Chapter Six

Icelyn walked up to the edge of the creek and reached out to rest her fingertips to Theia’s palm so that she could help her as she stepped down into the water. It felt cool as it washed around her ankles and then started up her legs, soaking into the thin, lacy skirt of her dress. Her eyes locked on Malcolm standing in the center of the creek and she remained focused on him as she made her way to him. The moonlight poured through the branches of the trees that hung overhead, surrounding him with silvery light and dappling the surface of the water around him. When she reached the place in front of him, she took the flowers that she carried in her hand and tore the petals from the blooms. Though not the intricate woven chain that she would have made for the ceremony had she had the time, these simple flowers were just as beautiful as they rained down on Malcolm from her fingertips. She sprinkled them over his head, allowing them to fall to his hair and shoulders, and then to the surface of the water so that they floated away with the current.

When she was finished, she offered him the empty branches and watched as he bent them, eventually cracking the thick bark and releasing the fragrant sap within. He dipped the pad of his thumb into the sap as it rose up out of the open branch and reached forward to touch it to the front of her throat, running it down to create a slick, cool trail to the soft dip between her collarbones, and then further until he stopped just over her heart. Malcolm gathered more of the sap and created a trail from one shoulder down to her hand and then repeated the process on the other side. Athan walked along the bank of the creek until he stood across from them and offered each of them a small bowl carved out of stone. Icelyn took hers and filled it with water, waiting as Malcolm did the same. Whispering the sacred, ancient words of the wedding ritual, she lifted her bowl and gently poured the water down over Malcolm’s head.

Malcolm tilted his head back to allow the water to stream through his hair and down his back into the creek, then straightened and poured the water from his bowl over her head. In the moments that it streamed down over her and swept around her hips from the creek, she felt surrounded by the cleansing, purifying effect of the water. One of the most precious elements of the ceremony, this represented washing away their pasts and carrying away the burdens and pain that they might have experienced in the days before they came together so that they could welcome in the sweet newness of their lives bound to one another.

Icelyn felt incredible emotion filling her as they went through the ceremony. Just days before, she didn’t even know Malcolm and now she was looking into his eyes, tying her soul to his, and there wasn’t even a thread of doubt or question in her heart. This was what she had been born for, a moment that had been destined for her from the very beginning, and she could feel nothing but happiness that she had reached it.

When the ceremony was over, Malcolm’s lips touched hers and she closed her eyes, wanting to cherish this moment, this first kiss from her husband. He took her hand and helped her across the creek and out onto the soft grass. Athan was there waiting and wrapped each of them in a piece of cloth. Had they had more time in their engagement, she would have embroidered these cloths, readying them for this use after their wedding and then to be used in their home first as a blanket for their own bed and then to be integrated into blankets for their future children. Though the cloths were plain now, she looked forward to evenings spent stitching them when all of this was over. She would make them more beautiful than any of the cloths that she had ever seen, ensuring that anyone who looked at them would know how deeply and passionately she loved her husband and how dearly she held her hopes for their future.

They said goodnight to Athan and Theia and made their way back to the house, their fingers linked loosely between them as each looked around at the village and the stars above their heads. It was as if she was seeing everything differently than she ever had. She noticed brightness and detail that she had never seen before, appreciated the depth of the Universe and the abundance of the stars more than ever before. It was as if in his kiss Malcolm had breathed life into her and brought her into new reality.

When they got into the house, she carefully took the two cloths and brought them to the back of the house where she laid them out on a wooden rack so that she could let them dry. Malcolm had gone into the bathroom when she came back, leaving the rest of the house empty. As she always did, Icelyn walked into the kitchen. Their mugs from earlier in the day were still sitting in the sink and she reached for them so that she could wash them, feeling strangely pulled between the exciting new reality of her marriage and the simplicity of the daily life still being there. She heard Malcolm come out of the bathroom, but before she could turn around she felt him step up to her and place his hands on her hips. He leaned forward and nuzzled his face into the damp hair tumbling around her shoulders.

Icelyn's hands gripped the side of the sink and her head dropped forward.

"Malcolm," she whispered.

He used his grip on her hips to guide her back against him so that his body molded to hers from her shoulders down her legs. Ribbons of his warm, damp breath rippled down her neck and her eyes closed so that she could savor the feeling. Her own breath slid from her lungs and she relaxed against the feeling of his warmth on her back. One of Malcolm’s hands left her hip and brushed her hair away from the side of her neck to expose her skin. A moment later she felt his lips touch the spot, sending a shiver along her skin. Her breath caught in her throat and he held her in place as if he worried that she was going to pull away from him.

