Divided (83 page)

“What don’t you get?” Calis choked.  “Tareth violated you. 
He touched you without your… he made you… he hurt you.  It’s not okay.  It’s
never going to be okay, and it’s not about whether or not I’m the only one that
ever gets to touch you.  It’s about your free will being taken away from you. 
You.  How dare he?”  His voice broke over the last syllables.  “I love you,
more than anything, but that’s not—that has nothing to do with why… why I’m
going to tear him to pieces.”

Taeru touched Calis lightly, and his eyes shone with disbelief
as they regarded the Telandan prince with childlike wonder.  “Admittedly, you
are possessive.”

Calis scoffed.  He could tell that this was a ploy to force
him to release his anger, but he would not—could not.  “I may be possessive,
but that has nothing to do with how horrible my brother is.  I’m possessive and
overprotective because I
need
you—because I love you more than anything. 
I want you to be happy, with or without me, more than anything, I want you to
have everything you ever wanted, and that’s why… this—
this
is… this is
too far.”

“With you,” Taeru said softly.

“Then, I’ll be here forever and beyond that.  But that doesn’t
change… that doesn’t change what he did, and… no.  Nobody touches you against
your will and lives—
nobody
—not while I draw breath.”

“Calis…”

Calis stood, and Taeru held onto his wrist like a small
child.  “Let go, Taeru.  I am going to kill him.  I am going to tear him limb
from limb.  I’ll show Tareth how
possessive
I can be,” Calis informed
him acerbically.

“Calis, don’t leave me…”

The words were like a blanket, suffocating everything but
the need to protect, and Calis could feel his anger pulsing as it was forced to
give way to his concern.  “I…”

“You needn’t bother, Calis,” Lee said.  “You can’t hurt
Tareth now…”

“Why?” Calis asked.

“He’s already dead.”

“What?” Calis asked again.  How could Tareth already be
dead?  Had Calis failed to realize that he’d killed him in the grand hall?  No,
surely he would have savored that kill.  “How?” Calis asked again.

“I… laced the tiny pricks of the necklace with a
slow-killing poison.  I had an antidote… but after what happened to Taeru… I
couldn’t bring myself to bother.”  His words were dry, as though they didn’t
matter.

Yet, Calis had never held so much respect for Lee as he did
in that moment.  Still, he had wanted to make Tareth suffer.  “Did it hurt?”

“Very much,”  Lee answered pragmatically.  Calis thought
there was a glint of amusement, or perhaps pride, in his advisor’s face.

“Good…”

Taeru just stared at Calis, looking dazed, before Calis
risked a deeper kiss.  

“The Hero knew what would become of his descendants, and
so he enlisted a final favor in the writing of his story.”

-A Hero’s Peace v.i

Too much time had passed, and Aela knew it.  Nearly three
cycles had passed since she had last seen her brother.  Oddly enough, she
wasn’t concerned.  There had been something in the way that Calis had handled
her brother that assured her Taeru would be safe.  She’d been forced to focus
on her own safety, which was no easy task. 

After Lavus had been killed by his own son, chaos had
reigned over all of Telandus.  People of Dark District even seemed at a loss. 
Somehow, the rebellion had fizzled out, unable to form under the immense shock
of what Calis Tsrali had done.  What Calis Tsrali had done for Taeru Lassau.  The
people of Telandus were confused, lost—and the power had fallen to Tareth
Tsrali. 

A boy that had apparently been blinded in an incident with
Aela’s own brother.  Her curiosity on that particular point nearly destroyed
her many times.  Nevertheless, even as he sent out men to find and kill his brother,
Tareth had fallen ill.  It was an illness that no one could explain but seemed
related to his newly acquired blindness.  Suns progressed, and Tareth only
seemed to worsen.  No healer could determine a cure, and Aela thought bitterly
that they had hung the only one who would be able. 

Now, Tareth was dead.  That meant that Claudia, the very
woman that Lavus had sentenced to death, was running the kingdom.  She seemed
unsure, especially with the loss of Tareth.  Her husband had been murdered by
her eldest son, and her youngest son had fallen ill and died.  Calis was
entirely absent, and she was left to manage a kingdom torn by social unrest.  A
kingdom that was on the brink of war.

