by S. E. Smith
Her eyes filled with tears and she bowed her head. “I’m afraid,” she repeated.
Gril lifted her chin so she would look him in the eye. “I’m hoping there is a trader or merchant there who may have the part I need,” he began. “You said that traders came to do business with your people—which by the way breaks a few rules, but if they have the power crystal, I may have to look the other way. It is possible they have a power crystal. Besides, you wanted to get your father’s research and some of your belongings. I won’t let anything happen to you, Madas. I swear on my life as a Tearnat warrior. I will protect you until my last breath,” he vowed.
She shook her head. “You don’t understand, Gril. It isn’t me that I’m afraid for—it’s you. They may kill you before you even have a chance to speak,” she cautioned in a wavering voice.
He ran his thumb along against her trembling bottom lip and shook his head. He had never run from a fight and he would fight to the death for Madas. Her clan was different, but they still fell under the rule of the House of Royalty and he was the royal heir.
“It is time that your clan met me—and finds out who I am and what I am capable of doing both for them—and to them if necessary,” he replied in a voice that had grown hard.
Madas’s eyes widened with surprise. She stared back at him for several seconds before she nodded. A tiny, uneven smile curved her lips.
“Alright, but…,” she paused and took in a deep breath.
“But…,” he repeated.
“If I’m right, I’m never going to let you forget that I warned you,” she teasingly promised.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he retorted.
On the outskirts of the village:
Cardin shot the Tearnat a hostile glare. He was getting tired of being pushed around. For the last two days, they had searched for signs of Madas and the male that the Tearnat wanted, and found nothing. He had finally decided he’d had enough, and he tightened the circle they had been traveling in until they were within view of the village.
“I should have slit your throat two days ago when I knew you lied to me,” the Tearnat hissed.
“I told you yesterday that trying to find Madas in the forest is like trying to find a parasite on the backend of a night crawler! If you want to find her, then the village is the place to do it. She has to return! Even she can’t survive forever out in the forest alone. She will return and if the male you are looking for is still alive, he’ll be with her. You said yourself that his ship can’t fly. Where else would he get the parts he needs? He’ll have to come as well,” Cardin snapped.
The Tearnat eyed him with malice for a moment before her expression became suddenly shrewd. Cardin didn’t know if he should be relieved or more apprehensive than he already was. He didn’t trust the pale-skinned Tearnat not to kill him in plain view of the village.
He had been stunned when he realized that the Tearnat wasn’t a member of the village wearing a disguise to conceal their identity. Madas had accumulated her fair share of enemies over the past few years. In fact, he wouldn’t have put it past Queen Tima to order the death of her own daughter. What he had not expected was to see the pale Tearnat of myth standing in front of him.
“You had better be right, forest scum. Notify me the moment the female returns. If the male is not with her, I want to interrogate her myself,” the Tearnat ordered.
“Will I still get the credits?” he asked.
He nervously swallowed when the Tearnat smiled. Not for the first time he wondered if he was making a huge mistake. His gaze flashed to the card in the Tearnat’s hand. The number of credits displayed on it caused him to push his doubts aside.
“More than you could ever dream of,” the Tearnat responded.
Cardin returned the smile, his eyes locked on the card. “I can dream of a lot,” he lightly retorted even as he took a step away. “I will alert you the moment I see Madas.”
“You’d better, forest scum. You’d better.”
The Tearnat’s hushed threat engulfed Cardin in a cold sweat. He had seen what the Tearnat did to one of the Night Shadows that had attacked them. Blood and guts had coated the forest floor and surrounding foliage. The Tearnat had shown no hesitation during the killing blow, but the stranger had chosen to slice open the abdomen, ensuring the hairless beast died a very slow, brutal death, while the Tearnat happily watched.
Only when Cardin was close enough to the village to see others walking by did he break into a run. Once he reached his home, he locked himself inside. Sinking to the floor, he stared blindly across the ornate room.
“What have I done?” he whispered.
Madas paused in the shadows near the baker’s shop. Life appeared to be going on as normal. She pressed her back against the side of the building and looked at Gril. He was gazing out at the village with an expression of interest rather than concern.
“This is like stepping back in time,” he said in awe.
“Surely we are not that far behind,” she said.
He looked at her and smiled. “You have no idea,” he replied with a shake of his head.
She frowned and turned to study the village where she had spent her entire life, trying to see it through Gril’s eyes. They had traders from other worlds arriving, but never directly to the village. A few selected merchants had been given permission to journey to a delivery spot set up west of the village.
Of course, she had been curious and followed them. They traveled on large motorized crafts and pulled a train of carts behind them. Their ships were square and bulky, unlike Gril’s ship.
“Regardless, don’t forget that you are in danger while you are here. Perhaps we should wait until nightfall. It will be easier to sneak into my home,” she fretted.
Gril reached over and touched her chin. “Have you thought about just walking out, holding my hand?” he suggested.
