Chapter 24

Marvik

“W ait!” I bark out, but no one seems to listen to me. Dura is escorted away, disappearing from my view. I pull away from Adalind, though her grip on my arm is firm. “Wait! You must listen to me!”

The orc king turns to me. He’s as terrifying as I remember from that day at Fort Attis, with his huge stature and curling horns. Double tusks jut out from his lower lips, emphasizing his frown. He looks designed to kill. If I hadn’t seen him being so gentle with Adalind that night in the inn, I would have never believed that she could be safe with him.

“Speak, human.”

I don’t know what to say. I do know that Dura went about that all wrong. What was she thinking? It’s almost like she wants to be banished.

But I have to start talking. “Dura’s desertion was not from cowardice or lack of loyalty, but because of Fate itself. She experienced the Recognition, don’t you understand? We . . .”

“Then you are her mate?” the king asks, interrupting me.

I freeze. I . . . I think I am. I want to be. I need to be. With the king's question, it all comes rushing to me. I love her. I love her. Her stubbornness, her graceful, deadly nature, her kind yet sharp eyes. While our initial meeting was, perhaps, unconventional at best, I understand her decision. She saved me, gave me a second life, and gave me freedom at the risk of her own. I know we have started the courting process, but now I feel like I can't wait that long. But, we are not bound together in the ways of the elves or the orcs, and I think this is what the orc king is asking. However, I plan to remedy that as soon as possible .

“I am,” I boldly lie. But is it truly a lie, if it is what I feel in my heart? I don’t need a bite to tell me that I belong with Dura.

The king looks unimpressed and unconvinced. He stares me down, as if trying to read my character through looks alone. I don’t know what he sees, but he finally says, “If you are her mate, you may join her in her cell. I do not have the time to sort this out right now. Apparently, we are under attack and that must take my attention.”

I want to argue, but I know that he is right. The Barakrini attack must take precedence. There will be time for defense later.

“Marvik,” says Adalind, coming up to my side, “don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry, Addie,” I tell her, before turning back to the king. “I am Dura ka Woreki’s mate and will not be parted from her. If that means that I must go to her cell, so be it. Whatever judgment she must suffer, I will too.”

The orc king looks at me, a little more respect in his eyes, then orders, “Guard, escort Sir Marvik to General Dura’s cell. They will stay there together until the sentencing.”

An orc comes to my side, going to grab my arm, but I pull away. “That won’t be necessary. I am coming of my own free will.”

The orc guard looks to his king, who gives a nod. The guard’s hand goes down to his side and I walk with him through the crowd toward the dungeons. I hear murmurs as I pass, the gossipers of court already starting their tales of scandal. That I, Sir Marvik, the most honorable and stoic knight of the realm, have suddenly come back from the dead and am apparently mated to an orcress deserter is something that could feed the rumor mill for weeks, if not months. But I have never cared about rumors and ignore the speculative gazes and petty whispers as I enter the castle.

My orc escort and I head down to the dungeons. I have rarely been in this wing of the castle, but am not unfamiliar with it. It is dark and damp, lit only by thin windows in the cells, each less than a hand-span wide. Small lumen crystals are embedded into the walls to give more light, but it is still a gloomy, forbidding place. The orc confers with a human at the entrance to the dungeon, the prison master, before taking me further into the dark, to a wooden cell door. Through the grate in the top of it, I can see Dura, already sitting on the cot inside the cell. My escort opens the door and I walk in readily. Dura looks up at me with alarm.

“What are you doing in here?”

The door closes behind me before I can respond, the lock clicking into place. Dura looks behind me and shouts, “You can’t just leave him in here! Guard? Guard!”

Her shouts are ignored as the orc just leaves. Dura looks up at me, fire in her eyes. “What have you done? You shouldn’t be here!”

