Chapter 11-Convergence
Darrian smiled fondly as he watched Seren work. She had been forced into this lifestyle of ceaseless traveling, but she had adapted wonderfully. Her wilderness skills had improved by leaps and bounds, and he had discovered that her clumsiness was much less apparent when he wasn't frightening her.
Suddenly, oblivious to his approving thoughts, she asked, "Darrian, do you hear anything?"
His intensely-blue eyes narrowed, and he reached out with his magik carefully. "Get into the brush and stay low," he ordered curtly, taking up position behind a large tree with a thick trunk, readying his bow and other weapons.
She did as he commanded but grumbled as she went, complaining, "If you're going to teach me how to shoot a bow but not ever let me it, what was the point of you teaching me how to do it?"
"We can discuss this later," he bit out, and she shut her mouth when rustling was heard in the trees ahead of them. They would continue the conversation later.
****~**~****
Jalen had been explaining the historical significance of Tiassale to Reisha when Ami, who had been riding slightly behind, stopped suddenly. Interrupting their conversation, she broke in gently but urgently, "Jalen, did you feel that?"
He glanced back at her, worry flitting across his face. "Feel what?"
"I felt this slightest tap a minute ago, as if someone was checking for magikal presences and brushed against mine. You didn't sense anything?"
"I doubt I would have," he replied grimly, regretfully, "my magik isn't as abundant–or sensitive–as yours."
Reisha bit her lip, looking troubled. "Ami–the magik you felt...was it a gold color?"
Ami's eyes darted to her instantly, and she looked slightly surprised. "It was so quick that I didn't even see what color it was. You felt it?" When she nodded, she said thoughtfully, "And you weren't even paying much attention to begin with–although, with your warrior instincts...and yet, your mind must have been more immediately concerned with what Jalen was saying..."
Shrugging, the other dark-haired woman retrieved her bow from where it was conveniently secured and reached backwards to check that her quiver was full. They could discuss the theories of how magik–her magik in particular–was supposed to act. Jalen looked grave, but he, too, readied his knives in case he would need them. Ami did nothing of the sort, but her two companions began to see blue sparkles materializing. They rode ahead, senses alert as they tried to determine who–or what–was ahead of them.
****~**~****
Darrian flung himself out from behind the tree and into the riders' paths as he felt the approaching hoof beats, and he was surprised when a glittering blue fog rose up in front of them. Immediately, he attacked its weakest point to dissipate it, but he relaxed his grip on his bow. He would have no trouble with folk; he recognized this magik: only nymphs or those with nymphal ancestors could raise fog, which was water-based. The person who had created the mist had drawn from the small creek Darrian knew was several paces to his left. As the fog cleared, he found himself face to face with an arrow, his bow pointing just slightly to the right.
****~**~****
Jalen lowered his knives swiftly, but Reisha kept her bow stubbornly in place, glaring at the ebony-haired man before her. He would have to stop pointing his weapon at her before she would withdraw hers. "Who are you?"she demanded.
Darrian's eyes darted quickly over the three persons before him: one nymph and two humans. Even though he would have liked to test the steely determination he saw in the violet eyes before him, he lowered his bow and turned towards the naiad. Hoping that he hadn't forgotten the naiad tongue after not using it for quite a while, he addressed her exclusively. "Do they travel with you?" He couldn't remember how to ask anything else more specifically, but what he wanted to be sure of was that they weren't her captors.
She started, surprised, but she nodded and responded in the same speech, full of fluid transition from word to word and soft consonants. "Yes. What is your name, and how do you know this language?"
"My grandfather taught me. He married Sonaya of the naiads. I am Darrian McKellan, son of Alona."
Ami's eyes lit with recognition. She had heard of this man in Arcelia and also at home, where her people lived. "You are the one who leads the rebellion in the capital?" she asked for further confirmation.
"I do," he confirmed readily.
"And is the princess of the human throne also traveling with you?"
He looked at her appraisingly until he replied coolly, "Yes."
"Of her own free will?"
"Yes." His tone had become impatient now, and he tapped his foot. The exotically-beautiful woman with the amethyst eyes was also getting riled up, he noticed, whispering in agitation to the blond-haired man, who remained calm and seemed to be slightly amused.
