Griffin's Daughter (23 page)

Ashinji paused just outside the door. “Wait here a moment,” he said, then slipped inside. Jelena groped for Magnes’s hand and felt him seize hers in a firm, steadying grasp. They waited in silence, listening to the musical interchange of words between Ashinji and his family.

The squeak of approaching footsteps heralded Ashinji’s return. He beckoned them to enter with a sweep of his arm. Jelena held on tightly to Magnes’s warm, callused hand, as if, by letting go, she feared she would be cast adrift on a stormy sea, to be swept away and drowned.

The room, like the corridor, was large and airy, but Jelena saw none of the details. Her attention fixed immediately on the little knot of people sitting in the center of the chamber—a man and woman seated in low chairs, a young girl standing behind the man, hands resting on his shoulders, and two children sprawled on the floor at the woman’s feet.

“
Jelena, Magnes,” Ashinji said softly, nodding to the man and woman. “These are my parents, Lord and Lady Sakehera.”

A New Life

Jelena sank to one knee.

“
No, Jelena.” Ashinji stepped forward to take her elbow and gently pull her back to her feet. “You are a guest in this house. A bow of the head is sufficient to show my parents respect.”

“
Welcome to Kerala,” Lord Sakehera said in heavily accented Soldaran. “Please to sit.” He indicated that Jelena and Magnes should seat themselves upon the large cushions resting in front of his chair. Magnes helped Jelena find a comfortable position before he settled down beside her, looking vaguely disconcerted. It dawned on her that her cousin was not used to sitting on the floor at another man’s feet.

Ashinji perched on a small padded stool beside his mother. The two children—twin girls—immediately crawled over and attached themselves like climbing vines to his legs. They stared boldly, first at Jelena, then Magnes, their huge gray-blue eyes shining with frank curiosity. The older girl, who looked to be about fifteen years of age, remained standing behind her father, regarding the two visitors with cool interest.

Ashinji spoke up. “These two monkeys are Jena and Mariso,” he said, stroking the children’s silky blonde heads. “That young beauty over there is Lani.” He looked at the older girl, who met his glance with a smile. His voice brimmed with affection.

“
We hope all has been good for you since came you here to Kerala,” Lord Sakehera said.

“
Your hospitality has been exceptional, Lord Sakehera,” Magnes replied. “I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude. If not for your doctor, my cousin would have died. I only wish that there were some way that I could repay you.”

Jelena fiddled nervously with the hem of her tunic. She glanced up to find Lady Sakehera staring intently at her, a tiny horizontal line creasing the skin of her otherwise smooth forehead. Jelena began to feel a strange pressure behind her eyes again, not unlike the peculiar sensation she had felt twice before with Ashinji. She rubbed at her temples to relieve the ache. Lady Sakehera’s eyes narrowed slightly and the corners of her mouth turned downwards in an almost imperceptible frown. Jelena’s heart thumped painfully.

“
My son tells me that you come here for to seek your elven kin and that there is ring belonging to your father. Have you now this ring?” Lord Sakehera leaned forward expectantly.

“
Yes, my lord, I do.” Jelena withdrew her father’s ring from its hiding place beneath her tunic. Her awkward attempts to slip the chain over her head one-handed only succeeded in tangling it up in her hair. Magnes came to her rescue, deftly unsnarling the chain and pulling it free. He then stood and dropped it along with the attached ring onto the palm of Lord Sakehera’s outstretched hand.

Lord Sakehera brought the ring up to his face and examined it closely. His daughter Lani leaned over his shoulder, craning her neck so that she could get a look at the ring as well. With their faces side by side, Jelena saw clearly how much of the father was in the daughter. Lani’s almond-shaped eyes, generous mouth, and well-formed cheekbones were a feminine mirror of her sire’s, while Ashinji, by contrast, strongly resembled his mother.

