Chapter 15 - Golden Kingdom

By the time I left the arena, stars dotted the black sky. Snow had fallen while I’d been inside, but I’d hardly noticed. Now I observed how the untrampled snow sparkled under the light of the half-moon. I walked alone, having been the last to leave. Two sentries stood guard at the arena and would be replaced by fresh warriors in a few hours. The Zulenii were taking no chances the Hollows might escape and make their way to the city below.

I imagined that Leed would kill our captives in a few days. After all, we didn’t need the men any longer. At some point in the last two days, I’d started to think of the Hollows as more human than monster. Mayhap it was looking into their eyes and seeing either real or imagined fear when I poured the potion into their mouths. Mayhap it was watching them struggle against their restraints and being able to imagine how they felt. Mayhap it was all the time I’d spent at the lookout, watching those Hollows attempt to work out the puzzle of how they might cross the river to eat us. Many, if not most, of the Hollows were mindless monsters. But not all.

I took the air boat down and, keeping my eyes downcast, made my way to Gold House. I trudged up the grand staircase and was met by Omira, who was just leaving the receiving room. “There you are. What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Will you ask your parents and Taio to meet Leed and me in an hour in the receiving room? I have news.”

“Of course, what is it? If I may ask.”

I reached out and squeezed her arm, a gesture that seemed natural now but would have been utterly foreign to me just a month ago. “I’d like you to be there so I can tell everyone together.”

“Very well.”

“Thank you, Omira.” I released her and walked past Taio’s chamber to my own. Saabin’s hair was no longer there. Either she’d taken it or someone had swept it up. I felt absolutely no regret for what I’d done. Her hair would grow back. Kintle would never be coming back, and I would not have her use his memory to shame Taio. I didn’t think I’d hated anyone this much since my half-sister Broga.

Inside my chamber, I drew a bath, stripped out of my simple tunic and leggings, washed and hung them to dry, then sank into the warm water. Only then, when I was alone and could wet my face to hide the evidence of tears, did I allow myself to weep. I wept for Kintle and for the Hollows I’d had to torment all day and for myself and what might have been.

Finally, I left the tub, dressed in the lightweight gown my mother had packed for me. The weather was too cold for such a gown, but this was my last chance to wear it. I fastened the tertanium necklace at my throat, leaving my damp hair down. Now prepared, I sat by the fire and ate a light meal. The heat of the blaze allowed my hair to dry more quickly. My hair was usually quite straight or somewhat wavy from being braided. The heat from the fire caused it to curl slightly, and when I checked my reflection before I left my room, I thought with my curls and my pink cheeks, I looked almost pretty.

The corridor was chilly compared to my chamber, and I hoped the receiving room would be warmer. My mother had unwittingly packed me a gold gown with black glittery cording running down the sides and under my breasts. It was the perfect gown for the Zulenii. If anyone appreciated gold, it was these people. As I walked to the receiving room, I thought I spotted a flash of blond hair. Saabin?

I hurried ahead, but when I reached the spot where I thought she’d been, she was gone. But she was lurking...or perhaps spying for her family. This was an example of a time when it might have been better for Gold House not to be open to everyone. The door to the receiving room was open, and I heard voices speaking quietly just inside. Straightening my shoulders, I stepped inside.

I was, once again, in awe of the grandeur of the room. Never before had the gold-veined marble seemed so formal or so impersonal. To my right, among a small grouping of chairs and couches, sat the first family. Taio had risen when I’d entered, and he stood frozen, staring at me. Lord Tsoh, Lady Onnigh, and Omira stared as well. Leed smiled. He rose, walked across the room, and offered his arm.

“You look very beautiful, Lady Mara.”

I gave a small snort.

Leed escorted me across the room toward the plush rug of deep blue where the cream-upholstered furnishings had been placed. “Don’t believe me?” Leed whispered. “Look at your lover. He is so bewitched he cannot even move.”

I glanced at Taio, but he was moving now. He quickly crossed the rug to come toward me. Leed bowed, relinquished my arm, and gave it to Taio. Taio stared down at me. “You look...” He shook his head. “You are stunning.”

I felt my cheeks heat and ducked my head. “Thank you.”

