Jahrra dropped her face into her hands. He had watched her take bets and fight strangers in the park. She had thought she was being clever; thought she could hide her secret way of earning extra money, money she ended up spending on him. And he knew about it. All along, he knew!
She wanted to scream at him, but when she did speak, all that came out was a garbled, “And you didn’t try to stop me?”
“No,” he said simply, his head tilting just enough so he could regard her with one silvery green eye. “I was proud of you.”
His voice had grown very quiet, and sincere, far more sincere than she could ever remember. Jahrra forgot her internal turmoil and looked up at him. And for just a small moment, he reminded her of Hroombra, looking upon her with enough pride to fill up the whole world.
Jahrra had to fight the tell-tale sting of tears. He was proud of her. The almighty Raejaaxorix, the hero of her childhood and the bane of her youth, was proud of her. To earn that level of admiration from someone like Jaax was something she thought impossible. Suddenly, Jahrra didn’t think a simple thank you was enough. Instead, she sniffled back her emotion and said with a shaky smile, “You know, I used the money I won to pay for your spirit stone ring.”
Jaax returned his attention to the busy road. “I know,” he murmured. “And that is why I never take it off.”
He turned to glance over his shoulder, giving her one last smile before unfurling his wings and lifting up into the sky.
In the handful of minutes that passed, while Jahrra stood there, still reeling from her guardian’s revelation, another astonishing fact hit her: It had been Jaax who’d wagered a month’s salary on her fight with the captain of the guard. It had been her guardian who had absolutely no doubt she could take on the best Cahrdyarein had to offer, and win.
As she proceeded to make her way back to the cabin, some other notion began brewing in her head. If he had such faith in her, what sort of wager was Jaax willing to make against the Crimson King? Jahrra shuddered. She didn’t want to think about that now. She didn’t want to think about it ever. Instead, she grasped for the strands of that pleasant warmth which had spread through her when Jaax told her he was proud of her, and she wrapped them carefully around her heart. The time would come one day when that’s all she’d have to give her strength, so she might as well start now.
* * *
The following day, Jahrra practiced with Pendric again, but this time instead of fighting her, he questioned her about her techniques. Jahrra gladly shared her knowledge, knowing that Yaraa and Viornen wouldn’t mind. By noon, practice was over, although she really hadn’t done much in the field of physical activity. She was glad of it, though. After yesterday’s workout, she didn’t mind a day of light practice. Besides, the revelation from her guardian was still weighing heavily on her mind. It had arrived so far out of the blue, and seemed so uncharacteristic of him. And that, of course, only encouraged her overactive imagination to contemplate other possibilities. Did Jaax know something she didn’t? Had he told her he was proud of her because he wanted her to know before something drastic happened?
Jahrra swallowed back her anxiety. True, Jaax wasn’t the type to express his feelings, but it’s not like he hadn’t done so before. She just hoped that this time it wasn’t because of some impending doom he was privy to. If so, she would be extremely angry with him. He had promised to keep her informed of any news or plans regarding her fate. She just had to trust he’d keep his word.
“There you are!” a familiar voice called out, making Jahrra jump in surprise.
“Hello, Keiron,” she said, smiling.
She hadn’t seen him since the beginning of practice yesterday, and he hadn’t come by the cabin to walk with her to the sparring field that morning, either.
As if he could read her thoughts, he cleared his throat and said, “Sorry about my absence this morning. I had to cover someone’s shift on the wall.”
Jahrra gave him another cursory glance. He did look a bit tired.
“Had to get up three hours early,” he offered with a shamefaced grin.
Almost immediately, the uneasy feeling Jahrra had been experiencing dissipated. So maybe it wasn’t Jaax’s impromptu arrival at her practice yesterday that really had her tied up in knots. Perhaps, it was really stemming from Keiron’s absence.
“And,” Keiron continued, “I’d like to make it up to you.”
Jahrra cast him an inquiring gaze. “Oh? How so?”
