Downworld

Chapter 24

The border guards confirmed that Tinder, Isamu and the others had made it through, and then gone immediately to the castle. I thanked them, and they gave me weird looks, but fuck them, it wasn't that weird; I'd thanked people before, I think.

I hurried to the castle myself.

I hadn't even stepped through the big doors into the entrance hall when I heard the yelling. I paused long enough to figure out that the two voices were Malik and his father. Kip was on door duty, and took the opportunity to snark. 'Yeah, they're fighting about you. Bit of a dipshit move there, going by yourself.'

'I took Isamu,' I said, as though it had been my idea.

He snorted. 'Just get in there, before the Prince sets the place on fire, would you?'

I went, finding Tinder and her father, Isamu, Kean and the kids all well, all standing in the hallway with Malik and Daud and about a dozen members of their households just watching as father and son argued.

'You're not fighting about me, are you?' I said and Malik whirled. He crossed the distance and wrapped me in a hug so tight I could barely breathe. I hugged him back. 'I'm okay. I said I would be.'

He drew away. 'You also said you'd take your retainers. Fucking hell, Jay.'

I had to smirk, he almost never swore. 'Hey, watch your mouth around the kids.'

Malik frowned and made to take my bloody hand and to look at its new, but closing, wound. Usually, I would've just let him fuss, but usually I wasn't half-drunk with the energy of a noble and three guardians. I caught his hand, and twisted it away, though not painfully. He blinked at me, surprised. I kissed him.

The Red King cleared his throat. 'Perhaps we can see to your family first, Jay? Before you two become indisposed.'

Malik pulled away, eyes firmly on his feet.

Tinder stepped forward, shifting the baby on her hip, and said, 'we'd like to swear to Malik.'

'Me?' Malik said.

Normally, such refugees would swear to the ruler of whatever territory they'd fled to, but it wasn't unusual for them to chose some other noble, or in this case royal, to seek refuge under.

Tinder shrugged. 'We could swear to your dad, but we'd end up swearing to you when he died. Why go through this again?'

Malik opened his mouth to protest the implication that he'd be taking over the territory after his father died. Then he glanced at me, no doubt remembering long discussions about this very thing. 'Fine. Let's go sit down at least.'

We filed into a sitting room. As we went, I caught the Red King's eye. He nodded his approval. Tinder would be the first. After her parents and mine, and my half-sisters and other cousins, and anyone else who stumbled out of the Labyrinth that day so long as I could intercept them first, Malik would have enough guardians and retainers to ensure his safety when the time came. With the loyalty of most of his father's guardians and retainers, he could take the territory without a fight. Or at least without much of one.