“Will you do something about the other threats to the ground?”I asked.“If the zombie king is defeated and his creations die out, will you try to eliminate what remains of the vamps, for instance?”
“It is up to my liege to decide what options there are for our homecloud.Then my brethren will choose one.”
“Can Xan–the king choose on his own?At least, in times of war?”I was all for democracy but wasn’t blind to its flaws.The majority didn’t always make the best decisions.
Samuin’s tail curled as he flew beside me.“My Queen speaks of the unthinkable.That is treason to the homecloud.I have studied that on the ground, a leader could go so far, but here this would never happen.If my liege decides on his own to go to war with a new enemy, no warriors will follow him.How will he win his war?A king is nothing without his people.”
Yeah, if only humans had learned that lesson over the centuries.“But even for today’s battle, where I think the king got approval from the Army…”
“Yes?”
“He still relies on volunteers only.”I slowed down my pace to be able to talk without running out of breath.“Isn’t that counterproductive?”
“Every single warrior is free to decide which battle to join.He needs to personally believe in the cause to fight to the death for it.”
Meaning that the chances of the Gargoyles fighting for humans beyond their ancient war with zombies, were slim.So much for my hope that the tide of the apocalypses could be turned.Thingscould never go back to normal.
I stopped abruptly stairs away from the last landing as a previous concern of mine resurfaced.“How many warriors volunteered for today’s attack?”
Samuin’s tail twitched.“Nothing can stop my liege from returning to you.”
“Fuck.”I gripped the wooden railing, fear freezing my limbs at his evasive answer.Xaniban had replied to the same question in a similar fashion.“They’ll be outnumbered, won’t they?”
I’d been so stupid, refusing to consider his death as a possibility.How could I think of Xaniban as unbeatable when I had seen him almost dying a day ago?Just a day ago!He could regenerate, yes, but not as quickly as vampires could.He was far from invincible in battle, and today he might be facing more monsters than ever.
He might be dead already.And here I was, thinking about getting changed so as to rob him of the satisfaction of seeing me in his color.I had thought I wouldn’t be able to stand the smug smile he would give me then, but… what if I never saw that smile again?
Sadness, as sharp as a blade, cut into me.
“My Queen?”
Samuin flew closer, and the air moved by his wings made my eyes burn.I reached up, and my fingers came out wet.“What the…” I hadn’t realized I was crying.
“Do you feel unwell?”Samuin asked with palpable concern in his tone, tail restless.“Drained of energy?”
“No.”I quickly wiped the unexpected tears away, but my voice still came out shaky.“Why?”
He pulled away, body visibly relaxing.“One can sense the death of one’s mate.Even when the mate bond is still raw.”
“Raw, as in new?”
“To some extent.But it is not so much about its newness as it is about its consummation.”
“And that means what exactly?”
He flapped his wings to stay hovering at my eye level.“The initial need of newly reunited mates to be one, just like their souls were once one, is so potent that most mates do not leave their bed for days after the mating.Once their soul and body settle with the knowledge that they will not be parted again, the mate bond is no longer raw.”
“Um… I think I get it now,” I mumbled, feeling awkward all of a sudden.The idea of spending days in bed with Xaniban sounded so appealing that I could imagine locking the bedchamber door myself.With both of us inside.
“My Queen will better understand everything she is feeling once she reads theMate Bond Scroll.I have learned the basics from there, and my friends’ stories added very little to what you can read in it.”
I guess that was his polite way of saying I should stop with the endless info-drilling.With me no longer in need of a guard, he surely had better things to do than answer questions about the meaning ofconsummation.
“Sorry for keeping you, Samuin,” I told him, quickly climbing the last remaining stairs to the landing.“Just get me to the library and go do your thing.”
He landed next to me and started walking down the only corridor available, a single wooden door at its end.
“Your company is most welcome,” he assured me as he reached for the lever handle.“Once my liege returns victorious, I will certainly be deprived of the refreshing conversations you so generously offer me.”
