The Whispering (25 page)

Something about the collage pulls
at me and I find myself standing in front of it, my eyes glued to a mini portrait.  Is that me?  It’s me or someone that looks exactly like me.  Could this be my mother when she was my age?  At least that’s what I am thinking, but something tells me it’s not.  A force beyond my control lifts my hand to reach for the mini portrait, a deep need to touch the face staring back at me. 

“
Lily?”

I jump, turning to face Bi
’irea standing near the table.  In her arms she cradles a green gown, simple and elegant.  Green must be a favorite color in this realm.  But unlike the gown I wore at the Seating, this one is the color of spring grass, lush and appealing and invoking in the beholder a desire to touch it and remember days of childhood past.

“
Come here and let’s put this on, shall we?” she urges kindly, holding the dress out.

I nod
, walking away from the portrait but stop, turning back to the collage, asking, “Who is this?”

Bi
’irea moves to stand by my side, the dress still in her arms. 

Taking a closer look, she answers,
“That is Tileanith.”

I stare at the portrait again
.  “She’s the first Healer?  She looks just like me.”

“
Actually, you look like her.  You are the spitting image.  Those who remember her are taken by your striking resemblance of her,” she muses, staring at the portrait.

I scan the other portraits and
find a small one of my mom.  I notice every one of them have similar features to Tileanith, but none who look exactly like her as I do.  At a closer look I realize the dress she is wearing is the exact dress Bi’irea is holding.

As if reading my thoughts, she says,
“Yes, it is the same dress.  Every queen, with the exception of your mother wore it at their wedding.”

“
But you said there was a wedding dress at the tower for me,” I ask, confused.

“
Yes, because you would have been queen to the Oak Clan and to the Realm of Velesi.”

Perplexed, I say,
“So this is Julia’s dress.  This should be hers to wear?”

Bi
’irea shakes her head patiently.  “No.  Julia would only be queen because of her marriage to Tolan.  The dress would not have been offered to her to wear.  This dress is the heritage of the Healers, children of Tileanith and the Unnamed Sidhe.”

“
I see.”

“
Come on, let’s get you dressed,” she says, turning from the collage.

I follow, asking,
“Is the wedding now or are we just trying on the dress?”

She turns to me as she continues to walk toward
the bedroom.  “As soon as you dress, we will meet Tharin and the others in your mother’s garden.”

My steps slow
as the realization that I’m about to get married hits me full force.  My senses seem to go numb as Bi’irea’s voice becomes distant and mumbled.  I follow her to the shower area and see a tub already drawn and ready for me.  I do as Bi’irea instructs and start to undress, pulling the band from my hair to let it fall free.

“
Quickly, Lily,” she commands gently and I am startled to see two young girls moving about the room.

Mistaking my slow reaction
as embarrassment, Bi’irea says gently, “There is no time for modesty, Lily.  Come now, finish undressing and get in the tub.  Osasae and Pynia will help you bathe.”

“
No,” I answer with a small smile.  “That’s not necessary, I’ll be fine.  I could use some alone time.”  I change my mind.  “Actually, can you send for Julia?  She’s my maid of honor. I want her here with me.”

Bi
’irea bites her lower lip.  “I am sorry, I did not think of that.  Maybe we can find a dress for her.  She is tall enough that we may not have to make any adjustments to one of the gowns.”

I nod and wait
until they leave the room before completely undressing and stepping into the hot tub.  The water feels so good I sink under, letting it heat my cold bones.  I hear movement and then a loud thump.  I resurface to find another tub waiting next to me.  I wipe my face with my hands and squeeze the access water from my hair looking around.  Whoever brought the tub is long gone.

“
Hey,” says Julia from the entrance.

Without hesitation and a look of desperation, Julia quickly gets undress
ed as she moves to the tub.  She settles in with an “ah” expression and disappears underwater as I did.  I’m already shampooing my hair when she finally reappears.

