Chapter 3

Jastian silently blessed the maid who had drawn a hot bath while she was finishing training with Lucivar and her new guard team. She vanished her clothes and slid into the hot water. She would have removed them so they could be laundered, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to straighten up again if she bent over to take her boots off. She wasn't sure if Yaslana was going to kill them all before declaring them ready. But at least she hadn't been the first to puke on the exercise field.

It was easy to flow between hating, admiring and respecting Lucivar Yaslana. The man never missed anything. He was demanding and worked his people until they were beyond ready to drop. On the other side, he was incredibly patient, willing to demonstrate moves over and over, and he worked just as hard as the people under him. Even in the short time she'd been in Kaeleer, Jastian knew she had already improved far more than she could have on her own, or even under any other Eyrien she knew for that matter. Her abilities with a war blade had accelerated and she had learned more about a knife in the few weeks she'd been here than in the last 500 years in Terreille. Lady Surreal had been an expert assassin in Terreille and had no problem teaching other females how to handle an unwanted male.

Yes, she was learning a lot and glad for every bit. But there was always a price. For one, she ached at the end of every day. Every muscle whimpered by the time they were released from the practice field. And second, they had to stay at SaDiablo Hall.

She wasn't sure if that was a reward or a price, really. The place was intimidating. Not that she would say that out loud. As a matter of fact, when they had driven up in the Coach, she knew she was supposed to be impressed. Instead she had looked at Lucivar point blank and asked if there was enough space for her to have her own room. Davon, one of the other guard members had been horrified at her cavalier attitude. Lucivar had been amused. However, Jastian had kept her mouth shut when they had gone into the Hall. The place was gorgeous. She could feel the innate power pulsing from every stone, calling to her own dark-Jeweled power. The Hall would make the welcome feel at home and the unwelcome too frightened to want to stay.

A person had to be strong and determined to live comfortably at SaDiablo Hall, Jastian thought as she soaked in the tub. Her toe poked at the small perforated metal ball at the bottom of the tub. Between the hot water and the herbs in the ball, her aches were slowly melting from the muscles. To live there one not only had to deal with the darkness of the place, but also not panicking when coming around a corner and seeing an 800 pound cat staring back at you. Or a wolf playing with her pups in the garden. And Jastian didn't care how jaded she was, when two unicorns trotted across the lawn, she could only gape like an idiot. And of course, all of them were kindred and talked to the humans. Jastian thought she could handle anything in Kaeleer. The first morning when a small dog asked her if she would like a cup of coffee, she almost packed her bags and headed back to Terreille.

Even once you got over the kindred, there were still the human occupants. Daemon Sadi. She'd heard of the man before as one of Dorothea's pets. Her first instinct was to get as far from one of Dorothea's man as she could, but the Hall wasn't a place of fear. None of the servants had that haunted look of the abused. None of the kindred were there by force. Everyone seemed...happy. Honestly, the only person that anyone seemed afraid of was Mrs. Beale. Jastian hadn't met her yet, but if the woman was enough to put an Ebon-gray Warlord Prince on his best behavior, then Jastian knew to stay out of her way. Despite the presence of Sadi, or maybe because of Sadi's protective presence, the Hall was a relatively happy place. It made Jastian rethink what she knew of Dorothea's people. Maybe Sadi had been more of a victim than Jastian could have suspected before.

And then there was Lady Angelline.

Jastian could handle the kindred. She could deal with the domineering males surrounding her. She had kept her cool in battle even when faced with insurmountable odds. But when she met Lady Angelline the day after she'd come to the Hall and saw those summer-sky eyes turn to sapphire, she had known that she was in a room with the most dangerous person she'd ever faced. For several heartbeats Jastian forgot how to breathe as those eyes pierced into her soul. Hell's Fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be Merciful, she had thought, fighting to hold her ground and knowing she was losing. She remembered that power, that terribly dark power that had done so much destruction in such a little time and now its keeper was dead in front of her.

"This is my sister and Queen, Jaenelle Angelline," Lucivar said, his mild voice a warning to her. Jastian knew she needed to be polite, but couldn't pull herself out of the abyss hiding behind those sapphire eyes. They seemed to be searching her for answers, answers she would give if she just knew the question.

Then the sapphire gaze broke, her eyes changing back to ordinary blue as she glared at Lucivar. "Former Queen," she corrected.

"Need to see the contract again Lady?" he asked. "I think it's still in the fountain."

Jastian didn't know the language Lady Angelline replied in, but from the way Lucivar blinked she knew the Lady had managed something wonderfully obscene. She looked back at Jastian. "Isn't it wonderful trying to argue sense with someone of his caste?"

Jastian wasn't sure how to respond since most of the Warlord Princes that had gotten close to her over the last few centuries had been there to kill her. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to leave Witch's service," she finally said.

