It was difficult to leave her, being around Nyx was refreshing. Her bright smile and attentive gaze bordered on protective instead of sinister like the others within the walls. Nicolaus was one of the worst of them and while I knew he was already becoming forceful with her, I hoped she hadn't been taken against her will.
My lips twitched at this thought. She was no virgin, but she hadn't been with a man in some time. The way her sun kissed olive skin flushed, her heart raced and the way she clung to my clothing.
I don't know why I went to the old caverns, that tree and the old priests scared the shit out of me. Their deep-set eyes are voids of nothing. The skin pulled tight and seemed almost forced along their bones.
Taking a deep breath, I shook my head, catching a whiff of her scent. That mouthwatering smell of watermelon and strawberry. Whatever she had used on the road clung to her skin, making it even more appealing than it should have been. Huffing to myself, I rubbed my hand across my face and through my hair. I needed to get it cut.
"Oh captain, my captain!" Shame shouted from the far side of the room. His cheeks were rosy and his steps, already steering him in awkward directions, made his way to me. "What are you up to? Care to join me for a drink at the tavern?"
Frowning, I shook my head. "I am needed here. Have a drink for me, eh?"
"A drink and a woman!" He bolstered, roaring with laughter as he slammed a heavy hand on my shoulder. "You will make them think they are no longer worthy of your company after the way you looked at that new mistress. Didn't you just break one's heart?"
Silencing him with a glare, I snapped my jaw and returned the gesture of shoulder slapping. "Maybe some other time. Try not to drink so much that you are useless to me tomorrow."
Giving a wary smile now, the laugh long gone, the guard took his leave. Doing so as quickly as possible in his current state.
Heaving a sigh, I popped my neck before continuing on to the stable and pulling my horse from his stall. Quickly brushing him down, I strapped the saddle to his back and rode him out of the stables, past the old gate and entering the old tail. I wore it down well enough for anyone to follow but they were never foolish enough to do so. The old stories of things ancient and terrifying clung to most everyone.
Nyx, while seemingly observant, seemed oblivious to these stories. She could also want to get away from that cowardly pig. Peering over my shoulder, I thought I could see a shadow shift against the trees. No doubt one of his little spies.
Let them follow. I thought to myself even as the air surged rapidly around us, electricity gathering enough to raise the hair on my arms, I dared them to follow.
A chilling, echoing howl rang over the whipping wind. Grinning deeply at myself, I pushed my mount into a full tilt as I caught glimpses of the magic that surrounded me. Phantom wolves, formed out of the leaves and dirt, whirled behind me, barking and howling and snarling as they severed the view that any spy might have.
Thundering paws fell to my right, making me whip my head around. A piercing blue, nearly white eye was fixated on me as we ran through the forest. His body ghosted through the trees, his momentum helping to fuel his children's barrier.
Gripping the reigns I smiled over at him, my cheeks feeling like they would burst.
Then, just as always, he leapt over me. The long tail brushed the top of my head as he bounded off three large gatherings of trees centered in the forest between the town, castle and Harpalyke. Despite doing this many times, I still took a sharp breath as I sent us into the rock face.
Shocking cold covered us as claw-like fingers pulled at my clothing and skin. It was all in my mind; I knew that, however, when I passed through this I always had the same feeling of dread and unknown. I didn't know why it scared me or why no one else seemed to have any effect on them when coming or going.
Just as quickly as we had burst in, we were free. It had only been seconds, but it felt like much longer. I tried not to dwell on it and instead collected myself before crossing slowly to the old training grounds.
Ryen wasn't as useless as I had tried to portray him, but he was still slow. He was quick as any trained man with his eyes available, but once he was blindfolded, he was useless. There were only a handful of us that successfully trained this way, and by leave of the king, had taken a long vacation to train in a cave. That was dangerous and thrilling and while we had bloodied and bruised ourselves, we came out the better for it.
I had always seen in the dark, my eyes adjusting much better to the darkness than any of my friends. They had often joked that I was the offspring of Ulrin, the great bear guardian, on account of everything from my eyes to my build.
Taking a deep breath, I thought of how easily I had picked Nyx up. She would be easy to pin to a wall, all she had to do was beg me to.
"There you are, you son of a bitch!" Ryen shouted, trying to storm up to me, but his frozen legs from standing in the stream for so long didn't allow him to.
