“And if that should happen, you would be the first suspected,” Lorenz pointed out.

“This is the risk I knew I took from the beginning.”

“And it causes no harm to remind you that you’re taking it, and further, that you can abandon it at any time and you still would have my protection, a place in my home, my family and my heart.”

Tedrey felt his eyes get itchy.

In order to give him privacy to control his emotion, Lorenz looked away, bringing his wineglass to his lips, and muttering into it, “Just know that.”

Tedrey had to clear his throat before he replied, “I do.”

Lorenz took a drink, swallowed, turned again to Tedrey and inquired, “I wonder what that father of yours would think of you now?”

Tedrey’s entire body strung tight.

“It is not the manner of a man what he does with his cock,” Lorenz stated, finishing with, “No?”

“No,” Tedrey whispered.

“You are more man than many men I know, Teddy. And most the men I know are soldiers.”

To hide his increasing emotion, it was then Tedrey looked away.

“Let us see if we can find some food,” Lorenz suggested. “I grow hungry and intend to end this enmity with my wife tonight and do it in a way we both will be most fatigued. I need sustenance.”

With that, he got up, and raised his brows to Tedrey until Tedrey also rose.

And even if they both were not needed to perform this task, they both went to find a servant to order some dinner.

It would be much later, when Tedrey was abed, and he did not hear the noises of passion emanating from his friends’ chamber down the hall, that he lit a lantern and did what he often did, what Lorenz had, some weeks ago, suggested he do.

Something, with the things he was doing now, he did nearly every night.

He opened the beautiful, leather-bound journal Lorenz had given him. He took up the lovely, silver pen Lorenz had also given him.

And he shared his fretful thoughts with the page.

93

The Citadel

Princess Elena

On the Seil Sea Outside Sky Bay

AIREN

“I think it’s over,” I noted when the deafening blast of cannon fire stopped and did not start again.

“I hope it’s over,” Finnie muttered.

“I do too,” Circe said, shaking her head in such a manner it looked like she was trying to clear water from her ears.

Circe being Dahksahna Circe, the Golden Warrior Queen of the Korwahk nation of the Southlands.

We’d met just hours before we’d all boarded one of Aramus’s ships and headed right back from where she and her husband Lahn had come from.

King Noctorno and Queen Cora remained in Wodell.

Lahn was, right then, where all the men were.

Up on the deck with swords at the ready in case we were boarded.

As far as I could tell, we had not been boarded.