by H. A. Harvey
Autumn would have blanched if her skin wasn’t already white. She didn’t like the idea of Nian facing something that all of the Incarnates wanted destroyed. She liked even less the thought of him facing it alone. Autumn looked back over her shoulder.
“Riona won’t turn back.” Autumn murmured as she turned back to face Nian. “Any of them . . . any of us would follow you into the burning gates or to the frozen spire if you asked it of us. But Riona won’t turn back.”
“How do you know?”
“She’s committed to this, to helping you, with everything she has.” Autumn smiled at him, “Maybe because I’m a Dryad, I’m better at seeing irreversible commitment . . . or maybe I’m a little bit jealous.”
Nian bent and kissed her. The strong grip of his mouth on hers made her knees quake, so she clung to him for support and kissed back in self-defense more than anything else. Then she forgot why she was kissing him and just did, and that was better. When they finally parted for breath, Nian rested the side of his cheek against hers and whispered into her ear.
“Does this mean you’ve thought about it?”
Autumn flinched inwardly. She’d thought of almost nothing else. At first she’d been thrilled, and wanted to stop right there in the tavern and tackle him with kisses. Yet, something stopped her, so she’d kept quiet. When Nian risked offending Dante and making enemies where they really didn’t need them just for slighting her, she realized what it was. She was his bane and his weakness. Having her at is side, Nian would always second guess himself, and put himself at the hazard even if she didn’t ask him to. She’d decided to tell him no, but now that the moment was upon her, she couldn’t force the answer out. Instead, she kissed his neck and tried a different tactic.
“I have some conditions.”
Nian set her down, though Autumn couldn’t remember when he’d picked her up, and looked into her eyes. “Alright, whatever they are, I agree.”
. . .
“You haven’t heard them yet.”
Autumn laughed softly. Nian loved her laugh. It was like a child laughing into a hollow log. There was a pure joy and innocence to it, carried on the wooden echo of her voice. He’d never heard it before tonight, but quietly resolved to try and make her laugh as often as possible.
“You agreed to my conditions before you knew anything about them.”
“This is different.”
“Alright,” Nian sighed and gave Autumn another squeeze that pulled her off her feet for a moment. “I’ll hear conditions for your surrender then.”
“First, I don’t want you to stick up for me unless I ask you to. I appreciate it, I do, but I grew up around a pretty rowdy bunch of mercenaries. I can handle myself and I’ll let you know if I need help.”
“I know you can, I jus-“ Nian trailed off as Autumn tilted her head at him, “Fine, I agree.”
“Two, you tell me what you’re planning, even if it’s stupid or dangerous, like playing bait for a dragon by yourself. I promise I’ll hear you out, but never leave me in the dark again.”
“Done.” Nian thought momentarily about arguing, but realized that he probably wouldn’t have made it out of the dragon fight without her last-minute distraction. “Anything else?”
“One more, don’t be pushy.”
“Agreed.”
“No, that’s not it.” Autumn chided him. “I have to say this one right so don’t interrupt. You said a couple times that you can’t live without me, and I don’t like that, especially since I know you mean it. When . . . when I died, and came back, I’d have beat you senseless if I could have when I found out you quit. The one thing that made it worthwhile was knowing you’d carry a piece of me with you. It’s become clear that you’re more than mortal, which means you could live almost ten of my lifetimes. If you can’t carry on when I’m gone, then we should part now, and you just know I am out there, and I love you. But if we stay together, you have to swear you’ll keep going even when you eventually lose me.”
Nian balked. He’d forgotten about the lifespan, or just assumed Autumn had to be a demigod as well. Yet, it made sense. The fairy queen had said there were two members of the group that weren’t ‘awakened.’ She and David had been the only ones that weren’t dragged into his melancholy after the dragon fight.
Of course, the queen’s term seemed to indicate that it wasn’t entirely determined by birth who became ‘awakened.’ Perhaps there was some way to awaken Autumn, or maybe the unicorn’s touch had done that for him. However, as he reeled at the thought of enduring centuries after Autumn passed, the thought occurred to him that ‘waking’ Autumn would not just change who she was, but possibly doom her to the same fate, if something happened to him. Then, of course, he thought of her own nature, and that there was only her tie to him keeping her from giving up. Finally, he nodded.