Icelyn felt him turn her in his hands so that she faced him. He had changed out of the clothing that he had been wearing during their wedding and she took in the chiseled beauty of his bare chest, biting her lip at the urge to run her hands across his smooth skin. Her back touched the edge of the sink as he eased her back and pressed against her. The fullness of his body enveloped her, and her body arched slightly to bring them closer together. He leaned forward to touch a light kiss to the soft dip between her collarbones and she imagined he could taste the sweetness of the sap that he had placed there during the ceremony.

Malcolm’s hands tightened on her hips and he pushed against her suggestively. She could feel the muscles of his chest on hers and the hardness of a surging erection cradled against her belly. She wished that she had had the chance to remove her dress, not wanting to waste even another second without their skin touching. Malcolm brought his mouth to her ear so that his lips brushed it as he spoke.

"Are you tired?" he whispered.

He nudged harder with his hips and Icelyn gasped, bringing her hands to his shoulders to steady herself.

"No."

Malcolm kissed her softly and pulled back to stare into her eyes with the same intensity that he had when they stood in the creek. His gaze smoldered back at her and she felt herself falling into them, unable to resist as he leaned forward and captured her lips again. She surrendered herself to his kiss, all of the resistance that she had ever felt falling away as he held her tightly in his arms and kissed her with an insistence and passion that left her breathless.

His tongue touched her lips, tempting them open so that he could explore her mouth. She heard him groan as she relinquished herself to his touch, but he moved with slow, controlled patience, offering a level of respect and reverence that told her that he was feeling the same fulfilling meaning that she was. Their tongues played across each other, tangling and massaging as they deepened their kiss. Icelyn wrapped her arms around his neck and buried one hand in his hair to hold him closer.

Malcolm’s hands slid down the curve of her waist, over her hips, and down her thighs. She felt his fingers gather her skirt so that it crept up her legs, leaving the cool, wet trail from the damp fabric. His fingers grabbed her by her upper thighs, pressing his fingertips into her flesh. In one swift movement, he swept her off of the floor and held her against his body so that her legs wrapped around his hips. She felt protected and treasured in his arms as he turned and carried her through the house, down the hallway, and into her bedroom.

Malcolm lowered Icelyn carefully to the end of the bed and eased himself down to his knees. He ran his hands down her legs and lifted her skirt up and over her hips so that it pooled around her waist. Icelyn touched her fingertips to the side of his face and traced his jawline, then cupped his cheek. She felt him tilt his face to press his lips into her palm and she was reminded of the first time that his lips had touched her skin. Malcolm placed his hands on the insides of her knees and pressed them apart, spreading her thighs and pulling her against him so that her core touched his chest and she could feel the rhythm of his heart against it.

Icelyn willingly and happily gave up all of her control, giving herself over into Malcolm’s hands as he exerted powerful, nurturing control over her. He slipped his hands under the straps of her dress and eased them off of her shoulders and over her arms until she slid them through so that he could pull the dress down to her ribs, revealing her bare breasts. A long, appreciative exhalation escaped his lips as he took her in, admiring her and holding himself back even though he looked at her with hunger in his eyes.

She took her hand from his face and ran her fingers through his hair, the movement causing her dress to fall the rest of the way to her hips. Malcolm brought a feathery touch to her breasts, running his fingertips along the swells of their sides, then down the center between them as if to feel the contrast. Icelyn shivered with the patient, enticing touch and rested her hands around the back of his neck to maintain their connection.

"Taste me," she whispered.

Groaning low in his throat at the bold, unrestrained passion of her invitation, Malcolm dipped his head forward and swept his tongue across one taut, pink nipple. He paused, then tasted further, drawing her breast into his mouth so he sucked it to a hard, aching peak and filled it with heaviness. She arched into the feeling, holding his head lightly to encourage him as he moved to the other breast to repeat the slow, intense suckling on that nipple.

As he continued to kiss and nuzzle her breasts in turn, Malcolm slid his hands under Icelyn’s skirt and grasped the sides of her panties. He took his mouth away from her reluctantly just long enough to bring her legs together and remove the scrap of damp fabric and toss it aside. He then stood and loosened the drawstring of his pants. Though she wanted nothing more than to see the fullness of his gorgeous body, she reached up and covered his hands with hers to stop his progress.

