“We were told you needed to wear these shoes. They were also found with the earrings and kept in a safe place.”
“But they should be falling apart by now!”
“Oddly, they aren’t. No one has oiled the leather, but it’s still supple and the binding still holds. From what I’ve read, no one knows what type of animal was used for the hide in the leather.”
Laila gave one last yank on the corset laces before she tied them. Isolde took the shoes and slipped them on. They didn’t feel like they were as old as she had been told. She had never worn shoes like this, but they were oddly comfortable once she got used to the leather knob between her toes. She thought she was done, but Sera came over to pin a black veil to her hair. It completely covered her face and went nearly down to her belly button. She had no idea what it was for, but she didn’t question it. She didn’t know if it was a Cendian thing or something Sartika had been told was supposed to happen. If it was something that was supposed to happen, she wasn’t going to get that answer just yet, so she just went with it.
Everyone in the room gathered around her and stared. It didn’t seem to matter if they were Cendian or Avalian. They were looking at her proudly with smiles on their faces. They all started telling her how beautiful she looked and even if they had never seen anyone dressed this way before, it just seemed right for what she was about to do.
“Are you ready, Isolde?” Sartika asked with tears in her eyes. “I think Elan has been waiting for this since he found out who you were.”
It no longer felt too soon to her. This clothing didn’t feel strange. It just felt right. She let Sartika lead her to where she needed to be.
Chapter 34
Elan was hardly awake when Isolde had been dragged away from him. Botak had come in with Galih to prepare him while Sartika was prepping Isolde. Botak was the closest thing he had to a father and it looked like today, he intended to act that way rather than train him. He had a strange tunic and trousers for him to wear, but all Galih and Botak would tell him was that the bond animals said he needed to wear it.
The tunic had laces in the front, but they didn’t close no matter how hard he tried and most of his chest was exposed. Botak just grinned and told him to go with it. Galih chimed in Isolde would probably prefer it that way and Elan knew he was right. He normally tied his long hair back with a leather strip, but he was instructed to wear it down today.
Before he knew it, he was being pulled to the large throne room. Floor pillows had been set up, but they hadn’t brought enough. A lot of people had brought their own and there was a huge variety of faces when Elan peeked through the door. All the high born and their children were there, but Elan was glad to see people from the slums had come too, even if they sat in the back.
Ace and the others were soon at his back. Stretch clapped him on the back and grinned. “For once, people were volunteering for duty and complaining if they didn’t get chosen. We had to split them up to avoid a riot. You’ve got guards for the ceremony, then a totally separate set of guards for the celebration.”
“Are all of you going to be there for both?” Elan asked. He wanted them there and he was sure Isolde did too.
He would never have expected this from straight-laced Ace, but he grinned. “We pulled rank and will be guarding you all night.”
Even Hound, who didn’t have rank was there grinning. “She told me to fight for her when she couldn’t, so I’ll be there too. Saving the king was enough to fast-track a promotion.”
“Are you nervous?” Stretch asked. “I hardly knew my wife and I was nearly pissing myself.”
Elan wasn’t until he looked through the crack in the door and saw all those people waiting. All of the sixteen were gathered at the front surrounding Jaka, who was wearing strange robes. Sartika was already out. Where was Isolde? Music started and it wasn’t a song Elan had heard before. It was mostly drums and a reed flute.
“That’s your cue!” Stretch sang, shoving him out the door.
He nearly made an ass of himself in front of all his people at his wedding no less ending up flat on his face, but he managed to right himself. He hadn’t been prepared for this ceremony, but apparently, everyone else had. Ace, Boomer, Stretch, Viper, and Hound all flanked him carrying their guns in a salute. He hadn’t noticed Botak was still with them and was walking in front of him. He matched his step with the military men and held his head high because he wasn’t sure what else to do.
There was a curved arch that was big enough for all of them to stand under, so he went to stand by Botak. Ace and Boomer came to stand by him and Hound and Viper went to stand by Sartika. Stretch went to stand right next to Jaka like he needed protection too. Elan tried to keep his mouth still when he asked Botak what in the world was going on. This wasn’t like any Cendian wedding he had attended before.
The music changed again. It was a reed flute and a lute this time, playing music he didn’t know again. Isolde finally appeared and she wasn’t guarded like he was. Even though he couldn’t see her face, she took his breath away. Her waist was tiny in the corset she was wearing and her strong arms were carrying the purple flowers that grew in Tati’s area. His eyes only left her briefly, to look at his people. Those that came from the slums were all looking at her dreamily and the high born were looking like they wanted to turn their noses up, but something was stopping them.
Her walk seemed to be taking forever. He wanted to pick her up and run with her down to Jaka, demand he say whatever words he needed to say, and carry her back to his bed.
“Steady, gentle king. Today is not just for you,” Tati said.
He tried not to look irritated. He would be expected at the celebration afterwards with her and everyone would follow to his chambers to put them to bed. He saved the sheet with her blood on it for the next morning just in case they happened to need it and now he was glad he did.
