The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga) (4 page)

“
If they find us because of you, Brat, I will
kill them.” The rasp of the man's voice and the stench of his sweat
blocked out anything Lirth might have heard or smelled. “Don't
doubt that I will. I am only going to get paid for fetching
you.”

Carefully, she swallowed the lump in her
throat.

“
To single handedly wipe out all the heirs to
the throne would be quite a feat, wouldn't ya think?”

Lirth could not control the shiver that
gripped her spine.

“
Maybe she headed home!” Lloyden, her middle
brother, finally suggested. “If she was anywhere near, she would
have heard us by now.”

“
Wait!” Aarint's voice was so close Lirth
felt she could touch him. “I think I see something.”

Her heart fell as she heard the others
approaching.

“
No!” Her heart screamed in agony as she
heard the branches part. She felt the man shift his weight. He was
going to kill her brother! She struggled but could not move.
“No!”

__________

Ireic scrambled to his feet and made it halfway
across the room before he was fully awake. Another scream came from
the bedroom. Out of habit from his military days, he grabbed his
knife from the lamp table where he set it hours ago. Then he
continued toward the double doors that led to the inner sleeping
chamber.

Pushing through the right hand door, Ireic
scanned the room. Nothing was out of place. Padding toward the bed,
he instantly spotted Lirth thrashing about on it.

A bad dream or the fever?
Either way, she
needed to be quieted before she hurt herself. He sheathed the knife
and approached the bed.

Suddenly Lirth sat up straight and looked
directly at him. For a moment, Ireic almost believed she saw him,
but then he realized she was focusing on something slightly behind
him. He almost turned to look.
Could she see after all?
The
thought lasted only a second before she eliminated any possibility
of deception. She dove headfirst out of the bed.

By the time he came around the bed, she had
risen to her knees and was about to gain her feet. If he did not
stop her now, he was not going to get another chance before she did
herself injury.

~~~~~~

Her heart was in her throat again, but this time
it was not her dream. She did not know where she was. The floor was
not cold enough, or even the right texture to be her small tower
room. The bed was not her cot. Not even the clothing on her body
was hers. They were too warm and the fabric much too thick. Waking
from that dream always disturbed her; it usually kept her jumpy for
days. Panic pressed at her throat. Concentrating, she tried to
breathe deeply and calm her pounding heart. Slowly she pushed
herself up onto her feet.

Now to find a wall...

Out of nowhere, someone grabbed her and pushed
her to the ground. She would have screamed, but all the air in her
lungs rushed out in a futile gust.
Kurios help!
She couldn’t
breathe, but she could cry.

“Lirth.” A male voice came from the person above
her. “Are you all right?” He sounded genuinely concerned. Stunned
by the revelation, Lirth grasped to put a name to him. “Lirth, do
you hear me?” He definitely was not her usual guard, Waren.

She managed a slight nod.

“Good.” He shifted, and Lirth became very aware
of how much larger he was than her. She guessed he raised himself
up on his elbows because his voice came from farther above, but he
still pinned her legs to the floor. “I will release you, if you
promise to not start running again.”

“I was not going to run.”

“I am sorry, then.” He must have taken her reply
as an agreement to his terms because he moved. “Can I help you
stand?”

Carefully, Lirth sat up. At least she thought
she sat up. A set of warm hands steadied her.

“Not so fast, Princess. You have had a rough
past few days.” She almost heard his smile. “I must say I would not
have pushed myself quite as hard as you just did. Here, let me
help.”

He lifted her into his arms and carried her.
Instinctively, she tucked in her head. She was not about to have
her head cracked if he decided to go through a doorway. The man
took about five steps and deposited her on the bed.

“I would guess that you are full of questions.”
His voice moved as he walked around something and then back to her
side. “I will answer any you want to ask, but only if you promise
to stay in bed while I fetch you some food.” On cue, Lirth’s
stomach clenched in hunger. She was not sure if the sensation was
new or she just was noticing it for the first time. “Is it a
deal?”

Lirth nodded.

“Good.” He pulled the blankets up to cover her
legs and waist. “I’ll be back.”

Lirth listened as he moved almost silently
across the room and let himself out a door directly opposite the
bed.

At least I know where the door is now.
Lirth pushed back the covers and started to explore the limits of
the bed. She had no intention of breaking her promise, but she
wanted to know more about her surroundings.

Kurios,
she silently asked,
who is
he?

Lirth brushed her fingers over the smoothly
polished wood of the footboard. The bed could easily accommodate at
least four or five of her. She retraced her movements and tucked
herself back under the covers.

She savored the warmth the thick blankets
offered and tried to think back to her last memory. She had been
dreaming for weeks that someone would deliver her from the baron.
Then he came.
Ireic.
She sat up. Her head swam, driving her
back down to the pillow.

She slipped into half slumber, still too on edge
to completely relax into sleep again. Lirth’s nose smelled Ireic’s
approach with the food before she heard him. Her stomach
immediately told her it had been too long since it last had
something to eat.

~~~~~~

“Ireic?” Her voice was almost too low for him to
hear.

Ireic crossed to the bed. “I am sorry it took so
long.” He slid the tray onto the bed as he spoke. After lighting
the lamp from the candle he carried up, he turned to her. “I don’t
know where items are in Eve’s kitchen as well as the one at home.
Here.”

He held out a roll toward her. Realizing his
mistake even as she raised her hand, palm up, Ireic felt his face
warm. Her slender fingers hung mid-air a foot away from his.

“Please, may I have some?” She smiled shyly at
the spot where her feet made mounds under the quilt. “I am very
hungry.”

He placed the bread into her hand and then
busied himself with the tray.

“Oh.” Ireic realized too late that he spoke
aloud.

“What is it?” Lirth looked over at him and
seemed to fasten her eyes upon his face.