She grabs for the soap, asking,
“How you feeling?’

I shrug at her, continuing to wash my hair.

“I’ve been thinking,” she says slowly, “about what you said to me at Mirnuk’s, about our dreams.”

“
What about them?” I ask, sinking under to rinse off my hair. 

When I reappear Julia is staring at the water.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“
This water,” she says, puzzled.

“
What about it?”

“
It’s still clean.”

I look at my own tub and she is right.  I have already bathed and rinse
d my hair out and the water is as clean as it was when I first stepped in it.  In fact, it is still nice and hot.  I shrug and lean back, enjoying the heat.

“
Like I said, I was thinking about our dreams,” she continues.  “I said my dreams have changed because they now involve Tolan, but you didn’t say anything about yours.”

I keep my eyes closed
.  “I guess they’ve changed, too, because you used to be in them, remember?  We were going to go to college, do some traveling and start a business.  And in between all of that you were going to be a world class mixed martial arts champion and a marine biologist; and I was going to be a famous archeologist.  And if that didn’t work out we were going to start our business.”

“
Okay,” she answers hesitantly, “that was then, what about now.  What are your dreams now, Lily?”

I sit up, turning to her
.  “Does it really matter now?  I’m getting married as soon as we walk out of this room, Jules.  I’ll be a queen for an entire realm, taking care of people who need a queen by their king’s side to rule them.  So, I ask you...what dreams?”

“
Lil, I don’t think Tharin would...”

I don
’t let her finish.  I get up and step out of the tub.  “It doesn’t matter.”

“
Lily, wait.”

I turn to her with
a small smile.  “It’s okay, Jules.  I’m okay.  I gave him my word and I’m not going to go back on it.  Really, I’m okay.”

I dry and wrap the towel around me, using another to dry my hair.  When I walk into the bedroom the two young maids are there waiting for me.  I send them away, refusing to let my last hour of independence be dependent on others to dress me in my own wedding gown.

On the bed is the dress, and next to it is a soft gold dress for Julia.  It is chiffon with a satin underlay.  It is beautiful and I know she will look gorgeous in it.

Julia comes in drying her hair
and makes her way to the bed.  She looks at the dress but doesn’t pick it up.  Instead she turns to me.

“
Hey,” she places a hand on my shoulder.  “I just want you to know that I’m here now and always.”

I nod
and hug her.  We dress quickly without saying anything else.  When we’re done we stare at the mirror and then make a face at each other.

“
Maybe you should call someone to come and do our hair,” suggests Julia. 

She crinkles her nose and we start laughing
, and some of the tension disappears.  Before I can call for the two maids they reappear suddenly at the door.  Without prompting, they make their way over and start working not just on our hair but our make up as well.  Their ministrations put me at ease even more as their gentle fingers work their magic on my overwrought psyche. 

Julia stands beside me in front of the double doors leading out to the garden area.  I hold onto her hand tightly as a
constriction around my throat threatens to prevent me from taking another breath. 

I turn to Julia,
asking, “Where’s Marilyn?”

Julia pats my hand trying to calm my nervousness. 
“She’s inside, waiting with everyone else.  Are you ready?”

I nod,
taking a deep breath.  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”  

“
Okay, I’ll meet you inside,” she replies as she pries my death grip from her hand.  I give her an apologetic look and take another breath.  I wait until she is inside and then I turn quickly to make a run for it, but I don’t get far.  Alorn is standing between me and freedom.

“
You look beautiful, my queen.” A crooked smile appears on his face, knowing what I was about to do.  He takes my hand to his lips and gently kisses it.

I shake my head
. “I can’t do it.”

Placing
his hands on my shoulders he stares at me, locking my eyes to his.

“
Yes you can, Lily.  You can because you made a promise.  You can because you love him.”

I do love him.
I take a deep breath and pull my shoulders back.  I start to smile when I realize something.

“
Why are you here?  Did you know I would have second thoughts and run?” I ask.

