“Yes, disappointing to say the least.”
“I still want you. You’re wearing your wedding ring. Should I take that as a sign you still want me after the way I treated you?”
What a silly question. Of course she wanted him. “I don’t understand why we’re not married.”
“Yeah, I thought about that, too,” Cobaaron confided. “After I was shoved into the pool,” he chuckled, apparently amused because she could, “I was trapped in the rock, hearing you sob, and all I could think about was how everything was going terribly wrong. I remembered being cruel, and I couldn’t tell you I was sorry and that I wasn’t dead. I couldn’t believe the things I said. Finally, I realized why. You admitted you poisoned me. I have heard of a poison that brings evil to the surface.
“I hate to admit it, but all those thoughts were in me. I still harbor biases against women. Not every woman is like you. Rarely does a woman cleave to one man. I understand how my brother can bitterly resent Onya. It doesn’t feel like love if she does not intend to remain loyal. My temper hasn’t changed, either. I remind myself not to command you, but I bark orders at you and my men all the time. All of those things you saw in me, I’m still working on. There is no doubt that the poison simply brought them up again, in full force.
“I would have died if my evil wasn’t purged. I think the poison made me gravely ill in reaction to your light, as Zevera became sick from your blood. It may have tainted your light in me, breaking the bond. But I needed to first burn off all impurities to survive, which is why the poison worked. I emerged not perfect, but pure like you—a Star.
“As I lay in the hardened rock, I pondered life without you. It was scary, genuinely frightening, because I wasn’t sure if you’d die, thinking I was gone. I couldn’t console you. But then you were going to share your blood with me, and I was screaming for you to stop. You’re pregnant; you need every drop of blood to care for our daughter. So I broke free. Although...there is one instance where I’d willingly let you cut yourself—if you wanted to marry me...again.”
There was no question if she would marry him. Before she could respond, he added, “I won’t ever treat you like that again. I hate how I scared you, and the way you looked at me.”
“It’s okay, Cobaaron,” Ky said, rubbing his arm reassuringly.
“No, it’s not. I saw your eyes when I was strangling you. I almost killed you and Lu Lu. It’s not okay.”
“You didn’t remember us.”
“I’m not ready to forgive myself. Nothing you can say will fix this. But I still want to marry you. I’ll wait if you’re harboring anger toward me.”
“I hold nothing against you; I’m not angry. I want to forget this, move on, and bond.”
“I want to read your mind again. Then maybe I’ll have an easier time forgiving myself if you don’t resent me.”
“You weren’t yourself. I’m okay. Being your wife again is my only concern. I want to be with you, find the sword, and go home.” Ky sought out a sharp rock, while Cobaaron watched with a relieved expression. Nothing was sharp enough to cut, but she gathered a handful of pebbles, melted them, and made a razor edge with her fingers and let it cool. Ky rejoined Cobaaron, and as he continued to gaze at her with pleasure, she pierced the tip of his finger and then hers. Cobaaron smeared their blood together, and then gripped their fingers with his other hand, and squeezed tightly.
Their blood was twice as hot now. They yelled out in pain. Cobaaron’s blood no longer coagulated and their punctures weren’t healing. He squeezed their fingers tighter. Their hands blazed a blue flame. The slow, agonizing process to mend felt endless. When Ky couldn’t take it anymore she yelled, “When is it going to stop?” As if her words triggered a change, their hands cooled, and the blistering light seeped back into their glowing skin.
“I don’t ever want to do that again!” Ky winced, and rubbed her fingertip.
“I’ll never get used to it either.”
Ky gazed into his eyes, and they instantly changed into the beautiful sapphire blue they were before his transformation. She thought he looked better as a blue Star but he reminded her of Wyt; his skin changed to an ivory color with a golden glow. He was gorgeous with the skin tone. Because the lava burned away his brawny muscles, his mass slowly returned as she studied every inch of him. She hadn’t meant to change that, but she loved his strapping physique and how his tight muscles moved while they made love. As she noticed his tattooing, half of it faded until his phenomenally sculpted body was bare in all the right places once again.
“You’re gorgeous, Ky. I don’t want to change a thing.”
“You’re back to your old self, except your skin.”
