He blinked slowly at this site and then gazed beyond, where tufts of confetti drifted in the air and the cheers of Bayzians called as the second half of the procession began to be seen.
And he shook his head when he saw her, flanked on all sides by his guard, hers, Hera to her right, Serena to her left, and Nadirii warriors in battle dress with their pennants flying from the tops of their staffs all around.
But this was not why he shook his head.
He shook his head because she wore a voluminous, dove-gray velvet cloak with the hood pulled over the sunshine of her hair, the nap of the velvet so rich, it shone in the sun.
However, she rode Diana side saddle.
And the whole of what she wore covered her horse so all he could see of the beast was head, neck, chest and legs.
Last, at an opening of her cape he saw a froth of pink.
They made the bottom of the steps.
She dismounted.
And a trainee Nadirii warrior rushed forward.
This because Elena’s hand went to the frogs at her throat.
The hood fell back exposing her hair pulled away from her face to form a cluster of curls at the nape of her neck.
And with a flourish, the cape was gone, the trainee was scurrying away with it, and a gasp scored through the crowd as she stood resplendent at the foot of the grand sweep wearing a gown no Airenzian bride in centuries would ever consider.
But the ones of the future would.
The skirt was wide. So wide, a being could lie beneath it stretched out with arms over their head and be concealed. It was made of delicate pink organza and ended in a deep, thick layer of organza rosettes.
The boned bodice was of the same color, but made of silk, and it fit her slender waist and ribs like a smooth glove.
And at her neckline, which was far off the shoulder, was another line of rosettes, doubled at her breasts, single where they rounded her arms.
She wore something brilliant as studs at her ears.
Other than that, there was no further adornment.
Just that…
Bloody…
Huge…
Frothy pink…
Magnificent.
Gown.
And thus, Prince Cassius, the Regent of Airen, the Liberator of Women, the Equalizer of all Peoples, stood at the top of the sweep to the Combined Cathedral of the Gods in Sky Bay of Airen, the thunder of his laughter pouring down, as an honor guard of his men and her women surrounded her, and Queen Elena of the Nadirii lifted her resplendent skirt and ascended the steps in order to go about the business of marrying her prince.
Queen Elena
Combined Cathedral of the Gods, Sky Bay
AIREN
There was much I found odd about the Airenzian.
Including the fact that a bride and her groom led the guests of their wedding into the sanctuary, rather than them being seated and waiting for the bride and groom to appear, as happened in Wodell and Firenze, and it was my understanding (for sadly I’d missed Aramus and Ha-Lah’s nuptials), Mar-el.
Thus, when I met a still-laughing Cassius at the top of the ridiculously long flight of steps (for negotiating my skirts was far from easy just walking—climbing, it was a nightmare), he took my face in both his hands, kissed me soundly (still laughing), let me go, then tucked my hand in his elbow.
He then offered his other elbow to Dora, which she took. I clasped Aelia’s hand. And we walked in with everyone filing in behind us.
Once inside, Cassius’s waning laughter waxed, reverberating around the sanctuary so loudly, I almost didn’t hear Aelia’s, “Golly.”
Hmm.
All right, so perhaps I’d gone a bit mad with the plethora of pink roses, orchids, lilies, hydrangeas, carnations and astilbe.
They were everywhere.
Indeed, tall poles shafted up from both ends of every single pew atop of which was a gargantuan floral display with blooms floating down and even larger sprays of these decorated the altar.
Heavily.
And that did not get into the bunting.
Maybe it was too much.
But a queen only became a princess once in her life.
“Papa, I want a wedding just like this,” Aelia declared.
“Now you’ve done it,” Cassius muttered.
“Gads, but Ellie’s gone pink mad,” Dora said.
“That she has, bean.” Cassius didn’t mutter that time.
“I like pink!” Aelia stated, and I looked down at her.
“So do I.”
“I know!” she breathed. “I can tell,” she continued breathing.
It was then, I started giggling.
Aelia giggled with me.
Then Dora chimed in.
And that was when I felt it.
We were almost to the alter, and I looked to my right, and up, to see Cassius gazing down at me.
His eyes were a starry night.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“Yes, and every day, I thank the gods,” he whispered in return.
My heart melted.
And in mere seconds we stopped in front of the pink-strewn altar, Cassius and I, our girls with us, as the guests filed in.
They found their seats.
The priest in his black robes with his satin sash in colors of blue and silver dangling from about his neck came out.
And our wedding began.
Combined Cathedral of the Gods, Sky Bay
AIREN
It happened after the priest declared Elena, Queen of the Nadirii, to be Princess Regent of Airen and wife to Cassius, and proclaimed him, Prince Regent of Airen, her husband.
It happened after Aelia clapped, King Mars let out a roaring boom, coming up from his seat, his big hands striking each other making a thundering noise, King Aramus coming up with him much the same, King True, their queens, Princess Serena, Cassius’s men, her remaining lieutenant, and the visiting royalty from across the Green Sea.