“
Yes.  And, I am here,” he says as he takes my hand and places it around his arm, “because it is my understanding that in Pathen it is customary for someone to give the bride away.  I was hoping you would allow me the honor.”

The tension I felt earl
ier eases as I hug his arm.  I look up at him and quietly say, “Thank you.”

I hold
fast to Alorn’s arm as the guards pull the double doors wide open. 

~ * ~

Chapter Twenty-Four

~ Tharin ~

As the doors open I catch my breath and I can’t take my eyes off Lily.  Her beauty unmans me as she walks down the aisle with Alorn to stand by my side.  Yet, I can’t help but notice there is less joy on her face than I would have liked to see.  In fact, there is a sadness to her that breaks my heart.  I know she loves me, but the memory of what she confided when she thought I was Tolan nags at me.  She told me she wanted a choice. 

Alorn steps up and
places Lily’s hand in mine.  With a serious look on his face, Alorn nods before stepping back to stand next to Tolan, Ziri and Mellis.

I look down at Lily
as Ka starts the reading from the Book of Binding.  In truth, I hoped this moment would alleviate some of my sorrow after father’s death.  Instead I sense nervousness, fear and that damnable sadness radiating from her.  Even the smile she has planted on her face can’t hide it.

“
Lily, are you all right?”
I nudge gently.

She doesn
’t look at me but responds with a slight nod of her head.

I glance to the side of us at Marilyn
who is quietly weeping, which I don’t understand.  Julia is absolutely gorgeous standing next to her and she too looks on with unshed tears.  Maybe that is why Lily looks the way she does; perhaps weddings in Pathen are a sad event for women. 

“
Lily, will you look at me please?”

She lowers her head, hesitating, but when she does
finally look at me the uncertainty of this moment is there, in her eyes. 

“
I can’t stop this, but I promise I will give everything and anything to make you happy,”
I mean every word. 

“
I know,”
she answers, turning back to Ka.

I sigh inwardly, wanting only to get through the ceremony and get her alone.  Something has shut her from me and
I’m going to find out what.   

I follow Ka
’s instructions and place my mother’s ring on Lily’s trembling finger.  I watch as she slips my father’s ring onto mine, sealing the contract between our families.  Ka finally makes the final request and I lean down and gently kiss her, but she wraps her arms around my neck deepening the kiss.  When she pulls away she looks at me with determination as if she has made up her mind to take whatever will come her way.   Somehow that really irks me.

I
offer her my arm and together we turn to the small audience of attendees as husband and wife.  Two cushioned stools have been placed before us and we kneel on them as Ka moves between us.  In the ancient tongue of the Sidhe he begins the coronation of the realm’s new king and queen.  My uncle and aunt, the two surviving siblings of the late king, approach.  Each holds the crowns of the Oak Clan.  Bi’irea places the crown once worn by my mother on Lily as Colsea places my father’s on me.  Ka walks between us, his hands over each of our heads and continues speaking in the language of our ancestors.  The energy that passes from his hands to me is so strong my head come up slightly as I am gripped by its power. 

Ka
’s energy connects with mine and I realize he is not only passing energy based on ceremonial rites, but he is passing on the core of his powers.  I glance up at him and he lowers his head in a quick, knowing nod.  He is giving me what I will need to hold the realm together should he and the remaining two Ancients perish.  I have what it takes to destroy the realm because destruction is easy; keeping an existing realm breathing is the hard part.

“
And Lily?”
I ask.

“
No,”
replies Ka. 
“You inherited the power of the Lunar blood.  Lily has the power of the Healers.  You destroy, she heals.”

There is a reason I seldom call upon the energy of the realm a
nd it is for this very reason – because I can destroy.  When we were younger I strove to learn how to heal as Tolan has always been able to do so easily, but I can only self-heal like everyone else in our line.  When I was four seasons along, in a moment of anger, I rocked Velesi and created a crater so large, the entire realm felt the quake.  That crater today is the Gastah Lake.

