Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) (24 page)

Flushing, she kicked Solomon rather violently in the shin. “Go cook something, why don’t you?” Storming out of the room, she wove back to Elric’s to keep him company.

Kiev chuckled, much to Mathieu’s confusion. “You know, Solomon, if you keep picking on her like that, she might not want to be your friend anymore. She’s shy, you know. Not that you care.”

“It’s annoying how she can be so courageous and gutsy while fighting, but she gets around Elric and becomes this demure…thing.” The blond man frowned. “I don’t like it.”

“I could say the same for you around some people. I’m going to wash up before dinner. Nathan should be home soon.” With that, she swept her blonde hair over her shoulder dramatically and left the room.

Looking at the clock, the taller man shrugged. “She’s right. Nathan should be home soon. I’m going to go feed the Shadowriders. Tesla is complaining.”

“How do you know Tesla and Nikola?” Mathieu said almost defensively.

A cocky grin crossed Solomon’s lips. “Because I created both of them; they are my servants. How they came to be in your possession, however, is a mystery and they refuse to tell me. How
did
you come by them?” The glint in those green eyes was almost accusing.

“They met me and decided to tag along. I never told them that they had to stay.” Mathieu crossed his arms over his chest.

Solomon silently surveyed him before turning to the door and pausing. “Whatever the case is, they’re finally home. I won’t tell you that you can’t use them though, because both are rather inclined to do as they damn well please.”

Standing alone in the kitchen, Mathieu wrinkled his nose. “Jeez…”

“What’s wrong, Mathieu?” Nathan was coming in the outside door to the kitchen, a briefcase in his hand.

“Oh!
Nothing.
Dinner is almost ready. Where are the plates and stuff so I can set the table?” He said, looking at the redhead with a smile

“Don’t worry about it. It appears you cooked, so the rest is on someone else. By the way, do you happen to know who’s here right now?”

Mathieu, who wasn’t that great with names, tried to name the ones he could remember having seen. “Er, Solomon, Avanon, Elric—who’s sick—, Kiev, Darcia, myself, Josette, Adele, and I think that’s it…”

“Hn.”

“Yeah…” He looked away awkwardly.

“It smells good.”

A confused look crossed his face. “Huh? Oh, the food! Thanks. I had help.”

“Really?
That’s good.” Nathan
said,
his mind clearly somewhere else.

Mathieu didn’t want to be in the man’s way, so he coughed quietly. “Well, I’m gonna go change for dinner. I’m kind of sweaty, and that needs to simmer.”

“Until then.”
He waved Mathieu off.

Mathieu looked around the other rooms as he walked to his and Solomon’s current bedroom. The blond was still in the bathroom, standing in front of the sink with his sleeves rolled up.

“I was gonna take a quick shower before dinner…” He said to the man’s back.

“Hm?”
Solomon looked up from where he was washing his face. “Oh, go ahead. Don’t let me stop you.”

“Are you gonna, uh, leave?”

“Why? We’re both guys. I doubt you have anything I don’t. Well, except for a feminine face, but you’ll grow out of that.
Or not.”

Mathieu hip-checked him into the counter as he passed, quickly stripping.

~*~

Post-shower and redressed, Mathieu made his way back to the kitchen, finding everyone bustling about. It reminded him vaguely of the servants’ kitchen from the palace, everyone handing plates and working together. Off to the side stood Solomon and Nathan, watching the others, seemingly communicating silently.

“This is delicious!” Adele stood with two bowls in her hands and a spoon hanging out of her mouth, smiling. “Who cooked?” Her words were slightly slurred around the utensil.

Kiev tilted her head towards the door, not looking his way, however. “Mathieu did. He’s a wonder in the kitchen, making something out of nothing. The kid even put Solomon to work.”

“Would you
not
bring that up? I was just trying to make him feel like we cared. It won’t happen again. In fact, it was rather annoying. Jeez.” Solomon had his eyes closed and was leaning back against the counter, his head resting against the cabinet.

Mathieu crossed his arms, clearing his throat. The room went silent. “Well then,
Solomon
, the next time I’m being
annoying
, just let me know and I won’t bother you. That way you won’t have to make me feel like you
care.
” If looks could kill, the blond man would have hit the floor in convulsions.

“What?” Emerald eyes flew open. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean—I was just—”

With a look, he silenced the man. Mathieu kept his eyes
narrowed at Solomon as he went and got some stew before going back out to the room with the large table, a presumable dining table, sitting alone.

A quiet hum of conversation picked up again, sans Solomon’s voice. Mathieu didn’t realize that he could pick almost anyone’s voice out of the group.

Nathan was the only person who came out to join him, sitting across from him “Well, I see you two are getting along well again. I didn’t know you had it in you to stand up to him.”

“I’ll stand up to anyone who wants to pretend to be my friend but then says I’m annoying when he thinks I’m not around. He’s an ass and I don’t appreciate being treated that way. If he doesn’t want me to make a fool of him, he should act like a jerk.”

