Chapter 2
"I need to talk with you," Tancred said to Solyma. The red headed mage turned irritably from her conversation with Jaric and glared at the vampire.
"Later," she said. She waggled her eybrows meaningfully and made an obscene hand gesture out of Jaric's line of sight as she turned back towards him.
"No, now," Tancred said irritably. "It's about Ismene," he said, his voice changing only a tiny amount, but it was enough for her. Solyma's emerald green eyes widened slightly as she raised an eyebrow and she gave Jaric a worried glance.
"I'll be right back," she said to him with a soft smile. Tancred felt his fists clench when Solyma brushed her hand over Jaric's and gave him a warm smile.
He doesn't care for her, not the way I do, he thought jealously as he walked out of the common room with Solyma right behind him. Why should he be the one she chooses? I'm better looking too. Probably a lot better lover. He's a virgin. Wouldn't last ten minutes.
"What's happening? What's wrong with Ismene?" Solyma asked as they walked out into the warm night air. A few fireflies flitted around the front of the inn accompanied by the faint chirping of crickets. From the creek that wound its way through the forest behind the inn they could hear the sound of frogs croaking. A nice night to be out, Solyma thought.
"I found her in the barn, she's crying her eyes out. Not just crying-" he paused and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not very good at reading emotions."
Solyma grinned broadly. "Yes, you are. I've seen you reading those books, I bet you could come up with a dozen reasons for why she's crying and a dozen more ways to have her fall in love with you," she said. Tancred just scowled and snorted.
"So why haven't you just bedded that knight?" Tancred asked suddenly. "It's not like you to play around with your prey so much."
"He's not- he's not prey," Solyma said with a soft smile as she looked towards Tancred. "I'm in love," she said with a wide, unrestrained smile.
"You're joking," Tancred said, barely keeping the disgust from his voice. "With him?"
"Yes, it's amazing, isn't it?" Solyma sighed and stretched her arms above her head. "I want him, yes, but I'm happy just to be around him." She reached over and wrapped her arm around Tancred's shoulder. "Sorry about the knife thing earlier, I was just worried...about losing him."
"Does he love you?" Tancred said in an oddly flat voice.
"I don't know," Solyma said softly. "I hope so."
"Well, I love you," Tancred said. Solyma laughed loudly and hugged him tightly as they reached the barn.
"Thanks, Tancred, I'm glad to know that you like my blood and body so much," Solyma said in a joking voice.
Tancred managed a hollow laugh. "Yes," he said as flippantly as he could, "I love your body and blood. Do you think Jaric would mind sharing you? I bet you haven't had two men at once in a while." Solyma looked over her shoulder at him and grinned before she reached out to open the barn door.
"Ismene? Are you in here?" she called out softly as she pushed open the barn door. She felt the sudden silence of someone trying not to be heard. "Ismene, is something wrong?"
"N-no, go away," Ismene said, sounding like she was trying to wipe her eyes and nose at the same time.
"Why? You don't like me anymore?" Solyma asked as she climbed up the ladder and sat back in the hay. She sniffed the air a few times and smiled. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Nothing," Ismene said and started to rise until Solyma pulled her back down.
"You're not getting away that easily," Solyma said. "Come on, tell me what's wrong. Can I help?"
Ismene shook her head silently. "No, there's nothing you can do. I just need some time on my own to figure everything out," she said. She looked up at Solyma and flashed a bright but brittle smile. "I promise I'll come talk to you if I ever need help."
"Promise?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Why don't you come back to the inn? Have something to drink and a nice hot bath."
"That sounds good," Ismene said. Tancred sighed and slipped out the door as the two women climbed down from the hay loft. If he had to, he would have said that Ismene was grief stricken over losing her one true love and was trying to find comfort in another man's arms. But why did she react so angrily when the noble had said he loved her? True, he was lying, and not very well, but it still didn't seem like enough to make her slap him.
His thoughts were interrupted when Solyma walked out of the stable with her arm around Ismene's slender shoulders. He hid in the shadows and watched as they walked back to the inn. And Jaric, he thought with uncharacteristic bitterness. He snarled and slammed his fist into the stable wall, unaware of the hole he left, and stomped back towards the inn.
Jaric sat in his tent and stared at the bouquet of wildflowers he had picked earlier in the night. They lay on his folding table tied with a length of ribbon he had bought from a merchant in Corannon just before leaving. It was a deep green, perfectly matching the color of Solyma's eyes.
