“So, teach Elan what it is to be Cendian in secret like you have Botak doing instead of beating me until I act the way you want me to!”
“It wasn’t my decision to beat you, it was Fjola’s. Think about it, Isolde. My people are scared. They will rally behind you and Elan now. They will see Elan is gentle and doesn’t want to hurt them and they will see the old Cendian warriors in you.”
“And my people? What are they meant to think? They want a weapon and you gave them one!”
“They are going to see a Queen with the passion of a Cendian and the logic of an Avalian. Fjola told me the kinds of lessons you had when you weren’t off throwing your spear at things. You know everything from how to plan a battle to how to fix your weapons. You also know when not to fight. If you speak to your people with half the fire you’ve had since you got here and thought you were lied to, they’ll follow you in anything.”
Isolde’s head was pounding like when she had to dig through the mind of the thief. Sartika’s head probably felt worse, but she was still trying to convince Isolde everything she had done was for the best. She’d be more likely to believe that if Fjola didn’t have her beaten so often. It was never anything that would scar her, it was meant to leave large, painful bruises. She thought it was because Fjola didn’t want her people seeing scars, but if she knew this entire time, she probably just didn’t want to do anything to make her less attractive to Elan.
“You can’t read his mind, can you? If you put your hand on his head and tried to force it out like you did me, it wouldn’t work, right? He asked for you because he was told to and knew who you were, not because of anything you said in his head, am I right?”
She looked up at Sartika. She was looking at her more gently than anyone except maybe Elan had before. Jovin and Fjola just wanted to push her to her limits.
“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable. I just want you to think long and hard about why you can’t. Why is he the only one? Maybe the bond is real and has been this entire time. Elan has been looking forward to meeting you and trying to bond since he knew what it meant. Even if you dislike him and think he’s weak, if you do agree to try, no matter what happens, stay and talk to him. It’s already breaking his heart you don’t want him, it’s going to totally break him if you complete the bond and you still don’t like him.”
“The bond isn’t real!” she argued. “How can I dislike someone I don’t even know? Everything I know about him is a lie. I can’t form an opinion on someone I know nothing about.”
“And there’s the Avalian part of you speaking. Go, get to know him. He’s not weak like you’ve been told and he may surprise you. If the bond was a lie, why would both your bond animals tell you the same thing without knowing it?”
“Maybe they have ways of communicating we don’t know about.”
“You bond with a type of bear, correct? Ours is more like a panther. You know they only bond with one particular human. Are you about to tell me our bond animals with no thumbs managed to speak to yours over a COMM? You can talk inside someone’s head, but it doesn’t work over distance, right? You have to be in the same room. Please, at least go to him and get to know him. Don’t try for the bond right away if it bothers you, but at least go let him know you don’t hate him. See this?”
Isolde got up and followed her towards a closet in the back of her chambers. When she pulled back a tapestry, the large wall was lined with screens. She could make out Elan’s room and a few other places he must visit. Sartika hit a button and there was sound. Elan and Botak were arguing. Elan wanted to go to the fighting pits and Botak was trying to convince him to wait for her and talk it out.
“Please, go to him. I haven’t put a stop to those pits because it helps him vent and makes him stronger. They still scare the bloody hell out of me. I’d rather him be with you, even if you’re furious with him than in those pits.”
Before Isolde knew it, the guard was bringing her back to Elan’s room. Maybe they had more in common than she thought. She’d prefer being in the fighting pits right now too.
Chapter 7
Fjola had been calling Sartika over COMM since she woke up and that blasted woman wasn’t answering. She had trusted her this entire time. It was Sartika that contacted Fjola after that horrible night all the council died. They had never met in person, but they talked in secret behind their husband’s backs, trying to broker some sort of peace so things could go back to normal. Sartika called to see if there was a mass death on the same night there was on Cendis. Fjola called Sartika when she found herself impossibly, and suddenly pregnant.
They had been plotting this for eighteen years. She drove Isolde away, even if it was like ripping open a new wound every time. She sent Isolde to Cendis with an understanding she would bond with the Cendian prince and start a new alliance. Isolde had been gone for two days and no one had called. Had she been caught and thrown into the dungeons? Sartika thought the slave idea would work, but Fjola hated watching her cut down her food to get thin like a slave. The girl already hardly had any body fat from constantly hunting or her fight training and now she had even less.
Fjola skipped breakfast and lunch. She left word she didn’t want to be disturbed. She knew she could be tipping Jovin off. Viljar knew this and came in anyway. They were secret lovers and he kept her faction status a secret. Fjola was starting to think she and Viljar could have made love in front of the entire palace and they wouldn’t have noticed. Isolde wouldn’t notice either. She avoided Fjola at all costs unless she needed to manipulate her mind. Fjola watched her learn this, but still hadn’t figured out how to fight her when she was doing it. Just thinking about how much she wished Isolde was a boy and special got the girl out her head and listening for things she shouldn’t know.
“Do you want Jovin to know what you are up to? You know he’s put on the premise the two of them are hunting in the mountains and he’s going to come home with a story that they got separated and he couldn’t find her. What do you think he’s going to do when he finds out you’ve been shut up here plotting when you shouldn’t have known that?”
