I make another mental no te to myself. When Lily is happy, I’m happy. Got it.
*
Chapter Fifty-Seven Lily
I sit and watch as Tharin continues rubbing my legs. When I came to and he was the first one I saw, I realize d I would like to see him every time I open my eyes. I remember during the drifting when he came to me, how he pushed me behind him . How he stepped up to the big guy for me. I admitted to myself then how I truly feel about Tharin. I love him. Somewhere deep inside me I know I belong with him , and he with me. Somehow it feels good to finally admit that to myself. Julia was right . It’s so much easier once I accept the truth. This is why when we reach the Oak Tower , I’ll leave him and get back to finding Lucas. I love him, I truly do. I feel it in my bones, in my soul, with all my heart . It’s just like all those sentiments that I’ve read about in those Hallmark cards. I love Tharin and that’s why I know I have to leave him.
As I watch him, I feel an ache in my chest , but I ignore it. I would rather be the friend he wants and leave s , than to stay and witness him with Kalis on a daily basis. I look at the onyx stone embedded in the back of my wrist and make a mental note to some how remove it and leave it behind. Like everything else that belongs to Tharin, this too belongs to Kalis.
When he looks up at me and smiles, I think I’m about to have a seizure. Seriously, did I truly believe that someone who looks like him, who is the future king of an entire realm , would actually be interested in me? Of course , he did risk his life for me. But, then again, he’s honor—bound to his people, his king and to a treaty that includes me. A promise made between our parents, and his obligation is to his father, not me.
I nod to myself. Yes, I would rather that we be friends when I leave than have him know that I love him. Pity is something I don’t want from him. I can’t have what I want , so my only option is to leave.
When Tharin finally stopped rubbing my legs, he stood and reached down for me. For the next hour we both rested. He and Tolan napped briefly, resting from their long run. I watched him while he slept, and now I watch him go about getting things ready for our final trip to the Velesi borders . Phoris and Mellis left a note behind saying that Alorn was doing better as he had something to drink and eat. They thought they would reach the healer Mili before nightfall. They also left bags full of supplies that they put together for us before leaving. The small cave had a smaller room behind a rock that’s used as storage. The cold walls make it a natural built -in cooler.
Finally, once everything is in order, Tolan prepares to open the slab when Julia turns to him and says, “I love you, Tolan.”
Tolan is at first speechless, then he pulls her to him and kisses her with such passion that I feel my heart break. I feel the tears on my cheeks , and I’m both ecstatically happy and miserably sad. I’m happy for my friend who deserves to be happy and to be with Tolan. I’m sad because I just witnessed what I will never have with Tharin.
When he sees me crying, Tharin puts his arm around me hugging me lightly. I look up to see him watching his brother with a whimsical smile on his face. I look away trying not to think that he’s imagining himself doing the same with Kalis.
I wipe my tears and steady myself. Friends, a t least we will be friends.
*
Chapter Fifty-Eight Tharin
I watch my brother and the woman who I know will be his bride kiss after she declares her love for him. He didn’t say the words in return , but by the passion of his kiss, I believe she knows that he shares her sentiment. I notice Lily crying and I put my arm around her, knowing she’s happy for both Tolan and Julia .
I’ve made a decision to speak to our father about Julia and vouch for her as the right choice for Tolan. If I have to give up the throne myself, I will not see my brother banished for loving his soul mate. Besides, I can’t see f ather banishing his son over a law that was formulated millennia ago . I truly don’t believe he would lose Tolan because of an archaic law . However, if he does harbor mix ed feelings about their union …a few grandchildren will bring about a change of heart.
I think of our children from my vision during our Binding. I smile to myself as I remember the youngest, twin girls with blonde hair like t he i r father’s and eyes like their mother’s. I imagine Lily and me with them, but that image comes to a halt when I see her face after she turns away from me. I sigh, knowing she probably still thinks she’ll go off and find Lucas. I try to calm my thoughts not wanting Lily to feel any change in my mood. We do have a lot to talk about when we get back to the Oak Tower . How I ’ll go about telling her of Lucas’ de mise will take some thought and tact. Not only that, but I’ve no clue how she’ll react to finding out that Harlu is actually her twin brother. I look down at her and it dawns on me that keeping Lily happy these next few days will be easier said than done.
*
Chapter Fifty-Nine ~ Lily ~
I don’t know if it’s because of Tolan and Julia moving as if they’re walking on air, but we reach the doorway to the realm of Velesi within the half hour. I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s not a glowing door or golden gates with trumpets blaring , or a quaint English gate with miniature roses and scented flowers. It’s an old fallen tree covered with snow, lying between two large boulders as tall as a three-storied building and thin as the trees standing around them. Although the area is heavily surrounded by t rees, smaller boulders and rocks are scatter ed in clusters nearby.
