The Drifting (6 page)

I swallow, trying to get myself under control.
  I take in the elf’s features and finally decide he looks nothing like Tharin.  His coloring, his eyes and the arrogant way he lifts his chin as if looking down at others is as natural to him as breathing.  Now without his long cape, he’s wearing a similar jersey like the one I have on. 
My
eyes slowly
scan
his muscular arms, chest and long legs.  When I
reach
his face
, it
almost seem misplaced on such a large, hard body. 
His skin is
smooth
and
tanned
, high cheekbones and a hard mouth
that had no laugh lines to soften them.  He looks
to be the same age as Tharin and Tolan.  Then I notice his
ears.  They’re like normal Sidhe ears (or those of Sidhe ears that I’ve come across so far), except for the sharpness of
the
slant ending in a very prominent point at the tips.  I try to avoid his eyes, but the way
he’s looking at
me
captures my own, and
I
decide
I don’t like him very much.

As if reading my mind he says, “Don’t worry, Princess.  You have nothing to fear from me, you’re not my type.”
  He pushes himself off the door
frame and disappears into the
next
room.

“If Tharin were here,” I seethe quietly momentarily forgetting I’m not alone.

“If Tharin were here
,
he would no doubt attack Ziri without hesitation and would kill him.  Is that what you want?” 

Embarrassed
,
I cast my eyes downward, then looking up at the old woman, “And why not?  Isn’t that what he means to do to me?  Kill me?” 

“No.  That’s not our intention at all.  In fact, quite the opposite,” she answers.  She must have climbed through the window while her accomplice held my attention.  “However,” she continues, “we can’t have Tharin killing his own brother
.
”

“Brother?” I
reply
in shock.  Well, that explains the resemblance and the attitude.

Ignoring me
,
she con
tinues, “Ziri lacks the patience
Tharin has, so you’ll have to excuse him.”  Okay, obviously she
really
doesn’t know Tharin.  “You were in a hostile area.  There were mercenaries close by
,
and he felt that he couldn’t trust you to be quiet.  Granted he could have just asked you and explain
ed
what was going on.  But you really didn’t give him much choice, now did you?
”

“Give him a choice,” I gasp.  “He kidnapped me.  What was I supposed to think?”

“Hmmm,” she replies casually.  “Well, there is that.  Nonetheless, he did what he felt necessary.
  Besides, he traveled faster carrying you
than
he would have
if he had dragged
you behind him.”

I keep my mouth shut as she walks over to the small
nightstand
that somehow found its way back to its original place near the bed.  She pulls out the top drawer and retrieves my clothes.  I could have sworn there were small bottles in that drawer.  Turning back to me
,
she smiles as if knowing my thoughts
, saying
, “I really don’t believe that you want Ziri or anyone else dead, either.  I don’t believe it’s in your nature.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” I reply quietly.

“I know more than you think, Lilianethia.”  Before I can say anything, she stops me by raising a hand, “Yes, I know.  It’s Lily.  Now, get dress
ed
, Lily.  We have much to talk about. 
And we must hurry.
  I’m sure your betrothed is ready to level all of Velesi to find you.  And we mustn’t let him do that.  After all
,
he does have a wedding to prepare and attend
,
a kingdom to rule and a fight with the bad guys.  You know how it goes.  By the way, I’m Sema.” 

She places my clothes on the bed and turn to give me another sweet smile.  Looking me over carefully, she says, “And, please, don’t try running away again.  It irritates Ziri
, and there are worse
things out in the land of the Oak Clan than
he
.  Besides, it really is rude to try and run when all we’re trying to do is save your life.” 

“Save my life?” I ask confused.

“I will tell you everything you want to know, at least to the best of my abilities.  Quickly, get dressed.  We have much to discuss and very little time.”

She stares at me as if waiting for an answer and not sure what she wants me to say I nod once at her.  She smiles again and says, “Oh, and don’t worry about your virtue being intact.  It was I who removed your clothes.”

I blink at her.  Looking away I shake my head about to deny that I had suspected Ziri of undressing me.  Before I am able to utter the lie, s
he
turns and walks
out the door, shutting it quietly behind her.

