The Whispering (23 page)

I laugh as I finally walk out the d
oor.  “Oh, trust me, I’ll know because Julia will beat you to it.”

Alorn is standing at the table drinking some of Mellis
’ tea.  He glances at us over his cup and I notice he is fully dressed for travel.  I turn in time to see Tolan work the tree’s energy to close the extra rooms.  I return to the sofa I slept on and put on my boots and coat.  I look around for my clothes and a tinge of sadness overcomes me when I realize they are gone.  My only belongings I had left of my old life.  I realize Tolan and Alorn are watching me closely, so I finish lacing my boots and force myself to forget about some old clothes that were too big for me anyway.

Alorn and I easily fall into our old routine as we leave the thela.  It isn
’t until I step to Alorn’s side that I realize Tolan is waiting for me to join him.  I guess because of last night he feels responsible for getting me through the caves and now figures it would be the same today.  But Alorn has always been my bodyguard.  When Tharin isn’t around it’s Alorn who I look to for guidance and protection. 

I think of my
earlier conversation with Tolan and realize without Julia to worry about and keep him distracted he is focusing all his attention on me.  I look at Alorn who stands in front of me scanning the area.  I want to get his attention without Tolan seeing, but it would be too obvious tugging at his coat or arm, or tapping at my temple like I usually do.  I really need to remember to ask Tharin how to do the whispering thing.

Alorn makes a move to take off but I grab his hand which stops him in his track
s.  He gives me a startled look and I give him a perplexed one in return.

“
You know I can’t keep up with your speed.  Were you just going to leave me behind?”

He shakes his head as if remembering where he is and who he is talking to.

“Sorry,” he apologizes.  “You ready?  I’ll stay at your pace; don’t push too hard and when you’re too tired to go on, you let me know.  Same as always.”

Tolan
is standing a ways from us and I glance at him before stepping in front of Alorn.  I cast my eyes upward, trying to indicate that he whisper with me.  Instead, Alorn raises his brows indicating that I have lost my mind.  I sigh, shaking my head and letting it go.  I’m not sure what is wrong with either of them but the sooner we get going the sooner I will be with Tharin. 

“
Never mind,” I say as I turn toward the wooded area ahead of us. 

I feel Alorn
’s hand on me and I look up questioningly.

“
Are you all right?” he asks, looking me over closely.

“
Yeah, I am.  I’m just anxious to get back with the others.” 

I no longer care about any dream that may or may not have anything to do with Alorn.  All I am doing is putting a wall between us
– I trust him, with my life.  And right now I have to trust him to take me to Tharin.  As for Tharin leaving with Mellis without even saying good-bye, I understand why he did it, but I don’t have to like it.  And I am going to make sure he damn well knows it.

Alorn
nods at Tolan, and in turn, Tolan frowns at me.  After a moment of brooding, Tolan takes off.  We really need to get him back to Julia quick.

Tolan
takes us through several paths that lead us back to the tower.  It’s when we are in the tower that things become a little tense.  There are secret passageways, explained Tolan, all over the city that they used when they were boys.  Although there are dozens, there is only one passage to the royal floor and it ends at the king’s study located in his suites.  According to Tolan and Alorn only they, Tharin, Mellis, Phoris and later, Ziri, know of it.  They are pretty sure the king knows, too, but they never asked.

Alorn opens the secret door to the king
’s study slowly.  There are no scraping or squeaking sounds from the door opening and we quietly file into the room.  The study is completely dark and I can barely make out the furniture.  I can only imagine it to be similar to Tharin’s – hardwood, old and dark, hand carved designs fit for a king.  I am pretty sure there are inlays of oak leaves throughout the suite.  The smell of rich wood and leather permeates the air and I can see dying embers from across the room which must be a fireplace.

“
Lily, stay close.  My uncle’s suite is full of old relics from Eirrell and I plan to have them in one piece when he returns,”
says Alorn as he takes my hand.

I stay quiet, feeling a little sick know
ing the king would not be returning.  I tug on his hand, getting his attention.

“
Yes, Lily?”

