Legacy of the Devil Queen (Eve of Redemption Book 4)

by Joe Jackson

  Kari stared at him briefly, shocked that he would ask such a thing, but despite what it seemed to mean at first, she understood after a moment. She answered wordlessly, holding her hand out to him, and he hooked it on his wrist and began to escort her down the aisle. He was so much taller than she was that properly putting her arm through his was impossible. Still, with the size of him, it was like being escorted to the temple by a protector. She understood just what it was that set him apart from his kin, even those like Etolivor and his mate.

  When they reached the steps to the temple, Trigonh passed her hand off to Grakin, and she walked up before Kyrie with her arm through her mate’s. She looked at Trigonh over her shoulder, and he went to stand with Kaelariel and Celigus so his large form wouldn’t block the view of others. Kari smiled, feeling helpless to convey her thankfulness to him, the depth of her gratitude that, though it took a long time to finally be realized, had blossomed into something incredible to behold.

  Kyrie beamed the most enchanted smile at Kari when she and Grakin stepped before the priestess. The priests of Zalkar standing in a semi-circle behind her likewise smiled at Kari and her soon-to-be husband. It dawned on Kari that though, like Damansha, she had no immediate family, she belonged to something bigger. The entire Demonhunter Order was her family, her siblings and aunts and uncles, willing to fight for and with her, and lay down their lives on her behalf or at her behest. And somewhere in the heavens was a serpentine deity that called her daughter, and a patron of demonhunters that called her friend.

  Kyrie held her arms open wide. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor of performing a second wedding for another of my sons. I pray that this bond, too, shall last for all of eternity, and that in it these two shall find strength, comfort, courage, and faith. Before we begin, is there anyone who would give cause why these two should not be married?”

  The only sound was the soft puff of the wind and the distant sound of the ocean. Kari glanced at Trigonh over her shoulder again, half-expecting the erestram to jokingly protest, but he kept his hands behind his back and his mouth closed. She turned back to Kyrie and waited for the priestess to continue the ceremony.

  Kyrie held her arms open wide once again. “Friends and relatives, rulers and fellow citizens, we gather here today to bear witness to the joining of Karian Vanador and Grakin Tesconis in the bonds of holy matrimony. Happy and blessed are we who have been invited to witness and take part in this joyous event, for when two hearts are brought together by a bond that transcends love, all in its presence are likewise uplifted. Today, two people leave their old flesh and their old lives behind and become as one, joined forever in body, mind, and spirit.”

  Kyrie paused for a moment, and Kari didn’t miss the flick of her eyes to the side. The demonhunter didn’t even have to look to see what had momentarily attracted her mother-in-law’s attention. The words she had spoken had made her think of, and look at, her own husband. Kari tried not to dwell on it or let it spread to her face, but the thought of them reconciling made her smile quietly within.

  “Grakin Tesconis, in taking this woman as your wife, you swear to love her always, above even yourself and your own well-being. She is your mate, the holder of the keys to your heart, the mother of your children, and the completion of your being. You are her lover and her companion, her protector, her friend, and her confidante, and in all things you must never put yourself before her. Before the gods – especially Lord Kaelariel, our own – do you swear to love Kari as he loves all of his people, and take her as your lawful wife, ‘til death do you part?”

  “I do,” Grakin said without hesitation.

  “Karian Vanador, in taking this man to be your husband, you swear to honor and respect him, even above your own wants and desires. He is your mate, your heart of hearts, the father of your children, and the completion of your being. You are his love and his heart, his reason for being, his comforter, his friend, and in all things you must honor and respect him, even when he is at his most difficult. Do you so swear, before the gods, and before the priests of your patron, mighty Zalkar the Unyielding, to honor and respect Grakin, and to take him as your lawful husband, ‘til death do you part?”

  Kari blinked slowly, turned to her mate, and uttered the two words she had never, in two lifetimes, imagined she would say. “I do.”

