by Kumar, Lisa
“I know you do, but you can protect her without sheltering her. She’s not going off to fight the darkindred. You are. Our soldiers are. We do it to protect our families. You are protecting her. But you can’t keep the truth from her. Anyway, she is bound to ask questions. If she doesn’t, then her lively friend will.” Kenhel grinned at mentioning Maggie.
Relian groaned, imagining the determined Maggie digging about for information. “I’ll tell them soon but after the ceremony is over.”
“You’re doing something that would have been taboo not very long ago.” Admiration and glee tinted his voice.
Relian glanced up from the sword he cleaned. “Why would it have been taboo? Have we become so stagnant that we can’t accept change unless it is forced upon us?”
“I think that nearly happened to us as a people. Let me phrase it this way. Would you ever have considered a human otherwise?” Kenhel never glanced up from where he sat, one shoulder buffered against the tree. His own sword was gleaming from his efforts.
Relian turned an annoyed face toward his friend. “How could I have considered one when there weren’t any here?”
“Exactly. They are there, and we are here. Segregation sanctioned and enforced by us. We effectively removed ourselves from their sphere of life.” Kenhel shook his head, finally looking up. “Sometimes I wonder if we didn’t remove ourselves too completely.”
Relian’s heart caught in his throat. “Are you saying you think this situation, this imbalance, has been brought on by us?” His voice didn’t sound as doubtful as he wished. He remembered Cal’s words about his people and mind games. Because of their long years, his people had a tendency to dissemble. A mortal did not and would not suffer it gladly for long. They didn’t have the time. But could he and his kind fault humans for their impatience?
Kenhel put aside his blade. “I don’t think we’ve helped it by any means. Am I saying we’re totally to blame? No, but we can’t overlook our part. Humans are ever changing. Their governments and way of life are often in flux. Nothing stays long in a vacuum for them. They change too much, while we change not at all. Our government is still led by the same king. The councilors rarely change. Our way of life rarely changes. Is there anything wrong in and of itself regarding these facts? Taken separately—no. Taken together—that is a different story altogether. Complacency is a way of life for us now—elf and human alike.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Kenhel threw a grin in his direction. “You and your lady.”
His mouth went dry at the thought of Cal. “Myself and Cal? What? Why?”
“You don’t know, do you? Everybody sees it, even those who don’t want to. Two different people, from two such different worlds, who complement each other perfectly. Who would’ve thought such a thing possible?”
Relian almost dropped his polishing cloth. He strongly cared for Cal, but had his people actually recognized the intrinsic depth of their relationship?
“The veil knew what it was doing by bringing elf and human together in this case. Now we all must wait to see what arises from it. Maybe you two are a bridge of sorts.”
“I don’t think the human world is ready for us or we them, not according to what Cal has said.”
“Who said it has to be on a mass scale? Mayhap, our world doesn’t have to combine with theirs. Who knows what the future holds?” Kenhel paused and leveled a penetrating look on him. “When are you going to tell her? You know they wait, and you know why. Our lords and ladies will only play courtier for so long before they yearn to be amongst the people of their own settlements. There are even those who are from outside our realm, and they won’t be content to wait long, not with the state of upheaval most kingdoms are facing. After all, our people or no, their favorite pastime of prince hunting for their daughters has come to a halt.” A mischievous expression slid across his face, only to disappear. “All because of a human.”
All because of an upstart human. Kenhel didn’t have to voice those words, for they both knew they were there. They didn’t reflect Kenhel’s own beliefs, but it still stung, nevertheless.
Relian stopped all pretense of polishing his weapon. “That is doubtless how their views toward Cal lean. I tend to forget while here, surrounded as we are by inhabitants of the palace. The sight of two human women has become commonplace to them, and most seem accepting enough.”
“You’re unlikely to hear much muttering from the palace folk and those down in the town. It may be there, but it is quiet and just laid out as a matter of opinion. Some in the palace have grown truly fond of the women. Even those that haven’t love you and your father too much to cause any strife. Those further afield—those who oversee the areas and settlements of Eria by grace of your father—would have to be bold to give open protest. The ramifications of the very public show of support the veil gave quieted most protestors but not all. There’ll always be Eamons to rile up trouble.”
Relian smiled sadly. Eamon’s attack on Cal was still an open wound, a painful reminder of some of his people’s intolerance. “But even princes and kings can’t sway their subject’s innermost thoughts and beliefs.”
“No, that’ll only come with time. Lady Cal is a most delightful woman, and all with an open mind will come to see that.” Kenhel gave him a sly grin, conspiracy in his tone. “The others don’t matter, as I know you wouldn’t surround her with such people nor would your father allow it.”
Relian favored him with a grim upturn of his lips. “No, you know us too well. We protect what is ours, what we hold dear.”
“True.” Kenhel laid down the rag in his hands, reclined back and stretched his arms behind his head and interlocked his fingers. “That was never in question. So when are you going to inform her the bonding is eminent? Right as it’s happening?”
