Lights of agramont trilo.., p.67
Lights of Agramont Trilogy, page 67
She stands and presses her breasts against his back. “Yes … I … he did. Now I’m not so sure.”
“Why? Because of me?” Kriv asks.
“Yes. You are so handsome, Kriv. You are kind, caring, passionate, wonderful, and everything I want in a man.”
“I can’t be the man you need, Niv. I could have been … but not now. I can’t give you children or fulfill your needs.”
She kisses the back of his neck. “I don’t care about that.”
“Not right now but you will. Once Valen and Tyrran are older, you will want more children. You are so loving and you need to be a mother. You’re still young and have many child-bearing years ahead of you. Ravier can give you many children.”
“Kriv, please. I don’t want to talk about this.” Nivalaya says.
He turns around and takes her arms in his hands. “Well it needs to be talked about. I’m telling you this right now. If I stay here tonight, you have to promise to marry me in the morning.”
“What? Are you insane?”
“No. If I stay here and we make whatever sort of love we can, then I have to know that I have your heart. If not, then let me leave and never pressure me again. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t value my trust and emotions over physical gratification.”
Niv stares into his eyes. “I can’t marry you.”
“Then I’m leaving.” Kriv says. “It’s that simple. You are caught up in your emotions right now. Try to get some sleep and when Ravier comes in, love him and talk about this with him. He will be your husband soon and trust is the basis of any relationship.”
“Then let yourself learn to trust me again. I know you are hurting because of me. I don’t want to see you hurting anymore. You are too good of a man to continue suffering. Allow me to help you.” She picks up her flute. “Will you play with me like we used to?”
Kriv pulls out his tin whistle from his boot. “I can try. I will never be as good as you. You truly missed your calling. Never stop playing your music. It’s beyond anything I have ever heard.”
“Thank you, Kriv. I’ll start and you join in.” She begins to play.
Kriv is completely captivated by her and the slow fluttering notes of her music. She is beautiful and her music is her essence. He can’t help but stare and lose himself in it all, the gentle crescendos and changing tempos, the way she sways with the music, and her fingers dancing along the glistening silver. This is what he had fallen in love with so many years ago. He can’t deny the way he feels and the music isn’t helping. When he joins in, their notes create a haunting harmony that echoes in the room and sends a chill down Kriv’s spine.
When the song is over, Niv throws down her flute on the bed and slips her dress from her shoulders. She takes Kriv’s hands and guides them over her body. He feels her smooth, warm skin. As he caresses her hips and up to her chest, she sighs and leans closer to him. Her breasts are silky and creamy white, firm and enticing. Kriv knows he can’t resist her. He tangles his fingers in her hair and she runs her hands up his legs.
He pushes her down on the bed and slides his hand between her legs as he kisses her breasts. Niv’s thighs are hot and wet. Kriv wishes with all he is that he could do something about it. There’s no doubt he would take her right now if he could. Niv’s breathing is slow and light and she doesn’t move. Kriv looks at her. She’s asleep. He laughs to himself. Of course. He pulls the blanket over her and kisses her lips. “Goodnight, Niv.”
31
Kriv wakes up as someone unlocks the door. This isn’t going to be good. Nothing good ever happens when a man and a woman are locked in a room overnight and the woman’s fiancé returns to find them there in the morning. It’s even worse when it’s an Honored. Worse yet? He’s the Honored of Fire.
Ravier steps inside and tosses his bag on the table. “Nivalaya, get dressed and leave the room. I don’t want you to see me kill Tide-Storm.”
“Ravier?” Niv pushes her hair out of her face and sits up, still half asleep. “What are you doing here?”
“This is my room. Maybe you’ve forgotten. But I’m just now returning from where Cailen dragged me off to last night. Now I see why he wanted me to leave so badly. Niv, have you been drinking?”
She rubs her eyes. “I think so.”
Kriv stands and gathers his things. “Yes. We had some wine and some rum and that’s all. She fell asleep.”
“Niv, what did he do to you?”
