And the more he thought, the worse it became, his mind obsessing over the horror that had unknowingly lived amongst them. A demon lurking in paradise – he was even beginning to think like Talia now. He slowly continued his journey to the great hall wondering how he had not noticed this terrible deviation in Michael’s character, festering like an untended wound, waiting to attack and destroy at the slightest provocation. He was furious with himself. This man had lived amongst them with his darkness hidden under a cloak of allegiance to king and country. How many other men had been insidiously contaminated with bitterness and hatred unbeknown to them all? Michael had managed the palace grounds calmly and efficiently, never caused a whisper of unrest amongst his workers. He had socialised with the women every night with no complaint about his behaviour, how was it possible he had appeared normal when he could so horribly violate one of their sex? Isaac could not understand it, but it was Katrina that concerned him most. Her hideous memories stirred and awoken by this horror… A dark spot would forever stain his soul since the horrific rape of his beloved servant. Katrina had been certain her attackers were vagabonds, but Michael had refused to believe it, preferring to blame Talia’s people instead. There had always been fear of the Lokians’ mystical powers and he had stoked that fear by bringing Talia here. He sighed as he marched into the great hall, an oppressive heaviness weighing down his heart. Were other men having hideous thoughts about his beloved Talia, longing to abuse her because of the accident of her birth? Was his precious Wanwisa unsafe even with her king to protect her? Could he and Talia ever live happily together here or were they destined to only find true peace in the blue room?
“Your Majesty?”
Isaac stared blankly into Bernard’s concerned eyes. He had to trust his advisors and courtiers. A good man would never violate a woman, and they were good men. Michael was an aberration, a terrible exception to the rule.
“Sorry, Bernard, it’s been a long day.”
Bernard nodded. “It has been a strain on everyone, Sire, and no one more than you. Is Talia with her friend?”
Isaac winced as Jenna’s devastated face flashed before his eyes. “Yes. I pray Talia’s tender care will be a great comfort and aid Jenna’s recovery.”
A few of the men sidled closer, nudging Darren who coughed and shyly met Isaac’s eyes. The boy’s face was the colour of a ripe tomato, and he stumbled over his words. “We would like to say how happy we are for you, Your Majesty… we didn’t realise just how… fond you were of Talia until today.”
Their smiles were genuine as they all joined in the congratulations, clearly thrilled by Isaac’s public declaration of love. Talia had been here only seven days yet their love had already touched the hearts of world-weary, cynical men, relieved their commitment-resistant king was to marry at last. Their many well-meaning attempts at matchmaking over the years had been futile. Isaac had always known if he married it would be a love match of equals and now he would ensure his advisors knew that too. Talia’s future happiness hinged upon his next words…
“Thank you, my friends, thank you. I have found a contentment and peace with Talia I never envisaged for myself. We have been blessed with a rare and precious love.”
“Like you and Abraham.”
The men stared incredulously at Darren and the poor boy blushed even harder. Bernard smirked good-naturedly. “His Majesty doesn’t fuck Abraham, Darren! Have some sense.”
“No, Darren’s right.” Bernard stared at Isaac, his grey eyes widening. “Abraham and I have a special bond, but my relationship with Talia is of a rather more… erotic nature.”
The men laughed and leant in closer, eager to hear what he would say next. And he was only warming up…
“Talia is intelligent and spiritual, a unique and loving soul. She understands me as I do her.” His advisors gawped like inbreds, and Isaac bit his lip to suppress his smile. “She will be a spectacular queen of Cornicunia, a unifying influence, her wisdom and insight invaluable to us all. She belongs with me as I belong with her – for eternity and beyond,” he finished firmly, certain his little speech had made his point. Talia was not to be a decorative wife, existing for his amusement and pleasure. She was to be Queen of Cornicunia, a woman respected in her own right, not just because she was married to their king.
“That’s wonderful, Your Majesty.” Darren’s eyes shone with youthful enthusiasm and the other men nodded in agreement.
“Congratulations, Sire, true love is a rare blessing, but Talia’s people will not believe it. They will think she is being held against her will.” Bernard always told the truth, even when you didn’t want to hear it.
“I know.” Isaac sighed heavily, blowing out a long breath of air. “I don’t expect them to believe the message I have sent about Jenna, but Talia… they’ll think I’ve used and abused her, if only they knew the truth.” He shook his head. “I could never hurt Talia, I adore her.”
Bernard nodded thoughtfully. “The Lokians will not believe this is a love match, they will think you are forcing Talia to marry you. But they have no army or military power, we have nothing to fear.”
Isaac was not afraid of retribution, Talia’s wellbeing was the only thing that concerned him. He had stolen the most gifted Lokian visionary, the future of her people ran through her veins. Would the Lokians ever accept their union even if she convinced them of her love for him? Or did they expect her to marry another gifted Lokian and have little visionary babies? Would they refuse to see her after her marriage to their king? The future was so uncertain and it must be worrying Talia, but her focus was firmly on him. He was a blessed man and must fulfil Talia’s heartbreaking faith in him. He silently vowed to do everything in his power to make her happy and he would begin today. An idea was formulating in his mind, and it was an inspired one. He could lighten the mood in the palace, ease the pain of this terrible day. Distract Katrina from her bad memories by giving her something joyous to focus on.
