I didn’t stop moving until she told me to, and, when she did, it was with a voice thick with satiation. Her eyes were dark and hooded, and her skin felt warmer than it ever had. I looked down at her without withdrawing myself and brought my fingertips to her cheek, which was crimson and flushed.
“I promise,” I whispered, “I will protect you. I will keep you safe.”
She gazed back at me and murmured, “But what about you?”
“You’re more important.” I brushed my fingertips along her jawline as I spoke.
“No,” she said, lifting her hand and pressing it against my own cheek. “It doesn’t matter if I’m safe if you’re not with me.”
I stared at her, drinking in the vision of the human I’d fallen in love with, and then I nodded. “Then I will do what I have to do to protect us both.”
She parted her lips and tilted her chin upward, and I leaned down to meet her mouth. I slid out of her as we kissed and eased myself down beside her, pulling her into my arms. When the kiss broke, I just continued to hold her, and she curled into my form in such a way it seemed my body had been meant for hers the whole time. We stayed like that in the darkness and silence and just listened to our breathing, letting our fears wash away in the undertow of our love.
I felt her chest slowing in its rise and falls, and I heard her breaths becoming deeper. I realized she was falling asleep, and I felt heaviness in my eyes myself. Just as she exhaled her last conscious sigh, I closed my eyes, buried my face in her hair, and allowed myself to drift.
Suddenly, I was wrenched awake by a sound. It wasn’t particularly loud, but, in the stillness, it was very clear. I bolted upright and looked around the room in a panic. Tabitha didn’t move right away, but she stirred when she realized I was no longer holding her and sat up sleepily.
“What’s wrong?” She asked softly.
“I heard something,” I whispered, putting a finger to my lips to indicate she needed to be quiet. Her eyes widened with obvious fright, but I climbed slowly off the bed and moved to one of the large windows, trying to remain in the shadows to prevent anyone outside from seeing me. There appeared to be nothing out of place or unusual at first glance, so I shuffled even nearer the window and looked out below.
I could hear Tabitha crawling out of bed behind me, and I extended a hand backward to silently tell her to stop moving. She obeyed, but I heard her voice waft almost imperceptible to my ears. “What is it?”
My eyes drifted down, and I saw a figure standing outside the front double doors.
Chapter Twelve
Tabitha
The Finding
“There’s someone here.”
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure it was going to crack right through my chest and spill out onto the floor. I got out of the bed and scrambled for my clothes, which I threw on in a frenzy of disarray. Rex turned from the window and grabbed his pants. When he had them on, he looked at me, and he looked just as intensely serious as he had when we’d left his parents’ house.
“You will stay here,” he said. His tone left no room for argument, so I just nodded, frozen in place.
He left the room so quietly it was as if he was floating. I listened as carefully as I could for any sound of his movements, but I heard nothing. That was more terrifying than if I had heard a scuffle because I couldn’t be sure what was happening. After a minute of panicked terror, I disregarded his command and fled from the room.
I raced down the corridor of A’li-uud portraits at lightning speed. I didn’t even care if my footsteps made noise. By the time I reached the landing of the impressive staircase, I was gasping for breath and had actually broken a cold sweat. I could see Rex hovering by the door, carefully leaning to the side to try and make out the visitor through the window. He looked back as I started to descend the stairs.
“I told you to stay put,” he whispered furiously.
His voice was low, but, in the absence of other sounds, I heard him as if he was standing right beside me. I didn’t respond until I reached the foyer.
“I had to know what was happening,” I said. My voice sounded shaky and weak, both from physical exertion and fright.
He shook his head angrily, but he didn’t argue. I was grateful for that. He resumed peering through the window, and then I saw his form relax slightly. When he turned to look back at me again, there was an expression of relief on his handsome face.
“It’s Vi’den,” he said. Before I could ask anything, he opened the door.
