Chapter 24 #2
Vorik woke on a blanket on the stone floor of the laboratory with Syla sitting next to him, holding his hand.
The only thing better would have been if she’d been snuggled up beside him, perhaps under another blanket, but there were other people around.
Soldiers, mostly, but Vorik surprisingly sensed Wreylith and Agrevlari in the space with them.
Though cavernous, the laboratory wasn’t that spacious, and they filled the area toward the back exit.
They must have widened that hole in the cliff during the fight.
Vorik had been too busy trying to keep his brother from killing him to pay attention to their actions, but he did recall hearing dragon roars.
As if thinking of him had summoned him, Jhiton walked up and gazed down at him.
Since Vorik hadn’t seen if he’d lived or died after all that light and magic had descended upon him, he smiled with relief.
It was strange, however, seeing Jhiton standing calmly in the same area as men and women in Kingdom uniforms. He wasn’t wearing his swords, but he also wasn’t in shackles. That was surprising.
Syla looked up at Jhiton without alarm. While Vorik had been unconscious, they must have exchanged some words. Maybe she’d elicited a promise from Jhiton that he wouldn’t attack anyone else today?
Syla released Vorik’s hand, then stood up and stepped back. To let them speak privately?
Since Vorik and Jhiton had tried to kill each other multiple times in the last week, Vorik didn’t know if he wanted to speak privately with his brother. At least there wasn’t any malevolent magic swirling about him.
“You look dreadful,” Jhiton stated, his tone flat, his face as hard to read as always.
“Oh?” Vorik asked. “You look a lot better now that your eyes aren’t glowing.”
“I don’t have any memory of that.”
“It made you look villainous. Even more so than when your cloak is flapping dramatically in the wind and you’re fondling your swords.”
“If you’re able to tease me, I suppose that’s a sign that you’ll live.”
“Due to Syla’s fine healing, I believe I will. I can tell from your tone that you’re ecstatic.”
“I am…” Jhiton gazed around. None of the soldiers were venturing close, though Sergeant Fel watched them darkly from a spot near the tunnel entrance opposite the dragons.
If Jhiton had been confused when he’d woken, maybe not remembering how exactly he’d come to be in a cave on Castle Island, he’d had time to recover. “I am not displeased that you live.”
“Oh? Even though…” Vorik waved toward Jhiton’s gut, wondering if he’d had time to heal from the initial sword wound that had almost killed him back in the mine. Maybe Vorik shouldn’t have reminded him of it.
“I believe we discussed that there comes a natural time when the student surpasses the teacher and that it’s bittersweet but also a sign that the tutelage was successful.”
“You said that didn’t apply to brothers.”
“Perhaps I did not wish to accept that it may.”
“Well, you kicked my ass here.” Vorik waved to indicate the laboratory—their last battleground.
“I remember none of that. I was not… myself.”
“You were possessed by a crazy asshole of a god.”
“And thus not myself.”
“You cackled maniacally with glee as you stabbed me.”
Jhiton’s eyebrows twitched. “I do not believe you.”
“If you don’t remember our encounter, how do you know?”
“I know. Your queen would have stabbed me in the heart if I had been that openly inimical.”
“Did she have the opportunity to do so?” Curious, Vorik wished he’d seen what had happened when the magic had faded and Jhiton returned fully to his own head.
“She did. I woke with her standing over me with a dagger, contemplating my life.”
“I love her.” Vorik grinned.
“I’m aware.” Jhiton’s eyebrows twitched again, and he looked toward the dragons. “You do little to hide your feelings. We’re all aware.” He probably meant the entire stormer people, not only the dragons.
Vorik didn’t care. He kept his grin and added, “My feelings are a strength. I’ll show you the next time we fight. I’ll bet they allow me to defeat you, assuming no gods interfere.”
“We can find out once you’re fully healed.”
“I look forward to it.”
“You’ve never shied from challenges.”
“No, I haven’t,” Vorik said. “Speaking of challenges, do you remember my duel with Chieftess Shi?”
“I… do, yes, but everything from the time I woke up buried and half-drowned in the mine until less than an hour ago is hazy. Like it was all a dream. I didn’t come fully back to myself until the clouds disappeared.”
“I’d ask you for more details about your possession, but I might not want to know.”
What was it like being controlled by a mad god? Vorik shuddered.
“I think not.”
“I ask if you remember the duel,” Vorik said, “because I’m supposed to be chief of Wingborn now, but I never did feel that qualified for the position, and I’m not sure the people will accept me.”
