The Awakening (20 page)

“Well,” she finally said, “like I said, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’ll let you get back to your errand and I should probably get back to the meeting before Jaax notices I’m missing. Don’t want him sending out delegates to go looking for me.”

She smiled and was rewarded with a small chuckle from Kehllor. He sobered quickly but he still had a grin and the laughter still sparkled in his eyes.

“No, we wouldn’t want that.”

“Maybe we can talk again, after one of the meetings, if there is time?” she braved.

“Maybe,” he said, then turned and walked away.

Jahrra watched him for a while, her arms crossed and her lips pursed. She couldn’t say why but the golden dragon intrigued her. Maybe it was because she could somehow detect his cry for help and somehow helping him would be a strike against Shiroxx.

Sighing, she made her way back into the hall, taking the stairs and returning the same way she’d left. The meeting was still in order, a different member with a different complaint this time, so no one but Dathian noticed as she slipped back into her seat. She would give Kehllor’s plight some thought but in the end she wasn’t sure what she could do for him, other than extend her friendship and offer an ear to listen to his woes. That is, if he ever decided to talk to her again.

***

Autumn in Lidien, Jahrra decided, was by far her favorite season. The deciduous trees gently turned to crimson and gold and although the evenings held a bite of chill in the air, the days were relatively warm and pleasantly breezy on occasion. The people of Lidien seemed to agree, for everywhere she went Jahrra caught sight of harvest garlands and the signs of Sobledthe going up all over the city. The recess from school was drawing to an end with Jahrra eager to return, especially to her wildlife class. But on the weekend before the start of classes, Jaax surprised her with a question and a suggestion.

“Jahrra, are you making friends here in Lidien?”

They were sitting in the great room, enjoying a late dinner by the fire. The night was cooler than usual and they had come home late from a Coalition meeting. Jahrra had paid attention to the first half of the meeting which involved issues concerning potential allies from across the realms of Ethoes, but after that it had dissolved into the typical political banter she had grown so accustomed to.

She didn’t know how Jaax managed to keep a straight face while speaking to everyone’s concerns, whether they be petty or highly important, as if he cared. Perhaps he did care. Perhaps this is why he was their leader. But Jahrra couldn’t stomach it. Instead she would watch the faces of those who argued, and more often than not, those who did not argue. These were the people who said the most, in her opinion, for sometimes their silence spoke volumes.

She often found herself keeping a close eye on the dragon Kehllor. He never caught her watching him and ever since that day she had run him down to introduce herself, she had never forgotten about how she had hoped to help him. But his resolve was stone solid and she couldn’t figure out how to break through and reach him.

Jahrra sighed and forced her thoughts back on the present. She cut a delicate slice of roast beef and looked at her guardian. His tone had been slightly apprehensive, anxious even. Jaax wanted to know if she had any friends in Lidien? Of course she did. Senton, Torrell and Dathian definitely, not to mention some of her other classmates she met with for lunch or tea in the small shops just off the University campus on occasion.

Yes she had friends, but she had never introduced these people to Jaax. Well, there was that first introduction with Senton but that had been somewhat forced. And he knew Dathian from the Coalition but did he know the elf was her friend outside the group? And he had never met Torrell. Jahrra grinned with joyful malice. Oh, to experience the introduction of her guardian to her strong-willed friend.

Clearing her throat, Jahrra turned to Jaax and said, “Of course I have friends. Remember Senton? You met him on my first day of class. And you know Dathian. I don’t just talk to him at the Coalition meetings and he is Anthar’s assistant for my wildlife class. You haven’t met Torrell yet but perhaps you shouldn’t . . .”

Jahrra trailed off, her tone more teasing than anything else.

Jaax didn’t speak for a long while; so long she thought maybe he took her to be serious.

Eventually he said, “You have never brought them around. I thought,” he took a breath, “never mind what I thought.”

