Divided (48 page)

Calis stared at his father, imagining the hundred different
ways that he could leap up and rip out his father’s throat.  Oh, how he wanted
to. 
What truly matters, Father?  Oh, you must mean the power that you have
forced upon me.  The power that I would no sooner fight for than I would a
piece of broken stone. 
Calis’s mouth twitched in irritation.  “I apologize
for that.”

“I ought to confine you to your room, refuse to let you
leave the grounds for this misdemeanor, you errant boy.”  The words sent a jolt
up and down Calis’s body.  The idea of being away from Kilik for any expanse of
time, bothered him, especially now.  And if Lavus had issued a formal sentence,
then Calis would be followed fastidiously. 

Calis squirmed a little, actually phased by his father’s
punishment for the first time in what felt like a very long time.  “Father,
that isn’t necessary…” he entreated.  No, he would not be forced to stay in
this castle while Kilik writhed painfully from his nightmares. 

“I ought to, but I will not, given that you carry out my
wish for your next meeting with Miss Avyon.  You have very clearly insulted and
offended her, and the only way to amend that would be a proposal of marriage.”

A spasm ran through Calis.  Being engaged to Krystal—after
everything?  No thought had ever twisted Calis’s mind with such complete
disgust.

“A mortal should never have to make sacrifices for a
god, for it was as a mouse making a sacrifice for a lion.”

-A Hero’s Peace v.i

Aela waited, nervously, by the tavern, waving a brief hello
to Nardin, who seemed to have forgiven her for the mishap.  Leif had vanished
into the crowds of Dark District, and Aela was pleased to see that he was
impossible to spot.  She was sure that she would have flushed and given him
away if she’d seen him, in fact, Leif probably knew that as well. 

Inevitably, she began to pace, moving around the tavern
warily.  The sun had already risen considerably in the sky, and she felt
herself beginning to worry that she had made it all up.  That book had consumed
enough of her thoughts to destroy any preconceived notions that she’d had of
sanity.  Her fingers drummed quietly on her trousers.  She had determined that
wearing boy’s clothing was actually much more comfortable than the dresses
she’d had back in Cathalar. 

However, now even these clothes felt too tight and stifling
against the Telandan heat.  Whatever the architects had done with Telandus’s
walls—they had done it incorrectly.  Cathalar had never felt this hot, even in
the midst of summer.  She paced a little more, wishing fervently for any sort
of breathe. 

Everyone that passed by seemed to look very much like Taeru,
and then they morphed into people that were most certainly not him.  Very few
people actually entered the tavern, as was usual during the sun.  She was glad
too, since the few people who did looked a little suspicious of her standing
outside of it like some sort of scoundrel.  Where was Taeru?

Perhaps he’s not coming, because you’re insane and you
never saw anyone that moon!

A small voice in her head snapped at her, and she glared
back at it.  She had not been so crazy that moon to imagine an entire scenario
in which she had interacted with her older brother.  That would have been
positively ridiculous.  No, Taeru had been there—of that she was sure.  That,
or the person that she’d seen was not Taeru at all.  But he had most certainly
been a kind person, who would not stand someone up!

Or you are insane, and the person knew you were insane,
since you couldn’t even hold a stack of plates!  Therefore, he will not show
up, and will most likely work very hard at avoiding you for the rest of his
life!

Furious, Aela clenched her fists and shook her head with an
iron will.  Perhaps she had imagined it, and if she had, then that book would
have gotten considerably less strange.  The book could have been an unfinished
copy—or an earlier rendition of the book that she’d already read.  After all,
if Taeru wasn’t in Telandus, then the book wasn’t about him.  Perhaps she
really had let all of her stress and worry for her brother get the better of
her.  Curse her imagination, though.  Her heart sank, and she could feel a weight
on it, constricting and pushing it down into her stomach.

With tears stinging in her eyes, she shook her head another
time, trying to remove the blue eyes from her mind.  Then, she turned, furious
with herself and the situation, to find the very same helpful blue eyes looking
at her.  “Hi?” he said cautiously.

“Hi!”  Oh, that was far too high—that did not sound at all
like a male voice.  She worked to fix it, pretending to clear her throat. 
“Hi.” 

He glanced around, pursing his lips.  She hadn’t been
wrong—she hadn’t made any of it up.  He was here, and this was most certainly
him.  He was the perfect height, the perfect build, the perfect color—and his
face was completely the same.  “Were you waiting long?  Apologies.  I live with
a mildly overbearing family.”