Cathalar was coming, and Aela knew that.  She also knew that
she would play some part in the events that unfolded.  Her book had even told
her as much.  Just as her book said that Taeru continued to live.  The book had
even given pause to acknowledge the feelings between Taeru and Calis.  More
than anything, what she knew was that this was not over.  She had not left the
city, largely because leaving didn’t seem to be the appropriate measure. 

There was a chance that Calis and the others wouldn’t return
by the time the Cathalar army arrived.  If that was the case, then she would
finish her brother’s mission for him.  Enduring that sort of torture merited a
pass from his duties, doubtlessly.  Though, she was certain that her brother
would return to try and stop the war.

That bothered her, though, as though he wasn’t really
supposed to continue his efforts.  He ought to be finished, or so the book
seemed to imply.  It spoke of the love and faith that her brother had inspired
in so many people.  And, after all, the deal made with the Magisters from the
first version of the book had been about faith—not violence.  The hero from the
first book himself had stated that war was an inevitability. 

War would happen, and no one would be able to stop it.  It
was a part of life, that kingdoms should vie for power—but the problem had come
when the kingdoms hated each other so that they were without faith or love. 
They wanted only the destruction of the other city, and some, even of their own
city.  That wasn’t the case throughout Telandus.  In fact, throughout Dark
District, things seemed to be precisely the opposite.

Claudia Tsrali had even stepped forward to stop the violence
being inflicted on Taeru.  There was no lack of faith in an action such as
that.  Perhaps Taeru had already accomplished his goal, but then why did the
book persist?  Why did Taeru continue to suffer?  And Aela knew within her
heart that Taeru did not feel satisfied in what he had done.  He would never
understand what he had done for the world, and the book had acknowledged that
point as well.  That was the very flaw upon which Aleia would draw. 

And the only person who could save Taeru from this flaw was
Calis.  Or so Aela had gathered.  The book never spoke things like this
straight out, but she had learned to understand the language.  She knew that
there was something terrible on the horizon, and something that couldn’t be
avoided.  The war would be only the beginning.  “It makes no sense,” she
finally cried, flinging the book into the nearby wall.  “Why isn’t it
finished?”

Leif sat on the other side of the cellar, amidst a circle of
burning lanterns.  They had collected them during the sunlight and found the
necessary materials to light them.  They had also been stealing food, and Leif
had been having far too much fun in that expenditure.  “What do you mean?” he
asked.  Leif had been supportive, though his ability to read was near
Taeru’s—and that was not well.

“I mean,” Aela snapped, “that the book ought to be
finished.  Taeru has done what he was supposed to do.  I mean, after all… just
because there is a war doesn’t mean that people don’t have faith.  Even I can
see that there is faith here, surely the Magisters can!”  Her words were
exasperated, after suns of reading.

The book was only written to a certain point, still writing
itself.  It had told her of the near-death experience that Taeru had after it
had happened, and that was where it seemed to stall.  It spoke of a great love,
which Aela assumed could mostly be contributed to Calis—or perhaps the love
that Taeru seemed to feel for everything, or both of those.  She wasn’t sure,
but she knew that there was more to come, and that love may well be the key to
all of it.  “Well,” Leif tried, “perhaps because a war in Telandus now would be
so fruitless.  Perhaps we need to make sure that Cathalar doesn’t destroy it
entirely.”

“Maybe,” Aela said.  Though, in her observation of the tone
of the book, she had picked up on no such stipulation.  After all, the Magisters
had been willing to wipe out two civilizations.  They were more interested in
the mentality than in the loss of life.  However, anything was possible—perhaps
the book only told her what she ought to know.  “I just hope we can stop this
army.”

“How could we not?” Leif asked dryly.  “These are people
that we know, and if we tell them that there is no reason to come forward… they
will not.  We can simply have them negotiate.  Nobles love to negotiate,” Leif
informed her.

Her eyes flickered to him, and she tried to fight the smile
that eased onto her face.  She had enjoyed these suns spent only with him. 
Though, she ought to have been more anxious than happy.  “That they do,” she
agreed.  Yet, the two of them had not touched each other in these cycles.

