“I was able to retrieve Sehlas. Tellnox filled you in on that didn’t he?” She paused and looked at him with an innocent look in her eyes that could only mean trouble.
Mckale nodded. “Yes, he filled me in. What else did you do?”
“I discovered why I have been so tired lately. Why the eggs this morning made me sick to my stomach.”
He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t that. His chest constricted again. Had Serena healed it? “What was it?”
She smiled. “You mean, what is it...”
It still affected her then. Was it something Serena couldn’t heal? “What is it then?”
“A baby.”
He stared at her. “Who had a baby?”
“We’re going to. I’m pregnant, Mckale.”
Mckale’s heart stopped and his breath froze in his lungs. Maleena was pregnant! The thought thawed him and he could breathe again. His eyes flew to her perfectly flat stomach and then back up to her glowing face. “How—” he cleared his throat. “How do you know for sure?”
“I saw the baby’s soul during Sehlas’ healing. Serena confirmed it. I’m almost four months along.” She looked uncertainly at him. “Are you happy?”
Was he happy? The last time he’d been filled with this kind of emotion was at Tellnox’s Hatching. Mckale crossed the room in long strides and dropped to his knees next to the bed. He took her hand in one of his and slid the other around the back of her neck, drawing her face to his. “Am I happy?” he whispered against her lips. “So much I can’t even describe it.” Then he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her thoroughly.
The next morning Maleena and Mckale came down to breakfast together. Barden looked up at them as they sat down and Mckale began to place food on her plate. Barden’s eyes drifted between the two of them. “Kaden and I finally gave up waiting for you, Mckale. I guess you got sidetracked.”
Blood rose in Maleena’s cheeks and she stared at her plate. Mckale chuckled. “I guess I did. A few hours of time makes no difference.”
Kaden smiled and shook his head. “At least this is an off day for me. Maybe if I have a full day, I can hear what happened at the meeting yesterday. Unless you two are headed back upstairs this morning.”
Mckale smiled back but there was light of warning in his eyes and Maleena sensed some irritation in him. “Actually, Maleena came back from Haraban with a little news of her own. So yes, I was distracted from thoughts of the meeting last night.”
All eyes turned to Maleena. She concentrated on cutting a bite of ham, her face feeling redder. She hated being the center of attention.
“Well?” Grandme said. “It must be fairly big news if it trumps the meeting with the Council. Has something happened in the west that we should be aware of?”
Mckale shook his head. “No, all is as well as can be expected in the west. The news affects Maleena, myself, and this family.”
Maleena glanced around the table. Would they be upset since she and Mckale hadn’t participated in the Spring Dance yet? Not that it really mattered one way or another, but she really didn’t want any bad feelings between Mckale and his family. Sonja looked at her with worry in her eyes.
Barden leaned back in his chair. “What will affect this family?”
Mckale looked at his father and Maleena felt nothing but happiness rolling off her bondmate. “It’s going to get bigger.”
Grandme let out a whoop that made everyone at the table jump. “I knew it.” She smacked a wrinkled palm against the table. “I’ve had my suspicions since the morning after you arrived.”
Kaden frown at her. “What are you talking about?”
Sonja’s smile spread across her face. “Don’t you see, Kaden? We are going to be an aunt and an uncle.”
Kaden stared first at Mckale then Maleena. “Fates be damned! Congratulations.” He clapped Mckale firmly on the shoulder.
Barden rubbed his hands over his face and smiled across the table at Mckale. “I feel old.” There was moisture in the older man’s eyes and Maleena sensed his pleasure.
Grandme slapped his arm. “Now you know how I felt when you and Nia started producing these three.”
“As you can guess,” Mckale said. “That news blew the Council right out of my mind. However, we can discuss it after we’ve eaten.”
Kellinar paced the room waiting for Anevay, Bardeck, and Gideon to finish testing Loki for any permanent brain damage. Loki needed to be well and whole so Kellinar could strangle him. The past couple of days had done nothing to dampen his anger.