Standing on the threshold, there was a very tall, very thin A’li-uud. He wore robes rather than skins, and they flowed from his shoulders to the ground in regal draping. The shimmer I had noticed in Rex’s skin the day he’d found me was very noticeable on this alien; even in the darkness, he seemed to shine. I glanced at him, expecting to see a bright moon casting its glow upon him to bring forth the shimmer, but there was none. He simply gleamed.
Rex stepped backward, and the A’li-uud entered at once. There was no time wasted in Rex closing the door behind him. Even as he stepped into the shadows of the unlit house, the tall creature continued to glimmer slightly, and I could see his eyes were even whiter than Rex’s. It was hard to make out his exact skin tone in the darkness, but it was evident he was paler than Rex, and I knew he was also older. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, as his face showed no signs of wrinkled or weather-worn age, but it seemed inherently obvious he was ancient compared to my prairie king. Somehow, despite the grandiose house we were in, Vi’den seemed very out of place.
“Vi’den,” Rex said. There was a level of respect in his voice I hadn’t heard before. He almost seemed awed in the presence of the old A’li-uud.
“Good evening, Rex,” Vi’den replied evenly. I was surprised to hear him speak English, but I was even more surprised by his pronunciation. He sounded like he’d spoken English his whole life, rather than learned it as a second language. “I dare say you know why I have come.”
Rex’s gaze turned to me, and Vi’den’s followed. I suddenly felt as though I’d been placed under a spotlight, and I grew self-conscious about my messy clothes and tangled hair.
“Tabitha, this is Vi’den,” Rex said to me. “He is also an Elder, and he is my mentor.”
I expected to be afraid, but something about Vi’den calmed me. Without him saying it, I knew he had no intention of hurting me.
“It is an honor to meet you, Tabitha.” Vi’den inclined his head as he spoke, a motion I mimicked involuntarily.
“Thank you,” I said nervously. “It’s good to meet you too.”
He studied me for a moment in silence before saying, “There is no need to be frightened, Tabitha. I have not come to harm you.”
I nodded, and Vi’den turned back to Rex.
“We must act urgently, however,” he went on. “You are in grave danger, both of you.”
“I know,” Rex said quickly. “That’s why we’re here.”
“This is not safe enough. Action must be taken.” Vi’den started to walk, and Rex fell into step with him. They both took long strides that forced me to almost jog to keep up with them. We crossed into a room filled with luxurious cushions and a smattering of intricately-etched pottery. Vi’den sank onto one of the poufs. Rex followed suit. When I didn’t sit, he shot me a look, and I dropped onto the nearest one.
“I happened across Pugna’ta. She told me you were keeping a human at the home of your mother and father.” Vi’den’s eyes swiveled back to me, and, again, I felt like the center of attention. “I was not inclined to believe her, but I see I was wrong.”
“Pugna’ta came to my parents’ house for personal reasons and saw Tabitha through the window,” Rex explained. “She became angry and aggressive—”
“With good reason, Rex,” Vi’den interrupted. I felt my stomach roll with anxiety at his words. “After everything that has been happening as of late, it would be unnatural for her to accept such a thing without question.”
Rex bristl
ed slightly, and, though he still spoke with respect, he sounded mad. “I am her king. She has no authority to question me.”
“Every A’li-uud has the authority to protect our kind,” Vi’den responded swiftly and sternly. Rex seemed to deflate slightly, but Vi’den continued. “I did not come to address your disagreement with Pugna’ta, Rex, nor did I come to question your decision to keep Tabitha.”
“Why did you come, then?” I asked. Both of them turned to look at me, and I saw the surprise on Rex’s face.
Vi’den answered in a slow, clear voice. “I came to try to save your life.”
I just stared at him, waiting for him to go on, but he didn’t. He stared back at me. It wasn’t until Rex spoke that our eye contact broke.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“Pugna’ta intends to go to the Council and reveal your secret. I would be surprised if she hasn’t done so already, or at least hasn’t made contact with several Elders.” Vi’den leaned forward a little toward Rex and looked him squarely in the eye. “You must take Tabitha to the Forum at once.”
