by D. D. Chant
“Kai?”
He turned, coming half out of his chair before he registered that it was Rem, and that Aya stood beside him. Kai noticed that her hair was down. It fell in large loose curls over her shoulders and down to her waist, its colour rich against the yellow of her dress.
She was regarding him with a straightforward, unselfconscious gaze, and one of her hands was clasped tightly in Rem’s. She showed no nervousness or tension, but Rem’s expression held both.
“Thank you, Kai.”
Rem bowed formally and Kai placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, shaking him a little until he straightened.
“You have no reason to thank me, Rem.”
Kai seated himself back down in his chair by the fire, and gestured that they should also sit down. He looked again to Aya as she obediently sank into a chair beside her brother. She had not spoken, but her silence was not unfriendly. It was not that she was refusing to speak, but that she was politely waiting until she was spoken to.
Well that at least was a blessing.
Of all things he wished her out of his sight. Yet he knew that even if he succeeded in removing her from his presence she would still be with him, inhabiting his thoughts and giving him no respite.
Kai’s gaze shifted again to Rem, to the eagerness and hope in his eyes. However he felt about Aya, she was not worth a single moment of sadness for Rem, nor would Kai allow her to be the wedge between them, driving them apart.
“How have you been, Rem?”
The boy shifted uneasily, and Kai noticed that he still clasped Aya's hand as though he took strength from contact with her.
“Well, thank you, Brother. I hope that the days that have passed since we last talked have not proved too wearisome to you,” answered Rem formally.
Wearisome?
Kai gritted his teeth. A headache proved wearisome; the life that Aya forced them all to lead was an affliction. His eyes flicked over to her again. Her head was bent slightly, and she stared at some spot halfway between her chair and his. Her hands were folded in her lap, and the firelight played over the rich thickness of her hair, making it glow.
Every gesture spoke of subservience, yet somehow the aura she exuded was anything but submissive. She radiated a quiet strength, a self-possessed control, an unshakable calmness that was infuriating. Her manner was a taunt, implying that even though she was bending to his will, it was by choice that she did so.
It pricked Kai’s temper more effectively than anything he had ever experienced before.
“And how have you found the days since last we talked, Dam’sel Aya?” asked Kai.
Her eyes flickered up to meet his and she blinked slowly once or twice. He knew that there had been nothing in his words that had conveyed offence, but the insult was there nevertheless.
“The time has passed quickly, Senior.”
“Maybe for you,” observed Kai blandly.
She stiffened a little, and Kai felt satisfaction flood his veins at the thought that he had at least put a dent in her calm.
“It must be very different here to what you are used to.”
She paused momentarily as if in thought.
“No, not really.”
Her answer surprised Kai.
“It isn’t?”
Aya shook her head, and calmly met his gaze.
“I was hated and mistrusted in the Tula Strongholds too, so you see this is all very familiar to me.”
Beside her, Rem closed his eyes as if in prayer. As placid as her reply had been, there could be no concealing its hidden barb. Kai wondered a little at her daring, she was either very stupid or very clever. He could not quite decide which.
Kai studied her face. She met his gaze frankly, with the unabashed freeness of one who knew her conscience to be clear. She had an honest look about her, an openness that reminded him of Rem. Perhaps that was why he couldn’t trust it. Rem had that same look about him, a look of wholesomeness, but none knew better than Kai how misleading that fresh faced innocence was.
Rem had the cunning of a fox, and his mind had an almost diabolical slant that took many by surprise.
Rem had been, at the tender age of fourteen, an opponent that even Kai would have been cautious of. He had held his own against far older, more experienced men.
Kai had encouraged the boy’s shrewdness. Rem had needed it, he had inherited his position too young and vulnerability had not been an option. Rem had lost his childhood to this mess just as surely as he had lost his father and mother. In a way he had lost his sister too, perhaps not in body but certainly in spirit.
Aya was not the child Kai had once known. That child had been open, uncomplicated, without guile. She had been trusting in a way that only a well loved and protected child could be.
The woman before him was… different.
In other circumstances, he would have said that her spirit had been broken, but somehow that didn’t ring quite true. She might be the complete opposite of everything that she had once been, but she was not broken. She was self-contained, self-possessed, and Kai had the strangest feeling that she could prove dangerous too. There was something very unnerving in her stillness, in the blank expression in her eyes.
He rose from his chair and stood before her. She watched his movements carefully, but did not shrink from him as might be expected. She waited patiently for whatever came next with a distinct lack of apprehension. Kai took hold of her hand and pulled her to stand before him. She hesitated momentarily before she gave in to the pressure of his grip, as though deciding whether to allow him to have his way.
Kai saw Rem pale in uncertainty as he drew out his dagger. The flames from the fire gave life to the sapphires in the hilt that were his family insignia. She didn’t flinch, though her eyes lowered momentarily to the dagger, and then calmly returned to his face.
Kai turned her hand so that her palm was uppermost and paused, waiting for her to comprehend what was happening.