And he could make himself and Talia the happiest people in this mortal world…
Talia’s Visit
“Did you sleep well, Jenna?”
Abraham quietly closed the door as he and Katrina left Jenna and Talia alone. Jenna’s eyes were still tired and haunted, but she managed a weak smile.
“I must have, but I do not feel rested at all. I didn’t have nightmares, but I didn’t visit the spirit realms either. I’m scared, Talia, my body and mind are no longer in balance with my spirit, no longer one with the mortal world. I am holding on to the terrible thing that happened to me, I can’t stop thinking about it. I am compelled to replay the horror time and time again in my mind. It is the very opposite of all we believe in, how we train our minds and spirits to behave, but I can’t stop. I feel… powerless as if I am living a waking nightmare I will never escape.”
It was just how she had felt on her arrival at the palace. Talia squeezed Jenna’s soft hand as it clung desperately to hers, at a loss for what to say. There was no easy solution to Jenna’s distress, no platitudes to console her. Living a charmed, secluded life in the Lokian village was easy, confronting the horrors of the outside world was hard. Talia knew that only too well. The fear and confusion she felt when she was abducted had compromised her powers but compared to Jenna she had faced nothing at all. Michael had not just assaulted Jenna’s body, he had brutalised her beliefs and ideals, stripped her illusions away. Even a Lokian, schooled in mediation and self-awareness, could not remain unaffected by such a thing. Talia saw the pain and confusion in her friend’s haunted eyes, felt her distress running through her own veins. Jenna had disassociated from the world and was living in the tortured memories of her mind. The battle to regain tranquillity would not be easy.
“Please tell me if I can do anything to help, Jenna, anything at all. I feel useless, but I think I understand how you are feeling. The mortal world can be a cruel place and we have been protected from its realities all our lives. When I first arrived here, I yearned to return to my idyllic life
, my mind was in turmoil. I couldn’t control my gifts or trust my intuition anymore. Even now, I don’t have the control and serenity I had before, life in this palace is not conducive to meaningful spiritual reflection. But you, sweet Jenna, have suffered a great trauma and it would not be natural to be unchanged by that. It will take much time, meditation and talking to those who love you – but I know you will regain your sense of peace. You are a strong person, Jenna, and a wise one, you know what happened to you is an aberration, a hideous perversion not representative of this world.”
Jenna nodded, squeezing Talia’s hand. “I needed to hear that, Talia, you are such a comfort and…” Jenna swallowed, her eyes closing momentarily. When they reopened they were consumed with pain. “It comforts me to know you have been spared this horror. When he attacked me, I was terrified and confused because I no longer felt part of this world. How could I, Talia? The man who stripped and beat me and tried to rape me was part of it… and he shattered everything I believe in. That man made a mockery of all we believe, exposed the unity of creation as a sham. I want to return to the spirit realms, but I fear I will never find my way back there again. The path is dark now, crowded with strange, terrifying creatures at every turn. It is no longer the clear, radiant path I knew.”
Tears trickled down Talia’s cheeks as she drew Jenna into her arms and the two women wept quietly together for a while. When they parted, there was a faint light of hope in Jenna’s eyes.
“You are helping me more than you know, Talia. However dark my journey might be, yours gives me hope and courage. I… I felt your happiness this afternoon, the tenderness and love you share with King Isaac. You used your special gift, didn’t you? You shared your relationship with the king, showed me your thoughts and feelings, opened your mind to me.”
“Yes,” Talia whispered, her cheeks growing hot as she realised she had better control of her gifts than she thought. Jenna had felt the physical intimacy between Talia and Isaac, shared the sensations and emotions of their lovemaking. “Isaac is my destiny as I am his. We were meant to be,” she said simply. “Jenna, he had me abducted so he could make me his slave but nothing about this is what it seems. From the start, I instinctively knew Isaac was meant for me, but I couldn’t trust it, couldn’t trust myself. I was scared and confused, but now I know the truth. Isaac could never hurt any woman, Jenna. He was afraid of our powers, wanted to learn the secrets of our minds. I know the way he went about it is difficult to understand but… he has been tender and gentle with me. We have had our disagreements but everything that has happened between us has been natural, beautiful; he has never hurt me…” She couldn’t continue, it was impossible to explain. Isaac had captured her and made her his slave… his sex slave. It was hard to explain how she had always been in control of everything that happened between them. Talia herself still found it hard to understand.
“Please, go on, Talia, please tell me everything that has happened to you here.”
She had to tell Jenna the story of Talia and Isaac, distract her friend from her suffering by telling her about a love that was destined to be. Jenna’s eyes were shining, a little life in them again. Her beautiful soul had not been destroyed, only injured, her joy in another’s happiness still intact.
