Page 57 of Tristan
“I’ll talk to him. I’ll talk with Corrik and make him see it was my fault."
“Please don’t. I deserve this and if I don’t serve some kind of punishment, it will eat me alive. Corrik knows this too; he is a wise Top, though I did try to bargain a spanking out of him. Buthe makes the punishments, not I,” he recites in a mocking voice. “I care about you a lot, Tristan, and I am torn up that the first harm you came by was on my watch. I’m sorry and I swear I’ll make it up to you, even if I’m stuck on the palace guard for the next five years.”
“It could be that long?”
“It could be longer. Alrik, Corrik’s eldest brother, once sentenced Corrik to a ten-year restriction to the palace for an offense far smaller than this.”
Right. Elves. Immortality. Ten years is a blink to them. Still I couldn’t imagine being grounded that long. “A Top can be punished too?”
“Yes,” he nods. “By anyone who is elder. No one is free of consequences in Mortouge.”
“What was he punished for?”
“Disrespect.”
“That’s all?”
“You have seen Corrik’s temper. It was several times too many, and he had been warned. Even the king agreed to that one.”
Wow.
Corrik wasn’t just lenient with me, he’d barely punished me at all. Maybe I do have him wrapped around my little Markaytian finger.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, Corrik may come spank you yet. I ratted you out for telling me about the Rogue Elves,” I say.
He smiles his big Diekin smile. “Thank you, brother, and look at me with no gift for you.”
“There’s more. Corrik said we could hang out. He was quite vague about it so I’m assuming that means you’re released for a time. He also seemed certain we wouldn’t have any more problems with Rogue Elves, at least while aboard the ship.”
“Yes. It does mean that. You must put him in a good mood for him to be giving rewards so soon. And yes, the king joined the royal guard and Corrik on a hunt into every crevice of the ship today. He and Corrik used their magic; they found no more stowaways.”
That was probably the true reason behind the type of punishment he doled out—get Tristan out of the way; keep him out of danger while we search the ship.
“What happened after I left with the Rogue Elf? Did you kill him or was it Corrik?”
Diekin shakes his head. “He died, Tristan. He had been buying time by answering our questions and stalling with his begging while he gathered strength enough for one last bout of magic. He didn’t give himself away until the end when he became weak, which is ironically the time the magic built up in him was the strongest. It does not offer him any protection, immunity, or personal strength; it’s something that once gathered must be released. Once released, it takes with itthe essence—the life force—of the Elf. He died the moment he unleashed his power on you.”
“A suicide?” Why do the Rogue Elves want me dead?
Diekin nods. “But enough of this morose talk. Corrik is giving me a break to hang out with one of my new favorite people. Let’s get out of here.”
CHAPTER 15
There’s not a lot to do on a ship—even a large ship—when you’re not crew that is. Diekin and I are ready to volunteer as crew by the end of our eventless journey around the ship. I think I might like to get attacked again over this monotony. I enjoy Diekin’s company but compared to my everyday life with Lucca in Markaytia, it’s dull. We spend some time with our legs over the bow, watching the water as the ship gently cuts through it, tossing us about and even Diekin almost loses his balance several times, a hair’s breadth from being tossed overboard. I doubt this is what Corrik would’ve wanted us to do, but he’s not around. We haven’t even bumped into him during our expedition about the ship.
“You look bored, young Warlord.”
“Sorry, Diekin. I am.”
“I shouldn’t do this, if we get caught it will seal my fate as avillageguard for decades, but I owe you for what’s happened, and I can’t stand to see you like you are.”
I would tell him he doesn’t owe me anything, but he insists and drags me to a level of the ship I haven’t seen, yet another place Corrik left out of his tour ofmyship. We walk along the edge of the top deckuntil we reach a set of stairs that takes us far below the world. Diekin keeps smiling and looking back at me like we are great co-conspirators on an adventure. I smell trouble, but after hours of boredom, it’s hard to turn down the first bit of fun we follow.
The loud, cheering crowd can be heard from a distance, and we must move toward the direction of the bow before we see it. A crowd composed of members of our guard—large, strong male and female elves, who are said to have the quickest hands and smoothest battle technique in all the kingdoms. They stand in an oblong circle with their eyes set to the two Elves in the center. It’s a battle. I can’t see the details of them from where I stand, but I can see the flash of their mighty, wide-bladed swords as the sun dies behind them, slowly setting into the horizon.
The smaller Elf takes a swing, the crowd takes a collective breath and when his sword comes down, the larger Elf dances out of the way of his blade and the crowd cheers wildly.
I push my way closer; Diekin remains hot on my heels. Other than the other night with Diekin and the Rogue Elf, I’ve never seen two Elves fight before. The two Elves are shirtless, and both have shimmering blond hair that flows down their backs, swishing and moving with every sharp thrust. When I’m close enough, I recognize his large sword first, the glowing tattoos on his back second. When he circles around, I can see his face and I freeze in place—my Corrik is one of the fighters.