He knew the moment that the realisation hit. Her eyes widened fractionally as he forced the hilt into her hand, wrapping her fingers around it, and then closing his hand over hers.
“Aya Uel Ne Singh, daughter of the House of Singh, I welcome you as my Bonded mate giving my family to you, and accepting your family as my own.”
His words were formal, the voice that spoke them strong and steady. They were the words of the final Bonding ceremony when the bond between them was sealed.
It was Kai accepting her as his mate before her brother.
It was truce.
That he had used a dagger as the symbol over which he had chosen to make his vow would not escape her notice. It was a statement and a warning as well. Men swore oaths of peace over daggers, of trust that they would not raise arms against each other.
At the final Bonding ceremony the oath would spoken over a ring carrying the sapphire and pearl insignia of their families.
Aya looked up at him expressionlessly, yet Kai knew that she was thinking fast. Behind her outward show of calm was a feverish rush of activity. He could sense it.
Eventually she spoke, her voice soft and pleasantly husky. Kai could feel her words on his skin, binding her to him for eternity.
“I, Aya Uel Ne Singh, daughter of the House of Singh, recognise you, Kai Uel Ne Sen, son and Apprentice Headman to the House of Sen, as my Bonded mate and hand my life over to your safe keeping.”
Kai regarded her for a few moments more, pleased that she knew her part, and glad that she was displaying willingness to cooperated with him. He released her and Aya made to hand the dagger back to him. He shook his head.
“Keep it as a reminder of the oath that you have sworn to me this day.”
He knew she had understood him by the calculating glint that entered her eyes. He had bestowed his trust upon her, but he still felt she still needed to earn it. She didn’t seem affronted at all, but inclind her head slightly.
Rem clasped Kai’s arm just below the elbow in a show of thanks.
&nb
sp; “Thank you, Kai.”
Kai smiled.
“It is customary for me to be the one thanking you for bestowing your sister upon me.”
“Of all things, customary is not the epithet I would have used for this joining of our families.” Rem paused, lifting an eyebrow. “When will you make your oath before the Headmen?”
“Soon. My father has said nothing, but I know he wishes this matter brought to a close.”
Rem nodded, his face creasing into a serious frown as he turned to his sister.
“You know what this means, Astra?”
Kai frowned as the Tula name left Rem’s lips with a familiarity that he could only abhor.
Aya nodded.
“I told you I would not shame you by refusing the Bonding.”
She seemed calm, thought Kai, almost as though she had been expecting this.
Could she have known?
Had she expected this?
Had she bargained on the fact that he would have to take her in?
Kai didn’t know, but the suspicion was unwelcome. He would have to watch his wife closely.
“I will call for Aya tomorrow, Rem.”
“Why will you come for me tomorrow?”
Kai found her eyes fixed upon him with a lost expression in their depths. Perhaps she was feeling disoriented by the speed with which all this was progressing. He was just about to answer her question when he noticed that a slight stiffness had crept into her shoulders. It was strangely at odds with the dazed expression in her eyes.
“It is customary for a Bonded couple to approach the Elder Headman to seek permission for the finale ceremony.” He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. “Tomorrow we will present ourselves to Elder Headman Amajit and ask for his consent.”
Aya nodded slowly.
“And is it likely he will agree?”
Kai watched her closely.
“He will probably demand that the ceremony take place within the next week.”
The tention became more pronounced, and Kai realised that it was probably the closest she would come to an outward display of panic. He wondered why he had not noticed before. Perhaps it was because she tensed up so slowly that it was hard to detect. Her face had remained calm, a blank mask of concealment.
How could he have been so blind?
Why had he not realised that it was impossible for her to have been so serene, so coolly in control, through all that she had faced since her return?
Why had he not recognised it as the protective shield it was?
“It is regrettable but the ceremony must take place soon.”
“Why?” Aya’s face jerked up and her eyes met his. “That is… I do not object… I only wondered.”
“Because the Elder Headman demands it,” returned Kai softly.
She bowed.
“I shall be ready at the appointed time.”
Rem stood and yawned sleepily. He looked relaxed and cheerful.
“Then I think it is time for us to return home.”
He bowed slightly to Kai and took Aya’s hand. Before he could move Kai took a step closer to Aya, forcing her head up so that she met his eyes.
“You will not embarrass me tomorrow, Aya.” Kai’s voice was soft, and he stressed her name a little.
She stepped away from him and bowed respectfully.
“I will behave in line with custom, Senior.”
Kai was silent for a long time after they had left.
He had threatened his wife, but she hadn't really seemed to notice.
Kai’s hands curled in to fists, he didn’t know who had threatened her that she could accept intimidation with such equanimity. Yet he vowed that if he ever found them, he would certainly punish them. No one harmed those under his protection. As Apprentice Headman it was his duty to see that his people were safe, and he resented the fact that someone had mistreated one of those living under the safeguard of his name.