Kriv laughs and pulls on his coat. “You forget, Ravier … I’m not like you. What’s the worst I could have done?”
“He didn’t do anything like that. We talked and played some music then fell asleep.” Nivalaya says.
“Then why are you naked?” Ravier asks.
“Oh.” She covers herself and blushes. “Kriv, can you hand me my dress?”
He picks up her dress and tosses it to her.
“Where’s her underwear?” Ravier asks. He looks ready to attack Kriv.
Kriv grins and pushes past him. “She wasn’t wearing any.”
When Kriv steps out into the main room, everyone stares at him. Lens Aren claps his hands. “Good morning, Divine Commander. Tell us, did you and Nivalaya make more than music together last night?”
Kriv joins them and pours a cup of tea. “First off, I don’t answer to any of you. Second, why would I do something like that?”
“Because you love her.” Captain Myar says.
“No, I don’t.” He shrugs and takes a bite out of a biscuit. “You are working off of theories, not facts. Just ask her.”
“Just ask her what?” Serilom asks as he enters the room and sits next to Kriv. “Where were you last night?”
Lens Aren leans over the table. “He was in Niv’s room.”
Serilom pours a cup of tea. “Okay.”
“Your lover spends the night alone with a woman and you act like it doesn’t matter.” Myar shakes his head and spreads butter on his biscuit.
“He didn’t do anything. He can’t do anything.” Serilom says.
“See? I’m innocent.” Kriv winks.
Cailen grabs another biscuit. “You’re as innocent as a mistress of a brothel.”
Kriv grins and leans back in his chair, his feet on the table. “Say what you will. You can’t convict me of anything.”
“So you’re lying?” Myar asks.
“What do I have to lie about? Like Serilom said, I can’t do anything for a woman. Isn’t that right?”
Serilom looks hurt. “Kriv?”
“You are all so entertaining to mess with. I, for one, feel great this morning and I think that I might head out into the desert for a couple of hours just to clear my mind. Who’s coming with me?” Kriv stands and grabs two more biscuits. “Come on, Serilom. These people are boring.”
*
As they walk past the city gates and out into the desert, Kriv whistles and keeps an eye on Serilom’s mood. How is he taking this? He wants to make him squirm. Why? Because he can and he’s bored. Not to be mean, just to experiment a bit. How far can he push Serilom before he breaks? When Serilom speaks, Kriv knows he might need to dial it back a bit.
“So, you didn’t do anything right? I mean … I can’t lose you. You couldn’t have done anything.” Serilom says.
“There are many other ways to please a woman, Orrentius.”
“You’re joking.”
Kriv stops and flashes a bright smile. “Tell me I’ve told you about the Love Hurricane.”
“Oh hell, not that again.”
“But see? No one believes me because I’m innocent and I can’t do anything. Right?”
Serilom stares at the sand under his feet. “You were intimate with her.”
“Yes and I honestly feel terrible about it.” Kriv says.
“So where do I stand in all of this?”
Kriv takes his hand. He knows he’s gone too far. This is hurting Serilom a lot more than he thought it would. Since when is Kriv so terrible at loving Serilom? Why can’t he do anything right anymore? Even when Kriv tries to play around, Serilom takes offense to it. He has to try to make this right. “Where you always have been. It was one night and we needed to be able to move on from the feelings we had for each other back in Agareth so long ago. It was nothing more than that.”
Serilom pulls away from him and keeps walking into the dunes dotted with tiny green cacti.
“Serilom, stop. Come back and talk to me.” Kriv calls out to him.
Serilom turns back to him and shakes his head. “No. You think it’s so funny, don’t you?”
Kriv runs to him. “I’m sorry. I was trying to joke around. Last night was just me and Niv trying to get past everything.”
“And you forgot about me.” Serilom says.
“Serilom … please see this from my point of view.”
Serilom turns to Kriv. “I can’t. You know why? Because unlike you, I had the self control and cared enough about you to not take Niv when I could that night in Cierson. You thought I had and you were pissed off. Rightly so. Now you do the same thing and it’s okay?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Kriv says. Why can’t he form the right words to get Serilom to listen?
