by JANRAE FRANK
Bryndel felt chilled for a moment, wondering if the children could possibly belong to the myn he had rape her. She did not remember it because of the drugs he and Galee had given her. How would it be explained? Could the Patriarch find a way to restore those memories? And what if the medicine was hurting her? At Galee's urging, he had continued to slip a little into her drink before bed. So long as nothing unexplained happened, she never noticed. He did not understand what it was supposed to do; only that Galee added it to the memory drops and the bi-kyndi blocker.
They moved Talons to a couch, putting one of the decorative pillows under her head. At the Patriarch's suggestion, Jysy went for a basin of cool water and a soft cloth. Two of the lounging palace cats followed her out.
The Patriarch continued to Read Talons. "She's carrying triplets."
"Triplets?" Lord Wrathscar exclaimed.
The Patriarch looked up at him. "Rare, but not unheard of among the Sharani. They frequently produce twins."
"Are they Bryndel's?" Lord Wrathscar demanded.
"She came to me virgin, father. I saved the sheets." Bryndel had, indeed, saved the sheets, but if they were Read, they would find the seed of two other males as well as himself upon them. He had had to let the bi-kyndi kill one mon each time and expend its energies before he could safely ride her for the rest of the night. It had taken several tries before they got the dosage right to completely block the bi-kyndi. Then Talons had found an Ishlani mage to block it permanently so the drugs were no longer needed.
"That is easily proved. Come here, Bryndel," the Patriarch ordered. Bryndel knelt beside him. The Patriarch took his wrist and laid it beside Talons' wrist. Then he Read them both together. "Yes, they're Bryndel's."
Relief flooded Bryndel and he stroked her head, his face filling with concern. He kissed her forehead. "I love you."
Talons' eyes opened at his touch and she smiled wanly. "I love you, too."
"You're with child," Bryndel told her, his tone gentle and full of love.
"So soon?"
Bryndel laughed softly. "Yes, belovèd. It isn't as if we haven't been trying."
Takhalme beamed, standing over them with Lord Wrathscar at his side. Talons was the last of his descendants, and he had feared that the bi-kyndi, which was part of Talons' Sharani heritage from her mothers, would make the continuance of his lineage impossible. "We must get the details of the marriage worked out quickly."
"I agree," Lord Wrathscar replied. "Young people!"
"One other thing, Father, Lord Takhalme." Bryndel knew he had to get this out now and in public, otherwise his father might find a way to deny his request. Both Galee and his father disliked Edouina, although they had never met her. "Talons is nearly full blood Sharani. We would like to make the marriage a formal Sharani style triading."
Lord Wrathscar and Takhalme glanced at each other and then at Talons. "Who is the third?"
"Edouina Hornbow. The late Wilstryn's cousin," Talons said. "We've been lovers since childhood. She loves Bryndel also."
"Well, my son?" Lord Wrathscar asked, an edge entering his voice.
Bryndel flushed. "I – I've been sleeping with both of them in the same bed. It's the Sharani way."
"And is she pregnant too?" Takhalme asked.
Bryndel's flush deepened. "Not yet. We're working on it. When it happens, the child will be passed to Talons to carry."
The Patriarch's gaze slid discreetly across Bryndel's features and then away. Something in what the young mon had said did not ring true. Eshraf knew of the intricate complexities of Sharani reproduction and genetics – while there existed a wide variation, it was all within certain boundaries – and Bryndel's words, while not completely off, were just slightly askew. It sounded alarms in an intuitive corner of Eshraf's mind, though he could not yet be certain of why. Bryndel could be nothing more than confused. Nonetheless, he would say nothing until he had had an opportunity to speak with Talons and Edouina privately.
* * * *
Jysy knelt with the cats for an instant. She doubted they would find anything. The odds that someone was poisoning Talons seemed extremely unlikely. For one thing, the only people with anything to gain from Talons, needed her alive to gain it, and that was the Wrathscars. Secondly, the poisons and venoms that could affect a Sharani were so rare that most folks, including most Sharani, believed that Sharani were immune to everything.
