Divided (62 page)

“Obliged,” Leif said.  “Taeru… I need to speak with you on
another matter, privately.”  His eyes flashed to Aela, who looked positively
livid that he had dared to imply that she ought to leave the room. 

Her brown eyes flickered with irritation, and she remained
where she was.  She looked as though she would drop dead before she would leave
the two of them.  “I am most certainly not going to let the two of you have a
conversation without me.”

Leif let out a hard sigh, and he glared at her.  “I just
need to talk to him about something private!  It isn’t anything relevant,
Aela.  Will you just give me a few moments?  Please.”  Oh, Leif was giving her
a look.  His eyes were smoldering with a silent plea, and Taeru could see Aela
starting to soften.  He had to work to keep his jaw from dropping. 
Aela—undermined by her own tricks!

She squirmed uncomfortably, as if she too was aware that she
was being taken down by tricks that she had invented and implemented a hundred times. 
“I… are you sure that it isn’t important?  And… I must leave?”  She seemed
flushed.  Taeru grinned.  Perhaps she thought that Leif wanted to talk to Taeru
about her.  That wasn’t an unfair thought, though, as Leif was obviously
interested in her.

“Please,” Leif repeated softly.  She just sighed and then
nodded her head.  She held up two fingers to indicate that they did not have
long.  Leif nodded his head, agreeing to her exit being brief.  Then, she eased
out into the hallway without further complaint.

Taeru stared at the door for a moment.  “Well, consider me
impressed,” he said lightly.  A smile pressed at the corners of his lips.  Leif
returned it, though, his was more of a smug smirk, and he crossed his arms. 
“You fancy her.”

“I—well, you ought to know that.”  Leif’s cheeks turned a
deep shade of red, and he stared at once at the walls in the room.  “Is this-is
this what you were wanting to speak with me privately about?” he seemed
horrified.

Taeru laughed.  “Ah, no.  I will leave you to that, my
friend.”  Leif relaxed at once, and a smile returned to his lips.  “But, what I
am about to tell you—you have to understand why I do it, and that Aela cannot
know until absolutely necessary.”

Dark, blue eyes clouded at his words, but Leif nodded
understandingly.  He was glad to know that he had people in each of the social
groups he’d formed that he could thoroughly rely upon to be reasonable when
emotions ran high.  “What is it?” Leif asked softly.  His words sounded
breathless, as though he were holding his breath, waiting for the information.

Electing to be straightforward, Taeru didn’t bother to ease
into the issue.  He said it outright and confidently.  “I am going to tell
Calis who I am.  His father demanded that his wedding be held at sun up.  Calis
says he isn’t going to attend.  I tried to… cut ties earlier.  But, he wouldn’t
have any of it.  I am going to tell him my identity, in an effort to make him
understand the impossibility of our relationship.”

Leif’s blue eyes widened, and he gasped, obvious shock
taking hold of his form for a moment.  Taeru wasn’t sure if he was going to
recover, but then, he closed his eyes and nodded his head.  Surprisingly, he
offered no argument, but one.  “You trust him so completely?” Leif asked.

“I do,” Taeru answered, without hesitation.  “Calis wanted
me to tell him earlier this sun, but I insisted that we meet in Dark District. 
He is worried that he might be followed.  There is a chance that this could
get… bad.  I need you to promise me that you will look after Aela, and that you
will keep her safe.  People talk—they know that I associate with the two of
you.  They will seek you out.”

Leif nodded his head, and his shock seemed to be
disappearing in favor of a more logical expression.  He was thinking through
what he would do in this situation.  “She will be…”  Leif’s voice trailed off,
and pain became him.  “So soon after we found you again.  This is… Taeru, I
don’t want anything to happen to you.”  Taeru was surprised to hear so much
emotion in Leif Firenz’s voice.  “We were friends before, and we are friends
now.  I missed you while you were gone.  I wished I could have gone with you.”

“I know, Leif,” Taeru whispered.  “But I have to do this. 
Despite knowing the risk that this poses to my stopping the war, there is
something inside of me that is saying that I have to do this.  I don’t have a
choice.  It feels like leaving Cathalar.  I know this is what I’m supposed to
do.”  Leif accepted this without question.

