by Alicia Fabel
“Even if she cannot love you back? Even if she is on the arm of someone else?”
“Even then.”
“Why?”
Kale floundered. “Because I care about her.”
Marianna gave him a droll look. “I have to admit, I’m disappointed that you are such a coward.”
“We are done,” Kale announced.
“Wait a minute, Kalesius,” Marianna called. When Kale kept walking, she said, “I can get you to Vera. Right now.”
Kale halted. “Do it.”
“First, answer a question. Tell the truth, and I’ll give you what you want. Lie and you’ll have to wait for Addamas.”
“You manipulative b—”
“Ah,” Marianna held up a hand with a dangerous look. “You don’t want to finish that thought. Not that I particularly disagree with you, but Fred gets upset when people call me names.” The yellow snake slithered through Kale’s feet. “His venom won’t kill you, but it would mess with your mind and movement for a while.”
“Ask your question.”
“Do you love her, Kalesius?”
A breath hissed between his teeth. “More than anything in this world or the ones hidden among the stars.”
She smiled triumphantly and pulled a vial from her sleeve. A portal.
“Where did you get that?” he asked.
“Let’s just say, I found it lying around and didn’t want it to go to waste.”
By lying around, he suspected she meant on the body of Errock, after Fred had killed him. He’d never questioned why she’d gotten involved in that moment. Now he wondered if it had anything to do with what she’d looted from the unnatural. It wouldn’t surprise him. He made a mental note to check the meadow for snakes in the future. Her slithery helpers seemed to be everywhere. Kale lifted the portal above his head.
“Tell Vera I say hi. I’m still waiting for her to come visit.”
He dashed the vial to the ground. The lightening-filled fog surrounded him. In his mind, he summoned the image of the kargadan village center.
Vera made sure her tears and red nose were gone before Kuwari woke. There was nothing to be done about the bloodshot eyes, though.
“Nisaba is here to help you dress,” Kuwari informed her.
“I can dress myself.”
He held up an arm full of what looked like random strips of fabric, in every shade of orange and pink. It looked atrocious. There was no way she’d get it on by herself. Part of her wanted to refuse to dress at all, but she knew Hutran would just come to slap her around until she complied. Her face was swollen enough as it was. Plus, she’d already decided that she was going. All she had to do was get angry enough—that wouldn’t be a challenge—to let her freak-hair-flag fly. She was sure they’d cancel the claiming shindig once they saw that. No way they’d let her soil their precious bloodlines once they understood how screwed up she was.
Last night, she’d pretty much confirmed Kale’s theory about her hair. It’d been an emotional wreck, burning until she’d gotten herself under control as the sun was rising. Unfortunately, everyone was also right about her kargadan smothering her siphon. Ever since Nisaba had thrown the door open on her unicorn magic, the siphon had retreated somewhere Vera couldn’t find. Her first plan had been to start draining kargadan until they let her walk out of there, but now she had to resort to different theatrics.
“Send her in,” Vera said.
Nisaba looked like she’d been crying most of the night too. Vera couldn’t dredge up any sympathy for her. To be honest, she was glad Nisaba felt like crap. She knew they had Addamas and were planning to marry her off to Hutran, and she’d not said anything until it was too late. The kargadan woman bound, wrapped, and covered every inch of Vera, except her face. She worked silently until after she began applying cream and powder to cover the bruise on Vera’s cheek.
“If there were anything I could do, I would,” Nisaba said softly.
Vera blinked, unmoved.
“We have been as despicable as you believed us to be.”
Yup.
“If I could go back, I would.”
“You and me both.”
“And after all this, I will doom our kind for good anyway.”
“Why? You’re not determined to pop out as many kargadan babies as you can?”
Nisaba choked on a laugh, which sounded more pained than amused. “I guarantee that I will not live to see my first-born’s birth. There will be one less kargadan baby-factory in this wretched realm for you to worry about.”
“Your self-pity won’t keep me out of Hutran’s bed.”
“Oh, come on,” Nisaba said. “I might be a terrible friend, but I do see you. You play a good part, but you will never let it come to that. If you make it to your mating night, I would wager that you’ll be the only one to walk out of that room by the end of it.”
Okay, that is, like, plan P. “I’m hoping it won’t get that far. As much as I despise what your people are willing to do to save yourselves, I don’t want to kill any of you if I don’t have to.”
“That is very gracious of you. We deserve far less consideration than that.”
Vera’s shoulders slumped. “When I get home, I will see if anything can be done to help your people.”
“I think if anything could be done, it would’ve been done by now.”
“Yeah, well, my tenacity has been called boundless. And infuriating,” Vera said.
“As wonderful as that would be, it has no weight on my hope that you will get free. I will even find a way to help you if I can.” Nisaba paused. “I know I have no right to ask it, but could I beg one favor?”
Vera narrowed her gaze.
“Could you remember my people as we once were? Not as the villains we’ve let ourselves become. We were once craftsmen and curators of beauty.”
“I’m probably crazy, but I will do one better and see what can be done to make you that once more,” Vera said. “Just not as a mate.”
“Well, Apprentice Vera, are you ready to face the people who do not deserve such a friend?”
