"We're a complete mess, aren't we?" She let out a humorless laugh.
"But certainly it can't end like this?" he said, his voice desperate. "I've thought of no one but you since you left. I've been completely miserable. For so long I’d felt as if a piece of me was missing, and now that you’re gone, it's missing again. My head said sending you away was the wise thing to do, but my heart said it was a terrible mistake. I love you, Malinali." His hand gave a nervous tremor on her cheek as he whispered, "I don't care what the gods say; the empire needs you; but most of all, I need you."
"I tried to forget about you, but my heart wouldn't let me," she admitted, a fugitive strand of hope taking hold inside her.
He breathed a sigh of relief and embraced her. "We can start over again, this time with complete honesty and trust."
"And no more talk of what might have happened?"
"Never again," he promised, and he sealed it with a kiss. She gripped him fiercely, the whole world settling into perfect calm and rightness, and when they finally separated, she ached more pleasantly than ever. "Come home with me," he whispered.
"I'm already home, right here, in your arms," she replied with joyous tears.
He kissed her again but flinched when thunder rattled the house. "We’re going to get very wet going to the army camp."
Malinali smiled back at him. "Then let's wait until the rain lets up. You're already soaked enough as it is." She pushed his heavy, wet cloak off his shoulders.
"And we never consummated our marriage." He grabbed the cloak before it fell to the floor then plucked a long emerald quetzal feather off the shoulder. "Nor have we laid the precious stones and feathers the marriage bed brings."
Malinali rushed to the bed and pulled her bag out from under the blanket. Inside she found a jade-stone brooch. "The sons I promise to give you," she said, setting it in his hand.
But he clasped her hands in his, the jade and feathers between them. "The family we give each other."
"Then let us get started right away." Smiling, she pulled him down to the bed. "It's not as nice as the ones in the palace, but it has the necessary room."
He accepted her invitation and drew her eagerly to him. "It will be far nicer than the beds back home have been lately, for you'll be in it with me."
¤ ¤ ¤
A Glossary of Terms
Ahuitzotl – 1. a mythical lake monster that resembles an otter with a fifth paw growing from its tail. Known for pulling fisherman from their boats. 2. the name of a Mexica emperor (Cuauhtemoc's father). [←]
Atole – a beverage or gruel made from maize flour mixed with water. A common breakfast or early afternoon meal. [←]
Auianime – a courtesan. [←]
Calmecac – the priestly school where children learn the art of writing, reading, governance, and time-keeping. [←]
Chipahuacxihuitl – the Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa). A plant with many medicinal uses, including as an oral contraceptive when brewed as a tea. [←]
Chitli – term of endearment, “Grandma”. [←]
Cihuacoatl – 1. political title given to the second most-powerful person in a city, who was responsible for domestic order and justice. 2. warrior/mother goddess, the Snake Woman. [←]
Civatateos – vampire-like monsters: noblewomen who died in childbirth and came back from the dead to serve the gods. They had eagle talons on their hands and feet. [←]
Flowery War – a method of warfare innovated by the Mexica where the goal is not to kill but rather to capture enemy soldiers for the express purpose of offering their lives to the gods in sacrifice at a later time. [←]
Huey Tlatoani – the formal title of the ruler of Tenochtitlan. Translates to Great Speaker or Revered Speaker. [←]
Icpalli – a legless chair made from woven reeds and often covered with fur or feathers, to display the owner’s social rank. [←]
Metlatl – a flat stone used for grinding grain—such as maize—into flour. [←]
Mictlan – the underworld, realm of the dead. [←]
Nantli – term of endearment, “Mommy”. [←]
Octli – a milky-white alcoholic beverage fermented from the sap of the agave (maguey) plant. [←]
Patolli – a game played with beans and pebbles on a cross-shaped board. [←]
Tatli – term of endearment, “Daddy”.[←]
Tlachtli – a sport in which the objective is to knock a rubber ball through a stone ring without touching the ball with either hands or feet. [←]
Tepilli – female genitalia. [←]
Tepolli – male genitalia. [←]
Teyolia – the “divine fire”, one of three souls the Mexica believed inhabited the body. [←]
Xicolli – a tunic-like shirt. [←]
Yauhtli – a medicinal plant used for pain relief, known for causing hallucinations. [←]
Acknowledgments
My thanks go out to the many people who helped me with this book along the way:
My SF/F critique group, Written in Blood, specifically Juliette Wade, Aliette de Bodard, Genevieve Williams, and Keyan Bowes. And my historical romance critique group, Romancing History, whose members include Allison Merritt, Faye Delacour, Allison Gordon, and Leone Millar. You all have been fabulously supportive of me and my writing.
