Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CEDRIC
With the golden knight shouting to part the crowds, we raced through the city at a steady clip instead of slogging through the masses.
I gaped at the buildings pressed tightly together, the roads so crowded with people, it was a wonder anyone could breathe.
But aside from that, the city was gorgeous.
A kaleidoscope of colors that covered every inch of the city.
Vibrant fabrics stretched between the buildings, providing shade for the streets below.
Silks and bright garments were on display on almost every corner.
Restaurants with exotic smells emanating from within their walls had colorful glass instead of windows that probably lit up like multicolored fireflies at night.
I wanted to see it all but knew we couldn’t stop to visit just yet.
Whatever Orthorr needed to see the king about, it was obviously important.
When the castle came into view, I gasped, staring up at the golden structure that seemed to glint in the sun.
Tall towers stretched toward the sky, so tall in some areas I had to crane my neck to look at them.
Orthorr had to cover my hands with his to stop me from falling off his horse, and I heard him chuckle when we finally stopped in front of a large staircase, and I was too busy looking at the castle to get down from his horse.
“Here. Allow me,” a smooth voice said, offering me a hand to get down. When I finally dragged my gaze off the castle, a new knight with a long dark blue cape with gold edges looked up at me, a smirk on his face like my reaction to my surroundings amused him.
I felt Orthorr stiffen, but I wasn’t sure why, and it felt rude ignoring the man’s offer to help me. Besides, I needed it. My legs wobbled when I was finally on my feet, and only the man’s gentle grip on my elbow kept me steady long enough for Orthorr to jump down and join me.
“Poor thing. I take it you don’t ride often?” the guard asked.
“No,” I agreed, feeling Orthorr’s warmth press against my back. When I glanced over my shoulder at him, my smile faltered at the dark look on his face. “Orthorr? Is something wrong?”
He glared at the knight, who seemed almost amused by the reaction, raising an eyebrow at Orthorr. It almost felt like I was in the middle of a standoff, and I had to remind Orthorr of why we were here to break the tension.
“Orthorr? The message…”
He grunted in acknowledgement, putting an arm around my waist and pulling me away from the knight to where an older man in what looked like staff robes was hurrying down the stairs, his expression tight with apprehension.
“Clan leader Orthorr. The guard told me you have a message for the king?”
“I do,” Orthorr agreed, showing the small scroll in his hand to the man. “It is urgent. Can we see him now?”
He nodded rapidly, beckoning us to follow him.
“This way. I am Karim, the king’s steward.
I’ve sent someone ahead to alert the king that you’re coming.
We’ll meet in his private office.” He looked at me, then the two barbarians who joined us.
“We can have someone bring your friends somewhere they can rest with refreshments? Perhaps the queen’s garden? ”
I felt Orthorr’s grip on my side tighten, but the idea of meeting an actual king was intimidating.
I didn't belong in that meeting. I was only a clerk of petitions. At least, I had been. Now, I was just a guest of the clan until I could find a more permanent place for myself. I wasn’t someone who needed to be meeting a king.
“Refreshments sound nice,” I agreed, giving Orthorr a reassuring smile. “I missed breakfast this morning. I’ll get something to eat while you meet with the king. We can meet up later?”
I hoped my tone wasn’t too needy, but I wanted to spend more time with him.
The few days I’d avoided him were excruciating.
I’d wanted to speak with him at least a dozen times and had to stop myself from searching for him in the village center whenever I snuck through. One night together wasn’t enough.
The dark look on Orthorr’s face softened, and he nodded once. “Good idea, ravsol. Tavik and Saneth will join you. I will meet you as soon as my meeting with King Zohaib is finished.”
He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, absolutely making me want to melt into a puddle at his feet, then pushed me forward so that I was closer to the barbarian guards who eyed me curiously.
Somehow, I got the feeling the moment we were out of earshot of their clan leader, those two would start asking questions about us.
Something about their energy just gave me that impression.
