Fantasyland 04 Broken Dove (10 page)

He stared his down his nose at me.

Suffice it to say, I freaking
loved
Benies.

Pol had taken me to Munich, London, Barcelona and Athens. We’d vacationed on beaches in the Bahamas, Antigua and Montserrat. I’d seen a lot, all of it amazing, including in this world where I saw even more during the long carriage ride into the city in order to “acquire” the things I needed (these, I found out, being jewelry, perfume, makeup, hair stuff, shawls and the like, and let’s just say that shopping in a parallel universe was
the bomb
).

But I’d never seen anything like Benies.

There weren’t any skyscrapers and there was nothing like an Eiffel Towers or ruins, but it was still beyond the beyond.

Some of the buildings were painted a rich cream but most of them were painted in pastel colors and almost all of them had some magnificently dramatic black wrought iron work, either on balconies or on verandas or just decorating the fronts of windows.

And all of the buildings had flowers everywhere, blooming out of window boxes and pots on sills and steps and on flowering shrubbery.

In fact, shrubbery was a thing here, clipped in a variety of amazing shapes in front of houses or along boulevards or in small city parks. Anything from simple cones to fleur de lis to swans to entire people. I’d seen some fancy clip work in my time, but nothing thing like this.

So it wasn’t about architecture. It was about colors and embellishments, each building, shop or home seeming to try to best the one next to it, this making it all magnificent.

And then there was the hustle and bustle. So much was happening, people everywhere.

And their clothes! Mine were good but the women around me, their gloves, their hats, the feathers in their hair, the delicate shawls around their shoulders, the frilly parasols they used, their jewelry blinking in the sun.

Unbelievable.

Breathtaking.

And then there were cafés with outdoor seating, big striped awnings with scalloped edges, white aproned, black-breeches-wearing waiters with hair parted down the middle and oiled to their scalps and crazy-ass mustaches scurrying to take and bring orders.

Then there were the patisseries with such concoctions in their windows, my mouth watered just looking at them. Derrik noticed, took me in one and bought me the best éclair and cream puff (yes, both, I couldn’t choose) I’d ever had
in my life.

And there were also coffee houses.

And elegant restaurants (not yet opened; Derrik explained the formal restaurants only opened for dinner).

And the shops!

Shops carrying miles of bolts of fabrics in every color and pattern you could think of. Or big baskets of yarn. Or huge barrels of amazing-smelling spices. Jewelry. Ribbons. China. Crystal. Shelves and shelves of wine. Or with cases of dozens upon dozens of cheeses with sausages hanging from the ceiling.

Last, there was the Marhac Sea, a vast expanse of water that looked like an ocean that stretched the length of the city on the southern end, the sun blinking off the tranquil waters, the water itself giving the city’s air a crisp, clean freshness. Plus there was the cry of the seagulls screaming to anyone who lived landlocked that they were on
vacation.

I loved it. I couldn’t get enough, take enough in. I wanted to stay there for days, not hours.

Of course, the shopping bit started out weird seeing as Derrik instructed me to get “anything you fancy,” and since I was using Apollo’s money, I didn’t want to get anything at all.

Achilles, who had come with us, noticed and gave me a good talking to so I decided to get a few things to appease them.

Laures and Hans also came with.

Laures had dark hair, seeing as he was of the House of Ulfr, and dark brown eyes, like Achilles. But he was shorter (by a bit), also broader (by a bit) and he had a small half-moon scar around his mouth where a dimple would be that made his normal hotness hotter.

He and Hans (very blond, ice blue eyes, slimmer than the others but taller), also noticed my hesitancy and did something about it.

And what they did cracked me right the hell up, seeing as they were genuinely trying to help me find things I liked but both had very bad taste so everything they showed me was heinous and I wouldn’t buy it in this world or
any
world.

I knew they were doing this so we could move along as shopping was clearly not one of their favorite pastimes. And they eventually caught on that I was playing with them when I dragged my heels in shops, hemmed and hawed on decisions about the various things they presented for me to hurry up and buy so we could get the fuck out and move on.

We all got into the joke and Hans and Laures began choosing a variety of intentionally hideous or gaudy things for me, none of which they bought for me, all of which made me laugh until my sides hurt.

Derrik shut this down (after the fifth shop) and told us to stay focused, though he did it with a smile.

All the men also noticed that I was wide-eyed with wonder, and enjoying myself immensely, so it was
them
who started dragging their heels or leading me down various avenues to show me fountains or statues or buildings of note.

Giving me a great day.

It had been a whole week since I’d been transported to this world.

Now, I knew all the men. They dined with me in the evenings (every one of them, as a courtesy at first, I guessed, but I was hoping was their preference now). One, two or most of them would always be at the breakfast table in the morning, coming or going or lounging with me and chatting while I ate.

There was Derrik, Achilles, Draven, Alek, Hans and Laures, There was also Remi and Gaston.

Hans had started my horseback riding lessons.

Laures, Gaston and Remi were teaching me to speak Fleuridian.

Achilles was teaching me a one-on-one board game called ricken that was a lot like chess but far more violent. In other words, every piece had a weapon and when you took it, you snapped the weapon off. Apparently “servants” mended the pieces when you were done playing, though I didn’t know how since they started out exquisitely carved and didn’t look mended.

I asked and Achilles didn’t know how either so I was getting what “servants” got up to didn’t concern their masters, just as long as they got up to it.