***
“Why didn’t you tell me why everyone was hanging around the palace?” She spun away from Relian to gaze out over the railing of his porch. Damn, why didn’t he inform her sooner? Yes, she was getting used to the whole idea of being with Relian but still had wanted to be the first to know the date of her bonding. Really, since she was the ying to his yang, she should’ve known first.
Relian raised a brow, his face irritatingly calm. “Hanging? They’ve been walking, dancing, and maybe even running but never hanging.”
He reminded her infuriatingly of his father. Now she understood how Maggie felt. “Don’t toy with me at a time like this,” she snapped, harsher than she intended. Flouncing away from him, she wrapped her arms around herself. She sensed him come up behind her. He turned her around to face him, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
Relian let his mask slip at little. “I didn’t at first realize it myself, Cal. Fathers can be cunning, especially mine, and I’m afraid I didn’t see the signs of his maneuverings. Though more furtive than I would’ve preferred, he truly has our best interests, along with my people’s, in mind.”
She sighed, looking at him. “But you knew at some point.”
“I had my suspicions when I saw the number of people arriving.”
She shook her head. “And you didn’t think to mention them to me?”
He did have the intelligence to appear a little contrite. “I wasn’t sure at the time.”
“And then later?” Why was this like pulling teeth?
“Later…I became loathe to broach the subject.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “Why?”
“I feel like we’re coercing you. You don’t truly have a choice. While we can’t force the bond on you, the consequences are too great for you not to consider going through with it. Besides, there’s the fact you’ll be kept here, not able to visit your previous home until you agree and complete the bonding. But you know all this. You’ve always been able to guess much of what we seek to keep hidden.”
“Yes,” she agreed softly. “But I don’t see why things should be hidden from me. If you want me to be your wife, you’re going to have to start letting
me in. I can’t be forever kept in the dark.”
His warm lips pressed against her forehead. “I know. Will you be amendable?”
She gave him a bittersweet smile. “What choice do we have? Either of us?”
“None,” came the quiet reply.
“Yes, that’s what I thought.” She leaned her head against his chest. “I’ll find it ironic if we turn out to be the solution to nothing.”
“We shall see.” He stroked her hair, the pads of his fingers soft against her scalp. “I don’t regret what is to happen, just the manner in which it has been brought about. Know that and never doubt it.”
How did he do that? Take her doubts and make then disappear like smoke?
“Okay.” She buried her face in his shoulder. “I think I feel the same.” That was as close as she could come to admitting her feelings for him. Neither of them were making passionate declarations, but both seemed secure in their regard for each other. And that was enough. For now.
***
The book Maggie read slipped out of her suddenly lax hands and onto the bed. “So you’re going to complete the bond soon?”
Cal nodded. “As soon as it can be arranged, and with his father spearheading it, it shouldn’t take long. Relian thinks a matter of days.”
“Wow. While these elves might have forever, they can sure move fast when they want to.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t sound overjoyed.” Maggie’s face grew clouded. “Do you really want to go through with this?”
“As crazy as it sounds, yes. I just never thought it would be such a rushed, semi-forced affair. My emotions are all mixed up right now.”
Maggie fixed Cal with a serious look. “Answer one thing: do you love him? No beating around the denial bush. Yes or no?”
“What?” Whatever she expected from her friend, it wasn’t this.
“You heard me. Do you?”
Cal hesitated until Maggie commanded, “I’m not talking about that crap we see in movies about fireworks and needing the person to survive. You don’t need any man, elf or not, to survive. So don’t think. Just answer.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Maggie appeared as satisfied as though she won a challenging round against the king. “There you go. That’s what you needed to know, and it’s all the answer you need. Forget everything else for right now.”
Cal shot her friend a tremulous smile. “Yes, I guess that’s all I need to know. The rest can wait until later.”
“Darn right.” Maggie flashed her a grin. “There’s always time for later, especially when you’re going to become immortal. Girl, you're getting married, at least the elvish equivalent of it.”
Cal’s tentative happiness died. “The immortal life thing is part of the problem. I’ve realized I’ll stay young, at least in appearance, while everyone I know back on Earth will grow old.”
Maggie gave an understanding nod. “And die.”
“And die,” Cal echoed, the hollow sound reverberating in her head. As it stood now, her family and even Maggie would and die like fast-blooming flowers.
Maggie rubbed Cal’s back soothingly. “I’m not going to lie to you. It’ll be hard, but I have the feeling you’ll be spending most of your time in Eria, with the occasional visit to your family.”
“How will I even begin to explain it to them?”
Maggie shrugged. “Wait and see. Maybe you won’t.”
Cal made a face at Maggie. “If I don’t, they will soon notice I hardly age, if I do at all.”
“I don’t know the answer, Cal, other than let time take care of it.”
She shot her friend an amused glance. “You’re beginning to sound like an elf.”
Maggie gagged in disgust. “No, thank you. I’ll sound human, please. Hey, look on the bright side. At least, you won’t turn into an elf even if you gain the lifespan of one.”
