Part Two
"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see."
Liang and Laia had been among those in the mounted unit, and as soon as Gordon surrendered, they made their way to Tyrian's side to join him, Cassie, and Matthias. "Nice," Laia said to Matthias. "We'll just go along with you guys to talk to General D'terio." There was something in her purple eyes that made it less of a suggestion than a strong encouragement.
Tyrian knew better than to argue. As Shots and Myr came running up, he smiled at both of them. "You did a wonderful job, both of you. It was very brave to ride so boldly into the middle of an enemy unit."
Myr swiped at the dirt on her face and smiled. "I'm not above taking advantage of the fact that everyone thinks I'm so sweet and innocent." She took Laia's offered hand and let the older woman tug her up onto the horse with her. "I'm still a little stunned at how well it worked."
Liang helped Shots up to ride with him, and they followed Tyrian, Cassie, and Matthias as the three set out across the field toward where Gordon waited. The Liberation Army was already rounding up the defeated soldiers, all of whom had made it clear by putting down their weapons that they had no intention of causing trouble.
Gordon was being guarded by two Liberation Army soldiers, but he was not restrained and his crossbow had not been taken away. He looked toward where Tyrian approached and studied him intently. He had known Tyrian for nearly as long as the younger man had been alive. He was one of the older generals at thirty-eight, with only Donald Southerwind being older at forty. The youngest was Marcus at thirty.
Tyrian Southerwind had more battle instincts than all of their years combined. The man that Gordon looked upon now was nothing like the boy he had known only months before. There had always been something about Tyrian that pulled at Gordon and the other generals, but it had never been as powerful as it was in that moment when he looked into Tyrian's dark eyes and saw the iron will of a hero.
"May I?" he asked when Tyrian got closer. Tyrian held up his relic hand and Gordon studied it intently. It was, indeed, a Pure Relic. "So I see the rumors are true. The whispers of the legendary Kaiten Star. Perhaps Lady Blaine's prophecy was self-fulfilling after all."
"The legend of the Kaiten Stars has been around for as long as Lady Tanelia has been alive," Laia countered quietly. "She first spoke of the legend a million years ago. It has been forgotten into time, known only to those who read legends. When the Kaiten Star shone in the sky eighteen years ago, those of us who read stars knew what it meant. Blaine put her own twist on it."
"That is not hard to believe, Lady Laiaeariel."
Liang looked at Laia in surprise. "You're titled?"
She grimaced. "Don't remind me!" She scowled at Gordon. "And don't call me that. My parents just had to give me an Elf name."
Tyrian hid a smile. "You know each other, then?"
Gordon sighed. "I made the rather naïve mistake about ten years ago in thinking that a newly made general could easily challenge a young paladin to a duel and win without effort. I do believe that I can still feel the bruises even a decade later."
"Can I be you when I grow up?" Myr asked Laia.
Matthias hid a smile. "General D'terio, please join us in the city for a conversation. There is much we would like to talk to you about. I'm sure you have questions of your own."
"I do indeed. The widow who owns the town garden has offered me room if needed. I do not think she will mind if we borrow her dining room for our discussion. Best to not cause a stir. Well, more than we have already."
The mood in Rubentia was already lifting dramatically. People were beginning to laugh and talk. They still watched Gordon's soldiers warily, but they greeted the Liberation Army warmly, the way they had once greeted the Imperial Army. Gordon and Tyrian both saw shops that had been closed beginning to prepare to open once more. The inn was opening its doors to people who had lost their homes, and others were as yet taking their homes back.
The garden resided in the center of the city. It covered a fair amount of size since it provided all the fruits and vegetables for the townsfolk. At the center of the garden was a lovely little house. A tiny little girl with silvery brown pigtails stood at the fence surrounding the property, and she brightened when she saw Gordon. "Hi Gen'ral!"
Gordon grinned as he dismounted his horse. "Hello, Tavi." He knelt down to her height. "Is your mother busy? Will she mind if we have a meeting in her home? Do you mind?"
