Chapter 2: According to Hoyle

"Very arrogant of you, Lindsay Weaver," Rivuk said as a careless flick of his wrist sent the humans rolling. The baby howled as his mother wrapped her body around him, taking the full brunt of the fall on her own body. "But correct."

"Now!" Lindsay shouldered the gun in one swift motion and fired. Rivuk easily dodged the double-tipped harpoon. She fired again.

"Go! Go! Go!" Sirix shouted as Donil and Dustin helped Tabby and her baby down through the cave entrance. "Lindsay!" he cried.

"I love you!" she said, letting the gun drop to her side. "I'll be ok."

Sirix looked at her with a deep sadness in his eyes, as though his heart was being torn in two. She felt the same. She nodded and Sirix dove into the hole.

"Are you done toying with us?" Lindsay shouted, eyes blazing with fury.

Prince Rivuk descended to where Lindsay stood, less than a foot away, easily within arm's reach. "You're not even going to try and go for your knife?" he asked.

"Even if I managed to cut you, I'd be dead before I hit the ground. Assuming you didn't force me to do your own dirty work."

"Have you truly grown to despise me in the intervening iunas since our last conversation?"

"How is your wound, anyway?" she asked, spitefully.

"Completely healed. It was worth it for the kiss. And the dance."

Lindsay's cheeks reddened with frustration and embarrassment. "I wish you'd forget about that."

"If I did, you'd be dead. You and all your little blue friends."

"It's hard to believe you're not the villain when you say things like that."

He shrugged. "I could be. You'll have to take it on faith that I'm not."

"More than faith," Lindsay said. "You could've easily killed all of us in a heartbeat."

Rivuk shook his head. "Don't. Don't think my actions some proof of my goodness. I could manipulate you into believing I was somehow noble, take you away, and then return at night and slaughter your friends with a snap of my fingers."

"Why would you say that?!" Lindsay cried. "Why do you undermine yourself?"

"Because, my wilding, if you make the mistake of believing any kind action is proof of goodness, my family will eat you alive."

Lindsay gazed sadly at the hole where her husband and wife had disappeared. "So, this is it, then? You've come for me?"

"As we agreed."

Tears welled up in her eyes, not that she was sure they would hold any meaning to the Nobillo prince. "I don't want to go."

"But you have to. Or I'll kill every last Bonat, personally. It will be a mercy compared to what's coming."

She nodded. "Ok."

She felt his strong arm encircle her waist and he tipped her into his arms, the flapping of his wings sent dust and stones flying and then, they were gone.

* * *

"Lindsay Weaver," she heard Rivuk's voice whisper from some half-waking dream. "Lindsay Weaver."

"You can just call me Lindsay," she mumbled, face nuzzling into his broad chest. She didn't want to wake up.

"You're not going to want to miss this, Lindsay."

She turned and opened her eyes.

"Woah," she said, staring, her mouth agape.

In the darkness of the late evening, she could see a great city below her. A trio of pyramids that appeared to be made of light shone beside a great white plaza that held a giant fountain. Bars of light danced in the darkness and trails of floating lamps lit the way toward them. Huge stone arcades rose up around three sides of the plaza and all over the city like great bastions of commerce.

Beyond the wide marble path that snaked around the pyramids, a giant building stood, all columns and white stone. It looked like something out of a Roman movie, but held the same shadowy foreboding as Spring Grove Mental Hospital. Surrounding it like a crown, numerous lights twinkled like stars all the way up the sides of what was probably a canyon.

Rivuk banked hard, turning them, a flash of giant, winged sculptures carved into the rock walls passed by and then she gasped. The palace stood before her, nestled between the two canyon walls. It was breathtaking in appearance and size! Massive columns, gigantic arches, grand towers, dancing fountains, large pools, all glittering with greens and deep purples and blacks and silvers and coppers and golds all accented in the same white stone, all brightly lit. She almost didn't notice the tall, thick walls surrounding it or the lights from the guard towers. The walls weren't for the Nobillo, yet they had clearly spent a lot to build them.

She swore.

Rivuk laughed. "So now you've seen where I live."

Suddenly, two Children of the Immortal were flying beside them. "Prince Rivuk, do you require assistance?"

"Call together and emergency royal council in the throne room," Rivuk answered.

"Immediately."

