Gilka set Ell down but didn’t release her. “You want me to lead these people? You must be joking.”
“If anyone needs to become something else, it’s them,” Aesa said as she sat up. “You could make them so much more.”
“I’m not becoming a thrall again for a bunch of fucking sheep.”
Aesa took a deep breath, and another moment of perfect clarity dropped over her. Ell, her robe covered in dirt, weary circles under her eyes that only accentuated her beauty. Gilka was covered in dried blood and sweat and dirt, beautiful and powerful and terrifying. “Jhanir didn’t stop,” she muttered. When Gilka peered at her curiously, she cleared her throat. “Your old thrain, Jhanir, she didn’t stop striving. She’d reached the pinnacle of what it meant to be a thrain, so she became something else, but you couldn’t stop seeing her as less than you, just because she put her weapons away and unbraided her hair, just because she didn’t run blindly into combat and die.”
Aesa stood slowly, feeling the wind across her cheeks, tasting the sweetness of this land. A butterfly hovered near Ell’s shoulder before the breeze blew it away. It wouldn’t be Gilka who helped the fini truly become free; Aesa knew that now. Gilka could never understand Aesa’s hopes for them, all her visions for their future. Ell, the shapti back in the cave, and all the rest of them would have to decide their own fate, and it was Aesa who’d help them.
She didn’t know what passed over her face, but Gilka peered at her again as if she’d sprouted another head. “So, what, you think that if it can’t be me, it’ll be you? You’ll be their hero?”
“There are other things to be.”
Gilka blinked as if the idea was so foreign, she couldn’t begin to entertain it. “I saw it in your eyes,” she said as if arguing with herself.
Aesa drew a shuddering breath. “If you stay much longer, you’re going to be a bigger part of this place than you want.”
Gilka laughed, and at last she let Ell go. “You can never come home again.”
“I know.”
“Your bondmate? Your family?”
“Maeve knows. She’ll tell my family, and they’ll understand, forgive me.” She shrugged. “Or they won’t.”
“I could still knock you down, take you both with me.”
“I know,” she said, knowing Gilka needed to hear that. “But you’d still lose me.”
“Ah, bear cub.” Gilka rubbed her chin. “Maybe it would be kinder to kill you.”
She deserved that thought, couldn’t help but feel that she’d gotten onto Gilka’s ship with false intentions, never mind that she hadn’t known them at the time. When Gilka strode toward her, she stayed in place, waiting for whatever would happen, but Gilka walked past, heading for the sea. “Good luck, bear cub.”
Aesa let out a slow breath, wiping a few tears from her cheeks. “Fair travels, ja’thrain.”
Ell’s cool hand slipped into hers, and she watched until Gilka disappeared, and the ships moved out from the beach, the Mists of Murin closing behind them.
Epilogue
Laret finished stuffing her pack and tied a blanket to the top. “Are you ready?”
“Almost.” Maeve hurried through the small house, packing clothes and gathering food. After a tense journey home, Gilka had simply given them a look, and they knew it was better to vacate her lands sooner rather than later. Hilfey had at least told them that Aesa still lived, though she’d had to pry that information out of Runa, who’d gotten it from Gilka herself.
And Hilfey had given them her spare clothes, so Maeve didn’t have a very uncomfortable trip home. The others had plenty of questions, and Otama offered more than a few nasty asides. Maeve and Laret had answered what they could, and Hilfey told Otama to shut up so many times, Laret was ready to kiss her once they arrived back in Skellis.
Finally, they were ready, and Laret lingered in the small yard, eyeing the garden she’d planted, whose fruits she’d never get to witness. Maeve’s hand entwined with hers. “There will be other gardens.”
Laret kissed her knuckles. “There never seems to be time.”
“We’ll make time.” She shivered, a delighted smile on her face.
“Excited?”
“And terrified, but I’ll try to focus on the excitement. Where are we going first?”
“We have to find Ari.”
“Any ideas?”
Laret sighed. “South, the last place I saw the witch of Sanaan. She probably wants the houri blood because she seeks life eternal.”
Maeve’s eyes widened. “That was one of the reasons we killed our gods.”
