Don't Read in the Closet: Volume Four (41 page)

Dire memories attacked Tahir’s mind. He refused to let anyone

take his royal lover away from him. “Are you, Sire? You still are in

range of their archers. The dogs might try again. Who knows how

many other traitors lurk on the walls? Release my arm, Sire.” Tahir

struggled to keep his shield up. His lover needed to cease pulling at

his bicep. Tahir needed to maintain his protective stance. He promised

to defend his lover. He promised himself, Gustav and the Queen. He

ignored the pain attacking his pierced flesh and tightened his grip.

Did his lover fall into sudden madness? Gustav snapped out his

order. “Guards! Move forward and form a shield wall for us.” Ten

guards rode forward and clustered around Gustav, Tahir and Elis.

Gustav glared at Elis. “If I enter the city, do you assure me safe

conduct? If you play me false like Tuberclain…”

“Sire, I swear to you on my life Tuberclain was the culprit. I—I

already sent a message via pigeon to Tovania asking Duke Jörgen to

attend us here. I did. I swear I did.”

Gustav examined the pale, blonde Lord. He did look one inch

from falling into hysteria. “If anything traitorous occurs, your city will

cease to exist. I will pull down the red walls and declare the land to be

under Tovania’s rule. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sire.”

The Stormhelm troops rode into the gates. Eerie silence captured

the grand open city square. Curious pedestrians faded back into homes

or shops. The few arches still on the wall stood at attention, hands on

their shoulders. Gustav’s troops fanned out into every corner. The

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shield knot advanced to a frieze celebrating the King’s Peace standing

before the castle’s entrance. Gustav glared at the imagery in disgust

before he dismounted within the protective shield wall. He ripped his

helmet from his head.

Tahir’s stare swept around him seeking more traitorous assassins.

He trusted nothing in this foul city.

Gustav gripped his lover’s uninjured thigh and squeezed.

“Enough! Do you plan to sit and bleed to death? Guard, I command

you to lower your shield and allow a healer tend to your wound.”

Tahir blinked in confusion. He stared down at Gustav’s stern face.

“Sire?” By the Burning Sand, his arm ached in wicked cruelty.

Licking pain attacked his hip and thigh. His wondering stare

concentrated on the blood dripping across his dark flesh in thin

streams. Not the proper place for arrows to reside. “I am wounded.”

“About time you noticed the fact, you stubborn man. You have

two arrows stuck in your flesh. Set down your shield and slide off

your horse.” Gustav wanted to play the heroic lover carrying his

downed warrior but he knew Tahir’s muscular weight might

embarrass his dignity. “Karl, Bohr, help Tahir down and support him

into the castle.”

Ten guards and twenty men at arms strode in before Gustav and

his lover. No danger lurked in the castle’s interior. To Gustav’s

disgust, the royal chamber smelled fetid and, worse, appeared stripped

of any decorative trappings. What happened to the fine silk curtains

and ancient tapestries? Even the bed curtains had vanished! He stalked

to the balcony windows, opened the glass doors and threw open the

tall wooden shutters. “I want this place cleaned and restored to order!

The air smells rotten. Do pigeons nest here or did insane Lord

Tuberclain piss on the floor to spite me? Where are the tapestries?”

He whirled on the cringing Lord Elis. “What happened since I last

visited this place?”

“Sire, I—I have not been in this chamber for years. Tuberclain

must have sold the priceless tapestries. I did not know, truly, I—I…”

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If Gustav endured another series of sputtering denials, he might

imprison Elis to shut him up. “Odd how Tuberclain’s senior advisor

knows so little about the castle’s welfare. We need a place to tend my

guard. Take us to your suite.”

The pale Elis bowed in agreement. “Of course, Sire. Please follow

me.”

A retainer tossed extra sheets on the bed. Gustav watched as his

guards placed Tahir on Lord Elis’s bed. Blood fouled the fine silk

sheets. Healer Leif prepared his elixirs. His assistants stripped off

Tahir’s breastplate. The senior assistant cut away the leather kilt until

he exposed the arrow’s nesting place beside Tahir’s hipbone. The

proximity to his lover’s cock made Gustav swallow in agony. “Will

the wound, erm, affect…”

“Not at all. He is a lucky young man. Drink this.” Healer Leif held

a tincture of poppy to Tahir’s lips.

Tahir shied away from the goblet. “No, I must guard my king.”

Gustav leaned down. His words whispered into his lover’s ear.

“Tahir, my love, drink the brew. Drink it for me. Let Healer Leif tend

your wounds.”

“Are you sure you are safe?

“Thanks to you I am safe. Now I need you to heal in order to serve

me well.”

“Yes, my King.” Tahir sipped the liquid. His lashes fluttered shut.

“Finally.” Leif picked up his blade and began cutting around the

arrowhead embedded in Tahir’s thigh. “Good, as I hoped this wound

is superficial.” He directed his assistant to stitch the wound shut.

“This wound worries me. Despite the leather the arrowhead drove

deep.”

“As usual I trust you to save the day for me.” Gustav walked away

from the disturbing sight. Strange how long years away from blood

and battle lessened his fortitude to endure injury, especially when one

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he loved suffered. The thought shook him. Had he ever told Tahir he

loved him? They declared their love but did he ever confirm the true

emotion? He snarled at the pale lord. “Elis, we need wine.” After Elis

sipped first, Gustav drank down a goblet’s contents.

