The older angel with long white hair entered the tent. His robe was tattered and ripped up the side. His neck and face were covered in thin cuts and dried blood. It was obvious that he had lost a great deal of weight due to the looseness of his clothing.
Jaylen glared at the angel. "Oviel."
Nimiel ran back into the room, looking a bit better for even the short break he had. "I had to come see that the rumors were true. What have you done, Zeriel? Why would you bring Oviel back here? Jaylen, was this part of your plan? Is this why you were gone?"
"No. I went to speak with a friend. Zeriel did this all on his own. Without permission." Jaylen emphasized the last sentence as he shook his head disappointedly at his angel.
Nimiel went to the table in the back of the tent then held up a pair of enchanted golden shackles. "Should we leave him in shackles the entire time like he did to me? What's wrong, Oviel? Not like that idea?"
"I am innocent! How many times do I have to repeat that in order for someone to believe me?"
"Let's see . . . you didn't believe me when I told you I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. Why should I believe you?"
"Ovi!" A young man's excited screaming filled the night air. "Ovi! You're back!" The flap to the tent flew open as the brown-haired boy with the emerald green eyes and brands on his cheeks ran up to Oviel and wrapped his arms around him. "Ovi, I missed you."
"Step away from him, Liam."
"No! I need him. He's my friend. I'm not stupid. I heard what you said about him. Oviel never hurt me. I swear it. Let him go. Please let Ovi go."
Jaylen watched the two of them for a few seconds. "There will be no need for shackles. Oviel is free to go."
Jeremiah and Nimiel both turned to Jaylen. "You're serious?"
"Yes. Without any evidence against him, we cannot keep Oviel in chains for no reason. Nimiel, you know your situation was different. You sent me and Zeriel into a nasty dream world, so we couldn't trust you."
"Fine." Nimiel bowed before Jaylen. "I apologize, but I must be going. I fell asleep with a bowl of stew in my hands and it spilled everywhere. I believe I am tired."
"Go on, Nimiel. You have done well in my absence."
Once Nimiel left, Xair moved closer to Jaylen. "Jaylen, can I speak with you alone for a minute?"
"Sure. Jeremiah, take care of this, will you?"
"No problem."
Jaylen led Xair outside where most of the angels had quieted down for the night. "What is it?"
"Actually, uh, there wouldn't happen to be a tavern anywhere nearby, would there?"
"Drinking? You're not generally one to drink, Xair."
Xair rubbed his arms in the cool breeze. "It's been a long day."
"There is a village not too far away. We can grab some horses and head out there. The night is still young enough."
"Perfect." Xair gave a small but troubled smile. "Lead on, my king."
Chapter 8
The small tavern was situated at the end of the only road that ran through the nearby town of Pink Tree, named for its solitary cherry blossom tree that had once bloomed in the spring when there had been a sun in the sky. Since the mage-glow took over the sun's job of warming the world, the many kinds of trees that used to blossom into colored flowers now only did so near the equator on the tropical islands. Up here on the Northern Continent, they would turn green occasionally, but then fall back into their dormant states. Pink Tree had been one of the only Vilyron towns to remain standing after the attacks. That was only because the Wolfekin military needed quarter and supplies to continue their way across the country. It had been a quick and efficient invasion.
Jaylen dismounted his horse and Xair followed. Both of them were weary from their travels, but they had to get away from the camp for awhile to clear their heads before falling back into the daily tasks that faced them. Having such a night to relax was an unheard of luxury for them both, and they needed it now more than ever.
After Jaylen tied the horses to the post outside, he stepped inside the warm room where the wooden tables filled the floor with a crowd of chatting patrons. The fire blazed in the red brick hearth, summoning any travelers to come and rest around it. It was by far the cleanest tavern Jaylen had ever been in. For that, he was thankful, but a little embarrassed to be their king and covered in a fine layer of dust from all his traveling earlier in the day. He hadn't been around the common people very much at all since he had taken the title of king again, so he did not know exactly what their reactions would be.