“Because they wouldn’t share immortality? I suppose one reason is as good as another for killing a god.” She thought of the road ahead and couldn’t contain another sigh, not for the journey but the destination. “We may have to venture to my homeland, a place I never hoped to go again.”
Maeve’s grasp tightened. “Not alone.”
Laret grinned. “Words I never thought I’d hear.”
“You should kiss me now, after saying that.”
Laret obliged, and even the end of their road seemed brighter
*
Ell dug her hands into the soil, reveling in the soft richness between her fingers.
“You must plant them deep,” Beda said from nearby. She had her long red hair tied behind her and wore a green shirt today, so much better with her eyes than the horrible gray. She’d mentioned before that she took great pleasure in choosing her colors each morning. With so many of the shaptis dead, there was plenty of clothing to go around.
A sad thought. So many had died, and they hadn’t needed to. Ell was certain they would have understood given time, but the magic done beneath the aos sí’s resting place had sucked the life from them just as the aos sí had eaten life from the fini.
Well, she supposed they were all fini now, all learning how to care for themselves and each other. Across the way, Aesa and Niall were fitting a plow to a krissi. The creature turned his head and hissed at them, and Aesa gave it a wary look, but Niall said a few words, and it settled. Everyone was finding what they were good at.
Ell stood, brushed her hands clean, and crossed to Aesa. “How are you?” she asked in Aesa’s language, though Aesa was getting better and better at speaking fini.
“This thing is stubborn, but we’ll manage.” She gave Niall an awkward pat on the shoulder before walking some distance away with Ell. “How are you?”
“Well. Beda is a good teacher.”
“The one with the scar?” She drew a line down her face.
Ell chuckled softly. “All fini have scars now, maybe.”
“Maybe not, not if you’re careful, if you know how to use knives correctly and know how to defend yourselves. Do you want to learn how to fight? I could teach you.”
“No violence, please. Others maybe.” Strangely enough, Elder Lida had quite taken to the bow, and she’d brought in a lot of game with Chezzo beside her.
Aesa squeezed her hand. “Happy?”
It was a difficult word, the hardest emotion to contemplate. She remembered being ecstatic with the shaptis, the pure joy of obedience and bringing pleasure to others. Now she felt different, content, and she far preferred it. Ecstatic joy was exhausting, a high that could never last, that she’d always reached for. Contentment surrounded her like a warm blanket.
“Happy,” she said. “Happy you and happy me.”
Aesa smiled widely, and they turned back to the day’s work together.
About the Author
Barbara Ann Wright writes fantasy and science fiction novels and short stories when not ranting on her blog. The Pyramid Waltz was one of Tor.com’s Reviewer’s Choice books of 2012, was a Foreword Review Book of the Year Award Finalist, a Goldie finalist, and won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best Lesbian Fantasy. A Kingdom Lost was a Goldie finalist and won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Lesbian Fantasy Romance.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Deadly Medicine
by Jaime Maddox. Dr. Ward Thrasher’s life is in turmoil. Her partner Jess has left her, and her job puts her in the path of a murderous physician who has Jess in his sights. (978-1-62639-4-247)
New Beginnings by KC Richardson. Can the connection and attraction between Jordan Roberts and Kirsten Murphy be enough for Jordan to trust Kirsten with her heart? (978-1-62639-4-506)
Officer Down by Erin Dutton. Can two women who’ve made careers out of being there for others in crisis find the strength to need each other? (978-1-62639-4-230)
Reasonable Doubt by Carsen Taite. Just when Sarah and Ellery think they’ve left dangerous careers behind, a new case sets them—and their hearts—on a collision course. (978-1-62639-4-421)
Tarnished Gold by Ann Aptaker. Cantor Gold must outsmart the Law, outrun New York’s dockside gangsters, outplay a shady art dealer, his lover, and a beautiful curator, and stay out of a killer’s gun sights. (978-1-62639-4-261)
