The Drifting

by L. Filloon

  “Is everything all right? I ask concerned.

  “Yes, everything is fine. What’d you need?” he replies a bit irritated.

  Whatever is going on with him, he obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. “There’s been some new development concerning Lily. I need you, Alorn and Mellis to meet with me in an hour.”

  His attitude changes immediately, “Is she all right?”

  “Yes…for now. Let’s meet in about an hour in the war room.”

  “Okay. Alorn is at the stables with the viliskas. I’ll let him know,” he offers.

  “Good. What about Mellis, have you seen him?”

  “No, but I’m sure he’s where Milina is,” he says with a chuckle.

  I let him go but I can’t help thinking about the change between Ziri and me, knowing that it only happened because of Lily. She bridged the gap between us that spanned over years in a matter of days of knowing him. I knew that my life would change the night I left Velesi to bring her here. What I didn’t know was how much good the change would be.

  Lost in thoughts of Lily, I didn’t see Kalis until I literally bumped into her. She gives me a warm smile while laughing at our abrupt meeting. I step back but she moves in quickly hugging me tightly. “And where are you going in such a hurry?” she asks playfully.

  Feeling awkward, I pull her arms from around my waist and stand back, holding on to her hands. “I’m looking for Tolan. You haven’t seen him, by any chance, have you?” It’s an obvious brush off and the fleeting look of hurt crosses her face.

  She smiles up at me, head tilt to one side, “You’ve been ignoring me, Tharin…since your return. I thought maybe you would have at least attempted to seek me out to talk.”

  I nod slowly, “You’re right. And we do need to talk, Kalis. With the Seating coming up and knowing that Lucas will be here during the ceremonies has kept us busy.”

  “Us?”

  “Tolan and me…and father, of course. I mean, you know, everyone should be preparing for the gathering of the clans. I’m sure you’ve been busy with the king’s guards.”

  She nods uncertainty in her green eyes. “What’s wrong, Tharin? In the short time that you knew her, did she completely steal you from me?”

  Her question irritates me as she refers to Lily as a thief, but I swallow my irritation and bring her hands to my lips. “I won’t lie to you, Kalis. She did, as you must have known when I contacted you from Pathen. I know it was a mistake to tell you in that way and I wanted to come home and speak to you about it personally. And yes, in a short time I did develop feelings for Lily.”

  She’s quiet for moment watching me carefully and I find myself guiltily looking away. “But,” she starts slowly, “that’s no longer the case, right? I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but she’s no longer in our lives. Why is it hard for you to look beyond that and come back to me?” Her words are sincere and I can see the emotions in her eyes.

  I let go of her hands and step back. “I’m sorry, Kalis, it’s a difficult time for me. I can’t turn off my feelings for her as if she meant nothing to me, because as I told you…she did.”

  She drops her hands to her side, casting her eyes downward, nodding. “I see,” she says, her attitude changing when she looks up again. “But you can turn off your feelings for me within a day of meeting her?” The hurt and anger she’s been holding back rushes to the surface. “I have known you since we were practically babies and in those years, how many times have you told me you loved me?” She gives me an accusing look, letting her temper take over. “How many times have you made promises about being together, about speaking to your father of taking me as a wife even though I have no royal ties? Do you know how many Sidhe princes and warriors I’ve passed up to be with you?”

  I look at her stunned, “You what?”

  “That’s right, Tharin. I could have had my pick from any of the elite guards I’ve gone out with, or other princes who’ve visited here and pulled me aside making promises…promises like the ones you made!”

  “What the hell…? Kalis, I never made such promises. And when I did tell you that I loved you, I meant it.”

  She ignores me, rushing on angrily, “She’s dead, Tharin, and I’m here, right here! And yeah, you didn’t come out and say it, but you led me to believe there was a future for us, didn’t you? You professed your love for me only hours before you left for Pathen and now you’re telling me you’re having a hard time shutting off your feelings about a dead girl? A Halfling? She’s not even pure Sidhe. You’re putting me through this for a mutt? And the only reason you were going to marry her was because of the treaty.”

