By Chance Met (34 page)

“He told me about his achievements. And also his regrets.”

Naeth studied his expression. “And did leaving you prove his biggest regret?” he ventured.

Reijir recalled the despair that dulled Darion’s eyes. He nodded and left the window to sit on the couch before the bedchamber hearth. Naeth followed to stand before him.

Reijir sensed his concern and glanced up into Naeth’s anxious eyes.

He pulled Naeth toward him and pressed his cheek against his mate’s belly. Closing his eyes, he smiled almost dreamily.

“It’s too soon to feel him,” Naeth tenderly teased.

“But not too soon for me to sense him,” Reijir replied. He suddenly caught his breath, went still for several heartbeats, then looked up at Naeth in delight. “And
he
can sense me. By Veres, he knows me!”

Naeth gaped. “How is that possible?” he asked disbelievingly.

“Essendri blood flows in his veins as it does in mine,” Reijir said, pride suffusing his voice. “I recognized my sire when I was still in my
adda
’s womb just as our son knows me for his.”

Naeth stared at him. “Life with you will never be boring, will it?” he remarked.

“There will always be something about you waiting to be revealed.”

Reijir softly laughed and drew Naeth down to sit beside him. He held him close in the circle of his arm and laid his other hand on Naeth’s abdomen, smoothing his palm protectively over their child’s berth. Naeth rested his head on Reijir’s shoulder, almost purring in his contentment.

At the happy sound, Reijir looked at him and studied his face. He could not help contrasting Naeth’s peace and felicity with Darion’s hollowness and envious remorse. He turned his gaze to the fire, seeing his former lover’s face amidst the flames one last time.

Pity for the Deir vied with relief over his own good fortune, resulting in a welter of unsettling emotions. He drew Naeth even closer.

Naeth noticed his pensiveness. “Are you all right,
ariad
?” he asked.

Reijir considered his answer. A smile slowly curved his mouth.

“I will be if you cooperate,” he huskily said.

Naeth squealed as Reijir bore him down and pinned him to the couch. The ensuing spate of protests slowly dwindled with each article of clothing that dropped to the floor.

Soon Naeth was too preoccupied to even think coherently, much less utter anything that would make sense.

The sun rode low in the sky when Naeth snuggled against Reijir, laying his tousled head on Reijir’s shoulder. A beatific smile curved his lips.

Reijir sensed the openness of his mind.
Naeth really needs to practice shielding
, he

mirthfully thought.

After a moment’s hesitation, he gave in to the temptation to discover what impelled that utterly satisfied smile, taking care not to alert Naeth to the covert perusal of his thoughts. Before long, Reijir smiled as well.

His mate was reveling in the lingering joy and pleasure of their union. His body ached delightfully; his heart felt exquisitely full. And he rejoiced in the new life that grew just beneath it—the precious fruit of their loving.

Naeth dropped a kiss on Reijir’s shoulder.

“Are you all right now?” he lazily murmured.

Reijir chuckled. “More than all right,” he whispered.

With Naeth at his side, Reijir knew he always would be.

Glossary of Terms

Aba

‘sire’ Parent who functions as the head of the family.

Adda

‘father’ Parent who functions as the principal caregiver of the family.

Ar

Designates the surname of a married Deir’s spouse if the Deir concerned does not change his own name upon marriage and the spouse’s family is the more socially or politically prominent,
e.g.
Riodan Leyhar
ar
Essendri.

Ardan

North Continent hereditary monarch or potentate of a large sovereign realm or ruling overlord of an aggregate of internally autonomous states.

Ardis

An Ardan’s consort.

Ariad

‘beloved’ An endearment.

Deir (pl. Deira)

Member of the race of hermaphrodites that populates the world of Aisen.

dyhar
High honorific applied to Deira of noble blood or high-ranking profession.

enyr (pl. enyra)

‘True Blood’ A Deir whose antecedents kept their breeding with the

gelra to the barest viable minimum and thus retained much of the physical

strength and endurance and most of the mind gifts of the Naere.

fane marriage (aka fane binding)

Marriage solemnized in religious rites preferably in a church or temple. A fane marriage can only be ended by the death of a spouse.

felka
(
pl.
felkar
)

Prostitute who belongs to a brothel or walks the streets for patrons.