"Solyma," he said softly as he rearranged the flowers a bit to make them more presentable. He sighed again and leaned back in his chair to stare at the top of his tent. "I just happened to be walking by when I saw these flowers. I thought that you'd enjoy having them for your room." He paused and was silent for a while. "I was just making my rounds when I realized that you might enjoy having some flowers." He groaned and sat up, staring at the flowers again. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and it would make me the happiest man in the world if I thought you'd enjoy receiving these flowers," he said softly.
"What am I thinking?" Jaric said harshly as he stood and reached to throw the flowers away. "She'd be horrified if I just showed up at her door. I must act as etiquette demands." He paused and picked up the flowers gently. "Maybe...I was just making my rounds and I thought I'd check in on you, Solyma. Oh, these flowers? I was going to give them to you tomorrow but if you'd like them tonight..." Jaric groaned again as he slumped back down in his chair and let his head fall forward onto the table.
Solyma gasped as someone pounded on her door before knocking it open. She pulled the covers up over her heaving bosom as she shrank back against the headboard, her long lashes fluttering in distress as she saw the figure framed in the doorway.
"Jaric? What-?" she stammered.
"I can't resist you any longer," Jaric growled as he stalked into the room and slammed the door behind him, wedging a chair under the handle. "I must have you in the most carnal way."
"B-but Jaric!" Solyma cried as he slowly approached her bed, his shirt already open at the neck, exposing his muscled chest. "W-we hardly know each other!"
"I don't care," he said in a deep voice as he stood by her bedside and leaned over, his arms grabbing her shoulders. "I must take you now, before I lose my mind!"
"Oh! Jaric!" Solyma cried fearfully as he reached down and seized the bodice of her nightgown, pausing for one moment to stare her in the eyes before he yanked the fragile cloth and set her breasts free in the night air. With a sweeping motion he pulled back the covers and tore the rest of her nightgown from her body. Solyma gasped in mortification and tried to cover herself as Jaric growled deep in his throat and leaned forward, his lips hungry on Solyma's neck. She moaned into the dark of the room as he pushed her down onto the bed, his hands roaming her body and sending sheets of fire through her nerves.
"Yes, yes, oh, yes!" Solyma cried out as he firmly squeezed her breasts and ran his lips over her chin. Someone began to pound on the door as she reached up and buried her hands in his thick mane of hair, pressing his head down towards her breasts as she arched her back and-
Solyma sat up and rubbed her eyes groggily, staring blankly at the dim darkness of her room and wondering why she had woken up. She blinked again at the sound of someone knocking on her door, her head still full of vague, erotic images of Jaric caressing her before he...
"Who is it?" she called out irritably, collapsing back down and rolling over to bury her face in her pillow, striving to recapture the wonderful feeling of Jaric's hands on her body. Her head shot up when she heard Ismene's voice answering. "Come in," she said as she rolled over and sat up again. "It's open."
"Hi," Ismene said in a quiet voice as she slipped in the door. Solyma unconsciously licked her lips at the silk nightdress that the elf was wearing. It accentuated the slender girl's figure perfectly and a long slit up both sides floated aside to reveal the elf's slim legs. "Do you mind if I spend the night?"
"I...uh," Solyma said. As much as she lusted after Ismene and Penelope, she also felt that she should act with at least a semblance of modesty when Jaric was around. What would he think of her if he heard her and Ismene going at it like animals? But then, Jaric hadn't shown much interest despite her best efforts and it had been more than two weeks since she had slept with anyone. "Sure," she said as she moved back the covers and patted the bed next to her. Maybe she should make extra noise, if desire wouldn't get him to at least kiss her, maybe jealousy would.
Solyma grinned with pleasant surprise when Ismene hopped onto the bed and kissed her firmly on the lips. "A little fast, don't you think?" she murmured as Ismene tugged at her nightgown. Ismene was insistently kissing at the tops of Solyma's breasts as she pulled the woman's nightgown further down.
Solyma moaned under her breath and stroked Ismene's soft golden hair, relishing the soft feel of it as she ran the tip of her finger over Ismene's pointed ear. She felt bad for taking advantage of Ismene's desire to forget what had happened a month and a half ago but then Ismene kissed her again. Solyma sighed and kissed her back, savoring the silky soft feel of Ismene's lips as she took the elf girl by the shoulders and turned her around until she was lying on her back. She leaned down to kiss the elf girl, feeling Ismene's soft lips parting eagerly as the elf kissed her back.