Xair was the first one to notice the way the jovial patrons suddenly stopped what they were doing to turn and watch them enter the doorway. He moved closer to Jaylen's side and whispered to him. "Why are they staring at us?"
"I'm not sure. Just ignore them." Jaylen went up to the bar and knocked on the wood to get the barkeep's attention. "Two pitchers of ale for me and my friend."
The young woman with the braids pinned to the top of her head only looked at them with wide eyes. She focused on Xair as she took a few steps backwards. "No, I'm sorry. I can't."
"Why? What's wrong? Is something-"
A burly man who smelled of sweaty leather and whiskey stomped up to them. He roughly pushed past Jaylen to tower over Xair. "You there, dog!"
"Dog?" Xair looked up at the large man who easily weighed twice his weight. "Can I help you?"
"The king can stay, but you're gonna have to leave. We don't serve your kind here."
Xair tucked his white bangs behind his ears. "Excuse me? I don't-"
"You stay outside like the animal you are."
Jaylen stepped between them. "Hey, there is no reason for that. He's with me."
"He's a Ka'taylin."
"Yes. Thank you for pointing that out like I hadn't noticed. Now, if you'll excuse us, we are just trying to get a drink and talk. No one is harming you."
"We had to turn away a herd of you rune-skins who passed through here already this week. Even your women are deplorable. Couldn't keep the younglings from crying. You are nothing but swine." The man turned to Jaylen and gave a short bow. "Your Majesty, we are honored to have you in our presence, but all livestock must be kept outside."
Xair jumped up and swung his fist at the man, but his arm was caught. In a flash, the man's huge fist collided with Xair's face and he fell backwards onto the floor, taking a chair with him. Xair held his bleeding mouth as he pulled himself to his feet. "You hateful bastard! What did I do to you?"
"Come on, Xair. Leave him alone." Jaylen said.
"No. I won't be pushed around like this."
The man held up a dirty knife and pointed it at Xair. "Try it, rune-skin. I dare you. I'll gut you like the wolves that ate my chickens. No, you know what? What I did to them would be mercy compared to what's coming for you."
Jaylen took his friend's arm and guided him towards the door. "Xair, enough. We'll go somewhere else."
Two drunken men rush up behind them and pushed Xair out of the door. He fell down the steps and into the mud. Xair gasped as a mixture of hot stale ale and grimy dishwater was thrown on him, soaking into his silk robe. He stayed there on his hands and knees as they laughed at him and more people gathered around to mock him.
An older man spit on him. "Filthy rune-skin!"
A woman kicked mud in his face as she barked at him. "Get out of our sight and don't come back, or we'll put you in chains like the rest of your people."
Jaylen rushed to Xair's side and helped him to his feet. He turned back to the crowd. "How dare you? What is the matter with you people? I am your king and this man is in my service. He is my friend. I have never seen this kind of blind hatred in my life. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You are the animals here, not him."
The verbal assault continued until the group turned angry, drawing rusted blades and table knives from their pockets. Jaylen pushed the wet and battered Xair behind his back. There was no way he was going to let his friend be abused like this. "Stand down. In the name of your king, stand down!
"
One of the other men held up his fist in the air. "We don't want a king if he treats mangy dogs like people. That man is disgusting. All rune-skins are. Slit his throat now and send him back to Hell where his kind belong."
It had become all too obvious that there was nothing Jaylen could do to solve the situation. "Come on, Xair. We're leaving. I refuse to stay anywhere that treats you like this."
* * *
A few minutes later, Jaylen brought a bottle of wine and two glasses back from the general goods store next to the tavern and set them down on the bench that stood in the middle of town. A fountain flowed behind them. The town was quiet even this early in the night. He opened the bottle of wine and poured it into the glasses. As he did, he looked over at Xair who sat on the bench in silent stoicism underneath the cherry tree that has somehow managed to sprout a few pink blossoms. The starlight and the few balls of mage-glow in the sky gave them enough light to see by, enough light to see the wound on Xair's lip that was still bleeding.