The Renegade by Amy Dunne. Post-apocalyptic survivors Alex and Evelyn secretly find love while held captive by a deranged cult, but when their relationship is discovered, they must fight for their freedom—or die trying. (978-1-62639-4-278)
Thrall by Barbara Ann Wright. Four women in a warrior society must work together to lift an insidious curse while caught between their own desires, the will of their peoples, and an ancient evil. (978-1-62639-4-377)
White Horse in Winter by Franci McMahon. Love between two women collides with the inner poison of a closeted horse trainer in the green hills of Vermont. (978-1-62639-4-292)
The Chameleon by Andrea Bramhall. Two old friends must work through a web of lies and deceit to find themselves again, but in the search they discover far more than they ever went looking for. (978-1-62639-363-9)
Side Effects by VK Powell. Detective Jordan Bishop and Dr. Neela Sahjani must decide if it’s easier to trust someone with your heart or your life as they face threatening protestors, corrupt politicians, and their increasing attraction. (978-1-62639-364-6)
Autumn Spring by Shelley Thrasher. Can Bree and Linda, two women in the autumn of their lives, put their hearts first and find the love they’ve never dared seize? (978-1-62639-365-3)
Warm November by Kathleen Knowles. What do you do if the one woman you want is the only one you can’t have? (978-1-62639-366-0)
In Every Cloud by Tina Michele. When she finally leaves her shattered life behind, is Bree strong enough to salvage the remaining pieces of her heart and find the place where it truly fits? (978-1-62639-413-1)
Rise of the Gorgon by Tanai Walker. When independent Internet journalist Elle Pharell goes to Kuwait to investigate a veteran’s mysterious suicide, she hires Cassandra Hunt, an interpreter with a covert agenda. (978-1-62639-367-7)
Crossed by Meredith Doench. Agent Luce Hansen returns home to catch a killer and risks everything to revisit the unsolved murder of her first girlfriend and confront the demons of her youth. (978-1-62639-361-5)
Making a Comeback by Julie Blair. Music and love take center stage when jazz pianist Liz Randall tries to make a comeback with the help of her reclusive, blind neighbor, Jac Winters. (978-1-62639-357-8)
Soul Unique by Gun Brooke. Self-proclaimed cynic Greer Landon falls for Hayden Rowe’s paintings and the young woman shortly after, but will Hayden, who lives with Asperger syndrome, trust her and reciprocate her feelings? (978-1-62639-358-5)
The Price of Honor by Radclyffe. Honor and duty are not always black and white—and when self-styled patriots take up arms against the government, the price of honor may be a life. (978-1-62639-359-2)
Mounting Evidence by Karis Walsh. Lieutenant Abigail Hargrove and her mounted police unit need to solve a murder and protect wetland biologist Kira Lovell during the Washington State Fair. (978-1-62639-343-1)
Threads of the Heart by Jeannie Levig. Maggie and Addison Rae-McInnis share a love and a life, but are the threads that bind them together strong enough to withstand Addison’s restlessness and the seductive Victoria Fontaine? (978-1-62639-410-0)
Sheltered Love by MJ Williamz. Boone Fairway and Grey Dawson—two women touched by abuse—overcome their pasts to find happiness in each other. (978-1-62639-362-2)
Asher’s Out by Elizabeth Wheeler. Asher Price’s candid photographs capture the truth, but when his success requires exposing an enemy, Asher discovers his only shot at happiness involves revealing secrets of his own. (978-1-62639-411-7)
The Ground Beneath by Missouri Vaun. An improbable barter deal involving a hope chest and dinners for a month places lovely Jessica Walker distractingly in the way of Sam Casey’s bachelor lifestyle. (978-1-62639-606-7)
Hardwired by C.P. Rowlands. Award-winning teacher Clary Stone, and Leefe Ellis, manager of the homeless shelter for small children, stand together in a part of Clary’s hometown that she never knew existed. (978-1-62639-351-6)
No Good Reason by Cari Hunter. A violent kidnapping in a Peak District village pushes Detective Sanne Jensen and lifelong friend Dr. Meg Fielding closer, just as it threatens to tear everything apart. (978-1-62639-352-3)
Romance by the Book by Jo Victor. If Cam didn’t keep disrupting her life, maybe Alex could uncover the secret of a century-old love story, and solve the greatest mystery of all—her own heart. (978-1-62639-353-0)