“I’ll escort them,” the knight from before offered. He strode forward, his hand replacing Orthorr’s on my back as he gestured away from the stairs toward a smaller path off to one side. “This way is faster than going through the castle.”
I frowned at the knight, looking over his armor. “That can’t be part of your job, can it? It seems below your paygrade.”
There were several guards in my town who were higher ranking who would never stoop so low as to play escort to someone as unimportant as me. It was odd that this knight was volunteering for the job.
“I consider escorting someone as beautiful as you as a personal gift. It is no trouble,” he practically purred.
Startled by the blatant flirtation, I froze, staring at him incredulously.
I knew same sex couples were accepted in Al Nuzem, but I didn’t think it would be so accepted that someone would flirt with me so outwardly.
I didn’t know what to do with that kind of attention.
I didn’t even want it. I glanced over my shoulder at Orthorr, who looked furious. Now I understood better why.
“Um… That’s nice, but I’m sure you’re busy,” I hedged, sidestepping to put more space between us. I was immediately flanked by the two barbarian guards who looked at the knight like he’d personally offended them by touching me.
“Rijal Hassan. I believe the king would prefer you to join this meeting,” Karim interrupted.
When I glanced in his direction, he had a frown on his face that said he wasn’t happy.
I wasn’t sure if that frown was because of my rejection of the knight or the knight’s actions.
I hoped I hadn’t done something to offend them.
“I will send someone to escort our king’s guests to the gardens and take care of them. ”
A flash of what looked like annoyance crossed the knight’s face, but he didn’t argue, taking a step back and giving me a small bow. “Of course. I hope to see you again soon, beautiful one. Perhaps I can show you around our fair city. I know a few places that would stir all a man’s senses.”
It was suggestive and incredibly forward, and I was glad I had the two barbarians beside me because it made me feel uneasy. I wasn’t sure I liked that kind of blatant attention. I preferred Orthorr’s subtle affection, making me feel warm and wanted without making me want to squirm and hide.
“Rijal Hassan,” Karim hissed.
The knight smirked, turning on his heel to join the group heading inside. I glanced at Orthorr who looked ready to murder the man, but when he looked back at me, his expression softened. He tipped his head, silently asking me if I was okay, and I nodded shakily to reassure him.
One of the barbarian guards beside me set a hand on my shoulder in a supportive gesture, speaking in the barbarian language clearly enough for me to understand him. “We will watch over him, clan leader. He will not be left alone.”
A few weeks ago, that comment would have scared me.
The growly way he said it alone would have been frightening.
But after knowing these barbarians for a few weeks, I saw it for what it was.
They weren’t holding me captive. They were protective.
They saw how uncomfortable I was and immediately stepped up to support me.
I breathed a sigh of relief at their determination, and my smile was a little more natural when Orthorr looked at me again.
He nodded once, then followed the knight and the steward into the castle, leaving me and the barbarians alone.
I let the stiffness in my posture relax when they left, slumping a little.
“You safe,” the smaller of the two reassured me, clapping me on the shoulder, his words simple so I could understand. I stumbled, he was a lot sturdier than I was, but he didn’t hurt me.
The bigger one, who was shaped like an upside down triangle, scowled in the direction of where the knight had disappeared. He said something rapidly in his language I didn’t catch and was elbowed by his companion who gave him a look and tipped his head at me.
“Slower. He is learning.”
The bigger barbarian grimaced. “Apologies. I forgot.”
Smiling, I shook my head. “It’s okay. My language is… not good. But I try.”
The smaller one shrugged. “You are a beginner. His common tongue is worse. I am Saneth. That is Tavik, my bondmate.” He jerked his thumb at the big barbarian, who had looked offended at the comment about his abilities with the common tongue, but immediately softened when Saneth used the term bondmate.
I had no idea that barbarians could bond with each other.
I’d only ever encountered barbarians bonded with townspeople.
“Happy to greet you,” I attempted, then blushed. “That was bad, right?”
