A Question of Power (The Fire Chronicles Book 2)

by Susi Wright

  Luminor did not sense any immediate threat from either group, but had already made a mental note of who the angry humans were, when the vote had not gone their way, in case he encountered them under different circumstances later. They were gone for now, but with more outsiders taking refuge in the city during the coming weeks, they could well return as spies or troublemakers, intending harm to Prince Rolin, or his own clan. He would be prepared.

  CHAPTER 51

  Torment

  They do not love

  that do not show their love.

  The course of true love

  never did run smooth.

  Love is a familiar.

  Love is a devil.

  There is no evil angel

  but Love.

  William Shakespeare

  “It was you? Was it not?” Chadren had a bemused expression as he stood by the mantelpiece, watching the flames in the hearth. He removed his hand from the mantel to cross the living room. He moved stiffly, shifting his weight to his good leg. Even after the passage of a few years, his right one still pained him at times, especially after a long carriage journey such as the one he made often, from Splendo to the Capital, to visit Fralii and the family. He had grown to love and respect all the Gaian members of his extended family as he had come to know them – a far cry from his opinion of their race when he had first encountered Luminor, with the death of his beloved wife, raw and festering in his mind. He had hated the supernatural prankster.

  Fralii and Aleana had left the men, leaving the room to settle the children to sleep. They had all enjoyed a most wonderful afternoon together, after Chadren’s arrival. Aleana and Altor had joined in for late afternoon refreshments in the garden and they had shared a cosy evening meal, catching up with all the news, small and large – in particular, Aleana’s sense that the recent quest to rid Baram of the invader had been successful. These visits were something Chadren cherished above all as he continued his trading journeys far and wide, calling in to the Capital whenever he could. But this had been a special visit to see his newborn grandson, Ardientor, and setting eyes on the hale and hearty babe, his heart had swelled with pride. He was very pleased that his daughter now enjoyed such happiness, after the tumultuous course of her romance with Luminor – though much of that trouble had been caused by his own stubborn hatred. Those trying days were long past, thanks to forgiveness, and there were now two very special grandchildren for him to bounce on his knee.

  “I guessed, you know – a long time ago. I am a trader. I can put two and two together. I have wanted to ask this question for too long! I didn’t want to sound foolish or worse, mad, but I have been dying to know for sure! Pray tell me. . .Was it you?” repeated Chadren with a challenging grin on his face, as he turned to face his companion in the room.

  Expecting the question of his guilt over the foolish boyhood prank, which had caused so much pain, to raise its ugly head over the years, Altor did not flinch at Chadren’s accusation. After all, he had said it with a smile on his face! It had been a long time coming. There had been many a time when Altor had thought to confess his accidental part in Zula’s death, but the right opportunity never seemed to present itself. Until now – late as it was. Over time Chadren had mellowed and there had been countless conversations, but he had simply never asked and the question lingered like ghost. It was better to clear the air.

  “Yes, Chadren – I was but ten summers old!” A statement of fact. Altor did not intend to use it as his defense, but in itself it did provide some explanation. The follies of youth!

  Chadren yelped at the disclosure. “Aha! I knew it! Every time I have ever spoken to you – looked into those unmistakable blue eyes – I had a gut feeling about it! You know, we humans are not as benighted as you think. You Supernaturals are not the only ones with intuition!” He chuckled despite Altor’s open admission of guilt. “But – I cannot be angry with you, now that I know you – you are too damn likeable! Though, a few years ago I would have killed you, I must say!” He looked Altor with mock reproach.

  Altor breathed a sigh of relief, to at last have it out in the open. An expression between a wince and a smile hovered on his face.

  “Tell me, Altor. . .” Chadren belatedly lowered his voice. “Did Fralii ever get to know?”

  Altor smiled wryly. “Yes. From stories of my family and where we used to play, she guessed, a while ago – but she forgave me! We agreed to wait for a better time to tell you, and I am sorry that turns out to be now, Sir!”

  “Yes, lucky for you. . .I think it folly to drag up bad feelings that are best left in the past, especially now we all have such a bright future ahead of us!”

  And that was the end of the matter.

  Before the crack of dawn, true to his word, a very lighthearted Xandor led one of the hunting parties out to gather yams, back to the wooded glade where they had killed the rak-boar. Sackfuls loaded with the sweet tubours hung on either side of their saddles, as the riders made numerous forays into the heavily wooded terrain and back, to fill the wagon at the edge of the forest.

  There had been a steady drizzle all the previous night and for part of the morning, making the return trip slower as the wheels of the wagon churned into the sodden bare earth and ash of the wasteland, but they managed to make it without bogging. Eventually the sun made a belated appearance towards late-afternoon, as if to join the people in welcoming Xandor’s band of hunters back to the palace. They had been the only ones who had yet returned.

  Many willing hands unloaded the yams and others set about kitchen duties for another round of evening meals, while Xandor and the other hunters took a little time for themselves after a job well done, to visit the underground spa, ridding themselves of the grime and mud of the day.

