Sui Writes

Tag: MMRomance

  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 12-2

    At Elderwood, Anit stood in the middle of Tani’s bedroom, taking in his personal space. The large bed in the middle of the room was neat. The closet was open, so she moved closer to find the room filled with tall racks. Tani’s clothes hanging on the racks, and a collection of the same type of shoes in different colors. Anit touched a black pair of Vans and smiled at her son’s little quirks.

    “Your presence here kicks him out of his home,” Cale, the god of calamities, said behind her.

    She pulled away her hand from Tani’s shoe with a sigh.

    “Which puts you in a bad mood,” Anit stated. “You enjoy filling yourself up with his sadness, don’t you?”

    “If that’s how you want to judge it, then I gain more with your presence here. Your pain is far more infinite than his,” Cale said, giving a satisfied sigh. “I don’t agree with you punishing Tani this way. You’re his sore spot. Stop giving him unnecessary pain.”

    “Cale, I don’t want to hear a lecture on how to treat my son from you,” Anit said, stepping away from her son’s peculiar shoe collection. “When is his calamity ending?”

    “The mortal is almost thirty-six years old,” Cale said, shaking his head. “Tani stayed away too long this time.”

    “A broken heart will do that to you,” Anit said. “It would be insane to expect him to carry the same feelings after so much pain. Whatever the outcome, you pull Tani out of the mortal realm before the Septum gets to him. I will lock him away in our lands. The next Fox Lord will not be a pawn for the Immortal Clan anymore.”

    Cale sighed.

    “What?”

    “Sunu has asked Tani be returned to the Immortal Clan.”

    Anit scoffed.

    “My son will take on his rightful title. He is the Fox Lord, the only one in millenniums past. I will not hand him over to the Immortal Clan.”

    “He is also the son of the Immortal Lord,” Cale said.

    “Your people forgot that part when they chained him to the mortal realm for a thousand years,” Anit said, her green eyes filled with anger. “You tell Sunu I don’t care what he wants. He watched me leave the Citadel when Tani was five hundred and did nothing to stop us. He shall endure his choices for as long as I draw breath.”

    Cale studied her for a moment, and then scoffed.

    “Meanwhile, Tani suffers between you and Sunu,” Cale said. “You think Tani is enduring his sentence for love because of a human in the mortal realm. You’re wrong. It is because of the lack of love forced on him by you, and Sunu. Don’t ever forget that truth. You should have afforded him more care. Amu and Eren are ready downstairs.”

    Cale left the room and Anit fought the urge to fling Tani’s shoes after him.

    What did the god of calamities know? Sunu betrayed her first. He abandoned her and Tani first.

    Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and let it out slow. Sunu would not get Tani to enter the Citadel.

    Tani belonged to the Fox Clan.

    Anit did not bother to go down the stairs. She shimmered out of Tani’s room and appeared in the living room where she had met Tani face to face for the first time in two and a half millenniums. She knew there were mistakes made, but Cale did not have to rub it in.

    Still, she would never forget how beautiful Tani’s amber eyes looked.

    Anit glared at Eren in the living room, and then sank into an armchair nearest the fireplace. She arranged her frock and rested her hands on the armrests.

    “What does the Septum want with my Fox Clan?” Anit asked of Eren.

    “Goddess Anit, Eren greats you. I heal the soils of our Immortal Clan lands. I would ask the Fox Goddess a question on the amount of Kara ot in your lands.”

    “The black weed is forbidden in my court,” Anit said. “I obliterate it as fast as it is detected. The weed is dangerous for the fox children born between mortals and those of our clan. Black weed infects them, bringing them unimaginable pain as it works to rob them of their abilities. We do not tolerate its presence in our lands.”

    “Are you saying you have allowed hybrid children to live in the fox clan lands? How is that possible?” Eren asked her eyes wide with shock.

    “We are not purists. It is not impossible in our lands to find children from the mortal realm,” Anit said. “Our fox clan does not punish our people for loving mortals when they visit the mortal realm. Our traits are strong. Children are natural consequences of a mating. When one of ours sires a child with traits leaning to our clan, we bring them back to our lands. It is acceptable to pull them out of the mortal realm in order to protect our Ekho Realm secrets. My council and I have worked hard to create guidelines on the matter. The Palladium Gatekeeper has the guidelines on our rules. She allows passage as needed.”

    “So, the foxes are visiting the Mortal Realm often,” Eren said, with a knowing nod.

    “You suspect one of our people of bringing the black weed to the mortal realm?” Amu asked, his gaze wide at Eren’s comment.

    “We can’t rule them out,” Eren said.

