by Elena Lawson
Ten-thousand.
It didn’t matter—gifted or not, were didn’t have the army to match them.
Think, Alaric. Think!
There had to be a solution. There always was, wasn’t there? So, why couldn’t I see it…
We would have to kill the Mad King. It was the only way—cut off the head of the beast and the whole thing will fall. But that was if we found him. If we could get to him. And if we could somehow defeat him. There were too many ifs.
The council wasn’t any help either. When Liana told them the size of the Mad King’s army and that they would land by this night on the northwestern shores of the Wastes, there’d been silence. I thought none of them had taken the situation seriously until war was upon their doorstep.
And their answer… to send an envoy.
I sighed. As though the Mad King would be coaxed into discussing terms. Or as if he were interested in finding a peaceful solution. He didn’t bring an army here to discuss terms—no, he meant to take back the throne and kill anyone who stands in his way… like Liana.
A pang in my chest almost had me doubling over.
I couldn’t let him hurt her, and I couldn’t let her give herself up to save others. I knew she was thinking it already—I’d seen it in her eyes and in the way she nodded and spoke so, so calmly. As if she were in a dream, or a nightmare and would soon wake. She hadn’t been there since the Wraith showed her what made for the shores of her kingdom. She was a ghost of her regular self. As if she’d already given herself up.
I shook off the tremors coursing through my fingers and stood, needing to be mobile. She had to know—Ricon wouldn’t settle for her life. The noble families who fought against him and their children—and their children’s children would be made to pay for casting him out. He would kill half the Night Court and the other half would live in a state of perpetual fear and misery under his reign.
Save her. Save Liana and save as many of them as I can, it was all I could think. The only thing to do. But it was a foolish thought. Liana would never leave—and I’d never ask her to. It was why I loved her. It was her strength, her courage, her stubbornness, and her sense of duty. All those things that made her her.
The best I could do would be to die at her side. And it would be an honor.
I was meant to be resting, but how they expected me to rest was beyond my comprehension to understand. Kade and Finn stayed with her this evening. They were better at being in the moment—or at least Kade was. I hoped he was able to take her mind off it if only for a little while.
My thoughts scattered when I realized I was standing in front of Tiernan’s door. I hardly remembered leaving my own chamber, never mind walking down the hall. I shook my head. Swallowed. Wondered if he was still awake, too.
The door was unlocked, and I turned the cool brass knob and swung it open as quietly as I could.
“Oh, Tiernan, I thought you would be asleep.” I found him bent over a table pushed against the wall, his golden hair falling to cover his face. His hand hovered over the parchment, the quill wet with ink.
His green eyes shone in the lamplight, widening in surprise, “Alaric, I didn’t expect—”
“What are you doing?”
I stepped in his chamber and closed the door behind me, taking a deep breath of the clean, crisp air flowing in through his window. Arrow cooed at me, ruffling his feathers before the creature flow off—likely to go keep a beady black eye on Liana.
“I had planned to ask you first, I swear.”
My brows narrowed, “Ask me what? What are you writing, Tiernan? Who is that for?”
But before he answered I saw the seal set down next to the letter. Carved with the emblem of the Queen of the Day Court.
“You had better start talking.” My hands clenched into fists of their own accord, and my breathing turned ragged and my skin, hot. What was he planning?
I felt fear in the room, and worry, and… and hope.
Chewing at the inside of my lip, I tried to calm myself. This was Tiernan. The Tiernan who saved Liana not once, but twice now. He loved her as I did—I’d felt it.
He was one of us.
“We need help, Alaric.”
The meaning of what he was implying took a moment to unravel in my mind. “And you thought to ask the Day Court for aid? You know Queen Suriel is just as likely to put Liana’s head on a pike and take her throne as the Mad King is!”
Tiernan held his hands up. Spoke very calmly, “The queen before the one who currently sits throne made it clear she wanted to reign over all of Meloran and that there should be only one court and only one way. Her way. But Suriel is not like her mother, just as Liana is unlike her mother.”
“It’s a fool’s errand. Ricon’s sights are not set on the throne of Day. What reason would they have to aid us? And regardless of what you might think, I am telling you, it isn’t safe.”
Tiernan squared his jaw—tossing his quill onto the table, “And who’s to say he won’t go after the Day Court next. We would stand a better chance united.”
“Yes, but—”
“Honorem Copulare.”
“What?”
Tiernan picked up the letter. Thrusted it into my hands, “Honorem Copulare. If Queen Suriel agrees to the meeting, no harm can come to Liana.”
There, scrawled along the bottom of the parchment in large script read the words he spoke, Honorem Copulare. The ancient law of honor. If Liana requests a meeting under the law of honor and Suriel accepts—neither queen can harm the other.
“Suriel is an honorable queen. If she accepts the request for council, she will hold to her word. Liana will be safe.” He sighed, falling onto his blanket-strewn bed, “What else can we do?” he asked.
I had no answer to give.
