“Hmmm,” Sarai said.
Wren pulled her fingers through her long blonde hair. “What would Mother and Matradomma be up to?” She sighed and looked down at Vera. “A bridesmaid? You are going to be stunning. I’ve seen the dresses. Sarai has excellent taste.”
Sarai folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “A compliment?”
Wren sputtered. “We’re a bit beyond that aren’t we? I have the fashion sense of street urchin.” She shrugged. “I know someone else’s style when I see it.”
His wife-to-be raised an eyebrow. “Well then, you’re coming shopping with me tomorrow then, so you can wear something appropriate. I can’t insult the nobility by having you be one of my maids, but I can have you as a maiden of arms.”
Wren’s glowing eyes went wide. “Huh?”
“You will carry out the swords during the blood ceremony,” Sarai said. “You can look just as you are. A statuesque spirit of nature, we brush out that shiny hair and you let yourself glow—it will be stunning. Janai will be jealous.”
“Me?”
“Wren, have you even looked in a mirror recently?”
The blonde ascendant’s brow furrowed. “Actually, I’ve tried not to. Besides, I don’t know if—if I’m going to stay an ascendant.”
Sarai shrugged. “I still want you. You have been at our side since the beginning, and I can’t think of anyone better suited to represent our willingness to defend each other until death.”
“Whoa,” Wren said, rubbing the back of her head. “That’s heavy.” She looked down as Vera pushed on her. She put her arm around the smaller lady. “On second thought, show me to it.” She clapped Bannor on the shoulder. “It is kind of a special occasion.”
Vera broke away from Wren and stepped over and looked up at him.
“Yes, Vera?”
The little woman shook her head. “No Vera, I—I am—Su’Ko,” She pressed her hands together and dipped her forehead to them.
“All right, Su’Ko,” he corrected.
The little woman glanced back at the door that they had recently exited and turned her dark eyes on him. “Matradomma very serious about me teaching you.”
“She’s serious about everything,” he said.
Her dark eyes flashed. Her voice hardened a little. “Are you serious?”
That caught him by surprise. “Uh. Well…”
“Matradomma give me twenty score-days to make you passable,” the little woman told him.
“That’s easy, I’m already passable,” he answered.
Vera folded her arms, she glanced over at Wren and up at him. “Aie.” She sighed and shook her head. She looked to Sarai and to Wren. “I must go speak with Lady Senalloy now. In morning, you come fighting room at five bells. We start.” She turned, bowed to Sarai and dashed off down the corridor.
Sarai tilted her head. She glanced at Bannor. “Well, it’s nice to see her motivated.”
Bannor frowned at the corridor down which Vera had disappeared. “But she’s motivated to kick my arse!”
Wren giggled. “It only hurts for the first six moons.”
Return to Contents
* * *
Chapter Forty
I have fought entire wars and been less
exhausted. Wren just giggles, and Sarai
says it’s good for me. Senalloy says that
hard training is a master demonstrating a
love of their student; imparting the skills
that will protect them later in life. I fear I
will learn what being loved to death is like…
—Bannor Nalthane Starfist,
Prince Conjugal of Malan
Hades. Bannor collapsed onto the bed in the suite he shared with Sarai in Malbraion hall. He lay there in the satin coverlets, shafts of reddish light shining through the cast open balcony shutters. The room smelled of incense and a breeze rustled the wind chimes on the terrace. He groaned. It felt like he had forged across grim Hel itself on his hands and knees.
“Ah, there you are!” he heard Sarai’s bright voice.
He winced at the volume of her voice. Somehow even his ears hurt. “Please… just let me die in peace…”
She stopped over him hands on hips, silvery hair falling around her features. It had been two scoredays and his wife-to-be seemed to be more vibrant and radiant every time he saw her. She wore a silver chased blue surcoat now half unbuttoned, white gloves and a riding crop in her belt. She had probably been out surveying the new estates for clan Felspar and clan Solaris. A few days ago, the new alliance had stood together watching in awe as Idun raised the Kergatha house out of an empty plot. Sometimes it was easy to forget the truly enormous power of some of their acquaintances.
