Lord of the White Hell Book One lotwh-1 (31 page)

"Shield!" Javier bellowed.

Kiram leapt forward and then suddenly something caught his foot. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ariz, and then he fell. Javier's shield and short sword skidded across the ground. Kiram lifted his face from the dirt to see Javier collapse to his knees. Hierro arched over him, sunlight flashed across the edge of his blade.

Kiram gripped his lotus medallion and turned it to catch the bright light, reflecting it at Hierro's face. He flinched as the light flashed in his eyes and Javier drove his sword into the swan emblazoned over Hierro's heart.

"Tornesal!" the judge shouted. For an instant Hierro seemed too stunned to move. Then he simply bowed his head to Javier and stepped back from him.

In the stands the crowd leapt to its feet with a mighty roar and the prince's trumpets sounded loud triumphant notes.

Kiram scrambled to his feet and went to Javier. As he helped Javier get out of his helmet and onto his feet Javier leaned into him, whispering, "You have to be the sneakiest, most brilliant young man it has ever been my pleasure to know."

Kiram felt as if his chest would burst with pride at Javier's words.

"You're welcome,' Kiram replied.

J
avier's left arm hung in a sling and dark bruises colored both his hands. Yet he beamed as he knelt before Prince Sevanyo and accepted the gold cloak and circlet of a Grand Champion. Hierro received a silver circlet as did Elezar, both of them winning the title Honorable Champion. The three of them stood and Prince Sevanyo bade the crowd to recognize the brave sons of Cadeleon, the defenders of the kingdom.

Though the throngs of people gathered in the stands were of far different classes, from common laborers and servants, to merchants and nobles, they all cheered raucously. A deafening roar burst across the stands and didn't fade. From his vantage point in the Grunito box, Kiram could see the slightest discomfort in Javier's stance. He was used to being respected and certainly feared, but this kind of broad admiration was not common for him. Kiram shouted his name as loudly as he could. Beside him, Nestor grinned and clapped like a madman.

At last Prince Sevanyo raised his gloved hands and the crowds in the gold pavilion quieted. Javier, Elezar, and Hierro returned to their seats in the stands and the prince spoke briefly on the subject of valor. Javier crumpled down into the seat next to Kiram. Elezar dropped down on the other side of Javier. Both fighters looked exhausted and pleased with themselves. When the prince led the crowd in a prayer, neither Elezar nor Javier opened their eyes, just mouthed the words as if saying them in their sleep.

Kiram bowed his head in respectful silence. He felt Javier's fingers brush against his hand, tracing the sensitive curves of his fingers. The prayer ended and Javier withdrew his touch.

"You're feeling better?" Kiram asked him.

"Good as new." Javier gave him a crooked smile. Kiram was in no way fooled, but the faint white flashes that flickered through Javier's bandages assured him that Javier would soon recover.

"I'm all right too. Thanks for asking." Elezar slowly flexed his bandaged knee and scowled.

"Shouldn't Ollivar be attending you?" Kiram hadn't seen Ollivar since all four of them had dragged themselves to Scholar Donamillo to have their respective sprains, cuts, and bruises treated.

"Scholar Donamillo kept him. He got a nasty bump when that last Yllar bastard flew out the dueling ring and landed right on top of him," Elezar replied with a pleased smile.

"You could have aimed him a little better, don't you think?" Javier asked.

Elezar shrugged. "Too much blood in my eyes. Anyway, Ollivar will be fine. He might miss out on the evening's festivities, but he'll live."

"He might not want to when he finds out he missed his chance to dance with the prettiest girls in the city." Nestor stole a quick glance across the stands to Riossa. "You're coming to my mother's party, aren't you, Javier?"

"I'll be there, despite the pretty girls and their glowering mothers," Javier replied. "I'm bringing Kiram to use as a human shield, in fact."

Elezar snorted and Nestor frowned. Kiram just rolled his eyes.

"Some Grand Champion, hiding behind a scrawny Haldiim from a bunch of girls." Kiram was cut off when Master Ignacio chose that moment to call all of the Sagrada students out onto the grounds. They and their Yillar adversaries marched past each other, briefly grasping hands in ceremonial friendship as they crossed the grounds and left the gold pavilion to a theatre troupe.

Master Ignacio informed them that he expected to see them all back at the school in time for afternoon chapel tomorrow and warned them not to sully honor won in battle with poor behavior off the field. Then, to Kiram's surprise, Master Ignacio dismissed them to enjoy the rest of the day as they pleased.

For Javier, that meant an afternoon nap. Kiram joined him, dozing on the bed fully dressed. As they slept their bodies sought each other. When a servant's knock at the door roused them, they woke with their arms entangled and their faces bowed together. Kiram jerked back guiltily and almost fell off the bed.

