At the same time, Breya hooked her fingers into my waist band and jerked my pants down until everything but my cock was exposed. I almost dislocated both of our arms trying to reach down and recover my clothes.
The woman’s hands came up in surrender. “Goddess?” she exclaimed.
“You said you wanted to be a part of it. They are laying the marks of royalty. The crown that cannot be removed,” Azaria softly explained. She sucked in air, and the top of our heads ground against each other as I craned to see just what in the world that old woman was doing to my wife.
Something wet was splashed across my hip bones. It was cold, so cold it almost burned. I squirmed and closed my eyes, trying to keep myself focused. Now I knew what she had meant about keeping grounded.
Light reflected across my eyes and I tipped my head up in time to see an onyx blade in the healer’s hand. Oh fuck. She was about to be scarred. I was about to be scarred!
The singing around the wigwam grew louder, and a drum joined in. Azaria greedily stole the air, the light flashed again, and her hands gripped my own.
For a moment, I feared I would embarrass myself by passing out before the woman even got to me.
“One side done,” The woman announced.
Light shone from another angle, and I realized Breya had a knife of her own. My heart raced. Azaria’s fingers clutched my arm in a steady patter of deep breaths and tight squeezes. How could I stop her? I would look like a damn coward.
All my thoughts and wind were stolen as something sharp slid purposefully against my hip bone. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it after a few swipes, my hip felt like it was being put to the cruelest of repetitive papercuts. I clamped my teeth and growled as she set to slicing in a quick little rhythm. I tried my best not to tighten against it. Not wishing her to go any deeper than necessary. At the same time, I didn’t want my arms to give away just how little bravery I had when it came to doctors and procedures. It left my chest and thighs to a tightness that resembled stone. This was beyond the scope of anything I had seen in Tauran.
It hurt so bad, I didn’t realize it was over. The burning had spread until my whole pelvis was on fire.
“We’ve never had a concubine sit through a carved crowning. Goddess, you should keep this one,” Breya quipped.
My jaw fell open, but the little shit was gone before I could find an intelligent response.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kais
Every time I looked at him I smiled. Even on the days when all he could do was glare back at me, I was happy he was home. Things were complete. They weren’t stable, but it was coming together. We had a plan, and so far, it was being checked off in the right order.
“When was he born?” Ryver asked, without taking his attention from the window.
“Who, DeHav—”
“Of course! Are there any others?” he demanded.
I hadn’t seen him muster that much fire since he arrived.
“When was he born, Kais? How can he be mine?” His voice channeled the pain and confusion that was running rampant within his thoughts.
“He is ours. All of ours. Which means he is yours too.”
“Yes, yes… but who fathered him?”
“Does it matter?” I laughed, the ridiculousness of the conversation broke my reserve. “Ryver, you wanted a woman we could share. At no point in your plans with Azaria was it ever not a possibility that she would be impregnated by another.”
His brows furrowed, and the blue hues followed me until he tore them away and studied the fire in silence for a while. His shoulder tipped as if he were ashamed of himself and trying to drop the evidence of his distrust.
My hand landed on the shoulder closest to me, and I gave him a squeeze.
“She fucking loves you. She loves all of us, and we each adore her in our own special way. None of us ever gave up. She refused to accept your death. She said she could feel it. That her…” I didn’t have words for it—her gifts were something that Ryver himself would have to witness. “…that her gifts and her dreams helped her understand that we would recover you one day.”
His eyes misted over, and he forced his gaze back to the fire. I kept the weight of my hand on his shoulder, a minor support offering, of sorts. He rarely admitted to emotions, but I knew him well enough to know where most of his moods stemmed. She hadn’t given up on him, she hadn’t betrayed him, and she refused to allow anyone else to, either. It was more than he had ever known. His youth was one built of cracked stones, and that wife of ours offered him a solid foundation and laid new definitions to things like life and family.
“She did what she did to save the crown. We were both gone, and our mother wanted to take control…” Ryvett quietly offered from the doorway. I hadn’t even realized he was standing there, and for a moment, I wondered how long he had been. I supposed it didn’t matter, I had spoken truths.
“They call her the mother of Tauran.” I smiled.
“I suppose, if she is the Mother of Tauran, that makes us the fathers to DeHaven and the subjects looking up to us,” Ryver mused, giving me a lopsided smile.
I sighed, and it ended in a laugh. Things were going to be alright. She had the sight, it had to be…
Chapter Thirty
Eryx
A girl stood before me—Breya, they had called her. Well, she wasn’t really a girl, but from my standing point, she may as well have been. Her youthful skin was beautiful, it was smooth and dark.
“The Raven has assured me,” Breya said, “that her council of women proofed the strain. It was identified in a low laying village, one that does not gain the exposure to diseases of the deeper lands. The sickness successfully spread and infected each condemned man it was introduced to.”
“Condemned… they practiced on humans? This is most irregular. You must never speak of it to—”
“Never speak of it to whom?” Azaria called from behind me.
