After a cup of tea, Avani looked a little better but still distressed. Sharmila watched her for a few minutes, as though considering, then stood and said, “I really must return to the village for a little while. Rishi, you should come with me and report to the tribe that Avani has been found alive and well, don’t you think? They need to be told sooner or later.” He nodded, and she turned towards Arthur. “You would be welcome to join us, if you would like to see our village firsthand.”

He bowed, smiling, and said, “I would enjoy that greatly, but first I must determine whether your village lies within our boundaries. If not, I’m afraid I must decline—it would be most irregular for a Prince to cross the border thusly without giving proper notice to both governments. If you can spare the time to come with me to my offices…? Dylas, will you please accompany me? As a Knight of the Realm, your presence will be more than sufficient as the honor guard my father would wish me to take, should I go.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure,” Dylas responded, more focused on Avani than on what Arthur was saying, but nevertheless when Arthur rose, he stood as well.

“Certainly, I will do my best to pinpoint our location on your maps,” Sharmila replied, then she turned to Chanda. “Come, Chanda, let’s leave Avani and Leon in peace for a while.” Turning to me, she asked, “Shall we meet back here at the same time tomorrow morning, then?”

I replied, “Maybe a little later. She’s drained from the events of the past couple days, and the extra rest will do her good. Make it 11:00, and I’ll arrange for a lunch to be delivered here.”

Sharmila nodded agreement and led Rishi out the door, Chanda reluctantly following, and they all headed towards Arthur’s rooms, leaving us to ourselves.

We sat in silence for a while, Avani on the floor, leaning against me as I held her in my arms, Baldur by her side with his head on her lap. Shortly after our guests left, Sano and Uno wandered in from wherever they’d hidden away. Baldur even allowed them to share his mistress’s lap—a huge concession on his part. In time, she seemed to relax again, the tension in her shoulders gradually easing.

When at last she spoke, I jumped slightly—startled out of my reverie. “I’m sorry, Leo. All this must be unpleasant for you to listen to—everything with Sundara and with… with him.”

I squeezed her shoulders, astonished that she could still concern herself with my sensibilities under the circumstances. “My Lady,” I said, holding her tightly, “any distress I may feel upon hearing your history pales in comparison to the suffering you’ve endured. Please don’t worry about me.” Then I pulled back a little to look into her eyes, hesitant to voice my concern. Finally, I said, “There is one thing I need to know, though. Are you… are you still married to… to that man?”

She stiffened, then slowly nodded. “As far as I know, yes. And I’m sure that if it were otherwise, Rishi would have told me immediately.”

Sighing, I asked, “Then what are we to do? If you are already married to another, then our marriage can’t be valid… can it?”

She drew in closer, shivering despite the warmth of the fire. “I’ll never go back to him. I don’t know what to do, Leo. Maybe Rishi could grant me the annulment that my father denied me? Then we can marry again—just quietly, since we’ve already had a big ceremony. Just something to make it official. If Rishi can grant an annulment, that is….”

“Why wouldn’t he?” I asked in surprise. “He knows what you’ve been through, so he wouldn’t need to be persuaded, as your father apparently did.”

“Yes, but you see, it’s been nearly seven years now. That’s well beyond the customary time restrictions for granting an annulment—one season for an annulment without cause if both parties agree to it, or up to one year with cause and with no requirement for mutual consent.”

“But if he’s the leader—” I began, but she interrupted, shaking her head.

“Even a leader has to obey the laws, and for us, many customs have the force of law, though customs can be changed far more easily than laws, simply by a change in behavior or attitude among the majority of my people.”

“What about divorce?” I asked, furrowing my brow in thought.

Again she shook her head. “We don’t have any provision for divorce. Only annulment.”

I kissed the top of her head, then, and said, “Well, then, My Lady, we’ll just have to make the best of the situation. And if you cannot be legally rid of your first husband, then I’ll just have reconcile myself to a life as your reprobate paramour.”

She giggled, then began to laugh heartily, giving herself up to mirth, and I grinned with relief as the worry and fear that had clouded her eyes for too long finally began to disperse. 

Avani went to sleep not long after our guests had departed, saying she wanted sleep more then food, even, which surprised me. Even more to my surprise, she declined breakfast the next morning, asking instead to be allowed to rest a little while longer. I went to ask Volkanon if he would have the butlers see to her chores for now, until she had recovered. He was concerned, since he didn’t know what was going on, but his faith in Avani was sufficient and he agreed to see to it that her farm was cared for until she was again able to resume her duties. Then I hurried over to arrange with Porcoline to send lunch over, and hurried back home.

