Page 8 of Suffer No Fools
"There's another disk by his ankle." Tovey opened his eyes.
"It's a tracker," Vadim said. "That bitch. She can use the earth weaver who placed it to track him anywhere."
"It's a good thing you killed her earth weaver," Yvette said.
"There's no guarantee he's the one who placed it." Vadim stood and began pacing the length of the room, the way Hugo often did.
"It's a good guess," Hugo said. "Gultan was the only earth weaver she kept by her side. I remember waking from a nap and he was in my room while my other guards were outside. It was ... strange."
"Where was Coryn?" Vadim asked.
"With him." Hugo laughed. "Don't worry. The earth weaver didn't ruin my virtue."
Vadim sighed. "I wish Klaus wouldn't have given you all those ridiculous romances."
"Romances are not ridiculous," Klaus said from behind them. "What did I miss?"
"We're removing another bit of iron from Hugo, and then we'll take the three disks to Niall to see if he can melt them to nothing with his hottest fire."
"Then we'll let you rest," Tovey said as he withdrew his hand from Hugo's grip. It had felt so natural, he'd forgotten about it.
He rushed to finish the braid while Yvette and Vadim discussed the iron lodged between the delicate bones of Hugo's foot. He'd finished and knotted a bit of leather around the tail before they were ready to begin, and he offered his hands to Hugo once more.
"This one will hurt worse, if I had to guess," Tovey said. "Breathe with me."
Hugo nodded. He inhaled sharply when Yvette made her first cut. Then, they both heard an unnatural pop, and Hugo dropped his head to the table with a groan.
"Had to break it," Yvette said. "We'll heal you back up, good as new."
"You're so strong." Tovey didn't dare grip Hugo's hands too tightly, lest he add to his discomfort, but he squeezed, and Hugo squeezed back. "Resilient, like a storm torch."
Hugo's inhales were broken and wheezing, but he kept breathing with Tovey, in and out, until Yvette howled in triumph and a piece of metal clanged in the tin cup they'd used to collect the other two disks.
Tovey searched Hugo for more iron, and then for other remnants of metal or wood, but found nothing. "That should be all," he said. "I won't rule out other methods of tracking you."
"True." Vadim kneeled beside them once more. "Let's test the amulet again. May I?" He offered his hand, and Hugo dropped the iron-wrapped black stone with thick veins of green into Vadim's hand.
Vadim clasped it tight, and Hugo shook his head. "No different."
Vadim stood and walked to the nearest sail wall.
"Still awake," Hugo called.
Vadim slipped out of sight beyond the sail. His heavy steps continued farther than Tovey thought possible. Finally, he stopped. "Now?"
"Still here," Hugo shouted. He grinned at Tovey. "Thank you for braiding my hair. I've had to braid it myself for the last five years, and I can't make it look like a fish bone by myself. Do you know how to braid like that?"
"That's how I braided my pony's hair," Tovey confirmed. "This will hold you over until wash day. Then, we'll get you cleaned up on deck, and I'll braid your hair afterward."
"I'd like that."
"Stan gives the best massages," Tovey whispered, remembering their promise to be together with Hugo, whatever that entailed. "I'm sure he could massage your back while I braid your hair."
"Wash day, then."
Hugo's gaze held too much open lust, and Tovey had to look away. His imagination flashed to another sight entirely, of Stan fucking into Hugo while Tovey had ahold of his braid, guiding Hugo's mouth on his cock. He hopped to his feet, his cheeks burning. Gods. They were supposed to help Hugo find his joy, not his kinks.
The image plagued him as he tried to settle into his sail to sleep for the day. Meanwhile, Stan snored away in the next sail over, oblivious as usual.
