by Lilly Pink
There was another tree in the distance, a gigantic tree made of translucent, many-colored crystal. Its branches stretched into the heavens, seeming to pierce the sky itself, vanishing into nothingness, The trunk was thick enough that the average skyscraper would have fit easily inside. “The world tree,” Zoe whispered. “Guess it isn’t a myth after all.”
“No, indeed,” Kian replied softly, just as awed by it as she was. “We must be cautious in our approach, since we know the creature that troubles you is one of the tree’s guardians.”
It seemed to take forever, creeping closer to the tree with bated breath. Kian had his sword and shield ready again, and after a moment, Zoe managed to summon her own weapon, a silvery bow that was fashioned from living wood and crystal magically entwined. Finally, they came to the top of a small rise, the land sloping sharply away from them to run toward the base of the tree.
Zoe didn’t see it at first, or she did, but she didn’t realize what she was seeing because her eyes were having trouble making sense of something on that scale. When her brain finally processed the information from her eyes, she gasped and nudged Kian with her elbow. “Look! Wrapped around the tree.”
A massive body covered in scales of iridescent black was coiled around the trunk. As large as the tree was, the creature was so long that its body had circled the trunk at least twice with head and tail still overlapping. Each one of its breaths vibrated through the ground to the soles of their feet. Kian sighed, a tumult of emotions making it difficult to find words. “It is a dragon,” he said haltingly. “Why would one of us be here? Is it the original caster, still guarding their creation?”
He started to walk toward the gigantic creature, and Zoe grabbed his arm to stop him. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “That thing could inhale you by accident. Do you have a death wish?”
Kian shook his head, his expression caught between amusement and annoyance. “This is a Kumari, one of our own, not a ravening beast. Perhaps they only see you as a threat to the tree because you are, in their opinion, in the wrong world. If we talk to them, we may be able to convince them to leave you alone.
Besides, think of what we may learn: why the worlds were separated, perhaps even how they might be reunited, if that is even possible. I cannot not at least try,” he added gently. “But you are right, I should be more cautious. If we approach as dragons, we will not only be more formidable and able to escape, but we may seem less foreign to this guardian.”
Zoe could agree with that. The transformation to her dragon self was even easier in the Dreaming. “Why didn’t we do this earlier?” she muttered. “We could have got here much quicker by flying.”
“Funny that the thought never crossed either of our minds,” Kian said with a chuckle. “But then we might have missed Nahuel. Do not worry for him, by the way. He is waiting for us at the edge of the woods, but even if we lose him again, now that he knows you are with me, he’ll be able to track you with ease.”
Looking back with her keen draconic eyesight, Zoe could see the little spot of black that was her cat, sitting at the base of a tree and watching intently. However, she was much more worried about their safety. They approached the giant dragon with caution, but it didn’t wake, even when they stood just a few feet from its gargantuan head, which was easily big enough to swallow both of them whole without a struggle. “How did it get so big?” she whispered. Usually, draconic telepathy had fairly precise aim, the black dragon shouldn’t be able to hear her speech unless she aimed it at him, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“Our dragon forms continue to grow as we age, and this dragon must be very, very, old. Still, I have never heard of anyone achieving such a massive size. Perhaps it is a purposeful illusion. They are easy to maintain in the Dreaming, as you have seen,” he whispered back. The dark dragon slept on, and finally, Kian worked up his nerve, drawing himself up in his most regal posture, sadly much less impressive next to this behemoth, and said in a resounding voice. “Pardon me for disturbing you, but we would like to ask you some questions.”
Nothing happened. Kian repeated himself more loudly and there was still no response. Finally, he leaned forward and tapped the black beast’s snout with his claws. One eye opened, a blood red iris that shaded to fiery orange near the pupil, though the lens was milky with age. The dragon began to uncoil itself, its bones creaking and tendons popping. “Sorry to disturb you,” Kian began again.
