Chapter Five

Kel was going down to supper when Merric of Hollyrose caught up with her. "Kel, is it true?" he asked.

"What?"

"Are you and Neal really leaving?"

"Yes, it's true. It's almost amazing that we've been stationed here so long. You, too, Merric."

"I'm not leaving, though," he told her. "Do you know who's commanding when you go?"

Kel shook her head. They walked through the square to the mess hall. "I don't have a single idea. I think you'll still be in charge of the soldiers, but the rest of the town runs well enough without me."

Merric grimaced. "That's probably true, but we all feel so much better when you're here."

Kel sighed. "I do, too, but you know Lord Wyldon. There's no changing his mind when he makes it up. Anyway, at some point the government will find places for the refugees."

Merric snorted and rolled his eyes. "And how many of them do you seriously think are going to want to leave?" he asked. "Realistically, Kel. How many?"

It was Kel's turn to grimace. "Good point." Then she shook her head as she grabbed a tray and loaded it with food. "I wish it wouldn't end this way," she murmured.

Merric nodded. "You've done good things here, Kel," he told her. "And you'll keep doing good things wherever you go."

Kel suddenly smiled deviously. "Not getting sentimental, are we, Merric?"

He turned almost the same color as his hair and cleared his throat as they sat down next to each other. "No, I'm only stating facts."

They ate for a few moments in silence, and then Kel's attention went to the doors of the mess. Dom and a couple of his men were walking through the doors, grins on their faces. One of them was counting coins into another's hand.

Kel smiled. The men of the Own were known for betting on anything that could be bet on, and pranking anything and everything that could be pranked.

Suddenly, Dom caught her gaze, and smiled slyly. Kel felt herself blushing and then quickly looked away and put up her Yamani Mask. When he sat down on her other side, tray in hand, Kel turned to him in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. "What was the bet about?" she asked him.

"Whether I'd beat Wolset in a duel or not," he replied, settling himself.

"And did you?"

He looked over at her, grinning. "What do you think?"

"How much money did you win?"

"Four gold nobles. We got the whole squad in."

"And that many people bet against you?"

Dom laughed. "It was all Wolset. He had a big head today. For some reason he thought I looked distracted." He chuckled when Kel looked away, back at her food. "I was, but I didn't let it bother me."

"What distracted you?" Neal asked as he sat down. He'd come in at the wrong time in the conversation, and had, of course, asked the wrong question.

Kel glanced at Dom, hoping he wouldn't say anything with everyone around. He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow before turning to face Neal. "Nothing really. Just thinking about the trip down to Corus, and guard duty."

Neal shook his head. "Guard duty," he repeated. "A Healer and a commander, reduced to guarding the prince and princess."

Kel muttered under her breath, "You just said that to distract him."

Dom smiled. "You know what I was distracted about. He doesn't need to."

"Now you're distracting me."

He laughed. "That would be the other thing I was trying to do. Did you read Raoul's letter?"

Kel nodded, still not looking at him. "He knew before I did."

"He knows everything before you do," Dom said, shaking his head. "It's what he does. And plus, Wyldon wanted to make sure that Raoul heard from him and not through the grapevine."

When Kel didn't say anything else, Dom glanced up at Neal, still talking about his and Kel's new orders, and then looked back at her. "And the other thing he wrote you?"

"How do you know what he wrote?"

The smile on Dom's lips was completely flirtatious as he said, "I told you. I know things. What did you think about the other thing he wrote you?"

"That he was coming to Corus not long after me? I'm glad. It's been too long since I've seen him, now that he's commanding at Steadfast and I'm here all the time. I think it's been something like four months since we last saw each other." Kel knew she was playing dumb, but she wasn't about to give an answer here, even if everyone else around them was involved with other conversations.

She finished her food and excused herself to everyone, leaving her tray up with those on kitchen duty that night before walking out of the mess. Dom watched her go, a resigned look on his face.

"What's got you?" Neal asked, seeing his cousin's face. "And where'd Kel…oh. Dom, really?"

"You're not as oblivious as people think you are," Dom muttered.

Instead of smiling, Neal kept frowning. "Dom, think about this."

"Neal, close your mouth right now before I close it for you," Dom growled.

Green eyes met blue in a steady gaze, and neither spoke. Everyone sitting near them took notice when the two cousins kept staring at each other, neither seeming to back down. Bets starting flying on whether they were going to fight right now, or if they'd fight later, along with bets on the outcome of a fight if it did happen and what the fight was about since no one had heard, but the two men didn't notice.

"Outside, now," Neal said, shoving up from his place at the table. Cheers starting going up, but Dom didn't move.

"I'm not going to fight, Neal," he said, shaking his head.

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not. Even if I did have something to fight about, it wouldn't be you I'd fight. There are plenty of others in line before you, believe me." He stood up and stalked out of the room, taking his tray up before he left.

