“If you’re offering a permanent upgrade,” Ziedra said with a raised finger. “I’m sold.”
“Zee?” Radian said walking over.
“What?” she asked. “What’s that tone for? You like this body don’t you…”
“Well, yes, but…”
“But what?”
“I—”
Ziedra scrubbed her hands in her thick black tresses. “Rad, I am so sick and tired of being worried that some pantheon lord is going to eat me.” She blew out her cheeks. “I’ve spent half my life being protected by other people. I am sooo ready to protect myself.”
The gold man stared at his wife real concern on his face. “Zee, but what will happen to us?”
“Happen?” The woman was dumbfounded. She looked at Daena. “Daena how long have you been like that?”
The auburn-haired girl leaned back from Ziedra’s intensity. “Around four scoredays.”
“Did you suddenly stop loving the people dear to you?”
The girl blinked glowing green eyes that grew round at the question. “I—I well, I think I love them more.”
The ascendant of magic put fists on hips looked away from Daena and focused on her husband.
Marna raised her hand. “Let’s take our time here. I am somewhat reticent to commit to that myself. At least, not without assurances.”
“Assurances?”
“Miss Felspar,” Marna said. “Please, I have been in those battles with you and the others. You are a weapon—a powerful one. Have you forgotten the disagreement with Gaea?”
Ziedra’s brow furrowed. “No.”
“Before I give Gaea back any of her children, I’m going to want some concessions.” She drew a breath and let it out slow. “They are going to be good ones too, believe me.” Her eyes narrowed. “And before I wrestle that dragon, I want to rest.”
“Well,” Sarai said. “We can accommodate everyone new over in the west extension. Bannor, you can show the Kergathas and the Felspars to Gold Run. Daena, you’re rooming with Janai unless you object.”
“No,” Daena said.
“We can’t leave this equipment here,” Eclipse said, indicating the containers.
“I’ve already called Wysteri,” Sarai said. “She says that she has—engineers—on the way. We’ll put the cases in our ghost vault.”
“Wysteri?” Marna asked.
“Engineers?” Aarlen repeated.
“Well, we had some other guests after the end of the battle,” Bannor said. “A Karanganoi subnet escaped from the Baronians and asked for asylum here.”
To answer her question Wysteri swept in from the northern entrance flanked by what looked like three Elves pulling what looked like small wagons. The only thing that gave the Elves away as members of the subnet were the devices strapped to their arms and carried on their belts.
Wysteri stopped in front of Marna and bowed. She spoke in the musical language of the Kriar what Bannor took to be a greeting.
Bannor looked to Sarai. “How did you call her? I didn’t think you knew how to use the telepathy yet.”
She held up the sword. “Shaladen. Telepathy.” She winked. “Easy.”
“Ah.”
Daena stared at the sheathed weapon. “Whoa. What did you do to get that?” She grinned. “I want one too.”
“Lady Megan issued shaladens to the entire family,” Bannor said.
“Really?” Aarlen said, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting it was not mentioned to me.”
“It wasn’t mentioned to Corim either and he was pretty hacked about it.”
“Yesss,” Aarlen drew the word out.
The three engineers with Marna’s permission began situating the cylinders on the long carts obviously made to carry them.
Loric watched the operation for a moment then turned back to the group. “This situation is getting out of hand. Koass approving the deputizing of an entire family? It’s unthinkable.”
“Husbands and wives,” Tal rumbled walking over with Terra on his arm. “Why not daughters too? They’re all scrappers. It ain’t protocol but it’s smart, the eternals can keep track of them.” He turned his head. “So, who you avatar for?”
Sarai looked down at the weapon. “Areth.”
Tal grinned. “Areth, now she’s nice to work for. Gotta like a boss who loves to party.”
Terra rolled her catlike eyes. She leaned around her husband. “Arminwen, if we could get those quarters. I am devil tired.”
“Sure,” Sarai said with a nod. “Bannor, I already called the guards, so you can just take them back.”
He nodded, and the two families followed as he headed to the northern exit. Daena stayed at his shoulder.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked. The sound of her voice made his heart speed up.
He swallowed. “That depends,” he said.
“On what?”
He stared at her. Damn, she was attractive. It took effort to even be annoyed with her. “On you, Daena. On you.”
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Three
Beguiled
« ^ »
I am a princess, I am beautiful, I am talented, and I am smart. I can have practically any man I want including those supposedly dedicated to other women. It’s a function of a traditionally weak masculine will. Still, if one wants to live a long life, you learn which men not to covet…
—Arminwen Janai T’Evagduran, 2nd Princess of Malan
Daena only gave him a blank stare, pretending not to know what he was talking about. As he walked her and the members of the two families into the north wing of Kul’Amaron and into the demesnes of Gold Run he felt certain that she had done something to him. His Garmtur could do a lot of things, but one of its weaknesses was looking inward. If she had done something, he couldn’t see it. The girl had perfected that blasted stealth power to such an extent she could be tap dancing on his shoulder and he wouldn’t know it.
