If she heard his words, she didn’t make it known. She continued toward Danimore. When he didn’t acknowledge her, she cupped his chin in her hands, lifting his face to hers. His skin had paled and his eyes were lined with tears.
“No. What has happened, Dani? What’s wrong?”
As Pentanimir attempted to respond, Zeta silenced him with an upraised hand. “No, Pentanimir, please. I’ll know what has happened.”
He sighed. “I’ll leave you to your words.”
When the door closed, Danimore turned, unable to contain his emotion.
“Please, Dani. Tell me what happened.” She leaned down, embracing him. He turned then, kissing her womb before resting his head upon it.
It was his fault that their happiness would be shattered. It was his decision to believe more in Nikolina’s promise than the words of his wife. This, his heart could not endure.
“Dani, please,” she pleaded, kneeling beside him. “Whatever has happened, we’ll make it right. Don’t worry. I’m here with you.”
He felt what was left of his heart crumble, looking into her eyes. He could always see the intensity of her love within them. The golden flecks made them sparkle against the light of the hearth. She was beautiful, and he loved her. He took a sobering breath and began to respond, his lips and voice trembling with every word.
“I love you, Zeta, more than even myself,” he started. “Forgive my ignorance. It’s because of my guilt and selfishness that I’ve brought this upon us.”
“Dani, I don’t understand. What have you brought upon us?”
He raised her from her knees, enfolding her in his arms. After lowering her to his seat, he knelt.
“My—my wife, do you remember when I returned from visiting the d’Garrions?”
“I do.”
“Do you remember my state when I returned to the citadel?”
“Yes, Dani. Nzuri had to tend you. You were ill and didn’t recover for some time. It was the drink, you said.”
“It was, but there was more that I didn’t say. Nik—Nikolina put something in my wine. It’s used in Nazil during battle. There’s but one purpose for such a poison.”
“She tried to kill you, Dani? Why is she not in the cells?”
“No, no, my love. It wasn’t her intent to kill me.”
“Then why would she poison you? I told you not to trust this woman. She’d see us both dead if she could will it. Please, have nothing more to do with her. Please, Dani. She means nothing but ill for us both. The warning in my heart hasn’t faded. I know that she works against our happiness.”
Her words stung every part of him. He looked up at her then, shaking his head. The words wouldn’t come.
“There’s more? Why did she use this poison, Dani? What did she do?”
“I—I couldn’t move. That’s the nature of the venom. It incapacitates the victim, yet leaves them aware. I didn’t know, Zeta. Please forgive me. Forgive your husband’s folly. I didn’t heed your warning and now…now…she’s taken too much. Never did I desire it. I only offered an apology and didn’t know that she demanded more. She took that which she wanted and left me helpless and unable to defend against her. I didn’t want it. I did not.”
Zeta stroked his hair as her eyes danced wildly, trying to decipher the meaning in his words. She lifted his head, searching his face.
“What did she take from you that you didn’t offer? What did she do when you were helpless before her? Tell me now.” Her voice was cold and even, dreading what he might say.
“My—my seed,” was all Danimore could manage before he sank to the floor.
“No, no, Dani. She didn’t. No. She couldn’t. What did Allister say to you? Tell me!”
He buried his face in his hands. “Nikolina is—is with child,” he muttered. “My child.”
“No,” Zeta shouted, forcefully pushing up from her seat. As she did so, she bumped hard against the table, crying out, and cradling her womb.
“Zeta, are you all right? Is it the babe?” he asked, panic quivering on his face. She pulled away, wincing as the tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Please forgive me, Zeta. I didn’t know. I love you. We’re going to have a child, you and me, no one else. Please, my wife; don’t leave me, not now, please,” he pleaded.
Zeta was shaking her head, backing to the door. Opening it forcefully, she fled down the corridor, burying her face in her hands.
“Zeta!” Danimore said, running after her.