Family.  She thought about the people mentioned in the
book.  Was that who Taeru was talking about?  She felt jealousy in its rawest
form.  She was Taeru’s family, not a bunch of commoners from Telandus!  How
dare he say that anyone but she was?  She calmed herself, though, offering him
a smile.  “Oh, I wasn’t waiting long.  I’m glad you showed up—I was beginning
to think you forgot.” 
Or that you were a figment of my imagination.

Very slowly, Taeru raised his hand and ran a hand through
his hair.  Aela knew that gesture, and she knew that meant that he was trying
to figure something out.  Perhaps he still thought that she looked familiar. 
“No, of course not.  Though, I admit I was unsure about coming here, especially
since you’re new.  I thought maybe you’d found some other way to learn about Dark
District.”

She wanted to hug him so much that it hurt.  His eyes were
bright, alight with unspoken emotion, but he seemed a little worn.  He very
much needed attention, and he had no one to give it to him.  The book flitted
across her mind again.  Perhaps if Taeru found his way to the prince of
Telandus, he would get it.  She pushed the thought away for now.  “Ah, no.  The
people here are very busy.  I was happy to find someone who agreed to the
arrangement.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her.  He was definitely trying to
figure out more about her.  There was a suspicion in his eyes that grew with
every word.  She felt nervousness snaking up to her throat.  “You asked other
people?”

“Some,” she lied. 

A slow breath escaped his lips, but he nodded his head.  He
obviously didn’t deem the strange feeling he got from her to be threatening. 
“Alright, well, I’m sure you know some of the places.  This is obviously the
tavern, and I’m sure you’ve seen some of the market areas.  Anything specific
you wanted me to show you?”

A bookstore had been the first on Aela’s list, but with
those suspicious eyes, she didn’t want to be too quick to default to books. 
Taeru had known that Aela loved books more than anything, and that might be
just enough for him to make the connection.  “Just show me the best place to
get food and what have you.  I just need general information.”

He nodded, as if he thought this was a reasonable gesture. 
She thought again how kind it was of him to show her around, especially when he
couldn’t have been completely at ease in Telandus.  Oddly, Taeru didn’t seem at
all inconvenienced.  He brought her to a few stalls in the market place that
she’d been using, and then he showed her the smaller stalls, that he mentioned
had better food—and prices. 

They walked, and she tried desperately to think of a way to
strike up a conversation with him.  After this was over, she didn’t want him to
vanish and never think of her again.  No, he needed to feel like Aelic was an
acquaintance worth calling on again.  “So, your name is Kilik—do you have a
family here?”

Of course you don’t,
she thought dryly.  He glanced
back at her, as if she’d just asked him a very difficult question.  “I… well,
yes and no.” 

No!  The answer is no!  You do not have a family here! 
You are not from Telandus!  You have a family in Cathalar, with a little sister
that you love very much and who misses you so badly that her chest might
explode, you stupid boy! 

She said nothing, though, only offering him a mock confused
smile—hoping that he would elaborate.  When he said nothing, she decided to
prompt him further.  “Do you mean that some of your family is here and some of
them are not?”

“I have no relatives here,” he answered truthfully.  “But, I
do live with a group of people that are sort of like a family.  I can take you
there,” he said brightly.  “The healer will be someone you want to know the
location of.”

The healer?  Aela felt her heart speed up.  The book had
said that he’d lived with the healer in the other kingdom.  The odds felt
strange, and she could feel panic burning in her chest.  Coincidences like this
did happen, she reminded herself.  “Ah, that would be lovely,” she said
courteously.

As they walked, Taeru was the one to continue the
conversation.  “What about you?  You said you only just arrived—so I take it
that means that you don’t have family here?”

Well, actually…

A smile flitted across her face at the quick bit of humor,
and then she removed it—not wanting to look like a mad boy who smiled at
nothing.  “Ah, no.  I came here with a friend.  We are only staying until we
can get our bearings, and then we will be heading back home.”

“Where is home?” Taeru asked swiftly.  For someone who
hadn’t even given a last name, Taeru certainly was curious about Aelic.  Aela
wanted to hit him upside the head.  She didn’t have space in her mind to be
remembering all the history that Leif had briefed her on.

Finally, though, she collected her thoughts and spoke
swiftly.  “I’m originally from Kandal.  I have a father and brother there. 
They own a small farming business.  It’s pleasant, but I prefer to travel.” 
She was impressed with how fluently she told the story to the one person that
she never thought she’d tell it to.

“No mother?” Taeru persisted.

Aela felt a frown trying to make its way onto her face. 
What kind of stranger asked about a mother that had been left unmentioned?  She
ought to tell him that her mother was a crazed lunatic, and that the subject
was very painful.  “No,” she answered curtly, “she died—when I was young.”