Jalen cut in, surprising Darrian with his knowledge of the dialect–although his words were fairly accurate, his accent was not as precise as the other man's. "My name is Jalen Eridian. I have studied at the university. The naiad to whom you have been speaking is Amity Nemosine, a healer from Arcelia. This woman," he indicated Reisha, who looked furious that she was the only one left out of the conversation and seemed about to do him bodily harm, "is Reisha Zuriel, from the warriors' retreat."
Immediately, Darrian's eyes flicked to Rei's, and there was renewed and intense interest in them. Without looking behind him, he called, "Seren, come out." Addressing the three to whom he had been recently introduced (in a roundabout manner), he said in the more common language, "This is Princess Serenitatis Divine." When she came up next to him, brushing twigs from her hair and looking at them curiously, he continued, "These are Amity Nemosine, Jalen Eridian, and Reisha Zuriel."
There was an instance of thick tension as they stood there, staring at each other. Rei looked particularly out of her element, eyeing the princess warily. Jalen's face remained friendly, but his azure blue eyes were completely wiped clean of expression as he dismounted to help Reisha down. For once, she did not protest at his aid, and his hand held hers a little longer than needed before he dropped it. Ami also sensed the uneasiness in Rei's manner and swiftly moved to stand beside her.
Serenitatis broke the ice by glaring at Darrian and saying, "You just had to tell them who I was, didn't you?"
He shrugged, not looking the least bit apologetic. His eyes met Jalen's, and smiling wryly, he said, "You see what I've had to put up with during our journey–and you've had two women to deal with instead of just one."
"I resent that!" she squawked, and even Rei cracked a smile.
"What business do you have here?" Darrian asked soon afterwards.
Jalen and Ami exchanged glances before she replied, "We're searching for a scroll, one that has been lost for some time. And you?"
He shrugged casually, his manner completely laid-back. "I'm searching for a group of people that I expected to come here looking for the scroll. Not you three; a larger group of folk traveling by water. I understand that searching for the scroll will not be easy, but I'm willing to help you find it–if you'll help us in return."
Rei's voice was sharp as she asked, "What do you want with it?"
"Well...I could ask you the same thing," he said easily. "In all actuality, I have very little interest in this prophecy. But both Seren and I possess magik, which will surely come in handy."
"It depends what you want our help for," Jalen said slowly.
Seren stepped forward, her blue eyes huge and pleading. "We want to save my brother, Kentan. He is rumored to be dead, but in truth, my mother has been keeping him prisoner because of his activities involving the underground resistance. We tried to free him once, but the palace guard overwhelmed us. He couldn't escape with us, and I'm sure he's been jailed again. Darrian hoped that the folk he mentioned could help us, because they recently stole a ship from a gang of slavers. If we all joined together, there would be a chance of rescuing him."
"What good would freeing your brother do us?" Rei asked coolly.
Darrian cast an exasperated glance at Seren. He should have expected that she would have been so very blunt and trusting. "For one thing, Kentan would reign much more fairly than his mother does. He possesses magik as well, and he would not persecute and imprison the magik folk." Something prompted him to add, "He's a good man. Sometimes he tends to characterize everything in black and white, but he'll be just, even if it kills him."
They were, for the most part, convinced after his heartfelt speech, but there were still a few kinks to their tentative fellowship that had to be worked out. Jalen and Darrian rode in front of their groups, which had melded to become one. Every so often, Jalen would say something that would make the serious, ebony-haired man laugh, and his impression of the newly-met rebel leader was a good one. There was urgency pressing upon him, making him focused and alert, but there was a fierce passion in him that Jalen could clearly identify with and admire.
As for Darrian, he found Jalen to be intelligent, light of heart and spirit, and very congenial. There was something about the fair-haired young man that made him want to trust the other implicitly, because something about his manner invoked immediate faith. Darrian was usually slow to trust people, humans even less than folk, but there was something about this particular threesome that encouraged him to place his trust in them.
Meanwhile, the three women of the entourage were getting along less smoothly. Seren was doing her best to warm up to them. Her smile was friendly and guileless, but Rei would not get over the anxiety she felt. She was riding in the company of the Divine princess, whose mother had executed her entire family and ruined her life, and they were expected to become friends...sort of. For the daughter of a cold-hearted murderer, Seren was not what she had expected.
Ami found it much easier to like the princess, but she marveled at her incessant chatter and genuine brightness of manner. She had found it easier to push aside her shyness with Rei when they had first met, because Rei had been in need of her aid. Seren was perfectly healthy, her vitality showing in her shining eyes and rosy cheeks, and Ami attempted to retreat into the shy obscurity she usually did around strangers–but it didn't work this time around.