~ * ~

Chapter Four

~ Tharin ~

“Calm yourself, Prince Tolan.  Your Julia is sleeping soundly.  As for you, Prince Tharin,
Lilianethia is safe with Ziri.
”
  The wolf’s words are meant to soothe and put us at ease.  All it does is renew my anger.

I must have blinked.  In the next instant
,
I am watching water drip off me
as it splatters
onto the smooth wooden floor of the kavi tree.  I’m sitting on a bench created from the k
avi with Tolan at my side.  He’
s on his feet instantly searching the room. 
When he finally sees the branch bed, he relaxes.  J
ulia is tucked under a thick blanket of kavi leaves, snoring loudly
and
deep in sleep.

“She is resting peacefully, Prince Tolan.  Please sit.”  The wolf is now in his human form and sits quietly across from us.  With a wave of his hand
,
Julia’s snoring is quieted into soft breathing.  With a
raised
brow, he looks at Tolan scolding him quietly, “You really ought to fix that, you know.  The break is slight
and
you can heal her nose
easily.  It will
prevent her from sn
oring.  It is rather unlady
like.”

“She is perfect as she is,” replies Tolan quietly.  Although he said it with respect, there is a challenge behind his words.

The old elf smiles ruefully at Tolan, easing the tension from him.  A sense of calm and peace exudes from him.  His attire is a contrast to what he was wearing back at the gas station.  I grudgingly admit that his mere presence demands respect and like back at
Crowfoot
Mountain
,
the urge to kneel before him
nearly
overcomes me.  I bulk against both
. 
I make a move to charge and choke out of him Lily’s whereabouts.  With a slight wave of his hand
,
he slams me back into my seat and I find myself unable to move.  There are no bindings on me, but my arms lay against my body
,
pinned to my sides.
I attempt to rise, but find that I am seated in place by some invisible force. 
I look up at the old man and he gives me a smirk. 

“Who are you
,
and why have you done this?”
Tolan asks as he sits back down satisfied that Julia is safe.  Obviously
,
he remains free to move.   

“Ah, Prince Tolan always to the point,” replies the old man
.  He gives a slight bow toward
my brother.  To me
,
he gives a raised brow as if saying I could learn a thing or two from Tolan.   

Taking
a
weary breath
,
he says to me, “Peace, Prince Tharin and I will tell you everything, including why we took Lilianethia from you.”

I shut down the rage simmering just beneath the surface as I sit back, willing to let Tolan take over. 
The old elf
waves his hand before us and we’re instantly dry.  Warmth from the walls of
the kavi seeps into the room; t
he water at our feet
quickly
sinks into the wooden floor
–
disappearing without any evidence of ever being there.

“We have done this, Prince Tolan, because the princess is in danger.  And if you should take her to the
Oak
Tower
now, she
will be dead before nightfall,
”
answers Ka.

I feel my muscles tighten again and before I can make a move, Tolan nudges my
knee,
stopping me.  “And who are you to know such a thing would happen?” he asks.

“I am Ka
,
and the woman you saw me with, Prince Tharin, is my wife, Sema.  And you, Prince Tolan, already know who we are.  We are Ancients.”

The silence grows tense as we each attend to our own thoughts.  Ancients.  There are only six Ancients remaining in all of Velesi.  They
are the remaining of the thirteen
personal guards of King Kalinest and his queen during the Great War.  When the war was over
,
Kalinest
created
thirteen separate clans
consisting of the royal bloodline of the Five Nations, or at least he tried.   His
thirteen
personal
guards
became the clans’ Guardians.  As time passed
they became known as the Ancients as they lived through millennia outliving the kings of Velesi pasts.  Seven of the original Guardians were either killed by unknown causes or passed away through old age.  Once, each Ancient remained with their assigned clan, but as the royal family grew
,
the Ancients removed themselves as Guardians and reside
d
within the Oak Clan.  The remaini
ng six sit at the head of counci
l of the
Alliance
, along with the current
rulers of each
clan
, including
our father. 

I glance over at Tolan, his eyes steady on Ka.  “That’s not possible.  We know all the Ancients of Velesi
.”