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The Truth in Echoes

Chapter 75

Azrian and Etienne watched as Nadheertia and her half-sister Teshale argued. The two vixens were standing in a great white throne room, facing each other on the long golden carpet. All around them, warrior foxes were bleeding, panting, falling to the floor, and comforting the dying. The warriors were male and female alike, and all were clad in golden armor, the breastplates curled like leaves, their swords golden. But there were more than just warriors in the room: infants wailed, females wept, children sobbed for their parents, and the elderly prayed to the gods in withered voices that were choked with tears. Someone was pounding on the great arched doors of the throne room, trying to break in. Those warriors who were capable scrambled to barricade the doors, using every bit of furniture in the room, until they had used the very throne itself: they were desperate. Nadheertia pointed a finger and shouted an order, and more warriors pulled themselves up to help.

Nadheertia and her sister were also bloody, and while Teshale was clad in magnificent golden armor, Nadheertia was draped in a flowing white gown and carried no weapons. Her gown was slit up each thigh to reveal her long, slender legs, and her small white feet were strapped in gold sandals. Her white mane fell lose and wild and mussed down to her tail, and the crystal crown nestled atop it was sitting crookedly. Her great breasts were heaving, and her large golden eyes were tired and unhappy, and she was spattered with dark blood. Around her throat hung a large green jewel on a rope of gold, and Azrian noticed Etienne's ears prick forward when he saw it: Nadheertia was wearing the Emerald of Varimore, an heirloom which had been passed down through Etienne's family for centuries.

Teshale looked exactly like her sister in appearance, from her golden eyes to her white and glowing fur to her fluffy tail. She wore a beautiful set of golden armor that accentuated her curves, but her chest was completely covered, and from her shoulders flowed a long white cape, spattered in blood. Like her sister, Teshale was disheveled, bloody, and tired. She ripped off her winged helm with a toss her thick white mane and shouted at her sister that it was her palace and she would never surrender. Behind her, a few warriors cheered.

"That's Ayni's blood screaming from your mouth," Nadheertia returned impatiently.

"It is," said Teshale darkly. "I am the child of Ayni and Ti'uu, and I will not surrender! This is my_palace and I will die with dignity and honor. _You go sniveling to the dog king for mercy if it makes you happy!"

Nadheertia shook her head. "Don't be foolish. You would rather watch King Antony storm in here and rape and murder your subjects?" She waved a tired paw at the crowds of weeping females and children. "You would sacrifice them all for your foolish pride!"

"Not pride, honor," Teshale hissed. Her pink nostrils flared. "Not that you would understand. You aren't a warrior --"

"No, I am a warrior," Nadheertia growled. She offered her bloody paws. "I am stained with the blood of my foes! I have fought this day to protect Palace N'calia, to protect the life of fox, and I am wise enough to realize when I have lost --"

"Daughter of Kutre," Teshale said in disgust, "this is not your realm. Your realm was lost years_ago and then you came crawling to me, did you _forget?"

Nadheertia dropped her paws and regarded her sister coldly. "I may not rule here, Tesha, but Ti'uu is my father too. He named me empress --"

"There is no more empire!" Teshale shouted.

Nadheertia glared. "Father would want you to listen to me --"

"To hell with what Ti'uu wants!" Teshale practically screamed, her golden eyes flying wide, her fangs bare. "Look around, you fool! Ti'uu has abandoned us! Where was Ti'uu when the west bridge fell?" she demanded, and behind her, a few wounded warriors nodded grimly and raised their fists in agreement. "Where was Ti'uu," Teshale went on heatedly, "when the blood of fox screamed from the earth --!"

"So because you are angry with Daddy," Nadheertia said over her sister, "you would let your subjects die just to spite him?"

Teshale stepped close to Nadheertia, until they were nose-to-nose. They glared at each other, and Teshale said in a low, deadly voice, "When Antony breaks the barricade, I will fight to the last breath. I will lose, but I will have done everything - everything - in my power to stop him. And while he's raping you bloody, I hope you'll have the sense to wonder where Daddy is then." She put on her helm and marched angrily past her sister, mane and tail streaming.

Nadheertia closed her eyes and wept a silent tear as Teshale's blade was pulled from its scabbard with a cold ching.