Julia and I find one of the smaller boulders to sit on and per Tolan’s instructions start removing the mini ski -like shoes.
“Won’t we need these on the other side?” asks Julia.
“No,” Tolan answers, “It’s raining in the region this time of year; it won’t snow there for another two months.”
She continues to remove the attachments, and then asks, “So, do we need raincoats?”
“We have gear on the other side,” he replies. “But don’t worry; we won’t be standing still for long. Mili’s home is only a few miles from the doorway. I’ll get you there before you get soaked.” He leans over and kisses her lightly.
Smiling after his kiss, she asks, “Will we meet up with your cousins on the other side?”
“Eventually,” he replies, “but they’re at least a full day ahead of us by now. They may wait for us at Mili’s or move on to the Oak Tower .”
“Who’s Mili?” I ask, joining in on their conversation.
“A healer, an Ancient. She ’s one of the few Ancient’s left in Velesi,” answer s Tharin, joining in.
“An Ancient?” I ask standing, finally removing the snow shoes from my boots. “I assume she’s extremely old and wise?”
Both Tolan and Tharin laugh, with Tolan answering, “Well, she’s old al l right, but more cranky than wise.”
“Does that mean , ” asks Julia, “the stories we heard about elves are true, that you live forever?”
Tolan takes the shoes from me and shoves them into one of the bags saying, “In Velesi, time is not the same as it is in this realm. Our life span s are much longer than yours, so we seem like immortals to you, but the truth is, we all die. We just take a little longer getting there.”
I start to feel the cold again and stand with my arms across my chest trying to keep warm. When Tharin walks up to me I look up at him and ask, “So, how old are you?”
He looks at me shaking his head, smiling, “Almost a century, but by human standards, we’re only a year older than you.”
My mouth drops, “Did you say a century?”
“Almost a century,” corrects Tolan.
Julia is quiet until Tolan nudges her, “You okay?”
She turns to him and says, “So, while I’ll be old and grey, you’ll still look as you are?”
Realizing where she’s heading, Tolan takes her in his arms and replies, “That’s right. And, I’ll love you then as I love you now.”
Not being placated, she answers, “Well , that doesn’t seem fair at all.” Julia then smile
s at him when she sees his distress about the age difference and changes the subject, “What do you call the days of the week?”
“Well,” answers Tolan with some relief , “We call the first day Monday , the second day Tuesday and the third day…”
Julia hits him playfully on his chest, “Oh , shut up. You know what I mean. Don’t the Sidhe have their own language?”
“Let me guess, The Lord of the Rings is a favorite movie of yours, right?” offers Tharin. He takes the bags with the ski shoes and places them behind a large rock next to the two sentinel boulders near the fallen tree.
Julia blushes as I laugh, “Yeah, isn’t it yours?” I tease back.
“So,” he comes back to stand in front of me, “you’re telling me that even though it’s one of your favorites, you still thought that we were Vulcans when you first met us?” He raises his hands up questioningly and when all I can do is laugh , he drops them in mock disgust. He grabs one of the two smaller bags, shouldering it. The other he tosses to Tolan.
“Don’t worry about the language, my love ,” Tolan says as he kisses Julia on the top of her head, “you’ll both have plenty of time to learn it.”
“Really? How do you say ‘m y l ove ’ in Sidhe ?” she asks him quietly.
“Depends, is it the word or the endearment you want to know?”
“Endearment,” she answers.
“Jai’loa.”
“Jai’loa,” she repeats.
It’s too much . I have to turn away before I’m all sugared out. I look at Tharin and he rolls his eyes at me , and we both quietly laugh at the two love birds.
“The doorway to Velesi isn ’t like the portal where you walk through as if walki ng from one room to another,” explains Tharin. “You need to hold on to my hand and whatever happens don’t let go.”
A little nervous I ask, “Why? Will I fall into a vortex and be lost in another realm?”
He looks at me and shakes his head, “You watch way too many movies. No, but we can get separated on the other side. You’ll probably end up a few feet from me, but where we’re going, the landscape is a dense jungle and it will be raining, hard. Just to be on the safe side, hold on tight.”
All four of us move to the doorway and wait as Tolan begins to chant the summoning . While he’s chanting, I stand close to Tharin, holding his hand. I like the idea of holding on to him, touching him. Maybe for the last time before entering Velesi, his homeland…where his love is waiting. Ugh , I need to get over this and quick. Man up, girl. You ’ve gotten over wors e, but as I look at Tharin staring ahead at the doorway, my stomach drops.
