Ariana saw Michael braced against the wall with one hand on his forehead.
'Is it Garren that concerns you?'
'There are things that have happened in the past with some of our people that are not such simple matters to forgive. Adoria as a whole has fought for so long for righteousness' sake, that what is for the good of all is what's held with highest regard. This is not true for those who have spent much of their lifetime in Middengard. They weren't born of man, but their souls are accustomed to his ways.'
'You're referring to the Braeden, but something in your tone tells me that you're thinking of someone specifically. Is it Duncan?'
Michael nodded. 'He lost a wife and a stepdaughter, the latter at Garren's hands.'
Ariana felt her stomach turn again. She had mixed emotions. Her heart felt one way, but her reason and experiences told her something completely different. 'That's why they are not coming tonight? Is Jareth coming?'
'Yes on both counts. Jareth may be part human, but he has been raised in this realm. It's not in his character to dishonor me by going against my wishes. The Braeden may never be able to accept Garren. I almost, even despite my recent change in perception, have a difficult time trusting that what I have been shown to be true is true. This is my burden to bear. Please, don't worry yourself about it. I'll deal with Duncan.'
'Okay.'
He turned to walk back to the dining hall, saying below his breath, 'I'll see you shortly.'
She could feel the distress that Michael was trying so unsuccessfully to hide. She hoped Jareth would be able to provide him with some comfort or insight that she couldn't.
She came to the room that had been readied for Garren, and paused to brace her palms against the door frame. Her conversation had reminded her of home, what she'd once known as home. She still suffered vivid recurrences in her mind of the day Palingard had fallen. She regretted her last conversation with Bella. Her hand curled into a tight fist as she remembered dropping the cloak in spite to the ground. She had no idea what she'd say to Garren now that they were alone again. She lowered her head and exhaled. His voice caught her off guard.
'I'll leave you alone, if that's what you wish.'
She turned to see Garren standing in the darkened refuge of a large beam that supported the hall. When he stepped into the light, she noted that he'd changed clothes. He looked so different, she almost didn't recognize him. No longer clothed in black, he wore brown, brushed suede pants and a light cream shirt. A cloak of the same color hung over his shoulders. The silver clasps on his clothing glinted in the light from the torch that hung on the wall.
'No… I'm not — '
'Ariana, I can tell by the look in your eyes that you're uncomfortable right now. I don't want to be any more of a burden to you than I've already been.'
Ariana leaned her back against the door. 'I was thinking about Palingard.' An expression of sincere regret fell over his face and she rushed to stop him from speaking it aloud. 'I said things to loved ones that I can't take back, Garren. You aren't the only one capable of making mistakes. I was also thinking about my brother. He has a lot weighing on him and it frustrates me that I cannot help him bear it.'
'That feels like a lifetime ago.'
She could hear the helplessness in his voice; she could see it in his eyes. They appeared much darker in the shadows of the hall, where he now stood, compared to what she'd seen earlier on the platform.
'Why didn't you kill me?'
Stepping closer, Garren looked as though he was about to reach out to her, but held his arms against his chest instead. 'I don't think that I can explain it. Something caught me. It was almost like being awakened from a heavy sleep, as if seeing your face stirred something in me that had long slumbered.'
'A familiarity,' she whispered.
He nodded. 'Yes, if there were but a thing deeper. It revealed everything in a light that I knew nothing of, stripped me of all the things I'd once called truth.'
'When did you learn of your mother?'
'Tadraem, our High Priest — the man who raised me — told me right before Micah killed him.' A grave expression darkened his eyes further. 'Do you have any idea what you risked coming into that sanctuary?'
'No less than what you risked with your intent to take me to Adoria's border. Michael told me that's what you were about to do when they arrived.' Garren opened his mouth, an incredulous look on his face, but she stopped him before he could disagree. 'But, I'll admit, there is much about your world that I don't know — only what I've read from Adoria's history books. I have so many questions.'
'Perhaps you could show me your world first. I've seen enough darkness to last me the rest of my life. There's nothing in my past worth salvaging.'
'You aren't comfortable with tonight are you?'
'Would you be?'
'I suppose not. Are you still willing to go?'
He nodded his head. 'I won't do anything to disappoint Michael and he's asked that I be there.' He reached for her hand as if he expected her to refuse the gesture.
She grinned as she took his hand but wasn't about to give him too much assurance. 'You won't receive the reaction you're expecting. Not from those who'll be present tonight.' She started to lead him toward the dining hall.
'It's the ones without wings who concern me most.'
'The Braeden. You knew of their existence?'
'Yes, but we weren't sure how they came to be. Were they born without wings?'
'No, their wings are removed at birth. They're taken from their families in infancy — there are two houses — The Iidolis, where Michael was trained, and the Aidolis, where the Braeden were raised.'
'Michael and his men were also schooled away from their families?'
'Our father was Braeden, so Michael couldn't have been. Traditional Adorian fighters are usually the children of Adorians like my father, though that's not always the case. Jareth is the child of one of the elders. Michael never knew our mother and was never told where Father was when he was away.'
'Where is your mother now?'
'She was killed in Palingard, years ago.'
'I'm sorry.' He squeezed her hand.
'It was a long time ago. As my brother has said, you can't undo what's been done.'
'You are a lot like him, you know.'
She smiled. 'I wish that he and I had known each other when we were younger.' She laughed. 'I've been told that we act alike on more than one occasion, which amuses me, because I don't think we could be any more different. I always felt too serious in Palingard, and yet here I feel so undignified, almost foolish. Sara would never believe that I'd ever be accused of such a thing…' Her voice trailed off as she thought of her friend.
Garren must have sensed her discomfort. He stopped walking, and stepped out in front of her, taking her by the shoulders. 'We will save her. If I do nothing else to redeem myself, it will be that much that's accomplished.'
CHAPTER FORTY
Aiden rushed through the castle. His stomach still felt curdled with the rancid stench of the Ordakais' breath. They had breathed hot and heavy in his face and the mere sight of them had made him tremble. Had they free will, they would have been much more terrifying than the Moriors, simply for their likeness to children. He reached the doors to his chambers and smiled as he entered.
