then enter it by all means,' she said ungraciously.
Jermayan stepped carefully over the threshold. He took a step toward Idalia, holding out his hand.
Idalia stepped back, refusing the gesture. She kept her face as blank as she could, but Kellen could tell she was both surprised and unhappy to see Jermayan. Why? Kellen was confused. Did he and Idalia have enemies here, too?
Jermayan lowered his hand. 'You have not changed your mind? When I heard you had come to Sentarshadeen, I hoped…'
'I came because I had no choice,' Idalia interrupted harshly. 'I would have chosen another destination if I'd known you were here. Why couldn't you have stayed in Ondoladeshiron?'
Kellen felt as if he were watching a game of shuttlecock—or a fencing match. He looked from Idalia's face, everything but her eyes completely expressionless, but her eyes holding a tempest of strong feelings—to the Elf's, his face holding such longing that it hurt.
'Memories of you were there,' Jermayan said simply. 'Idalia, my—'
'No!' Idalia raised her hand, and there was such pain in her eyes that Kellen winced. 'No more, Jermayan. We are not going to talk about this ever again.'
No, Kellen realized. Not enemies. And he had all the answers he ever wanted about why Idalia hadn't wanted to stay with the Elves. Jermayan was in love with her. That much was plain. And Kellen was pretty sure Idalia loved him back, and didn't want to. That just made things more confusing.
'I will respect your wishes,' Jermayan said softly. 'But I had thought— I had hoped—you had changed your mind. Fare you well, Idalia.'
Jermayan turned and left. Gracefully.
Kellen hesitated for a moment, then came out.
Idalia rounded on him. 'Get a good earful?' she asked dangerously. Her eyes glittered with anger, but behind the anger was a welter of such powerful emotions that Kellen could hardly believe it was the Idalia— calm, restrained Idalia—he had thought he knew standing before him.
'Well, neither one of you was keeping your voices down.' He wasn't quite sure how to react to this new creature facing him. 'You want to tell me what's going on with this Jermayan? I think I've got a right to know—I am your brother, after all,' Kellen reminded her. He only realized how pompous and hateful the words sounded when it was too late to take them back.
But she didn't tender him the set-down that his stupid demand deserved. 'I met Jermayan in Ondoladeshiron just after I turned back from being a Silver Eagle. I fell in love with him then. He thinks he loves me. And he's going to have to get over it, because it can't go anywhere, and I told him so at the time,' Idalia said, her voice painfully flat.
'But—' Kellen protested, unable to understand why she should be saying anything of the sort. If she loved Jermayan, and the Elf loved her, then what was stopping them? 'But, Idalia—'
'Think, Kellen,' she interrupted him. 'In another fifty or sixty years, I'll die. Jermayan will live for another nine centuries—and Elves mate for life. Do you think I'm going to condemn him to live what amounts to his entire life alone after I'm dead? What kind of love would that be? It isn't fair, and I won't do it!'
Her eyes filled abruptly with tears, and she turned away and ran into the other bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Kellen crept up to the door and listened. He thought he could hear Idalia weeping on the other side. But Idalia never cries.
And she never thought she'd have to see Jermayan again, either, another part of Kellen said.
He wasn't sure what to do. What he did know was that there wasn't anything he could do or say to comfort her—or to change her mind, either.
And he was pretty sure she'd rather he wasn't around when she came out, so that they could both pretend that the last few minutes had never happened. So how could he arrange that?
After a moment's reflection it occurred to Kellen that this would be a good time to get out and take a look around the rest of the Elven city. Nobody'd said that wouldn't be a good idea, and he thought he'd like to know a good deal more about Sentarshadeen and the folks who lived here, before he managed to make any more stupid mistakes.
And I'd really like to get away from Idalia so she can —