“Neither should you, but here we are,” I retort. I look around the cell. Though dark and damp, it is clean and well-looked after. The straw on the floor is new, and there’s no evidence of rodents. The cot that Dura is sitting on has a serviceable-looking blanket and pillow. A second cot on the opposite wall is similarly equipped. This is to be our home for the next several days. It could be worse. I sigh and sit on the other cot, but Dura gets up and looms over me.

“ This is where I belong, Marvik,” she insists, still agitated. “ I deserted. You , on the other hand, should be with your sister, enjoying a welcome home. That is where you belong!”

“Why are you being so self-sacrificing all of a sudden?” I ask, genuinely baffled. “Just a few days ago, you were content to live the rest of your days as a hermit in the woods. We were content with that. You were building a smokehouse for all the gods’ sakes. What changed?”

“I remembered my honor,” she seethes at me. “Duty found me again and reminded me that I am not a hermit in the woods, nor am I one to play mates with a man that doesn’t truly want me. I am a shieldmaiden of Orik and running from consequences is not what I was made for.”

She thinks that I do not want her? How can she think that? I open my mouth to respond when I hear a familiar, crystalline voice .

“Well, this is all very interesting.”

I stand, turning back to the door. Adalind stands behind the grate, as shockingly beautiful as always. I have never been attracted to my sister, my feelings for her strictly platonic, but even I am not immune to the fierce majesty of her fairy blessing. It’s like standing in front of a wonder of the world or the stunning vista at the top of a mountain. The primary emotion is awe, like I imagine it would be before something divine. But even with her full, unshrouded beauty aimed at me, I do not miss the warring emotions on Adalind’s face. There’s relief and happiness, like I saw in the courtyard when she ran to embrace me, but also an emotion that normally she’d try to hide: a deep, deep anger.

“So, you were alive in the woods all this time,” she states, her voice breaking on the last syllable. I know she is glad to see me, but in her words there is also plain accusation, as apparent as if she had lifted her finger and pointed at me.

“Addie . . .” I begin.

“No! Don’t ‘Addie’ me! I mourned you, Marvik! I wept over you. Countless nights I would wake and remember you were gone and my grief was like it never ebbed! We sent scouts into the Deep Wood, searching for your bodies so we could burn you, but they came up empty and so I mourned again! But now you stand before me as hale and hearty as you please. Where were you ?”

I am at a loss. “I . . . I thought you would be better off without me, after I heard of your marriage. After I heard everything my family tried to do to you. I thought I would just remind you of my parents and their abuses. I . . .”

Adalind looks stunned, then angry again, interrupting me. “Well, you were wrong! I have never seen your parents’ cruelties in you, Marvik. Until now, if you truly left me to think that you were dead on purpose.”

“It wasn’t his fault, My Queen . . .” starts Dura, but she is swiftly stopped by a glaring Adalind, who turns the whole brunt of her fairy beauty and anger on my lover .

“Oh, I’ll get to you. Both of you! Desertion, dereliction of duty! We thought you had killed each other, but really you ran off together? How could you? What happened to you?”

I quirk a brow at my sister. “Am I allowed to answer now? Without interruptions?”

Outrage, pure and simple, flashes across Adalind’s face. She isn’t as used to my brotherly needling as she used to be. That’ll have to change. If Dura and I aren’t banished, that is.

My sister takes on a mulish expression, but gestures a magnanimous hand out, signaling me to speak. I would snort at her high-handedness, but she is my queen, after all.

“I am sorry for all your pain, Addie, but truly, I’ve only known that you were alive for two weeks. I couldn’t have gotten to you for months before that. I was unconscious for much of it.”

“What?” Adalind asks, concern overtaking her earlier anger. “What do you mean, you were unconscious?”

“We did fight at the Battle of Fort Attis. It was a deadly duel and in the end I lost. Dura’s dagger stabbed me in the chest, and I lost consciousness. I was dying.”

Adalind gasps, her eyes darting to Dura, who seems to shrink a little under that gaze.

