Sharon Shinn - Reader And Raelynx

“No,” the princess answered. “So what happened when you arrived in Gillengaria? What did you do?”

He gazed at her for a moment, debating how much of the truth to tell. It had been horrible, really, the worst six weeks of his life. He had wondered how he would stand it-had seen no way out.

And then Senneth came along…

He had hesitated too long. “Tell me,” she commanded. “All of it. I am your princess, and you must do as I say.”

He gave a tiny shrug. “I didn’t have the money to pay for the rest of the trip. My mother had apparently struck a deal with the ship captain-she worked in the galley as part of the price of our passage. So now that coin was gone. When we arrived at Dormas port, the captain had me indentured to a tavernkeeper there. I wasn’t clear on the terms. I don’t know how long I was supposed to work off my debt. The tavernkeeper didn’t care much for mystics and something made him think that’s what I was. I’d never heard the word before-I didn’t know what it meant. But he put a metal shackle around my throat and set it with a moonstone as big as my thumb. It pretty much made me useless to do anything except stumble around the kitchen helping the cooks and shuffle around the tavern serving customers.”

He put a hand to the base of his throat, where he still bore a faint scar. Moonstones were deadly poison to mystics; Senneth was the only mystic Cammon knew who could bear their contact. The Daughters of the Pale Mother wore the gems as a way to mark their dedication to the goddess-and a way to expose mystics by watching who shied away from the jewel’s fiery touch.

“The moonstone burned my skin,” he said. “I didn’t know why. It made it hard for me to think, and I didn’t understand that, either. But I started having strange visions-strange thoughts-from outside myself. I don’t know how to explain. I was able to sense the moods of the people around me. It was so disorienting. But useful! I could tell when Kardon-the tavernmaster-was furious enough to want to beat me, so I would hide until his rage died down. I think once or twice he would have killed me with his bare hands, and magic was the only thing that saved my life.”

Now Amalie looked absolutely horrified, and Valri looked both angry and sad. “The crimes that have been committed against mystics by ignorant and stupid people,” the queen spit out. “Someday there will be a reckoning for all that.”

Amalie seemed to swallow with some difficulty. “So, what happened? How did you get free?”

He smiled, because he still liked this part of the story. It almost made it worth enduring all the wretchedness that had come before. “Senneth, of course. Actually, Senneth and Tayse and Kirra and Justin. And Donnal, but he was outside the tavern with the horses. They were passing through on their way somewhere else and Senneth realized I was a mystic. So, she rescued me and brought me with her and-and that’s how I’ve ended up in Ghosenhall today.”

“Oh, no, I want more details of the rescue!” Amalie exclaimed, finally able to smile again. “I knew that you had met them somewhere on the road, but I didn’t realize it had been such a dramatic encounter.”

So he told the tale, which made Amalie offer up a small cheer, and then obligingly recounted a few of their adventures on the road. These were much happier stories, although there had been some desperate moments last fall when Justin was falling in love with Ellynor.

“I know Justin, of course, but who’s Ellynor?” Amalie asked.

“She was a novice at the Lumanen Convent. He met her when he was spying on Coralinda Gisseltess.”

“She’s a Daughter of the Pale Mother?” Amalie demanded. “And a Rider fell in love with her? Oh, that sounds very risky! Is he sure she can be trusted?”

“It’s even more complicated than that,” Cammon said. “She was sent to the convent by her family-she didn’t join because she had any particular devotion to the Pale Mother. In fact, Ellynor worships the Dark Watcher. So it became very dangerous for her when-”

But that had caught Valri’s attention. “She worships the Dark Watcher? Is she from the Lirrens? That’s their goddess there.”

Cammon nodded vigorously. “ And she’s a mystic! So, here she is, surrounded by the fanatical Daughters, slowly realizing that she has magic in her blood and that if Coralinda finds out, she’ll be put to death. And then she’s got Justin showing up at the convent every other day, because he’s in love with her and he’s too stubborn to be turned away-she had a very tricky time of it.”

“If she’s a Lirren girl, she’ll never be allowed to marry a Rider,” Valri remarked. “Outsiders are murdered before they’re allowed to make off with Lirren women.”

“Yes, but she has married him. They’re on their way back from the Lirrens now,” Cammon said. “Ellynor became-became-she declared herself something special. Bahta-lo , that’s it. That means she’s free of the interference of her family. Apparently Lirren women can only become completely independent if they take this sort of vow, but if they do, they can run their own lives. I didn’t really understand it, to tell you the truth,” he ended up.

“That’s quite an incredible tale,” Valri said, and it was hard to tell if she was serious or if she was mocking him. But something about the story had struck an emotional chord in her, for her green eyes were bright with interest. “And you say the Rider and his Lirren bride are on their way back to Ghosenhall even now?”

“Yes. I think they’ll be here in a few days.”

“Let us know when they’ve safely returned,” Valri said. “I would like to meet the bahta-lo who has eluded Coralinda Gisseltess and tamed a Rider.”

Amalie sighed theatrically. “Yes, I’m very interested in love stories these days, since I’m supposed to be making a match of my own. Mine won’t be nearly so romantic, though.”

“You might fall in love with your husband,” Valri said. “Just because you choose him primarily for rank and politics doesn’t mean you can’t choose him for character and looks as well.”

“Milo says one of them will be arriving this afternoon,” Cammon said.

Amalie nodded. “Delt Helven. You’re supposed to listen in to our conversation.”

Cammon glanced around the room. “In here? Where shall I stand?”

Valri was shaking her head. “No. There is a more formal receiving room on the first floor where Amalie will entertain her suitors. This room is too comfortable. We don’t want them to be at ease just at first.”

Amalie giggled and Cammon grinned. “I can’t imagine that any of my suitors will be at ease ever ,” the princess said. “How intimidating! To come to the palace to seek your bride! And I’m sure their fathers and mothers have been lecturing them for days on how to behave, and how important it is that they impress me, and how prestigious it will be for their House if one of their heirs one day becomes king.”

“I hope they are also explaining to their sons that if they marry you, they may well be gambling their lives,” Valri said in a dry voice. “For if Halchon Gisseltess has his way, you will never sit on the throne, and neither will any man you take as your husband.”

That seemed a harsh thing to say, Cammon thought, but Amalie was nodding wisely. “And even if their parents haven’t made it clear, you can be sure I will before wedding vows are ever spoken,” she said. “They may find they are not willing to risk so much for the chance to wear a crown.”

Just then the sunlight strengthened through the window, turning Amalie’s red-blond hair to gold. The effect was so dazzling that it didn’t even occur to Cammon to say the words aloud. Maybe not, but they might be willing to risk everything for the chance to marry you.