“Well, perhaps not nothing.” His gaze met mine, and with the twinkle lighting his eyes, I knew he was up to something.
“Kull, you’ve got that look. Why do you have that look?”
“Look?”
“Yes, that look. Something’s up.”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps I just had a thought.”
“Okay, I’ll play along. What thought? Have you found a way to stop that asteroid?”
He grabbed my hand and kissed it gently. “Something better.”
“Like what?” I wasn’t entirely sure I liked the way this conversation was going.
“Say let’s forget about the asteroid tonight. Let’s forget about Theht, about prophecies, about impending doom. Let’s live for a moment.” He paused, then took a deep breath. “Marry me, Olive. Marry me here, right now.”
“What?” I asked, stunned. “Now?”
“Yes,” he answered, his smile broadening. “Now.”
“But… but we can’t get married now.”
“Why not?”
“Because…. what about your mother? She’ll be furious if you get married without her in attendance… and Heidel and your other siblings. And your people! Isn’t this supposed to be one of those events people gossip about, criticize, and are forced to attend out of a sense of duty?”
“Yes, which is precisely why we won’t do it that way.”
“But aren’t you supposed to sing? And aren’t we both supposed to drink from a cup, have a tapestry displayed in our home, and have nobbinflies released to symbolize something or the other? I may not be Wult, but I know there’s a whole ceremony of traditional stuff to do.”
Kull shook his head. “None of that matters anymore. Don’t you see? That asteroid is coming for our planet, Olive. You and I both know it. How much longer will we live? Plus, I refuse to die without taking you to my bed. We must marry. And we must do it tonight.”
Damn. I couldn’t argue with that. “All right,” I said quietly.
His eyes widened. “All right?”
I nodded. “Let’s do it. We’ll never find a place more beautiful than this. And although I would’ve liked to have had a few friends and family in attendance…” I paused. “Actually, I don’t really have any friends except Brent, and I doubt he’d care to come. As for my family, my birth parents are hiding in the elf kingdom, so I doubt they could come anyway. Fan’twar is really the only person I’d like to attend, but he’s still sick.” Of all the people who I’d ever wanted at my wedding, it was my stepfather. His presence would be missed. Sighing, I turned to Kull, hardly believing I was going along with this. With that in mind, I only had one small quibble. “But what will I wear?”
“We’ll ask the elves to loan you something. I’m sure they won’t mind too much.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I realized this might actually be happening. Nerves made my stomach flutter. “We’re really doing this?”
“Yes,” he said, still smiling. “We’re really doing this.”
Chapter 19
Since Kull had admitted his love for me years ago, I’d always wondered if this day would happen. We’d been through a lot, and there had been a point when I’d thought we’d never be together again. But since we’d reunited, I hadn’t once questioned his feelings for me—except when he’d been cursed. Thankfully, that was over with.
I’d always imagined our wedding happening somewhere crowded, and someplace I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be, but being here in the elven sanctum, under the soft moonlight glowing through the stained-glass windows, I knew we were meant to be married here. It felt right, and I had no other way of describing the feeling except that I’d never been more certain of anything in my life.
I was meant to marry Kull on this night here in this sanctum. My entire life had led me to this one moment, and it seemed that something otherworldly was moving us forward, some unseen hand that had carefully guided us to this point.
An hour after Kull had suggested we get married tonight, and after some help from the elves, I walked out of the antechamber wearing a simple white dress. It was elven made with silver stitching around the raised collar that encircled my neck. Dramatic long sleeves came to a point at my wrists. The elves had been more than obliging, and I felt grateful they kept a few gowns around that would also double as wedding dresses. Although unadorned, I knew it suited me better than anything I would’ve found anyplace else.
I’d chosen to wear a thin silver coronet around my head. A simple design of leaves and dragons had been worked into the metal wire. I had no bouquet, and I wore my muddy questing boots under my dress, but it didn’t seem to matter as I found Kull waiting for me near the scrying pool.
He’d also cleaned up, donning a simple white shirt with leather ties in the front and brown leather pants. When I neared him, he gave me a smile that never failed to make me weak in the knees. I reached his side, and he held his arm out for me. As I took it, the familiar scent of sandalwood forests enveloped me.
Several elves entered. I recognized one of the men as Wendolun. His careworn skin and brunette hair hadn’t changed much since I’d seen him last on Dragon Spine Mountain, though he may have had a few more wrinkles around his eyes. His grandfatherly smile made me feel at ease as he approached us. He shook each of our hands, then stood tall.
“I see you’ve made your way to our lands,” he said.
“It wasn’t intentional,” I answered, “but I’m glad we made it here.”
He glanced at my ring. The flower-jewels still glowed with a faint bluish light. “Your arrival here may have been more intentional than you realize. Where did you come across those jewels?”
“We found them in the wild lands,” Kull answered. “They were growing on a very unusual plant.”
“May I?”