When she finally took her place by him, Sartika must have had her oiled and perfumed. The woody smell of sandalwood tickled his nose and he wanted to rip that veil off and kiss her. He just wanted to see her face, but he turned to Jaka and just waited.
“I’ve no idea what to expect either other than the bond animals orchestrated all of this.”
He wished he could talk back to her. Instead of speaking the normal Cendian prayers to perform a wedding ceremony, Jaka started singing. It was a joyful song, but Elan had no idea what language it was. Jaka’s singing sped up and he stepped forward. This time, the voice in his head was Tati’s telling Elan to hold out his left hand. Isolde must have been told to hold out her right and place it next to his.
Jaka kept singing and started an elaborate process of weaving a silk cloth around their hands. The cloth was white where he and Isolde were both wearing black. Elan and Isolde kept their faces neutral, but the crowd gasped when it glowed blue where it touched her and red around him. Black text appeared in glyphs Elan didn’t understand, then the cloth disappeared into thin air.
Jaka ended his song and threw his hands in the air. He spoke a language they all knew this time. “Your new king and queen! Now, lift her veil and kiss her!”
He wanted to just rip the veil off, but he gently pulled it back over her head. He’d never seen makeup done that way before, but she looked beautiful. The cloth gave his people the sign they needed this was right, so he didn’t hold back when he kissed her. Jaka cleared his throat first, then Botak. Soon, it sounded like everyone around him was having a coughing fit, so he broke this kiss and looked down at her. Isolde’s green eyes were sparkling.
“There will be no traditional bedding ceremony or producing of sheets. Fia says that is outdated. Fia says everyone should be held to the same standards. If our men are allowed to experiment, our women should too and they should not be burned for it. Elan and Isolde are husband and wife and their wedding night will be private. Fia says this will be law from this day forward. Men can no longer make claims and have women burned for doing the same things
they do,” Jaka announced.
The entire room started chattering with this new change, but they didn’t question it. They just witnessed something they had never seen before, so it must be Fia. Fia was finally speaking to them again and telling them where they went wrong.
“There’s so many things I want to do to you right now, but we must go address your people.”
He grinned at her and took her arm. She’d never been in the ballroom before and she nearly blew her cover when she audibly gasped when she took in the shiny black walls with the high, vaulted ceilings. There were skillfully etched depictions of Fia and the rest of the Cendian gods on the high ceilings large enough to see from anywhere on the floor. There was another set of musicians in the corner playing dancing music.
“Is that the drums you play?” she whispered.
“Yes. I also play the lute. Do you want to dance?” He followed her line of sight. She was hungrily eyeing the huge display of food and Elan hoped Sartika actually fed her this morning. It was too soon for the babies to be making her hungry, but she shouldn’t skip meals. “Food then.”
He took her arm and led her to the table while she was whispering in his ear about the strange combinations of food Sartika threw at her this morning. From what she was telling him, he wouldn’t have enjoyed it either.
“Soelva told me I’m going to have a normal pregnancy, even if our children are supposed to be special. Does everyone think I’m going to wake up huge and give birth tomorrow?”
“We’re all still going to spoil you now that we know. My mother is just excited to find out. With that and the wedding, she’s lost her senses a little. I think she knows it’s too soon for you to have cravings, she’s just not thinking straight because it looks like all her years of planning are finally falling into place. What do you want to eat first?”
There was a fire pit in the middle of the hall and her eyes went to the large Laughing Pig roasting over a spit. When he told her what it was, her eyes widened.
“Is it sentient like Tati? Does it laugh?”
“No, Isolde,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “It doesn’t grunt and snort like regular pigs. It makes noises like its laughing when it’s killing farm animals. You see how short and fat this one is? They are lazy and prefer to hunt livestock. The farmers like to hunt them because the meat is tender and marbled with fat. One of our farmers donated this pig to us for the wedding. Most of this food was donated to bless our union.”
“After we eat, we should personally thank every one of those farmers.”
He already knew she was going to say that. And that was exactly what they did. She sampled a little bit of everything, then he took her around to the farmers. They spoke to nearly everyone no matter where they were from and tried to make them feel welcome. He was starting to think they would never get out of there, but apparently, someone was talking to Jaka. He started yelling over everyone until the hall was silent. He graciously gave Isolde and Elan an exit and everyone let them go with their blessing.
Isolde held her composure right until he closed the door to his chambers, then she was all over him. “Can you wear a tunic like this again?”
“Oh, you like this?” he teased, already knowing she would. He was allowing her to press him back into his bedroom.
She let out a little growl. “All the other women there liked it too.”
“So, should I wear one like this again or do you not like what you hear when I’m dressed like this?” He scooped her up and carried her to bed.
“I think you like it when women fawn over you now that you don’t have to hide.”
He set her down and spun her around. He fumbled with her corset laces while kissing her neck. “I only like it when you fawn over me. Don’t think I didn’t notice some men staring at you with interest in this dress. They looked confused and interested at the same time. I have no idea what I’m going to do when we’re joined by the Avalians and they want to compete with me for your attention.”
