She traced a lazy trail down his torso with a finger, hoping to lift his mood. It worked.
“Goddess’ tits, but you’re insatiable! Is there no end to your lust, woman?” Ashinji grinned in anticipation as her head disappeared beneath the coverlets.
When Jelena reached her destination, she set to work.
They did not leave their bed until mid-morning. After a leisurely bath and a quiet breakfast, Ashinji announced he wished to see his sisters.
The Sakehera family still resided in guest quarters in the west wing of the castle, a fair distance to walk from the royal apartments.
Hand in hand, Jelena and Ashinji traversed the castle complex along a series of gravel paths meandering through gardens and courtyards, past gurgling fountains and reflecting ponds. Within an alley of blossoming cherry trees, they paused to share a kiss. Petals swirled around them like pink snow, dusting their hair and clothes. Here, within the peaceful confines of her father’s stronghold, Jelena could almost forget the threats to their lives and their world.
Almost.
The enemy is near and my father lies stricken, perhaps on his deathbed , she thought. Are the elven people doomed?
She reached out to trail a finger across Ashinji’s cheek. He caught her hand in his and kissed her palm.
“What are you thinking, love?” He kissed the back of her hand this time.
Is our daughter’s future to be blighted by suffering, slavery, and death? Does my own future hold victory over this…this terrible evil the Kirians call The Nameless One? Or is there naught but catastrophe awaiting all of us?
She had no answers, only questions upon questions.
The only thing I’m certain of, that I know will survive any calamity, is my love for this man standing before me now.
“I’m thinking about how much I love you,” she murmured.
They lingered awhile longer among the cherry trees, allowing the serenity of the place to seep into their bones. Such beauty could not be allowed to pass from the world without a fight. By the time they left the alley, Jelena felt more determined than ever to prevail.
Mariso and Jena shrieked in unison upon seeing their brother alive. They rushed Ashinji as he stepped through the front door of the apartment, flinging themselves into his open arms, nearly knocking him off his feet. They wiggled in his embrace like joyous puppies as he kissed their upturned faces again and again.
“Goddess, but you two have gotten so big!” he exclaimed. “Where are my little monkeys, eh?”
“We never believed you were dead, Ashi!” Jena spoke first.
“Never, never, never!” Mariso shook her head with each word.
“Promise you’ll never leave again, Ashi!”
“Promise!”
Ashinji laughed but Jelena thought she heard a note of pain in it. “I promise I’ll never leave you again, my dear, not-so-little monkeys,” he swore.
“Welcome home, Brother!” Lani appeared in the inner doorway leading to the sitting room, her customarily cool demeanor abandoned. Ashinji set the twins on their feet then rushed to embrace his eldest sister. He lifted Lani and spun her around before setting her down and kissing her cheeks and forehead.
She pulled away from him, eyes widening in surprise. “Ashi, your Talent!” she whispered. “What…How…?”
Ashinji shook his head. “It’s a long story, Sister,” he replied. “Right now, I just want to be with you and not have to think too hard about anything.”
Lani nodded and linked her arm with his. “Hatora can’t wait to see you,” she said, looking first at her brother, then Jelena. “She already loves her father, even though she’s only known him for a day.” Jelena reached out with her mind to touch her daughter’s and found Hatora’s baby thoughts to be totally focused on Ashinji.
Amazing , she thought. The two of them formed such a powerful bond, almost upon the instant they first saw each other…
“Let’s not keep your daughter waiting, Husband” Jelena urged.
“Gaaaaa!” Hatora squealed when Ashinji entered the sitting room. She strained against Amara’s arms, in a frantic effort to reach her father. Ashinji laughed and plucked her from his mother’s embrace. He cuddled the baby close and pressed his face to hers.
“Come, you two, and sit,” Amara directed. “The others should be here shortly. We have much to talk about.” Jelena did not need to be told who they awaited or what needed to be discussed. She looked at her husband and child and a wave of sorrow swept over her.
We’ve had so little time together! It’s not fair! What if I don’t survive this? What will you do, my love? Can you go on without me? For Hatora’s sake, you must!
Ashinji looked into her eyes and the love she saw there bolstered her courage.
“Sonoe won’t leave the king’s side until the last possible moment, so she may be late,” Amara said. “Chiana and Taya should be…oh, here they are, now.” A heartbeat later, they heard both the princess and Gran in the outer chamber. Taya entered the sitting room first, carrying a large book bound in black, pebbly leather. Gran followed close behind, a smaller, red leather-bound volume in her hands.
“Good. You both are here,” Taya said, nodding toward Jelena and Ashinji. “I see we must wait on Sonoe, as usual.” She cast a hard glance at Gran.
Taya sat in the room’s best chair, smoothing her clothes before resting the sinister black book upon her knees. The princess wore an unadorned blue silk robe bound with a red sash; Jelena surmised that, at least for this meeting, her aunt had put aside royal rank and acted now as the head of the Kirian Society.
Feeling the need to defend her friend, Jelena said, “Sonoe tends my father, Aunt. I’m sure she’ll be here very soon.”
Taya’s eyes flashed, but her voice remained calm. “Yes. We will wait, of course.”
“How are you feeling, Ashi?” Gran asked, smiling at Hatora.
“Much better, now that I’ve had a chance to rest and be with my wife,” Ashinji replied. He laid a hand on Jelena’s knee.
“Lani, please take the children down to that little garden with the dolphin fountain so they can get some fresh air,” Amara directed.
“Yes, Mother.” If Ashinji’s sister resented being sent off like a child to play while the adults discussed important things, she gave no sign. “May I take the twins to the king’s stables instead? There’s a newborn foal. I think they’d enjoy petting it.”
Amara nodded.
The twins could not leave without first bestowing multiple kisses on the faces of both their brother and their infant niece. When Lani had at last shepherded them out the door, Gran asked, “When are you sending that one to the Kan Onji?”
Amara sighed. “My eldest daughter is a stubborn one. Despite the strength of her Talent, she has no interest in formal magical training. She has her eye on other things.” She glanced at Taya and the princess responded with a near imperceptible nod.
“Perhaps my sister is the one who will find the courage to break with tradition,” Ashinji commented. He kept his eyes focused on Hatora’s face as he spoke.
A tiny crease formed in Amara’s brow, then smoothed as she regarded her son. “There are reasons for maintaining tradition, my son,” she replied.
“Not all of them good,” Ashinji shot back. His face had gone hard and cold. Jelena laid her hand over his and it seemed to soothe him, for his expression relaxed and the tight set of his mouth softened. Amara sighed again, as if she recognized that a confrontation had been averted, but only for now.
“Ah, Sonoe has arrived at last,” Taya announced.