One day he would find out who had dared to threaten Aya, and when he did they would know the fury of the House of Sen.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Astra stood before the full length mirror as a maid laced up her dress. Leda was sitting on the bed leaning against the headboard. The full skirts of her Una apparel fanned over the bed, a stark contrast to the sharp curtain of her Tula hair style. Her curls stopped just below her left ear and followed a downward curve that just touched her right shoulder. She was eyeing Astra's long blue dress with a certain amount of mistrust.
“Why are you doing this?”
Astra turned, obedient to the maid’s gentle direction, and answered Leda absentmindedly.
“Please could you just accept that it must be done.”
Leda shook her head.
“I only want to know why.”
“Because this is the way that the Una do things, the way they have always been done,” returned Astra.
Petta turned from the dressing table.
“She would have no choice in the Tula Strongholds either, Leda. Why are you making such a big deal about it? Rem would not ask her to do anything that would cause her pain. He loves her, I can tell he does, and he wants her to be happy.” She grinned. “That he puts up with you is proof of that.”
Leda paused, giving her youngest sister a cursory glance, and then turned back to Astra.
The problem was she no longer looked like Astra.
Her beautiful hair hung down her back, the curls gleamed where the light struck them, and a pearl circlet sat low on her forehead.
Leda snorted.
Pearls: the insignia of the House of Singh.
It scared Leda to see her like this, she felt as if somehow they were losing her.
The light blue dress Astra wore was long, touching the floor, and made from a lightweight silk that floated on the air as she moved. The skirts were full and soft, and whispered against the wooden floor. As Leda watched, the maid brought forth a white robe, almost a waistcoat. The fabric was cut in an A-line that fell to the floor with a slight train at the back. It draped from Astra's shoulders and hung down on each side of the dress.
Leda shivered.
This was not Astra. The woman standing before her was a stranger: it was Aya.
Leda frowned. She had always worried that Astra would be taken from them. Now she was scared that her fears were being realised. Only this was much worse because, rather than being forcibly separated, Astra was drifting away from them of her own free will.
With each passing day she became more like them, more Una. And now she was being handed over by her brother to another man.
Leda shivered again.
She remembered Astra's intended husband from the justice chambers that first day: cold and haughty. A Una Apprentice Headman, pure and untainted by any Tula dirt. He would never truly accept Astra for who she was, he would want to change her. Leda had an uncomfortable notion that he would punish Astra for any un-Una-like behaviour.
Leda didn’t understand it.
Why was Astra going along with everything?
It was as though she had been brainwashed. In the Tula Strongholds she had always fought, but here she obeyed mindlessly. Leda had challenged her so many times, but she always answered the same way, telling her that it was how things were done here.
Leda was ready to scream. What had happened to her sister? What had happened to the cunning girl who had deviously plotted against Councillor Ladron? It was as though her fire had been drowned out, leaving nothing but damp ashes to remain.
There was a tap on the door and another maid entered the room to inform Astra that Apprentice Headman Uel Ne Sen was waiting for her in the hall. Tension crept into Astra’s frame. Leda had a sudden recollection of Ben telling her that when Astra stiffened like that it was an indication of fear.
Was it true?
Was Astra scared of Apprentice Headman Sen?
Leda reached out and caught her sister’s arm.
“Astra, has he hurt you?”
“Who?�
�
“That man downstairs.”
Astra shook her head.
“Then has he threatened you?”
Astra started to shake her head again, but stopped and a faint smile touched her lips.
“Actually yes, I think he did.” She brought her hand up to Leda’s and squeezed it lightly. “I know you don’t understand, Leda, but you must trust me.”
“Astra…”
“Trust me.”
Leda struggled within herself for a moment and then shrugged.
“What else can I do but trust you?”
------
The first thing Kai did was search her.
He didn’t greet her, or tell her what he was about to do. Astra had been through the experience many times before, and was not really surprised or upset.
Leda was affronted.
Ceadron, Balak, and Penn were furious, but Astra didn’t experience either emotion.
What did he expect her to do? Stab him? Or maybe he thought she would attack Elder Headman Amajit?
Astra would have found the notion amusing if she hadn’t been so certain that Kai was thinking just that.
They didn’t speak to each other on the journey to the Elder Headman’s Palace. In fact, after a quick glance to be sure no Tulaness marred her apparel, Kai ignored her completely. Astra tried to decide whether she was relieved or irritated by his complete disregard for her, and decided it was easiest to be relieved.
The Elder Headman’s Palace was located at the centre of Una City. It didn’t belong to any House, but was a separate residence for the Headman serving as Elder Headman. The Elder Headman’s position was of King and he wielded a great deal of power. His power was only effective, however, if the majority of the Head Families were loyal to him.
The Elder Headman was chosen when his predecessor died. The oldest Headman, and therefore the wisest, became the next Elder Headman. That way the Kingship passed on to a man who had the ability to rule, rather than being inherited by a man who’s only qualification was the accident of his birth.
Astra had never seen the Elder Headman’s Palace, but she had heard of its magnificence. The reality was more than she had ever imagined. It was four times the size of a Headman’s house, but built in the same style with a curved roof and walls of timber and stone.