“Then what are you saying, Kriv?”
“That we were getting intimate and then she … fell asleep.” Kriv says.
“Really?”
Well this is embarrassing. “Yes. Nothing happened. I didn’t even take my clothes off. After that, I read for a bit and then fell asleep until Ravier came in. I swear.”
“I actually kind of feel bad for you, Brother.” Serilom says as he smiles.
“It’s just as well. But I did find out that I can still arouse women. That counts for something, right?” Kriv asks.
“Sure. Then you make them fall asleep. You sure are gifted, Tide-Storm.”
“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” Kriv says.
“Wait!” Serilom starts laughing. “If you still had your-”
“Shut up Orrentius. I know where this is going and it’s not funny.”
“You could call it the Lullaby Blade.” Serilom doubles over in a fit of laughter.
He should have seen that coming. Kriv can’t help but smile. “You are a piece of work, aren’t you?”
“I learned from the best.” Serilom says with a smile.
“Seems like crude humor runs in your family.”
“What do you mean?” Serilom asks as he catches his breath.
“Your brother is the same way.”
Serilom takes Kriv’s hand. “We may be related by blood, but Argrin is not my brother. You are my brother now, Kriv. Nothing will change that. Even if you and I are no longer romantic or intimate, you will still be my blood brother.”
Well, that’s not very comforting to hear. Kriv didn’t think things had fallen apart that much. He has to move at the pace Serilom wants. “I know. It’s scary how much you two are alike.”
“Oh great. Really?”
“Yes. If you had red hair and grey eyes, you would be an exact copy of Argrin. Surely you noticed the similarities. Wait … you know what? We could make use of that. Ever feel like commanding a demon army?” Kriv asks with a dark grin on his face.
“You and your crazy ideas.”
“I’m a bard. It’s what we do. Name one sane bard.” Kriv says.
“You have a point there.”
Now it’s Kriv’s turn to make Serilom blush. “So what do you call yours?”
Mission accomplished. Serilom blushes. “We’re not having this conversation. If we were going to have this extremely awkward and disturbing conversation, I would have to tell you that it doesn’t have a name.”
“Then I’ll make one up for you.” Kriv says.
“For the love of The Creator, Kriv, stop. Hell, normal people don’t have conversations like this.”
Kriv takes Serilom’s hand. “We’re definitely not normal.”
“Really, though. If you say one more word about my penis, I will hurt you.”
Kriv shrugs. “You started it.”
“And I’m ending it. Now, what are we doing out here? It’s hot.”
Kriv drops down in the sand and falls backwards. He spreads out his arms and feels the sun on his face. “Sometimes I like to come out here and remind myself how much I need the water.”
Serilom joins him. “Do you miss it?”
“My magic? Yes. Though surprisingly not as much as I thought I would. It was really bad at first, but now I’m learning to deal without it. I came out here because we still have some things to discuss.”
Serilom laces his fingers with Kriv’s. “Like what?”
Kriv smiles as he squeezes Serilom’s hand. There is hope for them yet. “What happened after we returned from Agramont.”
“Nope. What’s done is done. We aren’t talking about that anymore. We worked it out and even though it might still hurt, there is no reason to reopen a healing wound. Okay?”
Kriv sighs and moves closer to Serilom. They stare up at the cloudless sky and feel the warm sun heating their skin. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Kriv, if I got mad at you every time I should, I would only know one emotion. That would be anger. But I love you so I can’t stay mad at you. You just really know how to get under my skin and piss me off.”
Kriv giggles and kisses his cheek. “I do that to a lot of people, don’t I?”
“Yes. But I know that you do it because you love me and you can’t help it. It’s part of who you are and I should have seen it coming when I got involved with a bard.”
“That is true, you know? We bards are tricky people.”
Serilom rolls his eyes and smiles. “So forget about Agramont. We will deal with that when it happens. Until then, we need to be happy and enjoy the time we do have together. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, there will be a way around it or it won’t be as bad as it seems.”
