Chapter 5
Another day locked up with Amyr and Taeron was sure he would lose his mind. Amyr didn't say much to him, but then Taeron ignored him when he did. He had been Amyr's jailer this last week and nothing more which was exactly how he now preferred their relationship. His fury that Amyr had dishonored his father's house, that he had humiliated his sister had not abated. Taeron was also deeply disappointed in Amyr's behavior. A small hope had taken root in him that Quynn might be what Amyr was missing in his life, what he had been searching for in all the females, all the many females that he had used in the last year after his sister had left. But Amyr had taken the love and purity she offered and ground it in filth. He had grown up with Amyr and had trained all his life to earn the right to stay at his side, but Taeron could not ignore the dishonor Amyr had brought to both their houses.
What Amyr had done to his sister was unforgivable when Taeron knew how much she loved him. Taeron had tried to talk her out of marrying Amyr when he suspected that Amyr was using her to earn approval, but he could not violate Amyr's privacy by telling Quynn that the man she loved never slept alone, that he took any female he wanted. Taeron might be guilty of indulging in the females as well, but he had never done with them what a bonded mate should not, what Amyr did regularly with any female that caught his eye. So Taeron did what he had to in order to open Quynn's eyes without betraying Amyr. Quynn would have found him on her own anyway. Taeron could not feel sorry leading her to Amyr, but he now he worried about his sister and wished he would have spoken to her before she left.
Amyr was now sitting on the balcony with a text in his hands, his brow furrowed as he stared at the words. Because he had so much time on his hands, the crown prince was filling it with reading. Was he making up for all the lessons he had skipped in order to pursue the females that went out of their way to distract him from his lessons? Who knew the crown prince could even read? When he wasn't reading, he was sleeping after drinking the healing tea that he seemed to have grown addicted to in the days since arriving on Calabria. Once the emperor released him, Amyr would toss aside the books and the to sniff after and mount anything wearing a skirt. Taeron knew that this serious side of Amyr would not last long.
A soft knock at the door gave Taeron a reason to stop glaring at Amyr. Opening it, he found Staefyn, Amyr's brother waiting in the hall. "Taeron, my lord father wants to see you in his private office."
"Do you know what he wants?" he asked the other man.
As he looked at Amyr's brother, Taeron wondered what had become of their friendship. Taeron had always liked Staefyn. He was only a few months younger and as a consequence they had spent much time together during their childhood. Unfortunately, Taeron concluded he had been just as charmed as everyone else by Amyr, so he had gradually spent more time with him especially when he began his training as imperial guard. He was still on good terms with Staefyn although they had long since stopped sharing any secrets. Amyr's brother had his own interests, reputedly a woman in the Guerani hills that he had met during one of his stays in the mountain palace under construction at the request of his wife and her brother who wished for a residence in the sacred hills. Taeron had yet to meet the woman although Staefyn had told him that she was an imperial and very beautiful, but Staefyn was not ready to bring her to the attention of his father.
"War has broken out between Varoonya and Teralon," he told Taeron who started with surprise. If he had not been babysitting Amyr, he would have known of this development, would probably be preparing for war. "Shamara has come with several transports from Bayman that my father has requested."
"The emperor has committed to fighting?"
Because the emperor's daughter, Chaela, was married to Prince Avar of Teralon, Taeron did not have to wonder which side he would take even though both worlds on the edge of the frontier were allies of the Calabrian empire. Taeron knew that the imperial troops would enjoy bloodying their swords, and after recent events, Taeron would jump at the chance to work out his frustration on the soldiers of Varoonya.
Taeron knew little about Varoonya, a world at the very edge of the frontier. The ruling Varoonyan prince had presented himself for consideration for one of Trey's daughters, and while he seemed pleasant and the females seemed attracted to him, Taeron had not particularly liked either Prince Rangyar nor his companion, Lord Kai. So he was not surprised, after Avar had taken Chaela and Dagan had taken Shamara, that Prince Rangyar had decided to retaliate against Teralon. Both worlds were far enough away for the emperor to find it difficult to send help quickly to his daughter's world.
"I am sure father will tell us his intention. Come quickly. His temper is short these days."