Tavi studied the others with Gordon intently. They all looked like nice people, and the man with the green scarf instantly caught her attention. She looked at him closer, liking his handsome face and serious eyes. She really wanted to hug him and say it would be okay, and she wasn't even sure what was wrong with him. She just knew that something was.
At the intense way she looked at Tyrian, everyone except the Kaiten and Matthias looked at Laia in shock. They all recognized that look and had felt the emotions in Tavi's black eyes. "A kid?" Shots demanded. "A kid? Why a kid, Laia?"
"Because she is needed," was all Laia said simply.
Tyrian dismounted his horse and knelt down to be more on level with the little girl. "Hello, Tavi," he said softly. "I'm Tyrian." His hands itched to pick her up for a cuddle. He had always wanted a little sister or little brother. His littlest Destined Star. He had to protect her future. "Do you mind if we come inside?"
She looked at him solemnly and then went on her toes to hug him around the neck. She cuddled close and rested her head on his shoulder as he stood. "Mommy won't mind. And it's my house too." She focused on Liang and was instantly intrigued. "Who're you?"
He smiled. She reminded him a little of what Tyrian had been like as a child. "My name is Liang. I am one of Lord Tyrian's guardians."
She was happy with that. He looked really nice, and she liked his voice. She thought he was probably more like Tyrian's papa. He looked like he should be one. She envied Tyrian. She wanted a daddy too, so her mommy wasn't so tired all the time. "Okay."
Gordon opened the gate, and Myr and Shots stayed behind to take care of the horses while everyone else dismounted to go inside. Beyond the gate was a path that wound through the garden as it made its way to the house. The closer they got, the easier it was to see the woman standing on the porch waiting for them.
Liang took one look at her and felt a sudden gut punch of shocking desire and emotion. Her haunted blue eyes seemed to look directly through him, stirring up a fierce longing to make right everything in her world. She was unbearably lovely with her silvery brown hair coiled tightly on top of her head. She wore sturdy gardening clothes, but they only emphasized her delicate beauty.
A widow, he remembered Gordon saying. His heart wept for her. She couldn't have been very old, mid-twenties at most, and already she had suffered something so painful. She was single-handedly providing for her city, and she was raising her daughter at the same time. He wanted very badly to take her away from it all so that she never had to struggle alone again.
Tyrian very slowly lifted a brow as he looked at Liang's face and then looked at the widow on the porch. He then looked at Cassie. She was slowly beginning to smile. Marian might just come close to tying Laia for her unnerving way of knowing things she shouldn't.
"Serentia," Gordon said, "I hope you do not mind the intrusion. We would be very grateful if we could borrow your dining room for a quick meeting."
Serentia Tuone smiled instantly. "General, I already told you that you were welcome in my home. You saved Tavi's life. The least I can do is show some hospitality."
"What did you do?" Tyrian asked Tavi.
She looked at him innocently. "I just climbed a tree."
"And got stuck," Gordon muttered. "Nearly gave my soldiers heart failure when they saw her." He sighed. "Serentia Tuone, allow me to introduce Lord Tyrian Southerwind. Lord Tyrian, this is Serentia."
Tyrian looked at her and felt the familiar and unsurprising fierce tug inside. If Tavi was a Destined Star, why shouldn't Serentia be one as well? He wouldn't have been surprised if they shared the same star in the sky. "It's an honor," he said softly.
Serentia looked at him with a bemused expression on her face. She had never felt such a surprising attachment to anyone on first meeting. In fact, she had never felt anything quite like it before at all. It was almost like her love for her daughter. She wanted to protect and shelter, to make sure he was happy and safe. He needed her. She felt sure of it. "Likewise, Lord Tyrian. Do come in, everyone."
"The monk is Cassie," Tyrian said as he stepped inside and put Tavi down. "The paladin is Laia Mitakel. The man with the cane is Matthias Goldwind. The other man is Liang."
