27
(Silnaday, cont.)
Cyanus led Elíaz and D’zani to the Wind Rose.
“Get something to eat if you are hungry,” Cyanus invited.
“I suppose I haven’t eaten since breakfast. Thank you,” Elíaz said, taking a tray and selecting some fish and chips. “Did you want something, D’zani?”
“I think I’ll get the same. I sort of forgot to eat breakfast in my worry about you,” she replied.
Cyanus sat and they joined him.
“So, Elíaz. I managed to get D’zani to open up to me about you a little. I was slightly concerned because she was clearly meeting you without wanting people here to know. She was scared that you might be Balan. Obviously, she ended up being right, but you still managed to get her trust,” Cyanus observed. “How did you manage that?”
Elíaz told him the story.
“You took a Death Edict rather than betray her trust of you. That’s impressive,” Cyanus replied at the end of the tale.
“To me, it was simply a matter of honor. What Tasp and Elið asked me to do was dishonorable. I thought it was some sort of defect in me until I met Zilan. Do you know of him?”
“Only in passing,” Cyanus replied, keenly interested. “How did you come to meet Zilan?”
“He and his student have been sentenced with the Death Edict. We were told about it – told he was the most dangerous man we’d ever meet. We were ordered to attack them to claim the honor of fulfilling their Edicts. It was just him and the girl. They were no threat to us. I didn’t want to fight him, but we were made to anyway.”
“That’s why you knew about that battle,” D’zani interjected.
He nodded at her. “I couldn’t tell you how I knew about it because I was afraid you’d not want to see me again.”
“I don’t think I would have been afraid of you. But you may be right – I might not have seen you again,” D’zani admitted.
“I’m glad you did though,” he said putting his arm around her.
“We were called to investigate,” Cyanus recalled. “One of the cholas sensed two strong shazes against six weaker ones who didn’t want to fight.”
Elíaz nodded. “I could have handled the girl, I’m certain. But it didn’t feel right. Then, here’s what got me. Though Zilan could easily have killed us all, he didn’t even fight us to his best ability – only enough to defeat us, then he let us go. He is an honorable man, for whatever else he might be,” Elíaz said.
“Did you catch the name of his student?” Cyanus asked.
“Not properly. I think it began with ‘I,’” Elíaz replied.
“That might be Iyva then,” Cyanus said hopefully.
“That could have been it. You don’t hear everything correctly during a fight,” Elíaz said.
“She was a student of ours who disappeared about a year ago. We recently saw footage that showed they’d been in our greenhouses. They didn’t hurt anything or take anything. They were just there.”
“Could I see the footage?” Elíaz asked.
Cyanus pulled it up on his flyppad and showed it to Elíaz.
“That’s them,” he confirmed. “Any idea where they went after they left Towani?”
“We’ve heard rumors that they might be in Joton. He’s teaching and she’s studying.”
“I would like to catch up with them, somehow,” Elíaz said.
“They are under new aliases, possibly ‘Shadow’ and are understandably skittish with the Death Edicts on them,” Cyanus said. “Why don’t you stay with us awhile.”
“I would like that,” he said squeezing D’zani’s hand. “But if Zilan ever visits Towani again, I intend to go with him and learn from him. What I saw in that warehouse is very special.”
Cyanus nodded his understanding. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that, besides, Cyanus was convinced that Zilan was an ally.
Zara showed Emeric all the local sites that she had found since moving to Towani City.
She felt at ease with him. No need to impress him or do anything fancy – just the desire to be with him as much as she could find excuse to. Even through her past hurts, she recognized that this was different to how it had ever been with Jeftey.
Zara was amazed with how Emeric had opened up to her, how they had grown so comfortable together already. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she did know that Emeric made her feel amazing.
They sat with a late lunch, watching the gulls, even feeding them from time to time. She leaned against him, his arm around her.
“I can feel your fear, my love,” Emeric said.
“I don’t want this to end,” she replied. “I’ve been told sweet things before, only to have it yanked out from underneath me. I never knew what I did wrong.”
“This doesn’t have to end,” he replied. “I always want to be with you. I can’t imagine that changing.”
“Jeftey also pressured me… before. I told him that I wanted to wait until we were properly committed to each other. He didn’t like that, of course. I thought we were progressing towards that commitment when he ended it.”
“You are in control,” Emeric said. “Didn’t I prove that to you this morning?”
Zara nodded slightly. She thought about the fact that she had wanted him just as badly, then chased that thought out of her mind with the worry that she might succumb to temptation only to be let down and hurt again.
“I understand,” he said gently.
She blushed deeply, realizing that he’d heard her unguarded thought.
“I want to show you that I’m safe with your thoughts and feelings,” he said pulling her into his arms. “I want you, but not just as a one-off event. I want you in my life – always.”
“You hardly know me,” she said.
“Time isn’t all that important. How long were you with Jeftey?” he asked.
“Three years,” she replied.
