"You are strong but fragile," he whispered into her ear, holding her close. "You are brave but timid. And I promise you, Laira, that I will always praise your name, and I will always make you proud to be my wife."

She closed her eyes, her fear easing, and she smiled softly as his fingers trailed down her belly and reached between her thighs. And he did not hurt her, but he loved her, and she buried her hands in his hair, and for the first time in her life, Laira found pleasure in the love of a man, and she began to understand those secrets the women of her tribe would whisper in the nights. Here in their bed, he was no warrior, no slayer of enemies; he was her husband, and it was good and warm and safe. A demon army flew toward her, and the world burned, but this night she slept naked in her husband's arms and she did not dream.

ALINA

 
ALINA

The guards shoved them into the dungeon, and the stone door slammed shut behind them, scattering dust.

Alina fell, banging her knees against the dirt floor. She coughed, her robes tangling around her, the ropes chafing her wrists and ankles. At her side, Dorvin and Maev thumped down into the dirt, their limbs tied with thick ropes. The chamber was dark; only a small hole in the ceiling let in a beam of dusty light. For long moments, Alina struggled to reclaim her breath, to focus her eyes, to make sense of her surroundings. She could see only shadows, but she sensed a presence here, something very old, very strong. A power filled this chamber, a great darkness, an ancient wisdom crushed under fear. It was so thick it spun Alina's head; she had not felt such power in the air since witnessing the magic of King's Column.

"Let us out!" Dorvin was shouting, struggling to rise, only to fall again.

"Open that door and face us like men!" Maev cried, mouth full of dust, and spat. "Cowards!"

Yet the stone door remained closed. The guards had manhandled them here across Bar Luan, taken them into a tunnel that led to this chamber beneath their holy tree, and entombed them in the shadows.

"This is all your fault, Alina." Dorvin glared at her. He managed to rise to his knees, and his eyes blazed. "Mammoth Arse and I wanted to burn the bastards. Why did you stop us?"

She glared back at him, her eyes still adjusting to the darkness. "We've not flown here to slay men. We're Vir Requis, not monsters."

"Well, now we're imprisoned Vir Requis." Dorvin huffed and tugged at his bonds. "I hope you're happy."

Maev too grumbled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the dung beetle. We should have burned them. This is war. You shouldn't have stopped us, Alina, and we shouldn't have listened to you."