"Why do you come to me at this hour?"
Theodore opened the door to his cousin but remained cautious. Paulo swore Destan was an ally, but trust did not come easy to princes of the Kingdom, and even a distant male relative could be a potential rival. Yet, the handsome Water Priest had a way about him, soothing Theodore's concerns when their eyes met.
"I must leave earlier than I anticipated and need to ask you to watch over Lukas." The priest entered the room, and Theodore ushered him toward one of the chairs near his fireplace. "He is in a vulnerable place now, and I fear others will take advantage of him."
"And you trust me not to?" Theodore grabbed a flask and poured his favorite golden wine into two small goblets, offering one to Destan before taking a drink himself.
"The Lady trusts you not to. I admit feeling ambiguous."
"The Lady?" Her involvement surprised Theodore. He had not met many Water priests, as very few had survived the purge, but he knew who the Lady was. Paulo sometimes used this title for the Water Elemental, or Goddess, as they named her in the Queendom.
"I do not understand it myself. She knows you, despite your lack of Water magic, and she trusts you."
"Perhaps because of the Master."
"Yes, perhaps." Destan sipped his drink before continuing, "The Master has called me; he requires my healing powers."
"Is he injured?" The rush of anxiety pushed his stomach towards his feet and prompted his words before he could school his expression. He could tell by Destan's look that he had revealed much in that outburst.
"No, it is for Natalia. She requires more healing than he or his sister can perform."
"Have you told Lukas that you are leaving?" Since he arrived on his boat, Lukas had only interacted with Destan.
"I have. And I have told him that you are a friend." Destan visibly weighed his following words. "He needs comfort. He may demand more from you than you are willing to give him."
"How do you mean?" Theodore had a fair idea of what the priest intimated.
"Hmm," Destan swirled the liquid around in his glass, and his lips curled down. "I am less concerned for him than I was when I entered. Your loose reputation seems more cultivated than accurate. So I instead will focus my worry on you. He is a persuasive man, but if you do bed him, you must know that he will never be yours in any way but physically." Destan's blunt words surprised Theodore.
"I have no plans for that. It would complicate things too much."
"Good." Destan laid a hand on Theodore's arm after he stood and put his empty glass next to the decanter. "Your heart has chosen a difficult path. To love any Master is no easy thing, but he is The Master; this makes it almost impossible." Theodore's heart recoiled with the impact of Destan's words. In minutes, this man had seen what he had hidden for years.
"You cannot tell him." Theodore did not try to hide the truth.
"I can try to keep it from him if the Lady lets me." Destan brought Theodore's hand towards his lips. "She has chosen to trust you. Perhaps she knows of your love already. You must be a worthy man to have won the Lady's faith."
"I am no more worthy than any other man."
"No, you are more," Destan backed away, and Theodore felt his body tingling from the hand Destan had kissed. "Until we meet again."
"Will we meet again?"
"I think so. I do not think you will stay away from The Master long."
Destan left, and Theodore felt sleep overwhelm him. He stumbled back to his bed and smiled; Paulo had done this before. He did not fight the Water sleep. It was useless to try.
=======================================
Raja was restless.
Since they bonded, he had not been away from Natalia physically or mentally for longer than a few minutes. But the mistress had asked Jiyun to shield her completely to add to the surprise. Though Diddero's barrier had shown the possibility of an outsider disrupting a bond without breaking it a reality, Raja had been somewhat alarmed that a bond could be so effectively blocked while the owners remained close. He could only detect her life force; the constant background hum of her emotions was gone.
Diddero had left him in the cottage's well-stocked library with some recommendations on reading materials. Still, he chose instead to contemplate the view from one of its large windows.
In the distance, the mountains stood protecting the Vale, but he did not see them. His thoughts moved unwillingly to their early morning encounter with Lukas. The replay in his mind of Lukas' pained expression stabbed his heart, and he instinctively reached out to his bondmates for comfort. He recoiled when he could touch neither.