I continue, “When I woke again, I was in a cave in the Deep Wood. Rather than letting me die, she had saved me, at great personal cost. She took me from the battle and healed me with her magic, tending to me through fevers and hallucinations until I was well.” I don't mention that Dura ended up taking me captive afterward. That won’t really help our cause.

“But why?” Adalind asks, still looking at Dura. “I thought you had experienced the elvish Recognition? Why did you try to kill him in the first place?”

“He is my Ash’ka ,” Dura confirms, her voice as small as I have ever heard it. “But it was not until I struck the killing blow that I felt the Recognition binding me to him. Once I did, I had to save him; there was no other choice. ”

Understanding crosses Adalind’s features. She presses, “But that still doesn’t explain the desertion. Could you not have appealed to Rognar for aid? He would have understood. Orcs have mates as well.”

Dura shakes her head. “I thought of that, but it’s different. Orcs can mate with anyone that their instinct wakes for. They are not tied to their mates until they Claim them. Elves have only one mate and are bound from the moment the Recognition surfaces; besides, I am only half elf. I have never heard of another half-blood experiencing the Recognition. Rognar would have argued with me that it was only my Mating Instinct, not the Recognition, and he wouldn’t have wanted to waste resources to save one dying human, especially one that had been protecting our enemy. Marvik would have died while we argued. I couldn’t take the chance.”

Adalind’s face grows more serious listening to Dura’s explanation. “Are you sure?” she asks. “The Rognar I know is fair and even-keeled. He listens to wisdom and believes those he loves. You’re his cousin, Dura. He would have listened to you.”

Wait. What? The orc king is Dura’s what ?

Dura just responds to Adalind, not noticing the sudden shocked expression I send her way. “He is my cousin, and as his cousin, I know him well. He was furious at the humans when we fought them. Rognar wanted nothing else than to crush Adrik beneath his fist. He wasn’t in a frame of mind to spare precious resources to save a hated enemy. Obviously, something happened after I left to change his mind.”

Adalind flushes lightly, a sprinkling of pink on her cheeks. Even her embarrassment is a sight to behold. “I suppose I understand what you mean. But why did you not explain this to Rognar just now? He is not without mercy and he doesn’t want to punish his only cousin. The thought devastated him. You are like a sister to him. ”

“It is not the Orikesh way,” replies Dura simply. “I must either take my punishment or challenge my king. And I will not challenge him. Either I would kill him, or he would have to kill me with his own hands. I would not do that to him.”

My sister looks thoughtful. “It may not be the Orikesh way, but we are in Adrik now. We have adopted many of Orik’s practices, but our trials still allow for a defense. There may be a chance to save you both . . . but I must hurry and start maneuvering. This will not be easy.”

Adalind looks like she’s about to leave, when she suddenly turns back. “Marvik . . . there’s something else you should know. Your mother . . .”

“I know,” I say. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

To my surprise, she shakes her head. “No, not yet. She is being executed in the morning. Her sentence is . . . not merciful.”

“But at Grimblton, they said . . .” I begin, then stop. Karn said that my mother’s trial was here, not that the sentence had happened already. I change tacks. “What happened while I was gone? I heard she tried to kill you after my father died? Was it vengeance?”

Adalind bites her lip, worried. She doesn’t want to tell me what my mother has done. I can see that plainly. “It’s alright,” I reassure her, “I will not defend my mother. I know as well as you do that she is a monster.”

“That’s the thing, Marvik,” Adalind says, still reluctant, “your mother is capable of so many worse things than we ever even knew. She and your father were part of a secret society that was dedicated to the torture and killing of innocents. She worshiped the demon Grazrath and this Cabal is what released him from his prison. There is untold blood on her hands. Not only that, but you are right, she tried to kill me and Rognar after we wed to try to restart the war and her plot almost succeeded. Maybe it was for vengeance, but mostly for power. Her charges are severe, and Rognar has sentenced her to a lowly, painful death. ”

I take in a deep breath. I knew that my mother was not a good person. Once again, I think back to that day with the stableboy. But did I know she was capable of all Adalind is telling me? Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me, but I still feel horrified.