“
Alorn, Jarhan told me that he isn’t going to make it.  That he’s waiting for his sons, all of his sons, and is holding on until then,”
I say sadly.

Light from the tall windows spill into the room and I can make out Alorn
’s face when he stops to look at me.

“
Does Tharin or Tolan know?”

I shake my head. 
“I couldn’t bring myself to tell them,”
I choke. 
“I felt it would be best for their father to tell them himself.  Was it wrong of me to keep it from him?”

He squeezes my hand. 
“You did what you thought was right.  And it’s not your place to say anything to begin with.  Jarhan should not have burdened you with Thilthen’s fate.  Don’t let it bother you any longer.”

I smile at him gratefully and hug him, something I would do with any of them.  All of them seem to put my feelings first before their own and I have no other way to show my gratitude but to hug them fiercely. 

Alorn pats my shoulder comfortingly as I look up at him again.

“
What?”
he asks suspiciously.

“
Frank and Chris are here, in Velesi.”

“
And you didn’t tell Tolan, right?”

I nod pathetically.
“Right.”

We both turn to Tolan, startled to find him standing before us, a hard look on his face.

“Please don’t tell him,”
I beg Alorn without looking at him. 
“This is Julia’s fight, if Tolan knows he’ll run after them.”

Alorn stare
s at Tolan, not answering my pleas.  Instead, he opens up the communication to include him.

“
What is it, Tolan?  Is someone else in the suite with us?”
asks Alorn, letting his arm drop from my shoulders.

“
You know damn well there isn’t,”
he snaps.

I pull away from Alorn and step up to Tolan
. 
“What’s your problem?  Why are you snapping at us?  We’re almost there and you’ll see Julia.  Stop being so…so…”

“
So like what, Lily?  Bossy?”
he snaps back at me.

My eyes grow wide when I realize what is going on.  And I am so pissed off I forget where we are.

“Tharin, you son of a biscuit ea…” I yell with my fists at my sides.  I am cut off from saying anything else because in a flash Tharin has a hand over my mouth, picking me up and frowning at me. 

I hear Alorn sigh heavily and move to sit on one of the large sofas.

“I’m sorry.  I should have told you…ah!  Lily, stop kicking me,”
he growls.

“
I swear I’m kicking your ass!”
I continue to struggle against him as I hit his shoulder with my free hand. 

He knows what I am about to do and lifts his knee to protect his groin in the nick of time.  It only infuriates me
further and I hit his shoulder again.

“
Lily, if you don’t stop hitting me I’ll have no choice but to knock you out.  Now stop hitting me,”
he warns.

“
Go ahead…hit me!  It will be the most honest thing you’ve done so far, you ass,”
I reply, still punching him which, of course, is useless.  His damn arm is as hard as a rock, especially when he’s flexing it.  If he didn’t have his elbow up to protect his face I would smack him on the side of his big, thick head.

Tharin looks about and spots a large armchair.  He releases my mouth, spins me around so my back is against him and carries me to the chair and sits.  He has me on his lap with my arms pinned with one arm and the other
he wraps around my knees, keeping them together and preventing me from kicking him.

“
All right, Lily…Lily…”
he tries to calm me down.

I stop struggling, breathing hard and staring at him
furiously.

“
You son of a…”

“
Lily,”
he interrupts, “
my father has never eaten a biscuit in his entire life, truly.  And I don’t think my mother has either.  We have breads and cakes, but no biscuits.  I give you my word.”
  He puts his hand up to declare his statement to be true.

I take advantage of having my knees freed and bring one up hard into his exposed ribs.  He grunts and when his grip
on my shoulders loosens, I jump off his lap, looking down at him.  And just for good measure, I give him a swift kick in the shin.  He grunts again, but barely above a whisper like the first one.

I turn to Alorn,
“You knew about this?”

“
I had no plan in it, but eventually, yes,”
he answers.

“
Why didn’t you tell me?”
I ask crossly, feeling a little betrayed.

Alorn stands so the light from the window exposes his face fully. 
“Because, Lily, he did what he thought was right.  And it’s not my place to say anything to begin with.”