The emperor had many reasons for his short temper when his daughter's safety was threatened on a far world, his crown prince was disgraced and his relationship with his dearest friend, his imperial guard was strained. If that were not enough to give him a headache, Lord Duo was a popular man, on both moons as well as the surface and that Amyr had dishonored his house had caused no small amount of discontent among the imperial nobility. Amyr's marriage to Quynn might have improved the opinion of him, but the debacle had caused more dissention than the marriage would have been worth to a man like Amyr.
"Taeron, my father wants you to bring Amyr as well." Staefyn added without even a glance at his brother before turning on his heel and leaving.
Amyr set aside the book, and Taeron saw pictures of plants and realized what he was reading. "You are reading the book written by my step-mother," he commented. Why would Amyr be doing such a thing?
Amyr shrugged. "The tea that she has cultivated on Ulfynaeus is a wondrous medicine, so I was curious about her discoveries. Lady Trynity has thoroughly researched the flora on Ulfynaeus and its effects on Calabrian and human physiology, and because of her work, the lives of many have been improved. The tea is one of many herbs that she has crossbred to fill a need."
Taeron often saw her drink the tea in the morning and remark to her husband that it was as close to a good cup of coffee that she was going to get in the binary system. He remembered her drinking coffee during his visit to the human solar system, and now her tea had become popular among the imperial nobility.
That Amyr would even be remotely interested in the treatise enough to attempt to read almost made Taeron burst into laughter. Taeron could not trust Amyr's motives when insincerity was the only skill he had honed in all the time that he had known him. Nor did he want to discuss his sudden interest in healing because he didn't want to hear his lies.
Nodding to the door, he waited for Amyr to leave, then he followed him. They encountered few people in the corridors, and those they did turned their backs on the crown prince, but Taeron was watchful for any threat to him. Despite his own ambivalent feelings for the man, Taeron would protect him with his life.
The emperor was looking out the window, watching his family in the garden when they entered the room. Shamara rose from her seat and went to hug Taeron. He was amused to see that she was expecting another baby, but then he suspected she would be as fruitful as her mother. She had already given King Dagan a son.
"Taeron, it is good to see you! I was hoping to hear that you had found yourself a wife."
Taeron smiled at her. He had spent many months acting as her imperial guard and he had grown close to her. The first princess deserved the happiness she had found with Prince Dagan of Bayman. "I have not been at liberty to seek a mate," he told her. Sharing his life with a female could not be further from his mind at the moment. His duties to Amyr would not end with his marriage as they had with Shamara. Taeron would find it too difficult to devote the time and energy needed to protect Amyr if he also had to be responsible for a female and, gods forbid, children of his own.
She sighed and hooked her arm around his. "I know of some very lovely women on Bayman who would leap at the chance to be your wife."
"I am not interested at this time." When Amyr was settled, then he might seek to begin his own house. He knew it would be expected of him although thoughts of doing so made him feel like he was in a space shuttle spinning out of control.
The emperor turned his attention to Taeron. "It is not too early to consider taking a wife. There are many imperials that have approached both your father and me to offer their daughters for your consideration." He frowned when he noticed that Staefyn had not stayed. "I was going to mention that the Queen of Teralon has two daughters as well, although I have not had communication with her, and her consort, Balak, has not been receptive to making further ties with Calabria beyond his son's marriage to my daughter. But I see that Staefyn must have anticipated this discussion and fled."
"Will you expect me to marry a princess of Teralon?" asked Amyr. He had been standing aside watching his sister greet his bodyguard while she hadn't even acknowledged his presence. Staefyn had not spoken to him either before leaving.
His father didn't look at him. "You have made an oath to Quynn."
"She's not going to return," predicted Amyr.
"Then you won't be marrying any woman!"
Taeron glanced at Amyr to see his reaction. The crown prince didn't seem surprised. "I wanted you to know that I have no interest in any female except the one to whom I have pledged."
His father did not respond, but by the tick in his cheek, Taeron guessed he was controlling his anger.
"Shamara, you have not heard from Quynn?" Taeron asked his sister.
Amyr looked at her for her answer. Why did he look so eager for news of her when he had no qualms about betraying her with another female? To him they were all the same, even Taeron's sister, females to be used and discarded.
She sadly shook her head. "Bayman radar did track a vessel headed towards Teralon, but it suddenly veered away and headed in the direction of the frontier. Beyond that we do not have tracking satellites."
