Title: Changing Relations: 29 of ?

Author: Sam

Series: A Deeper Magic

Last Chapter: To keep hiding, Ambrose and Leona move to a different suite. DG finds out she can partially heal Wyatt using her magic.

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A warm, lethargy rolled through Wyatt. He opened his eyes leisurely as the door clicked open. Watching DG in a robe and an expanse of bare skin walk in, the Tin Man knew he should feel worried, but somehow he couldn't fully muster the emotion. Rather, he watched the young woman as she kicked the door shut and walked over with the tray. Wyatt struggled to sit up and a sharp pain stabbed through his side and leg followed by a wave of nausea. Wyatt suppressed a groan as he lay back into the pillow.

"Hey, wait until I help you. I've got lunch," she called out, sliding the tray onto the nightstand and dropping an unfamiliar backpack onto the floor by the bed. But rather than coming over to him, she turned and made her way back to the door, locking it. DG came to the bed and helped Wyatt, who felt weak and more than achy, to sit up against the pillows.

"You have the key," Wyatt noted, mildly surprised. He couldn't bring himself to feel much concerned, a dull sluggishness lacing through his blood.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we'll be left alone for long. The General's bound to come back before tonight, tomorrow at the latest." The dark-haired woman picked up a bowl from the tray and half a roll, turning to sink down carefully beside the injured Tin Man on the bed. "For some reason he sent up too much food," DG reported softly.

Something about her words sparked a flicker of worry and Wyatt narrowed his crystal blue eyes. "Has your appetite increased?" He wanted to warn her that Randu was testing them, but the woman seemed to have already figured that out.

"No. I ate what I wanted to while you were sleeping." DG slid the half empty bowl into her companion's hands, and he ignored the offer of a spoon, lifting the lukewarm soup to his mouth and drinking it down quickly. When done, he accepted the roll and an apple juice.

DG put aside the empty bowl and picked up another apple juice, sipping it, perhaps to be doing something. Softly, she said, "in my lessons, I've found that I might be able to ease some of your pain with my light."

Wyatt hesitated then nodded. He'd seen how strong DG's magic ran and didn't doubt she could spare a bit of that light energy. He needed to keep her safe, as well as protect Leona and Ambrose. In order to do that, he needed to be healthy. Crystal blue eyes met vivid blue ones and some mutual agreement seemed to pass between them.

Standing, DG slipped Wyatt's empty tumbler from his hand and put it beside hers on the tray, ignoring the third glass as much as she ignored the third bowl and roll. Wyatt watched, frowning softly, as DG carried the tray to the door, unlocked the barrier, put the rest of lunch outside in the hall next to what seemed to be a heap of linen, then closed and locked the door once more.

To give DG access to his wounds, Wyatt pulled back the stifling blankets and sheets, glad for the sudden rush of cooler air across his nude form. Nude? He blinked down at the bandages along his flank and thigh, along with his lack of clothing, even drawers. Flushing a bit, the bodyguard reached for the sheets once more, but a soft hand over his stopped him.

"I need to check your stitches, Wyatt," DG reminded him.

"Uh," Wyatt cleared his throat. "I can wear some drawers at least." He continued to blush and reached for a corner of blanket.

"No, you can't," DG countered then sighed and shook her head. "Look, Wyatt, I appreciate you trying to protect my modesty and all, really."

Her words sent a spark of disbelief through the older man. Protect her modesty? Hell, he was trying to protect her reputation, too! She seemed oblivious to the wider implications of being found with him in such a state, despite his injuries.

She continued, "but I can't always be trying to shimmy your pants over those bandages when you need the bathroom, so, it's easier to take care of you this way. Trust me, even underpants would be a hassle right now. And," she looked up at Wyatt's face and offered a small, playful seeming smile as she lay her hand on his thigh, just below the bandage line, a jolt of heat and desire shooting through the man, "we're supposed to be married. Those guys would get really suspicious if we were interrupted all the time fully clothed. This is our honeymoon . . ." her voice trailed off almost suggestively.

