“That man we just brought in was attacked,” Taeven said to her. “I can describe his assailants.”
The nurse looked from him to me.
“Well? Aren't you going to summon the authorities?” Taeven demanded. “Humans have a justice system, do they not?”
“Uh, yes, my lord,” the woman stammered. “But in the cities, attacks are hard to . . . well, you see, unless you know who his attackers were, have names, it's difficult for the Police to locate them. There are, uh, a lot of ruffians living here and, unfortunately, it's easy for them to hide.”
“But he could have been murdered!” Taeven growled.
“Tae.” I grabbed his arm. “It's not her fault.”
“Whose is it?” he demanded.
“No one's,” I said sadly. “A city this size is difficult to monitor. They'd have to send policemen out to search the streets based on what descriptions we give them and then it would be our word against theirs. Not to mention the fact that we don't live here.”
“What has that got to do with it?”
“We won't be here to verify if they catch the right men.”
“But Harrison will be.” He waved his hand back to the exam room and the man we'd saved.
Tae must have gotten the guy's name while I had run off for the carriage. I don't know why, but that made me like him even more.
“Thank you for your help,” I said to the nurse as I pulled Tae to the side of the waiting room. To him, I whispered, “I don't think Harrison is going to want to report the attack.”
“Why not?”
“Think about it, Tae. The Police are going to want to know why he was attacked. Even if he tells them it was just a robbery gone wrong, those men might blab to the Police that Harrison is gay. Then he might get into even more trouble.”
“How so?”
“With the Police. There will be at least a few gay-haters on the police force. They won't do anything in public, but they could make life miserable for him on the sly.”
“I'm really starting to dislike humans, Shane,” Taeven growled.
“We aren't all bad. I've never met a human soldier who cared about my sexuality. At least, not in a bad way. I'm sure there are more people like them here, they just don't have the freedom to speak out about it as soldiers do. Then there are the other continents, full of people who live differently. You can't judge an entire race by the actions of a few.”
Taeven sighed. “Fair enough. I just hate to walk out of here without getting Harrison some justice or at least some assurance that this will not happen to him again.”
“You saved his life and put the fear of death in his attackers. I'll bet that's more than anyone has ever done for him. Take the win, Tae.”
He ran a hand over his hair and grimaced. “It doesn't feel like a win.”
“You can't start a revolution.” I smiled softly and squeezed his shoulder. “You don't have enough free time.”
Taeven chuckled, then nodded. “Very well. Let's get back to the carriage before Tasathor and Altarion eat all the pastries.”
“Damn it, I will knock them on their asses if they have!” I stormed out of the clinic with a laughing warlord on my heels.
Chapter Thirteen
Tasathor and Altarion had eaten one pastry apiece. For their restraint, we rewarded them with one more each after we arrived at the park. As Taeven and I headed to a bench, the knights climbed inside the carriage to relax and enjoy their treats.
The winding park paths took us through patches of trees and along flowerbeds blooming in pastel colors. Birds chirped softly above us and the scent of lilacs scented the air. We found a bench in a spot of sun and after slowly savoring our desserts, we sat back and watched the people wander by. Some of them walked through the park alone, munching on a snack or their lunch, but most were mothers with children, out for some exercise and play. Their laughter became a pleasant backdrop to our conversation.
“Do you really have spies in this city?” I lifted a brow at Taeven.
Tae snorted. “Of course not. I said that to intimidate them. But I'm seriously considering placing a patrol here.”