When she neared the end of the corridor, she lurched forward, clutching her womb, and stumbling as a piercing pain cascaded through her entire body. Danimore watched in horrified disbelief as her foot met the uneven ground, and she screamed, tumbling down the stone steps.
Aizen and Droxahn
“Where are you leading me?” Aizen protested.
Droxahn only smiled, squeezing his hand tighter.
“Droxahn?”
“We’re almost there,” she said, opening a large door at the end of the corridor. Once they were inside, she closed the door behind them, raising a finger to her pursed lips. As she led him across the chamber toward the balcony, Aizen looked confused, watching her gather the feather pillows and motioning for him to follow.
As they walked onto the high balcony, she tossed the pillows on the ground and sat, reaching out for his hand.
“Why are we here?” he asked, taking a seat beside her.
“We’re here because it’s the best place to watch the sunset.”
“And you want me to watch it with you?”
“It’s the most beautiful sight and one to be shared in special company.” She leaned back, nestling into his arms.
“You consider me as such?” Aizen asked, enjoying the soft scent of honeysuckle in her hair.
“Don’t you feel the same for me?”
He froze for a moment, not knowing how to respond. Of course, he felt the same, yet he didn’t know he’d made it so obvious.
“Ye—yes, of course, I do.”
She smiled, turning back to admire the view. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Aizen gazed westward. “It is. Yet, there are other sights even more beautiful.”
Droxahn turned again, stroking his face. He caught her hand before she could withdraw it, and brought it to his lips.
The purple and pink streaks faded as the last remnants of light slowly disappeared. The lights of the city dotted the night sky, and the moon shone above them, casting shadows on their faces.
“And what do you do now? Do the stars captivate you as well?”
“All of it’s beautiful,” she said. “Especially watching the sun surrender to the beauty of the night. I’ve come here nearly every day since I discovered this room. If only I could find such a place to view the sun’s rise.”
“You can’t see it from your bedchamber? It shines far too brightly into mine, disturbing my sleep.” Aizen chuckled.
She lifted her head from his shoulder, craning around to face him. “Mayhaps one morning you’ll allow me to be with you as it rises.”
“I—I’m certain that we’ll have an opportunity. I’ll wake early and come for you if you’d—”
Her kiss silenced him.
He moved slightly back, putting more space between them. When she continued to press forward, he returned that which she offered. Once he felt his excitement grow, he pulled away.
“We—we don’t want to miss evening meal,” he said calmly, though he was on the verge of panic.
“I guess we wouldn’t,” she said, rising and grabbing up the pillows. She kept hold to his hand as they exited, starting down the corridor.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“I’m nearly six and ten.”
“And your brother?”
“Ahvixx will be eight and ten before the next full moon.
“How long were you with Nohek Asmaa?”
“Many years.” Droxahn paused. “Too many years. It was a blessing for him to offer us the safety of the temple. There
was much healing that took place behind those walls, for Ahvixx most of all. But it was lonely for us there. Thank you for speaking so kindly and asking for us to remain with you.”
“Has it been better here with me?” His eyes widened. “I—I mean here with us, with us here in the citadel,” he corrected, poorly.
Droxahn giggled, squeezing his hand. “Yes,” was all she said before resuming their pace.
He glanced down at her, opening his mouth to speak, but sighed instead, shaking his head.
“Do you have more to ask?”
“No…Yes, I mean, no,” he stammered. “I just…I don’t want to offend you, and I lack the needed grace to pose my queries.”
“Grace? If you’re curious, ask. No offense will be taken, I promise.”
After peering down the corridors to ensure they were alone, he said, “I’m unsure of your intent. There’re times that I feel you are a wonderful friend, and then others, where I feel that you want more. I don’t want to assume anything from you.”
“And this you thought would give offense?”
“I’m uncertain of many things. In our village, there were but a few of us. My mind was on my duties and family. Never did I consider anything such as this. Now, being here in such a large city—I—I can’t explain.”
“Aizen, you aren’t wrong. I do think of you as a wonderful friend, one to last a lifetime. Yet, I find you handsome, too. Is it wrong for me to be attracted to all of you?”