He was still trying to get that bloody corset loosened and she was grinding her backside against him. Whoever laced her up did it like she never intended to take it off. He didn’t want to ruin her wedding dress just in case she intended to save it, but he got frustrated and gave it a hard yank. She spun around and shoved him so he was sitting down on the bed.
“There’s an easier way,” she chucked, going for the eye hooks hidden in the front. He didn’t understand much about women’s clothing. “Do you want that show now?”
“I want you naked as soon as possible,” he growled. Now that he was used to her signals, there were things he wanted to do to her that he thought she would like that were his idea and not something he had read.
Her long fingers made quick work of the eye hooks as she asked if he intended to keep his clothes on. He was out his clothes just as she tugged her skirt off. God, she was beautiful without her clothes on.
“Lay on your back,” he ordered. She didn’t fight or ask questions. She obediently did as he asked.
He started with her ankles, worshiping her muscular legs and kissed his way up to her thighs. She was moaning when he got to where he wanted to be. Isolde was slick and waiting when his tongue darted inside her. She always tasted like honey and he let his tongue dart in and out the way he had done with his shaft the night they had made love all night.
He let his fingers replace his tongue and moved that higher up. He was only teasing her now, drawing it out. The addition of his fingers this time seemed to have a huge effect on her. It was harder to hold her still and that little cry he loved was louder this time. He gave her what she wanted when she finally begged for him to go faster.
When he could tell she was getting close, he removed his fingers and grabbed his shaft. Before she went completely over the edge, he swiftly moved up to claim her lips and thrust into her quickly. He felt her clamp down on him and buck beneath him. He kept exploring her mouth with his tongue and easing himself in and out of her slowly until her body stopped shaking. He’d never asked her if he was any good the night they made love. He tried to judge it by how she felt when she fluttered and spasmed around him.
He started teasing her again pulling all the way out slowly and easing his way back in. “Was it any good, Isolde?”
“Are you trying to torture me, Elan?”
“I’ll give you everything you want, but I need to know I’m on the right track.”
“You’ve been amazing since the first night. It’s only gotten more intense since then. You really can’t tell I’m enjoying it?” She looked hurt. “The courtesans said I could pretend if I didn’t like it, but if I wasn’t enjoying myself, I would just tell you. I can’t even think straight when you are doing things to me. All I can concentrate on is you.” He felt himself throb with desire for her. Her eyes went to slits. “I felt that. Why do you want to talk right now?” she purred.
“How can I make it better?” he asked, speeding up a little. He wasn’t going to be able to talk much longer, but maybe she would give him a hint for tonight. It was their wedding night, after all.
“Elan! If things were any more intense between us, I wouldn’t be able to walk!”
“You were walking a little funny the night we bonded. How about I do that every night?”
“Well, are you going to make me walk funny or are you going to talk all night?”
“The only words I want to hear from you from the rest of the night is you screaming my name,” he said, nibbling her collarbone.
She answered by digging her fingernails into his back the way he liked.
Chapter 35
Galih was up with the sun. Taking down a religious cult the day after a huge wedding was not ideal. He hoped everyone involved was sober and well rested. He could count on the soldiers to be at their peak, but the majority of their plan was in the hands of seventeen teenagers who would have wanted to celebrate at the wedding. Jaka got Elan and Isolde out of there at a decent h
our, but Galih didn’t know if the two of them continued to celebrate when they got back to Elan’s chambers or if they were smart and slept to prepare for battle.
All of the mentors of the other fifteen were instructed to keep an eye on them. If they were celebrating a little too hard, they were to get them back to their chambers, and not let them stay too late. He couldn’t stay and watch. When the celebration was in full swing, he snuck out with Eros and met his bond animal in the forest. They had to let Hikmat and Koswara out the ship so they could find their way back for the meeting.
Their memories had already been manipulated. He had to decide what to leave and what to change. Meida had already gotten rid of Hikmat’s child and was staying at another safe house. As much as Galih wanted to erase Meida from his mind, there were too many people in The Children who knew her face. He had to leave both Meida and Nia in their memories. Only Koswara and Hikmat knew Isolde’s true identity, so they didn’t get to keep that memory after the wedding.
It ended up being Sura with the idea for what memory to plant for them waking up alone after being gone several days. Galih and Eros would have to bring them back to the cabin and stage the scene for what Hikmat and Galih now believed. They now had memories that they got to the cabin and found Meida alone. They tortured her for hours, then killed her. It lasted well into the late hours of the night.
They found a stockpile of Chilled Hell in the cabin and celebrated a little too hard on empty stomachs. They would wake up believing they had killed Meida and merely passed out drunk. Eros was going to arrange it so that Hikmat and Koswara woke up with just enough time to drag themselves back home and prepare for their meeting. Hikmat would hear about Elan and Isolde. He could either plan an attack or he could go to his meeting and feed some lie to his followers that may now be doubting him. If he lost his edge with his numbers, his plan would start falling apart. Galih thought it was logical that he would face his followers and plot after the meeting.
Child of Fire, Child of Ice-A Sci-fi Romance Series Page 26