Adrienne (38 page)

Nadid’s charred remains stood smoldering only a few feet away. Malik could only guess the backlash from the mistaken spell had surprised Nadid. So much so that she didn’t have time to create a shield before her body combusted. It looked like the power had burned her from the inside out.

“Adrienne,” Malik whispered. He looked on in helpless horror. He couldn’t fix the mistake unless he could read the runes Nadid had used. He couldn’t read the runes because the power in the room kept him in his place at the bottom of the stairs. It took all his strength to remain upright.

“Please,” he whispered. Tears ran down his face. He watched Adrienne. Wave after wave of power flowed off of her with no place to go. Each wave hit Malik like a kick in the gut from his stallion, but the pain was minimal compared to what he felt through his renewed connection with his wife. Still he stayed seated on the stairs. If she died, he would die with her.

“Not so fast, Malik. It isn’t your time,” said a distant voice.

Malik looked around. He had just heard Adrienne speak. That couldn’t be. Adrienne was on the floor a few feet away.

A ghostly figure shimmered into view in front of him. It was Adrienne. She wore a flowing white gown similar to the one he dressed her in on their wedding day, and a veil attached to the back of her head.

“Yup, it’s me…sort of. You’ll understand in a few months,” she said with a smile. Ghost-Adrienne turned to her physical self lying a few feet away. She grimaced, then whispered, “I remember this. This pain… I remember it.” She held out her hands. The waves of power in the room targeted her.

Malik found himself able to stand. Feyr stood, shook himself out and watched. Ghost-Adrienne took in the power corporeal-Adrienne spilled off. The air in the room cleared. Adrienne stopped screaming. The ghost-Adrienne let her arms drop. She seemed more solid, more tangible.

She stepped forward. Malik rushed over to stop her but his hand passed right through her.

“I choose who and what touches me. And don’t worry, I can’t affect the circle,” ghost-Adrienne assured him with a smile. She knelt beside corporeal-Adrienne and took her in her arms. “Remember me?” There was a slight tremor in her voice.

“Wha—” croaked Adrienne.

Ghost-Adrienne made shushing noises. She urged, “Don’t speak. After all that screaming, you won’t be able to speak until Malik heals you. I’m going to tell you something. You have to remember this, okay?” She smiled as corporeal-Adrienne nodded, then ghost-Adrienne lowered her head and whispered something Malik couldn’t make out. Once she finished, ghost-Adrienne kissed corporeal-Adrienne’s cheek and lowered her back to the floor.

She straightened and gave Malik one last look. He got the feeling she wanted to say something. Instead she winked at him, then disappeared.

Malik watched as the circle vanished. He rushed to Adrienne—
his
Adrienne—and took her in his arms. He felt his magicks spill over her as he soothed her pain and healed her wounds all at once.

Adrienne held tight to him and cried.

“It is over, my love, it is over,” he said again and again.

Hollace descended the stairs. He’d tried earlier, but Adrienne’s power pushed him back. He looked at Feyr, who looked back at him. He nodded then went back up the way he had come. The war was over…truly over.

“I can walk, Malik,” Adrienne complained.

Malik’s arms tightened around her. He walked out of the Kontar palace with Adrienne held firmly against his chest. He said, “You have been through an ordeal.”

“You’ve healed me. I’m fine now,” she pleaded. When he still didn’t put her down, she put a hand on his cheek. He stopped walking to look down at her. “I’m okay, Malik. I’m right here and everything is fine.” She smiled at him then added, “Now put me down.”

Grudgingly, Malik lowered her feet to the ground. He kept his hand on her waist in case Adrienne wasn’t as well as she seemed to think.

Adrienne felt a bit shaky, but that was probably nerves and nothing else. She looked around. Soldiers on foot and on horseback milled around. Some of the soldiers led away chained prisoners while others tended to the dead. Malik had done all this for her, to get her back.

He hadn’t done it alone, though. Her eyes rested on Hollace. He sat atop his mount and Oringo stood next to him. They noticed her looking at them and stopped talking to watch her.

Her eyes still on Hollace and Oringo, Adrienne said to Malik, “I want to talk to Hollace and Oringo.”

“Come then,” Malik agreed. He started forward.

Adrienne pulled him to a halt. “I want to talk to them alone.”

“Why?”

