~An Oath and Broken Vows~ chapter ten
- I entered the room to see Reeâann sitting in a chair placed in an odd position next to the bed. She wore a light robe of shimmering blue, bare toes poking out the bottom. Yoreâs box lay empty near the washstand. She opened her eyes and a small smile crossed her lips as she looked at me for the first time in days. I thought I heard a relieved breath pass those lips. She didnât say anything, just sat there smiling.
- âSabrene said you wanted to talk to me?â
- She nodded slightly, the smile still in place. I searched for words to fill the awkward silence; awkward on my part anyways. Reeâann looked calm as the moonlight, and with her blue-gray skin, just as beautiful.
- âAhâŠthat color suits you, Reeâann.â
- âThank you,â she said, the smile changing a little, âYore gifted it to me. He said it would set off my eyes.â It really did. She paused to run her hands over the smooth fabric, pulling it tight in a very revealing way. âIt is the first time anybody has ever bought anything for me.â
- I cleared my throat. The room seemed a bit warm, and small. âWhy did you ask for me?â
- An unreadable look passed her face. âI wasnât sure you would comeâŠthat she would let you come.â The smile returned. âBut a pact is a pact.â She stood gracefully, smoothing the robe as she did. âIt is such a lovely gift. Iâll have to thank him for it,â she said softly, then to my shock, pulled the draw loose and let the robe fall to the floor. I found myself mesmerized, unable to look away. Every curve, every line blended together in perfect harmony. The candlelight played a soft symphony of light and shadow across the canvas of her bare skin. I felt the door press up against my back, my heart pounding.
When had I moved?- âReeâannâŠI donât think SabreneâŠâ
- Reeâannâs eyes glanced down at her naked body, her smile turning amused. âYour people were not so modest in the past. Donât worry, she agreed to thisâŠâ She paused and sat on the bed, her hand running across her shoulder and down her arm. âWell, maybe not this, exactly.â
- My eyes flicked to the bed, more than big enough for two. I swallowed hard, trying in vain to work moisture back into my mouth. I realized I was coming close to panic.
- Reeâann saw my look and laughed. âDonât worry Aeden,â so it was back to Aeden now, âthis is for you,â she said, patting the chair seat. âBesides, what use do you have for a bed if you donât need to sleep?â She slipped her body under the thin sheets, the fabric molding itself to her in a way that left very little to guess at. My eyes blinked, the spell broken. The smile turned a little devious. âNot that I hadnât considered it,â she teased. At least, I think she teased. She laughed again at my expression and pointed to the chair. âYour throne, my Lord?â I let out a long relieved breath, she
was teasing.
-
DOnât be SO sure. Yamuelâs voice cleared away some of the shock. I had completely forgotten about him for once.
Completely.I walked over slowly and sat on the chair.
- Reeâann nodded and held out her hand. âThe Denâfeire?â
- I suddenly realized what this encounter was all about. âThis is your agreement with Sabrene?â I asked, holding out my bundled arm.
- âSabreneâs part, yes, and yours I suppose. Though she said there would beâŠwords if you didnât agree.â
- I paused at unwrapping the cloth, wondering what those âwordsâ would be. Best not to dwell on it. I finished uncovering the Denâfeire and made a few coils rise to Reeâannâs hand. She slid the length of chain under the sheets to rest over her heart and across her breasts, shivering a little. âCold,â she whispered. I felt like shivering myself. The feeling though the chain was not exactly like my own hands, but close. I resisted the urge to move the chain to a more appropriate position, wanting to save myself from more embarrassment. The links began to warm from her skin.
- âBetter. I want you to do what you did before, only wait until I am asleep. Can you do that?â
- âI think so.â
- She smiled and closed her eyes. After a short while, I felt her chest begin to rise and fall in the slow rhythm of sleep. I began to lightly draw her Aura again, closing my eyes to start the trance. A last thought came to me.
What was Reeâannâs part of the bargain? - I opened my eyes to see Reeâann standing a few steps away.
