Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 (47 page)

Leaf swallowed back his rage. “Adam can look at those for you.”

She looked at the bruises and shook her head. “I want them.”

“You won’t need them to remember.”

“I know.” She looked back up at him. “I’m scared,” she said softly.

“He won’t come near you again. I promise you that,” he said sternly.

“Not about that,” she said as she took some uneven breaths but still no tears.

“What then?”

She bit her lip. “About Adam.”

He frowned at her. “He’s outside.”

She looked toward the door.

“What are you scared of, Syney?”

She continued to stare at the door for a moment. “He’s not going to want me anymore.”

He bit back his immediate thought. Telling her that she was crazy wasn’t the best thing to say right now. “He’s been beating himself up because he can’t help you. I promise you don’t have anything to be scared about.”

“But I’m used now,” she said. “Broken. Dirty.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not.”

“You can say it, but it doesn’t help the way I feel.”

Leaf sighed and looked at his hands for a moment. “Right now he’s as scared as you are, thinking you won’t want him anymore.”

“Really?” she asked, her voice cracking.

He nodded. “Let me get him. And then you can try to get some sleep.”

Syney stared off into space for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding.

Leaf stood and walked to the door, silently thanking the gods she’d agreed. He hadn’t been sure if he could tell Adam that she didn’t want to see him. He opened the door and motioned with his head for Adam to enter the room.

He hesitated for a moment before walking through the doorway.

Leaf went to stand across the room, not wanting to interfere, but he had no thoughts on actually leaving the room. He was on Syney duty now. He stayed back but watched as Adam slowly walked over to the bed, spinning a solid silver ring he was wearing on his finger. When he got close, Syney finally looked at him, her face crumbling and sobs breaking free from her mouth as tears poured out of her eyes. Adam quickly got onto the bed as she reached out to grab hold of him. She cried into his chest as he rested his cheek on top of her head. After a moment he looked at Leaf and gave him a sad smile.
This is only the beginning
, Leaf thought. But it was a good beginning. He turned and sat on one of the couches, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Grass played with the bandage in the crook of his hand as he walked with Mellisandrianna to the council meeting. Even after three days, the bite hurt like hell, but it was a price he’d been willing to pay. He smiled at his own accomplishments.

“What are you smiling about?” the queen demanded in her usual tired tone. It had gotten only more so over the last few weeks.

“Nothing, Your Majesty,” he said.

“Fine. Whatever. This meeting shouldn’t be too long,” she said, stopping in front of the council room. “Then we need to have a talk. It’s time, I fear.”

Grass nodded, and she disappeared into the room. He’d been preparing for this moment. He had turned a few guards to his cause; unfortunately Syney’s first Protector wasn’t one of them. But that didn’t matter much in the long run. Reed was young, which was something he could take advantage of. All he needed to do was take Reed and Syney at the same time. He looked around the Great Hall and spotted Leaf walking stoically toward the council room.
Talk about weak
, he thought. The man didn’t deserve the title of head guard. Farmers from wall towns shouldn’t be serving on the council or training actual warriors. He was making the whole institution one big joke.

Leaf glanced at him as he approached and was about to walk into the room when he stopped and looked at Grass’s hand.

Grass eyed him. “You have a problem?”

“Your hand hurt?” Leaf asked.

Grass smiled. Figured. He was the lapdog of the seated queen. “Like hell. Some cow bit me. You should know about that. Right, farmer boy?”

Leaf stared at him through eyes like slits. After a moment he took a step closer to him so he was only about a foot away. “I need you to know that I know exactly what I’m going to do right now and what it will mean. But it’s going to be absolutely worth it.”

“What are you gonna—” Grass stopped as Leaf’s fist struck his face hard. Before he could react, he felt Leaf’s knee in his chest and his feet fall from under him. He looked up from the floor and stared at him. Leaf was still looking for a fight; he could tell. Grass snickered and spat some blood out of his mouth as he got to his feet. “You’ll regret that,” he said, just before lunging at the other wolf.

It was a pretty even fight, with no one really having the upper hand. Grass kicked Leaf off him sometime into the fight and realized that a crowd had gathered around them. He smiled.
It’s always better with a crowd
, he thought, as he countered a few punches and landed some of his own. At one point Leaf grabbed his arm and bent it backward. Grass howled out in pain as his arm snapped and threw a punch with his other arm, hitting Leaf square in the jaw. The two grabbed at each other again, but something, some unseen force, sent them both flying backward. Grass cradled his broken arm as he looked up at Mellisandrianna who held her arms out toward both men.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.

“He attacked me,” Grass said, spitting out more blood.

She looked at Leaf. “Is this true?”

He stood and put his arms behind his back. “It is, Your Majesty.”

She shook her head and turned to a group of guards standing close to her. “Get Grass to the infirmary, and take Leaf into custody.”

“
No!
”

Everyone looked at Syney, who now stood at the front of the crowd with her social-climbing partner next to her.

“Do you have a problem?” Mellisandrianna demanded.

“It’s just…”She looked at Leaf, who shook his head. She sighed. “We should discuss this at the council meeting.”

The queen nodded. “Agreed. It’s best to deal with this as soon as possible. Take him to the council room.”