She finally rose, with some reluctance, just as there was a knock on the door. I hurried to answer the door while she went to splash water on her face. Arthur was absent, and Dylas informed me that he’d left a message that something had come up that might delay him; if so, he’d join us as soon as he could, but we shouldn’t to wait for him. While I went to bring out coffee, the three Ventuani sat together on the sofa and Dylas flung himself into one of the chairs near the embers of the fire. He scowled at the coals as he shifted restlessly, then jumped up and stirred the coals with the poker to revive the flame before throwing a couple of logs on. He sat back down, and took the mug of coffee I handed him, muttering his thanks.

Having finished washing her face, Avani emerged and drowsily greeted the new arrivals. She headed for her wardrobe, tugging her chemise over her head and dropping it on the bed as she passed. Chanda, flushing and looking scandalized, turned and reprimanded Dylas. “What are you staring at?” she exclaimed indignantly. “Close your eyes! There’s a lady dressing!”

Avani called out to her friend as she fastened her bra, “Chanda, calm down! It’s nothing he hasn’t already seen hundreds of times already.”

“What?! What do you mean?”Chanda replied, glaring at Dylas, who glared back at her.

Avani sighed. “We were lovers for a couple of years, Chanda.”

“He was your lover?” she exclaimed in disbelief. “But what about him?” she demanded, scowling and pointing at me where I sat in the other chair. I smiled, amused by her over-the-top display of jealousy.

Avani finished tying her wrap skirt around her belly, then she came and sat on my lap and looked at her friend. “Chanda….” She sighed again, then said, “All right, it’s like this. Dylas arrived the summer of my first year here, and he and I became lovers that fall. Leo joined our community the following summer, and we became lovers the fall after that. Then we married the next summer, the summer of my third year here.”

“Look, I’m no good with math and stuff, everyone knows that. But even I can tell that’s only one year with Horseface there!” Chanda said with a scowl, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared around the room.

Dylas bristled and opened his mouth, but Avani raised a hand to quiet him. Glaring at her old friend, Avani said, sternly, “Chanda, do not tease Dylas, is that clear? He is very important to me, even if we’re no longer lovers. And just as I wouldn’t stand for others picking on you in my presence, neither will I stand for anyone picking on him—and you of all people should know how that feels.” She stared at the younger woman, who flushed red and, after a moment, dropped her gaze.

“Yes, you’re right, the math doesn’t add up, because for a time, Dylas and Leo were both my lovers. It was… an unusual triangle of both love and friendship, and he remains a very dear and important friend to us both. I would be overjoyed it if two of my dearest friends could at least make an effort to get along with each other. You might find you have more in common with each other than you think. And I would love it even more if you could manage to overcome your jealousy and become friends.”

“Who’s jealous?!” Chanda and Dylas demanded in unison, then looked at each other in surprise before turning red and looking away as Avani laughed merrily.

Then she jumped down from my lap and went to Dylas. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek as he turned scarlet, then she repeated the gesture with Chanda, who likewise blushed deeply. “Listen, I love you both very much, and even if you can’t love each other, please at least try to like each other. Will you do that? For me?” Neither could refuse her, it seemed, and she appeared satisfied with the mumbled capitulations that came from both parties as she returned to my lap, smiling.

Then her face grew serious, and she bit her lip in concentration. “Now… to pick up the story again….” Everyone grew quiet then, as she prepared herself to speak.

 “After… after Sundara’s death—after his murder… there isn’t much more to tell. The one thing that made life tolerable had been taken from me, and I had nothing left to comfort me. But if anything, I became even more resolved not to give him children. Maybe they wouldn’t have taken after their father—but I wasn’t willing to take that risk.

“I never told anyone the truth of Sundara’s death, though—not at that time, anyway. Not until I had that dream and remembered…. He threatened me into silence, his threats having more weight then, since he’d finally followed through on one of them. And even if I no longer cared what became of me, I was unwilling to risk any more of my loved ones, except by my refusal to have children. In everything else, I gave in to his demands to try to protect those I loved most. I’d failed Sundara; I couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else.

“Life became increasingly difficult for me, though, as time passed and I remained childless. My husband was considered very handsome—beautiful, even—and charming by those who didn’t know him as well as I did. And everyone knew how much it meant to him to have sons. So no one understood why I refused to give him what he so desired, and popular opinion began to turn against me.

