Mark if Destiny

by K. T. Webb

  Honor had to hold up a hand to get him to stop talking. “First, no, I am not expected to rule Alderwood. My place was decided long ago. Legacy is meant to rule; I am meant to lead the Resistance to victory. I may be a princess, but I was not raised to be one. Renata made sure my life was spent learning to be strong and how to survive. I do not begrudge her that decision, it was a hard one to make.”

  “It seems so wild that you have lived all these years thinking of yourself as a poor orphan only to find out you are the daughter of the King you plan to overthrow?” Rowan was practically vibrating with excitement.

  “Rowan, I have to do more than just overthrow my father.” Honor wondered how he would react to learning the full extent of her role in the coming rebellion.

  “I know. You must get Legacy on the throne.”

  She shook her head. “Now that we are married, there are things we can share with one another that we could not share before. Things about our marks, our visions, and our destinies.”

  Rowan nodded. “Of course, there are some things I should tell you, too.”

  “Do you want to go first?” Honor offered.

  Rowan only paused a moment before removing his shirt to reveal his mark. For the time being, Honor forgot all about her own destiny. The black mark curled around his torso as though the creature it represented were lying over his ribs. Of course, without the colorful feathers and scales it was difficult to discern whether she was identifying the animal correctly; but she was certain Rowan had received a mark that represented the relationship he had built with the impaiso, Eirny. A strange outline that reminded her of an eye turned sideways interrupted the curving lines of Eirny’s body.

  “You knew who she was before you met her?” Honor asked.

  “I knew I would meet her. I knew she would be part of my life, and I know that one day she will give her life for mine,” Rowan’s voice dropped at the last statement.

  “What? When?”

  He shook his head. “I do not know. My vision was not clear on when it would take place, only that I would be in danger, and she would put herself between the blade and this spot.”

  Honor furrowed her brow. “I did not think the impaiso could be killed so easily.”

  Rowan shrugged. “I do not know the exact circumstances of the attack. And I have not told her. I do not want her to die, but I also do not want to risk altering our destiny in a way that would prevent her sacrifice and result in my death.”

  She understood what he was saying. It saddened her to think of losing Eirny, but it terrified her to think one tiny alteration in the way visions played out could mean Rowan would die. Honor reached out and ran a hand along his mark. It was already breathtaking but would one day become emblazoned with the colors of a creature that had become a friend and ally.

  Rowan’s breathing increased as she ran her hand up his chest. They were married now. Honor pulled Rowan closer until their noses touched. Rather than engaging in their game, she brought her lips to his immediately. His response sent shivers down her spine.

  There was no reason for them to stop this moment of passion from becoming more. They had promised themselves to one another for all time. As though he came to the same realization as his wife, Rowan deepened the kiss and carefully began to undress her. Their hands explored one another’s bodies until they fell gracefully into bed. Each touch, each kiss, each movement that truly joined them together was better than Honor had ever imagined.

  Later, she awoke to realize she had not told Rowan any of the details she needed to share about her own destiny. Watching her husband sleep completely naked next to her gave her feelings she never thought possible. They would not have an opportunity to spend much time alone for the foreseeable future, so moments such as this one were to be appreciated while they lasted. Even still, Honor knew it would be best to wake him and tell him she would have to kill the king.

  “Rowan.” She gently nudged him until he opened his eyes.

  “What is it? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. Everything is fine for the moment, but I need to tell you about my mark,” Honor whispered.

  Rowan sat up, offering her a goofy smile when he noticed she was still unclothed. Honor rolled her eyes and wrapped the sheet around her chest to reduce the distraction. He pursed his lips in disappointment. Honor laughed at his childish reaction but continued with the conversation she did not want to have.

  “Do you think you can keep yourself together if I pull the sheet away and let you take a closer look at my mark?”

  “I will make no such promise, but we can try.”

