The Drifting (60 page)

Alorn and Inikai are at Mellis’ side
, ready to attack, but a shield with a powerful will behind it, keeping them at bay
.  My need to be with them is tempered by my need to stay close to Lily.  I can’t leave her unprotected, not this time, not like E’leiana.

“
NO
!”  The scream comes from Lily as she cries out for Phoris.  She tries to run to him but I
hold
her back.  I call Kalis to me.

“No, Tharin,
” she disobeys. 
“I stay with my king.”

Damn it.  Lily looks up at me, anger and a deep rage
flashes
in her eyes
.  She somehow read
my thoughts.  With effort
,
she straightens, “Go.”  I hesitate, torn to fight at my cousins’ side and protecting her.  She continues
,
her voice hard, “I said go.”

As I move to Alorn’s side,
I take one last backward glance at her as she stands still, eyes close
d
.  I
stand between
Alorn
and Inikai,
now part of a small group surrounding
Sema
and Mili.  They stand within the circle motionless.

Something catches my eye and I turn toward
Kalis
.  A
flash comes from Cili
who is
standing beside her
and the
energy force from his hands takes
out
everyone close by, including Dalim and Kalis.  Immediately
,
Alorn, Ka, Inikai and Mellis put up
a
shield
,
covering those in our small circle.  I
send
a shield over
to
Lily, joining with her own force, keeping her safe. 

Ka steps forward facing Cili, “Release Sema and the healer, Eathos.  Release them
now
, Ko.”

The young guard
’s mouth
twists into a sneer, “Do you think
that the love I once
had for her will save her now
, brother
?”

“Let them go, Kolinest,” warns Ka quietly.  Cili drops to the floor dead
–
Eathos is gone.

“He d
oesn’t do the bidding of a used-
up king, old elf.”  It’s Sema who answers him.

Ka turns and roars,
“Silence demon
!
”
He
throws his hand out at the demon.  “You will release my wife’s body now, Falsad.”  The demon grabs at his throat as Ka squeezes his fist tightly. 
Falsad
would scream if his throat wasn’t
being
squeezed.  The dead eyes of the demon disappear and Sema’s soft green
ones appear
.  She drops to the floor, eyes open
,
seeing sightlessly at her husband. 

When Ka points his hand toward Mili, she snarls and laughs.  A deep, insolent laugh and she shrugs her shoulders as if shrugging off Ka’s will.  Ka puts his hand down, but he faces the demon unafraid.

“I will know where your master is, Kabba,” demands Ka.

“I have no master, Kalinest,”
says the
demon warden.  I feel the
shocked
eyes of each of us shift quickly
to
Ka and then back at Kabba
who is
still in Mili’s body.  “And soon, you will know what it means to be imprisoned in my home, would-be king of Eirrell.”

“Shut up, demon,” says Ka as if he’s bored.  “We all know you cannot make a move without your master’s say so.  He has bound you to him for your release from the UnderRealm.  You are nothing but a puppet.  Now, go…leave us.  And tell my brother next time
we meet
, I will kill him.”

Kabba
snarls at
Ka, eyes full of hate
,
and you can feel his deep need to let loose on the old
elf
.  Seconds later, Mili drops to the floor dead.  My heart stops when
Kabba
appears next to Lily.  He puts his hand through her energy field and
grabs
her as if to pull her out.  All blades from Alorn, Mellis, Inikai, Ka
and me speed toward
him hitting him square on the chest.  He looks down at the blades, then back
at
us and laughs as he gives us another sneer. 

I race to her side
,
but before I reach her, her eyes open, golden like the serpent
’
s and focused on the demon.  She reaches up with her hand and takes hold of the demon’s wrist.  The sound of broken bones ring
s
throughout the hall
,
and the stench of burning rotting flesh emits from
Kabba
as he falls to his knees screaming.  He
snatches
his hand from Lily’s grip, ripping the neckline of her gown.  Within seconds he’s gone.
 

Jarhan’s gift.  This is the gift of the healers.

I rush to Lily when she comes out of her trance
swaying
. 
I hold her close but s
he pushes
away
and runs to Phoris’ side.  Inikai helps Ka to Sema’s side before seeing to his father lying with the other royals.  Alorn moves to check on his king, while Mellis drops to his knees next to Phoris.

