that. She had paused on the doorstep, suddenly fearful to enter.
“What is it?” Darren had asked her, almost tugging her inside. Still she’d stalled, glancing up at the pure white dome that rose into the sky above them. Ashua’s Bosom was a majestic sight, a temple that had taken almost twenty years to build, the pure dome fastened out of giant blocks of glaring white marble. It seemed to speak of Ashua’s power, and somehow, also of her grief.
“It’s only…what if she doesn’t want us, Darren? We aren’t…well, you know. The children of Ashua would say…”
Darren had frowned, tugging her again and pulling her into his arms so that she laughed despite her worry, pushing him lightly. He had wrapped his arms around her and leaned in close, whispering in all solemnity.
“I’m no child of Ashua, Tay. I’m a sailor, an’ better for it, Ashua knows. T’was her that made us all, weren’t it? She knows. Love, that’s all she needs. The rest, s’just words. S’man’s law that says you ain’t to own land without bein’ married, not Ashua’s.” He grinned, spinning her around in circles until she was dizzy with it. “Love her true, Tay! Worship her right. If ya do, she’ll always see you home.”
He had released her then, still holding her arm, and she’d laughed helplessly. He could always make her smile, no matter what. She had grinned at him, accepting, and together they’d stumbled into the temple, dizzy and giddy and bursting with life.
She had accepted him, then. Believed everything he had told her—she could do no less now, when the stakes were so much higher. She kissed his forehead gently.
“I’ve kept you up far longer than I should have. You need rest if you’re not to catch a fever, and you must drink a bit of this tisane before you sleep. And maybe some soup, if you feel up to eating.”
“I’m ravenous,” he admitted with a rueful smile, fighting back a yawn.
She helped him drink the tisane, tipping it to his parched lips.
“That’s a good sign. I’ll send it on up with David and Ryan. I’m sure they’ll want to talk to you, and I really ought to open the store.”
He nodded tiredly, trying to look like he was still paying attention but clearly starting to drowse. She reached over and adjusted his sheets again, knowing that she was fussing, reluctant to leave his side after so long. He’s fine, now, she assured herself stubbornly, forcing herself to rise. A wave of dizziness hit her as she stood, and she made pretense of adjusting the chair to hide it, not sure if Darren was paying attention but not wanting to seem out of sorts. It had been a long night, and a long day before—the effects of the stress were starting to wear on her.
Quietly, not wanting to draw more attention to herself, she slipped out of the room and shut the door behind herself. She stopped on the landing, frozen in the act of descending. One hand on the railing was all that kept her upright. It was too much, suddenly.
After a full night’s sleep, with a stable mind-frame, the news she had just received would have shocked her. As it was…the man lying in her bedroom with a wound in his shoulder, the man she had slept with and laughed with, had insulted and praised—the next king. It was not her own country, true, but a world power nonetheless! Sephria provided oils and spices all along the continent. It was a rival to Miranov, in trade as well as civility and power of arms. And all of it would be ruled by a man she had once thrown into a mud puddle, just because she could.
Yet somehow, despite all the thoughts swirling through her mind, the chief among them continued to be, Sure as Ashua weeps, he’ll never marry me now.
She rubbed the heels of her hands against her eyes and gave her head a fierce shake, determined not to dwell. So their futures were diverging in a way she had never foreseen. She had always known he was not for her—now it was just a little more concrete. There was a shop to open, and soup to heat up, and a thousand household chores to take care of. Easier said than done, of course, to banish something from your mind, but she squared her shoulders and marched down the stairs. Even if she didn’t believe herself, she would do her damnedest to