The Drifting (27 page)

Sema was quiet for a long while, to the point where I was about to nod off again. I jerked awake when she finally said, “There is only one other who was able to do what you did with the trees.”

I stifle a yawn and ask, “Who?”

“Your mother.”

Instantly awake, I ask, “My mother?”

Sema then turns to me explaining, “Senestra was Sidhe, but her heritage on her mother’s side is still unclear.  One of your ancestors, Tileanith, was the most beautiful Sidhe who ever walked all the realms.  Warriors fought for her hand, women hid their faces in shame in her presence.  Even King Kalinest, in a moment of weakness, fell for her beauty and kindness.  But she was in love with another, someone she kept to herself.  She had gone through the Binding with this mysterious Sidhe, and fortunately for them, they were madly in love.  When she gave birth to their child, the father disappeared and to this day he and where he came from remain a mystery.  It is the father who allows the child and all the healers of their line after her to have a deeper connection to Mother Earth, to the energy that’s all around us, some even say, to all that is our universe.  He’s known as the Unnamed Sidhe because no one knew his name.  It remains a secret; and the only one who knew was Tileanith.  She kept it to herself until her death.”

“Do you think he was some kind of god or something?”

Sema looks over at me smiling, “No, child, we’re only mortals like the humans.  We just have a longer lifespan than they do.”   

I answer, “That’s what Tolan told us – Julia and me.  I mean, about living longer than us.”

She shakes her head at me, “You are Sidhe…that is who you are now.”  I keep quiet not sure how to take that.  After all, I’ve been human all my life.  To be told all of a sudden that I’m no longer human but part of a completely different species is a little jarring.

“You would have liked her, Lily,” smiles Sema wistfully.

“Who, Tileanith?”

“No, your mother.  You are very much like her; brave and beautiful.”

I look away.  The whole mother thing with Senestra is still new to me and as hard as I’ve tried, I just can’t seem to want to know anything about her…to connect with her.

By the time dinner came around, I would be too tired to eat, but Ziri wouldn’t let me go to bed until I did.  He said I needed to build my strength because “tomorrow you’re going to need it.”  He would tell me that every night.  He and Alorn would sit and wait for me to eat before leaving to go do whatever it is men elves do after dinner.  I didn’t care…I was just too tired to give a damn.

And yet, every night when I lay down to sleep, my eyes stayed wide open.  The vision of heartbreak tormented me once again.  Each time the vision would be more vivid, more dramatic with Tharin taking Kalis in his arms and kissing her passionately.  The others would stand around, including Julia, all smiling and nodding with approval.  Sometimes I would be included in the vision where I’m telling Tharin off and shouting at him that he’s a nobody and I could do better.  Other times I’m just there standing, sad and alone while they cuddle each other laughing at my stupidity.  Each vision became more elaborate than the first until I would beat my pillow with frustration and fall into a deep exhausted sleep.

I didn’t feel the need to
drift
anymore.  What was the point?  Tharin was with Kalis, the last thing I need is to
drift
into an awkward situation that might embarrass both Tharin and me.  Well, maybe just me.  The arrogant son-of-a-biscuit-eater would probably love to have two women in an awkward situation.  Creep.  What did I
ever
see in him? 

After the first two nights, I started having Cessa stay with me, not only to keep me company, but to comfort me.  Yeah, that didn’t work either, but I liked having her.  Sometime in the morning she would disappear again, gone back to her own realm.  Her purring actually lulls me to sleep, even when the visions came.  Every now and then, in the middle of the night something would catch her attention, the purring would stop and I would wake startled.  She would nuzzle at me until I would lie back down, closing my eyes.  She’s like my guardian angel, keeping me safe from the evil heartbreak visions. 

I just have to learn how to put Tharin from my mind and forget about him.  At least until I have to see him again on the Day of the Seating.

Today is day seven of my training.  The soreness and aches are just shadows of their former selves, and the bruising is becoming a part of my physical appearance.  I’m actually out of bed and dressed when Alorn comes for me.  He knocks on the door and is surprised to find me opening it for him immediately, fully dressed and ready to go.

He gives me a half-smile and I can’t help but wonder if all Sidhe look like him and his cousins.  Then I mentally “duh” myself when I remembered that I’m Sidhe, at least part, anyway.  And there’s Harlu, he’s full Sidhe and he doesn’t look like Alorn, at least not his coloring.  I’m almost sure, though, that they’re all physically fit.  Maybe my soon-to-be cousins are more so than others because they train so damn hard – like every fricking day.

Alorn surprises me when he says, “Today, there’s no training.  You need to let your body rest.”  I’m so happy I give him a big smile, but flinch when the pain from both my eyes reminds me my face also needs a break. 

Alorn gives me a crooked smile and takes my hand, leading me out to the dining area.  He pulls out my chair before pulling out his own and sits next to me.  Sema is at her pot dishing plates of chicken pasta.  Ziri is nowhere in sight. 

Sema makes her way to me with the steaming plate and sets it before me.  She gives me a smile saying, “Eat.”

I glance over at Alorn sitting back in his chair giving me a grimace then shaking his shoulders as if he had the chills.  I roll my eyes at him and turn to Sema asking, “Sema is it possible to have something other than chicken pasta?”

Sema is already at the pot dishing up a plate for Alorn.  She stops and for a moment I thought I offended her when she tosses the large wooden spoon back in the pot.  “Thank the Mother, yes!  Of course you can.  I’m so tired of making chicken pasta over and over again.  If I see another one of these curly devils I’m going to level the entire realm.”

I give her a surprised look, not that she would level the entire realm, which I wouldn’t put past her, but the fact that she hated making the dish.  “Wait, you don’t like cooking chicken pasta?” I ask.