    “How bold of you,” Anit said, her voice heavy with annoyance at the audacity in the Immortal Clan. “My people are very careful. I just laid out to you how deadly the weed is to our children. Which of us would then dare to carry it around? How dare you look down on my people?”

    “Fox Goddess, I do not mean to disrespect you or your people. I am only pointing out that there is a break in the chain. This problem needs both our clans to find a resolution. The Immortal Clan is willing to help—”

    “Eren of the Earth. Our Fox Clan manages to solve problems without your help,” Anit said, slapping her right palm on her arm of her chair. “I have personally cleansed Kara ot from vast swaths of land not only in our Fox Clan but even in the Dragon Clan’s lands and the lesser clans’ provinces. How dare you imply we do less than your Immortal Clan?”

     Eren sighed and sat back in her chair. She had no words to use with this Fox Goddess. The woman somehow twisted her words no matter what she said. They seemed to have used up all their good fortune with her.

    “Eren,” Amu said. “What do you need from us?”

    “Access to the Inter Clan Court. Being one in the Septum, I do not know the members. I only know that the Fox Goddess has a large influence with the court,” Eren said.

    “I refuse to carry on the Immortal Clan’s chores,” Anit said, getting up. “Amu, don’t bring me out to handle such a small problem. I’ll go back to my planting now.”

    “Can’t you think of your son?” Eren asked.

    The Fox Goddess did not like her or the Immortal Clan so she was going to walk away without giving Eren a chance. Eren gave up on diplomacy and decided to sting the woman with words.

    “Every time there is an outbreak of Kara ot in the Mortal Realm Lord Tani is the first to know. He is the one to cleanse it, as his power demands it, unlike that of Cale. To cleanse black weed, the cuffs on his wrists have to come off. Surely, no one would wish such pain on their child.”

    Anit stopped her departure and her gaze fixed on Eren.

    Cale got up fast and stood in front of Eren.

    Eren frowned at his clear worry, and then felt the air pressure rise in the room and understood his concern. Cale started to shield Eren, but Anit waved her hand and pushed him away as though he were nothing, sending him to the living room entrance.

    At the same time, vines as thick as a hand pierced through the wood floors and wrapped around Eren in tight bands, giving her no chance to escape. Bright green leaves with sharp and deadly edges cut Eren’s skin on her arms and up to her neck.

    Anit used the vines to drag Eren closer so that she could look into her eyes.

    “You would dare poke at my weak point to get your way,” Anit said, her green eyes as turbulent as a storm in the deepest ocean. “Eren of the Earth, have you forgotten who placed those cuffs on my son’s wrists? Who voted to keep him here for loving a mortal? For daring to follow his Fox Lord heart, all because, he has Immortal Clan blood. You punished him for sharing his soul with a mortal and did not even care to ask me about it!”

    “Fox Goddess,” Eren started to say, and the vines around her tightened to the point of drawing a whimper of pain from her.

    “I loved your Immortal Lord with all my heart,” Anit said, the sneer on her beautiful face seemed to add to her power. She scoffed. “Your Septum conspired to pull us apart, saying a fox and the Immortal Lord cannot live in the Citadel. It will somehow make our clans imbalanced. Your Septum made it that I could not fight back. So, I left the Immortal Lord and took our son. The loss was difficult, and I dared to blink in order to mourn my sorrows, only to discover that you lot put my young son in a bind. Now, you, Eren of the Earth, dare poke at my inability to protect him after the criminal decisions you’ve placed on our shoulders. Do you not like living?”

    “You can’t kill me,” Eren said, straining against the vines wrapped tight around her.

    Anit laughed long and hard.

    “Oh, I know I can’t, but you are in the Mortal Realm. I can make you bleed so much that you will only be able to crawl to the Palladium Gates in order to heal. Don’t test me,” Anit said. “You’re the one who came to me to ask for help. I refused to help. You dared bring up my child. I retaliated. Don’t get the story wrong when you meet the Septum. I do hold deep grudges.”

    The vines disappeared as fast as they wrapped around Eren.

    The wood floors restored, Anit made sure to add her stamp in Tani’s living room.

    Anit then met Amu’s gaze for a full minute before she shimmered out of Tani’s sanctuary, her heart breaking at the thought of her son having to endure pain again.

    She left an Inter Clan Court badge on the coffee table next to Amu.

    Eren sank down into her chair and let out a long sigh after Anit’s departure. She reached up to touch the stinging cut on her neck and grimaced when her fingers came back with red blood.

    “She must be in a good mood today,” Cale said, coming back into the room. He sat in the armchair Anit had used. “Uncle Amu, should we thank you that she did not give Eren a thousand cuts?”