“It’s not like you to be optimistic, Orrentius.”
“One of us has to be. You used to be the happy one. Now you’re moping around and trying to kill yourself.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Kriv says as he holds onto Serilom tighter. He never wants to let go. Could they stay here forever and die like this in each other’s arms?
“If you ever do anything like that again, I will lock you up in a room without anything in it and I will have people watch you all hours of the day and night. The world can’t lose a bright soul like yours when it’s about to fall into darkness. We need you, Kriv. Everyone needs you. Whether you choose to see it or not, you are the one person who can save us all. The world needs a savior and you are that savior.”
“Why me?” Kriv asks.
“You don’t know? Why do you think your soul shines so much brighter than all the others? You have been chosen by The Creator to lead us all past this darkness.” Serilom says as he turns over to look at Kriv.
“Since when are you so trusting in The Creator?” Kriv asks.
“Since I stole your book.” Serilom says with a mischievous smile.
Really? Since when can Serilom be sneaky? “You were reading it?”
“Yes. Keep in mind that I can’t read as fast as you and I probably will never finish it, but I looked through it and some things caught my eye. I can’t understand a lot of it, but what I could really made me think about things. So, yes. You need to stay strong and trust in The Creator. Your life has so much value and The Creator loves you. He hasn’t given up on you or abandoned you. I also came to the conclusion that if The Creator won’t take me until my purpose is complete, then by the time you kill me, I will have done all I ever mean to. I’m fine with that. After all, if there’s nothing for me live for, then why keep living? The Creator put me here for a reason and I have to fulfill that. It’s okay. The same goes for you so don’t give up hope.”
“Well, I guess I’m going to need my book back.” Kriv says.
“Good. You need it.”
“Serilom, do you think The Creator is the one who kept Nathisa and the children safe?” Kriv asks.
Serilom stares at the sun and squints. “Maybe. Whoever it was, I’m grateful. I’m also grateful that my mother is staying here in Agareth with us. She is going to help with the children while we are away. I think she feels like she has to make up for not being there for me all these years.”
“It’s not really her fault, though.”
“I know.” Serilom says. “And from everything I’ve found out, I don’t think my father was very nice to her. He used her and then left her.”
“That happens a lot more than you’d think. Most men don’t want to stay in a relationship when they can have a different woman every night. I guess for some it’s okay, but I have never been able to understand that. In literature, the greatest romances are when people mate for life. It’s the most beautiful thing ever and I have always wanted that.”
Serilom picks up a handful of sand and lets it sift through his fingers. “Do you have that now? I mean … I don’t know if this counts as mating, but … I will always love you. That has to count for something.”
“It counts for everything.”
“Really? That actually makes me truly happy to know that.” Serilom says. “I want to be everything you have ever wanted. You of all people deserve to find peace and love. Your life hasn’t exactly been filled with love and peace. Do I do a good enough job? I know that you and I haven’t had much time together lately, but know that I haven’t stopped loving you, Kriv. Sometimes we are going to be apart for a little while, but that doesn’t mean that what we had is gone. It will come back, don’t worry. When things calm down and we aren’t struggling every day to stay alive and avoid catastrophe, we will be like we were. I haven’t given up on us and I hope that you haven’t either.”
So it’s not over? Kriv moves close to Serilom and holds him. “I will never give up on us. It has just been hard to watch you and Niv together and I miss you. I miss the intimacy we had before all of this. I miss how we were in Cierson when I was their admiral and we had everything we needed. Believe it or not, there were times when I was happy. I truly was. Even when I was gone for weeks at a time, I knew that you were waiting on me to come home and would greet me with open arms and a smile. We didn’t need anyone else. We didn’t have to worry like we do now. It was easier to love back then when our world wasn’t filled with hate. Maybe that’s because I have seen a darker, hate-filled side of me that I never thought existed. Does that mean I can’t love as fully as I have before? I feel distant from you, almost as if I’m watching you through a window and I’m pounding on it, but the glass won’t shatter and let me to you. You are closed off from me and I am doing all I can to get back to you and back to how we were before.”
