The words, the cords, and the two hearts willing: all had to be present to make a valid marriage in Lakewalker…not eyes, but groundsense, that subtle, invisible, powerful perceiving. Fawn wondered desperately how it was people made their assent work the strings’ grounds that way. Thinking really hard about it seemed, for her, about as effective as being a five-year-old wishing hard for a pony, eyes scrunched up in futile effort, because a child had no other power by which to move the world.

Doing has no need of wishing.

She would do her marriage then, hour by hour and day by day with the work of her hands, and let the wishing fall where it would.

Dag had his head cocked as though he were listening to something Fawn could not hear; his eyelids lowered in satisfaction, and he smiled. With some difficulty, he lifted his right arm and positioned the fingers of his hand about one end of the knot, gathering up the two gold beads from the two different cords; Fawn, at his nod, grasped the other pair. Together, they pulled the knot apart, and Fawn let the cords unwind from around each other. Fawn then tied her cord on Dag’s arm, and Dag, with Nattie’s help, or rather Nattie with Dag’s hindrance, tied his cord around Fawn’s wrist, this time with square knots. Dag glanced up under his lids at her with a muted expression, joy and terror and triumph compounded, with just a touch of wild unholy glee. It reminded Fawn of the loopy look on his face right after they’d slain the malice, actually. He leaned his forehead against Fawn’s and whispered, “It’s good. It’s done.”

Lakewalker ground magic of a most profound sort. Worked in front of twenty people. And not one of them had seen it. What have we done?

Still sitting, Dag snaked his left arm around her and snugged her in for a proper kiss, though it felt disorienting to be lowering her face toward his instead of raising it. With an effort, they both broke off before the kiss continued at improper length. She thought he just barely refrained from pulling her into his lap and ravishing her right there. She was way overdue for a good ravish. Later, his bright eyes promised.

And then it was time to go eat.