by Tenaya Jayne
Quinn shook his head, exasperated, and reached for the clothes next to him. "Shi? That's a name I certainly don't recognize. She must really be something for all this…drama. I thought you were besotted with that whore squatting in your bedroom."
Leramiun wasn't really listening. He paced as Quinn got dressed.
"All right. Am I presentable?"
"Yes, yes," Leramiun said, not even glancing at Quinn.
"Do you have the royal signet dagger?" Quinn asked.
"Of course. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be to see you engage in total lunacy and put your throne in jeopardy."
"There's no danger of that. Shi's a princess."
Leramiun smashed another End of the Bridge between his hands and pulled Quinn with him into its rushing darkness. They landed in the sand by the silver waterfall. Quinn brushed the sand from his boots, stood upright, and stared open mouthed at the water.
"Whoa! Did we just go off world?"
Leramiun smiled and slapped Quinn on the shoulder. "No."
"Where are we? Why haven't I been here before if this is Regia?"
"I didn't know about it either until a few days ago. Magnificent isn't it? It's been hidden and protected for a very long time."
"By whom?"
"Dryads. Imagine it, Quinn! I've discovered a Regian race that has lived here and thrived right under our noses. They've been a total law unto themselves. But that's about to change. They're the ones responsible for the mass grave that was recently discovered."
Quinn looked at his brother quizzically. "O-kay," he said slowly. "What does that have to do with you dragging me out here in the middle of the night for some woman?"
"Shi is a Dryad. She can't travel very far from this place, and really, there's no place as beautiful as this for our ceremony."
Quinn chuckled and shook his head. "You've lost your mind. I don't care if she is a real princess. You're choosing a bride of another race! That's going to go over really well with the people. Not to mention your Halfling children. I mean, really, how can this…Leramiun? What are you staring at?"
Quinn followed his brother's wide-eyed line of sight and felt himself winded as he laid eyes on Shi.
"Okay, I get it," he whispered. "Does she have a sister?"
Leramiun didn't answer. He rushed at Shi, scooped her up, and spun her in a circle. "I missed you."
"You were only gone a few moments," she laughed. "But I missed you, too."
She looked at Quinn. He felt his stomach drop and his cheeks burn.
"Is this your brother?"
"Yes." Leramiun led Shi by the hand over to Quinn.
"Shi, this is my younger brother, Quinn. Quinn, this is Shi."
She smiled and gave him a small bow. "Thank you for coming."
Quinn felt dizzy looking at her. "I…uh…anything for your happiness. I mean, you're welcome."
She looked openly at him for a moment, her friendly smile slipping. Her black iridescent eyes tunneling down into his. Shi flinched and took a step closer to Leramiun, grabbing hold of his arm.
"The sun will be rising. Are you ready?" Shi asked Leramiun.
He laughed and kissed her hand. "Do you need to ask? You're not worried about the ceremony, are you? I promise it won't be that painful."
"No. I'm not worried."
****
Shi shook the chill Quinn gave her and focused on what she was about to do. The sun began its ascension, casting shimmering light rays on the waterfall. The water in turn bounced it back around them. She faced Ler and held his hands. She felt no fear, had no hesitation. He'd been clearly nervous when he'd described the ritual to her earlier, but the idea didn’t bother her at all. She thought it was beautiful.
Ler looked at her so intently. She held her breath as he began to speak.
"I choose you, Shi, Verdant princess of the Dryads, to be my queen. I vow from this moment, until I take my last breath, no other woman shall have my tender thoughts. No other woman shall have my heart, my soul, or my bed. Everything I am is solely yours, if you will accept and be mine."
His words sent a rush through her; a single tear ran down her cheek.
"I accept. And I vow to you, Leramiun, King of Regia, that from this moment, until I take my last breath, you have my heart. From now on I am no longer a Verdant, I am only your queen, if you accept."
"I accept."
