Instead of leaving us alone to eat and wait for Orthorr, Jamal plopped himself onto one of the pillows, putting his elbows onto the table and leaning toward Tavik and Saneth curiously. “You are barbarians. I heard good things. Many rumors about barbarian cock.”
I choked on the bite of food I’d just taken, coughing and spluttering. Tavik had to reach over and gently pound on my back to help me clear my airway, and when I finally looked up at Jamal, he looked confused.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I croaked. “I don’t know how to translate that, though.” Nor did I want to. I didn’t want to insult my protectors. To spare Jamal from possibly offending them, I added, “They’re bondmates. Husbands. Maybe not the best to ask about… that.”
Jamal frowned at me. “Why not?”
Oh goddess… What had I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER TWELVE
ORTHORR
My irritation with the guard who had been flirting with Cedric was forgotten when I stepped into the king’s office. He stood at my arrival, putting his fist across his chest and bowing his head, then offered me a rueful smile. “Did I do it right?”
“You did, King Zohaib. Thank you for seeing me so quickly.” I bowed with an arm across my middle, as was expected in Al Nuzem, and sat where the king pointed at a table near the open terrace. He sat across from me, his expression serious as he folded his hands on the table and waited for me to share my news.
I offered him the message Uttin had sent, worry for my clan brothers tingeing my tone. “I received this message this morning. It is from Uttin. They are being blocked by knights who are threatening to send the townspeople back to their homes. It is likely a death sentence for them if that happens.”
King Zohaib’s expression hardened as he took the message, reading it carefully. Once he was through, he set it down and grabbed a small bell from the table, ringing it. The door to hisoffice immediately opened, and the guard from before strode in, giving his king a bow in greeting.
“You called for me, Sulvani?”
“Hassan. Ready your fastest rijali for me. I need to send a message to King Gordon. His actions threaten my son.”
Hassan’s smarmy expression from before disappeared, and he nodded seriously before spinning on his heel and stalking out. I still didn’t like him, but at least he could be trusted to do his job well.
“Clan leader Orthorr, what else can you tell me about the journey thus far? How many towns have they visited already?”
“They visited three before having to return. There were more hoping to escape than expected, and they were ill prepared the first time. Before continuing their journey, I requested more help from other clans, tripling their guard, and we made the collective decision to send different envoys to the towns to lighten the load on Uttin’s company. They were supposed to go to five more towns before returning. I am unsure why they are running into trouble now.”
King Zohaib stood, pulling a cord on the wall. The steward came in a moment later, bowing lower to his king than the guard did. “Your eminence?”
“Tea, Hakim. We may be here a while.”
“Of course, your grace.”
Instead of sitting down again, the king paced by the open terrace, a frown on his face. “This makes no sense. Zakai said those they were retrieving were outcasts. Unwanted by their own people and often faced death if their interests were made known. Why stop them from leaving?”
“Control,” I offered. “The towns were difficult, even after the treaty. They didn’t like working with us. If they thought we were leaving and therefore wouldn’t cause any more trouble for them,they could refuse to allow the envoy into their walls just to spite us.”
I spent hours with King Zohaib, discussing what to do about our current envoy. The king wanted to send a small army to retrieve his son and escort those under his protection home, but I warned him that would be an act of war, and they would be unlikely to be able to finish their mission if the kingdom thought we were threatening them. Instead, I suggested sending more of my people. We were still under treaty with the towns, and the Velgraz Clan was not only known for their messenger birds. They were also known for their stealth. They could retrieve those Uttin already had under his protection, while others stayed to watch over the rest of the journey. We sent a summons for Idrull to join us to discuss who he trusted most to send, and while we waited for him to arrive, I went looking for Cedric. I didn't like how long I’d been separated from him.
When I mentioned meeting those who traveled with me, King Zohaib sent for Hakim to escort me. He assured me it wasn’t because he didn’t trust me. It was solely because his castle was a maze, and I wouldn’t have been able to find my way on my own. The few times I’d been here, I’d always had an escort to guide me. It was a wonder that anyone knew where to go in such a place. I was grateful for the ease of clan living after only spending a short amount of time in the castle.
We went first to the queen’s garden. It was a gorgeous landscape of flowers, reflecting pools, and desert trees that swayed softly in the heated wind. It was also empty. Worry for Cedric made my fists clench, but I kept my tone as even as I could muster when asking, “Where are they?”
Hakim looked around with a frown, catching a young servant girl when she passed by. “Where did Jamal take the king’s guests?”
“The staff garden, Master Hakim,” she told him uneasily. “He said it was okay…”
Hakim looked for a long moment like he was fighting to stay calm. His lip twitched, and his face remained frozen as he straightened and sent the girl on her way. “This way,” he gritted out, leading me away from the garden and down a few paths.
The plants were vast in this area, making it hard to see over them or around corners. I heard Cedric before I saw him, a familiar groan hitting my ears and making me stiffen. It was followed by more groans, both familiar and unfamiliar. It almost sounded as if some were made by Tavik and Saneth.
Rage filled me and made my blood boil. I’d heard Cedric make similar noises the night prior. If Tavik and Saneth somehow seduced him–