He uses
the same words he used to pardon my own reasons for keeping Thilthen’s fate to myself.  I stand staring at him, confused and angry – and feeling small.  I turn to Tharin, trying to calm my breathing.  Alorn is right.  We say or don’t say things to protect the ones we love but despite our good intentions, a lie is still a lie.  I breathe out slowly and with it most of my anger.

I move back to kneel beside Tharin, who is rubbing at his shin and giving me a sour look.

“I’m sorry,”
I apologize half heartedly. 

Tharin lets out a heavy breath. 
“Look, I am sorry.  We thought by keeping you and Tolan apart it would keep them from getting the key, the Summoner and the queen.  All the elements needed to get the doorway open.  We know they would come for you first, and if they thought Tolan was with you it would keep them from going after him.  This way, he could continue to look for the doorway and I would be with you in hopes of taking out Harlu or Kolinest, or both.  I was going to tell you when I got back at the thela, but...”

“
But you had to ask your damn questions.”

“
I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean for it to go that way and I would’ve told you, but...”

I
stop him before he can finish his explanation.  Holding his gaze, I say,
“You can’t marry a child, Tharin, so stop treating me like one.”

He sighs, nodding,
“You’re right.  I’m sorry.”

“
We should go,”
I say, not letting him explain any further.  I let him know I’m still pissed by walking away and not waiting for him.  I still feel my secrets aren’t as bad as his but I let it drop for the sake of peace. I walk over to Alorn and turn to Tharin who is still frowning at me. 

I
stare back annoyed. 
“We have to keep up appearances, don’t we?”

~ * ~

Chapter Twenty-Two

~ Tharin ~

I limp to the front doors of the suites and open one quietly.  Like the rest of the tower, the hallway is in darkness and I send out my senses, feeling for any hidden dangers.  When I find none, I close the door quietly and turn to Alorn and a still pissed off Lily.

“
The way to the queen’s suites should be clear.  I sensed nothing out of the ordinary,”
I report.

“
Wouldn’t they keep guards at the garden?”
asks Lily.

“
No.  They don’t know exactly where the doorway is located, but if they should guess, they would guess it to be at Gastah Point.”

“
Why?”
Lily asks, confused.

“
Because,”
interjects Alorn,
“the realms energy is felt the strongest there.  So, they’ll assume that’s where the doorway will be.”

She nods her understanding
and says,
“But Harlu knows about the garden.  He was waiting for me when I returned with Cessa from Malainisi.  He’s not stupid.  You can’t believe that he hasn’t figured out the garden is a doorway to Cessa’s realm.”

“
Not necessarily,”
says Alorn. 
“It’s a well known fact that the queen would take walks with Cessa in the pando forest.  He may not see it for more than that.”

“
It’s true, Lily.  I didn’t know about any doorways to the other realms until just before she died and after she gave me Cessa’s stone as a gift,”
I say pointing at her wrist.

She seems satisfied with that answer but I can still see her nervousness. 
And she is right to feel so.  If we do get caught, they have to believe they have Tolan.  I look at them one last time before turning to the double doors.  Again I open it slowly and then wide enough for us to sneak out and make our way to the queen’s suites.

When we find ourselves in front of the double doors
to my mother’s rooms, we hesitate.  I step forward knowing Alorn has my back and lift my hand up, searching for the wards placed there by my father.  To my relief, they are still intact.  I turn to Lily as I open one of the doors, letting her in first as I follow quickly after her.  Once Alorn is in, he puts the bolts in place, locking us in.

Lily
moves to stand in front of me, tapping at her temple. 

“
Yes, Lily?”

“
Is it safe?  Can we talk out loud?”
she asks.

“
Yes, Lily, but let’s keep it low anyway,” I answer.

She doesn
’t hesitate and asks, “Teach me how to do the
Whispering
.”

“Now?  You want me to stop everything and teach you now?”

She sighs dramatically, dropping her shoulders
.  “You know what I mean.”

I shake my head
.  “I don’t know if you’re capable of it, Lily.”

