When The Heart Sings

Chapter 76

Serena's POV:

I leaned against Darien as we both relaxed in the garden behind the guesthouse. No Dranek were in sight, but I knew Saphira was close enough that she would hear us if we called out. I traced a finger absently over the back of Darien's hand, "Did the others ever comment on my whistling? I didn't know that it would make the doorknob glow..."

His voice was lazy, "They are probably wondering if you had anything to do with the doorknob, but they never did inquire or mention anything within my hearing. Other than Alex, I don't think any of them saw the doorknob glow. What do you feel like doing today? As much as I love lounging here in the garden with you, it may get old after ten hours or so..."

I laughed, we hadn't even been in the garden for fifteen minutes yet. I also wasn't that fond of boredom, and I could only relax in the sun for so long without trying to think of something constructive to do.

"We can probably go bother Alex and Fiona at lunchtime. I bet your brother will show up by then as well. The Council is supposed to be interviewing a dozen people today, so we can go wander through the hallways of the Council Building and see what kind of reaction my presence can get out of them."

Darien harrumphed slightly, not entirely thrilled with that prospect. We had been here for three days and would likely be here for several weeks yet. Most of the remaining Tarulk servants in the Council Building were cordial and polite enough to me that even Darien couldn't find anything to complain about.

The two Councillors had been questioned closely, but in the end, everyone in our group was convinced that they were innocent. They had been grateful for their rescue, and the Councillors had invited us to stay as long as we liked - and the invitation extended to both myself and the Dranek.

The two Councillors were working hard as they tried to set things straight. They sent off messages of what had occurred with various messengers across the planet. The war with the Dranek had been declared as over and the Dranek were no longer to be attacked.

The two Councillors were also starting the process of finding people to fill the empty Council seats. They were being careful with their choices and had asked if at least one of the Dranek could remain to see how the potential Council candidates reacted to them. I had been asked to stay for the same reason.

If the candidate blew a gasket at the mere sight of a human or Dranek, then they were obviously not fit for the position. Darien had grumbled, but when the Councillors had practically begged him to stay, he reluctantly agreed to remain for a short time.

Now that the people he had an issue with were gone, Darien wasn't really against this place. The Valrid that had put the brace behind the door had actually been caught by the Tarulk servants and killed.

The atmosphere had shifted. The Tarulk in general weren't sure what to think of me anymore. I was human, and that roused their anger, but I had been a part of the effort to overthrow the corrupted Councillors, and that made them grateful. Many just tried to avoid me at this point, or perhaps they were just trying to avoid my slightly grouchy mate who gave away glares for free.

Darien ran his fingers through my loose hair, "I was thinking of checking out the library. I don't think it is that large, but it supposedly has some pretty rare works."

I had always liked libraries, "That sounds good to me." I glanced at the sun and guessed we still had an hour or two until it was time for lunch. Darien showed no inclination to leave at the moment so I just enjoyed his presence.

Darien exhaled in slight annoyance as he looked to the side. Someone must be approaching and I had a rather short list of suspects that were able to get that exact reaction out of him. Lucas' head popped over the hedge, "Good morning! And just how are you two doing this fine day?!"

Darien narrowed his eyes at Lucas' overly cheerful tone. Lucas was once more purposefully trying to get a rise out of Darien. Saphira's voice floated out of the greenery somewhere, "I can throw something at him if you want."

I tried to turn my laugh into something more polite, without much success. Saphira tolerated Darien's brother, but she was thoroughly convinced that his intelligence was swimming in the bottom of a swamp somewhere. She also did not appreciate it when he disturbed Darien and me.

Lucas craned his head as he scanned the trees and shrubs without spotting the hidden Dranek, "If you are going to throw something at me, at least make sure it is something I really want."

Saphira's voice was dry, "It is not possible to throw common sense."

Darien chuckled at Saphira's response, before shaking his head, "And what exactly do you want, Lucas?"

Lucas flopped down to sit on the grass across from us, "There is a Do Not Disturb sign on Alex's door, so I have no intention of bothering them. I might ruin my innocence. There is also no food in my place, so I came to scavenge leftovers."

Darien had a different idea, "There is food inside, and you might as well make all of us lunch since you are eating our food."

Lucas jumped to his feet, "As long as I get to eat, I really don't care." He paused before looking over his shoulder, "Uh... I have no idea what Dranek eat. Is there something I can make you? Darien did say for all of us..."

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

Lucas shrugged before heading for the house. As he passed by, I heard him mutter, "Great, not only am I talking to trees, now they have even started answering me..."

The Draneks' ability to hide among the trees made quite a few Tarulk uneasy. It should not have been possible for something so large to hide so easily. I grinned and leaned my head once more against Darien's chest, hoping that Lucas wouldn't manage to burn our food. I had no idea if he was a good cook or not...

After some time, Lucas' head popped out of a window, "Lunch is ready."

Darien and I headed inside. It didn't surprise me that Saphira opted to remain in the trees. I didn't recognize any of the food on the table as Darien put some on both my plate and his. I hummed as softly as possible, trying to make it sound absentminded while still hitting the correct notes and rhythm.

Lucas looked at me in confusion. I pretended that I didn't notice his gaze as the purification hum ran its course. The food was good though, and I commented to Darien, "You will have to show me how to cook this one."

Darien glanced down to note the stuff I was pointing at and nodded. Lucas looked confused before realization dawned on his face, "Oh, that's right, this stuff isn't found on Earth. Wait, are you sure you can eat that safely?"

He was starting to look concerned and I shrugged, "I just avoid anything spicy and it seems to be enough."

He didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue either, possibly because Darien didn't seem concerned. I took another helping of the one that I liked.

Lucas inquired, "What are you two up to today?"

Darien responded, "We will visit Alex and Fiona for a bit, if they have removed that sign, then we will head to the Council Building and check out the library."

"And torment any new candidates we can find? I will tag along for that one. Most are diplomatic enough, but I would have boxed that one guy's ears if the servant hadn't beat me to it."

I remained silent and wished that Lucas would quit bringing up things that tended to rile Darien up. The various candidates so far had been quite surprised to see me and the Dranek in the Council Building. Most had been polite and open-minded, but a few had made a scene. The two Council members had reassured us that those few were no longer being considered.

I understood that they were trying to find open-minded candidates who would treat all races fairly, but Darien disliked anyone who disrespected me. Darien had grudgingly admitted that he didn't overly mind most of the candidates, it was mostly how any newcomers stared at me, surprised to see a human here.