Chapter Fifteen—Cementing Alliances

 

Curran made no move to see Gavin again. There was no need. The plans were set. All they waited for was the signal that Gavin had his troops in place. Instead of skulking about, Curran spent every free moment with Tanis, dogging his footsteps and offering a helping hand when he could, and thinking upon him with all the love in his heart when he couldn’t.

Tanis seemed to appreciate this new behavior, although was equally puzzled by it. Luthias, on the other hand, found it annoying and so he went out of his way to come up with tasks to keep them separated as much as possible. Curran had a hard time hiding his negative feelings for the Duke. Contrary to what he’d told the others, he remembered every single betrayal Luthias had committed. It was all he could do to refrain from running the man through with his sharp blade whenever he had to be in his presence.

Luthias had to remain alive though, Gavin made that very clear. Should the Duke die before Tanis was given his crown, there would be a heated battle between neighboring territories, Luthias’ own offspring and the northern raiders. A war that would no doubt leave the countryside in far worse condition than Luthias’ evil reign already had. All parties agreed to Tanis as the leader, and thus Tanis it had to be.

But waiting was both a blessing and a curse. Each day he had with Tanis was a treasure. Each day they were forced to endure Luthias’ sick and twisted machinations was pure hell. True, the evil man was almost toothless during the siege, having lost more than half of his subjects to war and disease, and having to hide his true nature so he didn’t offend the rest. However, he made his barbs felt, and Curran didn’t think the world could be rid of him soon enough.

Then, the night the signal came in the form of a truce, Curran found it was happening all too soon. He had one more night with his heart’s true love. One more night with their bodies joined as tightly as their souls, and Curran planned to make the most of it.

“Did you hear?” Tanis said as he entered their private chamber. “The clansmen have agreed to negotiate. They will bring food to show their good intent, and all Luthias has to do is refrain from firing on them as they approach.”

He kissed Tanis soundly, happy to see the heavily lined face he loved so well wearing something other than a grimace. “I heard.”

“Tonight we shall eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall be free!”

He laughed and turned Curran around in a circle. Curran swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat. Now was not the time to bawl like a woman over spilled milk. He had to accept that he’d lost Tanis to his future, and he wouldn’t ruin their last minutes together by fighting it.

“I am to oversee the transfer of foodstuffs through the gate,” Curran told him. “I will meet you back here when I am through so that we may celebrate this good fortune in private. Does that suit you?”

“Aye, it does.”

Tanis embraced him and Curran could feel the hard length of his shaft pressing against his thigh. His mouth watered at the thought of swallowing that ruddied head until it hit the back of his throat. He wanted to wrap his legs around Tanis’ hips and be taken hard and fast like their first time, to let his love pour through their connection and feed on his thick, white come.

He grabbed Tanis by the shirt and held on tight. “Promise me you won’t allow a drop of wine or a bite of meat to pass your lips until I am with you.”

“I swear it,” Tanis replied fiercely. “Be quick about your business though, my Curran, for I am in the mood to devour you.”

After another long kiss that caused his cock to harden and his heart to pound, Curran raced out of the room. He put Evander in charge of the servants and made short work of transferring the casks of ale and other goods inside the castle walls. The whole time Curran could feel Luthias’ eyes on his back. The scruff of his neck itched, but Luthias kept to his promise and refrained from firing upon his chosen enemy.

That was the only part Curran couldn’t control. If Luthias gave the order to fire despite flying a flag of truce, they’d all be dead. The only hope Curran had was that Luthias would bask in his apparent victory, leaving revenge for a future date. All he needed was a short delay…

For once the evil Duke kept his word, and Curran was too relieved to question it. His mind was focused on his last task, and then he would be free to enjoy Tanis’ lovemaking until near dawn.

“Evander, send a few barrels to the courtyard and another brace to the guardsmen’s barracks,” Curran instructed his friend. “Some of the salted beef as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“There will be a flood of bodies after the bounty. Do your best to keep them well fed. They must not raid the cellars, or we will have more bloodshed.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And once you have completed your duties, I want you to take a cask to share with the kitchen staff. Drink tonight as if you were a king.” It was the best warning Curran could give the loyal servant.

“Evil festers more than ever in the stones of this cursed place, but I think that for once we have beaten the devil at his own game. For that, I would drink a toast to the bowels of Hell.” He offered Curran a rare, quick smile before backing out of the storage room to attend to his chores.