Hamir
(
pl.
Hamire
)

Khitairan ruling aristocrat. See
Herun
.

Handfasting

Marriage solemnized in civil rites. Handfasting is the only form of Deiran wedlock that can be ended by divorce or annulment.

Herun (pl. Herune)

North Continent ruling aristocrat. Herune may govern sovereign

principalities, fiefdoms, city-states or great urban centers.

hethar (pl. hethare)

‘companion’ Deir who provides sexual services and/or social

companionship for a considerable fee. Unlike common prostitutes,
hethare
are well-educated and highly cultured and, in most cities, generally accepted in polite society.

Heyas

A common expletive.

Il

Designates the birthing parent’s surname when an illegitimate child carries his biological sire’s name,
e.g.
Dylen Essendri
il
Teris.

Inception

Term for the period of engineered racial evolution wherein the colonizing

Naere bred with the native gelra, which led to the emergence of the present day Deira.

Mikhar

Khitairan hereditary monarch or potentate. See
Ardan
.

Mirash

A conception suppressor.

Min

Diminutive form of address applied to a Deir of junior years or station. Usage warrants mutual familiarity whether familial, platonic or professional.

Naere

The Deira’s hermaphroditic race of origin.

Opa

‘grandsire’ Grandparent who functioned as the head of his family.

sedyr (pl. sedyra)

‘Half Blood’ Deir whose antecedents bred indiscriminately with the

gelra, which resulted in the diminishment or disappearance of many of the

characteristics of the Naere in succeeding generations.

serl
(
pl. serle
)

‘baronet’ Non-noble holder of the lowest hereditary North Continent title.

soul-binding (aka soul-mating)

Eternal marriage that remains binding throughout soul-bound Deira’s life cycles. The soul-mated are wed to each other even in death and instinctively seek each other in their succeeding reincarnations. A soul-bound Deir calls his partner his soul-spouse or soul’s mate.

Thar

Formally designates the House name of a Deir of noble birth who goes by a

different clan name or surname,
e.g.
Eiren Sarvan
thar
Essendri.

thein
(
pl. theina
)

‘baron’ Non-ruling member of the North Continent nobility.

Tir

Conjugal term used to introduce a bound Deir’s birth surname if he takes his spouse’s surname,
e.g.
Naeth Arthanna
tir
Orosse.

Tyar

General honorific for someone of higher years or station or whose profession warrants more than general courtesy.

yudar
(
pl. yudare
)

A practitioner of
yuda,
the ancient martial art of Naeren archery.

Glossary of Principal Characters and Places

The smallest continent, Arvalde lies to the south of Lydan and is connected to its northern neighbor by a narrow land bridge. Arvalde’s climate is warm and humid, and there are only two seasons, warm and cool. The Arvaldins are somewhat swarthy of complexion, light-haired and dark-eyed.

Autonomous Provinces of Ylandre: Camara, Fenycia, Tenerith & Velarus
The Provinces fall directly under the Crown’s rule, but the relationship is a loose one at best. Camara lies in the southwest while Fenycia is in the central region, toward the east border. Originally part of the defunct nation of Varadan, Tenerith is in the northwest whereas Velarus is located in the southeast.

Continents of Aisen: Arvalde, Khitaira, Lydan, North Vihandra & South
Vihandra

The ancient Naere made landfall in the great landmass they named Vihandra. It was later divided into North and South Vihandra. As North Vihandra grew in political importance and economic power, it began to be referred to as the North Continent. The epithet eventually became the commonly used name. Khitaira and Lydan lie to the west of Vihandra across the Samaran Sea. Arvalde is located south of Lydan. The vast and treacherous Rualan Ocean lies to the east between Vihandra and Khitaira.

Seat of Clan Mesare, the fief of Edessa is located in the lower midlands. The capital city is Diondra.

