Castles Kings And Wondrous Things Ch 04

After they finished their breakfast, the four went their separate ways. Zane returned to his desk in his suite. Seth strode off to hunt down his squire. Narelle went to spend the morning socialising with the other young women of the court. Tamara wandered out to the corner of the main palace gardens she had claimed as her own. None of them saw the figure lurking in an alcove down the hall from the breakfast room. None of them heard his quiet oath as he turned away and stormed out to the stables.

***

Tamara's thoughts were burdened by the realisation that she didn't know her sister as well as she thought. When Zane had risen to escort Narelle to the table, she finally realised that Narelle's subdued response to the returned knight was not an act. She pressed her lips together behind the veil that she wore in public in deference to the customs of her homeland. A memory rose of the way the younger couple had parted -- or rather merged with one another -- before Seth's departure. More, she remembered the expression of surprise and almost fear that had raced across her sister's expression. Narelle had pulled away from the knight and practically run back to Tamara. In that moment, her sister had grown from girl to woman and the change had not sat comfortably within her. Tamara finally reached the little arbour covered in trailing jasmine where she spent at least an hour each morning. Entering, she whispered a small spell for privacy, one that had been passed down through her family for generations. Content in her solitude, she seated herself comfortably on the carved bench. Closing her eyes, she set her mind to puzzling out precisely what was going on between Seth and her sister.

***

Although he spent nearly an hour searching for his squire, Seth was unable to find him. The younger man was not in either of their quarters, the stables, the kitchens or amongst the various gatherings of the court he came across as he searched the palace. As he passed one such gathering, a low comment consumed his attention. "Our prince has been bewitched by that foreign demoness," muttered one over-garbed courtier to another. Pausing, Seth noted that the speaker was about his own age and there seemed to be an edge of jealousy to the other man's tone. "It's not right," he continued. The prince would have gone on his way had he not recognised the listener as one of his father's advisors.

The older man slowly shook his head and replied, "It's just not right, lad. Why, your sister would make a far more appropriate queen than that foreign demoness." The prince saw the younger man's chest puff out and an expression of pride wreath his face. Blinded by his self-importance, the younger courtier missed the gleam of smug superiority in the older man's eyes. Seth, however, saw it clearly and decided that the matter of his squire's whereabouts could wait until he found out what was going on his brother's court.

***

"Oh, Narelle! I simply must tell you what happened to me last night," gushed Lady Flora Donahughe. Narelle grimaced in exasperation behind the veil she had donned before leaving the breakfast room. Before she could make a hasty excuse -- and an even hastier retreat -- the Lady Flora was by her elbow. Flora steered her to a private alcove along the edge of the hall where the young ladies of the court gathered in the mornings. Without further ado, the lady launched into a detailed description of her adventures the previous evening. She had ventured into the gardens with her latest beau and then spent a good two hours frolicking with the young courtier under the moonlight. Without pausing for Narelle's reaction Flora told her about the way the young man had worshipped first her breasts with hands and tongue and teeth. He had then given her sex the same attention before taking his own satisfaction in her mouth and hands.

It was just as well Flora hadn't paused. Although Narelle knew that her promiscuous friend intended no harm, she definitely did not need a blow by blow retelling of what had happened. "And that was just the first time!" exclaimed the lady, waving a hand in the air as though to cool her heated face. "I just love young men, don't you Narelle? They just keep on and on and on." She lowered her hand and leaned forward to stare at the veiled girl expectantly. Narelle merely kept silent, unsure how to respond appropriately. Was she supposed to compliment Flora on finding a man who could 'keep on and on and on'? Or would it be better to make a prim remark along the lines of how was she supposed to know given her virginal state? She prayed that someone would come and rescue her before she did something she'd later regret. A shriek from Flora started a frown between Narelle's eyes. The other lady's cry of, "Prince Seth, you're back!" made her shrink back in her chair. As the man quietly greeted the other woman, Narelle reminded herself to be careful what you asked for in case you actually received it.

