by Lena Austin
The lie had the desired effect. “A few years?” Leonus squeaked. “You mean she’ll be dangerous for that long?”
Tanne finished his little light show and removed his hands. He kept his voice serious. “If she’s quick, yes.” The fact was, Kella was already showing remarkable control. All he had to do was provide her with the connection to the unlimited Valley power, and she’d never have to fear anyone like Leonus again. “There you are. You may remove the bandages. Good night.” He turned and sauntered out the door.
Sedna leaned against the wall, precisely where he’d left her. Tears of silent laughter flowed down her cheeks and around the hand covering her mouth.
Tanne grabbed her arm and marched her back to Kella’s room. One glance in the doorway told him the attendant was still spooning that vile soup into Kella’s mouth. However, Kella’s eyes were now open, and she hungrily opened her lips to take in every drop, nearly biting the spoon off.
Sedna produced a linen square from the sleeve of her priestess robe and wiped her eyes, giggling softly. “Oh, that was a masterful performance with Leonus! Kella’s safety is assured.”
Tanne lowered his voice. “Not really.” Tanne leaned casually on the wall across from Kella’s door. The wild look in Kella’s eyes was more than hunger. He tried not to think of worst-case situations, but he was ready to use all his mage power if things got out of hand again.
“What do you mean?” Sedna twisted the handkerchief in her hands. At least she modified her volume to match his.
“Eventually, Leonus or someone else will figure out all they have to do is render her unconscious. If she is as dangerous as I think she is ‑‑ and yes, the analogy of a baby Dragon was apt ‑‑ they do have reason to fear. They might take it into their heads that she’s too dangerous to live.” He let the full implications sink in.
Sedna’s face mirrored angry denial before she looked at the floor. The attendant, with spoon clattering in the empty bowl, hurried out and down the hall.
Tanne peeped in the room. Kella was propped up on many pillows, and looking as if she wished to tear the entire room apart.
“Don’t bother to hide around the corner, Tanne. I think you and Sedna had better come in and shut the door.” When Tanne hesitated, one corner of her mouth twitched. “Oh, I’m not angry at you or Sedna.” Her eyes glittered. “But I won’t be doing anything fancy for a day or so, I think. I’ve got a headache worse than I’ve ever had.”
Only when Tanne came to her bedside and Sedna shut the door firmly did Kella continue. She gave Tanne a pleading look . “You wouldn’t happen to have a little healing trick for my head, would you? Or, barring that, a way to make this room invisible and silent to scrying?”
“I’ll handle the shielding.” Sedna turned and began to whisper softly in a singsong voice.
Tanne gestured, and a plate of honey cakes appeared beside Kella on the table. “Sometimes sweets help with a depletion headache. Try it.”
Kella took the treat with a grimace. “I normally love them, but the idea of the taste makes me ill.” She bit down, gagging and swallowing.
“Good! If you craved it, I would be alarmed. Sometimes student mages develop a need for sugary things after magic. They often end up fat and unhealthy. Others, like yourself, lose interest in sweets and must be forced to replenish their energies.” He grinned at her. “You will never overeat as long as you practice magic.” He was basing his assumptions on human mages, but that was as close as he could come.
“I’m not human, thank you.” Kella’s murmur was barely audible. She kept her gaze firmly fixed on the cake in her hand.
“Shield is up,” Sedna announced and turned around, brushing her hands together with satisfaction. She saw Tanne staring at Kella. “What’s wrong?”
“She heard me. She heard my thoughts, even though I wasn’t sending them outward.” Tanne’s voice was awed.
“And I’ll thank you not to refer to me as if I weren’t in the room.” Kella looked at them both, her face sober. “This is new, and most unpleasant, I assure you.”
Her chin quivered for a moment. “Did you know the attendant who fed me the soup thinks the most vile things about me?” She smiled apologetically at Tanne. “She wonders most what you and I did in the crystal cavern, and what form you were in. Not to mention wondering how long you’ll keep me as a toy.”
Tanne’s mind, unbidden, supplied a few contemptible suggestions. It disgusted him. He opened his mouth to answer, but Kella beat him to it.
