by Delia Roan
Kovos paused for a minute, perplexed. This contradictory creature made his head spin. If he had his father’s way with words, he could have found the words to make her open up. He could have reassured her he remained the same underneath his new exterior.
He twisted his arm to gently pat her hand where it rested on his abdomen.
“This,” he began slowly, “is a considerable change for us both. I have been reveling in my transformation, without considering the implications for you. It cannot be easy for you. To- to be so far from home. To be here. With me.”
He felt Jenna nod against his back.
Monster.
He cleared his throat, trying to ease the lump in it.
“Perhaps you would like to take a picnic lunch in the gardens? I could ask the kitchen if they have any compote left?”
“No!” She pushed away from his back.
Her violent reaction stunned him. He turned to her, taking in her wide eyes and flared nostrils.
She must’ve seen the concern in his eyes, because she took a deep, shuddering breath. She schooled her expression, and her face softened into a smile. If Kovos hadn’t studied her face every chance he got, he might have missed the tightness in the corners of her mouth, or the way her hands fiddled with the tassels on her gown.
She is trying to hide… what?
“I’m sorry, Kovos. I must just be tired from… from last night.” Color crept into her cheeks. “Forgive me?”
Kovos tilted his head. She was lying. Uncertainty stirred in his belly. Why?
“There is nothing to forgive, moonsong,” he said, gently. “Is there aught I can help you with?”
For a second, he thought she might speak. Then, she shook her head, and flew into his arms. Her kiss was deep and passionate, and after a second of shock, Kovos found himself responding.
She pulled away long enough to murmur into his mouth, “Distract me.” She slid her hand down his belly, and Kovos groaned. “Make me forget.”
Forget what? he wanted to ask. But as her hands tightened around him, all he could do was scoop her into his arms and carry her to bed. They spent the evening wrapped in each other’s arms, rising long enough to eat a hurried meal.
Being with Jenna made everything right in the world again. He found himself laughing when they fell off the bed in a tangle of sheets. The more he touched her, the deeper he fell in love. It was how the bond worked. They were meant to be together. Two souls twined together, the way their legs were. Their heart beats synchronized, and even their breath in harmony.
That is as it should be.
No matter what Jenna was hiding from him, no matter how frantic and desperate her love-making grew, Kovos knew it would be all right in the end. The physical signs of their love criss-crossed his body. Nobody could deny it now. Not his people, not the Council, and not even Jenna. They were made for each other. They would fix it, whatever it was, together.
Nothing will change that.
And while he tried to sleep, the word crept into his mind, again and again.
Monster.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
JENNA
After he left in the morning with hurried kisses, Jenna lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She was out of tears, and her body felt pleasantly limp from lovemaking, but anxiety still poked at her, keeping her from resting. Yet, she couldn’t get out of bed to start her day, either.
Maybe the world could just be this bed, with me and Kovos in it.
She sighed. Cyndrae would be arriving soon. While she treasured Cyndrae’s friendship, the truth was that Jenna didn’t want to see anyone from the picnic to Braddrak. Not Cyndrae, not even the guards, and certainly not Lithyon.
Miss Perfect Prissy Pants.
Jenna winced at the uncharitable thought. Lithyon had done a lot for her. Lithyon had saved her life. This was not Lithyon’s fault; it was hers. She shouldn’t have left the palace. She wasn’t strong like Lithyon. She wasn’t polished and refined like Cyndrae. She wasn’t meant to be here on Cadam.
And Mel shouldn’t be… where ever she is.
Jenna pulled the pillow over her face and screamed. When she ran out of breath, she rolled out of bed, and strode to the bathroom. She couldn’t spend all day moping in bed, not when Mel counted on her. The least she could do was clean up.
The heat from the bath washed away some of her shame at how pathetic she’d been at the picnic. She’d embarrassed herself and Lithyon’s opinion of her had plummeted. Jenna scrubbed herself with more force than necessary.
She stomped out of the bathroom, and froze.
A parcel sat on the bed.
Jenna looked around the room. “Hello? Cyndrae?”
When she received no response, she walked to the box. Had Kovos left it?