"I-Ismene," Solyma said suddenly as she leaned back and rolled off the elf girl, her hands pulling her nightgown back up over her breasts. "I can't do this. It's not you, I-"
"You're in love with Jaric, I know," Ismene said quietly as she rearranged her nightgown and sat up next to Solyma.
"What? No, it's not that-" Solyma said as she half-turned towards Ismene.
"What is it then? We've all seen you and we can all tell," Ismene said with a faint smile.
Solyma blinked and sat in stupefied amazement when she felt her cheeks flushing. She raised one hand and felt her cheek, the skin hot beneath her fingers. "But- I'm not," she said quietly. "Who's we?" she asked with more assurance.
Ismene shrugged and flopped back down onto the bed, pulling the sheet over her body and shoving one hand under the pillow. "Everyone? Kerrith, Penelope, Laros, Tancred, everyone," she said.
"Does he think-?" Solyma said quietly as she twisted the sheets in her lap.
"I don't know," Ismene said as she rolled over to face Solyma, her head propped up on one hand. "I haven't heard anything." Ismene was silent for a moment and then she spoke again. "Solyma," Ismene said absently as she looked away for a moment. "Is Kerrith courting anyone?"
"Kerrith? Why-" Solyma began to say when she was interrupted by a timid knock on the door. "Who is it?" Solyma called out.
"It's, uh-" a cracking voice said. "It's Jaric," he said in a more normal voice. Ismene smiled as she slipped silently over to the closet and stepped inside.
"Coming," Solyma said and flushed again when she realized how she was thinking of the word. She slipped on her robe over her nightgown, being sure that it was belted loosely around her waist, and slowly opened the door. "Is something wrong?" she began to say when a bouquet of flowers was thrust into her face.
"I-I'm sorry to disturb you so late in the night," Jaric said in a rush, his eyes clenched shut. "I found these flowers while I was taking a walk and I thought you might like them to cheer up your room. They're very nice flowers, a very nice smell. Very nice." He took a breath and managed to open his eyes. Solyma saw them staring at her face for a second before he flushed and turned away. "I'll be going now. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping. I should have thought of that. My deepest apologies."
"Wait!" Solyma called out as he turned and nearly ran down the hall. But if he had heard her he made no indication of it. "Don't run," she said desparingly.
Kerrith jerked back in surprise as Jaric came crashing out of the inn's door and nearly bowled him over. He heard the younger knight mumble an apology before running off towards the encampment of knights. Kerrith shrugged in puzzlement and continued around the inn towards the river. It was a mild night and he felt the need to wash before retiring.
"Kerrith!" he heard someone call from above him. He looked up and saw Solyma hanging out of her window wearing only her nightgown. Jaric would certainly enjoy this view, he thought to himself.
"Yes?" he called back.
"Did you see Jaric?" Solyma called down.
"Yes, he ran off towards his tent." Kerrith fought to keep a smile off his face as Solyma swore viciously and slammed her window shut. He wondered how long it would be before Solyma attacked Jaric in his tent. He was actually rather surprised that she hadn't made more overt advances towards Jaric.
Kerrith's thoughts drifted from Solyma and Jaric to himself and Selene. How he missed her. He still had the engagement ring in his pack, safely nestled in an inside pocket since he had left for Cielcroix.
"Why don't you ask her?" Dravon had asked one night after he had returned to Corannon. He hadn't been able to answer his commander then, but he could now. He didn't want to ask Selene to marry him and then have to run off on a mission. He wanted to be able to make it a perfect moment for the both of them. But there hadn't been a good time since then. One of them had always been too busy, Selene had gone on a trip to Collamnus and had just returned before he had had to leave for Taladros.
"I'm asking her when I get back," he said to himself as he knelt by the river. Moonlight flickered off the water. It looked like the river he and Selene had stood next to in Willowsrun during the celebration. I can get a leave, Kerrith thought to himself as he watched the river and thought of the way the moonlight had shimmered on Selene's hair. I'll ask her and she'll say yes and we'll be married as soon as we can plan everything. Two weeks, he thought as he watched the liquid silver moonlight dancing on the river.
He spun and rose at the feel of a soft touch on his shoulder. "Ismene?" he asked in wonder as the slender elf girl drew back in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He hadn't heard her at all, he realized. The lessons from she had been taking from Dravon must have been going well.
"I followed you," she said softly as she stepped closer to him. He looked down and then up quickly when he saw that she was only wearing a sheer robe and a revealing nightgown underneath.
