Seed, p.22
Seed, page 22
The creature's claws ceased their scrabbling at the ice and she rolled them towards a snowbank, halting their slide down the hill. Sliding off the beast, she sucked in a breath, her lungs stinging in the frigid air. "Melori," Dregu shouted, bounding over the snow towards her. She sank back into the snowbank to catch her breath, the cold a welcome relief against her sore back, and whispered the hunter's prayer, the thanks to the Death Goddess for the life given up to serve others.
Dregu knelt in the snow beside her, wiping the blood from the cut on her chin and inspecting it. He cursed softly as he hauled her up, pulling her into his arms. "That was a risk," he grunted.
"I don't have your size or strength," she said, crushed against his chest. "I have to rely on other things to win a fight. I knew what I was doing."
He pulled back, his teeth grinding together as he frowned at her. Then he sighed, a reluctant smile curving his lips. "Come on," he said, picking up one of the ape's arms. "Let's get your hand bandaged."
Together, they hauled the beast's corpse over the ridge away from the salt lick and tied its limbs together with rope, making a sling she could wear around her chest to drag her kill through the snow. He pulled a roll of bandages from his pack and wrapped her hand, chafing her fingers between his when he was done.
"I shouldn't be angry," he said softly. "But the thought of you hurt..." He cupped her face, touching the cut on her chin gingerly. "It frightens me as nothing has ever frightened me. But I am proud." He smiled, brushing his lips over hers, his tongue teasing for entrance. She melted into his kiss, fingers sinking into the fur of his cloak as he held her close. "I am so proud of your strength, your cunning," he murmured against her mouth. "I don't know what I have done to deserve a mate like you."
She had no words to answer that, so she simply smiled. He felt her smile against his mouth, echoing it with one of his own.
They started down the mountainside, Dregu carrying Melori's pack as she hauled the ape behind her. The first mile was slow going, the snow so deep she stumbled every other step, the dead weight at her back dragging through the trench Dregu had made in the snowdrifts as he passed through. He could not help her with this portion of the rite, either, but he encouraged her as she soldiered on. Sweat poured down her brow, dripping from the end of her nose, and she shrugged off her coat to use it as a pad to keep the rope from digging into her chest. The exertion kept her warm enough without it.
When the snow thinned, they paused for a brief rest, sharing the rations from Dregu's pack. The wind chilled her rapidly and she pulled her coat back on, sweat freezing at her hairline.
They continued on. Hauling the creature became easier on the windswept slopes where the snow was shallower. Dregu told her more stories to pass the hours as they hiked back towards Seven Falls, keeping her distracted from the burning pain in her arms and legs. He told her of his trip to the Pearl Coast on a diplomatic mission with his father, of how he'd been convinced he saw a mermaid by the peer and dragged his father from talks with the governor of the province to see it, only for it to be gone. He described the warmth of the water, the sting of the salt on his tongue when he swam, the armloads of shells he collected along the beach and tried to sneak into his father's pack and which he was forbidden from bringing home with them when they returned.
"I'd like to swim in the sea someday," she told him.
He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Someday, when we have peace times again, I'll take you, and we can swim together."
They pushed as far as they could, even long after the sun had set. They were nearing the snowline when they made camp for the night. Melori collapsed onto the bedroll as Dregu lit a fire and passed her food.
"How will I carry it when we leave the snow?" she asked. "I can't drag it. The rocks will cut up the hide."
He winced in sympathy. "You'll have to carry it on your back."
She groaned. "This rite of passage was not designed for humans or elves."
He chuckled, nodding. "You're the first to attempt it."
Her eyes widened and she sat up beside him. "The first?"
"And you'll be the first to complete it," he said with a proud smile. "I have no doubt."
He sat her between his knees on the furs and massaged her shoulders and back, his massive hands gentle as he eased the knots from her muscles.
