Page 109 of Scourged
Matheo shifted his bow. “I was always the warrior. The guardian. The knight. While you read about great adventures and imagined yourself as the prince or the king or the captain, I was busy playing in the yard as the protector who served without hesitation.” His fingers clenched around the rowan of his bow. “I was the second son. Never cared about leading or about adventure. I just wanted to belong.”
The blood rushed from Sebastian’s face, and his heart thrummed beneath his ribs.
“Matheo.” Sebastian halted on the path, staring at his brother’s back. His eyes burned along with his chest.
He never imagined that he’d read his little brother sowrong. For their entire life, Sebastian had misinterpreted everything about Matheo Riqueti.
Slowly, Matheo turned, meeting his brother’s gaze with a guarded look.
Something cracked further in Sebastian’s chest.
“You willalwaysbelong, Matheo. You have a place here. Even the gods themselves have made it known.”
Matheo smiled. “I know. And I will forever be grateful to the gods for giving me the purpose I desperately wanted. But … it’s always why I’m just not interested in anything else. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. Why would I risk that?”
Sebastian met his brother’s stare for a long moment. Slowly, he nodded and took the three strides to stand before Matheo. He grasped Matheo’s shoulder, squeezing just slightly.
“I understand,” Sebastian murmured. “And I’m sorry for pushing.”
Matheo shrugged. “Eh, it was only fair. Ididpush you first.” He grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Trefor and Quentin how right we all were about your crush.”
“By the gods, Matheo.” Sebastian tossed up his hands, exasperated, before continuing down the path. “I thought you took this job seriously?”
“Of course I take it seriously. That doesn’t mean I can’t also have a little fun.”
Sebastian grumbled to himself, just as the palace stables appeared out of the tree line in front of them. “Annoying little shit.”
Matheo chuckled as they passed out of the game park and into the back aisles of the palace stables.
This part of the stables was rarely occupied, only used when the palace was hosting guests and every available stall was needed. Today, it was as quiet and empty as they expected it to be. Only their boot steps on the swept packed earth joined them.
Until something rustled up ahead and hit the wall with a rumbling boom.
Sebastian halted, senses roaring to life. His hand landed on the hilt of his dagger, just as Matheo unslung his bow in a single smooth movement.
The brothers shared a glance. Matheo nodded.
“Who’s there?” Sebastian called, voice low but reverberating off the hall.
The rustling paused just before another thump struck the walls, followed by a low groan.
“Keep quiet!”
Another groan. “They’ve already heard us.”
Sebastian whipped his head to a stall on his left. The door was closed, and the lights off, but … He shared another nod with Matheo. The intruders were there.
“If you don’t come out in the next ten seconds, we will show substantially less mercy than we are currently inclined.”
“Wait! Fuck—Sebastian, it’s me. It’s Drystan.”
Sebastian’s jaw slackened, just as Matheo’s bow sagged.
That was, indeed, Drystan’s voice.
“Drystan?” Sebastian took a hesitant step toward the stall. “What are you?—”
The stall door swung open, and out tumbled a rather rumpled looking Drystan, straw stuck in his golden hair, shirt and trousers askew.