“I prefer to kill, not be killed, but so be it, mate-in-law.” His eyes widen at his slip of words.
“Mated,” the man purrs. “Congratulations.”
“Would you like to shake hands?” I counter. Come out, come out, wherever you are?
I sense magic, smell it in the air like marshmallows melting under a campfire. Yet I see none. A ripple of light and shadows flashes. He’s back in the chair, sitting cross-legged, smirking as he fans his robes out.
Tristen dives forward.Blink!He’s gone, reappearing on his bed, cross-legged and relaxed.“Tristen, stop.” I step between them. The silk fabric covering my body feels like a cast, restricting my movements.
The old man stands slowly, offering me his hand. “If I wanted you dead, you would be,” he states honestly, eyeing his hand for me to shake.
“Greetings like that do not promote peace,” I say sourly.
“I seek something more important than peace.” He turns his palm, waiting for me to grasp it.
“What is that?” Slowly, I raise my hand.
“Don’t be a fool,” Tristen grunts under his breath. I appreciate him letting me make the decision. Titus would have done the same before we were mated. Now he’d pull me back.
“I seek…” He guides his hand into mine, palm to palm, but I keep my fingers open. “Survival for my children and their children. Family is the only thing that makes my existence less painful.”
My warm palm meets cool, wrinkled skin as we shake hands.
“Congratulations on being bonded. It’s an honor and a rare gift that should be cherished every second you have it.” His eyes press into me like a warning fire. He opens his fingers, waiting for my release.
Gradually, I peel each finger back.He swings his hands comfortably behind his back.
He moves his ancient, weary eyes onto Tristen. “It was to be Titus who came to see me, but,” he looks Tristen up and down, “You will have to do. Your brother has endured enough, accepted more than one should bear. It’s time you pull your weight.”
In a flash, I press my dagger to his neck, digging it into old, wrinkled skin. “I will kill you if you touch him,” I sneer.
He remains unfazed. “You would try, I have no doubt. If that blade could kill me, I’d welcome it. Now,” he swings his hand up and presses his fingers to the blade, attempting to lower it. Not one inch of his skin is sliced.
How is that possible?
“Are you going to let me talk, or is this a pissing contest?”
“I’m comfortable.” I keep my dagger high, eyeing the sharp edge that should have cut him. “Talk.”
His chest falls.Snap!He’s gone. Weight hits the chair. Tristen and I turn around to see him sitting there again. “I’m more comfortable like this. I’ve had enough of the dramatics. Do not dare me to reveal my true nature.”
I tip my chin up. “What are you?” I demand.
“I am none yet spoken, merely fantasized about. I am here nor there, which makes me everywhere.” He releases an old laugh. “Yet nowhere at all. I am not day or night; I am the in-between. I am lost and forgotten, yet comfortably content. I am the mystery on the horizon that is endless. I am hope, for it is the spring of all life.”
I lower my blade, much to Tristen’s dissatisfaction. “I am just a queen, whom you can call Selene. What may I call you?”
He rubs his jaw with intrigue. “I am… one with many names. None that matter; I still have not found one that satisfies me.”
“You prefer to be nameless?” I press.
“At times, yes. It’s tranquil. If they call, I do not have to answer.” He crosses his legs.
“That doesn’t sound like hope.” I assert.
“Hope is not always seen and felt, Selene. Hope is a dream and a nightmare. It is the unknown. Hope isan arrow that guides you, but leads us down a path of more questions.”
Tristen warned us he spoke strangely. I think he spins the truth, but tries to make it appear pleasantly alluring so he doesn’t frighten people away. He’s not rude because we’re bothering him; he’s angry we don’t seek out his company.
