“Well, I’m…I don’t know. I’m a queen and things got complicated.”
“The priestess must have another potential guardian, too,” Raia said. “I thought maybe I could help find him and then it would balance out again and we could have a foursome.”
“Oh my!”
Raia laughed. “You’re still a human. Sometimes I forget nowadays.”
“I don’t know any dragons that have a foursome.”
“They just don’t flaunt it.” Raia shrugged. “I mean, it’s not common. But if everyone’s happy, I wouldn’t mind. Gilbert said they were reading about it—”
“Foursomes?”
Now we were both giggling. “No! Potential priestesses. It seemed like the potential priestess used to be like an understudy. Her powers weren’t as strong, but she used to watch the secondary gate. I have skills as a guard and a handmaiden now so I could be useful. And this poor priestess. Two of guardians are dead so she’ll never have as exciting a life as Phoebe does. But I think I’d be very good with three mates.”
“Better than you are at braiding hair, I hope.”
A few days after that, I heard horns blowing, and then cheering. Aurek was with me and he carried me to the window so I could watch the armies coming home. Then he carried me downstairs so I could meet Ezeru and Seron when they came home. They we all got yelled at by everyone for a blind guy carrying a pregnant girl down the stairs.
“Have you ever seen me fall down stairs?” Now Aurek was annoyed.
“Still, let me take her,” Oszin said, reaching for me.
“I’m never having twins again!” I cried.
“I bet Mother said that before she died,” said Rin, who sometimes went right for the dark joke. I stuck my tongue out at him because admittedly with my brother sometimes I went right for the response of a six-year-old.
The soldiers came home, and we watched it all from our vantage point at the peak of the hill. The mayor’s house overlooked the entire town of Istim, and we could see humans and dragons, horses and carts, and the herd of rock dragons.
Where I saw rock dragons, I knew I would see Ezeru. And beside him, I saw Seron. One black crown, and one of gleaming crystal. Two familiar faces, returning to me in triumph.
“We can go home soon,” I said.
“You’re not going anywhere yet,” Oszin said.
The rest of the army peeled off as they made their way through the town surrounded by a din of cheering and soon Seron and Ezeru were running toward us.
“We made it!” The usually subdued Seron actually waved at us. “And you still look as pregnant as ever.”
“More,” I said.
“You really did it,” Aurek said. “Didn’t you? You sound too happy to have lost much.”
“We did it, yeah…” Seron scratched his neck, then made a briefly awkward face. “Yes. We freed the mist dragon rebels. We got Merrick’s family back—I just heard that story, gods. We won back the gate. Rothair’s dead, thanks to Ezeru.” Ezeru nodded. “There’s just one thing you’re not going to like, Aurek.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Aurekdel
“I let Izeria live,” Seron said.
“So we can execute her in a grand fashion? Maybe the rock dragons can tear her apart and eat her?”
He sighed.
I crossed my arms and said, more seriously, “All right. What do you have planned, then?”
“I want to use her,” he said. “I think I might be able to use crystal magic to heal her, at least enough so that we could lean on her to aid in peace treaties. All the mist dragons who were loyal to her won’t go away with the snap of our fingers, just as the Emperor’s old allies have caused trouble here.”
“Healing? Peace?” I had to tamp down my temper. “Well, at least I know the old Seron is back. Except now you might be even more of a soft touch than the last version. With all the things she and Dvaro have done? We have to show our people that we’re strong, and there are consequences to opposing us.”
“We did,” Seron said. “We crushed their asses. Literally…in some cases.” I think he must have looked at Himika then, because she said,
“I’ll let you two and Ezeru decide what to do,” she said. “You’re the ones who have dealt with this conflict all your lives.”
Seron took my elbow. “Can we take a walk and talk about this?”
“What about Izeria’s head on a pike?” I asked Ezeru.
“It’s an image I still enjoy thinking about,” he said.
