Griffin's Daughter (41 page)

Jelena sighed. She might never learn the answers to her questions. She could only hope that the gods would spare a little mercy for those she had loved and had left behind. She ambled to a stop and eased down onto a fallen log to rest. She still felt some mild discomfort, but she was young and resilient, and nothing would keep her from Ashinji’s bed tonight.

As she knew they would, Aneko and Kami had started in on teasing her as soon as she had arrived back at the barracks earlier that morning. Her first flush of embarrassment soon gave way to the realization that her friends’ ribbing sprang from genuine affection and caring.

Though still inexperienced in sexual matters, Jelena knew full well what the consequences would be if she and Ashinji continued to be together. Eventually, she would become pregnant. She might, in fact, be pregnant already. She rubbed thoughtfully at her flat, hard belly and tried to imagine it swollen with a child that she and Ashinji had created out of their love. The idea filled her with happiness. She wanted more than anything to be able to hold their child in her arms, but pregnancy any time soon would be too much of a complication. Perhaps the elves had a way—an herb or potion—that a woman could use to block conception, at least for a time, until she was ready to have a baby. She would ask Aneko.

A sharp pop, like the sound of a twig breaking beneath a boot heel, caught her ear, and she looked up and around. Sunlight and shadow dappled the thick trunks of the trees, creating illusions of movement. Jelena stood slowly and peered in all directions but saw nothing. Feeling a little spooked, she decided to press on to the stone circle.

“
Beautiful day for a walk in the woods. Mind if I join you?”

Jelena jumped in surprise and spun around to see Sadaiyo standing almost directly behind her. She backed up a few steps, then stood with one hand pressed over her heart, which fluttered like a moth.

How did he sneak up on me like that,
she thought.

Sadaiyo cocked his head to one side and arranged his handsome face into a mask of contrition. “I’m so sorry, Jelena. Did I startle you? I can move very quietly when I wish to. Perhaps I should have made more noise.” His voice was smooth and sweet, like the butter put into traps to lure mice to their deaths.

“
Lord Sadaiyo, I…I am returning now to the castle. Please excuse…” she stammered. He regarded her the way a wolf regards a rabbit it is about to kill. She flashed back to the morning after his wedding, when Sadaiyo had accosted her near the bath house. With chilling clarity, she remembered his words.

If I’ve decided that I want you, then I will have you. 

“
Oh, no, no. You’re not getting away from me this time. You must know that this is inevitable,” Sadaiyo drawled. He began to advance upon her, slowly. “I can make this very pleasant for you…for both of us. I would prefer it that way. But I will be firm if necessary, and that won’t be nice for you. Either way, though, it will be
very
nice for me.”

Jelena fought down a wave of panic. She had to stay calm and think fast to have any chance of getting out of this. Her choices were extremely limited. She could attempt to fight Sadaiyo off, which would only get her a beating before he raped her, or she could run and hope that she ran faster than he.

She ran.

Sadaiyo ran faster.

He grabbed her from behind by the collar of her tunic and hurled her to the ground, face down. She drew in a huge breath to scream but only choked on a mouthful of debris as Sadaiyo threw his entire weight down on top of her, grinding her face into the forest litter. His breath boomed harshly in her ear. She heaved her body upwards as hard as she could, but he was too heavy. He had her pinned and helpless.

Brutally, he ripped the back of her tunic and pulled it from her upper body, then jerked her trousers down until they were around her ankles. Jelena struggled in vain, her brain reeling in horror and desperation.

Please don’t do this,
her mind cried, but leaves and dirt filled her mouth, and she could not speak. She felt Sadaiyo force her legs apart with his knee. She needed to stop this
now
!

A small part of her brain realized that her left hand remained free just as her consciousness tore loose from her body. Abruptly, she stood outside herself, watching as Sadaiyo prepared to take her. She saw that her belt remained around her waist, her knife still within its sheath.

She felt the blue fire blaze to life, saw it flare up and out of the fingertips of her left hand and strike the handle of her knife, causing it to glow. Her hand opened, and the knife flew into her palm.

With a jolt, she slammed back into her body. Simultaneously, her hand thrust upwards and back. She felt the blade bite deep. Sadaiyo let out a startled yell of pain and suddenly, his crushing weight lifted off her.

Instinct immediately took control of both mind and body. She rolled over onto her back and kicked out with both feet. Her boots connected to Sadaiyo’s chest with a dull thud, sending him sprawling backward onto the ground where he curled up and lay clutching his thigh, groaning.

Jelena knew she had but a few moments left to make her escape. Pulling her trousers back up, she took off running, one hand holding on to the torn remnant of her tunic, the other clutching the waist of her trousers to keep them from falling back down. Terror propelled her headlong through the trees, heedless of direction. Nothing else mattered but getting away.

She risked a quick glance over her shoulder but could see nothing in the gloom. She ran on until exhaustion forced her to slow down to a trot and finally, to a walk. She looked around for a place to hide and spotted a dense thicket surrounding a fallen branch. She forced her way in and crawled to the center where she collapsed, completely drained.

She lay on her side, unable to move. Her limbs seemed to have remade themselves into things of stone. Eventually, her heart ceased its wild gallop and settled down to a steady, slow beat.

Jelena knew she still was in danger, but she simply could do nothing about it. Body paralyzed with shock, she stared blankly ahead. Only the slight rise and fall of her breasts betrayed her living state.

Her mind drifted, resolutely refusing to focus on anything remotely resembling a thought. She wished only blankness, stillness, peace. She gradually became aware, however, that something pulled at her, insisting that she respond. She resisted at first, still too afraid to move, but the force grew in strength until she at last recognized it.
It
was…Ashinji’s voice, calling her name!