Anevay glanced at him, worry in her eyes. He knew she felt his anger through the bond but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He wasn’t a Silver, he couldn’t wall the others in the bond away from his thoughts and feelings. Kellinar tried to rein in his emotions. The only good thing in this whole mess was the time spent with Anevay. He had missed her and knew that Taela did too. It surprised him how much he’d missed Galdrilene as well.
Gideon and Bardeck stood and pushed the wooden chairs they’d sat in against the wall. Gideon looked down at the boy. “You are incredibly fortunate that you not only had a skilled healer to work on you but one with the amplified powers of a dragon bond. I would never have been able to heal that.”
Kellinar stopped and looked at the three of them. “So is he going to be alright?”
Bardeck nodded. “There is no sign of any lasting damage. Anevay did a good job.” He looked back at the boy. “You could have died or ended up severely impaired.”
Anevay smoothed the blankets across Loki’s lap. “I know you wish to speak with him, Kellinar. We will leave you two alone.”
Kellinar waited until they left and closed the door behind them before resuming his pacing. He glanced at Loki and saw the boy’s eyes tracking him from where he lay propped up against the pillows. Kellinar waited as he tried to gain better control of his anger. After several minutes, he decided partial control was the best he could achieve.
He looked at Loki again though he didn’t stop pacing. “What were you thinking?” he managed. It sounded reasonable. Nothing like the threat to throttle him that he’d thought was going to come out.
Loki looked down. “I don’t know. I remember leaving Galdrilene. Merru and I just wanted to do something different.”
“No, you mean you wanted to do something different and you somehow talked Merru into it,” Kellinar said, glaring.
“I guess it was something like that.” Loki fidgeted with the covers. “I just thought it would be fun to fly over Ardien and then be back home by the next morning. I don’t know what happened though. All I remember is flying down the valley holding a light-bending weave and then waking up here.”
“You flew into one of the worst storms I’ve ever seen is what happened. You crashed into the middle of Ardien. Emallya has spent the last two days doing damage control there. Only the king and the heads of the leading houses knew about Galdrilene. They had the same weave laid on them as anyone else that knew about Galdrilene.” He stopped and crossed his arms. “It was done for the protection of Galdrilene and the protection of budding mages in the Boromar. Now everyone there has seen not only you and your dragon but Anevay, Bardeck and Latia as well.”
Loki twisted the edge of the blanket around. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Kellinar scowled as his voice rose to a shout. “Loki, you endangered yourself, you nearly killed Merru, you endangered Bardeck and Latia, and put my bondmate in danger trying to save you. And all you can say is you are sorry? Fates be damned, this goes way beyond flaming sorry!”
“What do you want me to say?”
Kellinar shook his head and started pacing again. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know that you can say anything. I know you are young to be a Dragon Rider, Loki. I know you have struggled with the requirements of Galdrilene, but burn it all, it is time to grow up! Fates, Loki,” he was shouting again but couldn’t help it. “You nearly died! You scared the flaming life out of me.”
He stopped and sank into one of the chairs. Propping his elbows on his knees he buried his face in his hands and let out a deep sigh. The silence stretched out. Finally, Kellinar dropped his hands and sat up, leaning his head against the wall behind the chair. He stared at the smooth rock ceiling of the sleeping chamber. “When Shryden and I arrived,” he said quietly, “Latia was barely holding against the wind and Anevay was injured from a huge branch flung through the air. I saw you and Merru after I had control of the storm.”
Kellinar closed his eyes, trying to shut out the memory of their broken bodies against the wet paving stones. The awkward way Loki had hung from the saddle. Merru’s wings wrenched to an odd angle. “I thought you were both dead,” he whispered. He looked over at the half-grown boy. “Don’t ever do that to me again. I may have a dragon and bondmates now, but that doesn’t mean I have ceased to love you like a little brother.”
