What a spoiled and self-entitled bitch. I’ve had to deal with her type all my life, both Julia and me. Always looking down their noses at me, and my height had nothing to do with it. Who does she think she’s talking to?
I sigh exaggeratedly and tilt my head at her, “I wonder what Tharin would say if I tell him that his captain is a threat to the queen of Velesi?”
She snorts at me, “You think becoming the next queen will change how Tharin feels about me? I can’t believe you would fall for the lie. But then again, he did say you were naive and gullible.”
“The lie?”
She gives me another sardonic smile, saying, “That he loves you. The only reason he’s going through with all this is because he needs you to marry him and unite the clans, what’s so hard to understand?” She shakes head at me as if she can’t believe how stupid I am.
“Your wedding is inevitable, but that doesn’t change our plans.” She gives me a look of disgust and bewilderment. “How do you continue to act as if you would be accepted as our queen? You’re not even full Sidhe, you’re only a Halfling. As far as we’re all concerned, you’re tainted and not worthy to take the throne, no less become queen of the realm.”
“Maybe not,” I answer, keeping my cool, not letting her know her words got to me. “But the last time I looked I’m still going to be queen. And when I do, I’ll see to it that a new captain of the guards is appointed.”
“Stupid girl, you can’t appoint a new captain. You have to be challenged for the position and the last time I looked, no one has beaten me. Look at you…you don’t even know our ways, our laws and you sure as hell don’t know anything of our people.”
She’s right. So far I’ve given her nothing but childish threats and me not knowing anything about their ways has put her at an advantage. I keep my mouth shut but refuse to look away. She looks me over again and then sighs.
Leaning forward, she say, “Look, I don’t want to be your enemy…and you don’t want me for an enemy,” she threatens. “But Tharin loves me and I have loved him since the day we met as kids. I will do my duty and protect you because I’m honor bound to, but make no mistake, Little Princess. I will fight for him because he belongs with me.”
I finally look at my hands again and shake my head, tired of this game. I look back up at her, my eyes steady. “You’ve wasted your time, Kalis. There’s nothing between Tharin and me, and when all is done here, I’ll be going home.”
She leans back giving me a puzzled look, “But I thought…”
“You thought what? You don’t know me, or what I’ve been through since Tharin came into my life. If you assumed anything your assumptions are based on what Tharin has told you. You are none of my business and neither is he.”
She sits staring at me trying to figure out what kind of game I’m playing. When she decides there is none, she nods slowly. “I was wrong about you. You’re not what I made you out to be. I’m sorry if I came on strong, it’s just that –”
I don’t let her finish, “It’s just that you’re in love with him.” I look down at my hands again, saying more to myself than her, “Yeah, I get that.”
I stand and she follows, reminding me how tall she is, or rather, how short I am.
“Thank you for checking in on me, captain.”
Kalis continues to stare down at me until she finally gives me a slight bow and reaches for her sword. She moves toward the door while buckling her belt and walks out without looking back.
I sit back down facing the mirror. I look at my reflection, not seeing but staring off in to space as mind replays the image of Kalis and Tharin in bed together. That’s just it. It’s like an ongoing movie I stumbled into, disrupting the script and upsetting the actors. I can feel my eyes well up and I tilt my head back. “Whatever,” I say quietly.
I grab the offered napkin and nearly jump out of my chair to find Walem at my side. I didn’t even hear him move. I glance up at him, catching my breath, “Sorry. I do that sometimes…talk to myself.”
“Yes, I know, Princess. You do that often I’ve noticed.” He stares at me in the mirror giving me a warm smile.
I relax, looking back at him. “Did you hear?” I ask, dabbing at my eyes.
“Yes, my princess, but I shall keep it to myself if you ask me to,” he replies.
I give him a small smile, “Yes, Walem. Please don’t say a word. It’s none of our business really. I don’t want to know anything more about it.”
