The Drifting (51 page)

I stand breathing hard and I can almost feel him breathing hard, too
,
and then it stops.  A moment later the doors move slowly to close and the room is empty.  I know he’s gone because I can feel it.

I refuse to cry over him.  I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with all of this.  I’ve lost so much already…so much.  I hate him, hate him, hate him.  I lost my parents, my brother, my aunt and uncle, Marilyn and Julia.  But I didn’t lose him…no, I have to actually have him in the first place to lose his loser-ass.  He was never mine to begin with and vice
versa.  And that will never happen
–
ever. 

I nearly jump when I hear her voice from behind me, “My princes
s
, are you all right?”

I turn to find Milina in her golden form standing near the bed.  I stand staring at her dumbfounded, not knowing what to say to her.  I nod, overcome with the need to be alone, but
I
don’t want to be left alone.  Whatever courage I was feeling a minute ago fell to the side and now I’m
emotionally
drained, exhausted.  When next I look up, Milina is standing in front of me, trying to get me to look at her.  She puts her arms around my shoulder and walks me to the bed.  As we sit, she
asks
, “Who has done this to you,
P
rincess?”

I sigh, “Milina…please don’t call me that.  I don’t like it.  Lily, just Lily.”

“Yes, my princess.  I mean, Lily.”  She gives me a small smile waiting for me to answer her.

“It’s nothing.  He’s, he’s…” I reply quietly, not able to finish.

“Give me his name, Lily
,
and I shall take care of it for you.”

“Tharin.”

She sits back, a little unsure as she says, “Oh. Well, I can’t really slit the throat of the prince, Lily.  Perhaps someone else?”

I throw her a glance and I chuckle at her sincerity.  Shaking my head, I said “No.”  Kalis did pop in my head, but I truly believe Milina would follow through with her threat so I keep the thought to myself.  I give her a curious look asking, “You really would slit someone’s throat?”

She nods casually, “Yes, just give me the word and consider the deed done.  That is, as long it’s not your betrothed
or any immediate relation
to him…you know, his brother or the king.”

“The deed?”  I shake my head again.  I want to be distracted, to think and talk about anything else but what I just witnessed.  “This whole place is not what I expected.  I mean
,
the
elves
in
T
he
Lord of Rings
movies
are kind and beautiful and honorable,
but
the ones here are
lying cheats
who aren’t
e
ven good looking, just ugly and…and
all
ears.”

I realize Milina isn’t saying anything and when I turn to her, I find her watching me with a concern
ed
look on her face.  I sigh, “Sorry.  I mean…I just thought it was all
…
I don’t know what I thought.”

Milina nods looking off in the
distance
.  “I see.  You assume that because we live in a different realm, we would be more enlighten
ed
, wiser and at peace with each other?”  I blink at her then nod.  “I’m sorry
you are disappointed
, Lily.  But the truth is there is more dark here than light.  Here, in the Oak Clan and a few others, the kings are good to their people and actually make an effort to meet their needs, no matter their race.  Here, we are all Velesian.  But there are a few, and recently the Willow Clan, that
mistreat
their people, ignoring their cries for justice and equality.”

She gets off the bed and moves to sit on the floor
to look
up at me.  She continues, “My sister and I were born to a family of twelve.  Our older brothers and sisters were either sold or ran away never to be seen again.  As for Glynnis and me, we were close in age when we were sold, we went as a package deal.” She smiles at me
and shakes
her head when I gasp in shock.  “Slavery is all we knew until the day we were sent to follow Prince Tharin into the clearing, the day you freed us.  We are of the Willow Clan, your clan.  And we would like to see you take it back from the Black Prince…I’m sorry, Lily, I me
an
your brother.”  She turns slightly red at her slip of tongue.

“No, Milina, you’re right.  He is the Black Prince
,
not my brother.  A demon
took
over his body
and now controls
his words and action
–
that’s not my Lucas.”

She gives me an arched look, “That explains a lot.  When your brother first came home four years ago he gave us hope and we look
ed
forward to a bright future. 
My
sister and
I
hoped that we would be able to escape the life we knew and start anew.  But nothing changed
.  I
n fact, it got worse.  When my little girl, Plia, was taken, we despaired.  And in trying to gain back her freedom, we stayed with the man who owns our papers, working to free my daughter.”

