"I'm fine," she answered. "Thanks for the tisane." She raised the mug at Keneith as if toasting and he nodded.
"Next time my little cousin pulls a stunt like that, I'm going to kill him myself," he grumbled, not looking at Raykim but feeling him shiver by his side.
"I think he has learned his lesson," Bellinda replied with a smile, sitting by the fire.
She ruffled Raykim's blue hair, which made him purr.
And then she says she doesn't want to be a mother! Look at her, all motherly with my non-Human cousin! Maybe she should adopt him!
"I'm sorry I put us all in danger," Raykim apologized.
"I'm sure Ken has already chastised you for it, no need to berate yourself any further," she replied.
Of course, let me be the bad guy, as usual. Maybe I should have stayed with the Varian king and become his court sorcerer. Now that would make me the real villain!
"Is your mother gone?" Bellinda asked.
"Yes." Raykim hugged his knees. "She said I was better off with you guys, as long as I obeyed and did what you say."
"Eat." Keneith grumpily put a bowl of broth in Bellinda's hands. Enough of this conversation already! I'm not going to listen to your defense speech! I knew it was a bad idea to bring a half-blood child along! But of course, who is going to listen to the eldest in this crazy little group?
They ate in silence and then Bellinda suggested they headed for Appleyard. Keneith could only agree that the Genn might be the only ones who could accept them all. Although he wasn't going to stop there.
The Genn might be more long-lived than Humans, but he still needed to move around. He had seen most of the northern lands. It was time to visit the south.
CHAPTER SIX
The following two months of travel were mostly uneventful. They stuck to secondary roads and avoided cities as much as they could. Raykim sat on the wagon roof or scouted ahead, curious about the mountain range that he could see in the direction where they were headed.
He saw more Sila from far away, but didn't get close. If his nest companions had so despised him, in spite of his mother's loving presence, he was certain that strangers would be even harsher on him. And he'd had enough with the fight with his father.
He was quite happy with the company now, in spite of his grumpy cousin's ways. But Bellinda was like his mother and Hinrik like the elder brother he never had. They got along fine and each had their chores, usually tied to their element.
After crossing two more rivers, they reached a third that came out of that new mountain range the others called the Central Massif. Raykim noticed Hinrik's reaction to this particular river and guessed they had almost reached their destination.
"Is this the Ondan?" he asked, perched on the roof of the wagon.
"Yes," Hinrik answered. "It's not as wide as it is downriver, but it's definitely the Ondan. I recognize the smell."
"I didn't know water had a specific smell," Raykim commented. "But then, I'm not half-Waiora," he added with a chuckle. Hinrik flashed him a smile.
"We will keep an eye on Shytur while you visit your family," Bellinda said. "There is a Genn village nearby, we'll wait for you there."
"Will you, really?" Hinrik asked. "I wouldn't want to delay your journey..."
"We're not in a hurry to go anywhere," Keneith replied. "And the Genn are more civilized than Humans. I look forward to trying their hospitality again."
Raykim was very curious about that too. He had heard enough about the Genn by now to look forward to meeting them.
The village had been built on the other shore of the Ondan in the middle of the forest. A nice little bridge crossed the river and took them to a dozen small houses with conical roofs and neat little gardens in the front.
The Genn were androgynous beings with blond hair and pointed ears. Raykim remembered Belfi and could see the resemblance, but both the immortal half-blood and Bellinda's hair were darker than the golden manes of the village inhabitants.
None of them looked shocked at the sight of him. The small children actually looked curious and when he got off the wagon roof, they surrounded him and wanted to climb on him to touch his wings. Their little hands tickled him and made him giggle nervously as Bellinda tried to keep the little ones away from him.
Hinrik dismounted from his beloved horse, Shytur, and left him in the care of a young Genn boy. He took his things inside the wagon, leaving his sword, and joined the group as Bellinda was introducing him.
"And that's Hinrik, son of Woram and Kaline of Salamar."
"And he's bidding you good-bye for now," Hinrik said. "I am long overdue a visit to my father."
