31.

As Luke and Kyara resume their quest, Denrich learns the truth about Xael.

31.

 

Though the rain was soothing, Kyara was wide-awake, staring at the ceiling of sister Lylia’s room.    The nun was so advanced in her pregnancy that she didn’t sleep deeply or for very long and frequently got up for a cup of water or to use the chamber pot.

Kyara just closed her eyes when Lylia would awake, pretending she was asleep.   She liked the fiery human girl, but she was deeply troubled with some strange emotions that were making her a nervous wreck.

She couldn’t let herself think it out, for that was very terrifying to her.    So she laid there frustrated, nervous and restless, until finally, when Lylia fell asleep for a longer period of time, Kyara slipped out of bed, silently changed back into her armor then crept off to find the stable.   It was almost an hour before dawn and the rain had dwindled down to a steady drizzle by the time she entered the convent’s darkened stable.

At the far end she could see a single lantern lit and heard a familiar voice speaking softly to one of the horses.  Her heart beat wildly yet she hesitated for a while, fearful to approach for reasons that she did not fully understand.   She stood there trembling for a few minutes, feeling extremely strange and foolish.   Part of her wanted to run wildly back to Lylia’s room and it took her several minutes to shake the fae feeling.

Finally, mustering up all of her courage and straining to close her mind off of the reasons, she timidly approached the horse stall and peeked around the corner.

Luke was seated on a stool, wearing the clothes of a common farmer, hammering a nail into one of the hooves of a horse to secure a horseshoe.    He was talking soothingly to the horse, which seemed somewhat tranquilized by his voice and unaware of what he was doing.

Kyara cleared her throat and stepped into the stall, which made him look up.

“You’re up early, Luke,”   She spoke, trying her best to hide a hint of trembling in her voice.

He looked up and grinned upon seeing her, which only made her heart flutter more wildly.

“You should be getting your rest, Yara.”

“What are you doing so early in the morning?”

“This is ‘Virtue’, the horse Mother Julia is loaning me.     She’s a fine animal, but she had a shoe with nails that were loose so I reshod it so she’ll be more comfortable.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” She replied, pacing around and patting the mare’s mane.

“It is quite important for a knight to learn.    Of course knights in your father’s court don’t shoe their own horses, but since we have to interact with humans and possibly use human’s horses, we learned the art of shoeing just as any human horseman would.”

“Does it hurt the horse to have the nails hammered in?”

“No, their hooves are hard and they don’t feel it, but it does often make them nervous, which is why I was talking to Virtue while shoeing her.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Kyara replied, “I wish you had your armor.”

“Yeah, I do too.   Perhaps I can find something more appropriate in one of the villages we’ll pass through.   One of the nuns brought me a sword - a present from Mother Julia though I’m not sure how it came to be here.   It is old and of so-so quality, but I’ve sharpened it already and it will work until I can buy a better one someplace.   By the way, I have your horse saddled up and ready to go.”

“How long have you been in here?”

“Several hours - I didn’t feel much like sleeping.”

Kyara sighed, “Yeah, I didn’t either.”

“You may regret that later - we’ve a long way to go over rough terrain,” Luke said, looking up from his work with a smile.

“Yeah,” She mumbled, blushing at his gaze.

“Yara?   Are you alright; you have a strange look on your face.”

“I’m fine!”  She replied a bit too passionately, and then tried to laugh it off, “I guess I’m just anxious about the trip.”

“You’ll relax once we get on the road.”

Kyara looked at him smiling at her, still holding the horse’s hoof in his hand and she swallowed hard, “Luke…how are you…really?”

Though he sensed the depth of her question, Luke grinned mischievously, “Well, I’m very hungry, Yara though I don’t know when the nuns eat breakfast.”

“Luke…” She sighed in frustration, “You know what I mean!”

“I’m fine, Yara, I feel more like my old self every moment.   But I remember how I felt just days ago too.   I was so lifeless and hopeless, Kara.   I can’t forget that and it has changed me.    So I don’t think I’ll ever act like I did several years ago.   I can’t be as cavalier about things or take things for granted.   So believe me, I’m alright, Yara, but changed forever.”

“I understand, Luke, but I am just worried that you haven’t had enough time to fully rest and recover.”