She opened it, and before she could stifle it, a small shriek left her.
Inside lay a long braid of red hair. A very familiar braid.
Mel’s. Oh, it is! It’s Mel’s!
With a trembling hand, Jenna reached out and lifted it out. The one end was secured with a bubble hair tie, but the other was held by a piece of string. Jenna raised it to her nose. She caught a whiff of Mel’s fruity shampoo.
“Oh, Mel,” she whispered, stroking the hair. Her hair had always been Mel’s pride and joy, even if Jenna had teased that it was more carrot than auburn. It was her Garfield’s unmistakable ginger, all right.
Beneath the braid sat a lumis. She’d become familiar with the technological device since living among the Ennoi. She lifted it out. At her touch, the screen lit up, and a small holographic projection appeared, showing an Ennoi’s face. The man in the hologram was the same one who had spoken to her on the ship. His face remained hooded, but she recognized his voice.
“Your time has come,” the message said. “Within this box, you will find a bottle. Take it now.”
The canister was barely the size of her pinky finger. It had rolled to the side of the box, and she’d missed it on her first glance.
The message continued. “You will feed the contents of this bottle to Lord Kovos.”
“Feed?” She looked at the shiny canister. “Wh-”
“When Lord Kovos is dead, we will return your sister to Earth. You’ll make your own way.”
Jenna gasped. Dead?
“It’s poison,” she whispered to the empty room. She dropped the lumis. Her legs gave way, and she sat on the floor. “That’s what they want. They want me to kill him.” She looked at the bottle. “To kill Kovos.”
With a snap, the lumis on her bed began to smoke. Jenna dove for it, but the screen was dark, the insides fried by some sort of failsafe.
They wanted to kill Kovos. They wanted her to kill Kovos.
Bile coated the back of her throat. She sank back to the ground and rested her spinning head on the edge of the bed. Murder. No, she corrected herself. She’d performed enough Shakespeare to know the difference.
Kovos was a king.
Assassination.
A tap at the door made her bolt upright. “Lady Jenna?”
“Just a minute, Cyndrae!”
Cyndrae rarely knocked, but Jenna was thankful she’d chosen today to do so. In a mad scramble, she threw Mel’s braid, the broken lumis and the vial into the box, and raced to a cabinet. Throwing the box inside, she slammed the door shut, just as Cyndrae entered the room.
Cyndrae eyed Jenna warily. “My lady? Are you well? You appear flushed.”
Jenna waved her hand. “Yup! All good!” she said, her voice chipper. She moved away from the cabinet as slowly as she could. “I was just rushing. To get ready.” Her eyes flicked to the troeben in the corner. “So that I could visit the hospital!”
“The… hospital, my lady?”
“Yes, I wanted to pay my respects to some of the Ennoi who were injured in the attack.” She clasped her trembling hands behind her back. “Could you arrange that?”
“Is that wise, my lady? Ados
is unsettled after…”
“And that’s exactly why I should do it. I… I can’t hide forever. I should do things. See… people. Get out.”
And away from that parcel.
Cyndrae’s professionalism stopped her from arguing, but Jenna saw the confusion on her face. “I shall do as you bid, Lady Jenna.”
The hospital was a wide, well-lit building, a short drive from the palace. Jenna had hoped to walk, but Cyndrae had insisted on a vehicle and an escort. With the recent Sykorian attacks, Kovos wasn’t taking any chances with Jenna. At first she had wanted to protest, but she realized the guards were for Kovos’s protection as much as hers. She was his heart now. Her new responsibility weighed her down. She traveled in a convoy, sandwiched between burly guards.
At the hospital, Jenna drew curious glances. As per Cyndrae’s advice, Jenna kept her head up and her back straight, smiling when she met anyone’s eyes. More often than not, Jenna received a smile in return.
Cyndrae raised an eyebrow. “It appears you have admirers. Let us hope the wing with the injured is quieter. Otherwise, we might be stuck here all day.”
