Free The Warrior King (Book 4) by Michael Wallace

distraction. But in practice the wizard mostly seemed amused, as if the mating habits of lesser beings was something to be studied with curiosity.
    “There’s nothing wrong with lovemaking freely shared between two equals,” Markal said. “Not that you are Daria’s equal, as her mother would point out. But let’s assume you are.”
    “Thank you for that,” Darik said. He was still embarrassed by the insinuation that he’d lose control the instant he was alone with the woman, and his sarcasm had a harder edge than was warranted.
    “The point is, it would mean something different to Daria than it would to you.”
    “I won’t do anything, I already told you.”
    “You still don’t understand. I’m not saying you shouldn’t. I’m only saying to be absolutely sure you know what you’re doing before you do. And maybe now is not the time to press the issue.”
    “Markal!”
    Narud asked Daria a question, and when she nodded, he cautiously released her shoulders. When she continued to hold herself up, he rose and approached Markal and Darik. Narud soon proved as oblivious to human desires as Markal had been perceptive.
    “Darik, if she goes into deeper water, take off your clothes and go in with her,” Narud said. “I don’t want to risk her slipping and drowning. When she’s all the way cooled down, bring her out and rub her down with olive oil until she’s clean.”
    Markal shot Darik a raised eyebrow and the young man turned away, embarrassed.
    Narud frowned. “Do you find it demeaning to rub her with oil?” He looked at Markal. “You said these two were friends. Or is that some Balsalomian custom, that only slaves do that task?”
    “I’m not sure the oil rubbing is a good idea,” Markal said. “We’re trying to cool these two down, not heat them up.”
    “Ah, yes, of course,” Narud said. “She’ll warm up as soon as she gets out of the water. In that case, she’d better stay in the pool until it’s dark. Then Markal can retrieve her to go look for the griffin.”
    This time Markal actually laughed, and Narud seemed more bewildered than ever.
    #
    When the two wizards had retreated outside, Darik found himself pacing back and forth around the edge of the pool. He was agitated, mainly through worry about Daria’s heat exhaustion, but also thinking about Whelan’s daughter, who needed to be smuggled out of the palace, as well as Chantmer the Tall, lurking about scheming who knew what. Maybe Narud could handle Chantmer, assuming he could stay focused on the task and not turn into an owl and fly off looking for mice.
    Darik was relieved when Daria began to act more alert and lively. She dunked her head under the water and slicked back her wet hair, splashed water in her face, and occasionally glanced at Darik to give him shy smiles. A little later she beckoned him over. He came and squatted near the edge of the water about ten feet away. He gave her glances out of the side of his eye, trying not to stare at her naked figure rippling beneath the water. She looked back, smiling openly.
    “It was almost worth it,” she said.
    “You could have died.”
    “But I didn’t. Anyway, it’s no different than the other dangers we face. Like the dragons. I fought another one since we met last. It almost killed me.”
    She said it casually, not in any way boastful, but in that open manner of hers. Narud had mentioned the fight, and now Darik wanted to know more. She explained how she’d been in the mountains looking for dragons when she decided to tame a golden griffin. That story was impressive enough, but she dismissed his praise with a shrug. Then she told how one dragon had consumed another, and she’d led the griffin riders in battle against the survivor, by then grown to immense proportions. She’d battled the dragon in the skies over the high mountain peaks of the Dragon’s Spine, had landed on its back, and finally driven her sword deep into the soft flesh where its wing met its armored