It Was a Holy Day - 6. 6

A Bloody Mess

Torzet was stunned. For once in his life he didn’t know what to do. Luckily for him he didn’t need to know what to do. The guards had rushed into the room when they heard the shouting so they had heard every bit of the curse. There was blood on his hands. The owner was blubbering over the death of his precious, coin-earning daughter. Torzet was caught in the backlash of the death of his Bound.

His guards caught him by both arms and literally lifted him and carried him out. Gawen’s guards stayed to gather his body and to clear up the mess with the tavern owner. It wasn’t completely obvious what had happened except that two people had died and a third could be injured while Torzet had blood on his hands. He would be taken before his grandfather immediately. The most frightening thing was he didn’t fight being half-dragged. The guard never suspected shock.

When they arrived back, there was some sort of mobilization going on in the castle yards with the regular guard. A transport had arrived, and people were running around like crazy. They went to take Torzet up to his parent’s quarters but found they could not get to within three hallways of it, so they did what they thought was the very best next thing and took him down to the dungeons. He had killed his cousin; his cousin himself had condemned him.

The other two prisoners were still there in their cells. It didn’t take long to strip Torzet down and fit him into the unitard and collar his father preferred the prisoners wear, although technically he would be the King’s prisoner they did as they had been trained. The red- headed prisoner had seemed to get weaker, but he was still alive, while the dark- haired one just seemed to get angrier.

Torzet sat on the straw in his cell and wept. For once, it was not for himself. He hadn’t meant to kill anyone. He had liked his cousin. He didn’t know why he had to die. It felt like days later, but he knew it could not have been more than hours when Windal came to see him.

“Mother sends her regards, brother,” he clutched his instrument in one hand and a bottle in the other. “She wishes I should play for you and ease your confinement with this.” He held out the bottle.

Torzet found he couldn’t speak so he nodded his thanks, uncorked it and took a sip. It was the slightly bitter stuff his mother preferred. He made a face and offered Windal some.

“I prefer my tonic sweet,” he said as he made himself comfortable and began plucking the strings. “Did you know they won’t let me be king here after Grandfather?” Windal asked Torzet. “Well, I mean I know about Uncle Rix and his Bound, but if they weren’t around, they wouldn’t let me be king. The priests decided. Well, they said the gods decided, but you know how that goes. Priests, gods, one decides -- the other speaks -- no one listens – who knows which way it really went? Father is gone you know. No one knows where he went exactly. Disappeared last night. I don’t think I’m going to miss him. Is the wine good?”

Torzet nodded.

“Good. I wasn’t really sure how much to use you see, so that you wouldn’t notice. It is a sin to allow a kin-slayer to live, brother, and while the priests or even the gods had decided I would not be king of this land… there is another calling to me. It is a song I will not deny. Have a nice long sleep, brother.”

Torzet raged impotently, not feeling the least bit sleepy. It seemed that Windal had miscalculated somewhat after all – just enough causes death, too much causes a bad death, too little causes paralysis that seems like death, only the person is still alive inside unable to move, to speak, to communicate at all. Torzet could not even blink the tears away as his body slowly ceased to function around him.

Windal finished his melody, closed his brother’s eyes, and left to go wait for his mother in her rooms.

“How do you put up with her?” Uliza asked when they were far enough away to not risk being overheard by any overly loyal servants, which put them nearly at Clereva’s apartments. Clereva smiled and kept walking until they were safely inside her private solar where Windal sat amusing himself by plucking away on his strings. This time the melody was a dark one.

“She’s Mother. When Torzet is King I will be the dowager and they will have to put up with me.”

“Are you so certain he will be king?”

“He will be. They will have no choice when Anarix cannot find his Bound. Father gave him a full turning of the moon to show up with the outlander. It’s nearly turned and Anarix has yet to return. He will not find him of that I am certain.”

“The only way you can be so certain is if you have him yourself,” Uliza scolded as she admired the newest flower arrangement, and when Clereva said nothing she looked at her sister-in-law wide eyed. “Tell me you do not. It is an offence against the Crown to harm the intended bride of the Crown Prince.”

“He is no bride and Anarix will not be the Crown Prince in a few days,” Clereva defended her position.

“I want no part of this. Just knowing is bad. I will take Gawen and the girls and we will leave. I don’t know where we will go, but we will leave. Civil unrest is much preferable to political insanity.”

“But you can’t leave yet Uliza,” Clereva purred, “there are so many things we need to discuss.” Clereva reached out, wrapped her hands around her sister-in-law’s neck, and squeezed.

Hours later, the servants found Windal sitting near his mother with a blank expression on his face. He was plucking strings randomly on his instrument. Queen Uliza appeared to have had an apoplexy. Healers were called in to assist with the injured and a priest went to inform King Quaret his eldest daughter was dead.

Call to Arms

In all the hubbub, Elmera managed to get into her sister’s rooms and retrieve the little bot. That night, when things had calmed down significantly, she watched the footage. Livid, she attempted to contact Gilban immediately, but was unable to get through to him. Concerned for everyone’s safety, she sent him the captured material, priority one, then she went directly to her father. Much to her surprise, no one tried to stop her.

