by Tamie Dearen
“I’m sorry. Sure, Uncle Charles. We’ll be outside. Come get us if anything happens.” They disappeared.
Doc stood, slack-jawed, gazing at the place Alora and Kaevin had been standing. He gave his head a shake, and his eyes came to rest on Raelene and Beth.
“Beth? Is that you? What happened? Were you in the hunting accident?”
“No.” She spoke in a groggy voice. “I tried to kill the bad guy with a sword, because he was hurting Kaevin’s broken fingers. But he kicked me, and I hit a tree.”
“Okay,” said Dr. Sanders. “Now that makes no sense whatsoever, so I assume she has a concussion? Or she’s high on something?”
“It’s a concussion,” confirmed Charles. “But her story was actually true.”
Doc pulled a penlight out of his pocket, shining it in her eyes. “Uhmm-hmm. And who has broken fingers?”
“I completely forgot.” Charles conked himself on the forehead with the heel of his hand. “Kaevin’s got a bunch of broken fingers. Wesley, will you go bring him back in here? He may need surgery, too.”
“Charles, is this the healer you spoke of?” Raelene asked. “And what does this word mean... surgery?”
“You don’t know what surgery is?” Doc looked her up and down. “Do you live in one of those religious communes? One of those groups that don’t believe in modern medicine?”
“I don’t know.” She frowned, clearly confused by his question.
“Where she lives, they don’t have surgery or television or even electricity. They’re really secluded,” Charles explained. “But it’s not a religious thing.”
“So where are you from?” asked Doc.
“Laegenshire of Tenavae,” she replied.
Wesley came back in the door with Alora and Kaevin, who stopped kissing long enough for Dr. Sanders to look at his fingers.
“Good Lord!” Doc said, as he inspected the jumbled mess of Kaevin’s fingers. “What happened? Wait—just tell me the truth. What really happened?”
“Vindrake broke my fingers to torture me. But he was only using me to capture Alora.”
“Torture you? Who is this Vin guy?”
“Vindrake,” corrected Kaevin. “Alora’s father.”
“So her father really was some kind of mob guy, like we thought?” Doc mumbled to Charles. He cocked his head at Kaevin. “I guess he really didn’t like you dating his daughter, huh? But breaking your fingers is a bit excessive. I see it hasn’t slowed you down much. Alora, I’m surprised your uncle let’s you display that much public affection.”
“What does he mean?” Kaevin murmured.
“He means we shouldn’t kiss in public,” Alora explained.
“Oh.” Kaevin nodded with understanding. “But you see—we must. We’re soulmates.”
“Yes, of course,” Doc said as he placed his hand over his heart with exaggerated flare. “Soulmates. I’m sure you’d both just die if you couldn’t be together.”
“Right,” Kaevin agreed. “Finally... someone actually understands.”
“He’s being sarcastic, Kaevin,” said Alora. “Ahhh!” she cried out as Dr. Sanders manipulated one of Kaevin’s broken digits. Kaevin stood still, white-faced, obviously trying not to flinch. Charles hated observing this confirmation of Alora’s connection with Kaevin. He didn’t dislike Kaevin, per se. He simply hated losing his ability to protect her from pain. Isn’t that part of my job as her father?
“He’ll definitely require surgery,” said Dr. Sanders. “Alora, are you injured, too?”
“I’m fine. I just wasn’t ready for the pain.”
Doc Sanders squinted his eyes at Alora and opened his mouth as if to speak. But he must have changed his mind, because he pressed his lips together in a firm line.
“Will we need to do surgery tonight?” asked Charles.
“We’d better get him to Billings to see a hand specialist. Does he have insurance?”
“I’ll pay. Whatever it takes.” Then Charles mumbled, “I may have to sell the ranch.”
“We have gold,” Raelene mentioned. “Would that help?”
“Can I transport gold?” Alora asked.
“Of course,” said Raelene. “Your gift is not limited with regards to silver or gold. Only iron.”
“How much gold do you have?” asked Charles. “These surgeries will be really expensive. And we can’t guarantee we can save their lives.”