"What language were you all talking in before? I've never heard it spoken," she said cheerfully.
"It's the language of the naiads," Ami replied. Approximately two seconds into their conversation, Serenitatis had rendered it impossible for them to address her as "your highness" or act more respectfully than they would towards any other person who was not royal.
"How do you know how to speak it? Are you a naiad?"
Her answer this time was reluctantly given. "Yes, I'm a naiad."
"And your friend Jalen? Is he also one?"
"No; he's part elf."
Seren, who had been observing Ami intently, turned her eyes upon Jalen. "Then how does he know how to speak your language?"
She smiled faintly. "It's not impossible to learn. Many of the words the land nymphs and dryads speak are the same as the ones the naiads use."
Turning to Rei, the princess asked, "And are you one of the folk, as well?"
Surprised out of silence, she shook her head and said curtly, "I'm human." Seeing the silvery-haired woman's expression grow sad at her brusque tone, she tried to smile ad found it easier than she expected. "If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't understand a word they were saying, either."
Seren laughed gaily, and she looked much happier. Certainly Rei was keeping to herself and Ami was a little withdrawn, but they both seemed like private people and much less hostile than Darrian had been upon their first meeting. "Where do you come from?" she inquired, determined to get to know them better.
"I live in Arcelia, working as a healer," Ami offered, glancing sideways at Rei.
Sighing, the raven-haired woman answered, "I'm from the warriors' retreat, in the Asianne Mountains."
Her eyes widened, just now noticing the easy, assured grace with which Reisha carried herself, as well as the many weapons that were on her person. The Asianne Mountains were some distance from the capital, and they were reputed to be the most beautiful range on the continent. It was said that the sun first rose there in the mornings and that the sunsets were brilliant when viewed from the high peaks.
Disconsolately, she said, "You all sound as if you've led such exciting, productive lives. All I've done is been locked up in a crystal cage, and all I am is a useless princess. Traveling with Darrian has opened my eyes to so many more things, and he still thinks I'm ignorant. But I'm trying to make him see that there's more to me than the princess."
Reisha bit her lip as a wave of sympathy rose up inside her for this warm, innocent being whom she could not dislike, no matter how much she wanted to–it would have made things easier. Reaching out to touch her gently on the arm, her eyes were kind as she declared resolutely, "You're trying to change, which is the most important thing. No one who's ignorant will do that. But it's lucky that you left the palace when you did, with Darrian. Don't think that we're any better off than you are. If it hadn't been for Jalen, I would probably have spent my entire life at the retreat, learning nothing except fighting technique."
Her curiosity was piqued, and Seren asked, "Do you leave your home, then, because you love him?"
The look on Rei's face made Ami giggle, but she was also laughing at the irony of the situation. So far, Reisha had asked if she loved Jalen, and now Seren was asking the same thing of Rei. She only needed to ask Seren a similar question, and they would go full circle. Since Rei still seemed to shocked to form a reply, Ami smiled demurely and answered for her. "No; Rei left the temple under the advice of the masters. They felt it important that she see more of the world."
She neglected to mention that Jalen had brought up the issue first when his magik had forced him to notice the temperamental young warrior who had labeled him as a womanizer. Jalen had recounted that story to her, and the memory of his exaggerated distress during the retelling brought a smile to her face even now.
Rei, on the other hand, was much less amused than her friend and rapidly changed the subject, although Seren noticed that her eyes returned to Jalen's form more frequently than they had before.
****~**~****
Several hours and two days later, they all found themselves cautiously traversing an underground, abandoned mine. The locals had assured Darrian that it was perfectly safe but that the miners had somehow been unable to tunnel any deeper, despite their efforts. He led the way, holding a golden globe of light, and Seren and Ami were just behind him. Reisha and Jalen brought up the rear with their own spheres of light, hers resembling a ball of fire and his a pure, light blue. As Darrian focused his mind, trying to locate the magik he knew was ahead of them, he ignored the conversation going on behind him until... "Ah hah! I knew it," he said grimly. "Just like them to dig for stones around places like this...there should be an excavation going on here, with people who're trying to preserve ancient history instead of looking for precious metals!"
Seren, who was used to his negative opinion of human progress, merely stated neutrally, "So it's confirmed that the prophecy is here?"