“INTRUDERS!” it roared, snapping its jaws in their direction. Zoe skittered backward, but Kian stood his ground, taking a few measured steps away from the crazed guardian but not looking away.
“Please, we only wish to speak with you!” Kian shouted, taking to the air as the other dragon took a swipe at him.
But then it was made clear that speaking would not be an option. Zoe doubted that whoever it was could even speak. It began shouting at them, not words, just emotions and images slamming into their mind with such force that it caused physical pain. “HATRED! MURDER! DEATH! DIE! DIE! DIE! BLOOD! HATE! KILL!”
They fled, careening through the air in panicked haste, and to Zoe’s horror, she could hear enormous wings being unfurled behind them, flapping so hard she was nearly sucked backward. “Can that thing really fly?!” she shouted toward Kian, wondering if he could even hear her.
“If it thinks it can, here, it can!” he yelled back. “Just keep going! Think of home! Concentrate on how much you want to go home!”
That was harder than it sounded. No matter how much she wanted to go home, with a planet-sized angry dragon on her heels, Zoe could think of little else but “Please don’t eat me!” Still, something was happening. The sky around her was changing, growing brighter, and then she woke up abruptly with the sensation of being slammed back into her body, her breath coming in short gasps.
It took a moment for her to be able to move and then she rolled over. As Kian had predicted, Nahuel was curled up beside her, and she would have cuddled him but for the fact that Kian was there, still asleep, twitching, his expression was strained. She shook his shoulder, concerned, and he came awake with a shuddering intake of breath.
“Zoe,” he panted, drawing her into his arms and cradling her close against his chest. “You are safe.”
“I’m fine. What about you? I was a little worried when you kept on sleeping.”
He smiled tiredly. “I am well. I flew back to the world tree, hoping to distract the guardian from following you. I assumed that, whatever threat he may perceive from you, his duty to the tree would take precedence, and it proved true. As soon as I neared the trunk of the tree, it turned away from you to chase me. Of course, that meant I had some flying to do, but luckily, a dragon so huge is not that maneuverable. I am glad you woke me, however. Even in the Dreaming, one can suffer from fatigue.”
“Why would it matter if it followed me? Shouldn’t I be safe, once I’m awake? It can’t come through to here, can it?” That was a terrifying thought. Not to mention that, even in a palace built for dragons, she doubted that particular dragon would fit.
“It should not be able to, but in dealing with a being that old and powerful, I did not want to leave anything to chance. For now, let us rest. I will reset the wards. Tomorrow, I think you should ask Darya to teach you some different ward spells. Combining our efforts will yield much stronger protection, and I will sleep better at night. Meanwhile, I will continue my research. I swear I have seen the dragon before but I cannot remember…” he trailed off, yawning widely.
Zoe smiled and kissed his cheek, arranging herself more comfortably in his arms. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Good night, Kian. I love you.”
“And I love you, jãné del-am.”
CHAPTER NINE
It seemed like only a moment passed, and then it was the day of the wedding. The palace was a flurry of activity, but somehow, Ameretat maintained a bubble of calm that buoyed Zoe through the entire day of preparations. The seamstresses had been hard at work on her dress, and it real
ly was a masterpiece. Yards of silk and tulle in midnight blue, indigo, aqua, and emerald had gone into the beautiful garment, a purposeful echo of the colors of Kian’s dragon form. His outfit would be similarly made of white, gold, and copper.
“When you both take your dragon forms at the end of the ceremony, it will almost seem as though you switched places,” Ameretat explained with a grin as she tied a wide silver ribbon just under Zoe’s breasts. Zoe had been surprised to see that the dress did not try to conceal or minimize her pregnancy, but seemed to be designed to show it off in the most graceful and flattering way possible.
When she asked Ameretat about it, her friend didn’t even understand the question. “Why would you not want to show off the pregnancy, especially at a wedding? Is this not a celebration of the bond between you and Kian? I cannot think of a more potent symbol of your love and joy than a child soon to be born.”
