Read Online Guardians of the Desert (Children of the Desert) by Leona Wisoker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Leona Wisoker
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and linens. No doubt the closet in the kathain room already had a full stock of varied outfits to suit any taste.
After a thoughtful inspection, Alyea indicated the two women and the youngest boy. Deiq held back a grin at that mistake: she clearly expected that those choices would remove actual sex from the table, and perhaps leave the chosen kathain as mere cleaning-servants. And he suspected that she’d chosen the boy more to keep him from being “used” elsewhere than by any particular interest in him.
Some of her northern assumptions were going to be amusing to remove. . . .
The handler flicked Deiq an appraising glance, then bowed and with a few polite phrases retreated from the room with those not chosen. The remaining kathain bowed and stood quietly waiting.
“You can rest for the night,” Deiq told them once the door of the outer room closed behind the departing group. “I can handle Lord Peysimun’s needs for the moment.”
They nodded, expressionless, and went to their room. Alyea began to make a sound similar to a pot coming to a boil; Deiq turned, caught her arm, and forcefully hustled her through the outer room and into the bedroom, shoving the door shut behind them.
“Horse in a glass shop,” he said before she could speak. “It’s a traditional courtesy—”
“That boy is younger than I am!”
“He’s no younger than you were when Oruen took you to bed,” he said.
Her face darkened, then whitened, and she looked away, clenching her hands.
“That was different ,” she said.
“Because you had noble rank?”
“Because I had a choice !”
“So do the kathain. That boy is here because he wants to be. It’s an honor. Certainly more of an honor than being a night of fun for an unmarried man twice your age is, north to south.”
Her head jerked up; she glared at him with hot outrage.
“Look at what is, not what you want to be,” he said without remorse. “That boy probably knows more about sex than your average whore. I told you: desert lords change after the trials. Kathain are part of every desert lord’s staff. They fill that need—”
“They won’t damn well fill mine—”
“You think you’ll have a choice ?”
She tilted her chin, all ignorant northern arrogance; he tried another approach.
“Alyea,” he said, more patiently, “there’s a lot you still don’t understand, and I’m trying to teach you.”
“By pissing off all the desert lords you can reach?” she demanded.
Deiq repressed a sigh, realizing she was referring to the incident at dinner. She’d completely missed the point of his story. He’d intended to show her what kind of people she was dealing with now, and pass along a warning that her northern notions of politics weren’t going to do her any good here. But all she’d seen was what northerns would consider a severe breach of etiquette. He wasn’t even sure she’d listened to the contents of the tale itself.
He restrained himself to observing, “Doesn’t matter if they get mad at me ; they already hate my guts.”
She turned away, paced a few steps, flung herself back around to glare at him. “You’re making this impossible,” she snapped.
“I’ve saved you from at least three major political blunders tonight,” he returned, allowing irritation into his voice this time. “Lord Rest was angling to make you look like a fool, and I turned it around on him. If you’d hesitated another moment over being walked to your room, you’d have implied you didn’t find the change to your satisfaction, or the servant offensive, or any of a hundred other inflections you didn’t even realize you were conveying. And if you’d refused the kathain gift you’d have been slapping Lord Scratha in the face. You have no damn idea what you’re doing!”
She turned away again, and sat on the far edge of the wide bed, her head hanging. In the silence came a distinct moan; Alyea stiffened and snapped back to her feet, whirling round with an
After a thoughtful inspection, Alyea indicated the two women and the youngest boy. Deiq held back a grin at that mistake: she clearly expected that those choices would remove actual sex from the table, and perhaps leave the chosen kathain as mere cleaning-servants. And he suspected that she’d chosen the boy more to keep him from being “used” elsewhere than by any particular interest in him.
Some of her northern assumptions were going to be amusing to remove. . . .
The handler flicked Deiq an appraising glance, then bowed and with a few polite phrases retreated from the room with those not chosen. The remaining kathain bowed and stood quietly waiting.
“You can rest for the night,” Deiq told them once the door of the outer room closed behind the departing group. “I can handle Lord Peysimun’s needs for the moment.”
They nodded, expressionless, and went to their room. Alyea began to make a sound similar to a pot coming to a boil; Deiq turned, caught her arm, and forcefully hustled her through the outer room and into the bedroom, shoving the door shut behind them.
“Horse in a glass shop,” he said before she could speak. “It’s a traditional courtesy—”
“That boy is younger than I am!”
“He’s no younger than you were when Oruen took you to bed,” he said.
Her face darkened, then whitened, and she looked away, clenching her hands.
“That was different ,” she said.
“Because you had noble rank?”
“Because I had a choice !”
“So do the kathain. That boy is here because he wants to be. It’s an honor. Certainly more of an honor than being a night of fun for an unmarried man twice your age is, north to south.”
Her head jerked up; she glared at him with hot outrage.
“Look at what is, not what you want to be,” he said without remorse. “That boy probably knows more about sex than your average whore. I told you: desert lords change after the trials. Kathain are part of every desert lord’s staff. They fill that need—”
“They won’t damn well fill mine—”
“You think you’ll have a choice ?”
She tilted her chin, all ignorant northern arrogance; he tried another approach.
“Alyea,” he said, more patiently, “there’s a lot you still don’t understand, and I’m trying to teach you.”
“By pissing off all the desert lords you can reach?” she demanded.
Deiq repressed a sigh, realizing she was referring to the incident at dinner. She’d completely missed the point of his story. He’d intended to show her what kind of people she was dealing with now, and pass along a warning that her northern notions of politics weren’t going to do her any good here. But all she’d seen was what northerns would consider a severe breach of etiquette. He wasn’t even sure she’d listened to the contents of the tale itself.
He restrained himself to observing, “Doesn’t matter if they get mad at me ; they already hate my guts.”
She turned away, paced a few steps, flung herself back around to glare at him. “You’re making this impossible,” she snapped.
“I’ve saved you from at least three major political blunders tonight,” he returned, allowing irritation into his voice this time. “Lord Rest was angling to make you look like a fool, and I turned it around on him. If you’d hesitated another moment over being walked to your room, you’d have implied you didn’t find the change to your satisfaction, or the servant offensive, or any of a hundred other inflections you didn’t even realize you were conveying. And if you’d refused the kathain gift you’d have been slapping Lord Scratha in the face. You have no damn idea what you’re doing!”
She turned away again, and sat on the far edge of the wide bed, her head hanging. In the silence came a distinct moan; Alyea stiffened and snapped back to her feet, whirling round with an
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