The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala

by Jeffe Kennedy

  “This is not how my people do things,” I told him.

  A fierce hunger transformed his face. “You belong to my people now, to our people, Andromeda. Never forget that.” His mouth descended on mine, possessive, consuming. Despite my enormous audience, the heat swept through me again, pushing aside all thought, setting the blood birds into frenzied flight.

  When he let me go, the air suddenly chill on my wet lips, the look he gave me, the look of a man who had succeeded in a wild gambit and triumphed against all odds, left me shaken.

  The feral priest said something loud and final even as Rayfe said, “It is done.”

  A roar went up from the Tala, thunderous, woven with animal calls—howls, caws, and the full-throated roars of big cats. On the Windroven side, only the wind keened over the landscape.

  Rayfe tossed an order over his shoulder at Terin. The guards around us dissolved away, as if by magic.

  “Prince Hugh.” Rayfe tucked me against his side, our bound arms between us. “I greet you as a brother now.”

  Indignant, Hugh opened his mouth to protest, then looked at me and stopped. With a gasping sob, Amelia flung herself across the platform to him. He gathered her against him, murmuring soothing words and kissing the top of her fair hair.

  “I regret any unhappiness the Princess Amelia may have suffered.”

  Hugh looked at me again. “You may have forced my hand with this low deed, but I hold you accountable. We of the Twelve Kingdoms do not treat our wives as beasts of bondage.”

  Rayfe smiled, a wolfish grin. “I am as tied to her as she to me. On that note . . .” He put out a hand and Terin placed a scroll in it. He handed it to me. “Andromeda—I ask a gift from you on this our wedding day, to celebrate our alliance.”

  I couldn’t open the scroll one-handed. He helpfully held one end with his free hand, so I could read. Oh, Uorsin would not like this. I handed it to Hugh. Amelia still wept against his chest, refusing to look at me.

  “A list of Tala prisoners held by the High King at Ordnung, along with a list of prisons in the Twelve Kingdoms suspected of holding Tala prisoners,” I explained. “Rayfe is asking—”

  “You, my queen, are asking,” Rayfe inserted, a hint of a growl in his voice.

  I searched his face, anger burning warm in me. “Am I to do as I’m told, then?” I would have yanked away but, obviously, could not.

  “This is not an order,” he told me softly. “I request it, as a gift. How can we celebrate a true alliance—something so many have suffered for—if our people are held prisoner?”

  I sighed out a long breath. He had a point. Uorsin’s rage would know no bounds as it was.

  “Are you sure this is even correct—Tala in all these prisons? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  “There are many things you have been ignorant of before this—isn’t that true?” he replied in an even tone, holding my gaze.

  I sighed for the truth of it.

  “Prince Hugh.” I thought about the wording. “Please see that my father receives this list with my message. I send him, and Princess Ursula, my loving regard and everlasting fealty. I ask that they not mourn the sacrifice I’ve made for the peace of the kingdoms, but rather, to celebrate the promise of continuing peace, that they release these prisoners. If necessary, the freed captives can be escorted via armed guard and we will arrange to take custody of them. I will look forward to continuing communications with my family and hope to visit soon.”

  I didn’t look at Rayfe. I didn’t have to—his body spoke of his annoyance. Hugh nodded somberly.

  “Now I shall keep the rest of our bargain.” Rayfe raised his voice. “We decamp immediately.”

  With a cumulative shout of acknowledgment, the Tala pulled back and began preparations. At the far edges, some troops already streamed away, walking, trotting, and riding over the horizon. Birds arrowed off in vees and on their own. Some remained, keeping a watchful eye from above. It seemed some smaller creatures almost melted into the ground. Rayfe nodded at Hugh.

  “Those prisoners we took have already been returned to you, yes?”

  “Yes.” Hugh thinned his lips.

  “Shall we depart?” Rayfe inquired formally.

  Abruptly, I felt at a loss. This was it. I looked around for Dafne. Right there, by my side.

