Part 9
The freezing wind rubbed his skin raw. Lexan's hand tightened on the controllers of his glider as he maneuvered the endless desert. He had heard the whisper of his name only once, hours ago, and not again. He knew too little about the woman who slept in his arms moons ago to believe as he did now. Yet Lexan could not keep the niggling feeling that Ch'ali of Antar had sent a plea to him. Every inhabitant of the planet had one gift after all. The royals' were too well-known. He was certain that it was Ch'ali's voice that teased his mind.
He scoured every inch of the desert, yet all he saw was red sand. There was no way a living creature could survive the place, least of all an Antarian. Their bodies were too dependent on the energy of the cosmos. Without the touch of the sun or the moon, they would die the way he would without air.
In this cursed world of sand, there was no hint of stars.
Lexan turned up the light of his glider, pushing on despite the painful raw marks on his skin. He had left her beside the silver pool that night. With his sister, he left the convention. There had been no note, no message. She was the enemy king's bride and he had been drowned in her beauty so much that he had not paid attention to consequences. She had fooled him.
Ignore the fact that he had initiated the first kiss.
And the days he had spent in his own kingdom had been empty. He longed for the scent that filled his senses. Lexan wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her until she admitted that there was nothing between them but deception. At the same time, Lexan wanted to bury himself inside her and relive the ecstasy of being in her arms. The only thing he was certain of was that he wanted one more moment with Ch'ali of Antar. Whatever happens in that time was unimportant.
There was a slight bundle in the far horizon. It was an unmoving figure thinly veiled by red sand. Commanding his heart to slow, Lexan stepped on the pace level to propel his vehicle forward. An endless while, and he stopped beside it. Lexan jumped down and knelt beside her.
Ch'ali of Antar lay on the sands of the desert, abandoned and pink with dust and sand. He tentatively reached to touch her face. She was cold and close to dead. He was swept with relief to find the pulse that weakly pumped her life.
"Ch'ali."
Lexan blew at her eyes to remove the film of sand on her lashes. He waited for her acknowledgement of his presence. She did not stir.
He looked up at the black sky and realized how close he had come to losing her forever. And this time he had no need for apologies or explanation. He did not need her to speak. Lexan wiped her face with his hands and touched his lips to her brow. With his right arm, he cradled her to his chest. "You will be strong, Ch'ali. I swear it."
Slowly, Lexan's left hand shot up towards the sky. He never used the gifts that set him apart from the rest. Lexan had always believed that the evil that they brought was far more potent than the good. He ruled without them. Now he needed them. Lines of silver blue light beamed from his fingers and cut the sky. Thunder roared in a desert that had not seen rain for hundreds of thousands of years. Lexan bent his body over Ch'ali's to shield her from the torrent of rain. Fat daggers of water tore the clothing on his back until the water saturated the sand and climbed several inches up. When it was over, Lexan straightened and revealed Ch'ali's skin to the winking stars above.
He watched as Ch'ali's skin glowed as she breathed in the light.
Lexan breathed harshly, spent from exerting the force that he had always kept hidden within him. His people would pay for this. Several months of dry heat, of burning forests and of farmlands that would not be irrigated.
Ch'ali's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him with confusion, amazement, and then love.
And his people's suffering was worth it.
"Lexan, you came."
"You called," he returned.
Without waiting for her response, he lifted her up, soggy clothes trailing on the floodwater, and boarded his glider with her resting against him. They treaded water, heading straight for his home.
On the way, he glanced down at her. She was silently watching the desert sea go by.
"Lexan-"
"Zan found out." His jaw was tense. "Did he send you out here to die?"
"Zan would not have done that," she answered. "It was Vilandra. Zan was away."
"The princess sent you here to die? Why?"
Lexan had never wanted to attack Antar. He had always found reasons to speak about disagreements. Now, he could not think of any reason why that kingdom was still there. His destroyers could easily wipe out the race.
"I didn't want to do what she wanted me to."
"Tell me, Ch'ali."
She turned her head towards him, and held his eyes with her steady gaze. "I love her, Lexan. Despite everything, she was my sister too."