Sarai brushed at her hair and frowned at him. “I swear you’re such a baby, you’re half immortal and you complain about getting a little exercise.”
He sighed and rocked his head back. “I told you, neither of them will let me use my enhanced form for training. I feel like I’m coming unraveled.”
“Why don’t you just shift back?”
“Too… tired,” he groaned.
“I’ve got just the thing.” She pulled the riding crop and gloves from her belt and set them aside. Tossing her hair back she knelt on the bed, leaned over and kissed him.
Sarai tasted nectar sweet and he felt a surge of warmth hum through his body.
“Mmmm,” he murmured. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” she burbled. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “Now get out of our sheets and get in the bath. You stink.”
“Argh.”
They cuddled in the bath and he washed her hair. Naked in the tub as she was now, it was easy to see how her pregnancy was becoming too obvious to conceal. As it was, Sarai already wore a pendant to court that disguised her appearance to avoid any observers sharp eyed enough to notice.
He ran his hands across her soapy shoulders, massaging the supple flesh and marveling in the silky smoothness of her skin. Sarai’s pregnancy had gotten off to a rocky start with the baby consuming far more energy than she could provide. Between the miraculous body designed by Mercedes and the nearly three moons of adaptation to a shaladen, his wife-to-be exuded magic and life-force. Recently, it seemed as if she never grew fatigued, and if anything she’d grown even stronger. Along with that strength came enough appetite for three healthy princesses. While she was sometimes moody, mostly she was happy. The happiest he had ever seen her. He had always found Sarai beautiful, but her abundant health and high spirits made her so breathtaking it almost hurt to look at her sometimes.
“Mmmm,” Sarai rocked her head back, her cheek brushing against his knuckles. “Hey, you stopped. That was feeling sooo good.”
He bent forward and kissed the back of her neck. “As you wish, my Star.”
She squirmed against him as he continued rubbing her back. “Uhrm. Hard to believe, the ceremony is only a few days away.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “First, I was dreading it. Now, I just want to hurry it up.”
“Are you ready to go away with me, hmmm?” She turned and looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Oh, you know I am,” he growled.
She chuckled. “So, preparations?”
“I finished your list just in time to be half-killed by Senalloy.”
“Complain, complain,” Sarai said. “She adores you.”
“I’m not tough enough for her love, ugh.” He fell back against the side of the tub and made some waves in the steaming soapy water. “I’d quit the whole thing, but I promised.”
“And why would you quit?” She glanced over her shoulder. “Are you saying you haven’t learned anything?”
He sighed. “They’re both great instructors, it’s just—well—it’s wasted on me.”
Sarai turned in the tub and faced him, glowing violet eyes hard as she glared at him. “Wasted?”
“Star, there are dozens of people more deserving, who would benefit more,” he sa
id in serious tone. “I’m an ascendant. I can get by like I always have. Take Daena, she has no training at all…”
“She’s getting training… and she’s an ascendant.” She took his face in her hands. “My One, I love you and I cherish the way you protect me and Vhina—but I want you to do more than that. I want you to protect yourself.” She pulled him down and kissed him. “You are precious to me and anything that keeps us together is not a waste. Understand?”
He met her gaze, feeling the love in her words. How could he argue with that? He let out a breath and nodded.
Hands braced behind him, Bannor sat on the floor of the citadel workout room perspiration trickling down his face. His arms shook and his shoulders ached. He took another labored breath and let it out slow. Dressed in her gray robe, hair braided, Vera stood a pace in front of him, thumbs in her sash, a serious expression on her face. That was one of things that both amazed and annoyed him about the little woman. She was so damn patient. She never seemed disappointed or got frustrated with his repeated failures. She’d just ask him to do it again, demonstrate what she wanted, or ask him what went wrong.
