Fire - Kristin Cashore [41]
‘If the king expects me to use my power to interrogate his prisoners he’ll be disappointed,’ Fire said.
Brigan flexed and clenched his sword hand, once. A flicker of something - impatience, or anger. He looked into her eyes for the briefest of moments, and looked away. ‘I don’t imagine the king will compel you to do anything you don’t want to do.’
By which Fire understood that the prince considered it within her power and her intention to control the king. Her face burned, but she lifted her chin a notch and said, ‘I’ll go.’
Archer spluttered. Before he could speak she swung to him and looked up into his eyes. Don’t quarrel with me in front of the king’s brother, she thought to him. And don’t ruin this two months’ peace.
He glared back at her. ‘I’m not the one who ruins it,’ he said, his voice low.
Brocker was accustomed to this; but how must they look to Brigan, staring at each other, having one side of an argument? I won’t do this now. You may embarrass yourself, but you will not embarrass me.
Archer drew in a breath that sounded like a hiss, turned on his heel, and stormed out of the room. He slammed the door, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his wake.
Fire touched a hand to her headscarf and turned back to Brigan. ‘Please forgive our rudeness,’ she said.
Not a flicker in those grey eyes. ‘Of course.’
‘How will you ensure her safety on the journey, Commander?’ Brocker asked quietly. Brigan turned to him, then sat in a chair, resting his elbows on his knees; and his whole manner seemed to change. With Brocker he was suddenly easy and comfortable and respectful, a young military commander addressing a man who could be his mentor.
‘Sir, we’ll ride to King’s City in the company of the entire First Branch. They’re stationed just west of here.’
Brocker smiled. ‘You misunderstand me, son. How will you ensure she’ll be safe from the First Branch? In a force of five thousand there’ll be some with the mind to hurt her.’
Brigan nodded. ‘I’ve hand-picked a guard of twenty soldiers who can be trusted to care for her.’
Fire crossed her arms and bit down hard. ‘I don’t need to be cared for. I can defend myself.’
‘I don’t doubt it, Lady,’ Brigan said mildly, looking into his hands,
‘but if you’re to ride with us you’ll have a guard nonetheless. I can’t transport a civilian female in a party of five thousand men on a journey of nearly three weeks and not provide a guard. I trust you to see the sense in it.’
He was talking around the fact that she was a monster who provoked all the worst kinds of behaviour. And now that her temper was done flaring, she did see the sense in it. Truly, she’d never pitted herself against five thousand men before. She sat down. ‘Very well.’
Brocker chuckled. ‘If only Archer were here to see the powers of rational argument.’
Fire snorted. Archer wouldn’t consider her allowance of the guard to be evidence of the powers of rational argument. He’d take it as proof that she was in love with whichever of her guards was most handsome.
She stood up again. ‘I’ll ready myself,’ she said, ‘and ask Donal to ready Small.’
Brigan stood with her, his face closed again, impassive. ‘Very good, Lady.’
‘Will you wait here with me, Commander?’ Brocker said. ‘I’ve a thing or two to tell you.’
Fire scrutinised Brocker. Oh? What do you need to tell him?
Brocker had too much class for a one-sided argument. He also possessed a mind so clear and strong that he could open a feeling to her with perfect precision, so that it came to her practically as a sentence. I want to give him military advice, Brocker thought to her.
Mildly reassured, Fire left them.
WHEN SHE GOT to her bedroom Archer was sitting in a chair against the wall. Taking a liberty with his presence, for it wasn’t his room to enter without invitation. But she forgave him. Archer couldn’t abandon the responsibilities of his house and farms so suddenly in order to travel with her. He would stay behind, and they would be a long time apart - almost six weeks to