It occurred to her that she had not thought of Tanyth in days. She had not woken in the dark hours of the night at some small noise, expecting him to drag her from her cell. When she looked into the mirrors in Dregu's cave, her gaze was not constantly drawn to her scars. When they made love, she thought only of the man with her, in her, the others forgotten. She had never felt so at peace, but there was still a small part of her soul fearful of becoming too accustomed to this happiness. As long as she stayed busy, she could ignore it, but in moments of stillness like this, the worries filled her like water flowing into a jar, leaving no surface of her mind untouched. She was still certain her path would drag her back to Tanyth somehow.
"What happens if I wear the king's mantle and leave?" she asked.
He tensed behind her. "Tell me you're not still planning to run from me," he pleaded.
"No." She turned to him, resting her head against his shoulder. "I don't want to leave you. But what if I had to?"
"You have to do nothing but what you wish to do," he insisted.
"I have a fate—"
"You create your own fate." He scowled down at her. "I do not believe in any fate where we are not together. I would fight the Gods themselves to keep you by my side. We are meant to be, Melori. Your fate his here."
"My fate is tied with Tanyth's," she whispered. "I am connected to him for a reason." What the reason was, she was not sure. She had been so certain for years that she was meant to make him love her. From hate comes love, the Goddess had assured her again and again. There had been a time when he was close to loving her, when he had promised to make her his queen. Then he had discovered she was a spy and half-human, and love had soured to hate in an instant. She'd been patient with him for five long years, she'd been obedient, she'd let him hurt her, believing he would come to love her again, but his hatred had only grown, and hers with it. She was sick at the thought of his beautiful face.
And now she had Dregu. She could not abandon her mate, leave him and his people to face Tanyth's armies without her. She could not fathom the pain of leaving the only place she'd ever felt at home, knowing she'd be breaking Dregu's heart in the process.
But she was still tied to Tanyth. Whether she was meant to love him or kill him, she did not know, but she feared that if she was meant to love him, she would fail. She could never love him.
"We are bound together, he and I," she said sadly.
"Then I will kill him," he growled. "That monster will not take you from me."
She feared that too. Dregu had tried to kill Tanyth in her vision. The Goddess had ordered her to stop him. What would she do if she had to protect Tanyth from Dregu? How could she stand against the man she loved with a man she hated?
She did not argue with him further. It was pointless. She wanted nothing more than to reveal all to him, but if she tried to form the words she knew she would fail. The sealing prevented her from speaking of the magic that coursed through her veins, dormant and waiting, until she had broken the seal by completing the tasks the Goddess had set for her. The tasks she still didn't understand, after years of visions and prayers.
And what if she did break that seal? What then? She'd promised Dregu she was not a danger to him and his people, but she didn't know that for certain. She had no idea what would happen when the sealing was undone. She had heard old legends of Seeds come before her, but they were vague, and none like her had been born in centuries. She would change; she knew that much. But would she change so much that a future with Dregu would be impossible?
She prayed to the Goddess that night before she slept. As usual, her dreams were empty.
Chapter twenty-four
Muscles stiff and aching, Melori continued on in the morning, hauling the trussed-up beast behind her as far as the snow line. The valley was only a few miles away now, the lush greenery visible in the distance. She hoisted the ape onto her back, stumbling under its weight. It felt at least twice as heavy as her, her thighs burning as she hiked down the trail behind Dregu.
They had to stop many times during the day. Between rests, she pushed herself as hard as she could, body trembling with the strain. When the distance seemed insurmountable, she began looking down at the dirt trail at her feet rather than the valley ahead of her. One foot before the other, over and over.
It was hell, but Tanyth's dungeon had been excellent practice. She knew how to suffer and still keep going.
It was nearly evening by the time they reached the edge of the city, picking their way down the cliff paths behind Stonerath. Orcs greeted them, cheers erupting along the streets. Throngs of people crowded around her as she followed Dregu towards the arena, the city awed by her success. It appeared they had doubted a non-orc could manage the arduous rite, but they were overjoyed to be proved wrong, to see their King's Mate match his strength and stamina. It was a good omen, they shouted to each other. The nation was strengthened. The war would turn in their favor.