"Ismene, what are you doing here?" he asked again as she stepped even closer, her head just barely reaching his shoulder. He froze in shock when she reached out and gently ran her hands over his chest and shoulders before sliding them down his back.
"What do you think I'm doing?" she murmured as she leaned forward on tiptoes, her eyes closed and her face tilted up towards him. Still frozen, Kerrith's eyes widened as her lips pressed against his, the night air playing over their bodies.
"Solyma?" Penelope asked shyly as the carriage bounced over a small hole in the road. It was practically a unique experience on the royal highway between Taladros and Corannon. The engineers of both nations worked hard to ensure that their roads were always in peak condition at all times. Most likely a work crew would be sent out to fill in the pothole within a week.
"Yes?" Solyma said distractedly, her gaze on Jaric as he rode up the line of carriages and wagons towards the vanguard of knights in the lead.
"How," she paused and bit her lower lip in a way that drew Solyma's complete attention. "How do you let a man know that you love him?"
"Well, you can take off your clothes when you're alone with him," Solyma started to say and stopped when she saw Penelope's earnest, beautiful, and slightly worried face. Instead she said, "Just tell him. It's the hardest way, but it's the only way you can be sure."
"Just tell him?" Penelope said and bit her lip in a way that made Solyma want to kiss her.
"Just tell him," Solyma said with a sigh.
"I'll do that then," Penelope said firmly. "I'm going to tell him."
I wish it was as easy for me, Solyma thought to herself as she watched Penelope turn her gaze out the window to where Laros rode alongside the carriage.
Laros sat in front of the fireplace, his feet propped up on a small footstool, reading the twelfth volume of Agrissos's histories. He was reading of the signing of the Treaty of Isider when he heard Penelope rise from her seat across the room and walk towards him. His senses burned to life and he could hear the swish of her dress against her legs, the beating of her heart, the crickets outside the inn, and the night breeze sighing through the leaves of the forest.
"What are you reading?" she asked softly as she stood behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"The histories of Agrissos," Laros said as he closed the book and turned his head towards Penelope. "Is there anything you want me to do, your majesty?"
"Oh, Laros," Penelop said as she came around to stand in front of him, motioning for him to sit as he started to rise. He settled for lowering his feet to the floor and sitting up as straight as an arrow. "We used to play together when we were young. Why can't you call me Penelope?"
"It would not be proper, your majesty," Laros said as Penelope sat on the footstool and rested one hand on his knee.
"But we're friends," she said quietly.
"I- yes, your majesty. But I am also your bodyguard-" He froze when she rose and moved to sit on the arm of his chair. "I am sworn to die before letting you come to harm," he finished as Penelope reached out and brushed back his dark blond hair from his forehead.
"I remember when you got that," she whispered as her finger traced over the barely visible scar on his upper forehead. "We were playing at being mages when you tripped on your staff." Laros smiled despite himself. "And we both ran home crying because of all the blood," he said as his smile faded. "But that was long ago."
"And we were much younger," Penelope said as she leaned forward, her face only a few scant inches from Laros's.
"Yes," Laros said quietly.
"Do you remember the night before you left to start your training?" Penelope said as she looked away for a moment, her hair swishing against Laros's chest.
"Yes," Laros said in a faint voice. Penelope turned towards him and leaned closer.
"The kiss?" she whispered.
"Yes," Laros whispered back as she leaned forward, her eyes closed. Against his better judgement he felt his hands reaching up to take her shoulders and instead of pushing her away he pulled her close, kissing her deeply as she fell into his lap. Her hands went up and buried themselves in his hair as their lips crushed together desperately. Penelope's full breasts pressed against his chest as he caressed her back and shoulders. "No," he gasped as he managed to push her away. "No," he said in a more restrained voice. "We can't do this."
"But why?" Penelope moaned as she leaned forward and buried her face in Laros's chest. He heard her take a deep breath and felt her heart speed in her chest as if she were suddenly terrified. "I love you."
"I-I love you too," Laros said, hearing Penelope slowly let out her breath. "But I cannot allow my love to compromise your safety or my vow to guard you." He rose, gently lifting her from his lap and setting her on her feet, and brushed his hand tenderly across her cheek. "I must go make sure that the wards are properly set," he said with a formal bow as he exited the room. He shut the door quietly behind him, trying not to hear the sound of Penelope crying and furiously holding back the tears he felt rising in his eyes.