Damn. He felt so stupid. Why did she care about this acrobatic nonsense anyway? Punches, kicks, knees, elbows, blocks, counters, stances, and balance; all that made perfect sense to him.
“You okay, Bannor?” he heard Wren’s echoing voice ask from behind. He turned to see the blonde ascendant entering the practice chamber. Today, she came has her willowy statuesque self, golden tresses gleaming in the early morning dimness. She was dressed in a simple blue halter and leather breeches, but looked stunning anyway. In the time since returning to Kul’Amaron, she had been fighting a battle with herself and Gaea. For days at a time he would see her back as short feisty Wren, still strong and confident but looking up at the world. Then he would see her back as an ascendant, walking tall, exuberant and carefree. Ziedra often teased her about her ‘ascendant addiction’.
“Yes,” he responded with a sigh. “Just got the wind knocked out of me for a moment.”
“Good morn, Su’Ko-sama,” Wren said bowing her head.
“Greetings,” Vera responded with a smile.
The way the little woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Wren, it made him tremble inside. The bond between the two of them had been strong since before Gaea had forced Vera’s honor back on her. Since that day, and as the little woman grew to accept and embrace the change, that devotion had only grown stronger.
He heard Wren’s steps approach and the blonde ascendant leaned down next to him. She drew close enough that he could smell some kind of spice fruit in her hair. Wren looked with him up at Vera.
Vera leaned down and made a coming gesture with her finger. “Again. You do once, I let you go early.”
He rocked his head back. “Mistress Vera, I’m not light enough to fly around like you want. I’m too big for it.”
Vera simply gestured again.
“Yes, mistress,” he pushed himself to his feet and pulled the fighting harness straight.
The blonde ascendant rose behind him. “Which maneuver is this?”
“Gusaru din maki,” he grumbled.
“Ah,” Wren smiled. “Those are fun.”
He scowled at her.
She rolled her eyes. She leaned close her nose almost touching his. “Now look. Right now, I’m as tall as you, right?”
“Right.”
“And I weigh probably three times as much, right?”
“Yes.”
“And ascendants don’t bend so good, so, it should be really hard in this body, right?”
He furrowed his brow. “Uhhh, right.”
Wren stepped back from him and in a single fluid motion flipped heels over head and landed back on her feet with a floor shaking thud that rattled the room. “Gusaru din,” she said. She kicked up, swaying backward, hitting her hands, pushing off and landing on her feet again. “Gusaru din maki.”
Bannor stared. She hadn’t even taken a breath or hesitated.
“It’s not about weight, or strength, or size—it’s balance. Everything in G’yaku comes back to balance. First we drill to develop the strength to do a move, then we develop the technique.” She rolled her shoulders. “I know why you’re having trouble. It’s because you think it’s silly. Vera isn’t so good about telling you why you need to learn the move. How many times have you had your feet taken out from under you since you started training?”
He scowled. “Countless.”
“What happened when you jumped over the sweep?”
“I got whacked in mid-jump.”
She whipped backward, toes whistling through the air as she flipped and landed a pace back. “If you tried to attack while I was doing a ‘flip evade’, chances are you’re going to catch a counter attack. Even if you somehow catch me, I’m already falling back and the spin is going to deflect most of your attack’s energy.” She tossed her hair and walked back toward him. “Take off your jerkin.”
“Huh, why?”
Wren frowned at him. “Just do it.”
He sighed, and loosened the straps on the fighting harness. He wore it to take the sting out of getting hammered by Vera’s steel-hard little knuckles. He loosened the sleeves, undid the ties and let the hauberk fall to the floor.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the cool morning air strike the bare skin of his perspiring torso.
Wren kicked the armor aside. She looked him up and down. “You look good mountain boy. You are going to be so handsome for the wedding.”
He colored a little.
She clapped a fist in her palm. “We’ll get this. This is waaay easier than beating Baronians. Come on…” She held out her hand.
