Despite her exertions, Green's eyes met Jorlan's in amusement. Avatar had unwittingly reiterated Green's earlier pun.
"Stop your bellytwaddle, Avatar!" Mathers bellowed. "The child comes and I won't have you spoiling the moment!"
Jorlan took Green's hand in his own, bringing it to his lips. He whispered soundlessly against her palm.
Shocked, her gaze flew to him, just as the final contraction took her.
"Look, there it is, now!" Mathers, sash in hand, all but jumped up and down. "The new Tamryn heir!"
Even Avatar looked misty-eyed.
The child entered the world with a lusty bawl, chubby arms and feet kicking furiously.
Jorlan was overcome at witnessing the entrance of a new life into the world. A life he had helped to create. His light eyes filled with moisture. His face shone with joy. "A boy! It is a boy, Green!" An ear-to-ear grin split his face.
Until he looked up and saw the crestfallen expressions of Avatar and Mathers.
The smile died on his face as the true meaning sank in. It was not an heir.
Green lifted herself on her elbows. Her face was aglow with happiness. "A boy? Let me see him, quick, Mathers! Is he beautiful like Jorlan?"
In that moment he loved her more than he could say. "I think he is beautiful like you, name-giver." He kissed her forehead. "I am sorry I did not give you the heir you hoped for."
Green darted a glance at Avatar. The child was not a daughter. There was no heir to the Tamryn holdings. They would have to face the Septibunal without Tamryn security for the future. Green thought quickly. "Mathers, bring me the sash!"
Avatar sucked in her breath. "No! Green, you cannot!"
"Bring me the sash, Mathers!"
Muttering, Mathers handed her the same sash that had once been draped over Jorlan, claiming him to the House of Tamryn. Green draped it over her newborn squalling son.
Jorlan sucked in his breath. "What are you doing, Green?"
She flicked on the wristview on the bedside table to record the event. "I, Green, fourteenth Marquelle of Tamryn, hereby claim this child, who shall be named"—she glanced to the balcony, seeing the magnificent planet that bound Forus moon as it crested in the sky—"Arkeus, heir to my lands and fortunes and all that is Tamryn. He shall be known in his own right as Marqueller. Let it be noted that the deed is witnessed by two women, as is the law."
With that she snapped off the viewer to dead silence in the room. Even little Arkeus, who seemed to understand the importance of the moment, stopped crying for the occasion.
For the first time in Forus recorded history, a male had been named heir to a fortune and to his own title of Marqueller without benefit of a fastening.
"What kind of a name is Arkeus?!"
"That's all you have to say?" Green smirked up at Jorlan. He had been saying the same thing repeatedly for three months.
With the birth of Arkeus, Jorlan had changed. It was as if the boy grounded him in some way. There was a completeness to him that had been missing before.
Green had never seen a name-bearer so taken with his child. Jorlan cared for Arkeus and watched over him like an attentive Kloo. A strong bond developed quickly between father and son. Arkeus's eyes began to turn a Pale aqua.
Green wondered if her child had inherited his father's abilities. If Arkeus was a Sensitive, he would not grow up in the dark about his traits—Jorlan would be there to guide him.
It was obvious to all who could see that Jorlan loved his child.
As he loved her.
Green viewed him through her lashes as he played with Arkeus on the floor of their chamber. He had spread the coverlet over the flooring and placed the baby on his back, so he could kick hands and feet in a new position.
Jorlan lay on the coverlet facing him, resting his head in his palm as he watched the same four dark spirally hairs on the top of his head. |
"I think he has a few more hairs... " |
Green tried not to smile. Arkeus was born bald. "He doesn't."
Jorlan looked at her indignantly. "Well, when is he going to get some?"
"Anya sent a message that you were the same way until about six months, and look at how thick your hair is now. Besides, what are you so worried about? He's just a baby. He'll attract plenty of bids, I assure you."
It was the wrong thing to say. Jorlan became very serious as he viewed his son. "He won't need any bids. He'll be his own master."