Talia breathed in deeply, her voice barely above a whisper as she tentatively began to tell the story of the last seven days. She quietly described the major events in her short relationship with Isaac, watching Jenna’s face all the time. She started at the beginning with their very first look into each other’s eyes and the breathtaking sensation of knowing she had found her destiny. She talked about her traumatic first night with Isaac, watched Jenna flinch as she told her about the blue room and the cage. And then she watched the light grow in her friend’s tired eyes as she spoke of Isaac’s transformation from cruel captor to sensitive lover and their magical first night together. She talked a little about their time in the blue room, about Isaac’s mercurial nature, his passion, intelligence, his tenderness – his fear of love. It all poured out of her as she lost herself in retracing the exquisite journey she and Isaac had taken in order to attain the harmony and love they enjoyed today. She ended with Isaac’s proposal of marriage, and when she finally stopped talking, both women were crying tears of joy…
“Oh, Talia, it is unbelievably beautiful, a story from a fairy tale or one of our legends. You and King Isaac have overcome so much to be together and are surely destined for the happiest of unions. You deserve your happiness, Talia. You have waited so long to find your mate.”
Talia stared blankly at her friend’s shining eyes. Jenna had found her mate, her husband Rowan, and he would not abandon her. Now Jenna was relaxed and Talia was no longer guarding her mind, the connection they had forged in childhood flowed purely between them. Jenna knew exactly what Talia was thinking…
“Yes, Rowan will come for me,” Jenna said quietly, staring deep into Talia’s troubled eyes. “He will risk his life to find me.”
The bitterness in Jenna’s voice terrified Talia for who knew where it would lead them all? The ominous feeling of dread returned to her heart and stomach as if there was unimaginable horror still ahead. She shuddered as the spirit realms moved through her body, their vibrations chilling and intense, confirming her suspicions were correct. Bad times still to come…
“Rowan’s life will not be in jeopardy, Jenna. Isaac is a good man, he will return you to your husband. There are many good men here.”
She was valiantly defending her new home, but Jenna would have none of it. Talia felt her friend’s mind close, watched bitterness creep into her haunted eyes.
“All our men are good.” Jenna shivered. “They would never assault a woman, it would never enter their minds.”
Talia squeezed Jenna’s hand even as she felt the agonising pain of her friend’s attack on Isaac’s character. Even after hearing the magical love story of Talia and Isaac, Jenna remained unconvinced. Her eyes were hostile and accusing, Michael’s damage soul-deep. Jenna did not trust Isaac despite Talia’s love for him, and Talia could not defend Isaac’s behaviour. He had abducted her as Michael had abducted Jenna. Isaac was a good man, but his behaviour had been misguided, arrogant.
Cruel.
“The events of the last few days have created something truly terrible, a self-perpetuating cycle of fear and mistrust, hatred and revenge. I will do everything I can to be a peacemaker between our people and Isaac but – I wonder how and when this will end.”
“It will never end.”
Jenna’s voice was cold and bitter, its certainty bone-chilling. Talia yearned to talk more of her wish to create an idyllic relationship between their people and her king, but bit her lip and stayed silent. After all she had suffered, Jenna would not want to hear it, for the world was a much changed place for her now. But what did this mean for Talia and Isaac? She hated her selfishness, but all she could hear was the hopelessness of those four small words. It will never end. She couldn’t bear the thought of being estranged from her people but perhaps that was the way it had to be. She wanted to believe she could reconcile everyone and carry them forwards into a future of hope and love, but she had a terrible feeling this dream was too great to bring to fulfilment even for the most inspired Lokian visionary of them all…
***********
Talia was so pale! She walked gracefully into the great hall without any physical support, but Abraham’s eyes didn’t leave her, his body taut, ready to catch her if she fell. Talia’s wan face and haunted eyes betrayed the fragile emotions bubbling beneath her dignified exterior. Isaac was proud of her strength, but wondered just how taxing her visit with Jenna had been. His little Lokian visionary looked as if she carried all the worries of the universe on her slender shoulders and as she neared him he saw the horrific emptiness in her turquoise eyes. She had not journeyed to the spirit realms without him – but she was not here either. Just moments ago he had been indulging his fantasies, dreaming of the fruition of his wonderful plan
– and now this. All he could think about was doing the thing that would make him happier than anyone on earth, but life was not as simple as that. He could not be a selfish king. Talia had a sensitive, empathetic nature and what had happened to Jenna resonated with her to an alarming degree. It was as if it had happened to her… Fuck, he couldn’t bear to think of it, his precious Talia. He shuddered and unashamedly pulled her into his arms in front of everyone. They had never seen such a tender king.
“Are you alright, Wanwisa?”
“No.”
It was a tiny whisper he could hardly hear. He gently held her away from him and stared gravely into her eyes.
“I’m selfish.”
This he had not expected; what could she mean?
“Why?”
“I…” Her eyes flickered to Abraham, who was talking to the other advisors nearby. Their eyes were bulging, necks craning forwards, intent on overhearing as much of this conversation as they could. Good God. “Now?” she whispered.
“Now,” he said firmly, determined to keep his resolution to be open in front of his advisors. He and Talia shared a unique and precious love that must never be denied – and everyone should see the wonders she was capable of. If he only let her speak when they were hidden away in their bedroom that would never happen.
“Your Majesty, after talking with Jenna, I am scared… for us.”
Talia and Isaac Page 39