“Come.” He guided me across the thick rug to a place on the couch beside where he’d been seated. Nearby one of the hearths in the room blazed with a crackling fire, and I appreciated the warmth.

“Welcome, Mara,” Lady Onnigh said in accented Earslehen.

I smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“Is this how your people dress?” Lord Tsoh asked Leed, gesturing to me.

“The royal family dresses this way,” Leed said. “Not the common people. I believe that necklace Mara wears is worth a small fortune.”

I touched it, realizing I had never thought about how valuable it was. Of course, who cared about a necklace when one was being chased by Hollows? A necklace wouldn’t save you from a bite.

“I will love you forever if you allow me to borrow this some time,” Omira said, gesturing to me. “I wish I had been able to barter for clothing when we were in Earsleh.”

Taio cleared his throat. “We were busy with other matters.”

He told the truth. I imagined they were too busy attempting to stay alive to shop for clothing.

“Would you ask why she has called us here?” Lord Tsoh said to his son. Taio looked at me, and I gave him a look that indicated I understood the gist of the question.

“Leed and I have asked you to join us to tell you of the progress made with the Hollows we captured.”

Taio translated quietly for his parents. Both sat forward eagerly, but Omira, having seen my expression earlier this evening, shot me an alarmed look.

Leed spoke now, and again, Taio translated for me, which I appreciated. I wanted to be sure I understood exactly what Leed told the first family. “Mara and I have spent the last two days with Avinil, who concocted the cure as directed by Lady Mara. He created a range of potencies and quantities. Lady Mara was courageous enough to put herself in danger to dose the Twilight Men we captured with the cure.”

At this Taio paused and gave me a dark look. I knew I’d hear about this later.

Leed was still talking, and Taio picked up in the middle. “Today we plied the other Twilight Man with larger quantities of even the most potent mixture of the cure. We observed no...”

Taio trailed off, but I’d understood the last word Leed had said. It was change.

“So the cure does not work?” Lady Onnigh asked.

“We cannot know that,” I answered. “We are missing one ingredient, and it may be the essential ingredient.”

“The wolf saliva,” Leed said. “The writings did seem to stress its importance, but we hoped the cure would work regardless. We were wrong.”

“Were you wrong?” Taio asked. “Or is the cure just a fable? I’m inclined to believe there is no cure.”

“I sometimes believe that too,” I said, “except if the cure is just a fable, why did my grandfather go to the trouble of having it written down? And why in the royal language, which so few people can read?”

“Does it not stand to reason,” Omira added, “that if the red vein virus can be created, it can also be cured? And even if there is only a minuscule chance that the cure will work once the wolf saliva is added, isn’t that worth the risk?”

“No,” Taio said. “We have already lost Kintle. No one else shall die.” He took my hand, holding it firmly.

“But people will die if we do nothing,” I said. “If the snow lasts, Zleyval has been saved for a little longer, but come the wet season, those Hollows on the other side of the river will try again to cross. Eventually, they will be successful. You have been fortunate for years, but I have watched the Hollows, and they are changing. Evolving. Your time is running out. Even before the wet season comes, my father’s army will be here.” I swallowed. In the silence, I swore I heard the whisper of feet on marble floors. Was someone eavesdropping? I glanced about, searching for Saabin’s golden hair, but saw nothing. Mayhap I was imagining things and using that imagination to put off what I needed to say next. I pressed my hand to my aching chest and said it anyway. “I think we all know what must be done.”

Leed nodded. Omira looked down at her coat. Taio squeezed my hand harder.

“What are you saying?” Lady Onnigh asked.

“I must return to Earsleh,” I said, wincing as I said the words out loud. Somehow voicing them made it seem real.

“No,” Taio said.

I looked at him. “If you have another way, I am willing to listen, but tell me how else I might gather wolf saliva for the cure and convince my father to call off his plans to invade?”

“We will think of another way,” Taio said.

“I have thought of little else since we learned of the Earslehen army,” Omira said. “I have no other ideas. We are not a warrior people.” She looked at her parents and then her brother. “Mara is right. She must go back. It is the only way.”

