Chapter Two
Unfortunately for Orion and Stefan, their attempts at an initiation for de Velt did not go as planned.
Orion was at the head of it, as he always was.
He’d spent the early part of his career with the Guard of Six as a virtual outsider, only accepted in the heat of a crisis, so he was rabid when it came to ensuring any new members were, indeed, worthy of that which he’d worked so hard to achieve.
He didn’t want this to be an easy path for anyone and he was going to make sure of it.
Gerard de Velt, however, had other ideas.
Weary from a ride that had taken him about two weeks, which was faster than it should have considering he’d been in the north, he had been sent to the Chamber of Six, which was the gathering room for Henry’s personal guard.
A knight from the Guard of Six had met him in the torchlit ward when he’d been about halfway to his destination, a man who had introduced himself as Bennet de Bermingham.
He was an older man, with dark hair that was graying around his ears and temples, and he politely asked Gerard about his journey and assured him that his presence was welcome.
Except…
A couple of members of the Six, newer members from families Gerard was well acquainted with, were planning on issuing some kind of test so that he might prove he was a worthy addition to the group.
Gerard seemed to think that was rather humorous and he appreciated that Bennet had warned him, but he made no move to protect himself as he headed straight into the corridor that was indicated.
That was where things got dicey.
Since Gerard was prepared for what was coming, he knew enough not to strike to kill.
The men weren’t trying to destroy him, but simply test his mettle.
That was what Bennet had insisted, anyway.
But that didn’t mean Gerard wasn’t going to teach those knights a lesson. They intended to assess him, did they?
He intended to turn the tables.
The first sign that something was amiss was a body flying out at him in the darkness.
As soon as he entered the corridor, Gerard caught movement off to his right.
Rather than turn and face it, he took a giant step backward to the entry door and the body went sailing past him.
Before the figure could move away from him entirely, however, he stuck out a big, booted foot and kicked whoever it was.
The man went crashing into the wall and a grunt of pain filled the air.
He heard the man cursing, then, abruptly, another big body was blocking the path in front of him and hands were reaching out.
Possibly for his neck, but it was difficult to know for certain, so Gerard dodged the hands and lashed out a booted foot.
He caught the figure somewhere in the middle of the torso and that man, too, staggered back.
But when he tried to regain his footing and charge, Gerard stepped outside completely and slammed the door in his face.
All the while, Bennet simply stood there and shook his head in disapproval.
It had been an inexcusable spectacle.
“Chep?” came a voice. “What’s happening?”
Bennet turned in the direction of the question, seeing Aidric, Britt, and Dirk walking up. The query had come from Aidric and Bennet had opened his mouth to answer when a chorus of curses rose up from behind the slammed door.
Bennet pointed to the panel.
“Monty and Stefan tried to welcome Gerard,” he said. “Their overture was rejected.”
All eyes turned to the man standing a few feet away. Gerard de Velt stepped forward, completely unflustered, and looked at the three knights as if expecting some foolery from them, also. His dark brow was furrowed, his strangely colored eyes full of suspicion.
“If you think to attack me, then know I will not make an easy target,” he said. “I am prepared.”
Aidric held up a hand to ease him. “There will be no attack, I assure you,” he said. “There should not have even been this one, but Payton-Forrester and de Lohr seemed to have other ideas. Though they meant no real harm, I find that behavior appalling. You have my apologies.”
With that, he marched over to the door and yanked it open to find Stefan and Orion standing there. Orion had a big bump on his forehead and Stefan was nursing a bloodied nose.
Aidric scowled.
“What were you two thinking?” he demanded. “This is not how we welcome another member of the Six. Not in the least.”
Big and blond and handsome, Orion was trying very hard not to appear remorseful.
“It was done with affection, I assure you,” he said, looking at Gerard.
“Our families are old allies in the north. Manny and I have known each other for many years. It was simply my way of greeting him, but it seems that he was ready for me. A pity. It could have been fun.”
Aidric rolled his eyes at the use of the nickname. “You will address him respectfully.”
Orion looked at him as if he was the one with the problem.
“I have addressed him with perfect respect,” he said.
“Manmeat and I understand one another. That moniker came about long before I used it and it will continue long after my bones are in the ground. If he does not like me to use it, then all he need do is tell me.”
Aidric was going from irritated to angry at that point. Orion had the power to annoy the hell out of him—and it was a power he had with the entire group, in fact. Exasperated, Aidric looked at Britt and Dirk, silently demanding their opinions on the matter, then Gerard spoke quietly.