Serentia smiled at both Cassie and Laia and then turned to smile at Liang. As she did, she felt her heart skip several beats at a time. Breath held, she averted her gaze as she felt the unexpected stir of desire. It was somehow more shocking than the feeling of her heart stirring as well. She had not felt either in years. "It's nice to meet you. Is anyone thirsty? I can make some tea."
"Liang can help you." Tyrian looked at his mentor pointedly. "Can't he?"
Liang cleared his throat. "Certainly. Please lead the way, my lady." Serentia eyed him with more than a touch of shyness before hurrying down the hall. Liang shot a quick look at Tyrian and then followed her.
Tavi threw open a door near them and announced, "Dining room!" She beamed up at Tyrian as he ruffled her hair. "I'll get snacks too!"
The table was big enough to seat four people, so Matthias, Tyrian, Gordon, and Cassie sat down. Laia leaned against the wall where she could see out the window. Gordon folded his hands on the table and looked at Tyrian intently. "Alright, Lord Tyrian. I would like to hear your side of things."
"Perhaps it's best if we show you." Tyrian pulled out the Seeing Relic he had been carrying in his backpack. It floated up over his hand and began to obediently project the same images that had been shown to him the first day. More had been added recently since Cassie had been carrying it while they were in Acre and Lupine.
Gordon pressed his hands to his eyes as he lowered his head. He felt ashamed of himself as a general. They had been so busy worrying about Foresalia that they hadn't even realized what was happening to their people. The threat was not from over the border. It was not from the Kaiten Star. It was from within the Empire itself. It sickened him.
"General D'terio," Tyrian said softly, "join us. You have said many times that you serve the people. You have a chance to do it now. Lend your skill to us. I can't do this without you." As soon as the words left his mouth, he sat back in surprise. It was a surprise that also reflected on Matthias and Cassie's faces. "You're a Destined Star."
"I see. That explains a great deal, actually." Gordon straightened his back. "You have my aid, Lord Tyrian. I will help lead your troops to victory. If we can speak with my fellow generals, then I am certain they will join as well." He saw the darkness move in Tyrian's eyes and said gently, "General Southerwind has been kept close to the capitol. You may not have to endure facing him for a while yet. And I am certain he will listen to you when you do. When we met with the Emperor after Lady Ophelia was murdered, General Southerwind told us to insist to our soldiers that you were to be taken alive."
Tyrian let out the breath he had been holding. It was a small, but welcome, bit of relief. "Thank you."
Serentia and Liang walked into the dining room with two trays loaded with tea and cups. Tavi followed with a much smaller tray that had snacks on it. "L'ang made them!" she announced. She wrinkled her nose. "I can't say your name right," she told Liang. "It's a funny name."
"Speaking of Elf names," Laia grumbled. The use of multiple vowels right next to each other made them difficult for non-Elf races to speak. She had always been grateful her name could be shortened to a much easier variant.
Liang knelt down to Tavi's height. "Lie-an-gh," he pronounced. "The 'gh' is soft."
"L'ang!"
Tyrian smiled. "Don't worry, Tavi. That's what I called him for a long time, too." He gratefully took the cup of tea that Serentia held out. "Thank you."
Gordon stood and offered his chair to Serentia. "Sit down," he told her. "Please. I must speak with my soldiers as to my decision." He looked at Tyrian. "If they wish to return to the Empire . . ."
"They are free to go," Tyrian said. "Laws of engagement. They are not held to the decision you make. If they wish to follow you, and therefore me, then I am grateful for their addition."
Gordon bowed gracefully and left the room. The front door shut behind him, and Matthias looked at Serentia. "You know," he said, "we have need of someone with your talents at our base."
Her brows lifted. "Me? Professor Matthias, I am nothing but a gardener."
"And we have none. We have a large overgrown patch of weeds and dirt," Tyrian admitted dryly. "The garden that once belonged to the castle is a rat's nest of desolation. No one has any clue what to do with it. And with so many to feed . . . growing our own crops is critical." He held out his relic hand to her. "Please, Serentia. I need your help for this."
