Taylorxtorniquet: Thank you as always for the feedback and encouragement. I'm hoping to do spotlights on other sets of characters as the series progresses.
Maggie 56: Thanks for the warm wishes Maggie. I'm doing a lot better these days.
Soaring hawk: Thanks for the shout out. I hope you had a good holiday too. Here are two more chapters to enjoy.
A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I felt very strongly about posting chapters 15 & 16 together and it took longer to edit both. One of these days, I'll edit the whole mess thus far (for technical stuff, not content), but for now I apologize for the stuff I've missed. If you see something and tell me (in a private message, not a review please) I will fix it and sing your praises.
Chapter 15: The Space Between
[Becoming One with the People/Legend of the Seeker Soundtrack/Krull-Love Theme/Cut-Plumb]
After what seemed like both days and mere seconds, Lucian and Sonja surfaced from their love-making and began to re-dress.
"How has your training been going?" Sonja asked while she pulled her tunic back on.
Lucian smiled. "It's going about as well as I expected. We have a long way to go though before I am a Death Dealer."
"Nonsense; you've run with us before."
"That was a long time ago," Lucian grinned. "And I was little more than a guard dog for you back then, not a hunter and warrior in my own right. I need to be more skilled than that if I am to lead a daylight team." He argued.
Sonja suddenly yanked him against her, kissing him fiercely. "I don't like the idea of you out there without me," she confessed breathlessly when she finally pulled away.
Lucian ran his fingers tenderly along the side of her face. "I will be careful, my love. I swear it by the Moon: I will come home to you just as you come home to me. Someday, when there are enough Lycans allowed to go on these patrols, perhaps I'll be permitted to hunt with you again."
Sonja laughed weakly. "That day is much too far away for my liking."
"And mine," Lucian agreed, "But that day is still more than we've had to hope for in a long time."
She nodded, beginning to re-lace her corset. "I best get back to my rooms. I do actually need some sleep before my patrol after nightfall." Sonja smiled teasingly, but it didn't reach her eyes. It was like having an organ slowly torn from her chest every time they had to part and go back to pretending they were nothing to each other. Sonjas would much rather get her much-needed sleep while curled against Lucian's warmth, even if she didn't need to be warm, she enjoyed it thoroughly when he was the cause.
When she was ready to head back off down one of the tunnels, Lucian took hold of her hand and pulled her back to him, kissing her possessively. "I will think of you all the time in between."
Sonja smiled and kissed Lucian back just as thoroughly. "And I you. Just remember every time I treat you like an unworthy dog, I would rather be here with you, in your arms."
He let her up and drew her hand to his lips. "I will. Come again, soon. We'll be here after each training session until Kahn thinks we're ready to graduate to active duty."
Sonja smiled warmly just before she disappeared back into the shadowy tunnel. "I will," she promised.
Lucian felt the raw pain echo hollowly inside him as soon as she was gone from sight and closed his eyes, leaning back until he lay down on the rock where he and Sonja had enjoyed the last few hours and closed his eyes, letting his senses focus on her lingering scent, letting it ease the ache as much as it could.
Sabas had long since dried off and strapped himself back into his leathers, keeping watch from a ledge along the wall that let him see the whole of the cave, but easily divert his eyes from the rock Lucian was sprawled upon. Once they were once more alone, Sabas took another visual sweep of the room and a deep sniff of the air. Scenting only Lucian and himself as fresh scents in the cave, he tossed Lucian's tunic down to him. Lucian's arm shot up and caught it without actually opening his eyes.
"Gods, it never gets any easier. I'm not sure I want it to, but I wish things we didn't have to spend so much time pretending to feel only distain for each other." Lucian groaned.
Sabas nodded sympathetically. "I can't imagine that would ever get easy. I'm not looking forward to being around Aleeria when she has to treat me as Sabine expects her to- like a favored pet. But I can't imagine being in your position. At least if I play my cards right, I could be with Aleeria, openly."
"A great deal would have to change before that was an option for me," Lucian sighed heavily. "Still, at least I have her heart."
Sabas didn't reply. That was something he did not have from Aleeria. Not yet, anyway, but he had every intention of changing that, any way he could.
The next two months passed slowly for both Aleeria and Sabas. Their only contact lay in both of them questioning Lucian separately on the well-being of the other. On the second day following their separation, Aleeria had related to Lucian the punishment that had befallen the Vampire guards who had disrespected her in front of Sabine. Both Lucian and Sabas had shared many a vengeful laugh over the mental image of the two guards blistered and imprisoned. Nevertheless, now that Aleeria and Sabas had at last been able to speak and touch, the days and nights apart seemed an eternity.
Lucian took breaks from training during the Dark Moon phases to protect Aleeria in her tower while she had her monthly cycle, a task Sabas deeply envied. Aleeria also continued to wish it was Sabas and not Lucian guarding her, but she did enjoy hearing about their training regardless. It made Sabas feel closer to hear how he'd spent his days beyond the glimpses she could see from the windows before the cold became too much. In turn, she told Lucian about her days and conversations with Sabine in hopes that he would share them with Sabas during the following weeks until her cycles came again.
