Thanks so much for the reviews! The more reviews I get the more inspired I am to post the next chapter.
Sorry this one is so late, I went on vacation and I wasn't able to get internet without it costing me twenty bucks a night.
Disclaimer: I own all my original characters, but none of Anne Bishop's.
Sirian watched the boy eat with appalled amusement. The boy wasn't starved, no, she had seen starving boys in Terreille. But he was acting like this was his last meal. Or maybe his first. It occurred to her that he had been training since morning and may have skipped over any meals he was supposed to take that day. The boy, Halon, had told her all about his acceptance into the school just outside of his town. His parents, both light jeweled blood themselves, had been delighted when their son had made his first offering and come out with the summer-sky. He had been immediately enrolled in training to become an escort, something that was common in Kaeleer. Sirian had seen such boys on her first outing that very morning and had questioned the girl serving her coffee what it meant. Apparently boys were trained to be overbearing pain in the asses. Though, watching Halon, she couldn't help but smile. There was so much life in the shadow realm and so many codes of the blood, codes long since lost in Terreille, it was hard to keep up.
Noticing her staring at him, Halon looked up and swallowed the food in his mouth, his ears turning an interesting shade of pink.
"Begging your pardon lady." Sirian couldn't help it. She slumped forward on the table and fell into a fit of hysterics that had the people sitting nearby looking over. When she finally settled down, she caught sight of the boy's face and had to suppress another urge to break down in laughter. Wiping away tears, Sirian nodded at the boy.
"You're going to make a great escort pup, I give you that." the pink on the boy's ears rushed down to his cheeks. His blue eyes focused on his food and he mumbled a quiet "thank you lady". Still chuckling, Sirian waved the waitress over and paid for the meal before standing up.
"You finish that dessert pup. Thanks for the lovely evening." Eyes widening, Halon scrambled to his feet and shook his head frantically.
"Oh no Lady Sirian! Let me bring you back to your hotel. A lady shouldn't walk alone without an escort at night. Even in Kaeleer!"
Sirian shook her head and smiled, opening her wings slightly then closing them with a snap.
"I was planning on flying Halon don't worry. Besides...it looks like your escort time is up. I'm assuming that's your teacher looking for you?" The boy looked in the direction she was nodding and paled. Eying him, Sirian sighed.
"Halon, when was your escort training supposed to be over?" When he didn't answer Sirian leaned forward. "Halon." her warning tone had him glancing up quickly before looking away and mumbling something she couldn't hear under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"About three hours ago lady." Three hours ago. In which time they had done some light shopping, gone for a walk, and ended up in the restaurant for a bite. Huffing, Sirian grabbed the boy by the elbow and hauled him out the door.
The teacher, looking worried, slumped his shoulders in obvious relief as his eyes rested on his student, still being led firmly by the elbow. The man gave the boy a slashing look before turning his full attention on her.
"Lady."
Sirian placed her free hand on her hip and smiled.
"Halon here kindly agreed to escort me around the town while I got acquainted with the layout of this area. He was a great help and I apologize for keeping him longer than I should." The man looked taken aback but glanced at Halon who shifted nervously and refused to look up.
"My student is aware of when his training is over for the day. Any time after is free for him to choose...after he reports in." Halon, who had begun looking a bit relieved by the civil tone of the conversation, suddenly blanched at this comment and hunched his shoulders.
"I apologize sir, I lost track of time." the man was silent for a moment as he looked over boy and woman before running a hand through his hair.
"I suppose it would be easy to lose track of time when escorting a lovely lady about. Go report home. Your mother is worried. We'll discuss your punishment later." The boy retreated halfway down the street before turning.
"Lady Sirian does not have an escort home." Sirian wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or throttle the boy on the spot.
"I'll handle the arrangements. Go home." Halon broke out into a run, turned a corner, and disappeared.
"What sort of punishment is Halon going to have?" the man paused for a moment, considering her tone. Taking in the defensive way she held herself, he smiled warmly and shrugged.
"Usually he would get extra cleaning duty at the school, but since his mother was rather vocal about his disappearance and he stopped anyone from contacting him through a spear thread, he'll have an extra round of morning practice." Sirian nodded once, her worry eased. She wouldn't take the blame for the boy's actions since it would probably earn him a more stern punishment. Besides, he couldn't learn if he didn't take responsibility for his choices. She turned to leave but paused as the warlord spoke.
"Let me hail a carriage..."
"No thank you. I plan on flying." the man looked her over and smiled.
"I see. Well in that case lady, thank you for bringing my student back safely...be safe." Sirian blinked as the man turned on his heel and walked briskly down the street.
Smirking, Sirian stretched her wings and launched herself toward the starry night sky. Kavar would be worried. She was surprised he hadn't tried to contact her by now; though considering the turn of events that morning, he was probably still upset with her. Pushing away all the nagging thoughts, Sirian turned in the air and headed east toward the hotel.
xxxxx
The look the clerk gave her as she walked in put her on edge. She couldn't place the expression, but the look in his eyes scraped at her temper enough to make her hands curl into fists as she passed him. Walking up the stairs, she opened the door to her suite and looked around. It had been cleaned by the staff not too long ago but something was...off. Where was Kavar? Calling in her shopping bags, she set them on the floor beside her bed before opening the door that led to his part of the suite. No one.
