Dishonored Part 4

I will not live as a bed slave, but Dujuri would kill me if she knew I've tied my soul to Jurel. It matters not. I would rather live as Jurel's slave than Leiana's. "Yes. I would," she admitted.

Dujuri pulled her abinatine, her hand shaking and her expression tortured. They were nearly sisters, and yet Veltina had uttered one of the most blasphemous statements that she could have uttered. Only the truth of her situation would have been more shocking. It was Dujuri's duty to kill her to protect their race, and they both knew it.

"I will not allow you to kill me," Veltina vowed. Pregnant or not, her cuvia was the lesser warrior.

The door opened, and Dujuri flipped her abinatine for a throw. Veltina moved without considering her course. The death would be quick and nearly silent; she could not allow Jurel to die.

"Back," she screamed to him in warning, grasping the thrown blade and feeling it cut deep into her palm. Veltina turned it back seamlessly, watching Dujuri fall in grim satisfaction.

"Back!"

Jurel's head snapped up. He watched the blade hurtling at him, frozen, noting dimly that it would take his unprotected throat. Then Veltina was there, s.n.a.t.c.hing death from the air half an arm's length from him and delivering it back to the priestess who'd thrown it.

The a.s.sa.s.sin fell, her eyes widening at the sight of him in the doorway, blood pouring from her severed neck artery. She turned accusing eyes on Veltina.

His bride stood taller, looking more the queen than Leiana ever had. "Never by action or inaction," she growled.

The priestess gasped, her failing color draining completely. "You haven't," she rasped.

Veltina came to Jurel, pressing a kiss to his throat. "Please," she whispered into him.

He reached between her thighs in a daze, flicking the jewel still hung from her hood, allowing her to present her relations.h.i.+p with him to the dying priestess in the way she wished. She moaned in delight, tipping her head for his kiss. He obliged her, dropping the fur cloak to drag her to his body, meeting her pa.s.sion as he always did.

Jurel met the priestess's stricken expression, smiling his victory. "Were you to return to your people, I would have you give Leiana my thanks for my bride and son. Since you will not, it is enough that you know your failure."

As if that p.r.o.nouncement was too much, she surrendered consciousness.

He grasped Veltina by her arms, free now to vent his anger at her actions. She'd risked herself and their son. No matter her reasons, such a thing could not be allowed.

She sobbed. "I die without you," she explained before he could demand it of her. "I cannot do you harm. I vowed it. Please. I could not see you die."

Her plea cut through him, but still... He pried her hand open, uncovering the gash on her palm. "You risked-" Yourself! "My son."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I could not see you dead," she repeated hopelessly.

"You will never risk yourself again."

She shook her head.

"How did she get in? Who was she to you? Were you planning to leave me?" There were so many things he wished to know. He had no doubts that she would tell him the truth of herself, and so he asked.

"She is-was Dujuri, my cuvia-sire cousin." She sighed. "We were of the same sire but had different mothers." She darkened. "It is unlikely that there are more. You know no other cares to have me returned."

He nodded, hiding his shock studiously. She'd killed her sister for him.

"She wanted me to leave with her, but I wouldn't-I refused. I swear it on my life. I die without you. I am yours. And our child..." Her lip trembled at that.

He swallowed a scream of rage, the image of what they would have done to his child almost too much to bear. "How did she get past my guards?" he demanded.

"The pa.s.sages-"

"Are watched," he snapped. She dared lie to him?

She shook her head, motioning frantically to the far wall. "Those ones," she whispered.

He followed her pointing finger to the far wall, gasping in surprise at the line of a door ajar, a door he'd never known existed until that moment. Jurel dragged her along to it, pulling the door wide. "You knew this was here?"

"I knew of them but not the exact location of the entrance in this room." She hesitated, her skin darkening. "Had I chosen to find it, I would have recognized it. I did not-"

"Where does this lead?"

"The sanctuary and a hidden place within the trees."

Jurel looked down at her nude body, mentally calculating that she would be chilled in the night air. He led her to the cloak he'd dropped and wrapped it around her body. Then he pulled his dagger and pushed her toward the opening. "Show me."

Veltina preceded him through the tight tunnel, emerging only minutes later, far outside his sentries.