“Well, I feel fit and hale and I think some clean air will do me good.    Don’t worry, I’m okay.”

“I rely on your judgment, as always… shall we go and find some breakfast then?”

“Let’s do that!”  Setting down the horse’s hoof gently, Luke stood up, wiped his hands on a saddle blanket and gallantly hooked his arm for her to take and they headed off to find something to eat.

 

***

 

By the following morning, the arcane train began moving again without any notification to Denrich and Xael.    They both felt the jolt as the train resumed its trek.

“I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing,”  He said to Xael as she leaned over and retrieved Avalynn’s Darx cigarette case.   Propped up on her elbows, still lying against his chest, she lit one of Avalynn’s cigarettes.

“You don’t mind, do you?”  She asked, playfully exhaling the coffee scented smoke into his face as she spoke.   With her gorgeous face and sparkling blue eyes inches away from him, he could not deny her any request.   Pleased, she just leaned against him and smoked after asking him, “Why do you think the train resuming its trip could be bad?”

“I’m not saying that it is, but it could be that Bishop Jules is trying to minimize the whole thing or sweep it under a rug.    Maybe make it seem like it was a crazed lone assassin that did it instead of the conspiracy that we know it to be.”

“Well, he might not be the one who has the authority to conduct an investigation.”

“No, but he has connections and if he wanted a full investigation, he’d certainly get the blessing from the King.  I’d say that he wants the train moving again so that it all can be downplayed, explained away and perhaps even forgotten.    Move the train away from the scene, get away from the authorities who briefly investigated it and it will give him time to prepare his spin on it all before I return to the royal court and give my report to my ‘father’.”

“But it will be a while before we get back to court - should you send an account to Reddric?”

“We don’t want to seem desperate to give an account or that could be used against us if Jules decides to try to make us seem responsible.”

“Oh Lord, this is going to stress me to death!”   Xael nervously took a deep drag on her cigarette, “I’m going to end up as nervous as Avalynn is…perhaps that is why she smokes so much.”

“I’ll need to brief you on Baylcothrom customs and culture, so you’ll pass as someone who has lived her whole life there.    Hopefully all of the staff of the Baylcothrom royal court has fled so they won’t notice anything strange about you.”

They spent a couple of hours, Denrich telling all that he knew about the former elven kingdom that bordered St. Wemricshire and Xael happily soaking it all in while reclining against him.

After two hours breathing Xael’s second hand smoke, Denrich needed some fresh air and suggested that they visit the dining car and get either a late breakfast or early lunch.

“Oh, alright, “ Xael said with a sigh, crushing out her latest  Darx cigarette, “I guess I’ll have to change out of this wonderful gown, huh?”

“Well, it might cause quite a sensation if you appeared wearing it.”

“It’s amazing, love!   It feels extremely comfortable, I absolutely love it.   But I am getting hungry and it is rather smoky in here, so I’ll change out of this lovely elven gown.”

***

 

Soon they were seated in the dining car waiting for their order to arrive.  

“What are you looking at?”  Xael  (who had resumed the form of Avalynn before they left their cabin) asked him.

Denrich was staring out of the dining car’s windows at the scenery rushing past.

“We’re travelling too fast.”

“What?”

“The train is moving too quickly.”

“Are you sure?”  Xael glanced out the window in alarm.

“Yes; the scenery is going by significantly quicker than it should.”

“Why?   Can the train move at a quicker speed than normal, or is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out,”  Denrich stood up and was about to leave the table when one of the waiters appeared with their order.

“Is something wrong, Your Majesty?”  He asked and Denrich bristled at the title.

“Why is the train moving faster than usual?”  

“Oh, don’t worry, sir.   You’re correct; we’re moving, I am told, about 1/4^th faster than normal.   It is perfectly safe.”

“Well, I certainly should hope so!   But why are we moving so fast?”

“Sir, I was told that our chief conducting wizard received a message by scrying ball from your father, His Royal Highness, King Reddric, commanding our wizards to speed to Eastwatch as quickly as possible.    His Royal Highness instructed our conducting wizards to skip the rest of the scheduled stops and to increase our speed as much as safely possible.”