Just before his agitation peaked, the library door opened, allowing The Master's entrance.
"Not ready yet?" Paulo asked. "Leena must be chatting Natalia's ears off by now. My sister can be exhausting."
Raja had not yet spent time with the Vale's mistress, so he did not respond to the flippant remark.
"I felt Lukas' presence in the Vale this morning." Paulo eyed him and continued with some hesitance.
"Yes, he escaped the Queen and came to tell us he travels to the Kingdom." Raja doubted that Diddero had not informed him of this already, but the big man looked somewhat concerned.
"Hmm, interesting choice." Paulo put his hand on Raja's shoulder. "I think more than that happened this morning. Something that exhausted your soul as much as your body." When Raja did not say anything, he continued, "He did not restrict his projection to the Mindspace, did he? It is a rare talent to project into the physical space."
"Yes. He usually does it only for those who do not receive well or find it too disconcerting." Neither had been the case this morning.
"It must be draining to appear this way. It would have been easier to have met you both in the Mindspace." Raja distracted mind refocused and pondered the question calmly. I felt like a probe, but what was Paulo trying to discover? And how had he known Lukas projected into the physical space instead of Mindspace?
"It is." Raja decided to impart some of the truth to test Paulo's knowledge. "He is angry with me."
"About Natalia?"
"Yes."
"The new bond or the old one?" With his question, Paulo revealed his knowledge. The Fire Priestess must have told him about Raja's part in the bond-breaking. Raja's shoulderblades relaxed. This information he gathered by means Raja understood. Intelligence gathering was a strength of the Tribe, but this Master often knew too much.
"Both, he is angry that I deceived him. No, more than angry. He is hurt and feels betrayed." Raja clenched his hands and continued to avoid Paulo's eyes. "But this new bond is beyond comprehension for all of us."
"Yes, it is." Raja finally turned to look at Paulo and wondered what the older man meant. The Master met his eyes firmly, and his usually jovial eyes had a serious turn. Paulo obliged Raja with an explanation without prompting. "Lukas had to lower some of his shieldings to get through our barrier. And Diddero felt flashes of confusion, jealousy, and sadness, along with more than a touch of anger."
"I could feel none of that through our bond. He has closed it almost to nothing."
"What will you do?"
"I don't know. Lukas has been my world for so long; I don't know what to do now that he is not part of me; even when the bond was closed before, I knew it was temporary. Now," Raja paused and put his hand to the eye that felt moist, "I do not know if he will ever return to me."
"And Natalia?"
"I do not want to hurt either of them. I can't choose right now. I don't want to." He felt so selfish. "Tali binds me, calms me, and . . . she needs me."
"Ah," the Master's eyes left Raja's and floated toward the door that separated them from the rest of the house. Raja wondered if he could see his sister and Natalia with his magic and felt a stab of jealousy. The Master continued with almost a whisper, "She needs you."
Silence enveloped the room. Both men still gazed at the closed door. Raja did not feel any urge to speak. He wanted to retreat to his mind and escape Paulo's piercing observations. But The Master was not finished.
"You may not recognize it, given your limitations. But Natalia's Mind Magic is almost incomprehensibly strong in itself. Had it not been for the Queen's- ah, I will say desire- for Lukas, she may have coveted Natalia's power more. We are all fortunate that the Queen only saw Natalia as a cage builder, a way to win her prize back. "The Master took his hand off Raja's shoulder. Raja felt bereft of the touch.
"I am no mind master; I don't know what we will uncover when we undo all they have done to her. If we can undo it." Paulo let out a breath and sat on the edge of the window seat. "I can train her elemental talents, but the clumsy priestesses may have damaged even these."
He paused, hesitating with his following words, "But later, she will need Lukas to train her mind. Diddero will do his best, and we may call on some of the mind masters we have contact with through the Council. But if not permanently damaged, her power will be too great for them, and only Lukas may be more powerful than she can be."