"I locked the door, though God knows no one would come in even if it weren't locked." Then he raised his voice and shouted towards the dark wood door, "What is it?"

"You instructed that you should be woken before fifth bell, my lord." The servant called politely through the closed door.

Javier rose and opened the door. "Have water heated. My underclassman and I will both require baths. Oh, and Kiram will need some other clothes to wear to Lady Grunito's celebration. See what you can find of mine that might fit him."

"As you wish, my lord." The servant spoke without lifting his gaze to Javier's face and bowed deeply before departing to prepare the baths.

"I do have clothes of my own, you know," Kiram said.

"Yss, but I'd rather to see you in my colors than the academy's." Javier sauntered back to the bed and dropped down beside him. "Though if I had my choice I'd prefer you naked."

"Lady Grunito would find that delightful as well, I'm sure," Kiram replied.

"Lady Grunito isn't here right now." Javier began to unbutton the front of Kiram's shirt, but Kiram caught his hands. It was the middle of the afternoon and he could hear servants in the nearby rooms.

Javier gazed at him, with both expectation and uncertainty. His hands relaxed in Kiram's grip. That small submission touched Kiram and he leaned into Javier, kissing his mouth. Javier responded immediately, pushing into the kiss and pinning Kiram back against the blankets. The weight of his body felt good. Kiram was intensely aware of where Javier's hip pressed against his groin. He pulled Javier closer into that contact. Javier gasped, and Kiram could feel his body tensing.

Another knock at the door broke them apart.

"What?" Javier growled.

"The baths are ready, my lord." It was the same servant. "And cook was wondering if you will be dining here this evening."

"Yes." Javier shoved his hair back from his face and went to the door as Kiram quickly re-buttoned his shirt. Javier wrenched the door open. The servant bowed before him. "Tell cook that Kiram and I will have a very quick dinner here. We'll be leaving just after sixth bell so nothing elaborate."

"Will you want the Veloz carriage, my lord?"

"I doubt we'll need anything larger this evening."

"Very good, my lord." Again the servant bowed.

To their mutual disappointment, the staff had prepared a separate bath for Kiram in the green room. Kiram cleaned his injured right arm gingerly and when one of the servants noticed the wound he fetched fresh bandages. Kiram thanked him but felt a little awkward saying much more while he was standing naked in front of a virtual stranger. The servants in the Tornesal townhouse were much more formal than the intimate staff of his mother's house in Anacleto. Kiram found their constant bowing and lack of eye contact disconcerting.

While Kiram washed, a different middle-aged servant, Javier's valet if Kiram remembered correctly, laid out clothes and fussed with stockings. When Kiram asked for shaving soap and a razor the valet sent yet another servant to supply them. Kiram rinsed fragrant soap from his hair. Wet, his long curls hung down well past his shoulders. If it got any longer he'd look like he'd become a Bahiim.

"Would you happen to know where I could get a pair a scissors to trim my hair?" Kiram asked.

"Of course."

The servant didn't hand the scissors over but instead instructed Kiram to lean his head back and he trimmed Kiram's hair himself. Spiraling, gold locks littered the floor like wet ribbons. Kiram rinsed himself in the warm water one last time and then dried and dressed in Javier's spare clothes.

Feeling the dark silk fall against his skin, he couldn't help but think of Javier's body and how it had filled this cloth. As his fingers brushed over the delicate mother-of- pearl buttons, Kiram imagined how quickly he could have opened these pants and exposed Javier's hard flesh. A single glance at the scowling valet's face deadened Kiram's arousal. He buckled his belt quickly. He and Javier would have the entire evening after Lady Grunito's celebration to spend together. He should be patient and keep his mind on other matters for now.

Javier met him on the stairs. Seeing Javier shaved, clean and dressed immaculately, Kiram had to suppress the urge to tousle his glossy black hair or rumple his perfectly fitted clothes. He'd grown so used to seeing Javier tired and dirty that he'd forgotten what a refined image he could present; how he could look every bit a duke.

"You're staring," Javier commented and he sounded pleased.

A week ago Kiram would have made some excuse for his hungry gaze but today he simply said, "You're good to look at."

At first Javier seemed honestly surprised by the admission and then of course an expression of supreme arrogance settled on his handsome face. Kiram accepted it with amusement. The expression suited him, really.

They ate quickly. Afterward, in the carriage, Kiram chewed a sprig of lemonleaf to freshen his breath after the pork cutlet and roast apples. He tried not to feel nervous. After all he had dueled before hundreds of Cadeleonians only a few days before and today he had been in plain sight as Javier's squire. Still, watching a Haldiim on the tournament grounds-even cheering for him-would not be the same as socializing with him. How many of Lady Grunito's Cadeleonian guests would be willing to talk with him?