Firmly, but quietly.
Like rolling thunder.
“You were an incorrigible child and I see that has not changed,” he said to Orion. “No one liked you back then and I suspect no one likes you now. You continue to prove yourself a fool, Orion.”
There was a threat in that statement. No warmth or recognition of the allyship that Orion was so free in announcing.
For a moment, no one was sure how Orion was going to react to the statement.
He simply stared at Gerard, the weight of the moment bearing down on all of them.
Aidric began to wonder if they were about to have a fight on their hands.
For men who needed to trust one another with their lives in this tightly knit group, such animosity would not work.
Someone would have to go.
Abruptly, Orion broke into a grin.
“I am madly in love with you, you idiot,” he said, going to Gerard and cupping the man’s face affectionately. “How dare you speak so cruelly to me. We were the best of friends for years and you know it.”
He was virtually manhandling Gerard’s head in his overt attempt at affection and the others held their breath, waiting for Gerard to cuff him, but Gerard merely broke into a weak grin.
“The next time you try to ambush me, I will not be so kind to you,” he said, throwing his arm around Orion’s neck in a rough gesture of camaraderie. “I will break some bones, so do not test me again.”
Orion was quite happy to let the man hug him. “I cannot promise that.”
“Then you are in for some pain.”
That had Orion laughing. Sensing that perhaps all was well with them, even if it was in a rather rough-and-tumble way, Aidric motioned toward the chamber that was the gathering place for the Guard of Six.
“Inside,” he told them, moving the men along. “There is much to discuss between us all.”
With Orion and Gerard half dragging each other inside the building, they were followed by Stefan, and then Bennet, who looked both concerned and appalled by their behavior. Britt followed Bennet, leaving Dirk and Aidric to bring up the rear.
“Christ,” Dirk muttered. “I thought we were going to have some trouble.”
Aidric could only nod. “As did I,” he said. “If there was any hint of animosity, one of them would have to go.”
“Edward invited Gerard personally.”
“Orion has seniority.”
Aidric paused, watching the knights in front of him enter the gathering chamber. “Edward,” he muttered. “I am still not used to that. The man has been our king for over a year and he has only just arrived in England. It is a new world for us, Dirk. Those of us who have served Henry faithfully.”
Dirk knew that. “I know,” he said quietly.
“The fact that Edward has not disbanded us outright is… confusing. Henry always insisted that we remain so close to him, but Edward has his own men, his own way of doing things. I will admit that I am puzzled as to why he has invited Gerard to join our group.”
Aidric shook his head. “I am not,” he murmured. “De Velt has a… past.”
“You’re speaking of the Executioner Knights?”
“The one and only.”
“I heard they exiled him when he disobeyed an order.”
Aidric looked at him. “He is their executioner,” he whispered.
“Or, at least, he was. The man has his grandfather’s looks and more than a hint of his dangerous reputation.
He is not a man who would normally be part of a group like ours.
We are not spies or assassins. We serve the king directly, as his protectors.
It is true that we have been known to do things for Henry that weren’t particularly savory, but on the whole, we did not operate in the shadows.
Nor do we operate autonomously. We have our orders and we have a purpose.
To invite a man like de Velt into our ranks is… troubling.”
They both turned to look at the chamber, seeing Gerard and Orion just inside the door in an animated conversation.
“I did not want to say what I was thinking when I heard the news,” Dirk said.
“Edward is a different man than his father. He is a warrior, like us. He and de Velt were on crusade together. From what I was told, de Velt returned home with Edward. They are friends. Therefore, something tells me that Edward has moved de Velt into our group for more than simply protection.”
“What do you mean?”
Dirk shook his head. “I do not know yet,” he said. “But we speak with Edward on the morrow and present the Guard of Six as a whole to him. He wants to see us all, together, now with de Velt as part of us. Something tells me that we will know his intentions at that time.”
“You suspect the Guard of Six will evolve?”
“I suspect we are about to find out.”
That wasn’t a comforting thought, but at least they would have some direction.
As it was, since Henry’s death and the absence of Edward, they’d spent a year without direction.
They were in a limbo of sorts, waiting for the new king to arrive, waiting for the new direction their lives would take.
Surely Britt felt it, too. They were the three senior members of the group and they’d given much for the crown.
But Aidric was right—Gerard’s arrival was concerning.
Tomorrow would hopefully make the future more clear.
All they could do now was wait.