A Prince Among Killers

by S. R. Vaught; J. B. Redmond

  “You look like your mother,” Blath said, her usually stoic voice thick with emotion. “A woman so beautiful and kind a dynast heir gave up his own heritage just to win a kiss.”

  Heat suffused Dari’s limbs. “You exaggerate, but I love you for your kindness.”

  Blath lifted her fingers and touched Dari’s cheek. “Nicandro Mab would choose you over his throne, if fate demanded it of him. I believe he would choose you over life itself.”

  Dari closed her eyes.

  Nic.

  No matter how much this felt like a dream, Nic was more than real to her—and worth whatever sacrifices this union might ultimately require. If only Kate could be here with her today, standing beside her as her help-mate to witness this odd comingling of Fae traditions and Fury vows she and Nic had prepared for their joining. That would have made the day perfect.

  As it was, Dari could ask for little else, so long as she kept war and battles from her mind.

  Outside the tent, at the exact second predicted to mark the first moment of dawn, Triune’s bells began to ring in fast, joyous bursts. So close to the castle’s walls, the sound was near to deafening, and Dari felt each peal in her bones.

  Blath walked solemnly to the nearest wall of the preparation tent and took down two torches. One she handed to Dari, and the other she kept for herself. Dari’s fingers closed on the rough-hewn wood, and the warmth of the flames near her cheeks made her smile.

  As the bells went silent, Blath said, “Those camped in the valley to attend Judgment Day will be confused by the unusual ringing—and intrigued. This was a good plan, Dari. Your wedding will be well attended.” She held the tent flap aside for Dari to pass, and Dari slipped outside into the gradually lessening darkness.

  Her grandfather was waiting for her, resplendent in his green ceremonial robes. The image of a golden gryphon had been stitched into the velvety cloth, and the design made his chest and arms seem twice as powerful. His smile, however, was what touched Dari at her deepest levels. Her grandfather’s happiness for her claimed his entire face, and set his dark eyes to a dancing twinkle that rivaled the flames on the torch she carried. When he bowed to her, his oiled beard and ponytail rested against the gryphon like dark waves bearing the creature aloft.

  With Lord Ross was Tiamat Snakekiller, dressed in the simple gray robes of Stone, austere yet somehow no less splendid than Dari’s grandfather. Her benedets moved and swirled in the firelight, and it was difficult for Dari to grow accustomed to seeing a Stone Sister completely unarmed, and not even wearing her belt of pebbles and poisons and elixirs. “We are honored to stand Strong beside you,” Snakekiller said, and bowed as deeply as Lord Ross.

  “Thank you,” Dari said, grateful that these two would be the ones pledging themselves to defend and support her new husband. It was unusual for a woman to stand amongst the Strong in a Fae ceremony, but Dari would challenge anyone to present a more worthy warrior and protector than Snakekiller. Nic would need her, and Lord Ross, too, Dari had no doubt. And so would she.

  “They’re coming,” Lord Ross said, nodding in the direction of Triune’s main gate and keep as a swell of voices and shouts and moving feet began to claim the morning. Soon after came the unmistakable rattle and clatter of blades and bows being surrendered and stacked in piles outside the designated ceremonial area. No one in all of Eyrie brought weapons to a wedding, and the Judgment Day crowd, even surprised by this additional festivity, would be no exception.

  The sky above Stone’s stronghold grew lighter, and lighter still, and the bells began to ring again, still brightly, but more slowly. Dari’s heartbeat took up their rhythm, and she found she could barely swallow as she took her place behind Blath and in front of the two who would stand Strong. They walked almost in step, winding down the path that led to a small platform resting against Triune’s east wall. In normal times, it was used for weddings for the sheltered, and promise ceremonies for Stone Brothers and Sisters. Sometimes traveling minstrels gave performances there, or set up shadow-puppet shows for the children. Today it would serve as a uniting point for two dynasts and two cultures, and two people who never expected their lives to take them east at dawn, to marry each other and hopefully stave off a terrible battle.