“I am sorry for all the wickedness that my family has visited upon you, Addie,” I say gravely, my heart heavy. “The sins of my House toward you and the kingdom are great indeed.”

Adalind’s fingers reach through the grate, obviously reaching toward me. I put out my hand and grasp hers in mine. She gives me a comforting squeeze. “Peace, Marvik,” she says. “I have never blamed you for your parents’ actions. It is all in the past and I am happy now. Safe and protected. Now that you have been returned to me, I have all that I could ever want.”

I withdraw my hand from hers. “I cannot be entirely returned to you, Adalind. Whatever happens to Dura, I will go with her as well. I am her mate and we cannot be parted.”

Dura looks like she is going to interject something, but I give a quelling look. We’ll talk later.

Adalind merely nods her head. “I will work to help you. Though I cannot promise that I will lift your punishment, I will work to mitigate it. I must go.”

She gives me a hesitant look. “But, Marvik . . . do you want to see your mother? Before she dies in the morning? I can arrange it. She’s not in this dungeon, but is currently in the execution cell, next to the courtyard. This would be your last chance.”

Immediately, I shake my head. “Whatever she has to say to me will only be lies and manipulations. After she is executed, I will gladly forget that I ever had such a mother.”

My sister nods, accepting my answer before turning and leaving the grate. When I can see her no longer, I turn and see Dura looking at me with an unreadable gaze. Then she hits me in the shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“You could have warned me about your sister,” she says, glaring at me .

“About what?” I ask, genuinely flabbergasted.

“Her beauty! How can one such as her even exist? It is like trying to stare down and talk to a goddess! Impossible!”

“You knew she was fairy-blessed,” I point out before feeling annoyed as well. “And you could have warned me that the orc king was your cousin. Why did you never tell me?”

Dura frowns, then looks a little embarrassed. “It never came up. Well, I mean, at first you wanted to kill him, but then after that . . .” She trails off into silence and looks away. When she looks back, her expression is vulnerable.

“You are my mate?” she asks. “You truly believe that?”

“Of course I do!” I say, letting her change the subject. “How can you think that I don’t want you? Have I not shown that I choose you? In the woods and now here? Above all else, even my honor be damned.”

I reach into my trouser pocket, pulling out the piece of amethyst I have been carrying all this time. “I will always want you,” I tell her, holding out my hand, “and hope that you want me.”

She takes the stone from me and holds it up with a curious gaze. “What is this?”

“It’s why I went to the foot of the mountain that day I was ambushed. It’s from a cache of amethysts that I found as a boy. I wanted to get you a gift, to begin the Exchanging.”

Her eyes flick to me with surprise. “The Exchanging . . . that’s why you were asking me those questions that night by the fire?”

I nod. “I wanted to know how to get closer to you, to move our relationship forward. Does this . . . is this enough? I have nothing else to give.”

Dura stares at me, her eyes still unfathomable. Without warning, she suddenly unwinds the leather cord from her left arm. Before I can wonder why she wants to tie me up again, she surprises me by putting the cord in my hand .

“I accept your Exchanging, Marvik Grimble,” she says. “Do you accept mine? It is the leather of the dragon Wyrmin, won by my own hands in battle.”

Oh. Oh . So that’s why I could never cut the cords in all those times I tried. I hold up the cord, looking at it closely. I never noticed in all the time that I was bound with it, but it is beautifully braided, definitely a worthy gift, far more worthy than my pathetic stone. I am touched that she is giving it to me. It almost seems like a symbol of her trust in me, to give something that she once used to bind me.

“I accept,” I tell her, giving her a quirked half smile.

Then Dura is kissing me and nothing else matters.