The Alpha and the Omega: Act II | Chapter 6
30 Aug 2018User1355
ACT II - WHEELCHAPTER 6
Sola married again, of course. Like she had twice before, she knelt before her new warrior mate and spoke the ancient words, drenched in blood and the task of eating the human heart a burden as disgusting as it was necessary. Yet as before she persevered, taking one bloody bite after another until the loathsome task was finished.
The man before her was an almost tediously appropriate choice of partner, decades older than her but still lean and vigorous. His name was Maximilian Rosach, heir-apparent of the Clan Rosach. His father- a seemingly ancient man named Tiberius- wasn’t long for the mortal plane, barely able to teeter in place as the mating ceremony commenced. It had been with a frail frame and trembling, age-spotted hands that he embraced his new daughter-in-law, content to be led away by a pair of lesser sons. Once his had been a feared and cunning mind, always a step ahead of whomever he dealt with. He and Madoc Ryhs had been close, and had beheld the rise of Sola Morgana from the ashes of his old friend’s clan with confusion and wonder. His eldest son had beheld Sola with a more intimate eye.
The Clan Rosach had holdings all over Outer Pegasi, influential in various systems but a master of none. The Patriarch was far too feeble in mind and body to personally govern, and for years Maximilian had maintained an uneasy peace on his behalf, unable to press for ownership of a single system without jeopardizing his clan’s holdings in several others. His and Sola’s private meetings had been the stuff of business, not courtship. They would be warrior-mated, fusing his clan and hers. Their assets would become one, and overnight the Morgana clan would have a foothold all over Pegasi. It was only a matter of time before the clans and independent interests of those systems bowed before them.
The ceremony was capped with all the feasting and outward joy that such an occasion warranted. Cadfael, still an infant, was kept in the care of a wet nurse. Arcturus, too, was present, now an accomplished ship captain in his own right. He was fast developing a reputation for toying with his prey
prior to and during the act of plundering it, indulging in his darkest impulses if the victim showed even the slightest hint of defiance. Yet such cruelty was abnormal only because it contrasted with the machinelike ef iciency with which the rest of Sola’s captains operated, and not because it was considered unjust or unseemly.
In keeping with tradition, Sola and Maximilian were absent from their own celebration. Without many words the man and woman retired to their wedding vessel and showered, cleansing themselves of the cow’s blood that encrusted their white linen garments. Afterward, they ate and drank the delicacies that were waiting for them, soberly discussing their visions for the future. The reckless passions of youth were behind them, and neither were possessed of any illusions as to what their union was.
The night grew late, and it was with good enough humor that Sola allowed the man to lead her to their bed, the act of consummation not an unpleasant one but nowhere near approaching the carnal heights that she had achieved with Cassian. The woman knew her body as well as any other, and the ceremony had been timed to coincide with the most fertile days of her cycle. Scarcely a month passed, and it was with an almost bored tone that Sola informed Maximilian that she was with child. Like her he was content, but only because their union was now cemented in the eyes of gods and men.
The warrior mates had done their duty.
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