Divided (61 page)

Taeru’s head snapped to the more reasonable woman in the
room.  He would appeal to her, and he knew he could.  “Juliet,” he said as he
moved towards her.  He could hear the annoyed breath that Alyx took.  “I have
to go see Calis,” he explained with careful consideration, “they found out
about our relationship—his father.  I… am going to see him.  To say goodbye.  I
insisted that he come, though he said he may be followed.”

Juliet’s eyes narrowed.  Her jaw clenched, and he could see
her fighting the need to leap across the distance between them and bind him to
the floor.  “What?” she rasped.  “Kilik, don’t be a fool.  You could be
killed!”

“I know,” he said shortly.  “This is my choice, Juliet.  I
am only asking that should anyone come to you with questions.  Deny
everything—deny you knew anything about me.  Do whatever they ask, please.  You
know that if you don’t then Aitken and Alyx’s lives will be at risk.  If this
happens, there won’t be anything to be done for me.”

The woman looked staggered.  So much so that Taeru wanted to
step forward and ensure that she did not fall off her feet.  Taeru could hear
his own heart pounding in his chest, and he was sure that Juliet’s sounded much
the same.  This was all a precaution, he kept reminding himself.  There was no
guarantee that this moon would end in disaster, but there was a chance that it
could.  Taeru needed Juliet and Alyx to be prepared if it did.  “Kilik, I…”

Rather than waiting for her to finish, as she was obviously
unsure of her response, he spoke.  “I don’t care what they tell you.  You have
been like a mother to me, just as Alyx and Aitken have been like siblings.  I
love you—all of you, and I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you
on my account.  No matter what they say.  Comply, I beg you, Juliet.”

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty, though she seemed to be
reaching a resolution in her mind.  She blinked back obvious tears, and then
she took a step towards him.  “There is more to this, isn’t there, Kilik?”

“Yes,” he answered.  There was no sense in lying to them,
and if he did, then they would just be more likely to disobey him when the time
came.  Or perhaps he ought to let them think he was a monster—one sent here
only to betray them.  No, he didn’t want them to think that.  He wanted them to
know how much they had done for him—but they had to understand that their lives
were worth more.  “I can’t tell you what.”  Let them think him mysterious and
distrusting, perhaps they might be more likely to save themselves.

Her eyes flashed, and she offered him a consolatory smile. 
The smile felt as though it was trying to reach through some internal barrier
he’d constructed.  If he never returned, he wanted to remember that smile as
something that represented Juliet to him.  “Very well, Kilik.  Leave with a
calm.  Rest assured I will do what I can to keep my family safe.”  She nodded
her head in affirmation, and immediately, he could feel a sense of relief
washing over him.

“Mother!” Alyx snapped.  “We can’t do this!  You have no
idea what they will ask of us!  You ought to tell him not to go!  Stop him,
Mother!”  Her voice was shrill, panicked, beyond anything Taeru had ever heard
from her.  Even the moon she had been cornered by the nobles, she had not
seemed so wound up.

Juliet’s eyes moved to her daughter, and they continued to
hold their calming, reassuring quality.  She could have that effect on anyone should
they let her.  “Alyx, we ought to let Kilik leave here with at least one reason
to rest easy.  I could not stop him.  I want to, but I know that I cannot.” 
Taeru nodded to reaffirm this statement.

“Kilik,” Alyx choked, pleading, “don’t go.  Please, don’t
go!  I beg you.  I would rather die than think of what they will subject you to. 
How do you know Calis can be trusted?  I know he seems to like you.  What if
they made a bargain with him, though?  They may have threatened him with
exile.”

Taeru was fairly certain that if that was the case, that
Calis would have informed the guards of his presence when he’d snuck into the
castle.  Surely, Calis could have come up with some story that made it not look
like his own fault.  No, Calis was trustworthy, and Taeru was sure of that.  “I
trust him,” Taeru said simply.  “I love you, Alyx.  Your concern means so much
to me, but Juliet… you will stop her from being foolish?” he asked hopefully.

Juliet nodded with quiet confidence.  Taeru offered a weak
smile to her.  He hadn’t the slightest idea why this felt like such an assured
goodbye.  Perhaps Calis would betray him, but then, why couldn’t he bring
himself to believe that?