“Will you please come with me?” he asked, instead of answering her question.
Jahrra glanced over her shoulder to make sure Dervit was still preoccupied with his own practice, then nodded and hopped down from the fence.
“That depends,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “Where are we going?”
Keiron bit back a grin. “Just for a walk.”
He indicated the thick woods beyond the edge of the practice yard. If they were just going for a walk, what harm could it be? Still, her conscience nagged at her. She had promised Jaax, and herself, she’d be more careful around this young man.
“I don’t know,” she finally said, her voice wary.
“It’s a popular walking and jogging trail, Jahrra,” Keiron explained, in mild exasperation. “It starts just behind the practice fields and stays well within the wall. I promise.”
His purposeful mention of the wall had Jahrra eyeing him suspiciously. Had Jaax talked to him, too? If so, she might just die of embarrassment. Scattering that unnerving thought to the wind, she continued her perusal. But no matter how hard she scrutinized Keiron’s clear eyes and alluring smile, she could detect no malice emanating from him. As far as her instincts were concerned, he simply wished to go for a walk, and that was the end of it.
“Alright, but not for long,” she conceded. “Dervit will be done with practice soon, and we promised Ellyesce we’d take the horses out for exercise this afternoon.”
Their elvin companion had been much more mobile in the recent days, so he had taken the initiative to accompany Jaax on his daily meetings with Morivan and his advisors in the mornings, and then volunteering to walk the wall in the afternoons, trying to detect a change in the magic. So far, he had uncovered nothing.
“Then, we’ll just go to the Round and come back,” Keiron said with a cheery smile, offering Jahrra his elbow.
She felt foolish placing her hand there, but Keiron refused to retract his offer, and it would have been even more foolish for her to continue to ignore it. With her hand safely tucked in the crook of Keiron’s elbow, Jahrra allowed him to lead the way. They strolled around the perimeter of the practice field, but cut across before it ended in order to avoid the archers.
Once on the opposite end of the training yard, Jahrra spotted the trailhead. It was well marked with a sign and a short fence on either side. Eventually, the fence tapered off, and the trail meandered down the hillside and through the mixed evergreen and deciduous woods. A few trainees jogged past them several feet in, and Jahrra could see others along the trail, some running off to the side and performing a variety of exercises with the equipment set up for their use.
“This trail also serves as an obstacle course,” Keiron said when he noticed Jahrra’s curiosity.
She nodded and kept walking, wondering when she’d get her hand back. It wasn’t unpleasant, this attention from Keiron, just something she wasn’t used to. The two of them traveled at a comfortable pace for a half an hour or so before the winding, and at times steep, path brought them to a wide open area clear of most trees but ringed by large stones. A thin waterfall, currently rather heavy with snowmelt, crashed from the hillside they’d just descended. The water continued to flow in a swift rush, arching around the stones on one side. Keiron finally released Jahrra’s hand, and she spun around, her mouth agape in awe. This place was beautiful. Behind the stones, a cluster of dogwoods displayed the buds of flowers to be, some of them already in bloom, their blush-pink petals creating a pleasant contrast against t
he pale gray granite. Jahrra counted at least five more trails, all running off in different directions from this central location.
“What is this place?” she breathed.
“The Round,” Keiron answered with pride, standing back to observe Jahrra enjoying the beautiful space. “It was constructed when the founders of Cahrdyarein first arrived here. They wanted to create a space to meditate when their work was through.”
Jahrra could see how such a place would soothe one’s mind and spirit after a day of hard labor. She stepped away from the center of the glen and headed toward one of the standing stones. Beneath it was another slab of granite set at just the right height for a bench. When she cast her gaze around the circle once more, she noticed many other stone benches as well.
She sat down and rested her head against the closest standing stone, closing her eyes and pulling in a deep breath.
“In a month or so, this place will be alive with flowers,” Keiron said from the center of the great circle. His voice was calm and gentle. Soothing like the sound of the running water. “The mountain dogwoods will all be in bloom, and the wildflowers will finally open up and show their faces.”