If this is the last time I’ll be able to touch him, then I’ll hold on so tight I’ll stop the circulation in his hand. I squeeze his hand, not looking at him, but something to the side of us catches my attention. The wolves! I grab Tharin’s arm and I hear him in my head . “Calm down, Lily. They’re friendly, in fact, they’re old friends.”
I give him a confuse d look and he smiles down at me. He lets go of my hand and digs into his coat. He pulls out the Manui statue when one of the shadows come s out of nowhere, grabbing me from behind . He pushes us forward as soon as the doorway opens for Tolan. I scream for Tharin trying to reach out to him, but strong arms hold me tight, carrying me forward and away from him.
We fall through and down among large, thick foliage and it’s p ouring rain . Just before we hit the ground, my kidnapper rolls to the side so that he takes most of the impact, with me on top of him. Instantly, I hear whooshing sounds and then Tharin’s voice calling for me close by. I open my mouth to scream, but a huge hand covers my mouth, preventing me from calling out to him.
As I grab his arm , I see the black onyx stone on my wrist . Before I can conjure up an image of Cessa, my attacker speaks menacingly and close to my ear so as not to be overheard. Not that he needed to. The rain is pouring so hard and fast you would have to yell to be hear d above it . However, I hear him loud and clear when he makes his chilling threat.
“The instant you call her, I will slit her throat and kill her in front of you.”
My heart is beating fast and the image of Cessa being killed makes it skip a beat. I nod once in agreement and he pulls me back against him as he backs into the jungle. Please, Tharin, I’m here…please, Tharin, please , I continue to beg in silent prayer that Tharin would calm down and find me, connecting our minds as he has done before.
“I can kill him easily. If you so much as make a sound , mentally or otherwise, I will kill him.”
I feel Tharin seeking me out, trying to reach my mind and I cal m down using what Asi taught me. This time i nstead of shielding against an emotional attack, I close off my mind to him. As I do, my heart sinks as I continue to remain silent, pushing him away from danger. When he doesn’t connect with me, I hear him roar into the rain. His rage shakes the jungle and even my attacker tenses at the sound. There is rage and sorrow and frustration and a prom ise to find me ― and a promise to kill my abductor . Nearby I hear Julia screaming for me desperately , and Tolan trying to comfort them both as Tharin continues to call for me. As Tharin, Tolan and Julia’s calls slowly become more distant, the hand on my mouth relaxes.
After another long moment, he releases me slowly . He turns me toward him by the shoulders. The man from the rock wall! I was right the first time I saw him, he looks just like Tharin and Tolan. His sandy hair, his green eyes, the way he h alf—smiles at me, it’s like looking at Tharin. There are two distinct differences. The first I notice is that he’s big, larger than Phoris as far as height and broadness. The other is his ears. Instead of the subtle slant that comes to a soft point as that of Tharin and Tolan, this guy’s ears are pronouncedly slanted upward and end in a sharp point at the tip.
The rain continues to pour as he stares at me for a long while. Then he leans into me . In a quiet, soft voice that reminds me of Phoris, he says, “Welcome to Velesi, Princess.”
*
Chapter Sixty Tharin
By the time I realize it wasn’t one of the wolves that was running up to us, i t was too late. As Ziri grabs hold of Lily, he turns his head giving me an arrogant and determine d look as they pass through the doorway. We follow immediately, only seconds behind them, but it was all the time he needed.
We hold on to each other so we would land in the same spot, while I’m cursing myself for my complacency. I let go of Lily’s hand, giving Ziri the opportunity he needed to take her from me. The image of her face as he snatched her from me was one of terror. Another face pops in my head . She too trusted me to take care of her, protect her. I push E’leiana’s image from my mind and concentrate on finding Lily.
I continue to yell for her, fear gripping my chest. I reach out to her mentally, hoping to find some evidence they’re near. What if Ziri has a way of taking her to a distant location once they came through the doorway? Damn you, Ziri! I’m going to kill you , if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to kill you ! Not able to hold back my anger, my frustration and my fear for Lily, all of it comes out in a roar from deep within. Even the cold rain can’t cool my rage . All I can think of is him touching her and Lily unable to fight him off.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and I pull violently away from it, turning on my brother.
“Calm yourself, Tharin . We’ll find her ,” says Tolan . He’s holding a hysterical Julia. She’s soaking wet . The fear for her friend makes her unaware of her state of condition.
I stand facing Tolan. I’m br eathing hard, beside myself with anger and fear.
“You’ve always protected him in the past, Tolan , but not this time . I f Ziri’s hurt her in any way, nothing and no o ne will stop me from killing him. I don’t care if he is our brother.”
End of Book One of the Velesi Series
L. Filloon, The Binding
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