    “Eren, why did you mention Tani?” Amu asked, picking up the fox clan badge allowing entrance into the Inter Clan Court. “You should have given her a moment. We could have talked it out and gotten her to see your side. Anit does not take kindly to one who mocks her failures.”

    “Do you really think she was going to give us that badge out of kindness?” Eren asked, sitting back, her heart still beating too fast. “She hates the Immortal Clan. I should have realized it was incurable. When does one find Anit, and her son, Tani, in a good mood?”

    “It depends on who you are,” Cale said on a chuckle.

    “Cale.” Amu chastised.

    “Okay, I won’t tease Eren anymore. We should make use of the badge quickly and go to the Clan Court.”

    “Is this what you’ve been waiting for?” Amu asked.

    Cale nodded, getting up.

    “I have business in that court and we can only enter with her permission. Amu, sometimes you forget I’m also from the Immortal Clan.”

    “I truly do,” Amu said, narrowing his gaze at Cale. “What are you looking for in the Inter Clan Court?”

    “The same culprit you’re looking for,” Cale said. “We should go now.”

    Amu sighed and looked at Eren.

    “Cale is right. We should leave, otherwise Tani will never return home if you stay longer,” Amu said.

    Eren stood slowly, touching the cut on her neck once again with a hiss.

    “Why won’t it stop bleeding?” Eren asked.

    “Anit’s special power is nullifying our Ekho gifts in the mortal realm,” Cale said. “You won’t be able to heal that cut until you enter the Palladium Gates again. So, we should go.”

    “She’s so unreasonable,” Eren hissed, as they all left Elderwood and appeared in front of the Palladium Gates.

    ****

    At Artri House, Tani shifted on the large comfortable couch with the huge pillows facing the beautiful windows. He and Dante were watching the sun fade in the horizon. The sunset was especially beautiful this evening. He sipped his wine and returned his attention to Dante who sat next to him.

    Dante had changed out of his day clothes, and released his hair from the tight ponytail. He was now in a black t-shirt and matching sweatpants. His feet stretched out before him. He was the picture of relaxation.

    “Why did you study World History?” Tani asked, loving that Dante answered his many questions without hesitation.

    “I like learning about the past,” Dante said. “As you know our Artri House takes the education of its Ekho-blessed children seriously. Grandmaster Landi runs a successful institute in New York that trains those like us. Which also means he expects too much of the children coming from his house. The only outlet I had from the pressure was learning history. I liked discovering the rhythms of growing nations, people, cultures and languages.”

    “So what do you do all day when you’re not at Artri House entertaining a deviant Ekho?” Tani asked.

    “Hmm, not so deviant if you ask me. I was teaching the students you met today until two weeks ago,” Dante said. “My sessions with them are over. So, I’ve returned to my research work. We’re documenting an underground city discovered in Asikli. The dig is dated back to the Neolithic age. It’s an ongoing dig site. So far, we’ve uncovered painted churches and houses rebuild over time. It is slow tedious work, but I enjoy it.”

    Tani smiled at Dante’s clear infatuation with his day job. He could watch him talk about excavating dead cities forever. Sitting on a couch as the sun set and they shared a bottle of wine. This small pleasure was all he lived for when he could have Dante in his life.

    Why couldn’t life be this simple all the time?

    His heart squeezed tight and the familiar sting of tears at the back of his eyes had him blinking.

    “Tani?”

    Tani found Dante watching him.

    “You okay?”

    “Mm,” Tani nodded, bringing his glass to his lips taking a sip, he turned to look at the fading sunset in the distance. “These floor length windows are such a genius idea. You get a great view any time you take a look.”

    Dante placed his glass on the stool in front of them with their half-full bottle of wine. Dante closed the little distance they had maintained between them. He took Tani’s glass and set it on the stool too.

    “Look at me,” Dante said taking Tani’s left hand. “You were lost in thought a minute ago. I’ve talked myself thirsty this evening. You’ve just asked questions. Now, I have one for you.”

    Tani met Dante’s gaze then.

    “Ask,” Tani said.

    Dante cupped Tani’s right cheek and looked into Tani’s eyes for a moment.

    Tani’s heart thundered in his chest, wishing and hoping Dante would not ask him about his past. This was a beautiful evening and he did not want to think of their tragic past. It would ruin this…and he so wanted to hold on to this memory. Simply sitting here with Dante having a conversation.

    “Can I kiss you?”

    Tani bit his bottom lip and smiled in relief.

    “Dante, I have wished I could kiss you since the moment we met in the olive grove. I…”

    Dante leaned in and took his lips in a sweet short kiss that tasted of sweet rosé. He ended the kiss as fast as he started, but he did not move away.