“Yes, those things.” She nodded at Tanne, and then looked at Sedna, whose face said she, too, had thought of some rather horrid examples. “And those.” She sighed. “It’s all right. I also hear your hatred of those acts. The mind calls up even things we dislike, now and then.”
“How much, or rather, how far can you hear things?”
“Most is like hearing a crowd in the distance. I can hear clearly what is thought several rooms away. I’m afraid you’ve frightened Leonus rather badly. He is now plotting my demise as quickly as it can be arranged. Preferably by poison.”
Kella laughed bitterly. “It is sad to say his worst fear is that the other princes will laugh at him because a lowly bitch like me refused him.” She turned to Sedna. “Be warned. His ambitions are far-reaching, and he is power mad. He wants control of everything in the Valley.”
“Hmph! Warning noted.” Sedna folded her arms across her chest. “Anything specific in his plans? You are inches away from full priestess. You have the training.”
Kella nodded. “Indeed I do. Nothing specific. He might have used me in his schemes, but decided I’m not worth a second attempt at seduction, if you want to call it that.” She snorted. “He’s afraid I might burn his precious little weenie off if he tried. He’s right.”
Tanne felt his own cock shrivel at the thought.
Kella spared him a sympathetic glance. “Sorry, Tanne.”
Tanne decided Kella needed a shield. He didn’t bother to ask, since even as he thought it, she nodded her agreement. He put up the strongest he knew that would still allow her ordinary sight and sound.
“Thank you.” Kella’s relief was evident. “The cake helped considerably.” She put the plate aside and licked the honey from her fingers.
“I suppose this means you also were privy to our discussion outside this room.” Sedna’s voice was a flat statement.
“Yes, I was. I was also aware of the ‘why’ behind the arguments you did not make. I’m sorry, Sedna, but I agree with Tanne. I must go away, before I hurt someone.”
Chapter Seven
Kella threw back the sheets and rose from the bed. Her knees shook, but she was determined to hold her chin high. “Never let the hurt show” had been her motto most of her life, and she wouldn’t abandon that philosophy now.
“I’d better never eat another meal in this village that I’ve not prepared myself,” she joked feebly. She turned to the press that held her clothes, pulled out her outfit from the day before, and clucked in dismay at her ruined bodice. “It’s going to take more than a few stitches to fix this.”
Tanne snapped his fingers, and the bodice was whole and looked as if it was new. “Remind me to teach you how to subtly erase all poisons from food, as well as from a patient.” Tanne’s matter-of-fact tone did much to reassure her.
“I’ve had enough education for one night, but perhaps tomorrow.” She couldn’t quite keep all the bitterness from her tone. She tugged off her nightgown. Both of them had seen her naked before, and modesty was a small matter at this point in her life.
Sedna muttered about getting the rest of Kella’s clothes, and turned to leave.
“Don’t bother!” Kella snapped, then instantly regretted her sharp tone. She took a deep breath and spoke more gently. “Most of them are dirty, and not worth bothering with. Burn them or use them for rags to scrub floors. I don’t care. If I can make a teacup, I’m sure I can learn to make clothes.” She smiled at Tanne before pulling her cream tunic over her head. The l
aced skirt was done with the same cool efficiency.
“True.” Tanne agreed, with a wary and baffled look on his face. She couldn’t help but be amused that she’d confounded him simply by being brisk and businesslike.
She bundled her hairbrush and a few small toiletries in the bed gown she’d been wearing. “These, however, I will need until I recover my strength.” She stuffed the bundle into her basket by the door, and used a thong to tie her hair in a thick tail.
Sedna stood by the doorway, confused and off-balance by the change in her pupil. Kella’s eyes softened, and her mouth moved into a ghost of a smile. “Don’t be sad, Sedna,” she soothed. “I’ll learn magic and healing. When I am in control, I’ll come visit. Or, if I have a home by then, you can visit me!” The ice enclosing her heart thawed. Sedna had done nothing wrong.
“I love you, Kella. Please don’t be bitter.” Sedna wrung her hands.