Ler let go of her hands and pulled a dagger from his belt. Shi squared her shoulders and nodded in encouragement. He drew the length of the blade diagonally across his palm, his blood falling on the sand. He handed her the blade. Shi took a deep breath and copied him, her golden blood surging up from the wound. Quinn stepped forward and took the dagger.
Shi held out her wounded hand to Ler. He covered her wound with his, and their blood mixed together.
"As we shed our blood together, our vows are struck. In this symbol, you know that I will die before I fail to fulfill my vow to you." He looked at her intently, and she repeated his words.
"I will die before I fail to fulfill my vow to you."
They separated their hands, scars now replaced the wounds. His was a golden line, hers red.
A current of energy welled up inside her at the thought of what she'd just done and what she now was, and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Ler tossed an End of the Bridge at Quinn. "Thanks, Quinn. See yourself home will you?"
Shi glanced at Ler's brother and quickly looked away. She wanted him gone as soon as possible. There was something wrong behind his eyes. She didn't want to look in them again. He was like a shadow crouching on the fringe of her happiness.
Quinn didn't linger. The portal absorbed him and closed, leaving the king and queen alone.
****
Ler was very patient and slow as he taught her many new things that warm golden morning. She climbed each new level of sensation with trust and enthusiasm. He seemed at ease until the moment he sank his teeth into her shoulder. Shi felt a sliver of her life force leave her body and run into him.
He pulled away, her blood on his lips, his head thrown back, and his eyes clenched shut. For a second Shi worried she'd somehow hurt him. The veins in his neck throbbed, and his body trembled with some invisible strain. Ler took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Shi gasped. His eyes burned wild and ravenous.
But Shi learned a loss of control had its own rewards. The day blossomed beautifully exhausting.
Chapter 7
Quinn deliberately brought himself back to the Onyx castle right inside Leramiun's bedchambers. His brother's whore slept in the middle of the bed, undisturbed by the lateness of the morning. He felt oddly suspended above the floor. New jealousy layered over his old jealousy, creeping and slithering into his inmost parts, poisoning him irrevocably. He couldn't swallow this. Leramiun couldn't have all the power, the throne, and Shi.
He thought of her, rage burning him up inside. He understood his brother's action. Had he seen her first she would be his and not Leramiun's. She tipped the scales, forcing him into action. Quinn's ears rang, his perception closing down, as his hands sought something to destroy. No one responded to Helena's screams.
When his rage ran its course and he came back to himself, his hands were blood covered. He knelt over Helena's crumpled frame and felt for a pulse. She was alive, barely. Sighing angrily, Quinn cut his wrist on his teeth and shoved the wound into her mouth. As soon as she came around, he pulled his arm away from her.
It was only a small prod at his brother, but he'd have to settle for small strikes. At least for now. Quinn picked her up, carried her to his room, and dumped her on the bed.
Her eyelids fluttered, and she moaned in pain. He snapped his fingers loudly next to her face. She looked at him and tried to pull away, terrified.
"You're my property now, whore. This room is your whole world. If I catch you trying to leave, I'll cut off your feet."
After changing out of his bloody clothes, Quinn set o
ut to find his friends. They would spread the gossip he was about to give them through the castle faster than wildfire. But as he came out into the hall, he was nearly smashed by one of his father's oldest advisors, huffing as he ran.
"Hey!" Quinn yelled.
The old man skidded to a halt and rushed back to Quinn, grabbing him by the arms. "Where's the king?! Where is Leramiun?!"
"He's not here. What's going on?"
"Come on, sire!" The advisor pulled him forward. "Fortress' special forces are here. A portal has been opened from a new world, and a person has come through."
"So what?" Quinn demanded. "We open portals and go to other worlds all the time."
"Yes! We! We open them! This portal was opened on the other world. And this one who has come through has great power. He calls himself a wizard. We need Leramiun to decide what we are going to do about this."
Quinn smiled. He practically skipped to the council chambers where everyone was in a panic. Fortress' group of elite stood in the back, along the wall, waiting for some order. Some looked at him when he came in and nodded a half bow. Quinn took his chance and sat down in Leramiun's place. Everyone looked at him then.
