Book 5 of Sons of Destiny
Thoughts from…
Note: These thoughts contain spoilers if you have not already read “The Cat.”
Saber: Two strong-willed women. Lovely. Saber isn’t stupid enough to get between them, however. He’ll just remind both of them from time to time that they’re supposed to be mature adults, and supposed to be on the same side, working for the same goals. And if necessary, conspire with his fifthborn brother to drag their wives away from each other for a few highly distracting hours, until they’re ready to play nice again. Somehow, he doesn’t think Trevan will balk at that particular “solution” to the problem.
Kelly: Alright. She’ll be nice to Amara. If it wasn’t so clear that Amara liked and respected Trevan, Kelly would’ve kicked her off the island, sister or no sister. What Trevan sees in Amara, she still isn’t entirely sure, but if he’s happy, and that woman makes him happy…and pulls her weight…then she’ll let the other woman stay. And Amara does have good ideas about city management. Plus there’s that thirty-feet-tall thing; that was too awesome—and too amusing—for words. But Kelly is the one who’s going to be Queen; the power and the responsibility are hers, and with that should come a measure of respect. She’ll be nice to encourage Amara to be nice in return, but she won’t be a doormat, either.
Wolfer: So long as the ladies don’t kill each other in their squabbles for pack-dominance, Wolfer doesn’t mind Amara’s presence. In fact, he’d like to ask her some questions about the Aian way of animal husbandry, herding techniques, crop rotations, food storage, and so forth. It’s good to have another shapeshifter in the family, too, even if she’s a natural shifter and not a spell-shifter. Maybe now the others will stop demanding he “get over” his dislike of heights.
Alys: Um…wow. Two strong-willed ladies. Alys isn’t sure whether she would have liked Amara if she had met Amara first, and the loyalty of friendship demanded that she stick closer to Kelly’s side, but maybe…if she played mediator? Or maybe not. She’s not particularly good at that sort of thing. Side-stepping issues, that she can do, and did very well for many years before coming to the Isle. Hm. Maybe it’s a new life-skill she should learn? But only in small doses and over minor confrontations only, of course; even at her boldest, she’s not that bold. Yet…
Dominor: How interesting. A woman just as strong-willed as his first sister-in-law. As amusing as it might be to see the two of them get into an actual fight—Kelly’s dirt-eating skills versus Amara’s shapeshifting ones—it’s just as well they didn’t. Serina’s pregnancy has too many problems of its own right now, discomforts that only seem to be alleviated by their relocation back to the Retreat at Koral-tai. His attention has to be focused upon her, ensuring she stays health and feels well. It’s not just an eight-hundred-year-old mistake they still have to fix, it’s the safety and well-being of his wife and future child. He can put up with living at the Retreat if it keeps his wife nausea-free, even if it means having to commute back and forth to the Isle through the Fountainway to continue to help the rest of his family in getting their new kingdom started.
Serina: Oh, joy. Winter in the Koral Mountains, in the heart of Natallia. She had forgotten just how cold it could get and how often she had to apply warming charms to her study, just so the ink in her bottles wouldn’t freeze. At least she has Dominor with her; he makes a wonderful bed-warmer, a stimulating conversationalist, and an excellent caretaker for her. Plus she’s back to bathing in the Fountains—yessss, no more midday nausea!!—and immersed in a new mystery to track down and study, on top of her original projects. Life couldn’t be any better, really…
Evanor: More bodies to clothe, more mouths to feed, and more people to assign to the chore roster. And more heads to knock together, if those two ladies don’t try to get along in spite of their differences. Mariel was concerned about his brothers being a bad influence upon her son, but Ev wonders if his sisters-in-law might be the bigger concern. But, given she is Trev’s Destiny, he will do his best to make his newest sister-in-law feel welcome all the same.
Mariel: Well. At least both Kelly and Amara managed to patch things up. And they apologized publicly—that’s very, very good. Her son needs to see people doing things like that, admitting when they’re wrong, apologizing for problems they’ve caused… Fighting among family members should be discouraged, but it does happen. The important thing is that both women showed how strong they really were, by taking responsibility for their actions.
Trevan: Finally, a beautiful, fascinating, intelligent, opinionated woman all of his own. Absolutely fascinating. Fierce and strong, yet shy and elusive—sort of like Alys, actually, only highly condensed and concentrated. She has all these notions about what is “proper” which he will enjoy gradually breaking through. So many things he can introduce her to, so many experiences they can share.
And intelligent! She not only grasps what he loves to do—crafting Artifacts—she grasps their practical applications. Plus she’s coming along nicely in the lovemaking side of things, too. Here is a woman who excites and stimulates his mind as well as his loins. And his heart. Even cats with the sharpest of claws are still kittens deep down inside, yearning for love and affection. With any luck, they’ll have the rest of their lives to play and love and build all sorts of wonderful things together, from Artifacts to cities to children, and maybe even grandchildren someday.
Amara: Whatever this man Trevan sees in her…it’s a miracle of the Gods that he sees it so faithfully. She was rude, she was autocratic, she was demanding, irriating, irksome, even impossible…and yet he persisted. Like a bird trying to get at a nutmeat, pecked away at the hardened shell she had built up around herself over the years, and then crawled inside, cuddling around her inner self like a fuzzy kitten. Of course, she still owes him for literally sneaking around as a cat…but the fact that he loves her makes it very difficult to find an adequate punishment. Particularly when she loves him back.
The men in her past hunted her for what she was and what she would become. Trevan accepts her for who she is…flaws, foreign culture, and all. He believes in her, rather than needs things from her. That is something more precious than costly clothes or jewels, because it gives her strength instead of drawing upon her. As for staying here…she always did find City management more fun than Kingdom management. Being Mayor isn’t a step down so much as a step into something more suitable for her tastes. She may have left her people and her former destiny behind, but she did gain a life and a family worthy of the trade. Well, working with Trevan, being with him, is worth it. She’s still not entirely sure about one of her new sisters-in-law…
Rydan: …He has his own problems right now.
Koranen: One and a half down. And he’s next. Any month, any day, any heartbeat now, his Destiny will arrive. With any luck. Aaaaany day…oh, Gods—the waiting is killing him! If he doesn’t go mad with unrequited…well, everything…who knows how long he’ll have to wait? And they’re all having sex around him! It’s a damn good thing he has a lot of tiles and glass window panes waiting to be fired, because all this frustrated sexual energy within him is definitely going to have to be dealt with. Somehow…Gaaaah!!
Morganen: Half of the current matchmaking problem has now been taken care of…and Morg cannot, dare not meddle any further in the other half. Stupid, stupid, stupid… On the other hand, no lasting harm seems to have been done. And though he wouldn’t have figured Amara to be the right woman for Trevan after first meeting her, Morganen can see she is good for Trev, and that he is good for her. The two of them together are intense, focused, and a remarkably well-meshed team. Now, once Rydan’s situation has resolved itself—without further interference—there will be only one more of his brothers to match-make after this. Someone who can be water to his twin’s flame. And then, finally, it will be his own turn for happiness…