Out of the Faold (Whilst Old Legends Fade Synchronicles) (32 page)

“They are still. They just have adult responsibilities now.”

“Did you see what Pearl did? Did you see her sacrifice her life for Krisa?”

“Did you see Krisa almost sacrifice her life for Pat?”

Coral nodded, tears spilling over and falling into his arms. To the goddess she said, “Pearl, she’s given herself to the King to save her friend.”

She nodded serenely. “You have to trust. Pearl is wise.”

“Too wise,” Coral told her. “Always has been.”

“She ha
d to be,” the goddess told her.

“Are they going to be okay? Really?” she asked everyone and no one in particular.

“Coral, you will always be there for them. You are family now. They hold you in their hearts forever. But you don’t have to protect them any longer.”

“They can do that themselves,” Amias told h
er with a nod from the goddess.

“I worry about Pearl,” Coral said. “She knows. She knows what power she has.”

“We need to trust her,” Amias told her.

“I asked before. How do I protect them from the power they’ve been given.”

The goddess smiled at her encouragingly. “The power she possesses has not been given by the Well,” she stated. “The power she has is that of being a woman.”

Coral nodded and Amias hugged her tightly. They slid back and to the side as th
ey returned home to the castle.

From the haze around her Vunn materialized. “Why are you so damned nice to them?”

“I have no reason not to be,” she said. “They are mine.”

“They will end us.”

“You are paranoid. They want no such thing.”

“I don’t trust it.”

“You don’t trust me.”

“No, I never have,” he told her.

She ran a finger down his chest to his stomach, slipping a finger into the waistband of his stained wrap. “You hate me.”

“Yes, I do,” Vunn told Caris.

“I hate you too,” she told him, leaning close. She started to kiss him but then bit his lip painfully.

He pulled away, glowering at her. She moved off into the grey haze chuckling to herself about the power of women. Vunn followed.

Sennta had his choice of eight young women. He soon became overjoyed with one. She was so unlike Siri that it was an unlikely pairing but he grew to adore her quickly and she was swept off her feet by his charms. She was short, somewhat plump and had bright copper hair and green eyes. Her parents were thrilled. Their daughter did them a great honor to marry a Siri! Her father was a very wealthy landowner from the central region of Danycia. Her dowry was impressive and acceptable. Word was sent to Krisa still sitting in the jail after twelve hours asking if she would release Sennta from their previous contract so he could wed another. She agreed.

Pat was permitted to visit the jail. Krisa sat on a stool but didn’t look at him. And he didn’t know what to say. Finally, she said to him, “Can you send Coral to me, please.”

“Yes,” and he left to find Lady Doran.

Lady Doran was found in the gardens with Darius. They were both
surprised and happy to see him.

“Krisa has asked for you,” he told her.

“Where is she?”

“In jail.”

“Still? What is she doing there?” she demanded.

“Hasn’t made a decision.”

“Why not?” she blurted.
“What is wrong with that girl?”

“Can you find out?” he asked, obviously upset.

She nodded. She left Darius with Pat promising to come back for him as soon as she was done. The jail guard didn’t want to admit Coral. She was a Lady and this was no place for a Lady, but she raised a fuss and he thought better of the idea. Krisa sat on the stool in the cell. Coral ordered them to open the door and she went in.

“What’s going on?” she asked Krisa softly as she took the stool and Krisa sat cross legged on her bedroll. The girl was getting so tall their faces were almost level.

Her eyes were full of tears and she shook her head. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well one of your options has gone away,” she told her. “Sennta has taken another. The Siri are happy and the treaty still stands. The Siri are leaving in a few
days to
return home. What else is bothering you?”

“Pat.”

“You love Pat.”

“Yes.”

“So what is wrong?”

“I am forced to choose between Pat and the Marshalls now,” she told her, crying more. “That is even worse.”

And she was right. From the day she hopped up on the back of a Marshall’s horse in the mud and rain, from the time she fell for Pat and had the protection of sixteen strong, good men she could look up to, she was a Marshall too. They trained her, they loved her. Kel had asked if they could train her. He knew she was meant to be a Marshall, Coral realized. But Coral knew she was meant to be with Pat. She had the visi
ons.

“Why can
’t you have both?” Coral asked.

“I am a warrior. I have no business with a big belly and little ones running around my feet.”

“He hasn’t touched you.”

Krisa shook her head and lowered it. “I’m scared.”

Coral’s heart warmed. This young woman was still a little girl. And she was afraid just like every girl is, of the unknown. And Pat, though he was a grown man, had always waited for her. Her own tears welled up at the ten
derness he must have shown her.

“When there is love between a man and woman, it is natural to be together like that. It is sharing love and making the other person happy, not only physically but it loves the heart and the mind and spirit. When a man and woman truly love each other it is very special.”

“But being a wife and mother. I can’t do that.”

“Not right now,” she told her. “But later. I know you are a warrior. You are a Marshall in your heart. But you are also Pat’s life mate. You need to take him.”

The girl looked up at Coral quickly. “Take him?”

“Yes,” she laughed. “Take him! He is so unsure of himself right now he’s spinning.”

“But I can’t.”

“What would Pearl tell you to do?” Coral asked.

After a moment Krisa smiled and said, “She would tell me to grab him by the knockers and make him do what I want.”

“Exactly.”

“Did Pearl really give herself to the King for me?” she asked in a whisper. “To save me?”

“I think so.”

“She is the best sister in the world.”

Coral put her hand on Krisa’s face gently and said, “There are ways to not be a mother. But you can’t help but be a woman. You can please each other without the risk of a big belly.”

