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His fellows laughed and egged him on. Kerrigan just arched an eyebrow at him. Obviously not deterred, he strode across the sand, reaching a hand toward her like a long-lost lover.
“My lady,” he said to the jeers of his comrades.
Evander was there a second later. He took one look at Theo’s display and Kerrigan standing on the parapet and slapped Theo on the back of his head.
“Back to work!” Evander barked. “Take a few laps to get your head on.”
“Ah, come on, Captain. It was just some fun.” His eyes returning to meet hers, he winked.
“And how do you think the general would have responded to this behavior if I wasn’t here?”
Theo paled. “Fine. Fine. I’ll take a lap.”
Theo blew her another kiss and then began to run. Kerrigan couldn’t help it; she laughed. It was the first actual normal thing that had happened to her in this world, so she didn’t even begrudge the flirt.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” a gruff voice said from behind her.
Kerrigan whirled around, her smile fading fast at the sight of Constantine. “I was told I had run of the estate.”
“You don’t need to be interrupting the training sessions.”
“I was hardly interrupting. It’s not like they’re fighting anytime soon. Half of them shouldn’t get near a sword.”
“Oh really?” he asked.
“Yes and you know that I’m right.”
“I don’t know what experience you have with gladiators,” Constantine said. “But I have three of the best in the empire.”
Kerrigan furrowed her brow. “What are gladiators?”
Constantine’s face froze at the question. “Surely you’re aware of the tournaments?”
She hated admitting her ignorance, but she knew nothing about this world. She’d assumed these men were trained warriors, preparing for battle.
“Oh, right, the tournament,” she lied instead. “When is that again?”
“We enter the men to compete in Carithian in two weeks.”
She nodded, understanding coming over her. She had thought she was at a compound for soldiers, but no, these were entertainers. Fighters who competed in a tournament, as she had once done in the dragon tournament. No wonder Theo was so extravagant. He probably played a crowd well. They had to be good, but it wasn’t life or death. Or maybe it was. She wasn’t sure.
“And will I be going with you to the capital?” she asked.
He pursed his lips. “That’s to be decided.”
“You could put me in the tournament,” she said as he turned his back to go.
He stilled, and then she heard a rumble of laughter. “You have spirit, Felicity. I’ll give you that, but we don’t train women in Andine. And I’m not about to break thousands of years of tradition for a little thing I spent a small fortune on.” His eyes cut to her again. “Find my daughter and let her get you cleaned up. You might look like a Doma, but anyone on my estate will wear Andine clothing.”
“Why?” she demanded.
She’d known he would reject her. She’d said it out of desperation. Though she hadn’t known his complete refusal to train her would come from a cultural phenomenon.
“Because I was kurios in Andine, and I don’t wish to see my conquerors wandering my halls.”
“What … what is kurios?” she asked of the unfamiliar word.
He paused. “King.”
He left her with that to digest. She’d been asking why he didn’t let women train. Instead, she’d gotten a better answer. A more thorough one.
A king. A king of Andine. And now, he was this, here in Domara. The home of his conquerors.
Well, shit.
9
The Conquerors
Danae found her a few minutes later while she was still contemplating what to make of Constantine, his past, and the history of this world. It seemed even more complicated than the one she had left behind, and she would have thought that impossible only a few days earlier.
“There you are,” Danae said with a smile. “Heard you’re making trouble with the gladiators.”
“It seems the gladiators are just trouble.”
“True enough. That’s why there’s only you and me here. No other women. All the servants are men.”
Kerrigan blinked. “What about your mother?”
Her eyes hit the floor. “My mother is dead.”
“Oh,” Kerrigan whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll tell you the story.” Kerrigan followed down a set of stairs. “My father chose this plot of land because of its proximity to the nearby hot springs. He had them back at home, and when he retained his credentials here, he wanted to bring them back. Many of the men use them every evening. They’ll be empty for us now though.”
Kerrigan hurried down the stairs at the prospect of a hot spring. She’d had one on her lands back in Bryonica. In fact, she and Fordham had … consummated their relationship in it. Any hot spring was going to be preferable to the lukewarm baths that Flavia had been forcing her into day and night.
