Divided (49 page)

“Indeed,” Taeru said with a distracted smile.  “Well, I’m
going to show him the rest of the District.  I will see you after sunset,
Juliet.”

“See you, Kilik, and feel free to come by whenever you need
anything, Aelic,” Juliet said, with a final nod in the direction of Aela.

The people in the house were very welcoming, and Aela could
see why Taeru had started to call them a family.  They loved Taeru, and that
much was incredibly obvious—and Taeru loved anything that breathed.  Well, not
loved, but he cared for anything that breathed.  These people did seem to be
especially dear to him, though.

With another farewell to Alyx, they exited back into the air
of Dark District.  The two of them glanced at each other, and Aela could see
Taeru’s mind working once again. “Alright, I’ve shown you all the essentials. 
Is there anywhere else you were hoping to see?” Taeru asked.

Finally, unable to deny her curiosity, Aela spoke her
original request.  “I was hoping you’d show me where I could find a
bookstore.” 

A funny, little smile made its way onto Taeru’s lips, and
then he nodded his head obligingly.  “Certainly.  It’s not so much a store as a
stand with a lot of books, though,” he said apologetically.  “But if I tried to
sneak you into the Shining District, we might never get to that bookstore.”

Aela laughed, and the sound was far more girlish than she’d
thought.  She wasn’t sure how she’d ever expected that she would be able to
maintain the appearance of a guy in front of the brother with whom she’d grown
up.  Taeru made her feel like a little girl, not a little boy.  They walked
easily, and she marveled at how well Taeru seemed to know the layout of this
place. 

He’d had five years, so it was understandable that he’d have
a decent grasp on the surroundings.  She saw the way he walked, though, with
that same, uninterrupted gracefulness.  He seemed as though he were constantly
hunting for something, or constantly trying to fade into the background.  He
could have done both flawlessly. 

Aela tried to calm her raging mind.  So her brother was
here, and Leif would have to admit it after seeing Taeru, and that meant that
her book had to be more heavily considered.  The book had said that the prince
would come to the neighboring kingdom, but it had also said the prince was an
illegitimate son, and Aela had never heard anyone say Taeru was such.  Veyron
had liked Taeru very much.  Though, when she thought about it, Taeru did lack
all of Veyron’s strong features, in favor of sharper, more refined ones. 

The blue eyes had always been an oddity among their family
as well, though the eyes were too beautiful to dislike.  She had never thought
about it, and she refused to now.  Surely Veyron would have been aware—and if
he was, surely he would have mentioned it to Ryo or Aela.  Lastly, he would
never have allowed a boy that was not his own to run Cathalar—would he?

That was only one of the problems with her assessment that
the book spoke about her brother, too.  There was the fact that Taeru was
simply not dating a prince, and Taeru was no masked vigilante.  No—perhaps this
was a series of odd coincidences, though it didn’t change that she wanted to be
more forward with her brother.  She wondered if Leif would remain in his
position on not involving Taeru.  Aela didn’t want to bring Taeru into the war,
though if her book was right, then he was already involved—but she did want her
brother to know that she’d missed him dearly.

Yanking her from her thoughts, a cry pierced into her. 
“Kilik!” the voice was sharp, agitated.  For a moment, Aela thought that the
person might be angry with Kilik.

When she looked up, though, she saw the blond from the
tavern.  His white shirt looked a mess, and his hair even more so.  His eyes
were glowing with emotion, and most of it looked painful.  Aela winced at the
sight of him. What could have happened to throw him into such a frenzy? 
“Kilik,” he repeated.  Wow, she wasn’t sure she’d ever heard a voice so full of
longing before.

Taeru shifted on his feet, and she could see the way his
entire body seemed to drift towards the blond.  What a funny pair the two of
them made, both so entirely absorbed in the other.  “Hi,” Kilik said quickly.

