Remnant of Power

Chapter Forty-nine

Yavenna

In the hours before they left, Vitella found another set of clothes each for Yavenna and Channa. As Yavenna slipped the petal-soft fabric over her head, she knocked the wound on her shoulder and it started to bleed again.

"Let me wash it for you, Princess and put Elixir on it." Channa dipped aloe leaves into the pool and began to lift Yavenna's hair back from her neck, away from the wound. Yavenna moved away quickly, but was it too late?

"Why did you move, Yavenna?" asked the Ithrim woman, when Yavenna didn't say anything.

"Didn't you see it?" asked Yavenna. She felt worn out by the realization of why Ulric wanted to marry her, the strangeness of knowing her pendant was something different from what she'd always known it to be, and hearing about the Star King. She didn't care anymore if Channa saw the ugly birthmark.

"I only saw the very edge of it. It confirmed what I suspected."

"What do you mean? How can my horrible birthmark confirm anything?"

"I just saw the very edge of a mark that all Ithrim have." Yavenna walked behind Channa and looked at her neck. It was true, she hadn't noticed it before, but there was a grey mark that looked like half an egg shape visible under the bottom of Channa's hair.

"Are you saying that's what I have?"

"I only saw the edge of it, but yes, I believe it is. But Yavenna," and Channa put her arm on the princess's. "You knew that I suspected that anyway. Didn't you have any idea?"

Yavenna shook her head. "You and Giryan and Falzal are the first Ithrim I've ever seen. I can't remember even hearing the word. As far as I know there are only humans in Tarhasta. My mother told me it was an incredibly ugly birthmark, and never to let anyone see it, even my husband, whoever that lucky man will be. I've never even let my maid see it."

Channa squeezed the princess' hand. "I'm sure your mother said that to protect you. It sounds like Ithrim are no more welcome in Tarhasta than they are in Arvad. Did you ever see if your mother had this mark?"

"Are they always on the back of the neck?"

"Yes, anyone who has at least half Ithrim blood has a grey oval mark at the top of their neck, going into their hair. That's how sons of men have distinguished us, they would check before killing us. The marks are the all the same as mine, well, usually." She lifted her hair to show the Princess again.

"Well, my mother didn't have half Ithrim blood then," said Yavenna, peering at Channa's neck, "for she always wore her hair really short, cut close to the back of her neck. It was shorter than my father's."

"Well then, your father must be the one with Ithrim blood. Is his hair silver?"

Yavenna laughed. "Well, if you think black and silver are the same color, then yes. Otherwise no. His skin is olive, like most Tarhastans, and he definitely has no mark on his neck. His hair is short too."

"In that case Yavenna, I'll say this. Your mother knew what the birthmark was, and she was trying to protect you by telling you to keep it hidden. And if she knew, but didn't have the birthmark, then the most likely answer must be that King Yeroz isn't your father."