Forever (32 page)
Manda and Savhoran came over. It reminded me to look for Pirian, but he wasn’t in the room.
“How did you keep the female away?” Len asked me. “The male attacked me alone. If it hadn’t been for that—”
“Uh, it wasn’t intentional. She came after me because I shouted, I guess.”
“She knocked you down?”
“No, I—”
That was it. My heart skipped a beat as I realized the significance of what had happened.
“I turned on the microwave. It kept her from getting complete control of me.”
Len’s eyes widened. “Steve!”
“I know. We’ve got to add that to our plan.”
“Add what?” Caeran asked, frowning in confusion.
“A khi-disrupting microwave field. Preferably portable. It will give us squishy mortals some defense.”
“Wow!” Manda said. She threw her arms around my neck. “Our idea man! You are so brilliantly awesome!”
We talked about how to engineer such a gizmo, and I felt a thrill of excitement. It would work. We’d
make
it work. I’d have to learn more about brain waves.
Lomen came up beside me. “I could change my course of study to engineering, in order to pursue this.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“I like tinkering.”
He slid his hand into mine.
Thank you for acting quickly.
I pulled him away from the others, toward a chair where Madóran sat staring numbly into space. The two of us knelt to either side of him. He stirred, and looked at us.
Madóran. It’s over.
He smiled faintly, though his brow was creased with sadness.
Will you finish the ceremony?
I don’t think Mirali will be willing to go back out there.
Not out there. In here. It will give everyone some closure.
It took a little coaxing, but he agreed. Lomen and I went outside to fetch his staff.
The courtyard was chilly, despite the heat from the abandoned lanterns. Their light interfered with the starlight, but I could still see the Milky Way overhead. The
plazuela
was peaceful again, with no indication of the violence that had happened there.
We would never forget it, though.
Lomen picked up the staff and came to me.
This was a good idea.
I hope so.
I know it. I think you are also a healer, in your way.
He leaned forward to kiss me. I nearly melted into a puddle, but he knew exactly when to stop.
You can be a puddle later. Madóran needs us.
I nodded, and we went inside. Lomen handed the staff to Madóran, who seemed to gain strength just from touching it.
We all stood, sorting ourselves to the same directions where we had been at the start of the ceremony. It was a much smaller circle now, with all of us closer together. Madóran stepped to the west side and nodded to Mirali, who stood there holding her child. Then he walked to the north, picking up where he’d left off.
Lomen’s hand tightened on mine as we watched and listened to the celebration of Evennight. It didn’t take long; Madóran merely greeted the spirits of the directions, then said a few words about gratitude for the harvest and for our safety and well-being,
Mirali stayed for the formal induction of me and Manda into Clan Ebonwatch, which was nice of her. Savhoran looked very serious as he asked us to swear that we would uphold the parts of the Ælven Creed that we understood and learn about the parts we didn’t. I hadn’t sworn very many oaths in my life, and I felt kind of nervous, but at least my voice didn’t waver.
Len gave the two of us copies of her translation of the Creed, as far as she had completed it, beautifully calligraphed on parchment and tied with blue and white ribbons. She must have planned that ahead of time. I was touched.
Madóran brought a silver goblet, old-looking, over from the table. He filled it with wine and walked over to our side of the circle.
“Savhoran and Amanda, do you wish to cup-bond before these witnesses?”
They looked at each other, and I could feel the warmth between them.
“Yes.” Savhoran took the goblet, raised it to Manda, and said in a husky voice, “I am yours and yours alone, for a year and a day.”
He sipped, then offered the wine to Manda. She put her hands over his, and they both raised the goblet for her to drink. She repeated the vow, Savhoran sipped again, with both of them still holding the goblet. Madóran held his hands out toward them, smiling.
“May the spirits who guard you bless your partnership.”
That was it. Simple, but it raised emotions in me that were hard to evaluate. Lomen slid his hand into mine and I looked at him. He was smiling softly, a warmth in his eyes that filled me with quiet joy.
That was the end of the ceremonial stuff, but the room fell quiet as Savhoran approached Mirali. He stopped two paces away from her and bowed.
“Thank you, Mirali, for honoring us with your presence. Clan Ebonwatch is at your service.”
I saw her swallow, but she nodded graciously and said something in ælven. Savhoran replied briefly, then withdrew, coming back to the Ebonwatch side of the circle. He and Manda sipped the wine in the silver goblet, and I knew that they were silently conversing.
Mirali and family left not long after that. I didn’t know what time it was but it felt late. The clean-up had taken a while, and the whole chaotic evening had been pretty exhausting.
Gradually the others drifted away, though Madóran stood talking with Len and Caeran by the door to the
plazuela.
Lomen and I retreated to the fireplace and sat gazing at the flames.
Oh, I need your help...
I took the bracelet Lomen had given me out of my pocket and held it out to him. He laughed softly as he fastened it on my arm again.
This is my atonement, for giving you such a gift. I am doomed to this duty.
Yes. For the rest of my life.
Our gazes met, and our palms came together. He squeezed my hand.
Madóran came over to join us. Caeran and Len had slipped out.
Bear me company tonight? I would rather not be alone.
I turned to him, still holding Lomen’s hand.
Whenever you wish.
I glanced at Lomen, wondering if he had heard or at least sensed Madóran’s request. He smiled. Whether he had heard it or not, he understood.
Thank you for reading
Forever!
I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a minute, any or all of the following would be helpful:
- Write a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and other sites frequented by readers like you. And tell your friends!
- Visit my website,
patinagle.com
, to sign up for my newsletter so that you’ll get prompt notice of my next book. (And let me know what you thought of this one!)
-
Like my page
on Facebook.
—Pati Nagle
Pati Nagle was born and raised in the mountains of northern New Mexico. An avid student of music, history, and humans in general, she loves the outdoors but hides from the sun.
She writes in a variety of genres, but is most often drawn to fantasy, historical fiction (as P.G. Nagle), and mystery (as Patrice Greenwood). Her stories have appeared in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, the
Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, and in various other magazines and anthologies, including
Elf Magic,
which featured “Kind Hunter,” the story that sparked the ælven world.
Her Blood of the Kindred series includes
The Betrayal, Heart of the Exiled
, and
Swords Over Fireshore
. The Immortal Saga, a contemporary series featuring the ælven, began with
Immortal
and
Eternal
and continues with
Forever
.
Pati Nagle still lives in the mountains in New Mexico, with her husband, two feline muses, and lots of wildlife. She loves to walk in the woods and look up at the stars.
Pati Nagle’s websites:
www.patinagle.com
www.pgnagle.com
www.patricegreenwood.com
Immortal Series
Blood of the Kindred Series
The Betrayal
Heart of the Exiled
Swords Over Fireshore
Other Titles
Many Paths: Stories of the Ælven
Coyote Ugly and Other Tales
Pet Noir
Dead Man's Hand
Book View Café is a professional authors’ publishing cooperative offering DRM-free ebooks to readers around the world. With authors in a variety of genres including fantasy, romance, mystery, and science fiction, Book View Café has something for everyone.
Book View Café is good for readers because you can enjoy high-quality DRM-free ebooks from your favorite authors at reasonable prices.
Book View Café is good for writers because 95% of the profits goes directly to the book’s author.
Book View Café authors include
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestsellers; Nebula, Hugo, and Philip K. Dick Award winners; World Fantasy and Rita Award nominees; and winners and nominees of many other publishing awards.