"Yes. But if I'm wrong, it'll be something equally important. The main thing is, there are very strong protective spells around. And everyone is going to be very careful unless they want to die a very untimely death."
Rei, who had taken a liking to Seren despite herself over the extended period of time they had spent together, nudged her in the side unobtrusively and muttered out of the corner of her mouth, "This is the endless optimism you were stuck with for over a week? I'm surprised you didn't kill him with your enthusiasm."
Unexpectedly, Darrian grinned at her good-naturedly and teased, "If you don't like what I'm saying, I could switch to naiad speech, and then you wouldn't have to understand anything that comes out my mouth."
She had disliked being left out mightily and had asked Ami for language lessons. Ami had obliged willingly, and when Seren had also shown an interest in learning, she had found herself landed with two students. Rei cleared her throat, assuming a haughty manner, and turned to Jalen, who was walking beside her. She proudly formed a sentence in naiad speech, but when a burst of laughter issued forth from Ami and Darrian, she asked indignantly, "What?!"
Seren was looking confused and Jalen shell-shocked, but he regained his usual composed manner within minutes. "Well, if you so command it, I'll be happy to oblige," he said, his eyes full of mirth–and he promptly seized her hand and kissed it.
Her cheeks flamed, and she drew her hand away instantly. Looking at Ami, who had stopped laughing but was still smiling (Darrian was still guffawing, and it was all his fault anyway), she asked, "What did I say??"
"First let me ask you what you were trying to say."
"I said–or I thought I said–‘Stop smirking and help me.'" She shrugged and added, "My vocabulary isn't that advanced! I couldn't figure out anything else to say."
"I think you mispronounced some of your words," Ami said tactfully, "but it was really a very good effort."
"So what exactly did I say?" she asked impatiently.
Darrian, who had managed to stop laughing for the moment, answered, "You told him ‘Stop staring and kiss me'!"
"Oh no," she moaned, and she couldn't even laugh along with them because of her extreme mortification. Turning to Jalen, she said more sharply than she'd intended, "Well, if you knew that I didn't mean it, you didn't have to do that!"
Instantly, the amusement faded from his face, and his expression became grave as he regarded her intently. His manner became impersonal as he replied, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you so much, then. No doubt you'll be wanting a less humiliating walking partner."
With that, he changed places with Ami, who said gently, "We'll work on your pronunciation later, Rei. Don't be so upset. It was an easy mistake to make, some of the words sound so similar that it's hard for me to tell the difference sometimes."
She knew that she had somehow offended Jalen and that Ami was lying about it being hard for her to understand naiad speech sometimes to make her feel better, but she couldn't figure out why Jalen was upset or bring herself to appreciate the joke yet. So she merely shrugged off her confusion and discomfort, and they proceeded on through the dusty passages.
****~**~****
Nathair whistled cheerfully as he docked their ship in a quiet, isolated cove. Just about everyone had recovered; even Zaccheus was back on his feet (although he tended to become grouchy when any mention of their objective was made, and he still spent a large amount of his time trying to argue Malina into changing her mind, which was just not possible) and being somewhat useful.
From what he had observed, Nath liked what he saw of the elfin prince. Even though he spent much of his time yelling at Mina, he didn't really seem to dislike her. After all, he'd risked his neck for her, plunging into battle heedlessly. There was a hotheadedness to him that had been suppressed at the Palace of the Nymphs, and it emerged freely now. He was always cordial towards Nath; even though much of his input seemed to be permanently laced with sarcasm, he seemed young, wild, and reckless. Nathair had found that he was not the most stable person around, as his moods seemed to be ever-changing, but there was an intense, sparkling, brightness of person in him that drew others in. The only other person he had ever seen possess that same trait was Mina.
Speaking of Malina, she had come up unobtrusively and draped herself over the edge of the ship. Her blue eyes were sparkling with goodwill and excitement as she announced, "Well, it's decided. I've finally gotten everyone to agree to the plan: to attract less attention to our highly-suspicious activities, only you, me, and Lita are going ashore. Zacch, of course, refuses to come–but that's a good thing, really. He can keep watch over the ship and keep everyone in line. Most of them are overawed by his title, anyway."
The brunet thought it was more prudent not to mention that not only were the other folk impressed by Zacch's station, they had been duly made aware of his scathing, spitfire temper from day one–and Mina had been the one on the receiving end. "So when are we leaving?"
