A Soul for Trouble (15 page)

“So tired,” she replied with a yawn. “And my head aches.” He found the spot where the block of ice hit her temple and released a small stream of magic. Now he had the time to heal her as completely as she had him.

She sighed in contentment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I can’t do much about your sleepiness, though.”

“I know. Loku explained that part to me.”

Bile rose into his throat. He hated that she’d formed such a strong relationship with the disembodied god that he was the one giving her lessons in magic now. But what bothered him more was his visceral reaction whenever another man, flesh or not, tried to win her trust.

Jealousy could be just as blinding as desire.

He took a deep breath and loosened his hold on her. “That was a risky decision you made.”

Puzzlement filled her large blue eyes when she looked up at him, so he guided her hand to his thigh. Her mouth formed a perfect circle. “I had to do it.” He couldn’t argue with her there. The idea of riding all the way to Trivinus with his injured leg kept him up as much as his pain did last night. “I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

“We have to take care of each other, especially after last night.” She swayed slightly.

He caught her, guiding her to the ground. “Let’s rest while we can.” Cinder approached them and licked her face before settling his head in her lap. Dev almost laughed. At least there was one male with whom he didn’t mind sharing her.

“Kell said the necromancer got away.”

The way Sulaino’s eyes glowed red when he demanded Dev give Trouble to him haunted his memory for a moment. For someone who was nothing more than a simple barmaid less than a week ago, she’d suddenly become one of the most popular women in the kingdom. Not only did the necromancer want her, but the prince, too. Although Dev suspected the latter desired more than just her magic.

Three men entered from outside. “Everyone out so we can pack away this tent.”

“We can discuss this later. Come on.” He helped Trouble to her feet and noticed she seemed to sway less than before.

Ten minutes later, they rode toward Trivinus surrounded by a group of soldiers.

***

In the afternoon, one of the soldiers broke away from the procession and galloped up the road. Dev’s hand automatically reached for his sword, only to grasp air.

“What is it?” Trouble’s shoulders slumped forward as she rode next to him, displaying her fatigue. Her lids hung half closed over her eyes.

“A rider broke off from our group in a hurry.”

“The prince probably sent him ahead to warn Lord Pryan that we were stopping at his keep tonight,” a soldier answered. “That will give the cooks enough time to prepare a decent meal for all of us.”

The tension in his thighs and shoulders loosened. After spending the last week dodging Sulaino, he always suspected the worst when he noticed a change around him. He glanced over to Trouble, who practically draped herself over the horse’s neck as she rode. If undead came near them, would she notice their presence?

“Dev, do you think it will be safe to stop somewhere overnight?” she asked.

No
, his mind immediately replied. As soon as night fell, they’d be sitting ducks for the necromancer and his army. “We don’t have much say in the matter. We’re prisoners, remember?”

He looked over his shoulder in the direction of Boznac. They had been so close—only a few days’ journey to the sea by his estimation. Now, with their diversion to Trivinus, they’d be lucky to catch the last ship for Gravaria.

He studied Trouble for any cracks in her sanity. So far, she seemed calm and sensible, perhaps even more confident than when he’d first met her. But he also sensed Loku’s growing influence over her. Not only did she surrender to him last night and allow him to cast through her, but she also turned to him for instruction on how to use healing magic. If this continued, she’d end up like Robb in a matter of weeks. Time was running out for them in more ways than one, and the sooner he secured her within the walls of the Mage’s Conclave, the better.

His thoughts turned to formulating an escape plan. He considered the soldiers around him, noting the location of their weapons and the gaps in their armor. He examined their faces and categorized them into two groups: those who would be easily overtaken and those who had a few more years of seasoned combat behind them. He noticed the location and the severity of their injuries, if they had any. After calculating his odds, he decided he needed the element of surprise if they were to successfully escape from the prince and his men.

About an hour later, the stone walls of a small keep appeared on the horizon. The men around him relaxed, and smiles appeared on their weary faces. Dev wished he could share their relief at its sight. To him, it was nothing more than a stone cage that would hold them until Sulaino launched another attack.

