The Bonding

by Hansen, Victoria

  Kiri closed her eyes, knowing her thought for the lie it was. Davin loved her. Unlikely though it seemed, her scarred face was beautiful to him. He was not repulsed by her warrior's body, or her terrible past. Plus, they were bonded by magic. If she died, he would be deeply wounded. He might never fully recover. The magical bonds could be broken in time, though it was a devastating process, but the emotional ones had already rooted too deep. It occurred now to Kiri that if she loved Davin, she had to think about his needs, not just hers. Was her need not to look weak really more important than his emotional well-being? Could she live on for his sake, trusting she would really be safe with him? Could she choose to live?

  The curtain around her alcove swung open unexpectedly and in walked the one man Kiri had hoped never to see again. She sighed resignedly. It looked as though the decision had been taken out of her hands. “Corin”

  “Kiri. You know why I am here,” the thin, brown haired man intoned, trying as always to sound more important than he was.

  “How did you know to come?” she asked, feeling tired and resigned.

  “I had a tracker on Eliada,” he explained. “When she died, it alerted me. I arrived at the clearing a few minutes ago and found a crew at work dispatching the remains of Shara inside a crystal cave. That's a clever idea. They told me what happened, where you were. How did the creature get free?”

  “It was Eliada,” Kiri explained in a low, flat voice. “She must have entered the stasis room unprotected and become enslaved by Shara's magic.”

  “You didn't know what she was up to?” he asked, his every nuance rife with suspicion.

  “No. She didn't keep me informed of her actions. She gave orders and I followed them without question.”

  “You must have known.”

  Even stuck in the bed as she was, Kiri leveled Corin with a hard-eyed look that made him take a step back, his expression suddenly uncertain. “Is this how you will justify my death to yourself and the people? The battle, my sacrifice, all of it, meant nothing, was my fault, because I should have known what Eliada was doing and somehow stopped her? My efforts were meaningless because I should have prevented it from happening?”

  She watched his resolve firm. “Do you seriously expect me to accept that you could live with someone for nine years and know so little about her plans?”

  “I can't believe you!” she exclaimed, giving in at last to exasperation. “The false murder charge was bad enough, but now this? You know what kind of life I had with Eliada. I was privy to nothing. Are you really that vindictive? I won't go with you.”

  He narrowed her eyes. “You will, girl. You will return to Laiconia with me and face justice, as you should have done years ago.”

  “Justice has already been done. It was administered by me at the point of my sword. Any punishment due to a silly young girl for trusting the wrong man has long since been paid in full. I owe you nothing. He deserved to die and you know it.” It feels so good finally to say it.

  “That was not your decision to make,” he retorted, resurrecting the old argument.

  “It was my right,” she insisted, assertive at last. “I do not accept guilt for his death. I will not go with you.”

  “You are trapped on this bed. You cannot even sit up. How will you prevent me from taking you?”

  Kiri scarcely heard him. Her thoughts had turned inward. Ten years ago you accepted your fate without question. What changed in you? Why are you fighting now. The answer appeared in a flash, floating before her mind's eye in a swirl of silver and laughing brown eyes. Davin changed me. He made me strong by believing in me. “Jaya!” Kiri screamed at the top of her lungs, “Help, someone, please!”

  The curtain was ripped open and Jaya, flanked by two burly healers' assistants stormed into the alcove. “What is it, Kiri?”

  “This man is trying to take me away. He wants to kill me. Please, don't let him,” she begged, struggling against her immobilized arm.

  Jaya closed her eyes hard. Kiri could see her lips move, forming words that looked like, “Davin, you are needed. Come now.” Then she turned to the intruder. “You should not be here, sir. This is a hospital. This woman is under my care. No one removes a patient from this hospital without my leave.”

  “This woman is a murderer. I am taking her home to face her punishment.” He moved toward the bed, his expression threatening.