Jysy knew different. She had seen a Sharani die of venom. She had only been four years old, but it had been so terrible that the image still hung in her mind. Lizard, her brother-in-law, lost his sister to the bite of a hydra during the war. Things existed that could hurt them, very unusual, rare things, mostly occult and magical, and there were exceptions to every rule. Jysy knew about exceptions too. That same creature later wiped out an entire military patrol, except for its captain. The captain, severely bitten and envenomed, nonetheless managed to track the creature to its lair and kill it. By the time a relief unit arrived, the captain was recovering from the venom on her own, her natural resistance having risen to the challenge. It had been that young noble's first command and now she was King of Rowanhart on the Blood Coast.
Jysy realized with a start that she had gotten lost in her memories when the large pearl-gray cat with lush, long fur jumped onto her shoulder, pressing its head against hers. The light from the long corridor's stained glass windows fell over them in rainbow patterns. She blinked at the colors just as Lo'Ah caused the link to flare between them. Jysy did not have the gift of mind-speech, but once he initiated it, she had no trouble using it.
< Get samples of the medicine and whatever other drugs you find from Bryndel's suite before anyone can move or switch them. > Jysy sent.
< Consider it done, > Lo'Ah sent back, jumped down and raced off.
* * * *
Yahni searched the gardens, guessing that would be where Belyla would hide, finally finding his way to the ivy-veiled bench they sometimes sat upon and heard weeping in the innermost recesses behind the bench itself, where the tree, a boulder, and ivy made a cave. "Belyla?"
"Go away!"
"Belyla, I escaped as quick as I could. Your sister and Terrys are having a catfight. Pulling hair, the whole twelve yards. Osterbridge and Jajinga are having one hell of a time separating them. I think Terrys is angry enough to whip all their asses."
Belyla gave a sniffling laugh, and Yahni was uncertain which half of it was strongest. "Belyla," he called again, making a guess as to why Belyla left and Terrys went hell-bent to shred Philomea's face. "Your sister's damned pretty, but I like you better."
What came out then sounded like a sob and that had Yahni totally perplexed. He tried to think of what Derryl would say in this situation, but he doubted that Derryl had ever been in this kind of situation. Derryl was every woman's dream, while Yahni was a frequently awkward Sharani exotic. Then he tried to think of things he'd read in books, all the romantic lines, and failed utterly. His distress blanked his mind. Finally he said sternly, "Come out of there, Belyla, or else I'm coming in after you and things are apt to get serious."
She giggled.
"Are you coming out?"
Belyla giggled again. "No."
"Okay, you asked for it." Yahni lunged forward and to the side, hit the bench and rolled off, landing on top of Belyla. She struggled for a moment, laughing and forcing Yahni to resort to dirty tactics: he kissed her. "I ought to arrest you, Belyla, for resisting romance." Then he kissed her again, this time long and thoroughly. "I love you, Belyla. Just you. I never really knew what love was until I found you."
Belyla pushed his tunic up and pulled his shirt out, running her hands over his smooth, hard body, stroking the tendriled rune of Hadjys burned into his chest. "I love you, Yahni." She unbuckled his blades, laying them aside and opened his pants. She stroked his cock with gentle fingers while he undressed her.
* * * *
Jysy returned with the basin and cloth. She knelt by Talons, dipped the cloth in the water, wrung it out, and plac
ed it on her forehead. Her eyes discreetly scanned the serious faces, especially the stern expression the Patriarch wore.
Talons sighed. It felt good.
"Bryndel," the Patriarch reminded him. "You must get me some of that medicine to test. She's too weak and I need to be certain that it is not a side-effect of the medicine."
"As soon as we can get her back to her rooms, Your Holiness, I will bring it to your offices."
"Thank you."
Jysy trailed after them as Bryndel carried Talons to her rooms. As a child of the Sharani streets, she knew almost nothing of politics and social gamesmynship: so she regarded his latest news as surprisingly poor judgment on Talons' part. Talons should never have allowed so wretched a male as Bryndel to get her with child. Especially with such an obviously superior stud as Dynarien hanging on her every word.
"We left Arruth here and told her to lock the doors," Talons said.