“And you were still disappointed. How long did your sister know Akeld?”
“Seven days when they got engaged, not even a full week!” Zara said, smiling. “But they’ve not been married even a year yet.”
“My own parents, both A’mara, were engaged just as quickly. They are still together. Like I said earlier, things work differently with A’mara. We have the leya to guide us, if we choose to listen to it. It takes out most of the guesswork. With most A’mara, the success of a relationship has more to do with commitment issues than it does compatibility. The leya tends to make compatibility fairly obvious. We’re still just human and can make mistakes, but usually we can work through it. We don’t see relationships as things to throw away when it becomes difficult or inconvenient.” Emeric kissed her. “How long was your sister married before?”
“Ten years. Vinu was a nasty man. I never liked him or trusted him.”
“Again, time isn’t a factor,” Emeric said. “You knew almost instantly that he wasn’t a good guy. I think Akeld said something about you two being of stella lineage. That gives a special sense as well. Maybe you need to trust your instincts a bit more.”
“My instincts tell me that I should never let you out of my sight,” Zara said kissing him again.
“You also need to be aware of the fact that your hormones are running high right now. They can be quite bad for sensible thinking,” he said quietly, kissing her back.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“I can smell your pheromones. Most guys can, actually – but most don’t know why they’re more attracted to a woman during her fertile peak.”
Zara blushed. “I’m not used to talking about such things – especially with a guy I …”
“You don’t trust yourself with that word,” Emeric observed.
“I thought I loved Jeftey,” Zara said.
“But...”
“It was nothing compared to how I feel when I’m with you.”
“What do you feel with me?” Emeric asked.
“Overwhelming love,” she whispered. “I think. For you.”
“Good. Because that’s how I feel too,” he replied.
They kissed more passionately for awhile. Zara felt herself teetering on the brink of losing her self-control. She wanted to give herself to him, but would she live to regret it?
“Come,” he said. “You haven’t shown me the aquarium yet.”
“Good idea,” she replied, feeling the heat die down.
Other Chapters of this set
Acting the Part - chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Building on Promise - Chapter 1
Acting the Part, part 2 - Chapter 10
Spice of Strength - Chapter 1
Maps and Guides
- continents of Alacantis and Kranisis (five maps)
- continent of Almara (five maps)
- countries of Kri'enden and Yezi'im (four maps plus "other places")
- characters, pronunciation and glossary
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Brighid's Blood 2006 and 1200 B.T.C.E. Katja and Rachel are so desperate for love that they cast two love spells one night. But the Guardians do not consider spells "fun", but rather as cries for help from the very depths of your soul. Certainly Katja and Rachel could not have possibly imagined where these spells would take them! |
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Birth of the Neví 829 T.C.E. It is a tumultuous period of Terrenden history. As is all too common, there are those who wish to profit from the misfortune of others. Some of these come together in a new "charitable organization" and step on the toes of the notorious Uugli. Combine this with draconian new measures to combat pollution and Terrenden has a situation ripe for a power struggle. |
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Rebound of Power: 850 T.C.E. Collection of Romance Terrenden is being terrorized by a previously underestimated Neví who, through the mysterious “Curator,” have been controlling elections all over the planet. In this collection, we meet some interesting women. Iyva - a homeless teenager in Irola whose untrained power leaves her close to death; Marc’la - a breeder of prized caballus in Kasago whose heart lives in the past; Zukie - an abused widow whose heart is afraid to try for future happiness; Jenna - an elections assistant manager and masseuse who has a prejudice against A’mara; Kami - a chola student in Varkevand who has been assigned to protect Ardin, a man who has his own reasons to distrust A’mara. |
| COMING SOON | TO AN EBOOK STORE NEAR YOU!!! |
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| Rise of the Neví - 830 T.C.E. The Neví begin their rise in power with the completion of several large housing projects that seem totally charitable, but also hide a great evil within. The draconian measures brought in the previous year has caused major distress throughout the world, perfect for giving the Neví a further foothold on the Terrenden stage. Will the A’mara, now removed from the Council of Peers, be able to shut down the Neví? |
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Acting the Part - 851 T.C.E. Collection of Romance The Neví have infiltrated the Terrenden Freedom Party. Dr. Jarly is on the run and the Curator still dominates the Terrenden stage. Famous actor, Derick Aiden has released his Neví expose film and now the Neví want him dead... In this collection, we meet more interesting women. Kauri - a simple receptionist who doesn’t realize one of her wildest dreams has come true; Tirry - an elections manager who is always the bridesmaid and never the bride; Zara - a chef who has all but given up on finding love for herself; D'zani - who isn’t even looking, but has to chaperone her more vulnerable roommate; Soala - an heiress who is expected to marry, but refuses to marry someone she doesn’t love; Moxara - one whose past griefs have locked away her heart. We also get updates on some of the lovely ladies we met previously. |
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Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
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also on: Whaleshares, WeKu, and Bearshares
