by Lexy Wolfe
Ash stiffened, irritated that no matter how he answered, he believed he would be mocked for it. "Forgive me, I thought there was some... attachment between you both."
The Vodani man's easy smile was so without malice, Ash could not help but relax. "Ilsa and I have been companions for many years. We had only one daughter who died during her adulthood trial. Ever since then, Ilsa has been more interested in meddling with others' lives. She means no true harm. She has always had the best interests of Water's Resonance at heart."
Almek mused. "At the moment, she seems more interested in causing Mureln grief than about Water's Resonance's welfare."
"Ilsa was the only person who could get under Mureln's skin, ever since they were children. She delighted in unsettling him. It is probably why my brother rarely ever comes home anymore."
"Brother?" Tulis inclined his head to Ash in mute acknowledgement. "I see." Ash finished his wine and gave the glass to a passing serving girl who blushed and curtsied to him. "I should check on my journeyman. If you will excuse me."
"Of course." Almek turned to Tulis. "Perhaps you could enlighten me on news of the lurkers your people have reported?"
"Of course, Dusvet. I would be honored," Tulis replied, guiding him towards one of the remaining groups of people.
Chapter 55
"YOU have no idea how much of a pleasure it was to see Amelana put in her place, Ilsa." Taylin followed Ilsa into a small library filled with scrolls and books alike. "She has been absolutely impossible."
Ilsa smiled indulgently. "I am glad you were pleased. I believe everyone was amused. Except for Mureln." Tsking, she went to the table where a carafe of wine sat, topping off her drink.
"I am surprised, honestly," Taylin admitted. "It seems like he has spent half his time putting her in her place. It never seemed to affect her nearly as much as when you did it."
"Ah, my dear, a man can never truly criticize a woman like that Forentan girl effectively. She will always dismiss anything that displeases her because of his gender." Smiling as she languidly stretched out on one of the two couches, she waved Taylin to the other. "Treat her as one who is beneath you, and ignore any of her attempts to make you feel otherwise. That will bother her more than any well placed insults."
Taylin sighed as she settled. "She makes it difficult."
"Mm." Ilsa sipped her wine, studying the healer. "Using your skills to cause her pain as you have is satisfying, but it does little to teach her sort." Taylin paled, looking up sharply. The Vodani woman tilted her head to one side. "You feel guilty for using your gifts. Why?"
"It-it is not right to use my skills to cause pain," Taylin replied sharply.
The Vodani woman's eyes stared intently at the younger Sevmanan woman. "You do not feel guilty because of some arbitrary rule about when you should or should not use the full breadth of your skills, do you?" Ilsa's eyes did not waver from Taylin. "No, that is not it. You feel guilty because you felt pleasure when you caused someone else pain." Taylin turned bright red, looking away. "My dear, you should not feel shame for using your skills, nor for enjoying the use of them. They are yours for a reason. If you have the ability, then it ought to be used. It is not like you abuse your gift and overuse it."
"Killing someone is an ability, but it is not right," Taylin shot back.
"Is that what you think of the woman Swordanzen?" Ilsa asked mildly. "Her skills are at their heart about dealing death. Are they wrong because they are so often used to kill?"
"That... that is different. Storm did not have a choice. We were attacked."
"Mm hm. And before you stepped foot in Desantiva, do you think she had not killed before?"
"I doubt Storm kills for pleasure," Taylin retorted.
Ilsa waved a dismissive hand. "As do I. But I imagine she takes some amount of pleasure because when she does, there was a reason." Ilsa's voice was soft. "As I am sure, that you had reason when you used your gifts to cause pain." Taylin was silent, unsure what to think, frowning as she looked at her hand resting on her knee.
"Well, then, if you believe it is wrong to cause pain, what about giving pleasure?" At Taylin's shocked expression, she asked, "You do give pleasure with your gifts, don't you?" Ilsa rose from her seat, walking around slowly.
"Huh?" Taylin looked up sharply, then over at Ilsa. "Wh-what are you talking about. My gifts are to mend wounds. To ease pain."
"You can do that, you know." Ilsa rested her hands on Taylin's shoulder, leaning down to whisper in the healer's ear. "Give such exquisite pleasure..."
