Page 40 of Crownless King

She peered at me closely.

“Have you talked to Voron about it?”

“I will.” I nodded. “But I just wanted to know if there is anything at all like that in Nerifir.”

“Well, I don’t personally know anyone who’d worry about that in Nerifir, but I’ve heardyarapearls prevent a woman from getting pregnant. The pearl would need to be placed inside you, you know?” She waved a hand in front of her pelvis area. “Where it can remain indefinitely.”

“Where do I get ayarapearl?”

“They come from the Olathana Ocean. Sirens collect them from the shells to trade with orcs from another world of the River of Mists.”

“What world?” I’d never heard of orcs before.

“It’s outside of Nerifir, connected to us only by the River of Mists, just like the human realm is. Voron read about it in the records somewhere. He reads a lot. When does he find the time?” She waved her hands before grabbing another thing to pack. “Apparently, orcs are just as fertile as humans.Yarapearls are in demand in their world. Which is a good thing. Who needs an orc overpopulation, really?” She shuddered.

“Is there a place here in Sky Kingdom where I could get that pearl?”

She tapped her chin with her finger. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard of one. You really should speak to Voron about all of this. If anyone was able to get it for you, it’d be him.”

I didn’t tell her that it’d been rather difficult to get a chance to talk to him lately. In the past two days, he hadn’t even eaten with me once. He got out of bed before I woke and took all his meals in the library with his men. I didn’t even know how many of his people were staying in Vensari. They were constantly coming and going, with boots stomping in the corridors and wings flapping outside the windows.

Throughout the day, I only saw Voron in passing here and there, when he would pull me to him in a hallway for a quick kiss or suddenly hug me from behind as I packed and he’d come into the room to get something.

At night, I went to bed alone. Sometime later, Voron would join me, tired but more hungry for my body than ever.

His appetite for me never ebbed. He was truly insatiable, making love to me with the desperation of the first time and as fervently as if every night was our last night together.

“Talk to him,” Brebie urged. “You need to know what he thinks about either having a baby or not having one.”

“I will.”

She held up her hand to the ray of sunshine spilling from the window and smiled at the shadow it cast onto the bedspread.

“The weather has been so lovely lately. Kanbor must be glad to see the sun finally out.”

Her fingers trembled slightly, and she squeezed her hand into a fist, moving it to her side. She missed her husband, even if she never said so out loud.

I knew I’d miss the peace and quiet of Voron’s exile, but it had hurt many other people. With Voron on the royal throne, things would get better for all of them. Voron would fulfill his life’s purpose. And Brebie would finally reunite with her husband.

* * *

We left Vensari three days later. I traveled in a comfy carriage while Voron rode horseback, alongside some of his men.

I had the carriage all to myself. I put my feet up onto the seat, leaned with my back against the padded side wall, and took out my knitting.

Sitting sideways like that allowed me to see directly out of the window. Every now and then, I would lift my eyes from my work to watch the green hills of Sky Kingdom roll by. After almost three months spent in this world, I’d seen relatively little of it. Whatever travel I’d done before had been out of necessity. This trip had a purpose, too, but I felt safe with Voron’s escort. I could relax and enjoy the scenery.

We rode for a few hours before the carriage stopped and its door opened.

Voron poked his head in. “How are you doing so far?”

“Good, thank you.” I lowered my half-finished scarf onto my lap. “And how have you been?”

He took my question as an invitation to climb in and shut the door behind him.

“Bored.” He slapped his hand against the front of the carriage, giving the man driving it a sign to keep going.

A moment later, we were on our way again, with the carriage bouncing softly along the packed dirt road.

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