Looking into Wren’s brilliant blue eyes he felt her strength and knew she was right. After all he had been through. Letting something simple, something physical, stymie him—even for a moment—what had he been thinking? “Let’s do it.” He took her hand…
***
Bannor stood on a rock taking deep breaths of flower-scented air. His heart was beating fast, and his chest felt tight. The day had arrived, and he had somehow survived to see it. The morning sun gleamed brilliant on the dewy glade, making the grass glisten and sparkle. A light rain had misted the trees during the pre-dawn hours and the arcs of a half dozen rainbows shafted down out of the clouds. Pennons and streamers of every color were strung through the boughs.
His gaze went to the broad granite stage carved out of the mountain-side. Spring water cascaded into cisterns on either side of the hundred pace wide dais that spread sections out into the clearing like the points of a star. Sprays and bouquets of decorative plants lined the railed stone perimeter. From the wooden shafts hung dozens of standards, coats of arms, paper lanterns, wooden fertility totems, and crystalline luck pylons.
He drew a breath, mentally climbing the stairs and ascending each of the five tiers to the summit where he and Sarai would stand in the blessed water of cleansing before the priestess and recite their final devotions.
It would be a long day. The ceremony would be trial of sorts, as much to entertain the guests as it was to confirm the love he shared with Sarai. It would begin here where he stood with the recitation of nature’s poem. He would call out to Sarai who would emerge on the stage, escorted by her father and mother. Then he would begin the glade walk, he circling the audience to the east and she to the west.
The walk would end with each of them on the opposite wings of the stage where they would sing the aria. The song would finally draw them together where they would begin to forge toward their joining. He would play the pipes and she would do the maiden’s dance, eventually dancing together before ascending to the crimson tier where they would perform the blood oath. It was during this part when Wren would carry out the swords. Next came the tier of solstices where they would be clothed in the vestments of nature and perform the seasons ceremony. Second to last came the tier of kindred where he would do honors to Sarai’s family and formally request t
he blessing of the King and Queen in their marriage. Because he had no family, Gaea and Vanidaar would stand as his mother and father for appearance sake. Finally, they would climb to the highest level to the purification pool to the do the joining and final devotions.
Bannor looked down at his hands. He drew a breath. He was shaking. He hadn’t seen Sarai since a little after noon yesterday. She had tuned her shaladen so he could sense her well-being but not her thoughts. He didn’t know the reasons for doing it, but guessed there was some tradition being observed. Gaea only knew how many other female “traditions” she needed to address prior the wedding. Whatever they were, Megan and Euriel had been enlisted to help her with them. He had noticed that as the wedding drew closer that she had been more and more in the company of the married women among the Shael Dal, and the other friends. Perhaps she was more nervous than she let on?
He sighed. It was silly, but even after this short amount of time he missed her. This event was so enormous and had such gigantic ramifications. It made him quiver inside. He was a leaf caught in a gale, seemingly alone in vast storm.
He heard forest leaves crunch and the click of boots on rock. A hand clapped on his shoulder. “Ah, here you be. Zounds, Man, half of Malbraion is concerned you’d run off!”
Bannor turned to see Laramis already dressed in the spotless white and gold of a high justicar’s formal court raiment. Hair slicked back, buttons and boots polished to a mirror sheen, the paladin of Ukko looked every bit the part of the gentleman he was.
He sighed and thumped the other man on the shoulder. “Run off?” He shook his head. “Where would I go?”
“You have a point there.” Laramis grinned. “Lady Sarai would hunt you down certain…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “So, a bit of the pre-wedding jitters is it?”
He nodded. “I thought I was past it, but I couldn’t sleep last night. This morning I could barely button my bloody shirt.”
“You love her fierce,” Laramis said with a nod, dark eyes serious. “Of that, there’s no doubt. I recall my legs being a bit unsteady when I wed my dearest. You’ll get through, just tell yourself it’s just one day, the rest is a lifetime.”
Reality's Plaything 5: The Infinity Annihilator Page 70