“I want to thank Hollace for his hospitality.”

“You do not need to be alone—”

“And I don’t want you glaring at him when you find out I acted as a servant to his daughter,” she finished. As she suspected, Malik’s expression went dark. “See?”

Malik sighed. “Fine. I shall remain here. Feyr will—”

“Alone, Malik,” she insisted. Her eyes went to Feyr. She apologized to him silently. He nodded at her and sat on his haunches beside Malik. It seemed Feyr accepted her terms more readily than Malik did.

They stood quietly as Malik contemplated her request. Adrienne waited. He would give in. He would concede or she would make him, but he would give in.

“Do not take overly long, my Adrienne,” he said with a growl.

Adrienne kissed his cheek then started over to Hollace and Oringo.

Hollace dismounted wearing a grin that spanned his face. He boomed, “No need to thank me, Mistress Adele…excuse me, I mean, Queen Adrienne.”

“I didn’t come over here to thank you,” she snapped. She remembered to keep herself calm because Malik would feel her anger. It was a hard task. She had her memories back and tearing Oringo’s head off seemed like the best way to celebrate. While the thought kept her mood upbeat, it would have to wait.

“You should. My mage metal made—”

“Shut up, Hollace.” His eyes narrowed on her face. Before he could respond to her outburst, she warned, “Whatever you say to me, you had better keep it civil.”

“You think I fear you because you’re a queen now, woman?” Hollace scoffed. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and raised his chin to look down his nose at Adrienne.

“You fear my husband, Hollace. You fear what he’ll do when he finds out Oringo attacked me.”

She nodded when Hollace paled. His arms dropped slack at his sides. Oringo shot a look at Malik then took a step back. Malik hadn’t moved. He didn’t react because he couldn’t hear the conversation.

In an impish tone, Adrienne urged, “Smile, gentlemen. You don’t want my husband to think there’s something wrong and come over here, do you?”

Their smiles looked forced. If Malik couldn’t hear them, he wouldn’t be able tell a fake smile from a real one.

Hollace asked, “What do you want, woman?”

“I want peace.”

Oringo shot back, “You threaten us and then say you want peace. You have a funny way of showing it.”

“I will keep what
almost
happened to myself so long as Ulan and Kakra sign a peace treaty. It will be fair and equitable for both sides. All this assassination and taking each other’s kingdoms crap ends
now
. I will not live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”

“That’s all you want?” Oringo asked.

“You’re never to set foot in Ulan,” she answered him. “Give whatever excuse you need. I don’t ever want to see you again. Maybe in the far off future when this is a distant memory I never think of, I may change my mind. But, for now, stay on your side of the Tano River.”

Oringo bowed to her. “Done. I am sorry.”

“You’re only sorry because I turned out to be attached to someone who’s detrimental to your health. You should’ve thought of that before.”

“I liked you better as Adele,” Hollace said.

Adrienne laughed with genuine humor. “Considering you didn’t like me at all when I was Adele, that says volumes, Hollace.”

Malik charged forward and scooped Adrienne into his arms once again. “Enough of this. I take my leave of you, Hollace. I trust you can handle the rest on your own.”

A portal opened behind him. Mushira and Nimat waited on the other side. Tears ran down their cheeks.

Hollace nodded. He said, “When you are ready to discuss the peace treaty, I will be as well.” His eyes met Adrienne’s as he said the last. He nodded to her and she returned the gesture.

Malik carried Adrienne across the portal threshold. Feyr followed them.

* * *

Adrienne lay in bed with Mischief sprawled across her legs and Rena seated beside her. The little girl chatted away happily about anything that came to her mind. Adrienne happily listened. Rena was her first non-entourage-related visitor in a month.

It had taken three days to get Malik to let her out of his sight. Her intention to contact her parents and let them know what had happened provided incentive for Malik to leave her alone. He had all but run out of the room.

Adrienne didn’t blame him. Hannah and Benjamin were furious. First, they were mad at Adrienne for not warning them about the danger surrounding her new role as queen of Ulan. Second, they were pissed off with Malik for keeping them in the dark. It was a trying six hours. Adrienne had to promise her parents it would never happen again. She didn’t bother to point out the silliness of her promising not to be kidnapped again. She did it nonetheless to make her parents happy.