And if they did, what would he talk about? He could go on for hours about mechanisms but no one considered relentless lecturing a winning attribute in a conversationalist. And what if his breath stank of pig and onion? Kiram jammed more lemonleaf into his mouth.

The carriage stopped and he felt the blood drain from his face. Javier leaned forward quickly and kissed him lightly on the lips. "You'll be fine."

A moment later a footman dressed in Grunito red opened the carriage door and escorted the two of them into the vast Grunito townhouse. Red marble and gold inlay dominated the interior. Golden candlelight blazed from glittering candelabras, high above them.

Kiram heard the other guests before he saw any of them. Their conversation and laughter poured over strains of Cadeleonian dance music. From the threshold of the ballroom Kiram gazed down the marble steps and took in the brilliant silk dresses of young Cadeleonian women and the elaborately embroidered coats worn by the men. Their elegant forms reflected across mirrored walls, making the hundred guests appear to be a multitude. Far across the ballroom Kiram thought he caught a glimpse of arched glass doors and a flower garden outside.

When the dance came to an end, a servant announced Javier, calling out, "His Lordship Javier Tornesal, the Duke of Rauma, and. " he seemed at a loss when he glanced to Kiram but then added, "and companion."

"Kiram!" Nestor waved from far across the room. It took Kiram a moment to recognize Nestor with his hair powdered black and wearing an elaborate, red velvet coat. He looked surprisingly handsome. Kiram shyly returned Nestor's gesture. It felt like everyone in the entire ballroom had stopped to stare at him.

Javier and he descended the stairs and crossed the ballroom. They both bowed to Lady Grunito who smiled down at them like a benevolent monument.

Neither the soft gold silk of her gown nor the red ribbons braided through her hair did anything to undermine her imposing figure and with her hair blackened and the gold dust powdered across her skin, she truly did look like a cathedral statue come to life. She thanked both Javier and Kiram for attending and made Javier promise to dance with her once before the evening ended. All around people peered at Kiram. Through the music and rolling conversation he heard soft whispers.

Tornesal's squire. The Sagrada Haldiim. Heathen.

When they reached Nestor, Kiram felt a wave of relief. Elezar and Atreau were with him as was Morisio. He was back among the Hellions and, oddly, that now comforted him.

They too were dressed formally in brocaded suits and ornately embroidered stockings, though Elezar had failed to powder his brown hair, and like Javier, Atreau had no need of powder. Morissio's freckles were hidden beneath the glow of gold dust and a heavy sapphire ring glittered on his right hand.

"That's new," Javier commented.

"Won it off Lord Urvano," Morisio replied with a pleased smile. "The card room is through that little door, just past the musicians." He looked eager to return to the games.

"Fabulous. Now Kiram and Morisio can both count my cards," Elezar muttered.

Rather than adjourning to the card room, Javier scanned the assembled guests. Couples swirled across the center of the ballroom. Clusters of young girls gathered around older women and matrons, while men of all ages periodically ventured into their midst to banter and seek dance partners. "Has Fedeles arrived?"

"You think his father will allow that?" Elezar asked.

"Lord Quemanor left directly after I won the championship," Javier replied. "I told Genimo to bring Fedeles here."

"They haven't arrived yet but the night is-" Elezar cut himself off short as Genimo, two young women in violet gowns, and Fedeles appeared on the stairs. Fedeles was dressed as elegantly as any of the lords. Yellow vines climbed the deep green silk of his coat, while green vines curled across his golden vest and stockings-but there was nothing formal about his bearing. He danced from foot to foot beside Genimo.

When he caught sight of Javier and Kiram, he bounded down the stairs unannounced and plowed through the dancing couples like some child who knew no better.

"Well, Javier, ask and you shall receive," Elezar said. He shook his head at the disruption, but his expression was more amused than embarrassed. Atreau put a hand over his face as if he couldn't bear to witness such poor form. Nestor and Morisio gawked and Kiram imagined his own expression was much the same. Only Javier appeared utterly unfazed by Fedeles' behavior.

"Lunaluz the champion!" Fedeles threw his arms around Javier and hugged him fiercely. Javier returned the embrace gently. All around people openly gaped at the scene. Even the musicians seemed to lose their concentration and for a moment the ballroom was nearly silent.

"Announcing His Lordship Fedeles Quemanor," the red- faced servant on the stairs called out. "Lord Genimo Plunado, Lady Aranya Plunado and Lady Nisa Plunado."