Zoe frowned. “Well, on Earth, or at least, in my culture, you’re supposed to be chaste until you’re married, so if you’re already pregnant, you’re breaking the rules. I suppose it’s because, until the invention of DNA testing, there was no way to know who fathered what child. Confining children to marriage allowed them to keep the lineage straight as well as determine which adults are responsible for which children.”
“Ah,” Ameretat said with raised eyebrows. “I suppose that makes sense. But you can see that among the Kumari, even when children are not so scarce, a pregnant bride is a good omen. It proves that the bond is a true one. I understand that it was once something of a tradition not to have the ceremony until after the first child was conceived.”
“So there’s no other way to prove who your true mate is? Were there never infertile couples?” Zoe asked, watching in the mirror as Ameretat braided her hair, weaving ribbons and gem-encrusted flowers in among the tresses.
“Yes. You’ll get to see the spell, actually. It’s extremely difficult and complex, but a requirement of royal weddings, to discourage fraud, I suppose. There have been proven mated pairs who were unable to have children, and same-gendered couples too, in the past. Both were rare, but I do not believe that were considered less legitimate. Why?”
“I was just curious. I guess I wondered how everyone knew that the lack of children was due to lack of mates and not like… infertility poison, or something.”
“To a Kumari, a true mating feels different than a regular relationship. Or so I am told,” the healer replied with a wistful sigh. “Does it not to you as well?”
Zoe considered this, smiling as she remembered the feeling of security she got whenever she was in Kian’s arms. How sometimes the sight of him, even something as simple as the way the sun caught in his hair when he looked out the window from his desk, could still take her breath away.
“I suppose it does. Until I thought about it, I guess I just assumed I used to have really bad taste in boyfriends.” Both women laughed out loud. It shouldn’t have been that funny, but somehow Zoe couldn’t stop until she had tears pouring down her cheeks.
***
She took a deep breath, her stomach churning. Why am I so nervous? I love Kian, and he loves me, and this is just a public affirmation of that. An excuse to throw a party. That was what Ameretat had told her a few minutes ago, when they had all lined up outside the door of the grand feasting hall, which was open for the first time in more than half a century.
Zoe couldn’t help but worry about everything that could go wrong. The spell could go wrong, or she could forget the words, or she might even trip and fall flat on her face.
The doors swung open, the music inside swelling to a crescendo. There were no children to precede them like they would in days of old, dancing and throwing flowers, so instead, some of the healers and gardeners were tossing enchanted blossoms, ethereal golden blooms that disappeared with a waft of fragrance the moment before they touched the upturned faces of the onlookers. Ameretat and Shahin followed arm in arm, leading Zoe to the middle of the room as Zhubin and Darya approached from the other side.
A magic circle had been inscribed in the center of the chamber, and as they entered, Ameretat and Shahin stepped aside to take their places on the edge of the sigil, leaving her to approach Kian alone. He smiled when he saw her, his golden eyes alight with love and wonder, but when he took her hands in his, she could feel that they were shaking.
It was comforting to know she wasn’t the only one who was nervous, but in truth, most of her fear had left the moment she had seen Kian walking toward her. She was so struck by his masculine beauty as he approached her that she had a brief moment of dissociation, thinking she must have forgotten what he looked like. Because no man should be that attractive.
His dark red hair was pulled off his face in a hundred tiny braids that gathered at the top of his head while the back hung free in glossy waves over his shoulders. A high collared vest, copper-colored leather with embellishments of gold, accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow hips and the white leggings and knee high boots fit his legs almost like a second skin.
Zoe liked this much better than the robes that Kumari were fond of wearing. Despite being a scholarly sort of person, Kian was in fantastic shape, and she didn’t at all mind being reminded of it. Plus, the details of the outfit were amazing, the belled sleeves of his white shirt even had faint feather patterns embroidered into the cloth.