"Yes, your grace," the guards replied in unison and veered off.

He whispered to Lindsay, "Hold on to me, we're going to land. Once we do, do not speak to anyone besides me, even if you are spoken to, until I tell you that it's safe. They will be looking for a reason to execute you, don't give them one."

"To execute me?!"

"Do not forget, amongst the Bonat, you're a hero. Here, you're a war criminal. They would like nothing better than to subject you to the blade of judgement."

"Then why the hell did you bring me here?"

"I'll explain it to you later. Right now, I need you to do as I say." The firmness in Rivuk's tone shut her mouth.

They landed lightly on one of the parapets of the wall, Lindsay still cradled in his arms. He didn't even miss a step between flying and striding along the wall.

"Prince Rivuk!" the guards declared, hurriedly standing at attention.

Rivuk paid them no mind as he strode quickly by, toward the towering pillars of the palace. Despite his attempts to shield her from view with his wings, Lindsay felt all eyes upon her as they moved up the grand entry stairs, through the hall, and into a room that took Lindsay's breath away.

It was long and covered in white marble and deep-purple stone veined with glittering gold. Massive pillars held up a grand, arched ceiling that had to be over two hundred feet tall. At the far end of the room was a raised dais made of wood, standing almost twenty feet above the ground, where five thrones sat with a long table before them.

In the corners of the room behind the throne, giant fluted wooden cones rose up. Lindsay noticed shining wooden seats spiraling up within them, though they were tightly packed together, as though to be clear that whoever sat there was being given the honor, not giving it.

On the thrones sat four people, the only ones in the room aside from the guards. In the center sat a man and woman. The man had close-cropped tawny-brown hair and deep lines cutting furrows beside his mouth and eyes. He was dressed in a black military uniform with a deep-purple cape wrapped around his shoulders. In his hand he held a large golden staff. His expression was one of displeasure.

Left of him, sat a similarly unsmiling hollow-cheeked woman in pale green with black hair in some sort of updo decorated with what looked like sparkling pearls, an empty throne beside her. To the man's right were two younger men. The first was thin and had short, feathery blond hair that, when combined with the roundness of his cranium that travelled to a far narrower chin, gave him a chick-like appearance. Round glasses with gold rims completed his intellectual, almost nerdy, look. Next to him, in bright blue, tawny hair mussed in a devil-may-care fashion, was an extremely handsome man who seemed to be trying to goad the other young man to smile.

The man in the center, who Lindsay was quite sure was the king, banged his staff on the floor of the dais three times. "Why have you called an emergency royal council?" he demanded.

Lindsay could feel Rivuk's heart pounding, but his smile remained cool. "I have brought a gift for you, from beyond the Vykyyer Strait."

He opened his wing slightly, Lindsay winced in the bright light.

The bespectacled blond-haired young man started and leaned forward on the table, his chin resting on a hammock made by his interlaced fingers. "Well, this is interesting," he said with a smile.

The tawny-haired young man grinned. Oh hell he was hot! But something in that grin froze the blood in Lindsay's veins.

"What is the meaning of this?" the king demanded. "Where did you find her?"

"I thought if we used the humans as bait, she might try to help them escape. I found her trying to cross the Vykyyer Strait."

Rivuk let her down so now she stood before them. She tried to look strong, defiant. She was the Queen of the Bonat, she would not be intimidated by them.

The king barely glanced at her. "And the other humans?"

"Dead. Their boat was flipped by a juvenile Desni. She was the only survivor."

"Not for long," the tawny-haired one said, playfully.

The king's expression twisted in anger. The end of his staff slammed in front of the handsome man. "That's enough from you, Boz!"

Boz jolted back.

"And the Bona Serat Corsar?"

"He was not with her. If he was there at all, he must have abandoned her when the boat capsized."

"She must be executed immediately." the king said. "Guard!" A guard stepped forward carrying a spear with a semi-lune blade attached to the staff, giving it almost the appearance of an axe.

"Wait!" the blond said. "She's a war criminal and a human, her execution should be done at the Temple of the Immortal. The Korsuch will insist."

"And give her the chance to escape us again? No. Guards." The king gestured toward Lindsay.

"No!" Rivuk said. The guards were pushed back by his word alone. "You cannot execute her. She is my wife. My gift is a princess, not a prisoner."