“Finally, after almost four years of marriage, my father called me to his chamber. I had barely spoken with him since that morning when he rejected my accusations and I nearly killed myself—which of course he didn’t know. No one but Sundara knew, and he was long since dead….” She paused for a moment, brushing away a few tears that had begun to trickle down her cheeks.

“He called me to see him, and he berated me for my obstinance and disobedience. Then he told me that he thought perhaps a little time apart would be beneficial for us. Or, as he put it—absence makes the heart grow fonder. He told me that he intended to send me on a journey, a sort of diplomatic mission. He then told me what few then knew, that the Earthmates of long, long ago had come to our Avanani and asked them if they knew of any solution to the Ventuswill problem. That is, how to supply her with the strength and longevity that should have been hers by right of birth but that had been denied her due to the diminishment of the world’s runes. They did not know of a way, but they began research that continued for centuries, the strongest of our Avanani collaborating in the utmost secrecy with the most powerful of the Earthmates for generations past.

“It was this joint research that led to the discovery of the Etherlink and Omni Gate spells, and, eventually, to the creation of the rune spheres.” Dylas gasped, and I started in surprise.

“You mean… you—your people—were responsible for the Guardians and for the rune spheres?” I asked, astonished.

“Not entirely. As I said, it was a collaborative effort. It was done in secrecy, because our tribe had no wish to attract the attention of the outside world. At the beginning, there were still some particularly… avid members of the new government, who were determined to wipe out all survivors of our royal line, even though it had been decades since our overthrow. That’s why our people became nomads for a time—we were fleeing those who hunted us. So although we were eager to assist Ventuswill, whom we revered, we also wished to remain hidden. However, that was long, long ago, and after some time, the secrecy became more a matter of custom than actual necessity.

“As I was saying, my father told me all this, then said that at long last, the research was believed to be complete. A way of restoring the massive rune power needed to sustain the life of a Native Dragon had finally been discovered and refined, and the rune spheres were the result. As I was the Dragon Knight of the Ventuani, sworn to serve and protect Ventuswill should the need arise, it was therefore my duty to deliver these spheres to her. He also made it clear that it was solely due to my position that I was given this task, and that I was still very much in disfavor with him.

“He decided that travelling on foot was too risky, given then precious cargo I would be carrying, and we were far from any airship routes. I had not been to any location near to an airship route, and so I could not teleport part of the way—though I had at last been taught that spell, despite my father’s reservations.

“Finally he decided that it would be best if he had another member of the tribe teleport me part of the way to a village, without knowing why I was traveling, of course. From there, I was to complete the journey to town on foot and secure passage on an airship to Selphia. The healer had an assistant, an older man named Bhiru, who often wandered far afield in search of materials for his master. My father instructed him to teleport me near to, but not all the way to, a town with airship service. Then he gave me until morning to prepare myself.

“I told my husband that evening, and he was clearly furious. I think he was certain I would try to use the opportunity to escape him, so he made an especial point of impressing on me what would he would do and to whom if I failed to return to him. It was the worst night I’d had in a long time… when I woke the next morning, I was barely able to walk from the pain, despite his healing spells.

“I met my father first, and he gave me the stones. I secured them in my pack, and went to meet Bhiru. He took hold of me and off we went. We appeared in a strange place, unlike any I’d seen before. It was so much colder, for one thing, and the trees and flowers were so unlike those at home. It was, in fact, not unlike the place where we went for our honeymoon, Leo, though I don’t think it was actually in the vicinity. I don’t think the mountains nearby were quite the same peaks, though it may have been the same range.

“He gave me some landmarks for guidance and pointed me on the path towards the nearest settlement, then he vanished and I was alone in a strange land. Fortunately, he had given good directions, and before the sun set, I found myself in a small village. I was too late to catch an airship that night, but I was pointed towards a small inn and told that the airship would stop the next morning.

“My father had provided some money for the trip, luckily, as I had none of my own. I secured a room and a hot meal, and asked to be awakened early. Then I retired for the night.

“What I didn’t know at the time was that among the patrons in the dining room were a pair of Sechson soldiers. I think, in retrospect, that they’d been instructed to search not only for Earthmates, but in particular for Earthmates from the south traveling to Selphia. They must have overheard me asking about airships to Selphia, and hearing my accent, drew their own conclusions.”

