Heart of a Sorceress

Chapter One - part two

* * * * *

Sha’ul watched his new student move down the dirt path from his cottage back in the direction of Karan-ver. He sighed, his gaze trapped on the long heavy braid of silvery-blonde hair hanging down her back. He hadn’t expected Lara bat Karan to be as lovely as she was. Apparently, Lara’s mother had been Pierran, giving Lara the golden tint to her skin as well as the almond shape of her eyes. Their color, however, the pale blue and the dignified set of her jaw and demeanor were all from her Veltish father, the general who had, through skill and strength, helped Pierra become the empire it was on the planet.

Of course, Sha’ul knew, if Karan had understood at the time how  the the Pierrans were using him to gain a strategic foothold on the world, he probably would have mutinied, taken his family and made his way home sooner, before his wife was murdered and his daughter imprisoned in the palace.

Lara had disappeared down the path, her silver-blonde mane and delicately curved figure in the rose-colored gown too far in the distance for him to see. Something tugged at his heart, a yearning he’d thought long buried with Ramasse after her murder. Lara had the same large, wondering eyes, full of sadness and intelligence. The two women also shared similar histories. Ramasse had been enslaved to the Pierrans as well, forced to travel with one branch of the military corps, servicing the soldiers on campaign. Sha’ul had freed her and kept her with him for a time, until the men he’d taken her from caught up with him and overpowered them.

Sha’ul sighed deeply as he began to pile up the logs he’d been splitting when Lara arrived. What had happened to Lara was common knowledge, but the details had come to him in the first moments of meeting her when he touched her hand to his forehead. Her screams had reverberated in his soul and her mother’s blood spilled before his eyes as if he’d been there with her.

In that single touch, he’d witnessed Lara’s years of imprisonment in the palace, her drudgery in the kitchens, being beaten and scolded by other slaves who took their frustration and anger out on her. He had watched a man whom he didn’t know, rip off Lara’s gown and sneer at her lasciviously while she held back her tears. The poor young woman’s terror hadn’t ended until Ariana had gone into the haram and stopped the other slave woman from raping Lara. He saw their escape and their journey back to the Veltlands by Beren caravan. He saw Lara curled up in her stepmother’s arms, crying on her shoulder. He saw Lara coming to meet him and becoming his student. And then he’d envisioned making love to her in his bed, the firelight glowing on her bare golden skin while he pleasured her with his mouth and hands. All that he’d seen in just one touch of her hand.

* * * * *

Danni’s silence was unnerving. He hadn’t said a word since they’d left Sha’ul’s cottage. She stole a glance at him. Times like these made her wish she weren’t so empathic. “Danni,” she ventured softly, “Are you mad at me?”

The question seemed to startle him and he blinked several times, his long lashes moving quickly over his green eyes. To her surprise, he stopped and turned to her, studying her face. The emerald pools of his eyes reminded her of Ariana’s eyes. Danni’s mother was Marean, like Ariana and the resemblance was striking. Danni was distinctly different from Veltish men in that he wasn’t as broad and large. His musculature, lean and sinewy, had a fluid grace. She caught the flexing of small muscles in his neck above the lacing of his tunic. “No, Lara,” he said after several painful moments of waiting. “I’m not mad at you.”

“Then wh—”

“I’m…” He sighed and shifted his weight from one boot to the other. Tiny stones on the path ground under his soles. “Jealous.”

Lara nodded. “That’s what I thought. I’m sorry, Danni. I didn’t mean to…” She fell silent, pushing back tears.

Danni sighed, his demeanor softening. “Don’t worry, Lara. I’ll always be your friend. Even if Sha’ul hadn’t said what he did, I wouldn’t stop caring about you. I couldn’t. You’re very…special.”

Tears of relief burned in her eyes, blurring her vision of Danni’s handsome face, an intriguing combination of boyish and rugged. “Thank you,” she whispered, her throat painfully tight.

Danni exhaled a deep breath. “May I ask you just one thing?”

Wordlessly, she nodded, feeling her chest tighten.

His green eyes clouded over again. “Is it because I go to the forest witches that you don’t…want me? Because if it is, I’ll stop.”

The pleading tone in his voice cut straight into her heart and she let out a shuddery breath. She thought briefly of Danni’s horror when he’d found out his sisters had told her about the forest witches. He hadn’t spoken to them for nearly a fortnight. “No,” she said immediately, knowing her answer was true. She didn’t judge her friend for taking pleasure or comfort where it was offered. “It’s not, Danni. I don’t know why I see you only as a dear friend. I only know it has nothing to do with you.” She paused and took a deep breath. “If my heart chose of its own accord, it would have chosen you from the first moment.”