“I brought up some stew from supper.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

Ireic blinked. Anyone on the receiving end of
that smile would give her anything she asked. He doubted he would
ever be unpopular as king if they married and he could keep her
smiling like that.

“But how are you going to eat it?”

“Oh.” She dropped her chin slightly.

“How do you handle soups?” he asked.

“I manage beautifully usually, but…” She held up
her hand. It trembled like a branch in the wind. “I am afraid, if I
should try now, I would ruin the bedding.”

“I will have to help then.” Pushing the tray
farther onto the bed, Ireic took up the bowl and stepped toward
Lirth.

Lirth’s eyes widened, her chin dropped as her
shoulders came up, and her already pale face faded a few more
shades.

Ireic stopped so abruptly hot moisture licked
his fingers.

“Lirth.” He set the bowl on the nearby table and
sat on the bed facing her. “Are you listening to me?”

She jumped a bit before nodding. A long dark
curl fell over her face. Her white-knuckled hands clenched the roll
in her lap.

“I thought we established I mean you no
harm.”

She didn’t move.

“I am going to tell you about the
Theodorics.”

Confusion creased her forehead. A frown tugged
at her mouth, but at least she was paying attention.

Leaning against the bedpost behind him, Ireic
lifted his long legs onto the bed. “We were originally robber
barons. My great, great, great grandfather controlled most of the
wild western peninsula.”

Lirth’s thin fingers loosened their grip on her
roll. Ireic swung his legs down and gathered up the bowl and spoon
from the table. The whole time he continued talking.

“It all started when he inherited his father’s
title and lands. It was a small barony in the depths of the western
forest wilds.”

Carefully, he approached Lirth again. She
stiffened, but did not retreat. He filled the spoon and then
gingerly transported it to her mouth. With great reluctance, she
accepted it and swallowed. After the second delivery, he continued
his monologue.

“Grandfather was a second son. With expectation
of inheriting, he sought a living at sea instead. Recalled from his
berth aboard a merchant ship, he returned home to find he ruled
over more trees than men. The castle was crumbing into ruins. The
coffers barely covered the regular damage to crops and holdings.
Bandits drained the land and people of hope.”

The broth was almost gone. Ireic tipped the bowl
to gather a full spoonful.

“Angered at the waste, my ancestor decided to
beat the robbers at their own game. Collecting and training a band
of young men, he set them to finding and raiding the bandits. He
set tolls for safe passage on the roads through his barony and
armed his farmers. Over time, the bandits lost hope themselves and
either left or joined the honest citizens. Within a decade, the
barony gained the reputation for being the safest on the
peninsula.”

“You want to do that for Anavrea?”

Dark blue eyes were gazing at him. She was
captivating when she looked at people so accurately. He would have
to ask her later how she did it.

“Yes. Our people are edging toward revolt. They
grow uneasy beneath the changes my father enacted in the last year
of his reign. High taxes on necessities, corruption in the upper
reaches of the nobility, and lack of food are straining their
already weakened patience.”

He placed the now empty bowl on the table to his
left. “I have plans for reforms, but I need all of my energy just
to battle the council to endorse them.”

“Do you have to go through the council?”

“That is the crux of the issue. Legally, I can
create laws without the council. Politically I need to appear as
though I am accepting ‘council,’ regardless of its quality.”

She fidgeted with the bedcover, creasing and
smoothing it. He cautiously sat on the edge of the bed again. She
stiffened, pushing back into the pillows behind her.

“I am not going to hurt you, Lirth.”

“I know.” The fear in her soft statement negated
her reply. She tried to stifle a small yawn.

“It is late. My story can wait for later, but I
want to know how you ended up in that tower. I cannot help until I
understand your situation better.”

“What if I do not want help?” Her voice wavered
slightly above a whisper.

“You no longer have a choice.”

Her chin went up and her eyes spit fire. “There
are always choices.”

Thankful that she could not see him, Ireic
smiled at the reemergence of the spirit he had seen in the tower.
“You are right.” He reached over and caught her face between his
hands. “Are you going to fight me or not? Those are your choices.”
He firmly turned her head to face him. She closed her eyes and her
chin raised a bit more. “I will help you, whether or not you want
me too.” He lowered his voice. “That decision has already been
made.”

She trembled. Exhaustion left black smudges
beneath her eyes. He would save the battle for another time. He
stroked her cheek before releasing her head.

“Good night, Lirth.”

Rising, he turned and picked up the bowl.
Placing it on the tray, he lifted them both up. He looked back to
the bed. She sat exactly as before, except her dark eyes were open
and following the sounds of his movements.

She looked so small and helpless in the huge
bed.
I hope I do more good than harm.

“If you need anything, just call me. I will be
in the next room. Good night.” He took the lamp he brought with the
tray. They both needed their sleep.

~~~~~~

The door shut with a soft click. Releasing a
breath she did not remember holding, Lirth shuddered. She suddenly
felt very cold and very alone. She wriggled down farther under the
covers and curled up into a ball. Tucking her head down so her
mouth was below the covers, she pulled her thoughts together.

He and I are betrothed.
The Kurios was
there as He always was.
That means there is going to be a
wedding and then he will be my husband. Can this be true? A man
willing to accept all the complications that come with a blind wife
seems too good to be true. How can I trust him?
The Kurios
remained silent, but Lirth understood.
If I learned nothing else
from my stay in the tower, I have learned patience.

The area near her torso warmed with her breath,
but her hands and feet still ached from cold. For a fleeting
moment, she considered calling Ireic. Squashing the thought, she
pulled at the bedclothes until they tucked tightly around her legs.
Comfort would come and sleep would follow.

They did not keep her waiting long.

~~~~~~

“Eve!”

Ireic turned to see his brother stride across
the front hall before he bellowed again.