Curran listened at the stairs, but there was only one set of footsteps to be heard and those quickly faded away. He went in the opposite direction, to the cell where he once nearly lost his life. It seemed a fitting place to store the sleeping draught that would bring about another life-altering change. The stench of rotting corpses—for the chamber was now used as a place to store the decaying bodies of those who’d died inside the keep—caused him to gag. But it was another reason he thought the hiding place was apt. The smell alone would keep out the curious.

It looked like a bottle of cooking oil, and so it wouldn’t cause suspicion if someone met him along the way back to the storage room. Again Curran was lucky. He encountered no one, and so he was able to get to work straightaway.

It seemed as though there were thousands of casks rather than the twenty-five they’d agreed upon. Curran carefully opened each one, added a measure of the medication and then re-corked it. He was nearly finished when the rustle of fabric alerted him to the fact that he had company.

“What are you about?” Luthias demanded.

He clung to the walls like a frightened child. Curran suspected it was because he was so weak and frail from illness rather than fear. Still, it made him look small instead of the larger-than-life man Curran was used to seeing.

“Testing for poison.”

“Ah, so you suspect the northern dogs of treachery too?”

No, you miserable bastard. It is you I mistrust. “Better to be cautious than dead.”

Luthias laughed. “Cautious? You? Has this long siege stripped you of your courage, boy?”

“It has taught me there are more important things in life than winning.” Curran knew he should hold his tongue, but standing on the cusp of victory made him fear no evil. If there was yet a God in Heaven, this would be Luthias’ last day as Duke. The thought made him weak-kneed and loose-lipped.

“Rubbish,” the Duke declared with a broad sweep of his hand. It left him unbalanced and he had to scramble to clasp at the wall again. “Nothing on this earth rivals the glory to be found in winning.”

“What about losing?” Curran asked quietly. “What joy is there to be found in that?”

“None, my dear Curran. That is why I will do whatever it takes to succeed.”

His eyes glittered, and Curran could almost see the shadows moving behind them. The dark intentions that had brought so much evil to the land. When he spoke it was really to them rather than the human husk they inhabited. “Life is precious. There are ways to win without death.”

“Yes, but they are not nearly so entertaining.” Luthias crossed the floor in a pitiful gait that mocked his once powerful stride. Curran forgot to be wary of this frail-seeming creature and therefore was caught unawares when the Duke grabbed him by the balls. “You have big ones. I can teach you how to use them. How to be a king among men.”

“I have no desire to rule.”

Luthias’ grip became tighter even as his face turned thoughtful. “I thought that being caged with the savages would have disabused you of your noble notions yet you continue to defend them. Perhaps you have not been properly motivated to walk in my footsteps after all.”

Curran reached for the Duke’s genitals and applied the same amount of pressure. “Perhaps you’d do well to leave me in peace.”

The Duke’s eyes turned angry and cold. Curran knew his life hung in the balance. Then the man released him with a short, barking laugh. “As I said, you have big ones, Curran. I will make a worthy man out of you yet.” He didn’t turn away, but rather stepped backward until he reached the doorway. “Keep in mind that I still own you, Curran. Once the human sheep are herded from my castle gate, I expect you to return to your duties at my side.”

“I understand, your Grace.” And I will not obey. Should the worst come to pass and Gavin’s coup failed, Curran would die by his own sword than be a part of Luthias’ atrocities.

“I pray that you do. I would hate to lose a good hunt master in order to make my meaning clear to you.”

Luthias disappeared up the stairs. It took all of Curran’s self-control not to rush the man and squeeze the life from his body for suggesting that he’d have Tanis killed. Right warred with wrong as he listened to the sound of leather scraping against stone. It wouldn’t take much effort to end it all here, now.

But that would make him no better than the man he loathed like the very devil.

Several long moments of deep breathing restored a measure of his control. He then hurried through the rest of the kegs until the bottle of sleeping draught was emptied. The cask he’d set aside to share with Tanis went untreated. He stuffed a bit of dried beef into his pocket, then bent over to pick it up. As he did, he spotted a scrawny old rat hiding behind it. At once it reminded him of Luthias.

It took several attempts before he was able to grab it and stuff it in his pocket. Athena was entitled to a celebratory meal too.