  “I like him,” Dafne said in my ear, taking my free hand.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Rayfe. I like him. He’s good for you.”

  I sputtered at that. “How can you possibly say that? You’ve barely met him.”

  She shrugged. “With some people, it doesn’t take long to have their measure.”

  “I’m really going to miss you.” I searched for more words.

  “We’ll see each other again, I’m sure. Take care of yourself, Princess. Stop looking like an abandoned puppy. Oh, and enjoy tonight.” With a salacious grin, a wink, and a curtsy that barely skirted the correct form, she left.

  “Amelia?” Hugh spoke against her hair. “Andi is saying good-bye.”

  “No!” she cried against his chest.

  “Ami.” I put a hand on her shaking shoulder, Rayfe obligingly going with me. “Don’t cry. This is just like when you married Hugh and went off to Windroven. We’ll see each other again soon.”

  “It’s not like that!” She tossed her hair back to give me a tearful look, then blanched to see Rayfe so close. “You’re wed to that—that beast and it’s all my fault!”

  My heart tore. “It’s not. It’s not your fault, baby sister.”

  She simply buried her face again. Hugh shrugged, uncomfortable. “She’s distraught.”

  “Yes.” I stroked her hair. Sighed. “She is. Take her back to Windroven. Take care of her.”

  He nodded, grave. “I always will.”

  “I know.” And I used it against you.

  “Rayfe of the Tala.” Hugh lifted his chin. “I charge you with the same. Take care of Princess Andi. If she comes to the least harm, a moment’s distress, I shall hold you personally responsible.”

  “No more than I hold myself so,” Rayfe responded in kind, then squeezed my hand. “Shall we?”

  Rayfe led me away, to the large black stallion I’d seen from the towers, waiting saddled and bridled. Several grooms waited to assist us and I soon discovered why. With much effort, they managed to help us onto the horse, still tied together. I would have said it couldn’t be done, but I ended up sideways on Rayfe’s lap, perched on his muscular thigh. They untied my cloak briefly and he lifted his arm over my head, snugging me up against his chest. It meant I had to cross my own arm tightly across my breasts, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The grooms retied my cloak, rearranging it around me with Rayfe’s arm inside.

  “It would be far easier to simply untie us now.”

  He shook his head, looking out over the decamping army. “Not yet.”

  “You know, in the Twelve Kingdoms, the men don’t have to tie up their brides to keep them from running off.”

  “Don’t they? Perhaps the women are more biddable there.”

  I opened my mouth to retort but couldn’t come up with a good answer. “How long, then?”

  “The ties must remain until our marriage bed.”

  “Wait—when will that be?”

  He glanced down, amusement sparking through the dark blue of his eyes. “Anxious, my sweet?”

  “I’m thinking more of the inconvenience in the interim,” I answered drily.

  “Soon,” he answered my question. “Once I’m certain all are on their way, there is a place we can be together. Once I’m buried inside you, we can undo the wrappings.”

  His words reawakened that heat, and I felt my cheeks burning. He chuckled. “I hadn’t thought you’d be shy.”

  I hadn’t thought so, either.

  He cuddled me closer, a warm hand on my thigh, nuzzling the small hairs at my temple. “You smell delicious. I like the feel of you on my lap. Kiss me.”

  “No.”
I refused to look at him. “No one can think that I’m eager for you.”

  “And are you? Eager for me?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “There was a kingdom once, conquered by a mighty warrior. To cement his triumph, he married their queen, in a public ceremony before all her people. Then he stripped her and consummated the marriage while all watched, so that they would know her defeat as theirs. After that, he kept her alive, but as a collared slave who knelt next to his throne. Thus the people were daily reminded of their own servitude and his mastery of them all.”

  He fell silent. A troop of horsemen, wild looking, with streaming hair, rode past and saluted us with cocky grins.

  “I have never heard this story,” I finally replied.

  “The kingdom was far on the other side of the Onyx Ocean. And it happened long ago. It’s not surprising your minstrels wouldn’t know it.”

