Calabria, Imperial Palace
"You are suddenly very quiet," commented Dagan as he glanced at Vanig. The captain of his dragoons was watching Avar work through a warm-up routine before a lively audience consisting of his guards, brothers and several men and women of Teralon and Calabria. The prince of Teralon had gathered quite a following during his stay on Calabria and they did not hesitate to show their favor now in their cheers. Dagan, on the other hand, stood alone with Vanig. Dagan suspected Vanig had sent the other guards off to make arrangements to transport his body back to Bayman when this debacle was over.
"This is a dark day," remarked Vanig sadly.
Dagan didn't need the reminder that he was most likely going to be sliced to ribbons by Avar. When Dagan was finally given an audience with Emperor Trey, Shamara had been at his side. She looked miserable, and he knew she had tried to communicate with him using her powers, but he refused to listen to her. Shamara wanted him to back down. She thought it was a matter of pride. Dagan didn't particularly have too much pride any more where she was concerned. She didn't seem to understand that his feelings for her were too deep for him to walk away. He couldn't accept Chaela or any other woman to replace her.
Given the circumstances of their meeting in Dagan and Shamara's trance, Dagan was not eager to look Shamara's father in the eye. When he did, he saw that the emperor appeared to be amused.
"So you have finally arrived on Calabria," he started.
"As you must know, I was on my way to claim Princess Shamara when my ship was…"
The emperor chuckled, and when a handful of the courtiers also laughed, Trey shot them a look that quickly shut them up. Dagan respected the control the emperor had on the sycophants of his court. He looked back at Dagan. "You need not explain, Prince Dagan. As you know, I am already very well aware of the trials you have suffered at the hands of the gods."
"I cannot express my gratitude for all that your people have done for me," said Dagan without looking at Shamara.
The emperor did glance at his daughter. "Yes, well, that is a different matter entirely. Although I am glad of the results, I am not pleased with the means. You may know that my willful daughter did not have my permission to return to Mars Colony. Her reasons are as yet unclear."
Shamara made a sound of disgust and opened her mouth to speak, but her father put up his hand and she wisely pressed her lips shut. Instead she shot a glare at her sister, but Chaela was too preoccupied ogling Prince Avar of Teralon who had been standing several feet away flanked by his intimidating men.
"I have come here to fulfill my original mission," said Dagan.
Emperor Trey gave him a half-smile. "I regret that your original mission, meaning marriage to my daughter Shamara, can no longer be fulfilled. She has pledged an oath to marry Avar of Teralon in your absence." Trey held out his hand and Chaela stepped forward on cue. "I have another daughter of marriageable age. Chaela would make you an excellent wife."
Shamara muttered something that made her father chuckle but her sister glared at her. Dagan could only guess that Shamara made her views known about Chaela's qualifications to be an excellent wife.
"You made an agreement with my father many years ago," Dagan reminded the most powerful man in the binary system. "I insist that you honor that agreement."
"You insist?" Trey raised a brow. "You are either very bold or very naïve, Dagan. As for the agreement with your father, he indicated that the end of it was mutual."
"Do I have no say in this matter?" demanded Dagan. He knew the outcome of this interview, yet it was his only recourse. Avar was going to kill him, and in the end, Dagan suspected Avar would take both Shamara and Chaela. He had hoped that Trey would be more understanding.
"The agreement was between myself and your father. If we were to have consulted you or Shamara, I suspected neither of you would have accepted the terms. Indeed, Shamara was very vocal about her refusal up to the point where she pledged to Avar." He nodded toward Chaela. "Are you turning down my alternate offering?"
"Respectfully so." Dagan noticed Chaela shrug as if he were inconsequential before stepping back behind her father.
"Perhaps we should put Avar to the question as he is the groom you intend to strand without a bride." Trey motioned him forward and Avar stepped away from his men who were grumbling about this insult to his honor. "What do you say, prince of Teralon? Do you wish to set aside Shamara's oath? Perhaps you have found another to your liking?"
Although Avar glanced past Trey to Chaela, the object of his gaze looked away. At that moment Dagan wanted to slap her silly. Perhaps he should marry her and make every minute of the rest of her life an eternity of punishment for her foolishness.
Avar looked at the emperor. "I will not set aside Princess Shamara's oath. She pledged to become my wife and I will hold her to it."
"Dagan of Bayman believes he has a prior claim."
"There is one way to settle it," stated Avar.
"The gods will decide," agreed Trey.
So now Dagan was only moments away from facing Avar. The winner would walk away with his life and Princess Shamara; the loser would die ignobly before the royal court of Calabria.
Dagan turned away from Vanig's fatalistic expression and looked at the weapons hanging on the wall from which he would choose. As he was trying to decide which might suit his style or lack thereof, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he half-turned to see Taeron.
"I want you to know that I consider you the better man for my princess," he said as he reached past Dagan to pluck a long sword from the wall. "This one is light and long enough to keep him at bay. Avar will have to work for every hit."
Dagan could almost feel the bite of Avar's sword cutting his flesh already. "Do I have any chance, Taeron?"
"Not in the least, my lord. With your powers, you would give him some trouble, but he agreed not to use his wings and you agreed not to reduce him to ashes. I believe Princess Shamara would like to see both him and her sister as only piles of cinders. I confess nothing would give me greater pleasure either at this moment." Taeron sighed. "If you can keep your head, my lord, remember that Avar favors his left and will occasionally leave his right unprotected."
"I'm sure you would know what to do with that information," remarked Dagan, "but you waste your breath on me."
Master Nazzar approached Dagan when Taeron had gone. Dagan sensed the old man was in turmoil over what he was about to witness. "Let me give you a blessing, my son." Dagan lowered his head and Nazzar chanted words Dagan didn't recognize before laying his hand on his head. When he raised it, Nazzar was looking at him expectantly. Dagan returned his stare silently, and then Nazzar sighed and walked away, his shoulders stooped.