"Wow," Etienne muttered. "Teshale was kind of an asshole."

"What's scary is that I'm starting to remember her," Azrian said sadly. "She was my older sister and should have ruled the empire by right, but Daddy - Ti'uu favored me." Azrian shook her head and swallowed unhappily. "She never forgave me for it."

Etienne glanced at Azrian sympathetically.

Azrian frowned. "But how could you remember this?" she said. "This is my memory. . . ." She glanced at Etienne as she finally realized: they were not in his subconscious but_hers._ They had crossed from his Dream Space and into her own.

"Whenever we met here," Etienne said, "our souls would join. I could see your memories as we made love. Once I saw a memory of you and Teshale as small children." He laughed sadly. "I figured," he shrugged, "if I could see those things, then I could poke further, see what really happened when King Antony - when I took over. I found this memory while I wandered, but I couldn't see the entire thing without you. . . . only the part where I come in and fight Teshale. I wanted you see it. I figured . . ." his voice became tired and grim, "maybe we could put this to rest."

Azrian took Etienne's paw, and they watched what happened next with their hearts thrumming.

King Antony's soldiers managed to break the barricade, and as they poured through, the fox warriors made a last grand stand, screaming a war cry that shook the palace to its very foundations. Azrian watched in amazement as the foxes suddenly blazed with fire. The flames dazzled their golden armor and were brilliant enough to give Antony's dogs pause. But Antony spurred his warriors on, and they charged.

King Antony looked a great deal like Etienne did now: a large and powerful King Shepard, with a black muzzle, a long golden mane, and piercing blue eyes. His mane was so long, in fact, it fell clear past his backside in a golden stream. He wore a gleaming set of silver armor with a flaring cape that lifted sky blue behind him as he sailed forth. His warriors were likewise clad in silver armor, and their eyes gleamed through their helms as they came, howling at the top of their voices, "For the kiiiiiiiing!"

Antony bellowed for the foxes to surrender, but they never stopped fighting, and the dogs took them down anyway, extinguishing the flame of each fox one by one. One dog sank his silver blade in the stomach of a fox with obvious regret, while another eagerly and viciously cut off a warrior vixen's head in a fount of blood.

As her warriors fell, as blood splattered around her in a raining cascade, Teshale never paused, never stopped. Azrian thought she was magnificent. She cut through Antony's charging dogs with her white mane tossing, her sword and shield flashing, her golden eyes gleaming, and every dog that approached her fell to her blade. Eventually, the dogs became wary of her and stopped madly throwing themselves to their end. Teshale's warriors were dead and she was alone, but she still refused to give up. She challenged King Antony himself to a duel, and the dog king accepted the challenge readily.

Azrian thought they were about to witness King Antony murder Teshale. After all, Queen Teshale had simply vanished from history after Nadheertia's defeat, and no scholar had ever found evidence of her fate. It was odd. Why wouldn't King Antony want his defeat of such a great warrior recorded for the world to remember?

As everyone watched, King Antony and Queen Teshale circled each other, shields raised, swords ready. Queen Nadheertia stood by with her paws clasped under her chin, watching the proceedings with tears pouring from her eyes. She seemed to believe her sister was about to be murdered in front of her, and Azrian could suddenly feel the same fear constricting her throat. A tear escaped down Azrian's cheek and she caught it on her finger in surprise.

Teshale made the first move. Antony parried it easily, and Teshale was bitterly surprised when she found herself blocked from striking him. She viciously shoved him away, and they clashed weapons, blocking with their shields, sidestepping swings, leaning back to avoid blows. Teshale fought valiantly, and her subjects watched her brave last stand with admiration and pride, but eventually, she lost. King Antony managed to disarm her, and as she knelt breathlessly before him, she laughed in his face.

"Go ahead, dog lord," Teshale panted, breastplate heaving with her gasps, white hair streaming across vicious golden eyes. Her quiet voice echoed in the silence, "Kill me. Kill me like the monster you are! But foxes will _never_bend to your rule. The fighting will never end."

King Antony sheathed his sword, and murmurs of surprise rippled through the room. "No, I won't kill you," the dog king said calmly. "There has been enough bloodshed this day. You and your subjects are my prisoners." He waved at the crowd of cowering females and cubs, and his soldiers moved forward to secure them.