"Deeg," Wyatt warned, voice low. Damn, the woman played with fire . . .

On a low, throaty chuckle, the princess laid her hand over his thigh. She didn't actually unbandage his wound. Rather, her hand over his linens began to glow and an intense warmth tingled through his leg heading straight for his manhood, which pulsed in response.

Aching with sudden need, Wyatt gasped and let his eyes close, trying to hide his obvious desire with the only cover readily available: his hands. "Deeg, now . . . isn't a good . . . time," he breathed, trying to warn her off, but he couldn't set her from him because his hands were occupied trying to protect her modesty . . . and his. He suspected it was a useless endeavor.

"Give me a moment, Wyatt," she practically purred. "I'll take care of all of you . . ." She slowly caressed her fingers lightly over his hip and to his bandaged flank, her glow intense and sending wave after wave of pure desire through the man.

Feeling a sudden rush of heat go straight to his crotch at her suggestive tone, Wyatt groaned. He could feel his swelling erection and the sight of the princess in practically nothing only fed the forbidden desire. On a soft moan, the blond bodyguard said, "Deeg . . . I need . . . uh . . . time. Alone . . ."

"Want help?" DG asked, her tone playful with a hint of wicked promise. She pushed his hands out of the way, her vivid blue eyes locked on his crystals ones. "God, Wyatt," she moaned softly and leaned in to seal her mouth over his, her work-roughened hand settling over his full erection, dragging an answering pulse through Wyatt's flushed, needy body.

Head swirling with the long-denied sensations, mixed with the heady scent unique to DG, Wyatt let out a soft groan and began kissing her back, eyes closing as he tilted his head for better access. He brought his strong, large hands up to cup her shoulders, finding the soft material of her robe. With a small grunt of annoyance, the Tin Man pushed the robe from the Princess's shoulders, feeling her smooth skin bare itself for him. He groaned into her mouth.

DG broke their kiss first, pulling back and drawing in a shaky breath. She began to kiss Wyatt's neck, licking at his pulse point.

Wyatt groaned and bucked slightly upwards into DG's hand still covering him. The sensation as her warm fingers began to encircle him broke through hazy, half-formed protests. "Damn, Deeg, c'mere," he said, tugging her shoulders a bit so the woman draped over him, her hair spilling over his shoulders and chest. When she lifted her lips from his neck, Wyatt took the chance to meet her mouth with a groan of pure want. He flicked his tongue over the sweet swell of DG's lips and she opened to him willingly. Thrusting his tongue into her welcoming moist heat, Wyatt explored, tasted, and enjoyed the essence of DG; his heart surged and body throbbed as she met him stroke for stroke with her own eager tongue.

Slipping his hands from her shoulders, Wyatt caressed over heated flesh, his fingers catching lightly on a scar or two he'd have to ask her about later. Finding his way to her breasts, the blond man let out a sound of disappointment upon finding the chest band. Breaking their deep kiss, trailing his lips over her neck and nipping lightly at her shoulder, Wyatt breathed, "take it off, Deeg."

Head thrown back, reveling in the sensations he drew from her, DG lifted her hands from his body, she shrugged the robe from her shoulders, letting it pool on the edge of the bed and slip to the floor. Quickly, she unfastened her chest support and let it fall away, revealing her breasts to the man below her.

With a murmur of approval, Wyatt moved his mouth down to DG's breast. He encircled her waist in strong hands and pulled her over his hips, forcing her to straddle him. Laving his tongue over her dusky nipple, the blond man elicited a deepening moan from the pretty brunet above him. She thrust her breast further into his loving mouth, arching her back and grinding down with her pelvis against his aching erection.

Growling at the stimulus, Wyatt ran a calloused hand over DG's free breast and began kneading, tugging lightly and rolling her nipple between strong fingers. As she moaned, he suckled her other breast, pushing his hips up to meet her needy thrusts. Sliding his free hand down her smooth side, he caught his fingers in her waistband, dragging the flimsy material down, over her curves. He caressed his calloused hands over hips and ass, suckling harder, lapping and lightly nipping at her breast.