Danni’s green eyes lit up. “Do you mean that?”

Lara smiled, feeling much of the tension between them drain away. “Aye, I do. I mean it with my whole heart.”

For the first time that day, Danni’s lips curved in a smile. “Thank you, Lara. That means a great deal to me.”

He gazed down at her a moment longer and suddenly Lara understood. Danni had sworn his warrior’s fealty to her. He hadn’t come out and told her in words what he’d done. Not even Renna and Kira knew about this, for they certainly would have chattered such news to her as soon as they found it out. A twinge of guilt nagged at her. She’d known Danni for almost a year now and was familiar with the deep vein of stubborn loyalty that formed the foundation of his character. No matter what she did, Danni would be there in the background, waiting for her. Even if he loved another woman, he would always feel the same for the woman to whom he’d sworn the precious gift of his warrior’s fealty.

The longhouse loomed ahead of them, an above ground warren of fire-warmed halls and rooms, couched between a meadow, the Great Veltish Forest, and vast rocky barrens in which luscious do’or berries proliferated in late summer. No other dwelling Lara had ever experienced before was quite like a Veltish longhouse. The red-wood walls, packed with mud were impervious to the winds and rains that ravaged the do’or barrens in winter, and the clean rushes and dried herbs covering the dirt-packed floors, absorbed sounds and released their meadowy scent under her feet. The stone chimneys and hearths kept the structure safe from the huge hearth fires, whose reflections danced off the dark richness of the wooden halls and trestles. Karan-ver, which housed Karan’s entire clan, had swiftly taken its place in Lara’s heart as home.

The main hall was dark and cool due to lack of fire on summer days. A few of the young men had set up the trestle tables for the midday meal and delicious smells wafted in from the summer kitchens down another long hall.

Danni turned to her. “Ariana will be waiting in the kitchen.”

She shook her head. “Not today. She told me she’d be resting. She’s due any day now and it makes her so tired.”

He nodded. “Well, I’ll see you later. I have to get back to the barracks.”

Lara felt suddenly awkward and shy. “Thank you for bringing me today.”

Danni bowed his head. An air of shyness surrounded him. “It’s my privilege., Lara. I’m glad to be taking you tomorrow, too. It’s a big occasion, starting to train as a sorceress. At least, I would think it is.”

The word sorceress sent a frisson of chilly tingles through her nerves. “Yes, I suppose it is a big occasion.” She looked into his eyes, shadowed in the dim light of the hall. “You don’t mind?”

He smiled. “Of course I don’t mind.” He brushed his fingertips across the rose shoulder of her gown. “See you later. Send my respects to Ariana.”

She returned his smile. “I will.” She watched Danni head back toward in the direction of the entry hall before turning in the direction of the corridor to the sleeping rooms. The quiet shadowy passageway enveloped her like a womb and her slippers made soft brushing sounds on the clean rushes.

She found Ariana lying in her parents’ bedchamber. Ariana’s eyes were closed, her coppery eyelashes resting on her pale skin, her swelling stomach large and round. As a bed-slave, Ariana had been sterilized, but Lara’s father obtained a reversal potion and Ariana became pregnant within the first few days of taking the antidote.

Lara was about to back away and leave her stepmother to rest when Ariana’s eyes fluttered open and her gaze fixed on her.

Ariana smiled, her emerald eyes lighting the way Danni’s had earlier. “Hi, sweetheart.” She held out her hand. “Come and sit with me.”

Lara stepped into the room. “I didn’t mean to wake you—”

“Nonsense. I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you today.” She patted her stomach with one hand as Lara went around to her father’s side of the large bed and climbed on next to Ariana. “I feel as if I’m carrying around a boulder inside my belly. My feet ache all the time.” Her bright red hair fanned out on the pillow around her delicate face. She looked up at Lara and smiled again, tiny lines crinkling around her eyes. “So? What happened? Tell me everything.”

Lara looked down, fixing her eyes on Ariana’s stomach, which unwittingly reminded her of her awakening desires. “Well,” she began slowly, “Sha’ul says I have the mark. I begin training with him tomorrow morning.”

The green in Ariana’s eyes intensified. She picked up Lara’s hand and squeezed it. Several moments passed before she spoke. Lara knew the news was as mixed for her stepmother as for herself. “Is it what you want, Lara?”

The gentle waves of Ariana’s voice washed through her and tears surged in Lara’s eyes. “I don’t have a choice. Sha’ul said my life is not my own anymore. The Council of Mages doesn’t even have to ask Father’s permission.”