“It isn’t wrong. But how do you know that it isn’t fleeting? You haven’t known many others in the shelter of the temple. Could it be that I’m convenient for you?” he asked apprehensively, dreading her forthcoming response.
To his surprise, she pulled him down and kissed him again.
“There are many here, Aizen. Your brother’s appearance mirrors yours, and yet it’s you that I can’t turn from. I don’t profess undying love, not yet,” she was quick to add. “Though, what I feel is genuine. Your friendship warms me, but I won’t ignore my heart. Can I not love you as my friend and allow what might follow an unobstructed path?”
When he struggled to answer, she placed a finger to his lips. “It isn’t fleeting. Is it for you?”
“No. It’s much deeper, I fear.”
“You fear? Me?”
“No. I fear what you’ve awakened in me,” Aizen said before embracing her, and kissing more deeply than they had before. Droxahn whimpered at the strength of his kiss as he drew her nearer to him.
The sound of a clearing throat wrenched them apart.
“Brother?” Aizen said, breathlessly.
“Mother asked me to come for you. Evening meal began some time ago.”
“Yes, par—pardons, Brother. We were on our way to join you when, well, we were on our way.”
“Indeed.” Ahni’s brow raised as he gestured down the corridor.
For many moments, an uncomfortable silence hung heavy in the air.
“Is—is Ahvixx dining with us?” Aizen asked, finally.
“Yes. He was concerned about his sister.”
“I’m glad that he’s begun to take meals with us. He always has the most interesting stories to share,” Aizen said, trying desperately to remove the awkwardness from the air.
“You speak true,” Ahni said, pushing open the doors to the dining hall. “Mayhaps you and Droxahn have one to tell as well.”
Aizen smiled nervously, greeting everyone in the room. “Forgive our tardiness.”
“The fault was mine,” Droxahn said, looking at Vot and Huname. “Aizen was kind enough to escort me.”
“Was it the sunset again?” Ahvixx asked.
“Sunset?”
“Yes, Caretaker Huname. Droxahn makes it a point to view nearly every sunset and sunrise.”
“It’s the most beautiful part of the day and night,” Droxahn said. “Looking out at the lands awakening and then again as it sleeps. There isn’t anything more breathtaking than standing beneath a canopy of stars.”
I can think of something, Aizen thought.
“Yes, my dear. I enjoyed the same in my youth.”
When Huname turned her attention back to Emet, Aizen breathed a sigh of relief as their conversation resumed.
“What else did Nzuri discover?” he heard his mother ask.
“This isle in the midst of the Nazil River. Pentanimir wants to travel there and see why it so interested the Cha.”
“Pentanimir?” Vot said. “He’d make the journey, Emet?”
“No. He was advised against it. Always he needs reminding that he’s no longer First Chosen and now the Zaxson. I fear that he misses leading the patrols and making new discoveries. Temian will go in his stead.”
“Surely he wouldn’t send his brother alone,” Huname said.
“No. Wosen, Nakaris, Nzuri, and a new guard named Ephron will accompany him. There was limited information regarding the isle, but the map will aid them.”
Yeshe nodded. “How fares the Nakshij and Shijahn?”
“When I took leave, Zeta hadn’t awakened,” Emet said. “Dani grieves for not only his wife, but his son as well.”
“I pray that she’ll awaken soon, and they both heal quickly,” Huname said. “The loss of a child isn’t an easy thing to bear.”
“Due to the severity of Zeta’s injuries, Hushar doesn’t believe she’ll be able to bear any more children. She’s treated many women with less threatening ailments that became barren,” Emet said. “The damage was severe, but I pray that Hushar is wrong.”
“Zeta is barren now, but it won’t remain so,” Ahvixx said.
Everyone in the room turned to regard him as he sat rigid, staring down at the table.
Olam squinted, examining his every expression. “What makes you speak so?”
