Tatyanna

by Lindsay Johnston

  “It makes sense,” Gavin said, speaking up for the first time. “Your magic recognized the power in Cale. Marek and Larik are cousins. They both can connect to fire, but in different ways.”

  “I think this is what people mean by soulmates,” Lilly said in awe, as her eyes bounced back and forth between Marek and Tatyanna. “Even when you two are together, you automatically have to stand near the other person. Your magic has been trying to tell you what you both didn’t want to admit for so long, but you two are truly meant to be together.” She sighed at that, giving Medo a rude look, before turning back to the happy couple.

  “What the hell did I do?” he asked, but received no explanation.

  Tatyanna looked down. She was holding Marek’s hand. She had to admit what Lilly said was true. She glanced at the other woman and felt sympathy toward her, because she was in love with a man who didn’t see her for who she really was. Lilly caught her gaze and nodded her head, looking away with a single tear running down her cheek. She was feeling the sentiments.

  Not wanting to see her friend cry, or for the others to realize what was going on with Lilly, Tatyanna pulled the attention back on her. “So, now what? What do we do?”

  Everyone started to throw out ideas, and then argue against them. It was Marek who made the final decision. “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean nothing?” Emmett asked, pushing off from the wall and folding his arms against his chest.

  “We don’t want Cale to know we know the truth. So we have to watch him. Watch his every move, never leave him alone, and see if we can find out what he is up to, and ultimately, Larik. It is obvious Larik doesn’t want Tatyanna dead, or else he would have tried something by now. So we need to find out what his end game is.”

  Tatyanna didn’t like his response, but who was she to argue with him. She nodded her head, and yawned loudly as the others laughed. She bade goodnight to everyone and shared an awkward moment with Marek when he leaned down to kiss her, and felt everyone’s eyes on them, and he froze instead. Tatyanna was the one to stand up on her tiptoes and give Marek a kiss on the cheek.

  Lilly turned to walk Tatyanna back to her cabin, but was stopped when Marek told her to wait. “Dimitri, you and Althea can walk Tatyanna back. Leave Althea with her tonight, just in case. Emmett, can you stay with us for a few minutes, while we try to decide what to do with the people we caught tonight.” Emmett gave him a single nod, and closed the door behind Dimitri.

  “In light of everything that has happened, it is clear that I need to be with Tatyanna. As much as I would like to stay behind and keep her here with me, I know she needs to be out there in the world helping others, and finding a way to defeat Larik. We don’t have a plan yet, but I know we will think of something. Knowing who Cale really is changes things, but knowing we have enemies here makes it extra difficult to leave.

  “In light of this evening’s activities, I have decided to leave someone in charge, and I hope they take it.” All eyes turned to Medo, who smiled smugly. Marek turned to him, and said, “I want Lilly to lead, and for Gavin to be her second.”

  Medo’s face fell at the news. “You want? Why? He’s not even a real leader,” he said, pointing a stubby finger at Gavin.

  “Tonight showed me otherwise. It was his plan to pretend to be captured in order to capture you and Griffin. Tonight, Gavin proved to me he has what it takes to lead, but he needs polishing and training. Lilly showed to me what I always knew. She proved to herself and others there is more to her than just a pretty face. She can teach others to look beyond the surface,” he said, ending his speech and turning to Lilly. “Do you accept?”

  Her eyes watered, and she was so overcome by his words that she was unable to speak. Instead, she just nodded her head, while Gavin tried to give her a high five for her promotion. He stood next to her, practically jumping from one foot to the next with his hand up in the air, that she weakly slapped her hand to his. She still couldn’t believe this had happened to her. She always thought Marek would choose Medo. It would be a shock to everyone.

  “What about me?” Medo asked gruffly.

  “I want you and Griffin to stay behind. There is much the two of you can teach Gavin. He has potential, but he is far from being ready to take over the reins for me. I also need you two to sniff out any other traitors. People will expect you to be miffed about the change in leadership, and you can use this to your advantage.”

  “How do you know I won’t betray you?” Medo asked.

  Marek made eye contact with Medo, slowly moved his eyes over to Lilly, and back over to Medo, knowing the other man caught his drift. “You are a stubborn man. I hope one day you can learn from all of this, and get over yourself, to see what is right in front of you.”

  “What?” Gavin asked confused, but it was Griffin who clasped him on the back of his neck. “Come on, kid. Let’s go meet the prisoners, and see if we can get them talking.” He led him from the room. The two dwarves looked everywhere but at each other, but Marek knew it was only a matter of time before Medo found his own chance at love.

  “I always thought you’d be by my side during this fight, wherever it might lead us. But, know I will call on you the minute I need you. I won’t keep you out of the action for long.”

  Medo grinned, and they shook their arms, hand to the other’s elbow. “I’ll teach your cousin. He’ll become a man before you return.”

  Marek laughed from his belly. “I hope so. I didn’t have the patience to train him, but maybe you do. Teach him patience before you teach him anything else. Oh, and to stop talking so much.” Medo laughed, and he escorted Lilly out of the cabin, leaving behind Marek and Emmett.

