Free The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga) by Rachel Rossano

of his
controlled voice and the care with which he set her onto his
bed.
    “Stay right there.”
    Lirth listened intently to the sound of her
husband’s movements. First, he opened a trunk or container near
where the foot of the bed was. The whisper of cloth on wood
followed. Lirth suddenly found herself engulfed in a thick blanket.
He tucked it around her so tightly Lirth wondered if she would be
able to escape the soft confines. Not that she wanted to,
considering her teeth still threatened to chatter.
    Then, he strode back through the rooms and
opened the door to the hall. Even muffled by distance, Lirth made
out the guard’s surprised response to his King’s sudden
appearance.
    “Sire?”
    “Bring up more firewood.” Ireic closed the door
with a muffled thud and came striding back into the bedroom.
Crossing to where Lirth remembered a heavy chest stood against the
wall, Ireic opened and shut drawers until he found what he sought.
Shoving the drawer closed again, he crossed to the bed.
    “This should help.” A warm cloak was briskly
pulled around her shoulders and tucked close to her chin. She
listened to the muted falls of his feet on the carpeting. Lirth
thanked the Kurios for providing such a man.
    “Now.” The mattress shifted as Ireic sat on the
opposite edge. “Tell me the problem.”
    “He is here.” The words slipped out before she
could form a thought.
    “Who?”
    “Five years ago, a man kidnapped me from my
father’s country estate. He sold me to Baron Tor for a very high
price, a fortune.” She swallowed carefully. “That man is here.”
    She shivered despite the warmth of the quilt.
“He came to my chambers today and insisted on seeing me. The ladies
granted him an audience even though I insisted I did not wish it.
They left to fetch him. I hid in the nearest room. I heard his
voice as I left and recognized it.” She licked her painfully dry
lips.
    Ireic’s large warm hands enclosed hers under the
blankets. “What did he do?”
    “Talked.” Lirth shivered. “They escorted him in
and then went looking for me. He talked to me as though he knew I
was just out of sight.”
    “Tell me what he said.” Ireic’s voice sounded as
tight as Lirth’s shoulders felt.
    “He called me by my new title and then Brat like
he does in my nightmares.” Another shiver shook her as memories of
her nightmare mingled with reality. Ireic began rubbing her
hands.
    “Did he leave after that?”
    “I don’t know.” His fingers caressing her palms
soothed and distracted. “I ran.”
    “Here?” Ireic’s voice murmured softly, but Lirth
could hear the control beneath.
    She nodded.
    “Where was Larissa?”
    Lirth ducked her face away from his eyes.
    “Lirth,” he insisted, “Where was Larissa?”
    “They sent her to the kitchens.”
    “What!”
    Lirth jumped.
    “Why?”
    “They told me that only noble women could serve
me. Larissa’s rank of servant deserved only to scrub vegetables and
haul refuse out for the kitchens.”
    “Those devious rats.”
    Ireic rose to his feet and paced by the end of
the bed. He paused. “Did they comment on your difficulty?”
    “No one addressed it directly.”
    With thumping strides, Ireic paced the floor in
silence. Lirth followed his path with her eyes by habit. One, two,
three steps on carpet, she counted. One on tile, turn, carpet one,
two, three, four. He stopped.
    “They have not broached the subject in the
council.” He was facing her. “Instead, they keep us bound up in
common law debates, new taxes, and new reforms. They use old games
to advance the distance between the noble and the commoner.” He
paused again.
    Lirth was not sure if she was supposed to
understand him or not.
    Abruptly, he asked, “Do you think he is working
alone?”
    “Maybe.” She considered it for a moment. “He has
given me the impression of a loner.”
    “Why?” He crossed to the opposite side of the
bed and sat on the edge.
    “He said he did not wish to share his