Jaenelle gave her a playful glare. "You're supposed to agree with your fellow Sister."

Jastian gave her a small smile. "Not while I still have to deal with him on the practice field."

Jaenelle's laughter rang out through the room. "Welcome to Kaeleer," she said. "I think you and Karla will commiserate well together."

Was it Jastian's imagination or did Lucivar relax slightly? She didn't get the chance to say anything because the door to the garden opened and Daemon Sadi entered, holding a young Eyrien boy. The boy immediately began to squirm, little wings flapping.

"Papa!" he shrieked. "Papa!"

Sadi let the boy go and he flew into Lucivar's arms. He immediately began to babble about playing with Unka Daemon and the wolves and Unka Daemon fly. Lucivar gave Daemon a pained look. Daemon glared and pointed at the boy.

"Your next one better be a girl," he growled. "If he pisses off of one more roof, he's banned from Dhemlan."

"Bastard…"

"He showed the wolf pups how to do it!" Daemon snarled.

Jastian couldn't stop herself from laughing any more than she could have stopped the rivers from running. She might have felt bad, but Jaenelle was doubled over howling with laughter, making the little boy giggle too.

"I love puppies," he said proudly.

Lucivar secured his hold on his son. "I'm going to take him home," he said with as much dignity as circumstances would allow.

"Mama needs a present!" the little boy declared. Jastian thought it was a sweet statement and didn't understand why Lucivar paled. He gave his son a sharp look.

"What have you done?" he growled.

The child just gave his father a darling smile. "Please, Papa?"

Lucivar glanced up at Jaenelle and Daemon. "I've got to get back to eyrie before Marian," he said, sounding desperate.

Jaenelle made a funny sound and Daemon appeared to be straining. "I'll see you at the Keep tomorrow," Daemon said and Lucivar rushed out of the room. Seconds later both Daemon and Jaenelle were doubled over with laughter. Jastian smiled slightly, not sure what the joke was.

Jaenelle finally calmed enough to explain. "Daemonar found out that his father sometimes gives his mother a present when she's mad at him. So now when he's done something really bad, he asks to get Mama a present." She started giggling again. "The last time he suggested a present, he had played "chase the chickens" with half a dozen wolf puppies all through the eyrie. Someone had shown him how to do an aural shield so nobody knew he was playing when he was supposed to be taking a nap while Marian was in the garden. Lucivar came home, saw the house covered with chicken bits and his son covered in feathers, and before he could start yelling, Daemonar said they needed to get Mama a present in a hurry."

Jastian couldn't help a laugh. "That sounds like an Eyrien boy." She gave Jaenelle a small smile. "I have two brothers. My mother swore she wouldn't survive either of them." For a moment Jaenelle's eyes turned to sapphire and Jastian knew they saw more than she would like them to. Then she was simply Jaenelle again as she stood.

"Lucivar wants us to work with you in the evenings with Craft. I'll be honing your Hourglass skills. Daemon will work with offensive spells."

Normally Jastian would have protested that her Craft was just fine. Better than fine. But considering that she was still reluctant to let anyone know she was a Black Widow, she was willing to bet there were gaps in her education. Jaenelle openly wore her hourglass pendant with its gold dust sealed at the bottom. Jastian had one that was heavily shielded so that it was invisible in her drawer. Besides, only a fool would pass up the opportunity to learn under Witch.

"I'll see you in my workroom in an hour," Jaenelle said as she walked out of the room. Jastian noticed the way Daemon's eyes followed her. In Terreille, she would have warned the witch to run, that a predator was stalking her. But his eyes were not only possessive, but protective. And then those gold eyes turned to her.

Jastian wasn't prepared for that punch of sexual heat that rolled off of him. With other people in the room, it hadn't been as noticeable, but when his full attention was on her, she could feel the waves of sensuality that flowed from him as naturally as breathing. He moved with smooth feline grace to the couch and settled himself, motioning her to sit in the chair across from him. Jastian's legs were shaking as her body reacted to all that heat and desire. And the man wasn't even trying. No wonder he was called The Sadist. If he unleashed the full force of that sexuality, any woman would be on her knees, begging him for whatever pleasures he would grant.

"Lucivar said he was impressed with how much you've progressed," Daemon said, his voice a low rumble.

Jastian gave herself a mental slap. Stay disciplined, she thought. If he wants something sexual from you, well, you didn't sign a contract with him and can leave the Hall at will. Of course, rules of contracts didn't always apply to a Black Jeweled Warlord Prince.

"I'm pleased to hear that," she replied evenly.

"I was surprised when he told me about you," Daemon said, "Most Eyrien women don't believe in learning to use weapons."