  “This woman is a hero who has just saved untold thousands from a horrible death. She will not be moved.” Jaya clapped her hands together and made golden strands appear, which she threw at Corin. The stasis bands wrapped around his arms, pinning them to his sides. Kiri stared, fascinated. Though a high-level mage, Corin could not break those bonds. He was trapped.

  At that moment, Davin burst into the room, an elderly gentleman with him.

  “Mr. Corin Dalymous?” asked the elder in a reedy voice.

  “Yes,” he hissed furiously. “I insist you release me at once.”

  “The woman Kiri Tacondawa has been granted asylum by the elder council of Koral. If you attempt to remove her from this place, it will be seen as an act of war. Go home. Assure your people both creatures have been destroyed. You may tell them Kiri is dead, if you wish. You did not value her. We do. She stays.”

  Kiri closed her eyes in relief. At least the question of public dismemberment had been settled. The elder and the two healer's assistants escorted a very angry Corin out of the room, presumably to a safe place where he could open a portal to Laiconia. Davin returned to Kiri's side and sat on the bed. Jaya stood nearby, waiting. Everyone's waiting, Kiri realized, for me to decide how to proceed. She had to answer.

  Selfishly, she still did not want to endure the humiliation of the treatment, but surely Davin's love was worth more than her pride. She rested her cheek on his leg, and he ran his fingers over her face, tracing the line of her eyebrow, her nose, her lip, her jaw.

  I will have to make herself vulnerable to this man over and over, if I live. He would smell her breath in the morning; they would use the same toilet. He would see her ill. And one day she would grow old, and lose what beauty she had left, and become weaker and frailer. He would see it all.

  No, he'll go there with me.

  “I want to live.”

  “I'll prepare the potion.” Jaya left the room.

  Alone with her lover once again, it was not as difficult as Kiri had thought, not to give up. She had lived with the shadow of death since she was six years old. Not caring whether she lived or died had kept her sane, but then, she had never had anything worth living for before.

  Davin lay beside her, on his side, drawing her against his chest. Kiri tried to shift, to get comfortable, but her immobilized arm prevented her. Frustrated, she tried again, to no avail. Davin, sensing her discomfort, gently lifted the damaged limb and laid it across his narrow waist. Now, snuggled up in his warm embrace, Kiri looked into Davin's face and was startled to see how shiny his eyes were.

  “I didn't think you would choose to live,” he murmured, his voice raspy.

  “You made me want to,” she told him, her free hand toying with his shirt.

  “I'm so glad.” He kissed her forehead. “You should try to sleep. We have a long day and night ahead of us.”

  “Good advice. Will you sleep too?”

  “We both survived. We won. You're here in my arms. I'll sleep now, but once you're better, we're going to have a celebration you can't even imagine.”

  “Sex?” she asked impishly, her emerald eyes hopeful.

  “Gods, you're a greedy little thing.” He laughed. “Yes, baby, until neither of us can move.”

  “Good,” Kiri said, and went to sleep at once.

  Chapter 6

  Kiri woke slowly, feeling very strange. Her senses were giving her signals she did not understand. She was sore all over, as though she had been in a terrible fight. Her arm burned and wouldn't move. But in spite of it all, she felt rested, content, and warmer than she could ever remember being. The previ
ous day's events came back to her in a rush, and she snapped her eyes open and found herself looking into warm brown eyes, filled with tenderness and concern.

  “Good morning, baby.”

  Kiri smiled at him. The scars on her lips pulled uncomfortably. She hadn't smiled this much in so many years. She wondered how grotesque it must look.

  “How are you this morning?” he asked her. “Do you need anything?”

  “You,” she said softly, enjoying the way his expressive face lit up at her words. She could feel the arms around her tighten in a warm embrace. “Actually,” she added, a little embarrassed. “I need to…relieve myself.”

  “Oh. Well of course.” He made a move as though to pick her up and carry her to the small water closet off to one side of the bed.

  Kiri dug the nails of her still mobile hand into the sheets and protested, “No, Davin, not you. Can you get a woman to help me?”

  He chuckled at her squeamishness, but replied, “Of course.”