Letting out a keen of pure wanton need, DG scrambled to slide out of her underpants, straddling Wyatt's pelvis once more. Taking control of their long-desired encounter, DG gripped Wyatt's shaft and positioned him against her passage. She took a breath, then guided him inside, thrusting down onto his erection with another keen of delight.

Feeling her wrap around him, embedded in her moist heat, Wyatt growled, falling into a moan of sheer pleasure. It had been so long, and he'd wanted her almost forever. Moving back to capture DG's mouth with his, Wyatt began thrusting his hips up, dragging almost out of her then snapping back up to fill her once more, grunting as she quickly fell into a matching rhythm.

Too long denied such primal pleasure, the couple lost themselves to instinct, building quickly towards orgasm. Hands and mouths explored one another as they continued to meet, thrust after thrust. Soon losing the rhythm, Wyatt jerked his hips, once, twice, a third time and his body seemed to explode, filling his lover with hot seed as he covered her mouth with his. He swallowed their combined scream of release as DG fell over the edge with him.

Heart's racing, breath staggering, the couple slowly came back down from the orgasmic high; DG stretched the length of Wyatt's body, the pair trembling in the aftermath.

Stroking loose, sweat-drenched hair from his lover's face, Wyatt kissed her softly on the neck. He held her close, enjoying the sensation of the woman in his arms, pressed to his body. Spreading tired kissed across her shoulders and chest, Wyatt murmured, "sleep, Deeg. I've got you."

Without answering, the princess fell into sleep, secure in her Tin Man's loving arms.

xxx

A cough shook Zero's aching body and he rolled, a groan rasping from his throat. Curling his neck, his face under one arm, the recently deathly ill bodyguard continued to cough. A gentle hand stroked his shoulder carefully, drawing Zero's full attention, and he lifted his arm from his flushed face, unsure how he'd come to be lying on a pallet in a small wooden cabin.

"Here," Princess Azkadellia sank onto the pallet beside him and offered a cup of cold water.

Zero took a long drink, feeling his spasms ease, then nodded his gratitude. She gave him no chance to speak as she helped him to sit up. She held the cup to Zero's lips once more. He took another swallow.

"We need to leave soon, Az," the other man in the room, Dylan, spoke up from the kitchen area.

Narrowing his steel-colored eyes, Zero glanced at the man who'd aided the princess in rescuing him. . . had it been the day before or just that morning? Zero didn't know the other man and didn't trust him. "Where are we going?" he rasped then coughed in an attempt to clear his throat.

Az sighed, seeming to sense the tense hostility between the two men. She lay a hand on Zero's forearm, drawing his eyes to study her other arm: bound and in a makeshift sling.

Zero frowned, eyes narrowing.

"We're going to Finnaqua," Az clarified. "What can you tell me about the attack on the Western Tower, Zero?"

"Attack?" shock jolted Zero fully upright, and he turned confused eyes on his princess. "The tower was attacked . . ." something flickered in his memory. "The Resistance . . . they actually . . ."

Az and Dylan glanced quickly at one another then back on the former Royal Army Commander.

Dylan's soft voice surprised Zero as the man confirmed "yes, we attacked a while ago. But you've been missing for some time."

"Missing . . ." Zero pronounced slowly, playing for time to sort his jumbled memories. "I remember an Iron Suit . . ."

With a nod, Az drew Zero's attention. "You were locked in a suit . . . but were released."

"You were released after only a couple of days," Dylan confirmed.

Touching a calloused hand to his head, Zero frowned, trying to recall the jumbled time. "I . . ." he drew a slow breath. "I remember pain and . . . a blue . . ." Finally, he had a moment of clarity but not a clear memory. "Someone attacked the Tower after the Resistance? Who . . ."

The other two once more exchanged glances.

Anger welled up in an all too familiar manner, but Zero pushed it down. His voice deepened in annoyance. "Who attacked the Tower . . . how long ago?"