“She has already done so much for us,” Leed said, “that I hate to ask more of her—”

“I am not being asked,” I said. Leed translated as Taio had gone silent. “I know my duty, and my responsibility is not only to my people but to yours. I also feel some obligation”—I looked at Taio—“the Zulenii meaning of the word obligation, that is—for all the Hollows out there. If we can cure them, should we not? How can we leave them to exist for another century in such torment? I have looked into their eyes for two days. They are maddened by the lust for flesh when they are near us, or, when left alone, they are catatonic or wander aimlessly. I pity them.” The words I spoke were true, but it was strange hearing my voice speak them. For so long, I’d only thought of the Hollows as monsters. The Hollows were it.

But after hours of looking into their eyes, each Hollow I treated changed from it to he. They had become men—sick men who needed help.

One way or another.

I released Taio’s hand and stood. “I will go home—back to Earsleh.” I looked at Taio and then Omira. “I will go alone.”

“No.” Taio jumped to his feet now. “Mara, think about what you say. You put yourself at great risk. There must be another way.”

“Tell me then.” I looked at everyone in turn. “What other suggestions do you have?”

The room was silent but for the crackling of the fire.

“It’s decided then. I’ll leave as soon as I have gathered provisions.” I glanced at Leed. We had already discussed my journey, and I’d charged him with gathering the list of what I thought I would need.

“Mara, no,” Taio began.

Taio’s father raised a hand. “Lady Mara is brave to attempt this quest for us and for all the five kingdoms. I wish you every success.” He held out his arms, and I stepped into them, allowing him to embrace me. I could probably count on one hand how many times my own father had embraced me. After about thirteen, I’d felt more like I was the parent embracing him because I’d grown taller than he. But my head barely reached Lord Tsoh’s shoulder, and his large arms completely engulfed me. For once, I understood why these people were so fond of embraces. Of course, then Omira and Lady Onnigh wanted to embrace me. I could appreciate one clinch, but three seemed excessive. Leed, thank the gods, just bowed to me and started away. He knew what I needed him to do.

The real issue was, of course, Taio. The expression on his face was thunderous, and he stood stiffly while I disentangled myself from the confines of Omira’s hug. Taking a deep breath, I glanced at him. I could see the tick in his jaw. He was angry or frustrated or both, and I knew his feelings were because he loved me, but the last thing I wanted right then was to argue with him. The chamber emptied slowly, and Taio and I were alone. For what seemed a long time, only the sound of the logs in the fire broke the silence. Mayhap there was nothing else to say. I knew my own mind, and I could not think of anything Taio could say to change it.

Taio gestured to the other side of the room, and I looked behind me. At first, my gaze focused on the large canvas splashed with red and yellow paint between the two windows. Soon it shifted to the window and the flurry of snowflakes falling. “Oh!” I went to the window and peered out at the soft layer of white settling on the mountainside. I’d so rarely seen snow in Earsleh that it was still something of a novelty to me. I could appreciate it from inside the relative warmth of Gold House much more than when it blew into my face.

“You want us to travel in that?” Taio asked, coming up behind me.

“No.” I met his gaze in the window’s reflection. “I want you to stay here.”

“How can you think of traveling alone?”

I turned to him. “And if you were to accompany me, what would happen to you when we reached Highcastle? Mayhap not even Highcastle. My father might have sent word to the outposts to kill you on sight. The same fate would befall any Zulenii I brought with me.”

“Then take Leed.”

“His ankle is injured, Taio, and”—I held a hand up before Taio could tell me to wait—“I don’t know if he is known by my father or others in the court. If he’s been considered a traitor all these years, arriving with me will be a death sentence for him.” I gestured to the snow again. “This snowfall is a good turn of events. Any Hollows in my path on the return trip will be slow and sluggish or frozen.”

“The further south you travel, the warmer it will be.”

I put a hand on Taio’s chest. “I can defend myself. You know that.”

He covered my hand with his. “If you leave, I will never see you again.”

“I’ll return. I promise.” The echo of another promise rang in my head. I’d vowed to my mother I would return to Earsleh. It looked as though I would keep that vow, even though, quite honestly, by the time I’d arrived in Zleyval, I didn’t intend to. What if my promise to Taio was just as empty? I looked at Taio’s warm hand on mine and knew it was not. I would move mountains to come back to Taio—but I needed him to stay here so I would have someone to come back to.