Azrian thought many of Antony's soldiers looked disappointed that there would be no more slaughter. Some of them eyed the cowering vixens hungrily, and she knew those vixens would meet a dark fate in some dungeon later, cornered by multiple males with exposed organs.

Teshale glared at Antony, as behind her, her subjects screamed in fear of the dogs who approached to arrest them. "And when this whim of mercy changes?" she demanded of King Antony.

King Antony looked down at the warrior queen calmly. "My mercy is not a whim." He gestured. "Take her away."

More dogs moved forward to secure Queen Teshale, who stared at Antony in anger and disbelief as she was hauled to her feet. The queen of Palace N'calia looked so shocked, so furious, one would think she'd actually wanted Antony to kill her. She glared at him as she was marched away, and she shouted that she would have her honorable end one way or another, but Antony wasn't looking at Teshale. He was looking at Nadheertia.

"I noticed you," muttered Etienne, "and it was like the world stopped." He smiled to himself.

King Antony approached Queen Nadheertia, who bowed her head with deference as his shadow fell over her. He didn't speak a word. He simply stopped and looked down at the small and beautiful fox before him, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

"Great king," Nadheertia said graciously to the blood-spattered carpet, "you have proven your strength and skill by conquering our lands. I only ask that you please sp-pare my p-people. They are no threat to y-you."

King Antony laughed. "I have a stab wound that says otherwise."

Nadheertia swallowed hard and frowned at her little sandals. "Please."

"They will be spared," King Antony said softly.

Nadheertia lifted her face in surprise. "Just like that?" Her golden eyes went wide. "Why?"

King Antony looked at her dreamily. "Because you asked."

Nadheertia blinked and clearly didn't know what to say, but when she saw the longing in his eyes, she blushed angrily and stared at her feet. "I do not know what you intend, dog king," she said darkly, "but know that I will not submit quietly to your lusts. Like my sister, I will defend myself to the last. Even if it means my death."

"I mean you no harm," King Antony said in the same soft voice.

Nadheertia made a noise of disgust. "He says as he stands in the ruins of my sister's palace!"

King Antony laughed. His eyes softened and he touched Nadheertia's face. She flinched and backed away, and he dropped his paw.

"You can try to force me," Nadheertia said stiffly, "and I promise you: you will not come away unscathed."

King Antony cleared his throat. "Forgive me, my lady. I saw you standing there, and I couldn't help feeling as if I should kiss you."

"You will help it or I will hurt you," Nadheertia said at once, and the dog king laughed again. She glared at him. "I am not your lady. I am queen of Kivaria and empress of the entire realm!"

"Kivaria," King Antony repeated. "Ah . . . you mean Krodor. We renamed it five years ago."

Nadheertia's breasts heaved angrily.

"You speak my language rather well now," King Antony pointed out and frowned in surprise.

"I have had years to learn it," Nadheertia said with a curl of her lip that revealed a sharp fang.

"When I took Krodor," King Antony said, and Nadheertia glared daggers at his continued use of the new name, "I vowed that I would find you, wherever you fled. Did you think I wouldn't come here eventually? You should have surrendered to me. You doomed your own people for nothing --"

"I am not the one who cut them down!" Nadheertia burst.

"I am doing what my god behests," King Antony said seriously. "The Father of Heaven commands that you are to marry me, Nadheertia."

"Mindless dog that you are," Nadheertia said in a low voice, "of course you would obey the gods, blindly and without question."

King Antony frowned. "No, I question it. I question many things. But I know one thing without a doubt: I love you."

Nadheertia made a shrill noise of disgust. "Stop speaking to me. Stop it now!"

Antony shook his head. "I have done everything in my power to minimize the suffering of your people. If you had surrendered to me before --"

"And shame myself before my subjects?" Nadheertia returned angrily. "No!"

"So you let all these foxes die and fled me to save face?" Antony returned impatiently. He shook his head. "You are no better than your wild sister, just not as wild."

Nadheertia's breasts heaved. "I will never marry you! Never!" she burst with sudden vehemence. "You were sent by the gods to punish us! You can go to hell!"

