27 - Caomhnóir

 

“I’m what?” Thom looked at Keegan as if the man had lost the last of his marbles.

 

“You’re coming with me on this assignment. Alasdair okayed it. In point of fact it was his idea.”

 

“In other words he ordered you to take me along,” Thom said, frowning. “Why? So that Darius can’t mess with me while you’re gone?”

 

“Yes.” Keegan replied, surprised at Thom’s reaction. He’d expected him to be happy about it, not upset.

 

“Did it occur to either of you that I have a job of my own? I’m just supposed to tell my boss that I’ll be gone for who knows how long and he should hold it until I get back?”

 

“Well—” Keegan blew out a long breath. “Look, if you don’t want to come with me I understand. It is short notice. I’ll tell Alasdair and have him set up bodyguards for you.”

 

“Like hell! I don’t want someone on my tail twenty-four/seven like I’m some kid.”

 

“Then you’re coming with me. End of story.”

 

“And do what, take in the sights wherever we’re going while you go off to fight some—whoever?”

 

“I’m not doing any fighting this time, hopefully. I’m there to keep a man from getting assassinated before or during the elections in his country.” Closing the distance between them, Keegan put his hands on Thom’s shoulders, asking, “Why are you really so upset about the idea of coming with me?”

 

Thom stared at him. “Because it wasn’t your idea, you were ordered to take me along.”

 

Lowering his gaze, Keegan nodded. “If I’d thought he’d have allowed it, mo ghrá, you would have come with me on every assignment I do while I’m here.”

 

“But you would never have stood up to him and said, ‘He’s coming with, like it or not’.”

 

“It’s not my place to do that.”

 

Thom sighed deeply. “I know Keegan. You’re just a—”

 

“A slave,” Keegan finished, his voice tight with acceptance.

 

“A foot-soldier.” Thom smiled a bit.

 

“Either/or, I’m his to command until—”

 

“The end of time?” Thom shook his head as he pulled away from Keegan’s grasp, but not away from where he was standing. Instead he took Keegan’s hands in his, holding them tightly. “There has to be an out-clause other than dying again.”

 

“So you keep saying, but if there is, no one that I’ve ever heard of has found it.”

 

“Alasdair would know,” Thom said with conviction.

 

“And he would never tell me, or any of us. After all, if we knew what it was, then we’d use it and there would soon be no more Caomhnóir.”

 

Thom hesitated for a moment, and then replied, “When we get back we’re going to beard the gryphon in his den and find out.”

 

Keegan’s face lit up. “So you will come with me on this assignment?”  

 

“Of course. I can’t have you worrying about me while you’re gone, which, I’d bet my bottom dollar, is why Alasdair ordered this. Right?”

 

With a chuckle and a nod of his head, Keegan said he was.