“Why? Because of me?” Kriv asks.
“Yes. You are so handsome, Kriv. You are kind, caring, passionate, wonderful, and everything I want in a man.”
“I can’t be the man you need, Niv. I could have been … but not now. I can’t give you children or fulfill your needs.”
She kisses the back of his neck. “I don’t care about that.”
“Not right now but you will. Once Valen and Tyrran are older, you will want more children. You are so loving and you need to be a mother. You’re still young and have many child-bearing years ahead of you. Ravier can give you many children.”
“Kriv, please. I don’t want to talk about this.” Nivalaya says.
He turns around and takes her arms in his hands. “Well it needs to be talked about. I’m telling you this right now. If I stay here tonight, you have to promise to marry me in the morning.”
“What? Are you insane?”
“No. If I stay here and we make whatever sort of love we can, then I have to know that I have your heart. If not, then let me leave and never pressure me again. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t value my trust and emotions over physical gratification.”
Niv stares into his eyes. “I can’t marry you.”
“Then I’m leaving.” Kriv says. “It’s that simple. You are caught up in your emotions right now. Try to get some sleep and when Ravier comes in, love him and talk about this with him. He will be your husband soon and trust is the basis of any relationship.”
“Then let yourself learn to trust me again. I know you are hurting because of me. I don’t want to see you hurting anymore. You are too good of a man to continue suffering. Allow me to help you.” She picks up her flute. “Will you play with me like we used to?”
Kriv pulls out his tin whistle from his boot. “I can try. I will never be as good as you. You truly missed your calling. Never stop playing your music. It’s beyond anything I have ever heard.”
“Thank you, Kriv. I’ll start and you join in.” She begins to play.
Kriv is completely captivated by her and the slow fluttering notes of her music. She is beautiful and her music is her essence. He can’t help but stare and lose himself in it all, the gentle crescendos and changing tempos, the way she sways with the music, and her fingers dancing along the glistening silver. This is what he had fallen in love with so many years ago. He can’t deny the way he feels and the music isn’t helping. When he joins in, their notes create a haunting harmony that echoes in the room and sends a chill down Kriv’s spine.
When the song is over, Niv throws down her flute on the bed and slips her dress from her shoulders. She takes Kriv’s hands and guides them over her body. He feels her smooth, warm skin. As he caresses her hips and up to her chest, she sighs and leans closer to him. Her breasts are silky and creamy white, firm and enticing. Kriv knows he can’t resist her. He tangles his fingers in her hair and she runs her hands up his legs.
He pushes her down on the bed and slides his hand between her legs as he kisses her breasts. Niv’s thighs are hot and wet. Kriv wishes with all he is that he could do something about it. There’s no doubt he would take her right now if he could. Niv’s breathing is slow and light and she doesn’t move. Kriv looks at her. She’s asleep. He laughs to himself. Of course. He pulls the blanket over her and kisses her lips. “Goodnight, Niv.”
31
Kriv wakes up as someone unlocks the door. This isn’t going to be good. Nothing good ever happens when a man and a woman are locked in a room overnight and the woman’s fiancé returns to find them there in the morning. It’s even worse when it’s an Honored. Worse yet? He’s the Honored of Fire.
Ravier steps inside and tosses his bag on the table. “Nivalaya, get dressed and leave the room. I don’t want you to see me kill Tide-Storm.”
“Ravier?” Niv pushes her hair out of her face and sits up, still half asleep. “What are you doing here?”
“This is my room. Maybe you’ve forgotten. But I’m just now returning from where Cailen dragged me off to last night. Now I see why he wanted me to leave so badly. Niv, have you been drinking?”
She rubs her eyes. “I think so.”
Kriv stands and gathers his things. “Yes. We had some wine and some rum and that’s all. She fell asleep.”
“Niv, what did he do to you?”
Kriv laughs and pulls on his coat. “You forget, Ravier … I’m not like you. What’s the worst I could have done?”