  As Dari drew closer to the platform, she saw two lines of Ross Guard forming a corridor for her approach. On the opposite side, Cobb Guard comprised the corridor. As for the platform itself, the wood had been decorated with white wildflowers and dark green ivy, with light golden-brown stalks of new grain and sprouting fallow grasses, and even bright red winter berries already strung to dry for powders and wines. How very like Stone, to select practical adornments that would later be put to use. That made much more sense than silks and cloths and flowers no cow or goat would enjoy.

  Lord Baldric was already waiting atop the platform in his gray robes, and beside him was Stone’s rector, who held a quill and a thick parchment that would be Triune’s official record of births, deaths, and marriages. The bells subsided, but Dari’s heart beat even faster when she saw a torch-lit procession approaching from the other side of the platform, with Aron in the lead. As Nic’s help-mate, he moved slowly, careful to allow Nic to keep up with him. Lord Cobb and Stormbreaker walked behind Nic, prepared to stand Strong for him—and catch him if need be, to get him through this journey to the platform.

  I love these people, Dari thought as she climbed the steps of the platform behind Blath, scarcely able to remember a time when she considered Fae to be loathsome and dangerous, worth less than a moment of her time and consideration. I love them all, and if they’re here, they love me, too. Fae and Fury, dynast lord and Stone Guild—such an unlikely gathering. As Blath stepped to the side and left Dari facing the man who would shortly become her husband, Dari understood completely that “family” and “people” were not always decided by birth or bloodlines, and that love and respect were perfect antidotes to the poisons of prejudice and fear.

  Nic’s golden hair and blue eyes seemed to glow in the light of the slowly rising sun. His ruby-red breeches and tunic bore the dragon of Mab stitched in a white so bright it would be blinding in the full light of day. Where he obtained such a garment for this wedding, Dari had no idea, but she suspected the many towers and storage buildings at Triune held secrets and surprises far greater than ceremonial dynast garb.

  She smiled at Nic, and he smiled at her. The tight lines of his face told her he was in pain, that he had refused elixir, intent on joining with her with his senses completely intact, no matter how brutal that might be for him. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hold him, take away every hurt and bit of agony, but she knew that these things were part of Nic now. He had learned to survive suffering no living creature should be asked to bear, and that agony was part of what had shaped him into the man she chose to marry.

  She quickly got lost in his eyes, in the cut of his jaw and the stooped line of his shoulders, so much so that she barely heard Lord Baldric ask the ever-swelling crowd for silence. Onlookers were still murmuring when Triune’s bells rang again, long and sweet and lovely, the perfect opening to any wedding, as far as Dari was concerned.

  “Today we join together to celebrate a band-mating between Dari and Nic,” Lord Baldric announced, his voice almost as loud as Stone’s bells. Dari noted that he deliberately omitted both her family name and Nic’s. The presence of Lord Ross, Lord Cobb, and Blath would say much, not to mention Nic’s appearance, and his obviously Mab clothing. It would be too great a risk to announce Nic’s identity outright, even to an unarmed group of onlookers at a Judgment Day wedding.

  As the procession torches were extinguished, the onlookers cheered nonetheless. Weddings were weddings, and most people took joy from them. Dozens upon dozens of eager faces stared at the platform, awaiting the next step in the pageant, and Dari tried not to remember that these same faces would be eagerly awaiting combat in the Judgment Arena later this day.

  The whistling and shouting died away, and Lord Ba
ldric clapped his hands.

  Through the crowd came Zed, carrying a wooden tray with a wooden cup and a loaf of bread. Beside him walked Iko, carrying another wooden tray, this one adorned with two crystal chevilles, as yet just open bars of polished rock. The dawn light caught the bright lines in the clear rock, so bright it brought tears to Dari’s eyes.

  Zed climbed the steps on Dari’s side, while Iko carried his treasures to Nic’s side of the platform.

  Once more, the crowd below shouted and cheered, welcoming these obvious symbols of Fae joining. Thankfully, they were too far away to hear the private words that would be spoken, which bore little resemblance to Fae vows.

  “Darielle Ross,” Lord Baldric said, his voice quiet and gentle, “have you come this day of your own will and wish, to take this man as your true and honorable band-mate, until fate cleaves the chevilles that will bind you together?”

  Dari reached forward and took Nic’s hands in her own. Her heart lurched against her ribs, then seemed to grow three sizes too big for her chest. “I have,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder.