Jastian cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm Red-Jeweled Black Widow from Terreille," she said. "You're from that Realm. A witch in my position had to either submit to Dorothea, get broken by a male when her strength is discovered, or learn how to fight. My father began teaching me how to defend myself after my Birthright Ceremony and I received an Opal Jewel. He knew that males would want to break me as soon as possible and wanted to give me enough training that I could protect myself until I received my Offering Jewel and came into my full strength."

Daemon studied her for a long minute. It would have been uncomfortable, but after being reviewed by Witch, no stare would ever make her squirm again. "Karla isn't like any of the Queens in Terreille," he said. "I spent most of my life going from one Court to the next. It wasn't until I came to Kaeleer that I learned what a Queen was supposed to be like. Karla will be a pain in the ass at every opportunity over having a personal guard, but she is a good Queen."

"I promised to serve her well," Jastian said softly, understanding the meaning behind his words. There simply weren't enough good Queens in the Realms to lose even one. "I know males have a protective instinct and desire to serve that females don't, but I can assure you that I am more than capable of protecting someone when I've given my word."

Daemon seemed like he wanted to say more, but instead only nodded. "In that case, good luck with Lucivar. He's a mean prick on the training field, but he's the best."

Jastian managed a weak smile. "Training field? I thought it was the slow-torture-until-you-die field."

Daemon laughed and promised to send her an herb to put into her bath that was guaranteed to help with sore muscles. She had left the interview and barely gotten to her room before she collapsed into the nearest chair, every muscle shaking. Facing an army had been less frightening than being interviewed by those two. Jastian had no doubt that if either of them had refused her; she would have been out of Kaeleer before sunset. But she suspected that they had accepted her and she would be personal guard to the Queen of Glacia. And true to his word, the next evening, when every muscle was aching after a day of training, she had come to her room and there had been a hot bath waiting for her with a small ball full of herbs sitting at the bottom of the tub, and the herbed tub had been waiting for her every night since.

However, the tub Jastian was currently in was starting to cool. She shook herself out of her thoughts and thought about using Craft to heat the water back up, but then thought about the time and decided against it. She needed to dress and meet Jaenelle this evening to work on illusion spells that could be made quickly, and used with devastating results on an enemy. It was the advanced version of what she already knew, but given a far sharper edge. There was also the challenge of working with Twilight's Dawn. One minute the Jewel resonated with her Red. The next second, Jastian would have sworn she was standing beside a Summer-Sky Jeweled witch, and the next second Jaenelle felt like the Gray. She had gotten such a cold response when she had broached the subject on the Jewel's origin that she realized that topic was off-limits.

Jastian got out of the tub, feeling much better than when she came in. She looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at the changes the hard workouts had already caused. She would never bulge with muscle, but she was far more toned than she had been when she first got to Kaeleer. She knew she was physically stronger and Lucivar had said he was going to start working with her on combat while flying next week. Looking in the mirror, she thought she was looking better than before. She wondered if...no, she wasn't going to think about that. Wasn't going to think about how anyone else would look at her new physique.

Jastian began to towel herself off quickly, wanting to focus on the task at hand and not the past. Time to get dressed, Craft lesson, dinner, maybe some reading tonight, and absolutely no thinking about anything else. She used a bit of Craft to braid her hair and then wrap the braid high on her head so that her hair was completely out of the way. She went into her bedroom and suddenly hesitated, head cocked. She was almost sure she had heard something in the distance. She took a tunic top out of the closet and started to slide it over her head when a woman's scream nearly startled it out of her hands.

Jastian tore out of her room to the sound of the scream, not caring about how little she had on. Shields wrapped around her without conscious thought. She rounded a corner as another furious screech came from down the hall. She couldn't hear what was being yelled, but then she saw a man with his hand on the arm of a blonde woman. Jastian didn't stop to ask questions. She couldn't put a protective shield around the woman while the male still held her, but she didn't drop her sight shield until she dove at the man, slamming herself into him.

The man flailed back, both him and the woman hitting the ground, but he let go of her. Jastian took the previous second to throw a shield around her, and a few seconds later the man was pinned to the floor with an Eyrien war blade at his throat as others came running into the hall.

"Jastian?" Jaenelle's question was cautious. "Why are you attacking Lord Kemmerick?"

"He was attacking that Lady," Jastian snarled, fighting to keep from slicing the man's head off right there.

"He wasn't attacking me," the witch with short spiky blonde hair snarled. She sat up, rubbing her elbow where it had hit the stone floor.

"You were screaming," Jastian said a thread of uncertainty in her voice. Someone, she thought it might be Sadi, snorted back a laugh.

"Yelling is Karla's favorite communication method," Jaenelle said. "I doubt she was being attacked by her Master of the Guard."

Karla. Queen. Master of the Guard. The man she would soon report to.

Oh, shit.