    Tani kept his eyes open meeting serious brown eyes already wanting another kiss. Their breaths mingled and Dante’s gaze shifted to Tani’s lips. Tani took in a short breath, his heart racing again.

    “You are a dream to me,” Dante said, closing his eyes. “I’m half afraid I’ll wake up tomorrow and discover I’ve made up this encounter with you. Will you stay with me tonight? Let me hold you?”

    Tani breathed him in and leaned in to brush his lips on Dante’s cheek, smiling at the tickle of Dante’s beard on his own cheeks.

    “I’m already here with you there is no need to imagine it,” Tani said, closing his eyes when Dante brushed back his hair, sinking his fingers into his red hair and pushing it away from Tani’s face.

    “I’ve never been anyone’s dream. What do you picture about us?” Tani asked. “Will you tell me?”

    “I never thought anyone else a dream before you. When I saw you I wanted to experience everything with you,” Dante said with a small chuckle, shifting even closer so that he could wrap an arm around Tani’s waist.

    Dante maneuvered them until they were lying on the long couch, the pillows pushed and arranged for their comfort. Tani rested his head on Dante’s right shoulder, burying his face into the curve of Dante’s neck when strong arms rubbed down his back. Their feet tangled and Tani hummed at the warmth between them.

    “I never felt much before,” Dante said, his hand moving up and down Tani’s back. “But since I met you, I’ve felt helpless, jealous, angry, infatuated, almost all at the same time. It’s overwhelming.”

    “What kind of experiences do you want, Dante?”

    “Will you give them to me?”

    “Yes.”

    “All of them?”

    Tani grinned and leaned back to look into Dante’s eyes.

    Dante kissed him again on the lips. A lingering kiss, teasing, it warmed him up straight to his heart. He wanted more, because he did, he worried about how much time they had together.

    Tani ended their kiss and answered Dante’s question.

    “I will give you all of them,” Tani promised.

    Dante smiled.

    “Then, I’ll give you what you want too,” Dante said. “I have talked away the whole evening. I never gave you a chance to say what you think about us.”

    “You haven’t asked,” Tani said.

    Dante held his questions.

    “Are you scared to ask?” Tani asked when Dante kept quiet.

    “Yes.”

    “Why?”

    “Your memory is too long,” Dante said. “I’m afraid it is full of sad moments about us. I want to change those memories and fill them with good ones. So, I’ll wait a bit before I ask you what you want.”

    Tani bit his lip hard because Dante’s thoughtfulness threatened to undo the protective walls built around his heart. He swallowed the lump of emotion that rose up in his throat and let out a soft breath.

    “Then, you tell me a few things,” Tani managed to say. “We can do them while I think about what I will ask of you.”

    “Okay. I’ve already said the first one. I want to wake up next to you everyday,” Dante said.

    “I’m already here with you at Artri House for tonight, and tomorrow. I’ll try to make your wish come true, but it might not be daily. There is still Elderwood.”

    “Fair enough,” Dante said with a small nod. “If I’m welcome, I’ll sleep over at Elderwood with you then we can balance it.”

    Tani grinned and nodded in agreement.

    “What else do you want us to do?”

    “I want to make love with you,” Dante said, leaning in to breath Tani’s scent in. “Not yet though. When we get to know each other better. I don’t want our first time to feel impersonal.”

    Tani hid a smile. He did not remember their sex life being fast and impersonal. Their lovemaking was consuming in the best of ways. He missed being close to Dante. Loved their intimacy, it was the one thing they never got wrong.

    “Let’s not wait too long,” Tani murmured.

    “Then after our third real date.”

    “Is this our first?”

    “No,” Dante shook his head. “You came to me when you were upset. This, here, is me comforting you. Our first date should be fantastic and memorable. We can go on it tomorrow.”

    Tani grinned at Dante’s enthusiasm.

    “I can work with that,” he said.

    “With what?”

    “Fantastic and memorable,” Tani said, thinking Dante’s wishes were very easy to fulfill.

    “About earlier,” Tani continued, pressing his face into the curve of Dante’s neck, he closed his eyes, as the sting of his mother’s slap finally faded. “Thank you for making me stay here with you. I had an unpleasant encounter. I cannot explain it yet, but you’ve healed the sting that I thought would stay with me.”

    “I’m a great listener too,” Dante said. “Whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

    “I know,” Tani said, grateful that Dante had not pressed him on the details of his encounter with his mother.

    “Should we travel?” Dante asked. “Let’s see the world together…”

    Tani and Dante talked into the night, they mapped dreams of traveling together, places they could visit, Dante’s interests mostly. They fell asleep on the comfortable couch, holding each other in a tight embrace as though an inch between them would be too much to suffer.