When Elmera brought her evidence to her father, he looked at it and ordered the dungeons searched. His next breath dispatched orders to have Joset apprehended by his own guard and dragged home in chains if necessary. Anarix’s guard was ordered to bring the entire party home, Bound or no, posthaste. Tertesa and Sophim were called before the crown to determine their knowledge of recent events, and Elmera was ordered to sit at her father’s feet and watch it all happen. It didn’t take long and it wasn’t good. There was one living prisoner and two who were not. One of the dead was Prince Torzet. The living man had identified himself as Doctor Robert Atoll and the dead prisoner was presumed to be Doctor Puck Hanover, Prince Consort.

“They’ve been trying to kill him since he was born,” Elmera heard her father say softly as if to himself. “And my other boys. She killed my beautiful boys.”

“Anarix lives, Father.”

“He has no heir. Torzet is dead. Alvaz is claimed by the gods. Windal is touched by the gods.”

“Matov?”

“Matov is too young.”

“Anarix can…”

“He will go to the priests. No one can truly survive the death of their Bound even if they never fully accepted it. He will not be right in the mind.”

“Anarix is stronger than we all think, Father. He will survive. Clereva has given him a lot of practice.”

White Rabbit Moment

The four were just finishing their dessert when the captain of Anarix’s guard came over to their table. As discreetly as possible, he interrupted the conversation at hand. “Highness, your party is being recalled. The captain has said we will be on our way as soon as you are on board. Your rooms are being packed now.”

Rix looked at him, worry creasing his brow. “Father?”

The guard said nothing.

Rix just nodded and stood. “Why are you still sitting? We are leaving. All of us.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t just order us,” Amberly protested as he stood, causing the chair to fall backwards in the process. A guard stepped up on either side of him. Brianna made as if to flee as well and one of the guards grasped her by the arm. Out of seemingly nowhere, restraints were produced and applied first to Amberly then to Brianna.

Rix took a deep breath then very solemnly stated, “I am placing you under the protection of the House of Estovan. You are my prisoners.”

Amberly glared at Rix, meeting his saffron eyes with an angry green stare, “I will do whatever it takes to destroy you.”

“I believe you, my brother.”

“I’ll help him,” Brianna choked out, embarrassed as people were staring.

“Please see to it that their rooms are packed as well,” Rix told the captain. Guards half-led, half-dragged Brianna and Amberly through the hotel at a quick pace.

Hired transportation waited in the turnabout when Rix’s party arrived in the lobby. The guards arrived a few moments after with everyone’s luggage. One of the guards had already checked them out.

The ride to the ship was quick. Rix spent his entire time in one brusque conversation after another on his communication device. Just before they arrived, Rix clicked off.

“Did you get their identification?” Rix asked in his native language.

One of the guards handed over Amberly and Brianna’s inter-galactic passports.

When they arrived, one of the spaceport’s officials met them as they boarded their ship and asked for their papers. Rix stood as regally as possible and declared diplomatic immunity for the entire group. The official looked bored and asked again for their papers. Gilban handed over the identification for the entire group. The official didn’t even look at Anarix’s papers and only gave Gilban’s and the guards a cursory look, however when it came to the two prisoners, they paused.

“Who is this?”

“They are my prisoners. I do believe my paperwork was processed properly to allow for the capture of the bastards who injured my Bound.”

The official flipped through his paperwork to where the proper paperwork was filed. “Ah yes, it is here. These are them?”

“They have confessed. I need to get them back to my world to stand trial before my Bound, as he still lies abed from his injuries.”

“Our justice system here is adequate for this type of crime, Your Highness.”

“My Bound was raped, sir, then beaten,” Rix looked over at Amberly with disgust, “he did it for her pleasure.” He smiled a wicked little smile and cupped Brianna’s face with his hand. “I intend to invoke some of our oldest laws of retribution: an eye for an eye; or should I say a fuck for a fuck and a fist for a fist. Now if you will let us pass I have a ship waiting.”

“By all means, take your prisoners home, Your Highness.”

Rix did not relax until the captain announced they had reached free space. Soon, he would be home and someone could tell him what was going on. Under no circumstances would he believe his father dead or seriously injured until he saw it with his own eyes. It was more believable that Clereva was up to her old tricks again now that Torzet had been named Eldest Unbound and the brat’s place as heir secure in her eyes. Rix truly hated to think of the havoc his eldest sister might have caused in the few weeks he had been gone, especially if she had somehow learned he had Bound a male. The thought caused his blood to run cold and his fear narrowed his focus on his Bound. He didn’t even realize when their minds connected.

He was back in the alley but this time instead of being the one pressing the red-head human against the wall, he was being pressed against the wall. His back was being abraded by the brick through his shirt and his body was reacting in ways it had never responded before.

Rix saw himself as his lover did and he gasped.

Together again with his Bound in the memory, he relished the sweet taste that caressed his tongue as his body arched and semen both filled and escaped his body. He shuddered in pleasure as he felt wanted, loved, accepted then interrupted.

He did not understand the alien words, but he understood the separation that came because of them. He also knew he had to be back to work in the morning, and while it was fun to tease the lavender headed male he just behaved like a schoolboy with; it would be a while before it could happen again. He did want it to happen again though which was why he gave him his number.

Rix watched through his mate’s eyes as he went back inside the building under Jozet’s watchful gaze. He felt his uncertainty as the guards moved forward toward him. Then he heard Jozet’s words to the guards.

His Bound may not have understood them, but Rix did. Rix’s eyes flew open and his breathing came in gasping breaths. At least he was not screaming this time, although he felt like he should be. Jozet, who was supposed to be his brother, ordered his newly Bound dead in the alley were they had Bonded.

Bastard.