“Graely is Stone Clan leader, and Kaevin is his son and heir. He has many ingots of gold. And they will certainly pay for Jireo, as well.” She tilted her chin up.
“So let me get this straight,” Dr. Sanders said. “You people are from some other country? One that doesn’t have good healthcare? And you came to the US for medical treatment?”
“That’s fairly accurate,” Charles answered before Raelene had a chance to speak.
“Did you just fly into the States this morning?” Doc asked.
“That’s fairly accurate, as well,” said Charles.
“Well, maybe I don’t have to report all this if it actually happened overseas,” Dr. Sanders said, with relief written all over his face. But as his eyes met Charles’, his brows furrowed. “And I’ll just pretend I didn’t see people appear and disappear right in front of me. Otherwise, they’ll force me to take early retirement.”
Charles chuckled. “No problem, Doc. I feel the same way.”
*****
“I’m telling you, that woman is evil,” said Graely as the nurse left the room. “Not only are her eyes blue, but she takes delight in causing me pain. She actually pressed on my stomach and made me cough.”
“She’s keeping you from getting adhesions. It’s like scar tissue on the inside of your body that sticks everything together.” Charles hid his amusement. Graely clearly despised the loss of control associated with being confined to the hospital.
“Well, she doesn’t have to enjoy it so much. And she stole my clothes. And she makes me wear this thing without a back.” Graely tugged on his hospital gown. “It isn’t decent.”
“We’ll find your normal clothes for you. You’ll get to wear them when they check you out of the hospital today. The plan is to drive you and Jireo out to the ranch. I think you won’t mind staying at my house... no evil nurses.”
“Father, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad to find you irritable and grouchy again—back to normal.”
Kaevin and Alora had come to help him bring Graely and Jireo home from the hospital. As always, they were together, but Charles was beginning to get used to it. At least they weren’t kissing all the time.
“What about you, Son?” Graely’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Will you be able to use your hands again?”
Kaevin shrugged, staring at his wrapped hands. “I hope so. They’re not so painful anymore. They told me I’d need... what was it they said?”
“They said you’d need physical therapy—lots of it. That’s to retrain your muscles so your fingers will work. So you’ll just have to stay here in Montana for a while.” Alora smiled, humming a little tune.
“I need to speak with Charles alone for a moment, if I may.” Graely caught his eyes.
“That’s fine, Father. We plan to visit Jireo now.” Kaevin waved a bandaged hand at his father as the two departed.
Charles pulled up a chair beside the bed, waiting in awkward silence while Graely drummed his fingers together.
“What are we going to do about them?” asked Graely. “Will you allow Alora to live in Laegenshire? You would certainly be invited to live there as well. We would find a home for you.”
Charles shook his head. “I have too much responsibility here. I can’t simply abandon everything. Perhaps Kaevin could stay here until we find a way to fix the soulmate bond.”
Graely pressed his lips together. “We don’t even know whether it can be broken without killing them. Raelene and Nordamen have been reviewing the recorded histories, but our resources are limited. Raelene wishes to study the scrolls at th
e Craedenza in Glaenshire, where all our people’s writings are stored. And though we believe there is one other soulmate couple alive who might be able to answer the question, we’ve no idea where to find them.”
“I’d be willing to help search for this couple, but I don’t want Alora’s life to be interrupted. She’s only fifteen. She has two and a half years before she even finishes high school. Maybe we could both come to Laegenshire in the summer, when she has almost three months off from school.”
“I’m not quite clear on the details of your offer, but I think I understand you’d be willing to pursue finding a way to remove the soulmate bond in the summer moons. Am I correct?”
“Yes. But I’m worried about something. If Alora didn’t kill Abaddon when she transported him, that means she didn’t kill Vindrake, either?”
The lines on Graely’s face deepened. “I did not observe that part of the battle, but that is how Raelene explained it to me.”
“Then isn’t it really dangerous for Alora to return to Laegenshire at all?”
