A stone weighing in his gut, he unlocked the door and moved out of the room. His eyes cut through the door opposite but he walked down the hall and found a servant. He ordered a hot bath and breakfast for Maddie and one for himself in another chamber, bidding them to bring him fresh clothes from his trunk in their room.
He ended with, “And I want a boy in the hall. If the man in the room opposite approaches my door, I want to know immediately.”
The servant nodded and hurried away.
As he watched her go, he thought distractedly that he should have thanked her.
Then he thought no more of that and went on about his business.
The morning preparations took some time as the water needed to heat, and it was time that seemed to crawl. There was little to fill it that took his mind from the unpleasantness he was sure to encounter imminently.
Twice.
So he thought of nothing but his upcoming confrontations, except when he went to the stables and ordered the sleigh hitched and trunks brought down.
But eventually, bathed and fed, he moved back up the stairs. He saw the young boy who’d started their fire yesterday standing outside his and Maddie’s door.
He lifted his chin to the boy.
The boy dipped his and dashed by him to the stairs.
Apollo went to the door opposite.
He knocked quietly and within seconds, Derrik opened the door.
His clothes were rumpled, his hair in disarray, his eyes rimmed red.
He had not slept.
When he saw Apollo, his face went hard and his eyes went sharp.
“That didn’t take long, brother,” he clipped.
Yes.
He’d heard.
“We need words,” Apollo told him. “And not in the hall.”
“Is there something to say?” Derrik asked acidly.
“Yes,” Apollo answered. He made a show of twisting at the waist and looking meaningfully at the door behind him before he turned his eyes back to his friend. “But not in the hall.”
Derrik looked to the door as well before he hesitated and finally backed into the room.
Apollo followed him, closing the door behind him.
He noted the lamps still burning but the fire was just embers in its grate. He also noted the bed was disheveled but had not been slept in.
He then turned his gaze to Derrik.
“Would you like to explain what you’re doing here?” he asked, his voice low.
On his words, Derrik’s brows shot up, but his reply was to query, “Would you like to explain why your rough, long and loud bedplay with gods damned Maddie could be heard throughout the gods damned village?”
“We’ll not be discussing that,” Apollo told him.
“We won’t?” Derrik fired back.