by B N Miles
He gaped and tried to think… then realized.
She was pregnant, and they weren’t married.
It was an old-fashioned idea about families. Women were supposed to be married when they got pregnant. Plenty of men and women fucked without getting married, but once babies were involved, it was simply expected. Family units were important, and to have a baby without a family was looked down on.
Cam hadn’t thought about it. They had their family, and this baby would be loved more than any baby could hope to be.
But she was right. He had promised to marry her.
And he’d follow through.
He stepped closer and took her hand. She glared at him, but didn’t yank it away.
“I love you,” he said. “I always have. And I love that baby already. I swear to you now, Key, we’ll be married. In one week, we’ll walk to the Urspirit’s stone and say our vows in front of Kraed and the entire Mansion. I swear it to you.”
Key softened just a touch. “One week,” she said. “Why that long?”
“I’m taking the Lordship in three days,” he said. “Then we’ll need time to spread the word.”
She smiled a little. “You really want to invite everyone? Even though you’re already married to Galla?”
“I can take more than one wife,” Cam said. “I think Galla will be more than happy to have you as a real sister.”
Key laughed and stepped closer. Cam kissed her, nice and slow and deep. His Key, his beautiful Key, and his future baby.
She gently took the blanket around his waist and unwrapped it.
“Well then,” she said softly. “Maybe we should go in and celebrate.”
“I think that sounds good to me. I know Felin’s already in a celebratory mood.”
Key grinned, bit his lip, and let the blanket drop to the ground. She took his hand and tugged him back to the room.
Cam followed with a stupid smile on his face.
45
The great entry hall was packed with Elders, military general staff, and villagers preparing for their journey back home. Old women tugged at shawls. Children ran in circles shouting at each other. Fathers shouldered spears and mothers hefted baskets. The low din of slow chatter rolled over him like a wave.
A small platform stood in the center of the space. It was four feet high and ten feet by ten feet. Two chairs sat on it, each carved from local wood and inlaid with leaf, fig, and antler motifs. Boar snouts stared out from the feet. Cam lingered behind the platform with Galla, her hand tucked into his, her eyes gazing restlessly over the crowd. She wore a long gown of dark blue with gold, and her hair was in a tight but intricate braid wrapped around a glittering silver crown.
“Are you ready?” Cam asked.
She glanced at him. “I suppose so.”
“I know this is difficult. But they’ll understand.”
She shrugged. “They all know what’s about to happen. Whether they understand or not, that’s another matter.”
Cam chose not to speak again. He could sense her discomfort and he couldn’t blame her. Galla would do what was necessary because she loved him and she respected his wishes, but that didn’t mean she had to enjoy every second of it.
He wouldn’t ask that of her. The fact that she was going through with it was enough.
It wasn’t like he wanted this. When he left Medlar village for the Mansion, the idea of power never once occurred to him. He only wanted to get his people from the horror of the forest to the safety of the mountains. Beyond that, he never dreamed of something bigger.
But now it had been thrust upon him. He took it up like a mantle and wielded it like a sword, and he’d use this power to break the spirits of any that opposed him and his people.
Even the gods, if necessary.
Kraed shouldered through the crowd to Cam’s right. He wore his patchwork cloak, and his beard had grown longer. His eyes looked tired but still sharp as he met Cam’s gaze.
“Are you two ready?” he asked.
“Ready as we’re going to be,” Cam said. “How many people are here?”
“Hundreds,” Kraed said. “All the Elders, plus all the pilgrims that planned on leaving today.”
“It’s a good crowd,” Galla said, though she didn’t sound happy about it.
Cam grunted in response and took a deep breath. “You should speak first,” he said. “Do you know what you’ll say?”
“I know,” she said and looked at him. “Don’t worry, Cam. I won’t let you down. And I won’t embarrass you.”
She slipped her fingers from his and stepped forward to the platform. She ascended the stairs and a hush began to roll across the crowd.
“Are you sure about this?” Kraed asked, his voice low.
Cam looked at him. “I’m sure.”
“Your wife doesn’t seem to be.”
“My wife will do what’s necessary.”
“That’s fair. I’ve never had a wife. Too busy traveling the land to marry one, then too drunk to make one settle for me. Now I’m much too old.”
“So I guess your opinion doesn’t mean much.”
He smiled and tilted his head. “I suppose not,” he said. “But then again, I’ve known many people and I’ve seen many relationships in my day. I do wonder if it’s better to compromise.”
“There’s no compromise here,” Cam said, frowning up at the stage.
Galla glittered in the sunlight. She was gorgeous, a force, an angelic being, almost a goddess herself. She seemed to dazzle the crowed in front of her as she smiled and looked at them with her chin held high. She was born for this, bred to rule one day, and Cam knew sharing her position was the most difficult thing she had ever done.