  Honor pulled the sheet down until her mark was visible. Cool air washed over her body causing goosebumps and a distraction for Rowan when her nipple stood at attention. He quickly averted his gaze back to the mark, leaning closer to get a better look.

  “The crown says Legacy!” he exclaimed.

  “Yes, I did not know what it really meant until Renata told me her name. And now that I know she is also my sister it makes the presence of her name on my side that much more interesting.”

  “I had noticed the color before, but now I see it is blood and the knife is lying in it,” Rowan observed.

  “Yes. In my visions, I was holding the knife with hands covered in thick red blood. It is my understanding that portions of a mark will color in if a destiny is not fully completed.”

  Rowan nodded. “I gathered that as well. Why do you think the red is already present? Whose blood is it supposed to be?”

  Honor took a deep breath. “I have been thinking a lot about this since I read the letter from my mother. From the nature of my visions, I believe I am supposed to kill King Junius. I think because his blood runs in my veins, the blood that is supposed to be his is already red.”

  “You have to kill the king? I knew he would have to die, but I would never have guessed it would be your destiny to kill him. How do you feel about that, especially knowing who he is to you?”

  She took a deep breath. This was something she had been struggling with even before knowing he was her father. The idea of taking a human life was repugnant to her; even if the person she was to kill had earned their death sentence. The wording of Rowan’s question repeated in her mind—knowing who he is to you. It felt off, wrong somehow. Junius may have been the man who impregnated her mother, but other than that, he was nothing to her. Everything Honor had learned about the King only made her despise him more. Knowing what he had done to Legacy’s mother, and what he had tried to do to his own unborn child, left a foul taste in her mouth that would not go away no matter how many times she tried to swallow it down.

  “King Junius has earned no place in my life. Who he is to me is nothing more than a murderer. He must die in order for Legacy to take the throne. I feel like it is almost poetic justice for me to be the one to deliver the blow.”

  “Hmm.” Rowan seemed unconvinced.

  “I do not want to kill anyone, Rowan. But when the moment comes, I will be ready to do what I must to destroy the man who has destroyed so many others.”

  “So, we found the next Queen, now what?”

  “Now we build our army. We rally the Gildi, call on those willing to fight in the other two kingdoms. We reach out to Soren and have him spread word through the Resistance. We prepare to march on Pallisaide.”

  Honor felt more confident of her role than she ever had. She now knew why she was chosen to accomplish such a feat. She was not just a girl from Milltown, she was the daughter of the king. So many people and creatures now depended on Honor to follow the path set for them by fate. Legacy needed her help to fulfill her destiny by killing the man who had wanted them dead. Harcos needed her to help him become the leader his General father knew he would be, at the side of a warrior princess. Renata was relying on her to bring all the pieces of the plan together—the plan laid out by the wild magic of Alderwood and delivered to Renata as a lifelong task.

  Honor’s brain was ready to start making plans, but her bod
y reminded her it was the middle of the night. She snuggled into Rowan’s arms once more as he kissed the top of her head.

  “I am so proud of you, Honor. I am lucky to be your husband.”

  They were the last words she heard as she drifted back into a deep sleep. Her dreams shifted between the scenes she had yet to play out from her visions. The most vivid dream was of her facing the father she never knew. His mocking expression faded to fear as Honor approached him with a silver dagger. Her friends cheered in the background, watching her prepare to end his life. At the last moment, she stopped herself. As terrible as he was, he was just a man. Could she take on the changes she would experience if she ended his life? The hesitation was enough to convince her she was not ready to become a killer. She could not kill him. Everyone around her jeered, voicing their disappointment at her failure. As she woke covered in sweat, the ringing laughter of the wicked King echoed in her mind.

