4. Marius

Chapter 4

Marius

M orning came too soon and Marius only wanted to keep holding Tahlia against him in this warm bed. He'd carried her inside last night and the feel of her in his arms was so perfect—he could never deserve this.

A knock sounded at the door. "Commander?"

Marius untangled himself from Tahlia as she stretched and grinned up at him. He kissed her as the knocking continued. She was so soft from sleep and he longed to bury himself in her and forget the world.

Tahlia put a gentle hand on his chest. "Whoever that is will break a hand if you let him carry on much longer."

He growled but got up, pulled on his trousers, and opened the door. A young male wearing the king's livery bowed. Marius knew what he would say before he uttered a word.

"The king and queen have arrived and they request your and Lady Tahlia's presence."

"Allow us to ready ourselves."

The fellow bowed and Marius shut the door.

"So what do we wear for this? Battle leathers?" Tahlia held up one of their bags, her nose adorably wrinkled. "The villager clothing Waith gave us? I forgot my fancy cloak."

"I think we should dress in the undercover clothing, and keep your weapons to a minimum. Leave your short sword here, but take your daggers. One in your boot and one on your belt."

Tahlia lifted the shift she'd slept in over her head and Marius turned away so he wouldn't be tempted to get them killed for disobedience to the king and queen due to more lovemaking.

They met the liveried fellow outside the door and started down the corridor that most of the rooms opened into. The rest of the manor house was noisy with the sounds of staff preparing for the day—the scrape of small shovels clearing soot from fireplaces, the shuffle and crackle of new fires started, crockery clunking on hard surfaces as morning beverages were assembled, and the conversation of those long used to working side by side. The lad led Marius and Tahlia away from the ruckus and into a receiving room of sorts at the back of the manor house.

The room had a higher ceiling. A large window on one end showed the sunlight rolling down the green hills. King Lysanael stood enjoying the view, his arms crossed and his face stern. Queen Revna was pacing, hands clasped behind her back. Their crowns glittered in the window's light.

"My king, my queen," Marius and Tahlia said in unison, bowing low.

"Please have a seat," the king said, turning to face them in full.

Marius pulled out one of the six wicker chairs at the long oaken table in the center of the room and motioned for Tahlia to sit. She did so and he settled himself in the one beside it.

"In the city of Midhampton, in the human's kingdom of Saxonion, there is a human male by the name of Durniad. Though the young human high queen and her regent truly rule that city as its in their kingdom, he has seized those in charge. Through violence, he has turned the city to his dark purposes. He is a known criminal, a pirate at times, and a man who would name himself a king of sorts. The human high queen has requested our help because Durniad has supposedly uncovered an ancient artifact sometimes referred to as the Invisible Crown or the Crown of Minds."

Tahlia's eyes went wide, and she traded a loaded glance with Marius. He took a breath and focused on the king again. He had heard of this artifact, but only in passing during his early schooling. The crown had been mentioned in a list of dangerous items gone missing ages ago in a sea battle. He recalled someone deeming the artifact the Crown of Sirens. But how was this their problem? The human high queen—called high due to the fact that some areas of the human realm were ruled by lesser queens and kings that were subservient to her—was not of age, so her kingdom was mostly ruled by her regent. Fae King Lysanael and Queen Revna had aided the young queen in taking down her horrible father. They had signed an agreement between the two realms to aid one another as needed in situations determined as emergencies. This must have been one such occasion.

Queen Revna faced them, arms loose at her sides and her human eyes unblinking. Humans' rounded irises always unsettled him.

The king continued. "He will watch the parade during his city's tomato harvest festival, entertain those he deems worthy of his presence, and then, crown himself ruler of Midhampton. Maybe more."

"The fact is," the queen said, "if Durniad knows what he's doing with this artifact, he can control the behavior of every human alive. Those with Fae blood are safe, as are your dragons."

The king nodded and fiddled with the torc at his neck. "After discussing a way to resolve this situation and avoid a mass of mind-controlled humans from ransacking their own lands as well as ours, we decided to put you two on this mission. You must keep it quiet. The human high queen and her regent don't want their ongoing agreement with us to become an issue in their kingdom. Many humans still look on Fae as monstrous and deceitful, so the fact that the human high queen works with us on occasion for the safety of all must remain secret."

Ridiculous. Humans were the ones who were experts in deceit. They were the ones who murdered innocents in droves if even a small sack of gold was offered.

King Lysanael continued, bracing his hands on the back of the chair opposite Tahlia. "Since you, Lady Tahlia, are part human, you can handle any straight-out deceit required to complete this job."

Marius's stomach twisted, but he wasn't sure why. Tahlia could handle this. They could handle this together. Then why did he feel sick at the king's request?

Tahlia gave the king a quick nod. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"But be aware," the king said, "we aren't certain how a portion of human blood will react if Durniad makes use of the crown, so you'll need to stay together in case Lady Tahlia's mind is swayed."

They didn't have to tell Marius to protect Tahlia. That would be as natural as riding a dragon. He looked to Tahlia. Did she approve of this? They really didn't have much of a choice because this was the king and queen asking, but if she didn't want to be a part of this, he would figure out a way to respect her wishes. She was his mate first, a knight of his order second.

Tahlia gave him a subtle smile, showing her willingness. He shouldn't even have wondered. If there was one thing his mate possessed, it was courage. She had enough for ten riders.

Tahlia eyed Queen Revna. "We would be honored to serve Your Highnesses as well as our allies, the human high queen and her regent.

King Lysanael stood. "Good. One last thing: to ensure stealth, you'll ride your dragon to the human realm to meet with the human high queen's Witch; after that, you'll continue on horseback. The Witch will provide a glamour potion so that none of your Fae attributes shine through while undercover."

"We understand," Marius said. "Any further directions outside the written plan?"

"I ask that Ragewing hunt in the Gwerhune and leave my flock here be." The king grinned.

Marius nodded. "As you wish, my lord king."

Queen Revna studied Marius, and he stood straight, letting her see whatever she needed to in him. He would have to get used to those irises. It was going to be so strange and off-putting to see Tahlia with human eyes and his own reflection too…

"If I may," Tahlia started. The queen waved her on. "Did you consider my request that we include Lija's healing as part of the deal with the human court?"

They'd sent that request ahead of them, and Marius hoped the wording hadn't put them off. He had been rather insistent despite the fact that he was asking from royals who could do exactly as they wished and he had to do whatever they ordered.

Eyebrow lifted, the queen sighed. "We did and we ordered it, but I will tell you, that Witch is not keen on handouts."

What did she mean? "My queen?" he asked.

Touching his torc idly, King Lysanael pursed his lips. "The Witch, intensely loyal to the human high queen, demanded that the retrieval of the crown be completed to a satisfactory degree as deemed by the human high queen before she will lift a finger for one of our dragons."

"That's a bit rough," Tahlia muttered.

"But your dragon can wait for healing for a fortnight or so, yes? Or should we press her?" King Lysanael asked.

"I appreciate your concern, my king," Tahlia said, curtseying quickly. "I don't want to rock the boat between the realms if it's not an emergency. I believe Lija can wait."

"Good."

"Then it's settled." The queen gave her husband a look Marius couldn't decipher. "Your full instructions are in a sealed scroll in your room," she said to Marius and Tahlia. "We have had our staff pack the clothing our contact in the city provided, your belongings, and food, water, and coin for the trip. You leave immediately."

Tahlia traded a glance with Marius, then they bowed and curtseyed each in turn.

"As you wish, Your Highnesses," they said in unison.

Marius wondered how it would feel for Tahlia to cross the Veil for the very first time…