Divided (51 page)

Once they reached the top of the wall, they hurried down the
other side.  Leif grabbed Aela’s arm the moment they hit the rather sparkly
stone ground and pulled her behind one the outhouses.  She saw the overly
dressed nobles, and after her experience with the ones earlier, she hated all
of them.  Truthfully, they were not very different from Cathalar’s nobles.  The
women seemed a little more bubbly than those in Cathalar, but the men were the
same, straight-faced men to which she’d become accustomed.

No one looked the least bit worried that a few commoners, or
even Cathalari citizens, might be wandering through their streets.  Leif pulled
her at intervals, using the backs of buildings to make their way closer to the
looming black castle.  At least the castle in Cathalar was just fancy.  She
wasn’t ever intimidated when she looked at it, and looking at the Telandan
castle, she was sure that she would be intimidated, even if she’d lived in it. 

After a few more quick movements between houses, they were
just outside the castle walls.  Leif pulled her around, away from the gate. 
She didn’t know why she was surprised—not as if they would be able to walk
right through the gates.  “Where are we going?” she whispered, trying to keep
her voice as low as she could. 

A quick glare from Leif said that she had not been quiet
enough, and she stifled any further questions.  The castle was massive, she
realized, and much bigger than Veyron’s.  She’d thought her father had been
obsessed with the idea of size, but this castle was huge.  Cathalar may have
had many things over Telandus, but size was not among them.  Sheer size of
buildings, however, would do little to win a war. 

Trusting Leif, for she had no way of knowing what they were
doing, she followed as closely as she could.  Her heart was in her throat at
the sheer possibility that any of the passing nobles might catch an eyeful of
her.  After all, she’d made sure to fit into Dark District, and as such, her
pants and shirt were a mess—and her face was still covered in dirt.  She
continued forward for a moment too long after Leif had stopped, and he yanked
her back against the wall.

Naturally, she landed squarely against his chest.  She
almost let out a yelp and then shoved it back down her throat forcefully.  When
she glanced up into his eyes, though, she realized that she couldn’t have made
a sound if she wanted to.  They were close to one another—too close, in fact. 
His breath touched her lips for a moment, and her entire insides twisted into a
quick knot. 

She had never really looked at Leif’s lips before, but as
she did now, she found herself squirming.  They were inviting, and she was sure
that kissing him in the middle of the Telandan Shining District would be a bad
idea.  Though, the romance of it could certainly not be denied.  Then, she
noticed the red tint that his cheeks had taken on as he eased her away from
him.  She was grateful he’d had the willpower to do so.  He gestured with his
head, indicating that they needed to keep moving, and she nodded.

When they rounded to the back of the castle, there were two
men.  They were both clad in their guardsmen uniform and smoking.  Clearly,
they were taking some sort of break, and a smirk twisted onto Leif’s face. 
“How convenient.” 

She wondered what precisely Leif was going to do.  If they
attacked the men, then surely others would be alerted.  She was also aware that
this area, with the small table and patio, must have been a common break area
for the guards.  Leif couldn’t have expected to just walk up to them—and—do
what exactly?  She had no idea.  She wasn’t going to ask him right now either. 
Surely talking would alert these men, who stood only paces away from them.

Leif glanced across at her, and a knowing grin spread across
his face.  He must be aware that she didn’t have a clue what he intended to
do.  He put his fingers to his lips, which she wished he wouldn’t do—as it brought
her unruly attention back to his lips.  She really shouldn’t be thinking about
this sort of thing when they were in the middle of an entire district that
would have killed them without a thought. 

With a few more gestures, Aela got the idea that she was
supposed to remain where they were while Leif did whatever he intended to do. 
She didn’t mind, as without her bow, which she had come to miss dearly on this
sun—she would be of very little use.  She could always assist if he began to
lose, too, and they wouldn’t expect her.  She nodded her head, instructing him
to go forward with whatever plot he’d concocted.

Leif smiled again, and he seemed grateful that she wasn’t
questioning his motives.  He eased out into the opening, though he kept his
body close to small objects so that the men were not made aware of any
immediate movement.  Aela’s heart pounded and she readied herself, preparing
for the moment that these men saw Leif.  Though, Leif moved with such silence
that both of them remained oblivious.

