The Coming Dawn Trilogy

by Austen Knowles

  Let’s take our heat another step higher.”

  He put his forehead against hers, and let go of her so he could slowly shimmy his shoulders. Then he walked backward and punched the air with each step, until he reached the circle of men that surrounded them. The circle of men kicked glitter up around the singer and Ky. They were showered in the lustrous light. All the men began to sing. The circle of men spun around facing the crowd of dancing people.

  Ky saw Cobaaron watching the singer that kissed her. He was red with anger, and then his eyes met hers. He glared at her. Ky reached her hand out to him. He gave the smallest shake of his head, refusing. He ripped his eyes away from her to dance with the woman in front of him.

  Ky walked to Cobaaron, understanding that only the night before she sternly said that kissing was unacceptable. However, she didn’t reach him because all the men spun their partners into a tight twirl. Shimmering flecks splashed all around her. A warrior hugged her tightly to his chest like the singer had done. Then he spun her toward another partner. Several times she was spun in the exact fashion into different partners, until she found herself in front of Quintin.

  He had his hands in his pockets and kicked dust into the air like the singer had done. Ky realized the singer had invented a line dance, and now everyone continued to take the steps. He pumped his hand like a beating heart, and then began kicking up the dust as he stepped backward. “Boom. Boom,” all the men sang and jumped. Ky was spun and dipped. Quintin lifted her up slightly before dipping her once again, shadowing the motions from when the singer kissed Ky. He drew her up, and then all the women pushed the men in the chest. The men exaggerated the shove by jumping back and kicking one leg forward. It splashed dust up like a glistening fountain of water. The men weaved in and out of each other, before spinning women from partner to partner so it could all start over again.

  Ky froze when she found herself in front of Cobaaron. When he didn’t spin her into his chest, she quickly said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to do that.” He was still upset with her, but slowly, he held out his hand for her. When she touched his hand it was electrifying. All the dust shot up and whirled around higher and higher in a furious blizzard of glitter. The sparks swirled thick around them; all she could see was Cobaaron.

  He smiled, seeing her obvious emotion that was expressed in excited sparkles. Ky pressed her lips to his. Cobaaron held her close. His stiff body relaxed, and he breathed in deeply. His kiss became more passionate. His fingers swept down the length of her crimson, glowing hair to cup her butt. He opened his mouth, and his tongue touched her lips before she parted them. Ky melted into him.

  “Boom. Boom,” everyone screamed, but it was faint in the storm of small scintillate stars.

  Cobaaron released her. The light almost instantly began to lazily float, before sinking again. He then weaved in and out of the crowd with the rest of the men, and Ky was forced to spin toward other men. She was spun again and again until she lost sight of Cobaaron.

  When Ky stopped spinning, she screamed, feeling a sharp pain split her side open. The dust flew high into the air again, but this time faded, snuffing out. The dome went pitch-black, and Ky heard a whisper of a familiar voice.

  “Feel that?” Spaci whispered in her ear. He hugged her to his chest, keeping her close, as his other hand twisted a blade that burrowed into her abdomen. Scorching blood burned as it trickled down her side. “That is a poisonous dagger, witch.”

  There was another scream when nearby people saw Ky’s blood. Spaci released her, and ran with heavy footsteps. Ky fell and her glowing blood dripped to the floor. She could feel the poison growing inside of her like knives slicing all the veins in her body. Noxis appeared at her side. He removed the dagger and threw it. More people screamed, and even ran away from them. Panic erupted, thinking they were in immediate danger.

  “It’s poisonous,” Ky managed, but the words cut her throat as if she was swallowing thousands of needles.

  “I know,” Noxis shushed her. A few more warriors appeared at her side. “Don’t touch her,” Noxis warned the men. “She’s been poisoned. Go get the healer.”

  Ky felt her stomach swell and fill with air. Bubbles were making her expand unnaturally full of air. Not only her lungs, but also all her organs were painfully filling with poison. The next moment she began spitting up white froth. She rolled over to her side, which cost her dearly. She was in so much pain she didn’t think she could stand the torture.