Bryndel knocked. Arruth let them in, smelling heavily of rose oil. Talons wore it constantly to mask Dynarien's visits. Jysy and Arruth raided the bottle at every opportunity. Even the female knights had started wearing it and some of the males. Creeya had no knights, as such. The knights were a secret student organization founded by Jimi and Alora when they began to suspect something bad was happening in the palace and school. The only mon of authority who knew about the knights was the Patriarch, who now shielded them from discovery and helped in every way he could.
"What happened?" Arruth's eyes turned to saucers at seeing her carried.
"I fainted," Talons said.
"Why?" Arruth asked suspiciously, glaring at Bryndel.
"I'm pregnant."
Arruth snatched a pillow off the couch, hitting Bryndel with it, her eyes wild. If there had been an actual weapon within reach she would have used that instead of the soft, ineffectual pillow. "How dare you! How dare you! You shoved your bloody rod in too many times. You shouldn't've. You shouldn't've." Then she burst into tears and fled.
Talons glanced a question at Jysy who simply shrugged. Neither of them understood what had gotten into Arruth. Even though Talons had planned the discovery of her and Bryndel in the bedroom with the young pair's full knowledge and cooperation, the actual sight of Bryndel riding her had apparently caused something within Arruth to snap, despite its not having been the street girl's first glimpse of such things in the course of her life.
To Bryndel's credit, he ignored the youth: although Arruth was as developed as some adults, she was still just twelve years old. He had almost completely stopped responding to their taunts and assaults since Talons began taking him into her bed willingly.
He lowered Talons onto her bed of cushions and blankets. "Jysy, would you find Edouina? Talons needs her."
Jysy nodded and ran off.
Bryndel tucked Talons in and sat stroking her head. "I had no idea that you were not only pregnant, but suffering. If the medicine did it, I'm sorry."
Talons forced herself to smile at him. And if the vampire did it? Gods in Haven, if I could only remember! "I don't like to show weakness, Bryndel. You know that." Edouina had found three more wounds on her before Dynarien set his wards, and she had no memory of it happening: apparently the vampire had been calling her from her rooms at night. "I wasn't sure about the pregnancy. I've only just missed my menses," she lied. She had sensed the conception, through the kyndi, the instant Dynarien's seed spilled into her. She had let him place three of the reclaimed souls from the captured soul vault at Dragonshead within her, cognizant of the fact that Bryndel – and whoever his vampiric ally was – were trying to get her with child. It was a subtle vengeance. Dynarien had blocked the kyndi and disguised the genetics so that the children appeared to be Bryndel's.
"As soon as Edouina gets here, I'll take the medicine to the Patriarch to be Read. But I'm not leaving you alone."
* * * *
"So we're pregnant, are we?" Edouina knelt, kissing Talons deeply and thoroughly. "I thought we were going to time this better. Bryndel and I are still trying."
Talons managed a small laugh. "I didn't plan it this way."
"Oh course you didn't, dear one," Edouina said. Then she turned and wrapped herself around Bryndel, kissing him expertly, letting just enough of the bi-kyndi rise to send a jolt of pleasure through him. She considered making him come in his pants, but didn't. Fucking Bryndel until he could not think clearly gave her a certain malicious pleasure. Eventually she would just take his mind with the bi-kyndi through the pleasure centers and fix all their problems. It was that kind of sheer sexual power that made her a bi-kyndi master. Only Talons knew what she was. The fact that the masters – the saer'kali bi-kyndi – existed at all was a closely guarded Sharani secret. The manifestation of the kyndi – and even more so the bi-kyndi – varied in form and intensity according to the abilities and affinities of the woman possessing it. The kyndi moved the embryo from one woman to the womb of her na'halaef. Edouina was a master of masters – as Talons could have been had she been trained as a child. But an adult bi-kyndi was too dangerous to train.
"I – I – I," Bryndel stammered helplessly. "I need to get some stuff to the Patriarch." He pulled away and left.
Edouina laughed long and hard at his retreating back. Then she got up and started to close the door, when Arruth and Jysy bolted inside: they must have been watching for him to leave. Edouina locked it and dropped the bar, then returned to Talons.
Arruth huddled against Talons, weeping. Talons sat up and Jysy immediately put pillows to her back. The assassin drew Arruth into her arms and held her tightly; wondering at the way the girl trembled violently as if caught in a storm of emotion so strong it threatened to sweep her away.