"Is it too late to accept Chaela?" asked Vanig at his side. "She is easy on the eyes and seems to be of a passionate nature. You could do worse."
Dagan glanced at him. "She is already carrying Avar's child. Do you want it to be my successor?"
Vanig chewed his lip in thought, then said, "It would depend on your desire to live."
Disgusted in his man's lack of any confidence in him, Dagan moved away to the center of the training arena, where Avar was already getting instructions from a man considered the judge. Dagan also listened to the man's exhortations about neither of them using their special powers, that they could use only their swords and their strength. He finally stepped away, and Dagan turned to take his position when he saw Shamara standing between her father and her imperial guard. Shamara looked white as a ghost as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her father took her hand and put it on his arm, then signaled for them to begin.
Avar wasted no time in his attack. He obviously intended to end the debacle with a few swipes of his sword because Dagan barely stumbled back from having his gut ripped open. As it was, he felt the burning pain of a flesh wound and noted the surprise in Avar's eyes that he had failed. Dagan managed to regain his balance and throw up his sword to fend off another attack. Only a few minutes into the cat and mouse duel Dagan was exhausted by Avar's continuous attacks, each with so much strength that Dagan was surprised the blade of his sword did not snap. He was reminded of the brief fight with Magnar, another of his foolish decisions to prove something he could not. That time Shamara had saved him. This time she could not. Avar was clearly toying with Dagan who noted the Calabrians seemed to enjoy every drop of blood Avar drew with his well-placed hits. He was sure he imagined Shamara's gasps when Avar hit him. After one such hit, he dared to glance toward the dais where the emperor sat with his daughters, but he had no time to find Shamara's face before Avar knocked him off his feet.
Dagan fell on his back, and as his head hit the stone floor, he looked again toward the emperor. He seemed to have difficulty focusing, or maybe it was the realization that his life had come to an end as Avar swung back his sword to deliver the deathblow. But Dagan could not see Shamara standing by her father. Instead he saw what appeared to be the ghost of a woman with long, flowing golden hair and large eyes glistening with tears. Their eyes met, and a jolt ran straight through Dagan before he was sucked into a vortex and lost all consciousness. So this was death, was his last thought before he became lost in a black void.
He had hoped to return to self-awareness in a new state, no longer a part of his mortal body. To be among the gods was an aspiration he had for many years. But he had returned to his own mortal body, yet instead of lying bleeding on his back, he found himself standing over Avar who was panting and bleeding below him, fear for his own life glistening in his eyes. Dagan realized his own sword was bloody, that his body seemed charged and he now had the power of life or death over Avar of Teralon. How this had happened, he did not know, but he was sure the gods were responsible.
There were people hissing for him to kill Avar, bloodthirsty Calabrians, no doubt, but Dagan couldn't ignore the pleading in Avar's eyes. "Do you relinquish your right to Princess Shamara, or must I end your life?" Where did he get the nerve to ask Avar when he didn't even know how they came to be in this position? Was he dead? Was this a hallucination?
He heard a whimper and suspected it was Chaela. Avar obviously didn't want to be in this position, was disoriented because he had been defeated, but he had a very strong sense of self-preservation. "I do. I will not hold Princess Shamara to any oath."
Dagan hesitated, wondering if Avar would use some sort of treachery against him, but the other man seemed more wary of him, so he finally relaxed and stepped away from him. There was a moment of awkward silence as Dagan tossed aside his sword, then crossed the room to Emperor Trey.
His face expressionless, Trey said, "The gods have favored you, and you, in turn, have shown Avar an undeserved mercy." He took Shamara's hand and drew her forward. "You have earned the right to exchange vows with my daughter."
Dagan glanced briefly at Shamara to see that she was relieved he was still alive. Beyond that, he could not discern her feelings for him. All that was required for her to be his wife was this exchange of vows before witnesses, but Dagan did not want Shamara if she could not love him as he did her.
"My lord," he said as he turned to face Trey. "I release you and your daughter from any and all agreements. I would not have Shamara marry where she does not love."
Trey raised a brow, and after a sidelong glance at Shamara, which Dagan did not dare follow, he smiled at Dagan. "Truly you have been given some wisdom from the gods as well as your hidden strengths." The emperor of Calabria stood to address all that were present. "Let it be known that any man who can win the hearts of my daughters may have them as wife, no matter who he might be."
"Father!" Both Chaela and Shamara exclaimed at the same time.
Dagan turned on his heel and walked on shaky legs back to Vanig who stared at him with wide eyes. "Let's prepare to return to Bayman."
"But…but what about the princess?" Vanig sputtered.
"She wanted me to release her from her vow to Avar so that he could wed her sister. I have done so. Now we can return home to finish the work I have begun in rebuilding Bayman." He ignored the cacophony of excited voices discussing the rewards in winning the affections of the Calabrian emperor's daughters. Dagan was glad when he could no longer hear them when he finally shut the door to his room.
Nazzar had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed and hands clasped as if he were in prayer, but when the door opened, he rose to his feet. "My lord!" He took in Dagan's ragged appearance and hurried to find water and cloth to bandage the wounds Avar had given him.
Dagan sat on a stool so that Nazzar could reach him to cleanse away the blood and apply a salve before wrapping him with bandages. The old man did not ask about the fight. Dagan didn't have any answers to any questions anyway.
A short knock preceded Vanig's entrance into the apartment. "My prince, we are not allowed to leave Calabria."
Dagan rubbed his eyes and winced from the stinging pain of Nazzar's healing ointment. "Why are we being detained? Did I not do that spoiled brat's bidding? Did I not give these bloodthirsty Calabrians a good enough show? What more must I do?"
"Make my daughter realize what is in her heart."
Dagan whipped his head around to see that the emperor had entered the room after Vanig. He felt just a little embarrassed by his words, but he would not take them back. Dagan looked away.