"Sit down!" he commanded the room.
Everyone sat.
"Sire, by what authority have you taken your brother's place?"
"His," Quinn said easily. "My brother is not in the castle at present. He has run off to mate the bride of his choice and won't be back for a little while yet. I am the prince, and while he is away, I will stand in his stead… So, we have a problem. Tell me about this wizard."
Quinn's info bomb caused a new panic that redirected the conversation for quite a while.
****
Shi leaned her back against her trunk and stared into the flame. She was changed; different than she had been the night before. Her people were going to have a hard time accepting this, but they would, so long as she had proof the Heart accepted it. Shi took a deep breath. Moment of truth.
She bowed before the manifestation and put her hands in the flame. For a moment, she felt nothing. Then the flame tickled her new scar, sank into it, explored it. She waited, holding totally still. It didn't bless her, but it didn't reject her either. Shi felt a soft surge into her hands and a knowledge run into her roots. The Heart still loved her. She had saddened it, but it accepted her choice.
Shi walked back to where Ler waited for her. Worry pulled on his beautiful face. She sank into his strong arms and sighed. "It's all right. The Heart accepts us."
They held tightly to each other, feeling the stress of the moment leave them.
"The evening is upon us," Ler said seriously.
"Yes. And when the morning dawns, everyone will wake, and I'll have to tell them. You have to go back to your people and tell them as well."
"Yeah, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."
"What's going to happen?"
"Well, what do you think if I built a house here? I wouldn't be able to be here all the time, but here with you would be my home, and all the rest would just be my work."
Shi's smile warmed his heart. "That sounds good. It'll have to be a small house, though. Nothing big like you're used to."
"That's fine. Just something for us to have some privacy."
He laced his fingers through hers and looked at her seriously. "This is going to be hard, you know."
"What is?"
"Us. We won't be accepted by the people. Our peace, when we have it, will always be short lived."
"If you're trying to scare me away, you're too late." She held up her scarred palm. "And, so far, of the two of us, I'm the one who's taken all the risks…and that short lived peace you just mentioned, we have some right now. And you're wasting it with all your talk."
He chuckled. She was right, of course. And apparently she hadn't found the consummating of their relationship unpleasant.
He ran the tip of his nose up the side of her neck, inhaling deeply. Even her scent seemed imbued with life. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, gathering it together, and draped it over her other shoulder, giving him more access to her skin.
Shi's bottom lip trembled involuntarily as he pressed a kiss just under her ear.
"Since what we did earlier." Her voice came out weak. "And I understand what will come next if you keep that up, I was just…wondering,"
"What?"
"Well, I warned you I'm curious. Was that all? Or do you have more to teach?"
He looked at her with wide eyes, clearly and pleasantly shocked. He'd pulled out every bedroom trick in his whole repartee earlier. And she wanted more?!
"Uh…sure there's more."
"Really? You don't sound too confident."
"I'll make something up."
Shi found Ler's improvisation delightful, except that one thing, which they both agreed never to mention again.
****
Ler's heart ached as he left Shi. But the sooner he took care of business, the sooner he'd have her in his arms again. The End of the Bridge pulled him from paradise and dropped him back in dreary real life.
"I'm back, Helena," he said before his eyes adjusted to the dimness of his bedchamber. "Helena? Are you…"
The room was in shambles. The bed looked like a troop of ogres had walked over it. Bedding was flung all around the room. His chair was turned on its side, and there was blood on the floor. Leramiun went out into the hall, looking for answers. Despite the earliness of the hour, voices he recognized drifted down the hall, in heated debate. He walked to the council chambers and stood in the doorway, shocked as he watched and listened.
All of his advisors were there. Everyone looked tired except Quinn. Quinn looked vibrant and pleased, and he was sitting in his chair.
"What's going on here?" Leramiun demanded loudly, striding into the room.