Jahrra grinned, imagining the scene he painted in her mind. The relaxing sound of water and the mixed chorus of birdsong lulled her thoughts, and she imagined coming here after every practice for the rest of her stay in Cahrdyarein.
“Jahrra,” Keiron said, his voice much closer than before.
Jahrra jumped and sat upright, opening her eyes to find he’d taken a seat next to her. Had she been so lost in the sensations of nature around her, or had Keiron managed to cross the Round without making a sound?
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he continued, his eyes on the hands he had folded in his lap.
“You see, the Spring Equinox is in a few days, and my father usually hosts a celebration that lasts all day and into the night.”
Keiron stopped speaking, so Jahrra offered, “Oh, right. I’ve heard about it. The merchants on our street have been posting signs and hanging decorations. The woman who owns the small bakery explained what was going on when I asked her on the way to practice the other day.”
Keiron nodded, then lifted his head to look her in the eye. Not for the first time, Jahrra found herself captivated by his clear blue gaze.
“The celebration culminates with a dance. A spring ball, at the castle fort. I was wondering, hoping, actually, that you might attend that ball with me. As my special guest.”
For several seconds Jahrra simply sat there, blinking at him. Her? His special guest? At the ball?
“I, uh, I would be honored, Keiron,” she said, giving a nervous laugh. Then, when she’d managed to get a better hold of her composure, she smiled. “I would love to go with you.”
Keiron smiled brightly, then stood up. “I would like to linger here a bit longer, but I think we should return to the practice field. I’m sure Dervit will be looking for you.”
“Of course,” Jahrra responded.
Keiron offered his arm, and the two of them returned to the practice field, neither one saying much the entire way back. The protracted silence, though awkward, gave Jahrra time to think. Initially, she found her companion’s bland mood very odd. He had been all formal manners and complacency when offering his invitation, and his strange lack of emotion upon hearing her response was a bit disheartening. Did he really want her to accompany him to the ball, or had he been ordered to invite her by his astringent father and cold mother? Had she read too much into their growing friendship, and was Keiron merely playing the part of a polite host? Or maybe he had simply been nervous about asking her. Biting her lip, Jahrra decided not to think much further on the matter. Perhaps she could make a better judgment at the party itself.
Dervit was waiting for them when they returned. He gave Jahrra a curious look and Keiron a more pointed one, but said nothing. Keiron offered to walk back with them, his characteristic good cheer back in place once more, and Jahrra gladly accepted. They began the trek across the city, with Keiron conversing amiably with her this time and Dervit trailing along behind them, remaining mostly silent. Before reaching the cabin, the trio made a stop at the stables.
“Would you like to ride with us?” Jahrra asked Keiron as she hoisted Phrym’s saddle from the tack room.
The regent’s son shook his head. “I’d love to, but my schedule will not allow it.”
“Busy with your own state affairs?” Jahrra teased.
The young Resai elf only offered her a quirk of the lips. “You could say that.”
Before he left, Keiron took Jahrra’s hand. For a few moments, he simply held her palm against his, his thumb slowly caressing her skin. Jahrra swallowed nervously, fighting a shiver. Perhaps, she had misjudged his earlier impassive mood after all.
“If I don’t see you at practice tomorrow,” he murmured, his voice pitched low and his lids lowered over his blue eyes, “I’ll see you at the ball the following evening.”
He bowed, kissing her fingers before turning and leaving the stable behind.
Jahrra stared after him, feeling suddenly flushed and dizzy.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Dervit stated matter-of-factly, “I’d say that young man is courting you.”
Jahrra’s blush intensified, and she turned to give the limbit a harsh glance. “Do not be ridiculous,” she huffed, crossing her arms and turning back toward Phrym. “He’s just being polite because he’s the regent’s son and I’m, in a sense, a special guest here in Cahrdyarein.”
“I don’t know,” Dervit mused, rubbing his chin with a fuzzy hand, “he sure does stare at you a lot.”