Malcolm met her eyes and Icelyn held them as she moved his hands away and eased his pants over his hips and down his thighs. She moved slowly, increasing her own arousal as she continued the delicious slowness of their progress. Parting her legs again, she wrapped her hands around the backs of his thighs and pulled him to step forward between them. She lowered her gaze and finally saw him fully. His cock stood hard and strong, so delectable looking it made Icelyn's mouth water and she couldn't resist leaning forward to run the tip of her tongue slowly up the underside of the head. It jumped slightly in response to her touch and Malcolm made a strangled sound in his throat.

Smiling at the reaction, Icelyn opened her mouth further and welcomed the fullness of his erection in along her tongue. She wrapped her hand firmly around the base so that she could control her pace and glide it in gradual strokes until she held him completely. One of Malcolm's hands came to her shoulder and the other tucked against the back of her head. He moaned loudly and Icelyn slid her lips up to the tip of his cock, flicked her tongue there to gather a crystalline drop of fluid that had formed, and then took him fully again. She sucked him as deeply as she could, letting his hot, swollen head dip slightly into her throat. His hips began to rock, gently thrusting into her mouth as his hand guided her into a smooth rhythm. She reveled in the taste of him, the feeling of every vein and ridge against her tongue and lips, and she closed her eyes to savor it so that she could commit the sensations to memory.

Suddenly she felt Malcolm push back on her shoulder so that he withdrew from her mouth. She opened her eyes to look up and saw him panting, his eyelids low over his eyes as he seemed to fight to regain control over himself.

"Get up on the bed," he instructed softly.

Icelyn complied, taking a moment to shimmy the rest of the way out of her dress before crawling up onto the bed and resting her head on the pillow. Malcolm crawled up beside her and lay on his side so that his body just grazed hers, making her skin tingle with anticipation of the touch to come. His hand touched her knee and traced its way up to her hip, then flattened on her belly. At the same moment, he brought a kiss to her mouth and dipped his finger down into her wet, waiting folds. Icelyn pulled her mouth away from his and cried out at the touch. Malcolm paused, waiting until she allowed her body to relax back into the mattress before continuing to stroke her hot, wet core. Malcolm nuzzled her face against his as he nurtured her with the tip of his finger, coaxing her forward and preparing her even more for him.

After a few moments of the intoxicating touch, Malcolm shifted his body so that he rose up over her. He ran his hands down her arms and took her hands, bringing them up to pin them to the mattress on either side of her head. His strength took Icelyn’s breath away and she trembled as he rocked his body back, drawing his erection down the center of her belly. She could feel the warm, wet trail that it created along her stomach and then between her thighs as he progressed until the tip just rested against her opening. Icelyn looked up at him and drew her thighs further apart. The movement caused her body to press against his and they both drew in breaths as he slipped slightly into her.

"Kiss me," she said through a tremulous breath and he lowered his mouth to hers, bringing one hand to her hip to stabilize himself as he sank all the way into her.

Icelyn gasped as he filled her, stretching her. He tucked his hips all the way forward so that he pushed so deeply into her she felt like she couldn't accommodate any more. Without pausing, Malcolm started rolling his hips. She whimpered beneath the delicious, surrounding pressure of him as she felt him stroking deep within her. Lifting her head from the pillow, she kissed his shoulder and buried her face into the curve of his neck.

Easing her back down on to the bed, he withdrew carefully from her and used one hand to roll her onto her belly. Tucking his hand under her hips, he guided her up onto her hands and knees, making her feel at once intensely vulnerable and overwhelmingly erotic. In one fast thrust Malcolm was inside her again and an even more intense sensation overtook Icelyn. High, gasping sounds poured from her lips as he held onto her hips and rocked her back against him in a hard, fast rhythm.

A pleasure unlike anything that she had experienced even with him was spiraling upward within her body and she could feel tension building through her thighs and belly. His grunts grew faster and louder, telling her that he was climbing his own peak. Suddenly his hand slipped around her hip and she felt him swirl his middle fingertip into her sensitive folds. Icelyn arched her lower back, lifting her hips to allow him in deeper, and parted her thighs to give him greater access to her clit. A few seconds of that feeling was enough to send her crashing into a climax that threatened to send her into oblivion. She threw her head back, screaming his name just as he tensed deep within her and roared with his own release. Icelyn rose up on her knees so that she could reach back and wrap her arm around his neck, letting her tremors meet his pulses, milking him as he spilled hot streams deep within her.