Ka steps back to allow us to rise and I reach for Lily
’s hand.  She takes it without hesitation keeping her eyes forward.  The ceremony comes to an end and we stand to the applause of the small group.  I didn’t expect any of the royals to attend as I know they are busy tending to their own crisis within their gates.  However, there are few dignitaries here in their stead.

Tolan is the first to come up and congratulate me with a strong hug, a bittersweet smile on his face.  Alorn is next, taking my arm in a warm shake followed by a hug before stepping aside for Ziri. 

“I am happy for you, Tharin,” says Ziri, taking my arm. 

I pull him to me in a hug
.  “Thank you, brother.”

He steps back
with a smile as he moves to wait his turn to congratulate Lily.  Mellis hugs me tightly and when he pulls away, he wipes at his eyes.  I slap him on the shoulder and break into a warm smile.  I turn to find my aunt waiting her turn with my uncle standing behind her.  I take their congratulations in stride but my mind and eyes wander to where Lily is.  As others come up to express their happiness of our union, I become more and more anxious to get Lily alone and into our private suite.  I arranged to have a suite two floors down from the royal level.

After an hour I have had enough and excuse myself from a group of dignitaries.  As I make my way to Lily my uncle Colsea stops me, pulling me aside.

“Tharin, there is something I have for Lily, but I feel you should know,” he says.

“
What is it?”

“
Falsad.  We captured him during the takeover at the tower.”

“
Who took him down?”

“
Ka.  After Falsad’s capture Ka told me Lily shared with Sema about Lucas being trapped in Demus.  The old king brought Falsad with us for Lily.”

“
No.  I won’t let him near her,” I say, quietly.

“
You don’t understand.  We also need to know what Kolinest and Harlu are up to.  The attack came so suddenly we were unprepared with most of our men here at the Willow.  He won’t speak to anyone but Lily.”

“
We already know what they’re up to, so there’s no reason why she should have to face him,” I reply.

“
That’s not the only reason and you know it.  She has to release her brother’s body for him to be judged.”

I
curse under my breath, frustrated.  I wanted Lily not to have to worry about anything else until we are at the doorway.  I turn to watch her across the room with Marilyn, Glynnis, Julia and Bi’irea keeping a protective eye on her as people approach, congratulating her on her new marriage and becoming queen of the Oak.  Tolan, Ziri and Mellis are also close by keeping an eye on everyone.  Alorn is nowhere in sight, but I know he is close.  I hear a crash near the buffet and a few muted yelps as Cessa attacks the array of meats.  I smile.  Lily must have called her to be a part of our wedding.  I should have thought of it myself.

As if knowing
I’m thinking of her, Cessa abandons the food to come to me.  She nuzzles my hand, her happiness evident by her loud purring.  She sniffs toward Colsea who also reaches behind her ear to give it a good scratch. 

Keeping my hand on Cessa, I turn to Colsea. 
“I will be with her when she confronts him.”

My uncle
nods.  “Of course.”

Alorn appears at my side. 
“Ka wants us to meet him in the queen’s suite.”

I nod and turn to Lily,
but find she and the others have already gone.  Marilyn and Bi’irea are sitting at a table and my uncle Lodus stands nearby speaking with relatives.  In the shadows not too far from my aunt and Lily’s foster mother is Dalim.  I am surprised to find him still looking after Marilyn.  I thought he would delegate that duty to one of his men, but looking at the social worker, I can understand his wanting to stay close.  As I said before, Marilyn is gorgeous.

Colsea, Alorn and I make our way to the queen
’s suite as Cessa lopes ahead of us, seeming to know exactly where Lily is.

“
Tharin,”
calls Alorn, “
there’s rumor that Harlu has taken over the king's suites at the tower.  From what’s being said, he’s unable to get through the queen’s suites and has called for every witch and wizard, and anyone else with the ability to break the ward on the queen’s doors.”

