The Bonding

by Hansen, Victoria

  It was a long walk from Davin's apartment to the temple of all gods, but after being cooped up inside all day, Kiri didn't mind at all. Although it was early fall, the day was relatively warm. Kiri appreciated this, as she had not adjusted to Koral's cooler temperatures yet. Davin's arm felt warm around her waist, well below her braid with its crown of spikes, and she snuggled into his side. As they walked along, several people greeted Davin, and a few asked for introductions. Kiri was touched by the way he displayed her proudly, as though she were a precious treasure. A few people looked askance at the necklace she wore, but most were genuinely delighted to see a well-respected public figure so happy.

  The temple was a massive structure, befitting its status. Inside the towering domed central room, there were chapels dedicated to the god of war, the god of commerce, several farming and fertility deities, a love goddess or two, and the lady of the hearth and family. Kiri laid a wreath of brilliant orange flowers on this last alter. This was customary for women when they became engaged, but as she knelt in front of her offering, she also prayed for the child inside her, that she would be a good mother. She knew it was time to tell Davin the wonderful surprise their love had wrought in their moment of gravest danger.

  Next she went to the chapel of the god of war. He had always been her patron. She left an extravagant offering from the substantial reward the elders had given her. She spent many long moments praying in thanks for her survival and for Davin's and also praying for Jarrell's soul. Poor warrior. She prayed he was at peace, with many ancient warriors to spar with. At last, she and Davin made their way together into the presence of the oracle.

  Kiri had never consulted an oracle before. She wasn't quite sure what to expect. Maybe an elderly woman, or a child? No, the oracle turned out to be a man: plump, bald, and middle-aged, with a pleasant smile.

  “Welcome Kiri Taconowa,” he boomed. “Welcome Davin Colorian. It is good you are here. There are many who wish to speak with you. You were wise to come today.”

  Davin bowed low and Kiri, after a moment, followed suit. She couldn't curtsey in slacks, and she hated wearing dresses.

  “First, Kiri, the lady of the hearth has something to tell you.” The fat man's voice changed to that of a mild-mannered woman, and said, “You are right to think you have held your silence too long. Stop looking for the right moment, Kiri. You know what you need to do. Do it today or there will be consequences.”

  “Yes, my lady,” Kiri said. Davin gave her a questioning look, but she mouthed 'later” and he let it go.

  “I also have a message for both of you, from Jarrell,” the oracle continued in his normal voice. “He says to you, Davin, thank you for being a friend. For Kiri, thank you for being a soldier. I am at peace.” Kiri nodded, glad to have been of use. She knew he was referring to when she had finished him after the creature had torn him apart, rather than leaving him to die slowly while she saved herself.

  She looked at Davin, whose eyes had grown suspiciously moist. “I hate losing friends,” he said gruffly, “and you were a great one. Be at peace, brother.” Kiri slipped her hand into her fiancé's, and he gripped her fingers tightly.

  “The last is from all the gods, but it is mostly the god of war who wishes to speak.” The oracle's voice deepened and took on a resonant quality that even on a battlefield would have been heard for miles. “Well done, you two. You have achieved the purpose for which you were both born. Ever since those two sacrilegious monsters, Gorn and Shara, placed themselves against the heavens, we have been setting events into motion that would create our champions and bring them together to face and destroy the infidels, and you have succeeded. You need not worry that your bond is an error. You behaved exactly as we meant you to, from your first meeting. You were fated for each other from the moment of your births, and the bond between you needed to be incredibly strong so you could fight together and save each other. No other bond; not friendship, not patriotism, not even duty, would have stood against such danger. Only love transcends the will to live.”

  “So then,” Davin said, his brow furrowed with deep thought, “The reason we fell in love so quickly is that we were destined for each other?”

  “Yes.” This was a softer, more feminine voice. “You didn't meet as strangers, for each of you recognized the other as your match, your soul mate, your destiny. You are each other's reward for your great service and sacrifice.”