  “Do you have the rings?” Kyrie asked. Grakin produced two golden bands from a pocket in his robe, and then passed them to his mother. The priestess handed the smaller of the two bands back to her son and continued, “As you take her hand to give her your ring, remember what it is these promissory tokens represent. Like your love, they are circular – continuing forever, unbroken. Like the plan for your life, you are either within them or without them; these golden bands shall forevermore represent the bond between you.”

  As Grakin slid the ring onto Kari’s finger, he repeated the words his mother spoke to him. “Karian Vanador, with this ring I pledge my life and my love to you, to love and honor, protect and cherish, to attend to the desires of your heart and the growth of our love and family. With this ring I take you as my wife, forevermore, to love you no matter what fate may befall us, with the gods as my witnesses.”

  Kari couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and she accepted the ring from Kyrie without even looking. She slid it slowly onto Grakin’s finger, also repeating the words the priestess spoke to her. “Grakin Tesconis, with this ring I pledge my love and my respect to you, to honor you and cherish you, to support and comfort, to attend to the desires of your heart and the well-being of our love and family. With this ring, I accept you as my husband, forever, to love and respect you no matter what fate may befall us, with the gods as my witnesses.”

  Kyrie blinked slowly and took a deep breath, and then she smiled, placing one hand on Kari’s shoulder and the other on her son’s. “The oaths have been spoken and accepted; therefore what the gods have brought together, let no man attempt to separate. By the power vested in me, by the trust and honor of this man and woman, and by the witness borne by this multitude, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Grakin kissed Kari nose to nose, affectionately, just as he’d done that morning she shared her darkest and most terrible secret with him. She closed her eyes as tears ran freely from them, and she cupped his face and returned the gentle nibble of his kiss. Her heart beat with a thunderous rhythm, the emotions and images of the moment carving themselves within, to be held and remembered forever. Thoughts of his impending doom fled like darkness at the break of dawn, and she realized that even death would never take this moment from her. No matter what came, she would appreciate and cherish him, and this moment, for all of her days.

  Jol and Damansha came up to stand beside them, and the two newlywed couples were greeted with a long, rousing applause that spread even to Kaelariel and Celigus. Kari soaked it all in. Though she’d had friends and even a couple of “families” during her previous life, there had been nothing like this. In her prior life, she had been considered a hero, but even then, she’d never really felt like one. Now, though, she was a part of something greater, and as she looked around at the more than one thousand people before her, she recognized the one thing the demon kings didn’t, and never would have.

  Master Arinotte touched Kari lightly on the shoulder, and she turned to him. He offered first a handshake, but then pulled her in for a polite hug once he had hold of her hand. “Consider this your official suspension,” he said with a smile as he drew back. “Enjoy your honeymoon, and the birth of your child, and when you are ready, you may return to your duties. Until then, Lord Allerius will fill in during your absence.”

  “Yes, Master,” she said tearfully.

  Grakin escorted Kari down the steps to the bottom, where they stood beside Damansha and Jol as a line of guests began to come forward to congratulate them. Fortunately, most of those who didn’t know the couples personally refrained from going through the procession, so it wasn’t too long des
pite the number of attendees. Many of the attendees were cadets and hunters, so they left the reception line for the close friends of the couples. Kari was glad to get a moment to chat quickly with Piotyr and Deirdre, and the line was anchored by Kaelariel himself. His presence was enough of a shock, but the time he spent speaking with them as he gave his congratulations was quite an honor.

  He spent a couple of minutes speaking with Damansha, and Kari was close enough to overhear almost all of it. Kari didn’t know very much of Damansha’s life, aside from finding out that Damansha had no immediate family. When Kaelariel spoke to her, though, he took the time to tell her a little about her father, and how proud he would have been to see his daughter get married. His words brought tears to Damansha’s eyes, and she and Kaelariel shared a long hug.

