Brotherhood Saga 03: Death (102 page)

“I thought you
’d never ask,” Odin said.

Given her height and the fact that they stood almost exactly face-to-face, it took little more than a step for him to press his lips to hers and, ultimately,
into the wall. His length hardened beneath his pants, his groin thrust against her crotch, he leaned forward as she craned her neck to allow him access when he reached down, grabbed her thighs, then lifted her into his arms.

The hall empty, the guards all but gone, he could have taken her then and there if he truly wanted.

“Odin,” the young woman gasped, groaning as he bowed his head to her collar. “We should go.”

“Why?” he grinned
, fingering the straps of her corset. “There’s no one here.”

“We don
’t know that. Someone could sneak up on us.”

More than desperate to free himself from hi
s pants, he relinquished his hold on her body, set her to the ground, then took her hand and allowed her to pull him along.

In the haze of his alcohol stupor, he could only think of one thing.

A smile pulled at his lips.

When morning came and he woke in a bed that had once been his, he opened his eyes to find the light streaming in almost impossible to look at. His head a fireball of pain, his throat parched and his lips cracked, he rolled onto his back and moaned with the effort before lifting his arm to set it back over his head.

What happened?
he thought.

At either of his sides, Tashta and Kreeka lifted their heads and shoved their snouts into
the exposed flesh along his ribcage, which had somehow been revealed during the night, when he’d collapsed into bed in the very room he had once shared with the king.

At the thought, he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Immediately, the memories came floating back.

Him and Onlee, in the hall, in bed, conjoined, two bodies melding into one—it took no more than several breaths to discern what had happened last night in the span of several hours: when, out of the blue, a young woman had appeared when he was
drunk and seduced him into the hallway. Shortly thereafter, he began to remember their lewd conduct in the hall—when, on a whim, he first kissed, then lifted her into his arms before grinding his pelvis into hers.

I can
’t believe it,
he thought, trembling, unsure what to think and even more aware of the fact that he’d just committed adultery.
I can’t fucking believe—

Before the thought could be completed, the curtain separating what once used to be his and Ournul
’s portion of the room shifted to reveal the king—fresh, it seemed, from a bath.

“Ah,” the leader of the country said. “You
’re awake.”

“Sir!” Odin cried, tearing the blankets above his naked waist. “I’m indecent!
”

“It makes no differen
ce to me.”

“How long was I gone?”
he asked. “Tell me.”

“Well, I can
’t necessarily be sure, as you must’ve come in sometime after I went to bed.”

“The guards—“

“Were instructed to let you in, as you’re my champion and I figured you’d be too inebriated to walk.”

“You set me up,” Odin laughed, “didn
’t you?”

“I wouldn
’t call it so much a set up as it was a push in the right direction.”

“In the
right direction?”
Odin barked, standing, swaying when he righted himself on two feet and nearly falling over until he pressed his hand on the wall. “I can’t believe it.”

“You did the right thing, Odin. You as well as anyone should know that.”

“I’ve been sleeping with someone for
the past eight months.
How can you say that was the
right thing to do?”

“You know how I feel about your current situation.”

“I
love
him.”

“Which is completely backwards and not at all right.”

Odin’s heart stopped.

His breathing came to a halt.

What?

Had he heard correctly
?

His body an instru
ment of unsurety and fear, Odin trembled and turned to face the wall so he would not have to face his king, but found himself seething with rage he had never felt in his entire life.

“How could you?” he asked.

“It’s simple, really—if there’s no shroud of doubt that you at least slept with a woman, there’s no need for anyone to think that you’ve been in cohorts with a man.”

“Why does that fucking matter?”

“Don’t get cocky with me, Odin. I’m your king—you’ll do as I say.”

“You can
’t control my life!”

“What was that?”

Odin turned, hands balled into fists. “I
said,”
he growled, his knuckles so tense they began to pop one-by-one, thumb-to-pinky and then back again, “you can’t
control
me.”

“You
’re under my service. So far as anyone else is concerned, you have to do whatever I order you to.”

“I didn
’t sign up for this.”

“Tough shit, son.”

“You can’t force me to break off my relationship with Virgin.”

“Seeing as you
’ve already set the foundation for that, I don’t think I have to do anything.”

“You
tricked
me!”

“I didn
’t do anything, Odin.
You
are the one who slept with Onlee, not
me.”

“But you… Kerin… you both…”

“You did that all on your own. All we did is put the pawns in place.”

Odin cast his eyes across the room and found his swords resting near the wall opposite the bed.

In but one swift motion, he pulled his pants and jerkin on this body, made his way across the room, then reached down and buckled his swords in place.

I can
’t believe it,
he thought, growling, his heart hammering in his chest.
I just can’t.. .you… him… her…

“I
’m leaving,” Odin said, starting for the door without even bothering to look back. “I hope you’re fucking happy, you sorry bastard.”

“What did you call me?”

“You heard me, sir. And fuck you!”

He opened the door, departed, then slammed it as hard as he could before he turned and began to make his way down the hall.

“You
’re back,” Virgin said.