“No.” Vera screwed up her face. “I hate parties.”
“I have a feeling this will be unlike any you’ve ever been to before.”
“You look beautiful,” Kuwari said as soon as he saw her.
Vera did not acknowledge him. Instead, she put all her energy into glaring daggers at the brown-eyed man who’d dared claim her without her consent.
“May I have a minute alone with my intended?” Dipwad asked.
“With respect, it is not proper,” Kuwari answered.
“Then wait outside the door,” Dipwad said tightly. After Kuwari and Nisaba stepped out, he said, “I wanted to take a minute and save you from yourself. As a kindness.”
“Gee, thanks.” Vera sneered.
Hutran removed a piece of folded paper from his pocket. It was the letter from Nisaba. Vera’s heart stuttered. She hadn’t thought to check her pockets after last night.
“I am glad that Nisaba has become such a good friend to you. You will be able to keep each other’s spirits lifted once we are mated.”
“We will never be mated.”
“We will. And you will not fight me or make a spectacle of any kind. If you do, I will present this letter of treason to Prince Ashur and Murdak Enlil. With something such as this, which threatens the survival of our kind, prison is not the prescribed punishment.”
“They wouldn’t execute her.”
“Maybe not. But I assure you that if I mention I saw Nisaba with a strange man near the river, her situation will be less happy than death. I would personally back my prison guard’s bid for her, because it is no more than she deserves. And her lover will be hunted down and executed in front of her.”
The threat sucked the air from Vera’s lungs.
“Ah, that is better,” said Hutran. “Now, keep that tongue still for the rest of the day.”
Anger boiled up inside her chest. She’d said that k
illing the man was her last resort, but they’d arrived at that last resort rather abruptly. Whatever she had to endure today and in the days to come, she would. Even the mating ceremony, and whatever came afterward, for as long as she must. But eventually, the man was going to die. Then Vera was going to deliver a snack to Ferrox.
Kale examined Vera while the community of kargadan gaped at him. His sudden appearance in the middle of their vegetable patch had stopped whatever hoopla was going on. A man stepped in front of Vera, blocking Kale’s line of sight. She didn’t move or oppose the man.
“Vera? Are you okay?” Kale asked.
“My bride is well, Guardian,” answered the man, who was about to die. “If that is why you have come, you may leave now that you have seen to that.”
Kale did not react as the kargadan announced his claim on Vera. It was no easy thing. He opted for ignoring the man completely. “Vera?” he asked again.
“Guardian,” said Enlil. “Unless you have official business here, you have no right to remain in Nibiru.”
“My business is to take Vera home,” Kale informed them.
“She is home,” said the prince, whose name Kale couldn’t remember. “I’m sure you’re aware that she is kargadan.”
Kale was aware of that. Even if he wasn’t, he couldn’t miss the horn protruding from her forehead, along with the metal band around it. It looked like a manacle, forcing her to remain in that exposed state without relief.
“As a kargadan, Vera is bound by the customs and ways of our people,” Enlil added. “You have no authority to interfere.”
The kargadan males shifted defensively around Vera. Kale pushed back the raging killer that wanted to destroy each one. But only because it would not help anything if he lost his head. Enlil was correct. The claiming was legitimate. Since she was no longer Kale’s charge, he had no authority to intercede on her behalf. By kargadan custom, the one who claimed her had the right to speak for her and direct her life. All in the name of protecting her. It was not lost on Kale that he had been treating her similarly. I have some major apologizing and groveling ahead of me.
Unfortunately, Kale couldn’t just announce that she was a siphon, either. While it might get the marduk to break the claim, it would be a death sentence for Vera and possibly all of Earth. Vera met his eyes over the kargadan’s shoulder. She darted a look at a young kargadan woman standing near the prince. Vera raised one shoulder and shook her head. Duat. She’s protecting the girl. From what, Kale could only imagine from his dealings with this people. Whatever it was, Vera was trapped in this place by that bleeding heart beating in her chest.
Fine. If this is about playing the game by their rules, let’s play.
“I challenge this male’s claim,” Kale announced.
The crowd gasped and began murmuring.
“You are not kargadan,” said Prince Whoever. “You cannot claim one of ours.”
“She is a half-breed. I claimed her witch half before this man claimed her kargadan. The High Mother has already accepted my claim.”
“Why didn’t Vera tell us of this claim?” asked the self-appointed groom. “If what you say is true.”
“I’m assuming you haven’t had the opportunity to brief Vera on all her rights,” Kale said. “She probably didn’t know it would make a difference. Feel free to verify it with the High Mother though.” He hoped the High Witch would know to play along if they called his bluff.
“That would take many days, we would miss the mating moon and have to wait for the next,” protested the idiot.
“Then you accept my challenge?” Kale asked.
The kargadan looked to his prince.
The prince looked thoroughly unhappy. “It is your choice, Hutran. You can send a message and await the witch’s verification. If it is a false claim, you must wait for the next mating moon. However, if the Guardian is telling the truth, if he has a prior claim, he will be her champion. Or you can accept his challenge, and may the best mate win.”
Hutran’s face turned an amusing shade of fuchsia. “I accept your challenge.”