Tavi tugged on her mother's sleeve and said fretfully, "We have to help, Mommy. Lord Tyrian needs us!" She looked at Tyrian hopefully. "I keep my room clean! An' I can take care of the castle dogs! Do you have dogs?"
"A few are running around," he said. "We have a castle guard dog with no royalty to guard, so he could use someone to take care of him."
"I'll do it!" She bounced on her toes as she looked at Serentia. "Mommy, see? We're needed! We have'ta help Lord Tyrian and L'ang! He said he makes yummy snacks, and so we have to grow the 'gred'ents so he can keep Lord Tyrian healthy! Right?" She looked at Cassie and Laia for help.
Cassie couldn't respond because she had a hand over her mouth to hide a smile. Laia wasn't so polite. She was outright grinning. "Right, kid." She winked at Tavi. "We have to keep our Lord Tyrian safe, don't we?"
Serentia sighed and then suddenly laughed. "I can't fight all of you, and I can feel that you mean it, Lord Tyrian. I know you need me. And I have to help. It's a curious feeling, but I can accept it. I would be honored to come take charge of your garden. You can leave it to me." She grasped his hand tightly.
His relic glowed softly, and the matching stars appeared on Serentia and Tavi's shoulders. Tavi stared at the glowing mark in awe. "What does that mean?" she asked Matthias.
He smiled. "It means that we are destined to share the sky with Lord Tyrian. It was a gift given to the special people that he truly needs in order to save everyone." He looked at Tyrian. "There might as yet be others in town. Would you like to look before we return to base? Serentia and Tavi will need time to pack."
"I'll help," Laia offered. "And so will Liang. Won't he?"
Liang smiled at Serentia. "If she needs the help." It took a lot of control not to tuck her loose hair behind her ear. Having her at the castle would be an exercise in torture if he couldn't manage to get a hold of his emotions and hormones. He didn't even know how long she had been a widow! Tavi was only four years old.
She pressed her hands to her stomach under the table. The fluttery sensation of need was almost foreign after three years. She had forgotten what it felt like to want a man, and she had never wanted Civ like this. At the least, it told her that perhaps she was finally healing. She had thought she never would. "There is a lot here," she admitted. "Any help is appreciated."
"We'll send some soldiers with a wagon to help as well," Tyrian said as he got to his feet. He helped Matthias stand as well and held him steady so he could grab his cane. "If you need anything, tell me immediately."
"I will. Thank you, Lord Tyrian."
Once back outside, Matthias let Tyrian assist him back up onto his horse. "We can stay at the inn for the night and set out tomorrow morning," Matthias told Tyrian. "I will secure a room for you and Lady Cassie."
"Y'all looking for more Destined Stars?" Shots asked. When Tyrian nodded, he said, "Well, I'm not the fastest bullet in the chamber, but I'm startin' to see some patterns. People like us just sort of stand out in the crowd, y'know? So you might try talkin' to that Healer in town that we used as a cover. Halkern."
"I think I saw one of Taurus' band mates at the Item Shop," Myr spoke up. "The guy with the really red hair. Bet he'd be glad to know where she is. We'll help Serentia and Tavi get their things together."
Tyrian felt bemused as he watched everyone except Cassie scatter to get things done. "So many different people," he murmured. "But we share the skies."
She cupped his cheek tenderly. "We wouldn't work so well together if we were all the same." She went on her toes to kiss him softly, and her lips curved as they heard a couple of soldiers catcalling. "You employ smartasses, Lord Tyrian."
"I have one for a lover as well. I must like them." He kept an arm around her waist as they began to walk through the city. He didn't mind that everyone knew who he was. He didn't want to be some unapproachable figure. He was fighting for the people, and the people needed to be able to talk to him. Still, he missed the peace of his tower room.
The Item Shop wasn't hard to find. When they asked someone for directions, they were informed, "Just listen for an explosion, and then find the smoke."