Anger mixed with some fear coursed through Raja. It was impotent, unproductive anger at a past he couldn't change. Anger at those who bound her, those who drugged her, and those who did nothing. Anger at himself for never having looked for her, though he knew she was in the Queen's hands. Anger at those who now sought to control her. And the fear of a power greater than Lukas's.
Raja unclenched his fists and took deep breaths as he had been taught to do when this anger overwhelmed him. He relaxed his body and watched the wind rustling through the grass outside the window. Soon he was calm again.
"Earth first, Fire later, I think." Paulo's voice interrupted Raja's silent contemplation. "Although that anger could cause a disaster with any element, Fire will respond the quickest." Raja looked at him and nodded; he had always been quick to anger. His father said this was from his mother. He had learned to calm himself but not to avoid the wrath. "I can teach you some techniques, but anger will serve you in many ways, so it is a difficult balance. In fact -"
The door opened, and the cheerful mistress slipped in. Her shoulders bent forward with fatigue, but her smile shone brightly.
"How did it go?" Paulo asked his sister gently.
"There was so much to repair inside that I could not touch. We will need to call on another." Leena admitted as she sat next to Paulo and lay her head on his shoulder.
"I have already called a healer. He will arrive soon." Paulo agreed.
"I'm not sure whether or not to be offended." Leena teased, her head not moving from her brother's shoulder and her smile not fading as she spoke. Raja noted Paulo's hand reaching for hers, and a flash of sadness reminded him of the cousin he had lost. "I did my best and fixed some of what those damn priestesses ruined, but mostly I could only work on the externals, and only as much as she would let me..." the brightness of her smile dimmed, and her nose wrinkled before she sighed.
"Where is she?" Raja ventured after allowing the silence to settle. Leena sat up and forced her full attention on him.
"Jiyun should be bringing her now. She wanted to change before coming down. She is your match now. This should be interesting." Leena's giggle surprised Raja. She did not appear to be much younger than her brother, but she possessed a childlike enthusiasm.
As if summoned, Natalia walked into the room wearing simple tan robes and slippers. Raja had never seen her look so beautiful in the physical space. Her auburn hair fell to her shoulders, the color different from Lukas's memory but still alluring. Her face was without blemish, the scar wholly erased. She smiled at Raja as he felt the barrier lift. He could feel her again, and she seemed happy but still exhausted.
"She wouldn't let me grow the hair much longer, just long enough to bind for her training." Leena frowned. "And I had to beg for that."
Natalia touched her hair as she walked to her bondmate, who also reached for it.
"Well, you look better than I could have hoped. You must have some significant water affinity-" Paulo began.
"Oh, absolutely!" The mistress interrupted, then laughed at her brother's glare. "Well, she does."
"You look lovely." Diddero's voice startled Raja, who had not noticed the small man slip into the room behind his wife. The Barrier Master bowed at Natalia and then turned his attention to Paulo. "The Council has called you. There has been upheaval in the Queendom."
"Oh, I bet there has!" Paulo stood and followed Diddero and Jiyun out of the room. "Enjoy your rest. We will begin the real work soon enough."
"What has happened in the Queendom?" Leena queried after they left.
"Lukas has escaped, and I imagine he has taken most of the court down while doing so," Raja answered.
"Oh! Well, that will kick up some dirt there." The Water mage's smile turned contemplative. "But she will survive this, the Queen. She is a strong woman and always has a backup plan."
"You sound as if you admire her," Natalia said softly.
"I do," the bubbly woman admitted and ushered the couple out of the room. Raja paused his step but didn't want to fall behind them. "She is an admirable woman. Power-hungry and sadistic, but admirable." Leena laughed as she strode with one hand behind Natalia's back through the atrium toward the stairs. "People are a myriad of things all wrapped up in their fragile shells. I can admire some parts of someone while hating what they believe in or how they accomplish their goals."