Chapter 30
“Do you have to go? So close to our bonding?” Cal rumpled the fabric of her skirt between tense hands. She knew she grasped at grains that would slip through her fingers, but she had to try.
Relian took her by the arm and guided her toward a settee in the sitting room connected to his bedchamber. He pulled her fingers away from the mangled material before laying an affectionate hand against her cheek. “Yes. There are renewed attacks on some of our more remote settlements. They called for aid, and we will go to them.”
She turned to him and wound her arms around his neck. When she spoke, his shoulder muffled her voice. “I know you have to go, but my heart doesn’t seem to understand that.” She cringed at how plaintive her voice sounded. “So tell me about these darkindred people. You promised me you would.”
Relian sighed. “The darkindred started from exiles, a kind of bandit group, if you will.”
“I can hardly believe you have people like that here.”
He chuckled. “We’re not paragons of morality. We may have a greater fortitude against the vices of mankind, as we have long years to perfect this stance. Indeed we need this, for conversely, it’s our long years that would allow complete lawlessness to spread.” His voice grew progressively darker. “There would be no controlling it if we didn’t take the proper means to contain it. Humans in your world can be anarchic and evil, but their time is finite and measurable. So while humans can do much damage, elves can do irreparably worse. Our laws, once you learn of them, might seem harsh and inflexible. But they are that way for good reason.”
Alarm bubbled up. She didn’t like the sinister overtone the whole conversation had taken. While it sounded like there were scary creatures in Eria, there seemed to be even scarier laws that governed the country. The utopia she had pictured vanished before her eyes. “Strict policing of the people reigns here?”
Even though dread clogged her throat, she tamped down on it. She hadn’t seen any evidence of such tactics employed in the day-to-day life of those around her. For the most part, everyone seemed content, with no fear or distemper apparent in their demeanor.
“I didn’t intend to give that impression. It’s simply not so. Our laws aren’t so cruel and unreasonable. But there are offences that are deemed unforgivable and call for banishment or death.”
Cal joked weakly, “So no three strikes and you’re out? No second chances?”
“If you mean one gets a chance at clemency two times before the repercussions set in for a serious crime, then no. For crimes of a lesser nature, it depends on motivation. For instance, theft will not necessarily lead to banishment. Those overseeing the trial will carefully scrutinize the circumstances. In fact, if real need existed, the perpetrator will likely face minimal punishment. But the lord or lady who governs the thief’s town or province will face disciplinary action. Everyone in Eria is to have sufficient food and shelter. There can be no excuse if even one person isn’t receiving that. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen often, as only those who seek to better their people remain in positions of power.” A wolfish grin came to his lips. “My father sees to that quite effectively.”
The blood drained from her face. “He kills them?”
Relian released a bark of laughter. “No, not unless the crime truly calls for it. In these instances, being removed from a position of power is usually recompense enough for the wrongdoing. Now murder and rape—we won’t suffer those who seek to commit such atrocities.”
“So an instant death sentence for those who are guilty of such crimes?”
Relian picked up a strand of her hair and ran his fingers over it. “For the most part, either banishment or death is the penalty.”
“Only for the most part? So those in power can pay their way out?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice. Was their society no different from hers in that respect?
“No, wealth and standing bear little importance in such cases. If anything, with their position of power, they’re held to a higher level of accountability. Our leaders should be above reproach. What I meant is that extenuating cir
cumstances do happen but rarely.”
Cal snorted, relieved. “I somehow believe extenuating circumstances are hardly allowed to exist.” That was not a bad thing, necessarily. It ensured people didn’t get off when they shouldn’t. “So those in power can’t make mistakes?”
He shook his head. “Elves aren’t perfect. Like humans, we make mistakes. We just tend to remember them longer than humans do, individually and collectively as a society. My father allows his lords and ladies much leeway in governing their lands. All he expects in return is loyalty and good stewardship of his lands and people. As I said, everyone should have food and shelter. Work should be distributed and denied to none if they are capable of it. Everyone is to have a part in our society.”
“That’s a nice system. Even on Earth, we have such rules. On paper, they sound good, but the practical application is anything but. Especially when one takes into consideration infirmity and mental illness.”
“We don’t have many cases of either, at least not for long. We can overcome many instances of infirmity with modification, even if we can’t heal the original problem. As for mental illness—we don’t like to kill our own kind but if insanity lurks, we’ll respond appropriately. Elves with those disorders invariably turn violent in their long lives. Mayhap that isn’t so with humans and their short lives. Nevertheless, our system, as a whole, works well for us.”
Cal turned, so she straddled him. She ran her hands through his hair, stopping to trace the outline of his ears. He groaned. “Stop that, or I won’t be able to talk.”
“You like this, do you?”
“I like it so much we won’t finish this conversation if you keep doing it.”
“I thought we were done.” She kept trailing her finger along his ear.
He scowled at her. “We haven’t finished discussing the darkindred because we got off tangent.”
“Oh yeah, with the social discourse. Interesting but not quite on topic.” She gave a pout, moving her hands to fold them before her. “Better?”