  Rowan was nowhere to be seen when Honor sat up in a panic. When she fell asleep, she was certain she would be able to accomplish the very thing her subconscious just tried to convince her would not play out the way she planned. As her breathing regulated, Honor tried to determine what time it was. She simply was not accustomed to living in a cave. She had no view of the outside world and could not use the things Gray had taught her to get a bearing on her surroundings. Honor got out of bed and made her way to the hot springs bubbling in the corner. Despite waking in a sweat her skin was cold and clammy. She sank into the water, relishing the extreme difference in temperature. Honor allowed her body to completely relax until she floated freely on the surface. The cool air danced with the hot water on the parts of her body left exposed. There was something calming about closing her eyes and allowing the water to envelope her. The peaceful feeling made her miss the cool clear waters she had bathed in with Delta keeping watch. Her heart ached for the simplicity of life at the camp, but her soul was ready to move on to greater things.

  “This is a nice view.” Rowan startled her from her musings.

  “Are you trying to drown me?” Honor sputtered.

  “No, there are other things that sound much more appealing,” Rowan offered a mischievous grin.

  “Where were you?” Honor chose to ignore the innuendo.

  “Oh, it starts already, does it? Demanding to know my whereabouts at all times?” Rowan failed to keep a straight face.

  “Oh please. You know I am not that kind of woman.”

  “I went to see to breakfast. I could not sleep any longer, but you were so deep in your dreams I did not wish to disturb you. Would you like some company in there?”

  “Not if there is breakfast to be had.” Honor could not help but laugh at the look of dejection on Rowan’s face.

  “As you wish, Princess.” Rowan held a towel out for her and offered a low bow.

  Honor splashed him as she rose from the water. “Why, thank you, kind sir. It seems as though your clothing has gotten wet. My apologies.”

  Rowan shook his head at her before using the towel to dry himself instead of handing it to her. Honor stood naked in the room that had a much lower temperature than the water she had just left. With a scowl, she grabbed her own towel from a shelf nearby and quickly dried her body before wrapping her hair in the towel on top of her head. A fresh pile of clothes sat waiting for her on the low bench at the foot of the bed. She prayed she would not discover a dress when she unfolded the garments. To her relief, Renata had sent her clothes befitting a warrior princess rather than the dresses Legacy was accustomed to wearing. She wiggled into the leather pants, slipped on the loose, red blouse, and fastened the corset that had far more give than she thought possible. In the corset, she found leather loops designed to hold daggers. Yes, she was beyond pleased with her new clothing.

  When she finished dressing, she turned to find Rowan appreciating the show. “I think watching you dress is almost as good as seeing you undressed.”

  Honor rolled her eyes. “You are impossible. Come, let us go in search of this breakfast you say you have prepared.”

  “Are you going to keep talking like that?”

  Honor grinned. “I will now that I know it bothers you.” She kissed him playfully before hurrying out of the chambers in search of food.

  They followed the maze of hallways to the dining hall they had eaten in the night before. Everyone else had either already begun eating or recently arrived. Honor wanted to enjoy her breakfast before they began making plans to rouse the Resistance, but her wishes were not to come true. Almost as soon as they sat down, Renata cleared her throat to tell them what she thought needed to be accomplished.

  “We need to reach out to our contacts. The humans who remain loyal to the old ways, and the creatures ready to take back their lives. Juniper has already left to spread the word amongst the Kingdom of Earth. It is up to you to do the rest.”

  Legacy cleared her throat. “I would like to defer to my sister and Harcos for the strategies. They will be the leaders of the army we build; it should be their plans we implement.”

  Honor nearly choked on her eggs. “I apologize, but I do not know the first thing about leading an army. I plan to learn every day, but the fact of the matter is, I am out of my depth right now. Harcos has trained for this. I will follow his lead.”

  Renata smiled between the two girls. “This is precisely why you will make great leaders. You are both willing to allow others to use their strengths rather than desperately clinging to the power afforded you by your positions. Legacy, whether you are the head decision maker or not, you will be Queen. Honor, whether you lean on your partner or not, you will be the Gildi General. It is better to admit our shortcomings and rely on others than to insist on hoarding the responsibility and failing.”