As soon as the prince crossed the bailey, a man appeared at the doorway and bowed with a flourish.
Obviously a nobleman familiar with the life at court
. It almost surprised Dev to find the lord at home to greet them.

Kell dismounted, immediately launching into a light-hearted conversation with his host.

The two men disappeared inside the main building, followed by Lord Bynn.

Trouble stared at the ramparts and visually traced the walls. “Do you think they’ll keep him out?”

“I can only hope.”

She flinched, and he didn’t miss the brief glow of the ring in her eyes. Loku.

“Don’t listen to him. I’ll keep you safe.”

Her laughter irked him. “Funny, he was telling me the same thing.” Dev’s jaw tightened as he hopped down from his horse. Trouble already had one protector—him—and that upstart of a chaos god was trying to usurp his position. Usually, Loku tried to entice the Soulbearer with power, not security. “His protection comes at a cost.” She cocked her head to the side and slid out of her saddle. “I suppose you’re right, but it is comforting to know I won’t be completely alone if something happens to you.” Before he could reply, the soldiers surrounded them and shoved them forward. They might not be bound, but they were still prisoners.

His eyes adjusted to the dark interior faster than hers, and he caught her when she tripped over a bump in the dirt floor. A brief jolt raced through him from her touch, but he released her as soon as she regained her footing. To hold on to her any longer might lead his thoughts astray.

Inside, thick tapestries hung on the walls, insulating the large room from the chilly evening air. The prince and the two lords sat near the fire, too engrossed in their own conversation to notice their entrance.

The soldiers broke the tight ring around Dev and Trouble once they reached the middle of the room, but the shuffling of feet behind them told him they still blocked his way to the door.

Not the best time to make a run for it. Maybe later, when everyone slept.

He guided Trouble to a nearby corner. “Rest while you can. I’ll wake you if they decide to feed us more than strips of dried meat.”

She sniffed the air. “I certainly hope so. Whatever they’re roasting in the kitchen is making my mouth water.” Her stomach growled to confirm her hunger.

“If I have to steal it from the prince’s plate for you, I will.” Creases appeared in her forehead. “Please don’t make any more trouble with him.”

“Why are you defending him?”

She plopped down on the floor with a huff. “Why don’t you just come out and say it?”

“Say what?”
That I want to keep you as far away from him as possible?
He knelt next to her.

“That it’s all my fault we’re in this mess. If I hadn’t run off to save the prince and his men, we’d be free and on the road to Boznac now.” She bit her bottom lip and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Her theory blindsided him. “Do you really think I blame you for this?”

“Just say it and get it out of your system.”

“The prince orders you to eat, sir,” a soldier interrupted before Dev could explain things to her. He shoved a wooden trencher with steaming meat and bread at him. “He invites the girl to join him at his table.”

He bit back the warning poised on his tongue, that the prince would just use her and toss her away like he was rumored to do with every woman that crossed his path.

Trouble peered over his shoulder at the table closest to the fire. The halo in her eyes flared to life, and her private conversation with Loku lasted long enough for the soldier to clear his throat. “I’d like to stay here tonight,” she said. “Please give my apologies to Prince Kell.” The soldier walked away.

Dev released the last of the breath he’d been unconsciously holding. “I’m surprised you turned down an invitation to sit near him, seeing as how I’m being such a grouch tonight.”

“Shut up, Dev.” Her hands balled up into little fists, and he moved far enough away to avoid her right hook. Twice was enough for him to learn that she knew how to punch a man. “I have my own reasons for my decisions.”

The soldier returned with another trencher for Trouble, containing a better cut of meat than the gristle-laced hunk in his. “Prince Kell expresses his disappointment that you declined his invitation. He hopes you’ll join him tomorrow night.” The wooden way the man spoke revealed his disapproval over his prince getting cozy with a witch, even though she probably saved his life and the lives of his comrades.