  “I know you are hiding something from me, please tell me what it is,” Marek asked.

  Emmett didn’t even try to deny the accusation. “I don’t know when, or how, but I am going to die. I won’t be there to protect Tatyanna the way I want to. Knowing Cale truly is a traitor, I believe he will be the one to kill me.” Marek’s eyes flashed with anger, but Emmett stopped him. “Tatyanna’s mother made this prediction. We both know better than to fight it. What will happen will happen, I just ask you be there for Tatyanna when it does. Don’t let her do anything stupid.”

  Marek nodded in his agreement, but never gave his word, knowing he would try his best not to let his friend die.

  “Come, it is late, and we need sleep before we leave camp tomorrow,” Marek said, watching Emmett leave, and turning back to take in the empty war room. He had grown up here, leaving on occasion for one mission or another, but always coming back. He knew when he left tomorrow, he wasn’t coming back. It was time for him to close this chapter of his life, and start a new one with Tatyanna. He never thought of himself as a king, only a fighter, but maybe this was a chance to prove himself wrong.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  A Fork in the Road

  Dimitri was quiet as he walked Tatyanna back to her cabin. She knew he was dying to say something, because he kept fidgeting, running his hands through his hair, or scratching the same place on his arm repeatedly.

  “Say it,” she said, getting tired of the constant movements.

  “You kissed Cale,” he said, more of a statement then a question.

  “Yeah,” she said with a sigh.

  “You kissed Cale,” he repeated, as if he couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

  This time she didn’t answer him. They had stopped at her door, and she turned to look at him. “So what if I did? It’s done, it’s over with. Marek has accepted it and moved on,” she said, stopping when Dimitri started to laugh at her.

  Dimitri shook his head as he continued to laugh. “You are so wrong if you think Marek has accepted it and moved on, because, as a guy, I know for a fact he hasn’t. If I ever loved someone, and found out they had feelings for someone else, I would be livid and trying to understand it. Not that I blame you, but there’s no way he has simply moved on. It will come back up again. Just you watch.”

 
; Tatyanna pursued her lips together. Dimitri had a point. She knew if it was her, she would be jealous, and she was angry at the lies Cale had told her. Instead of responding, she changed the topics. “So, Dimitri, have you ever been in love?”

  He sputtered, and coughed several times. “No, no, I can’t say I have. It’s always been my mission to keep you safe. When have I had time to fall in love?”

  She smiled, thinking back to when they first met. She opened her door wide to let Althea walk inside. “Well, when this is all over, there is always your monster of a truck that you left behind.” She gently closed the door to his laughter, glad to have his friendship, even if he did act more like an overprotective brother than a friend.

  Tatyanna barely felt her head hit the pillow before she was out, and she didn’t even hear Lilly come in. She woke up with the sun on her face, and she laid there, disoriented, before she remembered they would be leaving the camp today to start on the next part of the journey, only she wasn’t sure what they were going to do, or where to go.

  Tatyanna heard singing nearby, and struggled to keep her eyes open. Every time she managed to open her eyes, they felt heavy and closed back up again. She rubbed her eyes, and then her face, and threw off the covers, determined to wake up. She moved her feet off the side of the bed, stood up, only to get dizzy. She sat back down carefully rubbing her temples, when she was hit with an amazing smell.

  “Good morning, Queen,” Galena said, carrying a tray of steaming food to her. Tatyanna’s stomach instantly reacted to the smell and she realized she was famished. “Go ahead and eat while I get your clothes ready.”

  Tatyanna didn’t have to be told twice, and picked up her spoon and dipped it in the steaming bowl to find that she was eating a mix of oatmeal and cream of wheat. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was warm, and had a sweet taste to her. Next, she ate her buttered muffin. It didn’t take her long to feel stuffed, and she reluctantly pushed the rest of the food away from her, not wanting to eat herself in a food coma.

  Galena came back into the room as soon as she had finished eating, and Tatyanna knew what was expected of her. She may have been the queen, but when Galena was around, she was the boss. Tatyanna turned her back to the woman to let her dress be unzipped, and she removed the rest of her clothes. Today, her clothes weren’t nearly as nice, and she didn’t stand out as much. She still wore a dress, but had leggings on underneath. The dress was blue, which seemed to be the theme with all of her clothes lately, and her blue hooded cloak was draped over the back of the chair. But gone was the use of very fine material, like silk. Gone were the extra touches, and it was just a simple blue dress with no adornments. Tatyanna thought it was perfect, because it still felt weird for her to stand out among the crowd.

  Galena made quick work of Tatyanna’s hair, pulling it out of the falling hairdo, quickly brushed it, and deftly braided it into a single French braid, with wisps of her bangs falling out and framing her heart-shaped face. When she was done, she stood and grabbed her cloak, and was about to pick up a small bag Galena had packed for her, when she was smacked on the hand.

  “Ouch,” she cried out at the unexpected move.

  “You do not carry that. I do,” Galena said, turning to pick up a second bag.