“Eastwatch?”

“Yes, Your Majesty; so you and Duchess Avalynn can complete your missions and return to court as quickly as possible.”

“I see.    Apparently King Reddric is anxious for our safe return,” Denrich said with a glance to Xael.

“Sir, with our scheduled stops bypassed and our quicker speed, I am told that we will reach Eastwatch by mid-morning tomorrow.”

”That is certainly quick,”   Denrich answered, sitting back down across from Xael.   They waited until the waiter excused himself and left before speaking freely.

“We need to be cautious what we say around the servants,”   Denrich told Xael as they ate, “I would not be surprised to find spies for Bishop Jules, not to mention the King, watching and listening to us closely.

“Well, at least with the train moving on to Eastwatch, I would think that there should not be any more assassination attempts,” Xael said in a low voice so that only Denrich could hear.

“I’d say you are right about that - but we’ll still have to be on guard.”

“You know; thanks to your tutoring me, I think I can pass as Avalynn, but I don’t know if either one of us will be really safe anywhere on this island.”

Denrich smiled slightly, “I thought you enjoyed the intrigue of courtly life.”

“Did I ever say that, love?”

“Not in those words, but you certainly seemed comfortable back at the palace.”

“Comfort does not always mean a fondness for it.    Court intrigues are one thing, but assassination attempts and the…um…’counter measures’ that I had to take to protect both of us has left me a nervous wreck.    It is exciting, but too overwhelming as well.   I’m becoming extremely paranoid about everyone, love.”

“A bit of paranoia is good.”

“So what do we do now?”

“Prepare for our ‘big performance’ when we arrive at Eastwatch.”

Xael sighed, “What more could you possibly tutor me on?”

“I’ve taught you everything that I know about Baylcothrom, but we’ll review it and see what you’ve learned.”

“Alright, but wait until after we eat, okay?”

“Okay,” He agreed and they spoke of other things.

 

***

The rest of the day and all that evening he grilled her over and over about facts and information on Baylcothrom.     Xael had a sharp mind and remembered most of what he had told her, but she wearied of it as they lie in bed that night.

He was recounting the history of the former kingdom (for the fourth time that day) as he stared at the shadows on the train car’s ceiling, when suddenly she spun over on top of him, kissing him hungrily.

Though surprised, he didn’t resist, but abandoned his lecturing as an overwhelming desire for her swept over him.   His passion caught her off guard but she welcomed it.    Soon they were panting in the heat of arousal.   He rolled her over onto her back and she sensed his intention.   

“I thought you had no experience at this,” Xael gasped as Denrich kissed her neck and chin.

“I’m just going with what feels right,” He replied, then in a moment of uncertainty added, “Am I doing something wrong?”

“No!”  Xael groaned, shivering at his touch, “You are not doing anything wrong.”

His kisses began moving down toward her chest, which made her tremble even more.

“Love, I have to tell you something,” She said, struggling to keep control of her desire.

“Right now?”

“Yes, it has to be right now, I’m afraid.”

“Okay; go ahead,” He said, still kissing her.

“No; you’ve got to stop first.”

“You want me to stop?”

“Heavens no, I don’t want you to stop!   But I have to tell you something first, before we go… too far.”

Denrich sighed in frustration and slid off of her, plopping back down on his back.   Xael frowned at his frustration, but moved over so her forearms rested on his chest.

“Well, what is it?”  He asked with some irritation evident in his voice.

“This is difficult for me, Love, it really is.   But I want you to know…I need for you to know.”

“Know what?”

Xael sighed and pressed her cheek against his chest, “I’m not at all what I seem to be, Love.”

“Oh no!”

“Let me explain, please.”

“Go ahead; I’m listening.”

“You’ve heard me speak of my mother - about the magic items that she left me?”

“Yeah.”

Xael sighed and paused as if she was hesitant to continue, but finally she did, “My mother is named Xael.”

She looked at him as if that statement held great significance.

“So…you were named after your mother; that’s not uncommon.”

She smiled but shook her head, “No, you don’t understand, love.   My mother is the Xael of all the legends.”

