“Are you ready?” I asked Zawne.
He nodded. “We can do this, Kaelyn. We can rule together with the help of these beings.”
Then he took my hand and kissed it lightly. Zawne’s unexpected romantic side was always a treat, and it made me giggle. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
We closed our eyes and entered the blackness.
Chapter 8
It was two weeks of mayhem. Dress shopping with Tissa, planning the ceremony with Zawne and his royal parents, sorting out the Ava-Gaard guest list with Raad, and spending countless hours gossiping with Nnati. The toughest part was keeping my mouth shut about Shiol and the secret Min living among us. I wanted to tell someone so badly! This was where Roki came in handy; he was always around, leaving a trace of his scent like a signature to let me know he was watching. We’d talk sometimes in the space between meetings. He’d visit me on the rare days I went to the office. Roki even promised to be there at my wedding, masked somewhere at the front of the crowd. He was a good friend to me, and it sometimes hurt that he couldn’t be more.
You’re getting married! I had to remind myself. You wouldn’t betray Zawne. You wouldn’t!
But hadn’t I already?
Tissa and I were in the dressing room before the ceremony, a space the Grucken had set aside for me at Lithern Shrine, inside his training complex. Through the walls, we could hear the intense clamor of singing voices outside, the banging drums, the wild chanting. It was a Gaard tradition that the attendees chanted and danced frantically for up to four hours before the bride revealed herself. It was meant as an enticement for her to be wed, to arouse passion for her and the groom’s union in the hearts of the people before the wedding began.
We had been listening to it already for two hours when Nnati came into the room.
He stopped just inside and gaped at me. “Wow … Kaelyn, is that you?”
I laughed. “Of course. Who else would it be?”
“You’re …” Nnati was tongue tied. I’d never seen him like this before. “You’re beautiful,” he said. “Your dress, your hair, your glow. I can’t believe it’s you.”
“Thanks,” Tissa said for me. “I helped with the design of the dress. It’s pure white to match Zawne. I thought the diamonds and white silk were a nice touch. I also gave her a scoop neck and a sweeping train. And what about my outfit, Nnati? Being married to Raad sure has its perks. Check out the diamond necklace my hubby bought me just for his sister’s wedding. Look closely—these are real diamonds embedded in the gold.”
Nnati gave her a look with one eyebrow raised. “You’re sure getting comfortable in your new life, huh? I suppose it’s understandable. Nobody where we come from could have purchased you such a gift if they had saved all their money for forty years.”
Tissa grinned, mostly to herself. She was fiddling with the necklace.
“Anyway,” Nnati said, charging across the room to give me a hug. “You look amazing!” He stopped just short of me with his arms spread. “I want to hug you, but I also don’t want to wrinkle the dress.”
“I appreciate it,” I told him bashfully. “And thanks for your kind words. They mean a lot.”
Nnati blew me a cheeky kiss. “Anything for you, darling.” Then he turned his attention to the window. “They’re acting like lunatics out there. It’s like that mad parade for the dead at Lordin’s funeral. What’s going on? Why do the Ava-Gaard commoners have their faces painted like birds?”
“It symbolizes the Crown of Crowns,” I told Nnati. “It’s meant to be good luck for Zawne and me in the upcoming coronation. It’s supposed to raise our chances of being the chosen ones.”
I thought, If only they knew the truth. I wish I could tell my friends!
“I doubt you’ll need luck,” Tissa said as she put the finishing touches on my dress. “You’re as benevolent as they come. Your work with GMAF says it all.”
I said nothing. I was afraid that if I spoke, all the truths would come spilling out. I didn’t feel like accidentally getting my friends killed because I wanted to gossip.
Nnati was still peeking out the window at the crowd below. “I don’t see a lot of clan leaders,” he said. “No one from Surrvul or Krug. No one from Nurlie. The usual Gaard folk and some emissaries from Shondur are here, the king and queen, your Aska bro. But none of the other main players. What gives?”
“The coronation is tomorrow,” I told him. “They’re all busy. The clan leaders are getting their heirs ready. All the families have a thousand things to do before the coronation.”
“Gotcha,” he said. Then Nnati broke out laughing. “Your Gaard traditions are comical, Kaelyn. I love how enthusiastic the Ava-Gaard are. Will you and Zawne be jumping over the borehole?”
“Borehole! What borehole?”
Tissa shot Nnati a look. “They don’t do that here. That’s only in Nurlie, Nnati. Not even at my wedding to Raad. And honestly, it’s a little diminishing for such royalty.”
“What is it?” I said, ignoring Tissa’s weird attitude. “Tell me. It sounds fascinating.”
Nnati always loved telling stories about the solemn and archaic traditions over on the Nurlie continent. He clapped his hands together and said, “Before two people can be wed, they must jump over a borehole hand in hand. If they miss and fall into the hole, not only could they get a broken limb or a black eye, but their wedding is considered cursed. Many who fall into the borehole cancel their wedding on the spot.”
“That’s insane,” I said. “You guys don’t actually believe that, do you?”
Nnati shrugged and Tissa made a face.
“Who’s to say?” Nnati said with