Worse than watching her own father die, he’d guess.
“But if there was, now’s the time to consider it.”
“You know why I’m taking this position,” Cam said. “You understand why it’s important.”
“I do,” Kraed said. “The legitimacy of your little shaman army is at stake. I understand it all too well. But perhaps there are other ways.”
“Too late for that,” Cam said.
Galla began to address the hall.
“Thank you all for coming today, from the bottom of my heart. Elders, Captains, Generals, friends, thank you all. Even you who are passing through on your way to somewhere else, thank you.” She scanned the crowd again and Cam felt a surge of pride.
Followed by a surge of uncertainty. Galla was a gorgeous force and belonged up on that stage—and he was about to take away a measure of that power for his own purposes. He knew his reasons were sound and important, but even still, it was like cutting off the claws of a tiger. Still dangerous and incredible, but marred, somehow lesser.
He nearly hated himself for it. But he couldn’t allow that emotion, not now, not with so much at stake.
Not with the gods out there, poised to destroy them at any moment.
“Much has happened in these last weeks,” Galla said. “My husband, Camrus of Medlar, traveled with our great army and defeated the wolf forces. Many of you will see what’s left of those forces as you travel back to your farmsteads. Do not fear them, for they are a part of our society now, given a plot of land to work off the incredible debts they’ve caused.”
There was a soft murmur among the crowd, though the Elders and the general staff didn’t react.
“People won’t like that,” Kraed said.
Cam shot him a look. Galla continued.
“During the final battle, something… unprecedented occurred. Lycanica, the goddess of the Weres, showed herself and attempted to destroy my husband and his men. If it weren’t for Danua, the goddess of the Elves, Lycanica might have succeeded. But we survived because we were favored by the gods themselves, and for that we are thankful.
“But we remain vulnerable.” She let that sink in for a moment. There wasn’t a sound in the room. Even the children seemed to have realized the gravity of the moment. “The gods can return at any mome
nt. Lycanica may attempt to harm us once again in the future. In order to combat that, we’ve decided to embark on an unprecedented quest to create the most powerful army of shaman the world has ever seen. And the leader of this army will be my husband, Camrus.”
A smattering of applause scattered over the room. Cam could feel the confusion in his bones.
Galla held up her hands.
“But a mere General, even the head of the armies, cannot possibly hope to fulfill such an enormous promise. No, only the Lord of the Mansion could do that.”
“But you’re our Lord!” someone shouted from the back.
Galla beamed at them. Cam noticed some of the Elders looked uncomfortable.
“Yes, I am,” Galla said. “But today, I’d like to introduce the second Lord of the Mansion, my husband Camrus. From this day onward, we will share the title of Lord, and my power will be his, and his power will be mine, and together we will build the greatest shaman army the world has ever known. Our people will be safe, forever, henceforth.”
“That’s you,” Kraed said. “Better go.”
Cam felt rooted to the floor. His heart raced. His palms sweated. He wanted to turn and leave.
He thought he made a horrible mistake.
But as soon as he forced himself to mount the steps, the cheering began.
Shouts of “SHAMAN! and “CAMRUS!” echoed through the hall. Cam reached the top of the platform and stood beside his wife, and though he knew he paled in comparison, his chest swelled with pride as the crowd of commoners screamed his name in elation.
Kraed mounted the steps behind him. Galla took her seat on the right and Cam sat on the left. Kraed stood behind Cam and lifted a golden crown into the air before placing it down on his head.
The Elders dropped to their knees and dipped their heads in submission. That gesture was repeated all through the hall as more and more people dropped to their knees, until it was a sea of kneeling people, some still cheering, some staring at him with dark, hard eyes.
And at the front of the crowd were nine men hand-picked from each of the largest villages. Nine men that would learn magic from him, nine more shaman to protect the realm. Nine was just the beginning, though. Cam wanted more, as many as he could get, more and more and more until there were enough shaman to destroy however many gods decided to attack them.
He beamed at the crowd and spotted Key with her hand on her stomach. She stood in the very back with Felin, Miuri, and Brice.
They smiled, but he didn’t think he could see joy in their eyes.
It didn’t matter. He grinned and waved to the crowd. The Elders climbed back to their feet and the rest of the hall joined them. The cheering grew intense again, loud enough to echo through the halls, out through the main gates, and down into the valley.
Loud enough for the world to hear.
Cam took Galla’s hand in his own. She squeezed his fingers and smiled at him.
Together, they’d rule this place.
Together, they’d defend their people.
And together, they’d destroy anyone or anything that got in their way.
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About BN Miles
BN lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife, two boys, and his black lab. He spends most of his time listening to his record collection, playing FPSs, and complaining about things on Reddit.
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