"Now. As soon as you're ready, and as soon as Lita's finished threatening people about not touching anything in her kitchen."
Following her obediently, he shook his head and thought, ‘Trust Mina to keep everything inside her head until the last minute, when no one can gainsay her.'
****~**~****
They had reached a dead end, and each time they retraced their steps and tried to go another way, they still came to his particular place. Darrian had left the smallest little dab of golden magik there to mark the spot, and they were definitely returning to it over and over again. The seventh time they had reached it, he growled in frustration and probed the wall with his magik. To their surprise, glowing letters in a mix of silvery-gold color appeared.
Darrian couldn't read them, and neither could Seren, Rei, or Ami–but when Jalen stepped up, his eyes narrowed in concentration, recognition passed over his face. "I know this language–they had some very old texts in the university museum that I was required to study."
"And it says?" Rei prodded before he could get caught up in reminiscence.
"‘Those who may pass this way must place their palms to the test,'" he read, then turned to them with a perplexed frown on his face. "That's all it says. I wonder what it means?"
As if prompted by his query, two hand prints appeared on the wall under the words; the larger one was etched in gold, while its smaller companion was sketched out in silver.
Ami said softly, "I believe this means that we're supposed to place our hands on those markings, and if the protective magik spells accept our presence, we'll be let through to the other side." She held up her hand carefully in the air next to the palm prints so it was very close but not touching. "It would appear that one person must be male and the other female, judging by size."
"I don't mind going first," Jalen volunteered. Glancing around him without the slightest trace of anxiety, he asked, "Any of you lovely ladies want to join me?"
Rei did not step forward, so Ami took up position beside him when Darrian kept Seren back with a warning hand on her arm; she darted a furious look at him but kept silent as Ami placed her right hand on the silver hand print and Jalen pressed his left hand to the gold mark. A flare of bicolored light exploded around them, medium blue emitted from Ami and azure blue from Jalen. Strangely enough, the wall turned colorless, but it still wouldn't let them through.
Biting her lip as the power flush faded away, Ami stepped back from the now-transparent wall while Jalen rubbed his tingling arm. "Well, that was a rush," he commented dryly. "It would appear that we aren't the right...pairing." His eyes flicked briefly to Darrian and Serenitatis before resting on Rei. "But I think we have the right people among us, just not the right pairing. Otherwise, not even the slightest part of the wall would have given way."
"Let me try, then," Darrian offered. Although she had felt reluctant to try and bypass the spells with Jalen, Rei went forward immediately to join him. They had all, over the past few days, developed a strange sense of protectiveness around Seren (although judging by her mutinous expression, the silvery-haired princess didn't appreciate it). This time, gold and purple power ricocheted off the walls, and the wall stayed transparent but still palpable. The words seem to float in the air, as did the palm prints.
When Darrian yanked his hand away, his eyes wide and surprised, Jalen stepped up beside Rei to try again: this time, they pressed forward through the wall, and it disintegrated. They stumbled forward, caught off-balance, and Jalen reached out to ready Rei once he had regained his equilibrium. Darrian, trying to dispel some of the nervous anxiety, gave a half-smirk and asked, nodding towards Rei and Jalen, "Do you think it's trying to tell us something?"
Seren giggled at the dark flush of embarrassment on Rei's cheeks, but Ami's eyes were huge, her fingers twisting together worriedly as she stared at them.
Ignoring all of them, Jalen stepped up to the dais. In the center of a stand, shaped like a pentagon, a scroll hovered. It was tied with a silvery-gold ribbon, and when he reached out to touch it, something sizzled in the air, and he retracted his hand with a yelp.
The magik manifested itself into a great glowing shape: a dangerous, beautiful, deadly swirl of multicolored light. They all scattered, and Darrian found himself pressed to the ground near his erstwhile charge. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet–and not a minute too soon, for the maelstrom of magik rushed at them. He pushed him behind her and reached inside for his own magik, but when it shot outwards from him, it melded with her own silvery light. The intricate knot of spells undid itself immediately, and the scroll drifted over to them seemingly of its own accord.
"That was...interesting," Rei managed to choke out.
Darrian's head snapped up as an alarm sounded in his mind, clear as a bell toll, and a not-so-faraway roaring was heard. Grabbing the scroll from midair, he reclaimed Seren's hand and ordered, "Run! The whole thing's going to cave in on us!"
