Chapter Twelve

We passed through three villages that hugged the feet of the Ullapeak mountains when we crossed into Vashri’s old, mountainous kingdom. In each of them, the older children clustered around with questions about the academy. At the last village, Vashri and I left the other kings to answer them while we sneaked off.

“Time to show you air magic.”

I didn’t tell Vash that I was no longer worried about my magic. That was firmly under my control. I didn’t have any doubt that I’d be able to manipulate the element of air if I needed to. What I valued was the chance to spend some time with him, as I had done with the other three. My stomach flipped over every time I remembered the solution I’d thought of with Fon. Was there any possibility that I could have a life with all the kings? That I might not need to make a choice? Would they really agree to that?

It was the kind of day when anything seemed possible. It had rained overnight, and the day was perfect – washed clean and with the dust laid to rest. The air itself sparkled. We headed for the mountains. Not the Old Man of Ullaglen – I didn’t want to spoil my time with Vashri by adding the anchoress to our group. Instead, we headed to one of the lower peaks.

“All this was once your land?” I paused as we reached the path that zig-zagged upwards, looking back the way we’d come. The lay of the land made this a good vantage point, the rest of the Ullagar lands falling away from us.

“For a short time.” He stopped and stretched. I enjoyed watching the play of his shirt against his powerful muscles. “I was barely king before Charnrosa became an Empire and I stepped into sleep.”

“Do you remember sleeping?” Fon had said their magical sleep was like being dead. I wondered if all the kings found it that way.

“I remember lying down to sleep, and then I was awake with the knowledge that Charnrosa was in danger and needed me.”

“Did you know how much time had passed?” I tried to imagine how it must have been, to fall asleep and wake a moment and five hundred years later.

“Not at first.” His gaze settled on me, eyes twinkling. “It was only when I spoke with our guardian that I started to understand how much things had changed.”

His tone was gentle, teasing, but warmth still brushed my face. “I’m sorry. I should have believed you from the start. It’s just that—”

“Hush.” He clasped my shoulders. I met his brown gaze and warmth pooled in my stomach. “I should have trusted you.”

“You had no reason to trust me,” I pointed out.

His hands slipped down my arms, leaving warmth in their wake. “I had every reason to trust you. The goddess made you our guardian. I shouldn’t have doubted the person she chose.”

“I don’t think she chose me. It’s just an accident that I happened to be guardian when you woke.”

He shook his head. “There is no such thing as an accident. Not with magic. Nor where the goddess is concerned. She brought us together for a reason.”

“I should thank her.”

“I do,” Vashri told me simply. “Every day.”

“My life was so narrow … before.” It was only looking back that I could appreciate how much my life had changed. “And now … knowing the four kings has enriched my life, beyond anything I could even have thought to hope for.”

“I hope you know that the same is true for us,” Vashri told me quietly. “We had nothing but fighting and duty. Now, we can see a whole new future – for us as well as Charnrosa.” His eyes rested on me, warm and loving. “And it’s all because of you, Kyann.”

I tried to pluck up the courage to say something, but he looked away, taking in the scene that surrounded us with a deep breath. “Come along, we aren’t there, yet.”

We continued to climb until we reached a clearing where the ground levelled out. We sat down to rest, sharing a waterskin. The view was magnificent, the village mere dots of huts while swathes of Charnrosa unrolled before us.

Vashri settled back against a rock, me beside him. “When I was a boy, it was a rite of passage to climb into the mountains and spend the night alone. It was a part of becoming a man.”

The day was edging towards dusk. “Do you want us to spend the night now?”

His gaze was full of heat. “I would like that very much, Kyann. But I think the others would be angered. We’ve all taken the same amount of time with you.”

“And equality is important to the four of you?”

His gaze was solemn. “We are the four kings. By working together, we brought Charnrosa together. We are powerful together, and weak if we divide.”

“And yet, you’ve split up to allow me to spend time with you individually.”

His gaze shuttered. Was that hurt, or something else? “Of course. We want you to make a free choice.”

“Even if that divides you?”

“It wouldn’t divide us. We would make sure of that.”

That wasn’t what Fon had said. “Would you return to sleep? If I … if I don’t choose you?”

His jaw clenched. He looked away. Then got up. “Come along, we aren’t there yet.” He snagged my hand, then started up the path, striding ahead so I couldn’t see his face.