"Leave us," Trey ordered Nazzar and Vanig. He didn't speak again until they were gone. "That was an impressive show you gave my people. You need not improve upon it. My barbarous subjects quite enjoyed it although they would have preferred to see you split open Avar's arrogant head."
"I rather thought they favored him," muttered Dagan.
"Calabrians have and always will favor the strongest and most ruthless. They are a difficult people to control and resist all efforts to soften them. As for my spoiled daughter, I am hoping you know best how to deal with her."
Dagan looked at Trey to see that his expression had softened. "Your daughter is relieved I yet live because she might feel some guilt for getting me into this mess in the first place."
"My daughter should feel guilty. She would not have blindly made an oath to a man so obviously in love with her sister if she had not been so blindly jealous herself."
Dagan frowned. "You knew about Chaela and Avar? Why would you let Shamara marry Avar?"
Trey chuckled. "I was testing the depth of Shamara's feelings."
"I am not following your logic." Dagan thought the emperor's methods were quite bizarre.
"Lord Duo told me that Shamara learned of your concubine and became furious. I wondered how deeply hurt she was."
"Her pride was hurt," argued Dagan.
"If that were the case, she would have just left you on Mars Colony. Shamara wanted to hurt you by making an oath to Avar. Unfortunately her little scheme backfired."
"Are you suggesting that Shamara does have feelings for me beyond her obligation to duty?" Dagan did not dare to hope that was what her father meant.
"I think my daughter wants to please me so much that she doesn't know what she really feels. She is very keenly aware that she was the first imperial female accepted and raised by her father. She feels obligated to serve as an example for others. Shamara seems to have a deep need to prove herself worthy, but she doesn't understand that I was motivated by love and that I would continue to love her unconditionally just as I do Chaela despite her faults." Trey smiled at him. "In answer to your question, I would never have allowed Shamara to return to Mars Colony with Duo if I didn't think she is in love with you. What insanity do you think prompted her to climb down a rope of knotted clothing to see you?"
Despite the pain, Dagan chuckled. "That was rather foolish of her."
"I am certain that my daughter will come to her senses, and that is why I will not allow you to leave Calabria." Trey came to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "After watching you today, I am also certain that you are the man the gods meant for Shamara."
"But…but you said…"
Trey cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Forget what I said. I will be very amused to watch the sad attempts of the suitors to win the affections of my daughters when I know they are already engaged."
"I'm not as sure as you are about Shamara," said Dagan.
"However you choose to draw out her feelings, Prince Dagan, I will not interfere. I consider you her husband already." As Dagan pondered the exact meaning of that, the emperor headed to the door. "Don't waste too much time, Dagan, and don't, for the love of the gods, anger her again. I haven't a clue what lunacy it would inspire in her."
After the emperor had gone, Vanig and Nazzar returned. Vanig was telling Nazzar the story of Dagan's fight with Avar, and Dagan listened with as much interest as his old master. He had truly been unconscious while he fought Avar with, in Vanig's words, the strength of a god. Nazzar seemed to be pleased, but Dagan was troubled. When Vanig had gone onto the balcony to stand guard, Dagan questioned Master Nazzar.
"How could such a thing happen?"
Nazzar shrugged. "There are many who become berserked in times of battle."
"Are you suggesting that I was berserked?" Dagan had heard stories of the condition that was the ultimate goal of a warrior. Men who achieved it supposedly became extraordinary fighters who were all but invincible. Could such a thing have happened to him?
"I am quite certain of it," Nazzar answered him. "What other explanation could there be? According to Vanig, you fought with the strength and spirit of a god."
Dagan remembered the vision he had seen before he had lost consciousness and told Nazzar of it. "I am quite certain that it was the wolf-girl, Ulfyna, from my dreams."
"Interesting," was the only remark his teacher made. Then he smiled.
Although he would have liked to question Nazzar further, Dagan felt exhausted from his fight and his wounds. He was about to head to his bed when there was pounding at the door. Vanig crossed the room to open it, but it shoved into him, almost knocking him to the floor.
Shamara walked into the room, Taeron trailing behind, his expression little different from a nursemaid suffering a tantrum from her charge. Dagan knew the reason immediately when she caught sight of him near the bed.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" she demanded angrily.
Dagan looked from the bed to her. "I was going to get some rest."
"I didn't mean that!" She made a sound of disgust. "You know exactly what I am talking about!"
Taeron put his hand on Vanig's shoulder. "I think we had better give them a little privacy. This could get very ugly."
"I will join you," said Nazzar quickly, and the three left them alone.
Dagan sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "I am very tired, Shamara. I thought I did what you wanted."
She clenched her fists. "I didn't want a hundred suitors!"
"I'm sure you are under-estimating the number of men who would want to win the heart of the first princess of the Calabrian Empire." Dagan had to hold back his laughter at the horrified look on Shamara's face.
She started to pace. "What am I going to do?"
"Fall in love with one of them as soon as possible," he suggested although he truly hoped Emperor Trey was right about her already being in love with him. "I'd be happy to help in any way I can."
Shamara glared at him. "You have done enough already!"
"Then perhaps you might let me get some rest."
She came to sit beside him on the bed, and before Dagan could guess her intent, she put her hand over the worst of his wounds. The warmth of her healing energy spread through him and was soon replaced by the heat of another kind. As Shamara peeled away the bandages Nazzar had just put on to reveal healing flesh, Dagan wondered if Trey was testing him. If the emperor meant what he said, Dagan could spend the night demonstrating a few things Shamara had told him of Dr. Nelson's teachings. On the other hand, if her father wanted to gauge the depth of his honorable intentions toward his daughter, Dagan would be better off escorting Shamara to the door.
Remembering the emperor's strange way of thinking, Dagan decided on the latter approach. "I think you had better go, Shamara."
Her fingers skimming over his flesh was very distracting. "Not yet. I may have missed some wounds."