With a jerk of his head, the blond’s intense eyes found
Aela.  They were a bright blue-green color, more green than blue, though Aela
had a feeling that might be subject to change.  He was very handsome, more
striking than he’d seemed at the bar.  The boy was tall, a sharp contrast to
Taeru, and his features were pale and commanding.  He had a sharp jawbone, a
similar line to Taeru’s, but his cheek bones were not nearly high enough for
there to be similarities.  “You have a friend,” the blond said dismally.

Taeru glanced back to Aela, as if he’d forgotten she was
there.  She wasn’t sure—in fact, she was sure that she’d never seen her brother
so affected by anyone before.  Though, the blond was certainly not blasé about
Taeru, either.  “Ah, yes, this is Aelic,” he said.  “Aelic, this is…”  Taeru
paused, as if unsure.

“Calis,” the man said without hesitation.  His eyes were
burning, and Aela was sure that he wanted her to leave.  She didn’t want to
leave, though, so he was going to have to calm down and get over it.

Calis—that name sounded incredibly familiar.  She dismissed
it, though, as it was probably a rather common name throughout Telandus.  They
were well known for their repetition in naming their children.  “Nice to meet
you,” she said, daring him to ask her to leave.

His eyes seemed preoccupied with Taeru, and they were
determined to look at the boy even when he didn’t merit looking at.  “I need to
speak with you,” he said weakly, “privately.”  Aela could almost hear the
apology, though she was sure that it hadn’t quite formed.  This person was very
forward, and she would have liked that in any other circumstance.

However, Taeru was not one to be rude—no matter what the
situation, even when it involved some blond boy that could make Taeru melt with
a kiss.  “I promised Aelic I’d show him around,” he said resolutely.  “I need
to finish this first.  Are you in a hurry?”

For a moment, Aela thought that the blond might demand that
they discuss their matter right then and there, but then he shook his head. 
“No, I’m not,” he answered.  His eyes shifted to a bluer shade when he regarded
Taeru, then.  “Do you mind if I come with you for the remainder of the tour?”
Calis asked, then his eyes moved woefully to hers. 

She shook her head, not wanting to deny this tall, blond
individual anything.  He looked like he could get pretty mean if he was
crossed.  She needed to find out the nature of her brother’s and his
relationship, though, if she were going to rule out that her book was talking
about Taeru Lassau.  “No, that’s fine,” Taeru told him.

They walked, and Aela made sure to keep a few paces back
from them.  They were giving off such an intense heat that she thought she
might burn alive if she got too close to them.  Their bodies seemed entirely
drawn to one another, with every step and gesture, they were very clearly—well,
wanting one another.  She felt incredibly awkward.  Her brother!  Wanting
someone else, and directly in front of her!  The nerve!

At the same time, she felt a swell of happiness.  She’d
never seen Taeru move towards someone like this.  And any trace of that need
for affection that had been lingering in his countenance vanished entirely with
Calis’s presence.  Taeru was happy with this person, and Aela couldn’t help but
smile at that fact.  “So, Calis, are you… courting Kilik?” she asked.  If Calis
could be direct, then she would return the favor.

The two of them stopped, as if another step would result in
the ground swallowing both of them.  Taeru was peering tentatively at Calis,
and Calis seemed to be thinking over what Aela had just asked him. 
“I—courting?”  Then, Calis grinned.  “Possibly.”

A furious blush took over Taeru’s cheeks at that.  Taeru
blushing was an interesting sight, especially when he seemed so happy about the
blush.  He enjoyed Calis fessing up to the fact that they were, in fact,
together.  “Possibly?” she prodded.

“I am not very…” he paused, searching for the right word,
“…procedural in the way I do things.  To say that I am courting Kilik would
imply that I am, well, following predefined rules, and I am most certainly
not.”

“No, you aren’t,” Taeru offered merrily.  The two of them
exchanged another one of those glances that made Aela feel as though she
shouldn’t be there.  They would have been better served to throw one another to
the ground and make passionate love than to keep throwing those bloody looks at
one another.