“Fine.” I started walking down the path so we could have some privacy, as currently we had guards, handmaidens, midwives, nosy mothers, and everyone else gathered around. My cane swiped a cat out of the way, provoking an indignant meow. “You too, Ez.”
“Me?”
“Yes. As Himika said, it’s our business.”
But I also had something to tell them. Oszin already knew. Even after Himika woke from her close call, the midwife pulled us aside.
“Before we get into that, I have to tell you two something,” I said. “Don’t panic. I feel much better now that you’re home, Seron. But—Himika came very close to dying or losing the babies while you were gone. I was able to connect with the babies and draw out their healing power, but we’re not out of the fire yet either. She hasn’t rested like she should.”
“That’s damn sure no surprise,” Seron said. “You two were fighting when she was still breakable!”
“I have been trying to keep her in bed,” I said. “Well, you can imagine how that went. She had a scare with Merrick and was running around, knife in hand. The healers are worried that the babies are too much for her. I mean, look at you, Seron. Anyway—stay close to her now. You might be the one to keep her alive when the time comes.”
“I will,” he said. “I would give everything in me to keep her alive.”
“I know.” Suddenly I had to embrace him, even though I knew he’d get stiff and awkward.
“All right, all right, it’s okay,” he said gruffly. “As for…Izeria. I’m not really sure if my plan will work. If she causes trouble, we won’t let it go on. And I didn’t let her off easy. I gave her eyes a blast of light magic. Her central vision’s fried. She can’t cause too much trouble. After all those years they spent mocking you, and after all the shit she’s done to hurt people, I figured she can get a taste of her own suffering.”
“Okay. I like that a little better.”
He laughed in a vaguely exasperated way. “You’re only one or two more tragedies away from turning evil yourself, you know.”
“The fact remains, the mist dragons started all of this when they attacked us. And now we’re going to be the ones to capitulate?”
“This is no surrender or weakness,” Seron said. “Our forces were superior. Their plans failed. They were defeated. She knows it. I think she might have brought herself down when she had her husband killed. Her idea of love is pretty twisted, but I think a part of her cared for Ezeru.”
“I’m not spending any time with her,” Ezeru said.
“She’ll have to learn to care for her own people,” Seron said. “She’ll have to heal on her own terms. If she can’t, she’s out. But we have to break this pattern. They fight us, we fight them. We can remain stubborn, knowing Izeria would never do it, and if we kill her, one of her lackeys might rise up in her place. But my ancestors punished all the mist dragons for the actions of a few. I accept some responsibility.”
“Can I see her and gloat?”
“Are you really going to gloat?”
“Hell yes. I didn’t even get to kill anyone.”
Seron groaned.
Still, he brought me through the mist dragon camp. Along the way we were swarmed by Merrick’s sisters and parents, who were in tears thanking us for sparing Merrick’s life.
“Just a normal human family, by the looks of ‘em, but they seem half starved,” Seron said.
“By the woman you want to let off the hook?”
�
�Give me a chance to see if I can make it work, that’s all I ask.”
Izeria had been given a tent to stay in, with a guard watching over her, and a few of her handmaidens were still with her, starting a cook fire.
“She’s sitting on a log with a shawl wrapped around her looking pretty pathetic,” Ezeru said. “I must admit, this might be as good as her head on a pike. This way, she has to feel her defeat. But I’m stopping here.”
I put a hand on Seron, signaling for him to stay back, and tapped my way around the mist dragon camp. I heard them moving out of my way.
“Izeria?” I said sharply.
“Y—yes? Who?” I heard her voice low to the ground and moved toward it. She sounded defensive. Then I guess she connected the sound of my cane. I heard her stand, the shawl falling softly to the ground. “King Aurekdel.”
“We have never actually met.”
“No. We have not.” She sounded like she was braced for something.
I did notice that she referred to me as the king. That was a little surprising. If she wasn’t in fallen circumstances, I was sure she would have been the one gloating.
“I am—sorry,” she said. “For shaming you and perpetuating insults to your name.”