"Tell me."
"You have to swear that you will not harm my people."
"After what they did to you, Ch'ali, I am your people."
She shook her head, her jaw jutted out stubbornly. "Swear."
And the powerful king assented. "I swear." The obdurate set of her face evaporated into uncertainty and a touch of fear. His arms tightened around her. "Ch'ali. Tell me now."
"Vilandra wanted me to kill our child."
His throat closed around an answer that he had not even formulated yet. Lexan looked ahead towards the looming towers of his home. He was bringing back his entire life.
"Lexan, she was the princess of Antar. I was going to be queen. Do not take this against her."
"She had every right to protect her kingdom, Ch'ali. She had no call to murder my son and my bride."
She shivered in the damp clothes she wore. "I am not asking for marriage, Lexan. I know what I have gotten myself into. All I need is shelter for my child. You do not need to acknowledge us. Tell your people I am a homeless woman you have taken under your wing."
The glider stopped in front of the castle. Lexan stepped down and lifted her out. "You have the next king in your womb, Ch'ali." She tried to read his expression, but found that like he was the day they met, Lexan was inscrutable. "And my heart in your hands." Her breath caught. "You will be accorded the respect of a queen."
Just as he predicted, the moment his people saw the sight of their king with Ch'ali, they hurried to offer a place by the warm fire, food and a bath.
"You've always been meant to be queen, Ch'ali. You will be. It may not be in the kingdom of your choice; it may not be with the man you wanted. But I swear to you, Ch'ali, I will make every effort so that you do not regret what circumstances have forced on you."
She was now bundled in furs that he wrapped her in. Ch'ali watched the quiet movements and reveled in the gentle touches. She wanted to assure him that what he thought was wrong. "Lexan-"
It was the first time she saw him smile since he saved her. "Not out of gratefulness, Ch'ali. You'll come to mean it," he told her. "Tell me then and make me a happy man."
She closed her eyes when his head bent towards her. She waited for his lips on hers, only to feel the butterfly touch on her temple.
The freezing wind rubbed his skin raw. Lexan's hand tightened on the controllers of his glider as he maneuvered the endless desert. He had heard the whisper of his name only once, hours ago, and not again. He knew too little about the woman who slept in his arms moons ago to believe as he did now. Yet Lexan could not keep the niggling feeling that Ch'ali of Antar had sent a plea to him. Every inhabitant of the planet had one gift after all. The royals' were too well-known. He was certain that it was Ch'ali's voice that teased his mind.
He scoured every inch of the desert, yet all he saw was red sand. There was no way a living creature could survive the place, least of all an Antarian. Their bodies were too dependent on the energy of the cosmos. Without the touch of the sun or the moon, they would die the way he would without air.
In this cursed world of sand, there was no hint of stars.
Lexan turned up the light of his glider, pushing on despite the painful raw marks on his skin. He had left her beside the silver pool that night. With his sister, he left the convention. There had been no note, no message. She was the enemy king's bride and he had been drowned in her beauty so much that he had not paid attention to consequences. She had fooled him.
Ignore the fact that he had initiated the first kiss.
And the days he had spent in his own kingdom had been empty. He longed for the scent that filled his senses. Lexan wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her until she admitted that there was nothing between them but deception. At the same time, Lexan wanted to bury himself inside her and relive the ecstasy of being in her arms. The only thing he was certain of was that he wanted one more moment with Ch'ali of Antar. Whatever happens in that time was unimportant.
There was a slight bundle in the far horizon. It was an unmoving figure thinly veiled by red sand. Commanding his heart to slow, Lexan stepped on the pace level to propel his vehicle forward. An endless while, and he stopped beside it. Lexan jumped down and knelt beside her.
Ch'ali of Antar lay on the sands of the desert, abandoned and pink with dust and sand. He tentatively reached to touch her face. She was cold and close to dead. He was swept with relief to find the pulse that weakly pumped her life.
"Ch'ali."
Lexan blew at her eyes to remove the film of sand on her lashes. He waited for her acknowledgement of his presence. She did not stir.
