Going It Alone

Going It Alone

By KC Warwick

"So you're going home, then?" Rowan tried to keep the note of panic out of his voice as he glanced across the bedroom at Valiance. He knew he hadn't succeeded by the way Valiance looked at him. "Only for a week or so. It's an elf thing -- every mid-winter festival, those of us who are working away from home go back to swear allegiance to the King. And to see our families, of course."

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Rowan had never thought of his bodyguard as having a family and he found the concept rather surprising. His own family was hundreds of miles away and he hadn't seen them since he started training to be an enchanter. "How long do you think you'll be away for?" he asked, feeling himself tensing up at the very thought of being without Valiance, even for a day or two. "Not long. Say, three days to get there, a week with my family, and three days back." Two weeks! Rowan's heart sank. The elf crossed the bedroom in a couple of strides and took Rowan by the shoulders. His hands were warm and firm. "Actually, I don't have to stay a week. I could get back sooner." Rowan forced himself to be sensible. "No, it's not worth riding all that way just for a couple of days. You must stay for the week. I'll be fine." I hope. Valiance looked down at him, dark eyes full of concern. "I hate the thought of leaving you. Suppose that idiot of a chief enchanter asks you to do something difficult and I'm not here?" That was bothering Rowan, too. "I'm sure I can cope," he lied. "And it's only for a couple of weeks. I can just stay on home duty until you get back." "And if there's an emergency and they call you out? You'll have to work with another bodyguard." Valiance's frown deepened. "I'm not sure I trust anyone else to look after you." Rowan felt a warm feeling flow through him. He loved this caring side of Valiance. The elf continued, "I'll have to have a word with that old fool you call the chief, and tell him that if any harm comes to you, I'll tear him limb from limb." It was a pity the caring side was so well hidden most of the time. "Don't antagonize him," Rowan begged. "I'm sure he won't deliberately send me out. He remembers what I was like before you and I became partners." Rowan had been known as 'the one whose spells always go wrong.' It was only Valiance's steadying influence that had enabled him to use his powers properly. "He'd better not mess you around," Valiance growled. "I'll speak to the Commander, too, make sure he pairs you up with someone really competent if you do have to go out..." Rowan said nervously, "I have this awful vision of you standing up in the hall at supper and warning everyone off me." Valiance looked thoughtful. "That's quite a good idea. I hadn't thought of that." Rowan clutched at him in alarm, then saw that he was grinning. "Don't worry, I'll just discretely put the word around that no one had better upset you while I'm away." Rowan suppressed a sigh and, straight away, Valiance said, "Maybe I'd better not go. The King can do without my allegiance for one year, surely."

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Rowan forbade himself to consider the possibility. "Don't be silly. Of course you must go. Anyway, your family will be disappointed if you don't. I'll be fine -- I swear. I'm much more competent now than I used to be. And, after all, I can't spend the rest of my life only being able to do magic if you're holding me in your arms." "Why not? I don't have a problem with that." Valiance drew Rowan closer, as if to demonstrate. "I just don't like the thought of being away from you for all that time." "All that time? It'll be two weeks." Rowan tried to sound as bracing as he could. "It will seem like two years," the elf muttered, his hands stroking Rowan's back. "Fourteen mornings I'll have to wake up without you." Rowan could feel the hard warmth of Valiance's body against his own and pushed to get as much of it in contact as possible. Valiance made an encouraging noise and slid a hand inside Rowan's shirt. "We haven't got time for this," Rowan told him reluctantly. "No," Valiance agreed. "You've got weapons practice now, haven't you?" "Maybe." "You're going to be late." Valiance didn't reply because his lips had just met Rowan's and the kiss was obviously going to go on for quite a while. Rowan forgot about his responsibilities and just concentrated on getting as close to Valiance as he could. He slid his hands under the elf's long dark hair and caressed his hard ribs. Valiance removed enough of their clothing to enable them to align the appropriate parts -- he was an expert at that -- and it never occurred to Rowan to resist. There was still too much pleasure in the contact of body on body, even though they'd been together now for a month or two. Rowan thought he would probably never tire of feeling the elf's hands on him. He rubbed against Valiance, thrusting into the firm grip and feeling his own breathing speed up. It was going to be very quick, which was probably just as well... especially as, by now, they were both running very late... and he really ought to make Valiance stop... except that-- oh! "You're so good at this," he said breathlessly, leaning against Valiance while he recovered. "It's easy with you. In fact..." Valiance hesitated. "That's one of the things that's bothering me about leaving you. Suppose someone else finds it just as easy?" Rowan stared at him in surprise. "I don't want anyone else. It wouldn't be the same."