The frontier was the very edge of known space in the binary system. Varoonya was the planet nearest the frontier, but Teralon was close as well. Beyond Varoonya there were beings stranger than the winged people living on Teralon and the red-eyed Varoonyans. Taeron remembered hearing Apolo tell his father and his wife that during his excavations in the Guerani hills, he had found some ancient writings that indicated the parasitic creatures that they had once worshiped as gods had come from beyond the frontier.
"Could she have gone back to the human solar system?" asked Amyr, his voice anxious, and Taeron narrowed his gaze on him. He could not possibly be suffering from guilt! If he had not been confined to his chambers, Amyr would have exhausted himself on countless other females by now.
Shamara turned her attention to him. "What does it matter to you where she has gone?" Taeron wasn't surprised that she vented her anger on her younger sibling. The two had often clashed as children. "You humiliated her! Quynn is a proud woman and you have broken her heart! We must pray now that she is not in danger because of your idiotic, selfish behavior."
"We are not here to discuss Amyr's stupidity, because that matter has been settled conclusively." Trey looked at his son. "This is your last chance to redeem yourself, Amyr. The news that we received from Teralon is old; they have been occupied for many weeks and I am sending you to Teralon with the troops we are providing to liberate the planet. If you screw up this time, it will mean your life." The emperor looked at Taeron. "You will go with him."
"I do not need Taeron!" blurted out Amyr.
Trey glared at him. "Of course you need him! Without him you would be dead with a blade in your back the moment you leave Calabrian space, probably even before you leave the planet. Taeron will protect you as he has sworn to do."
"Taeron's presence will interfere with my command!" Amyr was clenching his fists at his side. "Please, father…"
"I speak to you as your emperor, not your father!" roared Trey. "You have shamed me and caused heartache to my own beloved imperial guard."
Amyr's shoulders slumped and he took a step back. "I am sorry that I have offended you." He looked away from his father. "I am even more sorry for what I have done to my other father." Because Amyr had spent much of his young life under the protection of Taeron's father, he often referred to Lord Duo as father, but now Taeron wanted to strike him for doing so. Lord Duo would never want one such as the man Amyr had become to be connected to his house.
"You have offended everyone, Amyr. I should not have named you my successor until you had earned the right."
"Perhaps you should strip me of the title and give it to Staefyn."
Trey sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I won't do that, Amyr." There was pain in his eyes as he looked at his son now. "Despite what you have done, I still love you and I pray to the gods that you will prove yourself on Teralon. I see that you regret what you have done. Unfortunately, we may not know for many months how this has affected Quynn. We will pray to the gods that she has gone back to Earth or the colonies, and she may one day allow you to beg for her forgiveness. In the meantime, you have duties."
"How can I prove myself worthy when my men will look to Taeron for leadership?"
Sighing, Trey turned around to look out the window again at his family in the garden. "You chose your path long ago, Amyr, and now you must find your own way."
Dismissed, Amyr turned around and walked out.
Taeron was about to follow him, but the emperor stopped him.
"Taeron, please protect him. I love my son."
Taeron met his gaze and he could see the sorrow in their dark green depths. His own heart ached for the man that Taeron had always considered his own second father, his first father in the many years that his own had not acknowledged him. "I would give my life for him."
Trey smiled sadly. "And if you do, I would never be able to ask forgiveness of your father." Then he sighed. "Try to discourage the men from looking to you for leadership. Amyr may have neglected his training, but I know in my heart that he will not fail if he is given a chance."
Taeron hoped he was right. "I will do what I can, my lord."
"Staefyn recently returned from Teralon," Shamara commented.
"I thought he was feeling useless here," said Trey with a sigh. "So I allowed him to go on a diplomatic mission to both Varoonya and Teralon."
"And now they are at war?" Shamara raised a brow. "I hardly consider that a successful mission."
Trey shook his head. "I sent Staefyn to Varoonya on my behalf to smooth over our relations with them after Prince Rangyar was rejected by my daughters. I knew that Rangyar had a sister, Cydeara, so I hoped that Staefyn would consider her, but by the time he arrived there, she was already married. His visit had nothing to do with the hostilities between Teralon and Varoonya. Those two worlds have fought many times, so I am not surprised that Rangyar would use Avar's marriage to Chaela as an excuse to attack."
