Angie Arms - Flames series 04 (7 page)

“You were not victorious at Langley.”

“No, but we gave you a good fight, so it stands to reason we can give the King a good fight.”

“We are not going to give the King any fight,” Cyrille declared
, stressing the “we”.  He studied her for a minute, before reaching out to take her horse’s bridle, and begin to lead her.  Nimbly, she swung a leg over and slid to the ground. 

“Then take my children to safety and I will do this.”

“I will not!” he yelled, his voice raspy, and she watched him swallow several times, knowing he was trying to avoid the cough that always accompanied raising his voice.

“Do what you
want and I will take care of them too.”  She couldn’t help the pride that swelled in her chest when her son Kennet slid from his pony, and went to his younger sister, Waverly, and helped her to the ground. 

“I cannot,” he ground out.

Keri heard unlimited stories from Damien about the kind of man Cyrille once was.  She knew he was no longer the patient, easy going man, but she also knew he loved his brother, and would not raise a hand to hurt her.  Cyrille had also grown close to Waverly, who besides herself, never shrank from his mangled face. 

“Then I guess you have no choice but to go with me,” Keri declared, her hands on her hips, her head tilted back to look up at the man still on his horse.  He was quite the intimidating figure on his giant horse
, with the hood covering his face, as he looked down on her.  She couldn’t tell for sure, but it felt as if he glared. 

He looked down on her for what seemed to be several minutes
, before relenting.  “Fine!”  He yanked his horse around, and rode several paces away to turn and watch, as she settled her children back on their ponies, and remounted. 

“Since you are so wise, where do we go to find these extra forces?” Cyrille asked her
, leaning toward her so she could hear him.

Keri
dreaded that question.  Her biggest plan was to get Cyrille on her side, he would know people.  He fought with them, and surely he could raise some forces.  She shrugged as she stared at him.

“You are the most irritating woman.”  He grew silent for a moment.  “We will go to Kinsey, the Countess may have news of her husband’s whereabouts.”

“What if he is fighting with the King?”

“Then we should be very grateful.”  He turned his horse and moved away quickly
, leaving the other three to follow behind.  

~   ~   ~

The night was a serene one as Cyrille propped himself against the fallen tree.  It made the perfect wind break for their little camp.  Tomorrow they would arrive at Kinsey, and Cyrille wished more than anything this journey would not come to an end.  He felt blasphemous with the thoughts that distracted him during the day, and kept him awake tonight, when all he wanted to do was sleep and forget his stiff body for that short time.  It was Keri, she was much too close to him.  Her shoulder rubbed his so she could benefit from the tree as well, as she mended Kennett’s cloak.  The touch was a perfectly innocent one, but Cyrille had a hard time joining the woman who enflamed him, and his brother’s wife, into one.  How long had it been since he benefited from a woman? 

All day he watched her hips sway with her horse, how she cared fo
r her children.  Earlier she unbound her hair, brushed it to retie, and all he could think of was running his hands through it.  It lay loosely about her shoulders now, the fresh smell of it even after all day of travel, intrigued him.  He forced himself not to lean closer.  The children lay on the other side of the fire, fast asleep after a long day. 

“What did
you mean by we can be thankful if Garrick is fighting with Richard.”

Cyrille turned and looked down at her
, and quickly looked away.  He could forget he looked the way he did when he was next to her, especially the way she looked up into his face, with open interest in what he had to say, not disgust.  “Surely you know in what capacity Garrick serves the King.”  Cyrille was careful to keep his voice at the tone that made him sound like a normal person.

“In the same as Damien I assumed.”

“He is the King’s assassin.  Anyone who threatens the crown, Garrick can find and kill without having to send an army.”

“Is that not why you and Damien fight, to keep the crown safe?”

“Damien and I fight, Garrick is the one that is sent to kill a lord quietly, while he sleeps in his bed.  If the King still has use for the lord, he will send Garrick to kill the lord’s loved one, to make him fall into line.  That is the difference between us and Garrick.”

He watched Keri swallow as she digested the information.  She had such a delicate neck, he wondered what it would taste like if he were to run his tongue over it.

“Would the King see Damien as a threat, because he did not go to some stupid war?”  The fire jumped in her brown eyes, and he admired her spirit.

“The King has thought Damien a threat since he took the crown.”

“Do you think he will send Garrick to kill Damien?”

“We think it likely, or more likely
, he will be sent to make Damien comply.”

“You think he will be sent to kill me?”

Cyrille nodded, “The King killed Roland’s wife for much the same reason.”  He watched the reality of the entire situation wash over her face. 

“We have to go back,” Keri said rising.

Cyrille took her by the arm and pulled her back down, nearly into his lap.  “We cannot.  I promised Damien.”

“You will just have to break that promise,”
she replied, his grip a little tighter than needed, as he held her still.

“I do not break my promises.  What do you expect we can do?”

Keri shrugged, and in her eyes he read the trust she had in him to make things right.  For a heart stopping moment it ran through his mind he could force her to ride far away, and she would never see Damien again.  Eventually she would be able to forget, if not forget, at least move on.  But Cyrille could never live with himself.  He knew where Keri was coming from, he knew what the right answer was, as well as she.  It wasn’t to run, but to find more soldiers, and stand with him, come what may.  How many times had they done the very thing against the odds? 

“You forget this is news to you
, but not to me.  This is why I go to Kinsey.  There is a chance Richard has sailed, and taken Garrick with him.  If that is the case, we only have an army to worry about.”

“Truly, an army is better than one man?”