A nurse escorted them to a door, and then stepped aside. Jenna expected the room to be spartan, as hospitals usually were. However, the room beyond was completely devoid of comforts. An elderly Ennoi man lay on a bed which resembled a padded bench. No blankets surrounded him, but he was clad in a simple blue and orange hospital gown. His lower half was encased by a machine which emitted a soft blue light. Now and then, it beeped. Beside him, perched on a chair, sat an Ennoi woman, holding his hand. Both were horned.
When Jenna entered, the Ennoi woman bolted to her feet. To Jenna’s surprise, she was barely a few heads taller than herself.
“My lady!” The Ennoi woman’s long braid fell over her shoulder as she dipped. “The doctor told us you might visit. It’s an honor to have you here.”
“You already know my name, but I’m afraid I don’t know yours,” Jenna said.
The Ennoi bowed again. Unlike her husband, she was clad in violet and chocolate brown. “I am Karirana Un’Diwen. My Avowed mate, Gheldod Un’Diwen.”
“Please, sit,” Jenna said. A hospital orderly scurried forward with a chair for Jenna. It looked far more comfortable than the one Karirana perched on.
“How are you feeling?” Jenna said to the old man in the bed. His gaze was fixed at a point beyond her shoulder. When she peered behind her, she saw Cyndrae standing by the door.
Karirana nudged her husband.
“Eh?” The old man jerked his attention back to Jenna.
“She asked how you’re feeling,” Karirana said. “Lady Jenna, I mean.”
“Good, good.” Gheldod’s attention wandered back to the door.
Did the attack addle his brain?
The look on Karirana’s face showed her confusion at Gheldod’s behavior. “Err, you must excuse my husband, Lady Jenna. He is in considerable pain as his organs regenerate.”
The machine surrounding Gheldod’s body beeped.
“Regenerate?”
“Regrow,” Karirana clarified.
“He’s growing organs?” Jenna’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yes, my lady. We Ennoi are very resilient, especially those who have achieved the Virtue of the Avowed.”
“But to grow new organs? That’s amazing!”
The Ennoi woman blushed. “We are hard to kill, but not immortal. We still succumb to illness and major injuries.”
And poison, Jenna thought.
“How are you enjoying Cadam, my lady? Oh! You might know our grandson,” Karirana said. “His name is Autreylen Un’Diwen. He’s a guard at the palace.”
“I’m sorry,” Jenna said. “There are many guards…”
“You would know him by his height,” Karirana said. “Unfortunately, he inherited it from my side. He got us tickets to the concert. We were very fortunate to witness Lady Lithyon play. And you, of course,” she hurried to add. “Then the wall collapsed, trapping Gheldod and well, here we are…”
“You,” Gheldod grated out.
Both women looked in surprise at Gheldod.
“Ghel?” Karirana placed her hand on her husband’s arm, but he shook it off.
“You,” he repeated, louder this time. “Come away from the door. Come into the light.”
Behind her, Cyndrae squared her shoulders. She stepped forward. When she was a few feet from the bed, Gheldod hissed.
“My eyes are weak,” he said. “It took me a while to recognize you.”
Cyndrae stiffened. “I don’t know you, sir.”
Gheldod shook his finger. “Oh, but I know you, Butcher’s spawn! Evil thing!” Gheldod sneered. “Corrupted creature!”
“What’s going on?” Jenna said. “I think you’re mistaking Cyndrae for someone else.”
Cyndrae held up her hand. “No, he is not.” She clasped her hands in front of her, but her head remained straight, and she met the rage in his eyes without flinching. “You are correct, sir. I am the only surviving daughter of Zathlassan Ar’Zathris, the man known as The Ennoi Butcher. I cannot deny that.”
“You dare bring your contamination to Cadam?” Gheldod spat. “After what your father and brother did to Dewin? You dare come here?”
“I am more than my blood, old man.” Cyndrae’s words were calm and even, but Jenna noticed the scales along her shoulders ripple.
“And where is your disgusting brother?” Gheldod asked. “Where is the stain of your family name?”
Cyndrae turned to Jenna. “I am not wanted here, my lady. I shall return to the palace and await your return.”