"I'd sooner fall at your feet, my queen," King Antony whispered.

Azrian glanced around and realized for the first time that the throne room was empty: King Antony and Queen Nadheertia were alone. The dog king slowly sank to his knees before Nadheertia and took off his helm, peering up at her like one entranced. Tears were pouring down Nadheertia's face, but she touched the king's golden mane with a trembling lip and there was clear desire for him in her eyes. He buried his nose against her long white gown, then pushed it up her thighs. The sound of hungry licking soon filled the throne room. Nadheertia frowned and her slender fingers tightened in Antony's golden mane as he tasted her with enough hunger and passion to almost make her swoon.

The memory faded until the black void was in its place, and in the distance, Azrian could see another door.

"Well," said Etienne and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "That was . . . intense."

"I guess history repeated itself," Azrian said, looking sadly at Etienne. "You were sent to marry me, I resisted . . . then I surrendered."

Etienne shrugged. "Who could blame you for resisting? Ti'uu was trying to twist your arm into an unwanted marriage. He isn't the only father to have done such a thing to his daughter . . . though he might have set the precedent."

Azrian smiled sadly.

Etienne squeezed her fingers and jerked his head at the distant door. "Come on. Let's see what happened later."

"You know what happened," Azrian said, following him through the darkness. "We had sex."

Etienne closed his paw on the doorknob and grinned. "I know."

Azrian rolled her eyes as Etienne opened the door.

The next memory took place in Wychowl's dungeon. Azrian recognized the place at once, as she'd spent a great deal of time there twenty years before. Queen Nadheertia was in a cell, and her sister was sitting bitterly in the one across from her. The place was dark and gloomy and lit by only a few torches. Dogs clad in silver armor paced grimly back and forth, and the sound of their thudding boots was loud in the silence.

Azrian found it curious that Nadheertia and Teshale appeared to be the only prisoners in the dungeon: there wasn't another fox in sight. Nadheertia sat in the same gown she'd been wearing the day Antony took the palace, only now the gown was filthy and torn on top of being stained with blood, and one of her sandals was broken. She sat against the far wall and hugged her knees, as her sister glared at her from the opposite cell.

Teshale had been stripped of her beautiful golden armor and sat in her cell wearing nothing but the thin under-armor she'd been wearing beneath: a pair of linen shorts and a shirt, both torn and filthy from her time in the dungeon.

Both sisters were mussed and dirty, their hair falling in their eyes, their faces tired. Nadheertia appeared tired and sad, but Teshale appeared tired and angry.

"Why don't you just marry the dog lord?" Teshale demanded. "You know you want to. I've seen the way you look at him when he comes here. You bedded him already, didn't you? While I was down here rotting in my cell --"

"Shut up, Tesha," Nadheertia warned in a low voice and her lips tightened.

"Why should I be silent?" Teshale demanded with a sneer. "This is my realm, my palace that was lost! And why? Because you refused to just marry the thing. He was sent by Father and we both know it --"

"Since when have you ever cared about Father's wishes?" Nadheertia growled. "Easy for you lecture me now when we've both lost everything!"

Teshale swallowed hard and was silent.

"If Father had asked you to bed a complete stranger for the good of the realm," said Nadheertia softly after a while, "would you have done it without question?"

"No," Teshale said at once. "And I pity you. That is why I allowed you to seek refuge here. That is why I fought to the last: to protect you from Antony. And from Father."

Nadheertia lowered her lashes. "I know. I love you."

"I love you like fire," Teshale answered and nodded. "You are my sister - how could I not? But I have failed you. There is nothing to be done now. Maybe you should go back to him --"

Nadheertia's eyes snapped on Teshale in amazement.

Teshale shook her head. "I know you want to. It is not a bad thing if you fucked the dog creature. He isn't so ugly . . . for a dog. You could have done worse for your first time."

"I did not . . . bed him," Nadheertia said uncomfortably and blushed to her hairline.

Teshale almost smiled but held back. "As you say."

"Please, Tesha, be serious," Nadheertia said, suddenly unable to look her sister in the eye. "We have lost a great deal because of Father's machinations. If King Antony finds the sword and the stone, the rest of the realm will fall."