Any questions as to what that meant were answered when they did indeed hear a loud bang and see smoke drifting up into the air. Not a single person on the street batted a lash, though the Liberation Army soldiers looked nonplussed.
Tyrian made his way to where the smoke was coming from and found the door hanging open on one hinge. He covered his mouth with his scarf even as Cassie pulled up her hood and faceguard. "Hello?" he called into the building. "Is everyone alright in here?"
A bedraggled young man with very dark red hair stepped out of the smoke, his face and clothes liberally covered with soot. He coughed. "We're alright. A little smoky, but it just adds flavor. Don't mind the mess."
"Aries!" a young girl's voice called. "Turn on the fans!"
"They better not blow up!" he muttered as he moved toward the two large devices sitting on the floor. The blades affixed to them began to spin swiftly and kicked up a breeze that began to blow the smoke out. "Hey, something that works around here!"
Tyrian found himself smiling. "You're Aries? You're in Café Latte, correct? With Taurus?"
Aries looked at him swiftly. "You know where she is? I'm going to tan her hide!" he said fiercely. "'Oh, don't worry about me! I can handle a little trip by myself!' Feh! I'm boxing her pointed ears. Scared me senseless when I heard about Acre!"
"She's at my castle," Tyrian said helpfully. "I'm Tyrian Southerwind, leader of the Liberation Army. She asked to join me, to provide strength to my troops and to me. I would ask that you help as well, Aries. You're needed. I've heard the music you play. It will lift everyone's spirits."
Aries looked at him oddly and then suddenly smiled. "I'm one of them, too? Those Destined Stars that people talk about. I have to be. I can just feel it that you need me, and if you're Lord Tyrian, then . . ." He nodded swiftly. "You can count on me, Lord Tyrian. Café Latte will keep your castle full of the music of freedom!"
Tyrian offered his relic hand and Aries grasped it. When he did, the glowing star appeared. It was a star echoed on the shoulder of the young girl who walked out of the lingering smoke. She stared at her arm before looking at Tyrian. "Well, I guess me too!" she said decisively. "I'm Yumi! Don't let my age fool you; I can fight too. My Mechanobot is a great weapon! I'm the pupil of the Great Inventor Tedium! Let me fight with you, Lord Tyrian. I know I can be of help!"
Tyrian smiled as he studied her. She was probably around ten years old, but she looked strong for her age. She wore shorts with a cropped leather vest buttoned over the top. Tipless gloves covered her hands, and she wore a hat with a pair of goggles on them. Boots covered her feet. Even if she hadn't said she was an inventor in training, he would have known instantly based on her choice of clothing style. "I'm counting on you, too, Yumi."
"You can also count on me," an older male voice said. "Come on into the back room, Lord Tyrian. If you can find the door, that is." The voice chuckled merrily.
"Oh, man." Yumi rolled her eyes. "Now he wants to try and make you look silly! C'mon, Tedium! Just tell him where the entrance is! It's Lord Tyrian! He's not just some poor guy like Aries that you can bamboozle!"
With the smoke cleared, the early evening light was able to get in the windows. Tyrian studied the room curiously and then focused on the walls. They looked relatively normal, but since he was dealing with a world famous inventor, he wasn't counting on anything being what it was supposed to be.
Cassie glanced around as well and her sharp eyes spotted a slightly blackened outline in the rough shape of a door. She pointed, and Tyrian followed her direction. Even the slightest of openings, such as around a door, would have attracted extra soot. He walked over to the wall and tapped it lightly with his hand. It was definitely hollow.
He glanced up and saw a lever over his head. He looked at Yumi and she grinned with a thumbs-up. With a jump, Tyrian got hold of the lever and pulled down. As he dropped back to his feet, the hidden door slid upward to reveal a lab beyond. "That wasn't very hard," he scolded the man standing at a table.
Tedium pulled off his goggles and stuck them on top of his head. He wore a pair of pants and a leather vest not dissimilar from Yumi's gear though he also had a belt equipped with all manner of things that Tyrian was fairly sure he couldn't recognize let alone name. The white star still lingered on his shoulder in response to Tyrian's relic. "So it wasn't," the inventor conceded. "Greetings, Lord Tyrian. I am Tedium."