“Is there nothing I might say to persuade you to stay?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“Then I will have to order you locked up.” With that, Taio turned and walked away. I stared after him for a long moment, thinking he would turn at any moment, smile, and tease me for believing him. When he didn’t, I stomped after him, my long skirt flowing out behind me.

“What does that mean?” I asked when I spotted him in the corridor.

“It means,” he said without looking back at me, “that if you cannot be rational, I will be so for both of us.”

“So you think you are the rational one right now?” I demanded. “Threatening to lock me up to prevent me from saving your dusthead life and sing-songy kingdom?”

He paused at the door to his chamber. “What is this word, sing-songy?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, gliding past him. “Go ahead and give the order to have me imprisoned, if this place does have a prison, which I doubt. I’ll just ready myself to leave now—at night and in the cold.”

“Not rational!” he bellowed.

“Pot meet kettle!” I bellowed back then pushed the door to my chamber open. I marched inside and flung it closed with a backward swipe. The sound of it slamming would be most satisfactory. Instead of slamming closed, it thudded back against the wall. I spun around to face Taio. He stood, chest heaving, blocking out the light in the corridor.

“We do have a prison,” he said, kicking my door closed. “We used it during the rebellion.” He stalked toward me.

I folded my arms over my chest. “Go ahead and imprison me then. You really think I won’t find a way to escape? All I’d have to do is make best friends with the jailor and ask if we could sing together. You know he or she would open the cell door and embrace me within minutes.”

Taio’s eyes narrowed because he knew I was right. His people were not known for their ruthlessness.

“And what about Leed?” I said, cocking my head defiantly. “Do you think he’ll stand for my imprisonment? He spent how many years training you to go to Earsleh and win me? He’s not about to let all his plans crumble.”

Taio put both hands on my shoulders. “Then he can go to prison as well.”

“Omira?” I asked. “Your parents?”

“I will lock them up.” He wrapped one hand in my hair and lightly angled my head, exposing my neck. “Every single one.”

“Now who’s not being rational?”

“I cannot be rational with you, Mara.” His lips were on my throat, savage but tender. My legs began to tremble as his mouth skated higher, skimming behind my ear. “I cannot lose you.”

“You won’t.”

His hand on my shoulder dropped to my clavicle, his fingers caressing the necklace. “I want to go with you. Allow me to accompany you,” he murmured. His hand slipped down to my breast, and I caught my breath.

“No,” I said, although every part of me wanted to say yes to anything and everything he wanted in this moment. “Your people need you here.”

“I need you,” he whispered.

“You have me,” I said. I pushed him back lightly, grasped the clasps on my shoulders and unfastened them. The golden dress slithered down my body, leaving me naked but for my necklace. Taio’s eyes widened, and his brows rose.

I reached for my necklace, but Taio caught my hand. “Leave it, princess.”

Now I arched a brow. “I thought I was your guerrira.”

“Not tonight. Tonight, I do not want to be reminded you are a warrior.” He drew me gently to him until my breasts pressed against the beading of his coat. Then he took my face in both hands and kissed me. The kiss began softly but within seconds, the emotion I felt from him made my knees weak and my breath short. Taio was good with words, but he was even better at communicating with his body. Right now, he was showing me just how much he loved me. And, most likely, making one last attempt to change my mind.

He swept me up and carried me to the bed, coming down on top of me. I reached up and untied the cord holding his hair, so it dropped down about his face. His eyes gazed into mine for a long time while I ran my fingers through his hair, savoring its softness before moving on to memorize the shape of his nose, his cheeks, his lips. He was memorizing me too. His eyes were intense as he gazed back at me. Then he rose on his knees and removed his coat.

He did it slowly, as though he knew I wanted to relish the sight of his chest, his shoulders, his abdomen...and the bulge between his legs. “I will remember you like this,” he said, gesturing to me, sprawled naked on the bed, my hair fanned out on the pillow. “I will remember you with my eyes, my hands, my lips.” He tossed the coat away and bent over me again. “I will start here.” He kissed the top of my head then touched it with one finger. Leisurely, he dragged his mouth and his hand over my forehead, my eyes, my nose. When he finally reached my mouth, his lips lingered. He pulled away, tracing my lips with his finger, and I took it into my mouth and sucked lightly. Taio’s eyes darkened, but he was not deterred in his quest.