She started up with a jolt, straining to listen. She had heard her name clearly, and
it had been Ashinji
who had called to her. She waited, not daring to breathe, but the only sounds she heard were the normal noises of the woods. She wondered how long she had been lying senseless. The fact that she remained in one piece told her that Sadaiyo had either given up looking for her or hadn’t pursued her at all.

Ai, gods! What if I killed him!
Her mind shrank away from that horror. It wouldn’t matter that Lord Sen owed her a debt for his life. Not even that would shield her from the consequences of the Heir’s death by her hand.

Cautiously, she crawled from her hiding place and emerged into the dark of early evening. She stood up, retied the waist of her trousers, and wrapped her torn tunic around her body as best she could. She reached up to gingerly touch her swollen cheek, bruised in the attack. She expected that she would have other bruises on her body as well.

At least he didn’t rape me,
she thought.
Thank all the gods for that.

She had to get to Ashinji.

What will I tell him? If Sadaiyo is alive, what will he tell everyone else?

She decided not to think about that now.

She started walking. She soon realized that she had no idea in which direction the castle lay. Well, no matter. The woods were small; soon, she would reach its edge, and when she did, she would just follow it around until she came to the river.

She stumbled, purely by luck, upon the path that led from the castle toward the stone circle. Her legs began to shake so badly that she thought she might stumble and fall, but somehow, she kept going. She had to reach Ashinji. Only then would she feel truly safe.

She spotted the bridge just ahead through the trees. The sun had already retired below the horizon, and Jelena feared that the guards might have already shut the main gates for the night.

The gates stood open. Breathing a sigh of relief, she hurried across the bridge and rushed past the guards. Before they could question her, she ran for the upper gates. She prayed that she would not encounter any of her friends. She knew she would be unable to muster the strength to make up the necessary lie to explain her disheveled state. Yet, she would have to lie, because no one could know the truth except Ashinji.

The two guards at the upper gate were busy eating their dinners and ignored her as she passed. All the guards at Kerala knew her by sight now, and had grown accustomed to her comings and goings from the lower yard to the castle and back.

The castle gleamed softly in the evening light. The flickering yellow of lamplight spilled out from windows on the upper floors. Jelena made her way to the outer staircase that led up to Ashinji’s apartment.

“
Please be here, my love,” she murmured as she climbed the steps. She pushed open the door at the top of the staircase and stepped into the dimly lit hallway beyond. At that same moment, the door to Ashinji’s chamber flew open, and he came rushing out. He swept her up into his arms and carried her in across the room, where he deposited her gently onto the bed.

He sat beside her and pulled her close. She clung to him, too exhausted even to cry.

“
I knew you were in danger…I could feel it,” he whispered, rocking her back and forth. “I rushed back home as fast as I could and tried to find you, but no one seemed to know where you were! And then Sadaiyo showed up bleeding from a deep wound in his thigh. He claimed that he had done it himself by accident, but...” His voice trailed off, and he continued to rock Jelena in silence.

“
Tell me what happened, love,” Ashinji finally asked.

“
Oh, Ashi,” she whispered.

Numbly, she told him and then surrendered to the dark. 

Ashinji’s Resolution

In a small, halting voice, Jelena told Ashinji everything that had happened. The trauma of reliving the attack seemed to drain what little energy she had left, for after she finished, she slumped against him and lapsed into semi-consciousness. He held her until he sensed that she had drifted off into natural sleep, then very gently began to undress her. Tears stung his eyes at the sight of the ugly purple bruises on her shoulders, back, arms, and face. After he had removed the torn remnants of her clothes, he tucked her into his bed, then undressed and slipped under the coverlet beside her. 

As Jelena lay sleeping, Ashinji stared at the ceiling, his mind seething. The intensity of his anger terrified him, and he felt himself teetering on the edge of a dark chasm. It would be so easy to let go, to fall in and allow the darkness to sweep him away into madness. Only the anchor of Jelena’s love could hold him back and keep him from total ruination.

The moon had reached the mid-point of its nightly progress when Ashinji finally gave up all hope of sleep. He kissed Jelena softly, then slipped out of bed and padded across the room to sit on the windowsill. An errant breeze, laden with the scent of night-blooming jasmine, caressed his cheek. He raked his fingers through his hair and glowered into the dark, contemplating murder.

Killing his brother would be personally satisfying, but ultimately disastrous. The penalty for murder was death, so not only would Kerala lose its future Lord, but its only other male scion as well. The House of Sakehera would forever suffer the taint of fratricide.
No, I could never put the family through that horror,
he thought.

You’ll not die by my hand, Brother. But somehow, some way, I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to Jelena.

I know I promised Jelena I would say nothing about us to Father and Mother until she found her elven kin, but damn it…that may never happen! The only way I can protect her now is to make her my wife.

He glanced over his shoulder at Jelena’s still form.

Not even Sadaiyo would dare cross that line.

He considered Jelena’s account of how she had prevented Sadaiyo from raping her. Somehow, she had managed to use her ‘blue fire’ energy.

Whatever it is, it’s growing stronger,
Ashinji thought.
She’s going to need professional help to learn how to control it...We must tell Mother. She’ll know what to do.

In three weeks’ time, Lord Sen would depart Kerala, bound for the capital, to attend the king’s council. Both Sadaiyo and Ashinji were to accompany him.

I must convince Jelena to marry me before we go,
Ashinji thought.

Jelena stirred and called out his name. He returned to bed and kissed her for reassurance.

“
I love you, Ashi,” she whispered and drifted off again. He smiled. Only those who loved him called him by his nickname, with the singular exception of Sadaiyo, who never called Ashinji anything without attaching a measure of scorn to it.