Belatedly, as she brought up the rear, Ami remembered that she had read somewhere that places where magikal artifacts were hid often caved in upon themselves once the spells had been dispelled and the objects removed. Dust obscured her vision, but she could reach out with her magikal sense to tell where the others were going. Darrian had an excellent sense of direction, and he and Seren were powerful beacons of gold and silver up ahead. Jalen and Rei's auras were less painful for her inner eyes to behold, but they were still brighter than most folk's were. Debris flew by her cheek, resulting in a stinging scrape across her cheek, but she ran faster as she heard a beam crash down behind her.
Reaching the hole into which they had first descended, Darrian hoisted himself up first, then let Jalen boost Seren and Rei up. "Get up," he told Jalen, his voice raspy from the dusty they had all inhaled.
"But–Ami–"
"We'll reach down and pull her up." True to his word, two pairs of arms snaked down from above just as Ami reached the opening, and they grabbed her and hefted her up just as the last beam fell with a shuddering impact.
As soon as they had gotten a safe distance away to ensure that the ground beneath their feet wouldn't suddenly break up and dump them into some hidden cave, they collapsed in relief against trees, boulders...anything that provided a sense of solid stability.
Darrian looked around him, his eyes first locating Seren. They lingered on her slender, dusty form longest before they moved on to light upon Ami and Rei. ‘Amazing,' he thought to himself, ‘we've just gone through an impossible labyrinth of tunnels, solved a magikal riddle, faced down a guardian of power, retrieved that damned scroll, and made it through a cave-in, and they aren't crying or going into hysterics.' His esteem for women in general and these three personally rose up quite a few notches. Then his gaze grew speculative when he saw the wistful, slightly envious look on Reisha's face as Jalen wiped away a drop of blood from the naiad's cheek.
Before he had time to pursue the matter, however, Ami had been reminded of her injury and instantly demanded to know if any of the others were hurt. Darrian dutifully showed her a shallow cut along his arm, and Rei pushed away her dark bangs to reveal a long, thin scratch on her forehead. Sighing as the naiad dripped something that was cool and stung a bit onto his arm, he unrolled the parchment scroll he carried carefully and squinted at it.
"Well, don't be selfish and keep it all to yourself," Seren said playfully as she scooted closer to him. "What does it say?"
Clearing his throat, his eyebrows rose as he said, "It's entitled ‘A Warning and The Missions.' I assume it's referring to the duties of the five pairs of soulmates mentioned in ‘The Chosen.' And it says....
Should these fated ten fail,
The land will fall into utter chaos: all goodness wiped from existence, leaving evil and darkness
To inhabit a forsaken world
Their ultimate task: to break a world apart, to bring it back together, to restore a lost dynasty to the second throne, and
To love one another."
"Don't you just love how cheerful these prophecy-writers can be?" Jalen drawled, stretched out among some tree roots and looking perfectly unconcerned.
Rei swatted at him, but Ami said softly, "The lives of seers are not often very joyous, Jalen."
He was silenced immediately, but Serenitatis and Darrian remained oblivious to the delicate issue. Brushing away a long strand of purple-black hair that had come loose from her elaborate hairstyle, Rei said, "I'm guessing that our next step is to find these soulmates the prophecy mentions?"
"I don't know about you," Darrian interjected, "but what I'm planning to do next is locate those folk that I came here to find–so we can save Kentan."
When he looked pointedly at them, Jalen said, "We haven't forgotten our promise, Darrian." After a quick glance at the two women he had set out with from Arcelia, he continued, "We're not abandoning you anytime soon."
Seren beamed at them happily, and Darrian also felt his spirits lift. There were some things, he decided, that people couldn't survive without becoming friends; there was something oddly binding about their living through a near-fatal experience together.
****~**~****
Nath shifted uncomfortably, touching the back of his neck nervously. From the moment that blond-haired, blue-eyed stranger had strolled into the inn they were lodging in for the night, he had begun to feel a strange prickling, almost the way Mina described the itchiness she felt in the back of her mind when someone was using magik–only Nathair had never been able to feel magik when it was being worked, if the owner was being discreet. The only magik he had ever seen was Malina's...and Lita's, and Zaccheus's, he realized.