“Hmph! Seron allowed you to live. I haven’t forgotten all the things you and your husband have done. Killing the last king and queen. Keeping Tiriana in prison. Peri’s tongue. Vorja’s eyes. Morhu’s hand and Ijaru’s virginity—nearly so. I’m sure that when it’s all accounted for, the list will be very long indeed. If there is one thing I’ll forgive you for, it’s insulting my name. I can take care of myself.”
“You have,” she said. “You were always a strong king. That was what drove my husband so insane about you. He didn’t understand why your people loved a king who couldn’t go to battle.”
I twitched. Seron would probably storm on over if I slapped her.
“It has not escaped my notice,” she said. “That your strength was…different from his. When he died, I thought maybe…things would be better. Then my brother…but who can I blame? No one. I have no idea how to lead people the way you do. If I had any pride, I would kill myself now. I am the one who is weak and blind.” She let out a small, angry sob.
Aw, damn it.
I hissed under my breath. Seron was right. We couldn’t trust her—but this was not the moment to spit in her face. This was the moment the prophecy had promised. Peace was in reach, and if the prophecy had been unclear as to who it was really about, maybe it would take all of us.
But gods, was I supposed to actually console her? Hug her? I would rather hug a licking snake.
She’ll have to learn to care for her own people. She’ll have to heal on her own terms. We have to break this pattern.
I took my cane and put it in her hand. “Don’t be afraid to stumble when you chart your own course,” I said.
I heard her sniff.
I was done with her for today.
I returned to Seron’s side, and he clapped my back.
“That was good,” he said.
“Ugh. Make me a new cane, Seron.”
“Yeah, I don’t have anything better to do,” he said dryly.
We understood each other.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Himika
I passed the eight month mark of my pregnancy, to the midwife’s relief. Much of the dragon army had returned to Irandal through the northern gate, to prepare the palace for our homecoming.
By now the northern winter was in full force. I had never seen so much snow or known what winter really was, living in the southern part of the realm. I lay in bed, warm under layers of blankets, and dreamed of how I might arrange my garden in Irandal, and the hot baths.
I had visitors much of the day, to gossip or read to me.
On that particular afternoon, Gilbert had come to play the harp, and his magical music put me into a dreamy state. Then Raia showed up to bring my afternoon snack and she started talking the second Gilbert’s hand left the strings.
“I tell you, I can’t even imagine if Phoebe had been killed! Poor Emi. She doesn’t want to be priestess at all. She won’t even let Merrick touch her yet. I think she’d rather go home. But she really can’t; she has to be protected now. If Rothair had been her guardian…poor girl.”
“Not to mention Emory,” Gilbert said.
“Are you doing all right with…whatever this arrangement is?” I asked.
“Well, Merrick touches me now. So I’m happy. And I love his sisters! I always wanted sisters. We went and bought fabric in the market today. But poor Emi. Her family is in Gaermon.”
“I hope you don’t call her ‘poor Emi’ this often in her presence,” Gilbert said.
“Oh no! I love her! She’s so adorable. I just want to take care of her.” Raia sounded excited as she put a tray in front of me. Kajira’s food shared the tray, stinking of fish, and Kajira was shoving her nose in it. “I don’t even know what will happen.”
“As long as she doesn’t make any trouble for Phoebe.” Gilbert didn’t look like he trusted Emi much.
“Raia, can you put this bowl on the ground…”
“She won’t. Emi’s very nice. And she only has one guardian. Two, at most. And another potential would awaken if she killed Phoebe, right? It’s in everyone’s interest to keep her alive. Until Rina or one of your girls becomes the priestess, anyway.”
“I shudder to think of that,” Gilbert said.
“That’s how it works, right? Well, I always wanted a big family so I just hope it works out. I’m going to ask Merrick’s sisters to teach me to sew so I can make Emi a dress. Woo her a bit, you know?”
