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“Good evening, Colonel Tariq,” he said. “Have a seat with us, please. King Edam of Myr, may I present my friend, Colonel Tariq, of the Imperial Guards.”
I bowed over his extended hand and sat down beside Mikol. “Would you care for some wine, Colonel?” Mikol asked and I shook my head.
“No thank you, sir. I had a glass at dinner, and I’m on duty first thing in the morning.” I glanced pointedly at the glass in front of Rakkur. “Your Highness,” I said, nodding at him. “You must be feeling better.”
“I am,” he said, looking up at me with eyes way too bright and cheeks way too pink.
“Probably not a good idea to drink any more wine tonight, however. You might still be ill.”
He opened his mouth, perhaps to argue with me, but thought better of it and nodded. “I won’t. I’ve only had one glass.”
“Hmm.”
“I have. I’ve just been sipping on a single glass of wine.”
I nodded, though I probably looked as skeptical as I felt and then noticed that everyone at the table with us was looking at us and following our exchange. I addressed my remarks to Prince Mikol as a way of explaining. “Prince Rakkur was ill last night and again this morning. The doctor gave him something for nausea but said there were no signs of any infection.”
“I see. Well, that’s good at least. So you’re feeling better, Rakkur?”
Before Rakkur could answer, King Edam leaned over and put a proprietary hand on his arm. “He told me earlier that he’s feeling much improved. I can have my own physician look at him later, if you like. He’s an excellent man.”
I kept my hands beneath the table so no one would see me clenching my fists. He’d only just met the prince. How dare he put his hands on him? I moved restlessly in my chair and felt Mikol’s hand on my thigh, just resting there. I glanced over at him, and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. “Kaliq bahall,” he said softly, and I nodded in response, a little surprised.
He’d told me to “Keep it together,” in Tygerian, and I didn’t realize that I’d appeared as if I wouldn’t. I made a greater effort not to react.
“I’m glad he’s feeling better, because I was planning on talking the prince into going hunting with me tomorrow. Do you hunt, sir?”
Rakkur looked blank and glanced over at me for the answer.
“We don’t hunt game animals on Tygeria, Your Majesty. Not in a very long time.”
“Oh, really? But why not? It’s a most enjoyable sport.”
Before I could reply, Prince Mikol did. “We’ve been engaged for many cycles in a war, sir.” He quirked up one eyebrow. “Perhaps you’ve heard of it? The Axis wars.”
An awkward little silence fell over the table, not unnoticed by either Edam or Kalen, I think. This sector of space had sided with the Alliance against the Axis in those bloody wars, and though they’d been over a long time, my mate had died in one of the on-going and rebellious skirmishes that still plagued our empire only a few cycles earlier. It was an uncomfortable moment to say the least. I loved it.
Kalen has graciously offered to accompany me, and I’d love to show Rakkur how to hunt with a bow. Are you familiar with a bow, Rakkur?”
“Not really, no. As Mikol said, that’s not one of the sports we enjoy on Tygeria.”
“I’d love to teach you. Would you like to go on a hunt tomorrow? We won’t be gone too long, and I think you’d enjoy it.”
I thought he definitely would not. It was colder here on this planet than at home, and Rakkur got cold easily. He was a decent shot with a disruptor gun, but I doubt he’d ever even seen a hunting bow. Hunting game would also require him to sit quietly for hours at a time and that definitely was not in his skill set.
Rakkur seemed to have no idea what to say, and he glanced over at Kalen, who began to explain.
“We hunt various game here on Loros, depending on the season,” he said. “It’s hirkabuck season now, which is a type of large, hoofed mammal that lives in our forests. We have large tree stands built for the purpose, and our hunters hide up inside them until the animal appears.”
“That doesn’t sound very ‘sportsman-like’ for the hirkabuck,” Mikol said softly, taking a sip of his wine.
“They can be dangerous animals, actually,” Kalen said, laughing a little at Mikol’s dry tone and playfully punching his arm. “Nothing as dramatic as your Games, surely, but the hunter is less likely to be badly injured or even killed.”
“But that’s what makes it exciting,” Mikol said, and I knew he was joking, but apparently King Edam didn’t, as he looked a little offended.
Rakkur broke in then and helped him out. “I’d like to go along. Not to actually hunt, but to watch. Would that be all right? It sounds like fun to me.” He gave both Mikol and me a repressive glance. “What time should I be ready?”
“I think we’re leaving early. Can you be ready by first light?”