He gives me a look and then bows, “As you wish, Princess.” He then turns and walks out of the room. Well, at least I have one friend here I can trust. I continue to stare at the double doors through the mirror. Walem – did the king really send him here? Since I’ve arrived, he’s been quietly and diligently giving orders to see to all my needs. He’s always nearby and never out of sight, but because of his quiet ways I forget he’s there most of the time. Lea’ith told me that my father was here in the tower. Could Walem be my father? I give it more thought when the double doors open and Sema walks in with Colie and Mathal as more helpers follow close behind.
For the rest of the morning it’s business as usual. Sema tells me they’ve moved the Seating until after lunch. King Thilthen decided to make it a quick event and have the coronation a private affair for security reasons. Only the kings and queens of the clans will be there, along with the Summoner and his son, Phoris. Knowing there isn’t going to be a large audience helps with my nerves, but my mind lingers on the events of the morning. Lea’ith, Harlu, Milina and Kalis.
First Lea’ith. Her news that Harlu is my brother knocked me over, literally.
Milina. I choke back my emotions, afraid they will erupt and spoil all of Sema’s work. As soon as the events of the day are over, I’ll ask Mellis to take me to the clearing to be with them. I know he would want to go with me. It’s the least I can do.
Harlu. I cringe at the mere thought of him. Before Tharin came in earlier, I scrubbed at my neck until it burned from the rubbing. Sema put on some solvent from one of her bottles and it instantly cooled the irritated skin. In fact, it made it feel as if it was new again.
Was Harlu serious about wanting to be with me? I breathe in deeply when I realize my hands were shaking thinking about him. I was scared when Ziri took me, but somehow I knew, just knew, he wasn’t dangerous. But Harlu, he scares the hell out me. A sense of panic I’ve never felt before crawls over my skin and seeps into my chest, taking a grip of my heart. He terrifies me and the worst part is that he knows it.
Kalis. Can I really be mad at her for protecting what’s hers? She’s right. Tharin would say and do anything to save his people. I would have helped even without the lies.
“There,” says Sema giving me an admiring look. She stands back and turns to look at my reflection in the mirror, assessing her work. The dress now has a higher neckline to cover the cut. I had asked if she could just heal the wound, but because of her own nick on top of Harlu’s cut she said it needed time to counteract any spell Harlu may have cast on it. I can still see about an inch of it over the trim but only because I was looking for it. Sema did a great job covering it with makeup.
“You look beautiful, my dear,” she says with a warm smile.
I catch her gaze in the mirror and despite Tharin’s mistrust of her, I turn and give her an unexpected hug. She laughs and hugs me back, and when I pull away there are tears in her eyes. I smile at her knowing when all this is over, I won’t ever see her again. Whatever issues Tharin has with her, they’re not mine. I hug the old woman who has only been kind to me since she had me kidnapped.
Sema smacks her lips, wiping at her eyes. In crisp tones she says, “All right, enough. We have a Seating to go to and a clan to claim. I laugh and follow her out of the room. I wonder what the weather is like in Australia this time of year. God, I hope it’s not raining.
~ * ~
Chapter Thirty-Nine
~ Tharin ~
I stand with Dalim near the thrones in the great hall
as we wait for Lily to arrive. Alorn and Mellis have separated and are now sitting in the empty seats opposite each other. I had pulled Mellis aside after leaving Lily’s suite. As I expected, he became quiet and withdrawn looking even more like Alorn. It will be interesting to see who gets to Harlu first.
I look over at the head of the clans near their perspective thrones. Nine kings, three queens and Lily will make four. Of the thirteen, Lily is the only royalty who isn’t related to any of the others seated. Centuries ago, the Willow Clan was ruled by Cilan, cousin to my father and husband to the daughter of Kainikai, ruler and current king of the Jōmon Sugi Clan. Cilan was challenged by a stranger, a Sidhe, who kept his name to himself. In order to take the throne from a current ruler, you must challenge not just the king you want to usurp, but all the kings and queens of the Thirteen Clan. The Unnamed Sidhe took them out, including my father with an ease never seen before in any challenge, whether here in Velesi or Eirrell.
Once he gained the throne, as the story goes, he gave it to a Sidhe healer by the name of Tileanith. After she was with child, he disappeared, leaving her queen of the Willow Clan. Since then, only women of her line have taken the throne, whether on purpose or by fate.