Tancred listened as the barmaid moaned, his hands gently caressing her breasts through the cotton of her blouse. He grinned and kissed the back of her neck as he shut the door behind them with his foot. The barmaid, he thought her name was Katrine, reached up and back to hold his head, her pleasantly soft bottom grinding against him as she moaned again.
Tancred nuzzled her soft blonde hair as he began to undo the laces of her blouse. Katrine sighed in pleasure and turned her head to kiss him as he slipped one hand down the front of her blouse to cup the warm flesh of her large and tender bosom. He ran his hands over the silky skin of her right breast and softly pinched her swollen and stiff nipple until she gasped in pleasure. Both of them swore loudly at the sound of a soft knock on the door.
"Tancred? It's me, Ismene," the elf girl said as she opened the door and stuck her head in. Her eyes widened a fraction when she saw Tancred with his hand down a barmaid's blouse. Tancred coughed and began to slowly remove his hand, trying to think of an excuse, when he heard Ismene say, "Mind if I join you?"
"What?" Tancred managed to say, completely forgetting the warm and soft breast he held in his right hand. His eyes flicked over Ismene's body and noted the revealing nightgown she wore under a loosely belted silk robe. Her small breasts drew his eye back up her body from her shapely legs and he could see her nipples pressing against the thin fabric.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Ismene said as she slipped inside the room and shut the door behind her, making sure to lock it.
Tancred looked down at Katrine and saw her blush. "Please," he said with a grin and began to softly caress Katrine's breast again. She murmured a soft protest as Ismene padded over to the couple and leaned forward on tiptoes to kiss Tancred.
"I don't think-" Katrine began to say before Ismene interrupted her with a kiss. The barmaid's eyes widened in surprise as the elf girl delicately sucked on her lower lip and reached down to squeeze her bottom. The barmaid gasped when Tancred moved around behind her and kissed the back of her neck, his hands reaching around to undo the rest of the laces on her blouse. Ismene smiled at the nervous barmaid and leaned forward to pull open her blouse, exposing the human's breasts to the air. Katrine was frozen as she felt two pairs of hands roaming over her body, one belonging to a man, the other to a woman. She licked her lips nervously as Ismene suddenly knelt before her and ducked under her long skirt.
"Oh, gods," Katrine moaned, reaching back to clutch at Tancred's shoulders for support, as Ismene yanked down her underwear and began to kiss the insides of her thighs. "I've never been with a-" she gasped, trailing off into a long moan as she felt Ismene's lips lightly brushing over her quim. Her knuckles whitened as Ismene's tongue slipped across her quim and lapped at her clit. Katrine groaned loudly and lurched backward into Tancred, her hips pushed forward as Ismene reached up to hold her thighs.
Tancred grinned as Katrine clutched at his shoulders, her head rubbing against his chest as she turned it to and fro with the motion of Ismene's tongue. The vampire reached up to caress Katrine's breasts, helping to support her as Ismene increased the motion of her tongue. The human woman's groans filled the room as Tancred rubbed his palms over the soft flesh of her large breasts, his fingers brushing and rubbing the hard points of her nipples.
Ismene smiled to herself as she licked the barmaid to further heights of pleasure. Most of her bedroom experiences had been with women, something not to uncommon in Taladros. In her encounters she had always been very good at pleasuring her partners. There had been only one other man before Lord Volchim- Ismene stopped and shook her head, barely hearing Katrine's low moan of protest. The elf girl blinked and watched in the dim light under Katrine's skirt as the barmaid thrust her hips forward and begged for release. Ismene slid her hands from Katrine's thighs to the barmaids round bottom as she moved her head forward and began to pleasure the woman again.
Tancred watched as Ismene teased Katrine for a moment and then resumed her licking. The barmaid squirmed in his grasp, her body writhing against his as she panted for breath. He reached up and turned her head to face him, watching her rapturous expression as Ismene brought her closer and closer to an incredible climax. Tancred smiled, his fangs gleaming in the lamplight, before he kissed the barmaid, their tongues dancing together for a moment before Katrine let out a frantic cry of pleasure. Tancred continued to kiss the barmaid as she climaxed, her body shuddering between his and Ismene's.
Their mouths separated and Katrine breathed heavily with her eyes closed. Tancred watched in amusement as Ismene ducked out from under Katrine's skirt and stood a little shakily. She was licking her lips and wiped the back of her hand against the wetness on her chin. The elf winked at him as he lifted the exhausted human in his arms and set her down on the bed before pulling her dress off.