Ranael Mesare
thar
Essendri
, an officer of the Royal Army and Rohyr’s cousin.

Seat of Clan Mithani, the seaward fief of Glanthar is located on the western coastline of Ylandre. The capital city is Evinor.

Aeldan Mithani
thar
Essendri
, heir apparent of Olriq Mithani, Herun of Glanthar and Rohyr’s cousin.

Ashrian Mithani
thar
Essendri
, Aeldan’s younger brother.

Seat of Clan Arthanna, the fief of Ilmaren is located in the upper midlands of Ylandre. The capital city is Althia.

Reijir Arthanna
thar
Essendri
, Herun of Ilmaren and Rohyr’s cousin.

Naeth Orosse
, an orphan from Sidona who becomes Reijir’s legal ward.

Keiran Arthanna
thar
Essendri
, an instructor at the State University and Reijir’s older brother.

Ruomi Garvas
, Reijir’s household adjutant.

One of Ylandre’s five continents, it is the westernmost continent, lying across the vast Rualan Ocean from Vihandra. Adjacent to the smaller continent of Lydan, the climate and seasonal cycle of Khitaira are similar to North Vihandra’s save in the south where it is warmer and more humid. Possessed of almond-shaped eyes, Khitairans range in coloring from dark-haired and ivory-skinned in the temperate north to lighter haired

and golden complexioned in the balmy south.

Seat of Clan Calanthe, the fief of Losshen is located in the north of Ylandre. The capital city is Syvonna.

Zykriel Calanthe
thar
Essendri
, heir apparent of the Herun of Losshen and Chief Royal Archivist. He is also Rohyr’s cousin.

Gilmael Calanthe
thar
Essendri
, Head of Ylandre’s Intelligence Ministry and Zykriel’s younger twin brother.

The continent lies across the Samaran Sea from Vihandra and is smaller than the neighboring continent of Khitaira. Its climate is similar to Khitaira’s save for a single longer wet season. The Lydani are ruddy-skinned, dark-haired and sloe-eyed.

The region comprising Central Ylandre is roughly divided into the upper and lower midlands. Ilmaren is the principal fief of the upper midlands while Edessa holds sway in the lower territory.

The most powerful of Ylandre’s five continents, North Vihandra was where the migrating Naere made landfall. Comprising the northern portion of the Vihandran supercontinent, it is more commonly referred to as the North Continent. North Vihandra has a temperate climate with two monsoon seasons during the year. The populace is largely fair-skinned with a wide diversity of hair and eye coloring.

A royal fief that was invested on Imcael Essendri and his heirs in perpetuity, Qimaras is located in the southeast of Ylandre. The fief was long held by a cadet Essendri line, but when the last of that line’s Herune died without issue during the reign of Rohyr’s grandsire Joren, the latter bestowed Qimaras on his second son Imcael. The capital city is Faqar.

Imcael Essendri

Herun of Qimaras. Rohyr’s uncle and the only brother of Rohyr’s sire, the previous Ardan Keldon Essendri.

Capital city of Ylandre and ancient seat of House Essendri, Rikara is a melting pot of Deira from different regions. Rikara is divided into five main districts: the
north district
wherein the State University is located along with the homes of the city’s aristocracy and affluent citizens; the
east district
, a largely middle-class enclave with the Citadel occupying most of the northern portion of the district; the
west district
which is home to Rikara’s artisans and working-class and the location of the main market and the famed Quarter, the city’s center of entertainment; the
south district
which is the poorest and seediest area of the city; and the
central district
, main location of the country’s government offices, commercial establishments and various financial institutions including the major banks.

Eiren Sarvan
thar
Essendri

Ylandre’s foremost physician and Rohyr’s cousin.

Rysander Seydon
thar
Essendri

Rohyr’s cousin and one of the heirs to the Cordona banking family fortune.

Yovan Seydon
thar
Essendri

Rysander’s sire, he is the Royal Chief Counsellor and Rohyr’s uncle.