Loki stared at him, his blue eyes serious. “I promise, Kellinar.”
Kellinar nodded and felt the tension in his shoulders relax. Like himself, Loki always kept his word.
Loki glanced around the room. “Where are Taela and Serena?”
“Still in Haraban.”
“Oh.” Loki’s face fell. “I guess that means you won’t be staying.”
Kellinar shook his head. “I wish I could. I never imagined I would miss Galdrilene like I do. But I can’t stay. We have to leave Haraban and go to Trilene.”
“How do you think it will go in Trilene?”
Kellinar rubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t know.”
Loki was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. “Will Anevay go with you when you leave this time?”
“I want her to and I don’t want her to.” Kellinar laughed. “It isn’t like I have a choice now that Latia can Slide reliably. Anevay will go where she chooses though I know she is trying to work on that weave of hers. So in my long, rambling, round-about way, I’m saying I have no idea.”
Kalila held the weave of air, funneling the smoke from the fire through a series of twists and turns while holding a small ball up with another weave. Sweat beaded on her brow from the effort but she was proud of the ability to hold two weaves, simple though they were.
“Good,” said Katian, the senior mage overseeing her training that day. “You are doing very well and progressing nicely.”
Kalila smiled but kept her concentration on the weaves. This was her life now and she was determined to give it her all. Another hour of training left and then it would be time to help with tower chores.
Dhovara came sweeping into the room. “Drop the weaves. I need to speak with you.”
Kalila glanced at Katian. Had she done something wrong? She let the weaves unravel as Katian grabbed the ball and put out the fire. Kalila took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from her brow. “What is it, Mage Councilor?”
Dhovara glanced at Katian. “I will speak with her alone, if you will excuse us please.”
A nervous knot started in Kalila’s gut as she searched Dhovara’s dark face for some sign of what was wrong. When the door clicked shut, Dhovara motioned her to the chairs at the side of the room. “Sit, we have a matter of importance to discuss.”
Kalila moved to a chair and sat as the Mage Councilor took the one across from her. “What is this about? Have I done something wrong?”
“What?” Dhovara looked startled. “No, child, you have done nothing wrong. In fact, you are a model junior mage and your training is coming along nicely.”
Confused, Kalila’s brow furrowed. “Then, what?”
Dhovara frowned though there was compassion in her eyes. “We just received word that your father has died.”
Kalila’s breath left her in a rush as a fist tightened around her heart. Her father was dead. He hadn’t been the father he should have been to Sadira, but Kalila’s childhood was filled with happy memories of him. Now she would never to see him again. He would never know that she was alive and safe and happy.
Dhovara leaned forward and placed a hand on hers. “I would give you more time to absorb this and grieve, but there is more.”
A tear trailed down Kalila’s cheek as she focused on the older woman. “What else?”
“Apparently he died a month ago but we just now received word. Your brother assumed the throne as was intended; however, he doesn’t seem to be doing very well in his new position. The high-ranking nobles are pushing him around and Markene has become quite a mess.” Dhovara folded her hands in her lap. “Normally this would be none of our concern except another egg has begun to sing and Emallya has tracked it to your brother.”
Kalila stared at her dumbfounded. “You mean…Toren is going to be a Dragon Rider? That’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“It would be if there was someone to take his place in Markene. The man your older sister Larna was supposed to marry is trying to take things over. Your mother is useless; she has barely made a sound since your father passed. Drisa is also gone. Your other sisters are too young.”
Kalila frowned. “They can’t take the throne anyway. Only the male heir can and now Toren has to come here.” She shook her head. “Haden will make a real mess of things. He can barely run his household.”
Dhovara nodded. “This is why the state of Markene has become our concern. With a few years under his belt, even months, Toren would likely do fine. However he can’t do that if he comes here. A woman could assume the throne in Markene, but she would have to be a strong woman. One who knew herself and was determined not to get walked on. And she would have to carry the blood of the king in her veins in order to make her claim valid.”