“Raia, please,” I said, as Kajira picked up a chunk of mushed up fish and dumped it on my quilt before eating it.
Raia finally put Kajira’s bowl down. “Okay. Ijaru will see you to bed because I have a date tonight. Enjoy!”
“I’m stressed out now,” Gilbert said as we were left alone again.
A horrible ache shot through me. “Gaaahhh.”
“Right? Sounds like a lot of drama.”
“No, not Raia—although I agree—but it’s the babies.”
“Oh—babies!” He sprang to his feet and took the tray away. “I’ll go get—everyone.”
“Thank you…”
He wasn’t kidding. Everyone was on twins watch all the time, and within moments the room was crowded with so many people that it was almost standing room only. All my men, Phoebe and half of her men, her mom, Peri, Ijaru and her dad for gods sake, my midwife, two crystal dragon healers… Oh gods, Raia was even back.
“I don’t need all of you!” I screamed. “I love you all, but unless you’re my midwife or mate, go away! Gyaaah!”
“Are you in pain?” Oszin asked.
“Yes…!”
The crowd was shooed out promptly. The babies felt like they were ripping me apart inside, but the midwife checked me out and said I was fine. Seron took my hand and the pain started to ease.
I sighed with relief. “That’s better…”
“Stay calm, my lady,” the midwife said. “It’s not time yet. Your contractions are still coming far enough apart. You might want to try and sleep.”
“Mothers of crystal dragons often have a shorter labor,” one of the healers said.
Still, it took time. The midwife tried to calm me down with stories about other women she’d helped give birth, women who were very calm and did stretching exercises and sang birthing songs. I got the feeling I wasn’t a very good patient. All my guys seemed nervous. I knew I was at more risk than other women. And I didn’t like feeling sick. When I was healed from my curse, I thought I would never have to feel like this again. I certainly wasn’t about to start singing birthing songs.
One thing I did feel was the love that surrounded me. Oszin, Aurek, Seron, and Ezeru. I had been so afraid one of them might not be here, but they never left my side. There was always someone to hold my hand and assure me. They betrayed thei
r own nerves now and then, but I knew that if we’d all made it this far, we would make it through this too.
“I’ve lost track of time,” Aurek said. “There are no King’s Hours here. That’s certainly a nice change. I think when we go home, we’ll bring clocks. Along with kidnapping the symphony.”
“And wool,” Ezeru said.
“Wool?”
“It’s a good sturdy fabric.”
“Oh. Well, yes.” Aurek waved a hand like, How boring.
I was drenched in sweat. The contractions were coming faster now. “And food,” I said. “Lots of food. Bread. Rice. Chocolate. So many fruits…” I clenched Seron’s hand tight. “It hurts!”
“I think it’s time to push,” the midwife said.
“Push! Yes! Get out of my body!” I screamed.
As I said, I was a bad laboring mom.
“You can do this, my gem,” Aurekdel said.
“This isn’t like when you were weak,” Oszin said. “This is amazing. And—a lot of work. You’re a fighter.”
I was pushing and screaming and sort of lost in the moment, as I felt the babies moving. “A head!” the midwife said triumphantly. “You’re doing great!”
I was dimly aware that Ezeru and Oszin were watching, Ezeru clutching his shirt and Oszin biting his knuckles, but mostly I just gripped Seron and Aurek’s hands, trying to suck up every bit of crystal dragon magic I could get. The babies weren’t helping. I guess they were going through their own thing.
“It’s a boy!” the midwife cried.
“A boy!” I gasped.
“A beautiful boy!”
The guys were all cheering. I heard everyone outside the door cheering too. I made some weird little sob laugh sounds. Seron stroked my face. “This is…I don’t have words.”
Aurek smeared tears from his eyes.
And then I felt a sudden shift inside me. And a searing pain so horrible I let out an absolutely blood curdling scream. I had never wanted to pass out so badly in my whole life. All the joy drained out of the room. My baby boy started squalling with me. I hadn’t even gotten to look at him.
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