"Oh, Liaya, gods," Katrine moaned, her eyes still closed as she basked in the warmth of the orgasm. She felt the bed sag as Tancred sat next to her, his hands running over her breasts and stomach. There was another slight motion in the bed as the elf girl who had sat to her right. "Do you do this to every woman you tumble?" Katrine said weakly as Ismene kissed the barmaid's cheek softly.
"You're the first," Tancred said with grin. "But not the last?" he said questioningly to Ismene as she slid the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders, exposing her small, perfectly shaped breasts. The elf girl shrugged in response as she leaned over the barmaid and kissed Tancred deeply, the taste of Katrine's quim on her lips.
They stopped for lunch the next day just inside the border of Taladros. Already the forest was thickening, the trees arching high over the paved road. Tancred, Jaric, Kerrith, and Dravon were seated around a broad flat rock that served as their table. Tancred was half listening to their conversation as he idly looked back towards the main body of the caravan. His head was aching from a mixture of too much wine on an empty stomach and the sharp sunlight of noon. Still, he could ignore all the discomfort when he spotted Solyma. She was sitting in the door of her coach with an apple in her hand, poised to bite.
Solyma took a slow bite, obviously savoring the taste and the warm sunshine, a tiny trickle of juice dripping down her chin. Tancred shook his head and looked around at the rest of the caravan. Most of the nobles dined together with their servants waiting on them while the Knights and personal bodyguards ate scattered around the camp. His gaze slipped back to Solyma and he felt his heart racing when she noticed his gaze and smiled at him. But then he realized that she was looking past him. At Jaric.
"-I'm going to ask her when we get back to Corannon. I am," Kerrith was saying. Something about the way he said it made Tancred turn back to the conversation even though his stomach was churning and he wanted nothing more than to drain Jaric to a dry, withered husk.
"Congratulations!" Jaric said with a hearty slap on the back. "I'm sure she'll say yes."
"I wonder if I should have waited so long," Kerrith said, his normally calm face lined with worry.
"It's always good to take your time with marriage," Dravon said. He smiled, his gleaming teeth contrasting with his dark brown skin. "No sense in rushing into something so important."
"Spoken like a true Knight," Tancred said. "Always planning and waiting."
"So when are you going to ask Solyma?" Kerrith said to Jaric in a flat tone probably meant to be teasing. Tancred felt his hand clench and he realized he had bent his fork nearly in half. The old battle rage that he hadn't felt for nearly three hundred years began to surface again. He could feel his fangs lengthening and his claws, unused for three centuries, beginning to extend from his fingertips. He ground his teeth together and forced the rage down and the claws back. He had spent three hundred years making sure that he was as human as he could possibly be, more human than any other vampire he had ever heard of. He wouldn't let this pathetic human knight destroy all his progress.
"I don't know," Jaric said. "I mean, I don't know if she even likes me. And-" he paused, "she hasn't had good experiences with men."
"Oh, come now," Dravon said. "She's always trying to be close to you. She brings you your dinner and sits with you while you eat. I'd say she likes you a great deal."
"Yes, I suppose," Jaric said. "But she's so, so-" he sighed. "She's more than a man like me deserves."
"That's ridiculous," Dravon said quickly. "Why, by Dirkran's nails, would you say something like that?"
"Well, she's so pure and sweet. And intelligent and kind. And noble. And so beautiful. She deserves a prince, no, a king!" Jaric said with a sad sigh.
"You shouldn't think so badly of yourself," Kerrith said suddenly, as if he had just snapped to attention. "You love her, don't you?"
"I-yes, of course I do. How could anyone not?"
"Then tell her! If she doesn't love you, well, maybe you don't belong together. But I'm willing to bet that she'll be delighted to hear you say that."
"Really? She wouldn't think it too impudent? I mean, it's so forward. I've only known her for a month."
I could tell you stories, Tancred thought bitterly to himself. By the gods, if you knew who she really is, you'd run from her. She's too much for you, you're right there. You're a weak-minded and pathetic man. If I told you a tenth of what she's done and who she's done it with, you'd be horrified. You'd feel devastated that she wasn't the innocent girl you imagine her to be. And you'd leave her without a second thought.
He was about to open his mouth when he heard Solyma's voice in his head. "I'm in love," he remembered her saying. "I'm happy just to be around him." Tancred closed his mouth with a snap and glared down at his plate. Hah, let her love him, he'll be dead in fifty years and I'll still be here, he thought bitterly to himself. There's still plenty of time.
