A Bond of Three (8 page)

Tanish became still. “He is well.” The stiffness of his spine and the set of his jaw belied his words.

Why should he share truth with me? We have known each other mere seconds.

Tanish stepped farther away from Sorran, and that feeling of loss increased.

“I know my parents will rest before the ball,” he said hurriedly, sensing Tanish was about to take his leave. “But I am wide awake. Would you stay with me? I do not wish to be alone.”

Tanish regarded him levelly. “Very well, Your Highness.” The air of resignation about him weighed heavily on Sorran.

“If we are to bear each other’s company, then, please, call me Sorran,” he entreated the prince.

Tanish jerked his head sharply. “I have no issue with that. You may use my name also.”

His manner was so stiff, Sorran began to despair of ever breaking through the cloak of reserve that hid Tanish from his sight.

Something is wrong.

Sorran trusted his senses. Better still, he trusted his gifts. He had not made an error. His body screamed at him that Tanish was indeed the one, and his physical reaction to the prince bore testament to that.

So why is Prince Tanish so cold
?

There was no mistaking it.

Perhaps we need to spend more time in each other’s company
, he reasoned.

“The day is young. Perhaps you might show me around Teruna?” Sorran suggested. He knew if his father were awake, Sorran would have little chance of being allowed out of the palace. The moment begged to be seized.

Tanish studied him a moment before pursing his lips. “Do you ride?”

Sorran beamed. “I love to ride.”

Something eased in the prince. “Then let us saddle up some horses and I will show you a little of Teruna.” He frowned. “My father would insist that a bodyguard accompany us.”

Sorran wanted to be alone with Tanish. “Must it be so?”

Tanish stared at him in silence. Then to Sorran’s relief, the tension in him eased. “We shall have to sneak out of the palace.” The idea must have appealed to him. His eyes gleamed.

Sorran grinned. “Then I am in your hands.”

Tanish smiled for the first time. “This way, Your Highness.”

Sorran followed Tanish from his chamber, his heart rejoicing. Perhaps spending a little time together was the key to breaking through Tanish’s cool exterior to discover more of the young man who hid beneath.

Sorran hoped it would be enough.

Something is missing.

It was not enough that he knew he belonged to Tanish. There were still pieces waiting to be slotted into position. And Sorran had no clue as to what those pieces might be.

Chapter 6

“Y
OU
HAVE
not seen us, Timur, is that clear?” Tanish stared at the stable boy, his gaze unwavering.

Timur grinned. “Seen who, Your Highness?” He finished adjusting the saddle and reins, and then patted the stallion’s creamy flanks. He nodded toward Sorran, who was standing by the stable door, anxiously looking around. “Can he handle Forena?”

Tanish stroked down Forena’s nose, making little clicks as he stared into the horse’s liquid brown eyes. “He says he rides stallions all the time in Vancor, so we will take him at his word.” He smoothed the stallion’s mane. “Forena is a good horse. He will behave.” Sorran had taken one look at Forena and smiled broadly, exuding confidence. When Tanish had protested that perhaps he might wish to ride a gentler horse, Sorran’s eyes flashed. The Vancoran prince had spirit.

Timur chuckled. “He had best behave. The Maker forbid that one of our horses throws the young prince.” He flicked his head toward the black mare, already saddled up. “And you and Nerita grew up together. She loves her Prince Tanish.”

Tanish strolled across to pet the mare, who whinnied and pushed her nose into his hand. “That’s my girl,” he whispered into her ear, his face pressed against her, fingers curled in her mane. If she had been in heat, he would have chosen otherwise for Sorran. The prince’s safety was paramount in his mind.

“Then I will take my leave of you,” Timur said with a bow and left the stable, bowing to Sorran as he passed.

Sorran acknowledged him and then came fully into the stable. His eyes glowed with warmth as he gazed at the horses. “Such beautiful animals,” he said in a low tone. He stretched out his hand toward Forena, who immediately nudged it with his nose. Sorran laughed, the sound bright and joyous. “Oh, you are a beauty, aren’t you?” He regarded Tanish with a broad smile. “Thank you for this. But I must ask, do you often ride unaccompanied? Such a thing would never be countenanced in Vancor.” His smile faltered. “The times I have longed to gallop through the surrounding countryside, away from the watchful gaze of others.”

Tanish shrugged. “It is the same for me.” The times he wished to ride through the kingdom, simply to mix with the people, to hear their words, see their lives…. There was always at least one guard.

But not today. Today he had a plan.

Tanish went over to the hay pile and picked up the two robes he had laid there. He handed one to Sorran. “Put this on, and none shall pay us heed.”

Sorran examined the robe, running his hand over the soft fabric. “What a glorious color. I have rarely seen such a deep red.” He flung the robe around him and then touched the hood. “Should I wear the hood up?”

Tanish frowned as he put on his own robe. “If you were to wear the robe without it, you would indeed attract attention.”

Sorran smoothed down the fabric. “Why should no one pay us heed in these garments?

Tanish stared at him. “Because one is invisible when one wears a
cashor
—or as good as. Surely you know that.”

Sorran tilted his head, his confusion evident. “This is a
cashor
? I do not recognize the word. Who wears such a garment?”

Tanish did not know what to think. Either this prince was a fool, or more intriguingly, he knew nothing of
Seruani
. Tanish was not acquainted with the customs of Vancor.
Do they not have Seruani?
Then he stopped himself. There would be time enough to discover more when they were out riding, away from the ears and eyes of the palace guards.

“I will speak more of this later. Come, let us be on our way, before anyone becomes aware of our absence.” He swung himself up onto Nerita’s broad back, patting her neck and shoulders.