“Truly.”

He felt her shiver and wanted to put a comforting arm around her, instead he forced his fingers open
, and released her all together.  She did not do what he expected, which was move away, but settled in the crook of his arm, against his side, close to him.  She looked up at him again, and he saw the worry written plainly on her face, and the hollow of her neck vulnerable.

His hand came
up and his thumb and index finger stroked down either side of her throat.  He felt her stiffen, but she did not move away in fear for her life, knowing he could snap her neck with one touch.

“Cyrille?” she questioned, her eyes searching his face. 

He wanted to smile at her, to offer reassurance but his smile could do no such thing now.  His smile twisted and contorted the scars, bunching them until his face was even more mangled by flame and blade. 

“You are my brother’s wife,” he told her
, as if they both did not know.

She nodded her head
, and he felt her swallow when he did not move his hand away.  Instead he stroked her neck, his fingers nearly wrapping around it, as he felt the soft skin his hand touched. 

“Cyrille?”

Perhaps she did sound a little nervous.  “You belong to my brother.”

Any other woman he felt would be hysterical at this point
, but Keri remained where she was, still leaning into him, but her eyes were full of questions.  Did she trust him that much?  How could he betray such a trust with the thoughts that were in his head?  He yanked his hand away and opened his arms wide.  “Get away from me,” he told her.

Keri remained where she was, her brows knit into a frown.  “Now
, or I will forget you belong to my brother.”

She scrambled away then, fleeing to the other side of the fire
, where she stood staring at him.  She did so for several minutes.  “It is okay Cyrille.”

Her words stung.  She knew he couldn’t get a woman.  Why being aware of her knowledge disturbed him
, he could not say, because it was a foregone conclusion a man such as he could not. 

“I will be more consider
ate in the future.”  She stared at him awkwardly for a moment, before dropping to the ground, and settling into the makeshift mattress of leaves covered by a blanket with her children.

Cyrille watched her sleep for a long time
, nestled between her two children.  He wanted what his brother had so bad he could scream.  The only thing that kept him from sliding a blade into his throat and taking what he had, was the simple thing called love.  Despite how much he longed for his woman, and the comforts of home she provided just by being near, he could never do it.  He knew a part of him looked forward to their escape together.  He knew that was why he did not come up with a solution how to help Damien fight, because he had the knowledge if he did nothing, he could have it all.  But it would be nothing if he did not have Damien.

He had to get used to this life of loneliness, devoid of the soft touch of a woman.  He craved to have a soft body pressed against him, to hear her pleasure mixed with his own.  He had fallen in love with women from the first time he held one in his arms and kissed her.  How he wished he could go back
, and if this was to be his fate, he never would have that first kiss.  Cyrille knew it must be punishment for his past, perhaps the hearts he broke, though he never lied to them.  He did not have to, because they always came willingly to his bed.  Now, he could offer them a lifetime of riches, and they would still shun him, because he was a monster. 

It was amazing that he did not even feel like the same man.  He still had the same desires
, but he found his patience gone, replaced by surliness he seemed to not be able to shake.  Perhaps it was because of the way he was looked at.  No amount of kindness made a difference when interacting.  He guessed he just fell into the role that was expected of him. 

~   ~   ~

The next afternoon, the little group road through the gates of Kinsey.  Keri felt apprehension weigh heavy on her chest.  Cyrille was leading her into the lion’s den.  But did she not choose this path?  Tomorrow she would send the children to her father, then her worry would decrease tenfold.  She could not allow harm to come to her children because of her foolish nature. 

Cyrille was prepared for a fight
, but she saw his reluctance to face it since awakening this morning.  He admitted to her he had no chance of protecting her against Garrick.  Keri did not know to hope Garrick was here, or away.  She did not doubt Cyrille’s assessment of their situation.  He had been in the King’s service a long time, and knew Garrick far better than she.  But if Garrick was here, perhaps he could be reasoned with.

If he was not here
, there was little chance his wife would know his exact whereabouts.  It was not likely he would send a messenger to inform her he would be home, as soon as he killed Damien or herself.  At least if he was here, they would know fairly quickly whose side he was on.

Garrick was a married man
, perhaps he no longer did the King’s dirty work, and Cyrille was just not informed yet.  His wife was a kind, gentle lady, who seemed to adore the man.  If Garrick was who Cyrille said he was, how could she care for him as she did?  She knew the Countess was the last effort in his quest to rise above his birth.  It seemed more likely Garrick would follow Damien’s lead, and not go to meet the King.

But there she stood alone on
the steps, the Countess Ryann Kinnard.  Her blond hair glowed in the afternoon sun, and Keri swore she could see the blue radiance of her eyes from several paces.  She was a tiny woman, if Garrick was as evil as Cyrille believed, he could have easily crushed her.  As they drew to the bottom of the steps, Keri saw the confusion on her face, as she descended to them. 

“Sir Cyrille, Lady Keri, what has happened?” 

She had genuine concern for Damien’s household, Keri could tell by the tone of her voice. 

“Is Garrick here?” Keri asked
, sliding to the ground.

“No,” Ryann replied.  “He was summoned by the King.”

Keri cast a quick glance to Cyrille, before reaching up to lift Waverly from her little pony.

“You are welcome here of course,” Ryann said, ever the gracious hostess
, but she still wore a mask of confusion.

“I’m sure the children are thirsty after their long ride,” Keri said
, moving toward Cyrille.

“Of course.  Please allow me to see to their comfort.  I will meet you in the solar in a few moments.  Do you remember the way?”