“Judging by your outburst, things between you and me brother must be getting pretty serious.” There was a hint of a question to the words, a tentative pry that dared not dig too harsh or deep.
“There need not be anything between us for me to find your mother’s treatment of her son outrageous.” This was his father with his urging for Darshan to have a son all over again. Why was everyone always so damn interested in what the next generation did?
“Uh-huh.” Gordon nodded at the target still merrily burning away. “If we’re going to talk, do you think you could deal with that first?”
Darshan turned his attention back to the blaze. The flames cast strange shadows on the far wall, like dark figures dancing in mockery of his folly. With very little effort, he contained the bonfire in a shield. The fire dimmed without fresh air, slowly dying as smoke filled the space.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” By Gordon’s tone, he was more seeking for confirmation than querying Darshan. “About me brother attempting to take his life. When you said earlier that there was something you wished to discuss with me involving ‘Mish...?”
“Yes, his attempt on his life was the topic.” Darshan sighed. “I had no idea he had tried before though.” Not until Nora had voiced it.
Gordon continued to eye the target remains, his eyes little more than faint gleams in the shadows. “It was also around the same time me mum tried to originally arrange the union contest for him, but I managed to intervene on both without her learning of it.” He sighed. “Or so I had thought. This bloody contest is why she let us leave. It allowed her to sweep all the barriers aside. But I’ve been thinking. The competitors couldnae have received the call and be here within the fortnight. Mum must’ve sent them before you even arrived.”
Hamish had said the same thing.
“She expected Countess Harini.” A reasonable thing to assume, considering the woman had meant to be the Udynean Ambassador before her tragic accident with an assassin.
“Aye. I can only assume me mum also expected the woman to accept an offer of marriage and be willing to compete.” He shook his head, perhaps seeing the same folly in such a plan as Darshan did. “I should’ve seen it coming. She’s been far too calm about all this.”
“Calm? That was calm?”
“Believe me, you’ve yet to see her riled.”
“She shows no concern for his wellbeing and I know, if he is forced to marry, he will try again.” And this time, Darshan wouldn’t be there to save him. “I cannot in good faith allow that to happen.”
The memory of that bear pinning Hamish to the ground, of his lover’s bloody body lying broken beneath the beast… It filled his mind to bursting.
Darshan shook his head, desperate to be free of the image. “I was almost too late to save him.” Hamish’s heart had stopped. It had been brief, but Darshan was sure of it. If he hadn’t torn the bear from Hamish’s neck when he had—
He didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened, but he knew. Just another claw, a deeper bite. It would’ve been over.
“It’s nae like the last time he tried,” Gordon muttered. “He’d been miserable for months back then. I mean, sure, ‘Mish is reckless and throws himself at whatever dangerous thing is at hand, but this is the happiest I’ve seen him in years. I did nae think he would make another attempt.”
Darshan bit his lip in an effort to remain silent. A number of his half-sisters had died through what could only have been suicide. One had given birth to a son only months beforehand, and she’d taken her baby’s life along with her own. Few of them had showed any signs.
Some hints registered only after it was too late.
“Me mum thinks you’ve placed some spell on me brother. Although, I suppose she will have changed her stance on that. Or accuse you of ensorcelling him into that bear’s grasp.”
Indignance stole his breath for a heartbeat. “I have most certainly not bewitched your brother,” he snarled. If he had been at all capable of such, then Hamish would’ve been more likely to throw himself aboard a ship than before a bear. “That sort of magic does not work in such a fashion for long. Once direct line of sight is broken, it takes but a moment for the weakest of wills to clear their minds. Most who practice such abilities use it only in dire circumstances.”
“But it can be done?”
“Not by myself. I have never been able to hypnotise people. It requires patience, concentration and a great many other minuscule stipulations, all needlessly taxing when I can simply order people to do my bidding. Hamish’s mind is his own, you have my word there.”
Gordon hummed, but seemed to accept the truth. “And you’ve made it quite plain how upset you are over what me mum’s done to me brother.”
“To put it mildly,” Darshan muttered under his breath.
“I was wondering—”
“—if I will help stop this contest for his hand?” he finished for the man. “Certainly.”
Gordon shook his head. “Stopping it isnae possible.”
That was about what Darshan expected. Everyone acted as if the union contest was some immutable thing. “Because the peace between your clans is paramount to the wish of one man, I know.” His gaze lifted to the tower ramparts, the walls that bordered cliffs. There were an awful lot of places within the castle alone where a desperate man could take his life. “Answer me this: Do you honestly think your brother would even make it to his wedding night?” No matter which competitor won, the outcome would be the same. “We both know the path chosen for him will do him no good.”
“Do we?” Gordon straightened, indicating Darshan follow him with a jerk of his head as he ventured back into the castle.
Darshan trotted along at the man’s side,
