Blood of Half Gods: Kallen's Tale

by Bonnie Lamer

  She rolls her eyes but she allows him to ask a question, regardless of my warning look. “Okay, ask away.”

  “Has your father set your bride price yet?”

  “What?”

  “Your bride price, what he will be owed if this Fairy convinces you to actually wed him.”

  Xandra whirls towards me. “You guys sell women?”

  I glare at Quinn. I have already thought of five different ways I could kill him. In response to Xandra’s question, I grind out, “As in your realm, dowries and bride prices are a thing of the distant past. The custom was actually discontinued here long before it was discontinued there.”

  Quinn gives a simpering smile and inclines his head towards me. “My apologies for not keeping up with the Fairy traditions.”

  Xandra wisely moves away from the subject. “Anyway, what kind of control did you want Dagda to exert?”

  Quinn still has that smile on his face when he answers. “Under our charter with the King, it states that acts of war not sanctioned by the King will be considered treason and will result in the death of those found to be guilty.”

  “And you believe that the things the Daityas are doing are acts of war and that they’re guilty of treason?”

  Quinn shakes a finger at her. It would be so easy to break it with just a bit of magic. “It is my turn. Why have you not come together with the King’s nephew in a real marriage?”

  I am not the only one annoyed now. “You’re getting awfully personal. But, to answer your question, we haven’t because I’m too young.”

  “Yes, I believe the Daityas to be guilty of treason. Their Chieftain should have taken it upon himself to enforce the Charter,” Quinn says Then, back to the topic he really wants to discuss, he asks, “Too young by your standards or your father’s?”

  Xandra glares at him. “Both. Who’s their Chieftain?”

  “His name is Ellu. He has always been a lunatic, now he is an erratic lunatic. Have you explored other options for marriage?” If my hands curl into fists any tighter, I fear my fingertips will soon come out the back of them.

  Xandra does not hesitate at all when she says, “I don’t need to.” That is the only reason I have not climbed over the table and strangled Quinn. “Have you tried to talk to Ellu?” she asks.

  Quinn sits back in his chair. “He refuses to see me, which is another violation of the Charter. Either Chieftain may call a meeting to discuss any issue that is creating discord amongst the tribes. How will you know he is the person for you, if you do not give yourself the chance to explore your options?” I do not like how his words mirror those of my uncle’s, but I will not doubt Xandra’s love for me.

  “Explore her options with whom?” I ask, knowing damn well what he is getting at. Magic is pouring into me and I am close to losing control.

  After a quick look at me, Xandra turns an exasperated face to Quinn. “What’s your point besides making my boyfriend mad?”

  Quinn smiles and there is something sinister in it. “I believe a hand-fasting between a Chieftain and the King’s daughter would go a long way to convince the Giants that he considers us equals. Which, as you pointed out earlier, is how an ideal realm should consider all the races living amongst it.” He is twisting her words. Nothing she said implied that she wanted to bed a Giant.

  “You want to marry me?” she asks incredulously. “What about your bloodlines? You said that the Devas don’t like to taint their blood.” The answer to his proposal is in the disdain in her voice.

  “We do not taint our blood with Cowan blood. You are not Cowan.”

  “No, but I was raised with them. Doesn’t that count?”

  Quinn chuckles. “No.”

  I have had enough. I will not listen to him propose to Xandra again. Using the magic I have pulled, I send it all in his direction. I am furious when it hits a wall of magic that is stronger than mine. But Quinn is not stupid, he knows what just happened. If my uncontrolled magic had hit him, he probably would not have survived.

  Quinn calls to his guards before pointing a finger at me and growling, “You dare to attack me in my own home, Fairy? You are not the King and you do not have amnesty from the laws. Under Giant law, I can kill you for this.” I would love for him to try.

  Xandra shakes her head as if to clear it. “But you won’t, because I won’t let you,” she says and her words have an eerie calm to them backed up by confidence in her ability to do as she says.

  For the first time, Quinn turns furious eyes to her. “You will not dictate to me what I can and cannot do in my own house.”

  “Gee, you’re being so charming right now,” Xandra says sarcastically. “I can’t believe I’m not falling all over you and accepting your crazy marriage proposal.” As she speaks, several Giants raise crossbows and they are aimed at me. Looking over to them, Xandra says, “This is a private conversation.” She then expands her wall of magic so that the two of us are surrounded by it. She does not stop there. She then uses it to push the Giants from the room, regardless of how much they struggle against it. Quinn is astonished at how easily she is able to control his subjects. His mouth hangs open and for once, he is speechless.

  “I am not marrying you,” Xandra informs him in a steely voice. “That’s not even an option. And no, you can’t make Dagda make me do it. We don’t have that kind of relationship. Hell, he’s probably furious that I’m here talking to you at all. I decide who I’m going to be with, and politics is not a criterion for consideration. Now, if you want to keep talking about what to do about the Daityas, I’m all ears. If not, then we’re leaving.”