By the way, I sucked at ricken.

Also by the way, Achilles thought this was hysterically funny, as did Draven and Hans, who often watched, shook their heads and grinned at me with every move I made (you will note, they shook their heads and grinned, but they didn’t give me any advice).

But all the men were teaching me tuble, a card game that was a game of chance. We played it in the evenings after dinner. And I was good at that.

They were also teaching me how to cheat, which apparently you were
supposed
to do.

I was
great
at that.

And now they were giving me Benies.

Needless to say, the last few days had been better than the first few by, like,
a lot.

This one the best of all.

And I didn’t want it to end.

So I had a feeling my eyes were beseeching when I looked up at Derrik and awaited his reply.

He continued to look down his nose at me with his clear blue eyes and I held my breath.

Then he murmured, “We’ll take you to dine at
Le Pont de L’eau
.”

I leaned back, clapped my hands and cried, “Yay!”

He smiled indulgently at me.

“Bloody brilliant,” Laures muttered. “Best veal in Benies.”

“Forget the veal, best whiskey in Benies,” Hans, also muttering, put in.

They were already moving to the elegant, shiny black carriage that brought me here (I rode alone, they rode their horses beside it) as I felt Derrik’s hand on my elbow.

When I looked back to him, it slid down the inside of my forearm and his big hand curled around mine bringing it up and tucking it close to the side of his chest. And hence, tucking
me
close to his side as he directed us to the carriage.

It felt nice holding hands and being tucked beside a protective hot guy in a beautiful city in a parallel universe, so I went with it.

“Also the best views, madam, of Benies and the Marhac Sea,” he said softly, his eyes on me. “It’s right on the water and elevated four stories.”

“Yay,” I replied softly back and his dancing eyes danced brighter.

I grinned at him then smiled at the carriage where Achilles was standing, holding open the door and also smiling at me.

Yes, this was the best day here by far.

And they kept getting better.

* * * * *

Achilles

“Oh my God, no!”

Achilles heard Ilsa’s voice as he approached the door to the kitchen, seeing Derrik standing in it leaning against the jamb, his back to Achilles.

He stopped behind Derrik but to his side, looking in and seeing Ilsa sitting on a stool and leaning on her forearms on the battered kitchen table, listening, or more to the point, watching with rapt attention as one of the maids acted something out.

There were a few halting words spoken, as Ilsa was picking up Fleuridian by the day, but mostly it was wild gesticulations, a parody of a mime which was already a parody so he could see within seconds it was amusing.

He watched as all the other maids standing around as well as Ilsa burst out laughing, Ilsa doing it banging her fist on the table and dropping her forehead to it.

She threw her head back suddenly and cried out, “That’s
too
funny!”

All the maids nodded and smiled at her with big smiles even though they probably didn’t know what she was saying. Or maybe they did, picking up the language of the Vale through Ilsa.

Achilles turned his head to look at Derrik who was watching this, or more likely, watching Ilsa with even more rapt attention than Ilsa had been watching the story mimed out.

“Hans says her seat on a horse is secure,” Achilles noted in a quiet voice.

Derrik started and turned his head to catch Achilles’ eyes.

“He’s reported this to me.”

“We were to be away three weeks ago,” Achilles reminded him.

“She’s enjoying herself,” Derrik replied and Achilles took in a short breath.

Then he got closer and his voice dipped lower. “It’s our charge to get her to safety.”

“She has eight guards and Apollo explained he’s relatively certain the witch from the other world watches over her,” Derrik returned.

“Relatively certain is not certain and his orders are to get her to Ulfr grounds as soon as possible,” Achilles retorted.

Derrik held his eyes.

Then he lifted his chin.

After that, he turned his eyes back to the kitchen and muttered, “We’ll leave the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we take madam back to Benies one last time. She’s enjoyed her days there.”

He was right. She had. All four of them.

Achilles stifled a sigh but not his misgivings.

He would have to keep a sharp eye.

His gaze moved to the kitchen and he saw Ilsa was looking at them.

She lifted her hand and gave them an enthusiastic wave.

And, damn it all, along with Derrik, he lifted his hand and waved back.

* * * * *

Laures

Laures turned his steed and dug his heels in so the horse was at a gallop.

When he did, he saw Maddie—what they now called Ilsa instead of “madam” so they didn’t have to address her formally nor call her by her twin’s name. Her skirts were lifted in one hand, her parasol in the other bobbing over her head, her feet taking her across the arena toward him, her glorious hair streaming out behind her.

At the sight, he forgot the pain the blows he took from his competitor’s blunt sword caused and he grinned.

She came to a teetering halt beside him as he pulled up his reins and she lifted her free hand high, palm facing him, while crying, “You won!”

He had.

How he got entered in the games they’d happened on, he didn’t know. Then again, as they rode over Fleuridia, they’d stayed for a fayre in Aisles they were not scheduled to attend. And also, after they crossed into Hawkvale, they’d been roped into attending a sheep shearing festival in Drinton upon which they had no time to waste. But they did.

“Don’t leave me hanging!” she exclaimed.

“Pardon?” he asked.

She shook her hand in the air. “High five!”

He stared down at her having no idea what she was on about.

She dropped her parasol unheeded to the ground, reached out, grabbed his gloved hand from his thigh and moved it to smack it against her hand.