“He’s been easily fooled so far. He’ll probably think I’m in one of my moods again. You’ll remember, he liked those moods when it came to the beatings to make her stronger.”
“I hope both of them understand like you think when they find out the truth.”
“I want to know why someone on Cendis hasn’t called me to tell me what the bloody hell is going on there.”
“No one called? My contact on Cendis said he announced to the entire palace he was taking her for his new toy. She wasn’t caught and no one noticed she wasn’t a usual slave. You think the boy pissed her off and she decked him?” Viljar said, grinning proudly.
“She wouldn’t punch her betrothed, even with that temper on her. She’s still a princess, even if she prefers spending her time with that spear in the mountains.”
“When did she learn to be like you? When did she learn grace and the social part of being a princess? Jovin had her throwing punches all the time.”
“You’ve seen her fight, Viljar? She makes it look like dancing. And she still had lessons on ruling. It gave an excuse for all the beatings everyone wanted. She knows how to be a princess and not punch her prince because I had it beaten into her.”
Viljar took her in his arms. “How do you know Sartika hasn’t called because she’s kept my cameras running? Those two could still be bonding, you know?”
“No, something is not right. Sartika and I speak every day after breakfast. She didn’t call and she hasn’t picked up all day.”
“Call her again, love. Maybe she’ll answer this time.”
Fjola dialed her on the shared COMM and she actually answered this time. Sartika was pale. Something wasn’t right. Sartika gave a weak smile.
“She’s powerful, just like you said. I’ve got no idea how you managed to keep her out your thoughts. She’s been furious sinc
e last night, so I tried bringing her to my chambers to talk to her. She grabbed my head and I lost total control. My body went stiff and there was an intense pain in my head. She knows now. She knows both of us were involved. Perhaps you shouldn’t have beaten her so much? She seems quite bitter about it.”
“I didn’t want her beaten either! Viljar thought it would make her stronger and so did Jovin. I was watching when he told her she needed to be able to take a beating without reacting in case she was caught. I’ve been worried about that since you wouldn’t pick up your COMM!”
“I was trying to talk your daughter out of leaving. We should have just been honest, with both of them. She blew up at Elan because she thought the lies were his fault, Botak suggested beating her again and she nearly attacked him. She wouldn’t even try the bond and slept with the other slaves last night. I had her brought back to his chambers to just talk, but she heard the truth about you from me and my son is hearing the truth from her. They are both going to end up hating us.”
“Is she going to complete the bond or is she going to refuse because we lied to them?”
“Well, my son has been in love with her since he found out about her, but he may refuse too when she tells him the truth.”
“Where is my daughter now?”
“She’s back in Elan’s room. She’s asked to sit in the hot spring again and she is telling him the truth.”
“What is a hot spring?” Fjola demanded.
“It’s a hole in the ground with hot, relaxing water.” Fjola felt panic rise at the idea of Isolde asking to sit in a puddle of water. Would she rather die than do this? “Relax, Fjola,” Sartika cooed. “Our water is clean. She stood there and examined it for at least fifteen minutes before she decided it was clean enough to sit in. She asked for it again because she liked it.”
“She’s hardly there an hour and she chose to sit in standing water? Did you beat her? Something is wrong.”
“No one beat her, Fjola. She studied the water and determined it was safe to sit in. She asked again because she liked it. Our water is perfectly safe. Maybe there will be hot springs on the paradise planet and you can experience it.”
“What’s she doing now?”
Viljar finally chimed in. He was a whiz at fixing COMMs and pods. “I think I can splice the feed from Cendis to the screens in your closet so you can keep an eye on her. It’s going to take time for me to tweak the signal and I’ll have to ping the right satellite. Do me a favor, both of you. Leave them in peace when they try the bond for the first time. If they know you’re watching, even if they do start getting along, they won’t in front of cameras.”
“Come to my chambers tonight,” Fjola purred, stroking Viljar’s face. If she hadn’t been betrothed to the king, she would have married him. He was much handier than the king, who she found lazy, pampered, and obsessed with courtesans. Viljar only saw her now and they both hoped they would be free to marry with this alliance.
Chapter 8
Elan was pacing while Botak tried to talk him out of going to the fighting pits. Botak disappeared when there was a knock on the door and the guard pushed Isolde through hard enough she almost fell. The look she shot the door when it slammed had Elan worried his mother had said something. She looked like she wanted to ask to go to the fighting pits again.
“You were trying to talk Botak into taking you to the fighting pits. Can we spar? Vusi style? It’s one of the oldest forms of fighting here.”
“You’re asking me to hit you?” Elan asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. How had she even known he was asking about the pits? Had she just guessed because fighting was how she relaxed too?
Her full red lips spread into a smile. It was the first time she had ever smiled at him and it wasn’t right. He wanted her to smile because they were in love. “I want you to try to hit me. You won’t succeed.”
