pulled Diandra back to stand at the front of the crowd some feet away from the quickly catching inferno, the flames coaxed to great heat swiftly by the wind.
The tears stung my nose as the flames licked Mahyah’s body then I froze as my eyes caught on something, lifted to the sky and my breath stuck in my throat as I heard gasps all around, felt the astonished shuffling of bodies and Diandra’s hand came to mine and held tight.
This was because, as the flames danced high, arching through the sky over the pyre, there was a brilliant, perfect rainbow.
I stared at the rainbow with my mouth hanging open.
Oh.
Shit.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Favor
Okay, it couldn’t be denied. Evidence was suggesting I held magic.
Shit.
Our ride home was silent, everyone in their own thoughts. It was also wired. This was because, for no reason at all since the rain had stopped in the night and the wind and sun were quickly drying the wet, there was no way a perfect arc of a rainbow should grace the sky.
Unless I commanded it.
Shit!
Maybe I did have magic, as completely insane as that seemed. Maybe I did command the heavens accidentally last night. Maybe I filled the sky with a rainbow so Mahyah’s ashes could drift over it to meet her soul.
And maybe this magic had brought me to this world in the first place.
Maybe it was me who was responsible for bringing me here.
Which would mean it was me who had the capacity to send myself back (somehow).
In my world, thoughts like this would lead me straight to my car where I would drive to the nearest psych ward and voluntarily check in.
But in this world, apparently anything went.
And the point was, I was in this world which meant I was not insane but instead, screwed.
As we rode back into the Daxshee, horses carrying my friends peeled off on a variety of trails winding through the chams, quietly called farewells the only things piercing our silence. When Seerim had lifted his chin at his wife before his horse took him down another path and it was only Diandra and I, I decided it was time to have a chat with my friend.
I didn’t get this chance. Zahnin barked an order, the four warriors gave him chin lifts, peeled away and Zahnin’s horse trotted up to me.
I looked up at him to see him glaring down at me, his gaze swung to Diandra then back to me and then I watched his jaw turn rock hard.
Oh man. I was thinking this wasn’t good.
Maybe he didn’t like rainbows. Or witches. Even those who held noble magic who didn’t know they were witches.
I braced before I asked, “Is all well, Zahnin?”
His glare turned to a scowl. Then a muscle jumped in his cheek.
Then he grunted, “Me.”
I felt my body get tight as I looked beyond him to the winding paths that led through the chams, wondering, if all wasn’t well, why he dismissed our guard.
“Um –” I started.
He interrupted me by forcing out between his teeth, “I request a favor from my golden queen.”
You could tell he didn’t wish to request this favor, like, he really didn’t wish to request this favor. Or, maybe, any favor.
My gaze slid to Diandra who was looking at Zahnin. She felt my eyes on her; she looked at me and shrugged. Then I turned back to Zahnin.
“What favor do you wish to request?” I enquired.
He scowled down at me and a muscle jumped in his cheek.
Then he grunted, “My new bride.”
These were not words I expected or understood why he was saying them so I blinked at him and when he said no more, I prompted, “Your new bride…”
His buckskin horse, catching his warrior’s vibe, danced with agitation under him and Zahnin tightened his hold on the reins so the horse stilled.
Then, so quickly it took all my concentration not to miss any of it, he explained, “My new bride is like you. She has great beauty. In the parade, I knew it was only her for me. I fought four brothers to claim her. She is also not of Korwahk, like you. She does not speak our tongue. She does not speak…” he hesitated and his eyes narrowed, “at all.”
Oh man. That wasn’t good news.
I bit my lip.
Zahnin went on tersely. “Unlike you, she does not settle into my cham and her new life. The favor I ask of my true queen is that you speak to her and help her settle into her new life as my wife as you have done with my king.”
I was sensing (rightly) this was why Zahnin was in such a bad mood.
I was also sensing (rightly) that the proud warrior before me didn’t often request favors, as in… never.
Therefore, I stated, “Take us to her.”
He stared at me then without looking at Diandra, he said, “The wife of Seerim –”
I cut in. “She will accompany me. She is the reason I have settled in my life with Suh Tunak. She will be of great assistance with your bride.”
He scowled awhile longer, his jaw still hard, that muscle jumped then he jerked his chin, jerked his reins and Diandra and I pulled our horses around and followed him back through the chams. As we did this, her eyes came to me and they were twinkling. I pressed my lips together and tried not to laugh.
Zahnin stopped in front of a cham that was bigger than most, not as big as Lahn and mine, and a girl ran forward as he dismounted. He tossed his reins to her without a word and rounded his horse to spot me as I swung off Zephyr then, when my feet were on the ground, he did the same to an already dismounting Diandra. Once the girl had the reins of all three horses, Zahnin stalked to the cham flaps and slapped them aside, entering.
Diandra and I followed.
When we got inside and my eyes adjusted to being out of the sun, I noticed instantly that Zahnin’s tent was not like Feetak and Narinda’s nor Bohtan and Nahka’s (which was slightly grander than Narinda’s). It was nearly like Lahn and mine. Bigger bed (not quite as big). Silk on the bed and pillows. More trunks (not as many as Lahn and I had). Nice furniture. Many candlesticks and tall candleholders. And also there was the smell of incense, the scent of musk and bergamot. It smelled lovely and I instantly decided I needed to talk to Teetru about incense.
I decided this as I watched a girl scoot with some alarm off the bed. So much alarm, she toppled over the head of the bed and landed on her ass. Then she shot up and quickly backed away, her eyes glued in fear to Zahnin, her body shaking.
I studied her.
Yep, this was why Zahnin was in such a bad mood. Three weeks and she was still like this? Not good.
I looked at Zahnin and he was watching his bride and he was not happy. So not happy, he looked extremely pissed off and that look on a huge, savage Korwahk warrior was fearsome.
Okay, it was clear Zahnin needed a few lessons in romance but I needed to focus on the girl first.
