King Baldur glared at him then proclaimed, “We are done. We will ride,” and he started to lift his hand but Lahn warned, “I would not do that.”

At Lahn’s low, rumbling, severe tone, King Baldur’s hand arrested in mid-air and he continued to glare at Lahn.

When he did, Lahn shared, “You know of our plans to ride on Maroo. You know when we plan to ride on Maroo. I would hope you are not foolish enough to think you and your soldiers have crossed my land without my knowledge so you also know I would prepare to ride against you to defend Korwahn.”

King Baldur said not a word so I guessed Lahn was right, he came through Korwahk fully knowing Lahn knew he was coming which was a bizarre thing to do.

Lahn went on. “What I know is, to have your tantrum and try your hand at taking our treasure, for, do not think, fat man, that I suspect for one moment you wish more to have your magical one back but instead you wish to return to your throne with trunks of our riches. Your play centers around increasing the wealth of your throne, not your nation. Your throne. So you think that, if I were to refuse your demands, while I am otherwise engaged in defending my city, you will unleash a plot to kidnap my queen. This means you would sacrifice thirty thousand of your soldiers to my warrior’s steel for a tantrum and for greed. Nevertheless, you undoubtedly have an escape plan so, as your warriors fall, you can safely return to your homeland and continue your tyranny at the same time demand ransom in return for my golden bride.”

He paused, King Baldur made no sound or move and Lahn continued.

“What you do not know is that we have allied with Keenhak. They have sent forty thousand of their warriors to aid in our campaign against Maroo. And as you blustered before me, feeling safe in the knowledge that your soldiers are lined behind you, Keenhak warriors took formation behind them. You lift that hand, I lift mine and your soldiers would be cut down before they took their first breath of Korwahn air and I, fat man, nor my brethren, would have to lift a blade except to cut down the metal men at your back.”

King Baldur’s hand stayed lifted, his lips started to curl and Lahn finished.

“And, you should know, your archers who took their positions an hour ago were dispatched before my queen reached Korwahn’s Majestic Rim. Not one of them lives.”

Geoffrey took a step back. King Baldur’s face paled and his hand dropped. I tried hard not to smile. Ghost sat down on her ass.

“Now,” Lahn went on, “you will leave with no trunks filled with Korwahk’s bounty in your greedy, fat hands. What you will leave with is your life and the knowledge that if you ever carry forth a plot that threatens my golden queen, you will die choking on your own balls and you’ll do it while staring in my eyes.”

King Baldur visibly swallowed. Geoffrey took another step back.

Lahn grew impatient. “I am savage so you must recognize I am being generous with this offer. Therefore you also must know your continued presence is making me impatient.”

Geoffrey shuffled back quickly, losing himself in the sea of Korwahk warriors behind him.

King Baldur gave Lahn one last, long glare then shifted his substantial bulk around and barked at the men behind him. “Bring me my mount!”

And I sat silent beside a silent Lahn as his mount was brought to him and we watched as it took two tries for him to heft his substantial weight in the saddle while his armored soldiers deftly mounted their own steeds and then, with some haste, they were away.

When I lost sight of them, I turned to Lahn to see his head tipped back and his eyes were on Zahnin.

“Take her to our rooms. Lock her in. She is attended by no slave and no wife and keep the animal from her. Do it now,” Lahn ordered, stood and stalked down the steps while I blinked after him.

“Come, my golden queen, now,” Zahnin demanded firmly and slowly, dazedly, my head turned to him.

His arm was extended to me.

I looked back where Lahn had disappeared and I felt my chest rise and fall with my rapid, deep breaths.

Whatever was wrong wasn’t over. And I had the distinct feeling, even as bad as that was, the worst was yet to come.

So I stood without the aid of Zahnin, straightened my shoulders, kept my head held high and I walked to Zephyr.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Reveal

I paced Lahn and my bedroom, my sarong flying behind me and I did this for a long time. It could have been an hour or it could have been five of them.

It felt like five.

I didn’t even have Ghost with me and as the time slid by, my adrenalin surged, as did my agitation. I was so freaking out, I was stuck in my head and I didn’t cleanse my face or even take off my crown of feathers.

I just paced or walked to one of the four windows and tried to see what I could see in the torchlit streets.

I could see nothing.

So I paced more.

Lahn had locked me in our rooms.

Locked me in our rooms.

He didn’t look at me, he didn’t speak to me, in fact, although he said he believed me and made threats to defend me; he didn’t look or speak to me at all during his confrontation with King Baldur.

He could do this, and had before, when he was in king mode but with where I was now, I knew this was something else. Something not good. In fact, so not good, it was bad.

And that King Baldur had known me. He’d said he’d known me since I was six.

What was that all about?

But I had a feeling I knew. I knew about pirate ships and kings. It was all coming together.

I was in a parallel universe and there was another Circe here, one who looked just like me, one who was not here now.

And King Baldur had called her his enchantress.

So maybe she held magic, knew she did, could manipulate it and maybe it was her who had transported herself out of this world and to mine, sending me here.

If she knew how, after being seized by pirates and then Korwahk scouts, she would. If she knew of their practices in Korwahk and what awaited her while she waited in that corral, she’d do it. I knew it.

Sending me here.

Good God.

And knowing this, she’d never want to come back. She could have no clue that Lahn would be who and how he was. She would only think she’d escaped a nightmare.

Which meant, since my magic wasn’t at my command but at the whims of my emotions, I couldn’t get back to explain things to my father, my friends, to say good-bye and certainly there would be no visits back and forth.

I was stuck here forever and now I wasn’t certain that was good.

The door opened and Lahn walked in. It closed behind him and I heard the bolt thrown home, just as it did when the silent Zahnin had escorted me in; just as the doors to the bathing pool had been bolted seconds later. There were no doors that led to the balcony around the courtyard from our dressing room and bathroom-ish type room.