Instead, he slipped and fell on the rocks. Cursing further, he tried to climb out. Crawling over the rocks with nothing but his hands to pull his body. It was an amusing sight.
Rikard loomed over him, pressing his boot against the man's head. "You get out now and your time restarts. We'll be here all damn night."
"How long has it been?" I inquired, dismounting and walking to where Rikard stood, his boot still planted firmly on the other man's head.
"Collectively or this go around?"
I gave him a look of disbelief. "What the hell do you mean collectively or this time?"
"I mean," Rikard finally lifted his boot from Ryen's head, adding an extra shove before turning to me. "We have been at this all day. From the time you left us to now. He's had a break to piss and eat but every time he hits the two and a half hour mark, he complains of pain and numbness. So pathetic."
Snorting, I looked at him with a smirk. "Because we were so well skilled when we first started out."
"He is nothing like how you were."
I shrugged. He wasn't wrong. There was peace in the darkness, even in the flit of fear in her eyes, I still engulfed myself with it at every chance.
"Get out of there, you're done for the day. However, you will continue tomorrow."
"Fuck you!" Ryen spat, his limbs barely obeying him enough to get him to shore.
Cocking my head to the side, I looked down on him with a twitching smile. Sending my boot into his thigh, I reveled in the cry of agony that escaped his throat. Cutting it short a moment later when my boot clamped on his throat.
"You will do this until I say otherwise. You must remember now, you are a long way from home and protecting your mistress will not be as easy as assumed. Ryen, Lynx, you are mine now until the day you die or until the lady Nyx has no further use for you."
Ryen gasped under my foot, his hands gripping my calf, nails digging into my flesh. His face turned red, then blue. Finally, when it looked as though he would pass out, I released him. Gulping in lungfuls of air, he coughed and retched into the grass. Rikard, Julius and Martin all stood around him and waited for his fit to be over.
Finally, after a count, I crouched down next to him and produced a dagger hidden at my side. Pressing it under his right ear, I made Ryen turn his head to look at me. He met my gaze defiantly. Turning my head slowly to the other side, I pressed the tip into his skin. The hiss of air that escaped him was hard to miss.
"Do you understand the order given to you by me is just as strong as one given by his majesty, the king?"
Sneering up at me, Ryen jerked his head once, showing that he understood though defiance danced in his eyes like nothing I had seen before. He would be fun to break, even if it came to nothing, this little kitty cat would lose his fangs.
Rikard made sure the other two had him before joining me, running a thumb along his jawline.
"What is it?"
Rikard shook his head, running a hand through his thick black hair. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We can't trust him."
Unable to help myself, I snorted and looked over my shoulder. "We could say the same for Julius and Martin, but look at them now. You trust them with your life. Give it time."
"Easy to say when you have a beautiful princess to guard, not this little shit."
Scoffing, I turned to Rikard fully, making sure that Ryen was out of earshot before continuing.
"What do we know about the other three?"
Rubbing his jaw once more, Rikard dug into his pocket and removed a small leather pouch. Grabbing a wad of trekka from inside, he shoved it in his lip and replaced the pouch.
"They are all capable. Strong, intelligent. The eldest doesn't live in Procyon, he is rumored to not be attending. As for the other two, there is a chance the pup may arrive but you can guarantee that Petyr will be here." Rikard referred to him by name, throwing me off before he went on. "That man is strange to say it mildly. He lives in the forest and is said to have practically raised your mistress. She knows his tricks, hunting and fighting both but has a very meek disposition compared to her siblings."
Smirking to myself, I recalled the sharp tongue she had and how she looked like she wanted to say more. Even more to the king, but held herself back. The frustrated flush in her cheeks and breathing was adorable.
"Something to share?" Julius asked, slowly walking up with Ryen and Martin. The ladder having a hate-filled aura. "He isn't useless. He could learn something."
"I could kick your ass you silver-haired prick."
Ryen lunged for him but the numbness in his legs still lingered and his knee gave. Collapsing to one knee before us, Rikard clenched his fist and moved toward the man. He didn't crouch to meet him or extend his hand to help. Looming over him, Rikard sneered before looking at the rest of us.
"Do you really think that this was something we achieved overnight? It might be a pain in the ass, but the more you resist, the worse it will be." Grabbing his chin and jerking it upright, Rikard took advantage of Ryen's state and leaning in close, sneered deeper. "If you want to protect that little tart of yours, pull your thick head from your own ass and put in some damn effort!"
