Not just to their queen.
To their king-consort, who had descended into sacred darkness and emerged with salvation.
Pecah stood frozen, staring at the kaeram, understanding instantly what it meant and what his friend had inadvertently invoked by saving his mother.
Nami appeared at Jorghan's side, taking in the scene with quick assessment.
"What happened in there? What's that?"
One of the elderly faeries spoke without raising his head.
"Kaeram. The sacred bonding substance. He placed it in the Queen's hair. He carried her from the ancestral chamber. By the oldest laws, by traditions that predate the kingdoms, by right of descent into sacred space forbidden to males—he has claimed her as mate and been blessed by the godmothers as king-consort."
The fact that none of them resisted meant that they were completely obedient to the law. Not one of them raised their voice against Jorghan or argued that he was human.