“Wait!” Jenna stood, but Cyndrae swept from the room. Jenna debated bowing to the two Ennoi who sat in shocked silence behind her, but after what they’d said to Cyndrae, she wasn’t sure they deserved it. “I gotta go. Feel better soon!”
She caught Cyndrae in the corridor. “Wait! Cyndrae, please! What was all that about?”
For a second, Jenna thought Cyndrae might refuse to answer. “My father… was not a good man… was not a good Ennoi. His disgraceful behavior earned him the name The Butcher. When he was exiled from Ennoi space, he took me and my brother to the outskirts.”
“Oh. So, what the old guy said…?”
“We were merely children,” Cyndrae continued. “We did not ask to be born to such a man.”
“No, of course not!” Jenna grabbed Cyndrae’s hand. “You’re not your father. Just like I’m not my deadbeat dad.”
“Lady Lithyon took me under her wing. It’s only through her kindness that I am tolerated in Ennoi society.” Cyndrae patted down her gown. “My blood taints me.”
Jenna pulled Cyndrae into a hug. The Ennoi woman stiffened in her arms, and then cautiously wrapped her arms around Jenna.
“Well, I don’t know anything about your family,” Jenna said, “but I know you. You’re a good person, Cyndrae.”
For a moment they remained close, then Cyndrae shied away. “May I be frank with you?”
“Of course, Cyndrae! We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“I have been grateful for this opportunity to spend time with you.” She looked up, and her eyes glistened. “You are a worthy woman. Worthy of friendship, and loyalty. And worthy of Lord Kovos.”
Before Jenna could reply, Cyndrae bowed and strode off, wiping at her face with her sleeve.
It was enough to break Jenna’s heart. Cyndrae must have been so lonely. She was separated from her own Ennoi clan. With her partner gone, and her daughter away, Jenna might be her only companion at the moment. The thought of losing everything shook Jenna to her soul.
The rest of the visit was less eventful. Jenna did her rounds, meeting only Ennoi with minor injuries. A kind doctor explained that Ennoi hospitals were for emergency use only, hence the barren facilities. Most Ennoi could recover, or die peacefully, at home.
On the ride back to the palace, Jenna’s mind raced. She took in
the expressions of passersby. When they noticed it was a royal carriage, they cheered, stomping their feet in that peculiar Ennoi manner. The children ran alongside, waving, and the older Ennoi bowed, their hands upon their chests.
Kovos did this. He brought his people hope.
When she returned to her rooms, they were empty. Her thoughts crept back to Mel, and to the vial sitting in the cabinet. She strode to the cabinet, and threw it open. With the box, she walked across the room, and sank down onto the bed where she and Kovos had spent the night in each other’s arms.
It was abundantly clear what her choice had to be.
In the words of her sister: Duh, it’s a no-brainer, Jen.
A heavy weight settled onto her chest, making it hard to breathe. She pulled out the braid, running her fingers over the soft strands.
“I’m sorry, Mel.” The room swallowed her whisper. Jenna breathed into the hair. “I can’t do it. I can’t kill him.”
If she had to choose between her sister and the fate of an entire civilization, she would choose to keep Kovos alive. His people needed him. More than Mel needed her. If Kovos fell, if Lithyon fell, if the peace accord wasn’t achieved, every peaceful Ennoi she saw today would be thrown back into chaos. The violence at the concert would be repeated on a larger scale.
She loved him, but love had little to do with the right action.
How am I going to look him in the eye, knowing I chose him over Mel?
No, it was better for her to leave Cadam and go back to Earth. Better for her and better for the Ennoi, because with Jenna gone, Kovos would be free to marry Lithyon. No more children would suffer. They’d bring peace to the Ennoi together.
The vial needed to vanish, before anyone could find it, before she could be implicated in an assassination plot. The last thing she wanted was for some innocent to get poisoned.
Her hand touched empty cardboard. The vial wasn’t in the box.
She tipped the box upside down, but nothing fell out. Jenna ran to the cabinet. She threw open the doors, her fingers scrambling along the bottom, searching, searching.
She ran to the bed, and looked under it. To her relief, she spotted the container, hidden in the shadows. Pulling it out, her heart stopped. The lid was flipped open.