I whirled around to answer for whatever offense she may have taken. “I… I wasn’t aware that the Ravens were practicing on human subjects, my Sweet. I…”
“You had nothing to do with it. They are not human subjects. They were the select few who were found to have been convicted of extreme and heinous crimes. Only those deserving death would be sacrificed to such a cause. Those who had already been sentenced to such a fate. They chose to see their final hours swaddled away with Ravens and healers than to face the preferred methods of their land.”
I inhaled through my nose, taking in the cool air. The crisp orchard scent that wafted from the oiled candles was unmistakable but so was that hibiscus blend she adored. I hadn’t realized she brought it with her.
“You are… tolerant of these measures?” I searched.
She gave a nod of affirmation and placed her attention back to Breya. “When will it be ready?”
A throat cleared behind us, and I turned as the rest of the men, our family, filed inside to join us.
“It is ready now,” Breya began. “I will keep the afflicted with me, and with each place we pass, I will collect any condemned they have. We will maintain the sickness across the Faust towns as we swear them to our cause or sack them.”
Kais and Ryver both nodded to the battle plan, even if they didn’t understand the biological part of the warfare. I was pretty sure they were both chomping at the bit to sack the first thing that gave them a reason. It had been a long month—well, a long year—for everyone.
“We will transport your father with the leading party. He will be taken to a meeting point and introduced to the sickness. It takes twenty-four hours for the symptoms to really amount to anything. Death is almost certain after forty-eight to seventy-two hours.”
“The plague takes much longer than forty-eight hours to end a life.” Ryett chuckled. “Azaria, this is silly. It’s…”
Her dark, dangerous glare settled on him, accusing him of looking down on her healers without making a sound. The man stilled and went silent, using his hand to stroke
what looked like a few day’s growth of stubble.
“We are familiar with the Black Plague in Tauran,” I explained to Breya before addressing Ryett and the guys. “There are many plagues in this world. Some cause bleeding, some blisters, infections that takes over the body from the inside out. They are usually more known to a specific area, but some places, like the Zaith in particular, there are many kinds. Most of which the civilized world knew no cures for.”
“How the fuck do we know we won’t take our army out transporting it?” Ryver exhaustedly asked.
“That is why we are keeping them so far apart. The back of the herd will carry the afflicted, away from those of you with weaker thresh-holds to the sickness,” Azaria patiently elaborated.
“Maybe we should sit down and eat on this. Get a good meal and then…” I began.
“Fuck that. If you have what it takes to end this, then do it,” Kais ground out.
We all turned to him. The man stared back at us with an intensity in his green eyes that I hadn’t seen since the great debates of Old King Ryver and Narelle.
“Send word to basket some of the smoked meat from the outdoor fires, tell the men to load the wagons,” Azaria called out before Karvi, one of her wives, could even make it into the room.
The girl froze. She had tiny slivers of braids that hung past her breasts. They had been scrubbed with citrus and sun bleached until they were as pale as anything I would have found in Tauran. She looked between us for a split of a moment and was gone to do as the queen bid.
Chapter Thirty-One
Azaria
The land between the Barizon and Faust was beautiful. The rainforest bled out into a tundra, of sorts. It took careful planning to find the center communities there. We almost hadn’t found the last two in time. The sun started to set above us, and my brows furrowed with the realization that this might be the third and final time we cut it too short.
“Send for the scouts,” I barked. There was no hiding my frustration.
“My Goddess,” Awilda bid from beside me. “The Ravens have blown the horn twice. It is a signal that the vessel only has around two hours left…we must—”
“We must find a new conduit,” I finished, with much more venom than was needed. I had heard the signal; it was the reason for my foul mood.
“I do not mean to speak out of turn. We will figure things out,” Awilda vowed.
My shoulders dropped, I felt horrible. She was my mother’s oldest friend and now stood blubbering an apology because my own plan had failed us.
I glanced back to lighten the blow, but she was already gone. I hated the feeling in my gut. It demanded I go after her, but time was borrowed enough as it were and our protocol for the weapon prevented anyone from traveling back with her.
“Drive it onward,” I screamed, trying to pick up the pace of our procession. It was a futile act, the line behind me had grown so that it stretched for miles unseen. The order was repeated until things started to move again. They were tired, I was cranky, and we still had a long way to go. I had long since abandoned my carriage. How could I sit in it with the sun crawling across the sky?
It felt like I had only blinked, and the horn went manic. After the forth cry, I turned about in confusion, stopping the entire procession. It kept sounding. I counted to ten three times, and my mouth dropped open.
“It’s spread.” I gasped. How else could we gain another forty-eight hours. I was instantly lightheaded with panic. My fingertips came up to my temple as if it would solve the disorientated state, but it didn’t fix anything at all.
“My Queen, onward, please,” Eryx begged, his face was a mask of horrors, but I couldn’t move. Ryett stalked toward me and made no effort to converse. I knew what he was up to, and I almost made it away, before he snatched ahold of my waist and tried to drag me toward the front of the herd.