"Oh, sire, you're back! Thank goodness!"
Everyone began speaking at once, except Quinn who looked sullen. Leramiun stood next to his chair and held up his hands.
"One at a time!"
His oldest advisor told him all about the portal and the wizard, who was currently the guest of Fortress. "And we didn't know where you were! Nothing would have been accomplished had Quinn not taken charge. And he tells us you've gone off and chosen your queen! Is this so?"
Leramiun looked down at his brother pointedly. Quinn shrugged, got up, and took his usual seat.
"Thank you all for doing your jobs while I was away, and for listening to Quinn's voice as though it were my own. I am putting him in charge of the issue with this wizard…but I am to be alerted immediately when anything new arises with this. You say he's harmed no one?"
"No, sire. And he came alone as an ambassador. He says they seek asylum."
"All right. Then I shall direct your attention on to the other matter of my queen, the discovery of her race, and the justice we will be bringing to those who created the mass grave."
****
Shi had never felt so afraid. She knew she'd never had a better reason for fear. Everyone began to wake up. They all looked refreshed and peaceful. Mae approached her, smiling. Shi clenched her hands tight as Mae grasped her arms in a friendly, brisk way.
"Good morning, Shi! What a beautiful beginning to the new equinox. Wouldn't you agree? Shi? What's wrong with you?"
Shi braced herself. "I need to speak to the elders. Will you go and tell them? I have important news."
"What is this news?"
Shi shook her head. "I have to tell the elders first."
Mae looked irritated, but she nodded and walked away. Shi only had a few moments, and she realized she needed to see Shea before she shook everyone's world to pieces. She ran to her sister's place.
Shea had just climbed out of her trunk and was yawning. Hul was standing behind her, rubbing her shoulders.
"Shea!" Shi ran to her sister and grasped her in a tight hug.
"Shi, what's wrong?"
Shi pulled back. "I'm scared, Shea. I'm afraid of what the el
ders will do to me when they see this."
Shi held her palm up for her sister to see her red scar. Shea looked at it, clearly confused.
"It's a mating scar, Shea… I'm in love."
"What?!" Shea exclaimed.
"Shhh."
"What's happening?" Hul asked, leaning over Shea's shoulder to see Shi's hand.
"Shi's been defiled!" Shea told Hul.
"Don't say that! It's not ugly. I made a choice. The Heart accepts it. It accepts me and Ler."
"Ler? Who's Ler?" Hul demanded. His eyes swept over her, landing on her shoulder where Ler's bite still shone on her skin. "Oh no!" he breathed, looking seriously at Shea. "Our borders have been breached. I have to warn the elders!"
"Wait! I told Mae to tell the elders I needed to talk them. I'm going to tell them everything."
Hul snarled in her face. "You don't understand anything! You're just a sheltered Verdant who's been victimized, too stupid to know you've let the enemy in."
"No, you don't understand!" Shi yelled.
Hul slapped her. Shock spun inside her as she fell to the ground, her face on fire with pain. She looked up, tears blurring her vision. Shea had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"Hul, stop!" Shea pleaded.
He took a deep breath and placed his hands on her pregnant belly. "I'm just afraid for our family."
Then he strode off, raising the alarm as he went. Shi's fear turned into a cold, white panic as she was surrounded by her people. She found herself alone, their scared, angry gazes forming an ocean around her. Elders Fer and Pru came to the forefront of the people.
They moved slowly toward her, one on each side. Their wrinkled hands grasped at her. Fer touched her bite mark, and Pru examined her red scar. They exchanged meaningful looks.
"Let's go to the Heart," Fer said to everyone.
The elders pulled her along as the entire group headed to the Heart.
Both elders examined her tree closely. "She has not been rejected," Pru declared.
Pru gave her a soft look. "Don't worry, Shi. Nothing is your fault. Just tell us what happened."
Anger, as she had never experienced it, shot through her body. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her head, returning the condemning stares of her people with outrage.