"What? No! That-that is not—"
"Not what? Not right?" Ilsa slid her hands down Taylin's arms, pressing her cheek against Taylin's hair. "You should not limit yourself, lovely one. There is so much pleasure in life you forbid yourself by rules imposed on you by others."
Taylin shivered at the closeness of the Vodani woman. "S-stop it," she whispered desperately.
Ilsa backed off a little, but not completely, still whispering in Taylin's ear. "My goodness, are you still that innocent? I am surprised Mureln hasn't enlightened you on some of life's most exquisite pleasures himself."
"Mureln is a good man! He would never do anything improper!"
Ilsa moved to Taylin's right to stare at her incredulously. "My Mureln? Nothing improper?! Oh, my dear girl!" The Vodani woman's laugh echoed in the chamber.
"What do you mean, 'your' Mureln?" Taylin asked guardedly.
"Did he not tell you? He is my betrothed." Taylin gasped, going still in shock, oblivious to Ilsa sliding her hands down her arms again. "You are truly missing something then, my dear. He has such exclusive tastes. And with hands as skilled as his, he could play your body with the skill he plays his mandolin..."
Unable to bear hearing anymore, Taylin instinctively turned to face Ilsa, putting her hands on the Vodani woman's cheeks. Ilsa gasped, collapsing to her knees in pain. Taylin did not remain, instead turning and fleeing the room, nearly blinded by tears.
Pulling herself up to rest her elbows on the couch, Ilsa sighed wistfully. "Such power! Ah, Mureln, how I envy you!" Resting her chin on the back of one hand, she grinned a little. "Do enjoy my gift to you, Mureln, dear."
Chapter 56
TAYLIN fled down the hall, looking back over her shoulder when she ran into a distracted Mureln in the hall where their rooms were. The man caught Taylin before she fell, looking alarmed at the tears on her cheeks. "Hey! Hold on, there." Putting one arm around her, he turned her face towards his, trying to catch her eyes. "Taylin, what happened? What's wrong?"
Struggling to get away, Taylin suddenly buried her face against Mureln's chest, sobbing. The bard wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair gently and quietly hushing her. He stiffened when she finally stammered, "I-I-Ilsa s-said—"
"Ilsa?!" Mureln scowled, glaring up the hall, then gathered Taylin against him and drew her with him to the privacy of his room. There, he held her tightly, letting her cry.
"I-Ilsa said," Taylin began, stopping when Mureln touched her lips with his fingers gently, hushing her.
"I would slap the daylights out of Ilsa for upsetting you, but she would enjoy that too much," Mureln said sourly. "Ignore her. When she is not bound by duty, Ilsa lives to see how much disruption she can cause."
"She said... she said you are her betrothed."
Mureln sighed, closing his eyes. "Present tense for her. Past tense for me." Quirking a wry smile, he tenderly brushed a tendril of hair out of her eyes. "I left Water's Resonance a long time ago because Ilsa's games nearly drove me mad. I would as soon be landbound for the rest of my life than bed that manipulative woman."
Sniffling, Taylin rubbed her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. "S-so sh-she was lying to me?"
"No, probably not," Mureln said on another heavy sigh. "Ilsa does not lie, but she does tend to twist things to get the most reaction out of people. In her mind, we are still betrothed. If we would both be alive a thousand years from now, she would still say we were betrothed."
<
br /> Taylin sniffled some, slowly calming. As she reached up to tuck the escaped strand of hair behind her ear, he caught her hand in his, gently bringing it to his lips to kiss softly. She pulled away, turning bright red as she turned her back to the bard. "She said... she was surprised y-you and I... hadn't... she laughed at me when I said you would never do anything improper."
"Oh, dear gods." Mureln sighed, looking upwards for patience. "Taylin, I am who and what I am. I will not lie to you and say I have never sought a woman's bed for only a night, or will not in the future." He put his hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him. "But I would never. Ever. Do anything that would hurt you." Caressing her cheek, he looked into her eyes. "Nothing." He smiled a little. "The first time I saw you in Ithesra... I could find no words to describe what I felt then. Just that I was drawn to you as a moth to a flame."
