The Changeling's Bond: A Pool of Dreams Novella by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes

Author:Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes [Burns, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Garrett

His Majesty knew.

He had to know, right? He’d practically tossed Kurt out of the keep on his ear, sending him off to liaise with the violent, tribal Pyrthians. There were rumors about them that said they painted each other’s naked bodies blue under the full moon, that they lived outdoors without roofs over their heads or pillows beneath them, and even that they had witches who ate human flesh.

There could be no doubt that being sent to them was a punishment, even when being made a diplomat on behalf of Aranthe was a promotion. Not to mention the fact that someone as hateful and awful as Kurt would no doubt offend the tribesmen and end up on a spit over some witch’s cookfire.

On the other hand, people had said worse things of fae, and while it was true of some of them, Syren definitely wasn’t a wild human-flesh-eating thing. So perhaps it was another case of the rumors being stranger than reality.

None of that mattered, since I wasn’t the one being sent to Pyrtha. No, Kurt was, because Audric knew.

Why else take a chance on angering Lord Redmond so deeply? Rumor at the keep said the elder Redmond was in a snit, and the younger was wandering the halls in a daze, looking like the ghost of a hanged man.

It was hard for me to feel too terrible for him, since he was a wretched person, and I’d celebrate to hear he’d ended up in a witch’s belly.

But I hadn’t wanted the king to know about Kurt. About what he’d done—what I’d allowed to happen. The best he could think me in the circumstances was weak, and I couldn’t say he’d be wrong.

I had been weak. I’d allowed—

I marched into the stables to find old Derrick giving Voss a talk, and my mind screeched to a halt. Was he going to be let go? They were all the way at the other end of the stable, speaking softly, so I couldn’t hear them, but—but surely Voss wasn’t in trouble, was he? He’d done the right thing, and if he’d told His Majesty about it, Audric would never in anyone’s lifetime have punished him for saving silly, useless Garrett from the big bad threat.

The conversation looked serious, Derrick meeting his eye and speaking more than I’d ever seen the old stable master speak in the entire time I’d known of him.

When Voss turned, he had a hand curled into his middle protectively. Like he felt sick, maybe? I looked up to his face, and it was . . . overwhelmed was probably the right term.

Not angry, or even unhappy, but his eyes were wide and his jaw set with determination. He nodded to Derrick, and the old man returned the gesture and turned to head out the opposite door. He caught my eye as he turned, and while the stable master wasn’t exactly an emotive man, there was an expression on his face. Amusement? Happiness? It was hard to tell, underneath his usual gruff demeanor.

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