“
Tolan told me that I have the ability, but because of my human blood you’d be the only one who could reach in and make it happen,” she states.

“
He did, did he?”

She
places her hand on her hip and a stubborn look on her face.  “Yes, he did.  Are you going to teach me or not?”

What can I do, refuse her? 
“All right, Lily. When we have some alone time I’ll teach you.  Right now we just need to get to the garden and make our way to the Willow.”

She seems
pleased with my answer as she places her hands on my shoulders and stands on tip toes to plant a kiss on my lips. 

“
Thank you,” she says genuinely, before moving toward the queen’s master bedroom, disappearing inside.

One minute she is beating the crap out of me and the next she is as gentle as a kitten
.  She is going to be the death me, I swore it before and will continue to until she actually does kill me.

Alorn comes up from behind me and slaps a hand
on my shoulder.

“
You know she’s going to be the death of you one day,” he remarks as if reading my thoughts.  “You might as well just hand over the realm to her and call it day.”

“
Oh, shut up,” I say, still looking after my betrothed.

Alorn goes after Lily into the bedroom and I follow close behind.  I know it is safe in the suites; it is the safest place in the entire city.  Harlu
’s attack during the Day of the Seating happened because the doors were opened.  He could have disguised himself to get in, but once in, it was easy for him to follow Lily into the garden.  I think of the scar located above her left breast and an old anger threatens to come through.  I swore then Harlu would pay and I intend to keep that promise.

When I near the floral archway, Lily is speaking with Tolan and Mellis. 
They stop when I come through the entrance and wait until I am a part of their circle.  I glance over and see Alorn sitting on the bench with his legs stretched out, arms folded and hood over his head.  To everyone else, he looks as if he is taking a nap.  I know better.   

“Are you ready?” asks Tolan.  “I’m feeling a little anxious about seeing Father.”

I have held my worries for my father at bay, but to hear
Tolan now speak of him with concern, allows the sense of urgency to come over me again.

I nod
and Tolan moves to a patch of pando, puts his hands at his side as Phoris used to do before a calling.  It is only seconds before the trees waver gently and the ground vibrates softly under our feet.  By the time Tolan relaxes his hands and turns to us, the pathway to the Willow is open.

“
How long of a walk to the Willow?” asks Lily.

“
Several hours,” answers Tolan.  Then he smiles, saying, “But only one or two if we go ‘elf mode’ as you call it.”

Before Lily can react to Tolan
’s comment, I sweep her up in my arms and speed past him.  She hangs on but instead of ducking her head into my shoulder as I thought she would, she looks ahead, watching as the scenery speeds past us.

“
Before you can whisper, you must summon the ability to do so,”
I say, interrupting her thoughts.

She turns to me
, startled, and then an appreciative smile appears.

“
And how do I summon my abilities?”
she asks.

“
Meditation.  And you'll need someone who is willing to open themselves up to you,”
I answer.

She
thinks about that for a moment, and then says,
“But I didn’t willing open up to you at first, and I don’t think Julia did either.”

“
Julia was easy,”
I reply
.  “Most humans are easy to penetrate.  You, however, have your mother’s blood; and the only reason I was able to get through to you was because of your fear of the Demlok.”

“
Well, if that’s the case, why did Tolan say he was unable to because of my human blood?”

“
I said humans are easy to penetrate, but they are difficult to teach how to whisper.  There’s a difference,”
I explain. 

She furrows her brows.  I try again. 
“Each of us, Tolan, Alorn, Mellis and Ziri, we have willingly opened ourselves to each other, to our parents and those we feel are a part of our circle.  We can all initiate communication this way, except for Ziri.  Like you, he is only part elf.  He has the ability in him to learn, but his Lithi side won’t allow it because it believes he can’t do it.  It’s the same with you.  You want to, but the part that is human finds it difficult for your brain to wrap around the idea of telepathically speaking with someone else.”

“
So, I have to rewire my brain?  My way of thinking?”
she asks.

“
More like the way you feel.  Remember, we can’t read mines, we can only communicate with each other,’
I remind her.