  “Move!” Cobaaron yelled, and Noxis quickly stepped out of his way. Cobaaron covered her mouth and nose, smothering her. At the same time, he pressed his other hand on her gut where the blade penetrated, trying to stop the flow of her hot blood. “You need to breathe in the poison, Ky. Breathe it in.”

  Ky thrashed her legs, she couldn’t breathe. She had too much air as it was. She didn’t know how to breathe in bubbles that were growing in her organs. She scratched at Cobaaron’s hands that covered her mouth and nose. He was suffocating her in the bubbles. She needed to spit them out. Her body felt like it was going to burst from all the air. She was in so much pain her body could no longer take it; everything went black, and all was dark.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Ky awoke lying on a plush featherbed. It hurt to blink. Her entire body felt like it had been stretched painfully into different directions before being squeezed together again. But, she was thankful to be alive.

  Huntra sauntered over and bumped his head against hers. It felt like he head-butted her with a battering ram. He purred and lay down, stretching across her shoulder. Ky could hardly move a finger, let alone push him off. “Huntra,” she begged hoarsely, needing him to get off, but even words were torture to get out.

  There was a noise from the corner of the room. Ky’s eyes adjusted painfully to the firelight. Cobaaron had been sleeping on a chair close to the bed until he heard her talk. “Ky?” He shot from his seat and rushed over. He picked up Huntra and plopped him on a pillow far from her. “Ky, don’t talk,” he warned with concern. He was about to touch her, but stopped.

  He smiled, closed his eyes for a second, and then took a deep breath. His grief was obvious. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been afraid. Watching you come so close to death terrified me. It’s my fault, and I’m sorry.”

  “No,” Ky garbled. She would have winced but she knew that would be too painful.

  “Don’t talk. Your body healed while you slept, but now it needs to mend while you’re awake, too. You’ve been asleep for over a week.” He swallowed hard.

  By that time, Huntra made his way back to Ky, and once again Cobaaron moved him aside. “Are you thirsty? Do you need water? Just blink if you want water.” When she didn’t he continued, “You’re going to be okay now. Just lie there, and stay awake. Your body will do the rest. I’ll lie with you.” He situated until comfortably beside her, but he didn’t dare touch her. “No, you stupid cat. Go away. Don’t touch her. How many times do I have to tell you?”

  He scooted Huntra away, again. He was trying to squeeze between them, down by their feet. On second thought, Cobaaron put Huntra on a pillow behind him, and then pointed at the little white tiger commanding him to stay put. “Your cat is driving me nuts. He seems to think he can’t leave me alone with you.” He smiled; Ky assumed it was because he knew why Huntra didn’t trust him. “I had to spend this entire week with him.”

  Ky tried moving her neck toward Cobaaron. The attempt was painful but she managed an inch before Cobaaron protested. “No. Don’t shift. It shouldn’t be long before you’re fully back to normal. We may even make it to dinner, although, all the feasts have been canceled for the time being, while the warriors are here. We’ll go down to the kitchens. Just you and me.”

  Somehow, while sleeping and feeling as if only a few hours slipped by, she missed him. He must have read her feelings or saw her longing because he carefully caressed her hair, brushing it from her face and with a soothing voice he said, “I know.”

&n
bsp; He wanted to kiss her, and even leaned closer, before pausing with his lips poised close to hers. Having him near was soothing, and she didn’t want him any farther away. It helped her forget how much the rest of her body ached. Instead of kissing her, he lowered his head close to hers, his nose almost touched her skin, and then he breathed in.

  “I know,” he chimed. “I’ve been watching you all week, but...you looked so far from me. It was terrible. I knew you were in pain. You were even wincing in your sleep, and yet I couldn’t touch you. My feelings for you changed, Ky. It’s not lust anymore. It’s something much stronger.” He studied her face a moment, searching her eyes, before he added, “I’m just glad you’re alive. That is all that matters to me now.”

  Ky smiled painfully, but she was too distracted to care. It felt so good to hear him admit how he felt. Hearing his confession made her feelings change for him, too. She was falling in love with him as well. He was sweet, and she liked seeing that side of him.