And amongst the pews, the Zees whooped, and at the back, the Nadirii warriors lent their battle cry.
It was when Elena arched into Cassius, Cassius cupped her jaw in one hand and rounded her waist with the other.
It was when she rested both of her hands on his wide chest.
It was when he dropped his head and hers tipped well back.
His long legs all but disappeared in her bounteous skirts.
His upper body curved around hers, and her torso all but vanished behind the wall of his broad back.
And unlike any Airenzian royal wedding ceremony for centuries, for such an event was never sealed with a kiss, their lips met in front of the eyes of men and women and under the eyes of the gods.
That was when it happened.
When the air inside the Combined Cathedral of the Gods shot with color.
Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. And violet.
These colors deluged every inch with such brilliance, the dust mites floating in the air became glitter.
They shafted out the windows and up through the roof.
Snaking the city, the countryside, and reaching to the heavens.
It would become lore, that rainbow that shone from two lovers.
It would be talked about all the way to The Mystics and the Northlands and Southlands.
The power of the prophecy was fulfilled.
The fate of Triton was in their hands.
Jellan
Road to Sky Bay
AIREN
Jellan was far away, but he saw it.
He stopped Chance and stared at the rainbow streaking straight up into the sky on the horizon.
“Haste,” he whispered.
Then he dug his heels into his mount.
“Fly, Chance! Fly!” he encouraged.
And they galloped toward Sky Bay.
Marian
Road to Seemingly Nowhere
AIREN
Daemon stopped the horse, and as she was gazing glumly down at the ground going by
beneath them, in her mind cursing Jellan for making good his escape and leaving her with this creature, this thing, leaving it all to her to find a way to stop it, the selfish sop, she had no idea why Daemon suddenly did that.
Thus, she looked up, to him, to see him gazing at the distance with an expression on his deceptively handsome face that did not make her feel like rejoicing.
“What is it?” she asked.
“This is my query,” he said as answer.
She turned in the direction of where he was staring and blinked.
“It’s a rainbow,” she said.
Though she could not be certain it was. She’d never seen the likes of it.
It seemed to go straight up into the sky without an arch.
And the sky was cloudless, so it was not that it was just very tall, and it disappeared in white.
“It is not thus,” Daemon stated.
She turned her attention back to him. “Then what is it?”
“It is not thus,” he repeated.
“Then what is it?” she demanded snappishly.
And then she jerked away, fear choking her, as his eyes bulged, his head sunk into his neck, his mouth widened, and he snapped at her with teeth gone ghastly.
“I tire of your tone,” his voice rumbled, animal and primal.
“I-I’m…” She swallowed. “I’m sorry. I was simply asking a question.”
“We need to make the stones,” he declared.
“The…what?”
He snapped at her again, literally, with dreadful teeth.
“We must make the stones,” he decreed, bent to her, and she again reared away.
But he was only preparing to dig his heels into their horse and start galloping.
Something he did.
Toward what, she did not know.
To where, she had no idea.
But clearly, he sought the stones, whatever they were.
One thing she knew they were…
They were important.
Thus, she hoped to the goddess, along the way, she was able to discover how to stop him.
Queen Elena
Bedchamber of the Prince and Princess Regent, Sky Citadel, Sky Bay
AIREN
With my tongue, I traced my mark on Cassius that adorned the skin above his handsome cock.
“Please tell me I did not make a mistake with this and my wife pays it all her attention and does not give it where it is needed,” Cassius growled.
I lifted my eyes to him, wrapped my fingers around the member in need, then licked it from root to tip.
His eyes went midnight.
“Come here,” he murmured.
“I’m doing something,” I told him, then kept licking.
“My queen, come here.”
That made me go there.
I crawled up his body, but before he could speak, I put my fingers to his lips.
“I am not your queen,” I whispered. “I am your princess. Even when you are king and I am your queen, please, Cass, don’t call me that anymore. Since we started, I’ve been your princess, and you my prince.”
Another growl emitted from him, his arms locked around me, and he rolled us over clouds of pink organza (for, in divesting me of my dress, there was so much of it, tossing it aside didn’t get it very far).
He did this negotiating his hips between my legs along the way and entering me splendidly when he had me to my back.
His thrusts were not languid.
“Yes, sweetheart,” I whispered my encouragement, my eyes drifting closed, my body jolting in taking his drives.
“Look at me,” he grunted. “I want to see my night in your eyes.”
His new obsession, giving the night to me.
As well as mine.
“Yes,” I breathed, giving him what he desired and opening my eyes.
“My princess,” he ground out.
“My prince,” I gasped.
“My wife,” he bit.
“My husband,” I said.
“There it is,” he whispered, staring into my eyes, his expression shifting from fierce to soft.
Then he kissed me.
And then he made love to me.
Under an Airenzian moon.
That shone from the ceiling of our bedchamber.
143
The Discussion
Princess Selena
Outskirts of Dunlyn
AIREN
The whipping about ended, and her feet struck ground walking as she formed, Chu’s arms about her face-to-face meant he formed too, walking backward.