Stepping forward, Juliet put her arms around him.  She spoke
into his ear with the softest voice he’d ever heard her use.  “You’ve saved our
lives more times than you realize, Kilik,” she whispered.  “Please, try to
remember that.  If I never see you again, I love you.  But, do try to come
back.”

“Even after all these theatrics?” he asked teasingly.  This
earned him a smile, and she nodded to him.  Releasing him, she stepped back and
regarded him with obvious fondness.  There was a resolution in her eyes, and he
trusted it. 

Turning, he moved to Alyx and brought her into a reluctant
hug.  To his surprise, she returned it, whispering her words of disapproval
into his ears.  “Be careful, Kilik,” she said softly.  Her voice was a warning,
and he nodded.  There were tears in her eyes when they pulled apart. 

Lastly, as Taeru stepped away from the house, he glanced to
the blond boy still playing in the front of the house.  Only Juliet would trust
her little boy to stay out past dark to play outside.  Aitken turned to Taeru
and offered a wave.  There wasn’t any reason to involve Aitken in the situation,
so he smiled.  He walked to the boy, and surprised him, by yanking him up into
a hug.  “Be good, Aitken,” he said softly, as he sat the boy back down. 

“Where are you going?” Aitken asked with wide eyes.  He was
smiling, though, obviously appreciative of the hug. 

Thinking for a moment, Taeru offered the young boy a quick
smile.  “I’m going on an errand.  I might be out for the rest of the moon,” he
said thoughtfully.  The child seemed a tad frustrated with this.  “You’re a
brave boy, Aitken,” he finished.  “And you pick up on sword fighting better
than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Thank you, Kilik!  You’re a pretty good teacher too!”
Aitken cheered.  He seemed so happy, and as a child, he was able to take the
words as the compliment that they were.  He didn’t stop to analyze why Taeru
would choose this moment to tell him these things.  He simply appreciated that
they had been said.  Oh, what Taeru wouldn’t have given to be a child for
another moment. 

With another nod, he started away from the house.  He had to
go see Aela, and he had spent more time with goodbyes here than he had
originally intended.  He wasn’t sure why, as he ought to be optimistic about
this.  The items in his pocket felt as though they were about to burn a hole in
his pants.  “Goodbye, Kilik,” Juliet said.

He glanced back at her, as he hadn’t realized that she’d
followed him outside.  She ushered for Aitken to come in, and he obeyed her
immediately.  Taeru waved to her once more, and then he couldn’t allow himself
to look back again.  If he did, he was sure he’d give way to his emotions.

The walk to the inn where Leif and Aela were staying did not
take long.  He moved into the small room at the entrance, which consisted of a
clay counter, where a young woman was tending a small vase of flowers.  Taeru,
knowing that the woman wouldn’t acknowledge him unless he requested her
attention, kept moving.  He headed up the stairs towards the small door that he
knew would lead him to his sister.  An amused thought crossed his mind as he
remembered the last time he’d showed up to Leif and Aela’s room unexpectedly. 

This time, though, he quietly knocked on the door.  He only
knocked once, and then he waited patiently to see if they would respond.  A few
moments later, the door knob turned, and Aela—or Aelic, rather—stood facing him,
and her eyes flashed when she saw him.  “Oh,” she said, and then she collected
her thoughts, “Kilik… come in.”

She gestured with her head, and he entered the room.  She
closed the door promptly behind him. Leif was sitting on the bed, curiously
going through one of the many books about the Magisters with waning interest. 
He glanced up, and his eyes brightened upon seeing Taeru.  “Oh, this is
unexpected,” he said.

Taeru envied Leif.  He always seemed so composed, despite
the fact that he couldn’t have been comfortable in Telandus.  Taeru had taken
years before he’d finally adjusted to the feel of Telandus.  Before that, he had
been a constant ball of nerves.  He was sure that people had noticed, though no
one had ever commented. Leif, though, seemed entirely at ease.  “Yes, I have
news…”  Taeru glanced to
A Hero’s Peace
lying on Aela’s desk.

“What happened?” she asked, with a harsh voice.  She was
worried, most certainly suspecting that Calis had finally tried to murder him. 
She wasn’t going to be happy with this turn of events.  He would have to play
this off to her, and then perhaps he could get a moment alone with Leif to
explain things more thoroughly. 

