At birth, every king or queen in Qarth is given a royal companion of the opposite sex. To prevent the sowing of seed in the wrong field, the Vhalgenn are made incapable of bearing or fathering a babe early on. Lifelong companions, they're sworn to fight back to back, side by side, to the death. Every Vhalgenn accepts the eventual marriage of the one they serve. Duty forbids their own marriage, but does not preclude time alone with the king or queen they love.

Until the jealous queen of Kellindahr banishes her new husband's Vhalgenn far from home and comforts. Later, fearing the queen will die in childbirth, her maidens call Raik back and beg her to run a desperate course to save the life of the king's only heir.

Raik must obey or watch the heir die. To save him she must outrun, outwit, outlast, and above all, survive. But to be the victorious Vhalgenn--must she betray the king she loves? How far will duty take her--and at what price?

The Last Vhalgenn by Kayelle Allen
Genre: Mainstream Fantasy
Length: Short Story-10,500 words
Heat Rating: Just a Spark
Price: $2.50

This story first appeared in the anthology A Time To... the Best of the Lorelei Signal Vol 1, 2006, which was a 2008 Eppie Finalist and nominated for the Tiptree Award.

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