Queen Collector by Blair Alton

Author:Blair, Alton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2024-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

* * *

Carter walked the cobblestone streets towards the gate separating one district from the next, all the while his personal bodyguard Taraen trailed him by six paces, eyes performing regular sweeps of the vicinity. Carter paused and listened to the light steps of his bodyguard halt in turn. He spun around. “Do you have to walk behind me like that?”

“It is so that I can protect your most vulnerable side, Your Grace,” Taraen said.

Carter closed the distance between them. “Do you really expect someone to lunge at my ass with a dagger or something?”

Taraen’s wary gaze surveyed the elves that passed them. Carter cut glances at the capital’s citizens streaming down the road on either side. They looked more surprised to see their king walk among them than they did angry that he was human. “As your personal guard,” Taraen said, “I expect everything.”

“No,” said Carter, “you only expect the worst.” He turned then and told Taraen, “Walk beside me. You make me nervous walking behind me all the time.”

Taraen’s cheeks darkened with fluster. “Your Grace, I would never—”

“Merely joking,” Carter assured. “Your loyalty is not in question, don’t sweat it. Just walk alongside me like a normal person.”

Taraen obliged haltingly, his body tense, his vigilance cranked up to eleven. “Your Grace, I—”

“Stop it with that,” Carter interjected. “I get that you have to be all proper whenever other people are around, but I swear to God, Taraen—no, I swear to the sky that if you don’t cut that shit out, I’ll have you demoted.”

Taraen appeared genuinely distraught by Carter’s threat.

Carter groaned. “Relax, I don’t actually mean that.”

An ounce of relief eased the guard’s anxiety. “Thank you, your—” He caught himself, then corrected, “Thank you, Carter.”

“See?” said Carter. “Isn’t that more comfortable?”

“To be honest, no.”

Carter couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, it’ll become more comfortable. If we’re going to be spending this much time together, we’re going to become buddies, alright?”

He looked at Taraen expectantly until the guard replied stiffly, “Yes.”

Carter sighed. This was going to be a very gradual process. “What can you tell me about humans in Terynos?” he asked.

“They’re greedy, insatiable, power-hungry, and reckless.” The answer slipped off his tongue before he knew what he was saying. Taraen’s face went ghostly white. “I mean—”

Carter lifted his hand to silence the guard. “I know what you mean. Those are humans of Terynos, not humans where I come from right? Only, the thing is, you’d be right about Earth, too.”

“Earth?” Taraen echoed. “Like soil?”

Carter nodded. “What we called my first world.” He sensed a question begging to be asked, but held back by fear. “What is it?” Carter asked. “You don’t have to be afraid, what is it?”

“So it’s true then?” Taraen questioned. “The priests of Sky Temple really did pull you from an entirely different world?”

Carter arched a brow. “Wouldn’t that explain how clueless I am about your customs?”

Taraen cracked a wry grin.

“So he does know how to smile!” Carter teased. “What did you think? That it

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.