"Thank god," Tyrian said instantly. "We've been trying to find you! We need an elevator at the castle, possibly two, and I hear you're the man to ask. Can I count on your help?"
"Naturally." Tedium bowed swiftly. "After all, I can't exactly create inventions to better lives when no one has any life to better, correct?" He smiled. He would have gone to assist Tyrian Southerwind even if an elevator wasn't in such need. He had waited many years to meet his Kaiten Star, ever since the day he had realized just what the stars in the sky truly meant. "If you have room for a lab, I'll be a happy inventor."
"No explosions, please," Cassie said dryly.
"I shall do my best. Leave it to me, Tedium, to make your life easier!" He sighed. "Yumi! Get in here and help me start packing! And bring that good-for-nothing musician we've been feeding."
Tyrian hid a smile as he and Cassie left the shop. Explosions were inevitable, but potentially entertaining and useful if Tedium could indeed find ways to make things easier for the army and the civilians. Outside, he said, "Let's find the Healer."
"No need."
At the voice, Tyrian looked down the sidewalk to see a Magician approaching. A mace was hooked into a loop on his belt, and he wore both a Medicine Relic and a Resurrection Relic, one to each hand. He wasn't much older than Kyle or Ewan, and he moved confidently. "I am Halkern," he said with a bow. "Someone said you were looking for me, Lord Tyrian?"
"I am," Tyrian agreed. He felt unsurprised to discover Shots had been right. He, too, was beginning to see the pattern. "I have a distressing lack of Healers. I have only one right now, and as my army grows, so does my need for someone who can tend to wounds on or off a battlefield. Will you join me?"
Halkern studied him, thinking about all the things he had heard about Tyrian Southerwind. He was much younger than would be expected of someone with such a heavy burden, but his presence was inspiring. You could believe that anything was possible so long as he believed it. With a nod, Halkern offered a hand. "I will gladly join you. You can't win a war without a little healing magic, no matter how good you are. I'll be there to help tend to all your wounds, Lord Tyrian."
Tyrian took his hand and the familiar star appeared. "I'll call on you the instant I need you," he promised. He let out a little breath as Halkern turned and hurried toward his home to get ready. With a rueful smile to Cassie, he said, "It's somehow easier and somehow scarier than I imagined it would be when Lady Tanelia first told me what I was to do." He tucked his hands into his pockets as they walked down the twilight streets toward the inn. "I've forgotten what a normal life is like, Cassie." He closed his eyes on a smile. "Though I suppose normality is relative. Your normal is different from mine."
She wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Normal for me isn't fighting wars. My normal life is to occasionally pass through cities to make sure nothing has changed status quo and to take out bandits."
"Bandits, huh?"
"Mm. Our main source of revenue. We also serve as assassins when needed, when justice can't touch those who have horrendously broken a law." She glanced up at him. "It doesn't alarm you?"
"Why should it?" He drew her fingers to his lips. "There's a place for everyone and everything. It scares me a little to think of you having been in so much danger, but I fully believe that it is what makes you my perfect Kentei. Tell me about the dumbest bandits you've ever met."
She smiled as she thought about it. "There's this pack in the far eastern area of the mountains, right near where the checkpoint for the east coast is. They would steal from people, but then take most of it back if they didn't need it. Their leader is a girl about my age. When she heard I was on the hunt, she asked me to tea." She laughed. "We had a great conversation, and she agreed that her brothers were idiots. I liked her so much that I let them go with a warning."
He grinned at the mental image of a bandit sitting down to tea with the monk sent to either destroy or defeat them. "Did they clean up their act?"
"Last I heard, they were only targeting the Imperial Army, so I suspect they took my warning seriously." She rubbed her cheek against him softly. "What's your normal life, Tyrian?"
