25. Chapter 25

Chapter twenty-five

Tsaria stood hidden behind Tomas and drank in Kamir as the clerk of the ruling assembly proclaimed Kamir responsible for the slaughter of fourteen people.

He looked thinner than barely a few days ago when he’d seen him last, and he had a horrid thick collar wrapped around his neck. Tsaria ached once more to take care of him. No one else did, and Kamir clearly wasn’t capable of doing it himself. No, no, that wasn’t fair. He was eminently capable of a lot of things. Tam had shared everything he knew of Kamir as they travelled, and apparently he was singlehandedly responsible for ending the war with Cadmeera. The princess had been necessary and Tam had been vague on details, but he had negotiated the terms of surrender with the old king of Cadmeera and had helped Attiker defeat the insane leader of Abergenny when he had tried to poison Raz’mar and mount an invasion. He had heard of the people’s champion, Attiker, before he had even met him. Not that he could do something like that, but Tsaria wished he had the chance to try.

Kamir wasn’t a coward, but because of outdated laws, he had been stripped of any power and his uncle had nearly brought Rajpur to its knees. A job, he was sure, his son would finish admirably.

“It’s only because of Iskar that Damatrious can call for this punishment,” Tomas whispered.

Because in Rajpur, all deaths weren’t counted equally.

Tsaria glanced around nervously. There seemed more people in here now than when they had come in and he caught sight of a strange group of men and women who had come in then had spread themselves out at the back. They were dressed in the normal clothes of tradesmen and the like, but their feet were bare. It struck him as odd, and he wasn’t sure why. More than one had lip rings, and some had nose rings as well, joined together by a chain. No one was taking any notice, so he looked back and met a familiar pair of amber eyes. Tsaria’s breath caught in his throat. Kamir.

He was helpless to look away, but then the clerk demanded Kamir’s attention. He watched the almost vacant expression on Kamir’s face and knew he was distancing himself in his mind. There had been no shock from Kamir as he had looked at Tsaria and he realized Kamir thought Tsaria was a figment of his imagination.

The clerk asked again if Kamir admitted responsibility for the deaths and Kamir looked straight at Damatrious and was silent for a moment, before he spoke. “What difference would any denial make?”

“Is that an admission?” Damatrious demanded before the clerk got the chance to reply.

“If you like,” Kamir replied softly and ignored all the gasps around the room, including Tsaria’s.

Why? Why wasn’t he fighting? Tsaria nearly asked the question out loud, but then he took in Kamir’s defeated gaze, and knew why. Kamir couldn’t let the children die. He had no hope of saving his people. He had no hope of changing into his dragon. He had no hope of any future where he was loved, and that was Tsaria’s own fault. He had done that. He hadn’t trusted Kamir enough, and now it was too late.

The throne room doors opened at the back at the same time that Kamir was surrounded. But Kamir wasn’t fighting. He simply ignored the guards’ unnecessary rough handling and went outside. All the witnesses followed in hushed fascination, which made Tsaria feel sick. What could he do?

“If you’re going to do anything, now’s the time,” Tomas whispered as they all spread out in a semi-circle in front of the post Kamir was being chained to. The base was stone, and Tsaria watched what they were doing with abhorrence. The stone was covered in straw and wood chips. He’d understood what cleansing by fire meant in an abstract way but seeing his gentle man tied to a post on a bed of kindling was a horror he couldn’t comprehend.

The clerk unfurled a scroll.

By the will of the people of Rajpur, Kamir Anslar has been found guilty of the slaughter of innocents and is sentenced to the cleansing of the goddess.

Tsaria’s heart broke, and he took a step forward. Tomas immediately covered him by stepping up, too. The guards recognized Tomas and relaxed. They would assume Tomas was checking Kamir wasn’t about to change into his dragon. After all, that was why he’d claimed to be here.

The kindling lit, Damatrious stepped back as Tsaria stepped forward again, the heat fanning his skin.

And because he was suddenly the closest, he caught Kamir’s gaze. For an endless second Kamir gazed at him with adoration until he noticed Tomas move, and Kamir blinked. Horror warped Kamir’s calm features, and he shook his head frantically, but Tsaria knew. Kamir had just worked out that Tsaria wasn’t an illusion.

Flames roared as it seemed like the pyre Kamir was standing on caught at once. He heard a distressed noise from one of the witnesses but tuned it out and took another step. Flames licked at Kamir’s feet. He felt people’s heads turn, unable to look, but he was sure there were as many that gloried in the sick sight. He took another step forward toward those amber eyes. The ones he adored so much.

