by Megan Derr
Koray was vastly more intrigued by the woman and child at the back of the group, the way the Goddess gently nudged him to them. Unlike the others, the four pompous men who acted like the castle belonged to them, the woman and child walked quietly, heads bowed, mostly hidden by soft veils. They also wore more subdued colors, with only a hint of a simple geometric pattern in their underrobes.
Vastly more intriguing, the child felt like a necromancer—rather, like they should be a necromancer.
"You've insisted on taking our valuable time," Sorin said to the group. "You'd best make it worthwhile. Why did you insist on this audience?"
The man who seemed to be the leader of the group, dressed more floridly and richly than the others, feathers bobbing in his peculiar hat, swept an ostentation bow. In slow, clumsy Vindeian he said, "My king was most insistent we see for ourselves the notorious Witch Court of Vindeia."
Cerant laughed. "Witch court? We aren't witches. I've yet to hear any names, sir."
"Of course, my pardon. I am Lord Bartley Ondole, Duke of Vaar, High Steward of Cormontaine, Voice of His Most Holy Majesty King Wesix."
Sorin quirked one brow. "That's a lot of words to simply say you're the royal spokesman and envoy of a nosy king. What do you lot really want? I sincerely doubt you traveled thousands of miles simply to gawk at us. Cormontaine is well-known for its magic; there should be nothing remarkable about ours."
Ondole introduced the rest of his party, save the woman and child, who it seemed may as well not be there. Why? Koray held off asking for the moment, but his curiosity and the Goddess's interest burned distractingly.
He watched them surreptitiously, especially the way the child whispered to the woman, almost as though they were translating for her.
"It's not every day that a king is deposed and replaced by a group of five witches."
Cerant's mouth flattened. "We are not witches."
The man gave him a look so patronizing, Koray was amazed Sorin didn't rise up and knock it from his face. "You use magic that is unique and rare, and that the general populace could never hope to access. That is the very definition of a witch."
"Maybe where you come from," Cerant said coldly, causing the man to recoil. "Here, that word is a slur, an outdated term for anyone blessed with the goddess's power, before it was understood to be a gift from Her. We are not a court of witches, we are the Court of Five, the five points of Her star, ordained by Her to care for Her people and land, and right the wrongs committed by our ancestors, and the mistakes we ourselves have made."
One of the other men laughed, a cold, derisive, even mean sound. "You're in charge because you think a goddess appointed you?"
"Did you not call your own king holy? Is he not also ordained by the Goddess to protect and care for your people?"
They all looked at each other, having some silent conversation, and finally Ondole said, "His bloodline was long ago blessed by the gods, yes. But only crazy people hear 'voices' of the divine. That sort of witchery is the work of charlatans and the insane."
"No!" the child burst out, dissolving into tears. "I'm not crazy! I'm not!"
The woman immediately tried to comfort her, and looked at Ondole, saying something—but whatever it was, it did no good, because Ondole strode over and backhanded her.
Everyone in attendance roared in outrage, and it was only the guards who managed to keep people back, along with Cerant's clear, deep voice ringing out and demanding silence.
Koray stood and strode down the steps to the dais, and swept up the child—a little girl—as she ran straight to him. Holding her close, he looked coldly at the men who were staring aghast. "Why did you strike her? Why are you treating this woman and child so appallingly?" He motioned to the woman, who after a moment of hesitation, slowly went over to stand beside him, whispering a soft, "Thank you" in Vindeian.
Shifting the girl to one hip, though she was old enough it was heavy and awkward to do so, Koray reached out and took the woman's hand, holding it firmly. Jerking his chin at a nearby footman, he said, "I want the woman and girl moved to their own room, and guards stationed at all times. Have anyone who tries to interfere detained."
"Yes, Your Highness." The footman darted off, and the little girl held Koray even tighter as she whispered what he'd said to the woman, who in turn started quietly crying, squeezing his hand in clear gratitude.
Leaving the rest of the mess to the others, he took them away, leading them to his own chambers and getting them settled with tea and food in the front room.
"What are your names?" Koray asked. "I'm Koray; you may call me that."
"Koray," the little girl repeated. "My name is Lisetta. This is my sister, Rosa."
"Sister?" But as they both removed their veils, he saw indeed the woman was not as old as he'd first thought—late teens, maybe, instead of in her twenties.
They were both lovely, with light brown skin and long, straight, ink-black hair, and freckles across their noses and cheeks. They almost could have been twins, were they closer in age. The only difference between them was that Rosa had green eyes, and Lisette brown. Koray had every faith they would eventually be violet.
