Book 5
Siha: Rise of Rakhana
Part III
"Silver and Fire"
Casnar was the first to spot them—before Tetonbaum had returned that is. Braith was carefully tucked into an alley facing the port for the ships departing the holosphere, an alley with an oblique view of the security and the th'ane clothes that were on the entry points, guarding the ships.
"No way can we get passed that," Feron squirms and turns around to face them, "…They'll know his own robes on her, it'll be like a target hovering over our heads."
Casnar grunts and agrees, turning to Ylyssus, Jenner and Jaspin held now in the th'ane's hands.
Braith leans against the wall, her power coalescing in strange ways she has not experienced before…She sits down and closes her eyes to steady herself. Casnar approaches her and kneels, checking her skin and moving her hood back to see her face, "…What's up, Braith…You're sick."
"I need to sit for a little, I'll be okay soon," she looks at him briefly, checks the twins are still with Ylyssus and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Casnar stands and turns to Tetonbaum, "…What happened between you two," he says as the th'ane arrives from the left turn of alleys and comes over to them, his sapphires locked on Braith's form huddled on the ground.
"She is recovering from my menjaga blade," he says, partly true and mostly not, "…When we fell she landed on it and the blade managed to enter her wound, she will be recovering better than most, Brother," Tetonbaum's power is with hers, invisible to the other's eyes as he allows it to spread from him towards Braith's.
Like lovers, the powers intertwine and support one and other, running against each other and adding strength to Braith as the seed in her hurries abnormally quickly through its progress to her womb.
Braith leans her head back against the stucco wall and looks up at him.
Tetonbaum's chest rises and falls, breathing, and she can feel him do this.
Casnar glances at Tetonbaum from Braith, his eyeridges hooding and suddenly he grabs his clothes and shoves him against the opposite wall, "…I know a hunting drell when I see one, and you've got some bait in our wife," he hisses, the others turning from the front of the alleyway.
Tetonbaum's eyes glow dangerously and with warning towards Casnar, "…Be careful, Brother…I might bite if you're not too gentle around me."
Braith clears her throat and all mates look at her, even the twins, "…Stop…Don't fight…Casnar, Ylyssus, I have Tetonbaum's child in me."
Casnar's tebris constricts to his throat.
Ylyssus remains calm, composed, they had foreseen this happening, but not so soon if at all even close to this way, "…That's what you were doing in the Archives? That's why it took so long to find us?" he asks.
She nods.
Casnar looks homicidally at Tetonbaum, who raises his hands to grasp Casnar's wrists, "…You had Kasumi! You had Kasumi!" he shouts at his half-brother.
"Kasumi dies," Casnar hears him say quietly, "…but this way, the Enmity, the Mechanist, they will see I have two courses by which to choose…Either they take the child, which will be of more value to them, or they choose my wife, who I have hidden, Casnar."
Braith's eyes slit, "…Casnar was right…You've placed a bait in me…I was trying to figure that out, now I understand…" She starts to get up, "…The benefit, however, is that your power is mated to mine and you will protect me…You did not see that, Tetonbaum, did you."
Braith sees Ylyssus and Casnar turn towards the th'ane and Tetonbaum reluctantly acknowledges this, "…I do feel our powers have bonded in a way inextricable…I don't understand it, but I no longer feel the desire to kill you…only to protect a mother."
Casnar frowns at Braith, "…You went along with it, didn't you."
She nods, "…I didn't want you two to be enemies…You will have to suffer being co-mates with me, but I will not allow you to kill him, nor you to harm my husbands and the twins, Tetonbaum."
Stalemate.