Page 36 of Wicked Things

“He was angry and felt as if we’d stolen his crown. I believe he understands now that the late king himself devised this scheme for putting me on the throne, because he wanted you to be as closely associated with his title and his people as possible. And Ehlbert is already married, with another child on the way, though I think he would have married you despite that, and despite the fact that he prefers women. He was very complimentary about how handsome you are.”

“Hmph. As if I would have had him.”

“You wouldn’t have had much choice in the matter. As you didn’t with me. How fortuitous for us both that I agreed to take you on, considering how much trouble you’ll no doubt be to me for the rest of my life.”

“Take me on, huh? A charming way to put it.”

He grinned. “Ah, a chuisle. But you know it’s all true.”

He caught my fist a mere inch or two from his face, twisted it around behind me and pulled me in to kiss me until I was almost breathless. He finally pulled away, stood up and extended his hand. “Come along. You’re bad tempered when you’re tired. I promise you can be as rude as you like to Ehlbert while we’re here. You’ll enjoy that. And it will be a kindness, really. To show him not only what he lost, but how I spared him the vexation of dealing with a half-mortal like yourself for the next few hundred years or so.”

I turned my back on him, giving up on arguing with him. I followed him to Ehlbert’s home, because I really was tired, and I wanted this long day to be over and done with.

Chapter Fifteen

It was only a few hours later that everything changed.

I had slept hard for about two hours or more and awoke sometime very late—or early, as the case may have been—feeling parched. I immediately felt for Fionn in the dark and found him sound asleep beside me.

We had gone directly to bed the night before, refusing Lord Ehlbert’s offer of ale, Fionn telling him that I was too tired and pleading the lateness of the hour. As a result, I hadn’t had much chance to look around or familiarize myself with Lord Ehlbert’s house or find any water for my bedside.

It was a habit of mine to have water at my bedside at night, because I apparently slept with my mouth open a little, according to Fionn, who was highly amused by it. Anyway, I sometimes woke during the night with a dry mouth, so I kept a glass of water by my bed, just in case. This time, I’d neglected to do that, so I either had to suffer until morning or go in search of some water. I decided to go downstairs and hopefully find a ewer of water or even a wooden bucket in the kitchen for drinking purposes.

I hadn’t paid much attention the night before to the layout of this house, but I’d done business once with a nobleman who had lost his fortune and wanted to get started in trade to try and restore at least part of it. He wanted to keep his involvement in trade a secret, so we had met privately at his home, as he had wanted none of his friends and acquaintances to know about our meeting. Anyway, this home was similar to that one in a way, though Lord Ehlbert’s home was on a busy street in town and the nobleman’s had been in the countryside. I thought I could find the larder or kitchen somewhere on the lower level. I took a candle, lit it from a wall sconce burning in the hallway, and made my way down the stairs.

I’d been struck the evening before by how nicely furnished it was, seen by candlelight, at least, and by how large it was for a private home. Most homes then were only a few rooms, though my uncle’s had been big enough for his entire large family. He was, however, only a prosperous tradesman. This house was not as large as a castle, but it was still the home of a nobleman and quite spacious. It had many rooms, spread out over three floors, but I thought the kitchen would be on the ground level. At any rate, I did find one with a metal ewer full of drinking water, quenched my thirst and took a small mug of it with me to make my way back upstairs. I was still on my way when I heard the screaming and shouting begin. It sounded like Tadgh’s voice—and even more alarming, one of the voices sounded like my lord’s.

On the floor where we were staying, there were mostly bedrooms, I was fairly sure, and the loud shouting seemed to be coming from one of the rooms nearby. I left the water in my hurry and ran up the staircase and down the hall. A door sat partially open, so I rushed to it to look inside—and reeled backward in shock.

Fionn was standing beside a bed, his sword drawn, his back to the door. The covers on the four-poster bed were twisted and falling on the floor, as if someone had exited the bed quickly. Tadgh, bare chested, was on his knees in front of Fionn, looking pale and shaky.

“It’s not what you think, Your Grace. Please…let me explain!”

I ran over to take Fionn’s arm and pull him around to face me, but when he whirled to look at me, I saw that his eyes were wild, shocked—and absolutely furious. But most surprising of all, he yanked his arm away from me viciously, raising his sword to point it at me and aiming it directly at my chest.

“Unhand me, demon!” he shouted at me. “Get back or I’ll kill you!”

I was too shocked to move, and I stood there, trembling in front of him.

“Fionn? What is this? Why do you draw your sword on me this way? Why are you here in Tadgh’s room?”

He continued to regard me grimly, suspiciously, his eyes sparkling with some strong emotion and his voice, when he spoke again, was low and menacing.

“Answer me quickly, demon, or I’ll kill you here and now and paint this room with your blood.”

I gasped and backed slowly away from him as he steadily advanced on me. “Last chance, fiend. Speak to me,” he cajoled me in a seductive voice. “Don’t be shy. Lie to me again. You’re good at that. Convince me not to kill you.”

“Fionn, please! Stop it! You’re frightening me!”

He continued to advance on me, his eyes gleaming hatred and shooting sparks of fire as he stalked me. “I said, last chance, you lying son of a bitch,” he snarled in a voice that sounded like nothing I’d ever heard from him before.

I could back away no farther and was too afraid to turn my back on him and run. This was like some kind of nightmare, and I couldn’t wake from it. This must have been what he was like in battle, but I’d never seen this side of him before. If I’d tried to run, he’d have been on me in seconds, cutting me down. But I had to say something, so I finally forced out a question.

“W-what do you want me to say?”

“Tell me what you are! Give me the truth, for once, damn you, or I swear to the goddess, I’ll…”

From behind him, Tadgh suddenly rushed him, slamming the hilt of his own sword down on Fionn’s head. My lord’s knees buckled, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he sank down to the floor almost in slow motion. I gasped out loud and tried to catch him to break his fall a little, but we both went down in a heap. I managed to roll him over and get my ear down to his chest, thankful that I could hear his strong heartbeat, though it was beating like a wild bird flapping its wings.