“He didn’t do anything like that. We talked and played some music then fell asleep.” Nivalaya says.
“Then why are you naked?” Ravier asks.
“Oh.” She covers herself and blushes. “Kriv, can you hand me my dress?”
He picks up her dress and tosses it to her.
“Where’s her underwear?” Ravier asks. He looks ready to attack Kriv.
Kriv grins and pushes past him. “She wasn’t wearing any.”
When Kriv steps out into the main room, everyone stares at him. Lens Aren claps his hands. “Good morning, Divine Commander. Tell us, did you and Nivalaya make more than music together last night?”
Kriv joins them and pours a cup of tea. “First off, I don’t answer to any of you. Second, why would I do something like that?”
“Because you love her.” Captain Myar says.
“No, I don’t.” He shrugs and takes a bite out of a biscuit. “You are working off of theories, not facts. Just ask her.”
“Just ask her what?” Serilom asks as he enters the room and sits next to Kriv. “Where were you last night?”
Lens Aren leans over the table. “He was in Niv’s room.”
Serilom pours a cup of tea. “Okay.”
“Your lover spends the night alone with a woman and you act like it doesn’t matter.” Myar shakes his head and spreads butter on his biscuit.
“He didn’t do anything. He can’t do anything.” Serilom says.
“See? I’m innocent.” Kriv winks.
Cailen grabs another biscuit. “You’re as innocent as a mistress of a brothel.”
Kriv grins and leans back in his chair, his feet on the table. “Say what you will. You can’t convict me of anything.”
“So you’re lying?” Myar asks.
“What do I have to lie about? Like Serilom said, I can’t do anything for a woman. Isn’t that right?”
Serilom looks hurt. “Kriv?”
“You are all so entertaining to mess with. I, for one, feel great this morning and I think that I might head out into the desert for a couple of hours just to clear my mind. Who’s coming with me?” Kriv stands and grabs two more biscuits. “Come on, Serilom. These people are boring.”
*
As they walk past the city gates and out into the desert, Kriv whistles and keeps an eye on Serilom’s mood. How is he taking this? He wants to make him squirm. Why? Because he can and he’s bored. Not to be mean, just to experiment a bit. How far can he push Serilom before he breaks? When Serilom speaks, Kriv knows he might need to dial it back a bit.
“So, you didn’t do anything right? I mean … I can’t lose you. You couldn’t have done anything.” Serilom says.
“There are many other ways to please a woman, Orrentius.”
“You’re joking.”
Kriv stops and flashes a bright smile. “Tell me I’ve told you about the Love Hurricane.”
“Oh hell, not that again.”
“But see? No one believes me because I’m innocent and I can’t do anything. Right?”
Serilom stares at the sand under his feet. “You were intimate with her.”
“Yes and I honestly feel terrible about it.” Kriv says.
“So where do I stand in all of this?”
Kriv takes his hand. He knows he’s gone too far. This is hurting Serilom a lot more than he thought it would. Since when is Kriv so terrible at loving Serilom? Why can’t he do anything right anymore? Even when Kriv tries to play around, Serilom takes offense to it. He has to try to make this right. “Where you always have been. It was one night and we needed to be able to move on from the feelings we had for each other back in Agareth so long ago. It was nothing more than that.”
Serilom pulls away from him and keeps walking into the dunes dotted with tiny green cacti.
“Serilom, stop. Come back and talk to me.” Kriv calls out to him.
Serilom turns back to him and shakes his head. “No. You think it’s so funny, don’t you?”
Kriv runs to him. “I’m sorry. I was trying to joke around. Last night was just me and Niv trying to get past everything.”
“And you forgot about me.” Serilom says.
“Serilom … please see this from my point of view.”
Serilom turns to Kriv. “I can’t. You know why? Because unlike you, I had the self control and cared enough about you to not take Niv when I could that night in Cierson. You thought I had and you were pissed off. Rightly so. Now you do the same thing and it’s okay?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Kriv says. Why can’t he form the right words to get Serilom to listen?