"Two mornings ago," Dylan informed him, soft voice just as cold, just as harsh.

Az added "Long Coats attacked, Zero . . . who ordered the attack?" Something in her voice told the commander that she already knew and wanted his confirmation.

"How long have I been sick?" Zero countered, eyes falling on the woman's injury once more.

"Who . . ."

"How long?" Zero demanded, interrupting Dylan.

Sighing softly, Az said "a month, Zero. You had suit fever, but should recover now."

Dylan crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Zero began to process the significance of his illness. Within three minutes however Zero pushed aside the rest of his concerns and lifted steel-colored eyes to meet the princess' deep hazel. He'd been used to accepting change in a heartbeat all of his life. "Randu . . . Captain Randu, my second. He'd be able to keep enough of the troops together to pull off an organized assault. He always wanted to push for a total conquering of all the Realms, but his fear of you . . . of the sorceress held him in check." Yet another exchange of glances confirmed that they had already known his answer.

Zero didn't claim the ability to control the ambitious Randu; he knew the only thing that had kept the older soldier from mutiny was the fact that Zero had been Az's personal bodyguard as a child and had been her preferred go-to guy all those annuals. If Zero hadn't been willing to do anything Az ordered of him, he'd probably have been killed when the coup against Queen Lavender had occurred eight annuals ago. Thankfully, there were times when Zero had seen the princess behind the sorceress or he might have helped take that witch down . . . well, that, and the fact that the witch let him freely indulge in his love of torture and power: two traits he'd had to push aside during the reign of Queen Lavender.

Grunting, Zero pushed off of the pallet, forcing down his weakness and dizziness; enough time had been wasted while he'd allowed himself to be ill. Waving off Az's attempt to help him, the Royal Bodyguard stood. His only concession to his illness was a supporting hand he placed on the wall. He looked around.

"We'll need supplies and horses if we're going to Finnaqua," Zero said.

Dylan dropped his arms to his sides and asked "why do you think you're going? You're still too weak . . ."

"And we aren't?" Az countered, turning her head to meet his slate-grey eyes. "I can't defend myself very well with a broken arm and heavy pain medicine coursing through me, can I, Dylan? I've nearly exhausted myself with healing Zero, and you're barely able to stand after that stunt yesterday with the Papay."

The light-haired man in commoner's clothing frowned, meeting the princess' glare. "And he's just as weak, if not weaker. He nearly died this morning, Az."

Having one part of his confusion sorted felt just as frustrating as having no answers, but Zero sensed that interrupting would not go in his favor, so he let the princess fight this war of wills, as he often had in the past. Annuals of struggle with the witch possessing her had strengthened the young woman.

Fortunately the battle didn't last long between Az and Dylan. The man conceded first. "He's barely able to stand, Az, but I don't mind letting him risk his life on the trip, if you don't."

Az nodded once and looked towards the door. "We'll need another horse, unless two of us share."

As neither man would share with the other, and neither seemed willing to let the other share with the princess, another horse was a necessity. Zero and Dylan worked at refilling the supply packs all three of them had; Zero's a much smaller pack since his had been a regular bag stolen from the Cain house to begin with. Az collected medical supplies and food for the men to store. Shortly, the trio left the cabin and walked over to the pair of horses.

Dylan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked over Zero with distrust in his eyes. "I'll get a horse from a friend on the way. For now, I can walk."

Without arguing, Zero turned and helped Az onto her mare then carefully climbed into Dylan's saddle, allowing the younger man to aid him. When both riders were settled, Dylan grabbed both pair of reins and began walking. Quietly, the younger man said, "Az, I don't know what we're going to do when we get to Finnaqua. They'll kill us if there are three of us."

Grey eyes widening in sudden understanding, Zero hissed "the Clan Cooperation Treaty . . ."

Jumping on the words, Dylan came to a complete halt and hissed back, "how the hell do you know about that?" His own grey eyes narrowed in what seemed to be anger and hate.