“Strong opinions breed arguments. Although, it can be good for a relationship if it’s done properly.” Nathan said offhandedly.

Mathieu gave the older man a long look. “If I’d known my father, I think he’d have been like you.”

Nathan smiled and looked into his bowl as he ate. “You’re a good kid. However, I came out here with an intention. I wanted to ask if you would accompany me to the Sky Pillar.”

“Sure.” Mathieu said.

“You aren’t even going to ask why?”

He shrugged. “I’m assuming you’re going to see the god
you managed to capture.”

Solomon dropped into a seat beside him. “You’re stupid. You can’t
capture
a god. You summon and attach them.”

“To what?”
Mathieu said as if Solomon were the stupid one.

“To yourself.
Their loyalty is attached to your life. Other than dying, the only way for a god to get free is to be released.” The blond shrugged.

Mathieu refused to look at him and directed his gaze to Nathan. “I hear that the god is attached to a child.”

Nathan nodded. “Weirdest thing I’ve seen, but it’s true. Little boy, only nine or ten; his name’s Enak.”

Humming and finishing his food, Mathieu nudged the bowl away. “When do you wanting to go?”

“It’s a long trip and Solomon’s teleportation powers only work in my domain, so we have to ride from the main headquarters just outside the training facility; it’s right on the border of the two districts. We leave first thing in the morning, spend the night in the foothills and go through the mountains in the morning.” Nathan explained.

“I didn’t know Solomon was going…”

“Problem?”
Solomon asked with a cynical chuckled.

Mathieu’s stomach twisted. “No.”

Nathan nodded, “Good.”

“…My riding skills are minimal. What
are
we riding?”

“Tuvashes.
They’re horse hybrids.” The red-head responded.

Mathieu wrinkled his nose and huffed.

The blond bumped him lightly. “You can ride with me. I won’t let you fall.”

“Oh, this is going to be wonderful.” He said sarcastically. “I’m going to bed now.” With that, Mathieu stood and went back to the kitchen to drop off his dish before going to his shared room and into the bathroom.

He pulled out a brush and ran it through his hair before pulling it up into a bun, going back to the bed. Turning back the covers, he curled up in the bed, eyes closing.

He was in a light doze when the bed dipped beside him. Cracking an eye open, his gaze met Solomon’s.

“Hey…” The blond gave him a half smile, lying on top of the covers. It didn’t seem that Solomon planned to apologize.

“What?”

Shaking his head, emerald green eyes slid closed.
“Nothing.
Sleep well, okay? We’re getting up bright and early, so don’t take too long to fall asleep. If you’re tired, you’ll fall on your ass and I won’t save you.”

“Wow, my hero.” Punching the other in the arm, he closed his eyes too, turning so his back was to the blond. Mathieu was pretty good at holding a grudge.

~*~

He wasn‘t sure what woke him up, but Mathieu was up before the sun. Solomon had him pressed between the wall and his chest, and the man smelled
wonderful
.

“Hey, get off me!” Mathieu pushed against the chiseled chest, trying to get some space.  The man didn’t move in the proper direction and actually moved closer to him, compressing him.
“Moooove.”
He wiggled and pushed until the man grumbled and gave an inch, just enough for Mathieu to get out from against the wall, and slide off the end of the bed. Stretching, he rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom, planning on getting the first shower of the day.

Looking around, he noticed that no one else was awake. He smiled to himself and hummed softly as he flicked the water on. A good hour later, he emerged from the bathroom, hair wrapped up in a towel.

Solomon was sitting on the bed, arms crossed. “You know, Nathan is
fuming
. We should have left at dawn, but you were in the shower until the goddamn height of the day.”

“Oh please, the sun isn’t even completely over the horizon. Let me get dressed and I’ll be ready to go.”

Sighing, Solomon tossed a pair of pants made of a thick, smooth material at Mathieu. “Wear those, otherwise you’ll chafe and bitch the whole day.”

Sticking his tongue out, the shower had put him in a surprisingly good mood; he dropped his towel and
dressed in boxers, the tight pants, and a loose white shirt. “Does this meet your approval?” He asked almost teasingly. Solomon was irritated with him, and that made him feel a bit better about how rude the blond had been last night.

“It’ll do. Come on.” The other man was already dressed and had a bag over his shoulder. “I brought a change of clothes for you, too.”

Throwing the towel aside, he put his hair up and followed the other man out of the house to where Nathan was waiting with two monstrosities. They shoulders were nearly as high up as Solomon, who towered over Mathieu, and were a black darker than night. They were beautiful and scary. Mathieu took a hasty step back.
“Oh hell no.
I’m not getting on that thing.”

Solomon rolled his eyes and literally picked Mathieu up, throwing him over a well-muscled shoulder.

“Eeeeek!
Put me down! Put me down
now
!” Kicking, he was thrown unceremoniously onto the back of the nearest tuvash. “Oh my god, oh my god, get me off this thing!” Panic was welling up in him when the blond hopped up in front of him into the saddle, tossing their shared bag to the redhead.