The Whispering (22 page)

“
Wouldn’t that mean the gateway would be at the Willow?” asks Lily.

“
No.”  I turn to Tolan.  “He came through the garden.  Think about it.  She once told us he came through
her
garden.  He may not have found Tileanith at the Willow, but it’s where he found her since.”

Tolan stands and starts to pace. 
“So the doorway is in mother’s garden.  Then one of the paths to any of the clans can be the doorway to Eirrell.”

“
Or,” adds Mellis thoughtfully, “there’s a direct path to the doorway to get to Eirrell.”  He looks up at me.  “So, do we go now and get it done?”

“
No.  We have to get to the Willow to see Father first.  Not only that, I need to get Lily back to the Willow and have father or Ka marry us.”

“
Then we should leave now.”

Everyone turns to the
front room to see Alorn standing in the shadows.  He quietly moves into the light and Lily gasps, standing quickly in reaction to Alorn’s condition.  Although he is soaked, there are globs of mud and debris splattered all over him.  He is covered with cuts and bruises accompanied by a broken arrow shaft protruding from his shoulder. 

Bloodied and exhausted he looks at Lily first and then me. 

“You’re right cousin,” he says. “We need to get you two married.  The sooner the better.”

Mellis
catches Alorn as he collapses to his knees, unconscious.

~ * ~

Chapter Twenty-One

~ Lily ~

Tharin sits quietly in the corner, watching me heal Alorn who is still out.  Some of the cuts are deep and brutal; a few were superficial and have healed quickly.  It is the large bump on his head that worries me the most.  I worked on it first but the wound is so severe I’m surprised he could have taken a step after he got hit. 

When I first reached in to see how much damage there
is a shield blocks me from going any farther than his bruised and swollen surface.  At one point, Alorn grabs at my wrist, his eyes opened, but unfocused and distant.  Tharin is at my side instantly, grabbing hold of Alorn’s wrist but I stop him.  I wave him back as I gently coax Alorn to relax and let go.  When his eyes focused on me, his entire body relaxes and he is out again.

I shake my head
.  “I don’t understand it Tharin, why can’t I heal his head wound?  The burn on your stomach was ten times worse, yet I healed that.”

“
It’s a protection ward that was placed on all of us when we were barely out of our cribs.  My uncle Madeas summoned a protection ward on our heads when we kept getting knocked out by a simple blow.  We kept sticking our heads out when we should’ve been taking cover.  It’s still with us.  That was how powerful a Summoner he was.  All of us, including Ziri are protected.  If we get hit hard enough, the ward blocks all other energy as it starts its healing process, which takes time.  How’s his shoulder?”

I had to cut Alorn
’s jersey to get to the wound.  I pull it back now to show Tharin.

“
Nothing vital was hit and it’s healing.  It’ll leave a scar but it will completely close by tomorrow,” I answer.  I open his jersey further and trace the many scars the warrior elf carries, including the one from the poisoning at Crowfoot Mountain.

I lay my hand on Alorn
’s chest feeling his heart beat and I sigh with relief knowing he will be okay.  Tharin takes my hand from Alorn’s chest and puts it to his lips.  I feel a thrill go up my arm when he continues to kiss the back of my hand while staring into my eyes.

Finally he lets go and whispers,
“Thank you.”

Instantly I am in his arms, kissing him before getting my arms around his neck.  I love the feel of his strength as he wraps his arms around my waist and
how he pulls me up to him.  I love how solid his body feels and I oh-so love his lips.  He revives me and makes me feel safe, alive, wanted and needed at the same time.  He is my elixir.   That’s right – he makes me feel and sound like a cliché...and I don’t care.

Tharin relaxes his hold and
I slide back down until my feet are on the floor.  He holds me tenderly as I lay my head on his chest listening to the strong beating of his heart – my heart.  I open my eyes to see Alorn lying unconscious next to us and I gently pull away from Tharin.  Looking up at him I realize he is the only one who can make me feel this way.   

“
You all right?” he asks softly, rubbing my cheek with his thumb.

“
Yeah, I am,” I answer.  I look at Alorn again.  “I guess we’re not leaving until morning.”

