CHAPTER 31
Dakleth
The warden stopped me on my way to the dining hall.
“You have a visitor,” he said. I did not believe him.
I had not had a visitor my entire time in the prison camp.
I received no messages. For political reasons, I knew my family and allies must distance themselves from me until my time had been served.
No one would risk being seen here with me.
I followed him to a small room, shocked beyond belief when I saw my sister standing at the window. I raised three fingers in salute to her. “Greetings, honored sister,” I said. “To what do I owe this visit?
Kashtinela’s eyes glowed as she took me in.
I had always been a fit male, but the year in the mines had hardened me.
My upper torso, arms, and thighs bulged from endless days of heavy lifting.
My skin and wings were in terrible shape, however.
I needed a good brush and oil, neither of which was given to prisoners.
I wondered what she thought, taking in my unkempt state.
“Blessings upon you, brother,” she replied. “I bring good news.”
I let out a breath I’d been unconsciously holding in relief. Seeing her, after so long, I had thought perhaps our father had died. I could think of no other reason why she would come.
“Father has commuted your sentence. You are to return home with me tomorrow, after we complete some administrative paperwork,” she continued.
“How can this be? What of my mate? Does she know about this?” I rubbed my chest, feeling for the bond.
Katishnela paused. “I have spent many days wondering how to explain all that has happened to you. Your mate, Andie, has become a true sister to me and a daughter to our father.” I felt my hearts swell at these words, and my eyes begin to glow.
“Andie is an extraordinary being, although she herself does not seem to think so,” Katishnela continued.
“She has tamed a Granthor as her faithful companion and guard.
She has mastered our history, culture, and protocols, and even plays the Y-flute.
She is kind to those in her village, and they all treasure her.
I will not lie to you, brother, we worried for her at the beginning. She was desperate and alone, and she had a… difficult time adjusting.” My hearts stuttered at her words as the familiar shame suffused my being.
“But she recovered quickly. She has integrated well into Ptexari society and strives to learn more about us every day. You chose well in your mate, however ill-considered it began.”
“Does she feel the bond?” I asked, desperate to know.
“I am sorry to say that she does not, and there is more you should know. Your sentence has been commuted because of your mate’s unfailing compassion.
She has come to realize that neither of you were at fault for the mating and appealed to Father for your release.
But do not think this means she feels affection for you.
Your imprisonment scraped at her sense of injustice, but she has made it clear that she does not wish to be your mate.
She said she has no desire to speak to you or even see you. ”
“Has she found another suitor, then?” I was afraid to ask.
“She is not interested in any Ptexari males, or females, for that matter. You should know, however, that she has been approached by many males. They find her beauty entrancing, as I am sure you know. It is only the Granthor’s presence that keeps the more cautious males at bay.
If he is not with her, she asks Andokar and a few other palace guards to accompany her in public, lest she be accosted.
” I growled at the thought of my mate with another male, even the guards.
“Calm yourself, brother,” Kashtinela admonished me.
“In truth, I am not sure that your human mate finds Ptexari at all sexually attractive. It could be that we are too different looking from her species for her to think of us in that way. She had no contact with any sentient species other than humans prior to her abduction. Interspecies mating does not exist on her world, and I do not believe she has fully accepted the idea. Thus far, this has served to your advantage, since she could have had any unmated male in the Capital or its surroundings at any time.” I glared at her as she smirked at me.
“What now?” I asked.
“For now, we will enjoy a meal together. Tomorrow, you will gather your things and accompany me and the guards outside back to the Palace. Father gave your estates and assets to Andie, so you will stay at the Palace in your old rooms for now.”
“Is…Andie… living at my primary estate?” I relished the thought of her sleeping in my bed, being cared for by my servants.
“In fact, no, your servants were quite harsh with her, and she was miserable there,” my sister answered acerbically.
“Father has had more important things to deal with, but if you were to dismiss them all for treating my sister so poorly as she was recovering, I would not gainsay it. Father gave her a small cottage in the village outside the Capital. It is ridiculously small, and she does not employ even a single servant, and yet she is happy there. She has a garden and a flock of ovinas and is learning to weave like a proper village female. The villagers are all quite taken with her and treat her well. She is particularly fond of spending time in the village market and talks frequently with the shopkeepers there. The income from your estate is forwarded to her accounts, of course, so she wants for nothing. She spends surprisingly little, though. The most expensive thing she has purchased is a large shed for her backyard to house her Granthor when he outgrew her house. Huge thing, he is.”
I bristled at the knowledge that my own servants had treated my mate so poorly. She was not being properly cared for or protected, all alone in a cottage in a nameless village. It would not stand.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said when I could find the words.
“In truth, I have no belongings here to gather, so I will be ready whenever you are to leave tomorrow. I look forward to spending time with you and Father again, and resuming whatever duties he will allow me to fulfill. I may request some time to recuperate and court my mate properly, however.”
“Listen well, brother. I love you dearly, but Andie is my sister by more than just your mating. She is my dearest friend as well. You know how difficult it is for those in our position to know if a courtier is a trustworthy friend or merely trying to curry political favor. I tell you now that Andie is the truest friend I have ever known. She no longer wishes you ill, but the violence of your mating still weighs on her. She has no desire to be courted by you. She does not wish to even see you. If you insist on disturbing her peace, there will be a strain between you and me. Do not force me to choose between you.”
I had no response. Kashtinela, my little sister, used to follow me everywhere.
She had never spoken a harsh word to me, and I could never imagine she would choose an offworlder female over me - even one who was my mate.
I loved and respected my sister, but nothing was going to keep me from my mate.
She was mine. She just had not accepted it yet.
After dinner, I returned to my cell, full of hope and resolve. Tomorrow, I would be home. And I would claim my mate.