“I would like to say there’s no danger, but I cannot lie to you. Our home will always be a perilous place to live until Vindrake is defeated and killed.” He clenched his jaws tight, and the muscles flexed on his face. “But my place as Stone Clan leader and Kaevin’s place as my heir makes us obligated to protect the innocent people who live in the shires and countryside of Stone Clan and all of Tenavae. We feel called of God to our service, and He’s provided the gifting we need to accomplish our work. Increasingly, I believe Vindrake has fallen under the influence of great evil, perhaps even demons. I will not run from the duty to fight Vindrake’s evil, even if my life must be sacrificed. Likewise, Kaevin would never shirk his responsibility.”
Charles sighed. “I understand duty. I’m a Marine. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you, but a Marine is willing to fight or die for his country.”
“So what shall we do? To be truthful, even after we find a way to dissolve their soulmate bond, I hope Alora will choose to stay in Laegenshire. Her gifts are greatly needed in the fight against the Water Clan warriors. And I know her grandmother longs to be with her.”
“I honestly don’t know what to do,” said Charles. “I keep feeling like this is some huge dream, or maybe a nightmare. I’m hoping I’ll wake up and laugh and everything will be back to normal.” He hung his head. “It’s times like these that I really miss Lena.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes. She died just over a year ago.”
“I understand. I lost my wife as well. Denalae died giving birth to Kaevin.”
“I’m so sorry. But you’re still young. Do you think you’ll ever marry again?”
“No one would put up with me.” Graely stifled a laugh. “Ow! That hurts. Don’t make me laugh any more.”
“Perhaps you might marry that nurse you were complaining about earlier. I bet she could handle you just fine.”
Graely’s wild eyes darted toward the door. “She frightens me more than Vindrake. You wouldn’t believe what she attempted to do before I fought her off—I’m afraid to go to sleep.”
Charles laughed until there were tears in his eyes.
*****
“I need to go back to my father’s room and speak with him for a moment.”
“Go ahead,” said Alora. “I’ll wait here with Jireo.”
“I’ll return in a blink.” Kaevin slipped out the door, leaving them alone. The smile on Jireo’s face faded, and he turned his head away. An awkward silence descended over the hospital room. The slight tension she always felt around Jireo was now palpable, and her stomach knotted in response. She studied the balloon bouquet on the table by his bed, running her fingertip across the glittery letters that spelled ‘Get Well Soon’.
“You don’t like me, do you?” She spoke the question and cringed, waiting for the answer she knew was coming. He gave an audible sigh.
“I don’t want to like you. But you saved Arista’s life, and now you’ve saved mine.”
“So now you feel obligated to like me, but you still don’t?”
He nodded, flexing his jaw and keeping his eyes focused on the blank television screen.
“Why? What did I do? Is it because I haven’t promised to move to Laegenshire? Because I’ll move eventually; I know I have a duty.”
“I don’t wish you to come to Laegenshire at all. I simply wish everything to return to normal.”
“You don’t want a bearer to help in the fight against Vindrake?”
“No. I simply wish to have my best friend back. That’s all.”
“Oh.” The uncomfortable silence fell again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan it, you know.”
“I’m well aware you’re innocent. I realize you had no intention of stealing Kaevin from me, but that doesn’t change how much it hurts.” His voice was steady and emotionless, but she could read the pain on his face.
“But, what can I—”
“There’s nothing you can do. There’s nothing anyone can do. And I realize I’m a fool to be angry with you for something over which you have no control. But, I miss Kaevin.” He met her eyes for a moment before turning his head back. “Before you came along, we did everything together. Now, he does everything with you.”
“But that was bound to happen eventually, right? I mean, you know, you grow up and get married?”
“Eventually, yes. But in Tenavae, we don’t marry until we have at least twenty-one years. And Kaevin and I promised each other—we had a secret ceremony—to support and defend one another. That’s a lifetime promise.”
“A ceremony?”
“Yes. We had only six years when we did it, but you can still see my scar.” He stretched out his palm, indicating a tiny white line transecting all the others on his hand. “Though we were too young for the ceremony to be binding, we always treated each other as if we were truly bound... until he met you.” He looked like he’d swallowed some bitter medicine.
