Hamish stuck to a curt nod in case his voice was drowned out by the cheers.
With a steady squeeze on Hamish’s collar, his brother quietly guided him away from the arena. “How about I help you get ready for tonight’s dancing?”
Hamish winced. The last thing he wanted to do was dance with the very women he was trying to avoid marrying. He had evaded mingling with them last night by feigning weariness. He couldn’t get away with it again so soon. Not without the clans speculating on his health. “I can ready meself well enough.”
“Right you are.” Giving him a pat on the back, his brother turned to leave.
“Oh and Gor?” He grasped Gordon’s middle finger, bending it back until his brother winced. “You let your mouth run off with your good sense again and I really will thump it back into place.” He released his hold and continued walking through the crowd with Gordon keeping pace at his side.
“So I take it you do ken who’s competing under the Dathais banner, then?” Gordon enquired once they were away from the bulk of the crowd. A few people still mingled between the arenas, but none seemed at all interested in anything beyond their own conversations or hurrying to watch a duel.
“You set Dar up under your wife’s old clan?” he hissed. Some of the tension creeping into his body relaxed, replace by hollow dread. Whilst no one would think it strange for Gordon to witness how his wife’s relatives faired in the contest, it also ran the risk of piquing their mother’s interest with each trial Darshan completed.
One side of Gordon’s shoulder lifted. “Their chief sent word that they’ll nae send anyone else to the slaughter. I figured I could sneak him in without anyone howling, so I lifted the message before Mum could see.”
“Hiding clan missives? Muireall would’ve kicked your arse for that.” Hamish made a show of rolling up his sleeves. “But since she’s nae here, I guess the honour’s all mine.”
Gordon shuffled sideways a few steps, his hands raised in surrender. “Are you nae impressed with your big brother’s ingenuity?”
He was, but admitting that also meant having to deal with Gordon strutting around like a young rooster. “We have nae idea how badly Mum will react when she finds out.”
“We’ve got two more trials to worry about first.”
“And how much have you told him about those?” By the Goddess’ good name, he still hadn’t figured out how Darshan was supposed to navigate the forest run when he saw so little without his glasses. And if he got hit? “Have you even given a thought as to what might happen if he doesnae make it?”
“He’s smart enough to work out what the last trial entails, archery in Udynea cannae be that different. As for the other… I figured I’d see how he faired here first before worrying him with details.”
Combing his fingers through his beard, Hamish groaned. “Have you at least had him try his hand at archery?” How much experience had Darshan confessed when it came to wielding a bow? Minimal.
“Nae as yet.” His brother arched a brow in his direction. “Thought I might ask a master.”
Hamish let his breath out in a long blast. “Tomorrow morning, then. Bring the lads. We’ll school him on the forest run and archery at the same time.” With Gordon and his nephews at his side, no one would think twice on them vanishing into the forest beyond the clan encampments.
Of course, he’d be a fool to think he could get Darshan ready to compete against what would assuredly be skilled archers in a day. But if his lover lacked as much knowledge as he claimed, then he could teach him enough to have people thinking he wasn’t completely inept.
It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.
Darshan wove his way through the crowd, his ears still ringing with the band’s blaring. He had heard plenty of stories of how noisy Tirglasian music could be, but such rumours had done nothing towards preparing him for the monstrosity they dared to call an instrument one of the musicians had trotted out halfway through dancing. The wailing and screeching of beastly thing as the man blew into what looked to be a flute still permeated Darshan’s senses.
Some forewarning to vacate the area before they had begun would’ve been nice.
He gave an almost absent nod to Gordon as he casually slipped by the man and ascended a winding flight of stairs to the mezzanine overlooking the castle’s great hall. His feet tingled slightly at the new movement, his healing magic tending to the aches brought on by excessive dancing. One of the women had literally dragged him into a line that still cavorted.
A little notice on that also would’ve been helpful.
He halted at the top of the stairs. The mezzanine was cloaked in shadow. No one had thought to light the torches adorning either side of the space and the thick panes of the single window had darkened with age and a thin layer of grime.
A perfect place to harbour the person it currently cloaked in such darkness.
Hamish leant against the railing with his back to the sole entrance. His lover hadn’t been here the whole time as Darshan had caught the man joining in during the less hectic dances. He had even seemed to enjoy the festivities, although apparently not anymore as the curve of his broad shoulders suggested a certain weariness with the display of dancers and music below.
Whilst it was tempting to heed the mischievous urge to surprise the man, Darshan took pity on his lover’s nerves and merely cleared his throat.
Hamish spun. That gorgeous blue gaze alighted on Darshan for a heartbeat before widening and darting