Taylin lowered her eyes as he pulled her into a warm embrace. "Truly?"
"Truly," he murmured, his face so close to hers, she could feel the warmth of his breath, the brush of his lips against her cheek. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, Master Healer Taylin."
Tentatively, Taylin tilted her head just slightly to kiss him shyly. As he returned the affection with such unblemished intent, her kiss intensified with a sense of desperation. She looked hurt when he pulled back. "But... but I thought..."
"Not now. Not like this." Mureln smiled crookedly.
"D-don't you want me?" Taylin asked, hurt.
"Shards! Yes, I want you." Pulling her tightly against him, he buried his face in her hair. "You deserve so much more than I can give you." Sighing he pulled back to look down into her eyes, rubbing his thumb against the line of her chin. "I know you are still... untried. I do not want your first time to be tainted. Not like this."
"I-I don't understand?"
"Do you trust me?" Mureln asked with a trace of hope in his voice. He relaxed when she nodded without hesitation. He pulled her against him, holding her tight. "Then please. Believe me." Still bewildered, Taylin nodded mutely, leaning into his embrace, the pair sighing together.
Chapter 57
THE brilliant light of the rising sun climbed up the silken bedcovers covering the sleeping man and woman, the man facing away from the woman who wrapped herself around him. As the sun rose, sounds of Vodani going about their lives grew louder, drifting in the open window. When the sun reached their faces, the pair roused.
"Don't these people ever sleep?" Amelana complained sourly, rolling away from Ash and pulling the covers over her head. "They're just as noisy now as they have been all night."
"We will be leaving for the mainland today." Ash pushed himself up and got out of bed without a lingering look or touch for the woman.
Amelana sat up, the covers sliding to her waist. "Ash, don't you want to stay here with me?"
"No," Ash replied bluntly without looking at her, tugging his belt in place. He hesitated, and then picked up the delicate, slender dagger given by the Heart of Desantiva, staring at it. He ran his thumb across the delicate desert design on the hilt, feeling the heat of the fiery land in the metal. "No," he said in a quieter, more resigned voice.
Rolling her eyes, Amelana sighed. "Do not worry, Ash. We'll be back in Forenta where it is much more civilized." Yawning, she lay back down and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head. "Where they wake up at a more civilized hour."
Ash paused at the door, looking at Amelana, pressing his lips together in annoyance. His eyes were behind him as he stepped out, focused on shutting the door quietly when he heard another door latch across the hall. Looking up sharply, he met Storm's stony gaze. "Storm," he began, then stopped, unsure what to say. The woman turned and walked down the hall without a word. "Storm, wait!"
Hateful green-gold eyes turned on the mage when he grabbed her arm. "Do not touch me." Her voice was as cold as the desert sun was hot. With a sharp motion, she pulled her arm away.
Perplexed at the sudden change in the Desanti woman, Ash started to reach for her again, stopping when her hand fell to one of her weapon hilts. "Storm, what happened? I thought we had found... an understanding between us. Between Forenta and Desantiva."
"We found nothing, treewalker. Whatever you thought you found was caused by Vodani seasickness." Storm brushed back his hand when he tried to reach for her again. "Nothing more than that, mage. Once we are on land, you will realize that."
"Storm?" Skyfire called from the main room's archway, looking quizzical.
Ash looked between the two, blinking once. "I see." Lips thinning, he turned away, shouldering his belongings and heading towards the main room to the hall. "You are probably right. Good day, Swordanzen."
Looking quizzically after Ash as they passed in the hall, Skyfire joined Storm, looking puzzled. He put a hand on the woman's shoulder. Quietly in Swordanzen, he murmured, "He cares about you, Storm. More than I would ever have imagined one of his kind could care about one of our people. More than some of our people care about our own."
Storm brushed his hand off her shoulder, bitterness heavy in her voice. "You know why I can't let him."
Skyfire sighed softly. "Yes. I know. Come. We should take time to train properly before we return to that infernally rocking ship."
Chapter 58
THE group gathered at the rail of the ship's bow as the mainland coast came into view, the distant buildings of the port city of Ganessi barely visible. The Desanti stared in awe at all the greenery they saw. "It is beautiful," Skyfire breathed. He looked down at Storm, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
On Storm's other side, the bard glanced over and saw the tear tracing a path down her cheek. He touched her arm lightly. "Desantiva will know this again someday."