Finally, their bodies relaxed, and they eased themselves down carefully to the mattress so that he curled around her back. Icelyn nestled back and turned to kiss him.

“I love you,” she murmured.

“I love you,” Malcolm whispered. “My wife.”

The next morning Icelyn could barely focus as she wrapped loaves of bread in treated cloth and packed them into some of the new baskets that had just been woven. Her mind kept wandering back to Malcolm and their wedding the night before. She hated that they had to be apart so soon, but she knew that their marriage hadn’t changed the need for him to continue training. They were to meet with Athan that night to talk about when they would go to where Casimir was being kept, and the more that she thought about it, the more nervous she felt. As thrilled as she was to be married to Malcolm and as much as she knew that the time for them to go to Casimir had been coming for a long time, there was still anxiety. Was her grandfather still alive? What would happen if they got to him and found out that he hadn’t survived the decades that he had spent isolated and alone? The secrets that he had and the knowledge that he had kept close, protected with his very life, would be lost forever.

Despite the worry that she was feeling, Icelyn still felt like she was walking through a dream, and she craved being near Malcolm. Being in his arms would make her feel secure and safe. It would take away the worry and strengthen her for the challenges that lay ahead. She knew for certain now that what he had said when he asked her to marry him had been the truth. Their marriage had been an act of war, but it had been the purest and most powerful act that they could have made. It was a sign of defiance and rebellion, and a source of strength and resilience for all of them.

“You look like you have something on your mind again.”

Icelyn turned and saw Ellora behind her again. She felt a smile come to her lips. She couldn’t hide the joy that she was feeling.

“Malcolm and I are married,” she said.

Ellora’s face brightened even as she looked at her with surprise.

“That’s wonderful,” she said. “It was very fast.”

Icelyn nodded.

“I know. Come with me to Athan’s house tonight and we’ll explain it all to you.”

Ellora smiled, her face relaxing slightly as if it was reassuring to her that she would know more soon.

“Good. Now, we are running out of time to finish these preparations. Can you go to the orchard and start gathering fruit? Bring several of these baskets with you and fill them. I’ll send some of the men to help you carry them back when the training is over.”

Icelyn nodded and gathered as many of the baskets as she could carry into her arms. She carried them through the village, the thoughts of Malcolm making it so that she barely noticed the steps that she took. In what seemed like a matter of seconds she was walking into the shade of the fruit trees and she settled the pile of baskets to the ground. Icelyn took a few moments to place a basket at the base of each of the trees around her before she started pulling the ripe fruit from the lowest branches and placing them in the first basket. As she piled the fruit in the basket she felt a strange chill move down her spine. Her skin tingled as if someone was watching her. Resisting the urge to look around, Icelyn added the last piece of fruit to the basket and moved on to the next tree. She started gathering fruit and then noticed a vine of wild nuts wrapped tightly around another tree a few steps away.

Icelyn walked up to the vine and grabbed a handful of the nuts. She turned and tossed them into the basket. She turned back to the vine and gasped, stumbling back a few steps. Several feet ahead of her she could see a figure standing behind another tree, a blood red mask staring at her. She turned and saw another of the figures behind a tree a few more feet away. When she glanced back at the first figure, she noticed that it had disappeared. Icelyn took a few more steps back and looked behind her. Three figures stood behind trees around her, staring at her from within the blood red masks. They were unmoving, soundless as they stared at her. Fear shuddered along her spine and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Leaving the baskets where they were, she started running out of the orchard and back toward the meeting hall.

Icelyn didn’t stop running until she was at the meeting hall. She climbed the stairs, but before she could open the door, she paused. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, but she couldn’t bring herself to open the door and go to Ellora about the members of the Order she had seen lurking in the orchard. This was something that she had to face on her own. Taking a moment to calm herself, she turned back and returned to the orchard. As she stepped back beneath the cover of the trees, she looked around, trying to find any of the Order members. She couldn’t see any of them, so she went deeper into the orchard.

“Where are you?” she shouted. “Are you hiding now? Are you too afraid to face me?”

