by Ann Mayburn
Lady Yanush whispered a rather crude swear word as Lacey stood with Jillian in her arms, her gaze once again defiant.
At the other end of the table, Lady Elsin nodded, a faint smile still curving her lips. “Only the Hive would consider a mother’s love something to fear. I find there is a certain poetic justice here, the guiding hand of the Lord of Life.”
A scowling Lord Pompour and his Matriarch returned to the table, one of those who’d left out of fear of what Lacey would do. As the other members returned to their seats, the whispers coming from the crowd were loud enough to create an undulating hiss through the massive domed chamber. He could practically feel the gaze of the audience staring at him, even though it was physically impossible. They were more than half the galaxy away, yet that didn’t change the sensation that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
Nodding her head to one of the Warriors at the High Congress chamber, Lady Yanush said, “Lord Baildio, can you please share your assessment of Lady Taylor’s gift?”
The look he gave Lacey was kind, and Gwarnon’s tension eased a little as the older Warrior said, “Lady Taylor has the gift for projecting her emotions, as we all felt. It is different from the ability to make someone feel an emotion in that she is sharing her feelings, not forcing others to feel their version of whatever emotion she is giving off. When I felt her love for her child, it was Lady Taylor’s love I felt, not my own, as I have never been a mother.”
This got a few chuckles from the crowd, and even Lacey smiled as Jillian wiggled out of her mother’s arms to stand at her side.
“Thank you for your assessment, Lord Baildio,” Lady Elsin gave Jillian a smile that was warmer than any he’d ever seen. “Little one, it is time for the adults to talk now. Thank you for visiting with us.”
Gwarnon gave Lord Rell an admiring glance, seeing his mentor’s genius in the maneuver. By admitting what she had done, Lacey had taken the focus off Lady Roxy and her much more dangerous gift, giving them a valid reason for having won the fight. With a Truth Speaker in the room, any lies Lacey might have told would have been called out at once. If the High Congress had discovered that Lady Roxy possessed the dreshentah, the chances of her being allowed back on Kadothia would have been much slimmer. Now Lady Roxy would be able to come back to Kadothia without being interrogated about her involvement in the Hive battle.
Lacey knelt and gave Jillian a long hug before she passed her off to a waiting Warrior with red and purple short hair.
After the little girl was gone, Lord Rell moved forward in the circle, his cape shifting like liquid light as he stood before the High Congress. “As I am sure most of you noticed, you didn’t feel Lady Taylor’s emotions as she said goodbye to her daughter. Her mates have taught her the basics of controlling her bond. She has command over her gift and is no danger to Kadothia.”
“That is all fine and well,” Lord Pompour said as he stood with an imperious tilt to his chin, “but the fact still stands that Warrior Gwarnon and Healer Chel broke our laws by going to the Baladium. I am as sympathetic as any other Kadothian male to their plight, but the facts remain that they didn’t know their bondmate was at the Baladium. We have many cases to see today, High Lady Yanush. I move we take a vote on the men’s punishment.”
Lady Yanush reluctantly said, “This is true. No matter the circumstances, or how sympathetic to them I may be, the fact remains that these men broke a high-level law. I will convene with my fellow High Congress members until we come to a decision.”
Turning away from the High Congress, Gwarnon stared at his alyah, aching to reach out and touch her. He had a million questions, chiefly among them why she abandoned them and why she didn’t contact them to tell them she was all right. He’d been going out of his mind with worry and bitter depression.
“Remember,” Lord Rell sent to him, “do not object.”
Lady Elsin’s cold voice cracked the silence like a whip. “We have come to a decision. Warrior Gwarnon and Healer Chel, your Territory is hereby stripped from your holdings on Kadothia. You may not own land on Kadothia for the term of one hundred years.”
“Who will our Territory go to?” Chel asked in a voice trembling with anger.
“That is up to you to decide,” Lady Yanush said. “As I said, we do recognize the unusual circumstances that led to you breaking our law, and as such we offer you the choice. Your old Territory may either go to your nearest relative for one hundred years, or you may enter it into the Lottery.”