Zero looked Dylan straight in the eye and calmly whispered, "I could hardly be the Princess' bodyguard without knowing one of the few ways to protect her in a mass assault." Contempt dripped from every word, though he used a casual manner. "I'm not sure how you know of it, but I'm quite aware that certain people and passcodes are required to prove Princess Azkedellia is seeking help, not trying to invade."

Suddenly, Zero stiffened and turned his eyes to meet those of the princess. "Actually, we might have trouble getting in even with the proper passcodes, Your Highness. In the last month, how many people have accepted the fact that you were possessed?"

"Pretty much everyone," Dylan answered before Az could speak. "They know she was not able to do anything about the witch. The main problem is that people think the witch will come back . . . if she hasn't already . . ." the resistance fighter added in slow realization. "My stars!" He turned to look up at Az. "Do you think she's found someone else to possess and that Randu is helping her?"

As if bemused, Az finally spoke up. "I think the witch is gone for quite awhile, but a new menace is out there. So far, only the Long Coats have attacked. They have no sign of magical support. Think about it, Dylan, they invaded in the early morning after my parents left the Tower."

Slowly, his still befuddled mind processing as they once again began to move, Zero asked "can you tell me what happened during the new attack? I might be able to tell you just who Randu has working with him." He didn't doubt Randu was behind this new assault; that man had been biding his time looking for a weakness he could exploit.

Az sighed. "Ambrose had just gotten out of surgery, and DG had gone to check on him. I hadn't even gotten dressed yet when I saw the incoming Long Coat troop."

Dylan nodded and turned his head to be better heard as he continued to lead their horses. "Jeb, Wyatt, and I had come the night before to let the family know that there were rumors of unrest. People were talking of wanting to put Princess Leona on the throne instead of the current Gales. The queen and king had left in the night to go talk with Princess Leona and find out the truth or lie to the rumors. They went to . . ."

"The Grasslands of the Nature Clan," Zero interrupted. Upon seeing Dylan's distrustful look, he rolled his eyes and added, "I've been with the royal family since Princess Azkadellia was four. I know many of their secrets, Dylan."

Shock lit the younger man's face, and he seemed unhappy with that information.

Zero rolled his eyes and continued, "don't you think I could have taken over by now if I'd wanted to, you moron? I'm eight years older than the princess . . . and military trained. She was barely twelve when she was possessed and would have been an easy target, even with the witch's power. My mother didn't leave me totally without magical knowledge of my own."

"But you never use it, Zero," Az added steadily. "You swore when we were children that you'd leave the magic to me and stick to fighting with fists." She seemed utterly convinced that even after twenty-odd annuals, her oldest friend and protector would keep a child's vow against magic.

He sighed and looked over at her. "I'm reconsidering it, Princess. But I'd need training. I'm sure I could do what mother could, since magic rarely skips generations."

Az shook her head. "You're mother was the bane of both our existences, Zero. I think we're better off if you stick to the physical."

Not arguing with her opinion, Zero let the subject drop only to latch onto another. "You said Ambrose was in surgery?" He couldn't help the avid interest he held concerning the former Royal Advisor. After all, the world's most intelligent man had been practically destroyed by the witch but had come back as one of the liberators of the O.Z. Zero couldn't imagine what surgery the brainless man would need, unless it was to return his extracted brain: a surgery never successfully attempted in the history of brain removal.

The princess' next words confirmed that radical thought. "He had his brain put back in."

"And he survived? He was mentally stable?" Zero thought of the implications for some of the Unwanted who'd gone through brain extraction over the years.

"He lived," she confirmed, "but before he even awoke, the invasion happened. He in all probability didn't survive that." She sounded sad.

Zero nodded, frowning. "Randu wouldn't have let any of the royal court live, if he knew who they were. Unless someone convinced him Ambrose was somebody else, Randu would have had the man executed on the spot." Noticing Az's hands tightening on her reins, Zero dropped that subject, too. Instead, he tried a third, "when we get to Finnaqua, one of us will need to stay behind while the other two go to the Spiritus people . . . I assume that's why you're going to Finnaqua."