Despite his attitude, she took the trencher and gave him a small thanks. With her back leaning against the wall, she began eating, never looking up from her meal.

The food tasted like dust to him, even though it smelled enticing, and he knew the reason why. How had she managed to get under his skin like this? He’d never cared what the other Soulbearers thought of him. But then, none of them had been like her. The fact that she had put others before herself shamed him a bit. He tossed a chunk of the meat to Cinder and wiped the grease off his hand.

“You need to eat, too, if you’re going to protect me,” she reminded him.

“I don’t blame you for our predicament. If I feel anything about your actions last night, it’s a combination of fear, awe, and admiration.” There. He said it. Now maybe his conscience would let him enjoy the rest of his meal.

The slice of bread in her hand paused halfway between the trencher and her mouth. “What was that?”

“You heard me, so don’t pretend you didn’t. It’s my duty to protect you, and it doesn’t make my job easier when you put yourself between a group of strangers and a necromancer who wants to kill you.”

“Ah, so you were just worried about your reputation? Yes, having the same man kill two Soulbearers in less than a week would look bad on your record.” By Jussip, she knew how to make his temper flare faster than any person he knew, including Loku. Anger coursed through his body, heating his face. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Then what did you mean?”

Damn, she wouldn’t be happy until she got a full confession out of him. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to keep you alive for reasons other than my reputation as your protector?”

“Oh,” she whispered, and her cheeks flushed.

“It took courage to run to the aid of those men last night, especially when you knew what you were facing. And it bothers me now that I resisted going. As you and Prince Kell have reminded me, I make a sorry excuse for a knight.”

Her face softened. The halo flashed again, and her eyes widened as she inhaled sharply.

“What did he tell you now?”

She flinched at the growl in Dev’s voice, and the halo grew brighter. Just perfect. Now he was pushing her even closer to Loku.

Dev took a deep breath to calm himself. “Never mind. I’m sure you’d rather listen to him than me anyway. He’ll tell you what you want to hear.”

“Actually, he told me you were sentenced to be a protector as a punishment.” For a moment, he couldn’t look her in the face. Even after a hundred years, his actions still haunted him, still reminded him of a time when he let greed and pride turn him into a knight who’d lost his honor. He’d only retained his title because of his willingness to protect the Soulbearer, and he’d spent the last century trying to regain what he’d lost.

“What did you do to deserve this punishment?”

The image of Minius’ face as the life ebbed from his body flashed in front of his closed eyes. He wanted to tell her before Loku gave his version of the events, but he hesitated. Her trust in him was fragile at best. What would she think if she knew he’d murdered someone?

A warm touch of her fingertips on his jaw pulled him from his cold memories. “We shouldn’t let past mistakes dictate our actions now.”

Odd of her to say that, since she’d spent most of her life trying to avoid the same mistakes her mother made. Or maybe she had some truth in her words. Maybe he could rise above the past. He slid his hand over hers and pressed it closer to his cheek. Her acceptance soothed him for now.

Two pairs of hands seized her and jerked her to her feet, ending the precious moment between them. “Come with us, witch.”

Chapter 17

Arden attempted to wriggle free from the two soldiers who grabbed her, but they held tight. Her lungs refused to move. Calling her a witch wasn’t a good sign. Sweet Lady Moon, what were they planning to do to her? Burn her as part of tonight’s entertainment?

“Let her go.” Dev plowed into one of the men, and all four of them tumbled backwards onto the dirt floor.

The men closest to the disturbance jumped to the defense of their comrades. She covered her face to shield it from the flying fists and feet. Any moment now, she expected to hear to clang of steel and feel the warm, sticky ooze of blood.

“Stop this immediately,” a man’s voice boomed over the ruckus.

The soldiers froze at the command.

She dared a peek at the situation. Three soldiers pinned Dev to the ground, and a fourth pressed the tip of a sword into his cheek just inches above the spot her fingers touched him seconds ago. Cinder stood between her and another soldier, his teeth bared.

“So that’s Dev’s imitation of a pincushion.”