Page 17 of Winds of Destiny

I’ll take what I can get for now, though. Everyone drinks, and I follow suit, draining my glass dry. Distantly, I hear a shattering sound, followed by a quiet, “Eh, fuck,” from my sergeant, and I resist the urge to close my eyes and sigh.

“And now,” King Perael continues as the priest settles in at the altar behind him, “to seal our intent, a marriage ceremony between my son and Prince Eleas’s chosen representative, Commander Kai Moraneth.”

The glass is slipped from my hand almost without my noticing—Lord Turo is swift and stealthy. He does the same for Camrael, and a path opens up in the crowd to lead us to the altar.

Camrael begins to move, but I reach out on impulse and grab his hand. He turns to me, startled out of his unhappy acceptance by my touch.

“Let’s go together,” I say, and a tiny, there-and-gone smile flits across his face. We walk forward side by side. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the approval on his family’s faces. I can’t tell what Lord Turo looks like since he’s behind me, but I’m willing to bet he’s not quite so full of approbation.

That’s fine. We’ll get there. I need to connect with Camrael before I try to bring his lover into the fold as well. One improbable thing at a time.

We stop in front of the altar and the crowd quiets. The sun has nearly set, but the sky’s purple and red and pink colors are reflected in the statue of Zephyth’s god, making something glorious out of a being who would otherwise intimidate even me. The high priest raises his hands into the air in a gesture of supplication. Each hand has something cupped in its palm—something that shines. Scales, perhaps? If so, they’re huge.

“For the good of our people, our city, and our god, we give our prince, Camrael Rabann, to Prince Eleas Megethos to be wed. May their union be prosperous.” He brings his hands together in a firm clap, and the sound he creates with the scales rings through the courtyard with the quivering grandeur of one of our immense iron bells.

“May their union be peaceful.”

Another clap, and the new sound layers over the first, deepening it.

“May their union be kind.”

And again.

“May their union bring them, and our cities, great joy.”

A final clap, and the tones are strong enough to nearly vibrate me out of my skin, despite the smallness of the instruments he’s using. It takes a long time for them to finally die out.

The high priest looks at Camrael. “Repeat after me, my prince.”

Pale and trembling, Camrael nevertheless repeats the words with a strong voice. “I, Camrael Rabann, will share my life with my husband Eleas. I will defend him, delight him, and stand by him until our journey ends.”

He doesn’t look at me throughout it, and no wonder. He has no idea who he’s really binding himself to with this vow.

I’m going to make sure he’s not disappointed when he finds out.

“Now you,” the high priest says once Camrael is done. “I, standing for Eleas Megethos, dedicate myself to my husband Camrael. I will defend him, delight him, and stand by him all the rest of my days.”

“I,” I say, and it’s so tempting to skip the next part but I can’t, not yet, “standing for Prince Eleas Megethos, dedicate myself to my husband Camrael.”

I turn andlook directly at my betrothed for the next part. “I will defend him, delight him, and stand by him all the rest of my days,” I say firmly. “And may our gods strike me down if I fail in this privilege.”

Camrael looks poleaxed. I probably shouldn’t have added the last part, but I couldn’t help it. He needs to know that I take his presence in my life seriously and that I’ll work hard to keep him happy, no matter what that entails. If it means letting him bring his protector along to Huridell, I’ll do it. If it means letting him sleep with ahundreddifferent men, I’ll do it.

Although I hope he can learn to be satisfied with me, at least some of the time.

“Exchange your tokens,” the high priest says.

Camrael moves first, hands rising to grasp the slender chain I’ve only just noticed around his neck. He eases it over his elaborate braids, revealing a simple silver pendant on the end of it that is holding the largest pearl I’ve ever seen. The deep purple color is an exact match to the mountains in shadow, and I can’t help my feeling of awe as he lays the chain over my head so that the pendant comes to rest a handspan beneath my throat.

“A gift from our god Ophiucas, to bless my marriage with Prince Eleas,” he says.

It’s a fabulous gift. I have none for him—if I’d known we would be proxy married here, I’d have made sure to bring a wedding gift appropriate for the occasion. I’ll have to make up for it once we get to Huridell. As it is, I place my hand over the pearl and marvel at the smooth, warm feel of it. Camrael’s eyes widen for a moment—I wonder if he’s thinking about me touching him the same way I’m touching his gift.

I should be so lucky.

“I accept this gift with love and gratitude.” The air around us seems to thicken for a moment, the smell of salt increasing like we’ve just been doused by a wave, but instead of feeling clammy or wet, I feel cool and refreshed.

“Seen and blessed!” the high priest intones, and then he begins to clap again. All the people in the courtyard clap as well, and even though they’re not holding magical scales, the way everything blends together into a roar of glorious approval is enough to set my heart racing. I look at Camrael only to see him glancing over his shoulder, staring back at Lord Turo with an agonized expression on his face.

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