Bastial Sentinels (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 5) (52 page)

When the second song came to an end, everyone cheered. Vala’s skin shined with sweat. She quickly gathered her hair and tied it behind her shoulders, her teeth flashing in a wide smile.

Giant bowed to her, and she bowed back.

Cleve took a break to eat. He watched Reela dance with Vithos. The Elf was even worse than Cleve, yet Vithos enjoyed himself immensely, doing strange things Cleve never would’ve thought to do. Vithos fell to his back on the grass and pumped his legs. Then he jumped up and tried to spin Reela by turning her shoulders. She nearly fell, then he grabbed her and jumped up and down.

“Vithos!” she scolded. “This is not how you dance!”

He let go of her, flopping back onto the grass, every limb flailing about like a bug scrambling to get back on its feet. Embarrassed, Reela covered her face. “Bastial hell.” Vithos didn’t care, jumping up once more, taking Reela by her hands, and bouncing back and forth. Cleve couldn’t help but laugh. It eased all of his worry about his own dancing.

Many people began swapping partners as the music went on. Jek and Kalli danced. Vithos and Klaiya danced. Lisanda danced with her mother. Goreng danced with Giant. And eventually Reela was dancing with Jek.

Jessend came up to Cleve. “Will you dance with me?”

“I will.”

They simply swayed as Cleve had with Reela. It gave them a chance to speak.

“Reela apologized to you?” he asked.

“Yes, I can’t believe how powerful psyche can be.” She leaned close and whispered, “Do you ever worry she might be using it on you?”

“When I first met her it was a terrible fear. But it doesn’t worry me anymore.”

“I still don’t know everything she can do. Can she know we’re talking about her?”

They both looked toward Reela. Although she was still dancing with Jek, she was staring at them with raised eyebrows.

“She knows!” Jessend whispered with a laugh. “My Bastial stars, I couldn’t imagine having a relationship with a psychic. You’d better get used to not having any secrets.”

“Her being a psychic doesn’t change that. You should expect the same thing with whoever you decide to be with.”

Her mouth dropped open. “It scares me that you’re right.”

“What secrets could you possibly be worried about?”

The look she gave him was enough to tell him his question was absurd.

“Everyone has secrets,” she said. “And if we don’t in the moment, we certainly will later. Even feelings can be secret. What if you find another woman beautiful? Reela can sense that, can’t she?”

“I’m dancing with a beautiful woman right now.” She smiled as Cleve continued. “It doesn’t matter that she can sense it. In fact, her being a psychic makes it better.”

“Better, how?”

“Because without psyche she’d just see me touching you and looking at you without knowing anything else. But Reela knows how much I love her. She can feel it. One day you’ll see the person you care about looking at or being around another woman. You might catch a glance, a laugh, something that’ll make you feel uneasy, and you won’t have psyche to tell you he doesn’t care for this woman like he does for you.”

“But your argument is flawed. When two people love each other, there doesn’t need to be psyche. They can feel it without psyche because there’s trust.”

Cleve laughed. “You’re right. So I suppose in the end, psyche doesn’t matter at all in a relationship. If it does, then that relationship already is flawed, and psyche is just bringing out the flaws quicker.”

The song came to an end. Jessend leaned her head against his chest. “I’ll miss you, Cleve.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

Cleve found Jek getting onto the stage. His sister followed him with a lute in hand.

“It’ll be dark in a few hours,” Jek said. “But before we leave, I wanted to sing something with Lisanda.”

They applauded as Jek waved her onto the stage. Reela came to stand beside Cleve and Jessend.

“I didn’t know either of them sang,” she said.

“Me, neither,” Cleve said.

“Then this will be a treat for both of you,” Jessend said. “Especially hearing Jek. I love my sister, and she’s good, but...well, you’ll see.”

Kalli began playing, her fingers dancing across the strings of her lute. By the repetition of her notes, Cleve could tell this would be a song in which the singers would build upon a steady background by adding their own melody. Jek most likely would start, then Lisanda would follow, until one sound was made by their two voices along with the instrument accompanying them. He’d heard many other songs like it.

