Avandor's Gift

“You two are out late.” said Garima who met us in the corridor. “What are you up to?” she asked.

“You have taken on to the role of wife quite quickly.” I said.

“Since it is your wedding night and you two have much to talk about I will excuse myself.” said Evander.

“What do you mean us two...” I started to protest but he had already slipped away in the shadows. “Damn him.” I said turning back to face Garima.

“Someone is coming.” She said pulling my head down and kissed me full on the lips. The action surprised me greatly and a feral force rocked through me which compelled me to bring her closer tight against my body. I felt my canines elongate as they brushed against her lower lip.

A light came around the corner and two handmaids were startled as they met up on us. They then bowed and quickly waked passed us, barely stifling giggles.

As soon as they were gone. I pushed her away forcefully.

“Did you bite me?” she said touching her lips.

“No one can question whether or not you were thoroughly...kissed on your wedding night. Goodnight princess.” I said walking away from her quickly. I ran to the guest room on the top floor and closed the door firmly behind me. I lit the lamps and rushed over to the nearest mirror and bared my teeth.

I looked the same except for my upper and lower canines which were now retracting before my very eyes. There was a sharp knock coming from outside.

I opened the door to face Garima. “What is going on? What happened to you when you went out tonight with Evander?” I poked my head out and looked down the corridors, before dragging her roughly inside and closed the door. “It isn’t nothing either. I saw your teeth after, we, I kissed you.” she said.

“What was wrong with my teeth?” I asked.

“They were long and pointed... They were fangs!” she said.

“I don’t think so,” I said as I went to look in the mirror and bared my teeth. “These don’t look quite fang like to me.” I said turning to her.

“I know what I saw.” she said.

“And you are quite right.” said a voice that boomed with the power of thunder.

“Two gods in one night, I must truly be blessed.” I said as I looked at the glowing being.

“Avandor interfered with my claiming. But never mind, Gé Addar has a new queen. I shall claim my price from her instead.”

“I won’t allow you to hurt her.” I said stepping in front of her.

“What is going on Gareth? Who is he?” she said as she grabbed my shoulder.

“I would kill you but I cannot have Avandor as my enemy at this time, but don’t test me—being—as I will hurt you.”

“I would like to see you try.” I dared him.

“Very well,” he said as with a flick of his hand he peeled me away from Garima and had me pinned to the wall by an unseen force. “I shall have you quiet too so you won’t interrupt.” I tried to talk but no sound would come.

I watched in horror unable to move, speak or do anything as Garima backed away from him and towards the door. “There is no place that could hide you from my eyes, so it is pointless to run.”

“I will fight then,” she said and started chanting in the ancient language she had used before to call forth magic. Wind whipped around her head and the room was lit by rainbow light. Manneth flicked his hand and the room instantly became silent, still and dim.

“No one has ever been able to do that.” she said surprised.

“It comes with being a god, and I will be thwarted no longer. I have come to claim my price and it is this: the Ulgana gives their sopli and the changelings their age, you daughter of Manneth I claim from you and your descendants ...”

“You can claim nothing from her as I have already claimed her as my mate. She belongs to me now.” I said. As soon as the thought had formed in my mind his gag had lifted. Another gift from Avandor no doubt.

His head swivelled to face me, “You cannot,” he hissed.

“Avandor said I could and I did. Garima is no longer one of yours but one of his.”

He looked at her once more and his scowl deepened. “You will pay for this eventually Gareth. Your day of reckoning will come and sooner than you think.” he stamped his feet once and thunder echoed around us, then he was gone.

Unfettered by his power I suddenly fell to the ground. I rubbed my throat as the remnants of his gag faded away. Garima came to kneel beside me.

“Are you alright?”

“I have lived through worse.” I said pushing myself up on my knees. “Are you alright?” I asked as the realisation of what I had done dawned on me.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, I am just a bit confused about what you said and why he left because of it.”

“I claimed you as my mate and that eliminated his hold over you.” I said.

“Why would it?”

“Each god is sovereign over the race they created.”

“I know, I am human so why would he leave me?”

“You were human. When I claimed you as my mate you changed.”

“So I am part changeling now?” her frowned deepened.

“Not exactly.”

“Then what are we then?”

“I am not quite sure of that quite yet. But I do know that we have fangs, retractable ones.”

“You said you hadn’t bitten me.”

“I lied. I have been known to do that occasionally.” I said still rubbing my throat.

She was silent and I watched a series of emotions flicking across her face. She touched her lips thoughtfully and smiled a bit which made me confused. “So do the fangs only appear when we kiss or at other times?”

“I don’t actually know.” I said stunned by her acceptance. “You seem to be bearing this news very well. Better than me even.”

“I am female I bear everything better.” She paused. “I have never been wanted before, especially not by a male. This is the second time in a day that you have done something to protect and elevate my position. You do this for me who you don’t love, I can’t help but to wonder just how much more would you do if you did care for me.”

I looked down as my face burned red with the turn this conversation had taken. “I suppose as my mate we will see how that goes.”

“This certainly changes things,” I heard her whisper almost to herself as she got up and turned towards the balcony as if listening. She then hurried back towards me. “We have to leave tonight.” she said taking me by the hand. “I didn’t know the type of person you were. I thought you were just another tyrant that wanted to overrun my country and the others convinced me to do this.” she said biting her lower lip.

“What are you talking about?”

“The greater portion of the Láetian army is now gathered in this city. We used the wedding as a cover for the men to enter.”

“You did what!” I said as I pulled away from her.

“Listen Gareth,” she said grabbing back my hand. “We need to leave now as they plan to lay siege of the city at dawn and no one in this royal household will be left alive. Not even me.” She sighed then held her head up proudly as she looked away.

“I am female and in our culture I would not be allowed to rule, so I made the only contribution I could by giving myself to you in a bid to win back my country. I see how you regard women and I’ve realised that I don’t want this country to adopt the Láetian culture. I may have freed my country, but I would be putting the women of three nations under a system of oppression.” She turned back to me. “This why we need to leave. If you live we have a chance to fight the system before it is fully implemented.”

“You are so sure that we would lose?”

“The attack begins at dawn, which is less than two hours away. Can you gather an army by dawn to defeat a force of ten thousand men?” I couldn’t answer as I was stunned into silence.

“He might not be able to, but I can and I have.” The both of us turned towards the door as Evander followed by a cloaked figure entered.

“Brother you wouldn’t believe who I met while trying to find you both.” He said. I noted that he was already dressed in full armour. The figure stepped forward in the lamp light and threw back the hood covering her face.

“Noräin,” I said. “You’re alive.” I said as walked up to her and held her face between my hands.

“Gareth, it is good to hear your voice again after so long.” she said as she fell into my chest and embraced me.