Teshale shook her head again, looking very weary. "Oh, Naddy. The empire has already fallen. It's _over._If you just married him," she said gently, "would it be so awful?"

"My thoughts exactly," muttered Etienne and Azrian elbowed him.

"Maybe!" Nadheertia answered brusquely. "You're the one always talking about the weakness of submission, and yet you want me to submit!"

"It would be one thing if you despised the creature and Father was pushing you to bed him," said Teshale impatiently, "but you don't despise him. You like him. You did fuck him, I can tell --"

Nadheertia blushed harder and avoided her sister's eye.

" - and we sit in these cells because we refuse to bow to his rule," went on Teshale. "We sit here alone, while our brethren are free to wander the realm, seeking to rebuild their lives. Some of them live side by side with the dogs!"

"You would never share your realm with them," Nadheertia said dismissively.

"It is better than the alternative," Teshale answered, gesturing at her cell. "We could be free if we desired." She laughed flatly. "Hell, I would have left for the forest months ago, but I didn't want to leave you alone."

Nadheertia smiled gratefully at her sister. "But it's not that easy. The dogs want us dead. They want Antony to make an example of us, so that our people never rebel."

"I know," Teshale said in a low voice. "They scream for our blood. Antony has been putting it off the execution, trying to change the hearts of the dogs." She slowly shook her head. "He will fail."

Nadheertia dropped her eyes. "I know."

Teshale scowled. "So you will sit here and wait to die?"

"I deserve to die," Nadheertia said to the floor. "You're in this mess because of me - the entire realm fell because of me!"

"Stop. You sound like a whining child. We could walk from here freely if you just batted your eyes at the dog king --"

"And get slaughtered once we've taken two steps into the forest," Nadheertia cut across her. "Our people despise us, did you forget? They despise me for fleeing Kivaria and you for surrendering. They blame us for the fall of the empire. And they are right."

Teshale stared at the ground.

"There is no absolution," Nadheertia whispered. She stared at her toes. "Not for us."

They fell silent for a long time, then Teshale slowly smiled and lifted her eyes. "So how was it?" she asked. "Did you fuck him on the throne? That's what the guards say."

Nadheertia's lips parted in surprise. She scowled. "I will not discuss this!"

Teshale laughed as her sister went red in the face. "As you say."

Nadheertia stared at her knees and seemed on the verge of some confession. Her lip trembled and she swallowed hard. "Tesha," she whispered, "I . . . I am carrying his child."

Teshale went completely still. "What?"

Before Nadheertia could answer, the sound of boots stamping up the corridor preceded King Antony and his armed escort. The sister-queens fell silent as he approached and both dropped their eyes to the cold stone floor.

"Your highness," Antony said with a nod to Teshale. "And your highness," he said with a nod to Nadheertia. "I come begging your cooperation."

"A king who begs is hardly a king," said Teshale in disgust but reluctantly fell silent when Nadheertia shushed her.

King Antony smiled. "I have never claimed to be much of a king," he said good-naturedly to Teshale. "I believe I have found a way for all of us to walk out of this with our tails intact."

". . . we're listening," said Nadheertia.

"My people have agreed to pardon you for your crimes against the crown --" King Antony began.

"Ha! The crime of defending our own lands!" Teshale said derisively over him.

"Please, Tesha," Nadheertia begged, and Teshale bitterly fell silent.

"I agree it was no crime," King Antony said. "But my people view the burning and pillaging of their settlements as criminal --"

"Settlements," Teshale sneered. "You were not colonists. You were invaders. And I wish to the _gods_we had driven you out!"

"King Antony," Nadheertia said before her sister could continue her outburst. "Please, share your thoughts."

King Antony looked down at Nadheertia with soft eyes, and Teshale rolled her eyes at his silent doting. "My people are willing to stop pressing for your execution," he said, "if you will give up the location of the sword and the stone --"

"What!" Teshale shouted at once. "Never!"

King Antony looked at Nadheertia, who was staring unhappily at the her knees. "Your highness?"

"I stand with my sister," Nadheertia answered tonelessly and stared with dead eyes as she sealed her own doom. "Never."

King Antony sighed heavily, and Azrian thought he looked very miserable. "Would have made things much easier if --"

"We don't care! Execute us and get on with it!" Teshale growled.