Aleeria continued to work diligently on the woolen blankets while Sabas and Lucian trained. She was half-way done weaving the first blanket the evening Khan came up early in the evening to inform Sabine that Lucian and Sabas had progressed from hand-to-hand to the quarter staff.
Saba's sole comfort during those long months lay with the knowledge of what lay ahead, the memory of what lay behind, and at night he fell asleep to the sound of the Angel of the Night singing him into peaceful dreams. With the rag full of Aleeria's scent by his head, Sabas dreamed that it was she who sang him to sleep. Little did he know he was right. Aleeria's comfort was found in much the same places: her memories, her hopes, and her gift of song. She wished she had something that smelled like Sabas to console herself with when she was alone and could dream of him freely. Instead, she slept near the bar of lavender soap she had used to clean him, its scent was masculine, feminine, and soothing all at once, and it kept her unconscious mind filled with good dreams. So when Khan came to report on Sabas and Lucian's progress, he had Aleeria's complete and undivided attention.
"Marvelous Khan," Sabine purred. "Your students are coming along well then?"
"Yes my Lady." Khan replied bowing slightly.
"Any problems with either of them? Any reasons they should not continue?" Sabine asked with feigned lightness of tone.
Khan shook his head emphatically. "No, My Lady. To the contrary, both are hard-working and will serve you well. I merely wanted to report to you on their swift progress and see if you would like to observe their newly acquired skill yourself."
Aleeria, still in the room, barely kept her excitement leashed.
Sabine noted how well Aleeria kept her features schooled in polite, interest hiding her excitement in all features, save her eyes, which danced with anticipation. Sabine pretended to consider Khan's suggestion carefully for several minutes. "Yes, I think it would be an excellent idea to observe our future guards in action. Tomorrow night then, I will go to see how far your training has progressed." When Khan left, Sabine shared a smile with Aleeria. "Well, tomorrow sounds like it should be an entertaining evening. You'll have a chance to see how Sabas is progressing."
Aleeria's expression brightened, all pretense gone. "I will? Truly Mistress, I may accompany you?"
Sabine laughed warmly. "Of course. You have a far greater stake in his progress in many respects. You can see how he's progressed and if he's shaping up to be the sort of man you could trust to protect you and our House."
Aleeria nodded mutely. After months that had seemed unending, finally, she would see her Lycan from closer proximity than a distant tower window. The day passed slowly, every hour stretching into three.
Meanwhile, although Sabas and Lucian noticed that Khan seemed to be training them harder than ever, Khan gave no indication to either of them that they would be observed the following evening. To Khan's way of thinking, it wasn't relevant, they needed to perform well regardless of who was or wasn't watching. He didn't want to get them so nervous that they couldn't demonstrate their new skills.
Therefore, when Aleeria and Sabine came to watch Sabas and Lucian practice the next night, it came as quite a shock. Particularly, since Aleeria had gone down to eat with Erika instead of being accompanied by Lucian, thus providing no opportunity to warn them.
The night was bitterly cold. Even in her rooms, Aleeria could see her breath curl around her. Between the heady combination of cold, her own excitement, and nerves, Aleeria could hardly do her fastenings. She bundled herself up as best she could, without making herself look like she was disfigured. She wanted to stay warm, not look like an animate figure made of lumpy oatmeal, especially since Sabas hadn't seen her in weeks. Aleeria didn't want his only memory of her for the next two months or more to be of someone so decidedly unappealing. On the other hand, she didn't want to die of pneumonia before she ever had a chance to be turned. So, Aleeria chose a dress of thick, deep blue wool with sleeves long enough to cover her hands entirely and wore two woolen cloaks. Still, there was a gap between the top closure of her cloak and the top of her dress, sufficient to display a respectable amount of cleavage.
Once outside, Aleeria followed closely at Sabine's heels to the training area. Aleeria had been there before, but only to observe the Death Dealers and generally, only in the company of Erika. This would be an entirely different matter of actually being emotionally invested in the outcome, instead of merely pretending to be.
Sabas scented Aleeria the moment she stepped out of the stone corridors and followed her Mistress to the sheltered stands where the Vampire nobility sometimes watched competitions between the Death Dealers. He was so startled when he actually saw her that he lost the flow of the fight and Lucian swept his legs out from under him with the quarter staff.
While Sabas was picking himself up, Lucian saw what had distracted his friend and grinned down at him, "Sorry, brother. I did not realize your attention was so completely diverted."
Sabas shook his head. "No, I should have been paying closer attention. I just wish she hadn't seen that; not a very respectable display."
Lucian grunted and gave Sabas a hand up. "Come on, they're just getting settled. She may not have even seen it. Based on the way they're settling in, I'd say that you'll have plenty of time to fill her head with much more impressive visuals."