She lunged on her left leg behind her and her right stretched out in front of her. Her left arm bent at a ninety-degree angle and her hand came up level with her eyes. Her right arm stretched out straight in front of her and she made a teasing gesture with her fingers to come at her. He’d never sparred with a woman before, but looking at her in the Vusi challenge pose with her eyes glittering like that was much more titillating than sitting in the hot spring with her nude.
“Are you afraid?” she taunted. “I can easily beat you.”
He lunged at her, not even following any fighting style. He wanted to see how well trained she was before he threw a punch at that beautiful face. She gracefully spun away and tried to sweep his leg with hers since he was off balance. He had to jump over it and right himself. The two circled each other with their fists up in his sitting room.
“Not exactly Vusi trying to trip me like that,” he taunted, ripping his shirt off.
She just shrugged. “You came at me like a drunken oaf. Not Vusi either.” She hardly looked at him in the hot spring, but she was eyeing his bare chest with appreciation. Then, he realized she wasn’t checking his body out at all. “You get that big scar in the pits?” she asked exploding at his face with a series of punches.
“It’s not my only scar from the pits, but I’d have to take off more clothes. I’m not leaving anything out and vulnerable for you after you punch me like this,” he said, having issues blocking her.
She didn’t fight like Botak or anyone in the fighting pits. She fought like a rubber band that had been snapped and armed with dangerous weapons. She moved with a deadly grace he hadn’t seen in any well-trained court dancer. Was this her way of dancing? His heart was racing and his blood was pumping. This was way more exciting than the pits. Especially when she cursed and ripped her oversized tunic off. All she was wearing was a corset and leggings.
She didn’t let him enjoy the view and exploded at him again. He must be slipping. One of her punches clipped his shoulder. He didn’t fight like her, even if he was using Vusi style. He planned his punches for maximum damage and waited for an opening. If you didn’t block Isolde in time, she punched hard and fast enough to knock you out.
He finally took a swing at her when he thought he saw an opening. She laughed and danced away. “You advertise when you’re about to strike.”
“Oh, really?” he fired back. “Then why am I undefeated in the pits?”
“Well, who are you fighting against anyway?” she asked launching herself at him.
He was ready for her now and used to her style of fighting. He used one arm to knock one fist down and caught the other. He spun her around so that her back was pressed against his chest. They were both breathing hard and her hair still smelled like the lavender pods he put in the hot spring. He was sure she could feel his erection pressing into the small of her back. Had he finally proven himself to her?
He felt her chuckle against his chest. “I feel better. Do you? Can we sit in the hot springs again for our muscles? You said it was best instead of the electrodes we use. There’s things we need to talk about.”
The feel of her bare shoulders against his naked chest was almost unbearable. All he wanted to do was kiss her and see what those red lips tasted like. He let her shrug him off and followed her to the pool. He bested her in a fight, but did she really still not look at him like a man? She undressed in front of him like it was totally normal and expected. Did she really not expect him to react to her like that after they sparred together?
She looked at him from the pool as he stood on the rock in just his leather pants. “Can you get in, please? I have things to tell you that are upsetting. I needed to fight just as much as you did. I’m not upset with you and I know now you were just as much in the dark as I was. I’ll look away if you’re embarrassed.”
He ripped his pants off. He was embarrassed, but if she wasn’t angry with him, why were they fighting and talking instead of trying to complete the bond? He thought all the tension would go away once they did.
“Say hello to your mother, Elan. If you wave, she should see you.�
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“What in bloody hell are you talking about, Isolde? What did she say to you?”
“The truth, finally. My mother and yours are secret faction members. Everything that happened to us, the people we turned out to be, is what they planned and wanted. Viljar, one of the faction members on Avala smuggled the same cameras here that he gave my mother. Your mother has a closet full of screens she watches you on. You have no secrets from her. I have none from my mother either. The reason I thought you lied to me was that they planted that lie. They thought I would grow up thinking I could mold you, but really, I just saw you as a child, an obligation I had to do.
“You’re not a child and I haven’t been bested in a fight in years. But you also have to understand, I know nothing about you. I know you hide muscles and scars and I know you like to fight out your frustration like I do. I know you like curried potatoes, but that’s about it. I’m not leaving, but I still think this bond is not a real thing. And if it is, it’s not going to be as easy as us just having sex together.”
“Our bond animals would have told us.”
“No, they wouldn’t. Think about it. I don’t know if it was the same for you, but I had to really work to form my bond. I had to wait in the mountains for three days for one to approach me. We couldn’t talk to each other like we could after the bond. All I knew was what had been passed down. I had to hunt with her.
“We brought down this creature, you might not have them here. The closest thing I can describe them as is deer, but their antlers are bigger and come to deadly points. They hunt other animals to eat too, like we were. We brought it down, but I didn’t know what was supposed to happen after to complete the bond.
“Our bond animals are a very specific species of bear. She stopped me when I tried to skin it to put it on the sled. We couldn’t talk to each other yet, but she was able to get across I had to eat like a bear with her. I was pulling off hunks of animal with my bare teeth, but the more I ate, the more I could feel the bond. If I had to hunt and eat my hunt raw to do that bond, why do you think ours is so easy, Elan?”
Child of Fire, Child of Ice-A Sci-fi Romance Series Page 4