"To the contrary, I understand completely." The elite guardsman unwound the material from his face to reveal the familiar features of Weile Kahn. He bore a striking resemblance to Subikahn, more so than Tae, and Talamir found those features breathlessly handsome. Weile's eyes were dark and depthless, his hair like midnight with patches of gray at the temples and gently distributed throughout. Though coarsened by maturity, his face bore no notable wrinkles. His stance completed the picture, commanding respect. "My grandson is Renshai. I know what it means to die in battle."
"Sire."Though already on his hands and knees,Talamir attempted to stoop lower.
Weile followed the movement, though slight. "None of that formal crap. I'm untitled by choice." Though true, he had been king only seventeen years earlier, when he gave the crown to Tae and slipped into relative obscurity.
"You told me you would help spare me."
"And I kept my promise." Weile glared at Talamir with an intensity that cowed him, despite being Renshai. "You were on your honor not to bare steel in the court."
"But I had to-"
"And I told you not to fight." Weile's expression became stonier, and Talamir found himself unable to talk, unwilling to further defend his actions. "You scarred two of the best men in the world, bodyguards I've trusted for over forty years. Men who would gladly give their lives for me and have forsaken all other pleasures, including those of women, to remain at my side when I need them."
Talamir lowered his head, suddenly awash with guilt for resorting to unnecessary violence. The remorse seemed wrong, out of place in the repertoire of a man trained lifelong to react to threats with a sword; yet it remained no less powerful and real. He could not understand why Weile's words had such a profound effect upon him. Yet, as he sat in the deep and meaningful silence that followed Weile Kahn's pronouncement, Talamir's mind focused on a single phrase: "forsaken all other pleasures, including women."Weile's bodyguards, men feared and respected throughout the Eastern kingdom. Could those two be lovers? Only that, as well as a vast love for his grandson, might explain why Weile had taken a personal interest in Talamir's situation.
"If you want my help, you have to do as I tell you."
Talamir forced himself to raise his head. He could not quite manage his usual wary crouch, but he did clamber to his haunches without vomiting. "You can… you can still… lighten my sentence."
Weile blinked deliberately but otherwise did not change his expression. "Talamir, I believe I could have gotten you off just by talking to my son had you not compounded your simple offense with…" He added with significance, "… high treason."
Again, Talamir suffered the intense regret that had assailed him earlier. He understood its source better now; he had discarded honor and common sense. He had attacked his lover's beloved father after vowing to himself that he never would. "I made a huge mistake." He looked up at Weile, eyes welling with tears beyond his control. "I'm a Renshai torke, I'm supposed to shape young sinews and minds.Yet, when it came to saving myself and the one I love most in the world, I did everything wrong."
"Not everything."
Awash in anguish, Talamir barely heard. "Why didn't you kill me in battle?" The prison cell blurred to bars and granite, an endless gray reeking of sweat, urine, and sickness.
"Talamir, you went against your honor by baring steel in the court. But you proved yourself to me when you lied to protect Subikahn."
Talamir saw no virtue in that action. "I said I raped my lover. I claimed to have hurt the one person I never would. What if Subikahn comes to believe it?"
Weile snorted. "I don't even think Tae believes it."
Talamir jerked his head up and immediately wished he had not. His stomach protested emphatically.
"I was testing you. I just wanted to know whether you would sacrifice yourself for Subikahn." Weile spoke of such things without a trace of self-consciousness, as if they were chatting at the local tavern. "You've proved your worth."
"But at what price? I'm going to be tortured to death, and Subikahn…?" Talamir scarcely dared to ask. He had avoided the question thus far, desperately worried to hear the answer. "Is he…? Will he be… wholly spared?" A worse thought struck him. "He won't have to… watch my execution, will he?" The very thought seemed worse than anything the guards of Stalmize could do to him.
Weile Kahn closed his eyes, shook his head. He seemed slightly amused. "You're not the only one who loves Subikahn. His father coddles him."
"Usually." Now that he had broached the subject, Talamir had to know. "But this time?"
"Banished till his twentieth birthday and charged with visiting every continent in the world."
Talamir's eyes widened, no longer teary. "He doesn't have a lick of street smarts. The world will eat him up."
"Which is why he needs a dedicated bodyguard." Anticipating the argument, Weile raised a hand. "Not because he's not a skilled swordsman, already far more so than his father. But because he lacks experience, wisdom."
Talamir knew exactly who Weile meant. "So… you can still… get me off?"
"Not for high treason, Talamir."
The Renshai slumped. He had, apparently, misunderstood.
"But I can help you escape." Weile raised an arm to reveal a key dangling from his fingers. He unclipped his own sword and passed it through the bars.
Despite the residual effects of the toxin, Talamir leaped for the offering. He pulled it through with the enthusiasm a starving beggar shows a fresh baked pie.
"And wear this." Weile stuffed his black robes and silver gauze through the bars. "I'll help you put it on properly; my men will easily spot a fake. And make absolutely certain you leave it with one of us once you're out. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to hunt you down ourselves."
Talamir clutched the sword like a lifeline, forcing himself to listen even as he studied the line of the blade through its sheath. He would not know its quality until he drew it but knew better than to do so with the king's father standing so near, unarmed, and still in possession of the key. He owed Weile more than his life.
"Don't do anything stupid." Weile separated that piece of advice from everything before and after.
Talamir did not know whether to resent the implication or agree with it. Thus far, he had not conducted himself well, and Renshai were not known for their caution or strategy. Even in war, they fought without plan, their sole focus to win each individual battle or die fighting.
"My men know and will not bother you unless you force their hands." Weile added with intensity, "That will irritate me, and you don't want me irritated."
Talamir believed it.
"The regular guards, however, do not know. They're good men, just doing their jobs. If you act as if you belong and walk right past them, you should get free without violence." It was warning as much as information. "I gave you that sword because I know Renshai.You're more secure and, in a strange way, safer with it. I would appreciate it, however, if you didn't kill anyone in the employ of the king."
"I promise."
Weile raised a brow.
"I mean it," Talamir said. "I won't bare steel, this time. Not unless there is no other option."
"And you will commit to attending my grandson until his return."
"Gladly."
"Even if your relationship fails."
Talamir could not imagine such a contingency. Nothing had ever felt so right to him. Nevertheless, he hesitated to show that he had appropriately considered the words. He was old enough to realize that no relationship of love was ever entered into to fail, yet they so often did. "Even should we become the bitterest of enemies, I will do as I have promised you. I will gladly lay down my life for Subikahn."
"See that you do, Talamir." The words were simple, the threat implied. "See that you do."