"I am glad that Staefyn made it back before war broke out," Taeron said. He would not say aloud that Staefyn was more capable of leading warriors than Amyr, that Amyr had never satisfactorily completed his imperial training to receive his sword. Even Amyr's twelve year old sister, Ginaese was probably more skilled than Amyr.
"I don't need to be Guerani to know what you are thinking, Taeron," the emperor said. "Staefyn has already asked to accompany the warriors and I have refused. I cannot risk another of my sons. If they should both fall in battle, I will have only Caedriq and he has only just begun to walk. More than one warlord would view an unstable succession as an excuse to attempt a rebellion, especially when many warriors are off world."
Taeron knew the emperor was right. Until Amyr had come of age, there had been many rebellions by minor houses, and were it not for the loyalty of the greater houses, especially house Caron in the south, the emperor might have lost control of his warlords.
"Enough talk of war for the moment." The emperor smiled at Taeron. "Shall we discuss those imperial females? House Caron has a lovely female that I am sure they can be coaxed to stop hiding in their southern holdings to make a house with you. And I believe both house Chasek and house Vaan have females that are nearly old enough to wed. Perhaps by the time you are ready, they will not be old women."
Taeron blinked in disbelief. The houses he spoke of were among the most powerful of Calabria and to be offered females from them was an honor he could not have imagined given the circumstances of his birth.
"Really father!" Shamara curled her arm around Taeron's. "I believe I have dibs on Taeron. He made quite an impression on the women at Dagan's court when he visited last year."
Trey chuckled. "It was worth a try. I had been hoping that Staefyn would be interested in a Teralonian princess, but he barely remarked upon them when he returned from his visit, so I believe the rumors that he has his heart set on some female in the hills."
"Marrying a princess of Teralon would be a great honor for him," Shamara remarked.
"I would appreciate a greater tie with Teralon since it is close to the frontier," agreed her father. "I fear this female in the hills is a clanswoman whose people have been hiding from imperial patrols and I hope he realizes that only rebels and criminals hide in the hills." Sighing, he glanced at Taeron. "For you, I would recommend house Caron. Caron provided many warriors for my father, and his son, Renaeld continues to do so. You will take many house Caron warriors to Teralon, so wedding the female of that house would be a prudent choice."
Listening to them plan his life made Taeron anxious, but before they decided upon the exact number and gender of his offspring, he thought he should remind him that he wasn't ready to marry. "Perhaps after I have returned from my duty on Teralon, I will consider taking a mate." By then he will have found a reason not to take a wife until he was ready and he doubted he would feel ready for a very long time.
"I will discuss the matter with your father," the emperor concluded. Praise the gods he had not said he would discuss it with his mother, but he worried when he saw the smile Trey was giving him. Taeron would be surprised if his mother did not have his marriage ceremonies planned to the least detail when he next saw her.
Shamara ushered him out after hugging her father and promising to return later to visit with her family. "I think papa wants to see you wed to make up for the disaster on Ulfynaeus."
"He was not pleased that Amyr and Quynn wished to marry," he told Shamara. "They argued many times before your father gave in and allowed him to approach my father."
Shamara sighed regretfully. "I had hoped that Amyr could curb his impulses, but they seemed to have gotten worse." She looked up at him. "I know you are angry about what happened with your sister, so continuing in your position must be difficult for you."
Taeron looked down at their linked hands. She already knew from the magic of her touch how he felt, the anger, and especially the guilt for the role he played. "I took out a little of my frustration already." His knuckles had hurt following the beating since he had never used them in such a manner.
"Amyr doesn't seem any worse for the experience," said Amyr's sister as she brushed her thumbs over his knuckles and he felt the unnecessary healing magic.
Taeron smiled in thanks. "He claimed to have been injured during turbulence on the return trip. No one questioned him."
"How noble of him! I'm surprised he didn't jump at the chance to see you punished."
Taeron was not surprised. On the one hand, Amyr wouldn't want to admit that his bodyguard had beaten him and on the other, no one would give a damn if he did. Not a single person believed his story of the events that caused his bruising, but Taeron told the emperor the truth. Taeron couldn't lie, and he wouldn't be a party to covering up Amyr's weaknesses. Trey offered him time away from Amyr so that he could get his feelings under control, but Taeron had refused. He had trained his whole life to be Amyr's imperial guard and he wasn't going to let Amyr's foolishness ruin his own future.