But Cleve was shocked when the rhythm abruptly halted, Kalli suddenly only playing half as many notes as she had before. Jek and Lisanda’s voices burst out in harmony, filling in the gaps with marvelous accuracy.

Then Kalli was playing with twice the ferocity as when she’d begun. Jek and Lisanda fell silent again. The melody shifted. It was a race, a mad dash, and Cleve barely could keep up. A few people whistled in delight.

Kalli slowed, now strumming chords. Cleve had never heard a song with so much changing emotion, and Jek and Lisanda had barely even begun to sing.

With one last slow strum, Kalli let the sweet sound of a chord resonate. Jek’s voice came in, grabbing some part of the sound and adding to it at the same time. Lisanda’s followed, higher, sweeter.

Suddenly the three of them were racing, not in competition but together—flowing from one note to the next. They were a rushing river, a gust of wind, shifting harmony perfectly in sync.

Lisanda took over, singing with Kalli’s lute as the melody slowed, yet somehow the quick rhythm was always there in the background, unheard, dormant. Cleve knew it would return. His heart swelled at the thought of it.

Lisanda’s low voice was like a strong fragrance, grabbing Cleve’s attention. Her noble accent came out through each word.

Jek broke in, his strong voice shocking Cleve. The sound of it had teeth, sinking into the harmony with a powerful bite. Cleve felt like his skin was ready to melt from his bones.

“Bastial hell,” Reela muttered.

Others screamed with delight.

They sung of a seed torn from a plant, picked up by the wind, stomped on by foxes and bears, and eventually dragged by a snake to a river. But the seed wasn’t ready to die. It needed to be back with its tree, its mother. There was no living without her; this was all it knew. Clinging to life, it coursed through the river, nearly drowning as it made its way to the sea.

In the open water, the seed drifted among the waves. The sun was setting, darkness closing in. Then it was picked up by a fisherman. Rubbed dry, it was slipped into a pocket. Out of the water and out of the cold, it felt life returning. And for the first time, it could feel that something beautiful was lying deep within it.

The seed bounced about in the pocket, the rhythm of the song following each turn of the story. It passed hands, from a fisherman to a farmer. Buried into the soil, it found its true home. It grew and grew, learning everything from its mother. Out of the ground it sprouted, and soon it was sending out its own seeds.

The song slowed as it came to the end. The plant stretched beneath the sun. Its journey was done. Jek and Lisanda sang the last words together.

Applause broke out. Cleve had never heard such a difficult song, and he’d had no idea how skilled a singer Jek was.

Jek and Lisanda hopped off the stage, newly married and practically glowing. They walked about, speaking with each group. Soon they came to Cleve, Reela, and Jessend.

Reela hugged Lisanda then Jek. “It was wonderful!”

“Thank you,” Jek said. “And thank you for coming. I’ve been telling people they can start riding back to the palace. It might be dark by the time they get there.”

“I was thinking…” Lisanda said. “I want to stay and see this spot of the forest once more after everything’s cleared. I want to see it how it was when we first came here with Kalli and Sannil. Will you stay with me?”

“I’d like that.” Jek smiled.

Peter and Calvon joined them then. “You’ve got a voice that can end wars, young man.” Peter slapped Jek’s back.

“And you were good too, Lisanda,” Calvon quickly added.

She rolled her eyes. “Thank you, but I know Jek is much better than I am. It’s no insult.”

“You sound perfect together, though,” Peter said. “Those who dance or sing well together make good couples.”

“Thank you,” Lisanda said.

“I’m certain he’s making that up.” Calvon snickered.

“But it sounded good, didn’t it?” Peter grinned.

Laughter broke out. Cleve and Reela said their goodbyes.

It was time to leave. Their most difficult farewells would be the next morning, as Cleve, Reela, and Vithos left the palace for the last time. They found Vithos making Giant laugh and managed to drag him away.

