Page 20 of Alpha's Magic

Lex turned to Asher. “What do you think?”

“I think some fools may have seen a baby hydra, imagined the rest and then panicked. But we can’t take any chances. Let’s eat something quickly and be on our way. We can send Leo with the soldier back to the castle. The captain is a beta,” he said, looking down at me. “You should be fine with him. We’ll tell him to take you directly to King Rory.”

“How can you tell what he is?” I asked, looking after the soldier. “And why can’t I just go with you?”

“I can tell by his scent,” Asher said, “and by the fact that he barely looked at you. You can’t go with us, because it’s far too dangerous. If this does turn out to be a chimaera, we’ll have our hands full. You’ll stay with King Rory until we return.”

“So you’ve decided, just like that, and I have no say in it. Fine. Should I salute or simply curtsy to you?”

“Don’t be sarcastic. It’s unbecoming.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and he grinned and turned away. Maybe I rolled my eyes slightly after he turned away. I wasn’t stupid, and I didn’t want to wind up as a doll on a shelf in his room somewhere again. Lex was busy making a fire, with the soldier dancing attendance on him and on his every word, so no one was paying me any attention at all. I found I didn’t like it much.

I guess that it was true what Grimora told me once—that I was spoiled. It was crazy to say that a child as afflicted as I was could still be over-indulged, but Grimora did pay me an awful lot of attention once he found me and catered to my needs for over ten years. Because he felt sorry for me, of course, and I knew that. But a person can still get used to that level of attention and miss it terribly when it’s gone.

Or maybe I was just missing Grimora and his loving and steady presence in my life. It still didn’t seem real that he could be gone. Winked out in a moment, with all his goodness and vitality just wiped away forever.

“Don’t just stand there. Warm up by the fire while we prepare some food,” Asher said, glancing back at me. “We don’t have a lot of time, and you need to get warm. We need to let our horses rest before continuing on to Igella too. It’s going to be a long night for you, I’m afraid.” He went nearer the fire, expecting me to follow him, which I did after a moment.

It was much colder now that the sun had completely dropped down behind the horizon, and I dreaded the long night to come. We ate the food the two nobles conjured up for us and drank some red wine from a bottle Lex produced from his packs. I lay down on my back for a few minutes just to stretch out my limbs and the next thing I knew, Asher was shaking me awake.

“Time to go. The soldier’s name is Captain Larue, and we’ve given him orders to take you straight to the castle and to Rory.” He slipped a knife in my hand, and I looked down at it in surprise. “Lex says he’s completely reliable, but if you need this, don’t hesitate to use it. Slip it in here,” he said, demonstrating to me with a touch low on the left side of my back. “In the kidneys on either side. Or if you’re facing him, go straight in under the breastbone—here.” He looked me in the eye. “Can you do that?”

“If I have to, yes. I’d certainly rather not.”

He nodded, a quick downward movement of his head. “You shouldn’t have to but be vigilant. You should be at the castle by mid-morning. Go directly to Rory as soon as you arrive.”

“I will.”

He took my arm then and led me over to the captain, who was already on his horse and seemed eager to be on the way. It felt odd to talk to him when I’d just been told how to kill him if I had to. These people were all crazy. Asher pulled off his own fur cape and wrapped it around me, then lifted me seemingly effortlessly onto the horse in front of the soldier.

“Guard him with your life,” he said to the man. “Tell the king we’ll be back in a few days.”

“I will, sir.”

“Don’t let him get too cold. He gets cold easily. I’m holding you personally responsible for him.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, trying to bow from his horse. “You can rely on me.”

“I hope so, for your sake.”

He stood back and the captain turned his horse in the direction he’d come. “We can’t ride too fast in the dark,” the captain told me. “Not with the two of us. This horse knows the way, so we should be fine and go at a steady pace. Get some sleep if you can.”

I nodded and off we went. I did as the captain asked, drowsing in front of him after a while. The night was cold and windy, and I was grateful for the fur-lined cape Asher had given me. I couldn’t believe how much I missed the man when I’d only just met him and had known him for little more than a day. I hunched over the saddle, missing his warmth despite the cape and prepared myself for a long and miserable night.

****

The sun came up on a cold and drizzly day. I was so tired by then that the captain had to hold onto my arm to keep me seated firmly on the saddle in front of him for the last few miles. Finally, the castle came into view atop a small rise. The village outside the gates wasn’t too large, but people and animals were already bustling around in it, despite the weather. They stopped to look at us curiously as we arrived and rode up to the castle gates. Guards in the same blue uniform as the captain’s opened them for us, and we rode right up to the front doors of the palace. The captain jumped down and then helped me down too, giving me a little bow. He’d been nice to me, and I was really glad I didn’t have to use the dagger Asher had given me.

I thanked him and went to the doors, which were opened for me by two boys in blue livery with gold tassels. The front hall looked very grand, with gleaming walls and new paint and wallpaper. One of the boys told me to wait while they went to find the king.

After a few minutes, while I cooled my heels in the hall and various servants came to look at me curiously, I heard someone coming down the main stairs. It was a dark-haired young man with a beautiful face, wearing a handsome white brocade suit. He was about the same size as me, and he was looking at me with interest as he walked toward me.

“You must be Leo,” he said, and gave me a sweet smile. “My husband sent me a note saying you were coming. I’m so glad you’re here.”

I stared at him and realized I must be looking at the king. He had glossy, blue-black hair, and pale, satiny skin, and his eyes were a lovely shade of emerald-green, fringed by thick, black lashes. He was definitely an omega, like me. He was smiling at me, and I liked him right away.

“Oh, my goodness,” he said. “Jessie and Alphonse said you were handsome, but they didn’t mention your gorgeous long hair. It goes all the way to your waist, doesn’t it?”

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