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Valiance smiled. "Yes, I know. But it's just possible you might find someone a bit bettertempered than I am." The smile became rueful. Valiance looked genuinely concerned, so Rowan said teasingly, "Better-tempered than you? Surely that's not possible?" Valiance smacked his butt and let go of him. "Come on. We need to get cleaned up, and then to wherever we were supposed to be half an hour ago. I don't know why you keep delaying me." *** There were times, however, when Valiance could perhaps be a little too forceful for comfort. Rowan found himself thinking this as he listened to his lover laying down the law to the chief enchanter as to how Rowan was to be treated while Valiance was away. Rowan tried several times to interrupt, but it was like trying to interrupt the flow of a mountain torrent in full spate. In the end, he just kept quiet and hoped the chief took it in the spirit in which it was intended. "So, anyway, I hope I've made myself clear," Valiance concluded. "I don't want to have to worry unnecessarily about Rowan while I'm away, and I certainly don't want to have to take retribution when I return! Is that understood?" The chief enchanter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed audibly. "I think I might take early retirement." *** On the morning of Valiance's departure, they said goodbye in Rowan's room, which was where they usually slept. "Don't come down to the courtyard," Valiance told him. "It's too cold." He drew Rowan into a tight embrace. "Behave yourself while I'm gone." "I hope you have a good time with your family." Rowan tried to put a brave face on it. "See you when you get back." The kiss lasted until they heard the sound of hooves in the courtyard, and Valiance tore himself away. "I'll be thinking about you all the time. Take care." Then he was gone. Rowan looked through the window at the assembled elves and saw Valiance swing himself up into the saddle and join the five or six others who were going home. He sighed. They all looked so competent and beautiful. What on earth did Valiance see in a confused and insecure enchanter who couldn't get his spells right? The crowd of horsemen clattered out of the yard and Valiance looked back over his shoulder, up at the window from which he must have known Rowan was watching. He raised his hand in farewell, and Rowan waved back, but he didn't know if Valiance could see. He went downstairs to begin work on his own.

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***

The first week went well enough. "I think we'll keep you on home duties," the chief enchanter told Rowan, eying him somewhat anxiously. "We don't want you to be put under any kind of, er, strain. Valiance would be very worried. He is, er, rather protective of you, isn't he?" Then, before Rowan could answer, he went on, "You can take the opportunity to do some studying, too. I'll lend you an advanced spell book." This cheered Rowan somewhat. There was a time when the chief would never have let him within an arm's length of an advanced spell, so things must be looking up. He was glad to be able to work in the warm, quiet library on his own, but he missed Valiance terribly. Nights were the worst. He didn't sleep well without the elf in his bed, and he found himself very lonely the rest of the time. He had gotten into the habit of sitting with Valiance and the other elves at mealtimes. Valiance was teaching him elvish, and the others treated him with a sort of amused tolerance, which he didn't mind. The other graduate enchanters were all older than Rowan was, and kept themselves apart from the younger ones. He had a suspicion that they thought magical incompetence might be contagious. Still, he told himself, he didn't really mind being on his own. At least it gave him plenty of time to think about Valiance. Then, midway through the second week, when he was starting to calculate when Valiance might reasonably be expected back, the chief enchanter summoned him. Rowan knew what he was going to hear -- those fateful words, "I'm afraid we've got something of an emergency." Rowan's heart sank. "What kind of an emergency?" he asked, noting that there was a man standing over at the window with his back to the light. "I'm not sure, but Eastbury have sent out a call for help and I need someone to go over there and sort it out. Right away." He cleared his throat. "So this is Smithson, who'll be acting as your bodyguard, since you haven't got Valiance." He glanced over his shoulder and the man at the window came forward. He was young and good-looking, well-muscled and confident, like all the bodyguards were, but he wasn't Valiance. "Hello, Rowan," he said with a smile. "Don't worry, I've had plenty of experience at taking care of enchanters. I'll see you're kept safe." Patronizing git, Rowan thought. Aloud, he said, "I'm sure you will. When do we set off?" Smithson's look of appraisal clearly told Rowan that his bodyguard wasn't impressed with him. He'd probably heard all the stories about spells going wrong, and feared the worst. Rowan feared the worst, too, but there was no way he was going to admit it. They set off straight away, since Smithson had the horses organized and ready. Rowan felt really odd riding out of the castle with someone else. It was unsettling, to say the least. "So, Rowan, how long have you been an enchanter?" Smithson asked, taking an apple out of his pocket and biting into it.