"Your wife!" the king repeated.

"Jericho's claws!" Boz stood with a grin.

"This is a surprise," the other prince said, watching her with green eyes.

The king was at a loss for words, muttering sentences that died at their birth.

"Do I get a choice in the matter?" Lindsay whispered.

"Not if you like living," Rivuk replied.

"Seductress," the queen hissed. "To save herself."

The king found himself and nodded. "Rivuk, you know as well as I, copulation isn't a marriage vow."

"Unless it occurs in Tene-ora-tel."

There was a collective gasp of shock from the dais, even the blond prince was back against his seat and the one called Boz wasn't joking anymore.

The king leaned forward. "You invoke the rite of Tene-ora-tel?"

"I do. Test her yourself, if you doubt me."

"Elihim," the king gestured to the blond prince.

Elihim stared at Lindsay, she felt his green eyes piercing her. He stood, shutting his eyes tightly. He appeared to be concentrating quite hard. Finally, he opened them again. "He's right, I can't get in. Her mind is closed to me."

Boz pushed forward. "Let me try!" He did the same thing, after a minute opening his eyes in shock. "Nothing! It's like she's not even there!"

"And, as a princess of the Nobillo, it is illegal to execute her without consent of her husband, and I do not give it."

The royal family was silent, Lindsay could tell from the looks on their faces they were trying to come up with a way around their laws.

The king finally said, "My son, she has the blood of hundreds of Nobillo on her hands. She is a murderess. She may kill you in your sleep."

"And, if she does, you are then free to execute her."

"The people will never accept her."

"They will. We'll tell them she was deceived by the Bona Serat Corsar. We cannot know whether she actually committed any murders herself, there is no one who can conclusively testify that she did. For all we know, she was the Bona Serat Corsar's prisoner or possibly his pet."

She had. She'd killed dozens of Nobillo soldiers. And Rivuk knew it. He'd seen her do it. Just like he knew Sirix was her husband. He knew it intimately. She'd even screamed Sirix's name when they were having- no, she didn't want to think about that. Not now.

Elihim spoke up, "What about the treaty? All human materials are to be turned over to the Korsuch at the Temple of the Immortal."

"And I am certain she will submit to examination and give whatever samples they require. They will come to see the benefits of a living human to study."

Again, silence fell over the council. The queen rose from her throne. "Prince Rivuk, Third Prince of the Nobillo, while we do not approve of your bride, we cannot go against the marriage rite of Tene-ora-tel. Step forward, Princess. What is your name?"

Lindsay almost answered but stopped. She looked to Rivuk who gave her an approving nod. The question was a trap to get her to speak.

"Her name is Lindsay Weaver, your grace," Rivuk said.

The queen frowned. "Step forward, Princess Lindsay Weaver." She spoke the words as though they were something distasteful.

Lindsay stepped forward.

"Prince Rivuk, take the hand of your bride."

Rivuk stepped beside her and took Lindsay's hand. "Bow," he whispered, "but don't let your knees touch the floor and keep your head down." He pulled her down beside him into a very low, lunging crouch of a bow, his wing covering her body.

"The High Court of Queen Zephera and King Liruk recognizes the marriage of Prince Rivuk, Third Prince of the Nobillo, to Princess Lindsay Weaver, Fourth Wife of Prince Rivuk. Rise."

They stood, Rivuk still gripping Lindsay's hand so tightly she could feel his claws digging into the back of it.

"May this marriage bring you much joy and happiness and may your... progeny," she couldn't even hide her disgust at the word. "Be plentiful and strong."

"Thank you, your grace," Rivuk said, lowering his head in a small bow.

"She will be guarded at all times, in the North tower. And if she does so much as give a whisper of sedition, she will be placed in prison. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your grace. Of course."

"Good. Now take her from my sight. I cannot stand to look at her one moment more." She waved her hand dismissively. "And Rivuk, return to me, after she has been attended to, there is much we need to discuss."

"Yes, your grace." Rivuk scooped Lindsay up and carried her from the room.

* * *

"I can walk, you know," she said as they left the room.

"It is safer to carry you," Rivuk replied.

"So I don't walk wrong?"

Rivuk fixed her with a look.

"Really?"

He nodded. "You should be safe enough, now." He let her down.

