him, he turned and rushed upstairs to find Layla.
He found her standing on the landing next to Fallonn. Her face was frighteningly pale, and she looked as though she were in shock. She swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around her center, as if trying to hold herself together.
“We must get married immediately,” he announced. “The council just approved our marriage license. We must make haste before they learn members of the High Council are investigating me, we must hurry before they have a chance to revoke the license.”
“I’ll call for a Holy One!” Xazzok shouted from the entryway just before he took off into the depths of the house, presumably to find a comm, hopefully one that was now working.
Zamek lifted Layla in his arms and carried her downstairs. He brought her out onto the back terrace, where they would first spot a Holy One descending the mountain.
She trembled in his arms, and with each inhale, the coldness of her fear filled his nostrils. He sat with her on a padded bench and cradled her close, peering into her eyes in hopes that a reassuring look would calm her.
“Don’t be frightened,” he murmured. “All will be well. A Holy One will arrive soon and then you’ll be safe. You’ll become my wife and I’ll become your husband, and no one can tear us apart.”
Despite her fear, Layla managed a brief smile at Zamek. “I never agreed to marry you, and you never officially asked me, for that matter,” she said in a playful tone.
“Impertinent human,” he mused, kissing her forehead. He met her eyes. “Will you, then? Will you agree to marry me?”
“Yes, I will.” But then a thought struck her. “But what about you?”
His forehead creased as he narrowed his brows at her. “Me? Of course, I agree to marry you.”
“No, not that. What about the treason that was mentioned? That one old man said the punishment for treason is death and—”
“I will admit to being worried when charges of treason were first brought up by Commander Vavvis—he was the warrior who accompanied the two High Council members—but for a conviction to stick, the majority of the High Council would have to vote against me. I do not think Councilors Horth and Crozz will manage the votes they would need, as I have several friends on the High Council, including Ambassador Merrok’s brother, Acerkk. I believe the worst that could happen is that I would be demoted to a warrior.”
Her eyes widened. “They might not let you remain a general? Won’t that upset you greatly?”
He shook his head. “Your safety is more important to me, little human. I suspect Commander Vavvis believes he’ll be awarded my position if he manages to eliminate me, that fool.”
Movement on the mountainside caught his eye. He looked up and sighed with relief to see a Holy One rushing down through the tall grasses. Xazzok and Fallonn came out onto the terrace, and the servants who’d been with Zamek longest walked outside as well.
“I’d hoped to give you a human wedding,” Zamek confessed, speaking low so only Layla would hear. “I’d hoped to allow you to invite your friend Betsy, and Commander Edek as well. And I’d planned to invite my parents and other family members too—they live on the other side of planet Kall.”
“It’s all right,” Layla said. “I just want to marry you. I also want to stick it to those troublemakers.” She switched to English for this last sentence, as it was a phrase that didn’t translate well into Kall. Whether Zamek understood or not, she wasn’t certain, but he gave her a warm smile that made her melt.
He helped her to her feet, and they approached the breathless Holy One, who’d stopped just outside the terrace to hunch over a bit and catch his breath. Zamek checked his wrist comm.
“The marriage license is still valid. The council hasn’t canceled it yet, thank the ancient gods.” He held his arm out to the Holy One, who immediately pressed his thumb on Zamek’s wrist comm.
The Holy One grinned from ear to ear. “I am pleased that I made it in time. Xazzok explained the situation to my brothers and sisters over a video comm and I was chosen to come down the mountain, as I’m the fastest runner among us.”
“I cannot thank you enough for your help today,” Zamek said to the Holy One. He turned to peer at Layla. “His thumb print on the marriage license, which I pulled up