Chapter Four
Kailigh tensed. Some of her worry was gone now, enough for her to feel a bit chagrined she hadn’t ironed out a price beforehand. But the urgency to just get Cinvarra healed had overridden all her good judgment. At least she hadn’t requested his help or permission in going after Ruthus. After meeting the Lord—she didn’t want it. He’d want to set in and take control, and Kai wasn’t having that. So, now she would see what manner of man she was dealing with; he had the upper hand and if she really did have Dwyrkin blood, then a bargain struck would stick or she’d suffer the consequences. She wasn’t above reneging on a deal—but not with a non-human, especially a shifter.
“What do you want?”
He stared at her, gold eyes thoughtful. She didn’t like the way he watched her, as if she were a particularly interesting bug, or a missing puzzle piece. There was far too much thought going on behind his eyes for her comfort. And standing in her small home, his presence was even more pronounced. She hadn’t fully considered it before, but the man was beautiful. The bones of his face and the perfect tone of his physique—and damn it, the long hair that hadn’t snagged as much as a strand on their trek through the forest, all proclaimed his lineage. This was a Dwyrkin Lord, made even more dangerous for the dragon nature riding him.
“How old is the girl?” he asked, gesturing to Cinvarra. “I am no judge of the ages of mixed-bloods.”
Kailigh didn’t like the question for some reason. “She is seventeen. My eldest daughters, Serephone and Persia.”
He glanced at them. “Of age?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
Maddugh smiled, though there was no amusement in the expression. “Here is my price, mistress; you and your three daughters must come back to my city as guests and for three weeks you will allow the men of my people to court you—and at the end of the three weeks you will choose husbands from among them.”
Kailigh’s knees threatened to give way. She knew better than to lock them. Her fingers itched, reaching for a flintlock she’d already set aside.
“Serephone!” Kailigh snapped, catching the twitch of her daughter’s hand. A blade appeared as if by magic. Maddugh didn’t move. Kailigh saw the subtle shift of his muscles, and knew he was prepared to defend himself regardless of his seemingly relaxed state.
“That is utterly ridiculous,” Kailigh said.
“I saved the child’s life.”
“She still looks-”
“Ma?” The weakened voice stopped her heart. Cinvarra’s eyes opened. “What’s all the shouting?”
Kailigh pushed past Maddugh, nearly shoving him to the side, and dropped to her knees. But her baby had fallen back to sleep again. Though this time, the even rise and fall of her chest comforted Kai; Cin’s breathing seemed stronger, her face and lips losing the gray cast to the skin.
She looked up at him. “I probably owe you her life-”
“Probably?” His brows inched upwards.
“But you’re asking for four lives in return.”
“Mother,” Persia said, abruptly. “I’ll pay the debt. A life for a life.” Her daughter looked at Maddugh, lip curling. “Though rightly speaking, if I have children, you will then owe me. Children are extra. Why do you want us anyway?”
He folded his arms, head tilted. “We’re a small community. We… need new genes if we’re to maintain our numbers.”
“So, it’s true,” Kailigh said. “You’re exiles.”
His eyes flashed, and for a moment, she saw the shadow of his dragon cover him.
“Yes, we are. You and your daughters share some of our blood—I hope it is enough to make children strong enough to merge into our families. It will help.”
Kailigh rose after pulling the blanket back over Cinvarra. She itched to get the room aired out, her daughter bathed and in fresh linens and clothing. But the bargain must be struck first.
“Persia is right. If my daughters have children-”
His gold eyes caught hers. “And yourself as well.”
Kailigh laughed. “I’m not a young woman. I’m past my whelping years.” Ignoring the fact that, technically, she wasn’t.
He smiled. “I’m not concerned with your human age. You aren’t the first mixed blood I’ve seen. There are… ways around your mortality.”
Kailigh stared at him. “Even if I can have more children, who the hell says I want them? Especially daughters. They are far too troublesome.”
Serephone snorted, though she still didn’t bother to speak.
“Why wouldn’t you want to?” Persia asked on behalf of her twin. “We give you an excuse to brandish your shotgun and walk around town with a dour look on your face.”
“A few strapping boys who don’t talk back to their mother or wear her best clothes might be nice,” Kailigh retorted. “Now that I think about it.”
“Lord Maddugh,” Persia said. “You healed our sister, but the price you are asking isn’t balanced. I will wed a man of your choosing and provide him with a child—and after that, I am free to divorce him as I will and raise my child, in your community, in a dwelling of my own.”
“You may not be fertile,” he countered. “Mistress Kailigh is the only woman here who has proven her ability to conceive and bring a living child to term. All three of you will wed, and after three children are born between you, the debt is paid, and you are all free to divorce.”
“All three of us will agree to be courted, two of us obligated to wed and one child between us to satisfy the debt.”
“Done.”
Maddugh turned to Kailigh, who’d been satisfied enough with her daughter’s bargain to remain silent. In the end, her children could do worse than to marry into the Dwyrkin community—at least they would have shelter, food and protection. And hadn’t that always been her goal, to make sure her girls were well settled and didn’t have to bark and growl and raise babies alone?
“A tablespoon of my blood will suffice to revive her energy,” the dragon Lord said. “Do you have silver?”
Serephone left the room, returning a moment later with a silver spoon. Maddugh took it, produced a small hunting knife and nicked his skin, murmuring as the blood flowed enough to fill the spoon. He gave the spoon to Kailigh, who knelt and coaxed it down Cinvarra’s throat, careful not to spill a drop. She wondered at herself for not questioning him on this—maybe it was the hitherto unknown Dwyrkin heritage in her that didn’t balk at feeding a stranger’s blood to her baby. She should be cringing but somehow it felt natural.