  I’ve never struck a woman before, warrior or not, except in battle. And it takes every effort I have not to strike Kalis. I push past her as she continues with her tirade of name calling at Lily’s expense. She raises her voice at my back, but after a moment of silence she’s suddenly in front of me, her hands on my chest. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said, please…I’m sorry. It’s just that you know how I feel about you,” she chokes. “I love you, Tharin.” She wraps her arms around my waist, trying to calm down.

  I place my hands on her shoulders ready to push her from me when I remember that even now I’m deceiving her. I’ve been leading her on since I first saw her at the path and instead of telling her the truth I’ve continued to let her believe that things were back to normal. Lily told me that I was wishful thinking if I thought Kalis would accept the news without getting pissed off or hurt. I put my arms around her, holding her until she’s able to compose herself. Despite her emotional outburst, Kalis is still a warrior.

  I wait until she has some semblance of control. She steps back, hands still on my chest. I lift her chin up and after an angry outburst she is still beautiful, stunning in a way that literally takes men’s breaths away. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

  She gives me a small smile and takes another step back, but doesn’t say anything. I stare at her, at a loss as to what else I should say next. “Kalis,” I hesitantly start.

  “It’s okay, Tharin. I know you just need some time. I shouldn’t have come at you like that. When you’re ready, I’ll be here.” She gives me another smile and then reaches up to kiss my lips before turning and walk away. Great, I’m going to have to do this again, and suddenly I’m pissed. It couldn’t just have been a simple task as bringing Lily home, have her do the Seating and then marry her and live our lives in peace and harmony. Instead, this Eathos has put me in a position to where I find myself lying and deceiving people I love and care about.

  “You okay?” asks Tolan from behind me.

  “You heard?”

  “Yeah…me and everyone else on the floor,” he replies looking after Kalis as she rounds the corner.

  “Damn.” I turn to look at my brother feeling cranky and put out. “This is entirely your fault.”

  “What? What did I do?” he asks as he walks beside me back to the war room.

  “If I didn’t have to go looking for you, I wouldn’t have run into her.”

  “Please, you could have contacted me mentally.”

  He’s right, but I’m too angry to let him know it. “I shouldn’t have to. You should know when I need you.”

  He lets out a laugh and slaps me on the shoulder. “Yeah, okay, my future king, I’ll remember that the next time.” He continues to laugh as we walk through the double doors.

  I need to get the whole scene with Kalis out of my head. Changing the subject, I ask “Where have you been, anyway?”

  “Back in the library,” he answers.

  “Still trying to find something on Ka and Sema?”

  “Well, yeah. That and on the prophecy he was talking about. I was also hoping I could get some kind of timeline with this Eathos guy.”

  “Any luck?” We make our way to the seating area, chairs back to their original spots.

  Tolan drops in the seat opposite of me shaking his head. “Nothing st
ill on the weirdly-powerful, mysterious old couple, and the same with Eathos; but I did find something on the prophecy. It’s just as Ka said, but there’s a slip to the meaning about death at the doorway of Eirrell. It’s not that she will bring death to Eirrell, but that death will find her there.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask, now having my full attention.

  He shrugs at me, “Hell if I know. But it does mean something. I just haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “Well, let me know when you do. In the meantime, looks like the wedding has to wait a week after the Seating.”

  Tolan shrugs and asks, “Really, why?”

  I stare at him for a moment not sure how to tell him of the news about the Ancients. So, I say it the only way I know how. “Kurm and Car’ithi are dead.”

  Tolan sits up with eyes wide, “How? Who?”

  “Murdered,” I answer. “And we believe by Kabba.”

  “Kabba. Damn it. So, the demon is in the tower?” He sits back staring off in the distant lost in thought. Finally, he says, “We need to protect Lily.”

  “And Julia,” I add. “Where Lily goes, Julia goes. It will be sometime before we can separate the two.”

