The Drifting (56 page)

Lily slowly leans forward placing her head on my chest and begins to softly cry.  I pull her onto my lap and she tries to resist, but she finally lets go.  She lays her head on my shoulder, crying softly.  She looks up at me with large eyes, guilt being the foremost emotion coming through them.  “What is it, Lily?  You can tell me.”

Almost in a whisper, she says, “He killed her.  He killed Milina and it’s my fault.  I…I couldn’t breathe and went outside for some air,” she shakes her head.  “I should’ve stayed here.  It’s my fault because they came to protect me.  If I would’ve just stayed inside there wouldn’t have been any reason for them to come for me.  Oh my God, Tharin, he killed her.”  She buries her head into
my
neck, her body
w
rack
ed
with guilt and sorrow. 

Milina…Milina is dead?  I now understand why she didn’t answer any of my callings.  The beautiful redhead pops into my mind and I see her in glimpses of smiling, being serious and determined, daring and unafraid to protect her future queen.  I hold back my anger, trying to stay calm for Lily.  I remember how she reacted to Fien’s body when she saw him laying on the football field back at
Snow
College
.  She wasn’t hysterical, but it did affect her.  This time, it’s someone s
he’s come to know and consider
a friend, even if Milina
was only a body
guard.  But that’s Lily.  She doesn’t see people for the role they play, but for
who
they are. 

Lily tiredly pulls away from me, sitting up and wiping at her eyes as the cloth on her chest falls to the floor.  The gash is ugly and brutal against Lily’s soft skin.  The cut is curved, with what looks like a hole stabbed above the cut.  I look at it closely and recognize it for what it is.  The crescent moon with a star behind it and I remember what Ka had told me about the image.  A panic grows in me until I notice a smaller, deeper cut near the bottom tip of the moon.  Unlike the flesh wound of Harlu’s cut, this cut gleams with emerald green flecks.  I
glance over
to find Sema sitting on the bed, stroking Cessa.  She catches my eye and gives me a nod.  She made the extra cut to diffuse the spell from Harlu’s blade.  As grateful as I am to her for what she’s done, it doesn’t change the fact that he marked her.  He put his filthy hands on her and branded her.  I reach out and trace the wound lightly, my anger seething beneath the surface.  It will definitely scar.

“Tharin, don’t.  It hurts and…” she stops. 

“And what?”

“It…it reminds me when he…when he touched there and when he tried to taste my blood,” she finishes, closing her eyes and shuddering over the memory.

Something inside me snaps.  I place Lily back in her chair and she looks at me confused. I reach over, placing my hand behind her neck and lean in.  “I promise,” I whisper, “Harlu will pay for this.” 

Her eyes are large, staring at me and holding me to my
word
.  I pull her closer to kiss her, but at the last second she lowers her head.  I look down at her as she twists her hands
on
her lap and know she’s still sore about last night’s even
t
.  I plant a kiss on her forehead instead and then get up to leave.

I make my way to the doors
,
looking over at the bed.  Sema is up and returns to her seat with Lily.  “Cessa,” I call and the panther jumps off the bed cautiously and wobbles a bit before following me out.

Alorn and Mellis are in the living room waiting when Cessa and I walk in.  Alorn turns to me first, while Mellis continues to inspect what looks like gold lace.  Cessa strolls over to him, sniffing at the lace.  I was told that she was hit by some kind of powder and I can see she’s still not herself.  Mellis looks down at her, then takes the lace and sniffs at it, too.  I ignore him for now, not looking forward to sharing the news about Milina.  I move toward Alorn.

“What has happened, Tharin
?
” asks Alorn, a bit anxiously.  Both he and Mellis are wearing street clothes with worn cloaks.  Looks like they came immediately from the great hall where the Seating
is
to occur. 

“She’s fine,” I answer distracted when Mellis decides to join us.  Cessa makes her way to the sideboard full of meats, bakeries and fruit.  She sniffs at everything, to
the
chagrin of the
nervous
servers standing by. 

I delay the inevitable with Mellis and relate other news.  “We received word this morning that Tolan and Ziri
have
taken the Willow Clan from Falsad and Harlu.  From my understanding, it wasn’t much of a fight.  The guards easily gave fealty to their new king.  Seem
s
the people of the
Willow
are happy
with
the change in power
.  E
specially when they found out that
Tolan is
the son of King Thilthen.”

“That’s good news,” says Alorn nodding.

“Tolan will be meeting with the advisors and military chiefs when they return after the Seating.”

Alorn looks at me surprised, “We’re still going through with the Seating?”

I nod, “We have no choice.  The Seating won’t happen for another four years and
F
ather is worried about the remaining Ancients.  He believes they will be killed before the end of this season, if not sooner.  We need to get the doorway to Eirrell open.”

“So what about Falsad,
Harlu and the Eathos guy?” asks Mellis.