  “Who stands Strong for you, to take your band-mate’s fate as their own, to defend him and support him, and to recognize him as your husband, and a member of your family?”

  “We do,” Lord Ross and Snakekiller said from behind Dari.

  Dari’s head swam.

  Nic’s smile grew broader, and she felt the pressure of his fingers as he shifted his grip to hold her hands in his.

  You are half of my heart and soul, his gaze told her. Mine now, and always.

  When Lord Baldric asked Nic about his will and wishes, he answered, “I have,” in a voice much stronger than his body. Stormbreaker and Lord Cobb stood Strong for him, each offering Dari a slight bow when they spoke their vows.

  Lord Baldric began to beam, and the expression was so unusual for him that Dari almost moved backward. “By rock and leaf, by stone and thorn, may your love carry you high on the most powerful wings.” He reached toward Iko’s tray, selected one of the two crystal bands, lifted it, and waited for the crowd’s cheering to wane. “Nic, it is not within my duties or powers to band you. Dari, this right belongs to you and only you. If it is your wish to become Nic’s band-mate, then place this band on his ankle if he agrees.”

  Hands trembling, barely breathing, Dari took the crystal band and felt its cool perfection. “I join you to me,” she murmured, still unable to speak louder than the softest of breezes. “Tell me your heart. Do you agree?”

  “Now and always.” Nic extended his right ankle.

  Doing her best not to pitch forward, Dari knelt and placed the crystal against the top of Nic’s bare foot. Iko knelt with her, and took the stone from her shaking fingers. She sensed the heat and motion of energy as he used his Sabor mind-talents to shape the stone, then join the ends into a seamless, flawless whole, resting against Nic’s ankle.

  Dari gazed at the beautiful crystal ring, tried to breathe, tried not to cry, and failed at both. When she stood, she had to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She was grateful for the yelling and laughing and celebration from the crowd, as it gave her moments to gather her composure before Lord Baldric turned his attention to Nic.

  “Dari, it is not within my duties or powers to band you. Nic, this right belongs to you and only you. If it is your wish to become Dari’s band-mate, then place this band on her ankle if she agrees.”

  To Dari’s ears, Nic’s voice sounded like sweet music as he said, “I join you to me. Tell me your heart. Do you agree?”

  “Now and always,” Dari said, extending her right ankle. If she didn’t breathe soon, she would faint, and she was certainly not the fainting kind.

  Nic knelt slowly, obviously with difficulty, but without help from Aron or Lord Cobb or Stormbreaker. He pressed the crystal band into Dari’s skin, and kept his hand in place over the cool, firm rock as Iko worked with its energy.

  When Nic rose, Dari couldn’t stop looking at her ankle, or at his.

  Joined.

  By the bands.

  Two crystal chevilles, born of the same fire, forever linking them together.

  She knew she was smiling as the crowd shouted its approval, but she could scarcely feel her own body as Nic took a drink from the wooden cup Zed held out to him, then offered it to her.

  She took it, somehow managed not to drop it, and sipped the clear, lightly sweetened water within it. She put the cup down, ate a bite of the crusty, delicious bread, then offered Nic his bite.

  He accepted, and gave her fingers a gentle kiss as she moved her hand away from his mouth.

  The shouts from the crowd seemed even louder now, and Dari could feel their anticipation expanding with her own.

  “I witness this joining,” Lord Baldric boomed, spreading his arms. “As do we all.”

  “As do we all!” shouted Lord Ross, Snakekiller, Blath, Aron, Stormbreaker, Lord Cobb, and seemingly everyone in Triune.

  Nic pulled Dari to him and held her close as the rector dutifully recorded their names on Triune’s register, making their joining official.

  Dari didn’t care how official their marriage was. Nic was hers, and she was his. She pressed her face into his neck and let go her emotions. Her tears flowed, some happy, for herself and Nic, and some sad, for Kate’s absence from this blissful moment.

  Below the platform, onlookers were tossing hats and shoes and cloaks into the air, then scrambling to reclaim them and toss them again.