“Sire? I have finished with the second wound. An inch over and

the result would be less happy. As I feared, the puncture is deep. I

cannot close the wound yet.”

“I see.” Gustav wondered how he could be alone with his lover.

Impossible. Or… He was King. His queen approved. Gustav pushed

past his last guilty thoughts and sat on the bed. He stroked Tahir’s

sweat-damp hair. The tension had made the brave warrior sweat as if

he battled in the sun-kissed practice ring. “Thank you for caring for

me, my love.” He dropped a kiss on slack lips.

The King stood and glared at Lord Elis. “Take me to Tuberclain.

If he is truly insane then you need to explain the situation to me or

find others to fill in the gaps.”

The hunted expression on Elis’s fine-boned face told Gustav his

third most important city in the realm needed a fresh set of overseers.

THE HEALING

Birdsong filled the dimly lit room. What a stirring sound. Did red

finches perch on the balcony railing? They loved eating the seeds

forming on the liatena vines. Tahir stretched and winced in surprise.

His eyes flew open. He stared around the unfamiliar room. What?

Why did his… foul memory swept in like a vile sandstorm. Vile

traitors! His hands pushed aside the sheet covering his naked body.

Seeing his bandaged hip and thigh infuriated him. Arrows, yes, Tahir

remembered treacherous arrows slicing into him. His pride quivered

in disgust. His country regarded arrows as cowardly weapons.

“Brother Tahir, welcome back.”

Tahir glanced up in groggy surprise. A young guard walked to the

bed and smiled down at him. “Are you well, Brother Tahir?”

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“I suppose so, Brother Rolfe, as well as possible considering an

arrow almost castrated me. How long since we arrived here?”

“Only a day. Healer Leif gave you a second poppy herbal to make

you rest. You acted damned determined to wake up after the first dose

wore off. Three guards and the king restrained you until the drug took

affect. You kept yelling ‘not again.’”

At least Tahir yelled nothing more revealing. “I dislike being

drugged. Is King Gustav well?”

“Yes, most hale and hearty and, if I may say, furious. This

morning he’s correcting wrongs within this wretched city.” Rolfe

pointed at the door. “In fact, he wanted to know when you awoke.

Worry not, you are well guarded. Brothers Harald and Robin stand

outside the door.” Rolfe patted Tahir’s arm and exited the chamber.

Furious? He thought his lover probably stomped about in a high

rage. The concept of traitors drove Gustav into a stunning black

mood. He has endured too many of them in his turbulent life. As he

shook his head, Tahir shifted higher on the feather pillows piled

against the headboard. Aside from a slight twinge in his hip, he felt

surprisingly well. Satisfaction flowed through his soul. He blocked

deadly arrows meant for his king. He performed his duty.

He saved his lover. Tahir had never owned a chance to save his

mother or himself when the monster sold him into sexual slavery for

loving a guard, but yesterday he saved his royal lover. He’d throw

himself before a rampaging bull to save Gustav. Tahir despised

admitting the ugly truth, but life without Gustav seemed like fresh

hell.

The sun didn’t shine brightly in this room, but majestic pine trees

waved in the fresh breeze flowing in the open windows. Birds soared

past the windows. Above the land, the blue sky appeared gloriously

content. What a fine day to be alive.

He drifted, his mind still clouded from the vile opiates. He

despised opiates. During his duration in the gruesome pleasure house,

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his masters learned opiates deadened Tahir’s rage, made him pliable.

Damn them. When they slipped in monitoring him, they learned their

final lesson. Two years later the beasts welcomed the monster into

their dead ranks.

Nasuea rose in his throat. Too much death. He needed to push

aside black memories. Tahir tried remembering yesterday’s details.

The overwhelming urge to protect Gustav defeated specific memories.

Wait, how basic, the overwhelming urge to locate a chamber pot

struck him. Thirst mocked him at the same time. He feared drinking

anything before relieving himself.

Why did everything feel more urgent after thinking about the

physical problem? He urged his bladder to stop complaining! Tahir

slid his body as close to the bed’s edge as possible. He slowly swung

his legs over the side. Pain reintroduced itself to his thigh and hip.

Slowly, slowly, there. His soles touched the fine green woolen carpet

covering the stone floor. This room certainly appeared more opulent

than Gustav’s royal chamber!

He leaned forward. His soles pressed into the rug. His right hand

gripped the brass headboard. His left hand pushed up from the

mattress. Tahir stood.

The guard dropped to the rug on his hands and knees. No! His legs

failed him? Damn the opiate infecting his system! Pain danced

through his wounds, the sensation strong enough to create fresh

nausea. He eased back until his ass rested in the rug. His elbows

propped him up. His first frantic attempt to claw his way back up the

slick silk sheets failed. Gritting his teeth in rage he reached up and

tried again. The furious guard refused to sprawl defeated as a helpless

baby!

The door opened behind him. Low murmurs sounded along with a

choked feminine giggle. Embarrassment joined pain and the urge to

piss. He hated this city!

Familiar hands grasped his shoulders. “What are you doing out of

bed?”

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Tahir bit his lower lip. He whispered, “I need to piss, Sire.”

Gustav snickered. “Let’s solve the problem.” He helped haul Tahir

up to the bed’s edge. “Can you walk or do… wait. Thank you,

everyone, leave the food and drink. Healer Leif, before you check my