Aela just grinned at both of them, and then she nodded her
head.  So she knew that Taeru was with someone, and that someone was not the
prince of Telandus.  For some reason, she felt relieved by this.  After all,
the way that book had used its words, the hero that it spoke of could very well
be in grave danger.  She really didn’t want her brother to be that person.  So,
perhaps the book was being written for another time period, for one soon to
come.  “So you’re new in town, Aelic?  How do you like Telandus?” Calis asked,
with more charm than Aela had expected.

She thought for a moment, and then she decided on the safest
answer.  “It is a city where I can rest without fear of bandits for a while.”

“I wouldn’t feel too safe,” Calis warned.  “Telandus is
filled with people who want to exploit those who cannot defend themselves.  The
nobles form the Shining District like to come here and make trouble—so try to
stay safe.”

Taeru offered a very serious nod.  “He’s being serious. 
Things can get nasty around here,” he said.  “You don’t want to be caught
without someone who will help you.”

This procured a heated glance from Calis, though not heated
in the way the other ones had been.  This one was pointed, concerned, and a
little frustrated, as he observed Taeru—who refused to glance at him.  “I will
keep that in mind,” she said.

By the Light, she felt like she may as well have been standing
in the room while they made love.  This had to be the strangest, most awkward
situation that she’d ever been in.  They were so positively enthralled by one
another, and neither of them knew how to hide it.  It was horrible, and it
wasn’t helped by the way Calis seemed so anxious to share his story with Taeru.

They finally arrived at the small stall, with an old lady
tending it.  The books were piled behind her, and Aela wondered how she’d
gotten all of them out there.  Admittedly, she was a little relieved to know
that she could excuse herself without fear of Taeru refusing now.  Not to
mention, she had done a pretty fair job of getting to know Taeru enough to see
him again—and she knew where he resided.  “Oh, this is a larger selection than
I expected,” she said.  Then, she turned briefly to Taeru.

His eyes were on her.  There was an undercurrent of emotion
in them, and she thought that he might suspect who she was.  After all, the
comment about her mother was still left unexplained.  But Calis looked as
though he might combust if he wasn’t given Taeru alone soon, so she just
smiled.  “I really appreciate your help, Kilik.  Juliet was right about you—you
are very kind.  It was nice to meet you, and you, Calis.  I hope to see you
both again soon.”  She hoped her tone conveyed how much she meant that. 

She did want to see them again, though maybe only once Calis
wasn’t looking intense enough to start a fire.  Taeru nodded his head to her. 
“I’m sure we will see you.  Remember to come to Juliet if you feel ill, and
remember to stay safe.”

“I will,” she said.  With a quick bow, she turned to the
bookstore, watching out of the corner of her eye as Calis grabbed Taeru by the
hand and pulled him quickly towards an alleyway where they could be alone.

“The hero had tricked Aleia.  She had been beaten at her
own game, by a mortal, and her need for revenge was endless.”

-A Hero’s Peace, v.i

Taeru could scarcely pretend that his hand didn’t tingle as
Calis pulled him, and he could scarcely pretend that he didn’t feel the mild
soreness that had yet to leave his body—only, this was the only pain that he
had ever smiled upon feeling.

What was more was that Calis had returned even after
whatever had happened with that abomination in the grove.  That moment had not
left Taeru’s mind, nor had the moon before it.  He tried to close his eyes to
block out the feelings.  They shouldn’t be coming so freely, and he ought to be
trying to figure out what the black thing was.  It was very clearly a threat to
any and everything, and he hadn’t any idea what to do about it.

“Where are we going, Calis?” he said, as they kept walking
purposefully.

“I need to talk to you, I… can we go?  I don’t mean as long
as last time.  I just… this is a conversation I need to be able to have
freely.”

