past.
He caught sight of Naral eyeing him, pleading in his expression.
Raine shook his head. “We might not have started out on the right foot, but I am not about to go gossiping about your personal business. I would just recommend that you find another place. Next time, it might be someone who does not understand discretion.”
Naral straightened with relief before glaring at Fagan. “It will certainly not be in my office again.”
Fagan shrugged, a little smile still tugging at his lips. “I am a creature of adventure. I’m sure we can find somewhere much more private.” He reached out and grabbed Naral’s wrist, tugging him through the door, back into the office.
Naral gave a surprised grunt, then the door was slammed behind them, leaving Raine and the Shadow in the hallway.
They eyed each other, and Raine swore that he saw the faintest twitch of a smile behind that sheer veil. Certainly the man’s eyes held true amusement, more so than he would have expected from a Shadow.
“I will ensure that one of my brethren brings Delorne to the dining area without any interruptions,” the Shadow said. The smooth voice managed to disguise any further humor.
Raine nodded. “That might be prudent.”
Well, so much for trying to speak to Naral about Taldan. He would have to wait or find someone else to share his concerns with. The lighthearted moment he’d shared with Fagan drained away, and his worries rushed back.
He followed the Shadow as they retraced their steps through the halls, his heart heavy once more…
* * *
Isnay
Isnay watched Dransin with concern. The king had listened to Zaran’s invitation to come to Persis with a dark expression but remained polite if noncommittal. Isnay knew Dransin had to face whatever political inquest his sister and the ex-king demanded. He didn’t understand all the politics of this kingdom yet, but he could tell that it worried the Bhantan king.
Still, King Dransin Harlainan had extended the offer to Prince Zaran to come to Ferulum and depart from there back to Persis. To Isnay, it seemed partly a test to see if the prince’s motives were as pure as he claimed. Would the imperial prince leave behind his army and ride ahead to the Bhantan capital?
Zaran had agreed without hesitation. Anrodnes would leave the majority of the army to travel back to Odenar by land, settling into the rebellious territory for an unspecified amount of time to restore the empire’s order. Some Shadows would remain in Odenar. Some would accompany Zaran back to the imperial capital.
Now they were sitting quietly beneath a tree, watching as the Anrodnes military packed up the encampment with amazing speed and efficiency.
Dransin had a blade of grass between his fingers, and he was slowly shredding it as he viewed everything with narrowed eyes. His companions were wandering through the camp, speaking with the soldiers, obviously keen to learn anything that might enhance their own skills, even with something as foreign as moving an army. Perhaps they were also sounding out the truth of whether Anrodnes was no longer the epitome of expansion.
Isnay bumped his shoulder against Dransin’s, longing to erase the lines of strain upon the man’s face, the marks of sleepless nights that shadowed his eyes so deeply.
Dransin glanced at him and gave a tight smile before letting out a long sigh.
“We are so behind in everything,” Dransin said. “How do I provide protection for our lands while not destroying my people’s belief in peace? I see no way to combine the two.” Dransin threw the grass away in disgust, fingers stained green. “The more I seek to make my lands safe, the more my enemies use it against me.”