“Your accent?” Dylas asked, looking puzzled. “But you have no accent, not that I can tell anyway.”

“True, I don’t have one now, though I did then. I don’t know why. It disappeared with my memories, but it didn’t return with them.” She shrugged, then continued her narrative.

“Anyway, however they learned of it, they managed to hide away on the airship by the next morning, presumably while the captain and his mate were preoccupied with something. I was the only passenger—the only known passenger, that is. As we approached Selphia, the soldiers burst out of their hiding places and attacked me. I had been well trained, though, and although I had no weapon other than a short sword, I quickly subdued them. Just… not as completely as I had thought. One of them came to while I was looking to see if we were near the town, and he hit me on the head with the grip of his sword, knocking me out. When I awoke, I remembered nothing. Not believing me, they moved to threaten me into disclosing the location of the spheres—and by accident, they knocked me off the airship. The last thing I remember as I fell was someone calling my name.”

She looked at her twin, curiously. “It was you, wasn’t it? You somehow cried out my name in a way that I could hear you, in my head, despite the distance that separated us. You had already seized the opportunity to block my memory, in the hopes of sparing me further torment. But then when I fell, you feared that I really would die, and you screamed my name. Am I right?”

Rishi nodded. “Yes, that’s more or less what happened. I was afraid for you on your first trip so far away from familiar lands, and so I watched with you, knowing I could quickly send you aid if needed. When you were attacked and knocked out, I knew you were unharmed, but I suddenly realized that it was the perfect opportunity to try to save you from… from your husband. I knew how miserable you were, and how some of our people had begun to treat you. I thought that if you had no memory of your home, you couldn’t return, and you could be happy there—here, I mean. I didn’t expect you to fall, of course, and I panicked when you did, thinking that I was really going to lose you, after all. But my terrified reaction actually made it easier to persuade everyone that you had, in fact, died in the fall, even though I knew you hadn’t. I think even he believed me, at least, at first… though it was always impossible to be certain what he was thinking.”

He paused for a moment, then continued. “I… I know you may not care, but… for what it’s worth, our father was devastated by your supposed death. He was never the same after that, especially when I confirmed the abuse that you’d suffered. I don’t think he ever really forgave himself for disbelieving you. But he never said as much either—you know father. He was proud to the end, and could never admit he was wrong or had made a mistake. Mother had no idea of your accusations, of course, and when she learned of them—when she heard me berating father for his treatment of you—she was horrified. She confronted him right then and there, and he admitted the truth of it to her. She just turned white, then turned and left, not saying another word to him. She died that night.”

We were all silent for a little while, then Chanda spoke up. “Avani, what will you do now? Will you return with us to your home? What about your marriages—you can’t have two husbands.”

Avani shook her head. “No, Chanda, this is my home now, and I’m happy here. And I will never—never!—return to him.” Her eyes blazed for a moment at the thought, then her expression turned to sorrow. “But… I don’t know what to do. It’s too late for me to get an annulment.”

“Not necessarily,” Rishi said, softly. Everyone turned and stared at him, and he continued. “That was one of the reasons why I came here. Since I’m now the Ra’mara, I can grant you an annulment.”

“But… but how? Our customs dictate that any such petitions may be made only within the first year, and then it’s too late. Even if you’re the Ra’mara, you still have to obey the laws of the people!” she exclaimed.

“I think I can use the fact that you did make a petition within a few days of marriage as a way around that law. It might be difficult, especially since both he and his ambitions are popular with a small but vocal faction of our people. But I think I can do it.”

Just as she opened her mouth to protest, though, we heard a commotion out in the courtyard. We all rose to our feet, and Avani ran out to see what was going on, with the rest of us close behind. We found Arthur running across the courtyard, shouting Avani’s name excitedly. He stopped to catch his breath, nearly doubled over as he gasped for air, and we gathered around him curiously. Still panting, he said, “I… I went to the village yesterday to inspect its location, and it does indeed lie entirely within our borders. So after we returned, I made a trip to the capitol, to verify a few things. I’ve only just returned.” He paused again, taking a few deep breaths and standing up straight.

Before he could continue, though, I heard a strange voice at the gate—a resonant, penetrating voice. Apparently in response to the guard’s query as to his business, he stated, “I have come in search of something that belongs to me.” Feeling a prickling in the hairs on the back of my neck, I quickly stepped between Avani and the gate, just as a man stepped through.

