Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 29
Mayah waits alone in a side hallway for Zev before the reception. Zev arrives late, apologizing, and they make their grand entrance into the ballroom together. The couple’s first dance becomes a surprisingly tender moment, and the rest of the room seems to fade away around them.
Afterward, Mayah and Zev join King Varad and the nobles at the banquet. Mayah feels unsettled by the piles of food on the tables, knowing children back in Tundrayn often go hungry. Zev quietly reassures her that he’s already sending food shipments to the kingdom.
Faramir saunters over to Mayah and Zev’s table. He openly leers at Mayah, and Zev nearly rises from his seat before Mayah stops him. Faramir goads Zev about holding back his power during the ceremony, then walks away looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Once Faramir leaves, Zev suggests they slip out of the reception to go somewhere private. Mayah agrees, but a guard intercepts them with urgent news. Zev returns to confront Faramir at his table.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 30
A dagger flies through the air, and a passing servant takes the blow, collapsing onto Mayah and knocking her to the floor. Zev rushes back and pulls the servant off her. Across the hall, guards wrestle the attacker into custody as the man screams that Mayah killed his brother.
Mayah asks Zev to pull the dagger from the servant’s chest so she can heal him. Zev obeys, and Mayah uses her powers to seal the wound. She then tells the nearby servants to carry the man to the Healing Chambers to rest and recover.
Zev orders his guards to escort Mayah to their chambers for the night.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 31
After the chaos of the wedding, Mayah’s handmaids clean her up and dress her for the wedding night. She convinces them to give her a more modest nightgown, eats dinner alone in Zev’s chambers, and eventually goes to bed. Zev comes back late, and when Mayah stirs in her sleep, he pulls her close. They spend the night that way.
Mayah wakes the next morning in Zev’s arms. When she asks about the attack, Zev explains that the man was a nobleman who blamed her for his brother’s death in battle and that he acted alone.
Zev also brings up something more worrying. His father and brother saw Mayah heal a nonwielder servant in front of the entire court, and they now question where her loyalties lie. Zev quickly reassures her that he believes her and will protect her. He tells her they have breakfast with his father and brother to get through.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 32
Breakfast with Varad and Faramir gets off to a rough start. Faramir needles Zev about his wedding night with Mayah, then turns to her and suggests that a healer child would be weak and a disappointment. Zev flings a fork at him, and Varad shouts both of them down. Mayah smooths things over by mentioning the Equinox Festival, and Varad warms to her enough to invite her into the planning and ask her to write to her father about the marriage.
Zev takes Mayah on a tour of the palace. They arrive at the library, an enormous space filled with rolling ladders and skylights, completely unlike the one Mayah knew at home. She picks out a few books and snatches a children’s tale from Zev’s hands before he can put it back.
In the infirmary, Mayah learns that the palace physician spent months lobbying Varad to open medical care to nonwielders, a fight she recognizes from her own years of struggle against her father.
Just before sunset, Zev brings Mayah to a hidden garden corner for a picnic. They eat without much need for conversation, and for a little while things feel almost normal. Then Zev tells her that meetings will consume him for the next few days and that she cannot wander the palace alone.
Mayah resists and tries to walk off. Zev catches her and calmly lays out his reasoning. Faramir outranks her guards and could dismiss them at will, and after the previous night’s attack, Zev isn’t willing to take chances. Zev holds her until she runs out of fight. Mayah doesn’t like it, but she agrees.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 33
Mayah spends days confined to her chambers, eating alone and growing increasingly restless while Zev stays away without explanation. She passes the time reading and eventually writes a letter to her father, reassuring him that her marriage to Zevayr was the right decision and that she’s safe.
When Zev finally returns with food and an apology, Mayah doesn’t hold back. She tells him that she feels like a prisoner and that she’s done with apologies. Zev refuses to make excuses. Instead, he explains that the Rebellion has been hitting both Arbinji and Tundrayni forces along the contested borders, and the casualties are bad. Getting the two sides to work together has been a struggle. Zev has been trying to manage it from the capital to avoid leaving for the front. He also mentions that his father is pressing hard for an alliance with Volca through their princess.
Mayah softens a little, and Zev promises to take her to the library, plan a special dinner, and show her the capital. Mayah agrees, though she may have simply missed Zev enough to let it go for now.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 34
Mayah sneaks out of her chambers with Farzina to plan the Equinox Festival. Together they sort out the flowers, food, and wine.
Back in her room, Mayah waits for Zev to join her for lunch, but Zev never comes. She passes the time reading about a network of secret tunnels beneath the palace.
Tired of the isolation, Mayah heads to the infirmary to heal patients. The head medic, Sauzon, tries to turn her away, but Mayah invokes her husband’s authority to override him. She gets to work and heals several patients successfully.
Then Zev shows up, and he’s furious.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 35
Mayah goes to the palace infirmary to heal patients, a decision Zev clearly disapproves of. He tracks her down and they argue in front of the medics. Mayah insists she needs purpose beyond sitting in their chambers and has never felt like the equal he once promised she would be. Zev is furious but doesn’t remove her. He tells the medics to keep her fed and looked after, then leaves without another word.
After a few hours of work, Mayah pulls Sauzon aside to apologize for dragging him into her marital conflict. She wants to learn his methods and hopes they can work together. Sauzon agrees to let her come back.
That evening, Zev takes Mayah to a private terrace overlooking the city, apologizes, and makes real concessions. He allows her to move through the palace with just two guards and return to the infirmary whenever she likes. Zev also promises more time for her.
