Catherine Asaro - The Night Bird

Allegra nodded her thanks. She didnt know the protocols for royal consorts yet, but her response seemed to satisfy him. A guard lifted the tent flap for her, and she went inside. The tent was similar to the one where she and Markus had slept before, with a table, two stools, a pallet and braziers in two corners. Markus was seated at the table with his dinner set out on pewter plates. He had a mug halfway to his lips, but when she entered, he slowly set it down.

She stopped in the center of the tent. “Markus

He stood carefully, as if she were a skylark doe that would bolt at the slightest provocation. Dark rings showed under his eyes, and his hair was a mess, as if he had raked it with his hands many times. He started to come around the table, then hesitated, watching her uncertainly. She also started toward him, but stopped almost immediately. Finally he let out a breath and walked over to her.

“Im glad you came, he said.

Allegra laid her hand against his chest, the cloth of his shirt soft under her palm. She wished she could feel his heartbeat.

Markus put his hand over hers. “Gods, Allegra, if I could take into myself the pain of what he did to you, if I could free you from that anguish, I would do it a hundred times over.

“I didnt Her voice broke as she reached for him. He drew her into his arms, and they stood embracing, his touch so very, very careful with her injuries. She closed her eyes while her body shook with the silent tears she had pent up all day.

He kept whispering “Im sorry over and over.

When her tears spent themselves, she pushed back, her palms on his chest. “Markus, Ill never be able to be around him. If you go back She couldnt say any more.

“Ill protect you, I swear.

“You cant always! And I shouldnt have to live needing that protection. Her hands clenched, and the rich material of his shirt crumpled in her fists. “You cant abhor the cruelty in Dusk Yargazon and yet let him vanquish countries in your name.

He caught her hands. “The world isnt drawn in such easy shades of light and dark.

A tear slid down her cheek. “As long as he remains your right hand, I cannot live with you as your wife. She wanted to hold him, touch his strong body, inhale his scent. Instead she released his shirt and dropped her arms by her sides. “Each day you allow him to continue as the power behind your reign, you become more of him and less of what is best within you. In a ragged voice, she said, “You could be a great leader, Markus. I wont be the excuse a demon like Yargazon uses, in his craving for power, to destroy a good man.

“You want me to deny what I am. He lifted her hand to his cheek. “Im a prince of the desert, not of your lush, rolling Aronsdale. Make no mistake, AllegraYargazon will pay for what he did to you. But I need him. Look at what he accomplished, starting from nothing, with the emperor set against him. Softly he said, “I would conquer a world for you, night bird, but I cannot stop being what defines me.

“Youre more than you know. Her voice caught. “But youll never find out as long as he darkens your life.

His gaze never wavered. “The darkness is already in me.

“It shadows you, maybe even adds to your strength. But it doesnt define you. She willed him to hear, really hear her. “If you continue with him anywhere, I cant go with you.

“Allegra, dont say that.

“Yargazon told me things last night. Her voice cracked. “Hell never rest until he takes me from you. Until he owns all of me, my body, my spirit, my will, my soul. He wants me broken and on my knees. I will not live in fear of the man you turn to as your greatest strength.

His gaze darkened. “Hell never have you.

“Why does he hate me so much?

“He doesnt. You threaten him. The dragon knows, he would never admit it, but I think hes afraid of you. He took both of her hands. “You challenge him. You refuse to submit. Thats why he wants to break you. But I swear, hell never hurt you again.

“How can you swear that? Its impossible. She felt as if her chance for a life with Markus was slipping through her fingers like the sand in Yargazons hourglasses. “No matter how much you refuse to see it, hes hurting you. Destroying you. She made herself say what she had come to tell him. “Tomorrow, at the summit, I will stand with you. But when all is decided and done, I wont live where your general holds sway.

“Youre my wife. You must go with me.

She let go of his hands. “You cant take me against my will, not with the Aronsdale army here.

His face turned cold in a way she had never seen before. “Do you think to marry the son of your king?

“Markus, dont.

He was staring as if she were a will-o-the-wisp that would disappear any moment. Although he spoke with anger, she heard the pain under his words. “As long as I live, no other man will call you his wife. Ill never release you from the contracts.

Allegra felt as if she were breaking in two. Talking to him hurt too much. Softly she said, “Then Ill live my life alone.

She turned and left then, before her heart could shatter.

In the sharp clarity of a desert morning, in legendary Quaaz, the warlords gathered. They came from five lands: Aronsdale, with its rolling hills and lush meadows; Harsdown, a place of cool autumns and apple orchards; Taka Mal, where ancient legends saturated the land; Jazid, with its starkly beautiful mountains spearing the sky; and the Misted Cliffs, whose emperor had reached out the long arm of his power from the snowy cliffs of his home to the burning deserts.

By mutual agreement, they met in the Topaz Palace, in the Hall of the Dragon-Sun, nominally hosted by the royal House of Taka Mal, though the Quaazeras were in exile from their own city. Every leader from the assembled armies attended, with no exception, to ensure none tried to kill the others. The Hall gleamed like a sunrise. Gold-veined pillars bordered the room. Arched windows spanned the walls, and sunlight poured across a floor tiled in red and gold. Outside, the fabled gardens exploded with color. Blossoms spilled out of flower beds and trailed over trellises and stone arches. Fountains sculpted like dragons breathed arches of priceless water instead of fire.

King Jarid entered the hall with his retinue, austere in dark trousers and a white shirt. His hair grazed his shoulders, thick and streaked with gray, but it didnt hide the scar on his neck. Prince Aron walked at his side, the same height as Jarid, broader in the shoulders, brown hair curling over his ears. Hale and strong, bursting with youth, his face unmarred by lifes pain, he was the ultimate Dawnfield heir. Watching him with a mages sense, though, Allegra wondered if he would rather be practicing spells than sitting in a war council.

Allegra entered with Markus and four guards. They took their places at the far end of the great oval table and stood next to their chairs, with Jarid between Allegra and Aron. The Dawnfield prince glanced at her and flushed, then looked away as if it hurt to see her. Maybe she was naive to think they would have matched each other so well. But they would never know. Impossible as it seemed, she loved her husband. She could neither stop what she felt for Markus nor become a woman of Jazid. She saw no more hope for the two of them than she did for a peace settlement.

Markus stood next to her, his gaze burning with a wildness nothing could tame. He wore dark clothes instead of armor, but nothing could disguise the warlord within him. Next to the men of Aronsdale, his fierce presence simmered.

King Muller led the Harsdown retinue. Dawnfield violet and gold edged his white surcoat, though it bore the jaguar emblem on the chest. Muller wore Dawnfield colors because he had no claim to the colors of the House of Escar, which had ruled Harsdown before him. Ebony and blue symbolized the House of Escar. Cobalt-blue: It was what gave the emperor his name.