“Are you going to read my mind?” Cobaaron asked. Ky thought, but decided against it. Before she answered him, he obviously pried into her thoughts, because he said, “That’s fine. You don’t have to. Although, you’re right—we’ll have to have more sex since Aaron and Kylie are.” Ky laughed loudly, and then playfully rolled her eyes.
“Will you make sure that I don’t depress easily while outside, love? I could die from depression if you don’t. Don’t let the coming war kill me, and I want that for you as well. We need to be strong because the archive warns of excessive gore.” Ky nodded in reply. “Also...wish that I’m as affectionate as you want me to be. I know you wish I’d tell you more that I love you. I’m no longer a warrior. I want to be more vocal about how I feel about you. I truly do.” Ky thought his suggestion a good idea. She willed him to change everything he asked.
“I want you to be strong for our child, and when Noxis stabs you, I want you to heal quickly. I want you to live. I don’t know if the magic in our union can change your blood, but I want that.”
“Thank you, Cobaaron. That’s a good one!” Ky kissed him, slowly and passionately, while she wished he’d confess loving her more often. Cobaaron crawled over Ky, refusing to break the kiss. He mumbled of wanting her again as his wife, and turned her simple gesture into greedy passion with his long, devouring embrace. He knew she loved the way he kissed her, and he positioned himself over her. Glowing hot, they made love, and Cobaaron expressed his emotions in the flickering light he couldn’t quite control. They soaked in the warmth of each other’s radiance. When they finally parted, the union was complete; their veins glowed silver and their hearts were seen pumping within them painlessly.
They slept until the early morning hours. When they woke, they packed and left their temporary home. They headed south as Cobaaron navigated confidently out of the mountain. He was his old self. “Are we leaving the mountain another way?”
“Yes, we need to go to the static lands. I remember that from when I was looking at the map in Opalace. We aren’t going to make it out of the mountain in time.”
They were quiet as they traveled, and her thoughts wandered. “When is your birthday?” she asked when the notion came to her.
“Not for some time. I’ll tell you when. It’s during the breeze season.”
“Like ash season?” Ky clarified.
“Yes. Your birthday is during the blooming of Hastily trees. Ash season is very short, while Hastily lasts a long time—two hundred days to be exact, almost half the year. So we have a while to go before breeze season and my birthday. I’ve lived to see scores of them, they’ve lost their thrill, and I don’t celebrate it. But I will let you know.”
“As king you won’t celebrate your birthday? In a dark world, where people want to be preoccupied with feasts, parties, dancing, and singing I don’t see you getting away with that. Birthdays are good reasons to give your people an occasion to drink as much ale as they want. I’ll throw you a party every year, if you want. It will be the biggest event.”
“I’d like you fussing over me like that. I’ll know it honors me, and every man likes to be appreciated or told that by their partner.”
Thinking he was hinting, Ky clutched his arm, kissed him, and told him she was very proud. He thanked her for the gesture, but sai
d he didn’t need to hear it right then.
Because they stopped, Taja climbed on Ky’s foot. Ky picked up her pet, and rubbed the top of her head. Cobaaron absentmindedly petted her, and then frowned as he said, “I’m sorry I was trying to make you get rid of her.”
“You weren’t yourself. You gave her to me. You wanted me to have her. Don’t apologize; your wife stabbed you with a dark magic dagger, and your personality changed. The situation was completely out of your control. Seriously, read my mind. I’m fine. I felt terribly guilty for betraying you and lying. All I want to do is forget that ever happened. That was hard for both of us, all of it: what I did, what you did. Let’s agree that we did things we aren’t comfortable with and be extra sweet to each other to make up for it. That is my plan.”
“Okay.” He grinned. “Still, so you know, I’m partial to your new pet. I cared about Huntra, too. I like that you’re affectionate with animals. It shows you’ll be a great mother. I’ve always loved that about you.” Cobaaron was about to say something else, but he lifted his head, and scented the air. He hurriedly led her away by the hand. “We need to keep moving. Try to walk faster.”
Ky hurried behind Cobaaron as they strode up a winding slope to an ancient, rubble-strewn sanctuary. Four chairs over twenty-feet-high were obviously for priests. They were erected in front of a chiseled mural depicting a man stabbing a three-headed dragon still in its egg with a long sword.
