Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kiran was lounging outside, enjoying the sunshine when his day was ruined.
Tynan’s personal guards crowded around him, casting a shadow and stealing the warmth his skin was soaking in. One of the guards cleared their throats and stepped forward. “Master Sulien, Lord Dalmar has requested we bring you to his personal study.”
“Why?” he crooned, draping an arm over his eyes in a display that made him look at once blinded and lazy—neither of which he was. Well, perhaps he carried remnants of the latter, but he certainly was not the former.
“Lord Dalmar did not provide us with a reasoning, only an instruction.”
“And if I don’t want to go?”
He watched through the crook of his elbow as they exchanged nervous glances. “Please don’t make this difficult,” the guard finally said. “You know Lord Dalmar does not take kindly to insubordination. It’s easier on everyone if you just answer his summons.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” he drawled.
He perfectly slackened his body to look like he didn't have a care in the world about them being there; really he was prodding the situation—attempting to understand why they were summoning him on behalf of Tynan.
Why there were numerous guards instead of one guard.
Better yet, why send a guard at all? Tynan could have chosen to send a simple messenger for him.
But no… Tynan was nothing if not a man of intention.
He wanted Kiran to question why he was summoning him with force.
Which also meant he wanted Kiran to know he was most likely being summoned to discuss Draven and Lealla’s whereabouts.
They had been gone for six months now. Kiran missed his brother, but from what he gleaned from their letters, Draven was happy—the happiest he had ever seen him, in fact.
So much so, he was nearly a different person.
And Lealla…
She finally found someone who treated her as she deserved, from what Draven wrote. Kiran was happy for her. It had always been socially acceptable for noble men to carry mistresses—why shouldn’t she be allowed to have her own lover?
Even if, truthfully, Kiran was shocked they had managed to be away for so long.
Though he supposed they couldn’t have timed it more perfectly.
Tynan had been traveling the past few months, overseeing some political advancement King Erasmus demanded.
Since their departure, he had only been at Tylderon for a handful of weeks, of which he spent holed up in his study, poring over some agreement, if the whispers around the castle were to be trusted.
Still, it had not been easy to cause distractions when Matris started asking questions.
With that peculiar lift of her brow and aloof tone, she had said, “Strange that both Draven and Lealla are gone again. Shall I trouble myself by bearing the burden of concern?”
Finlay had glanced at Kiran to answer—he was a terrible liar, that snowy do-gooder.
Kiran had mustered indifference and waved a lazy hand. “Tynan thought it would hold educational value if his mother took him throughout the Three Kingdoms to explore and learn of the lands. If you see fault with that, perhaps you should take it up with him?”
Kiran had to smother his grin when he had seen the silver-haired woman pale at the mere thought of questioning Tynan.
“Next form,” she had said instead, dropping the matter.
Now, it would seem Tynan had returned to Tylderon and had need of his “family”.
“Master Sulien,” the guard urged again, growing impatient.
Kiran sighed emphatically. “And to think it was such a beautiful day, ” he muttered. Whatever the next hour would bring, he knew it wouldn’t be good. Even if Tynan couldn’t quite lay a hand on him like he did Draven, there were other strategic ways Tynan could show his dissatisfaction with him.
The guard, seeming to possess a brain cell after all, decided on a new approach to hasten Kiran along. “Master Fjolla is already waiting in Lord Dalmar’s study.”
Kiran dropped his arm from his face and jerked upright at that. “What, Fin? He summoned him, too?”
The guard nodded, doing his best not to let his triumph show. Kiran couldn’t care less about that, though. Tynan had also summoned Finlay.
Fuck.
“Lead the way, O’Mighty One,” Kiran muttered with the flick of his hand.