UNGLOVED

Chapter Nineteen, part one - Sisterly Love

Liriel waited behind a rock to catch her breath. The boost she had given herself would only last for a short while. She had chosen to return to the place near the border where she had waited once before in her search for Lorenzo. After drawing in an immense amount of maru from a tree near Ergin's home, trembling with the weight of the added power, she had transported herself here.

Liran was quiet in his sling, for which she was grateful. This was no place to bring a baby, so close to the front, but she couldn't leave him. Babies affected people with goodwill, and she might need some of that before the day ended.

Stepping out from behind the big boulder, she looked about. She was close to the battle. With her added maru, she could sense people hiding in the trees, behind rocks, all around. The maru tasted good, if taste was the correct term. It filled her with a heady brightness, swirling through her, bringing her mind in the sharp focus, and her body pumped with energy. She felt strong, confident, full of life. She smiled from ear to ear.

She wondered where Lorenzo was.

An observer from Alterra had returned earlier that day with news. It was only a few days after Lorenzo had left. Lord Carlosi had been killed in battle, taken down by a dozen Kaldene soldiers when he rushed forward too far in front of his own line.

Liriel was sad. She would never have the chance to really get to know her father-in-law. He might have had a kinder side, which, in time, she might have been able to coax out.

Lorenzo would be devastated.

The observer had added more disconcerting news to this. "Your husband has joined the Castillonian army now. They were without a leader, and he stepped in."

The news made her angry, but she couldn't direct her rage at the poor man who brought it to her. She would have to take action. Now, her she was, wondering what, exactly, could she hope to accomplish.

She waited, listening to the sounds of fighting off in the distance. She waited until the direction of those sounds changed, getting more faint, as if the battle had moved.

Finally, she decided this wasn't going to work. She would go to see Valran instead. He rarely joined the front of the line to fight. He would be in his tent, reviewing his maps and receiving reports from various areas of the battle.

She gaged she still had more than enough maru for another transport, perhaps even two more. She placed the image of the interior of Valran's tent in her mind and gave herself a maru push. She breathed in, and when she breathed out, she was there.

The air was cold here. Valran sat at his desk. He looked up in surprised as soon as he realized he wasn't alone.

"Liriel!" He blinked. "How did you get here?"

"The same way I left last time, when you tried to kill my husband."

Valran's expression shift to guilt. "I'm sorry about that, Liriel. After you left, I realized you were the only one who supported me, and I had betrayed you."

There were dark circles impressed into his pale skin under his eyes. His long straight hair was rumpled, his clothing unkempt. "You look tired, brother." She meant it. "I hoped there was still a chance you might consider a withdrawal."

The baby began to struggle with his confinement. Liriel pulled him out of his sling to get a better look at the world. He wiggled and pumped his legs in joy at being free. Valran seemed fascinated. He smiled a little. "If his hair were and eyes were lighter, he could have been you as a baby."

That he could even think this way flooded Liriel with hope. "His father is out there leading a battle because he feels a duty to his people. Val, Lorenzo doesn't want to fight, but if you continue to press into Castillon, he will press back."

Her brother's brows furrowed. He rubbed his eyes. "Liriel, you know I have orders directly from Father. I can't disobey them without serious consequences. He's the King."

"So you are similarly trapped by your own sense of duty as Lorenzo is. Is that what you're saying?"

Valran shifted, looking away.

"I keep asking myself what Talora would have wanted." He sighed, sounding ever weary. "Father is wrong. I finally see that. Peace is always preferable to war. Here, the Castillonians are on the right side of it. They are defending themselves from invasion, but you..." Valran stood and approached Liriel. He kept looking at the baby. Liriel held him up for show. "Do you want to hold him, Uncle Val?" She wiggled Liran about to show how cute he was. Valran balked, waving a hand in refusal. She laughed.

"Liriel, I'm a soldier. Do you want to undermine my authority by having me hold a drooling baby?"

"He isn't drooling now. Are you worried he'll soil your uniform?" She laughed. Liran was chewing his tiny fist now. Valran took the baby, holding him awkwardly. "See? I'm not afraid of him."

Holding him awkwardly away from himself, he looked into Liran's face. At first his expression was gentle, but it shifted to sadness. He held the baby to his chest, stroking his soft dark hair, as if seeking comfort. Liriel wanted to weep with him for all of the lives lost in this conflict.

"We wanted a family," he sobbed.

Liriel touched his shoulder. "You may not feel like it now, but there may come a time when the pain will not be so sharp."

He returned the baby to Liriel's arms and sat back at his desk. He sighed as he wiped his eyes dry.

"I was always jealous of you, Liri. You had everything. Extraordinary talent, beauty, an indomitable spirit. You were allowed to express yourself. Whenever I had an idea or wanted to try something, I was always shot down."

"I suppose more was expected of you. I was just an extra child. Father could afford to indulge me. But in a way, by doing so, they also dismissed me. I was never taken seriously. And you're wrong. I may have had some gifts, but I certainly never got much in the way of height."

Valran sputtered out a laugh. He chuckled for a while, unable to make himself stop. When he finally had things under control, he turned to Liriel, with more honesty and seriousness in his expression than she had ever seen. "You're right. I haven't been able to see it through my grief. My heart still aches, and it hurts to see that you are happy, but how can I begrudge you your happiness, little sister?" He fumbled with his papers, shuffling them about on the desk. Finally he looked up at her and sighed.

"I'll call the retreat and pull back to the city. I just hope I can handle father's fury."

He stood and went to the opening, mumbling something to a sentry outside.

He returned to Liriel. "You should go before my commanders get here."

Liriel reached up and hugged her brother as hard as she could with one arm. She looked at him once more, and he nodded.

"I'm glad, sister, that we are again on the same side. Take care."

Liriel waved as she placed the image of the boulder into her mind and pushed herself back there.

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Cheers!

Rebecca