wants to override my decision about Mary. She wants the human out."
"You know where that leads."
"I told her you were prepared to walk."
"That probably cheered her up." Rhage smirked. "She's been trying to get rid of me for years."
"Well, it's your choice now, brother. If you want to remain with us, and if the human is to continue to be sheltered within these walls, the Scribe Virgin has demanded that you offer a rythe."
The ritualistic way of assuaging offense was a logical punishment. When a rythe was tendered and accepted, the offender allowed the object of his insult free use of a weapon against him without putting up a defense. The offended could choose anything from a knife to a set of brass knuckles to a gun, provided the wound inflicted was not mortal.
"I so offer the rythe," Rhage said.
"It must be one to each of us."
There was a collective groan in the room. Someone muttered, "Fuck."
"I so offer them."
"Be it as you wish, brother."
"But" - Rhage hardened his voice - "I offer them only on the understanding that if the ritual is observed, Mary stays for however long I want."
"That was my agreement with the Scribe Virgin. And you should know she came around only after I told her you wanted to take the human as your shellan. I think Her Holiness was shocked you could even consider that kind of commitment." Wrath looked over his shoulder. "Tohrment is to choose the weapon that all of us will use."
"The tri-whip," Tohr said in a low voice.
Oh, shit. This was going to hurt.
There were more mutters.
"So be it," Wrath said.
"Except what about the beast?" Rhage asked. "It can come out when I'm in pain."
"The Scribe Virgin will be there. She said she has a way of keeping it at bay."
But of course she would. She'd cooked the damn thing up in the first place.
"We're going to do this tonight, right?" Rhage glanced around the room. "I mean, there's no reason to wait."
"We'll go to the Tomb now."
"Good. Let's get it over with."
Zsadist was the first to leave as the group got to their feet and worked out logistics in quiet tones. Tohr needed a robe, did someone have an extra one? Phury announced he'd bring the weapon. V offered the Escalade to take them all down together.
The latter was good thinking. They were going to need something to get him home in after the rythe was over.
"My brothers?" he said.
They all stopped talking, stopped moving. He looked at each one, noting the grim casts to their faces. They hated this, and he understood perfectly. Hurting any one of them would have been unbearable for him. It was much better to be on the receiving end.
"I have one request, my brothers. Don't bring me back here, okay? When it's over, take me somewhere else. I don't want Mary to see me like that."
Vishous spoke up. "You can stay at the Pit. Butch and I will take care of you."
Rhage smiled. "Twice in a less than a week. You two could hire out as nursemaids after this."
V clapped him on the shoulder and then left. Tohr followed, doing the same. Phury gave him a hug as he passed by.
Wrath paused on his way out.
When the king remained silent, Rhage squeezed the male's bicep. "I know, my lord. I'd feel the same way if I were you. But I'm tough. I can take it."
Wrath reached into the hood and took Rhage's face into his palms, tilting it down. He kissed Rhage's forehead and held the contact between them, a pledge of respect from the king to his warrior, a reaffirmation of their bond.
"I'm glad you're staying with us," Wrath said softly. "I would have hated to lose you."
About fifteen minutes later, they reconvened down in the courtyard by the Escalade. The brothers were all barefoot and wearing black robes. With the hoods up, it was hard to tell who was who, except for Phury. His prosthetic foot showed, and he had a bulging duffel bag slung over his shoulder. No doubt he'd thrown bandages and rolling tape into the thing as well as the weapon.
Everyone was silent as V drove them behind the house and into the mountain's thick beard of pines and hemlocks. The road was a single dirt lane, crowded by the evergreen trees.
As they shot along, Rhage couldn't stand the tense silence a minute longer.
"Oh, for God's sake, my brothers. You're not going to kill me. Could we lighten up