"Do you have to swim for long or will the current take you?" Raykim asked, a little worried. What if his father was a bastard like Raykim's? But then, Hinrik's father was Waiora, not Fajrulo. And Hinrik was older. And he had already met his father and Woram wasn't hostile.
"I don't know," Hinrik answered with a smile. "I'm sure my father will find me."
Bellinda kissed his cheek and he waved good-bye to Raykim and Keneith before going to the river shore.
Raykim watched him dive into the water and wished he could go with him. But he already knew that water wasn't his best friend and he'd have to wait for Hinrik to come back.
Then a little girl with pointed ears tickled him and distracted him from the thought of Hinrik.
***
Keneith was glad the Genn kept Raykim busy. It was time he had a serious talk with Bellinda. They'd left Havenstock together, and now she was probably going back to Havenstock, but without him. He could see she was thoughtful, probably trying to sort out her feelings.
He probably wasn't the most qualified person to give her advice, but they'd been close long enough that he hoped his suggestions would be welcome. They were still friends, after all, watching each other's back.
The presence of Hinrik and Raykim had unbalanced their relationship more than Belfi, though, and they needed to reassess where they were at.
He found her seated on the river shore, as if she was hoping to see Hinrik come back that day.
"Am I disturbing you?" he asked, sitting on the grass by her side.
"No, it's actually good timing," she replied. "I think we should talk. Consider our options and what we want to do next. We left together from Havenstock and now we're almost back there. What are your plans? I assume you don't plan to stay?"
We still think along the same lines. Maybe I should have stuck to her. We're more alike than I thought.
"No, your king knows of my power and I wouldn't want him to get strange ideas," he answered.
"Like what?" She chuckled. "Putting you at the front of his army to throw balls of fire at his enemies?"
"Something like that." He grinned. "I don't just throw balls of fire, you know."
"I know, I was joking." She hugged her knees. "So you're going south?"
Keneith nodded. He mentioned going south and maybe needing a map, although he hadn't used one when he'd gone through the northern lands. Even if he got lost in the southern kingdoms, who cared? He had Raykim who could go farther up than he could levitate and see the ground from up above.
Bellinda said she'd find him a map anyway. Her Sila friends would provide one. She must have gotten over her mild form of jealousy that had prevented her from introducing him to her Magical Races' friends before. As if she felt herself less than a pure-blood. But then, he was half-blood too.
"Speaking of Waiora," he said. "Are you going to keep Hinrik by your side?"
She raised her eyebrows and stared at him, skeptical.
"Should I? He's younger than me and I don't think he's interested anyway."
Denial, Bel! You're afraid because he's younger than you! And he's darn gorgeous too. I bet he'd intimidate the Magical Races as much as he awes Humans.
Except no amount of sweet talk could convince her to consider Hinrik. Keneith wondered if he'd ever been afraid of relationships as much as Bellinda was. Probably not, since he'd n
ever considered having steady relationships with anyone. But the fact that Bellinda didn't want to think about Hinrik, meant that she was probably already obsessed with him.
And she was afraid of his sexuality as well. And after introducing Keneith to his family, she was also afraid to introduce another man to Joyrise and Alina. And she hadn't realized that Hinrik was more than grateful to her. Heck, maybe not even Hinrik was aware.
It was frustrating seeing two friends falling in love and not telling each other. Keneith wasn't close enough to Hinrik to nudge him, but he did his best with Bellinda. If only she'd listened.
"Keneith!" She scowled at him. "I only want the best for him," she grumbled. "I hope he finds someone in the Ondan."
"You're the best," Keneith replied. "If you stop being afraid of him."
"I'm not afraid of him."
"Yes, you are. Although there's nothing to be afraid of. He's not a crazy half-Fajrulo."
"Keneith, you're not crazy. And you're not even half as violent as some Humans I know."
You met me when I had settled and found balance. You should have met me when I was sex-crazed and with no mentor and ready to burst into flames at the slightest provocation – which wouldn't have hurt me, but would have given you a lot of work!
