Kasiria tried, she really did, to just watch the woods before them looking for any clues that might help. But she kept just looking over at Jabone. He was Tarius the Black's son, he was Jena's son. There was so much she wanted to ask him about them. He had fathers, too, but they didn't interest her.
He is the Great Leader's son. He is a prince to his people, and no doubt known to the Kartiks. He couldn't hide among his own people as I hide among mine, a completely forgettable princess in a land where I could never take the throne. Like Jestia, because if she was heir to the throne she wouldn't be here now. To my horror I find I have more in common with her than any of the others. No wonder she went on and on about clothes and shopping and always wants someone to do something for her.
What hateful thing had Jabone said Ufalla said to Jestia when she'd been mad at her? That her parents were just glad to be rid of her because she was nothing but trouble. They had an heir; she was just an extra. But even being an "extra" in the Kartik, being female, didn't mean you could never take the throne even if every sibling ahead of you died like it did in the Jethrik.
Jabone was sniffing the air again. He said he could smell the Amalites, that they smelled differently. She would have to take his word for it.
She had talked with Derek and the other sergeants about their theory last night. She told them what her unit thought had happened to the people in the village, and explained why they thought it, the lack of any sign of bodies. They had all reluctantly agreed. They also all agreed that the lair must be no more than a few days on foot away, but they were nowhere near close enough to hear the actions of the troop or they would have already fallen on them.
They left nothing here alive, they aren't worried at all about being found and they won't be back here to check because they know they left this area dead. These raiding parties . . . They have probably been butchering people for years. A few here and a few there, who would notice. They have gotten confident that we won't find them. They are religious fanatics they probably believe their gods are protecting them from detection. After, all it has worked so far. They aren't worried in the slightest and unless we fall by accident onto their doorstep we'll not see them. Her anger flared inside her. They were probably way too busy preparing their "harvest" right now to even stick their heads out of their hiding place.
She was looking, looking for smoke, any sign of the Amalite lair, any clue which might tell them in which direction they had gone. That was what she was looking for—all those things—when she could take her eyes off Jabone.
How would he feel about me if he knew my father was the bastard who shot his beloved madra through with an arrow, with wood that is poison to us? Why didn't he tell me who he was? Why did they all lie to me about their parentage? Because what I told Jabone is the truth and the more people that know a secret the harder it is to keep and I'm just protecting myself but they are holding each other's secrets.
Derek knew who they were, of this she was sure. She thought about it and decided it wouldn't open up a whole wave of questions she didn't want to answer.
"Jabone, does Derek know you're the Katabull?"
If he was surprised at all by her question it didn't show. "Yes, but he doesn't know Jestia's a witch."
Kasiria nodded and thought, So he has put us together for a reason, because he doesn't know what I am except for the king's daughter and he knows you're the Katabull and therefore I'm safer with you. She gave Derek points for that because obviously he was worried more about her safety than her virtue. Then she frowned taking the points away. He knows Jabone is Tarius the Black's son, too, because they're old friends. In fact, she probably sent Jabone to that garrison because Derek was her friend. The same reason my father finagled for me to be stationed there because Derek is his friend. And Derek knows who I am—what my father did to his mother. What did he hope to gain by putting us together? Is her friendship more important than serving his king?
But Persius would be glad to have her riding with Tarius's son, and Hellibolt said Tarius had forgiven her father.
It was all just an odd coincidence and Derek was just putting all else aside to protect her and what better way to protect her than to put her with Jabone, Tarius's Katabull son? Because of course a woman can't take care of herself.
"Kasiria we'd best turn back now," he said, looking up at the sky.
Kasiria nodded. "Let's stop for awhile and stretch. My back hurts."
"So is that what you call it here," he said rubbing at his own rear.
Kasiria smiled and said, "That's what a lady calls it."
Jabone reined Lex in and dismounted, and Kasiria had a moment of amusement. They must look funny from behind—the big man on his small horse her much smaller frame astride the much larger horse. Kasiria dismounted as well and they tethered their horses and unbridled them so that they could eat whatever they could reach.
Jabone sniffed the air. "There are none of them near."
Kasiria nodded and didn't have to ask why he'd told her that as he took her into his arms. He started kissing her. This time her lips parted under his and she felt his tongue in her mouth and a stirring deep within her that no longer wanted to be denied. When their lips parted he looked at her and she could see the hunger in his eyes.