"Hmm. Studying to follow in my father's footsteps. Combat training. Doing errands for the Emperor or for the Prime Duke. Ignoring the girls who keep coming past my house since I'm not interested in any of them."
The last was added teasingly. She smiled. "What would you have done if it had been a bandit-hunting monk coming past your house?"
"Attached myself to her heels until she agreed to have dinner with me." He trailed the fingers of his relic hand down her arm. "And then I would have worked wholeheartedly on seducing her."
"We can try dinner tonight." She pressed a kiss to his chin. "Then you can seduce me after. We'll try your normal world. And if we find some bandits later, we can try mine." She blew out a quick breath as they stopped in front of the inn doors. "I'm not exactly dressed for going to dinner, though."
Myr popped out of the doors and startled them both. "I can help!" she said cheerfully. She grabbed Cassie's wrist. "Come with me, Lady Cassie! I know just where to go to get you something really pretty to wear!" Over her shoulder, she called, "I'll have something sent to you as well, Lord Tyrian!"
Tyrian blinked and then shook his head as he went into the inn. He stopped at the front desk to speak to the innkeeper, and she handed him a key and cheerfully pointed out the direction. His room was on the second floor, and it was one of the ones that had running water. Laia and Liang were in the rooms beside his, and that didn't surprise him either.
Dinner was already being served, so he hurried upstairs to get cleaned up. It felt good to scrub away the remnants of the day's journey. They had set out before dawn to make it by the late afternoon, and he was certainly feeling the effects of a long day.
He had finished bathing by the time someone knocked on the door. It was Shots, and he winked as he handed over a box. "I saw your Kentei," he said cheerfully. "Yer one lucky guy, Lord Tyrian. She's one fine looking lady." Whistling, he headed down the hall to his own room.
Tyrian opened the box to find a pair of formal slacks and jacket. Matched with them was a finely made shirt. He had grown up with fine clothes, but just a few short months had made him forget entirely what they were like. He had gotten used to casual tunics and pants, or his regular wear for battle.
He changed clothes quickly since he knew that Cassie already waited for him and then left his room and headed for the stairs. He was halfway down them before he spotted his lover, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. He very nearly stopped breathing.
Gone was his dangerous and powerful monk. In her place was a lady of high class, looking too impossibly delicate and beautiful to be as deadly as he knew she was. She wore a slim black dress that clung to a good deal of her body before flaring around her knees. A black velvet choker circled her neck, and someone had tousled her thick hair. It shone more blue than black in the candlelight of the dining room.
As she felt the gaze, Cassie glanced up nervously, trying not to fidget. She had never worn a dress in her life! When she saw Tyrian, her breath stopped. He looked like the lord he was, as noble as his birth implied. Yet it wasn't just his birth that made him noble, and she knew it. He carried himself like a king. The hunger in his eyes made her forget her nerves, made her feel beautiful and desirable. "Your normal world has some merits," she said softly when he stopped in front of her.
He took her hand and slowly brought it to his lips with a deep bow. Flustered, she tugged at her hand, but he held firm. His eyes glowed like green gems as they watched her, and the slow smile curving his lips made her want to kiss him in front of the entire room. "You're making a scene," she whispered.
"Yes, I am." He tucked her hand into the curve of his elbow as he walked into the dining room. "Don't expect me to turn loose of you just yet, Cas. I'm worried you'll disappear as if I've dreamed you up. Can you dance?"
"A bit." Her breath caught as he pulled her toward the space where other couples danced together. "Not that well," she added hastily. The words disappeared as he pulled her into his arms. There was something in his eyes, something that had finally relaxed and let go of the stress he lived under daily. This was a chance to forget. She loved him too much to not let him have this night.
Everyone who watched Kaiten and Kentei dance together had to smile. At a table to the side, Matthias shared a satisfied smile with Liang and Laia. To the Destined Stars, the war was secondary. What mattered solely was the happiness of their Kaiten. As long as Tyrian was happy, nothing else was important.
War could wait a little while longer yet.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
