Bastial Sentinels (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 5)

by Narro, B. T.

  “He’s been here,” Reela said with a sly grin. “Staying with Klaiya.”

  Two horses came charging through the trees at a gallop. Klaiya was on one, while Peter was on the other. They appeared to be racing, with Klaiya’s horse just a few steps ahead when they both slid to a stop.

  “I win.” Klaiya swung her legs over and jumped from her mount.

  “You shouldn’t be so proud, cheater. We said no psyche.” Peter tied his horse to a tree.

  “I didn’t!” Her hands came to her hips.

  “You did. Halfway through the race, I suddenly felt confused and nearly fell off my horse…just when I was passing you.”

  “I thought you meant no psyche on the horses.”

  “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “And I still almost beat you.”

  As they joined Cleve and the others, Vala, Jessend, Raymess, and Micah rode into camp.

  “They’ll be here soon!” Jessend yelled. “Bring the horses behind the mountain. We have to hide.”

  Everyone rushed to hide their horses and themselves behind the turn of the mountain. Cleve’s horse, Nulya, was nervous from the excitement, thrashing her head, until Vithos put his hand on her.

  Speaking in whispers, Jessend and Vala introduced people who hadn’t met before. Cleve learned the strong woman and her father were Jek’s sister and father, Kalli and Sannil. The massive man, Giant, was the brother of the one half his size, Goreng. It was Micah’s task to bring them and ensure they came with no tea or crackers. Cleve hadn’t understood until Jessend reminded him of Lisanda’s story of Jek taking her from the palace, meeting Goreng and Giant just outside the secret passage where Jek was given hallucinogenic crackers that Lisanda ended up eating later.

  Raymess had been tasked with explaining the plan to Vala and Jessend without Lisanda finding out. The rest was organized by Jek, though Cleve still didn’t know exactly what that entailed.

  Mixed with whispers, stifled laughs went back and forth among the group. It may have been somewhat small, but the level of cheer ready to burst forth was equal to a whole shotmarl stadium’s audience.

  Jessend shushed everyone. “I think I hear them.”

  Cleve strained his ears. He heard Lisanda.

  “My Bastial stars. What’s all this?”

  “I was thinking this was where we could be married,” Jek said.

  Silence followed.

  Jessend grumbled. “Wish I could see their faces.”

  “I’m confused,” Lisanda said.

  “You don’t like it?”

  “I love it, but why all the ribbons and tables? Is there food on those covered trays?”

  “No, no,” Jek lied. “I just wanted to show you what it would look like.”

  “Look at the size of that stage! How did you even get it here?”

  Cleve thought he heard Jek laugh.

  “This is too much trouble you’ve gone through!” Lisanda said. “You didn’t need to do all this just for me to see it.”

  “I did because we’re getting married today.”

  “We…what?”

  “That’s it!” Jessend whispered furiously. “Now!”

  They all followed her and Vala out from behind the turn of the mountain. Lisanda gasped at the sight of them. Jek put his arm around her as her hands came up to cover her mouth.

  The musicians took to the stage and quickly broke into song. Jek bent down on his knee. Cleve smiled as he saw that Lisanda already was crying.

  Jek took her hand and waited for her to look at him. Her other hand was covering her face as she wept. She took two deep breaths and let down her hand, revealing an expression of utter joy as she struggled to keep more tears from spilling.

  “I’ve fought monsters, those that are real and those that are deep within myself,” Jek said, gazing into her eyes. “And I’ve suffered more than anyone my age should. But I’m still the most fortunate man in this world, because of you. Wherever I go, whatever I face, I’ll always come back to you. And there’s no better feeling. Will you marry me…right here, right now?”