Dagan grabbed her wrists before she could get too carried away. "I need rest, Shamara, and I think you have some suitors who are eager to win your heart."
Shamara frowned, huffed, then stood. "Is this all the thanks I get?"
She expected him to thank her? "What were you expecting?"
She rolled her eyes as if he were too dense to understand. "At the very least, a kiss."
"At the very least?" Dagan could easily imagine the very most.
Shamara shoved him back on the bed, and putting her hands on either side of him, she leaned forward. "Now its time for the reward."
"Why do I owe you a reward?" Dagan's common sense was very quickly disappearing. Her long hair was draped around them and her warm body was almost touching his. The gods must be testing him again!
"Don't be silly, Dagan, I'm going to give you a reward you will never forget."
Before she could deliver on her claim, Taeron stepped back into the room. "All this talk of rewards is making me think of the reciprocal punishment I will get if said rewards are handed out."
Dagan was both relieved and annoyed by his interruption. Shamara was infuriated.
"How dare you interrupt my privacy!" She pushed herself away from Dagan and turned on Taeron.
Accustomed to her outbursts, Taeron merely sighed and grabbed her arm. "I think your father mentioned that he expected you for the midday meal."
Shamara let Taeron escort her to the door. "Am I free to leave my room?"
"You will have to discuss that with him. I suggest that you do not throw his meal on the floor this time."
They stopped at the door, and Shamara frowned at Dagan. "I hope you will have a plan to get me out of the mess you have gotten me into." Then she left.
Dagan sighed and stared at the ceiling. There was no way he could win with her.
"There you are! Finally!" Chaela grabbed Shamara's arm the minute she entered the private dining room of the first imperial family and dragged her towards the window to the garden. "That bastard dog from Bayman almost killed Avar!"
Shamara suppressed the urge to slap her sister. "Avar would have killed Dagan! At least Dagan knows how to show some mercy."
"Go to Avar and heal him."
"I will not!" Shamara was outraged. She wouldn't lift so much as her little finger to help him after all the trouble he had caused.
"An excellent suggestion." Shamara felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see her mother smiling at her.
"Mother, I have no intention of healing him! You know he would have gladly killed Dagan!" Shamara couldn't believe her mother was siding with Chaela.
Arora continued to smile. "Perhaps you should learn a lesson from Dagan and show some compassion for Avar. He was far worse for the fight than your Bayman prince."
"He's not my prince. Besides, maybe Avar needs to suffer a little to learn some humility." Shamara gave her sister a half-smile. "I'll heal him tomorrow."
"You spoiled brat!" Chaela clenched her hands into fists.
Arora pushed herself between them. "I wonder what is taking your father so long."
Shamara shrugged. "Besides, I only just finished healing Dagan and I feel too weak to do any more today."
"Is that all you were doing with Prince Dagan?"
"Just what do you mean by that?"
Arora sighed. "I do hope Trey hasn't been cornered by the Varoonyan ambassador! That man doesn't even have to take a breath when he is speaking."
"You know exactly what I mean! I thought you looked a little flushed when you came in here."
"You're the expert!"
"Taeron!" called Arora. "Would you please see what is taking the emperor so long to get here?"
"I'd bet you aren't as innocent as you pretend to be!" accused Chaela.
"At least some people might take that bet whereas everyone knows that your innocence is long gone."
Chaela launched herself at Shamara who was glad for the opportunity to take a few pieces out of her sister. Arora skittered away and ordered Amyr to break them up, but Amyr was more interested in trying to place a bet with Staefyn over who might come out victorious. Chaela was no slouch when it came to her imperial lessons, but Shamara was far more experienced in real fights. She knew not to hold back and it took several costly minutes for Chaela to realize this was not a training exercise. As they kicked and scratched and punched, the younger children were hustled from the room. They overturned the table, the dishes clattered to the floor, breaking into many pieces. Amyr managed to save a bowl of roasted bark beetles and stood by munching on them as he watched. Arora didn't bother trying to stop the fight. Shamara was glad because she had a lot of frustration to work out on her selfish sister.
Finally the door opened, and Trey stepped into the room. Chaela froze long enough for Shamara to land a good punch that would give her a nasty black eye. Never mind she would have to heal it later. For now it gave her great pleasure to see it puff out as Chaela dropped on her back, her eyes rolled up before her lids dropped down.
Shamara rubbed her hands together. "Well, I guess I am ready to return to my tower room."
Trey raised a brow. "I can hardly lock you away when there are so many young men who are eager to read you sonnets and shower you with flowers."
She really thought her father would be infuriated. He seemed amused. "But…but…"
"I suppose Chaela deserved that," he said mournfully, then glanced at Amyr. "Put that food down and take Chaela to her room. And you, Shamara, will care for your sister. I expect to see both of you properly dressed and behaved in the banquet hall this evening."
Shamara groaned. The last thing she wanted was to be paraded out in front of men who wanted the power and wealth that would be theirs upon marrying her. She knew that not a single one of them could win her heart. If they could, they would have done so by now.
"Father," she said as Amyr reluctantly followed his father's instructions and lifted Chaela. "Will you please reconsider this silly edict? I don't think I'm going to fall in love with any of these fools who have been at court since the last time you put me up for grabs."
He chuckled. "I anticipated your reluctance to consider any of them. I've already sent out messages to the far corners of the binary system! There should be new candidates arriving daily if not hourly."
Shamara was horrified.
"One of them might be the man for you!" Her father seemed to be amused by what Shamara considered a fiasco in the making.
"Father, did Lord Duo bump your head too hard in the practice room?" Shamara could think of no other reason for his behavior.
Trey laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "I am in my right mind, Shamara. Prince Dagan made me realize that I didn't have your best interests at heart by arranging marriages for you."
"I would still be willing to marry him," she offered, then held her breath hoping her father would consent.
"You heard Dagan as clearly as I did. He's quite eager to return to Bayman, now that this business is concluded, but he agreed to stay a few days to recuperate." He squeezed her shoulders. "I hope you will thank him properly for what he has done."
