Aurora's Promise (15 page)

Suddenly the air was filled with a joyful energy as all the
women burst into lively motion and excited chatter. For the next several hours
she allowed herself to be fitted with first one type of garment and then
another, voicing her preferences as asked for on everything from fabric color,
type and weight to jewelry and perfume. Through the entire process, Cait
advised and laughed with her, relating news and information about her new home
Cait thought might be helpful or interesting.

But the most relaxing part of all was looking down at her
hip and finding her birth control patch still firmly in place. She still had
four days effectively left and Ellen should be here before then. She
had
to
be here before then.

Time rolled by swiftly and soon the sunlight was fading from
the windows. As the final scraps of cloth, beading and thread were being
gathered up, Connyn’s mother arrived. From Connyn’s age alone Aurora guessed
her to be at least in her fifties, but her regal bearing seemed to defy age and
her beauty, though mature, was still breathtaking.

Cait, who had been sitting beside Aurora asking her about
fashion in her world and finding it impossible to believe anyone would want to
wear shoes that lifted their heels off the ground, jumped to her feet and
nodded deferentially. After an entire afternoon of
Your Majesty
’s, it
still took her by surprise to hear it again. Aurora stood and inclined her
head. “Your Majesty. Welcome.”

Kaia returned the greeting with thanks, several long thin
braids of silvery gold interwoven with deep red threads falling over her
shoulder as she nodded at them both. “I came by with dinner,” she said,
motioning a line of servants in who quickly set up a small feast on a small
table they had carried in. “Cynn and Connyn will be engrossed in their duties
until late and after such a long day, I thought you might be ready for
something to eat.”

Since Cait had kept all sorts of foodstuffs from the chef
flowing through the quarters for Aurora to “taste and approve or banish from
the kitchens forever,” hunger was not a problem. But she was grateful that Kaia
had thought of her.

Cait had helped set up the food and when all was readied,
turned to Kaia and Aurora. “Do you wish for me to serve Your Majesties?”

Surprised at the sudden formality, Aurora waited for Kaia to
answer.

“No. Thank you, Cait. I think we can manage from here.”

Cait turned fully to Aurora. “Is there anything else I may
do for you?”

“I can’t think of a single thing. You’ve been a wonderful
help.”

“Would you like me to return later to help you to bed?”

Aurora nearly laughed out loud. One glance at Kaia made her
realize Cait’s question had been expected. “No.” The young woman’s face fell
slightly. “But I’m sure I’ll have another long list of questions to ask you
tomorrow. If you don’t mind returning?”

The smile that Aurora had come to appreciate broke over Cait’s
face. “It would be my pleasure.”

Kaia waved toward the door. “Now go on, child. I do believe
I saw a certain impatient young man pacing outside the eastern gate earlier.”

Cait’s flush of joy was unmistakable as she excused herself.
After her footsteps faded, Kaia smiled and turned to Aurora. “I’m impressed.
She managed not to rush until after the door closed behind her.” She sighed and
rose to pick up one of the plates that had been laid out. “I am going to miss
her when she goes. She’s been one of my favorites for years.”

“Goes? Where is she going?” The news of Cait’s imminent departure
removed the awkwardness of formality. It was as if she’d been thrown a lifeline
in the middle of an endless ocean and then suddenly someone had cut it with a
just
kidding.
Aurora was shaken enough that she just barely remembered to add, “Your
Majesty,” to the end of her question.

“No
Your Majesty
’s in private please. Formality is
for public assurance. Out there, it’s part of what gives our people hope. That
the royal houses have prevailed and flourish in spite of everything is an
incredibly unifying factor that gives them strength to do what must be done.
Their belief in us is tied to their belief in the prophecy and that’s something
we can never contradict. But here,” she waved her hand to include not just the
single room but the entire private domain of the Third House of Kilth, “we can
be who we really are.”

For the briefest of moments, Aurora flashed back to old
science-fiction movies where the aliens stripped away their human facades and
turned into flesh-eating mutants. Against her will, Aurora felt her face
blanch.

Though the corners of her mouth twitched up, Kaia’s smile
shone mostly in her eyes. “Which is to say, men and women with weaknesses as
well as strengths.” She held out a hand of invitation toward the feast. “Come,
help yourself. I know Cait must have kept you from starving, but the chef will
be very disappointed if you don’t at least try some of his signature entrees.”