  “Jek…” His name caught in her throat. She cleared it and smiled down at him, as he still was on one knee. “My whole life I’ve been waiting and searching.” Her voice got stronger. “But it took until this moment for me to realize what it was I’ve been waiting and searching for. I think back to all the hours I’ve spent meeting men of nobility, all the words I’ve wasted, all the arguments with my father, may he rest peacefully. I’ve traveled all over Greenedge. I’ve struggled to understand the point of my life. Without men, I was nothing—just a princess waiting and waiting, but for what? To be married? Then what? To have children? But as I look into your eyes, I realize that all this time—” she covered her mouth to stifle a weep. “I was just waiting for you.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “Nothing else. Just you. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  Jek jumped to his feet. He slid a ring around her finger. As everyone cheered, they pressed their lips together. They parted briefly to embrace each other as Lisanda let out a weep, then they began kissing once more.

  Raymess came over and put his arms around both of them. He announced loudly, “As King of Goldram, I pronounce these two now wed!”

  Jessend grabbed her sister in a tight embrace. Vala was crying as she watched her daughters. Her weeps became louder when Jessend parted so Vala could hug Lisanda. Cleve and everyone else exchanged handshakes, embraces, and congratulations. Jek bowed his head to Raymess and Vala, both of whom stopped him and demanded a hug instead.

  “That was so beautiful what you said,” Kalli told Lisanda as they embraced.

  Jek leaned over to kiss Lisanda’s cheek. “It was. Did you have some idea this was going to happen, so you had the speech planned?”

  She giggled. “No, you completely surprised me. The speech just came out.”

  “It took me hours to write mine. You made me look bad!” He laughed and kissed her once more. Then he seemed to notice that everyone was just standing around as if waiting for a signal for the party to begin. “Please, eat and dance!” He ran to each table and removed the lid of every tray. After circling back to them, he offered his hand to Lisanda. They sauntered toward the stage, where they began to dance to the music that Cleve didn’t notice had continued to play.

  Reela grabbed Cleve by the forearm. “Come on.”

  He held his ground, causing her to jerk to a stop. The only time he’d ever danced was with Terren, when his uncle suggested he should learn how to dance and attempted to grab Cleve and teach him right there in their kitchen. It didn’t go well.

  Then he remembered he’d danced for the mookers the last time he was in Greenedge. That didn’t go well either, nearly getting him killed.

  “Dance with Vithos,” Cleve suggested.

  “I will later. Right now I want to dance with you.”

  “I don’t know how.”

  “There’s nothing to learn. Just do whatever you want.”

  “What I want is to stay here. I’ll watch you. Go ahead.”

  She scowled. Folding her arms, she stared at him and said nothing.

  “Fine,” he said, relenting.

  The music was lively. Reela put Cleve’s hands on her hips. She rested her hands on his shoulders and began to sway. “Move,” she told him. He immediately stepped on her foot. “No, like this.” She shifted her feet side to side, subtly bouncing as she went. He followed her lead. “That’s good,” she said.

  Klaiya and Peter began dancing beside them. They each moved in their own rhythm, their arms flailing, their long hair whipping around. Over Reela’s shoulder, Cleve watched Giant approach Vala. The massive man got down on one knee. Cleve couldn’t tell if he was asking her to dance or proposing marriage. The sight made him smile. Reela grinned. “What is it?”

  Cleve turned them so she could see. Giant grunted something unintelligible, holding out his enormous hand for Vala. Even down on one knee, he was still taller than she was. Vala looked around, as if silently ask
ing for help. Goreng came to Giant’s side.

  “Yes, yes—he wants you to dance with him. It would be such an honor, my queen.”

  “He won’t…hurt me, will he?”

  Giant grunted loudly, shaking his head.

  “Never, my queen. He’s as gentle as a soft breeze. You will be impressed.”

  Giant grunted twice, now nodding.

  “Very well. I will dance with you for one song.” She offered her hand.

  With controlled enthusiasm, he took it and escorted her in front of the stage.

  Giant placed one hand on her back. The other was wrapped completely around her hand. Stretching out their arms, Giant led Vala in a graceful glide two steps forward, then two steps back. He gave her a spin, catching her perfectly. She let out a surprised laugh.

  Suddenly he was leading her around every other couple, gaining speed yet still somehow maintaining grace. Vala was clearly a skilled dancer, but Giant made her look like an amateur. She struggled to keep up as his movements flowed and he hummed along to the music.