Two guards grabbed Leaf’s arms and escorted him to the council room. Grass stood and grimaced through the pain. Another guard came to his side, but he refused the help. Pain was nothing to him. He looked at Syney and found her staring at him. He smiled and licked his lips as he passed her. That bitch had nothing on him. And now he had the upper hand with the guards. It was a good day.

“This isn’t fair,” Syney whispered, eyeing everyone at the table. Most of the council members were shifting uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure whether they were conflicted about what was about to occur or if they just didn’t like unpleasant things. Unfortunately she assumed it was the second scenario. Mellisandrianna seemed the calmest, seated at the head of the table, looking almost bored as they waited for the Lycin council to arrive. Leaf stood a few feet from the queen in his usual stoic manner, his hands behind his back as he looked at the ground. Although one of the elders, seeing how visibly upset Syney was, had told her violence against others wasn’t punishable by death, Syney was still overly anxious to see what the actual punishment was. It was because of her that Leaf was in this mess. She had seen the bandage on Grass’s hand once they’d stopped fighting, and his voice triggered images she prayed she wouldn’t have to live through again.

“It’s OK,” Adam whispered as he squeezed her hand.

“It’s not. It’s all my fault.”

He looked at her for a moment, blinking a few times then looking away. Syney watched as the muscles in his jaw flexed. “I forgot something in our room. I’ll be right back,” he said, standing up.

Syney grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. “Don’t you dare, Adam Blaine. I don’t need you also getting into trouble because of me.”

Adam sighed and leaned into her. “Grass deserves more than just a broken arm.”

“And he’ll get it one day. But not at your expense.” Syney kissed him on the cheek. “But thank you.”

He gave her a small smile as the five elder Lycins entered the room. They took seats around the council table, and Mellisandrianna sat forward. “Finally. Let’s get this over with,” she said. “Let the record show that all five members of the Lycin Council are present and will be assisting in the sentencing of Commander Leaf of House Fall.”

“Noted,” Justice said, scribbling.

“Now let me start by saying that violence against one’s own kind is the most dishonorable act one can commit. And for it to be committed by one who is supposed to be a leader—a role model for so many—makes it all the more distasteful.” Mellisandrianna’s face crinkled in disgust. “I ask this again, to make sure there’s no doubt for the official record. Commander Leaf, did you attack Protector Grass?”

“I did,” Leaf said, barely moving.

“Well then, I have no reason to prolong this anymore. I hand his fate over to the Lycin Council.”

“Wait!” Syney, exclaimed rising from her seat. “Don’t we get to discuss this?”

The queen looked over at her. “What exactly do you want us to discuss? He confessed.”

Syney shook her head. “But there might be a reason.”

Mellisandrianna nodded. “Good point. Commander, was there a reason for the attack?”

Leaf looked down the table at Syney, his eyes sad. “No.”

“I believe that does it then,” she said with a nod toward one of the Lycin elders. “What has the council decided?”

The oldest of them, the one closest to the queen, cleared his throat. “In the past a dishonorable discharge from guard service always has been the punishment. However, since the commander has put in so many years of outstanding service, we recommend the matter be dismissed with a warning.”

Mellisandrianna stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. “No.”

“Your Majesty?”

“I can’t have guards thinking they can do whatever they want, especially when it involves violence. Commander Leaf needs to serve as an example, even if he is head guard. The punishment of discharge of guard duty will stand. Please call an assembly to announce this to all guards.”

The elder Lycin nodded slowly, clearly deflated.

Syney bit her lip and looked at Leaf, her guilt and pain growing with every second. He was staring at the floor, wearing the oddest expression. She could
have sworn he was smiling. But that was crazy, right? Why would he smile over the fact that he just lost his position? She shook away the thought as Leaf was led away and Mellisandrianna continued with the meeting.

The second it was over, Syney raced out of the room, followed closely by Adam. “I’m assuming we’re going to see Leaf?” he asked, falling into step next to her.

She nodded. “I can’t believe that just happened!”

Adam gently pulled Syney to a stop. “He knew what he was doing, Syn.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Think about it. If he figured out that Grass attacked you, he could have gone after him in a much more private place. He chose to do this in public. He knew what would happen.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. Unless he doesn’t want to be a guard anymore.”

Adam shrugged.

With a sigh, Syney continued down the hall. If that was true, she wanted to hear it from Leaf’s own mouth. She banged on his door the second she was within reach and didn’t stop until he answered with an exasperated expression.

“I did hear you the first time,” he said with an edge of humor to his voice.

Syney gave him an angry look and pushed him into the room. “Why did you do that?” she yelled.

Leaf looked away from her and shook his head. “It was my choice.”

She rolled her eyes and glanced back at Adam, who was slowly shutting the door behind him. “I can’t believe this!”

“Syney, just relax and talk to him,” Adam said calmly. He had done everything calmly lately. Not that she was mad about that. He had been her rock over the past few days.

She sighed and addressed Leaf. “I don’t like the fact that you’re not a guard anymore, and it’s all my fault.”

“Actually it’s my own fault,” Leaf said, leaning against his desk. “I knew what the consequences would be if I attacked him.”