    ****

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  • Blades of Ashes Ch 1-3

    Arc 1 -The Case of the Forged Silver Coins

    Chapter 1-3

    Three weeks later, Dio Adertha, the fifty-first Basileus of the Lyria Empire, paced the length of a small room waiting for an unexpected visitor. Each step he took was with purpose. He clasped his hands behind his back as he cultivated patience.

    Soon, his thoughts lingered on the past instead of dwelling on the waiting.

    Dio thought about his father, the previous Basileus.

    At the end of the Lyria Imperial Year 1335, the reigning Basileus, Rokas Adertha, abdicated his throne due to health concerns and made Dio the new Basileus.

    Then, on the first month of the Imperial Year 1336, a year into his reign, Dio was still learning the imperial court’s in and outs when his father called him to his residential chambers. He remembered the moment as clear as day.

    Rokas was ill but still able to move around on his own.

    Dio found his father sitting up in a chair by the large windows in his chambers.

    Rokas gave Dio a solemn cryptic warning that morning.

    ‘Beware of Witia,’ Rokas said. ‘The sugarcane state in the Southwest. If trouble starts, call on Maenaer of Draeya. He is your strength. Lean on his marquis house for support. His loyalties belong to Adertha. He shall help you stabilize the empire. Trust only Maenaer. Don’t share my warning with your retainers.’

    Rokas’s warning left Dio unnerved.

    More so when Rokas died two months later. His father was not one to leave unimportant words.

    Yet, Dio could not share them with anyone in his palace, not his secretaries, least of all his prime minister. Endless sorrow and worry descended on Dio.

    However, this worry started to fade, as the pressures of his role as Basileus grew heavier.

    Dio soon came to realize that the politics in his capital city of Genad had changed after his father’s death.

    A clear struggle for power was brewing between two powerful political parties: the prime minister’s libert, and the opposition party named populi.

    Populi had a hidden master, one that worried the prime minister.

    The two parties were locked in a vicious fight for control of important government offices, ministries, and industries.

    Dio could only focus on the constant tide of mediation between the two parties in his parliament. Soon, he forgot his father’s warning

    Two years passed in this constant turmoil.

    Until three days ago, on the sixth month of the Imperial Year 1338, when an interesting request for a meeting made its way to Dio’s office.

    A general with the last name Maenaer sent a note wanting to meet Dio and reminisce about the past.

    Dio had no reason to grant the request. He would have refused it but then he remembered his father’s warning. The name Maenaer filled him with speculation, and so, he agreed to meet the mysterious general.

    It was mid-afternoon.

    Dio stopped pacing and stood next to a white marble statue of one of his more illustrious ancestors. He studied the armor on the statue and wondered what his ancestor would say of the current rule in the kingdom.

    In his ancestor’s time, the people respected the strong warriors. A struggle for power between soft imperial courtiers would not exist. This ancestor of his would probably think the current Basileus had gone soft too.

    Shaking his head, Dio turned when the door opened and one of his bodyguards led in his strange guest.

    The older man who walked in was tall and filled with the aura of a seasoned general. He was dressed in a long black coat with a peculiar finish. The heavy fabric shone in the sunlight as he walked as though the black thread was inlaid with silver strands. Intricate silver wire designs decorated the cuffs and lapels of the general’s coat. His knee-length black books were made of fine leather, their soles thick, and durable.

    This old general looked in his late sixties.

    Yet, he stood tall, his back straight. His hair was the only part of him that showed his age. It was shoulder-length and as white as fresh snow. The long strands were held back with simple braids at his temple. The braids were tied together at the back with a silver clip to match the silver on the cuffs.

    Dio met the general’s gaze and surprise filled him when he looked into light brown eyes that looked at him with challenge. The general stopped a few feet away from him and lowered his head in a short bow.

    “Thanir Maenaer from the Draeya Clan greets the Basileus. I am honored you agreed to meet me.”

    “I’m more curious about you, General Maenaer,” Dio said, studying Thanir’s bowed head. “What is your relationship with Basileus Rokas?”

    Thanir responded by dropping to his right knee. He brought his right hand to his chest in a show of loyalty.

    “I owe Basileus Rokas a debt of blood. He saved my wife’s life when she was pregnant with my first-born son. In turn, I pledged my life to the Adertha House. He never gave me a chance to repay this debt when he was alive. He only made me promise to find you, Basileus Dio, two years after his death.”

    “Why?” Dio asked, a deep frown creasing his forehead. “Why would he ask you to find me?”