Some cheers sounded and coins were counted into palms, but others went after Neal as he followed Dom. "Wait just a second!" Neal shouted.

"I don't answer to you," Dom said calmly. "And why is it any of your business what I do?"

Neal looked around and finally noticed all the people around them. He stepped up close to Dom and lowered his voice. "You're the biggest flirt in the Own."

Dom grimaced. "That's not what's going on here, believe me."

"You hurt her, you'll answer to me," Neal said harshly.

"Like I said before, I don't answer to you, it's none of your business what I do or who I hurt, and even if I did, you wouldn't be the first in line to tear me limb from limb, so get over it, Meathead."

"What's going on here?" Kel asked. Her voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Both men turned to look at her, and they both flushed a little.

"Nothing," Neal muttered.

"Meathead's being a meathead," Dom said dismissively. "We can handle it."

Kel raised an eyebrow. She walked up to Wolset, who usually handled the bets. "What are the odds on a fight between them?" she asked conversationally.

Wolset ducked his head and didn't answer for a second, but Kel could see his smile. "The odds aren't on whether there's going to be one, mostly. That's two to one. It's more when and who'll win."

"And what it's about," another Own member said.

"What are the choices?"

"We're not really sure. There's almost no money on that one. No one even knew anything was wrong until they started glaring at each other."

Kel looked at her friends and raised her eyebrows. "My office," she told them. "Now."

Neal and Dom looked at each other sulkily and did as they were bid, though they didn't look happy about it.

"A gold noble on Dom to win the fight," Kel muttered to Wolset, who grinned widely.

"There's the spirit, Lady Kel!" he said, laughing.

She started up the steps to her office, sighing loudly. The men were already in there, sitting in chairs as far away from each other as possible. "Really?" she asked, and sat on the edge of her desk. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Kel," Neal said, glancing up at her.

"It's obviously not nothing if they've started betting on when you're going to fight and who's going to win." She turned and eyed Dom. "Well, out with it."

"Dom?! Kel, I would have thought you'd have better sense than that!" Neal said suddenly.

Kel's head dropped for a second, and then she glanced up at Dom. "Nothing's happened between us," she said, her eyes on Dom's.

Dom sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. His expression was flat as he said, "See, Meathead? You're taking everything out of proportion."

Neal lifted a brow. "Out of proportion?" he repeated. "I know what I saw. Obviously, there's something going on here, and I want to know what it is."

"And because you're five years older than me I have to tell you everything? And anyway, I told you the truth. There's nothing going on," Kel insisted.

"And anyway, what's so wrong with it if there were something between us?" Dom asked. Kel looked at him, surprised he'd asked that question.

"I told you what was wrong with it downstairs."

"That's a bit of the pot calling the kettle black, Neal," Dom said.

"I don't do it anymore!" Neal exclaimed.

Kel sat back on her desk, waiting for one of them to notice her again. She didn't say anything, though, preferring to listen to as much as they would say before they remembered her presence.

"Only because Yuki would slice you to bits with her fan," Dom retorted.

Neal tried to think of a good reply, but then nodded. "That's true. But still, the point is that I don't do it anymore!"

"Now you're repeating yourself," Dom said, beginning to smile.

Kel rolled her eyes, thinking that this wasn't helping the situation at all. "Okay, enough, both of you," she said when Neal opened his mouth.

"But Kel!" Neal exclaimed. "He-" He was cut off by Kel placing her palm over his mouth.

"Enough," she repeated, glaring at him.

She looked down at Neal, who was glaring at his cousin, bringing new meaning to the phrase 'if looks could kill.' "Are you going to keep your mouth shut now?" she asked.

Neal nodded, still glaring at Dom.

Kel took her hand away from his mouth. "Okay, now that's settled, Neal go back to the infirmary. Dom, go do something on the opposite side of New Hope of the infirmary. I've got things to settle here before we leave in two weeks."

O.o

"Lady! Lady, there's a group of men on horses coming this way!" Tobe called out the next morning.

Kel was doing her pattern dances with her glaive when Tobe called out to her. "Friendly or not?" she called back.

"Friendly," he replied.

Kel went up on the wall, taking her glaive with her. She looked out to try and see who it was. At her first glimpse of the flag the standard bearer was carrying, she paled visibly. "Tobe, bring Neal here, now. I don't care what he's doing."

"Yes, Lady," Tobe replied, running down the wall.

Neal was beside her in a matter of seconds. "What is it?" he asked.

"The Stump's here," Kel said, motioning to the riders nearing the gates.

a/n. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are great! I hope you liked this chapter, so if you did, please review and tell me! If you didn't, please review anyway and tell me why you didn't like it. Sincerely, LoveIsBooks