Forest For The Trees (Book 3) (79 page)

“I agree.  But I came out on top.  My enemy won my
right eye.  And Dietrik’s hand.  But I won better than you ever did with your
catapult betting table at the Hollister.”

Kerwin looked skeptical.  “You mean that fancy charm
bracelet you’re wearing?  I’m surprised to see it again, no less with you the
one wearing it.”  He shrugged.  “My offer still stands.  I’d love to have you
and Dietrik at the inn as peacekeepers when the night gets rowdy.  It’s good
pay.”

“Maybe that would be good for Dietrik.  But I’m not
ready to retire from the Crimson Kings yet.”

A commotion could be heard from beyond the door to the
gambling room.  Marik watched.  Abruptly the door flung opened.  Through it
strode Ilona.  She looked radiant in a green dress that accentuated her
curves.  Her features were firmly set, and she already opened her mouth to
deliver what Marik could sense would be a no-nonsense demand.

Her eyes swung to him.  With hardly a pause, she
called, “Good, you’re here.  There is an idiot upstairs with a dirt-clod for a
head causing a ruckus.  Go explain life to him in a civilized world.”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Marik returned.  He
walked to where she stood with her arms crossed.  As he did so, he noticed she
had gained an extra curve since last he had seen her.

He placed his hand softly to her belly.  It was warm
through the fabric, and motionless.  Yet he could feel it.  The extra flows of
energy.  The growing life within.

She studied his eye patch briefly without comment.  He
gazed into her eyes, as captivated by them as he always had been.  For a brief
instant they softened.  Her guard lowered, and he could read affection there.

They kissed deeply.  Marik felt the passion between
them as clearly as the life of his unborn child.

Then she was Ilona again.  “By the time you get around
to dealing with the problem, one of my employees might be worse than
manhandled.  I have a business to run!”

“Of course you do,” Marik chuckled.  “Let’s get things
running nice and smoothly.”

Arm around Ilona’s waist, enjoying the life he knew he
could lead with her in a kingdom free from peril, Marik walked through the door
with her and up the back staircase.

Other books by Damien Lake:

World of Folcrist:

Chronicles of the Crimson Kings:

Steel and Flame

Arm of Galemar

Forest for the Trees

Masters of the Wind:

Silver in the Darkness

**Silver in the Daylight

** = In Production

Sneak Peek at “
Silver in the Darkness
”, Volume
One of the next Folcrist series,
Masters of the Wind.

Far to the north of forested Galemar, across the
Stygan Gulf, lies the kingdom of Gusturief.  While ruled over by a king, the
land is far more under the sway of its ruling classes as a group.  Thanes
across the kingdom each control their own territories in the manner they each
choose.  Surfdom is not unknown, and a thanedom can be as wealthy or as
impoverished as the skills of its ruling family make it.

The church of Sheirleon is strong in Gusturief.  Some
say it might be a bit too strong.  Over the history of the kingdom, as famine
struck down the population in centuries past, as the nobles retreated and
ignored the commoners’ plights, it was the church who stood tall to struggle
through it shoulder to shoulder with the masses.  As a result, the church today
holds power over the people equal to that of the government.

It is a delicate balance in which neither side holds dominance. 
From time to time, one side will test the other.

Now, in the small thanedom of the Terriquis family,
events are about to unfold that might tip the scales forever.