Dregu grinned at her and she gritted her teeth in a smile. Not far now, she told herself, her feet dragging over the cobblestones, into the arena before them, crowds thronging into the stone seats.
The elders surrounded her, lifting the burden from her shoulders and stretching it up on a rack for skinning. She saw Kaida's smiling face in their midst, and Murzol. He nodded to her in approval. Dregu helped her out of her coat and boots and passed her a skinning knife.
The elders sang and danced in the center of the arena, drum beats and bare feet pounding on the stone. Melori sank the knife into the throat of the beast and sliced down through its chest and abdomen, offal spilling out at her feet, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood. Time seemed to swirl in eddies around her as she worked, her pulse pounding with the rhythm of the song as she pulled the organs from the body, arms soaked to the elbow in gore, bare feet slipping on blood-slicked stone. She scraped the knife along the inside of the hide, separating sinews and bone from the skin. The sun slowly sank below the horizon, the sky blazing orange and purple overhead. Braziers were lit around the arena, fire lighting her work, blood reflecting flames on the wet stone beneath her.
She heard Dregu's voice join the others in chanting prayers, blessings flying up towards the Gods with the sparks from the fires. She twisted the creature's skin inside out, pulling bones from the limbs and finally the head, the thick skull heavy in her hands and the taste of raw meat on her tongue. A cheer erupted from the crowd when she finished. She dropped the knife, swaying on her feet, the exhaustion of the day nearly overtaking her.
Hands surrounded her, supporting her as the Elders stripped the bloody clothes from her body. She could feel their eyes on her nakedness, cataloguing the scars that covered her, could feel the curiosity, the surprise. Her arms itched to cover herself, but she held them still at her sides. Her mate was not ashamed of her, and she would not be ashamed of herself, not now before all of his people.
Across the circle, Dregu tossed aside his clothing and boots, wrapping his fur cloak over his shoulders as the crowds hushed. He walked to her, naked body gleaming with sweat in the firelight. He was a great green god of a man, and she shivered despite the warmth of the fires.
"We are here tonight," he announced, "to bestow the greatest honor, the sacred rite of kings, on Melori, King's Mate and King's right hand." He spread his arms wide. "There are many among you who are brave, but she is the bravest. There are many among you who are fierce, but she is the fiercest. There are many among you who are just, but she is the most just. There are many among you who are strong." He smiled down at her, love and pride in his eyes. "But she is the strongest. I ask you," he shouted, turning to the crowd, "has she earned the right to stand amongst the kings of our people?"
"Yes!" they answered.
"Has she earned the right to wear the sacred mantle?" he asked.
"Yes!" they cheered.
He turned back to her, his gaze hotter than the fires. "Then let it be so," he murmured, taking down the hide and draping it over her shoulders, the fangs of the beast resting on her forehead as blood dripped down over her pale skin. He turned her to face the assembly, his hands resting on her shoulders.
"We stand before you stripped of all but the symbol of our sacred duty to this land and its people. We stand before you, humbly asking for the privilege of leading you. Do you accept Melori as your leader?"
The choruses of "yes" rose instantly from the sea of celebrating orcs. Melori's vision blurred, tears streaking through the blood that trickled down her cheeks and over her chest. Dregu held her supported against his strong chest as the Elders wove around them in an intricate dance, hands and faces raised to the heavens as they called down blessings on the King's Mate. Joyful ululations rose from the crowd, washing over them, her skin prickling with the sense of power that charged the air. As if they felt it too, the drummers increased their pace, the heavy thud like a rapid heartbeat that all in the arena shared.