She sat back on her heels. “There.” Looking up at him, “We have some things here to see to, but we will report to you in three days.”
He frowned, but shrugged. “Three days, but not an hour more. If I have to retrieve you…”
Kailigh rose, standing nearly toe to toe with him. She was a tall woman, as were all her daughters—well, Cinvarra wasn’t done growing—but he stood a good four inches taller.
“Is that a threat?” she asked.
His dark brow rose, golden eyes glinting. “Only if your word isn’t bond. But I don’t think you want to know what happens to one of our kind when we break our word.”
She didn’t like the implied insult, but supposed he didn’t know her well enough to judge her character.
“We’ll be there.”
* * *
Bargain struck, Maddugh took his leave. After he left the air changed in the house. Kailigh could breathe easier.
“Well,” she said to no one in particular.
“Husbands?” Serephone said. Her tone expressed her thoughts clearly.
Kailigh sighed. “Would a husband be such a bad thing? And if they’re so concerned to have children, then you girls will have your pick of the men and will be well provided for.”
“Husbands. And children. Babies. I’ve smelled babies.”
“They aren’t that bad.” Somehow, she couldn’t manage to drudge up an enthusiastic tone. “The babies, anyway. Husbands? Sorry.” She shrugged. “Just be smart—nab one with a bit of industry to him. Common sense, creativity and a strong work ethic will make up for a host of other irritations.”
“Think, Serephone,” Persia said. “Single people don’t do well out here. Even the bachelors partner up to share resources. Do you plan on plaguing your mother for the rest of your life?”
Kailigh understood Persia, knew the young woman dreamed of her own family and home. She’d been the one to play with dolls as a girl, pretending to feed and change their diapers. As she’d grown older, Kailigh had watched the hope slowly fade into resignation as her daughter realized just how slim the pickings were in a remote mountain mining town.
They hadn’t even considered the Dwyrkin until now—they hardly ever came down out of their mountain, though one might look up occasionally and see the shadow of wings or a speck high in the sky that wasn’t a bird or airbus. In decade’s past, a woman might have traveled beyond her home town to one of the cities to seek a spouse, but jobs in the bigger cities were at a premium and no one wanted to take the risk of ending up in a government shelter—those places were notorious. Even worse than the damn legal sex centers. And that was after the mountains of paperwork required to gain permission to enter.
“Three weeks,” Serephone growled. “And then I’m gone. And if a man lays a finger on me—I’ll cut it off.”
Kailigh winced. Serephone wasn’t quite grasping the situation here. “Dear—they might try. That’s the point of courting. Just… don’t kill anyone, okay?”
God help them all if a male approached her eldest the wrong way. But it was a good point. She’d have to have a discussion with Maddugh on proper courting etiquette. There would be no sampling wares before purchase—even if a pretty Dwyrkin man turned her daughters’ heads. No man should be laying his hands on a young woman he wasn’t properly betrothed to anyway.
“You heard what the dragon said, Ma,” Persia said. “You should take the opportunity for a husband as well. You aren’t getting any younger and someday you’ll piss the wrong man off and find yourself on the wrong end of a shotgun.”
“I don’t think so.” Remembering she needed to put on a good face for Serephone, she amended, “Why would a male want anything to do with me when I have three lovely daughters?” And though she should feel bad—she didn’t. They were old enough, and in the end a husband was no real hardship if he was pretty, a good provider and behaved himself.
She looked down at Cinvarra. Of course, Cinvarra couldn’t wed for at least another two years, but that might be best. She’d have the longest courtship, and perhaps a real chance at lasting love.
“For now, let’s get your sister cleaned up and this room aired out. It smells like sickness. No wonder the poor girl went back to sleep.”
Kailigh went to the mudroom and took a quick inventory of their ammunition, and cursed. Too damn low. Plus, they’d need a donkey to help them carry all of it to the dragon city. No way in hell was she leaving any of her fire power here, unattended. Serephone could booby trap the place, but Kai didn’t want to harm a casual thief who might creep around to steal her vegetables while they were gone—she didn’t begrudge survival thievery.
“I’m going to town,” she told Serephone, who was busy at her desk, a miniature magnifying stop fitted over one eye. Kai eyed the array of insectoid looking metal bits and the sickly green miasma swirling around Sere’s hands and suppressed a shudder. She really didn't want to know. “No, don’t say anything, I’ll be careful. But we need a donkey to carry our weapons and your trinkets, and we’re low on ammo anyway.”
Persia stuck her head in the bedroom. Sere turned her head to look at Persia and the younger twin jumped. “Steam and Stone, that glass eye is creepy. Wear that and I guarantee no one will marry you.”
Serephone snorted, turning back to her work.
“Wear a disguise, Ma. Ruthus will be trolling.”
Kai grimaced. “Your theatrics will get you killed one day. A disguise would just draw attention to me.”
She took Horse because she’d need help with a new donkey anyway—she’d be damned if she’d walk one home. There was always a traveler or two in town willing to part with a burden beast for a bag of coal to buy fresh supplies. Especially if they’d returned empty handed from an illegal mining foray and needed to get out of town quick. A person would rather make a quick sell than abandon an animal because the mining security was hot on his or her tail.
Kai made quick time to town and took the back alleys again to the Gun & ‘Mo shop. She entered the shop and hastily chose the items they needed. The clerk excused himself to check inventory after she’d selected, and Kai waited, impatient.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she called out, not bothering to wait for a muffled reply.