"How much Desantiva suffered." Heedless of the tears that continued to fall in grief for her homeland, the woman could only stare in the distance. "I never understood until now just how deep its wounds were. How much my father has suffered."
Mureln flicked a look at Ash on his other side. As much as the mage appeared to be oblivious to the Swordanzen's reactions, the tension in his jaw belied the turmoil of emotions he locked away.
Amelana gushed as she nestled against Ash's side. "It will be wonderful to be back where we belong, won't it, Master Ash?" The woman seemed oblivious to the Illaini Magus's sullen brooding, or how the more she spoke, the worse his mood became. Without a word, the man turned to return to his cabin, Amelana firmly attached to his arm.
An unholy, baleful shriek from below startled everyone from their thoughts and Storm immediately turned to go below deck. "The drizar smells the land. He is growing impatient. I will keep him calmed." Skyfire followed her, his worry for the woman apparent. She paused by Almek, putting a hand on his arm. "Home is always home," she said simply.
"I kenna wait t' see how people react t' the desert folk." Emil grinned up at Emaris. "Bets on how long afore someone does somethin' stupid when we're on land?" The big man just snorted, shaking his head.
Troubled, Terrence jumped when Almek put a hand on his shoulder. "Forgive me, Master Almek. I should be happy to be going home. But..." The young man sighed despondently. "It just does not feel like home to me anymore."
Smiling wanly, Almek patted the young man's shoulder. "It is often how Guardians feel, especially the wanderers. Like the Swordanzen among their own people, Guardians belong to all nations, and belong to none."
Terrence blinked in surprised shock. "I... I am a Guardian? I-I thought Master Ash—"
"Not quite yet. There is still much for all of you to learn before you can earn your colors. There are different calibers of Guardians. My purpose was to seek out those who have the potential to become Dusvets. I suspected you had potential to at least become an Unsvet." He smiled tiredly. "But you have talent as a mage as well. My error was not anticipating how much the more powerful the pairing of talents could be."
Terrence blushed. "I do not think anyone could have anticipated anything that has happened,
Master Almek. I am just glad I was not a burden to you or Master Ash."
"Yer never a burden t' us, lad," Emil said emphatically. "Never have been, never will be. Don't ye forget it, neither." The skinny mercenary wagged a finger at Terrence like a scolding uncle, making the young man laugh.
More serious, Almek spoke with quiet emphasis, hand on the young man's shoulder. "Terrence, do not belittle what you have accomplished. If it were not for you, I do not think the Raging One would have been as receptive to any of us. You followed your instincts and chose to join your master. Your choice allowed the status quo that has endured for over two thousand years to finally change." Almek smiled at the humility that brought a fierce blush to Terrence's cheeks. "Now go down below and make sure you have everything packed. We will not be overlong in Ganessi before we head back to Forenta."
"Yes, Master Almek." Emil and Emaris joined him, the smaller man slapping a hand to the younger Forentan's back.
Mureln studied Almek for a time. "You're troubled. I worry when you are troubled." Taylin moved closer to the two men.
"I never could hide much from you," Almek commented with a weary smile. "It is nothing, I think. I am just worried about the Desanti. Vodani are mostly harmless in their curiosity usually."
Taylin blushed, looking down. "Unlike Sevmanen or Forenten who tend to distrust everything different from what they have always known."
"Trust me, I am quite aware of the differences between the natures of the four nations." Almek sighed, leaning on the rail again. "I would prefer to avoid Ganessi altogether, but it is asking too much of the drizzen to continue all the way back to Corast. Much less the Desanti. They are both getting restless with being confined to the space of this ship." He closed his eyes. "I've watched this city grow from a small town. I have intimately known Ganessi's darker side since before I became a Guardian."
Mureln glanced back over his shoulder, then at Almek. "What Storm said to you... Ganessi is your birth home?" The Dusvet Guardian merely smiled, nodding. Mildly exasperated, the bard threw his hands into the air. "I do not understand how she can tell..."
