Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

steed forward. His intentions were clear. He would crush the young squire beneath the horse's deadly hooves. Realizing what Anzel was about to do, Con cried out and, snatching up a bucket, hurled it at the frenzied animal causing it to shy and buck violently upward, spilling Anzel to the ground.
    Striding across the courtyard, Con barely kept his fury in check as he first bent over the boy making sure he was uninjured and then spun round to pin Anzel with a threatening glare. Moments later, after seeking Gael's consent, Con had Anzel bound in chains and removed to his home in the lower realm. There, he was paraded shamefully before the rabble lining the palace walls until finally being released.
    For a short time after that incident, Anzel had remained remarkably silent, almost conciliatory in his interactions with his brother. But Gael knew that it was only a ruse, particularly when he and Con discovered that the very same squire Con had saved from death was being held as a prisoner in the lower realm.
    As Gael watched his friend push back the silken fabric panels allowing for a better view of the scene below, he recalled with bitterness all the events of the last several months. For it was once again the hand of his brother that had taken the peaceful light from his friend Con's eyes and left behind the tortured man that Gael now had standing before him.
    Con was built like the soldier he was, tall, over 6 feet by a few inches, and slender yet well-muscled and strong. His hair, falling just short of the top of his shoulders, was straight and golden yellow. When Con turned his face away from the scene below him, Gael saw the piercing blue eyes that darkened to a stormy grey-black when Con was angry, much like they were right now.
    "So, are you going to go down and bring your boy back here before he becomes carrion for the vultures to feast on?
    "He's not my boy, Gael. Now leave off!"
    Gael chuckled. Constantine shot him a withering look that would've had a lesser man quaking in his boots.
    Con turned back and looked once more at the boy below. He took note of Ren's posture, his body bent in quiet defeat, and Con's heart lurched inside his chest. As he stood watching, searching to make sure that Ren was uninjured, anger began to overshadow Con's thoughts, causing his fingers to curl into fists. I'll kill Anzel if he's hurt the boy beyond repair . It was as simple as that.
    Con had only an inkling of what Ren had suffered at the hands of the evil bastard who ruled the shadows of the lower realm. When they had found out all those months ago that the squire whom they had given up for lost on the battlefield was actually in one of Anzel's prisons, Con had been livid. Now that the boy was safe, the thought of Ren being tortured by Anzel set his gut to churning, and a picture of the first time Con had seen the boy relentlessly beaten by Anzel pushed its way into his mind. Con closed his eyes against the painful memory.
    ****
    6 months earlier
    Gael and Constantine entered the throne room of the lower realm, watching warily for any overt signs of aggression. The sentry posted by the door had detained their guards. Without their men and their weapons, which had also been taken, they felt naked and off-balance. But Gael had insisted that they respond to the invitation his brother had sent.
    Once again, despite Con's better judgment and Anzel's treacherous history, Gael had warily decided to give his brother yet another chance. Of course, Con had made sure that half the upper realm army stood just outside the door ready to tear Anzel and his men limb from limb should Gael and Constantine be hurt in any way. Still, it was never wise to forget that Anzel's first desire was to see both of them dead so that he could rule!
    "How like my brother to rattle the cage a bit, eh?"
    Con looked at Gael. The man's calm exterior did not fool him. He knew that Gael was coiled tighter than a spring; ready for any tricks that Anzel might play this time. They were in Anzel's domain at his request. Apparently he was having some sort of trouble with a new recruit and wanted Gael's advice. Con knew that this was merely a ruse to bring both him and Gael into the very room where they were now standing. One question remained, however; what was it that Anzel actually wanted?
    Con watched the sweeping arrival of Anzel and a young man who was dragged in and held fast between two soldiers. As he watched, they placed the boy between posts that rose from