“Well, it’s not that.  It’s just that you eat it all the time, there’s no variety, no change in your diet.  I was beginning to think at any minute now you’d turn into a chicken.”

“She’d be a skinny chicken,” remarks Alorn.

I look at him insulted. “Hey, I’m not skinny.  See,” I roll up my jersey sleeve past my biceps and make a muscle.  “Do you have tickets to the gun show?” I ask in my best deep masculine voice, planting a kiss on my small muscle. 

Alorn chuckles but Sema comes over quickly taking my arm.  I wince when she twists it from side to side, “Tsk…look at these bruises.  It’s bad enough they’ve blackened your eyes and bruised your lip, but your arm is completely covered with bruises.  C’mon, let’s see the other.”  I give her my left arm as I roll up the sleeve.  “You should have shown me this sooner.” 

Sema turns and heads back into the kitchen.  I look at Alorn and he gives me a shrug, smiling.  Sema returns with a bottle that looks like one of the bottles I found in the top drawer my first night here.  The oil she pours into her hand is green and I can see specks of darker green squiggly things moving within it.  I make a face and try not to flinch when she reaches for my right arm first.  Instantly, the ointment dries on contact with a cool soothing effect.  It feels as if the gash, the bruising around it and the dull ache was never there.  It had the same effect as the Tiger Balm that Mr. Li used on my ankle when I twisted it during a set of kicks. 

When I think about it, with the exception of running, I was really clumsy at every sport I joined.  Forget basketball in high school.  It was much more brutal than that of the summer league I played at the community center.  I remember Coach Mills made me a trainer assistant after the first tryouts.  And softball?  Let’s not even get into that…I didn’t know I was supposed to keep an eye on the ball
all
the time.

When Sema is done with both arms, she gets on her knees and starts to roll up my pants.  “Sema, you don’t have to do that.  I can do it, really.”  I try to pull my leg from her, but she takes a strong hold of it and starts to rub at my shin and knee where the bruising is deepest.  I wait for the pain, but her hands are strong, yet gentle.  Again, the sensation of cool air passing through my leg soothes me.

“Never mind about that,” she remarks as she reaches for my other leg.  “You can rub this on your thighs and anywhere else you may need it later.”

Alorn leans over to watch Sema as she finishes with my foot, “Huh, not only a skinny chicken but one with hairy legs.”

That did it.  I pull from Sema and quickly roll down my pants to cover my legs.  “I can’t help it, it’s not like there are razors here.” I say slanting my eyes at him.  “And stop looking at my legs.”

“Can’t help it,” he replies.  “The whiteness of your skin is like a beacon from a lighthouse.  Let me guess, you don’t need a panswa at night, right?  You just lift up your pants and bam…instant light.”

“You know,” I say leaning toward him, “I thought you were the gentleman of the group.  I guess I was wrong.”

“Damn right you were.  That would be Phoris and Tolan, the rest of us are as scandalous as they come.”  Alorn folds his arms and tilts back in his chair, grinning broadly.  I have the sudden urge to push him over.  He raises a brow at me as if reading my thoughts, almost daring me to.

“Whatever,” I say as I roll my sleeves down.

“Why do you say that word?” he asks giving me a curious look.

“What?  ‘Whatever’?  I don’t know…it’s just something we say, that’s all.”

“So, what does it mean?”

“It means…you know…whatever.  Like it doesn’t matter, or who cares, or more like I don’t care kind of a thing.”

“Hmmm,” he answers rubbing his chin.

“What does that mean?” I question.

“What does what mean?” he questions back.

“Hmmm and then rubbing your chin.” I rub my own chin for emphases.

“It means you need to find words to better express yourself.  Or don’t say any at all.”

I look at him with my head tilted back, “So…you’re telling me to shut up?”

He looks at me with scrunched shoulders.  I study him for a second then say, “Whatever.”

I look up in time to see Sema return with two plates…and no chicken pasta.  Instead, there’s scrambled eggs, bacon and toast – a real breakfast.  Glancing at her gratefully I ask, “Where do you get all this food from?”

“I did a little stocking up when we were in Pathen,” she answers while placing a plate before Alorn. 

“Where’s Pathen?” I ask as I pick up a piece of toast savoring it as I chew. 

“That’s what we call the realm of man,” she replies as she hands Alorn a napkin.  He takes it and nods his thanks because his mouth’s too full to speak.

“What smells so good?” calls Ziri from the entrance.  He puts down a large pack near the door and heads immediately for a seat opposite Alorn.  Sema gives him a smile and says, “I’ll make you a plate.”

Ziri leans toward me whispering, “What’s the occasion?  Why no chicken pasta?”

“I asked her for something different to eat,” I answer, whispering in return.

He sits back surprised, “That’s it?  You just asked and she cooks up something different.”

“Yup.  I’m special that way,” I say as I take a bite of eggs.

Ziri laughs, shaking his head.  All talking soon seizes as we scarf the best breakfast we’ve had in a long time.  Sema puts her fork down and looks over at Ziri.  “What news do you have from the Tower?”

I look up at her startled. “Don’t you know?  I mean, don’t the two of you communicate telepathically?”

She shakes her head. “Not at this distance.”

“But you were able to teleport us to the path,” I ask confused.  Both Ziri and Alorn stop eating.  They glance at each other before looking over at me.  Alorn straightens, placing his fork down.  Ziri continues to eat but at a slower pace.

“That’s different,” answers Sema.  “When we traveled to the pathway that night, we did it together.  You got us there as much as I did, you just didn’t know it.  I took a chance that with your will we could travel the distance.”