Green bit her lip. In naming Arkeus her heir, she had given Jorlan a new focus for his cause. "Do not speak that way, Jorlan. You will turn his head."
The aqua eyes narrowed. "I intend to."
She was hurt by his words. "And you are not happy with your fate?"
He rose and walked over to her. "You do not have to ask me that. Not now. You have taken me, you know it."
She did know it. Knew it by what he had whispered in her hand the day their son was born. "Why would you not think Arkeus could be happy with his future, as well?"
"He will be because he will choose it himself."
"Oh, really? And who will produce that miracle of twisting convention?"
"I will."
She just shook her head. In a way, his determination excited her, made her... respect him.
A rumble sounded in the distance.
"An arc storm is coming."
"Yes. I must release Shringa from the coop. I will be back soon." He rose to leave.
Green's brow furrowed. "You're sending the Klee out into an arc storm?"
"Not exactly." A mysterious smile graced his lips as he left the room, carrying his son in the crook of his arm.
Later, when he hadn't returned, she went to the balcony, out into the perfectly deep-blue evening that seemed to have sprung more from an artist's palette than from nature. There in the distance she spotted her name-bearer.
He was racing arcs with the wild Klee.
And he had Arkeus with him.
"You take our child on such a dangerous ride, Jorlan?"
Green spoke low as Jorlan lifted the coverlet and slipped into bed next to her.
"He was in no danger, I assure you. He was safely cushioned against me and Shringa glided so smoothly—it was almost as if the Klee flew." He gathered her in his arms.
"Flew. In an arc storm." She raised her eyebrow.
His lips twitched. "Yes. Arkeus loved it." His mouth played with her ear. "One day I will take you, lexa... "
"No you will not! I have had quite enough of arc storms to last me for a lifetime."
He chuckled low against her throat. "Do not let one near-incineration color your opinion, name-giver."
She gasped, pulling away from him. "You know about that night? How?"
His teeth gleamed in the dark. "My grandmother told me before our fastening. She said you were so enamored of me that you rode all night into the middle of a storm simply to get that scroll signed. I thought she was trying to impress me with your sincerity. Was it true?" He batted his lashes at her. "Did you ride all that way through the arcs simply for me?"
Green crossed her arms over her chest. The snap-branch! Of course he didn't know why she had done it, but still... it did make her sound rather... besotted. "Be still! You have caused enough trouble for one evening! Go to sleep."
Jorlan threw back his head and roared with laughter.
"I cannot believe you did that, Green." He grinned at her, baiting.
Green waved her hand as if to say it was unimportant and turned her back on him to go to sleep.
He cuddled up next to her, pulling her close. "Did you ever wonder why the arcs did not hit you?" he whispered, catching her earlobe in his teeth and tugging.
She froze, then looked at him over her shoulder. "1 did wonder that, yes."
Aqua eyes pierced her in the darkened room. "What would harm you would harm me," he said enigmatically."
"What does that mea—?"
His mouth covered hers hotly. As did his body. "Jorlan... "
"Mmm, I do favor this pos
ition, Green... " He sank into her hot and deep. Green moaned in pleasure.
She arched up against him, her hands cupping his shoulders. Whether it was to push him away or bring him closer mattered not.
He initiated whenever he chose.
He made love the way he desired.
Jorlan was in control.
The next day, a stern summons arrived from the Septibunal.
She could delay it no longer.
Green announced that they were leaving that day. No one questioned a Marquelle's prerogative.
Amid a flurry of activity, they prepared for the journey back to Capitol Town. After saying their good-byes to the household, Jorlan released Shringa from her coop. The Klee prawked sadly and raced off to the hills.
"You are not taking Shringa with us?"
"No." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "His place is not with me."
What an odd thing to say. "How do you know that?"
Jorlan grinned at her, revealing two deep dimples. "He told me so. He awaits another, who is coming soon."
"You're making that up."