I’d insulted him, and I’d never meant to do that. I wanted to reassure him, and yet, my idea was too new and delicate to be spoken aloud. What if Vashri laughed at the idea? Or was insulted? It had all seemed so straightforward in the darkness. Now, it struck me as vastly more complicated.

I pushed my confused thoughts from my mind and simply enjoyed the feel of Vashri’s hand around mine as we stepped higher towards the heavens.

“Tell me more about your trip when you became a man. Was it this hill?”

“No.” Vashri paused, giving me time to draw level. The path was broad enough here for us to walk abreast. “I went up the Old Man of Ullaglen.”

“Long before the anchoress arrived.”

He smiled. “I was entirely alone.”

“And you spent the night on the mountain and became a man.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be easy. It was a test of our manhood, to make sure we were deserving of a place with the warriors.”

“Mmm-hmm, and what tests did you face? Boggarts? Or only bombles?” I was half-teasing. I didn’t believe Vashri would have been unable to deal with anything he might find in the mountains.

“You’re forgetting the ogres,” he said ominously.

“There are ogres?” I glanced around, as though they would appear just for being spoken of.

“There are stories. Those were enough to terrify an impressionable boy.”

I smiled. “A good job you were a man, then.” It was impossible to picture Vashri as a boy. My gaze snagged on his broad chest, then travelled up to his calm face. I remembered the first time I’d seen him, when he’d appeared in a vision and I’d taken him for the result of a blow to the head one of the Emperor’s guards had given me. He’d stolen my breath then, and he could still do the same now. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to throw my arms around him. More than that, I wanted to step inside him, so the two of us became one. Suddenly bold, I moved close to him, so our chests were nearly brushing and I could feel the heat of him radiating towards me.

I looked up into his face, revelling in the love and affection I saw there. His gaze met mine and I understood his silent, steady assurance that he would do the right thing, whatever it cost him. If I turned him down, he would accept it. He wouldn’t sleep, he would stay here and do his best for Charnrosa.

My heart melted.

My hands lifted, sliding over his shoulders, anchoring the two of us together. Vashri groaned and dropped his head, pressing kisses against my neck.

“Vash?”

“I’m here.” Vashri pressed more kisses against my skin. He didn’t pressure me for more. And that restraint had the effect of making me want to offer him everything. “Vashri,” I tried again. “I want you. I want you all.”

He pulled away so I saw the beaming grin that split his face. And then he pressed close so we could kiss, an embrace that I poured all my love and desire into, using the heat to burn away my uncertainty. I loved Vashri, and Fon, and Axxon, and Rey, and – goddess willing – I would spend my life with all of them, our love binding us closer than anyone had ever been before.

When we broke apart from our kiss, the sky was burning orange. It seemed like a sign from the goddess.

“We should get back to the others,” Vashri said, his tone dark with regret.

But my heart soared. As the orange sky darkened to midnight blue we retraced our steps back to the Ullagar Plain. The others were waiting for us, shelters built a little way away from the closest village to give us privacy.

“Nice trip?” Axxon asked, eyes sparkling with pleasure that had been kindled by my return.

“Walking up a mountain,” Fon said sarcastically. “Who wouldn’t enjoy that?”

“It was very special.” The kings were watching me and misgiving threaded into my heart. I knew what I wanted, but what if the kings wanted something completely different? This was important. I couldn’t bear anything to go wrong. I needed to ensure I had the right words to explain myself.

“I’d like us to talk in the morning,” I said. “All of us.”

“Of course.” Tension filled the air, as though they’d guessed that my decision was made. I wanted to blurt my idea straight away, but it was late. Too late for momentous discussions. Too late for arguments, if that’s what lay ahead. I wanted to be sure there was plenty of time for us to talk through what I wanted and what the kings wanted – and work through our concerns to find an agreement that would bring all of us happiness.

Once more, they didn’t pressure me, but accepted what I wanted. As I settled to sleep, cuddled up with the kings, my heart was full, overflowing with love and calm certainty. I knew I’d never forget this moment. The moment I’d made the decision that was the right thing for me and hopefully for all the kings. In the morning, I needed to convince the kings that I meant it and hadn’t run mad.

Unfortunately, when the morning arrived, it brought a whole different set of problems.