  For a moment, Kiri feared she was going to faint. Davin was her destiny? She was the woman who had always been meant for him? How could that even be? She had always feared one day he would tire of her, but if she was his soul mate…She swallowed hard and pulled herself together, because the oracle was speaking, this time in a sultry female voice, “We were worried about you, Davin, honey. You were meant for Kiri only, but you went wild, giving yourself to everyone. Naughty boy, you almost ruined everything. We very nearly wrote you out of the pattern. It would have been a great loss, and Kiri would have suffered most. We are very glad you righted your course in time.”

  “Kiri could have destroyed the monsters alone. She's a miracle in battle,” he commented.

  “Yes, Davin, she would have. But without you to guard her back, she would not have survived. The only reason your Kiri is alive today is that you recognized your error in time to fix it. Still, your choices continue to have consequences to this day. Kiri must fight again now, a fight we never intended, because of you. And you will have no choice but to let her do it.”

  “That's harsh, lords and ladies,” Kiri said. “Davin may have made some foolish mistakes when he was young, but he did achieve his purpose. He not only saved me from the creature, he made me want to live. I would have said such a task was harder than killing magical monsters.”

  “She defends him,” the love goddess cooed through the oracle. “Isn't that sweet? I told you the love between them would be the finest I ever wrought. Now then, you two, you have every chance of being happy together. Yours is the kind of love that lasts a lifetime, even if you didn't get a chance to start it out in the usual way. But in order to achieve lasting happiness, you each have one more lesson to learn. Listen well, little ones. Kiri, you must learn to see your own worth. You are not a broken vessel. You are not a worn-out shell. You have many fine qualities beyond the ability to fight. You are beautiful, sexy, kind, a good friend, and a good lover. Davin knows this. He isn't going to tire of you, so put the thought out of your head. You will, however, drive him mad if you keep on doubting him because you doubt yourself. Severe self-loathing is a kind of arrogance, you know. Take Davin's love, Jaya's friendship. There will be other friends down the road for you. Be humble, but don't be ridiculous. You are both a fine woman and a fine warrior. Know yourself to be good.”

  “I'll try my lady,” Kiri replied, bowing her head.

  “Davin, one of your tasks in this fight was to see past the warrior to the scared and lonely girl inside and love her. Otherwise you two would never have bonded and the mission would have failed. You did that very well. Now you risk forgetting that the warrior is just as much a part of Kiri. You like to hold and cuddle her, kiss her and make love to her, and these are good things. But will you also embrace the violence that makes her what she is? You must in order for your life together to be real. She will try to be what you want. You must make sure she knows that what you want is what she is. Kiri is more than a soldier, more than a swordmaster. She is a living weapon forged and honed through suffering you cannot even imagine. In order to be whole she must be both the warrior and the lady. You must see to that. You must learn also to trust her when she says a fight is necessary. She is wise and will not jump into battle unless she must. But if she does fight, she will win. Trust her.”

  “I will try, my lady.”

  “And now, dear children, depart in peace. Your journey towards each other is almost complete. Your journey forward in life together is about to begin. Wait patiently through this last test. Your opportunity for a new life lies right around the cor
ner, and you'll know it when it arrives. We will not leave you destitute. In the meanwhile, love each other well. Know yourselves and each other, and your reward will be great.”

  The gods departed and the oracle bowed deeply to them and shooed them out the door. They left a generous offering of coins in the little copper bowl just outside.

  Chapter 16

  Davin and Kiri walked through the streets together, hand in hand, in silence. There was a lot to absorb. Without conversation, they walked into a little street side café and sat. A moment later, cups of steaming coffee arrived, welcome on a rapidly cooling evening. The server broke the silence to take their order, which they gave in subdued voices. Kiri deliberately sat with her back to the street, an unusual position for her, but she didn't want to be distracted by the crowds of people hurrying by.

  “Davin,” she said, “I'm glad you're my reward. All I've suffered is worthwhile if I have you.”

  Davin kissed her knuckles. It's time, she decided.

  “I heard something the other day,” she said off-handedly, “and I didn't understand it.”

  “What's that, baby?” he seemed distracted, studying each scarred and calloused finger.