“The Lottery,” both Chel and Gwarnon said in unison, even as Gwarnon’s heart broke.
Better that some young blood brother Warriors win the territory than Lady Melissi get her hands on it. All his people that he rescued were about to be under the hand of a stranger, one who might not understand how and why his people were so damaged. Or care. A shudder worked through his soul, the profound sorrow of failing his people causing minute fractures between his soul and the Madness.
His guilt and sorrow compounded when he realized that, without a Territory, Lacey would have no power or position on Kadothia. She would be unable to form her own court and would be treated as an outcast. True, she had a fortune of her own, and they could live anywhere in the Galaxy, but Kadothia was by far the safest place for her—especially with the Hive so eager to capture her.
“Then it is done,” Lady Yanush declared.
Lady Elsin began to dismiss them. “May the Lord of Life bless you—”
“If I may?” A woman’s voice with the same rolling accent as Lacey’s came from behind him. “I wish to approach the High Congress in a matter regarding my daughter and Roilinda’s Decree.”
His crystal implant quickly supplied the information on the ancient law, his confusion turning slowly to surprise as he watched a Matriarch who looked like an older, softer version of Lacey join them. She had her daughter’s light blonde hair and bore the swirling bondmarks of a Matriarch. There was a sense of strength and purpose about her, and even though she wasn’t physically present in his holographic chamber, he swore he could feel her presence.
Lady Elsin was quiet for a moment, then she gave one of her rare smiles. “Roilinda’s Decree… that has not been enacted in centuries.”
“But it is still a valid law,” Lord Rell reminded the High Congress, “if a rarely used one.”
Holding out an old fashioned looking rolled piece of paper, Lady Tara Taylor gave the High Congress an imperious look as she said, “I would like to register my daughter’s engagement gift—a Territory on Madre Tierra. I believe this would satisfy the High Congress’s punishment for Gwarnon and Chel, without unduly punishing my daughter as well by stripping her of her rights as a Matriarch.”
“Objection!” Lord Pompour shouted, his cheeks red with a harsh flush. “A land without people is not a Territory.”
“You are quite correct,” Lady Tara all but purred, her red lips quirking on one side into the same smirk Lacey liked to give. “Thankfully, as of one hour ago, over two million Kadothian citizens settled in Lacey’s new Territory on Madre Tierra and began the long task of creating her new Territory.”
“In addition,” Lord Rell said as he inclined his head to Lady Tara, “there are slaves that Lady Lacey won, and subsequently freed from the Baladium, who wish to reside in her Territory. They will all be, of course, thoroughly vetted before allowing to settle. I have prepared a report on some of the potential settlers, and I think you can all agree that it would be very good for Kadothia’s reputation in the galaxy to have these people on our side.”
“These two million Kadothian citizens,” Lady Yanush asked with her eyes narrowed, “Where did they come from?”
“I made the offer to the people of Gwarnon and Chel’s Territory, of course. Roilinda’s Decree stipulates that the daughter must offer shelter to her fiancé’s people as well as her own. I made the offer and was quite surprised at the number of citizens who requested a place in the Territory I planned on gifting my daughter on Madre Tierra.”
The
red in Lord Pompour’s cheeks had crept all the way to his hairline, and Gwarnon wondered if the man would simply keel over from rage. No doubt Lord Pompour was aware that Lady Melissi wanted Gwarnon’s Territory and the people in it. And no doubt Lord Pompour and Lady Melissi’s other allies would be feeling his mother’s wrath tonight. He could just picture her now, throwing an epic fit as she was denied what she wanted. The sense of relief coming from Chel joined with his own as their spirits briefly touched.
Lady Elsin had joined Lady Yanush, and both were going over the document while the rest of the High Congress watched in silence.
“Everything looks to be in order,” Lady Yanush gave Lady Tara an admiring look. “By Kadothian Law, Lady Lacey must bond her mates within thirty days of attaining her Territory.” She glanced over at Gwarnon and Chel. “Though I do not think this will be an issue.”
