The Threads of Destiny [BRIEF HIATUS]

III

Terak was a tall man with long strides, but Denera was determined to stay on his heels, if not beat him to the palace gates. Her heart pounded in her chest and her cheeks flushed from the anticipation. Her stomach, however, froze further with every step.

"Do not fear," Thela said in her mind, "I am certain they are alright."

Denera looked at the red fox hurrying silently by her feet and furrowed her brow.

"You forget that we share a mind, Thela," she thought to her bondmate, "I feel exactly how uncertain you are, so do not try to placate me."

"I fear I was trying to placate myself more than you."

Denera swallowed hard and increased her pace, Terak ever two steps ahead. As she marched on, her blooming anxiety morphed into stubborn anger. Whatever had happened to them, may she be thrice damned and thrice condemned if she allowed it to come between them. She was finished with the thumb-twiddling, brow-furrowing, nail-biting, and seemingly never-ending wait. She will face the sandstorm head-on as soon as the gates before her fling open.

Yet when they did so, the scene before her froze her in place.

There stood Avaram drenched in sweat, his white robe stained brown and plastered to his skin. He was emptying his waterskins over his mare which lay sideways, panting, on the marble palace floor. Frantically, he spoke to the stablemaster who, in turn, barked an order to a handful of his stableboys.

Inara, looking no less bedraggled than her brother, leaned over her black stallion. Like Ghost, Phantom lay on his side, tongue lolling and panting from exhaustion. A girl handed her a bucket and she emptied it over the black beast.

Everything happened in mere moments. Four burly men of near-Terak's size came running, a canvas per two sets of hands. They unfolded them beside each of the two horses, then rolled the mare and stallion onto their respective cloths and secured each with a rope. Finally, they lifted them off and carried them away. Where they found that strength, Denera did not know, nor had she time to wonder.

The stablemaster remained to reassure Inara and Avaram that all the horses need is a cool area, enough hydration, and a good scraping. They did not look so reassured, but they nevertheless nodded and thanked him. As the man turned to leave, his eyes fell on Denera, Terak, and Casadel standing dumbstruck in the gateway.

All at once, his face fell and he dropped to one knee. Folk all around them followed his gaze and then, as if coming out of a spell, they too knelt for their emperor. At this, Avaram and Inara turned to face them, and Denera's eyes met hers.

Meeting those black eyes was like watching the sun rising after a three-year-long night. Everything turned brighter, sharper when she looked into them. For one moment, all they did was gaze upon one another. In said moment, Denera mused that she could count every hair on Inara's head, every bead of sweat on her face, and every grain of sand on her black clothing. She would be content with spending the rest of her existence doing nothing else.