"I don't think I am ready to see her this way yet," Natalia admitted, her pace quickened as if to separate her body from Leena's touch. Was she reading more of the mysterious mage's thoughts than she wanted? Something made her uncomfortable, and Raja pulled her away from Leena's grip.
"Oh, I don't expect you would be. Maybe Raja could. But only if he can break away from the emotions he has drawn from you and Lukas." Leena raised an eyebrow but used her now free hand to demonstrate pushing away the feelings.
"It is dangerous to admire someone like the Queen," Raja finally ventured as they stopped by the steps to the living quarters. "Admiration can become more with careful manipulation."
"Yes, yes, I know. Don't worry. I do not love the Queen; I despise her for what she has done to my sisters and brothers of Water. Now go rest before I frighten you more. There are reasons I do not hold the title of Master, and my strange thinking is only one of them." Leena pushed them towards the steps, and the couple left her. Raja had not expected to find any sympathy for the Queen in this house. He would have to watch this Water mage closely.
===========================
Destan stood on the bow of the luxurious ship. The water was calm this evening, and the entire boat slept. Even the crew on duty were sleeping, standing at their posts. Those would wake up first and have no memory of their sleep.
Destan had hoped to have a few more days with Lukas before they parted. The great man needed so much healing; it would have been good to have had more time. But there was another who needed him more. The Lady had been calling him to Natalia for years, but he could not answer the call until now. His sister would be so angry when she realizes the strength she let go by grasping for Lukas's power.
Sometimes, during his lonely musings, he imagined that Natalia was why he had been born with the healing powers of Water. It had started as a fancy, but when he dwelled on the thought further, it made more logical sense than it first seemed. Why else had it come to a member of the royal house, a line that never before birthed a Water mage?
He reached his arms wide, excited to meet his destiny, and the Lady rose to him in a wave of Water.
"Are you ready, friend?" The Lady's voice sounded as smooth as a slow-moving stream.
"It is an honor to serve you, Lady." Closing his eyes, Destan leaned forward and fell into the Lady's arms. Water surrounded them, cool and calming but not suffocating, and pulled at them. His stomach dropped with the sudden surge of speed. His ears filled with the hissing of rushing water as they moved at a dizzying pace.
Destan opened his eyes and found himself in front of a small cottage. His clothes and hair remained as dry as they had begun. Behind him flowed a small stream, and mountains towered like a distant wall, barely visible in the moonlight. He stood in a valley, likely a lush one; it had to be a Master's Vale. The telling magic surrounded him. The cottage door opened, and a striking black man carried a torch out to him. The man smiled as he looked at Destan.
"The Lady could have brought you into the house. We have many water rooms." The man had a slight accent that Destan could not place. "But she makes her own decisions. I am Diddero, the Barrier maker. I believe the Lady was testing me, but I did feel you enter the Vale."
"Ah, the Barrier maker, then I am in The Master's Vale?"
"Yes, he is away, but he will speak with you tomorrow. The Council is in session."
"Of course, and the woman?"
"Natalia." Diddero clarified.
"Yes."
Diddero nodded. "She is here. She sleeps. You will meet her in the morning." As they walked into the house, he beckoned to a brown-clad man and inserted the torch into the valance beside the door. "Markus will bring you to your rooms. Rest tonight. I believe you will be needed tomorrow. I will send someone to gather you in the morning."
Destan nodded in response, and Diddero grasped his hand. "We are glad to have you here, young prince. Please make yourself at home." The man's hand's warmth left him as he turned and walked away, but the feeling of welcome and sincerity imprinted themselves there instead. Destan remained silent as he followed Markus to his new home, contemplating Diddero's words. Without success, he tried to remember another time when a stranger had treated him so kindly.
As soon as Marcus left him in the bedroom in the suite he had been given, the exhaustion that always came with traveling the WaterWays began to set upon Destan. Without looking around him, he crawled into the waiting bed. He would need to rest before he met anyone, especially Natalia.
WC3221
Last Edit 1/21/2023