by D. D. Chant
He released her and stood irresolute, and suddenly he regretted his harsh words. He had spoken them to make it clear to her that he would not allow her to do anything that might harm his family. He had wanted her to know what was at stake.
She needed to realise that every time she made trouble, it was not just herself and her foster-family that she was risking, but also his family, Rem, Shin, and anyone else he called friend. Not to mention threatening the collapse of the entire Una nation.
Yet now he realised that it was the people she trusted least on earth that had threatened her, and he had a sudden uncomfortable suspicion that she associated him with them.
How could he expect her to trust him when he tried to intimidate her at every turn? He must seem to her like every other person in her life that had persecuted and used her.
Aya slipped off her soft slippers and, hitching up her skirts a little, waded into the shallow waters. He knew that she was hiding behind a façade of impersonal politeness and unconcern. Rem behaved in the exact same way when confronted with someone that he didn’t trust, but could not afford to anger.
He realised how on edge she was, and felt a rush of sympathy for her, the same impulse to protect and comfort that he felt whenever he saw suffering.
“What was it like in the Strongholds?”
Aya shrugged and moved a little deeper into the pool.
“What would you like to hear about?” She asked, pulling the thick length of her hair over one shoulder, and bending so that she could look at the stones on the river bed.
“I don’t know… how were you treated?”
She bent and groped for something below the glassy surface.
“Some of the Tula were unpleasant, others just ignored me.” She broke off, lifting a stone out of the water and studying the glittering vein that ran through it interestedly. “Some were kind to me and others too scared to have anything to do with me at all.”
“That sounds lonely,” observed Kai.
“I had my family; I didn’t need anyone else.”
“Were they treated the same as you?”
“To a degree,” returned Astra, reaching up to tuck the curtain of her hair behind her ear. “The Va Dic Toban family is very influential, that was part of the reason why Ladron was so angry when they took me in. He had spent years stirring up unrest against the Una, and then in a single move the Va Dic Tobans opposed everything he had built up.”
“Why did he let them challenge him?”
“The Va Dic Tobans carry a great deal of political clout. However much he wanted to censure them, he could only go so far. He didn’t want to push too hard and have other influential families unite with them against him, so he stood aside and waited.”
“His revenge was to take you as his subsidiary?”
Aya paused, turning toward him with an unreadable expression on her face.
“It was one of the many reasons that prompted his action.”
“Killing two birds with one stone.”
A faint inflection of surprise crossed her features.
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
For a moment they stared at each other.
“How did Ladron treat you, Aya?”
She shrugged uneasily.
“Like the servant I was to him.”
“Did he threaten you?”
Amusement creased the corners of her eyes.
“No, he requested politely.”
“Did he ever hurt you?”
She flinched and Kai watched the easiness in her face disappear. He could feel the tension running through her body, as if she were recalling unpleasant memories. He wanted to help her, to pull her back out of the mire of her thoughts. They were sucking her down, swallowing her alive, and Kai knew exactly how that felt. He wanted to draw her back into his world, into a place where her fear couldn’t touch her, and where he could keep her safe.
“Aya, tell me: did he ever hurt you?”
She had lost all of her colour and Kai was suddenly very aware of the dark circles that ringed her eyes.
She didn’t answer him, but seemed to retreat within a protective shell.
Kai didn't need her to respond. Whether Ladron had hurt her physically or mentally, he had still left scars upon her. Kai moved forward, heedless of the water seeping through his shoes and clothes, and came to a halt before her. She didn’t retreat, but regarded him from dazed and pain numbed eyes.
Gently, Kai took her hands in his and chafed them lightly.
“It’s all right, Aya; you’re safe. You’re here with me in the Una Territories, where Ladron cannot reach you.”
A sad smile curved her lips.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered, her composure dissolving. “There is nowhere that is safe from him.”
Kai felt his heart perform an uncomfortable double beat, and slowly pulled the shaking girl in to his arms.
It felt strange to hold her close, to attempt to give her comfort. Yet at the same time he felt that it was the right thing to do.
Aya remained still in his embrace, accepting the reassurance he offered but not returning his hold. He remembered suddenly the discomfort that she had shown on all the other occasions he had been near her, and dropped his arms making to step away and give her more space. Aya's hand shot out, and she took a firm grip on the lapel of his waistcoat, holding him in place.
“Just a little longer… please.”
He pulled her closer again, and she rested her head against his shoulder.
“It’s the strangest thing, Senior, but I feel somehow safe, as though I can rely on you. Please don’t turn out to be one of those people that I can’t trust after all.”
Kai felt a surge of compassion.
“You will always be able to trust me, wife.”
“This is the first time since I was nine years old that I’ve actually believed those words when they were spoken to me.”
Kai smiled and looked again at their peaceful surroundings.
This was not an end. He knew that there would be more trouble to come, that one day there must be a reckoning. Yet he also felt that, whatever came next, he could rely on Aya to keep her word.
The Houses of Singh and Sen were strong once more.
The End.
Severance
The Chronicles of Discord
The Head Families are at war. Those who oppose Elder Headman Amajit view Astra’s acceptance into the House of Singh as an abomination, a pollution of the pure Una bloodlines.
Duty and honour ought to be clear, still Kai and Astra must learn to overcome their past and rely on each other, or face death.
Senator Burton remains trapped in the Tula Strongholds with no word of his son. Should he compromise, or seize the chance to stop Ladron?
Ben seems safe under Elder Headman Amajit’s protection, but time is running out and a man accustomed to influence finds himself a pawn in a play for power.
The separation has begun…
BROKEN CITY
Broken City series
Deeta Richards has never seen the outside world. Before she was born a banking crisis brought civilization to an end, and now no one leaves the safety of the compounds unless they need to. Yet, Deeta still dreams of seeing more than the building she was born in.
Tom is in the guard, this group are the only people that the tribal elders allow to leave the compound and Tom knows only too well that Deeta could never survive the harshness that exists outside. Then tragedy strikes and Deeta and her sister Jan find themselves captured by a hostile tribe. Why does Tom know so much about these people? And why do they know so much about him? As this mystery draws to a climax, they discover that their friend Tom is not quite what he seems...
The Promise
The Lady Quill Chronicles
Orphaned as a child, Adele of Berron found herself betrothed to a stranger and hidden from the outside world until the day of her marriage. Forced to leave her home and those who have cared for her f
rom infancy, Adele is thrust into the adventure of her life.
Rafe of Valrek, her companion through the dangerous web of intrigue she faces, had been promised to Adele since the battle for Calis devastated both of their lives. His reckless decision to conceal his identity from her may destroy all he holds dear. Or maybe in each other they will find the ally neither ever dreamed existed.