“That is Titus who killed the last of the giant dragons. This is a forgotten temple because of the lygizons,” Cobaaron said, maintaining his fast pace, rushing her through the ruin. Something stalked them.
“Is that what is following us?”
“Yes, a mountain lygizon,” Cobaaron replied. “It will shortly overtake us.” Cobaaron halted her, and glanced around the sanctuary. He pointed to a thin crack in the cave wall wide enough to squeeze into. He hurried her to the gap. “Stand here, and don’t leave this spot.”
The moment Ky slipped into the crevice, Cobaaron had completely disappeared. She leaned out to peer upward, searching to see if he scaled the tall seats or climbed the wall, but movement caught her eye; she stiffened. An enormous bat-like beast with oversized claws on its wings sniffed the air. Its nose pointed directly at Ky. Black beady eyes locked onto her. Taja squirmed and scurried away.
The lygizon scraped and clawed the ground like a bull. Ky screamed when the lygizon opened its jaw wide enough to swallow her whole, and screeched an ear-piercing shriek. “Cobaaron!” Ky squealed.
Before she could escape, or even think, the lygizon was upon her. Cobaaron dropped onto the beast’s back, gripping the sword from the statue. The beast growled and tried tearing him off. When Cobaaron dodged its claws, the bat-like wings enfolded them and the lygizon rolled around the inner cave, slamming into the tall pillar chairs, knocking them over. As the stone shattered, rocks pelted Ky.
The lygizon paused, opened its wings, and roared when Cobaaron wasn’t dead. Cobaaron staggered, clearly dizzy from the rolling, but slammed his iron into the beast’s skull. He drove the blade deep. The beast collapsed before the altar of the dragon killer with a loud thud.
Cobaaron walked in a straight line, but was a few feet off when he tried to approach her. He leaned against the wall and tossed the weapon.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He pushed away from the stone brace. “Let’s go. Lygizon start to stink once dead.” Cobaaron tottered and held her hand as they left the ruins.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
There were no mongrules or nitias to ride. They walked for hours each day, but cold rain slowed them, forcing them to camp often. Thousands of mating frogs croaked loudly as they slept and traveled.
After a week of nonstop drizzle, and soaked within the first hour of walking, Cobaaron said, “We should get out of this rain. We must be quick. The silica domes are not more than six miles from here. I would rather not stop there, but we have no choice with all this rain. We will be able to stay there, but the downpour is flooding the plain. Put Taja down. She’ll follow us, and swim. Trust me, she will find you.”
“She can swim with these stubby, little legs?”
“It’s like paddling a fat log, but the buoyant things manage.” He took Taja and gently set her on the ground. He pointed where he wanted Taja to head, and gave her a nudge. “They’re swift when they want to be.”
Ky ran only a few miles per hour, but when Cobaaron left her behind, her pace quickened. In an instant, the raindrops seem to hover. She batted the drops away, but it stung.
Following Cobaaron’s lead, she lit up hot, and the water evaporated. They scorched the land around them as she hustled to keep up. The landscape changed to an extensive forest of short maples with cerise leaves. Cobaaron slowed down as stained glass igloos appeared. When they stopped, an enormous boom clapped like thunder, and the igloos shattered. Cobaaron and Ky covered their ears.
“We broke the sound barrier,” Ky said, amazed.
“We broke glass, not sound. What do you mean?”
“We were moving faster than sound, and it caused a sonic boom or shockwave.”
The croaking frogs were quiet, instinctively afraid, but soon the mating calls filled the air again. Ky stumbled into a deep hole with mucky water. “Oh, gross!”
Cobaaron helped her out, as frogs frantically tried to hop out of the pit. “They’re catching frogs. We’ll have frog legs for dinner.”
“Who is catching them?”
“Wales’s people,” Cobaaron stated, and as if his words invited the entire city outside, a crowd of men gathered. White handprints that smelled like clay covered curious parts of their bodies. The ancient Star was green, over six-feet-tall, with long white hair.
“Cobaaron, is that you?” the Star asked.
“How did you recognize me?” Cobaaron asked, smiling.
