Chapter XVIII Fish #2
But my first knight only laughs, turning around. “Magnar! There’s someone you can question, but we’d better find her fast! And one Prince Piter is waiting nearby to marry our girl, did you know? I say we show him the error of his ways.”
“They are going to kill him, aren’t they?” I ask with fascination, watching Khay’s retreating back, his cheerful, eager voice so at odds with what he’s saying.
Magnar emerges from the carriage with a sheath of papers, and waves them at Khay. There are two more bodies at his feet, probably the driver and another thug. I look away. In the falling dusk, I can’t make out the details anyway.
We’re no longer alone—about a dozen soldiers are hard at work, searching the bodies and the area. Raduna cradles me in his arms with care, glancing at my face every now and then as he watches our surroundings, his forehead lined with concentration.
“I’d wager they’ll torture him first,” Arvi says with a wide grin, cleaning the knife he pulled out of the Unmentionable’s thigh.
He offers it to me. “Keep it, laruna. And take it out every time you forget you’re a fighter. It will remind you how strong you are.”
I smile at him, staring at the way his bald, tattooed head glistens in the light of torches the soldiers brought with them.
“What’s laruna?”
“My favorite fish,” Arvi says, his mouth growing serious, though his eyes sparkle with mischief. “And that’s what I decided to call you since you’re my favorite person. I can’t be worse than Khay and others, right?”
I blink at him, noticing for the first time that his eyes, which I previously thought were brown, are actually a deep amber with a reddish tint.
Firelight brings out their true depth. Inevitably, my gaze lowers to his mouth, the gold light glistening in the fascinating hoop in the corner of his lip.
“How am I your favorite person?” I ask, confused. “We barely know each other.”
Arvi is the one I spoke with least, the scariest and most intimidating of them—even though I know he has Magnar’s absolute trust, just like the other knights.
He snorts, laying his long-clawed finger on my chest between the tops of my breasts. “I just know, laruna.”
“Is it a tasty fish, at least?”
Arvi shakes his head, pulling back. “It’s not for eating, but I can tell you it’s the prettiest I’ve ever seen. All right, then. Since Magnar and Khay are hunting spies, we’re gonna get you ready for bed tonight. It’s double guard from now on, because the single guard failed.”
Raduna nods and turns away from the bodies, and I frown. “I don’t understand. How did this happen in the first place? What kept Khay so long? He was supposed to get me quickly, but he didn’t turn up.”
Arvi snickers like it’s the best of jokes.
“Some local Agnidari pulled him away, lying Magnar needed him for an urgent matter. Khay went like a dimwit and got a nice, hard hit to the head. Two men locked him up and stayed to guard him, only, he woke up sooner than they expected, and he was livid. Wrung both their necks, screaming your name like a madman. That’s how we knew you were gone. ”
“Oh.” I wince in sympathy. “Will he be fine? A hit to the head sounds serious.”
“Khay’s skull is thick,” Raduna rumbles with amusement. “And now that you gave us some information, maybe Magnar won’t strangle him for killing them before they could be questioned.”
We are among the houses now, getting closer to the main square.
I sit up in Raduna’s arms to note that the feast is definitely over, a handful of Agnidari women clearing the tables as Magnar’s soldiers stand guard, some moving from door to door, pounding to be let in.
I guess the search for the blue-haired woman is underway.
The mayor stands in the middle of the square, wringing his hands. Two soldiers flank his sides, not holding him exactly, but I get the impression he’s not free to leave.
“I am so sorry, my queen!” he exclaims, seeing us. His gold chains clink as he shakes with distress. “I had no idea this was going on in my town hall, you have to believe me! We haven’t used those rooms in ages. If I knew some human vermin infested them, I would have…”
He stops with a squeak as a knife, lazily thrown by Arvi, flies right by his side, leaving a tiny nick in the wide sleeve of his luxurious robe.
“If I were you, I would be very careful when addressing your queen in the future,” Raduna says. “She is the Agnidari queen, but her origins are not to be scorned.”
The mayor’s face is bloodless, his skin pale like ash. He nods, his lips trembling, and Arvi laughs. We keep walking, the fearful gaze of the mayor following our progress.
“There’s an inn not far from here,” Raduna says, glancing at me while Arvi turns slowly around, tense and alert. I realize his laugh and frequent snickers don’t mean he’s frivolous. Both my knights are on edge tonight.
“Is it safe?” I ask, impacted by their wariness.
Arvi snorts. “Nowhere is safe right now, but we’ll slaughter anyone who wants to take you. You have my word.”