He sounded disturbed, worried . . . wounded? Jahrra couldn’t put her finger on it. Whatever it was, though, it pained her. He had been so prickly the past month after having been so placative on their journey here. Could there be more to the petty arguments and trifling complaints of the members of the Coalition than she had first thought? Could there be more going on that she wasn’t aware of? Deeper issues that weighed her guardian’s mind severely, causing him to be short with her and overly protective of her?

Jahrra felt suddenly ashamed. His tone when he asked about her friends, and then his mention of how she never brought them around had once again shown that side of him he never portrayed in public. And that was just it; when they were in public he was always harsh with her, as if he was trying to distance her from himself. Another way he was trying to protect her perhaps?

Jahrra shook her head and considered his words tonight. He had made it sound as if she was ashamed of him or feared for her friends’ safety if she
did
bring them home one afternoon. Then she braved a glance at him. He wasn’t looking directly at her but she thought she read something in his face, as hard as it was to see clearly in the dim firelight. Jahrra was taken aback at what she saw. Was that guilt and remorse etched in those harsh, reptilian lines? Was this his way of making amends for his callous behavior? His way of apologizing for covertly placing her in the classes he approved of and for the way Shiroxx had treated her?

She swallowed and took a breath, thinking of how to pitch her voice so as to cause the least harm. “I thought about asking them over once but I’ve been busy, with school and making an appearance at the meetings,” she said, eyes downcast, her dinner growing cold and forgotten. “I never got around to asking–”

“Of course you can have friends over, Jahrra,” Jaax cut her off, his voice seeming to return to its normal gruffness. “You aren’t afraid I will burn them to a crisp are you?”

Jahrra winced. In the back of her mind yes, she had thought that.

“No,” she said tentatively, “though I’m afraid Torrell might be a bit, um, abrasive. She makes me seem like a timid mouse.”

Jaax did raise a brow at that.

“Impossible,” he said, his mouth quirking in a smile.

Jahrra grinned, feeling the strange tension drain out of the room. “I shall invite them over this weekend, before school starts up again.”

The Tanaan dragon nodded. “I’ll make a note to be home, at least long enough to meet these friends of yours. Properly.”

***

“Your place, for dinner?” Senton seemed shocked.

So much so that he misfired his arrow and gave himself a nasty burn from the bowstring.

Torrell stood in her typical, casual fashion, leaning against the longbow she was using for practice as if it were a staff.

She gave Jahrra one of her demanding looks and said, “Really? Is his highness, the great and marvelous Raejaaxorix, in accordance with this?”

Jahrra felt her cheeks burning. She really had complained too much about Jaax to Torrell of late. She really never noticed she was doing it, but it was high time she stopped. Breaking that old habit of hers might be difficult, but how must it look to everyone if the leader of the Coalition and his ward bickered all the time?

“Yes, he’s aware Torrell. In fact, it was his idea. And he isn’t really all that bad, honestly.”

Torrell snorted and got back to her target practice. Jahrra brushed back a loose strand of hair and cast a glance at Dathian.

He was watching her carefully so she whispered, “Don’t worry, Jaax knows how to be,
discreet
. He won’t let slip who you are.”

That’s all the elf needed to hear for he grinned, his blue-green eyes glinting, and nodded as he knocked an arrow.

“I’ll be there.”

He released the arrow and it plunged into the heart of the bull’s eye several yards away.

“Ugh! How are you doing that?!” Torrell demanded in disgust, her black curls flying free of her hair tie.

Two days later, Jahrra was pacing the great room, the hem of one of her nicer pairs of pants brushing softly against the carpet. She had chewed the nail of her left thumb away and was about to start on the right when Neira burst from the small door leading to the kitchen to scold her.

“Miss Jahrra! Do stop that! It will do you no good to pace around, winding your nerves all up. They’re your friends for goodness sake; you don’t need to impress them!”

Jahrra sighed and gave the maid a sheepish look. “I know but I can’t help it! And Jaax isn’t even back yet!”

Neira clucked her tongue. “He’ll be here, don’t you fret. Now have a seat and read a book while you’re waiting. I’ll go get the fire on the patio started.”

Jahrra stood to argue and Neira cast her a quelling glance. “If you come up to help me, who’ll get the door when your friends arrive?”