Maybe if he weren't so unbending, Quynn and Amyr might be happily married now.
Maybe he had misjudged Amyr's feelings for Quynn.
Maybe Quynn had been the answer to his problems.
"Stop trying to solve Amyr's problems," Shamara interrupted his thoughts with a squeeze to his hands that she was still holding. "That was always your problem when you were my imperial guard. Amyr will make his own mistakes and you can do nothing to stop him."
Taeron sighed. "If I hadn't let Quynn see me that night, she may not have come into the garden."
"If Amyr hadn't been with that woman there wouldn't have been anything to see," Shamara reminded him. "Besides, how do you know that Amyr wouldn't have betrayed Quynn again after they shared the bonding cup? Dagan did not bond to me and Apolo has not bonded to your mother, so it seems Guerani cannot bond. Despite his lack of powers, he still has my mother's blood, so the bonding may not have curbed his insatiable need for females. You can't know what would have happened after the ceremony! Neither could she and neither could he! I know my brother. It would take a miracle to change him."
"Maybe I denied him of that miracle."
"The miracle of love?" Shamara snorted. "Taeron, if you had ever been in love you would know that what Amyr felt for Quynn certainly wasn't love it if he was willing to chase the first twitching skirt into a dark garden."
Taeron knew that she was right. Despite all the opportunities that presented themselves, the emperor had never strayed from his wife. And Taeron had always had difficulty believing that Lord Duo was his father when he had never seen the man show interest in any woman until he was reunited with Lady Trynity. Taeron was often embarrassed to imagine the effort his mother must have made to land him in her bed when his father was so obviously in love with the woman he subsequently married.
"Well, I haven't visited with my mother, and I am sure she is spoiling my son." Shamara kissed Taeron's cheeks. "I know that you will take good care of Amyr."
Taeron nodded. "I would give my life to protect him." Was he repeating his imperial vow to remind himself of his obligation?
Returning to the room, he passed a pretty serving woman in the corridor who was frowning, but seeing him, she darted out her tongue and moistened her lips before giving him a smile that told him that she was available for whatever he needed. With a glance at the door she had just exited, Taeron was disgusted and ignored her. When they were younger, Taeron rarely turned down the females that passed from Amyr to him, but now he was revolted by the idea.
Inside the room he expected to find Amyr dozing after the departure of the female, but Amyr was standing at the small table near the window trying to prepare tea. His hands were shaking and Taeron could see that he was perspiring so much that his clothing was soaked. He could see that he had vomited in the basin.
"You are ill," Taeron pointed out as he took the water and packet of herbs the servant must have left.
Amyr looked at him. "Is it possible to be sickened by shame?"
Taeron would have laughed, but Amyr seemed to be tortured by the thought. "Is that what you are feeling?"
He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his dark, damp hair. "I suppose I sound foolish. But I have felt this way since … since that night." "Do you seek my sympathy, because I have none for you, Amyr." Taeron handed him the cup of tea he had prepared. "But I know this, that my father spent many years with the illness of guilt eating his insides. Shamara was able to ease the pain. Shall I ask her to aid you?"
Amyr drained the cup of tea. "No, I would not ask her to harm herself by healing me."
"I have heard that she has become very strong in her healing. Even Apolo has grown in strength so that healing rarely affects him." Taeron smiled as he remembered Apolo explaining that Larya's presence in his life had made it possible for him to reach his full potential as a Guerani healer. Few people would believe that Taeron's mother could have a positive effect on anyone's life. Taeron adored his mother, but he was not blind to her faults.
Amyr set aside the cup and taking the book he had been reading before the emperor's summons, he returned to his place on the balcony overlooking the Guerani Hills far off in the distance. Taeron wondered again what reason Amyr had to be reading that particular book.
After several moments of silence, Amyr asked without looking up, "Did my…did the emperor tell you when we are to leave?"
"I am sure we will learn the details once he has gathered the warriors. He did not say so, but I am sure that he is worried about Chaela."
"Am I free to leave my room?" asked Amyr expectantly.
After receiving orders concerning Teralon, he probably hoped that he would be given his freedom. No doubt the lack of female stimulation was bothering the prince who seemed to thrive on the attention of any female nearby. Taeron took delight in telling him that his father hadn't given any alternate orders about his incarceration, so Amyr fell silent and turned his full attention on the book although he glanced thoughtfully at the hills from time to time.