She opened her mouth to make a sarcastic remark, thought about what he suggested, then reluctantly grinned. What would happen if she just strolled into the village with Gril? She chuckled and shook her head.
“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve returned with something unusual. I wish L’eon were here. He would get a kick out of seeing Mother’s face,” she said as her smile faded.
Gril pressed a kiss to her lips. “He would have enjoyed this very much,” he replied.
She slipped her hand into his, gave him a critical look, and laughed. “You look like you’ve been in a battle,” she remarked.
Gril grinned. “I have. There was this very scary female who damn near put my balls in my throat and tried to kill me with a rock,” he reminded her.
Madas felt her cheeks warm. “I’m sure you deserved every moment,” she quipped in return.
“Only the moments when she healed me with her tender touch,” he countered.
“This is going to work, isn’t it?” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand and pulled her out from between the buildings. “We’ll never know until we try,” he said.
Madas held her spear in one hand and gripped Gril’s hand with the other. She kept her head held high and plastered a fake smile on her lips. One thing she had learned over the years—don’t let anyone know that you are vulnerable.
She nodded her head in greeting as she passed the opened-mouth baker who had been talking to the blacksmith. The blacksmith dropped the hammer on his foot, released a loud curse, and began to hop around on his uninjured foot. Gril’s soft laugh was infectious and she relaxed.
“Greetings,” Gril said with a majestic bow of his head.
“I think you’ve done this before,” she remarked under her breath.
He shot her an amused look. “Perhaps once or twice,” he acknowledged.
“Greetings, Joren,” Madas called out.
Madas fought a grin when her brother turned and almost fell over. His mouth dropped open and he stared at her as if seeing a ghost before his eyes shifted to Gril. He paled. His gaze moved down to their joined hands befo
re jerking back to her face.
“Madas! Where…? When…? How…? Mother… Mother sent Cardin, Goroff, and Orden to find you,” Joren stuttered.
Her lips twisted in a derision. “If that is the best Mother could do, then she must not be too interested in finding me,” she sarcastically retorted.
His gaze moved to Gril. “Are you going to eat us?” he choked out.
Gril laughed. “I’m afraid you are not my type,” he replied with an amused expression.
“Come on. You have to excuse Joren. I think his egg was dropped before he hatched,” she muttered.
Madas gingerly guided Gril around her gawking brother. Given the size of the crowd around them now, word of her return and Gril’s presence was quickly spreading. She guided Gril through the onlookers toward the large home shared by her family.
She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the long covered corridor that led to the inner courtyard. Her relief quickly faded when she saw her mother waiting for her. Her steps slowed until Gril was the one guiding her.
“So it is true—you have returned with a pale Tearnat by your side,” her mother sneered.
Madas lifted her chin and returned her mother’s haughty glare with one of her own. Her hand tightened on her spear. Her mother had brought more than her brothers and sisters along with her for this greeting—she had brought some of the seasoned warriors and several of the Councilmen—those whose loyalty she had ensured through her various deals.
“I am Prince Gril Tal Mod from the Royal House of Tearraid,” Gril introduced himself, releasing her hand and stepping forward.
“I am aware of who you are,” her mother coldly replied.
Shock hit Madas at Gril’s introduction. Prince!! It seemed he had withheld a very important piece of information! Then she realized she had not only stolen from a royal of the Sand Tearnat, but possibly—in the loosest interpretation—may have almost killed him once or twice. The third thing that struck her was that her mother knew who he was—while Madas had never heard of him before.
“We need to speak,” Gril stated in a voice that was just as hard as her mother’s. He wielded an air of authority just as easily as her mother did. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed before now, but Madas certainly didn’t miss the fury in her mother’s eyes. She was surprised when her mother looked away first.
“We will adjourn to the council arena—alone,” Tima replied.
Madas watched her mother turn. The crowd standing around her parted. Gril started forward and she followed. She kept her gaze focused on Gril and ignored the curious looks of the others as she passed through them.
Speeding up, she walked beside Gril. “Did you forget to tell me something?” she hissed under her breath.
He glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow. “That you are beautiful when you are protective?” he murmured.
She shot him a glare. “Prince? Royal House? Even as far removed as we are here, I’ve heard stories of the Royal House. Father used to tell me tales about it when I was a child. I thought he was making them up!” she growled.
Gril reached out, gripped her hand, and turned her to face him. “Does it matter?” he asked.
“No.”
Her response came without thinking. No, it didn’t matter. He squeezed her hand and began walking again. They walked in silence toward the Council arena where her mother had disappeared into. For once, Madas was actually looking forward to confronting her mother.
Cardin broke from the crowd and hurried out of the compound. He had slipped in when he heard the excited announcement from one of his father’s workers that Madas had returned with a pale Tearnat in tow. He glanced both ways before stepping into the shadows.
He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed him. The loud hum of excitement resonated through the air. He turned the corner at the end of the building and jerked to a stop when the Tearnat he had met suddenly appeared out of the tree line.
“She has returned?” the Tearnat demanded.