    “This subject will answer the Basileus with a story. Twenty-seven years ago, Basileus Rokas stayed in my clan’s home during a great flood in our small Draeya County in the Naga State. Our county is named after the lake that sustains our lands. When it rains, the river that feeds the lake overflows. Basileus Rokas visited our county to help us find a lasting solution.”

    “He tasked me with the job of constructing dykes, and dams, adding vegetation, and cutting terrace slopes to help us reduce damage. We even built a reservoir the county now uses for growing rice. While I was out working with his forces, my wife fell into danger when I was not home.”

    “Basileus Rokas saved her and my unborn son, going to great lengths to find skilled doctors to save her life when she went into labor. Soon, I returned home. Basileus Rokas awarded my clansmen for the good work of controlling the overflow of water. He styled my house a title, making this small official and his wife, Marquis and Marchioness Draeya.”

    “Basileus Rokas praised me for my service but I was too grateful for his unprecedented efforts to save my wife and child.  I swore a blood oath to protect his Adertha House should he ever need it.”

    “Lord Draeya,” Dio said. “My father valued officials who performed great feats for our empire. Please stand. I cannot be responsible for making your knees hurt in my hall.”

    Thanir dropped his hands to his sides and rose to his feet.

    Dio indicated for them to sit on the two armchairs a few feet away from the white statue.

    Thanir waited until Dio settled before he sat.

    “Four months before Basileus Rokas abdicated the throne to you, he wrote me a letter,” Thanir said, reaching into his coat pocket. He retrieved a tightly rolled paper tied with a red string. The royal seal on the paper was long broken.

    Thanir handed the letter to Dio and fell silent waiting for Dio to read the contents.

    Dio felt his heart squeeze in excitement when he recognized his father’s handwriting. The elegant strokes of Rokas’s handwriting, so sure and seasoned. His heart skipped with joy at the pleasure of reading his father’s words after a long time.

    Warm greetings filled the first paragraph of the letter.

    Dio noticed that his father called the Marquis by his given name, Thanir. They were old friends. Then, there was a paragraph asking about the Marquis’ children, and the oldest Maenaer son named Raithion.

    Dio assumed Raithion was the heir to Thanir’s title.

    After the greetings, came a paragraph of concerns…

    ‘…Thanir, I write you now at the sunset of my illustrious life because I worry about Dio's future. I worry about the Lyria Empire's future. People from Witia State have made troubling moves of late.
If you remember, Dio's mother is a daughter from Witia. To my greatest worry, Basilinna Olneth has been tolerant of her brothers in Witia.
In her complacency, she has encouraged her brothers to support a cobra-like courtier named Gesi Ajai. He is an ambitious man working against the Prime Minister in the Populi party. For now, he plots to join the imperial court in any capacity. I've been unable to stall his efforts, as there are no obvious reasons to do it.
I'm also afraid Ajai has noticed my dislike of him.
Adding to my suspicions, of late, I have developed stomach pains that leave me bedridden for days. The physician cannot find the cause, which has made me come to my own conclusions. I worry Ajai's ambitions are now targeted at the palace. I have no proof for you, only speculation.
Dio is still young. He is twenty-five years of age. Two years younger than my adopted son, Raith. Dio has not chosen a Basilinna to bring into the palace. He tells me he hopes to marry for love. I worry Ajai might try to interrupt or manipulate his choices.
Old friend, I never once wanted to take advantage of your blood oath. I have always considered you my brother. However, I am left with no choice. Allow me to invoke old debts, and ask you to protect my son when I'm no longer able. I hope I can remove Ajai from Dio's path before he has to take my place.
If I fail, I ask you to take my place and help my son protect Lyria.
Attached find an imperium to assist you in the hard work you will surely have to face in my absence.
Use it if I'm gone and you discover Gesi Ajai making things difficult for Dio. I wish you and Silveren all the best. It is my hope and wish that my son, Dio, will find the same friendship I found in you with your son, and my adopted son, Raithion.
I thank you in advance, Rokas.'

    Folded under the letter was an imperium with the imperial insignia, signed and sealed by Basileus Rokas Adertha.

    This imperium is given by Basileus Rokas Adertha investing power in the Marquis Draeya, Thanir Maenaer, and his family, to form a private army and have undisputable power to act in the defense of the Lyria Empire, and Basileus Dio. Maenaer will protect the empire's best interests as directed by Basileus Dio.

    Dio stared at the order for a moment caught between relief and fear. His father’s concerns were heavy and heartbreaking.

    Rokas’s last words finally gained meaning.

    Dio almost wished the order in his hands did not exist. That it did exist meant the empire was going to endure a period of turmoil. Worry and relief filled him up, fighting for dominance.