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"About a year." Valiance never ate while he was riding guard, even in friendly territory. "And they let you go out on your own? You seem very young to me." Smithson sounded surprised. "The chief enchanter thinks I'm competent." "Yes, well, let's hope it’s a false alarm, shall we?" He gave Rowan a bright smile. "Plenty of them are. We'll probably be able to ride straight back." Rowan wasn't so sanguine. He'd never yet encountered a false alarm, and with his luck, he never would. He closed his ears to Smithson's conversation and wondered what Valiance was doing. Hopefully, thinking about setting off for home. They spent the two nights on the road in inns, because Smithson said it was too cold to sleep out. Rowan never minded camping as long as he had Valiance to keep him warm, but in these circumstances, he was happy enough to comply. As it was, he felt cold in his lonely bed, listening to the sound of Smithson snoring from across the room. The man was pleasant enough, but was inclined to treat Rowan like a complete idiot. Unfortunately, early on in the journey a spell to 'Reveal All,' intended to show any danger on the road ahead, resulted in them both losing every stitch of clothing they wore. Rowan had quickly put it right, but Smithson hadn't seen the funny side of it. He didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor. The first night, sitting eating a passable supper in the dining room of the inn, Smithson said conversationally, "They tell me you and Valiance are a couple, is that right?" "Yes, we are." Rowan wondered what business it was of Smithson's. "Funny, the elves usually stick to their own people. Still, there's no accounting for taste, is there? Perhaps he likes a challenge." Rowan wasn't sure what was meant by that, but he didn't think it was intended as a compliment. "Maybe." "Anyway, let's hope he's not the one going home to get married." "Married?" Rowan repeated with bewilderment. "Yes. One of the elves is getting married, but I'm not sure which. They often do when they go home for leave. They're strong on arranged marriages." Rowan's heart sank. Surely Valiance would have said something? Yes, of course he would have. Rowan told himself not to be silly, but all the same, the conversation had un-nerved him.

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As they approached Eastbury on the morning of the third day, Rowan tried to convince himself that he was not nervous. He was a powerful enchanter, he reminded himself, and there was no reason why he couldn't perform magic without Valiance being there. All he had to do was keep calm. "Looks like something's on fire," Smithson commented as they approached the town. Strictly speaking, it was a large village, not a town, but it had a tall wooden fence around it and, over this, flames could be seen rising from somewhere. The lookout at the gate, a tall thin man, called out, "Are you the enchanter?" There was a note of panic in his voice, and Rowan responded quickly. "Yes, what's the problem?" "Demons." Rowan had already spotted black figures diving from the sky, and he could understand why the man was worried. "It's only been a few up until now, but today they seem to keep on coming and coming." "Right." Rowan tried for a confident note. "I'll just take a look and see what's going on." "Are you sure that's wise?" Smithson asked, frowning. "Shouldn't we just call for reinforcements?" That was hardly a vote of confidence. "How? By the time they get here, the damage will have been done. I need to do something now, before it's too late." Rowan urged his horse forward through the gateway and started to ride along the main street. Now that they were within the village, he could hear people shouting and see them dodging about from house to house, trying to keep out of the way of the demons. And soon after that, he and Smithson were dodging about, trying to keep out of their way, too. Rowan felt the familiar wave of panic engulf him, possibly with some cause this time. There were hundreds of the demons. What could he possibly do against them, even if he wasn't scared witless? "Can't you keep them off me?" he snapped at Smithson. "I need to think about this!" "Keep them off?" Smithson snapped back. "How, exactly? I've never fought demons before!" "Well, now's your chance!" He'd probably get on better if his brain didn't feel completely numb. He saw a demon swoop in and carry off a pet cat. If only Valiance were here! He'd know what to do, and he could probably send off a hundred demons with one hand tied behind his back. Rowan closed his eyes, and seemed to hear in his head the elf's voice saying Calm down. Take deep breaths. There, that's better, isn't it? Now, do your stuff. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a demon dive down toward a child who was standing petrified in the middle of the street, and without thinking, he sent out a bolt of fire and deflected the demon, sending it spiraling out of control into the dust.