“Then what are you saying, Kriv?”
“That we were getting intimate and then she … fell asleep.” Kriv says.
“Really?”
Well this is embarrassing. “Yes. Nothing happened. I didn’t even take my clothes off. After that, I read for a bit and then fell asleep until Ravier came in. I swear.”
“I actually kind of feel bad for you, Brother.” Serilom says as he smiles.
“It’s just as well. But I did find out that I can still arouse women. That counts for something, right?” Kriv asks.
“Sure. Then you make them fall asleep. You sure are gifted, Tide-Storm.”
“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” Kriv says.
“Wait!” Serilom starts laughing. “If you still had your-”
“Shut up Orrentius. I know where this is going and it’s not funny.”
“You could call it the Lullaby Blade.” Serilom doubles over in a fit of laughter.
He should have seen that coming. Kriv can’t help but smile. “You are a piece of work, aren’t you?”
“I learned from the best.” Serilom says with a smile.
“Seems like crude humor runs in your family.”
“What do you mean?” Serilom asks as he catches his breath.
“Your brother is the same way.”
Serilom takes Kriv’s hand. “We may be related by blood, but Argrin is not my brother. You are my brother now, Kriv. Nothing will change that. Even if you and I are no longer romantic or intimate, you will still be my blood brother.”
Well, that’s not very comforting to hear. Kriv didn’t think things had fallen apart that much. He has to move at the pace Serilom wants. “I know. It’s scary how much you two are alike.”
“Oh great. Really?”
“Yes. If you had red hair and grey eyes, you would be an exact copy of Argrin. Surely you noticed the similarities. Wait … you know what? We could make use of that. Ever feel like commanding a demon army?” Kriv asks with a dark grin on his face.
“You and your crazy ideas.”
“I’m a bard. It’s what we do. Name one sane bard.” Kriv says.
“You have a point there.”
Now it’s Kriv’s turn to make Serilom blush. “So what do you call yours?”
Mission accomplished. Serilom blushes. “We’re not having this conversation. If we were going to have this extremely awkward and disturbing conversation, I would have to tell you that it doesn’t have a name.”
“Then I’ll make one up for you.” Kriv says.
“For the love of The Creator, Kriv, stop. Hell, normal people don’t have conversations like this.”
Kriv takes Serilom’s hand. “We’re definitely not normal.”
“Really, though. If you say one more word about my penis, I will hurt you.”
Kriv shrugs. “You started it.”
“And I’m ending it. Now, what are we doing out here? It’s hot.”
Kriv drops down in the sand and falls backwards. He spreads out his arms and feels the sun on his face. “Sometimes I like to come out here and remind myself how much I need the water.”
Serilom joins him. “Do you miss it?”
“My magic? Yes. Though surprisingly not as much as I thought I would. It was really bad at first, but now I’m learning to deal without it. I came out here because we still have some things to discuss.”
Serilom laces his fingers with Kriv’s. “Like what?”
Kriv smiles as he squeezes Serilom’s hand. There is hope for them yet. “What happened after we returned from Agramont.”
“Nope. What’s done is done. We aren’t talking about that anymore. We worked it out and even though it might still hurt, there is no reason to reopen a healing wound. Okay?”
Kriv sighs and moves closer to Serilom. They stare up at the cloudless sky and feel the warm sun heating their skin. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Kriv, if I got mad at you every time I should, I would only know one emotion. That would be anger. But I love you so I can’t stay mad at you. You just really know how to get under my skin and piss me off.”
Kriv giggles and kisses his cheek. “I do that to a lot of people, don’t I?”
“Yes. But I know that you do it because you love me and you can’t help it. It’s part of who you are and I should have seen it coming when I got involved with a bard.”
“That is true, you know? We bards are tricky people.”
Serilom rolls his eyes and smiles. “So forget about Agramont. We will deal with that when it happens. Until then, we need to be happy and enjoy the time we do have together. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, there will be a way around it or it won’t be as bad as it seems.”
“It’s not like you to be optimistic, Orrentius.”