Except she hadn't even been born then. She was twenty years younger than him, after all.
"Will you take care of Raykim?" she asked, worried. "He can't live in a Human town until he manages some shape shifting and hides his wings..."
Yeah, change the subject, try to make me uncomfortable! I give up trying to make you see...
"His mother dumped him in my lap, so I'll keep looking after him," he answered bluntly. "Not exactly what I had in mind for my future, but hopefully at some point he will be old enough to be on his own without danger for anyone."
"I think you'll be a great father figure." She smiled fondly at him. "Whatever your father taught you, you'll pass on to Raykim."
"I'm not his father, I'm his cousin."
"You're his elder and you'll make a great half-blood out of him. I hope the southern kingdoms will be less harsh on both of you."
"Apparently they have different gods and don't spend their time warring with each other. They've been established for almost a century and because the royal families tend to intermarry, they will probably keep the peace for another century or two."
The Genn knew a lot about the southern kingdoms. They had an underground city under Mount Flora and they always kept in touch with their relatives living there through magic means. Sometimes they had even considered coming out in the open again – in the south instead of the north.
"I will miss you," she said, thoughtful. "All of you."
"I still think Hinrik will stay."
"Ken..."
"Do you want to bet on it?"
"I don't bet, and most certainly not with you!"
"Then just wait and see." He flashed a smile at her and rose. "Happy waiting."
He headed back for the village before she could add anything.
***
"Do you think he'll come back?" Raykim asked. "We've been here for a whole week and..."
"Salamar is much farther downriver," Bellinda answered. "Didn't you see the map?"
"I flew there," Raykim replied with a shrug. "Took me a couple of hours to go there and back."
"Yes, well, you were flying, he has to swim," Bellinda retorted. "Although I'm sure he can be very fast even against the current."
"He's a water manipulator after all," Keneith said.
All three sat on the river shore, where Hinrik had left his boots before diving and where presumably he would emerge from the Ondan again.
"Maybe we should have asked him how long he intended to stay there," Raykim insisted. He liked the Genn, but he felt a little overwhelmed having so many people around when he'd been alone for most of his life.
"Why, are you in a hurry to leave?" Keneith teased. "Aren't the Genn treating you well?"
"Yes, but I miss Hinrik!" Raykim complained. "What if he doesn't come back?"
"He'll send a Waiora to warn us," Bellinda said patiently. "I'm sure he'll be back before winter, so you can go south and avoid the snow."
Raykim sighed and hugged his knees. His big blue wings shaded him from the sun's rays coming through the almost leaf-less trees. The Genn had given him Sila clothes with openings for the wings on the back, but he still preferred the sleeveless top Loriana had made for him.
"Winter is months away," Keneith replied. "And by the time we cross Amrendra it might be gone altogether."
Bellinda shrugged. "Will you take me to Havenstock or just circle around the Central Massif?" she asked.
"Unless someone else takes you to Havenstock, I guess we'll have to take you," Keneith said with an impish smile.
"Who else might take her?" Raykim asked, puzzled.
"Hinrik, you ninny."
"Oh, I thought you wanted me to take her there. It wouldn't take me long, you know?" It would actually be fun to carry Bellinda to her hometown. Although he'd have to land at night so that sentinels wouldn't see him and try to take him down with arrows.
"She might be afraid of flying, Raykim, not everybody wants to be carried around by Sila or half-Fajrulo," Keneith replied.
Bellinda smiled. "I'm not afraid of flying and thank you for your offer, Raykim. I might take you up on it."
Raykim grinned. And then his eyes caught a double splash and two heads emerged from the river. One was Hinrik, the other was a brown-haired girl with the same turquoise eyes he had.
Hinrik smiled at them as he climbed onto the shore and sat next to Bellinda on the leaf-covered ground. He wore a sleeveless tunic over his breeches made of the same fabric as the girl's dress. Raykim wondered if it was the famed Waiora fabric. He wanted to touch it, but didn't dare.