"Yes," Az confirmed. "It is." She fell silent a long moment but suddenly added "We'll decide then who stays at the palace and who goes on, Zero. For now, let's just get there."

Dylan remained quiet, a frown on his face, and continued to lead the pair through the underbrush towards the road south. Only a few more minutes passed before he left them to go retrieve a third horse. Neither Az nor Zero spoke while Dylan was gone, and when he returned leading a black gelding, the tension which had been building seemed to ease. The resistance fighter slid his foot in the stirrup and swung gracefully to mount, despite the exhaustion evidenced by his pallor and a thin sheen of sweat on his skin.

Before Dylan could turn his mount to lead the trio to the road nearby, Zero called softly, "who killed Adora Cain?"

Back stiffening at the question, Dylan turned his face to pin Zero with what could only be called a hateful glare. "You did," he ground out.

"No," Zero didn't shake his head, knowing in his current state it would cause dizziness. "I never ordered her death. I ordered everyone to leave her to me. Even Randu seemed to respect that order."

The younger man continued to frown and softly said "the order came from you and a woman carried it out. Adora's body was found battered, raped, and practically decapitated."

"A woman raped her?" Az questioned, horror in her voice.

"That's why we knew it couldn't have been a woman, only," Dylan said, gaze still steady on Zero's face.

Fighting nausea at the revelation of how one of his only friends, albeit from his teenaged years, had died, Zero's voice dropped in controlled fury. "I wanted to torture Wyatt Cain. Leaving his wife and kid alive but inaccessible was the best way to do that. Why would I end it so quickly for him? If the pair were dead, there'd be no reason for Cain to leave me alive . . . think about it. As long as I knew where his family was, Cain would leave me alive so he could get the information."

Dylan's skin grew paler in apparent sickness at Zero's cold reasoning.

Unbothered, Zero merely waited for Dylan's verbal reply. He was used to others not approving of his torture or what they considered his convoluted thinking. There was absolutely no way he'd tell the resistance fighter that he'd left Adora alive because she was the first woman he'd ever loved. That memory was buried . . . would always lay buried with the woman who'd captured his heart and sworn to marry him then turned to another man . . . bearing another man's child. Shaking his head, and loosening the hold of those memories, though not the anger they brought, Zero glared at Dylan, fighting the wave of dizzy nausea that threatened to knock him from the horse. His hands tightened on his reins, his knees gripping the horse's flanks all the tighter. "Describe this woman who carried out Adora's death."

The other man merely growled out "brown hair, tall, frowned." He shook his head. "No one saw her actually do the killing, but she wore the black leathers of the Long Coats and carried herself with all the evil, self-assured brutality that brought with it."

Frowning fiercely, Zero barked out "no female ever joined my Long Coats." He turned an ice cold glare on the other man. "She was an imposter."

"So," Az interrupted softly, eyes narrowing, "why did she want to brutalize and kill Adora Cain?"

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Continued in Chapter Thirty: (when written)

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The Twelve Clans of the Outer Zone with the Ruling House of Each Clan:

Aquam Clan/ House of Rimi . . . (Ice- Mount Runcible)

Cogitatio Clan/ House of Idae . . . (Milltown)

Corde Clan/ House of Animum . . . (Viewers)

Fortitudo Clan/ House of Greyhatt . . . (Guilds- Munchkins)

Lux Clan/ House of Gale . . . (formerly House of Ozma- Gillikin)

Mortem Clan/ House of Shiz . . . (Alma Mata- Gillikin)

Nature Clan/ House of Terrae . . . (Vinkus- Thousand Year Grasslands)

Papay Clan/ House of Somniabunt

Phlogiston Clan/ House of Pyre . . . (Fire- Desert surrounding O.Z.)

Sapientiam Clan/ House of Quinolui . . . (Quadling- Realm of the Unwanted)

Spiritus Clan/ House of Aeris . . . (Air- Lake Country)

Tenebris Clan/ House of Fugae . . . (Witch's Dark Tower- Gillikin)