  “Jaya said women in Koral use magical devices called pregnancy blockers. Is that true?”

  He lifted his head and regarded her, his eyes clouded with confusion. “Yes, all sexually active women of childbearing age are fitted with one. Why?”

  “I've never heard of such a thing before.”

  His eyes widened. “What do they use in Laiconia?”

  “To prevent pregnancy? Nothing. We're a warlike nation. Pregnancies are good. They make more people. I've never even heard of trying to prevent conception.”

  She watched the color drain from his face. “Do you mean to tell me you've done nothing at all?”

  “No. Laiconians don't do that.”

  His jaw dropped. “Oh my gods. We have to get you one right away. Jaya will know what to do. She'll have to check, of course, to be sure you're not…already, but…”

  “Davin,” she laid a hand on his arm, cutting off the stream of words, “don't you want children?”

  “Well yes, but not now. Not yet. I'm not ready,” he protested.

  “Well darling, you have about eight months to get ready.”

  “Say that again.”

  “That night in the cave did more than bond us to each other. We created a new person.” Though nervous about his reaction, she couldn't stop the slow smile from spreading across her face.

  “In the cave? Oh gods. All this time, all these weeks, and you didn't tell me?”

  “I didn't realize until recently.”

  “What about the bite? The treatment?”

  “Jaya has checked me,” she reassured him. “I'm fine. We're both fine.”

  “Well thank the gods for that at least.” He sighed.

  “Are you going to be all right with this?”

  “I think so, but give me some time to absorb it.”

  “Of course.”

  He slumped in his chair, looking lost for several minutes before he spoke again. “Is that what the lady of the hearth was urging you about?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I don't think I can take any more surprises.” Davin took a large gulp of his cooling coffee. Kiri sipped hers delicately, hoping it wouldn't upset her stomach. She wasn't in the throes of true morning sickness yet, but she could sense it was coming.

  The food arrived and Kiri ate hungrily. Davin stared at his dinner as though he weren't quite sure what to do with it, and finally took a few bites. They ate in silence for a while, Davin still in shock.

  Just as Kiri was deciding whether it would be greedy for her to ask for a dessert, something yanked hard on her braid. There was a high-pitched scream. Instantly Kiri was in full attack mode. She leaped from her chair and turned to face her assailant. Several paces away, clutching her hand and shrieking, was the woman who had accosted Kiri outside her first magic lesson.

  Law enforcement officers ran in from all directions. Kiri, realizing what had happened, sat back down in her chair and calmly resumed eating her dinner.

  “What just happened?” Davin asked.

  She smirked. “Looks like your Kaeli just made the acquaintance of my hair spikes.”

  He chuckled. “She's not my Kaeli. But that's funny as hell. She's going to be sorry she picked on you.”

  “Damn right.” Kiri agreed.

  “Ma'am,” one of the officers, a stocky man in a brown uniform, approached cautiously, “the lady there says you cut her with a knife.”

  “Hello, officer. She's not really a lady,” Kiri said lightly. “And as you can see, the only knife I have here is a butter knife. I didn't attack her.”

  “Well, what happened then?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his sweaty, round forehead.

  “I was sitting here eating with my fiancé and that woman grabbed my hair. It's not wise to grab my hair.”

  “Why is that?”

  She showed him the spikes. “Ingenious,” the man commented, gingerly touching the weapon. “Did you expect trouble then?”

  “No, sir,” Kiri insisted. “I'm a swordmaster. I always braid spikes into my hair. It's just habit. Of course, the only people who have any business touching me already know to look out for the spikes.”

  “I see, ma'am. Sorry to have bothered you. Enjoy your dinner.”

  Time to take action. “May I speak to her? I promise I won't hit her. I have something to say that she needs to hear.”

  “Only if you stay at least five paces back,” the officer insisted.

  “Agreed.” He walked Kiri over to where Kaeli was still clutching her wounded hand.

  “I'm going to tell you this one time,” Kiri said in a low, serious, but calm voice. She can't have my anger. I have control. “Stop. Leave Davin and me alone. You were not successful in breaking us up, and you were not successful in attacking me today. If you stop now, it's over. But if you persist, if you make me fight you, I will win. Don't come near us again.”