"That's plenty of time if you want to begin courting her," Dravon said. "I'm sure Kerrith didn't wait that long before he started courting Selene." Kerrith smiled wanly and took a long sip from his cup to hide his sudden discomfort. He sometimes wondered exactly how much his commander knew about how he had met Selene. He had to force his hand to relax and release the handle of the cup.
"She's-" Tancred started to say despite himself. She's wild, like a bird, no, a dragon, he thought. Nothing could tame her or capture her. She's free. And she's willing to give all that freedom up for you, he thought furiously as he looked at Jaric. Tell him, Tancred through to himself. Why should I wait fifty years? Just let it slip about her and Duke Quiton. How she really got that position at the College. He'd shun her for sure and Solyma and I could spend forever together. But she's so happy, he thought. So happy that she'd give up so much to be with her knight. Her late nights out, a different man or woman each night. She isn't even drinking as much. Just a few words and we could be together- "-she's very nice, isn't she?" Tancred heard himself saying and hated himself for it. "I think you should ask her out." He shook his head and stood shakily. "Excuse me, I think the sun is finally getting to me." He staggered away without hearing their goodbyes and collapsed into his carriage, pulling the door shut after him and sitting in the warm darkness.
"I hope he'll be alright, he's a decent fellow," Jaric said as he watched Tancred stagger away. "He is a vampire, isn't he?"
Dravon looked up from his lunch and finished chewing. "Yes, he is. Over three hundred years old, I believe," he said. "Oldest one I know of. At least, the oldest one living in a city."
"How does he stand the sunlight like that?" Jaric asked. "I thought sun was deadly to a vampire."
"Normal ones, yes," Dravon said. "He's old enough and powerful enough to walk in the sun, at least that's what I hear." Dravon drank from his cup and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Not too many vampires left these days, there used to be many more in the days of the Unification. But they just disappeared into the night." He snapped his fingers. "Like that. I don't even think any more are created."
"How sad," Jaric said. "To be the last of your kind."
"I wouldn't feel so bad for him," Kerrith said. "He leads a life most of us would envy."
"Wine, women, and song, eh?" Dravon said with a laugh.
"Oh, Selene, dear, you've been moping about ever since you came home," Elisa Arrowsmith said. She sat on the bed beside her daughter and stroked the young woman's hair. "It's that...man of yours, isn't it?" she said with a sigh.
Selene lifted her head from the pillow and rolled over onto her stomach to stare out the window beside her bed. The setting sun filled the walled yard behind the house with golden light. She had loved to play in that small garden when she had been a child.
She had come home to visit after the term at the College had ended. But all she had been able to think about was Kerrith. Away from Corannon she hadn't been able to see if he had written to her.
"I-it's nothing, mother," Selene said sadly as she closed her eyes and buried her face in her pillow.
"I hate to see you like this," Elisa said as she continued to stroke her daughter's hair. "You're so sad, you've never been this way."
"I'm older now," Selene said. "I just miss him."
"What kind of man leaves his woman behind all the time? This Kerrith of yours is away more than he's with you! Your father would never have dreamed of leaving me behind when he went on a trip."
"He's a Knight of the Shield! He can't drag me along when there might be fighting," Selene said, her voice rising as she sat up on the bed and looked her mother in the eyes.
"What fighting? You said yourself that he never fights anyone on these patrols, he just rides through villages."
"He has to check on them to see if there is anything they need help with, that's his duty," Selene said. "If they need a dispute settled they ask him. If a thief has been breaking into homes he catches them. The last time he went out he rescued a man from a river. He helps people." Selene looked down at the faded quilt that her mother had made so many years ago and ran her fingers over the soft cloth. "He helps people," she said softly.
"Helps the village maidens with their virginity," Elisa said harshly. Selene gasped and turned her head, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sobs threatening to break free.
She felt ashamed for doubting Kerrith but at the same time she wondered. They had never made love after that first night in Willowsrun. He had always said that he wanted to marry her before they bedded each other again. But what if he had just tired of her and was keeping her dangling for her father's money? Why did she feel this way? Why did she love him so much that it hurt? "Oh, Selene, I'm sorry," Elisa said as Selene's shoulders began to shake silently. "I didn't mean that."