  Quinn stares at her for a long time. Finally, he says, “You find Giant blood so disgusting, you will not even consider the possibility of a union? That does not bode well for further discussions.”

  “Oh please, did you ask Dagda to marry you and then refuse to talk to him when he said no?” Angry as I am, I still chuckle at the look on Quinn’s face. “You asked for me to be here and I’m here. Nothing you said last night implied that there was a condition of marriage attached.”

  To both our surprise, Quinn slaps the table so hard with his palm that our chair shakes and then starts laughing. “You are the damnedest female I have ever met. Courage, beauty, logic. Giants twice my size fear me in battle, let alone face to face in my own home. Yet, here you are, tinier than most Fairies, and you stand up to me as if I am a dog misbehaving under your feet. I believe your fearlessness makes you even more beautiful. Come, let us be friends again. Enough of these talks this morning. We are getting nowhere. You shall return for an early dinner and we will finish our discussions then.”

  Astounded, Xandra says, “Seriously? Just like that, our argument is over?”

  He grins, trying hard to be charming again. But he and I both know he has no intention of letting this drop. He is simply retreating to form a new battle plan. “Yes, just like that. I will have Orwick escort you out of the village.”

  “We do not need an escort,” I grind out.

  “It is not your safety I am concerned about. I fear for the Giants on the street who dare cross Xandra’s path.” He attempts humor but there is some truth to his words.

  Xandra shrugs. “Fine.”

  “I will expect you back for dinner. Until then…” He takes Xandra’s hand in his, which amplifies their size difference, and bends low to bring it to his lips. It takes all of my self-control not to snatch her hand out of his.

  After a long moment, Xandra pulls her hand away but not before her face flushes. Did she enjoy his touch? “Okay,” she says, flustered. Quinn gives me a triumphant look over her head.

  Turning to me, Xandra grabs my hand and hurries us to the door. Quinn’s rumble of laughter follows us down the hall and out of the house.

  Chapter 17

  As we follow Orwick through the streets of the Giant village, I cannot shake my uncle’s words. Xandra is naïve, innocent. Even Quinn could tell that I am the only person she has been with, suggesting that she i
s making an uneducated decision tying herself to me. Regardless of his lecherous desires, he is not wrong. Xandra’s parents have also brought this up. I have just been too stubborn to admit they all have a point. But that is selfish on my part. Letting her hand drop, I know what I have to do. I need to let her go if I want to keep her. She needs to have the same chances I did to figure out who and what she wants. She does not need some jerk pressuring her to marry him without consideration for the fact that she has been sheltered from the entire male population all her life. I want her to come to me knowing without doubt that I am the one, otherwise, we will both live in doubt the rest of our lives. The thought pierces my heart, but I know it is true.

  Xandra places her hand in mine again. I do not pull away but as soon as we leave the village behind, she and I need to talk about this. She knows there is something going on, and she looks at me quizzically. I try to keep my face blank.

  When we leave Orwick behind at the village end, I find my tongue does not want to work. I am going over and over in my mind the best way to begin this conversation, but each new idea makes my heart crumble a little bit more. Enough, I have to just do it. I stop suddenly and Xandra runs into me.

  “Hey,” she says, scowling at me.

  Looking towards the horizon, I say, “You should have the opportunity to date other people. Otherwise, you will never be certain I am the one for you.”

  There is a faint tremor in her voice when she asks, “Are you trying to tell me you want out of the left hand-fasting?”

  I am startled by her question. That was not at all what I was implying. “No, of course not. I would marry you today if you would let me.”

  Frustrated, she says, “Kallen, just tell me what’s going through your head. You obviously have a point in all this.”

  I run a hand through my wind-tousled hair trying to find the words. Finally, without looking at her, I say, “I saw how you flushed when Quinn touched you. It reminded me that I am the only person you have been with.” I leave out the discussion I had with Dagda.

  She bites her lip and if I did not know better, I would think she is trying not to laugh. “You forgot about me kissing Kegan. Doesn’t that count as me being with someone else?”

  Anger flashes through me like fire. “No,” I grind out, trying to wipe the memory of her pressing her body against his and kissing him from my mind. “That does not count. You were not yourself.”

  She shrugs. “Oh, I thought it did. Well, I guess I’m stuck with loving you then.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. She is not taking me seriously. “Thank you for bestowing the gift of your love so generously.”

  She laughs outright now. “Kallen, lighten up. You were way off base about my reaction to Quinn.”

  Right. I know what I saw. “He touched you, kissed your hand, and you flushed like you do when I touch you.”

  Surprise washes over her face. “I flush when you touch me? I didn’t know that.” After a moment, she shrugs. “Still, you got it all wrong.” A growl escapes my lips. Why is she denying how he made her feel?