“We’ll know after the Seating.  They may still try something, but now
that
everything is out in the open, they will know we’ll be ready for an attack.  We’ll take note of everyone close to the court and see who’s still here and who isn’t,” I answer.

Shaking his head, Alorn adds, “Or he may just remain in court until he’s ready to make his move.  We still don’t know who he is.”

I had the same thought.  “You’re right, but he’s not here alone.  There were two people who dragged me back to my room after they drugged me.  The fake Kalis may have been Eathos in disguise, or the man who helped her is the real Eathos.”

Mellis asks, “What was the purpose of all that?”

I look at him, shrugging, “To put a wedge between Lily and me?  Remember, she needs to be the realm’s queen to open the doorway. 
After the wedding, I will no longer be of any use
.”

“But you’re not king
yet,” says Phoris.

“It doesn’t matter,” answers Alorn. “Thilthen won’t marry again, the throne is Tharin’s.  As future king, it automatically makes Lily queen of the Oak, not to mention after today she’ll already be a queen.”

We turn to the door when Kalis and Dalim enters, several guards behind them.  Dalim indicates to the guards to search the room
s
, as he and Kalis make their way toward us.  I step aside as I see Kalis’ face, guarded and distant.  Was it an imposter
last
night, or was it really her?  I move toward the balcony that looks out to the city below and she moves with me.  Dalim walks over to Alorn and Mellis greeting them.  They move to the corner of the room speaking softly.

Kalis walks before me and reaches the stone railing, holding on with white knuckles.  She turns to me, smiling…not good.  “So, your little princess is alive…all this time.  So many opportunities, Tharin; there were so many times you could have told me she was alive.”  She pushes away from the railing and walks over to me, her face a mask of anger.  “You could have stopped me from making a fool of myself in the hallway, but you didn’t.”  She stops and then smiles again…oh, crap.  “That’s all right, really.  You know why?”

I give her a hard look, “Why
,
Kalis?”

“Because deep inside you love me, Tharin.  You’ve been in love with me since the day you met me, and you love me still.”

I
raise a brow at her and
say, “You’re right.  I do love you, Kalis.  But I’m in love with Lily.  You and I…we will never be the way you want
us to be
.”

Anger returns to her face and she
moves in
closer until she’s inches from me.  “Tell me that the last time we were together it didn’t mean anything to you.”

“Kalis
,
don’t make this any harder than necessary,” I say
, trying to hold on to my temper.

“Oh, it will be much harder for you from this point on.”  She steps back, giving me a hard angry look.  I can see her thinking, almost hearing her thoughts.  She straightens saying, “I understand the future queen was attacked.  As captain
,
it’s my duty to check in on her.”

I shake my head, now irritated with her behavior.  “There’s no need to keep anything from her, Kalis.  I’ve told Lily everything about the relationship we
had
.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, my prince.”  She
stares at me a moment longer before turning
toward the doors
,
determine
d
to make her way to the master bedroom.  I follow behind quickly and just when I’m about to stop her, “Tharin,” calls out Dalim.  He signals me to join them and I hesitate.  I turn back toward Kalis, but it’s
too late.  She’s already entering
the room
and
closing the door behind her.  Damn.

Frustrated
,
I look over at the old guard, irritated by his interruption.  He stands with my cousins, all three waiting for me to approach.  Dalim should be captain of the king’s personal guard, but when the time came and he was awarded the position by my father, he decline
d
.  I never knew his reasons and he never gave any to
F
ather
or me
.  I do know this, I trust him.  Before moving to join them, I take one last look at the closed double doors and sigh with resignation.  It was bound to happen, and it will be up to Lily to make up her mind and trust her heart…and trust me.

~ * ~

Chapter Thirty-Eight

~ Lily ~

“Get Colie and Mathal,” instructs Sema to one of her helpers standing by.  The young girl does a clumsy curtsy and runs to retrieve the two seamstresses I met earlier this morning. 

I look at Sema as she walks around me in a slow circle taking in the damaged dress.  “What are you doing?” I ask
,
watching her carefully.

“Seeing if we can save the dress for the Seating, or if I have to start from scratch,” she replies distractedly.

I groan inwardly, “We’re still going through with the Seating?”

“Of course we are.  You think something like an attempt on your life is going to stop the coronation of a new queen?  Besides, if we don’t do it now, it’s another four years before the next Seating.”

“Four years?  Who decides these things?  Is Tharin’s dad making up the rules as he goes?” I question as I turn to allow her to pull at a loose thread on the back of the dress.

She laughs, “Sometimes I wonder, but these laws come from our time in Eirrell.  The Seating is an old custom from the beginning of Eirrell’s existence.  Kalinest and his queen brought that tradition with them to Velesi.  When the thirteen thrones in the great hall were made, he and his wife, along with the Ancients
,
imbued their will
into each of them.  They then
called upon the energy and magic of the fae to create the same results as that of the originals in Eirrell.”