"I tried to!" she blurted, then blushed although she didn't think her father could guess how she had intended to thank him.
He raised his brows, and Shamara glanced at Taeron to see that he was rolling his eyes, avoiding her gaze. That rat must have told her father! "You had best go take care of your sister."
"I didn't hit her hard," muttered Shamara.
"Then healing her shouldn't take too much out of you." He led her to the door. "I want to see two young women who will make me proud."
Shamara couldn't speak for Chaela, but she would do her best. Taeron followed her out, but she waited until they were well away from the dining room before she spoke to him. "Did you tell my father about my visit to Dagan?"
"I didn't say anything!"
"You had better not be reporting to my father."
"Or what?"
"Just shut up and do your duty which is, if I recall, to protect me."
"I keep trying," grumbled Taeron, "but I end up doing things I don't remember as being part of my training."
"You are going to be very busy with all these suitors milling about. Later we can work out some signals so that you can get rid of the truly undesirable men."
Taeron covered his face with a hand. "I hope you fall in love soon."
Shamara ignored him as she continued on her way to Chaela's room. Taeron would do what she wanted, if not because he was an imperial guard, it would be because they were friends and had grown up together. She felt closer to Taeron than she did her own brother.
The latter was leaving Chaela's room when they arrived. "She's in a sour mood, sister." Amyr glanced at Taeron. "Why don't you come with me? I'm sure they have things to discuss that aren't for your ears."
"I've heard it all," grumbled Taeron, but he chose to go with Amyr anyway.
Shamara hesitated, then pushed into Chaela's room. Her sister was lying on her bed with a cold compress against her swelling face. Sighing, Shamara crossed the room, took the cloth from her and replaced it with her hand.
Chaela tried to move her face away from her touch. "I don't need your help! I'd rather you go help Avar."
"I have no intention of touching him until tomorrow," snapped Shamara as she forced her healing touch to Chaela. "He deserves his pain and you know it!"
Chaela continued to pout after Shamara had healed her.
Shamara could not tolerate her silence after several minutes. "I was completely oblivious to your feelings for Avar. You could have told me before that silly oath. As for Avar, do you really believe he deserves your love, Chaela? He made an oath to me knowing exactly what he was doing."
Tears shimmered in her sister's eyes. "He did it because he was sure his father would refuse to accept anything less than the first princess. We couldn't help our feelings."
Shamara wanted to ask her sister about her baby, but she was sure Chaela did not know yet. As long as she remained ignorant, events would unfold as the gods willed. "Do you think Avar will ask for you?"
Chaela shrugged. "Perhaps he is angry that Dagan defeated him. Avar has too much pride." She looked at Shamara. "What about Dagan?"
"What about Dagan?" Shamara was defensive. "He doesn't want to marry me. Well, I don't want to marry him either!" But even as she said it, she knew she could not even imagine herself with another man.
"You're not going to win him back with that kind of attitude," sniffed Chaela.
Shamara glared at her. "I just told you…"
"Shamara! You are worse than a child sometimes. You can't really envision yourself rolling around in the dark with that prince from Varoonya, or any man from Calabria, for that matter." Chaela raised a knowing brow and Shamara wondered if she actually had some Guerani power. "I've seen the way you look at Prince Dagan."
Shamara sighed. "I told you already, Chaela, that Dagan and I do not know each other that way. He has done nothing but kiss me, and the one time he might have done more, father interrupted our trance. Now I have Taeron watching over me like the high and mighty guardian of my virtue. You don't think father put him up to it, do you?"
"I can't believe you can't shake off your imperial guard." Chaela laughed. "Taeron should be easy to be rid of. Give him a distraction. He is a man, you know."
"That is not going to work!" Shamara did not think Taeron would ignore his duties for the sake of an available female. "He is very serious. Besides, I wouldn't want Taeron to lose his future position as Amyr's imperial guard just so I can 'roll around in the dark' with Prince Dagan." Shamara frowned. "Does it really have to be in the dark? I would like to get a good look at him, to see what is going on."
Chaela giggled. "You are a wicked girl, sister."
As their father ordered, both Shamara and Chaela came down to the banquet hall dressed in fine attire. All eyes were on them and the room became quiet as they walked through a parting sea of courtiers. Shamara noticed that there were more men present already although her father had made his announcement only hours earlier. They looked like wolves ready to pounce on prey, so Shamara was very glad that Taeron walked behind them, his hand resting on his sword. No man would cross him to get to them.
The imperial family rarely took their meal in the banquet hall, so this was a special occasion. Her father made a speech to which no one listened, but he seemed to be amused by all the attention his daughters were receiving. All male eyes were riveted to the high table as each man calculated his chances to enamor one of Emperor Trey's daughters.
Despite her reluctance to show any interest in the men, Shamara scanned the crowd searching for Dagan, but he was not in attendance. She suspected he was resting.
"I don't see Avar," commented Chaela. She was picking at her food. Shamara had absolutely no appetite with so many people looking at them. "Won't you reconsider and heal him tonight?"
Shamara looked at her. "No. He deserves every bit of pain he is feeling. You shouldn't feel sorry for him."
"Princess, are you going to eat your meal or not?" asked Taeron from behind her.
Looking over her shoulder, she commented, "I swear you are more and more like your father every day. He eats like a Wasteland canyon beast, you know."
"A man needs his nourishment." Taeron reached past her to take some food from her plate. "Do you think Prince Dagan will refuse to eat our food? I suppose that will send him hurrying back to Bayman before he starves to death."
"Perhaps I should take him some fruit later," wondered Shamara aloud.
"I doubt the corridors will be safe for you."
"That is what I have you for, isn't it, Taeron?"
He raised a brow. "Do you really want me to kill a dozen suitors just so you can make sure Dagan's stomach doesn't growl?"
