Sterling (36 page)

“Costas wouldn’t kill a baby! Sterling, you have him all wrong. You always have.”

I frowned, thinking of Papa and little Tiriq Galatien. We never knew how power could corrupt even the best men. I had thought Papa could not kill a baby—but until I had protested, that was what he had meant to do.

“Sterling, if Costas learned you were pregnant, he would let us marry! The trouble now is that you
haven’t
told him, and it looks like you’ve been keeping secrets.”

“I don’t think he would so easily let us marry, Erich. And forgive me if I have less faith in his morals than you do. I’m not willing to risk my baby. I’m keeping him a secret until after I deliver.” The baby kicked, hard, right into my stomach. I grabbed Erich’s hand and pressed it against me. “Feel him? He kicks all the time. He’s the rowdiest little thing!”

Erich froze. “Him? My gods. A baby! I never—I—”

I gingerly flicked the lock of hair from Erich’s eyes. “Everyone believes it is a boy.” I cupped his face in my hands, bringing him to kiss me.

“Lie down and let me hold you,” he said, almost desperately.

We arranged ourselves on the bed, spooning into one another. “Listen to me, Sterling.” He wrapped his arm around my belly and palmed it. “I understand your fears. I do. I think you’re wrong, but if you want to keep the child a secret until it’s born, we can do that. But after the birth Costas has to know.” He held me close, his front warming my back. “And no matter what Costas says, we are married. We spoke our vows in Muscan. Even if he never sanctions it, between the two of us, we’re married, yes? We’ll always be together.”

“Yes,” I murmured. “I love you, Erich.”

“I love you, Sterling.”

I
named him Alexander
. I couldn’t quite give him Papa’s name, and Erich left the choice up to me.

Oh, to see Erich’s face when he first laid eyes on his son! He looked as though I had handed him the entire world. Alexander was unblemished, as perfect as his father. Erich recorded his birth and parentage in the Temple of Amassis, but for three sidereals, we heard nothing from Costas, and so we remained isolated in gladness, a complete familial bubble, untouched by the outer affairs of the world.

Everything was perfect.

Eventually the letter arrived, addressed to Erich and sealed with the gold Galatien flower. It sat on Papa’s old desk like a waiting explosion.

I held Alexander on my hip. He had an unbecoming tendency to suck on my dress, but I was too distracted by the summons from Erich to care. I paced in front of the office divan.

“What did it say?” I asked Erich as I stared at the broken Galatien seal. I feared for my child, I feared for Erich, I feared for myself.

“Costas knows about Alexander.”

I sat on the divan quickly, shifting the baby to my lap. “Oh. Already?”

“He must have been watching the birth records through the Temple of Amassis. He must have anticipated the possibility. Or perhaps he heard rumors. He knew I’d come to Shankar—”

“So what does he say?” I swallowed.

“Nothing bad, love. Relax. He congratulates us, and he has given us permission to marry, as I said he would. He did express some annoyance that we did not tell him sooner.”

“He said we could marry?” I echoed in disbelief.

“It makes little difference now, you see? He has no motivation to prevent us. In fact, he strongly pushed the marriage. He wants us to have more children—he told me I must have ‘at least one more’ to provide an heir for House Talata, since one heir cannot inherit the title to two houses. Read it yourself. It will soothe your mind.”

I stroked Alexander’s head, which was covered in a soft, golden fuzz. “But then—why do you look so grim, Erich? Our hopes have prevailed. Costas has accepted Alexander as my heir and your son. We really are at the end of it all.”

“Costas has demanded that after we marry, I return to Talat City to spearhead a massive manhunt there. I have to leave you, sweetheart. I hate the thought.”

“Why? What manhunt?”

Erich scooped our child from my arms, settling him against his chest. “You recall that Costas had a son with his consort, the Amar woman we met in Galantia?”

“Leila? Yes, of course I remember. Little Tiriq. Papa captured him during the war. I saw the baby in Engashta—such a pretty boy. Nothing’s happened to the baby, has it? He must be over two years old now.”

“It turns out that Tiriq Galatien had a
twin
. A girl named—what was it—
Tianiq
. She’s been missing since the war. Leila Galatien was shipwrecked in the Parting Sea and separated from the girl. Now that the Eastern Empire is settled and Lethemia grows more stable, Costas’s main mission is to find his daughter.” Cradling Alexander with one arm, Erich lifted the parchment from Papa’s desk. “Even in her absence he has had Tianiq Galatien declared his legitimate daughter.”

My arms felt empty without my son in them, but the pleasure I received from watching Erich and Alexander together kept me seated. “ Poor Costas. Poor Leila.” I shuddered at the thought of losing Alexander. “But I don’t understand what this has to do with you, Erich? Why must you go to Talat City?”

“Costas has commanded me to take charge of the search for his daughter in Talata Province. He’s appointed a search coordinator in every province.”

I frowned. “Am I to serve here in Ricknagel?”