Ka lowers to sit next to his wife and takes her in his arms.  Kalinest…Kalinest is alive.  The greatest Sidhe king in the history of Velesi is here with us.  He doesn’t look like the savior and hero of our realm.  He looks broken, old and tired
as he
mourns
the loss of his beloved wife.

Lily kneels and puts Phoris’ head on her lap.  Mellis, with Alorn joining them, are kneeling beside her as she places a hand on Phoris’ chest and slowly move
s
it down to his stomach.  She’s still for a moment before letting her hand drop.  Then she hugs Phoris
to her
and cries, holding him tightly. 

Stunned, I can’t seem to move forward…to take one step before the next.  A gentle hand touches my shoulder and I turn to look into Kalis’ eyes.  I’ve forgotten how beautiful she is.  I turn back to Lily and see that Mellis has gathered her in his arm
s
as he sits behind her.  Lily continues to hold on
to Phoris crying.  Alorn is gone and I catch a glimpse of him as he makes his way
out
the side door, finding solace in private.  It’s his way, the only way he’s handled his emotions of loss and grief.  I long to follow him out of this room, but I need to stay, for Lily.  She’ll need me when she finally lets Phoris go. 

I hear a deep cry from behind me.  I turn to see my father
who just
notice
d
his b
rother lying close by.  He half-runs, half-
crawls to his
brother’s
side, catching my uncle in his arms.  I have to look away, unable to see my father this way.  I look again to Lily and know I should go to her, but I can’t bring myself to move toward Phoris’ body.  I…I can’t do it.  The pain of his loss is too much for me.  In battle we’ve lost men and we all weep for them in our own way, but my brother and cousins have always walked away…alive. 

Cries and death
s
of ones I loved, ones I’ve known all my life
, are
all around me and I look about for escape.  I subconsciously notice the white gardenias slowly turn black and the low branches of the hybrid tree
s
sag heavily.  It’s their reaction to Lily’s emotion
s
.  They feel as she feels. 

Kalis slip
s
her hand into mine and gently tugs at me to follow…and I do.  I let her lead me away from this place, from Lily
,
Madeas, Milina, Sema and Phoris.  Phoris.  Phoris.  Phoris.  I should go to him.  I should go to Lily. 

I keep repeating it over and over again to go to them.  Instead, like walking in a heavy fog, I let Kalis take me away, to comfort me as she’s done m
any times before.  For a moment
through the fog
,
I thought I heard Lily call for me, but Kalis’ gentle touch urges me forward.  Before we make it to the doors, she slips her arm around my waist and without thinking
,
I hug her to me. 

~ * ~

Chapter Forty

~ Lily ~

  I didn’t know about Sema until Mellis pulled me away from Phoris.  He was taken to be lain next to his father
,
and Mellis put me in the c
are of Walem.  Dalim escorted me
to my suites and once in the room, I
yanked the simple crown of gold and diamonds and threw it across the room.  I
threw myself on the bed and
cried
.  I
cried
for everyone I’ve lost on my path to be queen of the Willow Clan.  I held back when Lucas came to me, I held back when I saw Tharin with Kalis, even when I saw them last night I was furious, but I held back the tears.  I held back when Milina was killed
,
and I held back when Julia left me. 

I cried and screamed into my pillows, letting out everything I had left in me.  I cried until I was dry heaving and my throat hurt
–
raw
and hoarse.  I cried until I thought I couldn’t breathe any longer and waited for death to stop the tears.  I cried until my eyes were swollen shut and it was painful to peek through gritted, tight lids.  I cried until I couldn’t recognize the room or the bed I
was
in. 

It was daylight when I was returned to my suite and when I try to see through swollen lids, it’s completely dark in my room.  Feeling exhausted and drained, I rise to make my way to the double glass doors leading out to the private garden.  As if in
a trance, I move along the side
wall until I come to the garden of the pando trees where the queen’s bench sits in the small clearing.  Panswas
rise and
light up
the area
with a
soft warm glow.  I make my way to the bench and sit, defeated.  I miss Julia so much and wonder how she and Marilyn are doing.  At least they are safe and away from this place of deceit and death.