She wore Yoreâs gift, the blue robe, her bare feet in the thick grass. The full moon stood directly overhead, while the Ribbon stretched to both horizons amongst a smattering of stars. Reeâann looked down and raised an amused eyebrow at me. I cleared my throat. At least I had managed to give her
some form of clothing.
- âSorry,â I apologized, changing it to her black hunterâs garb.
- She glanced down again and sighed. âSabreneâs dress is much more lovely,â she looked at me and smiled, âOnly in blue?â
- I shook my head with a grin, changing the black garb to a long dress mirroring Sabreneâs, only in dark blue, with silver crescent moons instead of the birds. She laughed with joy and spun in a circle, watching how the fabric flowed through the air.
- âBlue was always my favorite color,â Yamuel said as he walked down the path. Reeâann stopped suddenly, looking a little shy. He grinned and touched her cheek with a hand nearly as big as her head. âAfter gray, that is.â He looked at me and bowed his head slightly. âI thank you for this. I must tell you a few things before you go.â He sat on the ground to come down to our height, Reeâann, still standing, leaned against his massive shoulder with a content sigh. âFirst, he was right about the Azure Sun. It gives life to this world, but takes Sabreneâs. It is one of the eight powers I told you of, the strongest by far. It was what bound the chain to you. If someone were to tap fully into that powerâŠâ He shook his head. âAll that exists could be endangered. The second most powerful is the Denâfeire itself. Only instead of exuding power as the Crystal does, it absorbs it. No one is sure where it came from, or even what the full extent of its powers are. With it in your possession, you can rival even the âgodsâ.â
- I looked down at the chain glinting in the moonlight. It seemed such a simple thing. âWhat of the other six?â
- âThe Portal, which was created by Vodul for reasons I donât know, but I suspect it has something to do with the races in this world. Vodul deems himself master of time and has always pushed its boundaries further than most thought prudent. A Portal is a twist in time itself, and when you drew in my Aura, you pulled the power of the Crystal through it, magnifying its power a thousand fold. Time itself has been broken. The âshiftsâ you are experiencing are from the fabric of time healing itself. Some events can happen, some will or will not, but others
must happen. I am afraid there are still breaks left to heal. Be ready for them.â He paused, looking at Reeâann. âOne power already resided in you from birth. The power of the Luraâfen, given to you by Reeâann and her people. It is why the Denâfeire bonded to you so easily. This, however,â he raised a hand; Sabreneâs spear appeared upright above it, âdid not. Its creation too closely mirrored your own. They are the same side of a loadstone. Equals in power. Forcing the two together would cause both to be destroyed.â
- âHow can Sabrene hold it then?â
- âThat part the story you were given is true. After her people cast down the Dentali, Reeâann used her own power to change some of your people and bond them to the spears. Opposite sides of the loadstone. But this took the Luraâfenâs power away, and they became Fenârohdain. Sabrene is one of them.â
- âWhat of Ulaisha, the Hadara? Sabrene could have been a Songstress.â
- âThat part I donât know myself, except that it is the power of another Ancient. A very powerful Ancient. I was only able to sense her Song for a moment, but it approached the strength of the Luraâfen and Fenârohdain combined. You should not have been able to do the Joining without Reeâann, but something changed your people again after she and I were trapped. Another Ancient gave you the power of the Songstresses. Perhaps so you could continue the fight against my armies. You absorbed that power also. It is why you can sense otherâs pain and lies.â
- Reeâann gave me a sidelong look. âI will have to watch my words from now on, it seems.â
- Yamuel gave her a wry smile, âMaybe I shouldnât have told you that. Done is done, as your friend Burgas would say. Another thing that puzzles me is that Sabreneâs spear, though identical, is not one that I made. It is a perfect copy. I only made a few hundred, one for each Diaboli.â
- âThere are many thousands now, that I know of,â I told him, âBut they are passed down through the generations. No one has ever found a way to craft them.â
- âHmmmâŠinteresting. A great mystery.â
- I quickly tallied up what he had told me. âThat leaves two.â
- âYes, it does. But they came together. One was my own power, drawn with my Aura. The other you are quite familiar with.â
- âThe helm.â
- âYes. I donât know yet what effect or changes it has caused you, but I can find no harm.â
- âWhat of this place?â I motioned around us.