She turned away from him. Taeron was even more annoying than her brother. "Then I will get a servant to deliver some to him."
"Best be certain it is a very ugly servant," Chaela advised her.
"A very good suggestion, sister," added Amyr. "Now that Dagan is off the hook, he is free to sample the delights the palace has to offer."
Shamara frowned at him. "Are there any left that you have not?"
Smiling, her brother shrugged but did not answer. She thought about kicking him but doubted the bruise she might leave would influence him one way or another. Amyr wouldn't change his ways unless some female knocked him flat on his behind. Looking around the banquet hall Shamara didn't see any that could possible be a candidate to do so. Calabrian women threw themselves at his feet hoping that he might notice them, which he inevitably did but he took no more interest than to amuse himself. The foolish women no doubt felt honored by him. Although Shamara's father had implemented many changes on Calabria regarding the treatment of women, some things remained the same.
Shamara noticed Taeron speaking to a serving girl who was smiling and nodding, and when she walked away with a pleased look on her face, Shamara leaned over to her imperial guard. "Did you make plans with her? I thought you were supposed to be protecting me! I need that protection now more than ever after my father's ridiculous proclamation!"
Taeron was taken aback. "Princess! I made no such plans. I merely asked her to deliver what finicky Prince Dagan might consider edible food to his room."
Quickly looking for the departing servant girl, Shamara judged her too pretty to take him a meal. "I have lost my appetite, Taeron."
"I'm not done eating," he complained with a mournful glance at his still full plate of food.
"You can eat another time!"
Amyr chuckled as they both stood. "Your suitors are going to be disappointed by your disappearance."
From further down the table, Trey said, "Shamara, where are you going? You have only just gotten here."
"I believe she is planning to do something about Prince Dagan's terrible hunger," Amyr announced with a suggestive chuckle. His father's disapproving glare sobered her foolish brother immediately. Nothing could be worse than being on the receiving end of the emperor's frown, but Amyr had certainly earned it. He was spoiled, selfish, and lazy. Shamara wished the crowned prince would get a thoroughly deserved beating.
Shamara took advantage of the silent scolding her father was giving Amyr to escape with Taeron in tow. Many eyes were on her, and as they left the hall, she was very much aware that several men had also left their seats.
"Do you think they will chase me?" she asked Taeron.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows after they had turned the corner. Two men walked past them. Shamara might have laughed if they hadn't been stalking her. When they were out of hearing, Taeron whispered, "I hope you have a good reason for doing this, princess! I am hungry, and you are unsafe."
"I have you to protect me." She stepped out of the shadows, and fortunately there were no other men. They continued through the corridors, ducking out of sight when they heard any male voices. Finally they neared the tower where both her room and that of Prince Dagan was located just as the servant girl came around the corner carrying a tray.
Shamara walked to her and held out her hands. "Thank you for delivering the food. I will take it to Prince Dagan."
The young woman looked from Shamara to Taeron who nodded, then she shrugged and handed the tray to Shamara. Shamara glanced at Taeron. "I will be but a few moments."
He was half-smiling as he looked from her to the servant. "Take your time, princess."
Shamara frowned at him, then turned away. That sneak! He surely knew she wouldn't let that woman in Dagan's sight! This was his way of arranging the situation to his satisfaction. Shamara wanted to bash his head with the tray, but
Taeron probably wouldn't notice any pain. Even before there was an answer to her knock,
Shamara heard the woman giggling. Men were disgusting, selfish, loathsome…
"What are you doing here?"
The voice seemed to come from very far away. Shamara looked up to see Dagan standing in the doorway, but it wasn't really Dagan that she was seeing.
"I had to see you."
Shamara had said it, and yet she hadn't. She moved forward, past Dagan who stared at her dumbly. He seemed to be feeling some of the same confusion she felt.
"You should leave. You know we cannot be together."
"Shut the door, Dagmar. I am not going to leave."
"Princess, what are you doing here?" Shamara recognized Nazzar's voice. He was walking toward her, but when their eyes met, he suddenly stopped.
"Nazzar, I wish to be alone with Dagmar."
"Nazzar, it is best that you stay."
Nazzar looked at Shamara. "Princess, you should return to your own rooms. Where is your guard?"
Shamara felt intense frustration unlike she had ever felt in her life. Yet she stood dumbly with the tray in her hands, unable to move, only a foot away from Dagan who seemed to be in a similar state.
"I'm not going, Nazzar! I have been denied for thousands of years! I will not leave now!"
Nazzar reached out to Shamara, and when his hands covered hers where they were holding the tray, she suddenly felt the world spinning around her until there was nothing but blackness.
"What are you doing here, Ulfyna?"
Ulfyna had hoped no one would see her. She didn't count on the possibility that Nazzar was following her. "I was going for a walk."
He raised a brow. Nazzar might be old, but he was not a fool. He had probably seen everything and heard every excuse she could come up with. Ulfyna had no acceptable excuse for being in the men's training yard after the evening meal.
She let loose a long, frustrated sigh. "Nazzar, I cannot bear being locked away any longer!"
"You promised Queen Rahina that you would take the burden from her, that you would train to one day imprison the powers of darkness." Nazzar was scolding her, and Ulfyna did feel some guilt. She had made the promise to the queen, and yet at the time she hadn't realized what it would mean to her. As the days passed, she had a deep sense of missing something. And as the days turned into weeks during which time she trained with Rahina and Nazzar to trap and hold the evil spirits fighting to escape the older woman, Ulfyna realized she felt empty inside when she could not see Dagmar. Ulfyna missed him; her heart ached to be near him. She thought she might see him tonight, for she had heard that he occasionally trained by the light of the moon. But Nazzar must have read her mind to discover her plans.
"You must return to the queen's quarters." Without waiting for her response, Nazzar took her arm and led her away from the men's compound.