Death’s Doorway by Crin Claxton. Helping the dead can be deadly: Tony may be listening to the dead, but she needs to learn to listen to the living. (978-1-62639-354-7)
Searching for Celia by Elizabeth Ridley. As American spy novelist Dayle Salvesen investigates the mysterious disappearance of her ex-lover, Celia, in London, she begins questioning how well she knew Celia—and how well she knows herself. (978-1-62639-356-1)
The 45th Parallel by Lisa Girolami. Burying her mother isn’t the worst thing that can happen to Val Montague when she returns to the woodsy but peculiar town of Hemlock, Oregon. (978-1-62639-342-4)
A Royal Romance by Jenny Frame. In a country where class still divides, can love topple the last social taboo and allow Queen Georgina and Beatrice Elliot, a working class girl, their happy ever after? (978-1-62639-360-8)
Bouncing by Jaime Maddox. Basketball Coach Alex Dalton has been bouncing from woman to woman, because no one ever held her interest, until she meets her new assistant, Britain Dodge. (978-1-62639-344-8)
Same Time Next Week by Emily Smith. A chance encounter between Alex Harris and the beautiful Michelle Masters leads to a whirlwind friendship, and causes Alex to question everything she’s ever known—including her own marriage. (978-1-62639-345-5)
All Things Rise by Missouri Vaun. Cole rescues a striking pilot who crash-lands near her family’s farm, setting in motion a chain of events that will forever alter the course of her life. (978-1-62639-346-2)
Riding Passion by D. Jackson Leigh. Mount up for the ride through a sizzling anthology of chance encounters, buried desires, romantic surprises, and blazing passion. (978-1-62639-349-3)
Love’s Bounty by Yolanda Wallace. Lobster boat captain Jake Myers stopped living the day she cheated death, but meeting greenhorn Shy Silva stirs her back to life. (978-1-62639-334-9)
Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden. Sometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect. Accountant Samantha Ennis has her ordered life disrupted when heartbreaker Hunter Blair moves into her trendy Soho loft. (978-1-62639-335-6)
Lay Down the Law by Carsen Taite. Attorney Peyton Davis returns to her Texas roots to take on big oil and the Mexican Mafia, but will her investigation thwart her chance at true love? (978-1-62639-336-3)
Playing in Shadow by Lesley Davis. Survivor’s guilt threatens to keep Bryce trapped in her nightmare world unless Scarlet’s love can pull her out of the darkness back into the light. (978-1-62639-337-0)
Soul Selecta by Gill McKnight. Soul mates are hell to work with. (978-1-62639-338-7)
The Revelation of Beatrice Darby by Jean Copeland. Adolescence is complicated, but Beatrice Darby is about to discover how impossible it can seem to a lesbian coming of age in conservative 1950s New Eng
land. (978-1-62639-339-4)
Twice Lucky by Mardi Alexander. For firefighter Mackenzie James and Dr. Sarah Macarthur, there’s suddenly a whole lot more in life to understand, to consider, to risk…someone will need to fight for her life. (978-1-62639-325-7)
Shadow Hunt by L.L. Raand. With young to raise and her Pack under attack, Sylvan, Alpha of the wolf Weres, takes on her greatest challenge when she determines to uncover the faceless enemies known as the Shadow Lords. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-326-4)
Heart of the Game by Rachel Spangler. A baseball writer falls for a single mom, but can she ever love anything as much as she loves the game? (978-1-62639-327-1)
Getting Lost by Michelle Grubb. Twenty-eight days, thirteen European countries, a tour manager fighting attraction, and an accused murderer: Stella and Phoebe’s journey of a lifetime begins here. (978-1-62639-328-8)
Prayer of the Handmaiden by Merry Shannon. Celibate priestess Kadrian must defend the kingdom of Ithyria from a dangerous enemy and ultimately choose between her duty to the Goddess and the love of her childhood sweetheart, Erinda. (978-1-62639-329-5)
The Witch of Stalingrad by Justine Saracen. A Soviet “night witch” pilot and American journalist meet on the Eastern Front in WW II and struggle through carnage, conflicting politics, and the deadly Russian winter. (978-1-62639-330-1)
Thrall Page 32