Batya twitched and laughed. “It’s the most incredible aftershock.”
“Like smaller versions of the big show.”
“Uh-huh.” She worked hard to catch her breath.
He followed suit, then settled his forearms beside her. Once more, his chest filled with that strange, inexplicable sensation and words rushed into his mouth, words he didn’t recognize, so he swallowed them.
She pushed at damp tendrils beside his cheeks. “That was beyond extraordinary. You were right; we are good together.”
“I know I said it at the time, but I never dreamed it would be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like if we kept going we could solve all the problems of the Nine Realms, just the two of us.”
She smiled, her two faint dimples making an appearance. She had a beautiful smile so he kissed her again. “Thank you.”
She nodded. “Ditto.”
After cleaning up, Quinlan cradled Batya in his arms until she fell asleep. He remained awake even after dawn crested the land. His thoughts had turned to his journey with Batya, trying to understand what was really happening between them.
Just as his eyelids grew heavy, the strange, impossible thought pierced his mind: Could he have a life with her?
* * * * * * * * *
Late that afternoon, Batya dressed for her audience with the queen in her throne room. Quinlan had already left, needing to confer with Seth who had arrived with a contingent of the Walvashorr Guard.
Having showered, Batya donned the woven gown that Gizelda had provided for her. Ferrenden Peace held to ancient protocols and though Quinlan could be presented in his Guard uniform, she had to wear a long gown made of traditional realm fabrics, the same material that made up the Guard uniform shirts.
Many aspects of the Nine Realms had remained in previous centuries, one more reason why she liked the modern world of Tennessee.
Once dressed, she regarded her reflection in the mirror. She’d braided a portion of her hair and wrapped it in a circle on top of her head, also an ancient tradition for unmarried women. She’d already noticed that many of the women in the main street wore some kind of head-dress, whether a scarf or a hat, indicating they were married.
She added the silver linked belt that gave shape to the gown and hung at a pretty angle over her hips, the attached, decorative chain dangling, no doubt on purpose, to the juncture of her thighs.
She shook her head and laughed. She thought she looked ready for a costume party more than anything else, but these were the rules of the castle. The queen had given her shelter, and dressing in old-realm costume offered in return a small measure of gratitude.
Gizelda had given her instructions as to the location of the main receiving hall, so Batya made her way there with some confidence. Two troll guards stood to either side of an arched stone doorway. The guard on the right informed her that Mastyr Seth was within but that Mastyr Quinlan had gone down to Main Street to see his brigade commander.
She’d met Seth decades earlier when he had visited her father. She had thought him an overly serious type, not given to having fun, or enjoying life.
But when she entered the room, something shifted for her so suddenly that she gasped, even though she didn’t exactly know why.
He stood on the other s