    He sighed when relief won over.

    Dio looked at Marquis Draeya to find the old general watching him with a wary gaze.

    “Who is Raithion? Does Marquis Draeya know that my father’s adopted son is my brother?” Dio asked, smiling at Thanir’s concerned expression.

    Thanir let out a relieved sigh and returned his smile.

    “Raithion is waiting outside with his younger sisters,” Thanir said. “We are walking around the capital in the pretext of buying jewels for my second-born daughter. Noriel is getting married. She is hoping for your blessings for her wedding. If you grant the blessings, we can then return to Draeya without rousing Gesi Ajai’s suspicion.”

    “Well thought out,” Dio said with an approving nod. “Tell me, Marquis Draeya, what made you seek me out?”

    “I have much to confess, Basileus,” Thanir said, and stood. He reached into a second pocket hidden in his coat and produced two more scrolls.

    Dio took the scrolls, making sure to hand back his father’s letter and the imperium to Thanir for sake keeping.

    Opening the rough scrolls from Thanir, Dio found two notes.

    “Counterfeit silver coins are creating sporadic unrest in the capital. The guards stationed in the exchange bureaus are doing their best to keep the citizens in check, but the tension is on the verge of breaking into protests. A solution is needed to handle the influx of counterfeit silver coins,” Dio read.

    He looked at Thanir.

    “I have received the same reports,” Dio said. “I ordered the Prime Minister and one of my generals to take the matter in hand. They have appointed an inspector general to take on the case. I understand they are collecting the counterfeit silvers with the intention of finding the source. When did their efforts lead to the point of clear upheaval?”

    “The exchange bureaus are confiscating hard-earned silver coins from the people,” Thanir said. “There is no easy way to soothe the people’s anger unless we stop the counterfeiting. This case has pulled me back to this capital. I need your authority to find the true culprit behind the counterfeiting case. This incident is not so simple.”

    “Other than damaging our economy to gain wealth as the courtiers often do, what else could be the goal?”

    “My suspicions are not solid enough,” Thanir started.

    “Marquis Draeya, tell me anyway,” Dio insisted. “I would like it very much if you were not afraid to share your opinions with me.”

    Thanir paced away from the chair next to Dio. He rubbed his forehead with his right hand for a moment. He stopped and seemed to make a decision before he turned to face Dio.

    “I have acted without permission and asked Raith to seek out answers. We have collected evidence that leads us to the conclusion that someone is working to destabilize the imperial court. Most of the counterfeit silver coins are forged using iron extracted from burnt ore mined in the Sura Mountain. This burnt ore is found on an island called Sura. The people living on this island are a clan of two thousand, five hundred and twenty-three strong. They call themselves the Sura Clan,” Thanir said.

    Dio sat back reviewing the same information from his days in the classroom under his tutor’s watchful eye.

    Sura Mountain once spewed liquid fire in the distant past. It had turned dormant for a long time. The people who lived on the island formed by the explosions had learned how to mine. They developed a strong clan filled with miners, refiners of metal, blacksmiths, and artisans.

    The Sura had a unique trait. They were all born with strawberry-blonde hair. The color marked by the sheen of gold and a mix of white. It was easy to identify them in a crowd. It was even easier to spot their talent while looking at the metal items they made.

    “The Sura are well known for their talent with manipulating metal. They run metal workshops that contribute to the creation of farming tools, and any items made with metal including jewelry,” Dio said. “The gold swords my father carried were crafted by one of their artisans and gifted to my family by their chieftain.”

    “Yes. The current Sura Chieftain is Marius Doriel,” Thanir continued, despite Dio’s comments. “Basileus Rokas granted the Sura Clan a home in the capital where Lord Doriel and his fellow clan work and trade. They manage three large smelting workshops in the capital city. They also manage a residence by the port on the Southeast coast of Naga State. That is where the burnt ore enters Lyria.”

    Dio frowned, studying Thanir, trying to understand why the general was fixated on a mining clan. They were common enough. He knew two other mining clans based in the State of Storait in the northeast, and there was one in Brusan State. The Brusan clan mined precious jewels, their value far more larger than the Sura.

    Witia State also had a gold mine, Dio thought. His grandmother’s clan managed one. It was how she managed to marry the Basileus.

    Naga State was the only state that did not provide mined products. Instead, they produced most of the rice in the empire.

    Why would the Sura island clan become so important?

    Thanir sensed his doubt.

    “The Sura Clan specializes in the development of steel. Our Draeya Clan has commissioned its seasoned blacksmiths countless times. They make strong swords, and other types of weapons,” Thanir said. “They are an important part of the empire. Their wealth grows, and their purpose changes depending on the client. If I were Gesi Ajai, I might want to curb their influence or take it over for myself. The workshops held by the Sura in the capital are on a granted lease. The lease agreement is controlled by the Ministry of Finance.”