My editor, Dario Ciriello, and his infinite patience with my obsessive misuse of the word "startled".
A special thanks to Amanda Siemen, who gave me notes that helped me get this cleaned up in the final stretch.
All of the good folks at Colorado Romance Writers, who have been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement.
And finally my thanks to the Facebook Mexica History group, for teaching me so much about Aztec history.
About the Author
T. L. Morganfield lives in Colorado with her husband and children. She’s an alumna of the Clarion West Workshop and she graduated from Metropolitan State University with dual degrees in English and History. She reads and writes way too much about Aztec history and mythology, but it keeps her muse happy, which makes for a happy writer, so she has no plans of changing her ways.
You can join her mailing list at www.tlmorganfield.com to receive updates on her latest work.
Also by T.L. Morganfield
The Bone Flower Trilogy
(historical fantasy w/romantic elements)
The Bone Flower Throne: Tenth century Mexico is a world in great upheaval. Incursions from the north bring constant warfare as clashing politics and faiths battle for supremacy. At the fore stands Smoking Mirror, a bloodthirsty god bent on subjugating humanity with his hunger for human hearts. Now his high priest, Ihuitimal, has conquered Culhuacan, one of the Toltecs’ most powerful kingdoms.
When Smoking Mirror’s archenemy, the Feathered Serpent, tasks Quetzalpetlatl, exiled princess of Culhuacan, to help his mortal son Topiltzin end human sacrifice, she eagerly embraces her new destiny. It means avenging her father’s murder at the hand of her uncle Ihuitimal, but for Topiltzin–who’s more than just a brother to her–she will do anything. Even sacrifice her own heart.
The Bone Flower Queen: Having defeated the sorcerer god Smoking Mirror and reclaimed her throne, Quetzalpetlatl and her brother Topiltzin set out to found Quetzalcoatl’s new holy city and end human sacrifice throughout the Toltec world.
But Smoking Mirror hasn’t abandoned his own ambitions for power; with his allies–both mortal and divine–threatening war among the gods, he’s shifted his focus to Quetzalpetlatl and her budding magical powers. Along with her deep, personal connection to his hated enemy Quetzalcoatl, she would be the perfect addition to his ranks, if only he could convince her that she’s working for the wrong side in this conflict.
And he knows the one secret that will tear apart everything she thinks she knows about her beloved god…and herself.
And this epic trilogy comes to an end with the final book The Bone Flower Goddess, coming soon from Feathered Serpent Books.
Praise
for The Bone Flower Trilogy
"A wonderfully immersive look at the Tolteca civilization, which brings to life the old myths–giving voice to a strong cast of characters who linger with the reader long after they have closed the book." – Aliette de Bodard, 2013 Nebula-winning author of Immersion
"Morganfield delivers an elegant tale of love and honor, passion and betrayal … a fascinating journey through the tangled webs of rivalry and betrayal that surround a royal family in the world of the ancient Toltecs." – J. Kathleen Cheney, author of The Golden City
"I'm always astounded at the research that goes into the books of this series. There is real love for the craft here. Real care and respect for the culture being represented." — Isa Lavinia of Paperback Wonderland
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