He proceeded to kiss every part of me, loitering longer in some places than others, his mouth and hands teasing me until I was practically moaning with need. When he began to trace his path again in reverse, I cried out in frustration. He looked up at me, and I pointed to the empty spot on the bed beside me. “My turn.”

“I have not—”

“Lay right here, Taio,” I said.

“Yes, princess.”

He lay down beside me, and I hooked one leg over him to keep him from moving away. “See how you like it.” I started as he had, kissing his forehead, then his eyebrows, his nose, his cheeks. I hadn’t even made it to his mouth before his hands slid over my bottom and squeezed lightly. “Taio, you’re distracting me.”

He gave me a look of mock innocence then moved his hands higher. I caught his wrists, pressed them firmly to his side, and continued my exploration. When I reached his mouth, I took my time imprinting the feel and the shape of his lips in my mind. I ran my tongue along the seam of those lips, and his hands grasped my waist. I gave him a warning look, and he dropped them again.

His chest heaved by the time my mouth slid down his abdomen. He still wore his trousers, and I sat up, grasped the waistband, and began to unfasten the garment. His hands caught mine. “Leave them,” he said, his voice gravelly.

“I don’t think so.” I tugged them down and over his hips, then ran my hand up and down the length of him. My gaze flicked to his eyes and then back down again.

“Mara.” His tone held a warning. “I can barely control myself as it is...”

“Good,” I said then bent to swirl my tongue over his tip. Taio’s hands went to my hair, but he didn’t try to pull me away. I licked him again then licked lower, before taking him into my mouth. He rasped something in Zulenii and when I gave him a curious look, he grasped my shoulders and made to guide me down on the bed. But I wasn’t having it. His trousers were still about his calves, and I used that incapacity to push him back. I straddled him again and positioned him at my entrance. As soon as I began to lower myself, he stopped protesting.

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, the very picture of ecstasy. I tried hard to make a mental painting of that look so I could think back on it in a couple of nights when I was scared and freezing in the forest. Mayhap remembering that look would keep me warm.

Somehow Taio’s legs had become free of the trousers, and when I’d taken him fully, he eased himself into a sitting position and wrapped his arms about me. I was still on my knees and could move how I wished, but now we were eye to eye, our chests pressed against one another. Taio kissed my neck and my jaw while his hands slid up and down my back. I moved slowly, and he showed his appreciation with low moans and deep groans. Our mouths met, parted, met again, and then I grasped his shoulders. “Taio,” I said with some urgency.

His arms tightened around me. “I have you.”

With that, I let go.

* * *

WE LAY IN EACH OTHER’S arms, not speaking, just looking into the other’s eyes and saying with hands and lips what words could not. Taio didn’t try to convince me to stay any longer. I think he knew I could not be persuaded. Several hours before dawn, he fell asleep, a strand of his dark hair falling over one cheek. Carefully, I eased out of bed, dressed in my leggings and tunic, and slung my pack over my shoulder. I stopped at the door and gave him one last look, then I silently opened it, and slipped out.

I made my way through the empty corridors of Gold House and down the wide staircase. No one was about except the sentries at the door. They looked at me with interest, and I put a finger to my lips in the universal sign to keep quiet. Then I was out and headed to Leed’s house. I only got turned around once, and the sky was charcoal gray by the time I tapped on his royal purple door. He opened it immediately, glanced over my shoulder, then ushered me inside.

“How did you get away from Taio?” he asked. “I didn’t think he’d let you go alone.”

“He’s sleeping,” I said. “I’ll be gone by the time he wakes.”

Leed nodded. “Mayhap it’s best that way. Come, I have the items you requested.” He beckoned for me to follow him into the living area of his home where a low fire burned in the hearth and a single lamp illuminated the chamber. On the table was a packet of food, a thick rain-proof coat, a knitted cap to cover my head and ears, gloves, and a new pair of boots. “I’m not sure about the boot size,” he said. “You had better try them on.”