In clear contrast to the way Vi’den leaned forward, Rex dropped back slightly. There was an expression of horror on his face as he said, “You don’t really think that should be my course of action. Vi’den, that’s a death sentence—for Tabitha and me.”
“Going into hiding is your death sentence, Rex. Coming forward offers you a chance for redemption.”
“Redemption from what?” Rex spat the words like a bitter tonic from his tongue. “I am a Tribe Elder. It was at my discretion to keep her with me. I thought it best.”
“Your treason is not in your decision to isolate her and maintain close contact,” Vi’den said quietly. “The betrayal is in hiding your decision from the Council. By doing so, you have effectively undermined the purpose of the Forum, of the Council, and of your Elderhood. We have not been aware of Tabitha’s existence, let alone her casual captivity, and, throughout the time of our ignorance, she has been learning much of our planet and our race. Tabitha knows more about A’li-uud life than any human ever has. The Council views this as treason. Do you not see why?”
“I do,” Rex said begrudgingly.
“Then you must take her to P’otes-tat Ulti immediately. If you go into hiding, an order will be placed on your heads.”
Rex shook his head, and I could tell he was very conflicted. “I can’t take her there, Vi’den. There are other Elders who would kill her as soon as looked at her because of their fear.”
“I will make sure that Tabitha stays safe,” Vi’den said. His voice was low, and he spoke in earnest. It was just words, but what he said was spoken with such calm confidence I found myself relaxing. I believed him.
“How?” I asked.
“I will enact the Law of Witness,” he answered.
I saw understanding dawn on Rex’s face, but I felt no understanding of my own. “What is that?”
“It ensures your safety,” Vi’den explained. “The Law of Witness dictates that the guest in question cannot be harmed while at P’otes-tat Ulti. To do so would be punishable by death.”
“It means I can take you to the Forum and the others have no choice but to listen to what we have to say,” Rex said quietly. His eyes had a faraway look, and I knew he was deep in thought.
“Yes.” Vi’den nodded, and he looked back to Rex. “But you must bring her immediately. You cannot afford for her to be found by anyone before she has a chance to speak.”
“What am I supposed to say?” I asked, now feeling a slight rise of panic. “What am I supposed to tell them?”
Rex lifted his gaze to me, then got to his feet and offered a hand to help me to mine. I took it as he said, “We tell them the truth. We tell them you pose no threat to the A’li-uud, that I brought you back to ascertain what you knew and, over time, we fell in love. We tell them you’re innocent.”
“What could I possibly be guilty of?” I murmured.
“Exactly,” he said, cupping my face in his hands, kissing me gently.
Vi’den rose from the pouf on which he sat and approached us. “We must go now. Take her by the winds; we don’t have time for you to make the journey. Bring her straight to the antechamber before she can be seen. You will wait there with her until you are called.”
Rex and I both nodded our understanding, and Vi’den walked back to the double doors. The moment he opened them and stepped outside, he was gone. Rex took my hand, and we also walked outside, but we didn’t disappear right away. He led me to the fountain before turning to me.
“This is still very dangerous,” he said. “I wouldn’t do it if we didn’t have another choice. I want you to know that.”
“I do know that,” I reassured him.
He bent forward and kissed me again, and, before our lips parted, we were flying. When my feet hit the ground again, I gasped. Before me, there was a massive castle-like structure, complete with ornate doors as tall as a house. It was breathtaking in its beauty, but it was also dark and foreboding like the descriptions of castles in gothic romance novels. I shivered involuntarily as my nerves set in.
“This way,” Rex said, grabbing me by the wrist, pulling me away from the doors.