Satisfying her guards and maids as to her general health was much harder. Feyr or no Feyr, Khursid and Qamar were ever-present. Hani—who still pretended to be a lady’s maid—never did any errand that would take her from Adrienne’s side. Mushira had ordered Adrienne to bed rest. Adrienne wasn’t allowed to go farther than the bathroom for an entire month.

The situation had gotten old. Her mandatory bed rest—which Malik endorsed—made it impossible for Adrienne to go to the peace talks held in Iniko. Malik wanted to opt out so he could stay with her, but Adrienne wouldn’t let him leave such an important task up to his chancellors. He didn’t like leaving Adrienne and came back every few hours to make sure she remained in bed.

Today the peace talks ended. And, thanks to some fancy negotiating, Adrienne’s bed rest ended also.

She smiled when Malik returned and signaled the end of her captivity. Before he could fully cross the portal threshold, she asked, “Well?”

“Well, my impatient wife, the treaty is signed,” he said. He shooed Mischief and Rena out of the room so he could speak to Adrienne in private. Khursid and Qamar left to stand outside the bedroom door, while Hani went to the far end of the room with Mushira to prepare Adrienne’s lunch attire. The outfit for her first meal with the court since her return required extra preparation so Adrienne would look perfect.

Malik wished the women would leave. He wanted to be alone with Adrienne, truly alone. His anger dissipated once he took Adrienne’s hands in his own. He related, “Hollace has agreed to put an end to Derex’s stipulations. We have both decided to keep the male heir—”

Adrienne snorted.

Malik ignored her to continue, “—and the proof of legitimate birth.”

“You mean the crest birthmark?”

“Yes,” he answered. “We will split Kontar in half. But, instead of each half joining the respective kingdoms, Chandra will rule with her husband the one half of Kontar closest to Kakra, and our second born—no matter the gender—will rule the other half. Hollace has agreed to let you act as regent until our second born is of an age to rule.”

“Why me and not you?” she asked. “We’re equal in rule.”

Malik rolled his eyes. “He does not trust me.”

Adrienne laughed. “What else?”

“I hope the last part of the treaty will not anger you too much,” he started. He took a steadying breath. “I have promised our last-born daughter to Oringo’s firstborn son. The marriage will reunite the families and prove our commitment to this peace.”

She thought on this for a little while. If Oringo’s son would take after his mother and not his father, the situation might turn out well. Adrienne didn’t know the woman, but anyone was an improvement over Oringo.

“It’s not me you have to apologize to, Malik. It’s our last-born daughter,” she finally said in a sage tone.

“But you agree?”

“For now.”

Malik leaned over to kiss her. He wished to do more but knew Adrienne wouldn’t want an audience. When he leaned back from her, he noticed her features were marred with a frown. He asked, “What is wrong, my Adrienne?”

“Just thinking of Nadid.”

“Why?” Malik demanded.

Adrienne laughed at his insulted look. She soothed, “That’s not what I meant, Malik. I remembered what she told me about why she kidnapped me. She and Andsaca thought being from Earth meant I—or whoever they caught—would be powerful, but I didn’t get my magicks until I came to Bron.”

“Perhaps the woman King Andsaca met came from another alternate Earth,” Malik reasoned.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“There is more than one Earth, my Adrienne.”

She agreed, “Yes. Bron.”

“No, my lady. I mean to say there are others called Earth. They are more similar to yours than Bron is.”

“There are?”

“The woman King Andsaca met more than likely came from an Earth where magicks are used freely, as they are here on Bron.”

Adrienne couldn’t believe it. Other alternate dimensions existed and some had Earths similar to hers. How many were there, and from which had Nadid thought Adrienne arrived?

Malik chuckled at her surprised look. He said, “You may be from the wrong Earth, my Adrienne, but you were still a powerful mage.”

“‘Were’ being the operative word.”

Malik said nothing. True, Adrienne had survived, but the ordeal had diminished her powers. That was a secret he kept from the kingdom. No one needed to know.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

March 28, 2007

Malik knocked on the bedroom door then peeked into the room. “I know your mother says this is bad luck, but we are already married…” He stopped as he saw Adrienne.

Twenty floating orbs surrounded her. The same orbs Malik had brought with him to ensure he didn’t run out of magicks during their visit to Earth, which would strand them there.