I figured as much.

“Do you think they know of the garden and the doorway?”
he asks.

“
I don’t think so.  There’s another reason why he wants in.  Lily.”

“
Why? She’s no longer there.”

“
Because he’s a sick bastard,”
I answer
.  “He believes if he touches anything that Lily may have touched, sleep in the bed she once slept in, he’ll connect with her somehow and find her.  He’s been trying to tie her to him since his attack on her in the garden.”

Alorn
’s face hardens. 
“He’ll die before he lays a hand on her again.”

I nod, sharing his sentiment. 

We walk into the suites to find everyone sitting in the front room.  Lily sits with her back to us in an armchair between the two long sofas, Cessa lying at her feet.  I walk up behind her, grabbing a chair as I approach.  I place it next to her and sit.  She turns to me, smiling and taking my hand when I offer it to her.  I relax into my seat and look around, stopping at Ka.  Since the wedding ceremony and coronation he seems to have aged, considerably.  His breathing is shaky and shallow, his skin sallow and his hands once steady, tremble as they grip his walking stick; and his hair and beard grayer than before and thinning.  He is dying.  The energy he bestowed upon me came from his core, I felt it.  What he gave Lily was only superficial as part of the ceremony.

He addresses the room but keeps his eyes on me. 
“The time has come.  There are only three of us left to keep the realm from completely disappearing.  It will be up to you, Tharin and Lily, to make sure that doesn’t happen.  You must seal the doorway to Eirrell for good.”

“
Seal it?” asks Tolan, surprised.

Ka is lost in thought for a mom
ent before answering.  “Yes, Tolan, seal it – it was part of the deal when I created Velesi.  A promise to my father, the First Sidhe, that I would keep Eirrell safe from my brother.  If the doorway should remain open long enough for Ko to get through, he will destroy Eirrell, but not before destroying Velesi.”

“
But how are we getting our people back to Eirrell?” asks Mellis.

“
It was never meant to be a return trip,” replies Ka quietly. 

The room is quiet
as the truth of his words sinks in. 

“
Mikas,” continues Ka, “was the Summoner who called the doorway to open and the only one who knew of its location.  He passed the summoning to his descendants, and a true descendant would be able to call it forth.  Although Tolan is of the same bloodline, he doesn’t have what a true Summoner has to call the doorway to appear.  That is why the Mother gave him the Junsper Stone, to help guide him.  Because of it we now know it is in the queen’s garden.”

“
What you’re saying,” I interrupt, “is that the doorway was never meant to be opened.  Then why didn’t Mikas destroy it after he opened it during the rendering.”

“
Because I was a fool,” answers Ka honestly.  “I wanted to be able to return to see my father, my mother and my sister one last time.  But we allowed the building of the realms to get in the way, and before Sema and I knew it, centuries had passed and eventually, so did Mikas.”

“
So we have no choice but to save Velesi,” says Ziri.

“
Or die trying,” finishes Alorn.

Julia reaches for Tolan
and I feel Lily squeeze my hand tightly.  We are all silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts.  I glance about the suite and realize the only ones who can save our realm are in this room with me.

Ka stands shakily
.  “You are right, Tharin,” he says, reading my mind.  “It is everyone in this room who will keep the realm in place.”

Without any warning, Ka lifts his hand and we are hit by a burning energy coming from his
chest, even Cessa is pulled in.  He lifts us up as a force from outside, from Gastah Point, blasts into the room causing a cyclone.  I turn to Lily but she is caught up in the ritual as are the others.  I turn back to Ka and his eyes light up as a side door opens and the two remaining Ancients are pulled into the room.  Ka puts his hands out to them and they glide to where he stands.  They place their hands on his shoulder and their eyes light up like their king.

“
Thirteen came to my aid when I created the realm, Tharin.  And the thirteen here will keep it going,”
Ka’s voice rings in my head.