"Good to see you. How was the trip?" Bellinda asked.
"It was interesting," Hinrik answered. "I met Ashling who took me to my father's and then stayed there..."
"Because she liked Nalach," the girl added with a giggle. She crouched next to him, eyeing Raykim who stared back goggle-eyed. She had so much of Hinrik in her, she must be related to him!
"Who is Nalach?" Keneith asked.
"My cousin," Hinrik answered, amused. "And since I'm such a hero to the Waiora, she also had a mating swim with me before meeting my father and Dynine and everybody else. They have quite a nice underwater village down there."
"But you didn't find anyone worth staying there for?" Bellinda asked.
"Not really and then Dynine wanted to meet Raykim because I told them of our travels and so here we are." Hinrik smiled and Raykim met the girl's eyes.
Dynine. Right, Hinrik's full-blooded sister! She was actually pretty and she smiled at him without fear or revulsion. That was a first! Raykim smiled back, excited. He really should have tried to meet the other Magical Races sooner!
Keneith harrumphed before asking, "Is Dynine going home alone?"
Raykim scooted closer to the Waiora who didn't look intimidated by his elder cousin.
"Why not?" Dynine replied. "I went home alone from Baes... And there aren't that many dangers in the Ondan."
She rose and invited Raykim to sit with her. "So you're half-Sila and half-Fajrulo?"
"Yes, and I don't like water much because it makes my wings heavy and unmanageable," he answered. "But I like Hinrik, he's been nice to me!"
"Yes, my big brother is very nice! He ignored us for twenty-five years, but he made it up to us on his visit."
"So it was the first time he met his father?"
"The second, but it was the first time he saw our homes."
"So you live underwater?"
"Yes. We live in caves, much like Sila and Fajrulo. Are you going south through the Genn cities?"
"No, I'm not too keen on exploring the Genn tunnels, and I'd rather be outside. Don't you think the colors of the fall are awesome?"
"Yes, that's my favorite time
of the year to be outside of water!"
"Really? Mine too!"
Dynine was about his age and she was a pleasure to talk to. She let him touch her dress – the Waiora fabric was even softer than cotton and had a wonderful nacreous shade – and he let her touch his wings. She had a very light touch and looked as awed as he was by her. Except she had to go back to her underwater dwelling and Raykim knew he couldn't follow her.
But at least Hinrik was back. Although he didn't want to go south with Raykim and Keneith.
"You need to get used to letting people you care for go," Keneith told him. "Neither Bellinda nor Hinrik are as long-lived as you and me. Learn to get over the loss quickly to be still functioning. You will lose a lot of loved ones – your parents were only the first."
Raykim wasn't sure he was over the fact that his mother had entrusted him to Keneith, but then, he had known Hinrik and Bellinda for only five months, he surely could let them go and follow Keneith to the southern kingdoms...
***
As Keneith had imagined, Hinrik was curious to see more of the northern lands, therefore he'd take Bellinda to Havenstock. After saying good-bye to the Genn and Dynine, the four went back on the road through the thick Appleyard forest. There was no real road to follow, but Bellinda seemed to know her way through the trees.
Hinrik was a little worried about his horse, since they'd probably use a boat to get to Havenstock, but he wasn't going to get rid of the animal.
"Maybe you should let go of Shytur?" Keneith suggested. "We will take care of him if you want!"
"I don't want to let him go!" Hinrik replied. "He's my only old friend!"
"I thought I saw you talking to him," Keneith teased. "Does he answer?"
"Sometimes words are not necessary." Hinrik stiffened on the saddle. "He was always there when I needed him, and I won't abandon him."
"We'll take him to Havenstock," Bellinda promised. "Don't worry. He's a good riding horse, no need to get rid of him. You might need him again."
Hinrik nodded, still frowning. Keneith shook his head, still amused at how people got fond of things that wouldn't last. One thing he had learned in his long life was to let go of material possessions and people, but the other three were still behind on that.
Quests Volume Two Page 6