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it. Blinking his bulbous eyes at the rush, a pleased smile settled on Lennox's
lips. Whoa, that's good stuff."
Damien grinned and passed the tube to Gorgarty.
Taking a snort, Gorgarty matched Damien's grin. That'll sure stiffen the
bone."
Belgair's favorite chastisemon and executioner as well as a guardsmon, Damien
Kildare put the whip to myns backs and the axe to their necks. He took pride
and pleasure in his work; never failing to satisfy Belgair's needs and
expectations. Lennox believed that Damien got away with far more indiscretions
than the rest of them put together; but knew better than to say so, since he
had no desire to find himself on the receiving end of Damien's ire.
Gorgarty started describing how he had gotten his cock into Betrys, how much
she had secretly wanted him, and how he expected her to come begging for more.
Lennox rolled his eyes, made a quick purchase from Damien, and excused himself
before he could lose his temper with Gorgarty. The names of the bitches
changed, but Gorgarty's descriptions remained the same.
* * * *
They had come to the hard part. Iollen could barely contain his fears, pacing
back and forth in the small servants kitchen. Aghavie had gone into labor
hours ago. Mary had chased him out of the bedroom for being underfoot as she
and Cahira tended his wife. He cursed himself under his breath for every sin
he had ever committed, begging the gods for Aghavie's life.
They had never spoken about it, but they both knew that Aghavie was too young,
too small to safely give birth.
Kady came in and settled across from him. She'll be all right. I know she
will. The gods are merciful."
"I'm not a good mon. I never deserved Aghavie. I'm sorry, Kady. I'm sorry for
what I did to you. I'm sorry for what I did to her."
Kady tensed, remembering for the first time in months, the first time since
cutting his arm off, remembering the terror she had felt as Iollen entered her
while Cormic Parry and Donald Greenlea held her down. Why did you do it,
Iollen?"
"The rape?"
"Yes."
Iollen poured himself a glass of whiskey. The first few times I went out
bitch-stalking with Cormic, I was reluctant. I could not get it up. He stared
at the wall, shifting in his chair uneasily, drained his glass, and refilled
it. One day Cormic decided I was not participating properly. Six of them
jumped me. He pinned my arms behind my back and held me while the others hit
me. Seemed to go on forever. That was a few weeks before we grabbed you the
first time."
"That's terrible. Kady winced at the image, appalled.
Iollen sucked in a deep breath, feeling more unsettled by the moment, wishing
that Kady had not asked the question. I'm a coward, Kady. I mounted you that
night because I was a coward. I was terrified of Cormic and of Preece. I was
always certain that one day Preece would slip a knife in my ribs."
"He's dead, Iollen. Kynyr killed him."
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about Preece ... and hate myself."
The door opened and Mary stood there, her eyes reddened. She carried a newborn
cub in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. I'm sorry, Iollen. We saved the cub,
but we lost Aghavie."
Iollen sprang from the table, shoved past her, and lurched down the hallway to
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his suite. He reached the door to his bedroom and hesitated with a long
keening howl. Then he forced himself through the door, staggered to the
bedside, dropped to his knees, and gathered Aghavie's still body into the
crook of his arm, burying his face in her hair. His howls of grief echoed
through the building.
* * * *
Lon Anglesey had served Claw for over twenty years as senior officer to the
Bridge Watchers. They were a separate unit from the guardsmyn, but served in a
similar capacity, and they were answerable to Lon as their immediate superior.
However, Lon was answerable to Belgair. There were seventy myn in the Bridge
Watchers unit, less than a quarter of the total soldiery employed by Claw
Redhand. Some of them were recent hires foisted onto Lon by Belgair; a fact
that did not sit well with him.
He had broken the rules when he let MacFie and the Sharani enter Red Wolf
unopposed. He should have waited for Pandeena or Belgair to approve their
admission to the kingdom. Normally such approval came from the lawgiver, but
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