Page 9 of Twenty-One Arrow Salute

That first time I touched him, my heart downright assailed my rib cage, beating out a rhythm violent enough to cause me internal damage. To my dismay, I felt more riled up by that innocent contact than the last time I had my trousers around my ankles and a bulky sergeant pressed against the wall. Silently swearing, I tried shutting down those thoughts and refocusing.

And so we moved in a half circle, gliding through the air, in tune with one another.

The sweet spiciness of his scent reminded me of darhê. Hyperaware of the warmth emanating from his body, I lost all sense of time. It might’ve been a few minutes or an hour before we came to a stop.

As if bewitched, both of us remained still. It was Hernan who eventually turned his head to the side. He looked up at me over his shoulder.

The air seemed to shimmer around him, the edges of my vision distorted. I took in his smooth, flushed skin embellished with a few freckles. His slightly parted lips, plump and rosy. His wide, pale eyes, as green as a forest fern. All the colours that defined him filled me with a sense of wonder.

A moment of panic descended on me without warning, forcing me to jump back. Abruptly. My throat felt parched, so I gave a little cough. “That was…uh…good.” I tried to diminish the shaking of my voice and almost succeeded. “You must be one hell of a dancer,” I couldn’t resist adding.

He spun around to face me, sporting a smile that held a hint of sadness. “Certain things are expected of a Seinnés. I imagine it would be nice to dance with someone you actually liked, though.”

That got me frowning. Not for the first time, I got this nagging impression that some of his memories of home were too miserable for him to revisit. “What about the Archers’ Fete? Who are you going with?” I asked, holding my breath and going for what I hoped seemed like casual indifference.

“I’m going on my own.” Hernan shrugged.

Watching a high colour develop on his face, I felt torn between the desire to bite my tongue for making him uncomfortable again and doing a little jig in celebration of his answer.

“No one has asked me,” he added. A strand of his auburn hair, tossed by a faint puff of wind, fell over his face. “I’m not exactly archer of the month.” The way he bit his bottom lip revealed he didn’t feel as blasé about it as he let on.

“Yeah, no one has asked me, either,” I said evenly, despite having declined a half-dozen offers. Well, no one interesting had asked me, anyway. “Give the others some time, Hernan. As soon as they see what you’re made of, they’ll want to make friends.” I sighed. The Highlander lot could be well wary towards outsiders. But a Dark Elf’s friendship, trust and loyalty, once earned, lasted a lifetime.

“You’re the only one who’s given me the time of day. Apart from Commander Yennés. What?” Hernan paused to give a droll smile. “Pull faces all you want, but he’s been decent to me from the moment I requested a place in the Guard. Friendly.” He redirected his attention to a spot beyond my shoulder.

“Bloody hell. Yennés does friendly?” I froze, goggling at Hernan in genuine shock. “Every time he sees me, he scrunches up as if he hasn’t opened his bowels for a fortnight. You must be special. Or perhaps you caught him after his morning ration of fresh virgin’s blood or something. Although he’d do well getting a virgin around here.” I fell about laughing at the hilarity of the idea. Youths matured quickly at home and—being a rather inquisitive lot—didn’t dilly-dally about losing their cherries, eager to assist others into misplacing theirs as well.

Hernan’s downcast gaze and the rapid reddening of his neck and cheeks clued me in on the possibility that there might be at least one virgin in the garrison. Pleased with myself for not dropping my bow, I took a sharp intake of breath.

Fuck me and tickle my balls.

Hernan was younger than the rest of us—the newly recruited archers from the Highlands, of course—given that before participating in the initial training with the Queen’s Army, we had to complete a two-year military service back home. Regardless, at his age, I would’ve already run out of space on my bedpost to mark my conquests. If I were into such immature follies. Or had a bedpost, for that matter. In any case, Hernan’s assumed inexperience didn’t match what I’d heard about the reputedly debauched conduct of young aristocrats from the capital, well known for their numerous and short-lived sexual encounters.

Since my previous attempts to put him at ease had worked so well, I willed my stupid mouth shut. The rest of the morning we practised in oppressive heat and even more stifling, complete silence.

Our morning sessions fitted into my daily routine seamlessly. And, despite their ungodly hour, had become something I looked forward to more and more each day.

Hernan proved himself sharp-witted and unwavering. He worked hard, astonishing me with the quick rate of his progress. He didn’t fuck about, paid attention, and took criticism well. His eyes developed a gleam of determination, and his chin and cheeks—even sharper edges. I suspected he forwent sleep, because on top of his shifts and regular drills, he trained with me as well as on his own. Eventually, he also started participating in the evening rehearsals with the other Honour Guards.

Confounding myself, I didn’t jump at this opportunity to free myself from the obligation of tutoring him, even though doing so would’ve been well within my right since I’d kept my end of the bargain I struck with Achiah. In my book, additional work and commitment spelt ball-ache and a headfuck combined, so being a sensible fellow, I knew better than getting involved in either. The endeavours I usually chose to pursue had two elements in common: they were short-lasting and accessible with minimal effort. But when it came down to it, I realised I didn’t want to quit. I enjoyed spending time with the Asirhwÿnian. And yes, by the gods, I wanted to help him. I was either reaching maturity or contracting a personality disorder.

Half-way through one of our sessions—scorching hot regardless of the fact that the sun had barely begun its climb across the horizon—we took refuge in the leafy shade of the foliage. Drinking from our waterskins, we chatted the brief break away.

“Are you…” I started and paused, looking for words to phrase my question right, “unhappy about winding up here? Since the Queen’s Guard wasn’t your first choice for a unit?”

Fair enough, the Highland Regiment might not be as elite a formation as the Scouts, who had earned a reputation for being crazy fuckers, apt even if only one-tenth of the gossip whispered about their secret operations held good. That aside, the Guard was also a formidable, highly specialised force with enormous strategic and combat potential. Every year, no more than a handful of archers met the rigorous entry requirements that granted them a place within our ranks. The honour of being stationed at the capital and serving directly under—and often alongside—the Queen herself, added splendour into the mix.

Unexpectedly, a soft smile tugged at his lips. “But it was.”

“Was what?” I drew my eyebrows together.

“My first choice. Ever since I saw the mounted archers in a parade as a toddler. Do you know who my favourite Guard of Honour was? Hyoshie Hélk.” Hernan’s eyelids dropped halfway as if he was reliving a pleasant memory. “He made one hell of a centre shooter. Always magnificent. I’d watch him perform the Twenty-One Arrow Salute every single year during his service at the capital. To tell you the truth, I became quite…besotted with him.” He glanced up at me from beneath his lashes as though to check if I’d laugh at him.

Not likely. I’d be damned if I didn’t understand infatuation, even though besotted translated, in my case, to horny as fuck, and my passing fancies, well, passed quickly from one person to the next. Usually with the last thrust of my hips.

“When I got to the camp, I found out he was one of the hyoshies. I thanked the gods when they allocated another officer to my squad. Because it would’ve been mortifying to—”

“Pop wood during practice?” I grinned, nodding my understanding.