Ariana’s brow furrowed and her eyes clouded over the way Danni’s had upon hearing the news. Gently, she tugged Lara down to lie beside her. Lara took the chance to snuggle against her stepmother’s comforting warmth. Ariana had the sweetest scent to her skin and hair and Lara let her tears soak into the soft wrap Ariana wore while the older woman stroked her hair soothingly.

“How did Sha’ul know you could be a sorceress, sweetheart?”

Lara lifted her face and looked at Ariana. “He had me look into him. I saw his whole life. Well, parts of it.” Her face burned again at the memory of her future vision. “He said I couldn’t have done that if I weren’t a Being of Power.”

Ariana nodded against the pillow. “I see.” She remained quiet for a few moments, caressing Lara’s hair. “What about Sha’ul?” she asked softly. “What’s he like?”

Lara’s breath hitched softly. “He seems very kind and gentle. I’ve…never met a man like him. He let me look into him instead because I seemed afraid for him to do that with me. He’s suffered a great deal, too.”

Ariana looked at her, her green eyes twinkling. “Lara, there’s a sound in your voice when you speak of him that I’ve never heard in you before.”

Lara smiled, feeling suddenly shy.

Ariana squeezed her gently. “I won’t pry, sweetheart.”

“You’re not prying, Ariana. Sha’ul is very…handsome.” She rose up on her elbow and looked at her stepmother. “I don’t understand what happened,” she went on. “Danni is handsome too, and kind. But I don’t…feel this way about him.”

“What way, if I may ask?” Ariana asked gently.

Lara considered, reliving her meeting with the sorcerer. The word slowly formed on her lips. “Safe.” She looked at Ariana. “I felt safe and then every part of me came alive.” Her confession brought a flush of heat into her cheeks and she looked down. “I mean I feel safe with Danni, but it’s different.”

Ariana sighed. “Yes, I know that feeling. That’s exactly what happened to me with your father.”

Lara looked at her. “Even though he’d captured you?”

Her stepmother smiled, a dreamy look in her eyes. “Yes, even though he’d captured me. And even though he thought the queen had sent me to spy on him.” Her expression grew more serious. “I looked at him and immediately, in spite of my own desperation, I felt how much he’d suffered and that he was a good man. My heart just melted for him and I fell madly in love.”

An odd chill passed through Lara’s body. “Do you think that’s what happened to me?”

Ariana pushed Lara’s hair behind her ear, studying her face with a gentle expression. “It sounds very possible.”

Lara frowned. “Ariana, the thought of…you know…with a man…it terrifies me.”

Ariana brought her to snuggle with her again. “I know, sweetheart. After what’s happened to you, of course it is. One thing I do know is if he’s very tender and caring, he’ll help you not to be frightened anymore.”

“Is…my father…that way?”

“You mean tender?”

She nodded.

Ariana chuckled softly. “Yes, he is. I, too, needed tenderness, even though Maya had always treated me kindly. Even though Maya was gentle in her own way, I was still her slave. I still didn’t have a choice.  I was made for your father. Choice is important.”

Lara shuddered at the mention of Queen Maya. Anything that had to do with her past brought back all the feelings she never wanted to feel again. She could not hear about that time of her life without a wave of despair gripping her. “Ariana, doesn’t it horrify you to speak of that time?”

Her stepmother sighed. “Yes, it does. But I’ve realized in recent months that when I suppress the sadness and horror, I can’t feel any of the good things in my life, either. I can’t bear the thought of not experiencing joy from the two most wonderful experiences of my life.”

Lara looked up at her. “Two experiences?”

Ariana nodded. “Yes. The first is being with your father.”

She had figured that one already, but wondered at the second.

“You can’t guess what the other one is, can you?”

Lara shook her head. “No, I can’t.”

Ariana squeezed her gently. “Having you in my life, of course.”

Lara buried her face in the hollow of Ariana’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I feel the same way about you. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.”

Ariana leaned over and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. They lay together quietly and Ariana’s words echoed through Lara’s mind, especially the word choice. The word shimmered through Lara, all the way into her bones. Sha’ul had given her a choice in the very first moments of their meeting. He’d let her choose whether to be looked into or to do the looking. She realized now that was a large part of what made him gentle.

Once again, the vision of Sha’ul fondling her breast and leaning in to kiss her surged in her mind. Tingling heat suffused her cheeks and her body with an ache like she’d never known before. With her stomach fluttering, she wondered if the vision had truly been one of the future, or if it had been her own wishful thinking.

Either way, she realized, for the first time in her life, she hoped it would come true.