Lord Sakehera thoughtfully scratched his chin. He closed his hand around the ring and nodded his head as if coming to a decision. “My answer to you is, yes, I have seen this, how you say, this symbol meaning certain person or house, this
device
before, but I cannot identify it as yet. However, with permission, I will keep ring and study it, make, ur,
inquiries.
”

Jelena could barely keep herself from leaping up and shouting for joy. “Yes, Lord Sakehera! Please keep it for as long as you need to. I am so very grateful! I…I wish to ask permission to stay here at Kerala, if I may. You see, I have no home back in Amsara, nowhere to go really… that is, until I can locate my father or his kin. I will, of course, work for my keep. I was a kitchen servant before I came here.”

“
Youngest Son, did you not tell me she was niece of duke? How can a man allow family to work as servant? This I do not understand.” Lord Sakehera’s grey-green eyes glittered with disapproval. He looked to Magnes as if awaiting an explanation.

“
My lord, my father is a good man in many ways, but his attitudes concerning your people so blinded him that he turned his back on his own sister and disowned her because she carried a half-elven child. I think that if my aunt had been pregnant with a human child, he never would have cast her out, and Jelena would have grown up as a full member of the family.” Magnes paused briefly, as if to collect his thoughts. “Your son has been honest with me about how most elves view humans, and it seems both our peoples have enough misunderstandings and hatred to keep us separated for the rest of time.”

“
You speak truth, young human,” Lord Sakehera answered slowly.  Jelena thought that she detected a new note of respect in the Lord of Kerala’s voice. “Myself, I hold not these views,” he added.

“
I came here to protect my cousin and aid her in her search for her elven family,” Magnes continued. “I’ll stand by her as long as she needs me. If she wishes to stay here at Kerala, I won’t try to dissuade her because I think you can help her.”

“
Jelena,” Lord Sakehera rose to his feet. Magnes helped Jelena to stand. “One of my official, um, what is word? Ah,
messengers,
has left service to marry, leaving me with one only person to serve me this way. I give you position. You can ride horse, yes? Good. This way, you stay here, earn keep, search for father. I help also.”

“
I don’t know how to thank you, Lord Sakehera,” Jelena answered. “I’m sorry if I sound greedy, but what about my cousin? He needs work as well.”

“
Lord Sakehera, I must ask you a very serious question,” Magnes said quietly. Jelena looked sharply at her cousin, alarmed at the gravity in his voice. “I need to know where I stand here.”

Lord Sakehera’s eyes narrowed. “Please, what mean you?” he said.

“
I mean no disrespect,” Magnes replied quickly. “You and your people have treated us well, as I’ve said, but…” He paused, as if to choose his next words very carefully. “I know you’ve set guards to keep watch on me, and there are places here in the castle grounds where I’ve been politely, but firmly turned away by other guards. I understand why you feel you must do this, my lord. We all know of the rumors…Our two countries may very well be at war soon. I could be a spy, for all you know, sent here by the empress through my father.”

“
You are very…how you say…
clever,
young Preseren,” Lord Sen replied slowly. He stroked his chin in silence for a few heartbeats.

Jelena held her breath, waiting.

“
Yes, it is true, I have you watched,” Lord Sen finally confirmed. “I do this for good reasons…you understand these reasons; you are son of military man. I cannot let you see things or know things that duke can use against me.”

“
Am I your hostage, my lord?” Magnes asked.

Gods! Ashinji’s father thinks Magnes is a spy!
Jelena thought, horrified. Her heart slammed against her breastbone, and she felt light-headed with sudden fear.
What if he orders Magnes imprisoned, or worse?

“
Father, I will take responsibility for Magnes,” Ashinji interjected. “I brought him here.”

“
I thank you, Ashinji, but I don’t need your protection,” Magnes stated firmly. He looked Lord Sen in the eye, and said, “I give you my word… I am no spy, and I swear by all my gods that I will not betray you, Lord Sakehera. I know you have no reason to trust me, and so…if imprisonment is your real plan for me, then all I ask is that you take my cousin under your protection and help her find her elven kin.”

A tense, heavy silence settled on the room. Jelena fought hard against the cold, sick panic that threatened to overwhelm her. She opened her mouth to plead with Lord Sakehera for Magnes’s life, when, to her surprise, Lady Sakehera spoke.