As they walked in the evening dusk, Ulfyna fumed about her failure, but as those feelings gradually subsided and she was able to focus, she picked up sensations from Nazzar. She schooled herself not to let him know that she had read his emotions because he would be very upset. Yet his training had not been in vain. In his touch she read ambivalence. Nazzar wanted to please the queen, yet part of him regretted the necessity of keeping Ulfyna from Dagmar. There was a romantic streak in the old man! If only there was some way to exploit it! When he glanced at her, she quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't read her thoughts.
They arrived back at the queen's apartments where Nazzar scolded the guards for allowing Ulfyna to leave unattended. The Calabrian oafs stared at him blankly then grunted an apology. Ulfyna did not like the Calabrian savages brought in from beyond the grassland. Their low intelligence coupled with their violent behavior ensured they would be nothing more than soldiers. If their species evolved to anything more than growling, snorting beasts, Ulfyna would be surprised. Anyway, she wasn't going to get past the two moronic gorillas standing guard at the door. They were now watching her with malevolence, probably because they feared their incompetence in letting her escape might lead to some type of punishment, such as a smaller meal of grubs and beetles or that they might not be allowed to molest the women. They were only concerned about their base, elemental needs and would protect the fulfilling of them ferociously.
Nazzar came to Ulfyna before he left. "I am sorry for the necessity of keeping you sequestered, Ulfyna, but the path you have chosen must be travelled alone."
She looked into his kind eyes. "I have been on the path all my life, Nazzar." Ulfyna left unspoken that she had hoped deep in her heart that one day she would find someone to travel with her.
He smiled sadly and caressed her cheek before leaving her alone with the two disgruntled savages at the door. Ulfyna paced for several moments, then shrugged and sat in the midst of the pile of pillows that served as her bed. She closed her eyes to practice the inner concentration that Rahina had taught her, but after several moments, she sighed and fell back to stare up at the ceiling. Although she had been training extensively, Ulfyna could not imagine imprisoning the spirit of the evil one inside her for many years. How could she do it?
"Are you thirsty or hungry, my lady?"
Ulfyna turned her head to see a young woman waiting anxiously for her response. These Guerani people from the hills were little better than the brutes from the grassland. They were so weak and subservient that one felt guilty giving them an order. This young woman had been serving Ulfyna for weeks, materializing when she sensed a need and melting into the shadows when her presence was not required. Her dark eyes met Ulfyna's without blinking. Ulfyna guessed she was an intelligent young woman who had the misfortune of being born to a backward people.
"I am both," she finally admitted.
The young woman nodded and left the room, slipping almost unnoticed past the Calabrians at the door. She returned a few moments later carrying a tray of food and a pitcher of sweet nectar. Ulfyna said nothing as she satisfied her hunger, but once she had finished and the young woman was clearing away the tray, Ulfyna had a revelation.
"You knew I was hungry, and you knew exactly what to bring me."
The woman looked at her but did not speak.
Ulfyna frowned. "I do not know your name although you have served me for many weeks since I have come here."
She seemed surprised, but after a moment of continued silence, she said, "I am called Shamara."
"You are Guerani," stated Ulfyna needlessly.
"All the personal servants of the gods are Guerani," she told Ulfyna.
Ulfyna hadn't given the servants any thought until now. "Is it because you can anticipate their needs?"
"One cannot anticipate all the needs of the gods."
Ulfyna did not understand why the ignorant people of the grasslands and the hills considered them gods. Perhaps it was because the ancestors of the people living in the palace had developed an advanced culture. Or it was because they had learned the art of controlling the elements.
Ulfyna did not even want to think about the latter because she tried to put Dagmar from her mind.
"How long have you been here, Shamara?"
"Since I was a child, when Queen Rahina came to our village to choose those whose talents were suited for the gods."
The other woman spoke matter-of-factly, but Ulfyna sensed she was not pleased by her servitude. "I am sorry if I have offended you in any way."
"I am your servant," she reminded Ulfyna. "And you are a god."
Ulfyna laughed. "I am no god! Nor is any other person in this palace. We are all flesh and blood who will one day wither, die and blow away."
Shamara raised a brow. "But you have powers beyond our own."
"You have many powers that I have."
Shamara reached out her hands, and Ulfyna instinctively took them. She was surprised by the power in the Guerani woman, then shocked by what she had learned. Ulfyna quickly pulled her hands away, but she did not look away from Shamara. "What did you learn, my lady?"
"I am Guerani, too." Ulfyna had learned much more that Shamara probably knew also.
"Can I do anything more for you?" asked her Guerani servant.
Ulfyna wrung her hands as if it might help to erase what she had just learned. "Nothing unless you can make me disappear so that I might visit Dagmar."
Shamara rose and left the room, but she returned only a moment later and came directly to Ulfyna. "I know that you cannot leave the room, so I have arranged for you to meet Dagmar in another place that is this room, but is not."
Raising a brow, Ulfyna said, "Please explain further. How is it possible?"
"All Guerani have a bond. Although I am here in the palace, I can see my family at any time. I have asked a friend to help arrange for you to see Lord Dagmaeus." Shamara reached out her hands again. "Place your hands in mine and close your eyes. What you wish, shall be yours."
She hesitated at first, then Ulfyna placed her hands against them. As Shamara closed her fingers around Ulfyna's hands, Ulfyna felt herself being drawn far away. At first she felt dizzy, but soon the disorientation eased and she opened her eyes to find that they were no longer in her room. They were in the hills at the edge of the forest where Ulfyna had grown up alone except for the old woman whose only purpose in her life was to keep her alive.
"Shamara!"
They both turned to the voice that hailed them, and Ulfyna was first amused to see that a handsome young man was approaching. Then she saw Dagmar standing uncertainly behind his Guerani servant. Without any thought to the consequences, she hurried forward and threw herself against him.
To her relief, he folded her in his arms. "I have missed you, Ulfyna."
No words could possibly tell him how much she needed to be with him. "I do not know how we come to be in this place, but I am glad we are here."