Jaylen handed him a glass then sat beside him. "Why did you want to stay here? We could go back home."
Xair took the wineglass and watched the tiny bubbles popping on the surface. "I need a drink."
"You're soaked in that disgusting water and ale."
"I've been covered in worse, believe me."
Jaylen sipped his wine and watched the nearby lake that shimmered in the middle of the field behind the row of houses. "You're taking this well."
"Do I look that way? Interesting."
"We can talk about it if you want. I'm your friend, Xair."
Xair finished a glass of wine then poured himself a second one. "I don't understand it. They accept people of all skin colors, some of them nearly as dark as I am. Why can't they accept me?"
"It's not about skin color, Xair."
"Then what is it? These people accept everyone, regardless of breeding, beliefs, status . . . everything. What makes my people any different? When a Ka'taylin child is born, they don't have runes on their skin. If you ignored their purple eyes and white hair, those infants could pass as one of them and they would never tell the difference. All we have different is our predisposition for magic and our immortality. We aren't some strange evil monsters from a different realm."
Jaylen noticed the deep sorrow flowing in those purple eyes. There had to be some way to explain this. "But it doesn't matter to them. They are obviously racist and nothing we say to them will change their minds. Are you much different, though? You said yourself that you don't approve of same-sex relationships."
"But I don't hate them for the way they are! I would never even think about persecuting someone like Gavin or Oviel for who they were attracted to. The reason I believe the way I do is because of my culture, nothing more. They are free to live their lives the ways they want to live them. I don't hate anyone."
"I don't know what to tell you to make this better."
Xair wiped the blood from his lip on the back of his wrist. "I'm not an animal. I mean, sure, I can change into a raven . . ."
"No, it's not that. They are hateful and angry people who are ignorant to the truth. I don't believe anything they say. You're not an animal, Xair."
"None of that matters in the end. What matters right now is finding those Ka'taylin refugees If that man was telling the truth, then the Ka'taylins could still be nearby. We can find them. He said there were woman and children in the group. If they have the black skin and purple eyes like me and are not albino, then there is still a chance to rebuild my race. All it takes is for me to find one pure Ka'taylin woman and-"
"You would cheat on your wife?" Jaylen asked.
"For the sake of my people? In a heartbeat."
"But Amari-"
Xair interrupted him. "Amari would understand."
"Do you resent the fact that she cannot give birth to pure Ka'taylins?"
"Resentment? I do not think that is the best word to describe the situation. After all, if I had been overly concerned with having children, I wouldn't have married Amari. I knew going in that I would not have children."
"But you could, right?" Jaylen asked.
"Children I would have with Amari would be albino, magicless, and unable to leash demons. It is best that they never come into existence."
"Not to be prying, but you two have been married for over a thousand years. Has there never been a mistake?"
"Of course there has. Which is why I carefully monitor Amari's body and immediately . . . take care of anything that happens."
"You take care of it?" Jaylen asked, setting his glass down on the cobblestones. "What does that mean?"
"Amari belongs to me." Xair snapped. "What I choose to do within the sacred bonds of our marriage is up to me and no one else."
"Sorry. I'm just trying to understand you and your culture more."
"This has nothing to do with Ka'taylin culture. In fact, I would be imprisoned in Ka'tayl for what I have been doing, but we all know no one cares anymore."
"How many times?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"How many times have you taken care of those unwanted newborn children?"
"Catch on quickly, huh?" Xair closed his eyes and slowly drew a shallow breath. "Three hundred and ninety-four times. And before you start worrying, I use a very specific demon to perform the procedure so Amari is unharmed."
"And how does she feel about this?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? I don't mean to be so crass, but it's the truth. She is blind and mute, but I like to think that I can understand her wishes. She will always comply with my orders. Don't get me wrong, though. Amari has ways of telling me when she dislikes something and I take great care to tend to her needs."
"I've noticed. You are very loving and attentive to her."
"Then please do not question my decisions. If you're not in my position, then you cannot know how these things work."