Then the flames caught beneath Kamir and Kamir was suddenly surrounded by a fiery wall. The fire smothered him and in his head Tsaria heard a cry of torment. No. Kamir was hurt, and Tsaria had to soothe him. There was nothing else in his mind and body except that need, and ignoring the guards’ shouted warnings, Tsaria took the few steps onto the pyre, and simply walked through the flames. He reached for Kamir and brought his hands up to clasp his cheeks. The pain ravaging his features instantly diminished. He wanted Kamir to hold him, but the chains… “I love you,” Tsaria promised while the fire raged around them. Flames roared over their bodies.

“How are you—” Kamir gasped, but then Tsaria decided Kamir’s lips had better uses than forming words, and he stood in the middle of a fire that should have roasted them alive and kissed him.

Flames roared around them, and it was as if they were one. The flames blasted through them, joining them together. Bonding them for all time.

Tsaria drew back a little for breath, cocooned by the flames that didn’t hurt them, that could never hurt them.

“This is impossible,” Kamir’s voice broke.

“No, my love. We are bonded.” He knew deep inside him it was true. “You have a dragon, an elemental used to the heat of the fire mountain. It was our bonding that protected you. In here you are safest and you are keeping me so, but I think the people of Rajpur need to see your dragon. You need to take your throne and end this nonsense.”

“And you’ll stay with me?” Kamir almost begged.

Tsaria’s eyes burned. “I never want to be anywhere else.” He kissed him once more and demanded Kamir’s dragon come forth, pouring all the love in his heart into the command. Kamir arched his back and roared, his voice quickly becoming flames that poured from his throat and the collar dropped uselessly to the ground. Tsaria didn‘t move as Kamir grew scales and a huge tail. He wasn’t scared. He was in love. The audience clearly didn’t agree and started screaming. Many ran. The guards that drew their swords were shot a warning flame. The ones who backed away were spared, and any who thought to draw a weapon against Kamir’s bonded were incinerated on the spot.

Kamir’s dragon roared again, the people who had stayed trying to cover their ears at the deafening noise, until with a whoosh the fire went out, and the kindling and the post became simple ash. The silence was palpable. Tsaria glanced down at the collar and the chains that had held Kamir, nothing but a twisted, molten mess on the floor. And amongst all that, Kamir just stood breathing heavily. Tsaria stepped close and put a hand to Kamir’s neck. He would never let anyone hurt him ever again. “Your people need to hear you speak.”

Kamir changed instantly back to human, dressed still in his imperial clothes, and the audience gasped. Tsaria wanted to laugh, but he didn’t. They weren’t impressed by his dragon, simply that Kamir could appear fully dressed when he changed back?

But maybe they were in shock. It was one thing to hear of a legend, it was another to see a living, breathing embodiment of it. He met Kamir’s eyes and gloried in the trust in them. The love. He would never doubt him again.

“I am Kamir Anslar, son and heir of the last Emir of Rajpur and direct descendant. You have seen me cleansed by the goddess and change into my animal, fulfilling the qualifying edicts to assume my throne.” He looked at Damatrious, who to his credit was one of the ones who hadn’t run, then dropped his voice. “I didn’t kill your brother. I don’t know how she is managing this but the enchantress Elainore from the sand people is responsible and must be detained right away. She has your father in her thrall and was responsible for the deaths.”

Damatrious gaped.

Tsaria glanced around. He didn’t see Gabar anywhere, but they were in the courtyard, which was filling up quickly as the word about Kamir was obviously spreading.

Damatrious beckoned his guards. “Seal the palace. No one in or out, especially Lord Anslar. On my order.” The guards all jumped to attention and left, but a new influx of people surged out to the courtyard.

Damatrious turned back to Kamir, then slowly but deliberately bent his knee and knelt in supplication. “Highness, please accept my apologies and my undying loyalty. You survived the cleansing, and it is clear you have the blessing of the goddess” Damatrious bowed his head and drew his right hand across his chest. That must mean something because he’d seen those close to Raz and Attiker do the same.

A cheer went up and in the blink of an eye, people tried to crowd around. The witnesses, guards, even servants came to cheer and bless their new emir. But then the crowd swelled again. It seemed that everyone wanted to swear their love and loyalty. Someone bumped into Tsaria and he had to let go of Kamir just to stay on his feet, and instantly a wall of people separated them.

Tsaria stumbled again as someone crowded him. A sting bit his neck at the same time, and Tsaria brought his hand up even as he looked down to see where he could safely place his sandals.

The last thing he remembered seeing was a pair of bare feet.