Chapter 48:

CLEVE

When they awoke the next morning, they wondered if they were expected to visit each of their friends one last time. They were to meet Fatholl and the rest leaving for the docks by midday. There was hardly time to search the vast palace.

Gerace served them breakfast. After bringing in their trays, she hugged Cleve, shook hands with Reela and Vithos, and said goodbye. Reela was giggling when Gerace left.

“Did you know that young woman’s locked onto you?” Reela said.

“Oh. I suppose that explains some things.”

The three of them ate quickly. They’d gotten back to the palace late and hadn’t sleep long, but Cleve didn’t feel tired. He was too sad and excited at the same time to feel much else.

With their bags in hand, they started toward the palace exit. Cleve hated goodbyes. Some part of him hoped to make it out without seeing anyone. But when he heard Jek calling his name, relief surprised him. He turned to find Lisanda and Jessend there as well.

“Trying to get away without saying goodbye?” Jessend teased.

The six of them came together. As Jek shook Cleve’s hand, he said, “I can’t come close to expressing my full gratitude to you for coming back.”

“I’m happy I could help.”

“Any nightmares last night?” Reela asked.

“Only good dreams.”

“I’m so glad.” Reela and Jek hugged.

Jessend hugged her next. “My brother, the King,” she said with mock importance, “is busy attending to other matters.”

“But we’re not,” Vala said, she and Micah coming down the hall behind Jessend.

“Anything you need.” Micah lowered his head. “Just ask.”

“Thank you,” Reela said, “but you’ve already given us everything we need, and unfortunately we must be leaving.”

For the last time, they exchanged handshakes and long embraces.

“Find us in Kyrro if any of you come to Ovira,” Cleve said.

“We will,” Jek answered for them.

Nulya was waiting beside two other horses Reela and Vithos had chosen—gifts from the Takarys. Vithos had decided to let his first horse, Jitch, go back into the wild.

The three of them knew how valuable horses were in Ovira. There was hardly a better gift. Cleve touched the handle of his Bastial steel sword, the last gift he’d received. He hoped he’d never need to use it again, though something told him he would.

Reela was wiping away tears as they rode out of the palace gate. Then Cleve noticed Vithos sharing a glance with her. The Elf began to cry as well.

“What is it?” Cleve asked.

“Rek,” Vithos answered.

Just his name tore at Cleve’s heart. His own tears swelled and spilled down his cheeks.

They met Fatholl and three thousand other Elves just outside the eastern wall of The Nest. They would wait another hour for the last of their group before riding to Goldram’s docks. A ship would take them to Ovira, specifically Merejic in the north. Cleve was nervous yet excited about the Elves interacting with the Krepps. He’d see Zoke again. He trusted the Krepp to help them prevent battle, and with Zoke were the Krepps that had left Doe and Haemon’s army. They didn’t want to fight anymore. There would be peace.

After everything in Merejic was settled, Cleve, Reela and Vithos would ride south to Kyrro. Hopefully Effie, Steffen, and Alex would’ve returned from Sumar by then. When Cleve left, they were getting ready to travel into the unknown territory with the Slugari. The idea had never sat well with him. He had an obstinate worry they’d encounter something better left unfound.

The air was coming in cold. As Cleve waited for the rest of the Elves, he searched one of his bags for his gloves. He felt something he didn’t recognize and pulled it out for a glance. It was a note: “For your wedding one day. It’s the least I can do for bringing me the cure.”

Cleve didn’t know what the note was referring to, though it was clearly from Jek. He searched around the bottom of his bag. Then his fingers felt a pouch.

He looked around. Reela and Vithos were busy talking with Klaiya.

“I’m sad to see Peter isn’t with you,” Reela was saying.

“It was a difficult decision for both of us,” Klaiya said. “But Peter isn’t ready to leave his family and friends for me, and I’m not ready to stay for him. If we had more time, it might’ve been different.
Ao wasalli falea yust ma jens
.”