Once, Tileanith was challenged. Although the other rulers would have defended her as they did Cilan, her lover came back to fight for her instead. Her challenger was defeated and never seen again. Because Senestra and John Michaels gave guardianship of Lily to my father, he is the next in line for the throne after Lily. However, since she will be queen of the Oak Clan, the throne falls to my father immediately instead of after her death. The throne will therefore accept his choice of heir, making Tolan the next in line for the Willow throne. Any of the other rulers can challenge my father for the seat, but it seems that he has already discussed the matter with the royal council and Tolan will be king of the Willow without challenge.
Inikai, Kainikai’s eldest son, is more than a century older than me and is one of my closest friends. It was Inikai’s wife who gifted me with Tazo. I nod at Inikai when he catches my eye and he gives me a feign look of insult. I smile at him anyway. The throne of Jōmon Sugi will be Inikai’s when his father passes on.
I take a cursory look along the throne line and note the other rulers with their heirs. They speak quietly among themselves, catching up since the last of their meetings at the Alliance council. They are all here, except for Lily.
I move to stand by father’s side when Ka gives me the signal. Sema has arrived with Lily and I find myself strangely nervous as the giant oak doors open slowly. Kalis and her men move into position as the rulers take to their thrones, their heir apparent standing beside them. I keep my eye on Kalis for a minute. When she came out of the Lily’s room she took her time walking to the doors of the suite, giving me a knowing look. I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach and I was about to walk into the bedroom to confront Lily when Father called for me. I would have to talk to Walem the next time I see him. I was surprise to see the old valet walk into Lily’s room after Kalis.
All thoughts of Walem, Kalis, the royal court…everything, stops when Sema walks in followed by Lily. Is this the same girl I went to retrieve from San Diego? I stare with pride at seeing her walk regally behind Sema. When I was with her earlier I have to admit that I didn’t notice the dress. It’s the dress in my vision, the royal gown of the Willow Clan. Lily resembles her mother more than ever – beautiful, calm and the way she carries herself now gives everyone in the room the sense they are in the presence of true royalty. She will be a queen who will carry the responsibilities and duties that warrants being queen of the realm. I may have saved a girl in the park that night, but I watch a young woman proceed toward her destiny as queen of Velesi and wife to the future king.
“Lily,” I call quietly.
“Don’t talk to me, Tharin. You’ll mess me up on the oath.”
I laugh inwardly and then sober up at the thought of Lily being sick on my father. If that happens, she’d be mortified.
“Lily, it’s okay. I’ll help you through it,” I offer.
“No. I don’t need your help. I can do this on my own.”
Sema reaches the end of the aisle and stands before the royal court. She bows low and moves to the side, presenting Lily. Lily, as practiced, moves forward, hands at her side, chin up.
“You look beautiful,” I say.
“Tharin, she said not to talk to her. You’re going to mess her up.” pipes in Mellis.
“Will you two knock it off?” snaps Lily.
“Tharin is right, you do look beautiful,” offers Alorn.
I watch Lily’s face, but she looks calm. “Aw, thank you, Alorn.”
“Wait, I say you look beautiful and you don’t respond. But Alorn tells you you’re beautiful and he gets a thank you?” I state somewhat put off.
I see one side of Lily’s lips twitch into a smile, but she stops herself. It’s working. We all knew Lily would be nervous and decided to get her to focus on us and not so much on the oath. I can see her shoulders relaxing and her mind seems to be more at ease.
“She likes me better, cousin,” responds Alorn. I glance over at him and he gives me a crooked smile.
Lily’s eyes flicker over to me, giving me a hard look. To rile her further, I wink at her, which causes the color to rise from her exposed chest and neck area. I stare at her smooth skin and notice that Sema raised the neckline of the dress. I can see part of the cut, but Sema covered it nicely. I can’t help but continue to stare at her neckline and for all the wrong reasons. There’s something there…or not there. The Manui stone is missing. She took off the stone? My stomach turns. Perhaps she left it off for the coronation; maybe she thought it didn’t go with the dress. The dress…yes, the stone has something to do with what’s wrong with this picture, but there’s something else.