He smiled at her, left eye flashing with an aqua spark of amusement.
Throughout the first day, far in the distance. Green could see the Klee, following their passage along the run of the hills.
"Shringa is watching you, you know." Green rode her mount next to Jorlan and Arkeus.
"The Klee watches us to make sure we come to no harm." Jorlan adjusted the sleeping babe in his arms and bent over to pet Kibbee, who in turn tried to take a nip out of his finger. He pulled it back just in time.
"She's angry at you for running off with the foreign Klee. You'll have a time with her now." Green chuckled.
"Hmm. She will forgive me soon, won't you, Kibbee?" He stroked her side feathers. Kibbee spit a huge wad at a jinto leaf they passed. Barely missing his boot.
Green laughed. "Your wiles don't work on everyone, blaze-dragon. Kibbee has much more sense than I do."
Kibbee concurred with a loud prawk.
Jorlan gave her a sultry look through lowered lashes. "Ah, but I so like when you lose your senses—especially when you give them over to me."
Green's mouth formed an O; she quickly turned to see if any of the women overheard, but they were out of earshot. "Mind yourself!"
He shook his head and winked at her. "I have always left that to you."
Her face flushed. She pulled the reins of her Kloo forward and left him to ride with Arkeus and Kibbee. His soft laughter followed her.
Jorlan was coming into his own.
Green was not sure how to handle that.
But she damn well wanted to try. Every wonderful, fascinating, spellbinding thing she had ever seen in him was coming to be.
The journey home took nearly three weeks and was pleasant enough considering what lay before them in Capitol Town.
Under his father's expert care, Arkeus fared the trip exceptionally well. The babe actually seemed to like being out on the land. He even grew a few more curly little hairs on the top of his head, which Jorlan and Mathers pointed out at every opportunity. The two of them had teamed up somewhere along the journey to constantly sing the child's praises.
Of course Green knew her son was exceptional. He was a Tamryn, after all. She spent hours playing with him at night, a complete slave to his drooling grin.
The final night of their journey, as they lay in the sleeper, Green knew she was going to have to tell Jorlan about the Septibunal's summons.
Her lips pressed over his as he rested back on the pallet. "Cover me, Green," he murmured, his mouth moving along the soft, tender skin of her jawline. "The way you did when we were journeying to Tamryn Lane. Do you remember?"
"When I had to seal your mouth with my own to halt your cries of pleasure from being overheard by the Women?" She sighed as his arms embraced her.
"Yesss. While I looked up at the stars. I loved that, my name-giver. Love your passion and strength... "
She smiled as she nipped his chin. "Do you? And is that why lately we end up wrestling to see who gets on top?"
He grinned broadly. "It does seem to stimulate you—specially when you are sleepy."
"Really.'
"Yes. And the best part of it is, you are never quite sure how to react to the situation."
"Really."
"Yes. And that is when I can get you to simply react—to me."
"Hmm. I'm not sure I should be allowing that behavior, it—"
He burst out laughing. Green's hand covered his mouth. "Shhh! The women will hear you!" He blinked his jet lashes slowly at her. She pulled her hand away and shook her finger at him.
He stared up into her arresting face. Her auburn hair was framed in the soft glow of flamelight. He did not know how the Top Slice had produced such a woman—courageous, honorable, fair-minded, and free-thinking. Her intelligence, her wit, and her beauty were as unique as the rare blanock song. Her sensuality a constant catalyst to his own sensitivity. "You are everything to me, Green. I love you."
Green's palm cupped his cheek. "Blaze-dragon... name-bearers often fall in love with their name-givers."
His hand came over hers. He stared penetratingly into her eyes. "This is different."
She knew that. Felt it. The love Jorlan spoke of was of an entirely different depth. He had formed an exclusive connection to her that was as mysterious and complex as the nightsong of Forus. This was not the simple love of name-bearer for name-giver—this was so much more.
Which made what she was to tell him that much more difficult. Green swallowed. "We must stand before Septibunal tomorrow."