  “Maybe we should send them to another clan. After the Seating is over, and only until we can flush out Eathos and Kabba,” suggests Tolan.

  I look at him thoughtfully, “And you’re all right with that? You’re willing to let Julia go?”

  Tolan leans forward, “Tharin, what am I supposed to do? She doesn’t want anything to do with me. And believe me, I’ve tried, but she’s just so hostile, and I don’t want to go back to having screaming matches with her again. Besides, I know it hurts her to have me in the same room.”

  “And the last thing you want to do is hurt her,” I finish.

  “I thought,” he continues sitting back in his chair, “that with Lily here, she might be able to talk to Julia, get her to say why she’s acting the way she is. At first, I thought it was her way of mourning Lily’s death, but I notice that she didn’t have any trouble with any of you…just me.”

  “Lily just got here,” I offer as a consolation. “Give her some time with Julia, they’ve only met up tonight and they have a lot to catch up on. You still love her?”

  Without missing a beat, he answers, “With all my heart.”

  “Then give her some time. Let her cool off, she’s still pretty pissed about being kept in the dark, and she’s feeling a bit betrayed. I’m sure she’ll see that we did it for Lily’s sake.”

  Tolan shakes his head slowly, “I don’t think so. I think it’s more than that, but for the life of me, I can’t figure it out.”

  I hesitate before saying, “I’m sorry, Tolan. I’m sorry that I put you in that position with Julia in the first place. I promise I’ll make it up to the both of you.”

  Shaking off his depressed moment, he gives me a shrewd look saying, “You bet your ass you will and big time, too.” I smile at him, nodding. I’ll be honest. I thought my brother had fallen into a deep depression and was holing up somewhere alone, drinking. Where did I get the idea that he was?

  “So,” he says changing the subject, “what’s going to happen after you and Lily marry?”

  I give him a puzzled look, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what happens after you and Lily are married? Will you be living in separate cities with conjugal visits every other day, or do you plan to move to the Willow, or is she moving here to the Oak?”

  I stare at my brother, honestly not knowing how to respond. I’m sure not moving to the city of the Willow Clan. It is here at the Oak Tower where I will someday rule. However, if I move Lily here, who will rule over the people of the Willow? It has to be someone of the royal bloodline and we all know that the fake Lucas will never be accepted by the throne. Does this mean that the Willow throne will then accept Harlu as their next king? Damn it. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

  I’m starting to think our parents didn’t think this whole treaty thing through when they agreed to it at Lily’s birth. I look at Tolan and shake my head at him not having a real answer to his question. He sighs and drops his head back onto the chair giving a low whistle. His head comes up suddenly and he says, “Maybe Father can do a ruling and give it to Ziri.”

  I give him a put upon look, “Yeah, that’ll work. He’ll call the Oak Clan to battle every other week just to piss me off.”

  Tolan throws his head back laughing at the whole idea, finding it extremely funny. He continues to laugh holding at his side when Alorn, Mellis and Ziri walk through the double doors. They approach with infectious grins, looking at Tolan as he continues to laugh. It’s the first they’ve seen him in good humor since we brought Julia to the tower. Ziri gives him a crooked smile asking, “What so funny?” In response, Tolan laughs harder looking pointedly at me and causing Ziri to look at us expectantly. “What? Was it something I said?”

  Five minutes later and Tolan is still laughing.

  ~ * ~

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  ~ Lily ~

  The suites belonging to Tharin’s late mother are beyond beautiful. I had expected a royal suite of opulence and excess, instead I find a small haven of nature within these rooms. Rich exotic wood lines the walls with matching furniture. Living trees strategically scattered throughout seem to branch out overhead creating a dome-like ceiling. There are no doors to the adjoining bedroom. Instead, you pass under an arched entrance with full branches from trees standing at each side of the doorway. I imagine hearing a waterfall, but when Milina let me check out her room, I find that a natural waterfall pours down from an opening in the ceiling to serve as a shower. I can see the giant branches of the oak that is the Oak Tower. I try to see beyond the opening to pinpoint where exactly the water is coming from, but the huge branches and leaves are in the way.