His lips pursed as he regarded his sister, dressed as a very
unconvincing male.  It was a wonder that she’d managed to fool anyone. 
“Nothing happened, Aelic,” he said cheerlessly.  Their eyes narrowed when they
found one another.  It was astounding how their relationship had remained so
casual, varying between angry and loving, as though they were still children,
despite the years that had come between them.  Taeru appreciated that fact
about Aela. 

“But you said you had news,” she pointed out, and there was
a slight pout to her lips.  She didn’t enjoy being wrong.  Taeru was sure that
she was still smarting from the sun that she had stormed up to Calis and
him—and accused Calis of lying to him.  She had been quite embarrassed when
she’d realized that Calis had not lied at all. 

He offered a quick smile.  “I do,” he assured her.  “But
that doesn’t mean anything has happened.  It’s about the future.”  Her eyes
flickered with suspicion, but she moved across the room to sit down at the
desk. 

“So what is it?” Leif urged him onwards. 

Taeru met Leif’s eyes for a moment, trying to convey that
this was a matter best discussed while Aela was not present.  Leif, though he
remained blank for a moment, had a flicker of realization.  “I’m going to meet
with Calis shortly,” he told them both truthfully.  He had to make this sound
more casual than it was to Aela.  Could he tell her he was going to tell Calis
the truth?  She’d never let him go.  As long as Leif knew, she would be prepared.

“Why is that surprising?” she asked dryly.  “You see him
every moon.  And every sun.  Perhaps you should start informing us every time
you take a piss, brother.”

“I can do that,” he offered thoughtfully.  Her eyes
flickered with irritation, and he could see that she fought a smile at his
response. 

Taeru let out a breath.  He could at least inform his little
sister about some of the situation.  He, after all, may never see her again. 
No—he would not think like that.  He couldn’t.  This could not turn into a
goodbye with Aela, and he knew that.  She was not Juliet, she would not let him
go—and she would know if he was attempting to get in a subtle goodbye.  So soon
after they had reunited, the pain tugged at Taeru’s heart.  “It isn’t quite
that casual, though,” he admitted.  “Someone was spying on Calis and I… they
found out about our relationship at the castle.”

A sharp inhalation of breath followed, and his eyes met
Aela’s terrified ones.  She swallowed hard, and then she shook her head.  “No. 
No, what are they going to do?  Is everything alright?  Are you sure he didn’t
tell them?  He’s a rat, Taeru.  I promise you.”

“He did not,” Taeru returned irately.  “I trust him, and you
ought to trust me.  But, they know—and he managed to prevent them from pursuing
the issue.  I am meeting him this moon to end the relationship, you will be
happy to know, sister.”  His words were more venomous than he intended, mostly
because the thought of leaving Calis was vile.

She frowned, and to his surprise, she looked a little woeful
at the prospect.  “Oh… does he know that is going to happen?” she asked warily.

Taeru took note that Leif was remaining steadfastly silent
about the entire conversation.  He wondered what the other man was thinking,
and whether or not he understood that the two of them need to speak without
Aela.  For now, though, Taeru focused on Aela.  “Not exactly,” Taeru said. 
“But, I know he will understand.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.  “He seems rather… smitten with
you.  I mean—this is only if he isn’t a rat that hasn’t orchestrated the entire
event.  If he is… Taeru…”

Taeru moved forward, bringing his sister to his chest in a
quick hug.  He let her go quickly, though, so that she did not get any ominous
vibes from the way he held his body.  “Aela,” he said swiftly, “do not worry.”

“Why are you ending it?” she asked.  Though, she obviously
still held reservations about Calis’s intentions.  Taeru thought idly that she
must have trusted the young man to a degree, though, as she wasn’t insisting
that Taeru not go. 

A million reasons flashed before Taeru’s mind, and he
wondered why she would even bother to ask.  Even if she did trust Calis, she
had to realize that there were more reason that Taeru and Calis should be apart
than together.  “Many reasons,” he answered, echoing his own thoughts.

She seemed to agree to this, nodding briefly.  There was
sympathy in her eyes, though, and he wanted to make her stop regarding him like
that.  “I just wanted to update you.  I doubt anything will come of it.  But I
needed to know that you two were informed.”