Leaving the city walls again so soon was not anything Taeru
had anticipated.  The thrill of being outside of them had been terrifying and
exhilarating.  But Calis’s eyes were desperate, and Taeru didn’t seem to be
having any trouble trusting the blond anymore.  Calis legitimately wanted to
talk to him, and he wanted to do it without the possibility of guards or
nobles.  With a swift nod, Taeru let Calis lead him along the same path that
they had taken before.

The wall to Dark District had been one that Taeru had
climbed numerous times to try and get a look into the life of the nobles—truth
be told, he’d wanted to find a way to talk to Lavus, or anyone relevant, about
the war.  Unfortunately, he’d yet to find an opportunity, and the one time he
had been caught on the other side of the wall had been the most painful
experience of his life.  That had been before he’d gotten to know Alyx or Juliet,
so he’d ended up being beaten in the dungeon for a cycle, and he had been very
surprised that they had not removed him from the city.

However, the wall to the field outside Telandus seemed to be
very specific to Calis.  The vine was just sturdy enough to support the prince,
and it was as though some twist of fate had put it there.  If Calis had been
unable to leave the walls as a boy, then he may have turned out exactly as
Lavus wanted him.  Taeru shuddered at the thought. 

Once they were in the field, and that breeze was easing
through Taeru’s body again, Calis led him in a different direction than last
time.  Admittedly, he had loved the sight of the meadow that Calis had taken
him to, but he was very glad not to be going in the direction of that
abomination.  The worry that the whispers might assault his mind upon leaving
Telandus faded as they headed towards the hills.  All the while, Calis had
never let go of his hand.  He pulled Taeru in the strangest way.  The feeling
was gentle, but firm, and despite knowing that he had the choice to turn
back—Taeru didn’t want to use it.  Calis had a very odd way of making Taeru
feel entirely protected, though that was probably a foolish thought to have.

Calis knew very little about who Taeru really was, and Taeru
was sure that Calis knew that as much as Taeru did.  The curiosity had been
there, but Calis had yet to ask about it.  Taeru wasn’t sure what he’d do when
Calis did ask.  Could he refuse to tell the prince in all fairness?  If he did
tell him, would Calis want him put to death? 

“Calis, I thought you said we weren’t going far,” he said as
they walked. 

They didn’t stop walking, but Calis’s head turned a little
to answer.  “Well, I don’t want to talk to you in the middle of a field.”

The way he sounded made Taeru’s heart convulse a little. 
Panic ran through him as he wondered what this could be about.  He wondered if
Calis was going to tell him that they couldn’t be together.  He let out a
breath at the thought.  It was a possibility, no, it was an inevitability—and
if it happened now—well, perhaps his heart would be spared a tiny bit of pain. 

“Are you alright?” he asked warily.

Surely, Calis wouldn’t bring him all the way out to these
fields just to end their relationship.  No, Calis wouldn’t do that—he would
want to give Taeru every opportunity to react as he saw fit.  He wouldn’t want
other people around that would make anything they did turn into a scene that no
one else should witness.  This made perfect sense, Taeru told himself, and he
prepared his mind weakly.

They continued to walk, and Taeru rehearsed a million ways
that it could go in his mind.  He wasn’t sure what Calis’s reasoning would be,
but he was sure that it would not be ruthless.  Calis would be doing this
because he knew it was better for Telandus, and better for both of them in the
long run.  Or, at least, that was what Taeru would tell himself.  At last, they
reached a small oasis, with a few sparse trees surrounding it.

The water was very blue, sparkling in the sunlight, and
Taeru wondered if it would feel as good as the water in the meadow.  Already,
the memory of the meadow brought a wave of pain over him.  If this was the end,
then he would have to try very hard never to think of that moon again—lest his
feelings intensify. 

“Here,” Calis said finally.

Taeru just nodded his head.  His capacity to speak had been
taken away by the building emotions as he considered what was to come.  Rather
than speaking before Calis, he just stared at the blond prince with patient
eyes.  He would have to do this—and he had known that he would have to do this
from the start.  The sooner—the better, was what he’d repeated to his mind a thousand
times.

