Chapter Six

In his dream, Kalasin was in a cage. It wasn't one of his unconscious sexual fantasies, as Zaimid so cleverly put it, because this time she wasn't raging to get out and she wasn't wearing a red silk nightgown. The cage was suspended in midair, in a sky of gray. She was sitting on the floor of the cage, resting her forehead against the bars wearily. He had the vague feeling that she was in distress, although he couldn't really see her through the mist. That she was calling for help was evident.

His eyes snapped open suddenly, and he realized that he was cold and clammy. Kalasin had probably taken all the blankets for herself while he had been worrying about her in his dream. He reached out for her shoulder and felt nothing. Rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes, he looked around their room blearily. Had she even come to bed? Kaddar threw the covers off and summoned a ball of orange fire for light, remembering the way she had swayed when he had put her down.

Mithros. What if she had been drunk, and fainted? It would have been his entire fault…

When he threw open the door to her dressing room and found her lying prone on the sofa, he sighed in relief. She had just fallen asleep. Crossing the room quickly, he gathered her up in his arms, and her head lolled against his shoulder. She was pale, and—impulsively, he put a hand to her chest, and then to her throat and wrists.

Kaddar almost dropped her when he realized that she wasn't breathing.

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"Well? What's wrong?" Kaddar could barely contain his impatience, and Zaimid winced as he probed the empress's body with his light green Gift. There was a tense silence for a few minutes, before Zaimid pulled his hand back, frowning at Kalasin worriedly.

"I can't sense anything. She's cold and clammy, and at least now she's breathing lightly. I can't think of anything that just made her faint like that. Kalasin wasn't drunk; I know that. Have you two…"

"No," Kaddar said with such finality that even Zaimid nodded.

"Well, then," he said, still frowning. "She's running an external fever, with a touch of something that might be the stomach flu as well. It would take too much energy out of her if I healed her magically, so I think it would be best for her body to heal by itself. Kalasin needs rest," he emphasized, giving Kaddar the evil eye. "You work her like a slave, so it's no wonder that stress weakened her immune system."

"She will be all right?" asked a chastened Kaddar, touching her limp hand.

Zaimid nodded. "Kalasin's a strong girl. She'll recover quickly, if you let her. She'll sleep for about half a day, at the least. Call me when she awakens."

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In her dream, Kaddar was dancing. In a field of flowers, swaying back and forth and skipping and prancing. There was a lily tucked behind his ear, and Kalasin realized that he looked perfectly relaxed. For some reason, she reached out to touch his cheek and ask if she could dance with him. He nodded yes, and they started to waltz among the daffodils. In the bright green sky, a row of sugar plum fairies frolicked among blue clouds shaped like toy nutcracker dolls.

One of the sugar plum fairies fluttered down to where she and Kaddar stood, and smiled down at them, baring little orange teeth. The fairy touched Kalasin's forehead, and all of a sudden, she felt dizzy. The next thing she knew, Kaddar was cradling her in his arms, looking at her. He tweaked one of her whiskers, and she rubbed her small, dry, pink nose against his nose, meowing happily. "Good kitty," he crooned gently. He stroked her black-furred body, and she purred. One cool finger rested against her forehead for a moment, followed by a kiss right above her amber eyes…

Her eyes opened slowly, and it took her a few moments to realize that she wasn't a coddled black cat who rubbed her nose against Kaddar's. She had tanned human skin, there were no daffodils in sight, and all the sugar plum fairies and nutcracker dolls were gone…

The only thing that remained the same was the cool touch on her forehead, and the feeling of being held by something warm. "…Kaddar?" No, the cool thing on her forehead was something that soothed the throbbing pain in her head. Kaddar was the one who was still cuddling her.

She was freezing and burning at the same time, and she wondered if he could help her. Getting to her knees a little woozily, she patted his cheek over and over until his eyes opened. They were big and brown and startled, and had little flecks of green in them. Kalasin pressed her nose against his, and those lovely eyes grew even larger. "I'd feel better if you petted me," she whispered hoarsely.

He was staring at her as if she was doing something shocking or wrong. She didn't want to be wrong. But before she could apologize, he hugged her close, depositing her against the pillows near the headboard. "Kalasin? Are you all right?"

Wide-eyed, she nodded at him. "Yes. I think."

Kaddar shook his head, unconvinced. "You haven't yelled or asked strange questions. And you pressed up against me willingly and asked to be petted. Somehow, I don't think so. But I'm going to enjoy you while you last. Er, not like that," he added as an afterthought.

Nod like you understand. Kalasin nodded, hoping she looked like she understood. Not like what?

"Never mind," he muttered to himself, mussing his long hair. "It's nice not having to watch my language for unintentional innuendo, though."

"In any case, I'm going to tell you what Zaimid recommends," Kaddar continued. "After your buildup of stress, he suggested that both of us take a vacation. Away from here. Far away," he added, with apparent relish. "That is, if you want to come with me to Radzyn, one of our coast holdings…?" He almost flinched, expecting the old Kalasin to return and give him a vehement rebuttal. "I mean, it'll be us. Alone. Together."

"That doesn't sound too bad," yawned Kalasin. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyelids began to droop. The bright green sky and sugar plum fairies danced back into view slowly. One of her hands found his, and she entwined their fingers together. "Stay with me."

She was asleep within moments, leaving an amazed Kaddar awake, staring at her. If that was the way Kalasin was whenever delirious, he really should try and get her into that state more often.

Or maybe the gentle young woman he had just talked—actually talked—to was the real Kalasin. The one that didn't put up a hard, rocky exterior for the rest of the world, just to prove what an innocent, vulnerable girl she was on the inside.

Kaddar couldn't help but snort. Maybe what Kalasin had was catching. That theory was far-fetched, even for him.

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