Warlord's Ward

A Choice

"You could." He rumbled in that haunting, echoing voice.

I turned and looked back at him.

He'd slumped leisurely into one of the wooden chairs. Was leaning his forearms against the table. Shoulders hunkered over it and eyes drooping in a way that told me he was just barely keeping them open. "There's nothing I could do about it right now."

I felt my breathing become quicker. Knowing it was probably my last chance. The stairs were empty. A straight shot.

He knows I want to.

And now I knew where the front door was. I could already see it in my mind's eye. Directly across from the servant's stairs.

I could run straight out. I was holding my breath as I decided. Feeling my body shaking with the urge to leap forward and take the steps at a run.

See how far I could get before an alert was even sounded.

"But consider two things." He said as he shifted and grunted in pain. "One: If they do catch you, I'm clearly too weak to protect you. And two: I was tortured because I helped them escape. Are you wholly certain that staying with me is as bad as you think?"

***

He hadn't asked me to give him credit for anything good before.

In-fact he's done everything to make me hate him.

But his words were intelligent.

He's not wrong.

If he helped the

"If you helped them escape. Would you help me?" I asked in a voice so quiet, I doubted he even heard me.

His long pause seemed to reflect he hadn't.

But he always knows what I'm about.

"I've thought about it." He said flatly. Leaning over gingerly to try and pull his boots off. The way he was moving made it clear he was in excruciating agony.

He's thought about freeing me?

That shocked me. I stared at him, stunned.

He finished pulling off his last boot and looked at me. "You thought otherwise?"

"Every time I've mentioned being anywhere other than here, you became furious."

"Of course, I did." He put his elbow back on the table as though he needed to take a moment before trying to move any further.

What the hell did the King do to him?

If he'd hurt him this bad, why hadn't he killed him?

"What does that mean?" I said with lifted brows.

"That I don't particularly enjoy the thought of this place without you."

"I thought I was nothing to you."

He grunted and gave a cold chuckle but said nothing. As if more mocking himself than me.

What does that mean? It was beginning to feel like he was making very little sense today.

He straightened and winced. Clutching his side.

"Why didn't he just kill you?" I snapped angrily. Annoyed that I felt such pain at the sight of seeing him in agony.

I should feel nothing for him.

"Fair question. Probably because he needs me."

I waited for more.

"It's hard to find another slave as powerful as me, I suppose."

He always refers to himself as the king's slave. Not his Warlord.

That's what the people think. Not how he sees himself.

He stood and walked to the window. Hobbling heavily on one side. He opened the shutters and leaned out the window to stare out, as if checking for something.

"What are you looking for?"

***

"Seeing if they truly got away." He supplied.

He looked over his shoulder at me thoughtfully. "Come here."

He left the window and headed to the East side of the castle where he moved aside a tapestry and unlocked the door leading out to the balcony.

I knew it was there because I could just see the one side of it from the window near his potions table. The one he'd folded me over.

I followed him out and we walked around to the north side of the balcony where he pointed to the high trees at one edge of the Training Gardens.

"Do you see them?"

"What?" I squinted against the sun and finally had to shield my eyes to clearly view the trees. It took me a moment to realize that what I'd perceived as red leaves were actually birds.

More like the one that'd brought him the message one day.

"You received the message from Magus already?" I queried.

"Yes. But that was just after I helped them escape and before the King's Party arrived. The liege has had time since then to rally hunting parties to find them. I want to make sure they're still safe. Watch."

He gave a twittering whistle as he had before.

The birds took to the sky. Swirling upward like a red tornado before one broke loose to fly toward us at an uncommon speed.

I've never seen a bird so fast.

"It's quick."

"Yes." He murmured as he lifted his hand to greet the bird.

It landed happily on the side of his palm. Singing back to him and upturning its head as if to look at him lovingly.

"It likes you." I lifted a hand. Tempted to touch it but wondering if I would scare it away. Without meaning to, I'd drawn closer to Warlord. Draping a hand over the back of his shoulder to lean across his chest and just brush the bird's back with light fingertips.

***

Warlord didn't stop me, so I assumed it wouldn't abandon his hand in terror. Instead, he was watching my face curiously.

"He's very pretty." I remarked. Sensing he was waiting to see what I thought of the creature.

It allowed me to stroke it a few times before ruffling its feathers and giving a shake that told me I should probably get my hands off it.

"My brother and I found that we could summon them when we were very young. And sometimes lead them, to an extent."

"Is that how you get them to carry messages?"

"We have help in that." He said dismissively.

"Who?"

"You ask so many questions." He snapped.

I frowned and took a step back, instinctively retreating from his abrupt hostility.

But his hand landed over mine as if to hold me there.

"Fey." He answered in way of an apology. "They gift the Sentinels to carry a message to anyone who seems in dire enough need, the fey deem help necessary."

kksdarkerotica.com

*****

For early updates on this novel, and to read ahead, visit me on my Patreon Page at:

https://www.patreon.com/K_K_S_?fan_landing=true

****