In standing on the porch, and looking into the eyes of the person he loved, the shame of which had been created from a simple strand of alcohol and an intimate connection between him and a woman began to grow like a flower and eventua
lly sprouted vines throughout Odin’s entire body. First around his heart, which ached so badly, then through his lungs, through which desperately he tried to breathe, followed by his neck, contorted, and his head, singing of pain and sorrow—this vine, and more, spread throughout his body and flowered dots of pain along his skin and insides until it every follicle on his body radiated with pain. Even looking Virgin was enough to sear a path of hate through his mind, a tremble of doubt in his heart, and as such, he found himself bowing his head to the snowy steps when he was unable to look into his companion’s eyes.

“What
’s wrong?” Virgin asked.

“I slept with a noblewoman last night,” Odin said, matter-of-factly in the hopes that once the truth was out, it would no longer fester. “I
’m sorry, Virgin. I was drunk and set up. I have no excuse for what I did.”

“I figured something like this would happen,” the older Halfling sighed. “Come in. I
’m the only one up.”

Taking a moment to compose himself for fear of breaking down before he eve
n managed to enter the house, Odin mounted the last step, kicked the snow from his boots, then stepped into the house. Soon after, Virgin closed the door, set a hand on his jacket-covered shoulder, then ran his palm along his spine into the small of his back, where he held it there for several long moments, as if testing the strength of not only Odin’s body, but his conscience.

Is this it?
Odin thought.
Is this what you expected?

“I
’m sorry,” he said, almost unable to look into Virign’s eyes.

“If what you said is true, Odin, you
’re not entirely to blame.”

“I was still drunk and stupid.”

“Tell me what happened.”

In lengthy detail, he began his story by explaining that upon entering the ballroom, he was immediately presented with the opportunity of conversation with the lord of Deeana and
began to drink in the moments prior to Ournul arriving. Shortly thereafter, he explained that they discussed his endeavors, his triumphs, his trials, and then met Onlee in the eve following his meeting with Kerin. He then explained—slowly, as to not disarm Virgin—that Ournul and Kerin had left, as if to set him up with Onlee, and added that he believed the young noblewoman had had a sinister role in this.

“You think the king expressed his concern to this lord and asked his daughter to sleep with you,” Virgin said, taking the pot of tea from the fire and pouring both
of them a cup.

“I do,” Odin sighed. “But that doesn
’t give me any excuse, or any proof.”

“Were you drugged?”

“I don’t know. But even if I was, I should’ve known. I shouldn’t have done anything. I—“

“Look, Odin.” Virgin sipped his tea, then set the
cup down. “You as well as I should know that we have been distant with each other since the first time we’ve met. I’ve never expressed my feelings, have never confided my doubts, have never said that we are exclusive and therefore should remain together. Anyone looking at this situation would wonder
why
we’ve been together for so long, because by the Gods, it’s not like we’ve ever actually tied ourselves to one another. And yes, we may have been living together for a long while, but have we ever discussed exclusivity?”

“No.”

“And have I ever said you couldn’t sleep with anyone else?”

“No. You haven
’t.”

“Then don
’t believe for a second that you’ve done something wrong.”

“I love you,” Odin said, turning his eyes up to look at Virgin
’s face.

Virgin frowned.

Is that the response I get?
he thought.
Is it because I slept with someone else when I really loved you?

“It means a lot to know that you feel that way,” Virgin said.

“I feel like the worst person on the face of the earth right now.”

“Why?”

“Because I willingly slept with someone when I know in my heart that I love you.”

“It was a conspiracy to make
you appear normal, Odin—you know that.”

“I know.”

“Then don’t feel as though you’ve wronged me. Knowing your feelings is enough.”

Is it?
Odin frowned.
Or are you just saying that to try to lessen the situation?

The tone in Virgin
’s eyes, while not sad, harsh or unforgiving, seemed to be soft, as if he were a child who couldn’t understand the reason why he was being denied something he wanted when, in truth, he should very well have that thing. His eyes sparkled, reflected the light, took on an edge completely honorable and content, and while his lips seemed cast in a darkening shade of reality, he appeared fine with the current frame of the conversation, no matter how skewed it was.

“I
’m sorry,” Odin said.

Rather than say anything in response, Virgin stepped around the counter, up to Odin
’s side, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his lips. “Don’t be sorry,” the Halfling whispered. “I know how it feels to be young and conflicted.”

Sighing, Odin leaned forward, wrapped his arms around the older Halfling
’s waist, then bowed his head against his abdomen and closed his eyes.

Could there be any worse pain in the world than knowing he
’d cheated on the one he loved?

He didn
’t think so.

Odin lay in bed pondering the riddle and what it could mean. Hands behind his head, eyes set toward the ceiling, he drew his attention first from the twin rafters above him, which ran parallel to the north and south, before allowing his eyes to fall toward the doorway—where, displayed above the threshold, a sword lay, likely one taken by Ketrak in their flight from Bohren after the resulting calamity had struck the town.

So much I could
’ve done,
he thought.
So much I could still do.