edged a little further away from him.
‘Sure you don’t want me to touch you?’ he asked idly.
‘Yes,’ she gasped.
‘Your loss. Well, night, then,’ he said, and she heard nothing from him until the morning, when he shook her awake, told her to get dressed and follow him.
She’d expected to go straight into a meeting with this council he’d talked about, but instead he took her across a courtyard and into a large, busy room filled with heavenly scents.
People went oddly silent as Kael approached, but he ignored them all and handed Ishtaer a tray on which he placed various items of food, then guided her to a table.
All around them, Ishtaer was conscious of the whispers.
‘… fifteen hundred in Draxos.’
‘I heard he killed fifteen thousand.’
‘I meant personally, numbhead.’
Beside her on the bench, Kael calmly ate his breakfast, with no sign of having heard them.
‘So did I. He just slaughtered that many.’
‘No one could kill fifteen thousand men all by himself.’
‘Lord Krull could …’
‘Coffee, Ishtaer? It’s better than the stuff we had on the ship.’
Ishtaer nodded mechanically.
‘… you know he’s Twice-Marked?’
‘Yeah, but no one knows what his second mark is.’
‘They say his Militis mark covers, like, his whole arm and half his chest! But no one’s ever seen …
’
‘Enjoying your breakfast?’
‘It’s delicious,’ Ishtaer said with heartfelt sincerity. It was porridge, but not the tasteless stuff they’d had on board the ship. This porridge had cream and honey and fruits and spices in it. This porridge was like food for gods.
‘… oh my gods, that’s Lord Krull!’
‘So I see. You know,’ he dropped his tone and spoke close in her ear, ‘if you’d let me touch you in bed, I could put that look on your face.’
Her whole body tightened at his nearness, even before he spoke.
Kael made a sound of disgust. ‘But that’ll never happen, will it?’ he said. ‘You’ll get that expression from porridge, but not from me.’
‘… on the seas, and his father was a great warlord …’
‘Krull the Warlord!’
‘… pirate …’
‘Shh, don’t look, that’s Krull the Warlord!’
Eventually, as her bowl emptied and Kael finished his several plates of food, he shoved back his chair and stood up. ‘Come on, then,’ he said, and once again everyone went silent as they passed.
‘Gone a bit quiet in there,’ Kael remarked as they emerged into the cool morning.
‘They all knew you,’ Ishtaer ventured.
‘Nah, they knew
of
me. I love having a reputation,’ the great warlord remarked as they crossed the cobbles. ‘Always gets girls into bed. Well, except you.’
Ishtaer had, technically, been in his bed, but she didn’t really want to remind him of it.
‘Although maybe you haven’t heard about me. I’m Krull the Warlord, you know.’
‘I’ve heard, my lord,’ she said evenly. All those whispers …
‘Really? Did I tell you how I slaughtered – how many were they saying in there? Fifteen thousand, in Draxos?’
‘Barehanded,’ she agreed, feeling slightly sick.
‘And the pirate booty. Got a castle full of gold in Krulland. No? I kill pirates, you know,’ he added jauntily. ‘They’re afraid of me.’
‘Everyone’s afraid of you, my lord,’ Ishtaer said.
‘Including you,’ he sighed. ‘Okay, fine. Whatever. Try not to look so terrified when we meet the council, will you?’
She nodded, but she had the distinct feeling that he knew as well as she that it was a lie.
Chapter Five
The chamber he took her to was up a wide flight of stone stairs and along a passageway open to the courtyard below. Whenever they passed someone, conversation would stop, footsteps slow, and once she even thought she heard the shuffle and scrape of a curtsey. Kael ignored it all.
The day was cold, the air crisp, but Ishtaer wore a woollen dress and cloak that covered her head and hands. The day was cold, but she was not.
Kael
‘Sure you don’t want me to touch you?’ he asked idly.
‘Yes,’ she gasped.
‘Your loss. Well, night, then,’ he said, and she heard nothing from him until the morning, when he shook her awake, told her to get dressed and follow him.
She’d expected to go straight into a meeting with this council he’d talked about, but instead he took her across a courtyard and into a large, busy room filled with heavenly scents.
People went oddly silent as Kael approached, but he ignored them all and handed Ishtaer a tray on which he placed various items of food, then guided her to a table.
All around them, Ishtaer was conscious of the whispers.
‘… fifteen hundred in Draxos.’
‘I heard he killed fifteen thousand.’
‘I meant personally, numbhead.’
Beside her on the bench, Kael calmly ate his breakfast, with no sign of having heard them.
‘So did I. He just slaughtered that many.’
‘No one could kill fifteen thousand men all by himself.’
‘Lord Krull could …’
‘Coffee, Ishtaer? It’s better than the stuff we had on the ship.’
Ishtaer nodded mechanically.
‘… you know he’s Twice-Marked?’
‘Yeah, but no one knows what his second mark is.’
‘They say his Militis mark covers, like, his whole arm and half his chest! But no one’s ever seen …
’
‘Enjoying your breakfast?’
‘It’s delicious,’ Ishtaer said with heartfelt sincerity. It was porridge, but not the tasteless stuff they’d had on board the ship. This porridge had cream and honey and fruits and spices in it. This porridge was like food for gods.
‘… oh my gods, that’s Lord Krull!’
‘So I see. You know,’ he dropped his tone and spoke close in her ear, ‘if you’d let me touch you in bed, I could put that look on your face.’
Her whole body tightened at his nearness, even before he spoke.
Kael made a sound of disgust. ‘But that’ll never happen, will it?’ he said. ‘You’ll get that expression from porridge, but not from me.’
‘… on the seas, and his father was a great warlord …’
‘Krull the Warlord!’
‘… pirate …’
‘Shh, don’t look, that’s Krull the Warlord!’
Eventually, as her bowl emptied and Kael finished his several plates of food, he shoved back his chair and stood up. ‘Come on, then,’ he said, and once again everyone went silent as they passed.
‘Gone a bit quiet in there,’ Kael remarked as they emerged into the cool morning.
‘They all knew you,’ Ishtaer ventured.
‘Nah, they knew
of
me. I love having a reputation,’ the great warlord remarked as they crossed the cobbles. ‘Always gets girls into bed. Well, except you.’
Ishtaer had, technically, been in his bed, but she didn’t really want to remind him of it.
‘Although maybe you haven’t heard about me. I’m Krull the Warlord, you know.’
‘I’ve heard, my lord,’ she said evenly. All those whispers …
‘Really? Did I tell you how I slaughtered – how many were they saying in there? Fifteen thousand, in Draxos?’
‘Barehanded,’ she agreed, feeling slightly sick.
‘And the pirate booty. Got a castle full of gold in Krulland. No? I kill pirates, you know,’ he added jauntily. ‘They’re afraid of me.’
‘Everyone’s afraid of you, my lord,’ Ishtaer said.
‘Including you,’ he sighed. ‘Okay, fine. Whatever. Try not to look so terrified when we meet the council, will you?’
She nodded, but she had the distinct feeling that he knew as well as she that it was a lie.
Chapter Five
The chamber he took her to was up a wide flight of stone stairs and along a passageway open to the courtyard below. Whenever they passed someone, conversation would stop, footsteps slow, and once she even thought she heard the shuffle and scrape of a curtsey. Kael ignored it all.
The day was cold, the air crisp, but Ishtaer wore a woollen dress and cloak that covered her head and hands. The day was cold, but she was not.
Kael
Similar Books