The first tears she’d ever allowed Tanne to see sparkled in Kella’s eyes. “I can’t help it. I’m not perfect, but I never harmed anyone in this village until Leonus. I never deserved the treatment I received, though I thought I did, somehow.” She frowned, and her eyes turned cold as the river. She patted Sedna’s arm gently. “You did your best, Sedna. You taught me good from evil, patience, and kindness. You protected me as much as you could. Now, I can protect myself. I won’t ever be abused again.”
She smiled with as much confidence as she could muster. “Think on this. I go to learn to heal, not harm. Wouldn’t you say your teachings are the ones that stuck, not theirs?” Kella asked as she jerked her head in the general direction of the village. Then she picked up her basket and marched down the corridor.
She heard the murmurs of a conversation between Sedna and Tanne, but thanks to the shielding Tanne had put over her, she no longer felt like she was forced to listen to a crowd at full volume.
The temple door shut quietly behind her, and she stepped out into the cool night. “Not the best time to start on my new life, is it? Day Vamps shouldn’t try to live at night. Thank goodness for my lupine form. Maybe I’ll go sleep in the grove, just for the night.”
The temple door banged closed at her back. “May I suggest an alternative?” Tanne’s voice was as calm and soothing as ever.
Kella trudged on, determined to be a burden on no one. “I’m open to suggestions, but if you don’t mind, we’ll keep moving. I’ll be thrice damned to the Nine Cold Hells if I’ll stay in this village one minute longer than necessary.”
Tanne’s long legs easily matched her stride. “If you wish it, you could mount me and ride away from here.” His smile turned wicked. “It would give them one last thumbing of the nose.”
Kella stopped, and matched his smile with one of her own. “Now that is a suggestion I like!”
“Then let’s give them a show. Stand behind me and put your arms around my neck.”
Kella complied, though it was a bit of a stretch to reach up. She settled for putting her hands on his shoulders. She felt no magic, but found herself astride in the saddle. Her hands now rested just in front of the saddle horn, one still clutching her basket. She sat up and grabbed the reins. “That should impress them,” she whispered.
Tanne nodded, and his horn winked in the moonlight.
“Oh, that’s right. I can’t hear you talk in my head through this shield.” She thought for a moment. “I’ll trust you. Since my plans involved sleeping out on the ground, and yours are more comforting by far, I suggest we leave. We can speak again once we reach our destination.”
For the first time, Kella heard one of the sounds a Unicorn’s horn could make. It was a derisive note, with a definite meaning of dismissal. He leapt forward, galloping away. Kella busied herself rearranging her skirts to protect her legs from the wind and looping the basket handles around the saddle horn.
Once they forded the river, Tanne’s pace became a slow walk. He turned his head and nodded once. Kella felt the shield lift. I’m going to teleport us, Kella, to save time.
“Fine by me. I’m getting tired.” She yawned to punctuate the truth of her statement, and blinked sleepily.
In the time it took for her to open her eyes again, they now stood at the edge of a meadow, with cliffs at the other end.
“Is the whole Valley surrounded by cliffs?” Kella couldn’t keep the awe from her voice.
Yes, in most places, it is either cliffs or full mountains. There are small passes and one place not far from your village that is little more than a forest barrier. Here in the southwest portion, there’re mostly cliffs. This area of the cliffs is pockmarked with small caves and one large cavern.
They traversed a large meadow, and Kella could see it was mostly surrounded by forest or small hills. “Who lives here?”
No one. The Trolls live to the north; the Werewolves live to the east in that forest behind us. He smiled. They’ve kept an uneasy truce here by making this particular area claimed by neither. I often heal in this area, so I don’t think anyone will mind if I stay in the largest cavern. I’ve been thinking about making it my home for a few years, now. Several friends live nearby, as well.
Kella’s thoughts were foggy with tiredness, but she did catch that Tanne intended to make his home in the largest cavern. Maybe there would be a cave large enough for her to use close by.