“Half of them were eating from your bag of bribes while watching you duel.”
“You remember that.”
“I remember the apricots. They had an appealing tartness.”
“Even the stone-cold Jhiton can be moved by a sweet.”
“A tart sweet.”
“I’d expect no other kind to entice you. My point is that you would be a better leader for the tribe.”
“Queen Syla isn’t going to negotiate with me,” Jhiton said dryly. “After I recovered suitably enough to inquire about your health status, she said you were fine, you’d wake up soon, and that she regretted that I’d survived all our encounters.”
“Don’t you adore her honesty?”
“She has many attributes desirable in a mother of warriors.”
“Compliments like that make women swoon.”
“As you know, that is always my goal. No, Vorik. I will not attempt to take leadership of the tribe from you. You won it, and it is yours to defend. Besides, it may behoove you going forward to have a title that conveys power.”
“I’ve always been fond of captain.”
A couple of newly arrived soldiers came up to Syla, drawing her farther aside and asking her questions.
They were deferential and called her Your Majesty.
Vorik hoped that meant that her accomplishments combined with the usurper’s death had ended all questions about whether she was the rightful leader of her people.
Surely, there couldn’t be any doubt. He was proud of her but also sad since it meant she would never come live in a cave with him and be his mate.
Jhiton followed his gaze. “When you wed, will you join in the Kingdom way? With a ceremony and feasting? Or in the stormer way? With mock battles, tales, and our ritual? Perhaps you should partake in both traditions to satisfy both peoples.”
“I, er, when we wed? We’re not… I mean, we haven’t discussed… We’ve been too busy to talk about anything like that. Besides, she’s not going to come live with me in a cave. Or a little camp on one of her islands if we can negotiate for that.”
“You can go back and forth from the castle to your camp. You do both have dragons.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to assume—”
“A wedding and offspring would be the natural and ideal way to cement an alliance between our two peoples,” Jhiton said. “I can’t believe this hasn’t yet crossed your mind.”
“I… assumed Syla wouldn’t want to come share my nomadic lifestyle when she has a castle. And it’s huge. Our entire tribe could live in the throne room alone. Three tribes.”
“Marry the woman, Vorik.” Jhiton looked toward Syla as she finished talking to the soldiers and returned with a mug of tea.
The stern look she gave to Jhiton suggested she believed he’d spoken long enough with Vorik.
She set the drink down for him, scents of lemongrass dominant over what were doubtless medicinal herbs.
“I trust she wouldn’t object,” Jhiton added.
“Object to what?” Syla asked as Vorik gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position so he could take a drink.
Thanks to her healing, the movement didn’t hurt as much as he’d expected. By the gods, what a wonderful gift she had. He should have let her magically heal him long ago.
“Marrying Vorik,” Jhiton said. “Do you object?”
“No, that sounds lovely.”
Jhiton shot Vorik an I-told-you-so look and walked away. He was rarely one to mutter under his breath, but Vorik heard him do so, saying, “I should have had that be the ultimate goal for the seduction plan in the beginning.”
Syla gazed at Vorik. “Is your brother seriously trying to arrange our wedding?”
“I think so. Haven’t I told you that he’s mentioned before that he wouldn’t have objected if you’d shown up in our camp, wanting to be my mate?”
“He’s tried to kill me. Numerous times.”
If Jhiton was to believed, the only time he’d loosed arrows at her, he’d only been attempting to keep her from firing the weapons platform. Vorik decided not to seek to convince her of that.
“You’ve tried to kill him numerous times too,” was what he said. “He has a running total.”
“So, naturally, we should become in-laws.”
“It wouldn’t be that unusual in a stormer union. Much like the savage dragons that we ride, we are a somewhat aggressive and combative people.”
“Really. I hadn’t noticed.”
“It’s because I’m so charming and properly behaved in your presence.”
“The last time we had sex, you howled like a wolf. After you roared like a lion.”
“Did you not consider that proper behavior?” Vorik smirked.
“Proper, no. Somewhat flattering, yes.”
“If you send your soldiers away, perhaps I can flatter you again.”
She looked like she might consider that, but one of those soldiers walked up to her. “Apologies, Your Majesty, but what should we do with…” He extended a hand toward Jhiton, who stood next to Teyla, Fel, and two other soldiers near the exit.
Jhiton was close enough to Fel that he could have tried to take his swords back—tried and likely succeeded, even injured—but he hadn’t yet. He looked… tired. Vorik felt bad for him, but he should, by all rights, be dead. This had to be a better outcome than that, surely?