  It only took a few moments to deal with that humiliating business. Thankfully, the assistant with the bedpan proved efficient and unflappable. She also bathed Kiri gently and dressed her in a hospital gown. Once Kiri's garments were settled around her again, Davin returned to her side, trailed by Jaya and two more assistants, one carrying a large tray of steaming food, another with a flask of something that looked tarry and smelled disgusting. Kiri's stomach, not sure what to make of the odd juxtaposition, decided on queasy. She made a face.

  “We might as well get started on the treatment,” Jaya said. “Here's how this will work. First, I'll clean and bandage the wounds on your arm, while it's still in stasis, which will minimize the pain. Then I'll have you take the potion. I also want you to eat as much as you can. The process will be easier on you if you have food in your stomach. After that, I'll release your arm from stasis. Sorry, but that's sure to hurt like hell. Another half hour after that, we'll begin the purging. It really is likely to take all of today and tonight to clear out the contagion from your system. I'll do whatever I can to help make this process easier on you. We'll bring food and chamber pots. Is there anything else you want or need?”

  Kiri considered what lay ahead of her with a sigh. “Toothbrushes, lots of them, and something powerful to rinse out my mouth. I hate vomiting. Also a hairbrush and some hair bands.”

  “Good ideas. We'll get those things right away.”

  Davin chimed in, “I think also some cold water and a cloth. It might be soothing to bathe her face after purging sessions.”

  “Right.”

  The two orderlies helped Kiri into a sitting position and placed the tray of food on her lap. She concentrated on trying to eat with her non-dominant hand; quite a task to be sure, while Jaya and her trainees examined the damaged sword arm, cleaning the wounds with a potion that stung and burned dully even through the stasis field. They stitched the worst punctures and finally wrapped the whole thing in bandages. By this time, Kiri had eaten all she could stand. Her stomach was already in open revolt at the very idea of what lay ahead of her, and from the stench of the potion. She took several deep breaths as the reeking concoction was brought to her. She looked at it in deep disgust.

  “Try to down the whole thing as fast as you can. It won't do for you to taste it too much,” Jaya advised.

  Kiri closed her eyes, grasped the flask and lifted it to her lips. Determinedly, she swallowed the thick brew, refusing to inhale, gulping huge mouthfuls. At last, the container was empty and she fell back against the pillows, swallowing convulsively, trying not to breathe through her nose, lest the horrendous taste become even more pronounced. It isn't going to work, she realized. There's no I can keep this vile stuff in my stomach.

  “Kiri,” Jaya said sharply, “You must keep it down. It has to stay in your stomach to draw the poison.”

  “I'm trying,” Kiri said through clenched teeth.

  Something cool touched her lips. Davin, offering a glass of clean water. Kiri took a mouthful, but couldn't swallow. Instead she rinsed her mouth, trying to banish the taste of the potion, and spat into a pot that had been placed on the bed. He set the cup aside and took Kiri's face in his hands, making her look deeply into his eyes.

  “Listen, Kiri,” he said, his voice low but intense, “you can do this. You're strong, the strongest. Soon, you'll be well. Just think about all it means for us. You're going to survive this. You'll beat this thing, just like you beat that creature. You're a warrior.”

  He kept talking, not really saying much, but keeping her focus on him until the urge to gag passed and Kiri felt reasonably sure she wouldn't vomit ahead of schedule. The mass rolled in her belly, but with slow, steady breathing, she kept it there.

  Jaya reached for Kiri's arm. “I'm going to release you from stasis now. I know this is going to hurt. I'm sorry.”

  “I can handle pain,” Kiri told her as the spell holding her arm broke apart. Jaya was right, the injuries did hurt. They hurt terribly. Kiri could also once again feel the waves of contagious poison spreading from those deep bites up to her shoulder, and around the curve of her torso. Thankfully, they did not seem to pull towards her face, but instead were drawn by the sickening mass to her stomach. “It's working,” she told them. “I can feel it.”

  “Good,” Jaya said. “We'll leave you alone now for a while, and you can rest. Try to eat some more if you can. We'll be back soon with the next part of the process.”