King Antony smiled at Teshale. "The people think you are already dead," he said to her, and she blinked in surprise. "I have kept your survival a strict secret, Queen Teshale. But her majesty Queen Nadheertia . . ." He looked at Nadheertia regretfully. "They know she is alive. I have no bloody armor to display as 'evidence' of her supposed demise. I fear hanging her bloody dress on a pole wouldn't be enough either. But I will find a way."

Nadheertia looked at Antony with a confused frown. "Why would you do this for us?"

Antony looked at her steadily. "Because I love you."

Nadheertia blushed and dropped her eyes.

"And I want you to live," Antony went on. "It would break me in half if you should die, if I were expected to stand there and watch it."

Antony and Nadheertia stared sadly at each other, and they weren't aware of it, but Teshale was watching them thoughtfully. Something seemed to click in Teshale's eyes, and her face softened as the realization came over her that Antony and Nadheertia were truly in love.

"Take me instead," Teshale said into the silence. Everyone looked at her in surprise, and she repeated, "Take me."

"Your highness . . ." King Antony began uncertainly.

"Naddy and I are practically identical twins," Teshale insisted. "Put me in her dress and publicly execute me. No one will know the difference."

Nadheertia blinked out a tear. "Tesha!" she cried in astonishment. "I c-can't let you die for me!"

Teshale only smiled. "But I will die for you. I love you like fire."

Nadheertia broke down sobbing into her knees.

King Antony watched the sisters sadly, then gestured for his guards to unlock each cell. The guards obeyed, and the moment they were free, Nadheertia and Teshale ran to each other's arms.

The memory faded.

"So that's what happened to Teshale," said Etienne heavily.

"And that's why Ayni hated me," said Azrian. "Her daughter sacrificed herself so I could live . . . her daughter was executed by you."

"I'm sorry," Etienne said in a low voice.

Azrian squeezed his paw. "Don't be. Come on . . ." She nodded at the next door, which stood in the distant darkness. "Let's find out what happened to Nadheertia . . . to me."

They went toward the door together, paw-in-paw.

"What?" Azrian said when she noticed Etienne smiling dreamily.

"Huh? Nothing. It's just . . ." His smile widened. "We really did have sex on the throne. The guards walked in. Nobles and courtiers too. We just kept going. And it was . . ." he sighed. "Incredible."

Azrian bit her lip, somehow feeling embarrassed at the very thought.

"And before that," Etienne said happily, "the first time we met in Kro - Kivaria," he said, stumbling over the kingdom's name. "I came in peace to offer myself in marriage. We made love in the moonlight, in the courtyard of your palace. And then you ran from me. You ran to Teshale and it took me years to follow."

"I did," Azrian remembered. All of it was coming back to her. She could remember Antony holding her up against the wall, driving himself inside, kissing and groping her in a frenzy as flowers and trees pressed around them. She remembered being paralyzed with the pleasure of it, digging her nails in his muscular back, and how the night birds sang as she and Antony grunted and gasped. That first time had been incredible. She hadn't known pleasure like it since.

"The foxes tried to protect you," Etienne said unhappily. "They fought me, threw everything they had at me to keep me from reaching Vari'hal. That's what your people called Varimore. . . ."

Etienne sounded so sad, Azrian squeezed his fingers. "It's alright. You thought you were doing the work of the gods."

"They misled me to think it was right," Etienne admitted. "I hadn't been alive more than a few months. They created me in Heaven and sent me to Aonre. . . . my only purpose being to find you and love you."

"But you were alive _before_that," Azrian pointed out. "Don't you remember being a god in Heaven? You were Hildrith'el's son, the great warrior Xantu, who was murdered by my people when they made war on Skkye . . . The entire story was in the Summer Valley, all written in great tomes."

"You went to the SummerValley?" Etienne asked in surprise.

"Yes," Azrian answered wearily. "And I'm never going back."

Etienne blinked thoughtfully. "I was a god in Heaven."

"A warrior god," Azrian said with a smile.

Etienne snorted. "And look at me now. I hate shooting and riding is a bore."

Azrian laughed.

