Page 15 of The King's Bodyguard
“Potions,” Alan said crisply.
Horror washed over me as I slowly digested what was being said. These Sunna, most of them here anyways, hadn’t experienced heat as most catkin Munni would. I shifted my gaze to Alan, to Hugh, to Rhenn, to Landis, and then over to Colm. None of them had experienced heat?
But that meant that Landis...
Landis never had experienced that moment as I had. Disjointed thoughts spilled in as I began to piece everything together. He has never been given that chance to experience a moment of pleasure. His heat has been stolen away by some mage’s potion.Landis...I realized.Landis, about-to-be-married Landis... is a virgin!?
Chapter 7
Landis
Istared at Corrin, barely comprehending what I’d just heard. Corrin also seemed to be processing everything in shock as well. He ran a hand absently through his wild, wavy hair. Far from smoothing it out, his fingers tugged several more ebony strands free from the tie which held up half of his hair. Part of me wanted to laugh. Not only at Corrin and his characteristic brashness but also at the gentlecats who tittered and gasped at his words.
Rhenn snorted dismissively at Corrin. Corrin’s spine stiffened. His shoulders widened, and he took a step forward. Judging by the firm set to his jaw and the scowl on his face, Corrin was ready to wade into the debate… with fisticuffs.
Inwardly, I sighed. As much as I wanted to see Corrin whip some manners into Rhenn, this was not the time and place to do it. Lord Berrymay and Lord Carl were pushing their way through the crowd with matching scowls on their faces. Glancing at Corrin, I shot him a quick pleading look to keep silent.Thankfully, Corrin seemed to understand me. He eased back a little, but the tension in his posture remained.
“What is going on here?” Lord Berrymay asked.
“A tiff, my lord.” Lady Hartford gazed at Rhenn and Colm with disapproval.
She was ignoring Corrin, clearly not wishing to cede the floor to a Munni.
“I was just about to thrash Colm for his impertinence,” Rhenn was explaining in a snotty voice. “When some upstart Munni barbarian opened his mouth.”
Barbarian? I automatically began to protest, but the first word out of my mouth was overruled by Alan.
“There was some... misunderstanding,” Alan was saying with his usual awkwardness. “But all is set to rights now.”
“Hardly,” Rhenn said stiffly. “Munni should know better than to speak unbidden. He ought to be flogged. If I was the King, I would discharge the barbarian instantly.”
Everyone’s gaze then turned toward me. Already, I could hear the murmurs. A few matrons hissed at each other behind the fans, clearly enjoying the moment of truth. The males muttered and grumbled. I caught a few phrases.
“He’s just a boy-”
“-he would stand up to a Munni? Hm. We shall see.”
“-or maybe there is something there...”
“Well, you know his mother. Low breed, low tastes.”
A flush rose to my cheeks, but when I glanced over at Corrin, I could see he was literally beside himself. Rage glinted in his deep green eyes. His gloved hands had curled into fists, and his ebony tail swished from side to side. Growling a little, he stepped forward.
“There is nothing wrong with an honest question,” he said with a cold voice that lashed at Rhenn. “I admit to my impertinence. For that, I will beg pardon of His Royal Highness,but I do not answer to you. Besides, there is no honor to be found in this farcical misrepresentation of aberrancy.”
“Aberrancy?” Alan asked, raising an eyebrow. “You find our customs abhorrent?”
“It’s...” Corrin managed to rein himself in just barely, but his disdain of the entire room was plain to see.
Clearly, the revelation about the skerra potion had upset him on some level. It was common knowledge, if little discussed that when one’s time came, when the rut came upon catkin, the skerra potion removed most effects. Every single person in the room no doubt could recall the day that their skin became inflamed and fever burst through them. The unrelieved ache, thanks to skerra spice, would give way to languor.
I could still recall the day I had become flushed with the first fever. My tutor had rushed me to my room where a maid had administered the draught. For the next day and a half, I spent most of my time sleeping. I had only been sixteen winters old. All of my life, I had expected it to come upon me, and I would deal with it as my mother and father had. It was traditional for our kin.
Looking at Corrin, however, it was clear that he’d not been aware of our customs. The Derulan were an upright, traditional family. It was entirely possible that none of the Sunna in Velamere consorted with their Munni subjects.
Or perhaps Corrin had spent too many years in the wild and never asked? Or had he simply assumed that Sunna and Munni experienced the same things? Either way, Corrin seemed to think our tradition despicable. Everyone else bridled in the face of his disgust, but I could see deep down, when he looked at me, that beneath his anger lay something I wouldn’t name here and now.
He’s sorry for us, I realized as our gazes met yet again.He wishes things were different for... me.