- âThat, my young friend, comes from you. If you had tried to draw Reeâannâs Aura before the chain became a part of you, it would have consumed her whole. As I said before, the Denâfeire only draws power. There was no escape.â
- âWas?â
- He nodded. âYour Aura has formed a bridge. A way out. That is how the beast escaped into your mind. You have given the Denâfeire the ability to give life as well as take it. Not many have this gift. I hope you use it well.â His words carried the tone of farewell.
- I looked at Reeâann. âHow do I..?â
- âLeave the trance, but keep the Denâfeire touching Reeâann. I will send her back after I say what is needed.â
- âAeden?â Reeâann asked, looking at Yamuel shyly, âBefore you goâŠâ
- I came out of the trance and smiled to myself. The color of that robe really did set off her eyes. The feeling though the chain rushed back into my mind, reminding me that I sat next to a very beautiful, very nude woman. I moved the chain down to her stomach, being careful to keep it in contact with her skin. Then I relaxed, waiting, hoping that Sabrene never learned the exact details of the night. At one point I thought I heard a small whimper escape Reeâann. Soon after, I felt her Aura rush back into her body. It almost felt like it was fleeing. I slowly recoiled the chain, checking to see if she was all right, but only the soft sounds of sleep came from her. Feeling a chill in the room, I doubled the sheet over her and crossed over to the door that led to the adjoining room. With a last look at the sleeping woman, I closed the door behind me. Sabrene lay silently in the next room on a bed that was, to my great relief, only big enough for one. another bed rested against the other wall. I pulled the only chair over to set next to Sabreneâs bed, much as the one in Reeâannâs room had ben. I made no noise, and Sabrene faced away from me, but her voice startled me as I sat.
- âI lied to you, Aeden.â Her voice was full of quiet pain. She didnât move.
- âI know.â I whispered comfortingly. âGo to sleep, Itâs all right.â
- âI couldnât tell youâŠI didnât want to. But I had to do it. I had toâŠfor us.â
- âShhhâŠdonât cry. You can tell me tomorrow.â
- âI need to protect you. My life before yours. My sacrificeâŠâ
- âWhat sacrifice?â I asked, worry creeping into my voice.
- âYou,â she whispered after a long pause, âI gave her you.â
- I sat speechless, unable to even form a complete thought.
- âEvery third night, you belong to her. The rest of the days, she belongs to me. I had toâŠâ
- âWhy?â I asked the only word that would come to my mind.
- âI need her to train me. I donât know how to use my spearâs power. She is the only one that can teach me. It was the only way. I canât keep my Oath without her help.â I pulled her over to look into my eyes, she didnât resist at all. Her face had the look of defeat, unshed tears wet in her eyes. âDid youâŠâ she started to ask, but couldnât finish.
- âNo,â I answered, âHer only care is Yamuel. This is what she wanted.â I held up the chain. âIt is all she will ever receive from me. I belong to youâŠonly you.â
- She sat up and hugged me, the tears finally falling. At that instant, a sound from the door made me turn. Reeâann stood in her robe at the doorway, her face a mask of despair. She looked more lost than after I almost killed her. Sabrene released me, worry crossing her face.
- âReeâann?â
- âHe broke our vows,â Reeâann said in a trembling voice of complete abysmal sorrow. âHe told me I need to forget him, andâŠbroke our vows.â
- Sabrene looked at me, understanding coming into her eyes, and something else.
- âIâll be outside,â I answered her unspoken request. As I got up, Reeâann rushed across the room and fell to her knees, her head cradled in Sabreneâs lap.
- âHe left me, Cassarean,â I heard Reeâann whisper as I closed the door. The word was slightly different than what she had called me. In Old, âOne who ownsâ.
~end of chapter ten~
As a reward for reading this far...
Ree'ann and YamuelArted by Moogie. Thanks, we miss you.
Wallpaper size. If you wish the fullsize, high res, poster sized version, PM me.
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