Swords Over Fireshore (50 page)

I have failed you. If you must turn to others—

What? No!

Ulithan, and Vanorin as well. Why did you not tell me of that?

Feeling her cheeks burning, she lowered her gaze.
I hoped it would pass.

What Vanorin feels is more than fondness, if I am not mistaken.

I did not....

She bit her lip, fighting tears. Heard him step closer, saw his hands held out. Slowly she placed hers into them. As his fingers gripped hers—so warm and her hands were cold—she closed her eyes.

You did not mean for it to happen.

No. And it hurts him, and I do not know what to do.

There is nothing you can do but let him go.

Dismiss him? That would hurt him even more! He is proud of his duty.

Then you are right, he must finish his task. When you are back in Alpinon, he will be free.

Eliani sighed. Alpinon was far from her thoughts just now.

You are fond of him as well.

Of course I am! I am fond of them all. After what we have been through together—

I meant no criticism.

She bit her lip, and said nothing for fear of saying something wrong. After a long moment, his grip on her hands loosened.

Forgive me, Eliani. This is harder for me than I thought it would be. Being apart, knowing you are with others—

I have kept my pledge.

I do not question that.

She felt him lean toward her and opened her eyes just as his lips brushed her brow, sending a tingle from her scalp down to her toes.

We have this night. Let us forget the rest until tomorrow. Shall I woo you again, my lady?

She gave a nervous laugh.
Ridiculous.

She became aware of others watching. Pulling her hands out of Turisan's grasp, she started up the road again. Turisan walked beside her.

Ahead, she saw her escort grooming their mounts. Her own horse was there as well, drinking from the river. Its tack and her gear lay neatly piled beneath a tree. Vanorin's work, but he was nowhere in sight.

She nodded greeting to her escort, then found her saddle packs and slung them over her shoulder. Turisan waited on the road. On impulse, she beckoned to him.

“Turisan, have you met my escort? This is Sunahran, and Cærshari. Revani, who kindly loaned me these leathers, and Hathranen.”

Turisan came forward. “Well met.”

He clasped arms with each of them, smiling and paying them small compliments. He was much better at that than she.

“I will be in Turisan's camp, if you need me. We ride in the morning.”

Sunahran nodded, and Cærshari flashed Eliani a grin. “Enjoy your rest!”

Turning away before they could see her blush, Eliani started back down the road. Silence fell between her and Turisan again. Too many others watching; heads turning as they walked to a camp made by Turisan's escort, twenty Southfæld guardians unknown to Eliani.

Only a few of them were in the camp. Turisan introduced them to Eliani, and she did her best to imitate his courtesy, though she felt awkward. They all sat around a campfire and shared a meal as evening fell. Others came and went, and one of the guardians produced a flute. The music was subdued—rather mournful—but it gave a sense of peace to the camp.

Eliani? Shall we walk?

She drew a breath.
Yes.

They rose and quietly stepped away, the flute's music drifting after them. The forest here was open enough to walk through. They passed more campfires and were soon surrounded by trees and dusk, stars glinting now and then through the canopy. At length Turisan stopped and turned to Eliani, gently gathering her in his arms.

He smelled of horse and leather and himself—that smell that she had so longed for. She leaned against him, heart pounding. His fingers slid up the back of her neck to her scalp.

Your hair has grown.

Well, it has been a season.

Yes. Too long.

His kiss caught her by surprise, deep and intense, lighting fire in her loins. Their khi blended and her anxiety burned away, replaced by desire.

They had spent the night of their handfasting in the Star Tower at Hallowhall, surrounded by luxury. Now Turisan spread his cloak on the forest floor, a much humbler bed. Turning to her, he began working to unfasten her leathers.

She reached for his in turn, impatience making her fumble at the straps. His soft laughter tickled her ear.

We have all night.

He removed a bracer from her arm and kissed her wrist, and made a game of it, kissing whatever part of her he freed from the next garment. She did likewise, and by the time their clothes were gone they were deeply entwined in thought, beyond drawing back.

They slid into one another, sensations both familiar and new enthralling them. Turisan kept the pace slow, driving Eliani mad. Each shift, each touch sent responses echoing between them. They moved together toward a perfect height of ecstasy, so deeply lost within each other that the echoes rang again and again before subsiding slowly, leaving them spent.

Resting, they spoke in feelings, having abandoned words. Wellness, peace, agreement. Together, no outsiders, no distractions. They sought passion again, rested again, until the forest began to lighten with morning.

It was Turisan who first drew back into himself, not completely but enough to remember that self. Eliani reluctantly let him go, returning to awareness of herself as an individual. So lonely; she preferred to remain entwined, but Turisan thought something was important.

We must ride.

Yes.

I do not wish to say farewell, Eliani.

I am coming with you.

His concern and worry rippled through her. To shield herself she withdrew further.

Ehranan expects you.

