Page 56 of Stone
Chapter 30
Ambush
“I go. Wait.”
Her order to him wasn’t clear, but he was able to get the gist of it. She was going out and would return. His initial reaction was to go with her, but when she glanced over his naked body, he knew he couldn’t leave without proper clothing. Reluctantly, he gave her a kiss to send her on her way and returned to his meal, whichwasn’t too bad.
His humanity had come full circle. First it had been the thirst, then the hunger. Last night he had enjoyed sex with Brielle in a way he’d never imagined possible. And now…
He got up from the table and went into the bathroom. In many ways it reminded him of some of the lavatories from his time. Except this one was far advanced from the simple seat witha hole in it, where the waste would be collected in a bucket underneath.
He pressed the lever the way he’d observed Brielle do it. The water in the bowl swirled and vanished down what he assumed was a pipe. With one simple flush, he’d reached the end of his transformation. He was fully human again. Once more, he wasGarenthbin Al-Emin—soldier, warrior, and general.Of nothing.
He sighed, exasperated. When she returned, they were going back to the museum to meet up withKelling. He could only assume that her leaving had something to do with obtaining him proper apparel before they travelled.
Garenthscanned the large basin where he’d washed. It and the walls were splattered with dried blood. A thick sludge of what he’d removed from himself restedat the bottom. The floor was also coated with mud and blood droplets.
“I created this mess. Therefore I am obligated to clean it.”
Picking up one of the stained rags that Brielle had used for a compress, he turned on the spigot hanging over the basin and proceeded to wipe down the walls.
The work felt good. Long-unused muscles protested, but he persisted.Even when he had been a general, he had availed himself to performing menial tasks. Although some of his fellow officers used servants for the more mundane chores, he had always chosen to do them himself. Servants were known to be lazy, and on rare occasion, resort to thievery if they felt they could get away with it. By doing his own tasks, he knew they would be done to his satisfaction. That,and he wouldn’t become fat and lazy as some officers grew to be when they weren’t directly involved in battle.
Besides, it was the least he could do to help Brielle, given everything she had done for him.
Rather than try to find a container to put the mucky refuse in, he flushed it down the toilet. The bloody walls didn’t take as much effort as he’d first thought. Thewall was made of a type of stone that enabled his wet rag to glide over the surface.
When he was done cleaning the large basin, he turned off the spigot. Getting on his hands and knees, he used the water in the toilet to scrub the floor. The soiled and bloodied towels he piled outside the door, for her to do with as she needed since he had no idea how laundry was handled in thisera.
He was almost finished with his chore when he heard the sound of someone fiddling with the lock on the front door.Garenthfroze and listened, on the off chance that it might not be Brielle returning. He was relieved when the door finally opened, but the sound of Brielle’s voice threw up warning flags. She was arguing, no, pleading with someone. There was definite fear in hertone.
He pressed himself against the inner wall, beside the doorway, and strained his ears. A male voice answered her, and his threats were clear even toGarenth.
He glanced down at his nude body. Without his stone covering, he was vulnerable to this era’s strange swords. He was defenseless, without armor or a weapon, to help Brielle...
Unless I draw himto me.
He looked around to see if there was something he could use to bait the intruder, when he heard Brielle speak again. This time she was coming toward the bedroom. If the intruder came with her, whichGarenthbelieved he would, they would pass by the bathroom door without noticing him there. To be certain, he flipped the switch to turn off the magic candles that lit the room.
He caught Brielle’s scent before she walked past the bathroom door. She moved stiffly, which emphasized her fear. He saw her look toward the bed, and his thoughts echoed what she must be thinking. Did this intruder mean to physically harm her? The idea of the man sexually assaulting her made his gut tighten.
He took care to remain out of her line of sight. If she sawhim, it might alert the intruder and ruin the element of surprise.
She moved next to the bed and stopped.Do not turn around, Brielle. Do not turn around or you will see me and give away my presence.
He knew she had to be wondering where he was, where he could be hiding.
Move to the other side of the bed, closer to the clear wall. A little further, mybeloved.
My beloved. The revelation was real and true. And the feeling that filled him with the realization was both new and overwhelming.
The male intruder spoke again. Brielle halted, her back still to him. She replied, and the intruder’s arm finally came into view, his magic sword pointed at her.
Garenthmoved swiftly and silently. He grabbed the man’soutstretched arm at the wrist and snapped it backwards. At the same time, he wrapped his other arm around the man’s neck and throat, getting him in a headlock. The man screamed in pain from the separated hand. The weapon went off, but the boo-let struck the opposite wall.
Brielle whirled around, panicked, her eyes wide with fear.Garenthgave her a quick visual inspection but didn’tsee any injuries.
The man struggled in vain. She saw the broken wrist and peeled the weapon from his nerveless fingers. She got into his face and demanded something. The guy spat something back, which she didn’t like, and she slapped the man’s face so hard, he must have bit his tongue. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of the man’s mouth.
