The Soldier's Lotus (25 page)

Kamen could never have held Saerileth up like that and
taken her just the way Darien knew she wanted to be taken. And as Darien panted
and kissed away the sweat from Saerileth’s brow, that knowledge pleased him.

****

Lomenin
stood in bronze armor around which whipped a long, black
cloak. The
Vadal
general’s long, blond hair
–
 
a
strange sight to
Darien – also fluttered in the strong winds on the plain. Outside the city the
Vadal
army had mustered in its regiments, and Darien had
been invited out to view the soldiers. One thing Darien had quickly learned was
how the
Vadal
liked ceremony and showing off.

Lomenin
pointed out across the field that sloped up and away to
the northeast. “Behold the glory of the
Vadal
nation.”

Darien nodded. He had no response, but he grunted something
that sounded like an affirmative. The
Vadal
soldiers
wore leather, and some had chain hauberks. The majority of them were equipped
with spears and short swords, and Darien saw that hundreds of archers would be
marching with them, too.

Lomenin
turned to look in the opposite direction. “We will march
south and west toward the Sweetwater. From there, we shall take barges
downstream until we reach Arinport.”

“
A fine plan,” Darien
said, “but I suggest you lose that armor. You’ll cook in your own juices inside
that.” He tapped
Lomenin’s
bronze breastplate.

“
Of
course.”
The general
smoothed back his wild flying hair and laughed. “But we must ride out like
Vadal
. We must make our enemies tremble at our approach.”

“
Yes, indeed.” Darien
just gave the general a wink. He wore only a leather breastplate and carried a
shortblade
that curved near its end.

Kamen stepped out of a nearby command tent and moved to
stand by Darien and
Lomenin
.

“
Have you met the
general?” Darien asked. He wanted to keep things easy between himself and
Kamen. He wanted there to be no false feelings between them, but Darien could
not help but feel a falling-out was inevitable.

“
I have.” Kamen shook
hands with
Lomenin
. “A fine army you’ve assembled.”

Lomenin
laughed and did not take his blue eyes from his scrutiny
of the camp. “Me? No, that was the Lotus you brought with you. The word is that
she’s enchanted the king. He’d give her anything.”

Kamen locked eyes with Darien, though he addressed the
Vadal
general. “She has that affect on men.
Jehiel
himself would pull the sun down for her if she asked.”

Lomenin
smiled and turned to regard Kamen. “She’s going to make
some lucky man very happy some day.” He turned and walked off. “Come,” he
called over his shoulder, “we’ve got a long, hot march ahead of us.”

Darien and Kamen just stared at each other, and Darien now
understood the emotions plain in Kamen’s eyes, those feelings he could not
before decipher. Kamen loved him, and he wanted Saerileth out of their lives.
But that would never happen.

“
Come, old friend,”
Darien said. “Arinport waits for us to liberate her.”

Chapter Fifteen

Saerileth stood inside Darien’s camp tent, looking down at
Darien as he slept. His chest rose and fell with an even rhythm, and the
serpent on his breast seemed almost to be alive. She knelt down by his side and
ran her fingers over her love’s dark skin and darker tattoo, enjoying the feel
of his flesh.

He stirred at the touch and turned over, broad awake in a
moment.
“
Saeri
.”
He smiled
and pulled her down against him. “It isn’t dawn yet.”

“
No, my love, but I
needed to take the air.” Saerileth nestled into his embrace.

“
Was the journey so
hard?” Darien’s concern touched her. “I had thought it would be easier since we
travel in more comfort than on our journey out.”

“
I preferred the
journey out.” Saerileth leaned up and kissed Darien’s lips. “I had you more to
myself, not needing to share you with General
Lomenin
– or Lord
Itenu
.”

“
You’ve no need to be
jealous, Saerileth.” Darien’s low chuckle sent a rush of desire through her
core. “I’ve no interest in him.”

“
He is beautiful,”
said Saerileth. “And he loves you.”

“
And he
wants
you.” Darien traced her cheek with his finger. “I still don’t want you around
him.”

“
So
you
are
still jealous?” Saerileth laughed in her turn.

Darien did not respond in words, but he flipped her over
onto her back.

They were still enjoying each other when the sun rose, and
a color guard came to take them both to meet with General
Lomenin
.

Saerileth swept her hair back and up, enjoying Darien’s
admiration as she twined the length of it up on her head.

“
You are beautiful,”
said Darien, kissing her.

When they entered the general’s tent, Kamen was already
present. Four canvas chairs were set up, and General
Lomenin
was seated in one, and Kamen sat on his left at a wooden table where a
battle-map of Arinport was spread out. Saerileth fixed her rival with an icy
glare, but she remained silent as the
Vadal
general
and Darien began to discuss the best way to assault the city.

“
A frontal assault
would be … problematic.” Darien caught Saerileth’s glance, and she understood
his meaning. The
Vadal
had lost at least two of every
three open engagements they had had with the
Sunjaa
.

“
Agreed.”
The general’s breath was heightened, but
Saerileth gave him only half her attention. The rest she fixed on Kamen, hating
him. “I sent spies ahead of us to scout out the situation, but I can make no
sense of their reports.”

“
What do you mean?”
asked Darien. His
Vadal
speech was thickly accented
but correct, and Saerileth burned with pride.

