Sadaiyo and Misune did seem quite taken with each other already. They sat with their heads pressed together, whispering earnestly. If Ashinji had not known otherwise, he could believe that they were already lovers.
“ Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Lani asked. Until that moment, Ashinji had not been hungry, but Lani’s question prompted a rumbling response in his stomach.
The castle kitchen had outdone itself. Never had Ashinji seen such a display of the culinary arts presented before in Kerala’s great hall. Platters of roasted game, fish, and fowl vied for attention alongside tureens of soups and stews. Mounds of boiled vegetables, breads, cheeses, pies, and fruits rounded out the feast. Ashinji helped himself to a dish of jellied eels. A servant stepped forward to fill his wine goblet.
“ Ashi, do you think Mother and Father would consider Lord Dai’s son as a prospect for me?” Lani asked thoughtfully.
“ Do you like him?” Ashinji responded. “Have you even spoken to him?” He looked over to where Ibeji Dai sat beside his father, his quick, amber eyes darting around the room as if he were trying to memorize every detail.
“ He’s very handsome. He did look at me and smile, a little.”
“ You’re still too young, little Sister. Enjoy what’s left of your girlhood. There’ll be plenty of time to think of marriage.”
Lani rolled her eyes. “I’m old enough to wonder what it’s like,” she said.
“ What what’s like?” Ashinji innocently inquired.
Lani reached over and rapped him on the forehead with her knuckles.
“ What it’s like to be with a man!” she replied, rolling her eyes with exasperation. Ashinji sighed, suddenly feeling very old. Lani abruptly changed the subject. “Is it true what Sadaiyo says about you and the new messenger girl?”
“ I don’t know. What is he saying?” Ashinji kept his voice neutral.
“ That you’re in love with her, but you can’t ever have her because she’s a half-breed and she’s got no family.”
“ Has he said any of this to Father?” Ashinji asked, trying to remain calm.
Lani shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied.
Ashinji pushed aside his plate and rose from his chair. “I have to go. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Lani looked startled. “You can’t leave now! Father is about to make his speech,” she exclaimed.
“ I promised…I need to go.”
He hurried toward the open doors of the great hall, hugging the wall and trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but he caught the puzzled looks on Lord and Lady Dai’s faces and the annoyed expressions on his parents’ as he slipped out into the evening air.
The upper yard had been set up as an outdoor overflow area for the feast. Those common people of the district that had come for the celebration, as well as the off-duty castle staff and their families sat at trestle tables under the stars, enjoying the magnificent repast. Ashinji found Jelena sitting at a table on the periphery, surrounded by her guard friends. He stood in the shadows for a while, content just to watch her laugh and talk. She seemed so happy. He thought his heart would burst with love.
He approached and quietly called out her name.
She turned around and their eyes met. Wordlessly, she rose to her feet and walked over to where he waited, her eyes never leaving his face.
“ Walk with me,” he murmured and held out his hand. A hush fell over the table. Jelena slipped her hand into his and allowed him to lead her away from her friends into the darkness. He could hear their voices start up behind him, like the buzz of excited bees.
They walked side by side, hands clasped tightly, toward Lady Amara’s private garden, where Ashinji knew that they would not be disturbed. Having Jelena’s body so close was a torment. He wanted to sweep her up into his arms and cover her face and neck with kisses. He could sense the tense expectancy flowing from her, and it only inflamed his desire.
They reached the garden, and he led her over to the sea-creature bench and sat her down beside him. The slivered moon, ensnared in the tree branches overhead, cast very little light; nevertheless, Ashinji could see Jelena’s face with perfect clarity.
He still held her hand in his, and he squeezed it even tighter as he started to speak. “I want to tell you something,” he began. “You know that we elves have Talent…what humans call magic. My Talent manifests in dreams that tell me of things that may happen in my future. I’ve been dreaming of a girl with wild, dark hair and sad eyes…a hikui girl. The dreams started months ago, and I did not understand them until that day by the river.”
“ The day you found me,” Jelena whispered.
“ When I saw your face for the first time, I fell down in shock. I knew immediately that you were the girl… Jelena, in the dream, you were calling out to me to help you. You were in some kind of danger. There was a shadow…”
Jelena shivered and drew closer to him. “What think you it means?” she asked, and he could hear the fear in her voice.
“ I don’t know yet, but I think it has to do with what’s inside you.”
“ Inside me?” she responded.
Ashinji tugged at the service rings in his ear. How to explain without frightening her even more? “It’s hard to describe. There’s an…
“ Ashinji, you’ve seen it? It is like blue fire!” she exclaimed. “Do you think energy is part of my elf blood?”
“ It didn’t feel like any manifestation of Talent, not exactly. It felt more like…like a spell of some kind…Wait, you know about this?”
Jelena nodded. “It came from before I arrived here. Blue fire from my hands. I want to learn about it. Aneko says Lady Amara can help me…I mean, will she help?”
“ Yes, yes, I think she will…We can talk about that later. What I have to say now is more important.” He paused to breathe deeply before taking the plunge. “I know in my heart that I was meant to find you that day. Whatever this shadow is that threatens you, I will protect you from it. We have a connection, Jelena, one that cannot be denied.” Gently, he drew her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.
For an instant only, she froze then melted sweetly into him. His head swam as if he had just taken a draught of strong wine. Her arms crept up around his waist, and he could feel the curve of her breasts through the thin cotton of his tunic. He embraced her more tightly, and she sighed against him, her lips as soft as rose petals. The heat of passion surged through him, and he knew that if he did not pull away now, he would be unable to stop.
Gasping for breath, he broke their embrace.
“ I love you, Jelena,” he whispered.
“ I love you, too,” she breathed.
“ Come to my chamber. Stay with me tonight.”
Jelena withdrew from him and dropped her head into her hands. “No, Ashinji. I cannot. We…cannot be,” she said in her imperfect Siri-dar.
“ What do you mean?” Ashinji whispered fiercely. “We love each other, we’ve just said so! Why can’t we be together?”
Her hands fell away from her face, and he could see her cheeks were wet with tears. “Ashinji, my love, you are lord’s son. I am nobody, half-breed. I have no family. I live here because Lord Sen take pity on me, give me home and job. I think he likes me, but not enough to let me have you. He will never let us marry.” She shook her head emphatically. “I ran away from my home so I could live free, live with…honor. I will not be…less than your wife, even if you do love me.”
“ I want to make you my wife, Jelena,” Ashinji stated firmly. “We’ll find a way, somehow.”
“ No! I will not let you throw away everything for me. I know what family means to you. You go against father’s wishes, you lose place, position.”