“You’re pale,” Calis said apprehensively.  “What’s the
matter?”

Taeru thought of reaching forward and punching Calis, but
no, Alyx had taken care of that particular order of business for him.  Though,
she had slapped the prince and not punched him, but Taeru had found that a woman’s
palm hurt just as much as any fist most of the time.  “I’m just waiting,” Taeru
replied guardedly.  “Tell me what you wanted to say.”  He couldn’t take this
anticipation for very much longer.

“Firstly, who was that boy?” Calis asked.  “Why were you
showing some new traveler around Dark District?” 

There was an odd note to his voice—one that put an edge in
it that Taeru hadn’t often heard.  Calis looked agitated—was he jealous?  The
prince of Telandus was jealous of some boy that Taeru had agreed to give a tour
of Dark District.  If this was the end of their relationship, then Taeru
thought that he had every right to punch Calis.  He frowned at the tone, and
then spoke.  “Just a boy I met at the tavern.  He asked if I could show him a
few important places, and so I did.”

After Taeru spoke, Calis seemed to fight some internal
battle within himself.  Eventually, his face smoothed into an expressionless
mask.  “Why did you agree to that?  Do you ever think you will reach the point
where you do enough for the ungrateful citizens of Dark District?”  Even his
voice was possessive. 

Taeru’s mouth twitched in agitation.  He was being
interrogated when he was fairly confident that he had been brought out here to
avoid causing a scene within the city walls.  “You know nothing about him.  You
have no right to call him ungrateful.  And, for your information, your
highness, he reminded me of someone that I used to know.”  The boy reminded
Taeru of Aela—though to say that was an understatement in itself.

The prince shuffled a little on his feet, and then he nodded. 
“I… sorry,” he murmured.  Well, at least he had the decency to apologize for
whatever he was feeling.  “Someone you knew before coming to Telandus?”

Taeru should really start watching his words around Calis. 
Now, he had just admitted to remembering something from a life of which he
claimed to have no memory.  “It’s a vague memory,” he lied, “he just gave me
the sense of remembering something fondly.”

This didn’t seem to convince Calis any further, but being as
polite as ever, he dropped the subject.  “I wish you’d stop hiding things from
me.”

“What did you want to tell me, Calis?” Taeru moved the
subject back onto Calis’s problems shortly.  He did not need to be telling
Calis anything when their relationship was so uncertain.  His eyes held Calis’s,
refusing to let the topic be shifted again.

Calis let out a long breath and then he turned away.  He’d
broken eye contact, which Taeru found immensely annoying.  Then, the prince
took a few steps away.  Calis was pacing, Taeru realized.  This was definitely
going to be a painful conversation.  What if it wasn’t just the ending of the
relationship? What if Calis had mentioned him to Lavus or someone else?  His
heart felt sick, and his breathing became shallower.  “Just tell me,” he
choked.  “Please.”

The prince brought his hand up to his hair and ran it
through the blond mess on the top of his head.  Taeru had too much of a
knowledge of what that hair felt like, and the memory of his own fingers
tangled in Calis’s hair caused him to stare at the ground, a flush coming
across his cheeks in an instant.  “Please, don’t react to this in the way you
think you ought to.  You have no idea how badly that’s going to hurt me.  This
isn’t easy for me, but I will make it easy for you.”

Well, if Taeru had any doubts of where this was going—they were
gone now.  If only he could stop thinking about the meadow, if only he could
stop thinking about Calis’s mouth, Calis’s fingers, Calis’s eyes.  Why had he
let himself get into this?  His heart felt as though it were splitting in two,
and they weren’t even finished yet.  Calis had done much for him, though, and
the prince had just requested that Taeru take this with poise—and he was going
to do just that.  “Stop dancing around it, Calis!  Just tell me what it is!”