After conferring with the valkyrie on guard, he lead Loric and Desiray to the rooms where Cassandra was staying. Then escorted the Kergathas to the royal guest suite where they had been staying.
Wren lingered behind for a moment, her blue eyes studying him. She glanced to Daena and nodded. “See you after a while.”
“Get some rest,” he advised.
The blonde ascendant shut the door and he heard the bolt clicked.
That left him alone with Daena.
He turned away. “You know where Janai’s quarters are, you should get some rest too.”
“Bannor,” she put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
He winced. Her touch was almost painful now. He shuddered, trying not to move against her fingers.
He looked back. “What?”
“Are you mad at me for some reason?” she asked.
Bannor studied her expression. She gazed at him with wide green eyes. She acted so innocent. That feeling was too strong—too sudden to be an accident.
He tried to frown at her and found even that was difficult to do. “Is there some reason I should be mad at you?” he asked.
She raised her chin. Her fingers tightened on his shoulder.
“Stop—” He pushed her hand away and turned to face the girl. “Touching—me.”
“Bannor, I don’t understand—” There was a pleading tone in her voice. “What do you think I’ve done?”
He swallowed. He felt hurt, betrayed—resigned. She was just a kid; a kid in a grown up body. It was a grown up body with grown up feelings and god-like power. Dominique had been more right than she knew. This girl had a claw in him—he didn’t know how—but at least he understood why.
“Daena,” he said in a low voice. “You have to stop before one of us is hurt. I thought it was enough for you that I was your brother.”
“Bannor, I don’t—”
“Daena stop it,” he interrupted. “You want me to treat you like an adult—love you lik
e an adult—let’s stop playing games shall we?”
At the word ‘love’ she had recoiled and put a hand to her chest. She stared at him with wide eyes. Part of the mask had cracked. There was a hardness in her gaze that hadn’t been there an instant before. “Games?” she repeated.
“Daena, you won’t separate me from my child. I love you like a sister, I will care about you—protect you—but there can’t be anything more. Do you understand?”
She stared at him, eyes narrowing.
“Don’t get angry at me for having my own mind, Daena. I’m not a toy despite whatever clever deception you used to get into my head. Girl, you don’t need me. There is a universe full of partners that will worship the goddess that you are. You won’t have to force them.”
Her jaw worked side to side and she laced her fingers. “Bannor, you made me. I am yours.”
“No.” He hit his forehead with his fist. “No, Daena. You are your own person. You don’t own me. I don’t own you.”
She closed her eyes and her lip trembled.
He rocked his head back. Seeing that expression on her face was like getting stabbed with hot needles. It felt like his heart was being crushed.
“Don’t you see,” she said. “You saved me. You rescued me. You made me immortal. I am what I am because of you.”
Bannor felt the tears run down his cheeks. “Daena you were born a savant. Gaea made you. All I did was come along and ruin your life, put a burden on you that would be heavy for someone a thousand times your age. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Head down and eyes squeezed shut, he turned away. Damn, it hurt. He had tried not to hurt her and failed.
She threw her arms around him from behind burying her face between his shoulder blades. “Bannor. Bannor—I love you—please don’t walk away…”
“Daena,” an icy female voice said. “Let go of him.”
The sound of that voice went into his heart like a blade. A feeling of dread stronger than when he had stared into Odin’s unblinking eye clenched in his guts.
Sarai.
He looked up and saw his fiancé’s hard stare. She stood in the corridor as still as a statue, hands at her sides and shoulders back. He knew that posture—that look—she was in control—but like a loaded crossbow with hair trigger she could go off at the slightest provocation. Sarai wasn’t a first one, but she had an anger that could make the bravest man quail.
Behind him Daena tensed. The arms around him tightened.
“Daena,” Sarai said with a frosty confidence. “Step back before you make me cross.”
He felt auburn-haired ascendant gather energy into herself.
Sarai narrowed her eyes and hooked a finger as if to pull the other woman closer.
The young ascendant shocked back from him like she’d been burned and lurched forward a step before shuddering to a stop. She glared at Sarai.
His wife-to-be sighed and put a hand on her hip. “Daena, I refuse to have this discussion outside the Kergatha’s quarters. At least have the decency to continue this in private.” Her tone hardened. “Or do you plan to dishonor my sister as well?”
Daena jerked like she’d been slapped.
Sarai turned and walked back toward main hall. Guts churning he stepped past Daena and followed his wife-to-be. He didn’t know what to make of Sarai. She had to know the fire she was playing with. Daena was powerful. If she attacked Sarai, he would have to… Damn, he didn’t want to do that.
He glanced back and saw that Daena was indeed following. The girl’s head was down, shoulders hunched forward. She walked with heavy steps.
The third princess turned east at the main corridor and headed into the council chambers, she stopped at a pair of heavy scalebark doors and pulled them open. She turned and gestured him in.
He stepped into the private meeting room. A huge table surrounded by more than a score of chairs, smelled of citrus oil. He reached up and uncapped one of the mage-lights to illuminate the room.
Daena stopped at the threshold and stared at Sarai.
“I am not a child you can order about,” Daena said in a dark tone.
