Wherever I Am

Chapter 22 - Part 3

"So it's official, dude. You're the fucking Lord Protector."

I groaned and shook my head, and Nathan laughed, but that's what Lady Lauretti, Weapons Mistress of the Realm, proclaimed me to be in the name of the Crown, which of course, was Uncle John.

At the end of the feast, Lauretti announced that I would be the Lord Protector in the absence of Crown Lord John of the Realm, with Ellie being the Maid Protector of Baemardis. She led us to the thrones, and Nathan gave me a scepter. Sinense then did the same with Ellie. Lauretti had me say something of a speech before every Lord there gave a toast.

"How stupid did I sound up there?"

"Kind of like a coach before a football game. Are we really riding against the Sobecks?"

"I did say that, didn't I? Shit, shit, shit."

"They liked that, dude. At least you didn't say when, and speaking of when, when are Ellie and Sinense getting here? Does it take that long to change?"

I shrugged. Neither of us had bothered changing. It was a bit chill on the balcony tonight but felt good after the warmth in the great hall. Or maybe that was just me...and the wine.

Our dress for the feast wasn't any fancier than any other day, though I wore the best of my four sets of clothes and the same vest I always wore. The girls were all in full dresses, Sorina's a dark enough tan that nobody should miss whose favor I wore.

Voices sounded in my room, and the girls came in. Sinense wore a plainer dress, but Ellie wore the shorts and halter she wore when we first came to this world. Sinense seemed appalled at the amount of skin Ellie was showing.

We sat, Sinense pointedly after Ellie and I regained our seats. I raised an eyebrow at Ellie, but she shook her head in a way that said later.

I broke the silence before it could linger. "This was unexpected, but then I could say that about most of the day."

"I'd say, and Oana says we've adopted Teo, too?"

"She caught me at a weak moment, but yeah."

"What's one more, right?"

"Is that why they were running around in towels?" Sinense asked. "With them would be more like it. It's not they were covering anything, especially Maid Oana."

"They'd just had baths, but their clean clothes were in their rooms," I explained. "They were supposed to stay wrapped up, but they're kids. That was part of why I didn't want Oana with us today," I said with a chuckle. "I'm still surprised she didn't strip off and follow us this morning."

That got a look from Sinense. "I don't understand anything today. Why you left that man naked and gave him to those women? Why those kids were in the halls naked, and why we're all sitting together like this? Men and women don't sit together like this."

"Good questions," came from the doorway, and Lauretti came in wearing a t-shirt and jeans. "That's why I'm here to explain," Lauretti said with a smile. "Sinense, I'm sure you're baffled. The irony is that Kevin, Ellie, and Nathan aren't because they don't know enough about the customs here to find that out of the ordinary."

"Now, Sinense," Lauretti continued, "do you want to discuss naked children in the hall or the prisoner?"

"The prisoner," she answered quietly.

"Kevin, you're up. I like what you did, but I want to hear why, too."

I explained it again like I did to Sinense earlier. I didn't bother with the word empowerment because if Sinense didn't get it the first time, she still wouldn't have a clue.

"Awesome, dude. It seemed appropriate somehow, but I didn't understand why."

"I did," Ellie said, her voice hard. "I hope they took their time."

Lauretti grimaced. "Then you'll be happy to know that they started by putting some grease in his hair and lighting it on fire. They built a fire at each hand and foot and burned those for several minutes. If you were wondering, he couldn't get away because they'd hoisted him up by his genitals, at least until he'd wiggled around enough that they ripped off."

Ellie suddenly lurched to the balcony's ledge and retched over and over. Lauretti continued, speaking over the sounds of Ellie's heaving.

"Once it was clear he wouldn't come conscious again, they brought a lot more wood. According to Reginar, they're taking you at your word, Kevin. You wanted nothing left, and they're doing it. Come here," she gestured, walking to the balcony's north side of the balcony.

I got up, my insides a bit queasy, and followed to where she was looking toward the town. I could see the bright glow of a fire in the middle of the town.

"Here's the other part. The women have done everything so far. They held the men off with clubs and pitchforks when they tried to help drag the wood over. You gave them this task, and they are doing it to the best of their ability, which is considerable. So Kevin, under the same circumstances, would you do this again."

I looked at the others, Ellie with her head down, taking deep breaths. Nathan looked pale, his head slowly shaking. Sinense was so pale she was ghostly, and Lauretti looked back at me like a teacher waiting for me to answer a math problem.

"I...I...."

I needed to get a grip. I wanted this when I gave him to them—or staked out on an ant pile covered in honey. Or, there was Adrian, Filip, Lady Lavinia, Lord Calin.

"Yeah," I said, almost to myself, so I started again. "Yeah, I'd do it again."

"Nathan, what are your thoughts?"

"I...I don't know. That sounds so vicious, like what the Comanche Indians would do."

"Or the Conquistadores to the Aztec leaders," Ellie said hoarsely. "Or being drawn and quartered by order of the English Kings, with your intestines pulled out. No, I can live with this if it has to be done again. He killed over two dozen of us. I wanted his death to be painful, and it was."

"He's a kid," Sinense yelled. "He was no older than me. He was following orders."

"Sorina's already there," Lauretti said, nodding toward the firelight. "She asked if she could go after our festivities were over. So's Mara and many of the ladies and women. I'm heading over there once we're done here. Ellie, if you and Sinense would join me?"

"We'll come," Ellie said quickly, and I saw the panic on Sinense's face, but after a few seconds, she gave the faintest of nods.

I opened my mouth to say I'd go, too, but Lauretti cut me off.

"Kevin, you aren't going to town until the fire is out and they've shoveled the ashes away, and that should go for you too, Nathan. Your order was that there would be no trace of the killer, so give them time to make that happen. Don't disappoint them."