It felt wrong and...empty. She pushed back the panic that began to rise as she searched each room thoroughly, looking for any trace of him. He was a warlord prince, he could handle himself. Hell, she'd seen him handle himself enough times to know what he was capable of doing to anything or anyone that posed a threat. But even strong warlord princes could go down, she'd learned that at an early age. Moving into the kitchen, she paused in front of the table, scanning the room twice before noticing the cream colored envelope sitting neatly on the table. Pulling out a chair, she sat and picked up the letter, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of her mother's letter lying beneath it. What the hell was this?
Opening the envelope, she read the note inside once, twice, a third time...and cursed.
Her initial reaction was to rip the letter to shreds and burn it with witchfire. This not being at all rational, she settled with tossing the paper back onto the table and laying her head in her hands.
He was gone. Not just gone from the trip but gone from her life.
Why? Why?
She knew why. She understood. Hadn't he said it in the letter? "I love you, but I need to break away from my old life. Start again. I need to leave and not have anything dragging me down. Kaeleer is a wonderful place. I think...I think I need to be here. My heart says I need to be here."
She was just a painful reminder of a past he'd rather forget. A reminder of the taint that once filled the land.
She reached out on a psychic thread, trying to contact the mind she knew so well.
Kavar?
Nothing. He had blocked her from communicating with him.
Part of her wanted to pack up, go down to the lobby and demand to know where he went so she could find him and kick his ass from one side of Kaeleer to the next. Another part of her wanted to cry and scream and rage and cry some more. But since neither of those things were appropriate, she settled with ordering two bottles whiskey from the kitchen, and when they arrived, getting pleasantly drunk.
A few minutes later she was sprawled across the table in the dark, nursing the second bottle of whiskey, already half gone, and finding herself at peace with the events that were unfurling before her. She didn't blame Kavar in the slightest. Hadn't she been trying to get him to understand they would never be what he wanted them to be? Hadn't she been trying to get him on a better path in life? One that led away from her?
Raising her glass to the darkness, she grinned like a fool.
"Here's to you Kavar. You insensitive prick. I hope you fall into a meat grinder. Better yet. I hope you get your ass kicked by some guys, fall in love with a complete bitch and have your heart broken to pieces." She raised the glass to her lips, paused, and sighed.
"No. I lied. I hope you fall in love with someone who makes you smile everyday. Someone who you can love forever and have babies with and some other romantic shit like that." tossing back the liquid in the glass she let out an explosive breath. "But I still hope you get your ass kicked."
Xxxx
Sirian woke the next morning, head pounding and an ache between her shoulders, punishment for falling asleep in the chair. Groggily working her way to the bathroom, she took care of her morning needs before making a pot of coffee. She knocked once on Kavar's bedroom door to ask if he wanted some before freezing. Memories rushed back to her. The fight, Falonar, the empty room...the letter. Pushing away the pang of sadness that threatened to spill over and make her cry, she settled herself back in the chair, ignoring her aching wings, and laid her head in her hands, an echo of last night. She'd pack up and go back to Terreille today. No use staying here being miserable. If she had to be miserable she might as well be working; it'd help keep her mind clear. Lifting the coffee to her lips, she spotted Kavar's letter lying open in front of her. Sighing, she vanished the paper and froze once more when she noticed her mother's envelope still there.
Kavar had placed it there. It was a silent but obvious way to tell her that she should read it.
She nearly told herself to screw what he thought, but she paused, picking up the crumpled envelope with distaste.
Kavar wouldn't have put it here if he didn't think she wasn't able to handle what the message said. Besides she owed him. This was his last request as a friend, and dammit she's honor it.
She turned the letter over and peeled a corner at the back. A sudden rush of disgust shot through her, attacking her stomach; it was a feeling that always came to her whenever she tried to open the damn thing. Letting it fall back in place on the table, she stood up and stretched out her wings. She'd shower and pack first. Then she'd read the letter.
Walking stiffly to her room, Sirian undressed quickly and turned on the water to the shower, barely giving it time to get warm before she ducked under the steady stream. Her muscle aches dimmed beneath the heat as she washed away yesterday's dirt and grime. The pounding in her head subdued to a tolerable throb and by the time she was wrapped in a towel she almost felt normal.
Pulling on her favorite pair of leather pants and a tight fitting top that would scandalize most uptight aristo women, Sirian threw the rest of her belongings in her trunk and vanished it. She checked the suite three times over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything before once again finding herself in the kitchen staring at the letter. Taking a deep breath, she picked it up and tore off the top, ignoring the horrible feeling spreading through her chest. What the hell was this? Some spell to stop her from reading it?
The feeling ebbed away as she unfolded the parchment slowly, her mother's handwriting scrawled across the paper. The last words of a dead mother who never loved her...and who she never loved.
I thought long and hard about whether or not I should go ahead and have Sirian read the letter in this chapter, but in the end this turned out to be the best option. Don't worry, the next chapter is in the works and should be up sooner than the others.