Sarai folded her arms. “Did I suddenly stop being a princess of Malan? If you push me you will find yourself in a very uncomfortable position indeed.”
Daena raised her chin. “Do you know what I am?”
The shaladen was out of its sheath and at Daena’s neck so fast Bannor didn’t even see it move. “Did you forget what I am?” She tilted her head to one side.
The auburn-haired ascendant shivered as a trickle of blood ran down the blade. Her eyes were wide. She obviously had no idea of the extent of Sarai’s power. The elf princess had moved so fast that had she desired it, Daena would have lost her head before even being able to react. A fact the girl seemed to be aware of.
Bannor blinked. He had not really put in his mind that Sarai really was a Shael Dal. Koass, the Advocate Eternal, would have given them all the powers of a protectorate enforcer, and they were significant.
“Step inside Miss Sheento,” Sarai growled.
Daena swallowed and moved where directed. She rubbed the cut in her neck. The wound closed.
Sarai stepped in and closed the doors with a thud. She sheathed the sword with a clack. She placed the sheathed weapon on the end of the long conference table. She turned and put her hands behind her back. “We have some measure of privacy, now.” She let out a breath and tilted her head. “Is there something you’d like to say to me?”
“Say to you?” Daena said with an incredulous tone. “What do you want me to say?”
“You could start by apologizing for trying to jeopardize my relationship with Bannor.”
Daena raised her chin. “I—” She glanced back to him, hurt and confusion in her features. “Damn it, I love him.”
Sarai snorted. “No you don’t. You just think you do. You grew up in the streets. You don’t even know what love is.”
Daena’s hands balled into fists. “And some stuck-up rich princess does?”
His wife-to-be took two steps and slapped Daena.
The auburn haired girl reeled back a step, gripping her face, obviously more startled than hurt.
“I have had enough impertinence from you,” Sarai snapped. “To think you would dare to judge me. You know nothing about me. I may have been born a princess but unlike my sisters—I earned my title. I spent more decades than you have summers of life slogging through mud, standing watch and shedding my blood to defend my nation. At least, I know what it is to love my country.”
Daena growled. “Love your country, what does that have to do with Bannor?”
Sarai shook her head. “Daena, you can’t really love someone else until you learn to love yourself. You accept my sister’s love, but you don’t believe in it—because you don’t believe in yourself. You still half-believe you’re a monster.”
“And you don’t, I suppose?” Daena rasped.
“No, Daena, I don’t—even with you trying to take Bannor away. I don’t see a monster. I see a child who sees something precious to someone else and wants it for herself. I know your childhood was hard, and you feel a kinship with Bannor, that he makes you feel secure and accepted, but that isn’t real love.”
Daena stared at her. “No, dammit, I’m old enough to know my heart. I know what I feel.”
Sarai shook her head. “Daena, what you feel isn’t love. Real love is not selfish. You don’t love Bannor because the only person you’re thinking about is yourself.”
The young woman shuddered like Sarai had stabbed her with a sword. She clutched her chest. She cast her gaze to him pleading for intervention or sympathy, he didn’t know which.
“Did Bannor ever once say he accepted you before me?” Sarai said.
Daena’s focus snapped back to Sarai. Tears started to well in her eyes. “He wanted to! You had him tied to you! I could make him happy—I know I could! He just needed to see—” She swallowed. “He couldn’t see me for you. You were—you—were in the way!”
He closed his eyes. It hurt. He wished Sarai would just stop. Daena was in agony.
“So, just push me out of the way, and take him?”
“Yes, damn it!” Daena cried. “You don’t need him, you could—could have anybody. You—you’re beautiful, you’re not a monster—not a monster like me. I need him. He’s the only person who—who understands me!”
Sarai’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Daena, I understand you. I know what it’s like to want something so bad it hurts. I know what it’s like to have something you love taken away as well. Janai did that to me once. Took away someone I loved just for the sport of it. It wasn’t until much later I realized it was for my own good, because if he could be tempted away so easily it wasn’t something that would last. Still, it hurt—it hurt a lot.”
Daena stared at her, tears running down her cheeks.
“Daena, if I didn’t have any regard for you, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.” She reached back and touched the hilt of her Shaladen. “I know you truly care, and that means something to me. When that bastard Odin tried to kill Bannor, you risked your life to save him. We have even shared each other’s body. That’s why this comes as such a shock that you would do this. Have I ever done anything to disrespect you—to give you reason to hurt me?”
The girl shook her head.
“Bannor is precious to me.” Sarai leaned her head to one side. “Did you think I would just let you take him away? Were you thinking at all?”
The girl swiped at her eyes with her arm. “I—I don’t know.” She sniffed. “I just—” She shook her head. She glanced back at him with a lost expression.
“Daena, you know my sister made you her One. Do you know what that means?”
“It—” she sniffed. “It means someone—that—” She swiped at her eyes again. “You’re dedicated to exclusively. That there—there’s—no-one else.”
Sarai nodded. “That’s right. Did you know that Janai has never had a One before?”
“It’s just a jest to her,” Daena murmured.
Reality's Plaything 4: Savants Ascendant Page 35