silverchain.
chapter eight: a woman thought scorned shall not be crossed
Kairikiani - thank you for the feedback! you have no idea how much i appreciate it. i hope everything remains satisfactory!
Karis was not happy.
True to her element, she stormed around the house, kicking up a veritable tornado of ill feeling and irritation. Her tongue was more cutting than the well-shapened blade she kept by her side even now, and her eyes were fiery, as though some of her hissing lightning had struck a house and set it ablaze.
Her unpleasant mood hardly went unnoticed. Matthew, knowing well the consequences of her moods, tried his best to steer clear of her tempestuous, barely-suppressed rage; Amiti, on his part, while acquainted with her temper over the course of their travels, was mystified as to the cause or even the object of her anger. He would normally take the blame thanks to his nature, but while she was just as harsh with him as with Matthew and Jenna, a look of horror would quickly pass over her face and she would seem almost apologetic for at least a few moments after her rudeness. Isaac would simply allow her tongue lashings to pass over him, and seemed entirely undisturbed by her ill feeling—for the simple reason, according to Amiti's theory, that his long dealings with Jenna had deadened him to the pain.
Jenna herself was a different story. Never one to deal with anybody's bad moods (except her own), her own boiling point was reached rapidly. It happened rather suddenly. Karis was routinely grumbling about some little thing or the other when Jenna, who was in the midst of preparing a fragrant soup for dinner, stuck her head out of the kitchen, pointed to the door with a wooden spoon, and tersely said, "Out."
Karis appeared on the verge of protesting, and out of habit Isaac and Matthew grimaced identically. Amiti simply appeared helpless. After a glance around the room, the Jupiter Adept huffily stomped out of the door, slamming it generously behind the resounding clangs of her boots. Matthew, turning back to Amiti, continued their conversation as though nothing had happened, and while the young king was uneasy and sympathetic to Karis' anger, he dared not follow her, having learned his lesson after an incident taking place during their adventure. Suffice it to say that the Mercury Adept's hair had grown back out and was returned to its customary color, and that was that.
Still, after an hour Amiti's initial uneasiness had only intensified, and spread to the other menfolk occupying the house. Jenna even spared a few looks at the window, as though she had expected Karis to return before this late hour.
"Would you like me to go out and search for her?" the young king asked, with a mixture of eagerness and dread. The older woman bit her lip in thought.
"I'll go," Matthew interjected before his mother had time to reply. Isaac looked up from his jumble of maps and books to give his son a confused stare, and the younger Venus Adept quickly said, "I can handle her."
Amiti looked a little wounded, and his friend laughed, clapping him on the back. "I just don't want to subject you to her horrors quite yet," Matthew joked. "Then you might not take her away!"
The young king managed a smile, and quipped, "I must disagree with you, Matthew. I have already experienced quite a lot of horrors at Karis' hand."
The Venus Adept grinned. "Exactly." Ducking his head as he walked through the doorway, he called back, "If I'm not back in half an hour, she probably killed me, so just go on and eat!"
Another slammed door later, and Amiti was left alone with Isaac and Jenna, now both poring over the documents spread across the table. Every once in awhile one or other would look up at him with an unreadable expression, before returning to reading and low murmurs. Feeling awkward, he stood up for the excuse of stretching tired limbs, and looked at the bookshelves crowding the walls. Pulling a tome from one of the shelves, he glanced at its cover, emblazoned with a stylized image of a great sun. The True Tale of the Golden Sun and the Heroes of Vale, boldly proclaimed the title, and almost unconsciously he found himself flipping through the book.
His finger fell on a page which he felt strangely compelled to scan. It seemed to speak of the first group that attempted to resurrect Alchemy: that of Saturos, Menardi, and...Alex.
Heartbeat inexplicably quickening, he ran his eyes over the pages of text faster than he thought possible. From Imil...the great healer Mia's cousin...thought dead after the Golden Sun event...
"However, evidence may suggest the contrary."
Now the young king's heart stopped. Of course, he knew that Alex had in fact been alive those thirty long years, having seen the man with his own eyes, having heard the sickeningly deceptive tones of his voice, having even felt the brush of his cloak in passing, but the thought of knowing what occupations Alex had taken part in during the period was indescribably exciting. He turned the page.
Nothing. The other side of the page declared the beginning of a new chapter, and while Amiti quickly searched the remainder of the book, no other trace of the name "Alex" could be found. The Mercury Adept slumped in disappointment, and as he flipped back to the earlier passage, a hand clamped on his shoulder.
Automatically grabbing the small dagger he hid on his person, Amiti spun around, prepared to attack, before he realized he was facing Isaac, who spread his hands and laughed gently. "I can see you're a true warrior, Amiti," he said, and the young king's cheeks reddened.
"I apologize," he muttered, tucking away the dagger once more, and Isaac shook his head.
"There's no need. What were you reading?"