She knew that her voice was getting louder, more aggressive as she continued deeper into the orchard and spun around, scouring the shadows for the men. Finally, she saw one of the shadows shift and one of the masked figures stepped toward her. She held her ground, refusing to step back from him or to lower her eyes. Her hands clenched at her sides and she stared at the figure.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “Take off the mask and look at me.”

“Where is your grandfather?”

The voice was low and gravely, the words slow and measured.

“What?” Icelyn asked, appalled by the question. “Why are you asking me about him again?”

The figure’s head tilted, but for several long seconds, the man remained silent. Finally, he straightened his head again.

“Congratulations on your marriage,” he said. “I really must give my good wishes to your new husband.”

A shock went through Icelyn’s body and she felt her mouth open, but no sound came out. Her breath caught in her throat and she struggled to fill her lungs. Her feet carried her back involuntarily, but soon she let them turn her and ran from the spot, leaving the masked figure behind her. She had to get to Malcolm. Something had happened. The Order knew that he had defected and had somehow found out that he was not only staying with her, but that they had married. He was in danger and she needed to get to him. They would have to leave Uoria immediately. He couldn’t remain in the kingdom any longer.

Her feet pounded into the ground and the world around her blurred as she forced herself toward the training fields. The golden expanse was silent as she ran, but she pushed herself to keep going, hoping that she was wrong, that she would get to the field and find them training for something clandestine, for an attack that would prevent the enemy from hearing them coming. She ran up the slight hill between the kingdom and the training fields and looked out over an empty expanse. None of the army was there. Not a single person broke the stillness. The panic rising in her, Icelyn turned around and ran back to the village, heading directly to her house.

She burst through the door and screamed out for Malcolm. Only silence greeted her. Desperation growing in her chest and tightening in her throat, she ran through the house, searching each room, calling out for Malcolm with every step as she went. In moments she knew that he wasn’t there, and she ran out of the house, her fingertips grazing over their wedding cloths as she passed by them.

Icelyn was barely aware of anything that was around her as she ran toward the meeting hall. As she approached she saw several members of the army milling around in front of the meeting hall, some eating as if they were just taking a break between sessions of training. She ran up to one of them and grasped his arm.

“Have you seen Malcolm?” she asked. “Where did he go after training?”

The man shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

Icelyn ran to the next man.

“Bryden,” she said. “Where’s Malcolm?”

“He went to talk to Athan,” Bryden said. “After training he said that Athan had asked to speak with him and that he was going to his house.”

Icelyn felt relief wash over her. Being with Athan meant that he was safe. Athan wouldn’t allow members of the Order to get to Malcolm. Maybe Athan already heard that the Order knew what was going on and had brought Malcolm out of the training fields to protect him. He wouldn’t have had the time to tell Icelyn before he got him, and would rely on her to find them. She smiled at Bryden and nodded.

“Thank you,” she said.

She hurried toward Athan’s house, the speed brought on by her desire to see Malcolm now rather than fear. She was early to Athan’s house when she saw the older man coming toward her.

“Hello, Icelyn,” he said. “Where are you headed so fast?”

“To your house,” she said, giving him a strange look. “Is Malcolm still there?”

Athan’s face dropped and he took another step toward her.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “Why would he be at my house?”

Icelyn felt her heart fall and she struggled to keep herself from panicking.

“He’s with you,” she said, not a question but an insistent statement, demanding it to be so. “He went to talk to you after training.”

Athan shook his head.

“No,” he said. “No, Icelyn, he’s not here. He’s not with me. I haven’t seen him since the end of training. I left right when we finished the drills so that I could get back to my house and eat and get back to the fields before the rest of the army and set up the afternoon’s maneuvers. Who told you that Malcolm was with me.”

“Bryden,” she said. “He said that Malcolm told him that you wanted to talk to him and that he was going to your house.”

“No,” Athan said. “No. I never said that.”

“Someone must have told him that you had said you wanted to talk to him so that they could get him off of the training fields.”

“Why would they do that?”

Icelyn dropped her voice and told him what had happened in the orchard, speaking as quickly as she could while remaining clear. She couldn’t afford the time it would take to repeat herself. Every second mattered now. Athan’s expression grew tenser as she spoke and by the time that she had finished he looked nearly as frantic as she felt.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“We need to go talk to Mhavrych,” he said. “I’ll have Theia go to your house and stand guard until we get back.”

Icelyn nodded and fell into step beside Athan as they started deeper into the village.