Taeron went to his mat on the floor near the wall facing the end of Amyr's bed and sat cross-legged, his hand on the hilt of his long sword. He closed his eyes and was on the verge of entering a relaxing meditation when he sensed Amyr leaving the balcony and he was annoyed when Amyr's voice disturbed him.
"Why do you sit on the floor like a faithful dog?"
Taeron didn't want to look at him, but he opened his eyes and saw that Amyr had moved away from the window and was standing nearby.
"I have trained to be your guard. This is my place."
Amyr smiled. "You are trained to protect me, and yet whilst you sat taking a nap, anyone could have crept past you to slit my throat."
Taeron did not argue with Amyr who had avoided his own training so much that he did not realize how ridiculous his words were to a trained imperial guard. He hadn't been sleeping, and Amyr had made enough noise for a novice imperial trainee to hear him. Even his younger sister could have twisted him into a knot by now.
"Your skills are in want of practice, Taeron. Maybe we should take a turn in the practice yard."
Because he hadn't been able to train for at least a week, the suggestion appealed to Taeron. He was more comfortable swinging his sword than sitting in a room playing nursemaid to Amyr while he read books. But then he remembered that females, both servants and imperials, enjoyed watching the men at combat in the practice yard that was enclosed with high walls and ringed by balconies for the instructors to watch the progress. Amyr had attracted more than his share of such women in the past. On too many occasions to remember, Taeron had been left to practice his moves alone while Amyr pursued those females.
"You know you want to," goaded Amyr. "Why resist?"
Hearing the eagerness in Amyr's voice was enough to quash his own desire for activity. Nothing disgusted him more than the prospect of the man who had dishonored his sister preening before the females that would vie to take her place. "We will remain here until the emperor orders otherwise."
With a sound of disgust, Amyr turned on his heel and walked away. Swiping up the book he had set aside, he dropped back down on the bench on the balcony and pulled it open. Taeron knew that Amyr hadn't wanted to get out for anyone's sake but his own. Despite his disgrace, he was completely willing to seek more. Now that Amyr was promised to Quynn, he was completely free to dally where he wanted without the fear that he might seduce the wrong woman and be forced to marry her. That his behavior would be dishonorable was nothing new for Amyr who did not seem to care. Now he would attract the experienced females who had been held at bay previously by the innocent and not-so-innocent imperial daughters who vied for the honor of becoming the wife of the crowned prince. If he thought Amyr was that devious, Taeron might think he had planned to use Quynn in such a manner. The very idea made him want to pummel Amyr again.
A few more days passed during which time Amyr became more restless and only the tea made him bearable. Since Taeron's father had remarked that without it his wife was a vicious hillcat in the morning, Taeron made sure that Amyr had a steady supply.
Once Amyr had even challenged Taeron to friendly combat within the confines of the room, but Taeron didn't trust himself to keep control of his anger once their swords crossed. If Taeron did not get out of the room soon, he would lose his mind and the only thing that kept him sane was the fact that they would soon prepare to head for Teralon where he could take out his frustration on the Varoonyan forces.
Amyr had finished his book, and once while he was in his bathing chamber, Taeron had looked at the book to see if he could determine why Amyr had taken an interest in healing. There were several pages marked by bent corners and one passage in particular about the healing properties of a tea made with leaves from a rare plant on Ulfynaeus, a plant that Lady Trynity had used in creating the tea. Taeron didn't understand most of what he tried to read and wondered if he should have spent more time with books. He would not question Amyr about it because he would only lie, but he intended to solve the mystery.
Perhaps Stryfe could help him when he was not busy with his duties. His human brother was very intelligent and had already gained the trust of the emperor. Since his duty for the Cinq Kingdom came to an end, Stryfe had been given the office of imperial scribe. Stryfe was fluent in many languages and learned others very quickly. Taeron was amazed that he never forgot anything, not even the slightest detail. In this duties as scribe he researched what he could learn of Calabrian history for the emperor, and he recorded diligently the events he witnessed. Taeron was proud of his brother's accomplishments. Stryfe might be able to see something in the book that would tell them why Amyr had studied it.