***

Trying to hide his impatience from the Lady Flora, Seth answered her questions as briefly as he could manage politely. He remembered this particular lady had already had a bit of a reputation before his departure. After five minutes of being interrogated and ogled in equal parts, he cut the lady off with a charming smile and a request to speak to Narelle in private. With rounded eyes, Flora nodded and skipped out of the alcove. He turned to the remaining lady and found her eyes fixed on the floor as they had been in the breakfast room. Running a hand through his rich brown locks, he huffed an exasperated sigh. "Could you please look at me?" he demanded quietly.

A glimmer of forest green was accompanied by, "Why?"

"I need you to pay attention, this is important," he snapped. When she merely kept her head bowed, he gripped her chin and raised her face to his own. The fear in her gaze made him release her as if she'd burned his fingertips. "I'm sorry. Don't be afraid. I swear I won't harm you." He laid his hands flat on the table and leaned as far back as he could in an attempt to reassure her. Trying to break through the barrier that seemed to have grown between them, he said, "I need your help, I think your sister's in trouble."

***

Zane leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts drift away from the contracts he'd been reading. His mind touched briefly on the previous night's pleasure and then skipped back five years to the first and only time he and Tamara had actually made love. The memory was a treasure, one that had given him strength during her absence. He briefly hoped that together they might make more memories like it in the near future. When that thought triggered the memory of her father's threat, he ruthlessly turned his mind back to his lover and let the scene of their interaction unfold in his mind.

Despite the late hour, the lamps still burned along the walls of the palace baths. Built into the earth beneath the palace, they were heated by a spell that had been tied to the nearby river. With the unceasing rush of water powering it, the spell had become an example of permanent magic that attracted magicians from around the known lands. However the magic and heat of the waters weren't what had drawn him here tonight. Tamara had told him where to find her before she left dinner that had been held to honour the visit of her and her younger sister. The magic and heat that had flared between them when she had kissed him before the dinner were what made him respond to her invitation. His gaze swept the pools and found her standing with her back to the entrance in the farthest pool. He made his way across the chamber until he stood looking down at her naked form.

Drops of water gleamed on the bared skin of her shoulders. The greater mass of her hair hung in a soaking sheet down the middle of her back. Little wisps of water-darkened brown curled along the edges of her face. Without a word, he stripped and slid into the pool. Before he could say anything, she spun in the water and walked towards him until her bare breast brushed against his chest. "No talking," she admonished him, pressing a finger against his lips before trailing it in a line down the centre of his body until it reached the water lapping at his waist. Obeying both her spoken and unspoken commands, he silently ran his own finger over her lips before mirroring her own gesture. However when he reached the water, he spread the rest of his fingers over her stomach and slid his hand around her back. Pulling her firmly against his front, he dipped his head and brushed her lips with his own. Pulling back he pressed butterfly kisses across the arch of her cheekbone before returning to her mouth and claiming it with a sweep of his tongue.

When her hands slid up his chest to link behind his neck, Zane pulled her closer to his body with the hand at her back and raised the other hand to grip the back of her head. Holding her in place, he rubbed his hardened cock against her hip. He felt her start in surprise and pulled away frowning down at her. What was she surprised about, surely she knew what she was asking for when she asked him to meet her here? He opened his mouth to demand answers but she rose and pressed her mouth to his own. Her tongue duelled briefly with his before she pulled away and murmured, "No talking." Before he could protest, she shifted against him and his cock no longer rested against her hip. Even in the already heated water, the juncture at her thighs felt hot and his cock pulsed in response to that heat. He became lost in the heat of both her lips and her skin. He ran the hand at her waist down the back of her leg and gripped her knee. Hooking that knee over his hip, he boosted her up so that the head of his cock pressed against her entrance. Tongue still entwined with hers, he thrust forward into her tightness. He felt her pause but was too enthralled by the magical seeming heat that flared between them. Pulling back until just the head of his cock remained inside her, he slammed back into her with an effort that almost overbalanced them. Unable to keep still, he repeated the movement in a barely controlled rhythm until he felt her shudder against him. Tearing his mouth from hers, he threw back his head and let himself go. In moments he came, giving his seed into her clasping womb.