Her eyes widened, watching Leif’s careful movements.  She
had always thought that she was stealthy, but watching this boy move put any
sneaking she’d ever done to shame.  She frowned at the thought.  If Taeru had
stuck around for a few more years, she surely would have been able to hold her
own against the likes of Leif.  How had he learned to be so furtive, anyway? 
She watched, though, still prepared to react if things went badly.

They didn’t, though, as Leif moved forward, slamming a hand
into the back of the first man’s head, far too hard for the man to remain
conscious.  Then, before the other one had a chance to cry out, Leif’s elbow
crashed into his throat.  With another swing of his hand, the man was rendered
unconscious, as well.  With a renewed quickness, Leif dragged the two of them
back to where Aela was standing.

She widened her eyes to let him know how impressed she was,
but standing before two newly incapacitated men, she didn’t have the nerve to
speak.  Leif just offered a smug smile and then he began undressing the men,
unceremoniously.  She flushed, as he stripped the men down to their
undershorts.  “Put these on,” Leif said, handing her the smaller man’s
clothes.  “Keep your clothes on, though.  You’ll fill out the uniform better.”

That she was grateful for, as stripping behind the Telandan
castle was not anything she’d ever intended to do.  She began pulling on the
pants, whose belt was still pulled as tightly as it could be, despite the added
padding of her other clothes.  She had to roll up the sleeves of the shirt,
though she buttoned it quickly. 

Lastly, she grabbed the sheath and put it around her waist. 
She hadn’t been graced with a sword in some time, and having one on her hip
made her grin.  She glanced to Leif, who had only just gotten out of his
clothes.  Heat slammed against her when she caught a glimpse of him.  She’d
seen him before, when she had patched his injuries, but this time—there were no
injuries, and the full wonder of Leif’s chest was before her.

He was not any sort of divine being.  He was still
relatively small, reminding her a little of Taeru, though Leif was much
taller.  His abdomen was so perfectly designed, though, for her tastes.  She
felt her throat knot for the umpteenth time, and she gritted her teeth.  What had
gotten into her?  Before this adventure, she hadn’t even liked Leif.  Or had
she?  Perhaps that was why she’d tried so hard to avoid him.  She had always
anticipated not liking whoever she was forced to marry, and then there was
Leif.  Leif, the boy who had teased her as a child, had become so entirely
charming. 

No, now was neither the time nor place for these kinds of
thoughts, she reminded herself.  She’d been trying to leave Aela Lassau back in
Cathalar, though Aela Lassau didn’t seem to know how to be quiet.  “You do like
what you see,” Leif asserted firmly.  Aela’s fists clenched, as there was no
denying that she had been staring. 

Unable to defend herself, Aela took a quick breath.  As Leif
dressed, she said nothing, though she knew that Leif wouldn’t be able to slow
down and insist that she respond to him.  Her body may be responding, and her
mind may be responding, but her mouth certainly wasn’t going to respond.  Once
he finished, and admittedly, she preferred him in no clothes than the guard uniform,
he grinned.  “Embarrassed, princess?” he asked quietly.

She thought of reminding him of how meanly he’d glared at
her when she had spoken out of turn, but rather than bothering, she simply
turned her back.  “You can stop gloating whenever you like,” she growled. 

A smile twitched at the corners of Leif’s lips, and he
quickly dragged the men into the bushes nearby.  Then, he tossed his clothes
next to them.  Waking up next to commoner clothing, while wearing next to
nothing themselves, would be an interesting experience.  “Let them make what
they will of that,” Leif said idly.  He took extra care to move the first man
so that his head laid dangerously close to the second’s waist.  Aela tried very
hard not to laugh, and eventually had to look away for fear of losing control. 
“Come on,” Leif said, chuckling himself.  “From what I’ve seen, the guards know
little of one another.  Just don’t speak much and keep your head down.  No one
will be any wiser.” 