Sabas nodded and got his guard back up just in time for Khan to call for a halt Sabas felt was several minutes too late. Khan indicated that Lucian and Sabas should stand and face Sabine with him and then they would bow. The three of them did so as Khan presented them to Sabine. While Khan said all the proper words of introduction and spoke about their training regime, Sabas allowed himself a slow, lingering look at Aleeria. Torchlight flickered around her features, caressing them with golden light even as the misting rain obscured other parts of her figure in shadow and fog. The combination resulted in enhancing the contrasts of her form, giving her a regal, otherworldly appearance. Her deep blue dress made her eyes look an unearthly blue, like she was a creature of fae, bound in human form and recognizable as such only through her eyes. Sabas hoped Aleeria could see his regard for her reflected in his eyes. He was afraid that showing her more direct attention, for fear that it would be seen by Sabine as disrespectful and thus earn her displeasure. Sabas recalled all too well from Aleeria's story how Sabine had show her displeasure to her own Vampire guards when she viewed their behavior as disrespectful. He had no desire to see how she would communicate similar sentiments to him.
Aleeria couldn't take her eyes off of Sabas. She did see him fall, the impact nearly stealing her breath away. Then he stood up and she got a good look at him, and he stole her breath away for an entirely different reason. He looked so powerful, so in his element, standing at the ready, weapon in hand and body encased in leather, the firelight making his sweat and moisture-slick muscles gleam. Sabas looked like a creature of magic and myth, which she supposed was true. Aleeria shivered pleasantly, recalling how that body had felt under her hands when she'd bathed him and appreciating the new layers of muscle and sinew she could see. Sabas stared at her with such intensity; she wondered that she didn't melt on the spot. Aleeria suddenly found her thoughts torn from a very pleasant daydream about bathing him again in the future when Lucian and Sabas squared off for another fight.
"Sabas," Lucian hissed as they readied themselves for the next round, "Do you want me to go easier on you, so your lady might see your skill?"
Sabas shook his head fiercely. He appreciated the offer, as there was little chance he'd beat Lucian anytime soon. However, he knew Sabine and Aleeria were unlikely to be fooled, and he was sure that sort of deception would not be a point in his favor. If he managed to beat Lucian one day, he wanted it to be real and he hoped Aleeria was there to see it.
Lucian nodded once, signaling that he understood Sabas's reasons and then Khan called the start of the fight.
Their quarterstaffs clashed together, the hard clatter sounded like thunder to Aleeria. She watched Lucian swing at Sabas's head and then saw Sabas duck and swing his staff out, forcing Lucian back. Then Lucian jabbed at Sabas's middle, making contact. Sabas grunted, but swept his staff in front of him and deflected the staff away before it could make a second contact. Lucian began skillfully herding Sabas where he wanted, changing his tactic in an instant to strike out before retreating and herding Sabas away to prevent him from landing a return blow. Around and around the training circle they went until finally Sabas, who had started watching Lucian's pattern, waited until he was sure Lucian was going to shift and attack, turned the tables. As Lucian shifted position, Sabas moved in and landed several well-aimed blows to Lucian's torso and then a sharp upward blow to Lucian's chin. Lucian went down, but quickly recovered, sweeping out with both staff and leg to knock Sabas off his feet, who was too amazed that his gambit had worked to get clear in time. Sabas hit the ground hard, but got up fast getting clear of a second attack and returned to circling the ring.
Aleeria knew Sabas would heal easily enough from any injury he received, but it was still painful to watch. Each blow seemed to reverberate through her own body as she watched him hold his own against Lucian. Eventually, Lucian swept Sabas's legs out from under him a second time and he planted his foot on Sabas's arm, keeping his staff immobilized. Sabas rolled, kicked Lucian off of him, and then leapt up ready to fight again. As they were about to re-engage, Sabine stood up clapping and the sound froze them in place.
"Well done." Her voice was not loud, but it carried well in the darkness nevertheless. Sabas, Lucian, and Khan all turned in the direction of Sabine's voice and bowed.
"Khan, your students have learned much. I think I may need to come and observe their practice more regularly. This is highly entertaining."
Aleeria and Saba's eyes drew together as if magnetized, the hope Sabine's words held for them was like a rope between them drawing taught. They both knew it would mean they would have at least be able to see each other in closer proximity and more often than they would have otherwise, at least until training ended. Once again, it was just another step closer to being in each other's worlds.
Khan nodded, pleased that his students' progress met with Sabine's obvious approval, "As you wish my Lady."
Sabine rose and began to move towards the tunnels leading back into the castle. She saw Aleeria's reluctance, but Sabine could also see how cold she was. "Come Aleeria, let's leave them to continue practicing."
Aleeria nodded, dutifully dragging her eyes away from Sabas. She gave him a final glance over her shoulder that she tried to pour all her longing into, hoping he would hear in her gaze what she could not say aloud. Sabas hoped she could read the mirrored longing in his eyes as well, though as she was so far away and merely human, he was not sure how well she could see him.
A/N: Please Read & Review.