Denrich sat up, “What?   So you’re saying-“

“I’m not the ‘great w***e’, I’m the daughter of the ‘great w***e’, love,” She said with her head bowed, “All the stories that you’ve heard about ‘Xael’ was about her.    Some years ago she got pregnant by an elven noble and decided to take a break from her escapades and try motherhood.   So she retreated from the public eye and had me, then decided that she would share all of her knowledge with me.”

“All of her knowledge?   But she-“

“Yeah; mother was clueless about how to raise a daughter.   Mother Julia was right of course; I am a Nymph, just like my mother.”

“So she told you all about her… um… adventures?”

“In shocking detail too.   Oh, not when I was a little girl, but once she deemed me old enough, she told me everything.”

“Why?   I’d think she’d want to shield you from that?”

“Well, that is what is the most strange, love.    She thought that her experiences would give me an edge in the world.    But she also could not imagine a life different than the wild one that she had led, so she prepared me for it.”

“Okay, but why are you posing as your mother?    Wouldn’t people that knew her know when they saw you that you weren’t her?”

“Mother disappeared for over thirty years and people forget details of faces.   Many of them that knew her died.    I greatly resemble her too.”

“So you just assumed her role and went back into the wild life she led?”

“She expected me to do that, but I was terrified of it so I used magic and deception to keep an illusion up of wantonness.    Actually, it was a tactic that mother had used a lot too - hypnotic suggestions and rumors about lovers and situations that never really occurred.    Mother had plenty of lovers, but not nearly as many as the stories tell about her.”

“So what happened to her?”

“I don’t know, actually.    You see, apparently it was part of her plan all the time - train me to ‘be’ her and then simply disappear.”

“She disappeared?”

“One morning she was simply gone.    We were living in a large city in a secluded estate, using the wealth that she had obtained over the centuries.   I just awoke one morning and she was gone, along with some of her personal items.     She left me a few magic items, all of her money and the rest of her worldly possessions and never returned.”

“Did you try to find her?   What about magic searching?”

“I tried it all, but she was undetectable, even by magic.  I didn’t know what to do and for a month or so I simply stayed secluded trying to figure out my next move.”

“Unbelievable!   What happened next?”

“Something rather strange; we were living in this city - in hiding-- and no-one knew who we were.    But about a month after mother disappeared, suddenly stories started popping up that the legendary Xael was living in the city.    At first I thought that mother had resurfaced, but it became quickly apparent that the stories and rumors were focused on me!    Almost overnight it seemed as if everyone in the city knew where I lived and I was suddenly beset with people trying to see me.”

“But did any of them know what Xael looked like?    Had anyone in the city met your mother?”

“I don’t know- none that I had heard about.    It got so bad that I decided that I should leave and head for someplace that my mother had never been, in hopes that I could find a life there.    So I chose Albyia, but since there was no way to get a ship here except as the ‘legendary Xael’, I just assumed her role and decided to see if I could survive by pretending that I was my mother.”

“So your worldly air was just an act?”

“I was portraying my mother.   She was confident and assertive and I’ve learned a little by playing her, but most of what you see is just a desperate act to survive.”

“Then your name isn’t even Xael?”

She smiled, “No, she did actually give me her name, but I’m not the great seductress that you imagine that I am.”

“So you’re telling me this because…?”

“Love, I’ve never been in an actual relationship either.   I used magic to manipulate men into thinking that they had slept with me, but I…well…”

Denrich nodded with a gentle smile, “I understand.”

He slid back down on the bed and pulled her down gently into the crook of his arm.     All sexual tension had left them and she nestled next to him, her head resting against his shoulder.

“Please don’t hate me, love, but I’ve been deceiving you into believing I was someone that I’m not.”

Denrich hugged her tightly, “Sweetheart, I am greatly relieved to learn all this.   I had always sensed an innocence about you which puzzled me until now.”

“I wasn’t using you, love, I promise that!    I fell in love with you the first time I saw you lying unconscious on that train after heroicaly saving the day.    When I got to know you, the feeling intensified.”

“Well, that is good, because I fell hard for you too.”

“So you love me?”   She asked softly.

“Yes, my dear, I love you more than anything.”

Xael sighed contently and closed her eyes.    They shared each other’s warmth and relished in each other’s presence until sleep finally took them.