With a quick breath, Leif nodded, and this time, confidence
took control of his features.  His jaw was clenched, but aside from that, he’d
removed the pain from his face.  “I will protect her, you have my word.  But…
be careful.  Calis loves you—I don’t think he’d let them… well, I just hope he
will protect you as I intend to protect Aela.”  His words were wistful.  So
strange coming from Leif, though Taeru respected him for it.  “Be careful.”

“You too, Leif,” Taeru said gently.  The two of them
continued to look at one another.  Taeru tried to find something he could say,
as Leif’s mind was clearly a mass of confusion.  There was nothing, though—no
words could stop the inevitable. 

Then, there was a clearly annoyed knock at the door.  “This
is taking a very long time!” Aela snapped from the outside of the door.  In
spite of himself, Taeru smiled as he glanced towards the wooden door.

“Alright, brat,” Leif snapped, “you can come back in.”

She did so, immediately.  As soon as she was on the other
side of the door, she was inspecting the two of them.  She seemed to think that
they had participated in some rigorous physical activity that would be visible
in their forms.  “I am not a brat,” she finally said.  “How was your
tête-à-tête?  Did you enjoy gossiping like little girls?” she asked irately.

“Very much,” Taeru offered cheerfully.  “Thank you for
asking, mademoiselle.”  Her indignation only increased at his clear mockery of
her.

Spending as much time as possible with the two of them,
Taeru tried to drag out the moments to the best of his ability.  He kept the
conversation light, for fear that his mind might get the better of him and
frighten Aela.  For his part, Leif did a remarkable job of pretending that
nothing important had transpired between the two of them.

At last, Taeru stood up.  “I promised to meet him soon,” he
said thoughtfully.  “I should not keep him waiting.  He is, after all, the
crown prince.”  He pursed his lips in thought at that.

“You’d know all about how important it is to please a crown
prince, wouldn’t you, brother of mine?” Aela asked sweetly.

With a quick gesture, he placed a hand in her short, but
growing, hair and tousled it mercilessly.  She ducked her head away from the
hand, glaring up at him with daggers for eyes.  “Perhaps,” he said idly, “your
hair is getting long again, Aelic.  You might even be able to manage to pull it
back.”

“I can,” she whispered conspiratorially.  “I checked.  It’s
a little stub, but it’s there!”  The amount that this pleased his sister was
endearing.  He laughed and then kissed the top of her forehead very gently. 

Oddly enough, she made a sound that was almost like a gasp. 
“I’ll see you soon, Aela,” he whispered as he started towards the door. 
“Leif.”  He offered a quick nod in the direction to the man that he’d burdened
with his information.  He always seemed to be placing the burden on someone
else’s shoulders. 

“You… haven’t done that… since you left,” Aela choked the
words out.  Taeru realized, with a flash of horror, that she was going to cry. 
“I missed you!” she nearly shouted the words as she leapt towards him, throwing
her arms around him.

He blinked, as he was sure that they had already had this
moment.  The gesture, kissing her on the forehead, was one that was so natural
to him—that he hadn’t imagined that she would have spent time missing it.  “Oh,
Aela,” he said gently.  And now he was about to leave her again… He closed his
eyes against his own tears.  “I promised Calis, but please don’t cry.  You know
I love you, Aela.”

“I’ll see you soon.”  She said the words with an odd sense
of purpose, as though she knew what he was about to do and precisely what he’d
been thinking.  He blinked, and then he nodded his head as if this was an
obvious fact.  “I love you, Taeru.  I love you so much.”  She hugged him again.

So much for not saying goodbye.  Though, Aela was trying to
ensure that this wasn’t a goodbye.  She was more perceptive than he’d given her
credit for.  Leif smiled at him when their eyes met again, and Taeru mouthed
the words, “Take care of her.”  Leif just nodded another agreement. 

As he left, Taeru forced the pain from his mind.  He had to
remind himself that he might see them again soon.  But after all this, he felt
like the possibility had somehow managed to shrink.  He had to do this,
though.  He had to tell Calis.  The war—all of it—it felt connected to this,
and he wasn’t going to let himself be dissuaded by fear.

The streets were emptying as he moved to the deserted
house—the same place Calis and he had first met.  There were no lights, and
there were no people this time.  The place was deserted, empty, and he felt a
little perturbed just being in the place by himself.  Regardless, he entered
the small doorway.  There was a small torch towards the back for people who
kept storage here, burning softly, and he moved towards it.  He wondered idly
who kept it lit.

