The Tears of Elios (26 page)

He looked down at Kira and saw a large bruise on the side of neck. The sight of it caused more memories to flood his mind. She had begged him to stop and pushed him away. Then there was the blinding flash of blue and the ache in his head. He reached back and felt the lump once again.
So that was how I got it
.

He remembered the expression on her face as she ran out of the door, and his skin burned with shame rather than desire now. No wonder she was terrified of him. He closed his eyes and tried to push the searing pain out of his mind.
This must be the price I paid to get the orb. I hurt her.

They stopped at the empty dugout they had stayed at before. As soon as they dismounted, Kira distanced herself from him as far as she could within the small space and turned her back to him. The gap felt wider than the expanse of the sea.
She must think I’m some sort of monster after last night
.

He stared at the mud caked on his boots. “I’m sorry, Kira.”

She looked up at him in surprise and then lowered her eyes. “I keep telling myself that it wasn’t your fault, that it was just another cruel faerie trick, but I still can’t forget what happened.”

He approached her with caution and knelt in front of her. He waited for her to pull away or attack him, but she merely flinched as he moved closer. Her lips were swollen. He gently brushed them with his thumb. “I must have kissed you rather hard to bruise your lips like this.”

She turned away and pulled her hood over her head. “You did.”

If she had plunged a dagger into his heart, it would have hurt less. “I’m not like that, you know.”

She sniffled. “I know. You would have never kissed me if you hadn’t been under that spell.”

He stroked her cheek. How fragile she seemed right now. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but that was probably the last thing she wanted. The silver haze began to cloud his vision as he leaned forward and tenderly kissed her forehead. She didn’t pull away from him, and the silver haze began to solidify into a cord as he closed the space between them. He then kissed the tip of her nose and felt the cord pull him closer to her. His eyes lingered on her full lips, and his pulse quickened. How would they feel against his?

He looked up and saw her watching him with a mixture of fear and sadness. As much as he wished to continue, he retreated from her. He didn’t need to lose control of himself again. “That is how I would have kissed you.”

He felt her brown eyes on him as he crept to the opposite side of the dugout. He’d done enough for now. They stared at each other for a few minutes before she finally lowered her head and turned her back to him.

He discovered a new level of self-loathing from hurting her and acting on the things he had only imagined doing to her. Of course, in his fantasies, she had consented to his touch. Not like last night.

He filled his mind with punishments that would somehow equal the pain he caused. Haunted by the memories of his own actions and plagued by the vision of the silver cord every time he looked at her, he had trouble falling asleep. He began to wonder if the legend of the Ruheshi was true.

***

Across the dying embers of the previous night’s fire, Kira moaned. Galen sat up and watched her, afraid she was reliving his attack. Her eyes were shut tight enough to wrinkle her brow. This wasn’t a nightmare—she was having another one of her visions. She rose with a gasp and gazed past him with wide eyes.

“Kira, what did you see?” He thought about moving closer to her but hesitated. He didn’t want to frighten her any more, especially if her vision had something to do with him.

She blinked a few times, becoming aware of his presence. “I’ve never had a vision like that before.”

“What did you see?” he repeated.

She turned to him, her expressive face puzzled. “I don’t know how to explain it. Most of my visions have people and places in them. This one…” She ran her fingers through her hair, dislodging some of the flowers that remained in it, and twisted the ends around her fingers. “This vision I could feel.” She looked up at him. “Sounds crazy, I know.”

“Not exactly. What did you feel?”

She chewed her lip as she thought of a way to answer him. “There was this circle of light. I felt excited and hopeful, like something good was about to happen. Then the circle was broken, and I was filled with despair like I’ve never known before. Do you suppose it means something?”

Galen rubbed his chin. He was just as puzzled as her. “Did you see or feel anything else?” She shook her head. “Then I suppose we’ll have to decipher your vision based on what you’ve told me. Perhaps Thoranus may be able to help us once we get back to camp.”

She gazed off into the distance as she stood and walked to the horse. Her thoughts were elsewhere, but he was relieved to see that she seemed more relaxed around him today. As they rode, she leaned back against him.
Most likely for warmth
, he told himself.

It was late in the afternoon when Galen stopped in the forest to make camp. The air grew icy, and clouds began to fill the sky. A storm was brewing. He settled on a thick grove of trees that formed a natural barrier against the wind and modified the circle of protection he cast so it would offer some protection from the elements.

Kira dismounted without assistance and started collecting wood for a fire. He stood back and watched her. The dying sunlight created a prism of colors as it reflected off her hair. The subtle beauty that he had always seen in her grew with each day. He liked the idea that she no longer needed to disguise herself as a boy. Of course, now she had a new set of problems, like Arlisle and other men who would want to take advantage of her. Pain stabbed his chest when he remembered he’d been no better than them two nights ago.

With a flash, a fire roared to life. Kira sat across from him and warmed her hands. “Did you recover the orb?”

Her question surprised him. Was she trying to have a normal conversation with him after everything that had happened? He removed the Tear of Elios from his saddlebag and showed it to her. “Don’t touch it,” he warned.

“I should know that by now.” She pulled her knees up to her chest. “How did you convince Queen Mab to let you have it?”

He lowered his eyes so she wouldn’t see the guilt behind them and ran his hands over the dull crystal. “I paid the price for it.”

Her head cocked to the side as she watched him, and he wondered if she knew they were both pawns in a game the faerie queen had played with them.

“Am I forgiven?”

“You had no control over your actions.” Her voice sounded flat.

“I still feel horrible for what I did. It’s strange for an elf to feel regret. We are normally so in control of ourselves that we don’t do things we would be ashamed of later.”

“It would be better if we both forgot that night, Galen. Please, let’s pretend it never happened.”