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"Go and do something with the kid!" he ordered Smithson, and was gratified when his bodyguard nudged his horse in that direction. Rowan dodged another demon and zapped it with a quick spell. He needed some defense, and it looked as if he was going to have to provide it himself. Hastily, he set up a spell of protection over them both and watched as a demon swooped toward his guard and was deflected by the invisible barrier. Really, he reflected, the whole town could do with a spell of protection over it. Of course, that would take an awful lot of magic... but then again, what else did he have to try? There had been something in the advanced spell book about protecting large areas, though he didn't think they'd had whole villages in mind. He performed the spell quickly, and was alarmed to feel the magic draining out of him, but it seemed to work. The demons hovered ineffectually above the roof tops, making speculative dives and being stopped. "What did you do?" Smithson asked, back at his side again, having apparently stowed the child somewhere safe. There was a note of incredulous admiration in his voice. "Protective magic." Rowan's mind was on his next move. The spell wouldn't hold forever. He needed to scare off the demons so they wouldn't attack again. Fortunately, this had also been in the advanced spell book. "I need to find the one with the red horns," he told Smithson. "Quickly." "Right." The bodyguard stared up into the sky where the demons were massing. By now, Rowan would very much have liked to curl up in the dust and go to sleep, but he knew he had to finish the job. He, too, scanned the demons, and was relieved when Smithson called out, "There he is!" and pointed to a rooftop. "Now what?" "I need to get a spell through the protection spell, without lifting it." Rowan brooded on this. "It is possible. I'm just not sure if I can do it." "Oh, I wouldn't attempt it if you're not sure," Smithson advised hastily. "I mean, do you really need to do anything to this demon? Won't they all just fly away now?" "Not while their leader is still around." He wished Smithson would do something useful instead of asking inane questions and undermining Rowan's self-confidence. He tried to block his bodyguard out, concentrating on how he was going to target the demon with the red horns. People were starting to emerge cautiously from their houses, staring up at the demons with fascination and chattering amongst themselves. That was off-putting, too. Oh, if only Valiance were there! Rowan resolved that he was never going to let the elf go away on his own again, ever, even if it meant giving up being an enchanter. He made himself concentrate on the spell, though he only just had enough strength left to do it. It was an effort to raise his hand and point at the demon, and he was more than a little surprised when the creature fizzled into a cloud of dust on the rooftop. The other demons went completely hysterical and, for a few nasty minutes, Rowan thought he had made a bad mistake and was going to have to deal with them, too. But the hysteria turned out to be fear, and it wasn't long

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before the demons were turning tail and heading for the mountains, accompanied by cheers and shouts from the assembled populace. Smithson was cheering, too, and gabbling on about how brilliant Rowan had been and how he had never seen a better bit of magic. Rowan wished he'd shut up and get them both out of there. "Look, I'm really tired," he began. "I need to rest." At this point, a deputation of townsfolk approached them and a small man wearing the mayor's chain of office beamed up at them. "Revered enchanter, we cannot tell you how grateful we are to you for saving our town from the demons in the way you have just done." Then don't try, Rowan begged silently. Just let me get some sleep. "Never before have we seen such powerful magic--" There was a murmur of agreement and Smithson joined in enthusiastically, "He was really great, wasn't he? I couldn't believe my eyes. What an enchanter!" "It's nice of you to say so, but what I need right now is sleep--" "Anything that the town can do to thank you, you just have to ask." "Let me have a bed for the next twelve hours." "No honor is too great for you." Rowan wasn't sure whether the town was swaying or he was. "Look, I'm sorry but I really do have to lie down." "And therefore, to this end, we intend to--" Rowan was afraid he was going to throw up in front of them all. His vision seemed to be going blurry, but at the end of the street, he could just make out a figure on a black horse, coming at a smart canter towards them. He thought it was probably a hallucination, but by now he was too ill to care. Closing his eyes, he slid gently from the saddle. He could hear the shocked and bewildered voices of the reception committee, Smithson's alarmed exclamation, and then the thud of hooves. This was followed by the sweetest sound in the world -- his lover's voice demanding, "Is there anyone in this town who is not a complete moron?" Then he passed out. *** Rowan woke to the sound of someone being given the rough side of an elf's tongue. "And it was your job to look after him. What the hell did you think you were playing at? Couldn't you see he was exhausted?"