“I agree, but with my own condition.” Nian paused and kissed Autumn’s pale lips softly. “That vow needs to apply to both of us.”
Autumn looked at him, her golden eyes glinting softly in the darkness. Nian imagined she was thinking much of the same thoughts, or even reconsidering her promise to stay behind when they went after Karen. Finally, she nodded and kissed him back to seal the oath.
“I promise.” She breathed, only parting a hair’s breadth from his lips to answer. “And nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life as your bride.”
Nian grinned from ear to ear, and saw her smile back. This wasn’t a practiced, intentional smile, but a genuine gleam of joy.
“Wait here!” Nian hugged her briefly. “I’ll get the wizard or Uncle Dante to marry us tonight!”
Nian turned and started back toward the festival, but was brought up short by Autumn’s hand on his wrist. The Dryad was still smiling as she yanked him back into the shadowed orchard.
“I’ll take the Emissary’s word on it.”
Nian let Autumn lead him into the grove a dozen paces or so, before he gave her arm a tug. She spun back, leaping up and clinging to his hips with her knees, attacking him with kisses as she bore him backward onto the ground. Autumn’s nimble fingers had his cloak unclasped and swept back over his shoulders almost before they struck the ground roughly. She broke their kiss long enough to tug his shirt over his head. To say Nian was stunned by Autumn’s aggression would be like saying Nilheim had cool winters. It wasn’t until she guided his hands under her dress to grasp her slender hips that he began to catch up to her.
Nian slid his palms up Autumn’s back, kneading her wiry muscles through her soft but resilient skin. He sat up and kissed her smooth neck, evoking a soft moan from the Dryad. His arms slid her dress up as his hands worked their way up her spine to her shoulders. Autumn slipped her arms inside the dress and ducked her head in after. He felt her soft lips against his chest as her slender fingers unfastened his trousers. Then, as he dropped the dress to the side and looked back to admire his bride, she froze. Afraid he’d done something wrong, Nian stopped moving as well. After a moment, Autumn cursed under her breath.
“What’s wrong?”
“Damn that unicorn . . . I can’t do it.” Autumn flattened against his chest dejectedly. “It must count as harming myself . . . the first time at least.”
Nian held back an aggravated huff. It took more than a few deep breaths, but he forced himself to try to be understanding. He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“It’s alright.” Nian kissed Autumn’s forehead. “I’ll still be yours when this wears off. We can wait a little longer.”
“Not on your life!” Autumn growled as she sat up. “I should’ve done this in Deepwood, and we missed the chance at the fairy grove. I’m not getting cheated out of my wedding night by magic. You do it.”
Autumn rolled onto her back and tugged at Nian to follow. He slid over atop her and leaned down to kiss her. The interruption had killed the frantic p
ace, but Nian wasn’t certain that was a bad thing. After all this was, as Autumn pointed out, their wedding night.
Instead of rushing back to the threshold where they had been disrupted, Nian drifted from Autumn’s lips along the smooth skin running from her ear to her collarbone. He slowly explored and caressed every inch of her with the feathered touch of his lips and the more forceful grasp of his strong hands pressing his fingertips firmly enough to dimple her thick skin. Autumn stirred in surprise at first, but quickly melted into writhing beneath his attentions and giving soft moans of pleasure. When he was certain neither of them could hold back much longer, he eased back to meet her gaze.
Autumn gave a small gasp as he pressed forward, but nodded to urge him onward. Soon, they were coiled about each other in such heated passion that somewhere in the back of his mind, Nian wondered if they were far enough into the orchard to avoid being disturbed. If anyone heard them over the din of the sendoff, they were courteous enough not to investigate.
When they finally fell away from each other, the bright stars overhead told Nian it must be well past midnight. At some point, the music had died off, and either they were safely beyond the reach of most voices, or the gathering had dispersed. Nian didn’t feel much of an urge to investigate which was the case. Instead, he pulled Autumn back against him and wrapped the cloak beneath them around her back and over them as a blanket. Autumn reached her alabaster arm out over his shoulder toward one of the dwarfed cherry trees, paused, then withdrew her hand again with a slightly rueful chuckle.