I stand, shocked to hear that Milina is a mom…but she’s
around
my age.  I walk up to Milina and sit in front of her.  “I’m so sorry, Milina.  I had no idea what you and Glynnis have been through.  I guess I really don’t know much about the people here.  Listening to you, my own problems seem petty.”

“You have a purpose, Princess, we all know it, even if you don’t…yet.  Would you like me to take you through the city once the Seating and coronation are over?”

I give her a smile, “I would love that, yes.  Maybe we can do it the day after.  We’ll take Glynnis with us.”

She smiles, nodding, “Yes, she would very much enjoy it.”

I think my words through before asking, “What of Plia?  Do you know where she is?  Can you get her back?”

She shakes her head, “They took her when she was three.  They
often
told me how she was doing during the first year she was taken.  It’s been four months now since we heard of her whereabouts.  The man who we worked for, Molker, he only allows us news after we’ve completed a mission for him.”  She looks over my face carefully and I guess she notes my distress over hearing about her daughter.  She takes my hands and shakes them gently.  “It’s all right, Lily.  With Prince Tolan
to be crown king of the
Willow
, maybe I will
get
my Plia
back
.”

Again, I’m shocked.  I know that Glynnis is a year older than me and Milina is a year older than she.  I do the math quickly.  Milina was only fifteen when she
was pregnant
Plia.  Fifteen.  I look her over and can’t imagine having a kid
or having my life
owned by someone else.

“Isn’t there something you can do with your…you know, your new abilities?” I ask.

She smiles again.  “We are as we are because of you.  We have been given a chance to do good with what
we possess, but
we have no special abilities.”

I shake my head slowly, “I don’t even know how I did it.”  I smile and shrug at her.  She laughs and I feel the tension ease out of me.

I spent the next two hours listening to Milina tell of life in the Velesi realm.  She tells of the people of the Willow Clan, especially of those she grew up with in the Molker Guild.  Even with all I’ve gone through in my own life, I will never know the level of hardship and pain that Milina and Glynnis lived.  I
feel
humbled and small.  There
are
moments of anger, sadness and happiness as she
recreates
her world in her own words.  And in the end, she tells me what she’s shared is only a
small part
of what life is like in the Willow Clan.  Without coming out and saying it, she looks for a promise, a promise to help her people, my people
, to a better life…a
life like that of the people of the Oak Clan.

Once in bed, I’m in and out of sleep and every time I come out…I see Tharin.  Each time that happens, I would repeat the oath for the Seating first in my head and then in a whisper so as not to wake Milina.  She’s
lying
on the sofa near the doors leading out to the garden
, eyes open and staring at the ceiling
.

The darkness above me begins to fade and each time I open my eyes, it gets lighter and lighter until I realize it’s already morning.  The oath seems to run on automatic pilot now, running on its own in the background of my mind.  And it continues to play as the vision of Kalis’ hand moving along Tharin’s arm replays over and over again.  And every time I think I’m going to lose it, I feel Tharin taking that same arm and pull me close to him.  Despite hating myself for even dreaming of him in such a way, it does comfort me.  That and I’ve decided
if I’m going to be his wife,
I’m going to make him miserable as hell.  As I drift off I actually smile
,
looking forward to making my future husband regret he ever met me.

~ * ~

Chapter Thirty-Five

~ Tharin ~

The instant I’m back into my body, I’m on my fee
t and rush at the bedroom doors
slamming against it hard, knocking
them
off their hinges.  It is seldom that I use my abilities with energy when I’m in a state of fury, but betrayed by one I considered a friend, a loved one, is beyond all my reasoning. 

The instant I enter, all panswas
in the room
light up.  I stand
,
chest heaving, searching for Kalis and when I don’t see her
,
I let go an energy force
that slams the bed upward hitting the dome ceiling, breaking the headboard from the force behind it. 
I let
the bed
drop
, ignoring it as it crashes to the floor, splintering all four posts.
Next, I
aim at the closet and everything in it flies out,
but
no Kalis.   I step forward to face the shower area and with another
wave of my hand the rain
water gushes out in a wave and floods the room, but still no Kalis. 
I hammer down the urge to roar in frustration and instead crush the dresser down the middle with the force of my will.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself enough to reach out for Tolan but discover he’s nowhere to be found in the city.  He must have already left for the Willow Clan with Ziri.  Da
mn.  I reach out for my cousins, and
then walk out of the room and head to one of the spare rooms to look for some dry clothes
.  S
till angry
,
I hit the walls as I pass.