Aurora did as instructed. The food did look amazing and the
wonderful smells teased her into putting a little of everything onto her dish. “When
is Cait leaving?” she asked once they had settled onto the divan positioned by
the center window, their full plates and cups placed on a low table in front of
them.

“Whenever she chooses. Her young man is very much in love
and I’m sure she will accept him as her mate eventually.”

“So married women aren’t allowed to help in the palace?”

“Of course they are. But they are not bound to their work
here. Most choose to stay home once they have children, at least while the
children are young. Some stay part time, some return once the children enter
school. It’s something that is decided individually.”

“It seems to be a very enlightened world you live in,”
Aurora commented.

A small smile played around Kaia’s mouth. “In some ways. In
others, I fear we fall greatly behind not only the world you grew up in, but
many others as well.”

“The men do seem to be a little barbaric in their attitudes
at times.”

Kaia laughed. A musical sound that reminded Aurora in part
of that mystical quality Shyrana seemed to have had when she spoke. “What a
very diplomatic way to sum up their most frustrating characteristic. That, I’m
afraid, is something that runs through the very central makeup of who they are
and will never be changed. Occasionally shaped and guided perhaps to a certain
extent, but never changed.”

She set down the piece of fruit she’d just picked up and
gazed out at the sky through the window. “It’s what has kept our people alive
for so long. The unwillingness to weaken in the face of our enemies and the
absolute willingness to do whatever it takes to hold and protect our own.” She
turned to look at Aurora. “Once you understand, truly understand, what
motivates Connyn’s actions, perhaps you won’t find it so difficult to be here.
To take your place by Connyn’s side.”

A lump caught in Aurora’s throat, making it impossible to
swallow for several seconds. Kaia noticed and reached over to squeeze her hand.
Her eyes were knowing and caring.

“One thing you need to know about the Third House,” Kaia
said, still holding her hand, “is that, if it’s possible, we feel an even
greater obligation to see the prophecy fulfilled. Out of the Five Brothers, it
is our ancestor who started the civil war that eventually brought about the
gods’ curse.”

Aurora frowned. “No one’s said anything that would lay a
greater portion of guilt to any one house, let alone the Third House.”

A sad smile graced Kaia’s face. “No, I don’t suppose anyone
would. It’s true that all brothers share the fault. None tried to stop it once
the idea had been brought to light. The very fact that the other four found the
idea of ruling single-handedly at the cost of their own brothers’ lives so
easily acceptable I think proves that they had all been entertaining the idea
of civil war for some time.” She shook her head. “All broke the bond of peace
between the houses and declared a unanimous act of war. But be that as it may,
it was still
our
ancestor who first drew up an army and invaded a
brother’s land.”

“Well, that certainly explains Connyn’s Captain America
demeanor,” Aurora muttered as she picked up a thin triangular bit of dark bread
spread with what she thought was some kind of cheese since it was white and
creamy.

Kaia’s eyebrows lifted, her expression a mix of amusement
and bewilderment. “Excuse me? Oh be careful. That’s very spicy.”

Aurora eyed her chosen morsel warily before tasting a
corner. It had a serious bite to it with a garlic-like aftertaste. Not bad. “Sorry.
An earth term. It just means very gung-ho.” When Kaia’s confusion didn’t lift,
Aurora said, “Captain America was a superhero with amazing military abilities.”

The smile on the older woman’s face lit up. “I see.”

Keeping any further comments
about her nickname for Connyn to herself, Aurora finished off the piece of
bread with the spicy spread. She wasn’t about to explain that she hadn’t
exactly meant it as a compliment when she’d first used it. Aurora liked Connyn’s
mother but at the same time she had a feeling that the woman could be very
scary given the right motivation.

Kaia had been right about the
spread being spicy. It left Aurora’s tongue stinging slightly, so next she
chose a piece of fruit that looked like a grape to try before asking her next
question. “Connyn explained about the war and the curse, but why are the Royals
required to marry a Mystic?”

“They aren’t exactly required to
choose a Mystic,” Kaia said, “but it is the only way to enhance and release the
powers they once had.”

Aurora was starting to get a bad
feeling about the whole Mystic thing. “There’s not a spell or a prayer that
might help instead? Forcing a man to marry for any reason doesn’t seem like a
good idea to start with.”