Smilingly, the stranger loitered over to the table behind them and seated himself, seeming perfectly at ease and completely unaware of their presence. Nath felt a curious sense of annoyance wash over him when he noticed that Lita–and Mina–were both openly admiring his looks. So what if his own hair was brown and his eyes so dark a blue that they were sometimes thought to be black? Blond hair and blue eyes weren't so interesting, he thought, feeling disgruntled.
The innkeeper came over and placed a mug of some beverage before the blond-haired man, and they made small talk about the weather, the awful traveling conditions (it had been raining for two days straight, and they had traveled only a short distance from the cove where their ship was hidden), and the recent caving in of a mine that all the locals had assumed was safe. When he spoke of the cave-in, a glimmer of amusement came into his voice, as Nath observed, for he and Mina continued to watch him closely.
At last, the innkeeper was called away, and the stranger swung around in his seat so he was facing Nathair; Mina and Lita was sitting across from them and had their backs to him. His eyes slid around the room warily to check that none of the other occupants of the room were listening to them. He nodded in a friendly manner to Nath, who was watching him closely. He turned around again, and facing the wall, he discreetly lobbed a folded-up parchment over his shoulder so that it landed with a soft thud on the table next to Malina's plate. The action seemed as casual and effortless as if he did it every day.
Her eyes widened as she glanced back at him; then she opened the note, which read:
‘If you are the land nymph who ran away from the palace not long ago, there is news that I should disclose to you. The seat across is empty.'
Passing the note to Lita, Mina pushed her chair back and did as the message implied. Surely there was nothing too horrible that could happen to her while Lita and Nath were just one table away.
He looked up as she seated herself. "Lady Malina, I presume?"
Deliberately ignoring the fact that she was supposed to reply in the affirmative, she said, "Since you know my name, why don't you tell me yours?"
"I'm Jalen Eridian. Delighted to meet you, of course. May I ask what you're doing here, of all places, when the entire court has been in an uproar over your disappearance?"
She smiled innocently. Two could play his game. "I'm here with a friend," she replied sweetly, "he's interested in a scroll he thought he could find here."
He smiled lazily. "I assume you meant to search for it in Tiassale?" When they nodded, he continued, "You won't find it there."
"Why not?"
His smile widened. "Because I have it." When her breath caught, he corrected himself scrupulously, "I don't have it with me, of course, because it would be unwise to carry it on my person. I'm here to strike a deal with you: I have four other comrades, and we're aiming to free a prisoner of the human queen. And any enemy of hers is a friend of the folk, isn't that right?" Mina shrugged, unwilling to answer, and Jalen smirked. "You still don't trust me, do you? Maybe you've heard of a man named Darrian McKellan."
"To utter his name in a place like this is considered treason," she told him coldly, although her curiosity was piqued. She and Nath had heard his name mentioned more than once in the Palace of the Nymphs, and she knew very well that he was the human rebel leader in the capital who had magik blood from folk roots and ancestry.
"Well, he wants to meet with you, if you're willing."
So it appeared that he was no longer in the capital. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"
He countered by asking, "How do I know you're not going to turn him in? There are risks to everything, Lady Malina. But if you've got the courage and the incentive–there's an abandoned temple by this isolated, hidden little cove on the shore. It's only a few hours away from here, and even the most unlawful of men will usually not incur bloodshed on sacred grounds."
She glared at him and tossed her head. "So we might go. But then again, we might not."
"You want this prophecy, don't you?"
"How do I know you have it?" she shot back.
"Believe me, we found it," he smirked. Although his pulse was racing, he exuded calm, unconcernedness on the outside. It was a little disconcerting for Jalen to realize how easy it was for him to manipulate other peoples' emotions and make them feel what he wanted them to–anger, curiosity–but it was still intriguing. "I know about magikal items, Lady Malina. I studied them for six years in the Kingdom of the Elves and for another three years at the university."
Her eyes narrowed. "If you lived in the elfin kingdom, you must have known its prince," she concluded smoothly. "Tell me what you know about him."
He grinned. It was an easy subject for him, of course...even though it had taken him a very long time to get over the pain of remembrance. "Well, let's see...he's very dedicated to his kingdom, but there's always something that makes him want to defy restrictions that other people place on him. He's a very passionate guy, is Zacch–but he chooses who and what he's going to be loyal to. He uses sarcasm to hide his thoughts, and it's hard to get into his mind. Oh–and he's got the filthiest temper this side of the Shasa River."