  Nic allowed Dari the time she needed, then kissed her ear and whispered, “We’ll find Kate, Dari.” He pulled back from her and gazed at her with the bright blue eyes she had come to love, then tapped his newly banded ankle against hers. “I know it seems impossible, but we’ll find her, just like we found each other. Nothing is impossible—and I’d say we’re walking, talking proof of that.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

  DARI

  The dawn banding ceremony at Triune’s eastern wall was indeed the perfect method of making their presence public and dramatic enough to be discussed by every resident of Triune, not to mention the crowds that had swelled in for Judgment Day. Dozens of Sabor increased the pageantry by flying in formation above the castle walls. All morning and even throughout Judgment Day, they traveled, passing above Brailing villages and into Dyn Altar, swinging wide to make certain they passed over the edges of Dyn Cobb and Dyn Ross as well.

  It was a spectacle that couldn’t be ignored, and Dari knew the moment the crowd left that word had been spread all over Eyrie. People from the far reaches of Dyn Ross to the borders of Dyn Mab and beyond had to be talking about the flight of the Sabor—and they spoke not only of the gryphons in the sky, but how they heralded a strange wedding at Stone on Judgment Day, in the midst of a war.

  Dari treasured the next quiet days and nights she spent with her new husband in a private cottage amongst the sheltered, anonymous, with no concerns save for attention to their meals, and to each other. Those were the most peaceful and hopeful moments she had ever known, perfect but for Kate’s absence in her life, and the fact that she had those days only to give time for word of her marriage to reach hostile armies.

  She loathed having to rise the morning of the fifth day, eat her breakfast quickly as Nic drank a large dose of elixir to help him with the rigors of travel, and prepare for their departure. Nic, however, remained as steady and positive as he always did, and Dari allowed his buoyant mood to sustain her.

  Before the sun finished rising, Darielle Ross-Mab rode forth from Triune with her husband, who had donned the dark ruby robes befitting an heir of Dyn Mab. They traveled between Lord Cobb, Lord Ross, and their personal Guard regiments, and a small group of Stone Brothers and Sisters that included Aron, Stormbreaker, and Snakekiller. Merchants stood at the sides of the outer byway as they passed, and some released messenger passerines before the rear guard even cleared the main gate and keep. Soon, everyone from Can Rowan in Dyn Mab to Can Elder in Dyn Ross would be wondering about the quiet, new
ly banded young man traveling beside his bride, under the banners of Dyn Ross, Dyn Cobb, and Dyn Mab.

  It was something, the goodfolk would be saying.

  A union of Ross, Cobb, Mab, and Stone—did you see?

  I heard one of the Stones used to be a Brailing—and that other boy, the one who looks like he had an accident—he must have Mab blood.

  That girl, the one wearing those scandalous breeches and tunic like a man—she has to be a Ross. And she’s traveling under protection from Lord Ross! What does that tell you?

  “Do you sense it?” Nic asked her, edging his mount closer to hers as they traveled upward on the byway, moving slowly out of the valley that cradled Triune. His speech was slurred from the elixir. “A wedding on Judgment Day, and now this. I can almost feel the air humming with rumors and reports. We couldn’t have attracted more notice if we had released a thousand flocks of passerines.”

  “We pretty much did that,” Dari said as another few passerines streaked past them. “The whispers will fly with the speed of birds on the wing.”

  The thought scared her and made her proud.

  The armies would know that their quarry had departed Triune, and that they were moving east at some speed, in the direction of the combined Altar and Brailing forces marching south to meet them. Mab’s armies might join the fray, as scouts placed them not a day’s ride from the main portion of the Altar and Brailing warriors.

  As for the Thorn Guild traitors and their stolen children, or Canus the Bandit and his rogue army, Dari couldn’t begin to imagine where they might be, or what they might do with this information. She turned her attention back to riding beside Nic and savoring the weight of the simple crystal band at her ankle. So long as they both lived, the new bands would keep them joined. She would always be able to find him, and he would always be able to find her.

  When Nic smiled at her, Dari wondered why it had taken her any time at all to understand that he was her destiny. Had she known, as Aron had known, but just refused to acknowledge it in her heart until Nic came to her room, flushed and breathless and stammering out his feelings? At least then it had been clear to her that she belonged with him, that Nic brought her a contentment and wholeness she found with no one else, not even her family, or her lost twin. Dari wished the world could fall away from them, and she could go back to doing nothing but spending time with Nic.