Gwarnon nodded, keeping his face impassive as he said, “We plan on bonding our alyah the moment we return to Kadothia.”
“Excellent.” A chime rang out as Lady Elsin said, “This session of the High Congress is over. There will be a brief twenty-minute break before we resume hearing cases.”
The holographic world faded around them, leaving a beaming Lacey and her mother standing with them as Lord Rell let out a breath of relief.
“Well, that was fun,” Tara said as she shared an amused look with her daughter. “Care to introduce me to your beaus?”
His alyah blushed, the pink on her cheeks making her eyes sparkle as she held out a hand. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Gwarnon and Chel, my bondmates.”
Fisting their hands to their hearts, both men said, “It is an honor.”
Lord Rell cocked his head to the side for a moment, then said, “The High Congress is asking us to exit the chambers so they can get ready for the next case.”
Lacey reached out, her holographic hand hovering over their faces for a moment as she gave them a small smile. “I’ll see you soon, right?”
“As soon as we can get there,” Gwarnon assured her.
The image of Lord Rell and the women faded, leaving a rather stunned Gwarnon and Chel looking at each other.
“Well,” Chel finally said with a smile teasing the side of his mouth. “That didn’t go as I expected.”
“No, it did—”
A searing, crippling pain tore through his mind, worse than anything he’d ever experienced. It felt as if something deep inside of him was being broken, and power seared into his mind. He cried out, collapsing to his knees as Chel gave out a similar shout of agony. Together the men crumpled to the ground while the doors to the room opened and the sound of men rushing in reached him.
“Gwarnon, Chel!” Orushel shouted. “What is wrong?”
Chel gave a harsh, coughing gasp before he said, “Gwarnon’s mental shields are gone. His Matriarch either severed the bond or she is dead.”
Gwarnon let out another pain-filled roar, the flimsy bars holding back the madness straining as only his bond with Chel and a far too distant Lacey held it back. He writhed in agony, his mind feeling like it was about to explode at any moment. Lurching to his feet, he grasped his head and roared, the strain of fighting the madness crushing his mind in a brutal fist.
Voices rose in panic around him and he felt a slightly painful prick right before blessed darkness closed over his sight.
Chapter 11
Chel
Looking at his brother, strapped to the medical bed with restraints strong enough to anchor a ship, Chel wept.
Right before he’d managed to sedate Gwarnon, his blood brother had displayed all the signs of the madness. And the feeling that had tried to surge through the bond and into Chel—it had scared the life out of him. Anger, such anger and hatred, that it had made him sick, but deep inside, a part of him that he didn’t even recognize strained against the boundaries of his soul. An unthinking animal who only wanted to feast and kill.
The only sound in the room came from their breathing, and Chel remained slumped against the wall nearest to the door, his hope fading by the moment that they would make it to Lacey in time.
Despite being knocked out by the tranquilizers, Gwarnon still snarled and roared in his sleep, his incisors refusing to retract.
Chel was afraid to open one of Gwarnon’s eyelids, afraid he would only see the black of a blown out pupil instead of the rim of brilliant deep blue and silver of Gwarnon’s iris.
“Sir,” came Orushel’s voice through his mental implant, “there are six unidentified ships closing in on us.”
Chel cursed, pushing off the wall as he gave his two men a hard look. “Stay here with him, no matter what. Guard him with your life.”
He didn’t wait for their reply, sprinting through the ship to the command post where Orushel was frowning at a giant display of the area surrounding their ship. Like most of space, it was empty other than a few bits of debris, so the ships were easy to spot. He frowned as he stared at the screen, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
“Why is there a Moriskan ship, a Cowtar sniper ship, and three Holy Quinhu Empire battle cruisers moving in formation in our direction?” Chel asked as he mentally readied the ships defenses. “We were in stealth mode when we left the Baladium, no one should have been able to track us.”
“The Quinhu’s wish to speak with you,” Orushel said as his fingers moved over the display before him.