“I didn’t. Your brother came through here with a woman a month ago. He said you might stop. We rarely get visitors. Your brother spoke of a number of things while they stayed.” The green Star sounded unimpressed. He gazed at Ky, assessing her. If Noxis spoke of her, the Star was probably wondering if she was a witch. Apparently not coming to any conclusions, he continued to stare as he added, “He asked if I saw you.”
“Well, I’d be interested in hearing about it, if you would offer us one night’s stay,” Cobaaron said.
“Of course, of course, where are my manners?” the Star asked rhetorically, and then motioned for them to follow. Cobaaron and Ky followed the Star as he continued to talk. “It looks like you brought the rain, which is always a blessing and a call for a feast. We will all eat well with wine,” the Star gleamed at Ky, “and smoke razzleberry with hops for the flavor.”
“Your concoction would put a russux-ox to sleep, Veair. I’ll not send Ky to bed with strange dreams. Not everyone responds favorably to razzleberry. She may have nightmares.”
“Well, more for me then,” Veair said, pleased he didn’t have to share. “Did you smash our windows?”
“I apologize. I didn’t know Stars sprinted at thunderous speeds.”
“It’s fine. My little dolls are fixing all the homes now. They are the most magical things I’ve ever met. Most handy,” Veair disclosed happily.
They headed for the tallest hut with its glass intact. When they went inside, steep winding stairs led to a large room under the stained glass dome. The room held comfortable wide rocking stools with plump pillows and a deep bowl table with leftover nuts in the basin. The enchanted rug of woven, soft wool and long, frayed tassels unlaced Cobaaron and Ky’s sandals. The rug removed their footwear before they took a single step onto the clean mat.
“There will be time later for talking. I’ll show you to your rooms. My people gather frogs now and dinner should be ready in an hour or so.” Veair escorted them to separate bedrooms.
“We’re not sharing this room?” Ky asked Cobaaron when Veair started to usher him to another room. She interrupted as Veair offered to make hi
s doll magically alter Cobaaron’s heat so he could touch things without catching them on fire.
Veair glared. He sounded disgusted as he griped, “Don’t be ridiculous, woman. Men don’t sleep with women. That’s outrageous. This world is morally corrupt! Where I’m from women were artificially inseminated, and I prefer it that way!”
Cobaaron winked. Then they left when Veair asked Cobaaron to follow him down the narrow hallway. Ky entered the room and decided to light the fire; the moment she did, she regretted it. A small wooden doll shot out of a crack, waving her fist as she lectured Ky about the perverseness and cruelty of burning wood. The doll poured thimblefuls of water onto the flames.
“What were you thinking, lighting a fire? Why not use moggy weed wax or thistle oil. How rude!”
“Well, why is there wood in the fireplace?” Ky pointed to the three logs.
“Because Stars are as wacky as the bunch of you, and I was told to stock it! Lighting wood on fire...what’s next? Chopping trees down by the thousands to make decorations or frivolities until they die off? Disgusting!” the doll scolded and shook a shaming finger.
“I meant no offense.” Ky shrugged and stifled a snigger, finding it comical the doll would be so passionate about anti-log burning.
“What did you mean if it’s not an offense?”
“I don’t know.” She scratched her head. “I’m waiting for someone to come get me for dinner. I wasn’t thinking…”
“That’s barbaric! You didn’t even have a reason to burn the wood? Disgusting!” the wooden doll huffed and scooted into the crack.
“Sheesh,” Ky mumbled. “Touchy.” She sat in front of the cold fireplace, eventually fell asleep leaning against the wall, and before she realized she dozed off, Cobaaron burst into the room before silently shutting the door.
“I forgot to tell you, Veair and people here share a common belief that marriage is hidden, as is sex. In fact, Veair doesn’t believe in marriage. I don’t think he’s seen his wife since ordered to finish their union. But the people are more relaxed about the subject, and their women stay in the other city. Don’t offer to go there; you need to stay with me. I’ll sneak in tonight though, and we’ll leave in the morning.” Cobaaron went over to the crack in the wall, and pressed against the rocks. The split stone expanded, and the two halves opened like a double door. The doll was dashing up a very small spiraling staircase to a chandelier where there was a twine nest with few creature comforts.
The Coming Dawn Trilogy Page 75