The tall man who approached the us had the muscular build of a powerful warrior. Dressed all in black leather, he was bare-chested like me, wearing only trousers, heavy boots, a long coat open to the waist to expose his broad chest, gauntlets, and platinum pauldrons over his shoulders. Long, silvery-white hair framed his pale golden face and fell down his back, nearly to the hem of his coat. His mouth was sensual, and his luminous green eyes suggested both intelligence and depravity as they briefly met mine as he searched through the crowd. From behind me, Avani gasped, and his eyes immediately flew to her. A broad, sardonic smile spread slowly across his face, and in a deep, haughty voice, he said, “Avani. At last I have run you to earth.”

I looked at her as she stood still, as if frozen. “Who...?”

Without removing her eyes from his, she said quietly, “Leo, this is Bhima kumara Anusa.”

“Who?” I asked, though I felt certain of the answer.

“Her husband,” he growled, fixing his gaze on me as he sized me up.

“Well, isn’t this just cozy?” I said, coldly, “Because, you see, I’m her husband. And I have no intention of giving her up.”

Turning back to Avani with a mirthless grin, he said, “Well, well, who would have thought that my timid little wife had it in her? What’s the matter, Avani? Couldn’t get enough from me? All you had to do was ask, and I would gladly have increased my efforts. I was only holding back for your sake. You certainly didn’t need to turn to…” he gestured contemptuously at me, “some half-breed cur.” My ears flattened against my head and I opened my mouth to respond, my eyes narrowing as I glared at him.

Avani put her hand on my arm, saying, “No, Leo. Don’t give him the pleasure of getting under your skin. He’s dangerous and vicious, and he loves nothing more than to provoke people into making rash moves. I know you’re fully human, and so do you. So please, just let it go.” I resisted for a moment, then backed down. I wanted nothing more than to smash that smug grin from his face, but I also didn’t want to get into a fight right then and there, in a courtyard full of innocent bystanders.

Bhima’s grin broadened, as if knowing precisely what my thoughts were. He turned back to Avani, saying, “Still as spineless as ever, I see. How did you find the courage to acquire another plaything, especially after you so carelessly lost your last one? Perhaps that is why you chose a half-breed?” He looked her over, then as his gaze rested on the new roundness of her belly, he scowled and looked back at her face with a harsh look in his eyes. “So, you will bear children for your vulpine lover, but not for your husband? I can see that I will have to… discipline you again—you know our laws. You’ve been a very bad girl, Avani, hiding away from me all these years when you should have been at home, giving me the children that I require of you. Now, come with me, my wife. I’m going to give you a lesson you won’t soon forget.”

He reached out to grab her, but I quickly sidestepped, blocking his hand, and again flattening my ears against my skull, I snarled, “Keep your hands off my wife.”

“Tsk, tsk. What a bad dog. Dogs who snap at their betters are liable to get a whipping for their pains, don’t you know that? Ask Avani—she can tell you all about my punishments,” he said. Despite the quiet tone of his voice, I felt the thinly-veiled menace. My hackles raised and a low growl formed in my throat as I prepared to lunge at him.

This time, though, it was Arthur who intervened. Looking Bhima coldly in the eye, he said, “You had best leave the lady alone and be on your way. First, your marriage to Lady Avani is not valid under Norad law, which means her marriage to Sir Leon is her first and only lawful marriage. You have no legal claim to her. Second, you are threatening not one but two honored citizens of the Realm, and if you do not leave immediately, I will have you placed under arrest.”

Bhima drew himself up, glaring balefully at the prince, who returned his gaze steadily, unperturbed by the man who faced him. “And who the hell are you to tell me that my wife—my wife!—belongs to another?”

Without hesitation, Arthur replied, “I am Arthur D. Lawrence, Thirteenth Prince of the Kingdom of Norad and the official hand of the King in this region. Your tribe has not been recognized by the kingdom, and your tribal laws are therefore invalid within our borders. Only a marriage that has been properly documented by the Royal Office of the Registrar is considered legitimate—as is the case with Avani’s and Leon’s marriage. Now, will you leave willingly, or shall I call the guards?”

He face contorted with rage, then suddenly he relaxed slightly and smiled—a malevolent smile that had me quickly running through my spell inventory, trying to decide what would be the most effective and the least harmful to bystanders.

“Whatever you say, princeling. Avani, we have unfinished business,” he said turning towards her. In the blink of an eye, his arm shot out and he grabbed her by her throat as he shouted “Vrajati!”, and the two of them vanished from sight.