“I can’t even pick a flower.” Autumn kissed Nian’s shoulder and rested her cheek against his chest. “I’m really starting to hate this unicorn thing, I hope I never see one again.”
“She did bring you back to me, but I hope that, at least, never has to happen again.” Nian half-turned back and plucked a blossom from the tree, depositing its stem into Autumn’s hair. “Besides, I think you’re off of the unicorn-visiting list now.”
Autumn brushed against him playfully. “Because of this? I dunno. I think, if the unicorn’s power can stop me from picking a flower, it wouldn’t have let me do this either, or at least not enjoy it. I think ‘pure’ might not be fouled up by the right kind of sex. This was right.”
Autumn played with her nails along Nian’s back idly, sending a delightful tingle through him.
“With the unicorn’s repulsion from violence, I probably didn’t qualify before.” Autumn mused. “I got the feeling she was there because the queen brought her. She stood away from me as soon as she could.”
“Rowan had killed things before when he saw one.”
Autumn shrugged. The feeling of her skin shifting against his made Nian wish she’d do it again. “Maybe it’s different if you kill to eat, or keep from being eaten. It’s kinda like I feel this was different than just liking someone in the tavern and fooling around.”
“Maybe.” Nian thought back to Kolel comparing Creation to a woman. You could examine your entire life and never fully understand, but not have wasted a moment of time in the trying. He decided he had enough rules to figure out without worrying about unicorns. “I have another condition.”
“Too late.” Autumn giggled as she snuggled tight against him. “You already made the pact.”
Nian laughed and kissed her on the forehead, “I was going to say, we need to start finding a bed. Huddling in a cloak is getting a little old.”
“I think it’s cozy.”
“Well, that’s because you’re taking up more than half of it.”
“Live it up, Nian. Eventually, I’ll be able to smack you again.”
21
The Gates of Kadis
Dante stood just inside the shade of The Den’s awning and waved energetically at the approaching column of cavalry. The baron’s response had been quicker than he’d expected, but one didn’t get to be an Uncle to the Family by making a habit of being caught unawares. He gave his most respectful bow as their commander broke ranks and galloped ahead.
“Lord General!” Dante greeted the Dracis with an extravagant bow. “Your speed in answering my missive is impressive! Alas, tha carnivale troupe refused to remain beyond a single night. Tramps and thieves the lot of them.”
The Dracis glared down at the fat calico. “Or you warned them off as you sent word to me, hoping to avoid them holing up in your inn.”
“The reward for tha capture of their ogre would purchase two such buildings, your Lordship.” Dante answered quickly. “After all, he who has tha gold, makes tha rules.”
“Ogre?”
“A one-eyed lout, just as tha criers said tha Scourge be. He is disguised as an ox by magic, good sir.” Dante nodded, “One of my Cousins saw through their wizardry.”
“Which way did they go?”
“Gateward, by all accounts of tha locals, is where tha troupe headed. Down tha road to Coronet.” Dante held up a single, pudgy digit. “But, I also heard of a small group of travelers crept out in tha night, before tha carnival broke camp. That group headed Spireward, three or four o’ them at tha most.”
The general turned his horse and rode back to his men. Three riders broke off and headed back up the road to Kadis while the rest set out along the Gateward road. The giant destriers quaked the ground as they road past, shaking loose more than a few ceiling tiles from The Den and even a few wall stones from some of the older buildings in the square. Dante watched the cavalry vanish down the main street with a small crowd of townsfolk clustering behind them to watch them pass. He made a small gesture and Ates dropped from the rafters to land behind him.
“He doesn’t believe you, but can’t risk not investigating.” Ates stated evenly. “He told six men to break off before they leave town and watch the inn.”
“I expected as much.” Dante nodded, “Enough of the Family follow the Golden Rule that abrupt men like that assume we all do. So, he’d expect me to lie, which is why I told him the truth.”