Chapter Ten
Liana
The envoy left at dawn. I watched the three council-appointed riders gallop north until they passed from view. I didn’t dare hope for a peaceful resolution to any of this. I could only hope for their safe and swift return. We all knew it was a waste of time—that the Mad King would turn them away the moment he laid eyes on their Night Court banners.
It was hopeless.
“The Queen of the Day Court will answer our call,” Tiernan said, standing resolute at the window, staring out into the chilly autumn day. It had been two days since we’d sent Arrow with the message for Queen Suriel. He should have returned by now.
Finn left an hour before to deliver my order to Silas to place a legion at the border to the Wastes and evacuate all the northern villages. In the ridge of mountains separating my lands from those of my ancestors was only one place where an army could get through. The Galrûn Gap. At least, in that regard, we were lucky—knowing where he would march his army.
“You don’t know that,” I answered Tiernan, shrugging off Kade’s attempt to rub more warmth into my shoulders and melt the crust of ice that kept forming over my skin like a shell.
My fingernails bit down into the palms of my hands, leaving half-moon indents when I finally released them. I agreed to sign the letter and send it with Arrow to the Day Court because it would’ve been foolish not to try anything we could. But did I believe Suriel would honor the ancient tradition of Honorem Copulare? No, not at all.
The waiting was the worst. With the Horde armies ready and waiting at the border, the northern villages evacuated, and every smith in the Night Court working around the clock to make swords and shields and arrowheads, we’d done all that was within our power for now.
It would take weeks for Ricon to march his army as far as the Galrûn Gap over land. All we could do was wait. Outnumbered as we were, taking the fight to them wasn’t an option, but…
“I still say we find a way to kill Ricon,” I blurted, “If giving myself up isn’t an option,” I said, cutting a glare to Alaric, “Then we must find another way to stop this war from happening. We can’t win it, and I won’t watch my court fall.”
I felt Kade’s sharp inta
ke of breath at my back, “It isn’t possible, Liana. With an army of ten-thousand and a legion of Dracs in the air, we’d never reach him.”
I knew they were right, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. I wasn’t even sure I could handle taking him on. After I healed the Wraith, I’d been all but drained—near collapse. The amount of power I’d need to harness to defeat him could destroy me. I hadn’t had enough time to strengthen myself against the toll of my Graces. I spent nearly all my time using at least one of my Graces lately, if only to do just that—but was it too late?
How much time did we have?
I shivered and Kade tucked me into his chest. “It’ll be alright. We’ll find a way,” he whispered, and I wished my Kade would come back. The Kade who laughed and joked and infuriated me to no end. I missed him.
I missed me, too.
We heard Arrow before we saw him. A screech penetrating the room. Our heads turned all at once to the window just as the falcon came to land, not on the sill, but on the low coffee table inside. Right in front of me.
Tied above his left talon was a small scroll, sealed with the royal emblem. My stomach jumped into my throat. Arrow cawed, watching me with cool black eyes. Tiernan stepped in to retrieve the scroll, but Arrow backed away, moving to peck at his master’s fingers.
Tiernan rolled his eyes at the creature, backing away, “The scroll is meant for you, Liana. Arrow never fails a delivery.” He threw the falcon a look halfway between pride and annoyance.
“So, now you’ll let me touch you?” I asked the bird, moving from the warmth of Kade’s lap to kneel before the low table. Arrow hopped to the edge, moving his small head this way and that—getting a good look at me. Measuring.
I shook my head, “Alright then.”
I reached out and took hold of the small scroll, gently untying the waxen strings securing it in place. My fingers brushed the tiny soft feathers on the falcon’s legs and he bristled, jumping back the second I freed the scroll from his body.
“Thank you,” I said to him, and hopped to the edge of the table and flew out the open window. “Not a very trusting creature, is he?” I asked Tiernan, breaking the royal seal.
He shook his head, coming to sit on the edge of the table.
I licked my lips, unsure what I wished for the scroll to contain. Should I want the queen of day to accept my request for council? I would be lying if I said I didn’t always dream of seeing the lands to the south for myself. The pristine beaches, the lush forests, and the land that seemed forever trapped in perpetual summer. But…
“Would you open the damned thing, already?” Alaric said, running a fisted hand through his dark hair.
Sighing, I unrolled the scroll, pressing it flat against the table so we could all see. The three males leaned in.
I gasped. The message from the queen of day was clear. Simple. Making it more difficult to discern her intent.
My court awaits your arrival.
Honorem Copulare.
“We need to make ready,” Alaric said. “We need to notify the council, and not all of us can go with you. At least one of us will need to remain behind. There are still those within these palace walls who would seek to unseat you.”
Kade stood, “How do you even know she will honor the request for council? The right of Honorem Copulare hasn’t been invoked in millennia.”
Tiernan cocked his head at the Draconian, “There’s been no need for it—”
“So, are you willing to guarantee her safety?”
Kade’s eyes sparked to life. His Grace ignited. Alaric gave him a warning glance, “We have no other choice—”
“And I suppose you would have me stay behind. I can see it already. Tiernan knows the lands and you’ll need Finn’s mind. And you. You would never allow her to go without you.”