  All the day long, Xandor had gone through the motions of his duties in elated, love-struck preoccupation. Now his problem with the betrothal had disappeared, thoughts and desires he had pushed aside out of duty came flooding in to fill his mind. Having realised that he could have the woman he had long desired, if she would have him, he felt a burning impatience. He needed to find out. He wanted a chance to declare his love, tell her that he had never wanted to reject her. To explain. In a matter of hours, this restlessness had grown to almost fever pitch, desire and longing had wormed their way to the forefront of his thoughts and taken hold like a demon; to see Serafina again, to show he cared, was all that seemed to matter. And that presented him with another problem. He was still honour bound to his quest and therefore not free to leave.

  Hardly noticing the passage of the evening, avoiding the company and lively banter of his friends, his mind and gut churned. He finally found a quiet corner and fell into tormented slumber, wondering if the course of true love was ever straight, or if the weight of duty ever truly left a warrior’s shoulders.

  CHAPTER 52

  Demon

  Altor had been asked to preside over an urgent meeting. Several Elites who were considered suitable tutors for Espira were in attendance. In addition to her advisory position, Aleana also volunteered to join Nerisse to take on the task of mentoring Serafina in her developing healing talents. The absence and subsequent retrieval of Espira from her astral adventure had surprised them all, not least Serafina herself, raising the urgency of adequate training for both exceptionally gifted students.

  “Serafina is adapting very well to redirecting her powers. . .would you agree?” asked Aleana. After quizzing the young healer about the details of the event, they had been even more impressed to discover Serafina had also been able to exert some healing on Luminor – led to him by Espira – so they had to give due credit to both girls for at least some part in Luminor’s survival.

  “I feel she might be a little over excited. . .that is merely youth.” Aleana smiled knowingly at Altor who blinked his eyes in agreement, having made his own biggest mistake due to youthful ignorance.

  “Yes! She will need careful guidance for some time yet. At least, she is eager to learn. She has
reason and a certain maturity about her, but I suggest we keep careful watch!” Zoltor pursed his lips thoughtfully, then smiled enigmatically. “I sense that we are not quite out of the woods, with this one! She hides much. . .even from us!”

  The others nodded. Every one of them saw latent challenge in the immediate future. Both students were rare and precious – even dangerous – in their own way.

  “And, the little one – she will need sensitive application of all our talents. We all know she is our main concern. For the time being, she is safe and calm, so should be receptive to our tutelage. A quiet mind is a happier one. The irony is that it can be equally so through complete ignorance or enlightenment. In between. . .is the difficult time. Our job is to find the balance! By luck or design, we have the aid of the Ancestors, but it is imperative we make no mistakes in her training!” added Zoltor.

  “I do believe that Espira’s true equilibrium will return when Luminor does!” Altor sounded confident. Up to that point, he had been listening intently to the deliberations about the two girls, leaving the planning to the experienced tutors. However, he always had a strong Link with his brother, remembering how unsteady he always felt in his earlier youth when they were apart – how reason and balance returned when they were together. He felt it even now, with the new responsibilities he had been given, though he was better equipped to cope now he was a grown man with more training and experience. It had been particularly intense a few days ago, while Luminor was cloaking his presence from everyone. Altor had secretly felt bereft and confused, as if Luminor had died and it was extremely disturbing, though he had kept it to himself, throwing himself into his many duties as governor. He had been glad of Aleana’s claim to the belief that he was still alive, despite the fact that she could not see him either. He suspected it might have been purely motherly reassurance, but he had been grateful for it all the same! Espira’s connection to her father was far stronger than that. She loved him with a fierceness beyond words. He could understand how the child’s state of mind had gone awry and how she had been sorely tempted to demonstrate that love and try to seek him out. And succeeding!

  “Mother, I think you would agree however, that Luminor’s return could be many weeks away!” No one really knew for certain.

  Aleana nodded once, that was a possibility.

  “Thankfully, we’ve been given some time, but in either case, we should not tempt Fate in taking too long!” stated Nerisse, “Let us begin! It could well prove to be as challenging as transforming demons to angels!”

  With that, all six elders, feeling slight trepidation despite their collective centuries of experience, embarked on the education of their respective proteges.

  Something was stalking him. He had felt its presence for hours. His prickling sense of it had awoken him, but he remained disorientated, unable to identify exactly what followed him. Strange, even with his trusty warrior’s intuition, he could not determine how dangerous it was. Only that it was close! He tensed, preparing to jump to his feet. Rolling over to his other side to grab his sword, he came face to face – eye to fiery eye – with a demon. Round orbs of fire, much too close! The creature crouched. Its stare seared right into his very soul, dragging up strange emotions, creating physical turmoil as if his blood was starting to boil in his veins. The pain was excruciating, but he could not break the eye contact – compelling and terrifying at once. He could not drag his eyes away to examine the demon’s form, which remained shapeless in his peripheral vision. Unable to move a single muscle of his well-honed, powerful body, which had never before failed him in response to a threat, the fiery intrusion held him, burning through to his core. His heartbeat sounded too loud in his ears, left powerless to do anything except wonder if he was about to die!

