in the garden

A short excerpt from The Garden, a peek behind the wall if you will:

“Guillermo knows.” Diago finally drew Miquel close.

“Knows what?”

“About you and I.” Diago paused, then said, “The dark love we share.”

“Don’t call it dark, love is not dark,” Miquel whispered, but Diago went on as if he hadn’t heard.

“He could have killed me but he didn’t. Something stopped him, and I think it was Belita. I felt her there. In front of me. But I couldn’t see anything but the revulsion in Guillermo’s eyes.” Diago rested his cheek against Miquel’s hair. “He accepts it for now, because he needs me. But he is not happy, so we will keep quiet.”

A pang of jealousy nipped Miquel; he felt it sharp and wicked against his heart. “Guillermo’s happiness means nothing to me.”

“If he doesn’t respect me, he will not listen to me, and I must have his ear if we are to succeed. His happiness means everything to us. We will not speak of it around him. Do you understand, Miquel?”

“No, I don’t. I’ve never understood. There is nothing wrong with us, Diago.” He tried to pull away, but Diago’s arms tightened, holding him place.

“You talk like Julian. He believed love was truth. He was a fool.”

“And so are you.” He didn’t have the strength to resist Diago, not anymore. “You sit so high on your throne of lies, you can’t even see the truth.”

Diago’s lips were at his ear; his sibilant hiss shot a splinter into Miquel. “Here is the truth, Miquelito: Julian had to be carried to the stake, because they put his feet over the fire until the bones fell from his cooked flesh. They maimed him and he never confessed my name to keep me safe. He was a proud man, and he died humiliated and broken. All for love. It is dark.”

Miquel swallowed past the knot in his throat. “Don’t you ever get tired of being afraid?”

Diago didn’t answer. He eased Miquel down until his head rested on Diago’s lap and his dark hair spilled across Diago’s thighs. Miquel didn’t resist. He reached up to touch Diago’s face, but the older man caught his wrist. “I need you to find the others. Bring any who will come to Belita’s tower by nightfall. Any that will to go to Ashmedai, let them. We are at the eleventh hour. According to Belita, Ithiel has come.”