"You shouldn't've let him do it. You shouldn't've," Arruth moaned, pressing her face into Talons' body.
"It's all right, Arruth. It's all right. I don't understand why you're letting it bother you so."
Edouina settled beside them. She ruffled Arruth's dark hair. "Honey, why don't you and your sister go down to the kitchen and tell them Talons is eating for four now. Then bring us up some munchies."
Edouina followed them to the door and secured it before returning to her lover. She gave Talons a long, thoughtful look. "No more games. How far along are you? You're bi-kyndi, you should know to the minute."
"Eight weeks. I've got control of the situation, now. It's well known that we've been sleeping together. Bryndel has acknowledged the children and..." Talons was breathing hard with little intermittent catches, as if struggling to get enough air down.
"Stop," Edouina interrupted, grasping her shoulders. "Honey, stop. Eight weeks? Why haven't you passed it to me? You're perilously close to ... too close to the point of being unable to pass them safely without bi-kyndi intervention." If they were not passed they would be born sterile androgynes, azdrin.
"I can't..." Talons' voice caught, getting a strained edge into it. She sucked in a long breath, steadied and repeated, "I cannot."
"Can't or won't?" Edouina eyed her closely, reading all the body language, which spoke far more eloquently than her words. Talons had a game going.
"Can't. It's isn't just suppressed, Edouina, it's kweigeyl."
Edouina sat for a long time, uncertain of what to say. "It wasn't just some little Ishlani mage that did this, it was a yuwenghau."
The nature of kweigeyl was debated among the masters. The effects ranged from simple and temporary blockage of the kyndi to its permanent elimination to the complete and utter destruction of a female's – and some said a male's – sexual nature and attributes. The art of kweigeyl only appeared in four of the major divine lineages (Ishlani, Willodarian, Daverani, Kalirioni) and with frequency in only two (Willodarian and Ishlani). To make an azdrin of an unborn child just to strike back at its sire... That was cold-blooded – even for Talons. Edouina shivered. "You must hate Bryndel."
"Them. I hate them. All I have to do now is get past the wedding and births. Then I'll kill them both. Bryndel and his father. A widow c
annot be forced to remarry. I'll be free." She paused, and then added, "I just don't understand why the pregnancy makes me so tired."
"Neither do I, honey. Pregnancy doesn't make Sharani faint. You've got a lot of plans. You want to tell me about them? That little cockwhore shit is sterile. I fried his seed the first night I slept with him. I had to protect you, didn't I? How was I supposed to know you'd already gone and done this?" She stroked Talons' belly. "So, what else have you been up to that you haven't told me? And don't lie, I know you too well." She waited for a reply, and when Talons did not venture one, said irritably, "Go on, the place's shielded now, isn't?"
Tears started from Talons' eyes, as her long pent up emotions escaped in a rush, and she threw herself into Edouina's arms. "I'm going to get them. I'm going to get them."
"I'd say that condemning the Wrathscar lineage to end as azdrins is fairly cold. The coldest thing I've ever heard of."
"The children aren't Bryndel's." Talons began to pull herself together a bit, rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes.
"Talons, what have you done? Did you damage a male to get these children? You know what happened to the last male you kissed – he dropped dead with his brain burned out. Or did you do this after the kweigeyl?" Edouina's voice had gone very soft and very hard.
"The sire is yuwenghau. The children are yuwenghau. He's the yuwenghau who set the kweigeyl, and disguised the genetics so that Eshraf would think the children were Bryndel's."
"Oh thank the gods, Talons. I did not want to believe you so cold as to damage children." Edouina hugged her, kissing her thoroughly. Talons settled deeper in her arms. "You were very fortunate to have found one. I suppose, knowing the Lion of Rowanslea's reputation, her camp on the eve of a major battle would be the likeliest place to have found one. Good bloodlines?"
"Yes."
"Lineage?"
"Willodarian."
"Figures with all those Valdren. Fireborn or tree-gift?"
"Neither. Sylvan." Talons nestled deeper, wedging her face into Edouina's breasts, feeling safe and warm, her nightmares receding.