Zane leaned back in his chair and rested his hand over his straining cock. Ruefully, he admitted to himself that reliving that particular memory was probably not the smartest idea he'd had in recent times. Rising to his feet, he decided that there was no point trying to work in this state -- of mind or body. Adjusting himself so that he could work with a minimal of discomfort, he left the room and went in search of his lady. He knew that she would be in the gardens, bracing herself for the daily ordeal of socialising with his court.

***

The unfamiliar fear that had ignited when Seth touched her face disappeared under the onslaught of fear for her sister. Narelle glanced around and then whispered her family's privacy spell. Fisting her hands in her skirts, she leaned forward and told him, "It's safe to talk now." She kept her eyes fixed on his face, even though she still felt threatened by what she felt for him. Her sister was more important than whatever was happening inside her.

"I overheard something," he said. He explained what he had heard and described both the older and the younger lords conducting the discussion. She watched his face, noting every nuance of expression that crossed it. He was genuinely worried for her sister but his words had allayed her fears. When he was finished, she shook her head.

Biting her lip, she admitted, "I've heard the same, or variations, repeated since word first got out that Zane had sent for Tamara." She lifted her hands from her skirts and loosely clasped them before resting them on the table. Leaning forward, she continued, "I've done what I can to counter the rumours but it's impossible to prove a negative."

"And if that advisor of Father's is involved, others must be too," prompted Seth. She nodded in reply and shifted her weight in her chair again.

Wrinkling her nose, she murmured, "Unfortunately, yes. The ones who started the rumours know Zane will dismiss them from their positions when he is crowned. Your brother has no intention of being their puppet the way your father was."

***

Seth remained still as he considered her words. He had known for years that his father was ruled by his counsellors. He had even been kept up-to-date on their machinations by his brother during his travels. What he hadn't realised was that they were willing to threaten Zane in any fashion. They were either that confident of their positions or that desperate to save them that they'd crossed a line they didn't even realise was there. Glancing up, he met Narelle's gaze over the edge of her sheer veil and smiled grimly. "If you haven't already, I think we should tell my brother and your sister," he told her.

Quietly she said, "I didn't want to bother him because he's been so busy. And Tamara only beat you here by a week. I think she knows the general opinion but not what's driving it."

"Let's go find them then," he replied briefly. He rose to his feet and held out his hand. He knew he was pushing her new boundaries, but he was desperate for the touch of her skin any way he could get it. After a long moment, she slipped her fingers into his own and allowed him to pull her to her feet. With another whisper, she allowed the spell to fade and he escorted her from the hall.

***

As she sat on the carved wooden bench, Tamara cast her mind back to the childhood days that had been spent in this palace. Their father had been busy as king of the nomadic tribes that roamed the steppes to the north. However, he made time for his family and his allies to the south. Without fail, once a season, he had made the journey to the palace with his daughters and his personal bodyguard of twenty pegasus knights in tow. The knights and their mounts were, after all, his people's greatest claim to fame. As princesses of an allied kingdom, the girls had been housed in the same wing of the palace as the crown prince and his younger brother. The four children had played together freely and rarely quarrelled. The untroubled nature of their relationships had probably been due to the fact that their visits were rarely more than a week long. Instead of a political necessity, the children saw the visits as treats and exciting adventures. Tamara smiled to think of the way the four of them had always invented new games to play and other exciting things to do to pass the time while the adults were otherwise occupied. The four of them had been born within a few years of each other -- Zane older than her by half a year; Seth two years younger than both of them; and Narelle a year younger than Seth. Although she had been the baby of the group, her sister had kept up with a courage that made her current attitude a mystery to Tamara.