When I went to her earlier, the dress was torn at the shoulders, at the waist and I believe, at the back. Think, Tharin, think. My eyes go to the bottom of the dress…the hem was torn, I remember moving it with my foot when I sat down. Something’s not right. My eyes go back to the neckline…the tear. In my vision during our Binding, the neckline had a tear and there was no tear earlier. But the vision was a choice, not what would actually happen…and the children? Does that mean they weren’t real either? No…they were real and they will exist, which means the tear in the vision was real.
“Alorn, Mellis…something’s not right.”
“What do you see, Tharin?”
“It’s not what I’m seeing, it’s what I saw. There’s an assassin in the room.”
Alorn doesn’t move, but I know he’s alert and ready. Mellis leans forward as if trying to get a better view around Sema who remains by Lily’s side. I glance over at Ka and notice the old elf’s head lifting slightly as if sniffing the air, his ear twitching. Who is he? I look over at Sema and think back again to the path remembering how she went to her husband’s side when he needed her. They’re powerful alone, but together…I can’t even complete the thought at what they could do together.
My father places his hand just above Lily’s head.
“Sa le ∂ pe Cidoei i Elokum fa ∂ Voleci le’o Foci.”
I hold my breath as Lily says the oath in response.
“Te ue i Weliw, tine’I ue i Cidhe mist’e Senestra li ue i me-an John Michaels qis i Facet i Cidhe, ies te lom’tli.”
Mili rises from her place with the Ancients and moves forward carrying the crown that will be placed on Lily’s head. I glance back at Lily and instead of feeling proud of her moment, I anxiously scan the room. The feeling that something is definitely wrong fills me with dread. I glance back to where Alorn is sitting only to find him gone. He must have disappeared when all eyes were on Lily. Mellis is now standing at the back near the doors and instead of being by his father’s side, Phoris has moved next to Ka. I reach out to Kalis and she discreetly signals Cili and Dalim, and they take position near the throne area. Kalis may not like the situation
between Lily and me, but she’s still the captain of the guard; and she takes her position seriously, even if it means protecting Lily.
Ka moves his head suddenly focusing on Mili, eyes sharp. I shift my focus on the healer as well, watching her carefully. She’s wearing her ceremonial gown, her long white hair tied up in a topknot that hangs down her back. She has a customary Nolok band symbolizing her people and heritage. Her face is unreadable, but that’s a natural state for the Ancient. She continues to move toward my father and Lily. My hand reaches inside my own ceremonial coat, instinctively seeking Tazo’s handle. When she reaches my father’s side, she bows as she offers the crown to him. My hand is now on Tazo but I hold. Once my father takes the crown from Mili, she straightens and takes a step back.
I watch my father say the words, but it’s only background noise as I look at Lily, watching her remain as still as one of the many statues in this great hall. And then slowly she opens her eyes and moves her head slightly until they catch my own. We lock gazes and I can feel her nervousness, her breathing and I feel her fears of being here alone. My heart sinks at the thought, but it’s true. No matter what I say or do now, I will never be able to erase this very moment where something significant is happening to her and the people she loves, truly loves, are not here. Lucas, Marilyn and Julia. Julia?
“Alorn, were you able to find Julia?”
“No, Tharin. She’s nowhere in the city,” he answers. A memory nags at me from last night, before I was drugged. It was of Julia with Sema and two men and they were on their way to the docks. Damn it. More than ever I’m sure that Julia is gone.
When Father is done with his ceremonial speech, he lowers the crown gently on Lily’s head, and I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Only one more step and this will all be over. The sense of danger is now palpable and when Father moves to take Lily’s hand to help her to the Willow throne, I step in. Father looks at me for a moment and then gives me a knowing smile. I offer my hand to Lily. She looks at it and then slowly places her hand in mine, shifting her gaze to the Willow throne. I walk her the few steps it takes, feeling more at ease to have her next to me.