Leslie Moore - Griffin's Daughter

Jelena smiled and nodded.

“ Umm, thought you’d like that. There’s something else I’ve got to tell you,” Sen continued in a more serious tone. “A royal messenger has just arrived from Sendai. Seems there’s to be war with the Soldarans after all. I’ve been summoned by the king to a war council. Seeing as I’m to supervise things, I need to get my tired old carcass along to the capital as quickly as possible. You, my girl, will ride with me in my entourage.” Jelena gasped in surprise.

“ I’m going to present you to the king, Jelena,” Sen announced. His face took on an uncharacteristic expression of gravity, and his words seemed heavy with hidden meaning. “I’ve thought long and hard on this, and I’ve come to the conclusion that he is the one in the best position to help you learn the identity of your father.”

“ I…I do not know what to say,” Jelena stammered. “Thank you, my lord!” She sank to her knees and lowered her head, overcome with gratitude.

“ Get up, girl,” Sen commanded gently, and Jelena rose to her feet. Smiling, he lifted his eyebrows and indicated with a wave of his hand that she was dismissed.

Jelena sketched a swift bow and hurried from the room, filled with excitement. She was to be presented to the king! Surely the king of Alasiri knew every family important enough to have its own seal. Lord Sen would show the king her father’s ring, and she just knew that he would recognize it!

She made her way down the main staircase and exited through the front entrance of the keep, heart singing with joy. She thought of Ashinji, and of how hard it had been to leave his bed that morning. With a little shiver of anticipation, she looked forward to tonight when she could once again feel the ecstasy of his touch.

Feels like it’s going to be another hot day , Jelena thought. She looked up into the near perfect blue of the sky and decided that a stroll in the woods directly across the river from the main gate would be a nice way to spend an hour or two.

The small remnant of venerable oak forest had long been cleared of any animals larger than a few rabbits, squirrels, and birds. Many of the castle’s inhabitants used its inviting cover of greenery as a trysting place.

Lord Dai and his entourage had departed Kerala earlier that morning, and Ashinji had gone along to serve as an escort for part of the way. He wouldn’t be back until evening. Both Aneko and Kami were on duty, and since there was no one else to accompany her, Jelena set out alone.

She passed under the sturdy main gates of Kerala Castle and strolled across the drawbridge, waving to the two guardsmen at their posts, who responded with languid nods. The waters of the Saihama River sloshed and gurgled below, blundering wetly around large boulders half-exposed and baking in the heat of the sun. The river ran low-much lower than usual-even for midsummer. It had been a very dry year.

Jelena carried only her hunting knife, a water bottle, and a journeycake for her lunch. She had overheard two of the kitchen girls talking about a patch of ripening blackberries they had discovered a few days ago, only a few steps into the trees, and Jelena hoped to find it. Sweet, juicy berries would make the perfect dessert!

At the far end of the drawbridge, she paused. Something rumpled and black lay on the path just ahead. At first, she thought it might be a piece of cloth, but as she drew near, she saw it was a dead bird.

The raven lay like a broken toy in the dirt, one wing outstretched and stiffened, eyes half-veiled and dull. Jelena prodded the bundle of feathers with the toe of her boot. A trio of iridescent green and black flies buzzed up from the corpse, circled briefly, then settled back down to their feast. Jelena pursed her lips in disgust. She thought about the bird that had been sitting in Ashinji’s window earlier. Surely, this couldn’t be the same one. Ashinji had said himself that many ravens resided at Kerala; still, the sight of the pitiful, withered corpse filled her with unease.

Stop now, she thought. Don’t ruin this perfect, beautiful day with crazy ideas. A dead raven means nothing except that a raven is dead! A live raven on a windowsill means nothing as well!

She circled carefully around the dead bird, feeling a little foolish. The cool green shadows of the woods beckoned. She decided to walk straight through and onward to the stone circle beyond. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, the ground within the ancient relic felt comfortable and peaceful. Something inside her resonated in harmony with a barely perceived force that existed inside the boundary of the circle.

She left the lifeless raven behind and entered the shade beneath the hoary old oaks. Last year’s leaves and acorns crackled underfoot. A large, extremely irritated squirrel scolded her from the safety of a branch overhead. She looked up at the irate creature and burst into laughter. It reminded her of how Claudia used to scold her when she was a child and she would return to their room after a day of adventure with Magnes, clothes dirtied and hair matted with leaves and stickers.

A brief melancholy temporarily darkened her mood. She rubbed at her eyes to ease the sting of tears brought on by the memory of Claudia. She wondered how her foster mother fared without her. Claudia had no one to rub her back at night, no one to soothe the pain she suffered from standing on her feet all day. Jelena had done those things for her once, but could do so no longer. A great gulf of both time and distance separated them now-perhaps forever.

And what of her cousin? Had his father welcomed Magnes home upon his return to Amsara, or had he punished his son because Magnes had refused to bend to the duke’s will?

Jelena sighed. She might never learn the answers to her questions. She could only hope that the gods would spare a little mercy for those she had loved and had left behind. She ambled to a stop and eased down onto a fallen log to rest. She still felt some mild discomfort, but she was young and resilient, and nothing would keep her from Ashinji’s bed tonight.

As she knew they would, Aneko and Kami had started in on teasing her as soon as she had arrived back at the barracks earlier that morning. Her first flush of embarrassment soon gave way to the realization that her friends’ ribbing sprang from genuine affection and caring.

Though still inexperienced in sexual matters, Jelena knew full well what the consequences would be if she and Ashinji continued to be together. Eventually, she would become pregnant. She might, in fact, be pregnant already. She rubbed thoughtfully at her flat, hard belly and tried to imagine it swollen with a child that she and Ashinji had created out of their love. The idea filled her with happiness. She wanted more than anything to be able to hold their child in her arms, but pregnancy any time soon would be too much of a complication. Perhaps the elves had a way-an herb or potion-that a woman could use to block conception, at least for a time, until she was ready to have a baby. She would ask Aneko.

A sharp pop, like the sound of a twig breaking beneath a boot heel, caught her ear, and she looked up and around. Sunlight and shadow dappled the thick trunks of the trees, creating illusions of movement. Jelena stood slowly and peered in all directions but saw nothing. Feeling a little spooked, she decided to press on to the stone circle.

“ Beautiful day for a walk in the woods. Mind if I join you?”

Jelena jumped in surprise and spun around to see Sadaiyo standing almost directly behind her. She backed up a few steps, then stood with one hand pressed over her heart, which fluttered like a moth.

How did he sneak up on me like that, she thought.

Sadaiyo cocked his head to one side and arranged his handsome face into a mask of contrition. “I’m so sorry, Jelena. Did I startle you? I can move very quietly when I wish to. Perhaps I should have made more noise.” His voice was smooth and sweet, like the butter put into traps to lure mice to their deaths.