woman on the grey horse has it.”
I turned to the other captain, but he was already giving the order. Ly-haam’s travel roll soon appeared, a simple cloth bag with a long strap which I guessed he would normally wear over one shoulder as he walked. However, the captain carried it for him now.
“Come,” I said to Ly-haam. “Let us go in.”
I held out my hand to him. He stared at it, then registered that I still wore my riding gloves, and with a quick smile, allowed me to take his hand.
~~~~~
The captain had paid for what must surely have been the best room the inn could offer. There was a huge sitting area, with sofas, a large table and chairs, bookcases and dressers, just like a house. Then, round a corner, a vast bed. There was a water bucket room and a room with its own bathing tub tucked away behind a door. Best of all, although it was on the second floor, it boasted a small balcony.
Despite its capacious size, Ly-haam was shaking from top to toe. He stood in the centre of the room, as far as possible from the walls he found so oppressive, arms tightly folded, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet.
One of the eagles was flying nearby. My mind had known of their presence the whole way out from Kingswell, but I hadn’t wanted Ly-haam to know that I was aware of them, and of his state of mind, too. But now I really needed to know what was in his head. I stretched my awareness to the eagle, and then onwards, to Ly-haam. Fear was the dominant emotion, but there was something else, too. Something he was fighting against, but it was there, stronger than his terror, barely under control.
Desire. He wanted me. There were the flames again, just as I remembered. For me, it only happened when he touched me, but for him it was much more powerful. A compulsion that he couldn’t fight.
I slipped out of his mind in less than a heartbeat, and he gave no sign that he’d noticed my presence. At least now I knew what I had to do. If I didn’t, he would be driven to jump on me at some odd moment, and that would be awkward for everyone. Demons, I’d hoped there would be no repeat of that strange coupling at the camp, but the gods were determined to throw us together, whether we wanted it or not. I don’t think he wanted it any more than I did, but he was compelled and I – I was the Drashona’s daughter, doing what was needful to ensure an important trading partner was kept happy.
Since it was going to happen anyway, now was as good a time as any.
“Captain, we shall need food – soup and bread, some fruit and, for the love of all the gods, the best wine you can find…”
“The byan shar takes no wine, Highness. We tried him with it once.”
“No, but I do. Some hot cake, if there is any to be had. All of that in one hour, no sooner. You understand?”
“Perfectly, Highness.” His eyes slid to Ly-haam, then back to me, but he saluted smartly and vanished.
Cryalla’s face was expressionless. “I shall be outside, Highness. Call if you need me.”
And then we were alone.
“Now,” I said, peeling off my gloves. “Let us get down to business.”
He stood, shaking his head like a kishorn matriarch, as I approached. He was terrified of what I might do, but I don’t think he was capable of resisting me in any way. So he simply stood, waiting for his fate.
All I had to do was to cup his face in my hands. Then it was there again, that fire swooping up to consume me, eating me alive, the feeling of falling, falling, falling, screaming with terror. This time, I retained some semblance of self-control, because I managed to get both of us more or less undressed first, and I even dragged him across to the bed. There’s a certain majestic drama in coupling with such urgency that you just can’t wait a heartbeat longer, but I felt certain that lying on something soft would improve the experience.
The flames were just as all-consuming as the first time, and I suspect we could have been standing in the middle of
I turned to the other captain, but he was already giving the order. Ly-haam’s travel roll soon appeared, a simple cloth bag with a long strap which I guessed he would normally wear over one shoulder as he walked. However, the captain carried it for him now.
“Come,” I said to Ly-haam. “Let us go in.”
I held out my hand to him. He stared at it, then registered that I still wore my riding gloves, and with a quick smile, allowed me to take his hand.
~~~~~
The captain had paid for what must surely have been the best room the inn could offer. There was a huge sitting area, with sofas, a large table and chairs, bookcases and dressers, just like a house. Then, round a corner, a vast bed. There was a water bucket room and a room with its own bathing tub tucked away behind a door. Best of all, although it was on the second floor, it boasted a small balcony.
Despite its capacious size, Ly-haam was shaking from top to toe. He stood in the centre of the room, as far as possible from the walls he found so oppressive, arms tightly folded, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet.
One of the eagles was flying nearby. My mind had known of their presence the whole way out from Kingswell, but I hadn’t wanted Ly-haam to know that I was aware of them, and of his state of mind, too. But now I really needed to know what was in his head. I stretched my awareness to the eagle, and then onwards, to Ly-haam. Fear was the dominant emotion, but there was something else, too. Something he was fighting against, but it was there, stronger than his terror, barely under control.
Desire. He wanted me. There were the flames again, just as I remembered. For me, it only happened when he touched me, but for him it was much more powerful. A compulsion that he couldn’t fight.
I slipped out of his mind in less than a heartbeat, and he gave no sign that he’d noticed my presence. At least now I knew what I had to do. If I didn’t, he would be driven to jump on me at some odd moment, and that would be awkward for everyone. Demons, I’d hoped there would be no repeat of that strange coupling at the camp, but the gods were determined to throw us together, whether we wanted it or not. I don’t think he wanted it any more than I did, but he was compelled and I – I was the Drashona’s daughter, doing what was needful to ensure an important trading partner was kept happy.
Since it was going to happen anyway, now was as good a time as any.
“Captain, we shall need food – soup and bread, some fruit and, for the love of all the gods, the best wine you can find…”
“The byan shar takes no wine, Highness. We tried him with it once.”
“No, but I do. Some hot cake, if there is any to be had. All of that in one hour, no sooner. You understand?”
“Perfectly, Highness.” His eyes slid to Ly-haam, then back to me, but he saluted smartly and vanished.
Cryalla’s face was expressionless. “I shall be outside, Highness. Call if you need me.”
And then we were alone.
“Now,” I said, peeling off my gloves. “Let us get down to business.”
He stood, shaking his head like a kishorn matriarch, as I approached. He was terrified of what I might do, but I don’t think he was capable of resisting me in any way. So he simply stood, waiting for his fate.
All I had to do was to cup his face in my hands. Then it was there again, that fire swooping up to consume me, eating me alive, the feeling of falling, falling, falling, screaming with terror. This time, I retained some semblance of self-control, because I managed to get both of us more or less undressed first, and I even dragged him across to the bed. There’s a certain majestic drama in coupling with such urgency that you just can’t wait a heartbeat longer, but I felt certain that lying on something soft would improve the experience.
The flames were just as all-consuming as the first time, and I suspect we could have been standing in the middle of
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