Shamara and her young man came to them. "We are not really here, my lady. Our bodies are still in your room. Dagan and Lord Dagmaeus are still in his room, but we can meet here in a trance. Dagan brought Lord Dagmaeus, and you have come with me."
She tightened her arms around Dagmar. "This feels so very real."
Dagmar's personal servant explained. "This is real, Lady Ulfyna. What you experience in here may have consequences in the outside world, so you must be careful."
Shamara grabbed his hand. "Let us leave the gods alone."
The look she gave Dagan told Ulfyna that she really wanted time to alone with him. They hurried away, leaving Ulfyna alone with Dagmar. He took her hand and lead to a tree that had fallen over in a storm. They sat side-by-side, holding hands without saying anything for several minutes.
Finally, Dagmar spoke. "My mother has explained your sacrifice to me. I know that we cannot be together."
Ulfyna stared down at their joined hands. "I…I have had doubts."
"You promised my mother…"
She looked at his face. "I do not believe that your mother is being honest! She says that you have the power of the gods, and yet…yet I do not feel it when I touch you. It is something different that we do not understand, that we are not meant to understand."
Dagmar winced. "You don't know what you are talking about Ulfyna."
Ulfyna knew that Dagmar loved his mother and would not believe ill of her, but Ulfyna had already discerned that Rahina was lying about her motives. That she had killed Mordraeus, Ulfyna had no doubt, but the reason was not clear to Ulfyna. Before she voiced her suspicions to Dagmar she would be certain she knew everything.
Dagmar caressed her hair. "I have never been so happy in my whole life as I am now."
Tears burned Ulfyna's eyes. They were doomed, and she was sure there was nothing she could do to help them. "I have not been alive until this moment," she responded. Whatever the future would bring, they could have the present.
Shamara opened her eyes, and after a moment of disorientation, she realized she was in her own room. Her mother was at her bedside, a worried frown wrinkling her forehead, which smoothed when she saw that Shamara was awake.
"Are you all right, Shamara?"
A snort from the other side of the bed drew her attention. "I told you it was a trance," said her mother's brother. Apolo leaned down to kiss the top of Shamara's head. "You had your mother and father worried these last two days."
"Two days!" Shamara couldn't remember anything after Master Nazzar had touched her, although the dream she had was quite vivid. "Did Dagan ask about me?"
"Why would he do that?" asked Apolo with a teasing smile.
Shamara frowned at him. "You don't know everything, uncle!" His smirk was infuriating.
"I know a few things you do not." He laid his hand over hers.
Shamara flinched at first, knowing that he was reading her feelings, but then she received an unexpected surprise. It made her smile. "If you are so bothered by Lara's stay on the second moon, perhaps you should tell her so yourself."
Apolo jerked his hand away.
His sister smiled. "Well, well, what has Shamara seen that we have not?"
Shamara shared a laugh with her mother.
Apolo snorted. "She doesn't know how to use her powers!" With one last look of disgust, he walked out.
When their laughter died away, Arora looked directly at Shamara. "Have you been in a trance with Dagan?"
"I was not in a trance. It was a dream."
"You were in a trance, Shamara. I was unsure at first, but now I am convinced. Were you with Dagan? If he is the man you love, then you should tell your father so that we can discontinue this silly matchmaking game of his." She swept out her hand to indicate the many gifts and flowers that were crowding her room. "These are the well-wishes of your many suitors. Prince Dagan did not send any, Shamara. I suspect he has been in the trance with you because he has not been seen since his fight with Avar."
"Oh no, I have forgotten Avar!" Shamara pressed her hands to her cheeks. "I promised Chaela that I would heal him!"
"Your sister was very upset when you did not come out of your trance. She went to Avar to offer her help. As a consequence, they have married."
"Married!" Shamara could not believe what she was hearing. "But…but why did she not wait…"
"Your sister is impulsive and reckless. Avar did not trust her to back out at the last minute, so he begged your father to marry her immediately. How could he refuse? He wanted that business over and done with as well. Only our family and the royal family of Teralon attended the ceremony and your father announced it to the court only this morning. Now you are the only available princess."
Shamara sighed and lay back against her pillows. "I do not wish to leave my room." She could imagine the press of courtiers vying for her attention.
Her mother didn't say anything until Shamara looked at her. "You did not answer my question about Dagan. Shamara, if you have been intimate with Dagan in your trance, it is the same as having done so in this world."
"I know that, mother! And I am telling you that I was not in a trance and I was not with Dagan." At least not that she knew if her dream had been a trance. Did she see herself from the eyes of another? Had she been in the presence of the gods? How would Dagan interpret that?
Arora sighed, the look on her face telling Shamara that she suspected she was lying. "I will tell your father that you are awake. You might try being more honest with him if he asks you questions for which you do not have answers for me."
When her mother had gone, Shamara looked around the room and was glad that she didn't see Taeron. Then she quickly became annoyed because she wanted to leave her room, but she suspected guards stood at her door. Soon enough, however, Taeron walked in.
"So you are awake, princess! I thought I was going to be accused of some mischief when I carried you back here."
"Forget about that! I want to see Prince Dagan."
"There is a line of suitors in the hall waiting for you to emerge. And I have heard that Prince Dagan is ill, so he is not leaving his room. I suspect that now you are conscious, we will be seeing Dagan."
Taeron also believed she had been in a trance. "Well, if I cannot go to him, I want you to deliver a message for me. I want him to meet me in the garden. You can give him a location, and I will meet him there tomorrow night."
"This is not a good idea. The garden is dark and dangerous, and…"
"I might spoil your fun or my brothers'?" Shamara glared at him. "Just deliver the message, and tomorrow night you can worry about the dark and dangerous part."
Shaking his head and sighing, Taeron walked out. She heard him grumbling about how much easier his life would be when he was Amyr's imperial guard. Shamara truly doubted it.