He said nothing, simply waited silently for her to continue.
"They are questioning the validity of our fastening."
"How so?" he asked quietly.
"Evidence has been brought to them that seems to refute your Oath of Proof."
"That's not possible, Green." His fingers delved into her hair at the base of her neck. "My oath was true—as you well know. How could there be evidence to the contrary?"
"I don't know. It was well known that you vehemently opposed the fastening—"
He exhaled his breath. "That is not enough to call both my word and yours into question."
"No, they have something else... " She paused. "My sources tell me it is powerful evidence against a victory."
"I see. So, what does this mean—if they should 'prove' this?"
"Our fastening will be dissolved. Arkeus's position will be precarious, to say the least. Both our houses will have to pay a huge forfeiture. I might lose my titles and lands. You definitely will lose yours. Afterward, you will no longer legally have the protection of the house of Tamryn around you."
His jaw pulsed in barely controlled fury. "I am just to accept this? Is my worth as a human being simply a matter of my veil? We nave fewer rights than a Klee! At least a Klee runs free when he wants to—he owns his life."
Green hugged him to her. "I agree with you. It is wrong, and if we get through this I will do everything I can to effect changes in the House of She-Lords."
"If we get through this! What about my son? What will happen to him?"
"That depends. Normally, he would not be of consequence to the Septibunal, but I have made him my heir. There will be a bitter battle over that, for his inheritance will be safeguarded from any forfeiture I would have to pay."
"What if he weren't your heir?"
Green raised her chin defiantly. "He is my child and a Tamryn! They will never separate me from him—I have given him a birthright."
Jorlan could not help the flash of admiration he felt for her resolve; she was an exceptionally strong woman. "Then what of me, name-giver... what shall be my fate if they dissolve this union?"
Her lips trembled slightly but her voice held steady. "You are my name-bearer, Jorlan, and a Tamryn as well. I will never let you forget that—regardless of what the Septibunal decrees."
The hand at the back of her neck roughly pulled her to
ward him. "Then don't you forget that I am going to hold you to that promise, name-giver."
His mouth seized hers.
He tasted of exotic terms.
It quickly became obvious to every observer in the room just who was behind the charges. Only one person on the floor of the House of She-Lords was viciously slandering the Tamryns, and that was Claudine D'anbere. And while Marquelle Harmone had returned to her seat on the Septibunal, it was plain who was pulling her strings.
When Green and Jorlan entered the room to take their seats in front of the assemblage, silence ruled. Jorlan brazenly carried his son into the meeting.
As he took his seat, many remarked that the resemblance between father and son was uncanny. The identical pairs of jet-rimmed aqua eyes captivated many a She-Lord. Several members speculated on whether or not the Marquelle would entertain prebids from their daughters. While prebids were not binding, they did hold some favor. Of course all would depend on the outcome today. The poor babe might end up on the Rue de la Nuit.
Along with his gorgeous father.
Duchene Hawke called the session to order with a nod of her head. "Marquelle Tamryn, step forward please."
Chapter Fifteen
Green stood and approached the Septibunal table.
As she walked by, Jorlan gave her a supportive nod.
"A charge has been brought before this assemblage against you that is quite serious in nature. Some of"—Hawke glanced sternly down the table at Marquelle Harmone—"have reason to believe that you misrepresented the nature of your alliance with the Reynards. Evidence has come to us that, in fact, your name-bearer, Jorlan, was not intact at the time of the Ritual of Proof."
A murmur went through the crowd.
"Furthermore, the question as to whether you knew this at the time and sought to circumvent the law by forswearing the Ritual has also been brought to bear."
"May I answer these charges?" Green stood proudly before them, her voice not wavering in the slightest, despite the inner trepidation she had.
"Before you do, I must warn you that anything you say from this point forward will be weighed. If you say nothing now, in consideration of your past deeds on this floor and for OneNation, I am prepared to call this a nolocharge and we will convene to decide the appropriate levy."