***

He stole through the gardens, following the directions the bitch's maid had given him. The finely woven cloth of his shirt and tunic clung to his back as he broke out in an anxious sweat. He knew that she was a witch of some kind; the court was alive with talk of her demonic powers. He knew that was how she'd managed to ruin his life without raising a protest from his father. As soon as he found her, he was going to make her pay for her evil deeds. After a few more twists in the path, he spotted the jasmine covered arbour and slowed his movements further still to avoid alerting her to his presence.

***

Whistling to himself, Zane strode out of one of the side doors and into the rose garden. He had decided to present some of the blooms to Tamara. Searching out the gardener, he borrowed the man's tools and made short work of gathering a dozen buds that had yet to open. Returning the gardener's tools, he returned to the palace kitchen to grab a spare basket and some food. Arms full of supplies, he quickly made his way through the gardens. When he came into sight of the arbour, however, he pulled up short. He didn't see any sign of the nomadic princess herself but a small basket lay on the ground at one end of the bench. Senses alive with a burgeoning fear, he dropped the food and flowers where he stood and crossed the remaining distance to the arbour at a dead run. Sliding to a stop he peered through the trailing vines of jasmine and spotted her veil caught on the tip of one of the vines. Pulling the veil down, he scanned the ground and saw signs of a scuffle. The churned dirt made it difficult to be certain but it looked to him as though there had only been two people involved in whatever had happened. Terror and grief welled but he did his best to suppress it as he quickly gathered her belongings and headed back towards the castle. His subjects might not like Tamara but surely someone would have seen something out of the ordinary and he intended to find out what happened to his betrothed sooner rather than later.

***

Narelle guided Seth through the gardens towards her sister's retreat. She had argued with him until he agreed to consult her sister before worrying his brother. She had finally resorted to bribery, telling him that she would allow him to escort her to lunch in the great hall if they could consult Tamara first. Although she didn't like the threat against her sister, she was grateful for anything that enabled her to speak with Seth freely. She didn't like being shy around him -- she just couldn't seem to help it. Her ruminations were interrupted when he slowed to a stop at her side. "What's the matter?" she asked, glancing up at him.

Looking up the path, he replied, "I see the jasmine arbour but I don't see your sister." Following his gaze, she felt confusion and worry stir to life when she confirmed with her own eyes, her sister's absence. Slipping her hand free from the crook of Seth's elbow, Narelle ran up the path and began to examine the arbour and its surrounds.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she demanded, when the prince joined her in the arbour. She pointed to the disturbed soil behind the bench she knew her sister favoured. Seth stepped closer to her side and she instinctively stepped back, avoiding his touch and giving him the same point of view she'd had.

He crouched down to have a closer look before he replied slowly, "I'm not certain but it looks like there was a struggle. One person, heavier, standing behind another person, lighter, and trying to pull them back deeper into the bushes." He rose abruptly to his feet and his expression when he turned to face her was grim. "I can also smell something minty and I know we're nowhere near the herb gardens." Frowning, the princess pulled aside her veil and drew a deep breath and trying to scent what he had noted.

"I smell mint and lemon, neither of them are scents Tamara likes to wear," she stated flatly. She fastened her gaze on his face and added, "The only thing I know of that smells like both those things is shadow." She spun away from him and started back towards the palace.

***

Before she could go, Seth reached out and laid a hand on her arm and asked, "Where are you going? I need to find Zane and let him know that we can't find Tamara at the moment." He watched the confusion and worry recede from her eyes as she thought about his question.

"To be honest, my lord prince, I don't think we will be able to find her, there is nowhere else she would be at this hour of the morning," she told him. Her gaze sharpened as he waited silently and finally she added, "I want to send for my Father. If Tamara is truly missing, he needs to know."

The prince considered her words and had to concede the point but he held her in place and asked, "How long until you have word of King Maddox? I need to let my mother and my brother know in case he decides to respond in person."