Below the Peak (Sola)(24)
It’s too much he heeded as the intangible emotions hummed inside him. He planted his foot firmly on the floor to stop from swaying. The older the high elves were, the stronger their feelings wept from them. Just then, an intense wave of indignation, mixed incoherent emotions bombarded him and tugged at his senses. It was too intense Calemir was beginning to get drunk from it-his eyes searched for the owner among the ethereal faces and landed on his mother, the source of such succulent and terrifying ball of barely controlled feelings. Her angelic face, beautiful as the stars wore a severe cutting look.
I cannot lose control. I cannot lose control Calemir chanted in his mind commanding his dulling senses to stay alert. Beads of hot sweat formed on the base of his neck. Any other time he would’ve welcomed the rush and what came after it. However not here, if he lost control and snapped, lord Ivlisar would be the first man he guaranteed would suffer. It would be troublesome to stand for a trial for killing the lord. Words of him being ruthless were not born from thin air. His eyelids fell shut and peeled open upon hearing the chilling tone of the queen’s voice.
“Answer me!” the queen thundered against the hushed room. Lord Ivlisar opened and closed his mouth, gasped like a fish out of water, no words coming out his mouth. His ears reddened and his dark brows shot up. “The chosen son. The descended of Faerthurin. King Gwainor” lord Ivlisar recited bitterly.
An ominous silence invaded the room.
The queen shifted her blazing gaze from lord’s Ivlisar stricken face and focused on the entire room. “Do any of you have other requests or would like to be reminded of who is the king? Do you need to be told who has fought and kept this nation safe for hundreds of years?” The lords glanced at each other, cleared their throats and shifted awkwardly on the chairs but no one among them had the courage to speak.
“Mmmh…good” Val’s demeanor softened. Seeing nobody had something to say she motioned for the rest to leave the hall with a flick of her fingers. Calemir stayed behind.
“How can it be” his mother cried as she collapsed into his arms after the last elder departed and the two of them were left alone. He felt a pinch on his forearms, her fingers grasping the black embroidered tunic he wore tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and gently pressed her head to his chest. “I have tried everything” she sobbed.
“It will be alright soon” he muttered softly, gently patting her back. He felt her disappointment-it numbed his high and slowed his drumming heartbeat. He wished he could take away the guilt that filled her heart, the guilt of failing to heal her other half when she could heal thousands with her healing powers.
Were they not so unfortunate people! Calemir smothered a bitter laugh as he considered of their unfavorable likeness. He was an empath who was not only able to feel other’s emotions but had the rare ability to manipulate them except his mother. Not because he couldn’t use it on her, it was that she had made him swear never to use his ability on her and in return he had sworn he would never do it despite how tempted he felt now. Once an elf promised, he could not go against his word. He was bound to keep it. He closed his eyes briefly in frustration then opened them.
Calemir leaned back, placed his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. He looked at her and muttered softly, “Soon everything will be right, and father will come back. Soon mother, do not worry.”
Chapter Nine
Nara tied up Lucky’s ropes around the tree and checked if she had knotted it well and comfortable for her to move around in an acceptable distance. Lucky immediately sidled against the tree and folded her legs under her belly. Nara patted the steed’s smooth forehead and watched her big droopy eyes close. They’d stopped to make camp deep in the woodlands for the night after long four restless days of riding. They chose to camp near a clear flowing stream for easy access for the horses and them to drink and use.
Nara approached one of two circles her fellow warriors had formed earlier around burning chopped branches of wood and found a spot in the circle to sit. She breathed in the delicious aroma of a smoked doe they had caught for supper. Her empty stomach growled in response and her mouth watered.
“Here.” Astrid who sat beside her offered her a large tin bowl with well cooked meat in it. She took hold of the bowl and briefly met her eyes in acknowledgment and gratitude.
“Thank you”, Nara murmured and hurriedly bit into a large piece of meat.
The woods were quiet as the warriors ate. Not a single sound managed to invade the impenetrable invisible barrier of grief surrounding them. Not even the sound of people chewing, swallowing and drinking stirred amused or annoyed remarks. Abasi’s betrayal had hit hard and honestly, took them by surprise. Each face Nara peaked at beneath her eyelashes as she chewed on the meat wore the expression of sorrow. The death of their fellow mates had affected them greatly than any other time when one of them got killed on a mission. Her eyes searched for Barra among the heads bowed in silent resignation for the lost ones and found him seated quietly in the other circle few strides apart from where she sat. He too couldn’t escape the oppressive gloom, -although his eyes narrowed in concentration as he stared at a moth dancing at edges of the hot flames in front of him, sadness still shadowed his features.
“He is grieving like the rest of us, yet he’ll not show it for our sake,” Astrid whispered loud enough for her to hear alone. She agreed with Astrid’s words altogether, Barra was forced to remain tough, unaffected, his head cools for them, and every time she glanced his way it seemed his face contorted into something darker behind the dancing flames. From sadness to fury. Nara did not know what to say instead she finished the last piece of meat and placed the empty bowl on the grass under her bent knees.