  “I can't wait,” Kiri said dryly.

  Jaya left, taking her two cronies with her. Kiri turned to Davin. “Do you really have to stay through all of this?”

  He looked hurt by her question. “Don't you want me?”

  “Davin, this has nothing to do with wanting you. I don't want you to see me in this state. It's embarrassing.” I already feel like a useless lump, and then… The thought of what was coming made the mass of poison and potion roll unpleasantly in her belly.

  “Don't be embarrassed,” he told her. Davin thought for a moment and then added, “You don't want me to see you as weak, do you?”

  Kiri shook her head. “I'm not weak,” she said stubbornly, as though he'd suggested something to the contrary.

  He touched her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “I know you're not used to relying on anyone, but listen, this I how I watch your back. You're injured. You need your partner to help you while you recover. It doesn't say anything about your strength, or your worth. Here, see how helpful I am?” He handed her a toothbrush.

  Kiri took it in her dominant hand, which, despite its burning pain, was thankfully movable again. She cleaned her teeth thoroughly and felt much better afterwards.

  “I've been a slave so long I've forgotten what it's like to have a partner, a friend, at my back,” she commented, enjoying the freshness after such a terrible flavor.

  “You'll get used to it again.” He handed her the water and she drank thirstily.

  When she set down the cup, Kiri realized she had a question “Davin?”

  “Yes love.”

  “Who is Jaya to you? You two have a deep connection. Is she your sister?”

  “Yes. Well, mostly.”

  What? “What does that mean?” Kiri demanded, puzzled by Davin's cryptic words.

  “It's a long story,” he said as though prevaricating.

  “We have a long day ahead of us,” she reminded him. “If we want to have this amazing future together, don't you think I should know about your family?”

  He smiled. “Well then…Jaya is my adopted sister. We're from the same town, a tiny village far from the capital. We were from two of the most prominent families there. My father was head of law enforcement for the entire district. Jaya's father was mayor. She was the best friend of my younger sister.” He paused, his eyes far away. “When I was eighteen, I came to the capital to enter training for magical law enforcement, which had always been my goal. About a year later, a plague swept through the town. Almost everyone died: Jaya's family, my parents, my sister. Ja
ya was one a few people who seemed to possess a natural immunity. When I heard about the illness, I went back, but the journey took many weeks, and by the time I arrived, it was too late. Everyone was dead. Everyone except Jaya. Her whole family was gone.” Sorrow flared on his face, still potent despite the years that had passed. “I couldn't leave her there alone. The town was declared cursed. All the buildings were burned and the few survivors scattered. I had a life here in the capital, so I brought Jaya with me. She was about fourteen at the time. I tried to adopt her, but the elders said I was too young to be her parent, so we adopted each other as brother and sister, and I've tried to look out for her ever since. So, legally she is my sister, even though we're not related by blood.”

  Every word seemed to drive like nails into Kiri's heart. Through the bond, she could actually feel his pain. “Oh gods, Davin, that's terrible. I'm so glad you two had each other!”

  “So am I,” he replied, his lips twisting into a parody of a smile. “What about you? Do you have any family?”

  Turnabout is fair play, Kiri. She sighed. “Well you know about my grandparents. My grandfather died fighting the creatures. My grandmother was pregnant with my mother at the time, but she didn't survive the birth. Mother was raised as an orphan and eventually married my father, a common farmer. I hear he was a kind and friendly person, but he died in a farming accident when I was just a baby, so I never really knew him.”

  “And your mother?” He pressed.

  Damn, I didn't want to talk about her. “She's still alive, but I haven't talked to her in years. Around the time I was being recruited to the army, a new suitor was sniffing around her, and he wasn't too keen on taking on a dead man's daughter. I think she was glad to see me go. She eventually married that man and they had half a dozen children together. I still saw her occasionally over the years, until the trial. She publicly disowned me over it. I have had no word from her since.” She blurted the words as fast as she could, but they still hurt.