He wished he could forget, but he could still see the bruise on her neck. His throat tightened. No, he doubted if he could ever forget that night.

“I have another question for you.” She waited until he lifted his eyes. “Why did you flinch when Mab said your father’s name?”

“Elves do not say the names of the dead. We believe it causes them pain to hear their names said by those still living.” He leaned back and tried once more to push the memories from his mind.
What would my father have said if he knew of my actions?

CHAPTER 18

Ranealya pulled the hood of her cloak lower to shield her face. A cold drizzle fell from the gray skies, but that was the least of her worries. She was being watched.

Her eyes scanned the courtyard. The soldiers stood at their posts along the wall, appearing bored. Gregor and Aemil were engrossed in their own conversation, paying no attention to her. No, the spies lurked elsewhere. She tilted her head to the side and stared at the large window of the castle. With her keen vision, she could barely make out the three figures that stood on the other side of the glass, looking down at her.

She cleared her throat to get Gregor's attention. “It's growing late,” she said.
And the sooner we’re away from Dromore and out of the King’s sight, the better
.

Gregor hugged Aemil before mounting his horse. He seemed so carefree with his cousin, and a little bit of remorse ate at her gut for taking him away from his family. For a moment, she toyed with the idea of going on without him, but she knew she required his help to recover the Tears of Elios. He needed to be the one to recover the third one, not her.

Aemil approached her and rubbed the nose of her horse. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ranealya.”

“Likewise.”

“You two take care of each other, and please stop by and visit longer on the way back to your little hovel in the woods.”

She forced a smile on her face for Aemil's sake. She had no intention of ever returning to Dromore. That is, unless it was to kill Anilayus.

“We will, provided you aren't already on the battlefield,” Gregor answered.

Aemil shook his head. “This is all madness.”

“I know, but what can we do about it?”

Ranealya had a reply poised on the tip of her tongue, but sharp glance from Gregor kept her silent.

“In the meantime, I will continue with my studies and politely decline the Royal Invitation to join this nonsense.”

“If only I had that luxury.” Aemil released her horse and took a few steps back, grabbing hold of the dog’s collar. “I'll take care of Duke for you while you’re in Arcana. I know how much they frown at drool on ancient documents in the Academy. A safe journey to you both, and may the Goddess smile upon you.”

As soon as they were beyond the city walls, Gregor began to scold her. “What were you thinking last night, Ranealya? You almost got caught.”

“But I didn't.”

“You almost did. If it wasn't for the necklace—”

“—and your scent.”

“Will you at least let me finish a sentence?” His face flustered. “As I was saying, you nearly got caught. You're far too reckless. You didn't think of the consequences.”

She snickered. “You're beginning to sound like Galen.”

Gregor frowned. “He warned me about how headstrong you could be.” He sighed. “What were you doing last night anyway?”

“I was spying on the King.”

“In what form?”

“A mouse.”

Gregor smiled in spite of himself. “I don't think I’ve ever imagined you as something small and meek.” His expression then hardened. “Why were you spying on us?”

His question caught her off guard, and she turned away. “Various reasons.” She didn’t want to tell him that she was glad to discover his resolve to not change in the company of the King. “I needed to hear his plans so I could pass them on to Galen.”

“I could have shared them with you.”

“But do you understand the intricacies, Gregor?

Gregor rolled his eyes. He should know better than to enter into an argument with her. She would always win.

They rode along in silence for a few minutes before she asked, “Do you think he suspects us?”

“Who?”

“Anilayus.” She resisted the urge to smack him on the back of the head. “Who were you thinking?”

“Sorry, my mind was already elsewhere.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “My cousin is not a stupid man. On the other hand, if he suspected you, he would have killed you when he had the chance.” He looked at her. “I think we should do as you recommended before we left my home and keep a low profile. You know, try not to attract any attention.”

“So no more nights in castles or dinner with royalty?”

“I suppose so.”

The next two days passed without incident. The few travelers they met seemed disinterested in them, which Ranealya enjoyed. She was beginning to blend in with humans. It was a change from being stared and pointed at like some sort of freak.

They were sitting around a fire on the second night, enjoying a reprieve from the late winter rain, when Gregor asked her how she knew where they were going. “Because I've seen the location.”

This, of course, made Gregor all the more curious. “How?”

Ranealya sighed and rested her head upon her saddle.
Was he ever satisfied with not knowing everything?
He wouldn’t let her rest until she either told him what he wanted to know or lost her temper. “What do you know about the Tears of Elios?”

“I know they magnify any spell you cast using them. And Galen mentioned when you have one, it will show you the location of the others.”

She nodded. “So now you understand how I know where to find them.”

“But Galen said the images were difficult to decipher.” He threw another log on the fire, scattering the embers and doubling the size of the flames. “How is it you can decipher them, especially since you don't have the gift?”

“Do you ever stop asking questions?” She closed her eyes but could still feel him watching her, waiting for an answer. “I have two advantages. First, I can fly, so I can easily make sense of the aerial images. Second, the images are much clearer to me because the orbs have been used on me.”

“Oh,” he said as he finally lay down and wrapped his cloak around him. “One more question, and I promise I'll leave you alone.”

“I doubt that, but go on and ask.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Why are they called the Tears of Elios?”

She rolled over on her side and faced him. “You've never heard the legend before?” Gregor shook his head, and for a moment, Ranealya considered whether she should tell him or not. It was dangerous for a human to have that much information.

But then, he wasn’t a normal human.

“Elios is the goddess of the elves. Before the elves were created, though, she was alone. She created a lover—a male version of herself—and brought him to life. They were very happy together, but her creation angered the other gods. Why did she prefer his company instead of the divine? The demon god, Zelquis, was the most offended by her creation and slaughtered her lover one night as they lay sleeping in each other’s arms.