Kade was right but arguing about it would solve nothing. We had to take the chance. I didn’t like the idea of leaving Kade behind any more than I was sure he liked the idea of letting me go without him. But there was one way we could still keep watch over one another.
It was time. Full moon or not.
We may not get another chance.
“Stop it, all of you,” I said in a rush, standing on leaden legs, “We will go to the Day Court and ask for their aid. Alaric is right, we have no other choice but to trust they’ll honor the old law,” I nodded to my captain, “And someone will need to stay behind and keep an eye on things here… but first we’ll be bonded.”
Kade narrowed his glowing yellow gaze at me, “But I thought Finn said—”
“I know what Finn said. But we don’t have time to wait for the full moon. I won’t leave you here without having a way to watch over you.”
The Draconian nodded his understanding. He’d go mad if he didn’t have some way of knowing I was alright, too. “We bond then.”
Tiernan and Alaric nodded their agreement. “Call a council meeting and tell Finn when he returns that the bonding ceremony will happen tonight. We’ll leave for the Day Court tomorrow at first light.”
Chapter Eleven
Liana
I still couldn’t believe Edris convinced me to allow him to come with us. I shook my head. The council had been against the idea of going to the Day Court, even with the other queen’s promise of honor to protect me. But Silas and the nobles of the royal council saw our options were few and combining our forces with those of the Day Court would give us a better chance.
A week, they’d said. We had a week to get there, get an answer, and return. Or they’d be forced to take certain ‘measures’. We were right to decide to leave Kade behind, especially with Edris now accompanying us. There were few at the palace who we could trust fully. Silas was trustworthy, but when we left for the south in the morning, he would leave for the north, to continue evacuating villages and forming lines at the border.
“Thank you, Jaen,” I said for the third time, “Truly, I don’t know how I’d have done this without your help.”
She’d helped me light upwards of a hundred candles. Her with a long wooden stick, and me with nothing more than the touch of a finger and the will of my Grace. The parlor looked ethereal bathed in orange light, the middle of the floor cleared of furniture to allow space for the ceremony to take place. With hardly a wisp of breeze in the air tonight, the room was warm and smelled of burning sage and spice.
My hair was pulled back in an intricate knot, courtesy of the young servant as well. I wore a dress Darius altered to fit me only an hour before. Black silk with lace at the neckline, trailing florals and swirls down my arms. It felt lighter than air and softer than anything I’d ever touched. The tailor had been saving it, he’d said, for a special occasion.
I couldn’t tell him why I needed it in such a hurry, but something told me the ancient male already knew. Wise and cunning as he was. I was sure nothing escaped his notice.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Jaen replied, finishing up with the last few candles. “And thank you—for trusting me.”
I heard Aisling in her voice. Could almost see my healer friend behind her eyes. In another life Jaen and I could’ve been friends. I nodded to her. “What do you think of all this?”
She scrunched up her face at me, seemingly perplexed at the question, or rather, that I would ask her opinion at all.
“A bond is a very sacred thing,” she said carefully, “It’s not called the Immortal Bond because it is a bond between two immortal beings. It’s called that because it lasts forever—for as long as you both—er—you five shall live.”
My lips pursed, and I bit the inside of my cheek.
“I have seen you with them, Majesty. I know how you love them—and I know why you would seek to forge a bond with each. For the love you share, but for reasons more—” she stumbled, trying to find the right word.
“More practical.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“So, you don’t think it’s wrong to bond to more than one mate?”
She sighed,
considering my question. Shook her head, “I believe it’s entirely possible to love more than one person… so, then I don’t see why it would be wrong to bind yourself to all of the males you love. It would be more wrong to choose one and forsake the others? Wouldn’t you agree?”
I smiled, nodding, feeling nothing but sincerity rolling off her in waves. “Thank you.”
“You have to stop doing that.”
I cocked my head at her.
“Thanking me,” she explained, laughing while she straightened the decanter and glasses on the table by the wall, “I’m only doing my job.”
Right. I blew out a breath, licking my suddenly dry lips.
“I suppose we should let them come in now,” I said, trailing off.
They would be restless by now, cooped up in the dining room. But they understood. I didn’t like that we had to rush this of all things, but since that was the way it had to be, I wanted it be as perfect as possible.
You only bond once after all—even if that bonding is a bond made between four males and one female.
We’d have to be very precise, perfect in our wording and timing, but Finn was confident it would work. And so was I.
If I was right, Morgana had bound herself to her not four, but five Draconian guardians. And if they could do it, so could we.
“Would you like me to go and get them, majesty?” Jaen asked, folding her hands neatly at her front, an encouraging smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“No,” I said, my pulse pounding in my ears, “I’ll get them.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. Good luck, Liana.”
Deep breaths. That’s it. In and out.
I swallowed, fidgeting with the delicate fabric of my gown, and made for the dining room.
The hallways were dark, and much cooler than the parlor. I rushed through them to get to my males, anxious—no, eager to see them and to do what we should have done long ago. There was no reason to be nervous, I told myself. Despite my fear of what others might think, I knew in my bones this was the right way for me. For us.