"Why did you never tell me?" he asked. He'd not chained her. If she meant to run, she could have been an hour away by the time he returned for her.

"You-never asked," she stammered.

Jurel chuckled. "And if I had asked?"

"Ask me anything," she offered. "All I have is yours."

He laughed heartily, drawing the palm of her hand to his lips and healing it. He laid a tender kiss over the spot. "Do all of your villages have these tunnels?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yes. They do. Once you know the signs, you can find them all. Would you like to see?"

Jurel tugged at the beaded charm lightly, swallowing her groan in a heated kiss. " Later. We have a ride to take and schen to sate."

Before he was through, no one would question his choice of a bride, and Veltina would see her former leader kneel before her-and the man who dishonored her emasculated by Jurel's own blade.

GLOSSARY OF KEEN TERMS USED IN THE BOOK.

NOTE: Keen is a lyrical language, and minor changes in pitch and inflection denote a slightly different word in the language. See next page for the Keen calendar.

Abinatine--- the sacred dagger of one of Fion's Priestesses: used in her healing, to take the life of a worthy opponent, and when she takes a mate Cuvia--------- a female sire-cousin, one of Fion's children born of the same sire and different mothers Emi bead----- a soft (consistency of amber) clear emerald green stone usually shaped into beads and used for decoration Fion---------- Keen queen of the G.o.ds; G.o.ddess of love, balance, and mercy Fion's Children/Daughters ------- The matriarchal priestess race wiped out by the Lengar in Ti 10-452 Gola---------- a plant that resembles mistletoe; its pink berries produce a poison that induces miscarriage and kills if left untreated; used to treat mother's sickness, it is treated with Triclum; a pernicious bush Hottel-------- a horse-like creature (mare pony-size and war-buck Clydesdale size) Len----------- G.o.d of the underworld, vows broken, trickery, and havoc Lengar------- the people to the North who sought to rule the world before unification Mag----------- Keen king of the G.o.ds; G.o.d of justice, law, and vows unbroken Magden------ the race ruled by Ro Ti in the days before unification Satil---------- a stiff, thick material used to make farthingale-type skirts for presentation of heirs, also used for paintings due to its long life Schen--------- the insatiable s.e.x drive of a pregnant Keen woman Silin----------- a silk-like fabric that most women's clothing and royal bedding are made from Sucre--------- a thick sugar syrup from Eir trees Veltian------- a Lengar device used at the taking of a mate and in s.e.x games. It consists of a wedge-shaped center cus.h.i.+on with cus.h.i.+oned metal arms extending out from it. There are a series of clips to hold the mating bands in place for various s.e.xual positions. Veltina------ the first consort of Len

KEEN CALENDAR.

A year on Kegin is roughly equivalent to an Earth year. Days are twenty Earth hours long, but the year is separated into twelve months consisting of thirty-seven days each. A week on Kegin consists of eight of their days. I formatted the calendar as if the Keen year started in January like an Earth year. In reality, the Keen year begins in Endl. The end of winter and beginning of spring is a time of rebirth, and so it is the start of the Keen New Year.

Pri------- January Ite------- February Endl----- March Wos----- April Zor------ May Fim------ June Jad------- July Caj------- August Wend---- September Abrin ---- October Veril------ November Iric-------- December

About The Author.

renna Lyons lives in Haverhill, MA with her husband, three children, and a zoo of pets. She was born and raised in the Hazelwood/Glenwood area of Pittsburgh, PA and toured the east coast as a Navy wife for thirteen years. B She enjoys the Society for Creative Anachronism and is a member of such groups as Broad Universe, EPIC, WRW and ERA.

Brenna holds a BS in Accounting and a Certificate of Computer Programming. Why? An auditing teacher commented that she would either "make the perfect auditor or the perfect thief," and she had been writing for eleven years with little professional training-in effect, a thief of attention by misdirection.

Never one to pa.s.s up a challenge, Brenna has worked as an auditor, tracking down fraud suspects, finding the backdoors into exchange computer systems, creating accounting programs for government and small businesses, and as a writer. Overall, it's the best of both worlds.

Brenna enjoys talking to readers and can be reached via her site at http://www.brennalyons.com