“You are a daughter of the House of Onjara. In ancient high Siri-dar, onjara means ‘griffin’. Our line has ruled unbroken in Alasiri for over a thousand years. Never doubt your blood, Jelena.”
“You said that you loved my mother. How is that possible, that an elf could love a human?”
The sweet notes of a nightingale’s song wafted in through the open window on a whisper of breeze. The glow cast by the brass lamps highlighted the planes of the king’s face. His eyes were pensive. “Does not Ashinji Sakehera love you? It’s easy, Daughter, when a man and a woman see each other as just that, and they refuse to allow petty distinctions to cloud their ability to give and receive love. Drucilla, to me, was my savior. I didn’t see a human female when I looked at her, I saw the woman I loved.”
Jelena looked down at her palms and saw the callused, work-roughened hands of a servant, not the fine smooth ones of a princess.
How will I ever find a place in my father’s refined world, she thought.
A sudden wave of fear swept over her. “I…I cannot do this!” she gasped. “I haven’t the slightest idea of how to be a…a princess! I was raised as a servant! I’m still amazed that Lord and Lady Sakehera have accepted me, but I don’t for a moment believe that any of your other lords will. You don’t have to pretend, Father. I know my very existence will cause trouble for you.” Desperately, she looked up and dared to meet the king’s eyes, searching for the slightest hint of anger or regret, but she saw only tenderness and understanding.
“I know that you’re afraid, child. It’s only natural. But you must trust me. I am your father and I will protect you.”
Jelena closed her eyes and drew in a slow, deep breath. “I do trust you,” she replied.
“Good,” Keizo said. “And now, there is the question of your marriage.”
Jelena’s eyes flew open. “You can’t make me give up Ashinji! I won’t!” she cried, pushing herself out of the king’s embrace. She took a step back from him and stood with hands clenched, her whole body trembling.
“And you think that it is proper for my only daughter to be wed to a mere second son with no lands or title, even if he is the child of my oldest friend, eh?” Jelena looked up sharply and caught the barest flicker of a smile tugging at the king’s mouth. “Do you love lowly Captain Sakehera?” he asked.
“With all my heart!” Jelena whispered fiercely.
The king remained silent for several, agonizing heartbeats, arms folded across his chest, simply watching her. She forced herself to hold his gaze without wavering. At last, he spoke. “Then I, too, shall love him as a son.” He held out his hand and Jelena went to him. After a moment, she relaxed in his arms and pushed aside her fears and uncertainties.
“You are so much like her,” he murmured. “Same nose, same hair…” Gently, he stroked her curls.
“The only part of my mother I wish I could give up,” Jelena responded ruefully.
Keizo laughed, but she heard a note of sadness in his voice. “Truly, I would have joined my life with Drucilla’s if things had been different.”
“The past can’t be changed, Father. All we have is the present,” Jelena said, looking up into his face.
“And the future is not yet written.” He kissed her forehead and released her. “It’s very late and I know you are tired. Go back to your husband now. I will send for the two of you tomorrow.”
PART II
Chapter 8
"Ashi, you’ll squeeze the life out of me!” Jelena gasped. Ashinji loosened his fierce hold and cradled her body more gently against his.
“I’m sorry, my love…it’s just I still can’t believe I’m not going to lose you,” he whispered into her ear. Jelena caressed his cheek and entwined her fingers in his hair. She lay her head on his chest and felt the steady, slow pulse of his heart beneath his skin. A delicious lassitude weighted down her limbs. She wished never to move from this place.
It had been a long, emotionally exhausting night, and the two of them had only just crawled into their bed, after closing the shutters against the rosy glow of dawn. The king had provided her with an escort back to the Sakehera family quarters, and after thanking and leaving them at the door, she had entered to find Ashinji and both his parents awaiting her return.
Sen and Amara exchanged embraces with her, but neither one asked any questions; still, Jelena knew her in-laws would expect a full account after she had gotten some much needed rest. Sen had promised to allow her and Ashinji to sleep undisturbed for as long as they wished.
Now snug beneath the coverlets, Jelena’s mind drifted for a while in the gray country between the waking world and the realm of dreams. At first, she remained aware of the comforting warmth of Ashinji’s body next to hers, but gradually, she lost all sense of him as her consciousness slipped away and she found herself walking alone on a featureless, unending plain.
A leaden sky merged with the dull horizon. She felt no breath of wind, nor heard any sound. Off in the distance, she spied a peculiar splash of color and altered her course to move toward it.
The blot of color gradually came into focus as Jelena drew closer, resolving itself into the figure of a woman. She stood straight and regal as a queen. She wore a long gown of vivid flame-red, form-fitting and low cut, a perfect match to the fiery tresses that cascaded around her shoulders. A mask, porcelain-smooth and white as bone, concealed the woman’s face. Only her eyes were visible, sea-green and glowing with chilly intensity. A round black stone, hung upon a gold chain, nestled in the cleft between her pale breasts.
Jelena’s eyes were drawn to the stone almost against her will and as she stared into its depths-helpless to look away-she realized that the stone seemed alive somehow. She shuddered in horror as the malignant intelligence coiled within its crystalline structure extended a tendril to caress her mind. Jelena moaned in fear and tried to run, but her feet had merged with the gray dust, trapping her where she stood.
You cannot run, little one, the woman crooned in a voice as sweet as honey. Nor can you escape your fate. He will have the Key, and his triumph will be assured.
Without warning, the woman raised her hand and struck Jelena’s face. A blood-red fingernail, sharp as a dagger, scored a burning trail across her cheek.
Jelena screamed…
…and awoke, fighting for breath.
“Jelena! I’m here…you’re safe, love!” Ashinji pinned her flailing arms to her sides and held her tight as she struggled. “You were having a bad dream, that’s all, but you’re safe now!”
The surreal terror of the dream leaked from her body, leaving her weak and trembling. “I feel sick,” she whispered, and pushing out of Ashinji’s arms, she fumbled for the chamber pot.
Ashinji rubbed her back as she purged. Afterward, she lay against the pillows, drained and miserable as he stroked her hair and face with gentle fingers. “Can you handle a little wine, or perhaps tea would be better?” he asked.
“Tea, I think,” Jelena answered.
“I’ll just get rid of this,” Ashinji said, gingerly picking up the chamber pot as he left the bed. Jelena heard him slip through the bedroom door and pad down the stairs. Her stomach did another roll and it took all of her concentration not to vomit once more. She wondered at the vividness of the strange dream and its unsettling effect on her. She had experienced nightmares before, but never had they resulted in physical illness.
She opened her eyes at the sound of Ashinji’s return. He carried a tray with a teapot and two cups, along with a small round loaf of bread. He carefully placed the tray on the bed.