Saneth snorted. “It was fine.” He looked around with a frown. “Where do we go?”
Tavik looked around with a frown. “I do not know. They said someone new would come.”
It felt a little awkward to just be standing by the front steps.
I didn’t want anyone showing up who didn’t know we were supposed to be there thinking we were some kind of threat.
I was going to suggest going into the city to wait and coming back later, but before we could, the sound of footsteps on tile floors drew our attention. It sounded like they were running.
A door near the entrance of the gardens the knight had pointed out before flew open and someone darted out, skidding on the dirt and flailing their arms. They’d been moving too fast, and I winced sympathetically when they yelped and their feet went out from under them.
I wasn’t the only one, either. Tavik and Saneth both visibly flinched and moved to help the man to his feet a moment later.
“Are you alright?” I asked as Saneth started smacking the dirt off the smaller man’s clothes.
He was as small as Finn, and each smack knocked him around a little, causing him to crash into Tavik.
I caught Saneth’s hand, shaking my head at him and speaking in the barbarian language. “You hurting him.”
Saneth looked abashed, making a face. “Sorry.”
The smaller man finally stood on his own power, looking between us with a bewildered expression for a long moment before he jumped, like he’d just remembered something important, speaking in the common tongue.
“You are king’s guests? I am Jamal. I am to escort you to the gardens for refreshments.” He beamed up at us, waving a hand emphatically toward the direction he’d come. “This way!”
Well, he was a little bundle of energy. I liked him a lot better than the knight.
He practically bounced as he led us to the gardens, arms moving animatedly as he gestured to statues and parts of the garden, giving us a tour.
Or, at least, that’s what I assumed he was doing.
He at one point switched to speaking Erabi, and I didn’t get to practice as much with the Al Nuzem language as I did with the barbarian language.
I could only pick out a few words at a time.
He was speaking too fast for me to catch more.
Tavik and Saneth looked just as confused as I felt, and when we were led to a smaller garden pavilion that looked less like a royal garden and more casual, they seemed to stiffen. I could understand their reaction. Was the change in location a slight or a miscommunication?
Jamal must have noticed the looks because he spun around, pointing to the roof above us. Thankfully, he switched to the common tongue while explaining so I could follow along and translate for my companions. “Queen’s garden is open. Sun too hot. This is better, I promise.”
“Ohh…” That made sense. Jamal wasn’t trying to insult us.
He was trying to spare us from the heat by avoiding the more formal garden.
Turning to Tavik and Saneth, I explained as best I could in the barbarian language, not sure how much they understood of the common tongue.
“He said garden is hot. No…” I didn’t know the word for roof, so I pointed helplessly and said, “covering? This is better.”
Thankfully, neither teased me for my poor conversational skills, and they seemed to understand what I was getting at. Their shoulders came down, and when Jamal brought out food fit for a king, they relaxed completely, sitting on the fluffy pillows scattered around the space in front of a low table.
Jamal looked between me and the barbarians, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. “You not speak Erabi?”
My face twisted into an apologetic frown and I shook my head. “Still learning. Sorry.”
He shrugged, unfazed. “My common tongue okay. I am learning, too.”
Instead of leaving us alone to eat and wait for Orthorr, Jamal plopped himself onto one of the pillows, putting his elbows onto the table and leaning toward Tavik and Saneth curiously. “You are barbarians. I heard good things. Many rumors about barbarian cock.”
I choked on the bite of food I’d just taken, coughing and spluttering. Tavik had to reach over and gently pound on my back to help me clear my airway, and when I finally looked up at Jamal, he looked confused.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I croaked. “I don’t know how to translate that, though.” Nor did I want to. I didn’t want to insult my protectors. To spare Jamal from possibly offending them, I added, “They’re bondmates. Husbands. Maybe not the best to ask about… that.”
Jamal frowned at me. “Why not?”
Oh goddess… What had I gotten myself into?