Something told Aela that Leif wanted to do this properly,
and she found herself being very attracted to that idea.  If only she hadn’t
been suffering from a very serious case of desire, she would have had no
objections at all.  “I’m worried,” she admitted, “I’m afraid something has gone
wrong.”

“You’re always worried,” Leif reminded her.  “Taeru is
alright.  Calis saved him.  The book is simply waiting for the war to be
stopped.  Why won’t you calm your mind?”

“I just don’t understand.  The curse, the rules, everything
is stipulated by the Light, and the Light ought to be able to stop the curse. 
Surely, it would know that we will succeed.  What if there is a reason that we
will not?”  Her mind was running wild again, and from the look in Leif’s eyes,
he knew it.

The young male let out a long breath.  “Aela, the Light is
probably just a stickler for procedures.  All higher-up things are,” his voice
was disinterested.  “Stop worrying about it.  If things continue as they are
after we stop the war, then you can worry—for now, you’ll give yourself
wrinkles.”

“And then you wouldn’t like me anymore,” she teased.

His smirk looked very handsome on his face, though she
wanted very badly to hate it.  And she wanted very badly to smack it off of his
face.  “Who said I liked you now, princess?” 

Their remaining hidden had not been difficult.  After all,
the guards—or the ones that were left—were all tending to the grief-stricken
Claudia.  No one had time to try and find two people that they barely knew
existed.  Still, Telandus had not retracted its statement that Calis Tsrali
should be killed.  When they had left the cellar, Aela had heard the humors.

“He was wearing the Cathlari amulet!” someone had said.

“He had glowing red eyes when he killed his father.”

“He is possessed by an evil spirit.”  Most of the things
were ridiculous, though Aela made sure to listen to all of them.

Another problem was that Katt and Alyx seemed to have
vanished entirely.  They could have been in the hands of the Shining District,
and they could have escaped the walls.  Aela preferred to think that Katt was
resourceful enough to get Alyx out of the city.  Lee, Calis, and Taeru were out
there somewhere, and that was surely where Katt ought to be.  “I just don’t
want anything to happen to him,” Aela whispered.  Taeru flitted across her
mind.  He had looked so weak, so broken, lying stilled in Calis’s arms.

This time, Leif stood and walked across the room to kneel
beside her.  She stared at him, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.  “Everything
will be fine,” Leif promised.  “We are going to get through this.  The others
will be here soon, and this will be all be over.”

“And what if that doesn’t happen?” she snapped.  Leif never
seemed to want to consider the negative side of things.  What if there was a
reason that Cathalar wouldn’t stop?  What if the war continued?  What if
something did happen to Taeru—or Leif? 

The dark, blue eyes were complacent, staring at her with a
mixture of amusement and frustration.  Odd, though, that those two emotions
should merit complacency.  “Stop worrying.  Worrying won’t stop it from
happening, and we will act accordingly if we realize that something has gone
wrong.”

“It just seems so wrong.  Taeru has done everything he was
supposed to.  I don’t get why the Magisters won’t just leave him alone,” Aela
whimpered.

Leif kissed her forehead, and her body immediately caught on
fire as rampant emotions came back to life.  “You mean Magister,” Leif reminded
her.  “Didn’t we decide that only one Magister—the direction one—was the crazy
one behind this?”

“Right,” Aela agreed, “she was insulted.  But still, she is
a Magister, and she must uphold the rules.  She was able to cheat during the
bargain, at which point she created the corruption in Lavus and other
things—but she must stop if the conditions are met.”

Her bemused companion smiled at her.  “Then, she is probably
just holding out, hoping one of us will trip on a rock and be unable to stop
the war,” Leif said.

“But the war isn’t…”  Aela sighed.  “Perhaps you’re right. 
But wait!”  Her eyes lit up as the book’s words seemed to form a new meaning in
her mind.  “That’s it.  What if Aleia tries to keep us from stopping it?  She
is going to try something!”  Of course, that was why Aela had been worried. 
Aleia would not stand idly by while her plan was foiled.  Then again, by Aela’s
standards, it ought to already have been.

There was a flat look in Leif’s eyes, and once again, a
ghost of a smile eased onto his lips.  He really wasn’t very excitable.  “And
that is why I stole you a bow and myself two swords, so that we can combat
whatever she throws at us.”

“You’re right,” Aela affirmed.  “We will win this.”