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Smithson's voice sounded subdued. "I didn't realize. I've never seen that happen before." "Look, Rowan is a powerful enchanter. Very powerful, otherwise he couldn't have defended the town the way he did. But magic takes energy. It's not like boiling an egg!" Interesting analogy, Rowan reflected drowsily. "Sorry. I didn't think--" "Thinking obviously isn't your strong point! Surely just by looking at him you could tell he was tired!" "Well--" "Do something useful for a change, will you? Go back to the College and tell them what's happened. Tell them to send out some more enchanters, so that if the demons do come back, there's someone here to deal with them. I don't want Rowan worrying about it. He needs to rest." "Okay." There was a pause. "He was really great--" "I know. Now get out of my sight, will you?" Rowan heard a door close, and after a few seconds he opened his eyes cautiously. Valiance was standing beside the bed, frowning down at him. "Hello," Rowan said. "What are you doing here?" "Rescuing you, apparently." Valiance sounded grim. "Honestly, the moment I let you out of my sight..." There was something odd about him and it took Rowan a moment to work out what it was -namely that Valiance looked tired. "I meant, how come you aren't in the Great Forest, or on your way home?" "I was on my way home, but my route wasn't far from here and I heard about the demons. As soon as they said that an enchanter was involved, I knew it would be you. I had a feeling you might need some help." He sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked Rowan's hair back from his face. "How are you feeling?" "Okay. Much better now you're here." "But you managed all right on your own, didn't you? Can you do without me now?" Rowan gazed at the elf with alarm. What did Valiance mean? Was he saying he didn't want to be Rowan's bodyguard any more? Surely Smithson couldn't be right! He blurted out, "You're not married, are you?"

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Valiance looked amazed. "Married?" He started to frown again. "Rowan, did you bang your head when you passed out? Are you sure you're feeling well? Maybe I should get the physician to come and look at you again." "Smithson said you might get married." The frown deepened. "Smithson should mind his own bloody business. Gods, I'll murder him when I see him again. No, I'm not married. I wouldn't do that to you, Rowan. Don't you trust me?" He sounded hurt and Rowan started to feel guilty. "Yes, of course I do. But you asked me if I could do without you. I thought -- I don't know what I thought." Valiance looked unhappy. "I just wondered whether you felt as if you didn't need me anymore. If you can do magic on your own, I mean." He swallowed. "I'm not putting this very well, am I?" It was so rare for Valiance to sound uncertain of himself that Rowan responded without thinking. "Valiance, I've never needed you more than I did today. Okay, I managed the magic all right, but it would have been so much easier if I'd had you there with me. I kept having to tell Smithson what to do, and then half the time he couldn't do it anyway. You just get on with things. I know that I can rely on you, so I'm able to concentrate on my part of the job. It was such hard work today -- and I don't just mean the magic. I wanted you there to take care of me. Smithson really wasn't much good." About halfway through this speech, he could see Valiance starting to relax. By the time Rowan had finished, the elf was looking his normal self. "As far as Smithson is concerned, the words 'complete idiot' spring to my mind. I'm glad that you coped with the magic, though. I knew you could." "I imagined what you'd be saying if you were there," Rowan told him, reaching out and taking Valiance's hand. Valiance's fingers closed warmly round his own. "I wish you had been." "So do I." The elf leaned down and kissed Rowan gently on the forehead. "Now, how are you feeling? Do you want to take a bath? Or what about some supper?" This close, Rowan could see the lines of fatigue around Valiance's eyes and mouth. He'd never seen the elf look tired before. "Why don't you just sit here with me for a bit?" he suggested. "After all, I haven't seen you for weeks..." "Maybe just for a moment then." Valiance arranged the pillows more comfortably and settled Rowan into the crook of his arm. "Where are we anyway?" Rowan asked, glancing round the room. "In the best suite of the best hotel -- not that that means much in this crappy little place." Valiance was certainly back to normal. "Still, it was the best they could do. You know, it worries

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me, you blacking out like that. I'm sure it's not good for you to use so much magic, if it has that

effect. Did they say anything about it at the College?"

Rowan thought back to his lessons. "Well, we were told that using magic makes you tired. I

suppose this is just an extension of that."