  Kari wasn’t sure what to expect when the deity stepped before her. He was so unlike what she imagined when she considered the gods. He was personable, unassuming, and had a kind streak she’d been able to witness a few times even in the war camp before the Apocalypse. He may have been a deity – and the head of the pantheon, no less – but it seemed when he was on Citaria, he was just one of the people. And, even more incredibly, that was exactly how he usually wanted to be treated.

  The demonhunter held out her hand to shake, but Kaelariel took it and kissed it, then met her gaze with a good deal of amusement in his blue eyes. “I bet you weren’t expecting to meet me again anytime soon,” he joked.

  Kari barked a laugh. “At least the circumstances are better this time,” she returned.

  Kaelariel leaned in and kissed her chastely on the side of the snout. “Thank you for your work on behalf of Atauridar. I know it can’t have been easy for you or your Order, but you did the right thing, and I’m grateful. The world is very, very lucky to have you around again. Not to mention this man here.”

  He stepped before Grakin then. The priest shared a lengthy hug with his deity, and when they split, Kaelariel cupped Grakin’s face in much the same way Kari had. “Congratulations, my brother,” the deity said. “This is one of the final strokes in a life that will serve as an inspiration for others for all time. That immortality lies not in living forever, but in how much living one does in the time they are allotted. I have been blessed these many years to call you a servant, a friend, and my brother.”

  Grakin shed a few tears of his own. “It has been my life’s honor to serve you, my lord,” he returned with a bow of his head. “And for the time and opportunity to meet this woman and know the joy of having children with her.”

  Kaelariel patted Grakin’s shoulder, and then he ascended the steps to give Kyrie a long hug. He greeted the priests of Zalkar warmly as well, and even shook hands with Corbanis when the demonhunter came to stand by his wife. “I’d love to stay and enjoy the festivities, but I have things I must see to, my own wife not the least of them,” Kaelariel said. There were scattered chuckles, but after waving to Celigus and Trigonh across the way, the deity was suddenly gone.

  “He shouldn’t do that,” Sonja chided as she approached. “It lets everyone know where he’s gone when he does.”

  Most of the hunters and cadets got back to their tasks or, at the least, vacated the grounds to make room for the rest of the guests. There was food, music, and dancing, everything Kari had expected of a wedding, but so much more surreal for being her own. She danced with Grakin, and Jol danced with Damansha, and the two couples danced side by side. Kari and Damansha even shared a joyous dance together, newly minted sisters-in-law, that drew a lot of hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and cheering from their guests. It wore Kari out quickly, and she found she had to keep sitting down, but even her fatigue couldn’t outstrip her joy.

  Kari’s final dance was with Trigonh, and he carried her through most of it. She made him promise to come to the after-wedding festivities for close family at the house, and could not have been more pleased when he agreed. He stayed with her until the party at the campus of the Order was complete, and then he walked to Kari’s manor house beside the carriages that took her and her family home.

  The festivities back home were more subdued, reduced to some quiet and pleasant drinks around Kari’s large dining table. Trigonh was clearly impressed with the home, despite the fact that he had to crouch a bit to fit under its nine-foot ceilings. He sat around the dining table with the family and friends well into the night, sharing stories of what he had been doing for Kaelariel since the War. According to him, there were interesting things happening on Terrassia, but nothing he thought Kari needed to concern herself or the Order with just yet.

  There were stacks of gifts to be opened, but Kari planned to leave that until the next day. Eventually, with the moons beginning their descent toward the horizon, Trigonh insisted he had things to take care of and needed to take his leave. He declined the offer to stay at the house and get some rest, but Kari followed him outside to the front yard, where he turned to face her. They stood staring at each other among the moonlit yard for some time, but eventually, he reached out and touched her cheek tenderly.

  “I love you, you know that,” he stated.

  “I do,” she returned. “And I love you too, my friend. In another time, another life…”

  “I understand,” he said, no trace of sadness in his smile or even in his eyes. “Believe me, I understand. I am simply glad to finally see you happy, and living the life you deserve. I will not likely make it back for the birth of your child, so I will offer my congratulations now.”