Cardin wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yes—with the pale Tearnat male that you seek,” he hoarsely replied. “You didn’t tell me that he was a prince of the Royal House.”
“Keep me informed,” the Tearnat ordered.
A shiver ran through Cardin when the other Tearnat stepped back into the woods and disappeared. There was only one other person he knew who could do that—Madas. He stepped back several feet before he turned and fled. The doubts he had before suddenly manifested into a sense of dread that he was in way over his head—and that this situation could very well cost him his life.
Tima stood facing Gril and her daughter. She angrily rolled the string of beads in her hand. If she could have gotten away with it, she would have wrapped the strand around Madas’s neck and strangled her for her impertinence. This was a moment she had worked very hard to avoid.
“What are you doing in the forest? The protective treaty specifically states that no members of the desert clan are allowed,” Tima stated.
“You knew about them?” Madas demanded.
Her mother sent her a derisive glare. “Silence, Madas. I will deal with you later,” she snarled.
Tima paled when she heard Gril growl. He stepped forward, putting his large body between Tima and Madas. There was no mistaking the protective stance he had taken.
“Be careful how you speak to my mate, Queen Tima, lest I have to remind you that even the clan of the Forest is under the governance of the Royal House,” Gril coldly informed her.
Tima lifted her chin. “You broke the treaty,” she said.
Gril’s lips curved into a cruel smile. “I suggest that you read Article XVII and focus on the fine print. The treaty states that any member of the Royal House or an appointee may visit should the need arise to provide protection, guidance, conduct relevant government business, or to enforce Tearnat laws. No action will be taken without the proper introduction of the visiting member to the ruling family of the Forest clan. I introduced myself to Madas—and now to you,” he calmly responded.
Tima’s fingers curled around the beads until they dug into her palm. “Regardless, there is no need for your presence here. We do not need your protection nor your guidance, and no Tearnat laws have been broken,” she said.
“You forgot relevant government business,” he pointed out.
Her gaze moved from Gril to Madas. Understanding dawned, and her rage grew until she could barely contain it. His protective posture could only mean one thing.
“It is forbidden,” she said, returning her gaze to him. “A prince or princess of the Royal House can only take a member of the High House of Commons as their mate. Madas is a princess of the Forest clan. This disqualifies her from being eligible.”
“While you may call yourself a queen here, you were not born to the Royal House. Your position was given to you. You are a leader of the High House of Commons. Madas may be a princess here, but according to Tearnat laws…,” he began.
Tima took a step forward. “I know what the Tearnat laws state. I will challenge them and you before both Houses if I have to. Madas has already been given to another male. As a princess, she has no choice in the decision. You can not have her!” she snapped.
“I will never belong to another male!” Madas angrily hissed, stepping forward.
“Silence! You are nothing more than a disobedient child who never learned her place!” Tima snapped.
She turned on Madas and flicked the necklace in her direction. Small, sharp blades the size of thorns emerged from the round wooden beads, and the string of beads flew toward Madas’s face with devastating accuracy.
Tima’s face paled when the beads wrapped around Gril’s wrist instead of striking Madas’s turned cheek. Droplets of blood formed where the spikes cut through his skin. He closed his fingers around the strand of beads and pulled, shattering the delicate chain holding them together and sending them scattering across the floor.
“There is an obscure law, Queen Ti
ma, but a law none-the-less, that states anyone who knowingly and willfully tries to harm a member of Royal House of Tearraid will face the wrath of the Royal House, which can include imprisonment or death,” he said, spilling the beads remaining in his hand onto the floor in front of her.
Tima watched the blood soaked beads roll across the floor and brush against her foot. She bowed her head in understanding, warily studying his face from under her lashes.
“What are your plans?” she asked in a strained, subservient tone.
“My plans are to take Madas as my mate,” he stated.
“And she has agreed?” Tima quietly asked.
“She has agreed,” Gril said.
Tima lifted her chin and pursed her lips. “Very well, if that is what she wishes,” she replied.
“Gril…. Let me clean your wound,” Madas said, tearing a piece of her clothing off to wrap it around Gril’s arm.
Tima ignored Madas’s hostile glare. “Where is the small creature that you found?” she asked instead.
Pain flashed through Madas’s eyes. “He’s gone,” she replied.
“At least you did one thing that I told you to do. If you need assistance from the healer, you can summon her on your way out,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Gril shot her another look of warning before he allowed Madas to pull him away. Cold determination built inside her as she watched them exit the Council arena. They were both a threat. She should have killed Madas a long, long time ago.
“Goroff!” she sharply called.
“Yes, Mother,” Goroff answered, stepping out from the shadows.
“Be a good son and inform the Council of your sister’s mating. Make sure that the Prince is prepared for his journey as well,” she ordered.
Goroff chuckled. “With pleasure, Mother,” he replied, backing away before disappearing into the shadows again.
“Let’s see how well Prince Gril knows the laws,” she murmured with growing satisfaction.
Chapter Twenty