And as Brix was on Chu’s back and Gal was on hers, they formed too.
They stopped, Chu standing strong, Serena not the same, and both gnomes immediately jumped to the ground.
But Serena swayed.
“That was bloody humiliating,” Brix groused.
“Mouse,” Chu murmured, dipping his face down to hers.
“We could hardly make hundreds of miles in a trice if we hadn’t done it,” Gal retorted to Brix.
“Serena,” Chu whispered.
“If you tell anyone I climbed aboard a man’s back and rode the magical plane, I will gut you,” Brix threatened Gal.
Chu cupped Serena’s face in both hands and clipped, “My love.”
“Who am I going to tell? I rode a woman,” Gal retorted. “And not in the manner I prefer.”
Chu took her by the shoulders and shook her.
“Serena!” he barked in her face.
“I need a minute,” she whispered, staring, unseeing at his chin.
Chu put pressure on her shoulders until she was on her arse on the ground.
He then crouched before her, pulled her cloak about her, undid and swung off his mantle, and he tossed that about her as well, pulling it close under her chin.
“Too much?” he asked.
She nodded.
“What’s happening?” Gal queried, coming to stand to one side of Serena.
“She’s used too much magic,” Chu said, staring into her eyes. “That’s it. Keep looking at me.”
“I’m fine, Chu, I just need a minute,” she muttered.
“Take it, but do it looking at me,” he ordered.
Overprotective and overbearing.
She did not make note of that.
She did as asked and took her minute looking at him.
Brix was at her other side, where he queried, “I thought she drew down a bunch to top herself up?”
“She just transported four bodies halfway across Airen, you fool,” Gal bit out, his words aimed at Brix, his worried gaze on Serena.
For once, Brix ignored Gal, and he did so in order to state to Chu, “That’s it. She’s out. So are you. You’ll take care of her and Gal and I’ll take care of that situation.”
And with that, he jerked a thumb toward Dunlyn.
“I’m not out,” Serena said.
“You can’t even stand, missy,” Brix retorted.
She turned her head to him and said slowly. “I. Am. Not. Out.”
“You are,” he retorted, and when she opened her mouth, he lifted a hand her way and shook his head. “For now. Hunker down here. Chant to your goddess to fill the well, or whatever it is you witches do. You’ll do the mission no good going in not at your best. We’ll head in, make contact with the others, get the lay of the land, come back and report.”
“I just need a minute,” she repeated.
“You need to take care,” Brix said low. “Because I’m not going in there worried about you. Are you hearing me?”
Serena straightened her shoulders.
Then she nodded.
Brix looked to Chu. “We’ll go in, see if we can procure some supplies. Rendezvous with Fern’s women. Get some blankets at least. Food. We’ll be back and then we’ll get stuck in.”
Chu nodded.
Brix jerked up his chin to Gal, gave Serena a stern look which stated she was to look after herself, then turned and stomped away.
&nbs
p; Gal put his hand on Serena’s shoulder.
She looked to him.
“He’s a horse’s arse, but he’s right,” he said. He turned his attention to Chu. “Take care. We’ll return. If you recover and decide to go in, we all know the checkpoint.”
Chu didn’t nod again.
He went from crouching in front of Serena to twisting to sit his arse beside her.
Gal watched this before he took off after Brix.
“This is not making me happy,” Chu said to her.
“It’s just that I’ve never cast that spell before. I was unprepared for how much energy it took to hold the three of you with me.”
“We need your magic for our disguises, my princess,” he reminded her.
She did need her magic.
They had decided. She would magic him to appear Airenzian—a shift of the eyes, a different cast to his skin—and somewhat the same for her—dark, straight hair, olive skin.
She was already wearing Airenzian garb. It was just, when they were in the city, she wouldn’t wear her weapons as she was then.
She blew out a breath, shook her head sharply and turned to him.
“I have an enormous amount of power inside me, Chu. If we had attempted to make that jump with my normal powers, we would have been lost on the magical plane, I am certain. But in the now, I have more than enough for that with much to spare. It was fine when it was stored untapped. But I tapped it. I simply need to order it and we can proceed.”
He studied her face for a lie.
And when he assessed she wasn’t giving him one, he asked, “Can you walk?”
“Of course, I can bloody walk,” she muttered.
He grinned at her, pushed to his feet and reached a hand down to her. “We are in the open, princess. And exposed. Let us find cover.”
She considered smacking his hand away and taking her feet on her own power, but she decided against that, grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up.
He did not take her far, in amongst some evergreen trees.
The chill was fierce, and she worried about the smell of the air.
She scented snow.
She knew Chu scented it too, when they made haste and together, they worked, gathering some pine boughs, some fallen branches to use as supports and combing the floor of dead needles, and in no time erected a small shelter of boughs, and under it, a thick blanket of needles to sit upon to protect them from the cold earth.
The Rising Page 27
