Page 11 of These Violent Delights

“Is he known for keeping his word?What kind of goblin is he?”she asked the steward.

“He has a good reputation,” the steward said slowly.“A feared warrior.He lost his wife to childbed fever.The child was stillborn.”

She winced.“So he's a seasoned leader and a warrior with a good reputation.Good to know.I think we should take a little more time to talk about this.Meanwhile, I think I should ‘allow’ him to stay in the hills,” she said dryly.“It's not as if we could push him out.”

“True,” Uncle Tank said.“At least his presence should deter any of the briar wolves.”

She nodded.“I think that would be best.”She looked over the wall.“I'm going to take the night to think about it.I'm not going to marry you, but I'll consider your offer of alliance.We will meet here at noon tomorrow, and I will give you my decision.”

“Tomorrow then.”He inclined his head and rode away.

She watched him go thoughtfully.“It's a pity he wouldn't take Lady Divine.”

“Don't be in such a hurry to give someone like her any power.It might seem like a good way to get rid of her, but don't underestimate her.She's an evil little imp and would gladly gut you to take your place.”

“I hear you.I'll watch my back.”

“I'll watch your back.You're going to need eyes front to deal with Redbone,” her uncle predicted.

??

The castle obligingly enlarged the kitchen and made a passage to the cellar.There were still casks and bottles of wine and spirits leftover from her father's reign, which was a welcome discovery.

While it was at it, the castle fortified the outer walls and enlarged the barracks and stables.

Welcome as that was, Zelda finally forced a halt.She was so tired, it was as if she had dug the cellar herself.As much as she wanted the castle in good repair, she wasn't a mule.She had technical, brainy work to do as well, and she needed energy left for that.

She needed to enforce boundaries on the castle so she had some energy reserves to deal with the mundane and any emergencies that might arise.The castle had waited this long to rejuvenate; it could learn patience.

Dinner was barbecue mutton sandwiches (assembled the old-fashioned way, without magic).She didn't want to discuss the treaty, but it had to be done.Not surprisingly, they agreed it would be for the best and discussed terms.

At the very least, they could get soldiers and battle rams out of it.

“Are you sure you're not interested in marrying him?”the steward asked carefully.“He does have a lot to recommend him, but there are other fine men in the village.”

Zelda laughed.“I didn't come all this way to go husband hunting.I'm trying to get the castle in order.If I must be here, then I'm going to make it count.I certainly don't need to marry the first tribal chieftain who rides in off the plains.”

Marriage was so far down on her priority list, it wasn't even a footnote.Besides, marrying a stranger and hoping he would fix all of her problems was a fool's gambit.

Maybe, in a year or two, if she found someone who was capable of dealing with the challenges that a castle entailed, then she would think about marriage.Only hard work would fix what was wrong around here.

Zelda expected her to-do list would keep her up, but she slept like a drunken old auntie, passed out and snoring.

It seemed like she’d just closed her eyes when her bed shook, jogging her awake.She blinked groggily at the glowing flowers and glanced at the window.Instead of dawn, she saw the glare of firelight and heard the distant sound of explosions.

That clearly called for investigation.

Zelda didn’t respond well to emergencies in the middle of the night.She had always been a deep sleeper, and the sudden jolt of urgency left her disoriented.The castle, sensing her distress, helped by laying out clothes on the bed for her.

In the dim light, Zelda fumbled into the garments, her fingers clumsy and uncooperative.She grabbed the boots and struggled to pull them on, her mind racing ahead to the chaos she knew awaited outside.The muffled sounds of distant screams and the faint, acrid smell of burning filled her with a mix of dread and determination.Even though she wasn’t at her best, Zelda knew she had to act.Her people needed her, and there was no time to waste.

“Hurry, my lady!We’re under attack.”Digger appeared as if from nowhere, surprising a scream out of her.Ignoring her fright, he said urgently, “My people report that the Beast Queen has sent flying jellyfish against us.”

Zelda grappled with that.“Did you say flying jellyfish?”

Digger ushered her out to the castle wall so that she could see for herself.Sure enough, clouds of translucent tentacled jellyfish swarmed through the air, occasionally exploding.Toxic purple goo rained down, burning like acid, judging by the screams from the village.The barrier around the castle protected them, but it wasn't doing anything for the village.

Zelda's heart pounded as she saw the jellyfish explode on the ward, leaving clouds of stinking smoke.Everything was too loud, too chaotic, too freaking early, and she wasn't sure what to do.

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