“Not all of it.” Ates chuckled.
“No?” Dante smiled, “Tha carnivale wagon travelled towards Coronet with the wizard and the ogre, as well as their woodsman. If tha general brought a skilled tracker along, he’ll find tha ox tracks broke off yesterday afternoon and headed Wheelward into tha verge of tha Brogan Vale. And, if he hadn’t assumed I meant tha Spireward road, he might have seen tha others’ tracks headed across-country.”
Ates blinked up at the massive calico. “Should I send word to the others to move on? The general is bound to discover them so close.”
“Tha general is a predator, Ates; a predator on tha hunt. He is hungry, which makes him angry and dangerous, but also prone to mistakes.” Dante replied calmly. “Do you know how tha bobcat catches tha grouse? His sense of smell gets him close, but tha grouse panics because he knows tha predator is so close, and tries to flee.”
Dante snapped his fist shut with a loud popping of knuckles.
“That’s when tha grouse gets caught. If he’d stayed still, tha bobcat would assume he smelt a bird that had already left and move on himself. Sometimes, tha trick is to keep still when everything says move. No, we will trust your cousin to forward word to tha Emissary, though I may send you on an errand to buy slaves at tha salt mines this afternoon. Speak to as many Cousins as you see along the way, about tha weather, tha war with Tyre, or draperies if you wish. Nothing like a little extra scent to drive the bobcat wild, eh?”
Dante clapped Ates on the shoulder as he turned to head back into the inn.
“Have tha cook bring up something to tide us over till luncheon.” He paused momentarily, “Perhaps quail if we have some caught.”
. . .
Eulalia stopped a few steps outside the workman’s lodge and dusted her leather travelling breeches and silk blouse clean of cobwebs. Nian had to step to the side to avoid bumping into her and knocking the little Sattal down.
“That
’s about all there is too it.” Lally said with a grin, “Uncle Dante said the camp has been abandoned since the silver mine played out decades ago. Just about anything of value or worth carrying at least was stripped, but with the few pads we were able to cart up, it should be more comfortable than the road. Most of you can stay in the worker’s lodge. Axios will probably be most comfortable in the old foundry, it was designed for wagons to roll in and out of there. Oh, and of course, the foreman’s cottage will have to do for the newlyweds.”
Autumn stepped up behind him and coiled her arms around his waist. She’d been anything but her normal stoic self since they returned to the carnival camp and announced their marriage. She almost glowed, and touched or held him any chance she got. Nian wasn’t sure what to make of the new Autumn. He liked the attention, but wondered if she was still planning on keeping her word and staying behind when they had to move on and save Karen. Still, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to soak up as much time together as they could before that.
There had been a mixture of surprise, congratulations, and a little upset at their news. Riona and Rowan especially argued that there hadn’t been any ceremony and seemed upset that they hadn’t been invited to witness. Still, both Nian and Autumn felt they’d exchanged vows, and kissed, and it was enough for them, and Autumn had been adamant that there really couldn’t be a better official to marry them than the Emissary of Hope himself. Rowan seemed to have an issue with the presiding official being part of the bonding, and Riona insisted there couldn’t be a wedding without a ring. In the end, they’d relented and agreed to have a ceremony for the benefit of friends once they’d reached Dante’s hiding place, but were already married as far as they cared to think.
Autumn tried to make it clear she didn’t wear jewelry, ever, but Riona wouldn’t have it. Xain helped the dancer-turned-wedding planner sift through the dragon hoard until they found a beautiful gold ring made to look like a rose, its stem coiled into the hoop and a trio of leaves held a large ruby in place of a blossom. Riona had rejected the ring at first, saying it had to have a diamond or nothing, everybody knows that, and the thorns on the sides of the hoop would make it painful to wear longer than an evening. Autumn, however, overrode her. She said the ring matched her hair, and thorns of gold wouldn’t irritate her other fingers. Despite her initial protests to the idea of jewelry, Autumn seemed quite taken with the little ring, and always had it in plain view when she wasn’t looking at it herself. Even now, Nian looked down and saw her left hand folded atop her right to keep it glinting on top.