Mina smiled wryly: his description fit the Zaccheus she knew to a T. And just now, she remembered Zacch's feverish, much-disordered account of what had happened between him and the naiad he'd loved. Jalen's name had seemed less important to the story than what had actually happened between Ami and Zacch, and Mina had forgotten his name until now. No wonder it had sounded strangely familiar at the beginning of their odd conversation, but then, she had been too tense to concentrate much on anything that was not part of what was happening in the present. "Fine. We'll meet you there..."
"Tomorrow night," he cut in promptly. She raised an eyebrow, but he beat her to the punch by asking, "So about Zacch...you don't happen to know where the old devil is right now, do you? Because general consensus is that he's still poking around for you. Did he find you, then?"
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't."
He nodded at her and rose, his slight nod denoting respect for her. However, just as he was about to boost himself up into the saddle and right out into the wild night that paralleled their tumultuous conversation, Nath, who had followed him out, barred his way. "Who are you?"
Jalen's blue eyes shone upon him icily, hiding everything behind them. It was a useful skill he'd learned during his itinerant lifestyle. "I'm only the messenger tonight, Nathair Sidereal. What role do you play in the grand scheme of things?"
He stepped aside and watched him ride away, navy blue eyes pensive and stormy.
****~**~****
Mina flopped down upon her bunk tiredly after her second meeting; this time around, she had met the infamous Darrian McKellan, as well as another human, this one a female. Reisha Zuriel was, the nymph decided, stunningly-beautiful and very gifted warrior. She'd met a few human girls before, but none of them had made much of an impression upon her–until now. Nathair, Lirita, and Malina had returned to the ship; the newcomers would arrive the next morning, with the rest of their party.
The blonde was about to address Lirita, who was stretched out on the bunk above, when the door burst open. Zaccheus, with his hair all in an uproar and an expression of mingled alarm, anxiety, and reproof demanded, "Is it true? What Nath said?"
She hid a smile that would only provoke him further. "If you don't tell me what Nath said, I can't tell you if it's true," she said in a singsong voice.
He glowered at her menacingly. "This band of humans and folk you've met with, who've found that prophecy–there's a naiad traveling with them?"
"Yes, there is. And wouldn't it just be so convenient that her name is Amity, just like the water nymph you used to know? Only...this one's masquerading as a human. Her last name is ‘Nemosine.' It's such a coincidence that your old friend Jalen Eridian is also with them, isn't it?" His eyes widened, and she could tell that Nath hadn't been able to name any other people before Zacch had rushed off to interrogate her.
The elf's voice became steely and determinedly calm as he asked, "Lita, would you mind giving us a minute alone?"
She gave both of them a funny look but departed swiftly. Neither she nor Nath knew Zacch's story.
Mina settled herself in for a long wait as he paced the room, waving his hands about in agitation and letting out the occasional string of profanity. Once she was tired of his ranting about how he didn't want to see her again, how many problems it would cause, and whatever else he was rambling about, she interrupted, "Aren't you the least bit curious about how she feels about you?"
"She hates me," he muttered, sinking onto the floor despondently.
"Well, if you're really soulmates, Zacch, I don't think eternal hatred is part of the deal."
He looked up at her eagerly, fire sparking in his intense green eyes. "So there's a chance that she might...you know..." he trailed off hesitantly, looking–for the first time she had ever seen him this way–unsure of himself.
"Trust me," she smiled angelically, "I've got the perfect test devised so we can find out whether she still loves you or not."
Dubiously, Zacch agreed to trust her without actually hearing the plan–and he wondered what he'd gotten himself into...
****~**~****
AN: I was actually going to write, in this chapter, what exactly Mina has in her devious mind ^.~ but I decided to have another cliffhanger (we all love those, don't we? ^^). Anyway, look forward to plenty more character interaction ahead! The next chapter is entirely spent on the ship as the Shittenou and senshi became acquainted–at least the ones that don't know each other. And we finally get the wonderful combination of Ami and Zacch, continued hints of attraction for Rei and Jalen, Nath and Lita, and Seren and Darrian...sort of... I didn't include the second conversation between Mina, Lita, and Nath and Darrian, Jalen, and Rei, because I'm bored of things like that (and really, I had no idea what to write and this was getting pretty long...couldn't find a good place to end it) and I'm sure you are, too. Suggestions, compliments, complaints? Drop me a line!
~Ice
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