  “But yours do?”

  “Ours know different things. Annfwn has been . . . insular, if you will.”

  I turned that over in my mind, tying it together with the hints about border crossings and lack thereof.

  “Why would you tell me such a story now?”

  He cupped my cheek in his free hand and tilted my face up so I’d look into his eyes. His fingers were chilly against my hot skin. Bits of ice swirled in the air now, and the ocean roiled under a freezing fog.

  “There are brutal men in the world. I am capable of a great deal, but I am no brute. I tell you this story so you’ll recognize the difference. However, you are mine now, and I will have everyone know it.”

  “I thought we agreed to be bound to each other. I’m not a horse you purchased.”

  “True enough,” he agreed easily. “I am also yours. You are welcome to kiss me also, if you wish.”

  His lips curved in a tempting, taunting smile. It bothered me that I wanted to. That, despite it all, I was apparently eager for him, my woman’s center burning to be touched.

  “I don’t wish to.”

  “I think you are lying.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “Who?”

  “The queen, the one who became a slave to her enemy.”

  He frowned thoughtfully, his thumb caressing my cheekbone. “I don’t know. I don’t think the stories ever said.”

  Of course they didn’t.

  “I should point out that you have not defeated Uorsin.”

  “Not yet.”

  “You’d be foolish to try. You might be many things, but I don’t believe you are a fool.”

  “I have what Annfwn needed, what Uorsin hoped to deny us. I’ve won this round.” He seemed about to say something more and stopped himself. He dropped his hand from my cheek and tucked the luxurious cloak around me to seal off the drafts. “It grows cold. Soon we’ll be able to leave.”

  The game, it seemed, would not end here. Just as I was on my own journey, we were moving into the next phase of history, written or no.

  14

  At last, the final ragged edges of the Tala army had retreated from the vast plain and the armies of Windroven had withdrawn inside or returned to their homes and stations.

  Dafne rode off with Hugh’s retinue early on, so they could settle Amelia, turning to give me a last wave. Rayfe finally had seen enough and wheeled his horse around, and we set off at an easy canter into the forested hills. We rode in silence. Though I remained pressed against him, he felt far away now, deep in his thoughts. It was better than the alternative.

  As we climbed, the trees broke the wind and the ice crystals became fat snowflakes. The ground disappeared under the fall of white, all sound but ours muffled.

  Unfortunately the call of nature pressed hard upon me and the jogging of the horse made every moment more excruciating.

  Finally I had to break our tacit truce, with the most banal of requests.

  “I have the same need,” he replied. “I apologize. Usually the bride and groom go directly to the marriage bed, so this is normally not an issue. We are nearly there, however, if you can hold out. I fear that if we dismount it will be too difficult to mount again.”

  “You could just cut the bonds now,” I pointed out. “That’s the simple answer.”

  “No, the ceremony must be completed.”

  “It’s not like anyone is going to know. I won’t tell.”

  He was studying my face, but I kept looking out at the falling snow.

  “Are you so casual of blood magic, then, that you would play with the truth of it as easily as you lie about your desire for me?”

  Ouch. I floundered, embarrassed that he saw so much. But for what? I had nothing to be ashamed of. I was out of my depth as much as if Ursula had thrown me in with her best swordsman. No wonder I kept misstepping. I simply needed to master new skills.

  “I have little experience with either,” I replied, “and all with you on both counts. How should I know where to draw the line between what is real and what is not?”

  He laughed, looped the reins around a peg on the saddle, and cupped my cheek, urging me to look at him. I caught my breath at the hunger in his face.

  “Trust me, my queen, all of this is very real.” His mouth descended on mine, surprisingly hot, lips moving over mine with a tender ferocity that made my head swim. The flames in my groin roared to life, burning me with relentless need. The lightning in my blood, made of claws and beaks and fangs, tore at me with renewed urgency. Before him, no man had kissed me, so I’d wondered if perhaps I would respond this way to any kiss, any desiring touch. Or maybe just to someone else with Tala blood.