  Huntra slyly crept onto Cobaaron’s hip, and quickly sat. “Oh, this stupid cat.” He picked Huntra up the way a tiger would lift its cub, and then dropped him as far from them as he could reach. “I’m going to lock you outside this room if you keep trying to touch me, or her. Now go away.” Huntra doubled in size, as if determined to stay in the room. Cobaaron faced Ky again with a small, pleased smile. “He’s relentless.”

  Cobaaron got comfortable once again. “So, what was I saying? Oh, the feasts; everyone is nervous because a warrior poisoned a Star at the festival. I sent most of my men out of the city with Octavos. They’re purging the forest. There have been a lot of dark creatures lurking, more than usual. Maybe we are being watched. I thought I smelled a witch, but I’m not certain. I will know when we leave.

  “I don’t understand it myself, but the three kings are always planning something. I don’t know what they are planning now. But, if I have to, I’ll declare war.” He paused to smile, before saying, “You probably don’t want to hear gloomy things while recovering. I’ll change the subject.”

  Ky painfully smiled, with an urge to laugh.

  “I’ve been thinking, while you were asleep, that I’d like to take you to Lake City. I grew up there, until I was fifteen, so I have many fond memories of the city. My sister Luneye is there still. She’s a member of their council now.

  “The Sister Cities are amazing, too. Their lights are very magical. The minute you’re feeling better I’ll take you there.”

  Cobaaron lifted his hand and gently clutched her fingers. “Does that hurt?” It was a mix of pain and intense pleasure. He removed his hand.

  “No,” Ky managed to say roughly.

  “Yes, it does. I’ll try later,” he said. “When you’re better we can go eat. I’m sure your body needs it.”

  Ky felt her neck loosen, as all her tight muscles unexpectedly relaxed. She moaned with relief. Her head flopped toward Cobaaron painlessly. Then her tongue slackened, and then a few seconds later her jaw unclamped. “What happened?”

  “My neck.” Ky thought her voice would be strained, but to her surprise she spoke easily without sounding hoarse. “My neck relaxed. I don’t know how else to explain it, but everything from my eyes to my neck is back to normal.”

  “And you got your voice back.” He leaned down and kissed her. She felt ecstasy and sheer bliss as he kissed her. He leaned away as if he didn’t want to accidentally touch her if he got carried away.

  “I want you better, Ky. I feel responsible. I should have killed Spaci the moment I heard him tell you that your days were numbered. I should have followed my instincts. But you called me a monster that lives for blood. You don’t like to see me fight. I didn’t want you to look at me with disgust like you did that night in the courtyard. I won’t make that mistake again, though. I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who threatens to harm you. I can’t lose you.”

  “I don’t think you’re a monster, Cobaaron. You’re a good man. I was mad. I bottle things up, and then lose my temper.”

  “You should will me to not have a temper or yell at you. Think it, and I will change, Ky.”

  She nodded. “That is a good idea. I want you to not scare me or be intimidating when speaking to me.”

  “If I didn’t find it sexy that you would be an exceptional warrior, I wouldn’t change you, but I do want you to be fast and fight with skill.” She smiled, when she saw Cobaaron petting Huntra’s ear without thinking. “What is so funny?”

  “Nothing.” She grinned. “What happened to Spaci, anyway?”

  “I went after him,” he replied. “Then I returned to help you.” Ky didn’t ask any more questions. She figured out that Cobaaron did more than chase after him; Cobaaron succeeded in his attack, doing what Spaci failed when attempting to take Ky’s life.

  Ky felt pain slowly subside from the front of her head to the back of her skull, as tension released until it was completely gone. “That is so much better. My headache is gone.”

  “I’m glad.”

  An hour passed as they talked. Slowly her body loosened at a much faster rate as her muscles released the excruciating tension. They lay there talking, with Cobaaron comfortably laying his hand on her stomach where she bore a scar from the dagger. The sensation of his touch was distracting to both of them, but they fought to ignore it. For Ky too, the union was no longer pulling them to sleep together, but to fall in love. Everything he said or did Ky found irresistible. She worshiped him. Obviously, the union was pulling her to feel greatly, and because she knew his feelings she wasn’t holding back.

