Page 11 of The Vampire and the Ravens

“Explain.” The Master made the request, but it was more a command, and it was then that Riall stepped in.

“You don’t have to explain anything Liam. Leave with us.” He urged and Luke’s grip became tighter both wanted to get him out and away from there, but he could not leave. It was his time to face this and it was his time to explain.

“I need to tell them.” He said calmly and firm. “I owe them an explanation. I brought this into their lives, and I must answer for it." Neither the Master or Ismael commented but simply waited for him to continue. They understood the brothers and their motivation and did not hold it against them.

“My brother Arthur and I served together under the Earl for many years. We protected his interests and aided in furthering his control. The times were brutal, but I believed the man to be honorable and fair. It was an often bloody existence that we led. Everything was fought for, and nothing was ever given. It was just the times and the methods. No one was a victim. There were simply winners and losers, or so I thought." He had to stop for a few seconds as the memory came back to him and the pain with it.

"He was after a stretch of land to the north that was occupied by what we believed to be a hired army. They were mercenaries brought in to disrupt his expansion. There was a small village there, but we were informed that they were working with the hired soldiers, and there were no women or children present. The Earl convinced us that the village was just a ruse to dissuade us from attacking." He stopped once again. This was proving to be harder than he thought it would be.

Luke took his hand, and Riall placed his arm around his waist. They sensed his difficulty and lent him all their strength.

"The Earl had openly and knowingly lied to us. It turned out to be a helpless village of men, women, and children. There were no soldiers of any caliber, and it was a total massacre." His voice caught, and he had to take a moment to calm down and continue.

"Arthur and I tried to stop it, but it was too late, and the thirst for blood overwhelmed them. We defended and attempted to save as many as we could, but our efforts did little, and in the end, the soldiers, my fellow knights, turned on us, and Arthur was killed. He died in my arms." He straightened his back and leveled his gaze at Master DuCane.

"I rode back to the castle, and I found the Earl, and I killed him. Then I laid down my sword and walked away." He ended it there, and silence fell once again as each man considered the information given

"I believe you." Master DuCane declared. "Was the Earl armed? Was it a fair fight?"

"Yes, but he had gotten soft while letting others fight for him. He was a dishonorable, bloodthirsty man, and I do not regret killing him." Liam wanted it understood that he was not sad that the man was dead.

"I'm sorry about your brother." Master DuCane gave his condolences, and the sadness of that moment rushed over him. The memory of losing Arthur was sharp and painful.

"He was a good man, and he deserved to live as the people in that village did. If he wanted that land so badly, he could have easily taken it with little to no bloodshed."

“Francis Doncaster Montagu-Scott is painting a different picture in an attempt to have you delivered over to him for punishment. But I know who you are, Liam, and I know that everything you told me is the truth." Liam was moved by the Master's support. He'd left himself wide open so the Master could weigh and measure his words, leaving nothing hidden.

"I will inform the Earl that we will not be turning you over to him." Liam was thankful but also doubtful that young Francis would leave it there. He was much like his father in many ways, except Francis liked getting his hands dirty. He often joined in their raids and seemed to enjoy killing. There was no love between father and son, but he probably saw it as a mark of dishonor that he never found and punished his father's killer. Regardless, Liam knew this was not the end of it.

CHAPTER SIX

Following the meeting Liam took his beloveds back to his quarters and ordered lunch delivered. There were many congratulations on finding his beloved everyone was happy for him and many like Easton were shocked by the fact he had two and they were raven soldiers. It was a match he could not have foreseen but has turned out to be the best thing for him. He only hoped that he could serve his men in their time of need as well as they have been serving him.

"I contacted our research specialist Zachariah, and he just sent me a dossier on Francis Doncaster Montagu-Scott." Luke gave his phone to Riall, who quickly scanned the information and then handed it to Liam. "He is a threat to you, Liam."

“I agree.” Liam read over the information in the report. “Your specialist is very good. Not many people could ferret out information from centuries ago and in such detail.” Liam was honestly impressed. He believed that Zacariah could probably give Easton a run for his money.

He noticed another file with his name on it and clicked in out of curiosity. What he found was surprising, to say the least, and brought his regard for these men, his beloveds, to an even higher level. "You did a background check on me, and you knew my real name and a rough idea of what I'd done, but you said nothing. This report was received yesterday." He stated that he was taken aback by their trust in him.

"You're our mate, and we've known you for just a short while, but we know your character, and we know you would never do anything that you did not feel was right. I'll admit that Riall and I are not as good as you. We don’t always do what is right, but we always do what is necessary.” Luke casually explained as he finished his lunch.

"You knew I was Sir Liam Percy, but you never questioned me about it," Liam stated.

"You would tell us when you were ready," Riall responded.

"Thank you." That was all he said.

"How about we take a walk in that beautiful garden we can see from your window?" Luke suggested. He and Riall stood and walked over to Liam, who also stood and took them both into his arms. "We have things to tell you as well."

"Let's go, shall we." Liam led them downstairs and out the back door to the rose garden. It was a lovely day, and there was a slight breeze that carried the sweet smell of the flowers, wafting them around. They walked for quite some time, just enjoying the time together and silently building their bond.

Luke brought them over to a stone bench and the three of them sat down. Liam did not speak feeling the pressure and weight of what his lovers were holding. It was Riall who began, and Liam knew that there was nothing that they could say that would diminish his love and regard for them.

Riall and Luke had decided to share their past and give him a picture of their lives at the flock under the leadership of Lord Fenrah. They wanted him to know that he was not alone in dealing with what he described as a troubling past.

“Luke and I are not just soldiers in Lord Fenrah’s army. We are specialized, trained assassins. We were taken in by Lord Fenrah shortly after we were abandoned by our family. We were very young, and he put us into a training program that prepared us to become his personal bodyguards and his special emissaries, to put it nicely. We did things in the dark, in secret, in service to our flock." Riall reached for Liam's hand and held it as Luke did. Liam was listening and nodding and seemed to be taking it all in stride.

"It was unusual that we would be chosen for a mission like this where a simple messenger would have sufficed, but having met you, we now understand that Fate had stepped in, and it was she who sent us here," Luke added.

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