He looked up at the black sky and realized how close he had come to losing her forever. And this time he had no need for apologies or explanation. He did not need her to speak. Lexan wiped her face with his hands and touched his lips to her brow. With his right arm, he cradled her to his chest. "You will be strong, Ch'ali. I swear it."
Slowly, Lexan's left hand shot up towards the sky. He never used the gifts that set him apart from the rest. Lexan had always believed that the evil that they brought was far more potent than the good. He ruled without them. Now he needed them. Lines of silver blue light beamed from his fingers and cut the sky. Thunder roared in a desert that had not seen rain for hundreds of thousands of years. Lexan bent his body over Ch'ali's to shield her from the torrent of rain. Fat daggers of water tore the clothing on his back until the water saturated the sand and climbed several inches up. When it was over, Lexan straightened and revealed Ch'ali's skin to the winking stars above.
He watched as Ch'ali's skin glowed as she breathed in the light.
Lexan breathed harshly, spent from exerting the force that he had always kept hidden within him. His people would pay for this. Several months of dry heat, of burning forests and of farmlands that would not be irrigated.
Ch'ali's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him with confusion, amazement, and then love.
And his people's suffering was worth it.
"Lexan, you came."
"You called," he returned.
Without waiting for her response, he lifted her up, soggy clothes trailing on the floodwater, and boarded his glider with her resting against him. They treaded water, heading straight for his home.
On the way, he glanced down at her. She was silently watching the desert sea go by.
"Lexan-"
"Zan found out." His jaw was tense. "Did he send you out here to die?"
"Zan would not have done that," she answered. "It was Vilandra. Zan was away."
"The princess sent you here to die? Why?"
Lexan had never wanted to attack Antar. He had always found reasons to speak about disagreements. Now, he could not think of any reason why that kingdom was still there. His destroyers could easily wipe out the race.
"I didn't want to do what she wanted me to."
"Tell me, Ch'ali."
She turned her head towards him, and held his eyes with her steady gaze. "I love her, Lexan. Despite everything, she was my sister too."
"Tell me."
"You have to swear that you will not harm my people."
"After what they did to you, Ch'ali, I am your people."
She shook her head, her jaw jutted out stubbornly. "Swear."
And the powerful king assented. "I swear." The obdurate set of her face evaporated into uncertainty and a touch of fear. His arms tightened around her. "Ch'ali. Tell me now."
"Vilandra wanted me to kill our child."
His throat closed around an answer that he had not even formulated yet. Lexan looked ahead towards the looming towers of his home. He was bringing back his entire life.
"Lexan, she was the princess of Antar. I was going to be queen. Do not take this against her."
"She had every right to protect her kingdom, Ch'ali. She had no call to murder my son and my bride."
She shivered in the damp clothes she wore. "I am not asking for marriage, Lexan. I know what I have gotten myself into. All I need is shelter for my child. You do not need to acknowledge us. Tell your people I am a homeless woman you have taken under your wing."
The glider stopped in front of the castle. Lexan stepped down and lifted her out. "You have the next king in your womb, Ch'ali." She tried to read his expression, but found that like he was the day they met, Lexan was inscrutable. "And my heart in your hands." Her breath caught. "You will be accorded the respect of a queen."
Just as he predicted, the moment his people saw the sight of their king with Ch'ali, they hurried to offer a place by the warm fire, food and a bath.
"You've always been meant to be queen, Ch'ali. You will be. It may not be in the kingdom of your choice; it may not be with the man you wanted. But I swear to you, Ch'ali, I will make every effort so that you do not regret what circumstances have forced on you."
She was now bundled in furs that he wrapped her in. Ch'ali watched the quiet movements and reveled in the gentle touches. She wanted to assure him that what he thought was wrong. "Lexan-"
It was the first time she saw him smile since he saved her. "Not out of gratefulness, Ch'ali. You'll come to mean it," he told her. "Tell me then and make me a happy man."
She closed her eyes when his head bent towards her. She waited for his lips on hers, only to feel the butterfly touch on her temple.