“
We’ll leave as soon as he’s up,” he replies, looking down at his cousin.  “He’s self healing now and fast, thanks to you.” 

He
smiles and takes my hand.  “Come on.  You need some rest before we move again.  Tolan can take over from here.”

I lay on the sofa in the front room, snuggling under Tharin’s coat, breathing in his scent.  Mellis sits in an armchair near me, stretches out his legs, yawns and within seconds falls asleep.  Tharin and Tolan remain at the table talking softly and their low voices lull me under. 

I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes again Tharin is kneeling beside me
; Tolan and Mellis are gone.

“
Is everything okay?” I start to rise, but he holds me in place.

“
You’re such a suspicious woman,” he jokes softly.  “We’re just stepping out for a minute.”

“
Why, what’s happened?” I ask alarmed.  I try to rise but he places his hand on my shoulder.

“
Lily, it’s all right.  We want to scout the area before heading out, that’s all.  I just didn’t want you to wake up and go into panic mode.  Go back to sleep.”

I catch his hand when he reaches for my face. 
“Promise me.  Promise me you’ll come back.”

“
I’m always with you, Lily,” he says, giving me that smile that stops my breathing.

I frown at him
.  “I mean it, Tharin.  Don’t make me come after you.”

He chuckles
.  “Go to sleep crazy woman.”

He kisses my forehead and then gives me a quick kiss on the lips.  I try to pull him closer, but he takes hold of
my wrist stopping me as he pulls away.   

“
I’ll be back.  I promise.”

I let him go.  I lie back down and pull his coat over my shoulders and try to fall asleep again.  It
is easier than I think as I go out, but I force my heavy lids to open again when I hear voices.  Tharin and Tolan are standing at the center of the room talking softly but stop when I raise my head. 

“
Tharin?” I call in a sleepy voice.

Tolan moves to my side and whispers,
“It’s nothing, go to sleep, Lily.”

“
Wha...” I try to shake the cobwebs. 

“
You’re exhausted,” he says.  “Sleep, we’ll be leaving soon enough.”

He removes his hand and for some reason I thank
Tharin.  My last thought before going under is that he came back as he promised.

I awake to find Tharin
’s coat has been replaced with a heavy blanket.  A slow panic starts to rise when I realize the room is empty.  It takes me a minute before remembering Tharin saying he and Tolan would be out scouting.  They must still be out.  I get up and look for Mellis but find him also gone, but on the table is a pot of hot sweet bark tea.  The aroma dances softly around the room and fills me with revitalized energy.  I retrieve a cup and look at the room Alorn is in.  Not a sound, not even snoring, comes from the closed area and I decide I should check on him first. 

I enter the room surprised to find
in the corner a dimly lit panswa.  Alorn is sitting on the bed with a fresh jersey in his hands.  He looks at me, nods and lifts his arms over his head to get the jersey on.  He stops, grunting with pain.  Without thinking, I walk over to him, reaching up and helping to get the jersey over his large arms. 

“
Why are you up?” I ask, stepping back to allow him to pull the jersey over his solid torso.  I try not to look, seriously I try, but like his cousin his masculinity is overwhelming.  I take another step back.

“
I’m all right, Lily,” he answers quietly as he grabs for some socks.

“
You were seriously hurt last night, Alorn.  You should rest until the others get back.”

“
I know you think so, but I’m okay,” he says with a small smile.  He stops, socks in hand and locks eyes with me.  “Thank you for saving me…again.”

I shrug
, not sure what to say, so I stand and wait as he goes back to putting his socks on.

Feeling a l
ittle awkward I put out my hand, without touching him, and search his energy for any wounds that may still need healing.  Alorn catches my wrist and gently pulls me closer, startling me.  I automatically resist his hold, my breath caught in my throat. 

His
hold is solid but his touch is gentle as he says, “You need not worry, Lily.”

I nod,
getting the sense that his words mean more than just telling me he is okay.  I’m unable to break his gaze and for a long moment we remain quiet.  And once again I am hit with déjà vu.  The dream at the caves…the passionate…

Alorn breaks the moment by letting go and reach
ing for his boots.