With a quick nod, she glanced once back to the men in the
very suggestive position, and then she followed Leif to the break area. 
Another guard exited the building just as they returned, he looked at the two
of them for a moment.  The moment felt eternal, and Aela was sure that her
heart would explode.  Then, the man nodded to them and found a seat on the
bench. 

They walked back into the building without so much as a
word.  The guard didn’t seem to think much of it.  The inside of Telandus’s
castle was just as intimidating.  Unlike Cathalar, it didn’t really seem that
fantastic—or not to her tastes—instead it was filled with black and crimson.  The
entire place felt like some sort of prison, and she felt immediately uneasy as
they entered the building.  None of the halls had windows, or very few of them
did—well, the one they were in didn’t. 

“Lacks a certain ambience, doesn’t it?” Leif murmured.

The fact that the hallway was lit with torches all along the
walls didn’t say much for his statement.  Though, the castle did seem to be
rather dark.  With a smirk, she nudged him in the side and continued down the
hall.  She decided that casual interaction was good, as it kept her mind from
going insane.  She was in the Telandan castle—oh, if they had any idea who she
was.  She didn’t want to imagine what would happen to her!  “Any idea where
we’re patrolling?” Aela asked quietly.

“I’m just walking without direction now,” Leif admitted
warily.  Well, he hid it well—until this moment, she’d been sure Leif had a
clear destination in mind.  Then again, that made very little sense, since Leif
couldn’t possibly know the layout of the castle.  Walking down the hallway for
a little longer, they finally reached the exit.  This was the grand hall, she
assumed, as the balcony loomed overhead, and it was filled with all sorts of
portraits.  Very faintly, it reminded her of the Cathalari grand hall—but at
least that grand hall had some color. 

Still, the unnecessary need to prove to the citizens who
ruled the kingdom was there.  No ruler ever seemed content to rule without shoving
the idea in other people’s faces.  Aela, getting an epiphany, as perhaps all
rulers were similar somewhere beneath the surface, grabbed Leif by the wrist
and hurried him towards the back of the grand hall.  To the side, there was the
ballroom—and she knew that instinctively, without needing to look in.  Yes,
despite the darkness of this castle, the layout was similar.

They eased into another hallway and passed another set of
guards, who simply nodded to them.  Leif had been right about the guards here
being unfamiliar with each other.  Perhaps socialness was discouraged.  Lavus,
if his reputation was any indication, didn’t seem like he’d enjoy walking by
happy guardsmen anyway.  The guards here needed to be stoic and disconnected,
she was sure.  Once they reached the end of the next hallway, she knew she was
right.  The large, incredibly ornate doors before them led to the throne room. 
They were only posed as guards, however, and they knew that opening the door to
the throne room would not be taken kindly.  Fortunately, though, voices from a
nearby room pulled them away. 

The door was closed, but if they stood close enough to it,
Aela could make out the voices on the other side.  Some of them sounded
self-important enough to be Lavus’s, though she hadn’t the slightest idea what
his voice sounded like.  She offered Leif a questioning glance, and he shrugged
his shoulders.  “Father, I am simply asking… I want to know why you provoke
Cathalar.  If I am to rule this land, then I should understand.”  The voice was
earnest.

“Asking turns into questioning far too quickly, son,” the
other voice answered in a strong, angry voice.  Aela was almost certain that
this was Lavus. 

The other voice was frustrated, though Aela wasn’t sure how
she knew that.  “I… I just don’t understand.  How do you intend to combat
them?” he asked weakly.  Oh dear, someone trying to be reasonable in Lavus’s
presence.  From what Aela had heard, that never ended well.

“Do not question me!” the king demanded furiously.  “You
have become quite unruly lately, son.  What is it that has you acting so
foolish?  Is this Dokak’s belated influence?” the voice was accusing, and Aela
was sure that its addressee was frustrated.

Dokak had perhaps given the young man insight into why the
war was foolish, and yet Lavus refused to listen to any sort of reason.  It was
insane, when Aela thought about it.  “Father, no.  I’m just looking for an
answer.”

“You do not look for answers.  I am your father, and more
importantly, your king.  You do not ask me for answers.  I give them when I
deem it necessary to give them.”