We rounded part of the castle until we came to a much smaller, single door of ordinary construction. He opened it for me, and I entered first. The room was a big one, but it felt cramped somehow. Statues and shelves lined with tomes and wall-hanging tapestries seemed to fill every single inch, and the gray stone walls felt like they were sinking in on me. There was just one other door in the room, and I was certain it was the door that would bring me before the Elders. I eyed it with trepidation.
Rex came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, saying nothing. We stood there together without saying anything. Very faintly, I could hear the low rumble of multiple voices speaking at once on the other side of the door, but I couldn’t make out anything being said. It wasn’t until the door swung open—so unexpectedly that I jumped back against Rex—that I could properly hear everything.
“You’re choosing a human’s safety over the safety of our race, Vi’den,” a male was saying furiously. “The Law of Witness was not written to protect terrorists!”
“We won’t know if she’s a terrorist until we speak to her,” another voice chimed in. This one was strange, almost gurgling in its syllable.
“Please bring forth Elder Rexstrenu’us Et’Herba Cam-pes’tribus and the human.”
I recognized the third voice as Vi’den’s. I looked over my shoulder at Rex, and he nodded at me. I turned back toward the door, and the small, young A’li-uud who had opened it brandished a hand, motioning me to walk into the chamber.
“I love you,” Rex whispered in my ear.
I swallowed hard, choked back my fear, and said, “I love you too.”
The Story Continues Here:
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Albaterra Mates 7
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Chapter Thirteen
Venan
There were too many eyes.
Iridescent orbs as white as the sun, irises reflecting the hues of sea and soil and leafy foliage, even optical reincarnations of violet and amber sunsets past pressed upon me, crushing me beneath their scrutinizing weight. I felt them scraping my flesh away to strip me of my rightful defenses and render me vulnerable and exposed. If I had wondered before about the evolution of trust between the citizens of Dhal’at and myself, the answer was clear to me now: three months after my coronation into the Elderhood, I was still a pariah and possibly a murderer. There was no justice, even for the reprieved.
Despite the discomfort I felt amidst the civilians, the day was one of joyous celebration. I, along with much of Ka-lik’et and a few others who called greener kingdoms h
ome, were gathered outside the city’s towering walls to witness the wedding of my twin brother and his human beloved. It was to be the first marriage between A’li-uud and human in Dhal’at (though, other mixed-race nuptials had taken place in other Albaterran kingdoms), and many were eager to spectate the event. Even the sky above was rejoicing the union. The sun was brilliant and pearly as it smiled rays upon the sentients below; the expanse around its glow was flawless in its turquoise blanket; the fluttering strokes of lavender clouds floated idly toward the horizon as if they were reluctant to miss the joining to come. Yet, though the weather was lovely and the occasion marvelous, I was eager for the din of voices to quiet with the onset of slumber. Perhaps, then, I would be free from the barrage of critical gazes.
“This is quite a showing,” my mother commented, putting her fingertips on my forearm. She was looking around with interest, pausing to incline her head to those she recognized. “I never imagined Zuran had so many friends.”
“Most are not friends, Mother.” I followed her stare to a group of A’li-uud warriors about my age. They appeared to be whispering amongst each other and throwing intermittent glances in my direction. I had, sadly, grown accustomed to such behavior from the civilians of Dhal’at, but I still was unable to reconcile such suspicious treatment from those who pledged to serve their kingdom and its leader. Only three months prior, I was one of their numbers, and I would never have displayed such insolence toward Elder Kharid. Then again, Elder Kharid had not been accused of murdering his predecessor, as I had. “Most are here either to see an A’li-uud wed a human or to see me.”
Mother frowned. She was a sweet, compassionate female and unable of comprehending anyone’s view of me being less than admirable. Perhaps it was the bias of motherhood, or perhaps it was her eternal optimism, but she felt I had well-earned my status as Elder and ought to be treated accordingly. “Well, I do not believe this is the place to demonstrate political displeasure,” she said stoutly. “I think you should send those away who are not here to celebrate Zuran’s good fortune.”
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