That hadn’t been very poised, he reminded himself.  Still,
there wasn’t anything he could do about his rampant emotions.  After he got the
news, while he was no longer waiting for it, he was sure that he would be able
to compose himself.  He was skilled at handling pain of all sorts, and he knew
that.  He’d left his sister and somehow managed to continue living, though
Aelic’s sudden appearance had altered that a bit.  He would find a way to
forget Calis—to make this easier for both of them. 

“Fine,” Calis said suddenly.  “Fine.  I shouldn’t keep you
wondering like this.  My father was very angry with me for my disappearance
those two moons ago, though I’m sure that isn’t any surprise.  I had missed an
appointment that he considered incredibly important, and so he felt as though
I’d insulted him.  I went to talk to him about it, and though he was furious—I
managed to assuage the situation, for the most part.  But… because I had
offended a family that he considered necessary, he asked that I… make amends
for it.”  Calis paused.  Taeru stared blankly at Calis, not giving any
indication to the emotional torrent he was feeling. 

“He demanded I propose to the woman I missed the appointment
with.  Miss Avyon.”

The breath that Taeru had been holding for the duration of
the statement released, and he stared in front of him without much expression. 
Pain doubled within him, but his face remained consistently blank.  The pain
was crippling, but at last, a numbness began to spread through him.  He’d known
this would happen, and now that Calis had spoken it, his body could actually
defend against it.  He could do this.  “Well, at least he didn’t hurt you.  I
suppose it’s reasonable, as I assume she was the woman you were courting,
anyway.”

This time, the guardedness was in Calis’s eyes.  Perhaps he
thought Taeru would simply go mad and attack him.  Well, little did he know
that Taeru had much more self-respect than that, and he would handle this as
though it was not affecting him.  He had worried that he might cry, but oddly
enough, his eyes were as dry as they’d ever been.  “She was,” Calis growled.

“Well, then it isn’t that much of a shock, really.  This was
going to happen anyway.  I hardly see why you’re so upset.”

The one bit that Taeru had not accounted for was the pain
that his nonchalant words would bring to Calis’s expression.  The blue-green
eyes were as blue as they’d ever been, and Taeru felt his chest tighten.  Why
did Calis look so bleak?  What had he done wrong?  He’d reacted in a way that
he considered appropriate.  “You’re taking this well,” Calis said, almost
accusingly.

Taeru wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to do.  Did
Calis want him to collapse to his knees and cry like a child?  Well, he wasn’t
going to do that.  He had much more dignity than that, and he wasn’t one of the
silly women that Calis had spent his life manipulating.  “Did you think I
wouldn’t?” Taeru offered a brief laugh, though it sounded more bitter than he’d
wanted.  “You knew as well as I did that this.. this relationship was
fleeting.  We knew that we could never have established a genuine courtship. 
You said so yourself.  It was nothing more than an expression of feeling for
both of us.”

Taeru’s eyes widened as he stared at Calis’s hands.  They
were clenched, as they had been for a little while, but Taeru could see red
beading along the creases of his fingers.  Taeru felt afraid, but more
importantly, Calis was hurting himself.  “Stop!” he yelped.  Despite not
wanting to touch the prince again, he reached down and grabbed his hands.  The
feeling was electric, and Taeru felt sick.  “What is wrong with you?”

Trembling, Calis’s hands opened, though the prince said
nothing to Taeru.  For a moment, Taeru wondered if Calis wasn’t going to hit
him.  When nothing happened, though, Taeru forced himself to look into Calis’s
face.  There was a blackness in it, and Taeru felt as though he ought to
explain himself.  “You knew that, Calis.  We both did!  I’m a commoner.  I’m…
I’m a male, a commoner, and… I’m so wrong for you that you couldn’t possibly
understand.  But, I couldn’t help myself.  I wanted to be around you, because
you made me feel like no one else had before.  I just… I wanted the chance to
see what it would feel like.  I knew—not out of any distrust for you—that this
would end this way.  The difference between us—the gap between our worlds—it is
beyond massive.  You are the crown prince.  I’m nothing, Calis.  I’m less than
nothing to you.”