Sorran did the same, and Forena stood still while he adjusted his seat. Tanish nudged the mare with his knees and led the way out of the stable into the sunlit courtyard. Timur stood by the gate, holding it open for them. He gave them a brief bow as they passed through, and then the gate closed behind them.

Tanish went first, Nerita trotting over the cobbles as they followed the winding street down through the city. All about them was the hustle and bustle of daily life: sellers with their brightly colored carts, proclaiming their wares; women standing on the corners, chatting gaily; old men sitting in the shadows, playing games and speaking in low tones; children running, laughing, and shrieking as they played. There was a current of excitement everywhere.

He glanced back at his riding companion. Sorran was taking it all in, eyes sparkling.

Tanish smiled to himself. He had been determined not to like Sorran when he’d thought him to be a girl. Once the shock had worn off, he’d decided nothing had changed. He would be polite and no more. But there was something about Sorran that drew Tanish to him. He was clearly younger, and though he was a prince, he had no airs about him. His enthusiasm was infectious. Tanish could not help but compare him to the youths of the Great Houses, Teruna’s aristocracy, whose haughtiness and pomposity he despised. Sorran was a breath of fresh air.

They reached the outer walls of the city, and just as Tanish had hoped, none had given them so much as a second glance. It afforded him a glimpse into the lives of those who were
Seruan
.

How does Feyar stand this?
To walk through the streets, shunned and despised?
It made his heart sore.

The city gave way to the countryside, with its vast fields of green sprinkled with wild flowers, and its rolling hills and forests.

Away from civilization, Sorran threw back his hood and sighed with pleasure as he surveyed his surroundings. He drew up beside Tanish and smiled. “Teruna is truly beautiful.”

Tanish glowed at this praise of his birthplace. They trotted along at a steady pace, Sorran seemingly as content as he to enjoy the view.

“We are alone,” Sorran said after a few minutes. “Tell me of the
cashor
. You have intrigued me.”

Tanish thought for a moment how best to begin. “It is worn by the
Seruani
.” Sorran’s furrowed brow told him what he needed to know. He sighed. “The
Seruani
are those men and women who provide a special service. They instruct us in the pleasures of the flesh. A husband whose wife no longer wishes to share her bed with him, those who have lost their partners, youths who seek their first experience to be with someone knowledgeable—all these people can pay for their services.”

Sorran’s forehead smoothed out. “Ah, I understand. We have such people in Vancor.” That frown was back suddenly. “But I am still confused. Why would someone not pay us heed if we wear the
cashor
?”

Tanish stared at him. “Because
Seruani
are considered the lowest of the low. When a youth is taken to be trained as a
Seruan
, he or she loses all contact with his or her family. If a
Seruan
was to be seen in the street by a family member, they would not be acknowledged. In truth, they would be shunned.”

Sorran pulled at Forena’s reins, bringing the stallion to a dead stop.

Tanish halted Nerita and twisted in his saddle to regard Sorran. “What is the matter?”

Sorran shook his head, his expression pained. “In Vancor, such people are revered. They are viewed as mystical.”

Tanish was astonished. “But why?” He could not believe such a difference in attitude could exist.

Sorran tilted his head. “My teachers tell me that when two people make love, their joy can be such that they almost touch the heavens. Surely one who can help you reach such levels is a person to be cherished, valued, revered.”

His description brought tears to Tanish’s eyes. To think that but for an accident of geography, Feyar could have been born into a land where his gifts would have had worth, where he would have been treasured. Tanish bowed his head, eyes closed, overwhelmed with emotion.

A soft hand came to rest on his arm. “What ails you, Tanish?” Sorran’s voice was low and lilting, his concern audible.

Tanish opened his eyes and gave Sorran a feeble smile. “For many years I have wept at the thought of those chosen to be
Seruani
, shunned by their families and society. I have wished for change.”

Sorran smiled, his dark eyes flashing. “But you are to be king one day, just as I will be. A king wields so much power.” He leaned closer, his gaze fixed on Tanish. “If a king does not like a law, he has the power to change it.”

Tanish shook his head. “To do so would be to insult those who drew up the laws in the first place.”

Sorran quirked his eyebrows. “Who created those laws? And when?”

“I do not know. It has always been so.” Tanish had reflected upon that many times.

Sorran frowned. “That does not mean it must remain so. And laws can be changed a little at a time. Take small steps, but always be sure of your goal.” He patted Tanish’s arm. “Win the people’s hearts first, and then lead them where you will go. If you act justly, your motives clear, they will follow you.”

Sorran’s earnest expression seemed older than his years. Tanish gazed at the prince in wonder. Sorran’s words resonated deep within him, sparking a flame of hope—and something else. For the first time in a long while, Tanish felt at peace with his destiny.

He smiled. “Let us give our mounts free rein. There is something I wish you to see.”

Sorran’s grin lit up his eyes. “A gallop, with the wind in our hair? Oh yes, let us.”

Tanish adjusted his grip on the reins and set off. The two of them galloped through the fields, the long grasses swaying in the breeze, the sun warm on their backs. The horses’ hooves pounded the ground, putting more and more distance between them and Teruna’s capital, with its worries and uncertainties.

Tanish’s thoughts turned to Feyar.
Why have I never done this with him?
The answer came to him instantly.
Because I have never ridden here without an escort.
His senses told him that to bring his
Seruan
here would be frowned upon and would surely lead others—his father, for one—to assume that their relationship was not as it should be.

Sorran galloped beside him, every now and then letting out a joyous whoop, his robe billowing behind him like a red sail. Tanish set the pace, and Sorran kept up with him easily, both of them laughing as they raced toward the horizon. Tanish spurred Nerita on. He reached the cliff top first and pulled up on Nerita’s reins. He waited for Sorran to catch up and then flung out his arm. “This is what I wanted you to see.”