  They talked in a playful, intimate whisper. While listening to him and watching his lips that captivated her, she silently wished Cobaaron wouldn’t resist his love for her and worship her as she did him. Ky hoped Airia was right when saying he had little chance to resist the union once Ky made up her mind. Ky wanted to keep him.

  “Tell me about your family,” Cobaaron said.

  “I’ve an older sister, Roslyn. We were close until high school, but after that we were never very close again. We had different interests. She liked boys more than anything, and I liked acting.”

  “What do you mean? What is acting?”

  “Performing, you know, acting out stories.”

  “Oh, you mean The Telling of the Tales, where you act out your battles.”

  “Yes, but it’s not only battles. It’s any made up story. It could be anything really. And you dress up in costumes to fit the role you’re playing.”

  “So how much older was your sister than you?” he asked. “Fifty years?”

  “Two years,” Ky said, and snickered.

  “That’s it? Well, my siblings aren’t that much older than me. Noxis is only ten years ahead of me. Onor was nineteen years younger than me. My sister is twenty-seven years younger than me.”

  “Wait. Noxis is your brother?”

  “Half brother. Of all my family I am closest with him.”

  “I thought when he called you brother, it was as if he was saying comrade, not that you two are actual brothers.” Ky paused to reach down, and held his hand that lay on her stomach. “How old are you? Are you very old?”

  “Much older than eighteen; I won’t say exactly. I was older than twenty, but I’m literally young again. I will age with you.”

  “And your parents?”

  “My father was a warrior, but not a great one. Though, he did die in battle with honor. My mother tried to move to another city and didn’t make it. Most people don’t. But don’t worry about being outside the city,” he slid his fingers under the neckline of her gown, touching her skin, letting the union stimulate her with devotion and desire, “you’ll be with me.”

  “I don’t worry if I have you and Huntra.” Ky petted Huntra. Cobaaron then noticed he was petting him, too.

  “Ugh, this cat keeps planting himself on me. His determination is annoying,” Cobaaron groaned and once again picked Huntra up, dropping him on a distant pillow.

  “Well, stop petting him,”
Ky grinned.

  “I wasn’t a second ago.”

  “Yes you were. Next time I’ll tell you. Then you won’t ever convince me you hate cats.”

  “No, that’s emasculating. I’m a man. Men don’t like animals, unless it’s for eating, but only a desperate man eats cats.”

  “Okay, tough guy, you hate animals.” She suppressed her smile. She felt her calves ease up. “That feels so much better. I can’t even tell you. Almost my entire body is back to normal.” She sat up and massaged her legs.

  “What else hurts?” he asked, rolling closer.

  “My feet.” She watched her toes, seeing them curled down tight. It felt like each toe had an angry cramp.

  “It’s almost over then.” He smiled. “It won’t be long now. In the meantime, tell me about your parents and where you’re from.”

  “My parents are Eric and Penny Calendars. My father is a service manager for a car dealership, but that would mean absolutely nothing to you. My mother is a midwife, meaning she delivers babies. I live in the state of Texas, in uh, America. Oh, never mind.” Ky laughed. “I’m from a beautiful place; the sky is blue like the dome of this city. Imagine a bright yellow sun crossing over the sky each day and nightly it dips to the mountains as the skyline changes colors from orange and purple to pink and red. Texas has breathtaking sunsets.”

  “I’m jealous; I’m truly envious. I can practically see that. Don’t ever forget what that looks like, Ky. Think of it often. Trust me, it will give you hope.”

  “We have a moon too, which is white and much brighter. I’m still baffled how your moon shines brown with no sun.”

  “It’s the rock. It glows. Does your sky have stars?”

  “It does. Unlike your world.”

  “We do, but only in certain places. It sounds quite different from here. In this world the only real care is fighting evil, and for women it’s bearing children because almost all women are barren. Is that the same?”

  “Women are barren?”

  “Yes, this is why women are very artful and cunning in their ways to get men into their bed. They’re very forward about their wishes. If they do sleep with a man, usually they’ll sleep with him several times, but it’s not abnormal for women to sleep with many, many men in her lifetime. While still never bearing a single child.”