Krisa nodded. “But we aren’t married. They won’t allow me to be Marshall if I’m married.”

“Stupid rule. A man can be married,” Coral spat. She stood and called for the guard. “Please send for Marshall Pat and Pearl Doran.”

“Coral?”

“Is Pat your life mate?” she demanded.

“Yes.”

“Then we will make this happen. You get both of your choices,” she said. Then under her breath she grumbled, “You are a god-
smiter
. You have earned the right to be happy.”

It wasn’t long before Pat, wide-eyed with nervousness and Pearl, in a plain green dress, entered the jail corr
idor. Everyone looked at Pearl.

“Why are you in a dress?” Coral asked her.

The girl waved away the question. “Krisa, what are you still doing down here?”

“I needed time to make a deci
sion,” she told them, blushing.

“And that’s where you come in, Pearl,” Coral said, seeing
the confusion in Pearl’s face.

Krisa stood up, taller than either of the women, eye to eye with Pat. She said, “Pat, I chose you for my life-mate when I was ten years old. I didn’t ask for your heart when I came of age because I knew I already had it. But I was torn because I...I’m a god-
smiter
like Pearl. I am a Marshall, like you. If I marry I can’t be the warrior. I’d be a mother and a wife.”

“I won’t force you t
o do that,” he told her softly.

“The world is forcing her to do that,” Coral told him, then nudged Pearl. “Marry them.”

“What?” both Pear
l and Pat asked turning to her.

“Wed them. No paper, no word to anyone. Just marry them. I wish you’d worn your robes.”

Krisa laughed. She was happier than Coral ha
d seen her in a very long time.

“In the jail?” Pearl demanded.

“I wish…” Krisa started then looked around. “Where is Darius?”

“Oh, Darius!” Pearl cried out.

“He’s with the guard, I didn’t want to leave him in the gardens by himself,” Pat told them.

The boy was brought in. Pearl knelt in front of him. “Darius, it’s time we shared our secret. Can you take us all?”

He looked at Coral with guilt in his eyes. “Yes.”

The familiar feeling of losing her footing as she was dragged through to another world pulled at Coral then she stopped and steadied herself. She was home. At the Doran estate. The vineyards, the hill, the ocean. But it was different. There was no well; things seemed less defined, full of colour. There was no wind.

“Where are we?” she demanded.

“Darius create
d this for us,” Krisa told her.

“Created?” she cried.

“It was too grey where they were,” he told her guiltily. “I couldn’t see them right. So Pearl and Krisa and Glory come here sometimes with me.”

“Are there any gods here?” she asked, worried he’d infringed on their peace in some way.

He shook his head. “Just us.”

After having seen the grey gods’ world and the muddy liquid world of the evil god, Coral was stunned at the beauty he’d produced. She kissed his cheek then turned aroun
d in circles seeing everything.

“Krisa Tei Riva
Sunn,
” Pearl began, “Do you accept Pat Kentsen Tril Brenn as your life-mate?”

“I always have,” she said, smiling at Pat.

“And Pat Kentsen Tril Brenn do you accept Krisa Tei Riva Sunn as your life-mate?”

“Yes,” he breathed. He looked so relieved Coral had a
hard time containing a giggle.

“In the hearts and the eyes of the gods of this place, you are wed,” she told them. Then she turned to Coral and said, “When they are ready I’ll draw up the papers.”

Everyone hugged and kissed and Krisa cried and Pat held onto her, barely believing it was real. Darius was impatient, wanting to go see the puppies again so they all slid back into the real w
orld, the jail cell.

The guard had raised an alarm. He had found all of them suddenly missing so he’d rung the bell and others had come running. Amias had been summoned. The guards didn’t know what to do when everyone walked out of the cell full of cheer, leaving Krisa
there by herself, also smiling.

Amias had run from above, his boots sounding loudly in the corridor. He held his Marshall hatchet safely against his leg as he came to a stop in front of his family in the jail.

Coral moved aside so he could approach Krisa’s cell. The girl stood at attention, her fist to her chest mid-salute, waiting for him.
He completed the salute first.

“Captain Amias Doran,” she stated. “I request a position in your King’s Marshalls if you will have me.”

“Accepted,” he called out enthusiastically. He saw all the smiles and the smug look on his wife’s face and knew he’d better not ask any questions if he didn’t want to know the answers.

Fredrick found Pearl out on the grounds beyond the kennels. He had been anxious to speak to her but didn’t know what to say and had left her alone for a few days. He wanted to be clear about what she’d said to him during the meeting with the Siri in which he liberated Krisa from her contract. All because of Pearl. She had agreed to be his, he thought. But he just couldn’t bring himself to ask her. She’d go to him when she was ready. He wasn’t going to chase her down. Y
et here he was, at the kennels.

She was out in the exercise field with the mother of the pups tossing a ball for her. She was a magnificent great dane, soft grey with brindle markings. Her back stood at Pearl’s waist and her head at her shoulder. The pups in the whelping crate, the kennel master pointed out, were just like the mother, though their ears and eyes hadn’t opened yet. He was assured they would
soon. No wonder she wanted one.

He watched her play. She used to play with his youngest son in the gardens. He had first met her as she was climbing a tree, her puffy skirts getting in the way. Her bobbed hair had swung as she arched back off a limb to look at him upside down. She had no care that he was the King. She didn’t say ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Your Highness’ or curtsey, and she still didn’t. She was simply a child and she hugged
him because she had liked him.