"I know," Selene said as she wiped at the tears seeping from her eyes. He loved her, he had to, he said so. He had sworn an oath to always love her. And a Knight of the Shield would sooner die than betray their oath. They would sooner die. Gods, how I miss him, Selene thought to herself as she felt her mother embrace her tenderly, rocking her as she had when she had been a little girl.
"Why don't we go to the theater tomorrow when your father gets home? We can have a nice dinner together," Elisa said softly. "He's bringing a son of one of his associates, he lives in Corannon. Maybe you two can be friends."
"Yes," Selene said, "that sounds good."
"Are you happy to be home?" Solyma asked as the carriage rolled up the slight grade it had been climbing for the past few miles.
Penelope stopped looking out the window and blushed. "Yes," she said with a bright smile. "It hasn't even been a year, but I've missed it so much."
"What about you, Ismene?" Solyma said. The other elf girl looked up and shrugged her shoulders.
"It will be nice to see my parents again," she said. "But I'm not the same as when I left. I think I'll try to travel again."
"There it is!" Penelope cried out excitedly as the carriage crested the hill and emerged from the forest that surrounded the capital of Taladros. She was leaning out of the carriage window to catch a glimpse of the city and would have fallen if Solyma hadn't caught the back of her dress and hauled her back. "Altennos!"
Solyma joined her in the window despite herself and leaned out, grabbing onto the roof of the carriage to steady herself. The city lay before them, filling the valley below and spreading towards the north while it rose up the gentle slopes of a large hill.
Red clay tiles shone from the roofs of the buildings, gleaming like jewels in the afternoon sun. The streets were orderly, each of the larger roads traveling careful and straight paths through the city while dozens of smaller streets meandered through the city. Throughout the city were patches of brilliant greenery from carefully tended parks and the flash of streams flowing among the buildings. Small arched footbridges crossed the streams in some places while level bridges crossed them at junctions with the main roads.
"I'm home!" Penelope cried out happily as she waved to a trader's wagon passing them in the opposite direction. Solyma smiled with her and looked up to the roof of the carriage.
"Hasn't changed much since we were here last, has it?" she asked Hector.
"Not that I can tell," he said calmly. Solyma noticed that he had changed into his good plumed helmet and had polished it until it gleamed like a mirror.
Solyma laughed and ruffled his plume before pulling herself out of the carriage and up onto the roof. She settled back among the luggage, basking the warm sun as the procession of carriages, horses, and wagons began to descend into the city.
"There's the palace!" she heard Penelope yell from below. Solyma looked up towards the glittering blue and white castle perched on the flattened peak of the tallest hill in the city. Hundreds of pennants fluttered from the dozens of needlelike turrets dotting the building. Every color under the sun flew from the castle in honor of the return of their beloved princess.
The castle itself was beautiful, a wonder of architecture that was easily as large as the royal palace in Corannon. Crafted from shimmering blue and white stone, the effect was to make a watcher wonder where the castle's turrets ended and the sky above began. In the center of the castle rose the throne room, placed at the top of the castle to float above the city and forest.
Just to the west of the castle Solyma could see the glittering waters of the Hiali Illuios, the Lake of the Moon. Supposedly a gift from the first king of Taladros to his beloved, the lake had been sculpted from the earth by weaves of incredible power. Now it was the source of the dozens of streams and rivers that meandered through the city.
The procession slowed slightly as the Knights at the head entered the city through the main gates. Carved from a rich, golden wood, the gates were shaped like a delicate arbor of vines arching over the main road. The detail was magnificent with details down the the flowers budding on the vines carved in meticulous detail. Solyma smiled as the carriage passed under the arch of vines and into the city, already the carriages were surrounded by throngs of elves shouting greetings to Penelope.
"Ethen tias so, melodios!" Solyma heard the elves shouting as they smiled and waved.
"Ethen tias so, ielodiosi!" Penelope called back, the only thing keeping her from jumping out of the carriage to embrace her people was the ever watchful presence of Laros. What was it they were saying? Solyma thought to herself. Be well today, princess and citizens, she thought as her elven came back to her slowly.
"Wow," Solyma said as a group of young elven men threw bouquets of flowers towards the carriage. Most were meant for Penelope and were fielded by Laros's lightning quick hands, but one arced high over his head and landed in Solyma's lap. She looked into the crowd and was pleasantly surprised to see a slender elven man of Penelope's age blowing her a kiss with a wink. She laughed and winked back at him as she ran a hand through her hair. "I missed this place," she said to Hector.
Continued in Chapter 3
The World of Alderest - VI - An Unexpected Journey - Chapter 2
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