“My Goddess. My Goddess. All is well. We have sufficient time now,” Awilda cried, her legs were moving as fast as they could. An impressive speed for the woman who was almost too old for battle. “Karvi insisted on begin given the honor of being the conduit.”
“What?” I demanded, I stormed toward her, suddenly fueled by an anger greater than myself. I didn’t want anyone being thrown on their sword for me, least of all a woman I had vowed to protect.
“Goddess wait…wait!” Awilda breathlessly attempted. “She is from the low village that the weapon originated in. She has sufficient immunity from the illness. It will carry and infect those around her for some time, but not discomfort her a great deal. I fear, though, she may carry it for a shorter time than we are accounting. Her body will know how and where to fight the infection.”
I was already nodding. It seemed like easy enough logic.
“Onward,” I screamed, throwing myself into a jog. I didn’t have the energy for it, but I needed the wind, anything to keep the tears of relief from falling.
***
After a few more days, the land turned into forest and then came the bricked cities. It was almost comical. Each one rolled up their bridges in fear and gawking down at the gathering of Savages and Zaithian’s behind me. I stepped forward as I had a dozen times already. The moats were always my favorite. They were of course, no match for the Baby Caul beads that I retrieved and rubbed. They began to change, as they twirled between my palms. Just as they had in the tent, the white stones started to shift into tiny skulls.
The men in the towers pointed and screamed as the water around their fortress bubbled and slowly rolled into a boil. They watched with horror as the medicine Ki’Loke fanned into the air confused their ravens. The birds began to turn circles without balance or directions. They fluttered their wings violently; a ghastly sound, when dozens were released at once, only to fall one after the other. I wasn’t a cruel person, but after a while, I began to smile each time we performed the trick. Perhaps allowing myself to indulge in the idea that Phaedra was somehow with me.
Two men hurried out with a white flag. They were greeted by Kais long before they could reach me. A great deal of kneeling and head bobbing ensued. After a few awkward moments of quietly exchanged words, the men stood up, confused. Once they comprehended that we only sought any men they might already intend to execute, they practically flew back inside. Less than five minutes later, a flock of six men were handed over. One looked badly beaten. His forehead had been branded with two letter M’s.
“My father’s law dictates that if a man kills another man by accident he is branded a potential murderer. Some men are willing to be branded to get away with such an act. The law states that a third accident, is no longer considered an accident. The law takes into account, that they may have been deceived twice, and the criminal is then sentenced to burn for good,” I murmured to Eryx, who was slack jawed beside me.
“Burned for good… like a pyre?” he asked, with no shortage of shock.
I nodded in confirmation before two men with bloodstained pants were drug past.
“Rapist…” he started to ask.
I shook my head.
“Those face the victim’s family or guardian for justice. My father handles those that offend children.”
“Great selection,” Eryx agreed. He appeared not to even afford them a second thought before heading toward the front to urge the procession along.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ryver
Kais and Ryett had insisted that I remain inside the cart for the past two days. They claimed the Ravens feared that with my recent poor health, I may have less defense against the sickness we were transporting. Their advice only fueled Azaria’s lectures. I tried not to bark back at her when she grew short. I of all people knew what it was like to answer for the lives of soldiers. I had overseen Kais and the men of Tauran since I was old enough to sufficiently wield a sword. Responsibility was the mother of all evils, sometimes. Especially when there wasn’t a flawless victory in sight.
My cart hit a bump, and I cursed, sticking my head out in time to see the sti
lled procession ahead. My cart pulled recklessly beside the line, clearly having had issue with halting itself. Another round of curses escaped me, and I tossed myself from the cart.
I walked without a limp; it was the one benefit of laying in the Barizon for so many weeks bored silly. What kind of land didn’t have a tavern, anyway?
Azaria started toward me. Rather than scolding, she placed a hand over my heart and a kiss to my jaw. “It is time,” she whispered. “I shall need your help.”
I cocked my head and searched her face for some sign that she was jesting. I found none and answered her request with a passive shrug. “What exactly is it you think I am going to be able to do?” I looked around. I was of no use to anyone in face to face combat. I wanted to offer support and guidance, anything, if it meant I didn’t have to sit back at the Ivory Palace and await word with the wives. A smile tugged at my dimples, and she looked toward me with a confused smile. No way was I prepared to share the realization that I now understood how she had felt, back at Meadow Manor.
“I just need you to help Eryx’s father out of the carriage and hand him this poison. Give him instructions. I do not care if you finish them. He is no idiot—he knows what to do with it, and we know that he will not,obey anyhow.” she reminded me. “Once he puts the poison away in his pocket or waistband, I will place a rag with sleeping serum over his face. He will be taken to the clearing and introduced to the conduit. The Ravens will see him within walking distance of the Crystal Castle, and we will wait. Pariah’s people have been instructed to wait until the signal is given, a large fire in the distance. They will attack from their side the sunrise after, and it will all be done.”
“I’m going to be on standby a few carriages back just in case,” Drayce’s deep voice crept up on us. It sent chills down my spine until I rolled my shoulders to chase it off.
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