“Wonderful. Now, someone remove that torture device from her horn,” Kale ordered. “Before I demand recompense for the pain it has caused her.”
“How do we know you won’t take her and run?” asked Hutran.
“I have completed a neck brace, my prince,” Kuwari piped up from where he’d been cowering out of view. He wisely did not look at Kale. “It will not harm her, but it will keep her here until a champion is announced.”
“Then why isn’t it on her if you have it ready?” demanded Kale. “Why have you drawn out her discomfort and humiliated her by forcing her to parade in front of your people in that manner?”
“It was an oversight,” gritted the man who’d claimed Vera.
“Her well-being was an oversight?” asked Kale darkly as the bands of deception moved up the man’s arms. Kale made sure the man knew he saw them. “This man has neglected your well-being, Vera. What would you ask for reparation? Unfortunately, ending his claim is not an option, but is there something else you’d like from him?”
Vera’s eyes widened and her lips curved up. “He has a letter that belongs to me from a friend. I want it back.”
The young woman behind the prince rocked back on her heels. Kale suspected this was news to her. News that frightened her.
“It is a reasonable request,” declared Enlil. “Honor it, Hutran.”
The man opened his mouth to argue, but Kale threw a pointed look at his arms. If the village learned that he had purposely intended for Vera to wear that band longer than needed, he would lose their respect. Better to make amends for an assumed oversight than damage his reputation. Hutran reached into his pocket, retrieved a square of paper, and gave it to Vera. As soon as she had it in hand, she took it to one of the fires, lit for the claiming feast, and threw it in. She watched until it was ash before turning to gift Kale with a grateful smile. That was a good sign. Since he’d proclaimed himself her fiancé in front of all these people a few minutes ago, he wasn’t sure how thrilled she’d be with him. Even if it was the only way to help her that he could come up with.
“Healer Kuwari, will you remain Apprentice Vera’s guardian for the duration of the challenge?” asked Enlil.
“I will,” said Kuwari.
“I would like the opportunity to visit Vera.” Before her other suitor could protest, Kale added, “I’ve been worried since she went missing. I believed she’d been kidnapped.”
Vera scratched her head, letting him know that she was calling him on the lie. Hey, it was only against the rules if he got caught.
“Each candidate can call on Apprentice Vera,” Enlil said. “If one candidate spends time with her, the other must be allowed the same access. Healer Kuwari will supervise. Of course, the victor of each segment of the challenge will receive an additional opportunity to visit.”
“That is acceptable to me,” said Kale.
“It is acceptable to me as well,” said the idiot.
“Healer, remove the band from her horn,” instructed Enlil. “Since there is already a feast prepared, we feast in anticipation of the challenge, and to wish each candidate well. I leave it to Prince Ashur to arrange the details of the challenge. He has tomorrow for his preparations. The challenge will begin the following day and end on the morning of the mating moon. By then, we will have a champion.”
With that, the crowd dispersed back to their festivities. They mingled slowly, probably not sure how to proceed with the Guardian and kargadan challenger practically buzzing with dangerous energy.
14
Vera gazed impassively at Hutran. He’d drawn lots to visit first. After asking a series of questions—none of which she’d answered—he’d silently fumed on his side of the room. For twenty minutes.
“Your time is up,” Kuwari let Hutran know.
“I will see you at the challenge,” Hutran told her before charging out the front door.
Moments la
ter, Kale arrived. Kuwari kept a prudent distance. Kale had once spoken kindly of Addamas’s adopted father, but she was sure he had no kind feelings for the healer now. Kale didn’t acknowledge the man as he went to Vera and squatted in front of her.
Vera tapped the wide metal strap circling her neck. “Like it?” she asked flippantly.
“I’m a little jealous,” he replied.
She was glad to see his lips twitch. “I bet they’d give you a matching one if you asked nicely.”
“I wouldn’t want to be accused of trying to steal your style.”
“Good call,” Vera said. “Matchy-matchy couples are annoying anyway.”
Kale’s shoulders tightened. “How’re you holding up?”
“Good, now that you’re here,” she said, letting her brave mask slip a bit. “Better once you grind Dipwad into the dirt.”
“Consider it done.”
Vera ducked her head, twisting a tassel on the cushion between her fingers. “Sorry I didn’t listen to you.”
“Stars, I think I’m having a stroke.” He threw a hand over his heart. “I thought you said sorry just now.”
Vera showed him her longest finger. Kale’s smile erupted. It looked like Kuwari was the one about to have a stroke. His mouth sagged open as he watched the two of them from his corner.
Kale took a deep breath. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Um, you do realize you’re about to fight a mountain of a kargadan to fix my mess, right?”
“He’s not that big,” Kale scoffed.
Vera gave him a come-on look.
“All right, he’s small mountain.”
“Well, don’t worry, he’s as dumb as one too.”
“Seriously, though, Vera. I’m the one who’s sorry. You had every right to come here for yourself. I’m going to do a better job of standing behind you while you make your own way. Even if it scares the life out of me.” He ran a finger along her cheek.
She flinched as he skimmed the worst of her bruises.
Kale stilled. “Who hit you?”