“One of us has to be. You used to be the happy one. Now you’re moping around and trying to kill yourself.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Kriv says as he holds onto Serilom tighter. He never wants to let go. Could they stay here forever and die like this in each other’s arms?
“If you ever do anything like that again, I will lock you up in a room without anything in it and I will have people watch you all hours of the day and night. The world can’t lose a bright soul like yours when it’s about to fall into darkness. We need you, Kriv. Everyone needs you. Whether you choose to see it or not, you are the one person who can save us all. The world needs a savior and you are that savior.”
“Why me?” Kriv asks.
“You don’t know? Why do you think your soul shines so much brighter than all the others? You have been chosen by The Creator to lead us all past this darkness.” Serilom says as he turns over to look at Kriv.
“Since when are you so trusting in The Creator?” Kriv asks.
“Since I stole your book.” Serilom says with a mischievous smile.
Really? Since when can Serilom be sneaky? “You were reading it?”
“Yes. Keep in mind that I can’t read as fast as you and I probably will never finish it, but I looked through it and some things caught my eye. I can’t understand a lot of it, but what I could really made me think about things. So, yes. You need to stay strong and trust in The Creator. Your life has so much value and The Creator loves you. He hasn’t given up on you or abandoned you. I also came to the conclusion that if The Creator won’t take me until my purpose is complete, then by the time you kill me, I will have done all I ever mean to. I’m fine with that. After all, if there’s nothing for me live for, then why keep living? The Creator put me here for a reason and I have to fulfill that. It’s okay. The same goes for you so don’t give up hope.”
“Well, I guess I’m going to need my book back.” Kriv says.
“Good. You need it.”
“Serilom, do you think The Creator is the one who kept Nathisa and the children safe?” Kriv asks.
Serilom stares at the sun and squints. “Maybe. Whoever it was, I’m grateful. I’m also grateful that my mother is staying here in Agareth with us. She is going to help with the children while we are away. I think she feels like she has to make up for not being there for me all these years.”
“It’s not really her fault, though.”
“I know.” Serilom says. “And from everything I’ve found out, I don’t think my father was very nice to her. He used her and then left her.”
“That happens a lot more than you’d think. Most men don’t want to stay in a relationship when they can have a different woman every night. I guess for some it’s okay, but I have never been able to understand that. In literature, the greatest romances are when people mate for life. It’s the most beautiful thing ever and I have always wanted that.”
Serilom picks up a handful of sand and lets it sift through his fingers. “Do you have that now? I mean … I don’t know if this counts as mating, but … I will always love you. That has to count for something.”
“It counts for everything.”
“Really? That actually makes me truly happy to know that.” Serilom says. “I want to be everything you have ever wanted. You of all people deserve to find peace and love. Your life hasn’t exactly been filled with love and peace. Do I do a good enough job? I know that you and I haven’t had much time together lately, but know that I haven’t stopped loving you, Kriv. Sometimes we are going to be apart for a little while, but that doesn’t mean that what we had is gone. It will come back, don’t worry. When things calm down and we aren’t struggling every day to stay alive and avoid catastrophe, we will be like we were. I haven’t given up on us and I hope that you haven’t either.”
So it’s not over? Kriv moves close to Serilom and holds him. “I will never give up on us. It has just been hard to watch you and Niv together and I miss you. I miss the intimacy we had before all of this. I miss how we were in Cierson when I was their admiral and we had everything we needed. Believe it or not, there were times when I was happy. I truly was. Even when I was gone for weeks at a time, I knew that you were waiting on me to come home and would greet me with open arms and a smile. We didn’t need anyone else. We didn’t have to worry like we do now. It was easier to love back then when our world wasn’t filled with hate. Maybe that’s because I have seen a darker, hate-filled side of me that I never thought existed. Does that mean I can’t love as fully as I have before? I feel distant from you, almost as if I’m watching you through a window and I’m pounding on it, but the glass won’t shatter and let me to you. You are closed off from me and I am doing all I can to get back to you and back to how we were before.”