Feeling almost guilty, he held up the book. Isaac's expression didn't change, but when he spoke, his tone was more serious. "As far as those sort of things go, it's a good one. Accurate information about Alex, for once. Were you reading that part?"
Amiti nodded slowly, and the older man's eyes seemed to deepen. He opened his mouth to speak, but the banging of the door behind them interrupted, and both Adepts turned, suddenly alert. Matthew scuffed into the house and settled himself on a cushioned chair, nursing his head as though it were aching.
"How did it go?" the young king asked, secretly glad for the disturbance, as he went over to Matthew. The other young man, still clutching his head, looked up dolefully.
"She's not happy," was all the Venus Adept said, and Amiti's concern for the young woman he loved increased. Matthew, noticing his expression, added, "She'll be back in a minute, or so she said."
Sure enough, the stomping of boots was soon heard, and a somewhat bedraggled Karis entered the scene, appearing now more sorrowful than furious. Going over to her, the Mercury Adept laid a worried hand on her shoulder, and said quietly, "I was concerned. Would you tell me what has made you so upset, Karis?"
She shook her head, and he could have sworn to have seen a tear glint in one of her eyes. Shrugging off his hand, she replied, "I'm fine, I'm just hungry. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help, Jenna."
Jenna, stirring the soup, smiled back: all seemed to be forgiven. "Oh, Isaac helped out. He owed me anyway," she laughed, eyes sparkling as she set the pot on the simple table. Her husband followed, carrying a large loaf of aromatic bread flavored with herbs. The group gathered about the table, said a quick prayer, and sat down, ready to enjoy. A smile was on Karis' face, but Amiti knew it didn't reach her eyes, although she avoided contact with him throughout the meal. He sighed, and silently added a postscript to the evening prayer: please restore Karis' good spirits, or at least encourage her to confide in me.
Spooning some of the soup into his own mouth, he tried to smile around his consuming worry.
"This is delicious," Ivan remarked, although his heart would remain rather sunken until the problem at hand was resolved. "I didn't realize you were such an accomplished cook, Nowell."
The young lady beamed, and Piers smiled at her affectionately as she replied, "Thank you, Master Ivan. Please help yourself to seconds."
"Please, just refer to me as Ivan," he said. "We're equals."
The three Adepts sat in silence until the Lemurian asked, "Your letter was quite unclear, Ivan. What exactly is your purpose? I understand that you are searching for Alex, and I don't deny the importance of such an act, but for what reason?" Noticing how the Jupiter Adept's eyes flicked to the youngest member of their party, Piers added in a kindly tone, "There is nothing you can tell me that you cannot share with Nowell."
Nodding, and feeling rather embarrassed, Ivan began to explain about the theoretical connection between Amiti and Alex. Both of the Mercury Adepts appeared to be absorbing the information, and when Ivan had finished, Piers brought up a question.
"How exactly did this come to light, Ivan? Did Karis, Matthew, or Tyrell mention the heritage of Ayuthay's king?" He stirred his drink absent-mindedly.
"Ayuthay's king happens to be in Kalay," Ivan said shortly, "and he plans to ask for Karis' hand."
Nowell's expression lit up, and Piers swallowed quickly. "Really?" he asked, nearly choking. "Well, I hope you realize that it is quite an honor. They are a proud people, and take their monarchs quite seriously. Do you approve other than the issue of parentage?"
Ivan sighed. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "He is certainly polite and respectful, and I know he...he cares for her deeply."
The avoidance of a certain word did not go unnoticed by Piers. "You can't keep her around forever, Ivan. At least he seems to be going about things the proper way. How does she feel about him? Would she be receptive to the idea if you approved?"
"Receptive?" repeated Ivan. "She adores him. I'm afraid that he can do no wrong in her eyes...and Jenna feels the same way."
"How is Jenna?" Piers asked politely but earnestly, and Ivan raised his eyes to heaven. "That bad?"
The Jupiter Adept smiled weakly. "She's the same old Jenna. She seems to have taken Amiti in as a second son."
"Have Isaac and Matthew returned?" Nowell inquired, and Ivan looked at her as though he'd forgotten her presence. He nodded.
"They arrived just as I was leaving, so I wasn't able to fully explain the issue, although I'm sure Jenna has by now."
In a somewhat emotional tone, Piers said, "I'm very glad that the two of you have remained close."
The other man looked thoughtful. "I suppose we have become something like family, although we hardly get along all the time."
"Exactly," the Mercury Adept replied with a laugh. "You are like family. I don't mean to pry, but are Isaac and Jenna...happy?"
Ivan looked downcast. "She won't talk to me about him when he's gone, and I know his absence upsets her sometimes, but she holds together."
"He has two great loves," observed Piers, "heroism and Jenna; and in his earlier years he never had to choose. Now that she has settled down...lifestyle-wise, if not in temperament, it becomes more difficult." He smiled wryly. "To return to the earlier topic...if your theory proves correct, what action will you take?"
Eyes glowing with honesty and pain, the other man replied, "I really don't know, Piers. I just don't know."