They came to the door at last and simply stood there. Neither of them wanted to know what had happened to Nadheertia after she escaped Wychowl. If history had mistaken Teshale for her sister, then Nadheertia had escaped the dungeon to an unknown fate, never to be heard from or seen again. It was very likely she had died, and King Antony, in her absence, had obviously despaired without her and had raised her memory to the status of a goddess, so that modern dogs now worshipped her.

"Should I do the honors?" Etienne wondered unhappily.

Azrian swallowed hard. "I'll do it."

Azrian turned the knob, and the door opened, swinging away from them to reveal a wintry scene. Queen Nadheertia plodded through the darkness and snow, head down, wrapped in a cloak and wearing a simple dress that was torn and filthy. Her boots were crusted with snow, and her weak panting hurt Azrian's heart. She was clearly very heavy with child, and as one arm shielded her face from flurries of snow, the other arm cradled her heavy belly. Eventually, she staggered to a stop and leaned against a tree. Her head fell back, and when her hood slipped off, Azrian could see her face was contorted with pain. She screamed to the wintry gray sky, and the sound seemed to echo across the stars. Azrian gasped when she saw blood running down the queen's ankle.

"Oh god," Etienne whispered.

Nadheertia sobbed, sliding to the ground with her back against the tree. Panting and strained, she pulled her legs apart and screamed again. They watched as she strained to give birth, and they realized she had been suffering contractions when she was walking before. She had likely been searching in desperation for shelter, but finding none, she was forced to stop and give birth in the middle of the forest.

The child Nadheertia birthed was a dog-fox, white as snow, with small golden splotches on his nose. When he opened his eyes, one was bright golden like Nadheertia's, golden as the sun, but the other eye was blue like Antony's, blue as the sky. His mane was golden as well and fell in wisps into his sleepy eyes. Nadheertia made a noise somewhere between a sob and a laugh and cuddled the cub close. But the cold wind picked up, and when she looked around and realized they were both going to freeze to death, she began to cry.

"I c-can't watch this," Azrian said with difficulty. "I can't watch myself die --"

"Wait," Etienne said. He was staring off into the distance. "Someone is coming."

Azrian followed Etienne's gaze, and sure enough, a light had appeared, bobbing in the fog. It was fire, _magic_fire. Foxes.

A moment later, and several foxes pealed out of the darkness. They were white foxes, wearing deerskins and furs. Some of them carried beautifully crafted bows and swords, and Azrian realized they were refuges who had fled Antony's invasion with nothing intact except their weapons. They told Nadheertia that they served Kutre and asked her which god she served. Nadheertia whispered breathlessly that she served Ti'uu, then she begged the foxes to care for her child. The foxes insisted that they could save her, that she wouldn't die, but . . . she did die.

Azrian dropped her eyes, and Etienne put his arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"What will we do with a cub?" one of the foxes demanded, a hard male warrior with a nasty scar down his cheek. "We can barely feed ourselves!"

Other foxes nodded and grumbled in agreement, but one male stepped forward and carefully gathered the wailing cub into his arms, letting Nadheertia's lifeless arms fall against her belly. He stood, shushing the cub and holding it close, and his glare shamed the other warriors into silence.

"If we do not stand together in these dark times," said the male holding the cub, "we will bear witness to the slow extinction of our people. This cub is life renewing itself. He and all fox children are now our most precious commodity. They are the ones who will rebuild the lost empire. Shall we toss them away like garbage?"

"No, Master Ifrin. You are right," said the male who'd complained before.

The male holding the cub nodded grimly. "Damn straight, I am." He jerked his head. "Come. Back to the burrow. We will continue to dig deep and far into the earth, where the dogs can not reach. And this child will be our witness. . . . and our hope. He is now a son of Kutre, as Ti'uu seems to have forsaken him."

The other warriors nodded in obedience and turned away into the flurries of snow again.

The warrior holding the cub hung back. He looked at Nadheertia sadly, and after bending a moment to close her staring eyes, he stood again and hugged the cub close. "Poor thing," he said softly to the cub. "I will care for you now. Your name shall be Teliso, for it means 'bright hope.' You are our only hope now, son of Kutre." He turned away and pressed through the falling snow, holding the cub closely to his chest.

Azrian and Etienne looked at each other in shock.