  “Bitch,” Kaeli shrieked, “you'll be sorry.”

  “No,” Kiri said softly, “you will. Gentlemen,” she turned to the officers, “I want it very clear in everyone's mind what I just said. I will not seek this woman out. I have no interest in her. But if she attacks again, I will defend myself and my man from her.”

  “Understood, ma'am,” the officers said, leading a still seething Kaeli away.

  Kiri returned to the table, moving her plate so she no longer had her back to the crowd. That position wasn't safe. Davin had abandoned the pretense of eating altogether and was watching his lady with a mixture of concern and admiration in his gaze.

  “Kiri, was it necessary to threaten her?” he asked.

  His disapproval stung. “I didn't. She threatened me. I warned her. She intended that to be a fight…a girl fight. Hair pulling and all that nonsense. She needed to know I don't fight like a girl, and I won't tolerate her interference anymore.”

  “Can't you just ignore her?” he urged.

  That's how this mess got started. “No. She's a bully. The only way to deal with a bully is a superior show of force. I don't intend to spend our life together looking over my shoulder for that one. She needs to be put in her place, and I'm uniquely qualified to do it.”

  “But you mustn't fight her,” he protested. “For one thing, she's crazy. That's why everyone just lets her do what she wants. She doesn't realize the consequences. For another, I don't want you to get hurt.”

  Does he really think I can't take a soft, lazy bitch like that? Ouch. “Please, Davin. She's not crazy. I don't believe it for a second. She much too shrewd to be insane. No, she just pretends so she can get away with her bad behavior. And it's not as if she could hurt me. I've taken down opponents much more dangerous than she is.”

  “Yes, I know. I was there, remember? But she's a powerful mage,” he reminded her. “A level seven. That's why she's so unstable. They'
ve been trying for years to get her to modify her behavior, with no success.”

  “It's hard to make people learn without imposing consequences,” Kiri shot back. “Especially spoiled and selfish people like that. I can take her. You know I can.”

  He laid a calming hand on her arm. “Kiri, your ability is amazing, but are you sure you're at full strength? You've been ill.”

  “I'm all better,” she insisted, “and I've been training hard since I regained the ability to stand upright. I'm fit as ever.”

  “And you're also pregnant. You have no idea how that will affect you, if you try to fight. What if your magic surges, or you become ill or off-balance? What then? I know if you fought and the baby was harmed, you would never forgive yourself.”

  Kiri's hard expression softened. “I realize, my love, you are only speaking out of concern for me. I appreciate what that concern represents. Listen, I'll tell you what I told those officers. I won't take the fight to her. As far as I'm concerned, if she leaves us the hell alone, I'll do the same for her. But, Davin, the day she threatens you or me, I will end her. Don't argue with me about it. That's just the way it's going to be.”

  “Damn it, Kiri, I don't need to be protected by a woman,” he snarled.

  His words stabbed like a dagger into her heart. “So that's what this is about? I thought you were fine with me being a swordmaster. You do need me to protect you, because I'm a woman. You've let her harassment continue far too long, because you aren't willing to use violence against her. I have no such restriction. The rules of gentlemanly behavior don't apply to me. The oracle told you that you needed to see me as the warrior as well as the lady, and in this, you have no choice. If she attacks, I will defend, and you will not stop me. This is who I am, this is what I do.”

  Kiri tossed a few coins on the table to pay for her meal and stalked away.

  * * *

  Davin sat for another moment. He was furious at Kiri for being willing to put herself and the baby at risk. How can she be so selfish as to demand the right to risk herself…the right? That didn't make sense. Risking one's self was not a right but a desperate necessity. She was placing herself between him and danger because she didn't want anyone threatening their future. Could it be true that putting Kaeli in her place would finally end the years of harassment? Was this the fight the oracle had mentioned? It certainly fit. He had caused this situation by his careless behavior years ago, and now Kiri was going to have to put a stop to it.