  “Two bags? Why do I have so much stuff?”

  “One of these bags is my own. I’m coming with you, Your Highness.”

  “No, Galena, you can’t.”

  “Your Highness, we’ve already talked about this.”

  “No. Galena,” Tatyanna said firmly. “You are a mother, and you are pregnant with another. You need to stay here, where it is safe, and protect your other children, and be a mother to the other men and women here. I don’t want anything to happen to you while you are with me. I can’t promise it will be safe, but I do know you will be safe if you stay here.” She put down her cloak and walked over to the other woman, putting her hands around her shoulders, leaning in for a hug. “I appreciate everything you have done for me while I’ve been here. And I promise you when this war is over, and I go back to my own castle, you and your family will be the first ones I send for. You will forever have a home with me, as my family. But in order to keep that promise, I need you safe. Okay?” she asked, pulling back.

  Galena sniffled and smiled, wiping away a few tears. “I’ve never really had a home before. I’ve always gone where I was needed, this is too much, m’lady.”

  “Even if I don’t make it,” Tatyanna said, stopping as her breath caught, “You will always have a home in my lands. It is my way to thank you for being the person you are.” Galena smiled, and the two hugged again before Galena remembered the time and told her that everyone else had already eaten. Marek had already given the news he was leaving, and Lilly was going to be taking his place as leader.

  Tatyanna picked up her blue cloak, took her bag from Galena, and kissed the other woman on the cheek before leaving her cabin. She opened the door and squinted in the sunlight before stepping outside. She had taken a few steps when she heard Terran behind her. She sat her stuff on the ground, and whirled around and threw herself into his arms. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since yesterday.”

  Terran was wearing the same clothes he had on from the day before, and looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept. “I was looking after the trees we had lost yesterday to the hags and demons.”

  “You were able to salvage them?” she asked, surprised at how that was possible.

  “No, not in the way you are thinking,” he said, picking her stuff up off the ground, and linking her arm in his. “The trees that were used are gone. I can heal them, but I can’t heal what is broken and dead. What I can do is remove the rest of the broken dead tree, like the stump and roots, and use the roots to create a new tree. It takes time and patience to make sure the new tree takes root in the old tree’s place. Some new samplings were able to take, and they are already a foot tall, and others wouldn’t grow, so I had to start the process over again. I’ve only slept a few hours.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. What happens to you when the earth dies?”

  “Any time a plant or tree dies that is connected to the earth, I feel it. I won’t lie, the pain is excruciating, and I feel guilty every time it happens, because I should have been there to prevent the death in the first place. The tattoos on my body change, and a new tattoo appears on my body where the tree once was, and a new one appears. You would think I’d be used to it by now, but I’m not. I don’t know how the women could bear this sort of pain.”

  Tatyanna smiled, “That’s because women have to go through childbirth. I’m sure the pain isn’t anything like that.” She felt Terran shudder next to her at the thought.

  “I don’t want to know what that feels like. I can’t imagine childbirth being more painful than the pain I feel, but I know better than to say that around a woman.”

  “We could always ask Galena. She’s pregnant with her fourth.”

  Terran cringed. “I’d rather not ask her. She will give me a mouthful, and go into detail of every pregnancy she ever had, or witnessed. I’ve been the subject of it before, and have learned not to say anything to her about being in pain, or say it within her hearing range.” He shivered again at the memory, and was secretly glad to be leaving the camp soon so he didn’t have another run-in with her again.

  They walked toward the meeting area quietly, both lost in their own thoughts. “Congratulations,” he said quietly. Tatyanna turned to him confused. “I heard about you and Marek. You two are equally matched, and will make a great couple.”

  “I’m not with him because we will be ‘equally matched,’ as you put it. I’m with him, because I truly care about him.”

  Terran held up his hands in front of him. “Woah there. I’m not saying that is why you are with him, just stating it to be true. You two are opposites of each other, but you also complement each other. I can already see that potential.”

  “Are you psychic now?” she asked him
.

  “No, but your mother was. I know she knew her own death, and the deaths of others.”

  “So, she could only tell when a person would die?” she asked.

  Terran thought about it, and nodded his head. “Yes, as far as I know, she could only predict death. If she made other predictions, I don’t know about it.”

  “How could she do that?”

  “I guess because of the power to heal, she could also sense when a person would die. I really don’t know. I don’t know if that is a gift that was passed on to you or not. I guess time will tell.”

  Tatyanna thought about that, and a part of her hoped she did not have the gift. She wouldn’t like to be able to predict when those closest to her could die. She didn’t even want to know when she would die, and she certainly didn’t want to think about it.

  She saw Marek surrounded by warriors, and could barely make out the words announcing he would need a few men and women to come with them on this journey. She saw people of all ages volunteer to go, including the healer, Cyrus, who had pissed Emmett off the previous day. She could already hear his voice in her head complaining Cyrus was coming with them. She imagined he would stay close to her if he was ever hurt.

  Marek only picked two more men and one woman to join them. “Why isn’t he taking more people with him?” she asked, turning to Terran.