Page 48 of Fox of Fox Hall

“He’s a delicate thing.” The first knight mighthave disapproved or might have liked a delicate thing at his side,Fox couldn’t have said, busy accepting the water he was given anddrinking it without looking up.

The snickering from another part of the tablewas good, even though it was at Fox’s expense, since it meant noone thought Fox was off-balance from a kiss and a few roughlyspoken words. He left the Lorilofts to their mirth and focused onslow sips of cooling water and the murmur of conversation at therest of the table.

“Drashnal’s move was so unexpected, thatI….”

“I fear she’s upset.” Byr Falnya, facing one ofhis relatives, sighed. “I thought it was about the judgment shereceived earlier, which was more than fair. But her mood isactually about some other knight practically kicking her out of bedthis morning.”

“Tournament affairs,” the knight across from Foxremarked, apparently noticing that Fox had been listening.

It made the knight next to Fox snort a laugh.“There’s always a few who get too involved.”

“The hurt shouldn’t last long,” the secondknight was quick to reassure Fox, as if Fox were visibly upset.“It’s a few days of ease and fun. Nothing to risk a heart on.”

ChapterTwenty

At the end of the first day of the tournament,there were many who had done well, with clear champions in severalof the events and others who seemed truly happy to have been groundinto the dust. But of all the competitors, two were especiallynotable for their impressive skill.

None were surprised when Byr Drashnal and ByrConall stood with the others before the king to be congratulated,nor when they were each then given the role of war-leader for thefollowing day’s mock-battle. Conall to lead one side, Drashnal theother.

Conall had played that role before. Byr Drashnalhad not, at least not at a tournament of this size. The knowledgeshould have reduced Fox’s tension but somehow didn’t. Domvoda wasgenial and approving, then sent them on their way, since prizeswould not be handed out until the third day. That signaled thestart of the evening’s festivities, with many byr returning toSaravar with the king to feast and be merry, and others stayingoutside in the cooler evening air to drink, a few even joining thecommoners doing the same.

Fox pressed his lips together while Conall andthe others were addressed by the king and glanced away as theknights left to eat or wash up or get all their carefully hiddeninjuries seen to. He stepped from the box before he could discoverif he was expected to return with Domvoda or had again been left tofend for himself, and waited at a distance until the king’s partywas gone before he went out into the field.

Stars had begun to appear in the darkest part ofthe sky and light breezes stirred the cloth strips on each event’sboundary markers; the kind of night where sleeping out in the opencould be so pleasant that Fox would forget about huddling beneathtrees and hoping he wouldn’t freeze or drown in a surprise floodduring the winters. He walked slowly around the sparring rings anddamaged straw targets that he’d avoided looking at all day, thenapproached a large tent full of knights eating their fill of meatand bread. No wine, surprisingly, but then, they did have an earlymorning and a long day ahead of them.

He took a plum when they called for him to jointhem, and then had some dark bread and tart cheese while politelylistening to their tales of victory or defeat. He asked if any ofthem needed healers and received a chorus of denials and then adetailed list of their aches and bruises. That was all he asked,and yet after he had clucked his tongue sympathetically and teaseda few of them, he was given directions to the healers’ tent, thoughno one thought Conall was there. He was then informed that Conallhad already eaten, and if he was not with the healers, Fox shouldtry his tent.

It was no wonder that Domvoda had heard rumors.The knights were well-meaning, boisterous, andloud. Foxdimly supposed there was no helping it now, and yet the thought ofbeing just as loud and obvious about who he was seeking made himcold all over. Rumors were one thing. So was sharing a room becausethere was nowhere else to go. Even fucking Conall might have beenoverlooked or forgiven by Domvoda, but what would he say if Foxadmitted to his concern for him now, and what would the other byrsay? How would Conall react to Fox’s silliness over what wasnothing more than a tournament affair? Those at court would delightin mocking Fox, and Fox would have no defense, because he shouldhave known better.

Yet he went to the healers’ tent, where he sawRolfi’s lover, who sent Fox off in a new direction, withinstructions to go left and right and left again to find the rowsof tents and sleeping mats. Once there, knights tending gently toeach other’s more minor injuries or playing dice and card gamespointed him toward one tent in the back row without Fox saying aword to them.

Fox was cold but his face burned.

The tent in question was not large, which mighthave been why Conall stood outside to go through a series ofstretches that Fox hadn’t seen him do on the nights they had sleptnext to each other. But they’d had other things on their mindsthen. The stretches might have been to help Conall’s muscles, sincehis motions were slightly stiff. Fox guessed that meant Conall wassore indeed, not that Conall would likely admit to it.

Conall’s boots were gone, along with his shirt,and when he turned at the sound of Fox’s footsteps, the bruise overhis sloped shoulder was visible even in starlight and the glow of afew distant torches. His knight friends had probably been eager togo for the obvious weakness.

Fox kept his furious thoughts about that tohimself.

Conall stepped to the side and opened the flapserving as the tent’s door for Fox to walk in, then followed Foxinside before letting it fall.

Fox could stand straight in the tent but Conallprobably had to duck. Not much was visible in the dark in the firstseconds, hints of shapes to one side, likely armor or weapons.Under Fox’s feet was crushed grass and then softer cushioning, asleeping mat, which he moved away from as he turned to faceConall.

Closer to the door, Conall was easier to makeout than whatever else was in the tent; a giant, slightly crookedshape blocking out the light. With his eyes unused to the dark, Foxcouldn’t determine Conall’s expression. That was what probablyallowed him to surge forward until he bumbled onto Conall’s barefeet in his slippers, and to stay there despite the discomfort hemust have caused. Fox put his lips over the bruise, where Conall’sskin was hottest, then let out a breath.

“Fox?” Conall was hushed, apparently concernedfor who might hear though he had been the one to kiss Fox hungrilywhere anyone could have found them.

Fox slid an arm around Conall’s back the wayConall had done to him. Fox would never lift him, but the memorywas bright and good for all that it also made Fox tremble. He’dtrembled all afternoon and that was Conall’s fault. He wastrembling now, which might have been why Conall barely hesitatedbefore wrapping both arms around Fox and tugging him closer.

He smelled of sweat. Fox didn’t object, but whenhe turned his head to press his cheek to the bruise, Conall tensedand that was enough to have Fox darting away again. He could seeConall’s face now, although his eyes were dark and told Fox little.He stared at Fox for several seconds, then sighed and lowered hisshoulders.

“You’re upset.” He didn’t seem to be guessing.“About earlier.”

“Your friends,” who had done that to Conall butFox wasn’t talking about it, “thought you should be with thehealers. Yet you’re not.” It was not the most important fact tobring up, but it was the one that didn’t make Fox cold again.

“They’re injuries for time to heal,” Conallreturned, then paused. “There is a salve that will do something, ifyou’d like to help me with it. You don’t have to.”

As though Fox didn’t know that. He gave atwitchy frown, then a twitchier nod, then finally agreed aloud incase Conall hadn’t seen the nod.

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