It was brief, but the smirks that Julius and Martin both failed to hide were no doubt from their memories of the same situation. Both had been reluctant to train but had shown promise and abilities that went above the others. Pitching their names to the king was difficult, but thankfully he trusted me. When they did, however, anger the king, it was my ass. Results were key in the last three, so he expected nothing more than perfection with a fourth.
Climbing onto my horse's back, I clicked my tongue and slowly started toward the exit. The others silently followed suit, Ryen being blindfolded before we made our way back to the castle. We used a separate exit to the one we entered from, but that didn't mean that someone didn't slip through or that he wouldn't say anything to Nyx. No one knew of this place and even if they did, I doubted the magic would work. The wolf guardian, Dreken, was very selective of who he let into his forest and who he let it devour. If I did this right, Ryen would be accepted, just like the others, and he would protect him.
Where we exited was near a clearing, thankfully filled with game and easy kills. We allowed Ryen to take several shots, but it was clear from the jump this man's abilities specialized in combat, raw combat, and nothing much else. He seemed to know what to do mostly, able to knock the arrow and release it, but ultimately missing his target by several feet. This spooked them right to Julius and Rikard. Luckily, we could get two does and a stag, all three plump with summer feeding.
"I could get used to this."
Ryen remarked as he watched Rikard and the others quickly gut the animals and ready them to ride back to the castle. I kept an eye out for any threats as they worked, silently reciting an old protection spell that was supposed to work. At least according to Anastasia, regardless of this, Rikard performed a quick ritual of dried sage burned on a piece of bark from one of the ancient trees and thanked the guardians for the kills. Ryen watched, fascinated, while the rest of us simply watched. It was something he insisted on doing. We had intruded on this group's evening feeding and took three kills, thanking the guardians for such an easy kill as was necessary.
Once we were back at the castle, I gestured for the three to take the kills down to the kitchens while I stayed behind with Ryen.
"I am starving!" Ryen protested, eyeing the kills like a skeletal mutt in desperation for a meal.
"I understand that, however," I looked at him after dismounting. Allowing the stableboys to take care of the horses as Ryen paced in place. "You will accompany me, along with the lady Nyx, to town tomorrow. She will need protection and you need knowledge. Get something to eat, then go to the barracks. The boys will take care of you from there."
Ryen raised an eyebrow. "No training then?"
Tensing my jaw, I fought the urge to hit him. While he seemed to come with a pedigree, whoever this cocky shit was, proved to be dense as they come. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and walked past him.
"I will see you in the morning."
"As long as I'm not training, fine. Night, captain!" He called over his shoulder as he chased the others to the kitchen.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took another deep breath of night air. Looking at where her room would be, my eyes narrowed with the thought of disturbing her this late. Would Nicolaus be there was my greatest question of all. She hadn't seemed happy with the situation, begging to leave the castle as soon as possible with those large, innocent eyes.
Smiling to myself at this, I remembered the defiance in her eyes just hours ago. If she was anything like her brother, I was in for a time.
Damn you Petyr.
Going against my better judgement, I made my way up to her room. Along the way, ladies maids and servants alike greeted me with lustful eyes. My cock twitched, they were all drunk and tired by this time. Ignoring them as best as I could, I made it to the top of the stairs leading to her room.
Standing just outside of the door, Marcus' men stood sentry. Two of them stood on either side of the door and in front of them was Ryen. He bristled at the sight of them, demanding to know who they were.
"Don't waste your breath." I spoke flatly, looking at the duo. "I told you to bunk up. Why did you ignore my order?"
Ryen snapped to me, his eyes flashing with a deep growl that slowly escaped his throat. "I won't answer to you! I answer to Lady Willow."
Sneering at him, I gripped his jaw tightly in my fist. Dragging his face to mine, any defiance he had I easily overpowered. "You now live in the home of his majesty, king Elaran Yarrow. You are under my command and I serve him. A king's order overpowers that of a tart you have no chance with."
This pained him, his eyes wincing and breaking his concentration. Jerking his head back, I allowed him to go. Sneering at me, then at the others, Ryen left without another word.
Slow clapping came from behind me. Mockingly slowly, followed by a low chuckle.
"Very good, Ayon. Points to nearly crushing his bottom jaw on his first day."