  The only doors in the suite are the solid oak double doors leading to the queen’s master bedroom. They open with the slightest touch and I walk in looking about me in awe. It’s much cooler in here than the rest of the suite and I lift my chin when I feel the soft touch of mist on my face. Here, multiple types of exotic dark wood also line the walls and the furniture is all wood-based with comfortable-looking seats and soft décor of red, green and brown hues. It is the centerpiece in the middle of the room that takes my breath away, however. Four slender oak trees grow from the bedroom floor reaching the ceiling, its full head pillowing above the bed like green clouds gently moving as if pushed lightly by a breeze. From each tree about four feet from the floor a branch extends out to the middle where it weaves and interlocks creating a mattress of leaves at least three feet thick and is the size of a California king bed.

  A thick, soft sage pillow top spreads across the leafy mattress under what looks to be at least thirty to forty pillows of all shapes and sizes in rich earthy hues. A leafy cover hangs above the bed but as I look closer between the branches, I can see the sky above. I watch in wonder as the rain spills off a glass dome. I look at the bed once again and realize there are no blankets, only pillows. Maybe Tharin’s mother didn’t use blankets but slept under the pillows.

  I turn when I hear someone behind me. I smile as I watch Julia’s face light up at seeing the master bedroom for the first time. “Can you believe this, Jules? It’s just beautiful,” I say looking about the room again in awe.

  “Wow. This is so much nicer than my room,” she states as she puts her one small bag on the floor.

  “Oh, sorry. Did you sleep in the barracks or whatever it’s called where the guards sleep?”

  She turns to blink at me and then laughs, “No. My old room is on this floor only farther away from the king’s and queen’s suites. I think I was only a room or two from Tolan and Tharin’s rooms.”

  “Really?” I ask surprised. “When they told me you were training with the guards I thought you slept in a barrack with them or in a small soldier’s room near the guards’ quarters or something.”

  “Nope. Ever
yone goes home when the day’s over. There are no barracks, at least none I saw. I thought about moving to the lower towers since Tharin told me I had to work for my room and board. I figured if I lived in the lower towers I wouldn’t owe so much.”

  “Seriously? He told you that?”

  “Yeah, he did. But he also said at the time that in three weeks he would take me back home. I know now that it was just a cover-up until the Seating.” She looks at me thoughtfully, “So, how you holding up about that?”

  “About what?” I ask, moving toward the bed. I want to feel the pillow top to see if it’s as fluffy as it looks.

  “About the whole Seating and the wedding thing. How’re you coping with that?”

  I slowly sit on the bed as it sways, taking my weight, “The Seating I’m freaking out about, but the wedd – oh my God, Julia. Come feel this bed, it feels sooo good.” I throw myself back onto pure heaven. The pillow top isn’t just fluffy – its soft kitten paws with extra on the soft. I feel like I’m lying on clouds. Julia comes over and sits next to me before plopping backward laughing with pleasure.

  She quickly sobers and lifts her head, turning to me, “Do you think we’re being disrespectful?” We stare at each for a moment before smiling and say as one, “Nah…” Julia turns over on her side, head cradled in her hand and smiling at me. “So, you were saying about your wedding? I notice you and Tharin have finally gotten your acts together.”

  I lift myself onto my elbow facing her. “It’s so weird, you know. I mean, it just seems like all of this was meant to happen, but everything and everyone was holding their breath until we acknowledged it. I’m still nervous about the whole Tharin and me thing, but it’s really nice. I’m excited and scared at the same time, but he knows and seems to take things at my pace. And when I look back, I realize a lot of it had to do with a whole lot of misunderstanding on both our parts, especially when it came to Kalis.”

  Julia makes a face at me, a quick draw of her upper lip, like a pissed off Elvis snarl. I grin and a selfish kind of pleasure comes over me. “What?” I ask, eager to hear what she has to say about Kalis.