Shiress shot her Bondmate a startled, wideeyd glance when he assured the guard they were not working for the Lark's or Lazarin's. They were, in fact, doing that very thing. Sorta. Rook was at any rate, however, she did note his play on words. "Here" he had said. Rook was proving to be a rather good liar. Shiress would nead to take notes.
The Kelvic was right, though. The two slaves were not working for either family against Kylar. They were there, in his room, rifling through his belongings by Shiress's request and they had been caught. The girl's stomach churned with nauseating guilt; she had inadvertently drawn her Bondmate to her side and straight into the path of danger. She would not allow him to be punished for this.
"It was my idea just as Rook said." Shiress blurted, drawing the guard's narrow eyes away from the wolf. "I felt something different about you, Kylar. I guess you could call it a hunch, but I needed to find out for sure before I approached you and I asked Rook to help me."
"To help you go through my personal belongings?" Kylar asked, his voice just short of a snarl. "Had you been anyone else you would be skewered on the end of my...."
"Why?" Shiress interjected boldly "Why not me, Kylar? I'm just a slave. A slave you are supposed to guard!" the slave took a step toward Kylar, but thought better of it, glancing down at the blade still poised at her chest. Raising her arms defensively, her voice softened. "I see kindness in you. A kindness that you show everyone you come in contact with." The slave paused long enough for Kylar's eyes to meet her earnest gaze. "Everyone but a Lark."
Shiress fell silent, watching the Lark guard closely. Kylar's anger was waning, but not nearly enough. The man's teeth were clenched so tightly, Shiress thought she might have heard his jaw creaking, but he had gone very silent, his eyes roaming the vicinity of the Slave's head. The spying slave's had nearly won him, but he needed a bit more encouragement. Giving her Bondmate a determined glance, Shiress straightened her shoulder's with new resolve.
"I am working against my Master for an Ebonstryfe commander." Shiress announced bluntly.
Kylar's eyes creased further than Shiress thought possible, and she was sure she had heard his jaw crack and pop. The snarl that came over the guard's face alluded to an unwelcome realization.
"That mage!" he growled out, fist tightening around the hilt of his very steady sword that was still pointed toward the Slave girl. "The one who sank those boats and threw me in the lake...TWICE!" the guard looked away, fuming, then added in a low, dangerous voice. "Elias."
Shiress went pale, not realizing that Kylar would know Elias's name, but she held firm to her resolve nonetheless. "Yes, Elias Caldera, my.." Her what? Lover? Man? Boy Friend? Shiress couldn't bring herself to admit to any of those things on behalf of Elias. She was a slave, and it somehow seemed an insult to Elias to associate the man to her in that way. Kylar noticed Shiress's silent struggle to label her and the soldier's relationship with a sharp sigh.
"I saw the kiss." he retorted
Color flooded back into Shiress's cheeks. "Right. Yes. But yeah..." she cleared her throat "Elias means to bring down Radcliffe Lark and I mean to help him do it and I thought," she paused, looking to Rook for reassurance before continuing, "I thought you might would help us."
It seemed to take an age, but very slowly the anger faded from Kylar's face and his sword lowered and he released Rook. He stepped past Shiress and picked up the ring from within the hidden space of the table, studied it a chime, then slid it onto a finger. Stepping back, he lowered the tip of the blade to the floor in front of his boots and rested his hands upright on its pommel.
"Well then. Allow me to introduce myself fully." he said, straightening to his full height and looking every bit a soldier and not a house guard. "My name is Kylar Nitrozian, and my family means to see Radcliffe Lark pay for his crimes and utterly vanquished."
The Kelvic was right, though. The two slaves were not working for either family against Kylar. They were there, in his room, rifling through his belongings by Shiress's request and they had been caught. The girl's stomach churned with nauseating guilt; she had inadvertently drawn her Bondmate to her side and straight into the path of danger. She would not allow him to be punished for this.
"It was my idea just as Rook said." Shiress blurted, drawing the guard's narrow eyes away from the wolf. "I felt something different about you, Kylar. I guess you could call it a hunch, but I needed to find out for sure before I approached you and I asked Rook to help me."
"To help you go through my personal belongings?" Kylar asked, his voice just short of a snarl. "Had you been anyone else you would be skewered on the end of my...."
"Why?" Shiress interjected boldly "Why not me, Kylar? I'm just a slave. A slave you are supposed to guard!" the slave took a step toward Kylar, but thought better of it, glancing down at the blade still poised at her chest. Raising her arms defensively, her voice softened. "I see kindness in you. A kindness that you show everyone you come in contact with." The slave paused long enough for Kylar's eyes to meet her earnest gaze. "Everyone but a Lark."
Shiress fell silent, watching the Lark guard closely. Kylar's anger was waning, but not nearly enough. The man's teeth were clenched so tightly, Shiress thought she might have heard his jaw creaking, but he had gone very silent, his eyes roaming the vicinity of the Slave's head. The spying slave's had nearly won him, but he needed a bit more encouragement. Giving her Bondmate a determined glance, Shiress straightened her shoulder's with new resolve.
"I am working against my Master for an Ebonstryfe commander." Shiress announced bluntly.
Kylar's eyes creased further than Shiress thought possible, and she was sure she had heard his jaw crack and pop. The snarl that came over the guard's face alluded to an unwelcome realization.
"That mage!" he growled out, fist tightening around the hilt of his very steady sword that was still pointed toward the Slave girl. "The one who sank those boats and threw me in the lake...TWICE!" the guard looked away, fuming, then added in a low, dangerous voice. "Elias."
Shiress went pale, not realizing that Kylar would know Elias's name, but she held firm to her resolve nonetheless. "Yes, Elias Caldera, my.." Her what? Lover? Man? Boy Friend? Shiress couldn't bring herself to admit to any of those things on behalf of Elias. She was a slave, and it somehow seemed an insult to Elias to associate the man to her in that way. Kylar noticed Shiress's silent struggle to label her and the soldier's relationship with a sharp sigh.
"I saw the kiss." he retorted
Color flooded back into Shiress's cheeks. "Right. Yes. But yeah..." she cleared her throat "Elias means to bring down Radcliffe Lark and I mean to help him do it and I thought," she paused, looking to Rook for reassurance before continuing, "I thought you might would help us."
It seemed to take an age, but very slowly the anger faded from Kylar's face and his sword lowered and he released Rook. He stepped past Shiress and picked up the ring from within the hidden space of the table, studied it a chime, then slid it onto a finger. Stepping back, he lowered the tip of the blade to the floor in front of his boots and rested his hands upright on its pommel.
"Well then. Allow me to introduce myself fully." he said, straightening to his full height and looking every bit a soldier and not a house guard. "My name is Kylar Nitrozian, and my family means to see Radcliffe Lark pay for his crimes and utterly vanquished."