  Kari leaned in and hugged him again, squeezing as tightly as she could manage. She tried to pass along every fiber of gratitude in her being with the gesture, and the way he held her said plainly that the message was received. He kissed her chastely when they split apart, and then she watched those long erestram strides carry him swiftly away into the night.

  Epilogue

  Kari let out another long, pained grunt. Kyrie put a fresh wet towel on the back of Kari’s neck while she squatted in the corner. The men were downstairs waiting for the good news, even Grakin, who was politely shown out by Danilynn and Se’sasha. They, like Kari, were no doubt leery about the priest channeling his deity’s power to ease some of his wife’s pain, which Kari was adamantly against. For one thing, it never lasted very long, and for another, she didn’t want Grakin channeling any power that might shorten his life for even one second.

  Se’sasha, Danilynn, and Kyrie were attentively by Kari’s side, as they had been for several hours now. Still in the middle of the process, Kari was opting to squat in a corner of the room, using gravity and the position to help her along. Her contractions were getting more painful, and though she wasn’t sure if she was close to being finished, she felt strangely calm and at ease between the bouts of pain. She hung her head down and gritted her teeth as another wave of pain hit her, and she let out a long, low grunt again to go with it.

  “Everything all right, sweetie?” Kyrie asked.

  Kari didn’t respond immediately, waiting for the pain to subside a bit, but it seemed like the moment it did, the next wave hit her. It almost became like a solid wall of hurt, but though she remembered how much that had unraveled her when she gave birth to Little Gray, now she concentrated on the child rather than the ordeal. She remembered what it was like to hold Little Gray for the first time, the feel of him latching to her breast for his first meal, and the tender love of her family that had followed her vicious and spiteful outbursts.

  “Kari?” Kyrie repeated, sounding not too concerned, but insistent.

  “I’m fine,” she managed between deep breaths. “Thank you. Thank you all for being here.”

  “Thank you for letting us,” Danilynn said.

  “Indeed,” Se’sasha added.

  The hours passed excruciatingly slowly, but Kari never succumbed to the pain. She kept her thoughts on Little Gray, on Grakin, on Sakkrass, Zalkar, Trigonh, and all of her family. She thought, in those briefest of moments between contractions, of Damansha having children with Jol, and of
Little Gray and his coming sibling playing with their cousins. All around her, built into the very walls of this masterfully crafted home, was the warmth and love of family, and the puddle of hurt and hatred her father had saddled her with was pitiful next to the sea of comfort and beauty she now knew.

  The contractions came harder and faster, and Danilynn went to call Grakin up to the room as the moment drew closer. Kari screamed. She felt like her insides would split apart from the pressure upon them, but she realized Se’sasha and Kyrie had their hands below her. She was still squatting in the corner, and had hardly enough time to catch her breath between being smashed by waves of pain, but she worked to keep herself centered. You’ve got another grandchild coming in a minute, Sakkrass, she managed to think after a particularly primal bellow.

  “The head is out,” Kyrie told her, though Kari hardly heard before she was pushing again. “A little more, a little more…there’s the shoulder! And here it comes!”

  Kari collapsed to her knees for only an instant before Danilynn put a fresh, wet towel on the back of her neck and then healing hands on her shoulders. The pain would not be beaten back so easily, but it was a loving gesture, and only helped to keep Kari grounded. After a few moments, she was vaguely aware that nothing was being said, like every breath in the room was being held, and she held her own, waiting to hear that first, piercing cry. Had something gone wrong? Why wasn’t anyone speaking? She was almost too tired to move, but she tried to turn around and see what was the matter.

  “By the gods,” Grakin finally managed, only a split second before the first wail came from the child’s snout.

  “What? What is it? What’s wrong?” Kari asked. Danilynn helped her to her feet and carried her weight over to the bed. Grakin was holding the baby, and Kyrie and Se’sasha were staring at the child with slack-jawed wonder. “Grakin? What is it?!”