  More came to dance: Sannil and Kalli, Jessend and Raymess, Micah and Goreng.

  By the next song, Vala appeared to be used to Giant’s technique as they flew around the other pairs. Giant spun and dipped her, the braids of her black hair coming undone as she laughed.

  Soon, everyone had stopped to watch them. They leapt together, stopping abruptly so that their arms straightened out as the two of them nearly came apart. Then Giant pulled her in. She spun twice. He let go of her arm, using her momentum to grab her hips and lift her, now both of them spinning as she soared.

  When the second song came to an end, everyone cheered. Vala’s skin shined with sweat. She quickly gathered her hair and tied it behind her shoulders, her teeth flashing in a wide smile.

  Giant bowed to her, and she bowed back.

  Cleve took a break to eat. He watched Reela dance with Vithos. The Elf was even worse than Cleve, yet Vithos enjoyed himself immensely, doing strange things Cleve never would’ve thought to do. Vithos fell to his back on the grass and pumped his legs. Then he jumped up and tried to spin Reela by turning her shoulders. She nearly fell, then he grabbed her and jumped up and down.

  “Vithos!” she scolded. “This is not how you dance!”

  He let go of her, flopping back onto the grass, every limb flailing about like a bug scrambling to get back on its feet. Embarrassed, Reela covered her face. “Bastial hell.” Vithos didn’t care, jumping up once more, taking Reela by her hands, and bouncing back and forth. Cleve couldn’t help but laugh. It eased all of his worry about his own dancing.

  Many people began swapping partners as the music went on. Jek and Kalli danced. Vithos and Klaiya danced. Lisanda danced with her mother. Goreng danced with Giant. And eventually Reela was dancing with Jek.

  Jessend came up to Cleve. “Will you dance with me?”

  “I will.”

  They simply swayed as Cleve had with Reela. It gave them a chance to speak.

  “Reela apologized to you?” he asked.

  “Yes, I can’t believe how powerful psyche can be.” She leaned close and whispered, “Do you ever worry she might be using it on you?”

  “When I first met her it was a terrible fear. But it doesn’t worry me anymore.”

  “I still don’t know everything she can do. Can she know we’re talking about her?”

  They both looked toward Reela. Although she was still dancing with Jek, she was staring at them with raised eyebrows.

  “She knows!” Jessend whispered with a laugh. “My Bastial stars, I couldn’t imagine having a relationship with a psychic. You’d better get used to not having any secrets.”

  “Her being a psychic doesn’t change that. You should expect the same thing with whoever you decide to be with.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “It scares me that you’re right.”

  “What secrets could you possibly be worried about?”

  The look she gave him was enough to tell him his question was absurd.

  “Everyone has secrets,” she said. “And if we don’t in the moment, we certainly will later. Even feelings can be secret. What if you find another woman beautiful? Reela can sense that, can’t she?”

  “I’m dancing with a beautiful woman right now.” She smiled as Cleve continued. “It doesn’t matter that she can sense it. In fact, her being a psychic makes it better.”

  “Better, how?”

  “Because without psyche she’d just see me touching you and looking at you without knowing anything else. But Reela knows how much I love her. She can feel it. One day you’ll see the person you care about looking at or being around another woman. You might catch a glance, a laugh, something that’ll make you feel uneasy, and you won’t have psyche to tell you he doesn’t care for this woman like he does for you.”

  “But your argument is flawed. When two people love each other, there doesn’t need to be psyche. They can feel it without psyche because there’s trust.”

  Cleve laughed. “You’re right. So I suppose in the end, psyche doesn’t matter at all in a relationship. If it does, then that relationship already is flawed, and psyche is just bringing out the flaws quicker.”

  The song came to an end. Jessend leaned her head against his chest. “I’ll miss you, Cleve.”

  “I’ll miss you, too.”

  Cleve found Jek getting onto the stage. His sister followed him with a lute in hand.

  “It’ll be dark in a few hours,” Jek said. “But before we leave, I wanted to sing something with Lisanda.”

  They applauded as Jek waved her onto the stage. Reela came to stand beside Cleve and Jessend.