Jaylen resumed his drinking. "You are right, Xair. Just please make sure it's the right thing."
"Of course."
"So, I actually needed to discuss something with you as well."
"Go ahead. I'm not too drunk to listen yet."
Jaylen had to bring it up. After all, Kato could no longer do it. Xair deserved to know the truth. "Can you tell me about Dayxi Nendo? How close were you to him?"
"Dayxi and I had a very special bond, one that I will never be able to have with anyone else. Because Amari's father was dead before I started my courtship of her, Dayxi handled all of those details, including the very intimate Suitability Ritual."
"What is that?"
Xair seemed troubled and even a little embarrassed as he traced the rim of the glass with his fingertip. "You will not be able to understand because our cultural differences and my lack of words to fully describe it in your language. Remember, as the future sultan, I was taught Ka'taylin before I learned this common one. Neither come easy to me when I am trying to communicate the ways I feel. Northerners will not be able to listen to my account without making it into something perverse or a sexual thing. It is not like that at all. I am simply inadequate with swords to convey the truth."
"Try it. I will do my best to understand and I won't mock you. You know me, Xair."
"I suppose you are right. If I tell you to the best of my ability, you cannot tell anyone else who may misinterpret the ways of my people."
Jaylen placed his fist over his heart. "Never."
"Very well. This ritual occurs between every prospective suitor and the bride's male guardian. It was one of my people's very highly protected rituals. So, here we go. Dayxi took me into the temple of the Arcanas and into the inner sanctum where a marble bathtub had been filled with icy water. I was told to remove my clothes then bathe in the water. After that, I stepped out and stood in the frigid air as Dayxi knelt before me and . . . ensured that my body was capable of . . . uh . . . I don't have the words. It was for procreation purposes."
Jaylen blushed. "Oh."
"Yes. It was terribly awkward, a bit painful, and embarrassing. But it's not a secret and all Ka'taylin boys know what happens. It's simply shocking when it does happen, especially when it's done to you by your best friend. Needless to say, I quickly got dressed and Dayxi and I literally ran to the nearest tavern to get drunk. I can say with all certainty that it was the drunkest I have ever been in my life. And when you've been alive as long as I have, you get drunk a lot."
"I thought your religion was against same-sex relationships."
Xair growled. "It is. Bloody hell. I knew you wouldn't understand. There was nothing pleasurable or attractive about that ritual. It was our way of ensuring that a man would be able to mate and produce children. It was necessary for the survival of our race. I had absolutely no romantic feelings for Dayxi or any other male."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm only attempting to understand."
"I shouldn't have gotten angry at you. I realize it is confusing. But no. What I had with Dayxi was nothing like what Oviel had with Gawain or what Gavin had with Stephan. Dayxi and I were very close friends and nothing more. For Heaven's sake, I married his half-sister."
"You're right. It's so daunting." Jaylen chuckled a bit. "I'm glad I'm not Ka'taylin."
"Oh, poor little blushing Jaylen. You wouldn't have survived a single day as a Ka'taylin man." Xair finished off his glass of wine then leaned back against the cherry tree. "So, why the sudden curiosity in Dayxi Nendo?"
Jaylen pointed at the silver and turquoise bracelet around Xair's wrist. "That was the bracelet you made for part of Amari's bride price, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Two years of hard work."
"Kato didn't find it in the cash box."
Xair grew quiet as he stared off towards the lake where a single white stag was drinking near the shore. "She killed Dayxi, didn't she?"
"It was a mistake. He was dressed as an inquisitor. I'm so sorry."
"It is as I suspected." He continued watching the stag for a long few minutes in the night air that slowly grew colder. A light breeze blew through his shoulder-length hair, but he didn't seem to notice. When he did speak again, Xair almost seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Jaylen, I need to confide something in you. Do with this information as you will. It could help our cause or hinder it, but I leave that up to you. Something happened during the time I was down in Ka'tayl recently. I went to pray to the Arcanas, but they didn't answer me. Sola did."
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 31