“Did she?” Taeru mused, and Aela thought he might be
smirking. 

She felt a little insulted, after all, laughing about the
death of another person’s mother was not acceptable.  “That was rude.  Are you
smirking at the idea that my mother is dead?” she barked.  Taeru whirled to
face her with a very serious expression.

“I am most certainly not, Aelic.  I was thinking of another
matter, forgive me.  But, if I might ask, why are you in Telandus?  You do know
that it isn’t precisely safe here—as there is a war—with Cathalar,” the way he
said the word had a dangerous edge to it, “on the horizon.”

Taeru was striking dangerously near to a mark that Aela
didn’t want him to hit.  “What about your family,
Kilik
?” she hissed. 
This felt like the old fights she’d had with Taeru, back before he had become
so involved with the war, perhaps he was getting more affection than she’d
originally thought.  “Your real family?”

For a moment, Taeru looked thoughtful, as if he was going to
tell her very intimate details about his family.  Then, though, he simply
offered a pleasant smile and turned.  She only then realized that he had been
walking backwards for quite a few paces.  “We’re here,” he said politely.  She
glanced ahead at the house, taking in the modesty of it with a glance. 

Still, the house was nice, much like Leif and Aela’s rooms
were nice.  “This is where you live?” she asked.

He just nodded and then gestured for her to go ahead of
him.  All of his playful demeanor had vanished, and he seemed set on being a
polite escort now.  They walked into the house, and the blond barmaid sat
mixing some oddly smelling liquid in a pot.  She glanced up and offered a quick
wave.  “Kilik—and company that isn’t blond!  Wait, do I know you?”

“I work at the tavern,” Aela answered.  She bowed, as men
were supposed to, in the presence of women.  And yet, she couldn’t help feeling
as though she did the gesture entirely wrong.  The blond girl didn’t seem to
notice, and she even curtsied in return.  Perhaps Aela wasn’t doing such a bad
job after all.  “My name is Aelic Eirgold.”

“Right!” the girl snapped her fingers, and her blond hair
swung around her shoulders.  She really was pretty, especially for a commoner. 
Aela wondered if Taeru had ever considered this woman for courting, though he
obviously had more masculine tastes than that.  She wondered if that had been
part of the reason he’d left—had he felt too constricted by being the prince? 
No, that wasn’t like Taeru.  Taeru had left for entirely selfless reasons, and
Aela knew that without a doubt. 

Still, though, Taeru was with another male now—or he had
been those two moons ago.  He probably wasn’t overly interested in the gender
of the person that he liked, regardless, Aela thought.  “I’m Alyx Amaral.  I
suppose I’ll see you around the tavern,” the blond girl said with another
wave.  Then, she went back to stirring her pot.

As the girl didn’t seem overly interested in conversation,
Taeru moved Aela further into the house where he pulled back one of the two
cloths that separated the rooms from the main house.  Another blond woman,
though this one looked older and more matured.  She was tending to the knee of
a small, blond boy on a table.  “Oh, Kilik, hi,” the woman said, with the
softest, most enchanting voice Aela had ever heard.

At once, she was reminded of her own mother—of the few
memories Aela had of her.  This could have been why Taeru liked her.  “Juliet,”
he said courteously.  “I’m showing this young man around Dark District.  Aelic,
this is Juliet, and this is Aitken.”  The boy Juliet was treating laughed, as
though Taeru had just said something hilarious, and Juliet curtsied.  Aela
bowed at once.

“You’re too kind, Kilik,” Juliet said gently.  So, she
understood Taeru perfectly well, it seemed.  This lucky woman had been able to
see and care for Taeru every sun for the past five years, while Aela had missed
him unendingly.  She couldn’t help but feel a twang of bitterness.  “It is a
pleasure to meet you, sir, are you new to Telandus?”

“I am,” she answered.  “I only recently arrived.  But, I
have already heard what a lovely healer you are from the gossipers in the
tavern.”  She tried to move her voice a couple octaves lower, mostly because
this woman seemed wise enough to see right through her disguise.

Juliet offered a brief smile, and then she nodded her head
and glanced to Taeru.  “Well, you’re lucky to have met Kilik.  Not many
citizens in Dark District are as kind as he is,” she said.  There was a note of
affection, but also worry, in her voice.  Aela could feel her dislike for the
woman dissolving into the air. 

“I’m glad I met him, then,” Aela said.

The boy, Aitken, stood and offered a bow to Aela.  His
enthusiasm seemed to radiate from his body, and he let out an unexpected
laugh.  “It’s nice to meet new people!  Especially ones that are nice enough to
come introduce themselves!” his voice carried his enthusiasm unquestioningly.