Soundly defeated, Jahrra sank back into a couch and tried to read the book on the nearest table. The late afternoon sun cast golden light through the tall windows and the relative silence of the grand house seemed to claw at her nerves. Fifteen minutes passed and Jahrra heard the latch of the great door lift as Jaax opened it from the outside.

“No friends yet? Good,” he said, “I’m not late.”

Jahrra felt slightly better and smiled as her guardian pulled the door shut behind him. He didn’t go directly to his own quarters as he usually did upon arriving home, but instead moved towards the wide dais that stood in the corner of the room.

He looked weary, Jahrra thought. That fact worried her, for Jaax seldom looked weary, only during those weeks on the road when he feared they were being pursued by the Crimson King’s soldiers. Before she could think further on it the knocker at the small door clanged and Jahrra leapt to her feet, her heart going with her. She shot Jaax a quick look and he merely returned it casually.

“They are your guests,” he said, rising. “You should be the one to welcome them in.”

Jahrra didn’t know why she was so nervous. Neira was right; it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help herself. She had never really had friends over before, except for Gieaun and Scede in Oescienne, but that had been different from this somehow. Tentatively, she opened the door. She was surprised to see all three of her friends standing on the wide top step of Jaax’s mansion but that soon passed when Torrell held up a paper bag.

“Marshroot,” she said, her usual, no-nonsense demeanor taking on a glint of humor. “You roast it over the fire, and, oh, you’ll just have to try it. Hard to describe.”

“Oh,” Jahrra managed, taking the bag. “We’ll have it after dinner.”

Then she managed to remember her manners. “Do come in everyone! It’s getting cold outside.”

Torrell, Dathian and Senton shuffled in, all seeming just as nervous as Jahrra. Even Torrell’s self-assurance seemed a little faded.

Jahrra shut the door and turned around to consider her guests. They were glancing around the great room, taking in the height of the ceiling, the size of the fireplace, the quality of the carpets, tapestries and couches, admiring the tall windows, noticing the looming dragon.

“Uh,” Jahrra cleared her throat. “Everybody, this is my guardian, Raejaaxorix. Jaax, this is Torrell, Dathian and Senton,” she said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

Senton smiled and gave a quick bow, a copy of the one he gave the first time he met Jaax in front of Emehriel Hall. Dathian mimicked the gesture, acting the part of someone who was freshly becoming acquainted with the dragon. Torrell, to Jahrra’s immense surprise, merely gaped at him the way a mouse might regard an owl that was swooping down upon it.

It was very hard to swallow the sudden laughter that bubbled up without drawing too much attention, but Jahrra managed. She never would have imagined that Torrell, her feisty, fearless friend, who had intimated on several occasions that she would like the chance to confront and fight a dragon, would be at a loss for words upon meeting Jaax. But, Jahrra thought with a grin, if anyone was to make Torrell act discomfited it would be Jaax.

“It is very nice to meet you all,” her guardian said in the voice he reserved for diplomacy. “Please, feel free to make yourselves at home. I hear Jahrra has an interesting dinner planned for you all but you must excuse me, I have business to attend to in my study. I am glad I took the time to meet you all. It is clear that Jahrra has chosen very fine friends indeed.”

Her guardian was all cordial manners and pleasantries and Jahrra felt herself blushing slightly. She smiled and motioned for her friends to follow her up the stairs. Senton was right behind her, admiring the inner design of the house, with a still speechless Torrell on his heels. Dathian seemed to fall back a bit but Jahrra only assumed it was to share a few words with Jaax concerning Coalition business.

Once upstairs, Jahrra could see that Neira had lit the hall lanterns for them. She must have snuck back downstairs and into the kitchen before everyone arrived. Before taking them out onto the patio, she showed them her room and only because Torrell insisted. Luckily, Jahrra had made an effort to tidy it up a bit so all dirty laundry, loose papers and other items were properly placed where they belonged. Torrell wanted to see Jahrra’s dresses and thankfully Senton was happy studying the tapestries of the maps on her walls.