“
But once I learn, I can whisper to the others, right?  I mean, I would be able to because they’ve already opened up to me, is that it?”

“
No, not exactly.  You have to learn to reach others, how to ask to be let in.  The more you become experienced with how to whisper, the easier it is to connect to others.”

“
Even if I didn’t ask?”

“
Yes.  But it takes decades to learn how to do that, and without opening yourself in return.”

“
Okay, how do I start?”
she asks, with a serious look.

I laugh at her expression
. 
“You start like every other lesson you’ve learned.  You clear you mind and focus.”

She sigh
s,
“Will you be open to me, Tharin?”

“
Of course, Lily, I thought that was a given.”

She responds by laying her head against my shoulder, hugging me tightly.  And once again, my crazy world with this beautiful
woman is right again. 

The garden we step into
is almost identical in layout to the one at the oak tower, which means the suites attached to it once belonged to Senestra.  I put Lily down and she moves forward hesitantly, taking in the weeping branches of the giant Willow that once housed her parents. 

“
Lily,” I call and she turns to me with unshed tears. 

I walk up to her and wipe
away a tear as it slips from her lashes.  “I want to share this moment with you, to take you through your birth place, but I have to go to my father.”

As if coming out of a dream, she nods, wiping at her eyes. 
“I’m sorry, Tharin, I didn’t mean to hold you back.  But I want to be with you when you see him.”

Something tugs at
my chest as I realize Lily may already know my father’s fate.  I take her hand and without another word, I lead her inside to find the king.

I rush Lily through her mother
’s suites, knowing she would rather take the time to soak everything in but the sense of urgency pulls me toward the king’s suites.  Before Lily can get her bearings we are out in the hall and running down a long corridor.  I know the others have already made it to the king’s chambers and are waiting there for us.

The king
’s guards open the double doors immediately at our approach and I let Lily’s hand go when I see Marilyn and Julia.  I refuse to acknowledge Julia’s tears, or Glynnis’ sorrowful demeanor, the mournful cries of my aunt and uncles nearby.  I also ignore Dalim standing at the tall windows with tears streaming down his face.  I rush to the master bedroom to find Tolan, Ziri, Alorn and Mellis surrounding the king lying still in a massive bed. 

My instant reaction is anger that he should be here and not in his own bed at the tower.  I clench my fist swearing Kolinest, Harlu, Falsad and everyone involved
in my father’s condition will be held accountable. 

Ka is sitting in a chair on the far side of
the bed and standing just behind him in the shadows is Walem.  Ka has his head leaning against his hands holding tightly to his walking stick.  Ziri sits on the bed, his upper body thrown across our father, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.  Tolan is sitting on the bed opposite Ziri, holding our father’s hand, crying silently unlike our younger brother.  Mellis sits at the end of the bed, his hand on the king’s foot, always the most sensitive of us all, crying openly.  And then there is Alorn, still and stoic, unmoved by the sound of sorrow around him. There is no emotion on his face, only a hard, distant look.  But I know he hurts; his is the fiercest sorrow I feel in the entire room.

I move to the bed and as if sensing my presence
, my father opens his eyes searching for me.  His hand lifts from Ziri’s head, reaching out and I quickly move in to take it, falling on my knees next to him.

“
Tharin,” he whispers hoarsely.  His eyes smile at me as he holds on tightly.  “I thought I would not see you before I leave this world.”

“
Shhh, father, Lily is with me.  She will heal you,” I choke, holding back the emotions.

He shakes his head
.  “No, it is too late.  The wound is fatal and if Ka could not heal me, no healer can.”

“
She has the gift of the Healers.  You must let her try,” I beg. 

I turn to retrieve Lily only to find her
standing just outside the doors.  I put my hand out to her, silently pleading for her to come to me, but she doesn’t move.  Confused, I am about to get up and bring her to the bed when I am pulled back to meet my father’s eyes, his grip tightening.

“
No, Tharin, she cannot help,” he says faintly.  “If you love her, you will not let her live the rest of her life with the guilt that she could not save me.”