“He’s threatened a member of the ruling family.” Lomar’s voice rose above the crowd. “He must be arrested.”
“Hold,” the captain bellowed. “This man bears the mark of the royal family. Anyone who harms him faces death.” The crowd was growing rowdier by the second, splitting into two camps, depending on who they supported. The guards circled them, holding the people back from getting too close.
Heedless of the danger, Jamaeh rushed to his side. A guard lunged for her, but she gave him the slip. He wanted to wrap his arms around her to keep her safe but needed his hands free. “I can’t leave you alone for two minutes, can I?” She ran her hand over his arm, fingering the burn hole in his shirt.
“Battlesuit,” he reminded her.
“You keep saying that. Yet I still worry.” Lines of tension furrowed her brow, and she bit her lip. There was so much they needed to talk about.
“Stand back by the wall. Be ready if we have to run.” He kept his voice low.
She gave a nod and faded back to stand beside Esau. Reaching out, she took his hand and tugged him toward her. The guards were too busy watching the scene in front of them to notice. And they likely didn’t believe she was foolish enough to try to run.
“I chose to let him have that one shot.” Zaxe pulled a knife from a pocket in his cloak and twirled it around. Everyone went silent, no one wanting to miss a word of the exchange. “I could have killed him.”
His uncle snorted. “I don’t think so.”
Zaxe smiled. “Want to test me?”
Chapter Seventeen
Jamaeh’s palms were sweating. She surreptitiously rubbed her free one against her cloak. When Samar had shot at Zaxe, she’d been unable to breathe. It didn’t matter that Zaxe had lied to her. Okay, he hadn’t lied, but he’d withheld the truth.
With good reason.
He was a member of the ruling family. The eldest son. The rightful ruler of the territory.
Esau turned a worried gaze on her when she shivered. She shook her head and then gave her chin a quick jerk toward the nearby lane. His eyes widened, and then he nodded. There was a new maturity about him. The happy-go-lucky smile gone from his face, a gravity in his eyes. He’d aged so much in the past week. Damn Helldrick. At least he was dead and could never hurt them again.
If they survived.
He might be wearing a battlesuit, but Zaxe—and he’d always be Zaxe to her, no matter his real name—had been fighting and traveling, working on little or no sleep for days. He had to be bruised and tired and hungry. Lomar might be older, but he was rested. Not that she thought he’d fight. He was more a politician than a true leader.
The air was hot and stale, the crowd closing in around them. It was eerily quiet, as though all were afraid to speak. She didn’t even want to blink for fear she’d miss something.
“Well, what will it be?” Zaxe stood tall and proud, every inch a warrior with his hands by his sides and his cloak tossed back over his shoulders. There was a stillness surrounding him, a lethal energy. The predator waiting to see what the prey would do before pouncing.
There was no doubt in her mind that he’d win in a fair battle, but Lomar wasn’t exactly known for such virtues. It was well known a bribe could buy you “justice.”
“You would fight an old man?” Lomar dismounted. “That is no way to win a kingdom.”
“Neither is having your brother murdered and assuming it.”
Jamaeh took in the nearby people. Some nodded, others frowned, while still more seemed ready for a good fight. The longer the men continued their staring showdown, the more the tension in the crowd drew tighter, waiting to snap.
“I deny your accusations. Where is your proof?”
People began to mutter.
“You only have your word you didn’t do it. I only have mine that you did.” It was a stalemate, but Lomar was known. Zaxe was a wildcard, a stranger here. “If you’re afraid to fight, have your son take your place.”
“He’s a tough bastard to take a blast like that,” a man off to her right muttered, “and to threaten Lomar.”
“If he is who he says he is, then he’s no bastard. He’s the rightful leader.”
“He’s a foreigner,” the first man reminded him.
Zaxe would sway some but not all. He was an outsider, hadn’t lived here since childhood. He didn’t really know or understand his home. She had faith in him, but many would not. They didn’t know him, didn’t understand the integrity with which he lived. If he made a vow to the people of the Northern Territory, he would keep it or die trying.
“I’ll even leave the battlesuit off.” For the second time, he removed the cloak and shirt before peeling the protective body armor down to his waist.
Zaxe’s chest gleamed with sweat. The scars on his torso were visible for all, as were the bruises. This was no pampered aristocrat, but a fighter. Samar’s mouth was hanging open, his eyes wide.
“And if your son is as much a coward as the father, I’ll meet a man of your choosing.” Zaxe flung the challenge out there, giving them no way to back down without losing face. Fear gripped her belly. He didn’t know her opponents like she did. They were like Vusarian cave snakes, deadly and silent, waiting to attack from behind. If cornered, they would do whatever it took to win.
“To the desert. We will do this now and leave your body staked out in the sand for the scavengers when we are done. You want to be the ruler of the Northern Territory, you will fight all comers.” Lomar reached into his cloak and pulled out a heavy pouch. “A reward for whoever beats this imposter and a seat on my council.”
A roar went up as Jamaeh’s heart sank. With money and power at stake, there would be many takers. He’d be fighting for hours, maybe days.
With Lomar in the lead, the crowd began to flow outward from the market. The guards herded them along. She hurried to Zaxe’s side. “What will you do?”
His eyes were dark as night and unfathomable. “I’ll fight. Do not fear for me. This is my destiny.”
Of course it was. All men wanted power and money. She’d thought him different. Disappointed, she looked away, but he caught her chin and turned her head back around.
“You are my destiny.” He lowered his head and kissed her in full view of all. The heat from his mouth warmed her, temporarily driving back the fear until reality kicked in. Hands on his chest, she pushed away.
“Stop that.”
“Why?” Now he was frowning. Being shot with a blaster didn’t warrant a grimace, but this did?
“People will see. If you are to be ruler, you can’t be with me. I’m of mixed birth and have no standing here.”
“When I win, you will be beside me. All who oppose it will feel my wrath.”
Her heart leaped with happiness even as the lump in her stomach grew. “That’s what I’m afraid of. You will never have peace.”
“Do you trust me?” They were moving again, pushed along with the crowd. There was no privacy to be had and those nearby were straining to hear so they could pass along the gossip.
“You know I do.” How could she not after all they’d been through?