“Ugh, enough!” Jahrra hissed in irritation.
But, she really wasn’t all that irritated. The thought of Keiron being interested in her as more than a friend was tempting, and just a little thrilling. Could Dervit be right? She paused in the process of adjusting the stirrups on Phrym’s saddle.
“He did ask me to be his special guest at the Equinox ball,” she murmured without turning around to look at her small friend. To herself, she added, Even if he didn’t seem entirely thrilled when you accepted.
“I knew it!” Dervit barked. “Erron and the others think so, too!”
This time, Jahrra whipped around, her jaw slack in shock. “What?! You and the children have been gossiping about me?”
Dervit shrugged his shoulders and turned his palms toward the stable roof. “What? It’s pretty obvious. He wasn’t happy the other day when Pendric stepped in and took over.”
“Pendric is married!” Jahrra shot at her friend.
Dervit shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Keiron clearly didn’t like being ordered aside. And you should have seen the way he glared at Jaax when the sparring match was over!”
Dervit whistled, a long, drawn-out sound. “Good thing Jaax didn’t see him looking at him like that. Your guardian may very well have singed the hair right off his head, regent’s son or not.”
Jahrra snorted and got back to saddling Phrym.
“You must be reading too much into it. Keiron is my friend, and he has no reason to be jealous of Pendric, or Jaax. Especially not Jaax. He’s my guardian, for goodness sake! And a dragon!”
Dervit only grinned, his ears flitting to the side with mischief. Jahrra rolled her eyes. She would just have to ignore him since he clearly wasn’t going to let it go.
Once she was done with Phrym, Jahrra slipped a halter onto Rumble and Gliriant. Fortunately for her, all three horses were well-mannered and not easily spooked.
“Think you can handle Rumble again?” she asked Dervit.
He smiled and nodded. Ever since arriving at Cahrdyarein, he had made time during the day to get to know the horses better. He was determined to get over his fear, and he’d even forged a bond with the large bay.
Once Dervit was settled on Rumble’s back, Jahrra clicked her tongue and led Phrym out, the other two horses trailing behind on their lead ropes.
As they cleared the stable and headed to one of the trails meant for equestrian exercising, Dervit said, “Well, I guess we’ll know in a few days, then.”
“You guess we’ll know what?” Jahrra sent over her shoulder.
“What Keiron’s intentions are. Rumor on the streets of Cahrdyarein is that the Equinox celebration is meant for young lovers.”
Jahrra clenched her teeth and shot her friend a nasty look. “We are not young lovers, Dervit.”
“Like I said,” he trilled. “We shall see.”
Jahrra tried to block him out, but to her chagrin, he seemed to be enjoying the prospect of Keiron displaying affection toward her. That chilling thrill coursed through her again, and although she promised herself not to think about what Keiron’s intentions were, her limbit friend was definitely making it hard to doubt the sincerity, and validity, of the young elf’s attentions.
-Chapter Eleven-
A Glimpse of the Enemy
“What are you still doing here?” demanded a sharp, familiar voice.
Jaax sighed and cracked open one eye to find his ward gazing down at him, her eyebrows furrowed in slight annoyance. Groaning inwardly, he lifted his head so that his neck no longer blocked the cabin entrance. He cast Jahrra a disparaging look, then took in a long, slow breath of air while pinching the bridge of his snout with a taloned hand.
“Since you asked so nicely,” he grumbled, “I just got in from a long night and was hoping to get a few hours of rest before taking up my never-ending residence with the regent.”
Jahrra had the decency to look somewhat chastened.
“Apart from being so rudely awakened,” Jaax continued, “I am glad I caught you before you disappeared off into the land of arms practice. The regent is hosting a ball for the Spring Equinox, and we are to be the guests of honor. Which means,” Jaax stressed, “you will need to wear something nice.”
“I know,” Jahrra said rather dismissively. “I already unpacked one of my good dresses. It’s airing out inside.”
The Ascending Page 18