Marcus's words dripped with sarcasm as he looked down the hall to the way Ryen had gone. Looking over my shoulder at him, I fought the urge to rip his throat out. I knew Marcus had something to do with Nyx going that way, then following me later that evening after, I made sure she was safe.
"Marcus. What is it you want?" I turned to him now, squaring my shoulders and leering down at him.
He shrugged, his beady eyes flicking to the door behind me. "What are you doing out here, Ayon? The lady had had a long day. The prince asked that she be given a tonic to help her sleep. It is best you leave her be."
"I had no intention of bothering her, simply leaving a message."
Marcus extended his arm, unnaturally long fingers extended outward toward me. His eyes never left mine. "Give it to me and I will get the message to the lady."
Sneering now, I shook my head and shrugged. " It doesn't matter, I will see her again soon enough."
Walking past him, it took everything in me not to slam his face into the wall. What had he whispered in Nicolaus's ear? His spies no doubt reported back to him. I knew they were following us. If he knew I was in her room, Nicolaus wouldn't care about our past, he would see me killed right there. Perhaps I was lucky on that account.
"Careful, your voice is strong but your eyes deceive you. Just as they always have."
Marcus chuckled as I halted just above the stairs, his back was still to me and I didn't bother turning.
"I wonder," his laugh now seeping into his voice as he tried to contain it. "If the door was closed, would she have taken you both at once? Word has it the lady made her way around. Maybe, for a change, you could be shown some tricks."
Whipping around, I made it to him in two strides. It more than satisfied me when the look of utter terror exploded in Marcus' eyes. Gripping his throat, I lifted and slammed him against the wall, letting out a commanding breath, the rattle in my chest seeming to demand it, Marcus seemed more bothered by the lack of oxygen. Looking back, I saw that his two men had their little daggers drawn.
Snorting a laugh, I squeezed under his jaw, feeling his throat crack under my grip. As his bony fingers clawed at my arm, I felt his ragged nails tear into my flesh. Pulling him away from the wall and slamming him back once more, I leaned in. Adding further pressure to his throat as I kept my voice low, slowly drawing my sword. The light that reflected from the many torches and standing lanterns around the hallway blinded Marcus.
"You should watch what you say, Marcus. Should your precious princeling hear you, he may not be as forgiving as I am."
Letting him go, I looked down rather annoyed by the way he gasped for breath. Kicking him in the face to silence him crossed my mind, but his men had drug him away nearly as quickly as he had hit the ground. Shaking my head, I turned back to the stairs.
"You are nothing once the king is gone!" He spat, trying to pour venom into his words now.
Flaring up at this, I whipped back to him. My sword still drawn, I used the flat of the blade to smack his guards away. Planting my foot firmly in this worm's chest, I shoved him back. Hearing his teeth clack together as his head bounced off the floor, hoping that he cracked a few at least. Pressing the point of my sword into the soft spot of his throat, I pierced his skin and smirked at the small line of blood that welled around the blade.
"I am sure there is no need to remind you that, as captain of the king's guard, any threat to the king's life is to be taken seriously and immediate action taken."
Foolishly, Marcus gripped the blade. I silenced the cry that tried to escape his mouth as I removed the sword from his throat, keeping my foot on his chest and slapping my hand over the lower half of his face.
"Don't be such a little bitch, Marcus. Though that would be better than a spinless worm." My foot pressed into his chest as I lowered myself further, stabbing my sword into the cloth of his shirt. If I hit him, he didn't react. "Take this as your only warning, but I will bring this up to the king."
After a count, I got up. The panicked breaths escaping his nose were throwing snot and mucus all over my hand. Wiping it on his shirt, I looked at him with my head turned to the side. I waited for him to say more but it seemed he had finally learned his lesson. Pulling my sword free, he could finally shout as blood splattered the floor and our clothing. Clucking my tongue at the mess both on me and writhing on the floor, I turned once more to the stairs. Popping my jaw, I heard nothing more from him, but the wounds would be difficult to hide and easy to explain.
Taking a deep breath, I didn't dwell on it long. Should he even decide to come to a believable lie, the puncture to his throat was that of a traitor. There would be no way to remove that or hide it now. Smiling deeply at myself, I caught the eye of a rather plump woman who eyed me up and down.
Aiming my smile at her, I pushed Nyx to the back of my mind, though the pang of guilt seeded in my stomach even as I approached the rosy-cheeked woman.