Page 67 of The Night Prince

“Yes,” Rhalyf yawned.

The two Aravae exchanged looks and then glared at him simultaneously.

“He’s oneVulluin–”

“He’s a very skilled one, to be sure.I would expect no less for a bartender at the Dawn.”Rhalyf polished the nails of his right hand against his tunic.They were calling Declan aVulluinnow without that extra sneer, which meant that they believed he was human.“And the two of you…” Here, he shrugged.“Well, I’m sure thatfightingisn’t your regular job.”

The female Aravae lunged towards him, but her male counterpart stuck a hand out in front of her.That was the smartest thing he’d done that night.Rhalyf regarded them both with hooded eyes though he was still smiling.

“We’re trying towarnyou about the king’s safety,” the male Aravae ground out, clearly aggrieved.“You’re not taking this seriously.”

“No, I’m not.Because itisn’tserious,” Rhalyf suddenly snapped.

His good humor vanished.He was standing up tall instead of slouching.His eyes burned with anger.The two Aravae actually cowered away from him.Declan fully turned to face him.Quiet and unreadable.

“You have dishonored yourselves and, more importantly, thekingwith your pathetic attempts to sneak up on a single young man and beat him in the dark,” Rhalyf snarled. “Aquilan doesn’t need yourprotection.He doesn’t need yourconcern.He needs people like you to get out of his sight andneverstep back into it.Do you understand?”

The two were definitely cowering now.His magic flowed out of him in cold waves.They took a few steps back and then they turned on their heels and ran off into the forested area behind the Dawn.Rhalyf waited until he was sure that they weren’t going to double back, not yet anyways, before he let the magic go and turned to face Declan with a rather jaunty smile on his lips.

“That’s handled.”Rhalyf brushed his hands together. “All in a good night’s work.Well, aren’t you going to thank me?”

“For what?”Declan asked flatly.

“They’re certainly not going to darken the Dawn’s door again and, more importantly, they aren’t going to be telling anyone how you are not aVulluin,” Rhalyf put extra emphasis on the Katyr word.

Declan stared at him without blinking.“Why did you lie to them?”

“Lie?I don’t recall lying–”

“Helgrom did not set up that fight with the orcs,” Declan stated flatly.“You know this.”

“Do I know this?How can you be sure?”Rhalyf countered. Did the young man not see what agifthe had just given him? “You shouldhopeI believe it.”

“King Aquilan knows that I’m no threat to him,” Declan said quietly.“I have no intention of… going anywhere near him.”

“Except to bring him wine, stare at him longingly, have him–”

“That was a mistake!I…” Declan grimaced.

“You promised to take care of him before you left on this folly of a mission.”Rhalyf narrowed his eyes.

“To bring him wine and food.Like you said earlier.That’s all.I’m a bartender.He’s a king.How often will he come to the Dawn?”Declan almost sounded like he wanted Rhalyf to tell him lies.

“Helgrom is his good friend.I imagine he will come here often,” Rhalyf said truthfully.

And where did that leave him?This young man with the powerful magic was dangerous.But was he dangerous to Aquilan?No.But he could be dangerous to Rhalyf. Yet getting rid of Declan… He remembered the look in Aquilan’s eyes.The affection.The fondness.The tenderness.If Declan met an untimely end Aquilan would not let that go.

What if he just mysteriously disappeared?

Aquilan would not let that go either.So death or disappearance were out.What did that leave?

Maybe I am just getting soft.

“Which means thatyouneed to take better care to keep your–yourself,” Rhalyf gestured to him generally, “from drawing so much attention.No more orc fights, if you can help it.No more going out into the Sun and collapsing.Don’t you have anAdiva?”

Declan stared at him as if he had two heads.“What is anAdiva?”

Rhalyf studied him.Was Declan playing dumb?He honestly seemed not to know.The magical cloak was gone around him too as if it had never been.He nearly touched his ownAdiva, the gold and ruby necklace he wore.It kept his glamour firmly in place and protected him from the Sun’s rays.

---