“
Narian was walking restlessly around his parlor when I entered, and my worry increased tenfold. Was he moving about because he was in pain? I glanced around the room, noticing an empty wineglass and a half-eaten bowl of soup.
“You’re out of breath, Alera,” he said with a smile. “I hope that means your conversation with Nantilam went well.”
I hesitated, unsure how to begin, unsure how to tell him what she was demanding, what she had done to him. Unsure how to tell him she had meted out one last betrayal.
“How are you feeling?” I blurted, and he laughed.
“I’m fine, but you don’t seem to be. Come and talk to me.”
He took my hand and led me to the sofa, pulling me down to sit beside him. He winced as he did so, an indication he was experiencing some discomfort. I brushed his hair off his forehead, subtly checking for a fever, then told him of the High Priestess’s desires.
“The terms of the actual treaty are not a problem, Narian, but Nantilam won’t enter into it unless you agree to make Cokyri your home. She wants to control your power, now and in the future, even to the point of progeny.”
“Alera,” he calmly said, taking both my hands in his. “Those decisions are not hers to make. Besides, she’s a little late.”
“I don’t understand.”
He looked at me, bemused, then rolled up his right shirtsleeve, revealing an intricate tattoo encircling his forearm just below the elbow--the Cokyrian symbol that a man was voluntarily bound to a woman. I stared at it; I stared at him; and I burst into tears. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he nonetheless took me into his arms.
“That’s not the reaction I expected,” he drolly commented, “but it’s convinced me something is wrong.”
“How….are…you…feeling?” I managed between sobs.
“You’ve already asked me that, and I’m fine.”
When I finally had my weeping under control, words tumbled from my mouth.
“Even if the revolt has been successful, the High Priestess won’t enter into a treaty unless you stay in Cokyri. Otherwise, she’ll attack Hytanica again, and this time she will kill all of our military leaders and enslave my people. And she wants you to bind yourself to a woman of her choosing because if your powers pass to a child, she wants the child to be Cokyrian.”
“That’s all well and good, but this time, she won’t be able to have things her way. There’s no need for you to worry about this. We are strong enough to take her on, Alera.”
“But we’re not.” I glanced once more toward the food he had been given, and a flicker of understanding appeared in his eyes. “We have no choice, Narian, because she’s poisoned your food and drink and only she can heal you. And I don’t know what to do, only that I cannot let you die!”
“Shhh,” he soothed, holding me close, and I couldn’t understand how he could be so calm. Not when panic rose higher inside me with each passing moment.
When I had quieted, resting with my head cradled against his chest, he tried to sort through the things I had said.
“So Nantilam, in her wisdom, has linked Hytanican’s freedom to my willingness to stay in Cokyri, and she has effectively taken me out of the fighting by poisoning my food?”
I shudder, then nodded.
“If I stay here, she is willing to sign a treaty, but if I’m not, she will never relinquish Hytanica and I won’t be around to prevent it.”
“Yes,” I murmured.
“So she is tearing us apart, dictating the rest of my life and we have to go along with it or she will destroy Hytanica?”
“Yes. And we’re running out of time.”
He shook his head in awe. “I have to hand it to her, Alera. She’s ruthless in pursuing what she wants.”
“This is serious, Narian.” I found his attitude almost irritating. He obviously understood the direness of his situation, yet was acting like it was only a game.
“I know it’s serious, but there is only one choice as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want to live without you, Alera. I won’t live without you.
”
”