I will go after we have reached Woodrun.

It is too dangerous.

I am not leaving you.

Eliani opened her eyes, inhaled deeply, relishing the smells of the forest and her partner, her love. At last she slid away from him and sat up, stretching her arms skyward. Her handfasting ribbons glinted softly, still tight on her forearm.

Not here, then. A relief; she had no desire to make a home in the wilds of Fireshore.

We are running out of possibilities. I hope we do not discover our home in Eastfæld.

Or the Steppes. Turisan rolled onto his side and ran his hand over her flesh, making her shiver.

Eliani—

Four days. It will make little difference to the army. They will reach Woodrun when they reach it, whether or not I am with them.

Uncertainty, then resignation. It was what he wanted, too. Selfish, yes. This bit of selfishness they would permit themselves.

If the alben are in Woodrun, you will ride south at once. Promise me.

I am a guardian—

Promise me.

Very well.

He kissed her again, long and slow, then withdrew completely at last, leaving only a thread of connection that neither was willing to release. They held it gently as they dressed each other, making ready to face the coming war.

(coming in April 2012)

 

After the human race evolved the ælven went into hiding, still struggling against their kindred foes, the alben, and now fighting to survive in a world that belonged more and more to humans.

 

= 1 =

I
never should have let them talk me into giving blood.

It was almost eight and the donation center was getting ready to close.  Still light outside, since it was late May, and the view from the center's picture windows of the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque was fantastic.  All the couches faced those windows, for which I was thankful as I lay squeezing a little foam bar and contributing my pint.

I hated needles, and I didn't much care for the sight of blood even if it was in neat little plastic bags.  I was pissed at myself for letting Len wheedle me into this.  Ever since she switched to pre-med, she was nuts on this kind of thing.

She and her boyfriend Caeran had already finished donating and were over in the lounge area with the cookies and punch.  So sue me, I bleed slow.

The technician came by and jiggled my little bags of blood.  “Almost done,” she said cheerily.

I didn't answer.  I was working up to a first class sulk.

Ever since Len had hooked up with Caeran, I felt like a third wheel.  Now that the semester was over they were heading up north to visit his family—tonight was our farewell fiesta—and I was looking at a boring, lonely summer.

I sighed and gazed out the window.  The mountains were turning pink in the sunset, earning their name, “watermelon.”  Not as picturesque as the Sangre de Cristo mountains east of Santa Fe, named for the same reason but rather more graphically.  Those Catholics.

My eye was caught by movement just outside in the parking lot.  A man, I thought:  tall and slender in a hooded sweatshirt, walking toward the side of the building.  For an instant I thought it was Caeran, but I could hear his voice behind me, and he wasn't dressed like that.

The tech returned and declared me done.  She removed the needle and made me hold my arm in the air for a minute, asked me if I felt dizzy, then wound some hot pink vet wrap around my arm and released me to the snacks.

I got up carefully, since I hadn't done this before.  I'd heard of people passing out, but I just felt a little lightheaded, and even energized.

Len looked up and smiled as I made a beeline for the drinks.  “Feeling OK?”

Ignoring her, I filled a paper cup with lemonade.  It was bad, from a powdered mix.  I chugged two cups.

“I'm always thirsty too,” Len said.  “I wish they'd have something besides all this sugar.”

I glanced involuntarily at Caeran, who was munching an apple.  Probably he'd brought it along.  He was Mr. Healthy Eater, claimed he didn't like sweets.  I could have hated him if only he wasn't so damned gorgeous.  And nice.  Disgustingly nice.

OK, I was jealous.  Len had scored the best-looking guy on campus.  I'd had some dates, but none of them came close to Caeran for all-around wonderfulness.  I kept telling myself I'd find the right guy eventually, but it was hard not to wish I'd spotted Caeran first.  Or rather, that he'd walked up to my station at the library desk instead of Len's.

“Movie starts in twenty minutes,” Len said.  “We'd better go.”

She and Caeran headed for the door.  I hung back to look through the cookies, grabbed the last packet of Oreos and shoved a Moon Pie into my pocket, then hurried after them.

The front parking lot had been full when we arrived, so we'd parked in the lot to the north. Now the center's lot was empty except for one car at the end of the row.  The pavement radiated the day's heat.

I paused to open the Oreos and stuffed one into my mouth.  As I looked up, I glimpsed the man I'd seen through the window standing by the blood red wall that surrounded the center.

He had long hair like Caeran's, and it was white even though he looked young.  Goth, maybe?  His clothes were black. Same lean bones, same high cheekbones as Caeran.  I stood ogling him, then he looked at me and his nostrils flared.

Cold flooded my gut.  Not a rational reaction; purely instinctive.

My lizard brain knew he was a killer.

April 2012

 

Blood of the Kindred series

The Betrayal
Heart of the Exiled
Swords Over Fireshore

Immortal series

Immortal
Eternal