Dregu turned her to him and bent his head to hers, his kiss fierce and claiming. She tasted the salt of her tears, the tang of blood, his tongue plunging into her mouth, his arms tight around her. "My love," he growled against her lips. "My mate." He picked her up, holding her against his chest as he walked out of the arena and through the city, dancing orcs weaving through the streets after them. He carried her up the terraced steps of King's Rest, their bodies slick from the blood of the beast. The sounds of celebration dimmed as they entered their home and he carried her into the bathing room, hanging the skin by the door to be collected by the tanners on the morrow and fashioned into a cloak like his.
Soon, the only sound was the rushing of the water through the ceiling of the cave. He hung up his own cloak and brushed a finger through the blood and tears on her cheek. He pulled her into the water and they washed each other, the exhaustion of the last three days flowing away with the stream.
"You were brave," he murmured, combing his fingers through her wet hair. "I know what it meant to you, letting them all see your scars. I know what it cost you."
She ducked her head, biting her lip. She could still feel their stares on her, could feel the weight of her imperfections. She had always been imperfect, from the moment of her conception. Though she looked like any other elf, her half-blood status set her apart in her father's court. She was not pure. She was not worthy. The scars Tanyth had left on her had only made that clearer, marking her outside with the imperfections she carried within. He'd made it impossible for her to hide her unworthiness from anyone, impossible for her to fit in anywhere in her homeland.
And then fate had sent her here, to a people who did not judge her for her scars or believe her unworthy, to a man who loved them as if they were marks of honor. It still felt unreal, like a dream that would crumble with the dawn.
As if he could read her mind, he cupped her face in his hands, tilting her up to him, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
"I have told you before how beautiful I find you," he murmured. "How each of your scars is a mark of courage and resilience." He bent and kissed the scar on her cheek and the fresh cut on her chin. "I love each and every one of them," he said, kneeling and pressing his lips to the silvery knife marks across her breasts and stomach. "I burn with desire for them, for you." He moved around her, his lips and fingers caressing the scars from a whip across her back. "You are alluring." He bent and kissed the jagged lines Tanyth had made with a carving knife along her inner thigh, sucking love marks into the skin, his tusks dragging along her wet body. "You are perfect." He licked the fine pink line across her stomach that had been cut in his presence not so long ago, mouth hot on her skin as she trembled, fresh tears pouring down her face. He took her hand in his, kissing each tooth mark the wolf had left in her forearm, then the new scratches on the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "You are worthy," he breathed against her skin, "and you are mine, and anyone who looks at you with less than awe in their eyes will answer to me."
She could barely see him through the tears in her eyes, but she bent and kissed him. She didn't have the words to answer back his devotion, not yet, but she hoped he felt it in her kiss. He gripped her hips and kissed her back, his body so solid and strong she leaned against him, seeking to absorb his strength. She closed her teeth over his lip, giving him the bite of pain she knew he craved. Groaning into her mouth, he wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her, carrying her to the bedroom and laying her, dripping wet, on the furs.
He lay between her legs, propped on his elbows as his eyes wandered over her form. Then he lowered his head to her and kissed his way down her chest and over her stomach, covering every scar with his lips, his tongue, the soft scrape of his tusks. She trembled beneath him at the slow, reverent exploration, her hands tangled in his wet hair. He continued down until he lay on his stomach between her legs, kissing the droplets of water from her thighs until she squirmed beneath him, guiding his head to her sex. His eyes locked on hers as his tongue slipped through the folds of her cunt, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled her scent. He grunted softly in pleasure as he licked her, the animal sounds coaxing wetness from her. She writhed against his mouth, seeking his broad tongue on her bud, but he denied her, lapping hungrily at the honey that dripped from her.
Finally, he tired of his teasing, slipping a finger inside her as he closed his lips around her bud, sucking gently as she tugged at his hair. He edged her towards climax for what felt like hours, pulling his mouth from her at the last moment each time, licking his lips and grinning at her. "I could eat you all night," he growled, surging up her body to kiss her, the flavor of her arousal on his tongue as he thrust it into her mouth.