  Suddenly, he felt the touch of the creature’s hand on his chest. He had not seen it reach for him. The contact felt warm, even though he was already sweating profusely. His vision was blurring with the sweat and the pain. He blinked, trying to regain focus. Then everything changed. The burning tide in his body ebbed quickly to a pleasant warmth, emanating from the creature’s touch. The evil eyes lost their terrifying appearance, became surprisingly beautiful to him. The warmth in his core abruptly became desire and shocked him anew. He blinked again, shaking his head in incredulous horror and managed a brief glance away from the stare that held him, to notice the shape of the thing that touched him. The demon had taken on the soft curves of a woman in a flowing red gown, with long hair of silver and gold which fanned out from her head with a life of their own, like a halo of white-hot flames. The arresting beauty of the eyes still demanded his attention, stirring long-denied feelings of physical desire. The floodgates had opened on a parched land! He began to enjoy the surge of emotion that accompanied the physical rush. Intimacy, enthralling familiarity. Fear? Lust! His breathing quickened. His mind and body screamed loudly for more of the blissful torture. Sweat poured in rivers from his brow. He drank from the whirlpool of sensation, wishing to drown in it, burning from thirst. He felt close to dying for a different reason. Pure physical pleasure!

  “Xandor! Xandor! Wake up!” Someone was shoving him hard on the shoulder, speaking in a loud whisper. “Wake up, my friend! You embarrass yourself!”

  Xandor opened his eyes, breathless, sweaty, confused, quickly recognising his friend, Sumar, leaning over him. The torrid excitement of his dream, just as abruptly turned to acute embarrassment, as he glanced around at a number of other men who had chosen sleeping places nearby, some of whom were throwing him quizzical looks. Some had knowing smiles or winked at him, others studiously chose to ignore his present obvious state of arousal. He guessed he had also been saying dubious things in his sleep! Xandor’s eyes flicked to his friend’s face. Sumar was smiling kindly. As he always did! Xandor found it more than a little irritating at this moment, realising that Sumar would know he had been dreaming about Serafina. Anyone else with eyes would have to be blind and deaf, not to know he had been dreaming about a woman!

  “I think you must visit the cold baths this morning, my friend! I shall join you. I have news and an idea that might be of help to you!” Sumar spoke matter-of-factly, as he helped his shaky friend to his feet.

  Xandor complied, reluctantly admitting a little gratitude for the timely rescue, though there was a trace of resentment that his physical frustration still pained him. In his present state, true kindness would have been to let him finish his dream! How like Sumar, to be thinking of the good of others. The altruistic bore!

  Feeling slightly more reasonable, once immersed in the cooling waters of the cave, Xandor was ready to listen to Sumar’s news, in particular the idea that might alleviate his new problem!

  “You know. . .the news is, that I have offered Saria, and her parents my protection on the journey back to Baram. We leave tomorrow at dawn. Saria’s parents are frail and we must make the journey before the rains. I am wholly committed – ” Sumar gave Xandor a serious look, “To extending that protection, indefinitely, particularly where Saria is concerned!”

  Xandor could not help noticing the way Sumar said Saria’s name, softly, like a caress, though his friend’s facial expression was suddenly neutral. He was intelligent enough to fill in the gaps in his Perception, at times, with good guesses. He smiled, wishing Sumar well in his chance at happiness.

  “Why do you not ask Lord Luminor for some leave and come with us? A few weeks only,” suggested Sumar, “Though I warn you – we are going by samblar, which might try your patience by an extra few days! Admittedly, I would appreciate the help with the animals. Go ahead – Ask! At any rate, you will not be able to hide the truth from him. You know he is not a tyrant! His compassion might allow for you to go the Capital and seek your answers. You can return to the quest later, after you have settled things. . .This quest will not be over for a very long time. And you will return to it a stronger man, one way or the other!” Sumar’s eyes were searching for a moment. “I know that is what you want!”

 
“You are a true brother and a true friend, Sumar. I can’t think of a better idea! I wonder if you know my heart better than I do. I shall seek an audience with our lord, right away!”

  Within half an hour, Xandor found Luminor in the courtyard, about to make the short journey to give Churian more treatment. If the old warrior’s condition improved enough, he could make the journey back by wagon to the Capital, where it would be far more comfortable for his convalescence.

  Luminor’s tone was kind, almost encouraging. “Brother Xandor, you have a question for me!”

  The young warrior threw caution to the wind, before he lost his nerve, blurting his thoughts in a rush. “I am sore vexed by my feelings for the woman, Serafina. I know now that I am free, that I love her. We parted on very uncertain terms and I cannot seem to concentrate, nor rest, until I discover if it is mutual, as I hope. Love is a pain, good and bad – you of all people know it! I need to go to the Capital to prove my love, to settle the matter. I would only need a fortnight, at most!”

  He turned his eyes bravely, in honest appeal, and met Luminor’s steady gaze.

  “You have served me well and helped save my life! It has proven to be a very good choice to assign you to this quest. It is lucky for you that Brother Dak has pledged his loyalty to us. One of his calibre could possibly take your place for a short time – only until you return, which I know you will!” Luminor smiled and Xandor had the distinct impression that he had just been paid a compliment and received permission to leave in the same breath.