“The Guardians will restore that which has been taken. Zeta will stand beneath the falls and pass through the realm of our existence into theirs. Only there can she be healed. The deceiver won’t take from her that which is promised. She’ll again bring forth life and take another’s babe to her breast.”
Ahvixx shuddered, releasing a heavy breath. When he looked up, he met the eyes of everyone in the room.
“Wha—what’s wrong?”
“Do you know what you just spoke?” Olam asked.
“What I spoke?” Ahvixx shrugged. “About my sister enjoying the sunset?”
“No, Ahvixx, after that,” Olam said. “You mentioned Zeta and her condition. Do you recall what you said?”
“Zeta? The Nakshij’s wife?”
“You don’t remember telling us about the Guardians and Zeta’s healing?” Vot asked.
“I—I spoke about the Guardians?” Ahvixx was near panic, standing abruptly, and bowing before attempting to flee. As he turned, Olam clasped his wrist, holding him in place.
“Ahvixx, please. We are all your friends here. We’re only trying to understand what you’re telling us. You did mention the Guardians, Zeta, and what was to come. Have visions ever come to you in this manner? Could you be sharing a vision and informing us of what we should do?”
“I don’t know. I remember speaking not at all. I don’t doubt what you’re saying, but I can offer no answer. Mayhaps I should return to my chamber where I may be alone. The answers might be forthcoming if I’m allowed my solitude.”
“If you wish to be alone, we won’t hinder you,” Olam said. “Know that I’ll come to you later and we’ll examine this more closely. The Guardians could certainly be using you in a manner that they’ve never done through me. I find it fascinating.”
With that, a sense of relief washed over him. “I welcome your visit,” Ahvixx said, leaving the dining hall.
“It isn’t the first time that this has happened,” Droxahn said. “When he first learned about these…these paroxysms, Ahvixx began to withdraw. We were very young, and neither of us understood. It’s been difficult.”
“Well, if he speaks true, we must send Pentanimir a message,” Emet said. “The Guardians w
ouldn’t tell us this for naught.”
“Agreed,” Vot said. “Didn’t he mention another child as well?”
Huname nodded. “He did, but what does it mean?”
“It’s unknown to me,” Olam said. “Pentanimir and Danimore might better understand. I’ll send a message on the morrow and Ahvixx and I will arrange a trek to Nazil.”
Droxahn’s mouth gaped. “Ahvixx doesn’t want to return to Nazil.”
“We must, and we’ve spoken about it numerous times. After we travel to Nazil, we’ll visit the Animus Wood. Only there will the answers truly be discovered.”
Vacillation
Nikolina crept down the corridor toward her father’s study. Her bare feet moved silently across the stone floor. For nearly nine suns, her father remained in his study, examining and treating old parchments. Her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her as she peered through the small crack in the door.
She was surprised to see her usually well-groomed father disheveled, and the heavy bags beneath his eyes gave hint to late nights and little rest. As she surveyed the part of the room her limited vantage offered, she noticed trays of untouched food.
Nikolina pushed open the door, awaiting his notice. To her dismay, he didn’t regard her. His thin fingers constantly moved through his hair as he softly muttered words that she couldn’t discern. She moved closer into the humid room, observing the caldron of water releasing steam in the corner. She glanced at the hanging sheets of parchment. After inspecting what she could of them, she shook her head, and then looked over her father’s shoulder.
“What has you so enthralled?”
Allister flinched, surprised by her silent advance. Closing the old leather-bound book he was perusing, he turned to regard her. “Nikolina. I didn’t hear you enter.”
“That much is certain. You’ve noticed little of late,” she said, still examining the parchments.
“Are you all right? Is there something that you need of me?” he asked, gathering up the sheets.
“What are you reading? Are these the scrolls you removed from the temple?”
He rubbed his eyes, sighing. “Yes, some. When I returned to collect the rest, I was turned away.”
“By whose order? You’re a scribe for the Cha, Father. Your place is in the temple.”
Seed of Scorn Page 14