  Rowan nodded his agreement with Eirny perched on his shoulder. So many feelings were rushing through Honor that she had trouble identifying the strongest. The faith and love of the people she was surrounded by made her feel she could accomplish anything. Harcos bowed his head to her before emitting a low growl similar to a human clearing their throat. For a moment, Honor let her mind compare him to a house cat. She wondered if he was preparing to speak or simply removing a hairball from his throat. The canthion raised an eyebrow at her and she barely contained her laughter.

  “It is my suggestion that we notify the rest of the Gildi. We will need to gather them in one location with the humans who are prepared to fight. It will not take long for their partnerships to grow. Once each soldier is paired with their human soldier, we will be better prepared to face the Makt and invade Pallisaide,” Harcos concluded.

  “We are going to need practitioners to join us. We will need to have field healers who are willing to travel with the Gildi should they need to be healed,” Rowan suggested.

  “I will gather whatever impaisos there may be in Alderwood and beyond the borders to work with the practitioners,” Eirny offered.

  “But they will be here of their own free will. No one will claim ownership of any creature who joins us on our mission,” Rowan insisted with a pained glance at Eirny.

  The impaiso bowed her head in reverence. The connection between them was undeniable. It caused Honor to think. If her destiny was tied to Harcos’ destiny and Rowan had seen Eirny die for him in his visions, could it be that there were other creatures out there with human counterparts? If that was the case, would they find their partnerships through the coming battle or would some of them never meet? Her heart grew heavy to think of the humans who were missing out on the rich world Alderwood truly was. So many had turned their backs on what Alderwood had been that there was practically no one left alive who knew about the wild magic. It was out there, waiting to be rediscovered and reawakened for an entire generation of people and creatures. Honor was going to lead the fight to bring it back for them all.

  Before they left the breakfast table, each had agreed to their roles in the coming weeks. Harcos would return to his people in the southern reaches of Ternion Forest,
they would rally and begin the journey back to Kilgore. Honor would travel to a village at the foot of Mount Crystalline to alert the Resistance members there, and word would be spread to each Resistance outpost by heralds of the cause. Rowan and Eirny would travel together to find impaisos and practitioners willing to work together as equals. Everyone was to return to Kilgore before sunset in three weeks’ time. As much as Honor wished it could happen faster, she knew they had to allow time for everyone to travel to their specified locations. It would take her at least two days to reach Frosthaven if the weather was fair; it could take another week or two for the heralds to reach the other outposts. Harcos’ journey was the farthest. He would travel to the farthest reaches of County Morgh and back.

  “I do not relish the idea of us traveling separately. What if the people of Frosthaven are hostile? We do not know what people are like outside of the Alderwood borders,” Rowan expressed his concern as he gathered his things before setting out with Eirny.

  “Relax. I am fairly certain they are not cannibals. Anything else, I can handle,” Honor laughed at her own joke, but Rowan did not find her funny.

  “Just be careful, for me?” Rowan begged.

  “How about you promise not to do anything stupid, and I will promise to stay alive?”

  “Deal. Though I do not know that I have ever been known to do anything stupid.”

  Honor laughed and kissed him quickly. If she let her lips linger, she knew they would be in their room far longer than either should be. There were people waiting for them, there was an entire world waiting for them to breathe life back into it. By the time she said her goodbyes to Rowan, Harcos, and Eirny had already begun their journeys. Rowan placed Eirny on his shoulder and followed Renata’s directions for which tunnels to take.

  When Honor was left with the practitioner and Legacy, she briefly considered asking her sister to accompany her. She knew it was not a good idea, but in her heart, she wanted desperately to spend more time with her before they truly began the war for Alderwood. She knew where to start and what direction to take once she left the caverns, it was just a matter of convincing herself to leave behind the sister she had just discovered. Legacy insisted on walking with her until she came to the outside world once more. At first, Renata objected, but relented when both Legacy and Honor delivered withering stares in her direction. They may have understood the reasoning behind what the practitioner had chosen for them, but it did not make it easier to digest the information they had both learned since meeting.