“
Tolan is here,” he says quietly.

I realize I am breathing hard and I catch my breath before turning toward the
door as Tolan appears.  He smiles, looks at Alorn and then back at me.  I can see his eyes scrutinizing my heated face and there is no way he can miss me trying to calm my breathing.  A look of perplexity comes over him but he schools his face quickly as he walks into the room.  He waves his hand to the corner and the panswa brightens.

“
Looks like you’re able to move,” he says to Alorn. 

The way he
speaks and how he’s standing with a hard look on his face is so like Tharin that both Alorn and I just stare at him.  Alorn doesn’t say anything but nods and goes back to dressing. 

I move to Tolan
.  “Are you all right?”

Tolan looks at me stiffly. 
“I am, Lily.  Sorry, I’m just anxious to get back to Julia.  I’m sure she’s worried.”

I
’m confused by his manner, but I suppose we are all uptight and just want to get back to the queen’s garden.  Alorn stands and walks up to Tolan, putting a hand on his cousin’s shoulder.  They exchange a look before Alorn nods again and slips out the door.

“
Where’s Tharin?” I ask, not moving.

“
He’s with Mellis,” he answers hesitantly.  “He wanted to scout ahead to give us a free path to the tower without incident.”

“
He said he’d be back.” 

“
I know and he told me to tell you he was sorry, but he just wanted to make the last of our journey safe,” he replies edgily.

“
Why are you acting like this?”

Tolan shrugs and relaxes a bit
.  “Nothing, I just really, really miss Julia.”

I stare at him until he starts to squirm. 
“I mean...” he continues, “…you know, I have a lot on my mind.  My father, becoming king of the Willow Clan, and Julia...”

I stop him
.  “What do you mean, Julia?”

He shrugs
again.  “I mean she’ll be my wife and she’ll be queen, but you know her better than anyone.  She may not go for it.”

“
She loves you, Tolan.  And trust me, if you ask she’ll say yes.”

He nods looking
uncertain.  “I hope so.”

I laugh at his concerned face
.  “Well, at least she has a choice.”

I make my way to the door, but Tolan
moves to block me.

“
What do you mean, she has a choice?”

Startled, I
step back, not knowing how to answer him.  After a moment, I sigh.  “I didn’t ...I didn’t mean anything by it, Tolan.  I just think it’s nice that you’re asking her, that’s all.  For me, well you know, it kind of...just is.  It’s either marrying Tharin or dooming an entire realm.”

“
Is that what you want, Lily?  A proposal?” he asks quietly.

“
Tolan,” I say patiently, “it’s every girls’ dream to be proposed to in the most romantic way possible by the man she loves and be able to say ‘yes, I will marry you’.”

“
So, what you really want is a choice?”

For some reason
, to finally hear it out loud, all my fears of not having my own life rise to the surface.  “Yes, Tolan, it would have been nice if I had a choice – if I had any choice.”

Tolan is quiet,
lost in thought.  Wanting to reassure him, I quickly add, “It’s okay.  Trust me when I say she’ll say yes.  Julia loves you.”

I move once again toward the doors, but Tolan lifts his hand to hold me back.

“Just one more thing; do you think Julia will be opposed to having kids?” he asks, his face unreadable.

I
answer with another reassuring smile.  “Of course, she wouldn’t.  Why would she?”

Tolan nods
with the half smile that matches his brothers.

“
And what about you, Lily, do you want to have children with Tharin?”

I
’m confused by his question.  Not so much the question itself, but why he would be asking.  “Um…yeah, sure.  According to him, we’ll have four kids, so I guess it’ll happen.”

“
You didn’t answer the question.  Do
you
want to have kids with Tharin?” he asks seriously, a bit tense.

I relax a bit
, realizing why he’s asking.  “Tolan, I’m not going anywhere, despite anything I’ve said to Tharin before now.  Remember, we’re destined to be together and we’re going to have beautiful kids to play with your beautiful kids.”

I hope that
puts him at ease.  I know he thinks my plans will affect Julia’s plan, but they won’t. 

This time
his smile is genuine and full.  “Thank you, Lily.  I’ll let you know how it all goes when I do ask her.”