Page 84 of Shadow Mark

Dutifully, Lenore took the pills and cuddled up on the sofa to be mindless in front of a screen. When the program ended, Lenore made the mistake of switching over to a live broadcast. Surprise, surprise, the news was all about her. Somehow, the media got wind that she bonded with a karu, and no one was happy about it. At least this station wasn’t thrilled.

Should humans be allowed to bond?

Are humans the right choice?

Footage of Lenore, wearing Baris’ feather cape that swallowed her and Trouble on her shoulder, played on repeat.

Six humans are known to have bonded with karu. What does this mean for Arcosians? Bonds are at an all-time low.

Cue some pundit to talk about declined bond rates and why humans were taking a limited resource, and everything was terrible. Then another guest would say this was an exciting development and why karu sought out humans for a bond should be studied.

“Six is hardly a staggering amount,” Lenore said, talking out loud to the screen and to Trouble. “I really don’t think it’s some great indication that karu are throwing over Arcosians for humans. Unless you are?”

Trouble didn’t seem to think much of the program either. The show presented itself as a discussion of current events, but really, it was two—sometimes more—people shouting at each other.

Bonds happen infrequently, and humans just drop in from the sky, taking those bonds away from Arcosians…

She turned off the screen, having heard enough. It was all vitriol.

“It’s just fear-mongering,” she said out loud, speaking to Trouble. “You chose me. I don’t think there’s anything in the universe that could force you to do anything against your will.”

Trouble flexed his wings, fluffed his feathers, and then closed his eyes as he tucked his beak against his chest. She got the impression of stubbornness, which she totally identified with, and also a sleepy contentedness.

“Yeah, a nap sounds good,” she responded. The world didn’t know about the engagement yet. She should enjoy a lazy day while she could; life would get busy soon.

BARIS

“May I offer you my congratulations, Your Majesty?” Des said.

“Thank you,” Baris said. They walked through the corridors, heading for his office. “The proposal was not planned, but the moment seemed correct. Lady Lenore will make an excellent queen. The council will protest, but they shouldn’t take too much convincing.”

He paused and turned around, aware that Des no longer followed him.

The male’s mouth hung open in shock.

“You meant the karu,” Baris said. The karu on his shoulder provided a reassuring weight, but the bond was too faint to feel a connection. He raised his hand to assure himself that she was real. She butted her head against his hand. Real. Present. Comfort.

“Yes, the karu. I…I had no idea,” Des sputtered. Color rose in his cheeks as if embarrassed by such a misunderstanding. If the male took flight from the wrong branch, he corrected himself quickly. “Many happy congratulations, Your Majesty. That information is not known yet. May I suggest we keep it that way?—”

Baris and the karu both disliked that suggestion.

“At least until after Councilor Raelle’s retirement party in three weeks. Once the announcement is made, it will overshadow the councilor’s career and contributions to the kingdom?—”

Baris waved a hand to silence the male. Once the official announcement was made, a series of events would be set in motion that could not be stopped. A royal wedding was a long, complicated process, at least when the monarch was involved. Vekele’s marriage to Sarah had been done with trickery and enough planning to make it look spontaneous. He would not be able to get away with such antics again. He said, “You have a point. It would be rude to steal attention away from Raelle. The official announcement can wait.”

Des fell in step beside Baris, consulting his tablet. “I will consult the plans from the last royal wedding.”

An elaborate affair had been planned for his union with Joie Starshade, but it never came to fruition. Everything had been in place with the ceremony days away, then the abduction happened. The actual mating ceremony was a simple affair, held at gunpoint, with an off-planet officiant on a Starshade ship. Once liberated by his brother, Baris could have had the union dissolved. No court would consider it legal, but he rather enjoyed the fact that the Starshades attached a collar to him, thinking they had him chained and defeated.

They gave him the chain to control them. First, he took the life of the leader of the house, which made Joie the new leader as the highest-ranking member of the family. What was his mate’s was his, legally, allowing him to take their property and their wealth. He took their ships, confining them to a far planet. He could—should have done worse. The House of Starshade was weak, but it still existed, a blight on the system. For the moment, it was contained, but…

The karu nipped at his ear, breaking through his spiraling thoughts.

As satisfying as it had been to dismantle the Starshades one legal maneuver at a time, he wanted nothing of the ceremony designed for them to touch Lenore.

“Use it as a starting point, but I’d prefer to not reuse elements. What was suitable for a union with the Starshades is not suitable for Lady Lenore,” Baris said. He wanted nothing of the Starshades to taint his happiness.

“Lenore will need an etiquette tutor, a cultural tutor, as well as a stylist. Elocution lessons wouldn’t go amiss. Her accent is…rustic.”

---