I toed off my boots, slid my feet into these, and laced them. “They’re good,” I said. “Snug and warm.”

He handed me the food, and I tucked it into my pack along with my canteen and my face mask. I’d left my necklace and the gown my mother had sent back in my chamber.

“You’d better pack this.” Leed handed me a cloth-wrapped packet roughly the size of a loaf of bread.

“Is this—?”

He nodded. “Water resistant cloth, so it’s very well-protected.”

I tucked the Earslehen scroll with the cure away in my pack.

Leed helped me dress in the coat, and I took my skullcrusher out of the belt and tried a few practice swings with it. Satisfied the coat would not be an encumbrance, I shouldered my pack and pulled on the gloves and hat while Leed filled my canteen with fresh water. He tucked the canteen into my pack and handed me a pastry wrapped in cloth. “It’s bad luck to start a journey on an empty stomach,” he said.

“I don’t need luck.”

“No, you don’t. There’s a boat and a sailor waiting for you at the dock. He’ll take you across the lake. When you return to us, build a fire on the shore on the other side. We’ll come for you.”

I liked that Leed said when, not if. We both knew the likelihood that I would make it to Highcastle, much less ever leave again and make it back to Zleyval, was slim to nonexistent. But with Taio’s scent still clinging to me, I wanted to pretend it was possible. “Until that tomorrow,” I said.

He nodded. “Until that tomorrow.”

I turned and Leed went ahead of me and opened the door. Without another word, I stepped out into the street and started for the dock. Dawn was breaking now, muted shades of pink peeking out from behind tall mountains of clouds. I hoped those were snow clouds. I’d prefer any Hollows I encountered to be frozen or listless with cold.

A few people were out now, opening shops or wheeling carts to the corners where they sold or bartered their food or drink or clothing. I never did grasp their economic system. A couple of them gave me curious looks—the foreign woman with a pack on her back and a dangerous weapon at her side. I resisted the urge to look back at Gold House as I made my way down Gold Path to the dock and the lake that shimmered in the early light. A figure stood beside a boat at the end of the dock, facing the water. I hoped Leed had paid the sailor as I hadn’t thought to ask for anything to trade for my passage.

As I neared the dock, I thought back to the first time I’d crossed that lake. Taio’s arms had been around me as we’d neared the gold glow of the city. Then we’d seen the smoke, and I hadn’t been able to even get a sense of the city before I was being taken up into the mountains on an air boat. I’d tried to take in the marble buildings with their straight, elaborate columns. Even now, when most people were still asleep, I could hear the chime of bells and the distant song of a woman greeting the morning.

Right before I stepped onto the dock, I could resist no longer. I turned and looked back the way I’d come. I was half afraid I’d see Taio striding down the path, hoping to catch me before I left. But the path was empty, and the city was lovely in the morning stillness. In the distance, rising like some shiny ornament was Gold House. Behind the palace, lay the snow-capped mountain peaks. In Earsleh we had a common gesture where we lifted one hand, made a fist, and covered it with the other hand. Among friends, the gesture meant be careful. When a mother made it to a child it meant I’m watching over you. The mother was the open hand closing over the smaller fist.

When lovers made that gesture, it took on another meaning. The one making it vowed to her body to protect the other. I made that gesture now—for Taio, for Omira, for Leed, for Yung, for Lord Tsoh and Lady Onnigh, for the old woman who sold the manza corners, and for Ximen who played the guitara, and Chu who’d tried to take me to bed. I vowed to Avinil and Zhava, Ngaro and Bonju that I would risk my life to keep them safe. To keep this place safe.

With a last look at Gold House, where I could so easily picture Taio sleeping in my bed, I blinked back tears and turned to the lake. Throwing my shoulders back, I marched toward the sailor and the boat tied to the dock.

“Leed send me,” I said to the sailor’s back. “Go boat on water.”

The sailor wore a long black coat and a knitted black cap much like the one I wore. He cocked his head slightly as I spoke, then turned to face me.

I took a step back as Taio’s blue-green eyes met mine. He held out his hand. “Your boat is ready to depart. So am I.”