Page 83 of Paladin's Hope

“My secretary shall see it done,” said Tamsin. He rose and opened the door, calling to the man at the desk to write the release papers. “Now. Is there anything else that I may do for you gentlemen?”

Galen was just enough of a bastard to want to lounge around the office for a few minutes to aggravate the guard commander, but he suspected that would be counterproductive. Stephen bowed to Tamsin, and Galen did the same, albeit shallowly. Piper stood by the desk while the secretary added Earstripe’s name and the date to the pre-written release and offered it to the commander for his seal.

“A pleasure, Commander,” said Piper, taking the form. “I am glad that you could make time to handle this matter.”

“The pleasure is mine,” lied Tamsin with a straight face. “I am certain I will see you again, in the course of our respective duties.”

If that was also meant as a veiled threat, Piper did not react to it. He smiled and said, “We lich-doctors do see everyone…eventually. Good day, Commander.” And swept out, his heels ringing on the marble floor, while Galen and Stephen flanked him and Galen tried very hard not to laugh.

Thirty-Six

“You’re worried you’ll break him, eh?” murmured Stephen, as they made their way down the steps to the entryway.

Galen grunted, his eyes on Piper’s back.

“Because I’ve got to tell you, from where I’m standing, he does not seem particularly fragile.”

Galen grunted again, because he didn’t have an answer. He had never dreamed that Piper had such stone-cold ruthlessness lurking inside him. It was impressive. It was effective. If the stakes hadn’t been so high, Galen would have been getting hard just watching him. His spongiform erectile tissue was definitely thinking about it. I never used to find competence so arousing. Probably because there’s so little of it in the world.

Maybe it’s the robes.

They reached the door. Piper pushed it open, letting a blaze of late afternoon light into the room. It seemed like an age of the earth had passed, but apparently it had only been a few minutes.

The three men stepped outside and Piper ran his fingers through his hair and said, “Well. I nearly shit myself a few times, how about you gentlemen?”

“You did not look it,” said Stephen. “At all. I would think you politely threatened commanders every day.”

“Oh god.” Piper rubbed his hands over his face, looking suddenly much less like a marble statue and rather more like someone that Galen had kissed on multiple occasions. “I was so afraid he’d call my bluff.”

“Was it a bluff?”

“Mostly. I have no idea what Jorge would say, and nobody could tell timing on a death and an injury that close together. And I know people are far more worried by lich-doctors than they ought to be, but there’s not really anything the lich-doctors could do to him. We’re not going to lie about causes of death. I suppose we could arrange to drag out the paperwork for—mmmff!”

Galen did not ever find out what the lich-doctors might do with the paperwork, because he was busy picking Piper several inches off the ground and kissing him.

After the initial shock, just when Galen was starting to think that he had made a terrible error, Piper’s lips parted and he kissed back with enthusiasm.

Stephen moved several feet away and gazed politely at the architecture.

“I am an absolute fool,” said Galen, setting Piper down before he strained something. “I am the world’s most blithering idiot. I have no idea what I was thinking. You are incredible and I am convinced that if I get out of line, you will have absolutely no problem defending yourself from my stupidity. I don’t know why I thought otherwise. Have I mentioned that you’re incredible?”

Piper was flushed and breathing heavily. “I…uh…”

Galen clutched his head. “I should have apologized first. Before the kissing. Do you want to yell at me? You can. You should. I definitely deserve it.”

“He absolutely does,” called Stephen.

“Are you sure?” asked Piper.

“That I deserve to be yelled at? Yes. Absolutely.”

“I have done entirely too much yelling today,” said Piper. “I really don’t enjoy doing it. No, are you sure about the other bit?”

“I have never been more sure of anything. I should have known better. I am so sorry. I will probably be sorry for the rest of my life.”

“Lovely friezes around here,” said Stephen, to no one in particular. “Or are those bas reliefs?”

“You did all that because you were afraid that…wait, what?”

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