And what she most wanted to do right then was unquestionably, reprehensibly, irresponsible, but it wasn't like anyone could sneak up on them without Jabone knowing it.
Jabone took his finger and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and said, "I talked to Eric. She says courtship is supposed to last for months, but I can't help myself I want you, I want you to have me."
She was breathing so hard she was getting dizzy, and in that moment who she was and who he was didn't matter to her. She knew, knew absolutely that they were born for each other. This time it was she who kissed him and then she was undoing the buckles on his kidney belt. And then the armor was just flying—hers, his—it was just slung off. Then the clothes, and when their flesh met Kasiria's heart was beating so fast that she could hear it in her ears. Jabone lay down on the ground on top of their pile of discarded clothes and then he pulled her down on top of him. She just went completely crazy then, kissing him, and touching him everywhere, and his hands were all over her.
Then he touched her in a way that made her flesh cry out for more and he was breathing huskily against her throat, "You decide Kasiria, you decide when."
More than ready, she buried his flesh within hers and then the outside world just ceased to be.
* * *
He didn't know exactly when it had happened but at some point in their lovemaking both of them had changed and then . . . Well it was just nothing like anything he'd ever experienced before.
He held her and she held him.
"My mother was right," Jabone said. "It is better when you love the person."
"I do love you, Jabone." Kasiria ran her hand down his body and looked into his eyes. "So I guess now I know something else that will bring on the change."
"But . . . It had never brought on the change before with me. Are you all right?"
She laughed and kissed him. "I'm fine, but we'd better get up and get dressed or we won't make it back to camp before dark."
He nodded, disentangled himself from her, stood up and put down a hand to help her. When she was on her feet he held her again.
"Thank you."
Kasiria laughed. "Why are you thanking me, Jabone?"
"Because you could have said no."
She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "No, I don't really think I could have. Now come on let's go."
"Like this?" Jabone asked.
"Well we have to get dressed." She laughed. He just looked at her in disbelief and she
realized what he meant "Oh yeah, I never thought I'd get used to being like this and now here we are both of us naked and, well I guess it says something that I don't even notice the difference."
"I'll bring down some game." He took off without dressing and shortly came back with a squirrel. They ate it, changed back, and then they dressed quickly, rearmored, untethered their horses and mounted up.
When they were on the trail again she turned to look at him and said with a smile. "Thank you."
He laughed and put his horse to a gallop knowing they'd never make it back by dark if they didn't make up some time. He heard Kasiria's horse right at his heels. But I would have known she was there even if I hadn't heard her like my madra always knows where my mother is without looking. Because we are bound together, we are one person not two.
* * *
Tarius was driving her crazy. Useless small talk about what she didn't listen enough to find out was interrupted by occasional questions about their "coupling," which he obviously didn't remember.
"So, was I as good as I usually am? I mean I was very drunk and . . . "
"Gods and spiders would you shut up!"
"I'd just like to know," he said with a shrug.
"We didn't do it, all right? You passed out cold on top of me. That can hardly be considered sex," Jestia said.
"But," Tarius didn't understand, "you let everyone believe we did."
"Like they would have believed me if I told them what really happened when they found us the way they did. Besides it wasn't my fault we didn't and I needed them to think we had. Or I thought I did, but it didn't work at all, not at all!"
"So we didn't do it?"
"No," Jestia said. She couldn't tell from his expression whether he was happy or sad about it.
"Why'd you let them think we did, Jestia?"
"It doesn't matter now, and like I said seeing us like that do you really believe that anyone would have believed we didn't?"
"No," he said, and that was the end of it.
Well that shut the little bastard up. Everything I did didn't change the dream. Didn't change it at all because her feelings for me never changed—not longer than it took her to get over being mad and start to make excuses for my behavior. Maybe I shouldn't have stopped the tent leaking on her head.
But that's not it anyway. At the garrison . . . Even when I made plans to leave and go home the dream ended the same I just wasn't in it.
I have failed. I can't do the spell and so the dream is the same. She loves me. No one else does, no one else ever has. She loves me and the time is close at hand and . . . Well that being the case what real choice do I have?
"Are you sure?" Tarius asked after a long silence.
"Quite," Jestia answered.
"Well you don't have to sound so happy about it."