Jareth looked at the other man, who was very tall and very big, with fists the size of a man’s head. He had dark hair and eyes, and skin that had been kissed by the sun. Jareth looked him over before speaking.
“You look strong enough,” he said. “Why did you only make it to the third year?”
“I cannot swim, my lord.”
“What does that have to do with it?”
The man was factual in his reply. “There is a segment that requires men to know how to fight upon the sea, my lord,” he said. “It requires a man to know how to swim to shore should his vessel be scuttled. I am not a swimmer and could not pass the test.”
Jareth shrugged. “I am not entirely sure even I could do that,” he said. “Are all of The Guardians Blackchurch trained?”
Orpheus shook his head. “Nay, my lord,” he said. “Heracles and I are. The others are simply well-trained knights.”
“Sworn knights?”
“Sworn to the House of de Long,” Desdra put in. She’d been listening to the conversation, and when he looked at her, she stepped forward to stand next to him. “In fact, all of The Guardians are sworn to the House of de Long. They are now sworn to you, as the heir.”
That hadn’t occurred to Jareth. He now had eight sworn knights at his disposal, and the idea wasn’t a bad one. Rather pleasing, actually. “Interesting,” he muttered, looking between Heracles and Orpheus. “I assume you already know who I am?”
Both men nodded. “We do, my lord,” Heracles said.
“Do you know whom I serve?”
Heracles shook his head. “Only that you are now our liege, as Lord Chester’s nephew.”
Jareth thought he should probably enlighten him so the word would get around and they didn’t think some privileged fool had been lucky enough to have the de Long legacy fall into his lap.
“I am a member of a group known as the Guard of Six,” he said. “We are the personal guards of King Henry. I serve the king directly and my home is Westminster Palace. As for mybackground, I come from the House of de Leybourne. We are the direct descendants of King Mark of Cornwall. I trained at Corfe Castle and Warwick Castle, and I served as a master knight, a trainer, at Warwick before I served Henry. I have seen years of battle, including nearly every battle between Henry and Simon de Montfort that was fought. More importantly, I survived. That makes me an elite knight, highly trained and experienced, and quite worthy to be your liege. Am I clear?”
Both men nodded. “You are, my lord,” they said in unison.
“Excellent,” Jareth said. “Now, do The Guardians have a leader?”
“His name is Zeus,” Desdra said. “He usually sleeps during the afternoon because he is up all night and into the morning. I shall introduce you to him when he rises.”
Jareth glanced at her. “Good,” he said. “I should like to meet him, though I probably saw him when I entered.”
“He was at the door when you arrived.”
Jareth didn’t remember much about the men at the door when he arrived because he’d been so agitated, but he didn’t say so. He simply let her think that he’d seen Zeus.
“I look forward to meeting Zeus formally,” he said. “And these names—they are not your real names, are they?”
The two men shook their heads. “Like everyone else who serves at The Feast, the assumed names protect our families,” Heracles said. “They are meant for anonymity.”
“I understand,” Jareth said. “But if you are to serve me, I will know your given names at some point.”
“Understood, my lord.”
With the situation clear to both of them, Jareth headed into the chamber with the feast mosaic on the floor. A woman was playing the lute in the corner as another woman, Melaina, danced gracefully. There was a table full of food and the rich smells lured Jareth inside.
All around the chamber he could see Aidric, Britt, Dirk, Stefan, Hugh, and Orion, spread out among silk cushions and soft taper light. Orion was quite drunk and had three women around him. The big blond knight had something magnetic about him, something that drew women to him wherever he went, and Aphrodite’s Feast was no exception. He was laughing and drinking, telling very bad jokes, as others were trying to listen to the music. Jareth caught Aidric’s attention and the man rolled his eyes.
That was usual where Orion was concerned.
“Well?” Jareth said to Aidric and Britt, the closest to him. “What do you think of this place?”
Knowing Jareth’s reluctance toward the situation, Aidric was careful to answer. “It’s a remarkable establishment,” he said honestly. “More importantly, what doyouthink?”