It was then she realized there was someone in front of her, someone tall, clad in a toga-like robe. She looked up, her eyes kept going past the muscular shoulders to the hanging flesh of the neck topped by a head that looked as though the greyish skin had been pulled too tight over the skull. The nearly lipless mouth covered a tall jaw she knew was filled with sharp, needle-like teeth. The nose was almost non-existent, like a poorly constructed pup tent with one end fallen over between two dish-like milky-white eyes the size of Lindsay's palm with a faint blue glow behind them.

Just surrounding the eyes was a strange, puffy line of flesh where the outer eyelids had failed to properly form, the same in all his people. His head was completely bald, blueish veins spidering out just below the surface. She could see one of his ears, already small to begin with, had been cut in half. Thin scars crisscrossed his skin.

"Carak!" she exclaimed with a warm smile. It was such a relief to see a familiar face! She hadn't realized he'd be quite so tall. He was at least a foot and a half taller than her and three times as wide at the shoulders.

The Child of the Immortal was taken aback. "I'm sorry, your highness. Have we met?"

Oh hell. They hadn't actually met yet; despite the hours she'd spent with him. As far as he knew, there was no reason she should know his name and especially that she should be happy to see him.

Rivuk didn't even bat an eye. "Yes, this is my hest, Carak, who I mentioned earlier. He will be your personal guard, Lindsay. I trust you have no objection?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No." Thank God, she thought to herself. Thank God it was Carak and not some random mutant guard.

Rivuk leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Good. I thought not, since you already know him." He touched his brow to hers, then turned to Carak. "Please escort her to her apartment in the North Tower. I will be along later."

Carak bowed. "Of course, your grace. Follow me, your highness."

Carak turned and lurched forward, his shoulder spiking up with every step. Lindsay could see the knotted muscles on the back of his calf just below a large, straight scar that ran almost across the back of his knee. The muscles had been cut! That's why he limped so badly! Even Donil would struggle to fix that, and Lindsay got the feeling that much effort was not likely to be expended on a Child of the Immortal.

Lindsay quickened her step to catch up with him, but he only began walking faster until she was jogging to stay by his side. "Carak, could you slow down a bit?" she finally asked.

"Yes, your highness."

His pace slowed so it was easier for her to walk beside him. "What is a hest?" she asked.

"The hest runs the affairs of his prince."

"And you are Rivuk's hest?"

"Yes, since he entered his third lanc."

Lindsay noticed Carak was intentionally looking away from her as they walked, even as he spoke. "Is... is Rivuk a good man?" she asked.

Carak seemed to hesitate, thinking over his answer carefully. "He will be a good husband to you, your highness."

"Carak, you can look at me when you speak."

"Your highness?"

"You keep looking the other way, like you don't want me to see your face."

"I apologize, your highness. I know it is frightening to look at. Most people request I don't look directly at them."

"Well, it doesn't frighten me. I want you to look at me when you're talking to me."

He let out a huff but she could see something of a smile growing across that jaw, revealing the scope of the split of the mouth. In a heartbeat, she was in a tree with a Child of the Immortal soldier, his lips pulled back revealing his giant mouth and those needle shaped teeth, she was in Kadax's jail cell watching Carak open his mouth to its fullest and take Kadax's throat in his jaws. A simple closing of his mouth and the throat was gone.

Lindsay stopped, breathing heavily, eyes full of terror.

Carak turned his face away. "I'm sorry, your highness," he said.

"Carak," she said, her breathing still shallow. "What did I tell you about looking at me when you talked to me?"

"But, your highness!"

She closed her eyes. It was horrifying. No. She knew that face. She had grown accustomed to it. It was just, having it so close, in real life... She could do this. She had to do this. If she couldn't overcome her fear of Carak, then what hope did she have with any of the other Children of the Immortal? She was the Queen of the Bonat. She could do this. She could look the reaper in the face and not flinch. "You're still not doing it."

He turned toward her. "Yes, your highness."

Her breathing returned to normal. It was Carak. Good, familiar Carak. "That's better. Now, you didn't answer my question. Is Rivuk a good man?"

Carak fixed her with his giant, milky-white eyes. "He is the best man I have ever met, your highness."

You should meet my husband, she thought to herself before realizing she now had two, whether she wanted the second one or not.