  Placing her hands on my arms, she tugs at them until I let them fall to my sides. Then she wraps her arms around my waist and presses her body to mine. “I didn’t flush because I was excited by his touch like I am with you,” she says. “I was standing there thinking about the reasons he couldn’t even be a consideration. He has some serious mood swings and anger issues, and he’s at least twice my age. But, I flushed because I got a really bad mental image of what he and I together would be like. It was a horrifying thought, and I was embarrassed it even popped in my head. Repulsion is a better description of what I was feeling at the time, not attraction.”

  Is she telling the truth? Slowly, I lift my hands to her waist. Looking down at her, I say, “Really? I am supposed to believe that you looked at a handsome, muscular man and you were repulsed?”

  “You think he’s strong and handsome? Maybe you should marry him. You’re part of the royal family, so it would probably still serve his purpose for asking me,” she teases.

  Growling again, I pull her closer. “I am not blind. And neither are you. You cannot deny that he is a handsome man.”

  She scrunches her nose. “Hey, I didn’t freak out on you when Radella was hanging out in our bedroom in a teddy. And I’m sure you would have been annoyed if I did. Why are you freaking out on me because you think some guy is hot?”

  My brow furrows as I think about what she has said. “First of all, I did not say he was hot. I am not even sure what you mean by that. And, do you really feel that is a fair comparison? You were in bed next to me at the time wearing something awfully skimpy, so it was impossible to notice anything else in the room.”

  She snorts. “Right. You’re just trying to get out of being a hypocrite.” Maybe.

  I chuckle and come clean. “Perhaps I am. I guess I will have to grow accustomed to you having a bevy of admirers wherever we go.”

  “A bevy? What’s a bevy? And how old do you have to be to use a word like that?”

  “Old enough to know the best way to get you to be quiet is to put my lips on yours.”

  I lower my head and do just that. There still may be some truth to Dagda’s words, but it is hard to believe that when she kisses me like she does. She opens herself to me in a way that convinces me her love is as deep as mine. Would I think that if I had never dated anyone else? Yes, I believe I would.

  Suddenly, Xandra pulls free of my arms. There is something terribly wrong. A voice in the distance is saying, “Xandra, you have to come inside now. It’s dangerous to be off running around on your own.” Where is it coming from?

  She look up at me with wide eyes. “You can hear that, right?”

  I nod, dumbfounded. “Yes, I can.”

  “Xandra, are you out there daydreaming about that boy again? Honey, the doctor said that’s not good for you. You need to push him out of your thoughts so you can get better.”

  Is this a trick of the Giant’s? Have they found a way to get into our heads? They may not have magic themselves, but have they found a magical being willing to aid them?

  “It seems to be coming from that direction,” Xandra says, pointing towards a clump of low brush. She starts walking towards it.

  I grab her arm. “What are you doing?”

  She looks up at me. “I’m going to try to figure out what’s going on.”

  “We do not know this area and from what Quinn said, the Daityas roam these areas looking for trouble.”

  She shrugs, not at all concerned with Giants. “So. And I don’t think it’s a Giant who keeps calling me and trying to make me think I’m crazy.” She is probably right. That does not make it less dangerous.

  I shake my head. “This is a bad idea.”

  She purses her lips for a second. “Yeah, probably.” She begins walking again.

  As we near the brush, we hear the voice again. It sounds exactly like her mother. “Xandra, the doctor says if you don’t snap out of it, he’s going to have to sedate you. You don’t want that, do you?”

  The voice shifts. It seems to be coming from another clump of brush now. Before I can truly process this, Xandra is already walking in that direction. A panicky feeling washes over me. I know in my heart that whoever is doing this is a threat to Xandra and this must be some sort of trap. I call out to Xandra, trying to warn her, but she suddenly disappears into the ground. I run to the spot and expect to find a camouflaged hole or something, but the dirt and grass do not even look disturbed. Tamping down my panic, I concentrate, feeling for magic. Nothing. I dig with my hands, pulling clumps of grass and dirt until my fingers are bloody. I use my magic to move larger clumps of soil. But, no matter how far down I dig, there is nothing except more dirt.

  I know she did not teleport because she screamed. Xandra never screams and she certainly would not scream if she simply willed herself someplace else. This was not her choice. Who did this? Who took Xandra from me? When I find that out, they will be so
rry.

  Chapter 18

  Finally admitting to myself that I will not find her here, I rise to my feet. I find myself walking back the way we came. Quinn must have something to do with this. That explains why he suddenly accepted that Xandra was not interested in him. It did not matter how she felt about him, he was planning to kidnap her all along. But how? It had to have been done with magic, but where did he get it? And why could I not sense it? However he did it, he will not get away with it. He is going to bring her back to me, even if I have to torture every Giant in the village to get him to talk.

  Most of the Giants do not pay attention to me as I weave my way through them. The ones that do clear a path. The murderous expression on my face is enough to get them out of my way. By the time I arrive at the Chieftain’s house, I am so angry I can barely control my magic.