Word finally came through Staefyn again that Amyr could be released to train with the imperial warriors headed for Teralon. Amyr all but bolted from the room after receiving the news. Taeron was surprised that the crowned prince ignored the women they passed in the hall when even he had trouble of his own keeping his eyes off the females who would eagerly offer themselves. Perhaps the emperor was right and that he should consider taking a wife, but even that thought made his heart pound and his palms grow moist. He could not imagine sharing his life with a female, certainly not any that he had met and not any of the faceless women that the emperor or Shamara would suggest. His life belonged to Amyr and Taeron was content with that future.
"I can't always hide in your shadow," Amyr told Taeron, drawing his attention away from a fair-haired woman whose gown was clinging in the right places. The look in her eyes told him that she was well-versed in pleasing an unbonded male, and since she traveled without a male escort, she would seek nothing but an enjoyable afternoon.
"Let me train with the men alone to prove myself." Amyr's voice sounded as if it came from far away when Taeron's thoughts were entangled in that female's offering.
But he quickly looked away from her although she was sauntering away slowly enough to give him time to catch up. "I have made a vow to protect you. I am certainly not going to allow you to train alone with hundreds of armed men, many of them who have wives, daughters and probably even mothers that can claim to know you intimately." He didn't bother adding the word 'sisters.'
Amyr didn't grin as he would in the past. "You count yourself among them, Taeron. Should I feel safe with you protecting my back?"
Taeron was so insulted by his implication that he put his hand on his sword and half drew it. Amyr's eyes had widened as his gaze dropped to the blade he had revealed. But Taeron shoved it back out of sight when he was sure Amyr understood the depth of his insult. "Guard your tongue! I do not wish to raise my sword to you because I doubt that would garner you any respect among the men."
"You certainly aren't against raising your fist." Amyr rubbed his jaw, then turned away. "You realize that I can never redeem myself with the men while you are with me."
"Neither of us has a choice in the matter."
Amyr sighed. "Then my appointment is doomed to failure."
Taeron might have felt guilty if Amyr had taken his duties seriously in the past, but he had forsaken the opportunities to train with the imperial warriors of Calabria so that he could be seduced by women who were not worthy of the crown prince.
The following weeks training with the army tested the patience of many men. Almost immediately the captains appointed by the warlords who had sent men to fight for the emperor went to Trey to demand that Taeron be placed in command. They hadn't even given Amyr a chance, but they could hardly be blamed for their distrust. Amyr had not once proven himself to anyone but the females. After Trey refused, the men resorted to a more direct approach to removing Amyr. By the end of the first week, four men had been executed for attempting to assassinate the crown prince. A more subtle method was employed during the following week when one of the men - Taeron never knew who employed him - offered Taeron a fortune to remove Amyr during melee practice, a drill that simulated actual battlefield conditions. A cohort had apparently decided that he was sufficiently insulted by what had happened to his sister that a generous offer of imperial credits would push him over the edge and remove the blight to his father's house. But Taeron left the answer to his proposal in the form of the man's body lying on the field after the melee. He was not approached again.
They had little time to train, and no more time for dissenters to oust Amyr from his position, so he had been given a grudging acceptance of the men, albeit at the point of Taeron's sword. Both of them knew without speaking of it that the men would not challenge Taeron when they wanted him to command them, so they were forced to acknowledge Amyr.
News came from Teralon that the Varoonyans were merciless in their attacks on Teralon, and the prisoners they took, they shipped off world to sell as slaves in the frontier worlds. The fate of those poor wretches would never be known, and it was common knowledge that beings on other distant planets bought slaves as if they were cattle to be slaughtered and devoured, that there were beings that fed from the flesh of sentient beings. Trey was anxious that his daughter, Chaela, whose husband was the son of the Queen Neria of Teralon, not be captured, so he gave the order to leave for Teralon. The men were glad to see an end to their training and the beginning of action. Taeron was somewhat surprised that Amyr seemed eager to fight as well.
Before leaving on the transport, Amyr waited anxiously for his family to bid him farewell, but no one came to see him off. Taeron knew that Trey wouldn't acknowledge his son until he had found a way to cleanse the dishonor from his name. Taeron could sense that Amyr was disheartened by the censure of his family, but he said nothing to Taeron about his feelings. His slumping shoulders told his imperial guard his thoughts more than any words could. The arrogant crown prince had learned his first lesson in humility.