Free Storm Surge by R. J. Blain Page A

His Majesty to figure out how to get him out on his own.”
    “Maiten.”
    “You may as well admit defeat, old friend. If I’m not the one to tell him about that one, Ceres or Varest will. ”
    “Who are Ceres and Varest?” Delaven asked eagerly.
    “They’re two of His Majesty’s foals, sired by the previous Rift King. Arik left a great number of orphans when he died. His Majesty has a weakness for children, so he adopted them all.” Maiten shook his head, laughing softly.
    Breton grumbled, “They’re hardly children. Most of them are older than he is.”
    Delaven’s expression turned serious. In a low voice, he asked, “Why has His Majesty left the Rift?”
    “I’ve learned not to wonder too hard about why he does something,” Maiten replied before sighing. “I don’t even know if he left on his own, or if someone encouraged him to leave the Rift. It seems to have become necessary, though. You’re aware of the situation between Kelsh and Danar. Now that Mithrias is involved, it’s inevitable.”
    Stunned at Maiten’s loose tongue, Breton gaped at the other Guardian.
    “Ma wanted me to find you. You’re a Guardian, Maiten.”
    Maiten looked startled. “I am. But why would your dam want you to find us?”
    “She likes her secrets. Said I should too.” Delaven glanced over his shoulder, nudging his horse so close to Maiten’s that their knees touched. “Ma said you don’t come to Kelsh, sir.”
    Maiten stiffened in the saddle, and then to Breton’s amazement, looked embarrassed. “Your dam’s been talking too much.”
    “You know his dam?” Breton asked, incredulously.
    “I know her,” Maiten said, staring down at the young Mithrian, once again looking thoughtful. “She’s His Majesty’s favorite Akakashani .”
    The boy straightened under the scrutiny, chin lifted and shoulders set.
    So close together, Breton could see similarities in the Rifter and Mithrian; Delaven’s hair would never match Maiten’s, but the glints in the boy’s hair were similar enough in shade that Breton sucked in a breath. While Maiten enjoyed keeping women company, he hadn’t considered his friend indulging outside of the Rift, let alone with one of the Akakashani.
    If Kalen found out, Breton suspected there’d be bloodshed. He shivered at the thought. He understood why his friend had toed the line between truth and lies.
    Maiten sighed. “All right, Delaven. Start talking. What is your dam up to this time?”
    Delaven grinned. “ She isn’t up to anything, sir. She doesn’t know I slipped in with the Crimson Eye, sir. Told ‘er I was goin’ to the south to learn with one of ‘er friends.”
    Bowing his head, Maiten groaned. “She’s going to kill us all, I hope you know this. She’s going to leave Mithrias, come here, and skin us with those daggers of hers. She’s going to laugh. When she’s finished with us, she’s going to give us to His Majesty. She’ll start with me , because I should know better. Is Silvereye aware of who your dam is?”
    “I haven’t told him, sir.”
    Maiten groaned again. “Wonderful. Before you dam arrives, he’s going to have a round at us first.”
    “Maiten, whatever are you blathering about?” Breton nudged Perin into shouldering his fellow Guardian’s gelding. “If you don’t explain yourself, I am going to have a round at you before either one of them get a chance.”
    “I came east 'cause Ma was tellin' me about the problems with Kelsh and Danar, sir. Ma'll understand. She can't come. She wants to. So here I am.” Delaven turned to Maiten. “Ma is goin' to be mad at you, sir. You're not goin' to meet her next summer. You're here.”
    Maiten grimaced. “We might be done here in time. If I use you as a shield, colt, think she'll keep her blades sheathed?”
    The young Mithrian smiled and shook his head.
    “You know each other?” Baffled over how two people so far away could meet in Kelsh, Breton tried to figure out what Delaven's presence would mean