“Look, Jireo. I don’t want to squeeze you out of Kaevin’s life. I know you have a special friendship, and I’m not ready to get married or anything. I haven’t even finished high school yet, and I planned to go to college.”
“Unless they discover a way to remove the soulmate bond, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Yes I can. I can make sure the two of you spend time together every day. I’ll be really honest with you. I need my alone time, and I’m kind of going crazy with Kaevin around me all the time. I really like him, or maybe I even love him, but I don’t want to spend every waking moment with him.”
He shrugged.
“Jireo, please look at me.” When his gaze met hers, she saw tears glistening in his eyes. “I mean it. I’ll do everything I can to help. I don’t want to come between you. Besides, I figure if Kaevin’s my soulmate and you two are practically brothers, that kind of makes you my brother, right?”
“Great. One sister’s enough trouble, and now I have two.” The corner of his mouth twitched in a half-smile.
“So, we’re okay, then?”
He rolled his eyes. “I suppose if I must have another sister, you’re not too dreadful.”
“Gee, thanks.” She grinned and held out her hand. “Shake on it?”
As he shook her hand a sense of relief flooded her. But when he pulled his hand back, she held on, squeezing harder. His eyebrows rose as he accepted the challenge, increasing the force of his grip. She put everything she had into it, holding her breath and squeezing with all her might. But her fingers throbbed, and she knew she was beaten.
“I give up!” She pulled her hand back, shaking it to get the blood flowing. “I thought I might be able to beat you since you’ve been in the hospital for over a week.”
“You actually thought you could out-grip me?” He laughed, and a genuine smile lit up his face. “You have a competitive spirit; I admire that. I’m sorry, Alora. I think I misjudged you.”
“I totally understand. This has been an emotional rollerco
aster for me, too. My life is turned upside-down, and I’m just trying to cope right now. But I hope we’ll be good friends.”
He gave a sharp nod. “Good friends.”
*****
Alora almost jumped for joy when she saw Beth’s name on her cell phone caller ID. “Beth! I was afraid I’d never get to talk to you again.”
“Me, too! I’m still grounded for life. But Mom told me I could call and let you know we’re coming to the meeting with your uncle.”
“You realize Graely and Jireo and Raelene and almost all of the council are going to be there, right? I mean, I thought your Mom didn’t buy the story about us transporting to Laegenshire.”
“She didn’t, and she still doesn’t believe it. But I guess she’ll have to believe it after tonight.”
“Yikes! This could be really interesting.”
“Are Wesley and his parents coming?”
“I haven’t talked to him at all, but Uncle Charles says they’re coming. I think Wesley would have been better off if he’d just pretended he’d gone with us on a long camping trip. Uncle Charles said his mother was kind of hysterical about the whole thing.”
“This is going to be so awesome.” Beth’s giggles echoed in Alora’s ear. “See you later.”
*****
Charles stepped outside to cool his nerves and dry his sweaty armpits. He hadn’t been this nervous since the night he asked Lena’s father for permission to marry her. They had to have this meeting—it was the right thing to do. But after painstaking efforts to protect Alora’s identity for fifteen years, he felt as if he were now announcing the news in a press conference. He’d put off the explanation as long as possible, delaying until after Graely and Jireo had been released from the hospital and returned to Laegenshire. But he knew none of the parents were satisfied with the story as their children had told it. And there was a possibility they wouldn’t believe him, either.
Even though the only adults from Montana who’d be in attendance were Wesley’s parents and Beth’s mother, it seemed dangerous to let anyone else know the truth about Alora’s origins. The pact with Doc Sanders and Sheriff Mason had been secure for fifteen years. After all, each of them was complicit in hiding the truth and fabricating her birth certificate. But with an ever-growing circle of insiders came the risk someone might accidentally let some critical information slip. So he had to meet with them. To impress on them the importance of keeping her secret. To convince them to never speak of it. To plead for cooperation. To beg forgiveness for putting their children in danger. To do whatever it took to protect Alora.