“Allowed,” Chel said, bracing himself for whatever additional trial they were about to face.
An elegant female Quinhu appeared on the screen, the long golden plume of her feathered crest flexing slightly as her gaze scanned Chel. She wore the armor of a high priestess, the golden accents glittering in the light and calling attention to her well-muscled frame. A Quinhu Battle Maiden, his crystal implant helpfully supplied. Considered the equivalent of a Kadothian General.
Quickly learning the correct protocol, Chel dropped his head to his chin twice, then said, “Battle Maiden, you honor us with your presence. How may I be of assistance?”
To his surprise, the Battle Maiden dropped her chin twice, her teeth clicking together in a way that made him wince.
“It is we who are honored to be in your presence,” the Battle Maiden said. “And it is we who offer assistance.”
Orushel gave him a startled look as Chel quickly said, “Without giving offense, may I ask why you are offering us this gift?”
“We learned that you are to become Lady Lacey’s bondmates, and wish to repay her kindness with an act of similar value.” Her head quirked to the left in a birdlike way, her teeth clicking again before she said, “It is part of the foundation rules of our Holy Empire to return life debts. Lady Lacey freed twenty of our people, both royal and common, that she won in the Baladium. She did this without asking for rewards or demanding treaties and sacrifices. She did it because she believed it was the right thing to do. Acts of honor like that are to be respected. We, along with the Moriscan and Cowtar people offer you safe escort to the edges of the Kadothian territory.”
Chel digested this, then ran his tongue over his teeth before saying, “Will this be a dangerous mission for you?”
The Battle Maiden chuckled. “No, but without us, it would have been a dangerous mission for you. Going off without an escort, thinking that no one would notice—are you daft? The various bounties and personal vendettas against you are enormous. We would be extremely disappointed if Lady Lacey’s bondmates turned out to be fools that got themselves killed before they could return to her side.”
He couldn’t exactly tell them that Gwarnon lay in the hold, mindless and sedated, and that every moment they spent speaking was a moment that might be Gwarnon’s last.
“We have our reasons,” was all Chel said in reply. “If you are ready, we need to continue on with our journey.”
“And thank you,” Orushel said pointedly, “for your protection.”
“No thanks needed.” The Battle Maiden gave an odd trilling chirp then said, “One of my nes
t mates were among those kidnapped by the slavers and sold to the Baladium. I am grateful for her return.”
The screen went blank and Chel shook his head as he said, “Full speed to Kadothia. Now that we’re no longer hiding, we can travel much faster.”
As Orushel and the rest of the crew set about their tasks, Chel made his way back to the medical hold, praying they would make it in time.
True to their word, Lacey’s allies left the as soon as the ship reached Kadothian held space. As the massive purple, gold, blue, and green ball that was their home planet appeared on the screen, Chel let out a sigh that many of his crew echoed. They’d all fought so hard for their world, sacrificed so much. Many of the people living on Kadothia had done so in peace for generations, forgetting the price paid by the Warriors and Matriarchs that kept them so safe. A new sight caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, an unfamiliar small planet that had pale golden clouds, dark earth, blue oceans, and tiny swaths of green here and there.
Madre Tierra, a newly born world, made specifically for the Earth Matriarchs. He had to admit, he’d never considered living there before. But now, the idea of being among the first to settle there, to make their home from the ground up, appealed to him.
He could see himself living a full life there…if Gwarnon managed to hold off the madness.
After sending instructions to the landing site, Chel went back down to the medical hold with his blood brother. Though he wished to wake him, he knew the protocol. If even a hint of the madness was detected, the Warrior had to be kept in a secured facility until his sanity could be assessed. Chel knelt by Gwarnon’s side, taking his hand in his own and giving it a firm squeeze as he whispered, “Fight it. Fight it with everything you have. We are home, and our alyah is waiting for us. Please, my mate, I beg of you, fight.”
Chapter 12
Lacey
Chills of anticipation raced over Lacey’s skin as her implant informed her that Gwarnon and Chel’s ship approached.