Kalila stared at her as Dhovara’s words sank in. “You want me to take the throne?”
The Mage Councilor nodded. “You are the best candidate. If Toren decides to answer the call, Galdrilene will be removing a sitting ruler from a nation. It is our duty to offer the next best candidate. This would have to have your brother’s approval. As the current king, only he can choose his successor. Things will be different once Dragon Law is everywhere again. For now though, we have to tread carefully.”
“A woman has never ruled Markene, not in the five hundred years since it rose from the ashes of the War of Fire.” Kalila shook her head slowly. “No, I think my place is here now. A woman trying to take the reins of power might cause more of a mess and more hardship for the people than Haden could ever think of doing.”
Dhovara shrugged slightly. “It is of course your choice. No one can force you to walk a path you are not destined to. Take a couple of days to think about it. We will honor whatever decision you make.” She stood and walked to the door, pausing with her hand on the latch, Dhovara looked back. “If you should decide to try and carry this mantle, you will have the support and backing of Galdrilene. You will also still be able to continue your training. One of the senior Weather mages would travel with you to Markene. Kellinar leaves in two days. He can take you if that is your decision.”
She left and closed the door behind her. Kalila stared at the door. A woman couldn’t rule Markene, it was preposterous. Wasn’t it? She curled her legs up into the chair, her mind in turmoil. Her short time in Galdrilene had already taught her there was no reason that a man or a woman couldn’t do anything.The people in Galdrilene seemed to fall into whatever suited them best. Three of the towers had female leaders.
Why couldn’t she take her brother’s place? Because she was a woman and therefore automatically incapable? She shook her head; some may think that in Markene, but when it came to this, she knew she would do as well if not better than her brother.
Why was she having a hard time with her decision? Was it because it had never been done before? That was a silly reason. If people stuck with that way of thinking nothing would ever move forward. As she thought about it, she realized that was exactly what happened in a lot of the downlands. So many were stuck in a rut and unable to find the ladder out.
Could she leave Markene in the inept hands o
f Haden? She really didn’t know a lot about running a nation. She’d sat in on a few things and her father had discussed things with her and her siblings on occasion, but he reserved most of that for Toren. Daughters were for marrying off and solidifying relations with higher nobles and other nations.
She scowled. Maybe she would take up the mantel. Between escaping Sadira and her time in Galdrilene, Kalila had found her own worth. She wasn’t a horse to be sold off to the highest bidder or to the man with the best pedigree. If she allowed the status quo to stand, allowed Haden to take the throne, her younger sisters would end up being married off just that way.
And one day Sadira would visit Markene. Haden would be extremely disadvantaged. In fact, Markene would likely fall to Sadira and the Shadow Riders. Her younger sisters would either become Sadira’s pets or killed outright.
It was that last thought more than anything else that made Kalila’s decision. She would do it. She would step up and take her brother’s place. She wouldn’t leave Markene unprotected. Even Toren didn’t know what he was up against if he thought Haden and a few nobles were the worst of his problems.
Kalila stood up and left the room. She buried her grief deep within; to be dealt with later when there was time. She climbed the circling stairs to Dhovara’s study and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” Dhovara’s answer came from the other side.
Kalila opened the door and stepped into the spacious room. “I will do it. I don’t have much choice. Markene will need protection in the coming years and not even Toren understands the true danger that lies beyond the borders.” She lifted her chin slightly. “I know magically I am nowhere near, nor ever will be, the strength of Sadira, so I ask for a few things.”
Dhovara nodded. “I’m glad you have made this decision. You will be provided with whatever you need as long as it is sensible.”
“I would like to take at least three mages with me. One senior mage for teaching, which you have already offered. The other two can be whatever level of mage you feel comfortable sending. When Sadira comes to Markene, and she will, I want both the senior mage and myself to be able to defend against her.” She took a deep breath and looked Dhovara in the eye. “I will never allow myself to be tortured by Sadira again. I will choose death first.”
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