"Half-sister," Lisetta said. "We have the same mother. She's married to Lord Ondole. When he was ordered to come, I begged to be allowed to come too. I had to come."
"I see," Koray replied, holding back his opinions on a mere girl being married so soon, and to a bastard like Ondole. "How does a little thing like you come to speak Vindeian?"
"She told me to learn it. The voice." Lisetta reached out and picked up one of the little fruit cakes Cook had sent along, a popular treat with all the children in the castle. "Can I have this?"
"Eat whatever you want." Koray nudged the trays of food closer, and poured tea for both of them, making certain to add plenty of cream to the wooden children's cup so it wouldn't be too hot. "The Goddess speaks to you?"
Lisetta nodded, but didn't speak, far more interested in eating the fruit pie as quickly as possible. Koray's stomach hurt, and his heart ached, for he'd eaten like that himself once. Years, now, but at times it seemed only a matter of days.
Next to Lisetta, stroking her hair fondly, Rosa looked ready to cry. Koray motioned for her to eat as well, as he mulled over the fact that the Goddess had brought this slip of a girl all the way across the world to him. Well, both of them, because he did not think Rosa was here by chance either. No, both girls were meant to be here.
The door opened, and Cerant stepped inside, smiling in greeting and murmuring to the girls in their own language. Whatever he said, Rosa burst into tears finally, curling in on herself in the kind of relief that Koray knew all too well. It was I've really escaped relief. Everything will actually be okay relief.
He remembered the feeling every time Sorin held him.
"What did you tell them?" he asked as Cerant sat next to him on the sofa, across from the one the girls sat on.
"That they've been granted sanctuary here, and the rest of their party is being put on a ship tonight, and are not permitted back in the country. I don't know what their true purpose here was, and I doubt we ever will, but She said these two were meant to be here. That's all that matters to me."
Koray nodded, and poured them all more tea. "The younger one is a necromancer."
"I think the other might be destined for Sorin," Cerant said thoughtfully. "That is what She seems to be telling me." He spoke to Rosa in her language, and whatever he said, it caused Rosa's face to light up like the sun coming out after a storm.
While they talked, Koray chatted with Lisetta, quietly encouraging both of them to eat all the while.
They were both struggling to stay awake by the time Sorin appeared, blowing into the room like a spring wind the way he always did. "Are they all right?"
"Better than they've been in ages, I'd say," Cerant said, smiling softly as the girls finally succumbed to sleep, curled together on the couch. "The older one is meant to be a paladin."
Sorin nod
ded. "I've already arranged her training. I assume you've got priests or courtiers who can help with the language barrier?'
"We'll have them sounding like they were born here before the year is out," Cerant said. "I arranged it before I came here. But we'll let them get settled a bit before we set tutors upon them. Is their room ready?"
"Yes, and guards enough have volunteered to watch their door that shifts are covered for the next twenty years," Sorin said. "If anyone tries to touch them again, they're going to find themselves set upon by the entire castle. Come on, let's get them to their new room." He picked up Rosa, holding her as though she weighed little more than a feather, but as if she was spun from glass.
Cerant picked up Lisetta, and Koray followed them through the halls to their new room.
Once they were settled, with two guards posted at the door and a woman inside to help them once they woke, Cerant headed off back to his cathedral and Koray walked with Sorin back to their chambers. "Not what I expected of the day."
"Nor I, but if we ever anticipated Her scheming, we'd be bored out of our minds," Sorin said with a smile, rubbing absently at his chest where he'd no doubt been playfully jabbed for the jest. He held out his hands, and when Koray placed his own in them, rubbed the backs of them with his thumbs. "I suppose fatherhood was the only thing left for you to conquer."
"Fatherhood?" Koray asked, voice going high—but even as he said it, he felt Her satisfaction in his head. "I don't know anything about being a father!"
Sorin laughed, and let go of his hands to cup his face and draw him into a soft kiss. "Nobody ever does. You didn't know anything about being a leader, and look at you now: the most beloved of us all."
"That's not true by half."
"Shut up," Sorin replied cheerfully. Then his smile turned positively evil. "You also didn't know anything about being a lover, but last night you certainly had no problems—"
"Finish that sentence and last night will never be repeated," Koray hissed, face flushing even after all these years.
Sorin laughed delightedly and drew him into a kiss, holding him close and filling him with all that lovely warmth. He nuzzled Koray before drawing back enough to speak. "Shall we go deal with the clamoring masses, and explain our new children to them?"
"If we must," Koray said, but was smiling as he took Sorin's hand and headed off to explain their new family to the castle.
FIN