“That’s why the Elders and
Prophets take the Matching Ritual so seriously. From the day a Mystic girl is
born—or found if that’s the case—no less than ten months are spent divining
which Royal heir is destined to be her mate. Unless she has already taken a
mate before she was found of course.”

A tiny, ticking pain was
beginning behind Aurora’s left eye. “So a Mystic empowers the Royal she marries?”

Kaia smiled. “Not in the way you
mean. It’s actually for his children that the Heir chooses a Mystic for a mate.”

The pain increased and Aurora
closed her left eye, hoping her wince wasn’t too pronounced.

Setting down her plate, Kaia
turned to face Aurora straight on. “I’m not being very clear, am I? Let me try
to explain a little better. The civil war between the Original Five nearly
destroyed not only our race, but our planet. When the gods intervened, the
powers that had been taken for granted by the Royal households were fractured
and locked inside a line of Mystics.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair to
the Mystics.” Aurora reached for her cup and took a drink, wishing it were
alcoholic and strong. It was refreshing, sweet and definitely
not
alcoholic.

“No, it doesn’t, does it?” Kaia said. “But from the
beginning, that particular clan was the only one not to take sides in the civil
war. As a result, they ended up being hunted by every faction. Not exactly a
shining moment in our history.”

Aurora set her cup down. “We’ve had similar non-shining
moments in the world I grew up in as well.”

“By locking the powers inside the Mystics, the gods forced
every warring faction to protect the Mystics or lose their powers forever. But
the powers only manifest in a Royal son when his Mystic mother has been
willingly mated with an Heir from one of the Five Houses.

“Not as easy as it might sound since the Mystics had
scattered and gone into hiding to survive. Since they had been hunted so
mercilessly, the Mystics as a whole no longer trusted any Royal and even when
one was found getting her to willingly mate a Kilth Heir was more than a little
difficult.”

“I bet,” Aurora murmured, thinking of Ellen.

“Ultimately, the curse will be completely broken if, at the
seventeenth generation, the eldest living heir from each of the Houses binds
himself to the other four in a vow never to bring war between their houses
again.”

The bad feeling started to solidify in the pit of her
stomach and the pain spread to her right eye as well. “So where exactly are we
in this prophecy countdown?”

This time it was Kaia who reached for her drink, pausing
before she answered after she reset the glass on the low table. She turned her
grey gaze fully on Aurora and Aurora could feel the weight of it like a ten ton
canon ball making a direct hit. “Connyn is the sixteenth generation.”

Aurora froze, a piece of fruit in her hand stopped halfway
to her mouth as she stared at Kaia.

Connyn’s mother inclined her head and gestured at the ring
Aurora wore on the middle finger of her left hand. “Finding his mate has been
the most important thing in Connyn’s life. He’s carried the burden of it
without complaint ever since he was a small boy and first understood what it
meant to be born with expectation to do what had to be done to save his world.
Unfortunately, your son will carry an even greater responsibility.”

She patted Aurora’s knee again. As soft as Kaia’s touch was,
it served to jar Aurora out of her immobility. “I see,” Aurora managed. She ate
the piece of fruit, chewing slowly in order to avoid having to say anything
else and giving her heart a chance to stop slamming around in her chest.

“It’s quite a lot to take in,” Kaia said. “But Connyn would
not have claimed you if he wasn’t sure you were his mate. He’s looked too long
and given up too much. The gods have watched over him and guided him. They will
guide you too.”

“You sound very sure of that.”

“When I was young, I learned the hard way that we cannot
always understand or choose the path Destiny leads us down. Sometimes, we can
only accept it.”

“Sometimes I think Destiny cheats.”

Kaia smiled. “I agree.” Picking up the piece of fruit she
had let drop to her plate earlier, she sat back and said, “we should finish
this meal so you can rest. Even with a nap this morning, I’m sure you’re
exhausted. We may be only in the evening here, but your body’s time is
approaching early morning.”

Aurora nodded in agreement. The food was helping, but the
leadenness of lethargy still dragged at her muscles even with all the new
revelations Kaia was serving up with the food. They ate in silence for a moment
before Aurora could think of another topic of conversation that she hoped
wouldn’t lead into dangerous territory. “Could you tell me what kind of duties
other than producing heirs are expected of a Royal’s mate?”