The Lady of Kerala leaned toward her husband, her voice low and measured. She regarded Magnes coolly all the while, and her words, though incomprehensible, had a curious effect on Jelena. Her fear dissipated, leaving calm in its wake.

Lord Sen listened attentively to his wife, nodding slowly. “My wife says that you speak truth, young Preseren,” he said. “She knows how to…look into hearts of men…to see truth there.” He took a deep breath, as if coming to an important decision.

“
Magnes Preseren, you are duke’s son. A man of rank. You shall have position in my guard, if you wish. It will be first time a human works for me. I shall be envy of district!” Lord Sakehera’s smile brimmed with sly good humor. “My son will show you where you live. You can eat meals with rest of staff now. I take very good care of my people. You will see.”

“
Thank you, my lord,” Magnes replied, and Jelena heard the relief in her cousin’s voice. 
     

“
Jelena, Magnes,” Ashinji said, “I will take you to the barracks now and show you around.” He detached himself from the possessive grasps of his little sisters and transferred them to his mother. Jelena glanced briefly at the Lady. Something about this elegant, handsome woman raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She thought about what Lord Sen had said.

She looks into the hearts of men and sees the truth…and lies as well, no doubt!
Jelena could sense the tremendous power hidden behind Lady Sakehera’s serene façade.

Clearly, it would be unwise to make an enemy of the Lady of Kerala.

As Ashinji turned to escort Jelena and Magnes from the room, the door swung open and a man entered. Ashinji halted in his tracks. The newcomer strode across the room and stopped in front of Ashinji, blocking his way. He stood with one hand on his hip and arrogance infusing every line of his sleek, well-toned body. The familial resemblance was unmistakable. However, this man’s beauty was cold like the icicles that formed on tree branches in the dead of winter. His eyes insolently raked Jelena from head to toe and only settled perfunctorily on Magnes before turning back to Ashinji. He spoke a few words, and Ashinji’s lips compressed down to a thin, hard line.

“
Jelena, Magnes,” Ashinji said tightly. “May I present Lord Sadaiyo Sakehera, Heir to Kerala and my elder brother.”

Sadaiyo Sakehera’s eyes were grey-green like his father’s but held none of their warmth or good humor. He pinned Jelena with a look both contemptuous and suggestive at the same time. She felt a surge of anger and fear, for it was the very same look she had seen in the eyes of some of the less picky Amsara guardsmen, the ones who would try to lift her skirts, then spit on her and call her a dirty tink when she rebuffed them.  She felt the comforting presence of Magnes at her back and instinctively leaned into him.

The tension between Ashinji and his brother was palpable. Ashinji spoke, his voice carefully controlled and polite. Sadaiyo responded with a laugh and pushed past him, glaring venomously at Magnes.

“
I apologize for my brother’s rudeness,” Ashinji said quietly. His face had gone very still and pale. “Let us go now.” He turned and stalked toward the door, the set of his shoulders betraying his anger. From behind, Jelena could hear Lord Sakehera’s voice and that of his eldest son’s raised in heated debate.

By the time they had descended back to the ground floor, it seemed that Ashinji’s anger had cooled, but Jelena suspected that it never truly dissipated, but always remained simmering just below the surface. In one short exchange, Jelena knew she had witnessed a telling glimpse into a relationship fraught with a lifetime’s worth of animosity. She decided, then and there, that Sadaiyo Sakehera was extremely dangerous, and the one person at Kerala she must avoid.

“
I take it that your brother doesn’t particularly like humans,” Magnes commented dryly.

Ashinji sighed. “No, he does not. He has made it quite clear that he thinks my father has made a mistake allowing you to stay here. My advice is to stay out of his way, which should not be a problem. He will be totally occupied with preparing for his wedding, which will be taking place very soon—within the next few weeks. In truth, we will all be occupied with it.”

“
You don’t sound very happy,” Jelena observed.

Ashinji shrugged. “He is my elder brother, and the Heir. This is a very important event. I will do my filial duty.”

Jelena decided that a change in subject was in order. “Ashinji, I wish to begin my language lessons right away. If I’m to be your father’s messenger, I must learn to speak Siri-dar as quickly as possible.”