“
We had thought a
siege would be the best option, but we lack a navy.” The general pointed to the
blue sea painted beyond the cream-colored walls of Arinport.

“
No true siege of
Arinport is possible without a blockade of the port.” Kamen spoke then, and
Saerileth noted the increase in his breath, with its concomitant increase in
his heart rate. “But we have no sailors with us.”

“
The
Vadal
are land-locked,” said General
Lomenin
.
“We can get no help that way.”

“
I do not like the
odds of taking on the
Sunjaa
navy.” Darien’s breath
slowed, and Saerileth understood him. He did not wish to have to take up arms
against his former comrades.

“
But this is what
perplexes me about the spies’ reports.” The general placed several wooden boats
on the battle-map.

“
Zenji?”
Saerileth recognized the colors on the models.
“Why are Zenji ships guarding the harbor?”

“
I agree that it makes
no sense.” General
Lomenin
shook his head. “And why
not
the
Sunjaa
navy, which – forgive me, Lotus – is far
more powerful?”

Darien, whose large frame could not be properly supported
by the small canvas chair, rose to his feet. “The navy won’t follow him.”
Saerileth could hear the joy in his voice. “Ulen
Ahnok
was no good commander, and he never earned the love of his soldiers. No sailor
will sail under his banner!”

“
Then we have hope.”
Saerileth smiled at him. “If you were to go to the
Sunjaa
navy, you could gather them. They would follow you.”

Kamen nodded. “She’s right. We can go together, gather the
men, gather the ships – we will have a navy able to break the Zenji blockade –
and we can take the city back for King
Jahen
.”

Saerileth felt a hand of ice closing over her heart. Darien
would be sailing with Kamen, fighting by his side.
Sharing
common quarters with him.
Bile rose in her throat, but she did not allow
her breath to alter.

“
No.” Darien laid his
hand on Saerileth’s shoulder. “Kamen, you stay here with General
Lomenin
.”

Saerileth felt so many things at once that she thought she
might choke. Gratitude for Darien’s devotion, love for him, hatred for Kamen,
and still the emotions of those around her – all of these things she saw and
felt. She saw the general’s nod, his easy, unquestioning acceptance of Darien’s
decree; she saw Kamen’s rebellious retort quivering on his lips, held back only
by years of obedience as Darien’s first mate; and she saw Darien’s secret smile
for her.

“
When can you leave,
Captain?” The
Vadal
general continued to study the
battle-map in front of him, placing the models of his various cohorts of
soldiers around the city.

“
I will leave when the
sun sets,” said Darien. His hand was still resting heavily on her shoulder, and
he pressed her ever-so-slightly. “I will skirt the city, and if I travel
swiftly, I can be at the sea by dawn. It might take a few days, so I will
require provisions.”

“
What might take a few
days?” General
Lomenin
fixed his grey eyes on Darien.

“
If my old ship – and
the others as well – are not sailing for Ulen
Ahnok
,
then they are likely harboring in coves a bit north of here. I know the places;
I know where I would have taken my ship in such a situation, and I will go
there.”

“
So we will besiege
Arinport, but we will not make any assault unless and until we hear from you,
Captain.” The general rose and bowed formally to Darien. “Would you mind
leaving the Lotus here? She cannot be required in your preparations for
departure, and I would like to learn something more of the city. I have not
been so far into
Sunjaa
lands before.”

Saerileth kept her eyes modestly lowered. She did not want
to draw any further attention from the general, but she waited to hear Darien’s
response.

“
You may speak with
her tomorrow, General.” Darien laughed. “But she
is
necessary for my
preparations, so you will have no time with her today.”

Kamen, Saerileth noticed, bowed stiffly, and his
frustration still danced on his tongue. He did not, however, speak at first.
Instead, he followed Darien and Saerileth back to their tent. He did not wait
for any invitation and stepped in after them so quickly that he trod on
Saerileth’s heel.

“
Captain, you’re being
foolish!”

To Saerileth’s delight, Darien ignored Kamen, instead
taking her into his arms and crushing her against him. His mouth sought hers,
hungrily devouring her lips.

“
Darien!” Kamen laid
his hand on Darien’s shoulder, but before Saerileth could push away the
offending hand, Darien himself shook free.

“
What, Kamen?” Darien
still kept Saerileth encircled in his arms.

“
Why are you ordering
me to stay behind?”

Saerileth saw the slight discomfort in Darien’s eyes, and
she knew he did not want to have to admit to the truth to Kamen, to admit that
he knew of Kamen’s affection for him.

“
No, Lord
Itenu
, it is
you
who are being foolish.” Saerileth
spoke before Darien had to. “We fly the
Sunjaa
banner, true, but it is an army of
Vadal
that sits
outside Arinport. Would you truly have both the only
Sunjaa
present leave?”

“
But you—”

“
I can represent my
Master,” said Saerileth, not allowing Kamen to continue. “But I am Zenji; I
cannot represent the
Sunjaa
.”

“
She’s right.”
Darien’s phallus pressing against her belly showed her how proud he was of her.
“You can’t come with me, and, you must admit, I was the captain. They’d follow
me before they would you.”

“
I didn’t think that I
should go instead of you, Captain.” Kamen’s raw voice told Saerileth much. She
caught his gaze, and he held hers. The glitter in his eyes was equal parts
desire and pain, and she pitied him.