Mayah and Zev share dinner under the stars. Near the end of the night, Zev produces a small box containing a silver ring designed to pair with the necklace Mayah inherited from her mother. She’s moved as Zev slides it onto her finger. They share a quiet, tender moment, the first real sign that their relationship may be shifting toward something steadier.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 36
Mayah settles into a comfortable routine in Arbinj, spending her mornings planning the Equinox Festival and her afternoons working in the infirmary. She and Zev grow slowly closer, sharing late-night conversations in bed, though a careful distance remains between them that neither has fully crossed.
During one of Mayah’s shifts, Zev stops by the infirmary, and the two fall into easy, flirtatious banter that edges toward a kiss before a patient walks in and breaks the moment. Before Zev leaves, Mayah asks whether any letters have come from her father back in Tundrayn. Zev’s face gives her the answer before he speaks, and he tells her the letters may be delayed because of the distance.
That night, a severe thunderstorm rolls in while Mayah is alone in their chambers. The storm pulls her into a traumatic memory from her childhood, and she curls under the covers, unable to pull herself out of it. Zev comes home earlier than expected and finds her there, calling her name until his voice cuts through the flashback and she recognizes him. Mayah throws herself into his arms, and Zev holds her while she cries.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 37
Mayah is caught in a thunderstorm, trembling and in tears, while Zev holds her and tries to calm her down. When she recovers enough to think clearly, Mayah realizes Zev skipped an important meeting with the Volcan delegation to stay with her. He reassures her that his father and brother will handle it.
Once the storm settles, Mayah and Zev talk. Mayah admits that storms have frightened her all her life and that back in Tundrayn she sometimes turned to a man named Daak for comfort during them, though she trails off before fully explaining what that meant. Zev admits the thought makes him jealous but says he doesn’t hold her past against her. He shares that he’s had past lovers but has never actually been in love. Mayah then reveals her father never comforted her during storms as a child, always leaving that to servants instead.
The next morning, Mayah wakes still in Zev’s arms and realizes he’s aroused. Zev apologizes and admits he usually slips out before she wakes to spare her the awkwardness. Feeling indebted, Mayah offers to sleep with him. Zev gently turns her down. He wants neither her compliance nor her gratitude and will wait until she truly wants him.
Mayah offers to move to a separate room to make things easier. Zev refuses and says he wants her right where she is.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 38
Mayah and Sauzon prepare to perform an emergency cesarean on Rinaya, a pregnant patient whose baby hasn’t shifted into the right position despite weeks of monitoring. Neither Mayah nor Sauzon has done that before, and the tension in the room rises. They sedate Rinaya and deliver a healthy baby girl successfully.
As Mayah holds the newborn, she asks Sauzon to bring in a heartwielder to help Rinaya cope emotionally after the birth. Sauzon tells Mayah that heartwielders and truthwielders are executed in Arbinj the moment authorities discover them, children included. The revelation shakes Mayah and deepens her determination to change things in the kingdom.
Zev arrives with a group of Volcan emissaries who are touring the infirmary. He walks straight to Mayah and briefly holds the baby. The emissaries congratulate Mayah and Zev on their marriage. Sauzon takes the opportunity to praise Mayah’s work to the delegates before Zev leads the group out, leaving Mayah alone with the newborn.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 39
Mayah is in the palace infirmary with Sauzon when he decides to wrap up early for the day. Mayah steps into the hallway and realizes her guards are gone, so she takes the opportunity to wander the palace on her own. She nearly walks straight into Faramir, who’s deep in conversation with advisers about an attack and Tundrayn’s possible role in it. Mayah slips into a nearby supply closet before Faramir spots her.
Zev finds Mayah there. She tells Zev she was hiding from his brother, and Zev presses her about being unguarded before the tension between them tips into a kiss. Servants interrupt when they open the closet door, and Mayah slips out in embarrassment. Zev follows and walks her back to their chambers.
At the door, Zev asks if he can come inside, and Mayah knows he means more than the question suggests. She mentions that Faramir is looking for him, and Zev starts to leave. Mayah calls him back and tells him honestly that she does want to let him in, but she’s afraid of being hurt and of hurting him, especially with how fragile things still are between their kingdoms. Mayah asks for more time. Zev accepts it and leaves.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 40
Zev stays away for three days before finally seeking Mayah out in the infirmary. Zev tells her the Rebellion has struck three times in as many days, all against Arbinji targets. His father and brother point fingers at Tundrayn, though Zev isn’t so sure. He reasons that attacking Arbinj while Mayah is essentially a hostage would be a reckless gamble on her father’s part.
When Mayah pushes to be included in council meetings, Zev shuts her down, explaining that if the attacks keep coming, his family will start treating her as an informant for Tundrayn. Zev also mentions that his brother’s potential alliance with Volca through marriage is still stalled, since the Volcan queen is reluctant to tie herself to a kingdom already under siege.
Later, Zev returns to their chambers and finds Mayah about to heal her sore legs after a long shift. He stops her and massages them with oil himself, and while he does, Zev fills her in on the latest. The Rebellion has pushed further into Arbinj territory, and Tundrayn has sent troops to the border with a pledge of more backup, which Zev interprets as her father not wanting to risk her safety. The moment turns charged, and Mayah defuses it by announcing she’s going to bed.
Between Tides & Thunder Chapter 41
Mayah wakes from an erotic dream about Zev, still aching from it. She notices he’s still lying beside her and, assuming he’s asleep, starts touching herself. When Zev wakes up and realizes what’s happening, he offers to help. Mayah agrees. Zev takes over and eventually brings her to release, more than once. Afterward, he just holds her, not pushing for anything further. Mayah privately admits she’s stopped fighting her feelings and wants him completely.