Erich’s brow creased. He took a seat in Papa’s old wing chair and let Alexander play with the desktop papers. Erich scanned the letter. “Costas says he will be coming to Shankar in a sidereal. He’ll send more details soon. He will be leading the search here himself.”

I blanched. “He doesn’t think I had anything to do with her disappearance?”

Erich pushed the letter across the desk. “Take a look for yourself; he doesn’t imply that.”

I searched the words quickly. Erich leaving and Costas coming—I hated the plan. “You cannot refuse?”

“Not this time, Sterling.”

I sighed and plucked Alexander from Erich’s lap. “It’s time for him to eat. I’ll be upstairs in the nursery.”

Erich nodded distractedly. “I’ll write a message to the head acolyte at the Temple of Amassis.” He smiled. “Shall we have a wedding tomorrow, my love?”

“Tomorrow?”

“You saw the letter. Costas wants me in Talat City immediately.”

“I have nothing to wear, Erich. And my stomach is still so—”

“You’re perfect. Wear that Ricknagel blue thing hiding in the back of your closet.”

Alexander wrapped his pudgy arms around my neck. I laughed. “How do you know what’s in my closet?”

He shrugged. “I like to dream of what you’ll look like in those pretty things when you finally screw up your nerve to wear them. You forget—I saw you in real finery in Avani. I’m just waiting for the day—”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re scandalous, Erich.”

“Only for you, my love.”

* * *

E
rich planned
to depart shortly after our second wedding. The ceremony was simple and private—we exchanged our vows in the Shankar Temple of Amassis. I held Alexander in my arms the whole time.

After the ceremony, while Erich prepared for his journey, I sent for Kyro.

“Roque,” I said as he arrived. His new name had finally stuck in my head.

He bowed. “My lady.” He had been very short with me ever since Erich had arrived, though, like a good lienbound mage, he kept his disapproval silent.

“How goes the research with the Ophira?”

He pulled the stone from his cloak—a typical mage’s garment, with too many pockets to count. He held it up. “Just today I observed a change in the stone. Look.”

I peered into the Ophira’s depths. The braid of yellow and blue not only glowed, it now moved, spiraling like a mining drill. “What does it mean?”

Kyro’s face tautened. “I do not know. But it supports our theory that magic is not entirely dead.”

I considered telling him about the Binds and the
aetherlumo di fieri
that Costas and Erich had discussed when we’d returned from Vorisipor. Laith Amar had never arrived to study Erich and me, and the truth was, I hoped he never would. Mages liked to meddle, and the Bind—which even I, talentless, could feel—was a comfort to me. Costas had suggested having it cut; I didn’t want any mage attempting that. So I said nothing.

“I would like to find your aunt Siomar and Alessio Rarmont,” Kyro went on. “They knew everything there was to know about Ophirae.” He bowed again. “Lady Rickangel, I formally request your permission to go in search of them.”

My aunt and the other Ophira guardian remained missing. “I haven’t heard from Siomar since before Papa died. Of course you may search for her. Only—I would prefer you leave the Emerald Ophira with me.”

“Of course, my lady.” Kyro dropped the stone into my outstretched palm, though I could tell that he did not like to give it up.

I pointed at several missives I had prepared: one to Costas, one to the housekeeper of Ricknagel Manor, and one to Galen, the head of the household guard.

“Will you see that these letters are delivered or posted on your way out, please?”

Kyro tucked the three letters into another of his pockets.

“Travel safely, Kyro,” I said as he departed. I clutched the Ophira, and warmth spread from it into my arms. It reminded me of Erich’s touch before the Fall.

* * *

I
watched
from the Manor’s front steps as footmen strapped Erich’s trunk on the back of a carriage.

Erich rested his hand on Alexander’s head as he kissed me good-bye. “I wanted to have a real wedding night with you this time. I hate leaving you.”

I blinked back tears, and I thought I saw Erich doing the same. He quickly headed down the steps.

I took a breath and waited until he entered the carriage. I’d insisted he take the four-seater.

I had to time this right, or else Erich’s good sense would get in the way.

Propping Alexander under one arm, I lifted my skirts with my free hand and ran. I threw open the carriage door just as Erich pulled the bell cord to signal the driver to start.

“Sterling! What is it?”

I leapt into the seat opposite Erich as the carriage lurched into motion. “I’m coming with you.” I lifted Alexander to Erich’s lap. “We’re coming with you.”

“But Costas is coming here—”

“He doesn’t need me here to search for his daughter. I’ve left instructions for Galen. He will open the house for Costas. Everything’s arranged.”

“Sterling, love—”

“We’re coming,” I insisted. “I had our things loaded onto the carriage.” I jutted my chin. “We belong with you. I’ve never seen Talat City. And we’re married.” I spoke the words we had said to each other that morning in our Lethemian vows: “Where you go, I will follow. We are bound.”

The carriage pulled out the drive, and I switched seats so I could rest my head on Erich’s shoulder. He wrapped one arm around me and one around Alexander.

“We are bound,” he repeated the Lethemian oath back to me. “In the Aethers and beyond. Ever after.”