  “I didn’t know either of them sang,” she said.

  “Me, neither,” Cleve said.

  “Then this will be a treat for both of you,” Jessend said. “Especially hearing Jek. I love my sister, and she’s good, but...well, you’ll see.”

  Kalli began playing, her fingers dancing across the strings of her lute. By the repetition of her notes, Cleve could tell this would be a song in which the singers would build upon a steady background by adding their own melody. Jek most likely would start, then Lisanda would follow, until one sound was made by their two voices along with the instrument accompanying them. He’d heard many other songs like it.

  But Cleve was shocked when the rhythm abruptly halted, Kalli suddenly only playing half as many notes as she had before. Jek and Lisanda’s voices burst out in harmony, filling in the gaps with marvelous accuracy.

  Then Kalli was playing with twice the ferocity as when she’d begun. Jek and Lisanda fell silent again. The melody shifted. It was a race, a mad dash, and Cleve barely could keep up. A few people whistled in delight.

  Kalli slowed, now strumming chords. Cleve had never heard a song with so much changing emotion, and Jek and Lisanda had barely even begun to sing.

  With one last slow strum, Kalli let the sweet sound of a chord resonate. Jek’s voice came in, grabbing some part of the sound and adding to it at the same time. Lisanda’s followed, higher, sweeter.

  Suddenly the three of them were racing, not in competition but together—flowing from one note to the next. They were a rushing river, a gust of wind, shifting harmony perfectly in sync.

  Lisanda took over, singing with Kalli’s lute as the melody slowed, yet somehow the quick rhythm was always there in the background, unheard, dormant. Cleve knew it would return. His heart swelled at the thought of it.

  Lisanda’s low voice was like a strong fragrance, grabbing Cleve’s attention. Her noble accent came out through each word.

  Jek broke in, his strong voice shocking Cleve. The sound of it had teeth, sinking into the harmony with a powerful bite. Cleve felt like his skin was ready to melt from his bones.

  “Bastial hell,” Reela muttered.

  Others screamed with delight.

  They sung of a seed torn from a plant, picked up by the wind, stomped on by foxes and bears, and eventually dragged by a snake to a river.
But the seed wasn’t ready to die. It needed to be back with its tree, its mother. There was no living without her; this was all it knew. Clinging to life, it coursed through the river, nearly drowning as it made its way to the sea.

  In the open water, the seed drifted among the waves. The sun was setting, darkness closing in. Then it was picked up by a fisherman. Rubbed dry, it was slipped into a pocket. Out of the water and out of the cold, it felt life returning. And for the first time, it could feel that something beautiful was lying deep within it.

  The seed bounced about in the pocket, the rhythm of the song following each turn of the story. It passed hands, from a fisherman to a farmer. Buried into the soil, it found its true home. It grew and grew, learning everything from its mother. Out of the ground it sprouted, and soon it was sending out its own seeds.

  The song slowed as it came to the end. The plant stretched beneath the sun. Its journey was done. Jek and Lisanda sang the last words together.

  Applause broke out. Cleve had never heard such a difficult song, and he’d had no idea how skilled a singer Jek was.

  Jek and Lisanda hopped off the stage, newly married and practically glowing. They walked about, speaking with each group. Soon they came to Cleve, Reela, and Jessend.

  Reela hugged Lisanda then Jek. “It was wonderful!”

  “Thank you,” Jek said. “And thank you for coming. I’ve been telling people they can start riding back to the palace. It might be dark by the time they get there.”

  “I was thinking…” Lisanda said. “I want to stay and see this spot of the forest once more after everything’s cleared. I want to see it how it was when we first came here with Kalli and Sannil. Will you stay with me?”

  “I’d like that.” Jek smiled.

  Peter and Calvon joined them then. “You’ve got a voice that can end wars, young man.” Peter slapped Jek’s back.

  “And you were good too, Lisanda,” Calvon quickly added.

  She rolled her eyes. “Thank you, but I know Jek is much better than I am. It’s no insult.”

  “You sound perfect together, though,” Peter said. “Those who dance or sing well together make good couples.”