The dirty, dust-covered room unfolded before him.  He was
amazed that this had been such a lively place back when he’d met Calis.  A
strange sense of nostalgia slammed into him—as if this was anything about which
he ought to be nostalgic. 

He found a small crate and sat down on it.  His heart
immediately sped up as he sat down.  He was waiting now, for the crown prince
of Telandus—to tell him the one secret that Taeru had been working to keep for
five years.  His throat felt knotted, and he wasn’t sure that he would be able
to speak when Calis did show up.

As he sat there, a thousand scenarios played in his mind. 
Calis showing up with forty men, preparing to kill Taeru.  Calis never showing
up, and having been killed for Taeru’s intrusion to the castle.  That had been
stupidly risky, and he’d known it. 

He hoped that the Magister would stay out of his head,
though she couldn’t seem to reach him now.  And he hoped that this wouldn’t
ruin his objective to stop the war.  No—he didn’t think this would.  He felt
like this was necessary.  He was sure it was. His instincts had never failed
him before, he didn’t think.  Coming to Telandus seemed to have been a good
idea, and he had followed instinct on that idea.  He hoped it was.

Still, though, scenarios continued to play as he sat there
in the dim glow of the flame on the torch.  He pulled the amulet out of his
pocket, and then he placed the ring warily onto his finger. 
Wow.
 The
rush of memories it caused was overwhelming.  He ran his fingers over the
amulet, turning it over in his hand, over and over.  His jaw clenched and
unclenched.  Time continued to pass, and with it, came a new level of anxiety. 
Calis might not even show up.  All this panic would have been for nothing. 
Perhaps Calis made the decision to go to the wedding without having to hear
Taeru’s secret.  That would be lovely.

Though, there was still a pain in his chest when Taeru tried
to imagine Calis getting married.  Calis kissing someone else, holding them,
whispering to them that everything would be alright.  His body twitched at the
thoughts.  He didn’t like them, in fact, he hated them—though he knew that they
had to happen.  And in fact, if Calis didn’t show up, his life would be
infinitely easier. 

So long as the crown prince didn’t send someone else to try
and murder Taeru, then they would be alright.  Taeru trusted Calis, though, his
panic seemed to know no bounds as he sat in this small building, waiting for
someone that might never show up.  There was something terribly painful about
waiting, he realized.  He thought of the tears in Aela’s eyes.  He thought of
the pain on Leif’s face.  Aela would be devastated if anything happened to
Taeru, and he was not so stupid that he didn’t know that.  Even Leif…

Taeru pushed the thoughts from his head.  He couldn’t let
remorse control him.  He had to do this, even if he didn’t know why.  He knew
that he owed the truth to Calis, for everything the prince had done for him. 
Beyond that, Taeru wasn’t sure why he was doing this.  He just knew that he had
to do it.  There was nothing else to think about.  If he thought too long about
it, then his doubts would set in and everything would be ruined.

As the shift neared its end, Taeru began to feel strangely
disturbed by the silence.  Everything seemed to be making sounds, and he felt
as if eyes were watching him from every corner in the hollowed building.  He
swallowed, and he tightened his grip around his sapphire.  In a moment of
irrationality, he brought the sapphire to his lips and kissed it lightly.  For
the first time in a while, he thought of Ryo and his father.  The two people
that he had not seen in ages, and that he may never see again.  Oh, he missed
them.

Ryo had never been a typical older brother, but he had never
been anything but there for Taeru.  He had tried to be what Taeru needed, and
he had listened when Taeru had explained that the war was a bad idea—even when
Taeru hadn’t made sense.  And Veyron, Veyron was a hard man—but he was a good
father.  He had respected Taeru enough to let him make his own decisions, and
he had loved Taeru.  Just as Taeru loved him. 

Oh, if he could have only stayed in Cathalar.  He had always
been surrounded by people who loved him.  Even if he didn’t exactly see
eye-to-eye or fit in with them.  But no, then he wouldn’t have met Calis. 
Calis had changed his life in ways that he hadn’t imagined possible.  He had
fallen in love, in a brilliant, all-encompassing love, and Taeru couldn’t bring
himself to regret that.