  Somehow I didn’t think so.

  His hand moved into my hair, winding it around his fingers as he continued to kiss me. The horse slowed to a walk, following the narrow path through the woods. I sank into the red velvet heat that Rayfe spun around me, letting him shower kisses over my cheeks and closed eyes, then return to my mouth to feed on it like a hummingbird visiting a flower over and over.

  I could almost believe in his desire for me.

  “And we’re here.” His voice penetrated my fog, rough and amused. “Were you sufficiently distracted?”

  I flushed—again, still—and realized we’d halted at a cabin. Lights glowed within and spicy woodsmoke promised a warming fire. We managed to slide off the horse without too much trouble and Rayfe led me into the trees, soft snow sinking around my ankles. Such a good thing I hadn’t worn those satin slippers.

  “It’s best to do this out here,” he explained, “since the indoor privy would be more difficult to manage.”

  He guided me behind a tree and turned away as best he could while I squatted in the snow. I kicked more snow over my stain, then waited, trying not to listen while he accomplished his business. Such is the crashing intimacy of marriage, I thought. In some ways I could see the wisdom of this method. Like jumping into the cold lake instead of easing in, toe by toe. We were intertwined with each other now. Slow or fast, the sting is the same. I was no longer only myself.

  The physical ties just demonstrated it.

  We cleaned our hands in the snow and took care of the horse together. It was an odd companionship, finding the ways to work together to accomplish these small tasks. Once his stallion was tucked in the stall in back, happily munching hay, I was grateful to get out of the chill.

  Rayfe undid the knots at my throat, his handsome face intent as he plucked at the cords with fingers clumsy from the cold.

  “It seems you spend a lot of time either putting cloaks on me or taking them off again.”

  He slanted me a wicked grin. “Any time you need assistance removing your clothes, I am delighted to provide it, my lady.”

  “Just as long as you’re willing to help me dress again. There are no servants here?”

  He shook his head, shrugging out of his own cloak. “For at least tonight, it was best that it be just the two of us. But here, we have wine, some meats, cheeses, fruits, if you’re hungry. I realized I have no idea what you like to eat
, so I asked for as many things as I could think of.”

  I surveyed the groaning bounty of the little table, the elaborate bed tucked in the corner, its covers invitingly turned back while candles blazed in every nook. “How did you assemble all this so fast?”

  “I’ve had nigh on four seven-days to prepare this place for us.”

  “You couldn’t have known how the siege would end.”

  “Oh, but I did.” He drew me close, weaving his fingers with mine, free arm going around me to rub up and down my back under the long fall of my hair. The touch warmed and alarmed me, as did the implacable certainty in his face. “I knew I would win you or die trying.”

  I searched his fierce visage, wondering what drove him so hard. He wasn’t Hugh, to sacrifice all for true love or a noble ideal. “Why did you want me so much?”

  “Isn’t it enough for you to know that I do?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” I bit my lip, uncertain.

  “Let me do that for you,” he murmured, brushing my lips with his, then tugging on my lower lip with his teeth. I gasped at the surge of desire. “If you’re not hungry, perhaps we should complete our marriage?”

  “I’m not hungry,” I whispered.

  “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that, Andromeda.”

  “Mostly I’d like to have the use of my arm again.”

  “Is that all it is?” He trailed hot, hungry lips over my cheek and nipped under the corner of my jaw. The tender skin there sparked at the touch, the sensation arrowing through my body to my groin. He nibbled down my throat, licking here and there, spreading that melted feeling through me.

  Then he was tugging me toward the fireplace and the white fur rug in front of it. He sat me in a chair and began working the laces of my boot, his shining black head bent over the task. Soon he’d have all my clothes off and would be inside me. No going back. I scanned the room, not really looking for escape. Just to settle myself. The fire blazed with welcome warmth and the fur looked soft.

  “What has white fur that’s this big?”

  Rayfe glanced up, dark-blue eyes glinting. “To the north are great white bears. Lethal hunters.”