He opened his mouth as if he might say something, but then Faizel approached and it was time for the ceremony to begin in earnest. It felt like he talked forever about the importance of maintaining traditions and continuing the majestic history of the Kumari people, but finally he stepped back so that the spell and vows could be said. Unlike the marriage ceremonies Zoe had attended in the past, she and Kian spoke their vows together.
“Here I stand with my beloved, trusting in the strength of our bond. When we are together, no force in the world can part us. Should the earth stand in the way, we will climb.” At this, Ameretat stamped her foot on the circle, and it glowed with yellow-green power. The air smelled like sun-baked earth and freshly cut grass.
“Should the wind howl, we will soar together.” Now Shahin gestured from the opposite corner and purple symbols appeared on the floor. A breeze ruffled their hair.
“If the waves swallow us, we will swim beneath them.” It was Darya who added the aqua magic of water, and suddenly it smelled like it might rain.
“If the fire surrounds us, we will walk through hand in hand.” Zhubin was the last, adding lines of glowing red-orange to the lines of magic on the floor. The temperature went up a few degrees.
“From this moment forward, two spirits become one. Let all here gathered, witness the strength of our bond.” Zoe didn’t know exactly what happened next. She felt power rush into her; all her senses were assaulted, she tasted dust and rain, smelled ash and salt and damp soil, heard wind and waves roaring in her ears as fire crackled painlessly over her flesh, and then it was gone, as suddenly as it had started.
A cool weight had settled over her brows, and as she opened her eyes, she could see that Kian was now wearing a crown, a graceful coronet of silver with a large sapphire cut in the shape of a crescent moon resting on his brow, flanked by many star shaped diamonds. Rings had also appeared on both their hands and she realized that hers, white gold with sapphires, mirrored his crown, so she suspected that her crown was golden with rubies and citrines in the shape of a sun, like the ring on his left hand. He smiled at her, brilliant and relieved, so she supposed the spell must have gone as planned.
Faizel approached again, and for the first time that Zoe had ever seen, he looked somewhat humbled. “The gods have spoken to us this day. This bond is true, a blessing to all that is touches,” he said somewhat wistfully before finally recovering his normal tone of voice. “Let their kiss mark the start of their new life together.”
This, at least, Zoe knew she could do. Her hands slid up Kian’s shoulders and around his neck as he cupped her cheeks in his own hands. Their eyes met fo
r a moment, sharing the same look of love and wonder, mingled with a bit of disbelief that the day had come at last, and then they kissed.
It was not the most passionate kiss they had ever shared; there was no heated tangling of tongues, no scraping of teeth against sensitive lips, but Zoe would always remember it as one of her favorites. It was the first time, for either of them, that they held nothing back. There was nothing to fear anymore, no need to hide anything or protect their feelings against heartbreak.
They poured themselves into each other, giving every ounce of their hearts until they were clinging together for support, both gasping and weak-kneed. No one else noticed; someone said, “Behold, King Kian and Queen Zoe! Long may they reign!”
“Long may they reign!” repeated a hundred other voices in a joyful shout. That served to remind them of what they were supposed to be doing, and, hand-in-hand, they walked down the path that was prepared for them, watching the huge doors to the balcony swing open to the afternoon sky.
The transformation was as natural as breathing to Zoe now, and she perched on the ledge next to Kian without hesitation. “Remember to be back at sunset!” Faizel implored, and Kian nodded impatiently.
“As if we were planning on running off like naughty children,” he muttered to Zoe, who snorted out a laugh.
“He just knows how much you hate parties,” she teased as she spread her wings and ruffled her feathers in the wind.
“For you, my heart, I would attend a hundred thousand parties,” he replied as he also readied himself for flight. “But right now, I have a much better idea.” He dropped off the ledge without another word, and she followed, now able to enjoy the thrill of racing toward the ground at eye-watering speed. The wind caught in her wings and she zoomed upward like a kite, finally catching up to Kian who was riding a thermal with practiced ease.
“So what is your much better idea? Besides get as far away from the palace as possible?”