"I think you ought to talk to someone about it," Valiance told him firmly. "That idiot of a chief enchanter, to start with." He tucked the blankets around Rowan. "Warm enough? Promise me you'll tell him. And if he takes no notice, let me know." "If it'll make you feel happier. Anyway, it will be another year before you have to go off and leave me again, won't it?" There was a silence long enough for Rowan to start feeling alarmed.

"As a matter of fact," Valiance said carefully, "I was thinking about going back again in the

spring."

Rowan's heart plummeted like a stone. "So soon? Is there something wrong?" Thoughts of an

arranged elven marriage sprang into his mind once more.

Valiance cleared his throat. "I was rather hoping you'd come with me."

That was the last thing Rowan had expected. "Me? Go with you?"

Valiance was blushing. It was the first time Rowan had ever seen the elf do that, too. "Er, my

parents said that I talked about you so much, they thought they ought to meet you."

Rowan gaped at him. "You want me to meet your parents?"

"Yeah." The elf studied the quilt absorbedly. "Seems like a good idea to me."

Rowan tried to come to terms with this. Did it mean what he thought it meant? Was Valiance

looking on this as a long-term relationship? How was Rowan to find out without embarrassing

himself ? He looked at Valiance again, and thought, To hell with embarrassment. "Um, Valiance, does this mean that you're looking on our relationship as being long-term?" Now he was blushing, too. Great. Valiance looked up with surprise. "Yes, of course I am. Aren't you?"

Rowan tried to suppress a broad smile, and failed. "Yes. That was what I was hoping."

"So you'll come and meet my parents?" Valiance added hastily, "I haven't committed you, or

anything. I just said I'd ask you."

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Another thought struck Rowan. "Are they worried because I'm not an elf?"

"They were surprised," Valiance admitted. "But they'll be all right once they meet you. Elves

aren't nearly as prejudiced against humans as they used to be. And how could they fail to like

you?"

Rowan wasn't quite so confident about this, but he kept quiet on his doubts. "What about me

being, er, not a girl?"

Valiance gave him a tired grin. "I think they've realized I'm never going to bring a girl home.

They'll be fine with it."

"Then let's hope the chief will give me some leave."

"He'd better, or I really will tear him limb from limb." Valiance was smiling, too, and his arm

tightened round Rowan, gathering him close. "I've missed you so much," he murmured.

"Me, too. Smithson was no substitute at all." Rowan stroked the elf's ribs and sighed contentedly.

"I couldn't do without you."

"From now on, you won't have to." Valiance paused, frowning once again. "I'm not rushing you

into this, am I?" he asked anxiously. "I mean, I know you haven't had many relationships..."

"I haven't had any," Rowan corrected. The elf was so sweet when he was like this.

"And I know I can be a bit assertive at times--" Here, Rowan had to suppress a smile. "Tell me if

you don't want to."

Rowan looked up at him. "I want to."

"Right. Good." He smothered a yawn. "Sorry. I've been riding all night because I wanted to get

home. I think I overdid it a bit."

"Riding all night? And where are the other elves, by the way?"

"I came on ahead of them."

He'd been pushing himself to get back to Rowan, of course. So, how to get him to rest?

"Why don't you get into bed with me for a bit? I shall sleep better if you're here with me." He

thought that was rather a cunning touch.

"Just for a few minutes, then." The elf pulled off his boots and slid under the quilt. Rowan closed

up to him at once, very glad to have him there, even if it felt rather odd that Valiance had all his

clothes on. That was another first.

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Rowan closed his eyes and thought about what Valiance had asked him to do. To tell the truth, he was slightly nervous about this proposed trip to the Great Forest, but if that was what Valiance wanted, then he'd go along with it. He knew enough about the elf by now to be sure that no one -- not even Valiance's parents -- was going to be allowed to give Rowan a hard time. It was nice to have such a protector, but satisfying to know that Rowan could do without him if it came to the absolute push. He fervently hoped that it was never going to be put to the test again. It was probably weak-minded and spineless of him to rely on Valiance so much -- and he was going to do it for as long as he possibly could. He was lucky to have such a brave, tireless and devoted lover to look after him. He opened his eyes intending to tell Valiance this, but his brave, tireless and devoted lover was fast asleep.

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Going It Alone Copyright © 2010 by KC Warwick All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680 Printed in the United States of America. Torquere Press, Inc.: Sips electronic edition / April 2010 Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

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