Tanne’s voice chuckled in her mind, and she heard his whicker to match. Kella, the shield is down. I can hear your thoughts, too. I’m hoping you’ll share the large cavern with me. After a few seconds, he added in a coaxing tone, It would be more efficient to teach you that way.
“As you…”-- a yawn interrupted --”wish.” Her thoughts blanked out, and her body begged for rest.
Tanne transformed, and Kella found herself being carried in Tanne’s arms. “Sleep, Kella. I should have our home ready by morning.” He put her down in some soft grasses.
She didn’t argue, and couldn’t think. Turning to lupine was as simple as relaxing her grip on her human form. She buried her nose deeply in her tail and was instantly asleep.
* * * * *
Tanne covered the unconscious red wolf with a conjured blanket. “Poor baby. Your world has been turned upside down, hasn’t it?” Though he spoke at a normal volume, she did not stir. He longed for a moment to hold the girl again. “And yet, you fight on. You would’ve lived alone in a cave, determined to be a burden to no one, if the need arose. I have to admire that.”
He turned and walked up the short incline to the cavern he’d found years before while exploring, still talking to himself. “Depleted of all but basic energy, you haven’t got the strength to even create your beloved tea, much less the things you need to be comfortable. However, I can and will.”
Chapter Eight
Kella!
Who was calling her name in such a soft, low tone?
Kella blinked sleepy eyes and pulled her nose out of her tail. Her ears perked up as she remembered where she was and who called to her. Joyously, she bounded out of the nest of grasses and flowed back into human form. Her leap ended with her standing fully erect to stretch and untangle her hair.
Tanne stood on a ledge halfway up the cliff, waving. With the morning light full on him, he looked as beautiful as the god he was.
I am not!
Kella started. “Whoops. No shield.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry!”
Her face hot with blushes, she buried herself behind the walls in her mind and ran up the sloped path.
Tanne was still waiting when she made the last switchback turn. “For someone who doesn’t know how, your trick of hiding your thoughts is very good. After lunch, we’ll get you some formal instruction in how to do it.” He turned and gestured toward a large opening in the cliff. “In the meantime, you have a home to inspect. I know better than to arrange a home for a female of any species.”
Snickering, Kella obediently entered the cavern. She couldn’t imagine any Vampire prince being interested in anything to do with homemaking, as long as it was c
omfortable for him. The thought was ludicrous.
She dutifully inspected the spacious main cavern, where mage lights illuminated the darkness to a comfortable level. It was empty, save for two chairs in front of a fireplace carved out of one wall.
“If we have need to heal patients who will need constant vigil, there is room enough in here for them.” Tanne stood in the center of the open space, smiling. His voice echoed.
One sweep of her gaze measured the room. It would house many beds, easily. “How many can we expect?” Kella choked out.
Tanne created a transparent illusion of a large red Dragon sleeping on a great, glittering mound. Its wing was bandaged and rested on a tall, wide table wedged into the mound. It took up a fair portion of the open area. “Dragons take up a lot of room, but prefer enclosed spaces like caves.”
Kella tapped a finger on her chin. “I see.” She marched up to study the illusion, even poking at it with her finger. It never wavered or changed. When she’d finished her inspection, she stepped back and measured the space with her eyes. “I suppose to a Dragon, this is somewhat cozy, like a blanket.”
“Exactly,” Tanne agreed warmly. “You have the right idea.” The illusion dissipated.
She planted her hands on her hips and gave an approving jerk of her head. In a decisive tone, she commented, “I suppose it all will depend on the needs of the patient. I’d say large pots with trees for dryads, or a giant’s beer barrel cut in half for water folk.” At Tanne’s encouraging nod, she grinned. “That’s a tall order, pardon the pun.”
Tanne laughed while she grinned impishly. “You’d better show me the kitchen, then. If I’m to cook for such guests, I’ll have very special needs in there!” Kella marched to where he pointed.
The kitchen met with her satisfaction. She clapped her hands in delight at a very sturdy table of generous size, and a trickling waterfall that fell into a small but deep pool just at waist height.
“Everything else you’ll need, such as pots and utensils, you can create,” he suggested. “My mother preferred to cook. She says she found it soothing.”