    Dio stood too, his eyes wide with shock.

    His father had been worried Gesi Ajai was targeting one of the important ministries in the imperial court. The ministry of finance was a powerful weapon. The empire flourished in trade and agriculture.

    If a villain tampered with either…

    Dio hissed. Why had he not seen it?

    His father was right. His gaze shifted to the old general. Thanir Maener was the most valuable advisor Dio would ever have.

    “Marquis Draeya,” Dio said, considering what to do to make the man move to the capital on a permanent basis. “Do you live here in the capital city of Genad?”

    “No, we don’t,” Thanir said with a small chuckle. “My wife prefers a quiet life in our small Draeya County. We rent a manor in private residences on the outskirts of the capital. It has allowed us to move around unnoticed.”

    “I wish to disappoint your wife,” Dio said, moving to stand before Thanir. He met wary brown eyes. “Will you hold it against me?”

    “Basileus Dio,” Thanir said. “I disappointed her first by coming to you with this imperium. There was no choice. After what I have uncovered, I must fulfill my promise to your father.”

    “It is lucky we are in agreement,” Dio said, with a single nod. “I cannot make you an official in the government yet. The haggling parties in my imperial court are holding the reins of government. The prime minister’s people are running most of the important offices, like finance, laws and rites, and the collection of taxes. I cannot interfere with that wiry man either. The Populi party has gripped the ministry of agriculture with its hands. They are using it to win the people’s favor.”

    Dio sighed as he thought about his government. He wished daily for a stronger force. One that would come in and upset the delicate balance between the prime minister’s Liberat and the Populi.

    Shaking his head, he glanced at Thanir once more. Perhaps, Thanir Maenaer was the answer.

    “I wish to pull you into the spotlight using the offices I control. The military office and the government administration office,” Dio said. “Once I do so, I hope you are able to penetrate the swirling storm between these two political parties. Are you willing, Lord Draeya?”

    Thanir took in a deep breath and then nodded.

    “I’m willing, Basileus.”

    “Then, I’m relieved. We shall start by installing you as a military advisor in my office. This will give you a reason to enter the palace at will. It also allows you to grow acquainted with the courtiers,” Dio said. “As for the army forces my father helped you grow in your Draeya County…”

    “This matter is well organized, Basileus,” Thanir said. “I come to you with an offering. My eldest son, Raithion, joined the Naga State military when he turned sixteen. He forged relationships and grew his career in a clean manner. These past ten years have seen him rise in rank.”

    “Quite industrious,” Dio said, curious about his adopted brother.

    “At twenty-seven, Raithion has risen up the ranks with his own effort. He is a full-fledged general. He commands twenty thousand men within our Draeya County. The Naga State King has named him Lord General Draeya as he is the son of Marquis Draeya and comes from a military-grade family. He is the reason I have been able to collect the information on the counterfeit silver. I have held off his marriage in case it is of help to you.”

    “All the men under your direct command must be under Raithion’s care,” Dio said, impressed by Thanir’s ability to plan.

    “Yes, three thousand strong from our Draeya clan,” Thanir said. “Raithion will station them with me if I move to the capital. They will support you in any way you wish.”

    Dio smiled as he stared at Thanir. The heavy burden of dealing with his court had left him constantly anxious.  Even the attendants working next to him belonged to either Libert or Populi. If he could gain someone outside the circus…

    How wonderful! His father seemed to have found him a very valuable chess piece. It was better to hold him very close.

    “When you move to the capital,” Dio corrected, excited by this turn of events. “Your presence in the capital will make it easier to look into Gesi Ajai’s movements. The faster we understand his plans the better. Now, for where you are to live in the capital.”

    Dio frowned in thought, and then grinned, snapping his fingers in excitement.

    “We’re in luck. A year ago, old Princess Andong died. She was my great-aunt. Her grand manor in the capital reverted to me, and it is mine to do with as I wish. I will present it to a meritorious officer.”

    “Thank you, Basileus.” Thanir brought his right hand to his chest and nodded his thanks.

    “You will find this manor useful. It has high privacy walls, discrete exits and is closest to my palace. I will have my retainers repair the property and make it Marquis Draeya’s official residence. I would also like to introduce you to the courtiers in the capital. It will please me to support your second daughter’s wedding.  I promise to officiate her wedding in person in your new home.”

    Thanir stepped back and gave him a formal bow, his head lowering an inch more than earlier in respect and gratitude.

    “Thanir thanks you for your gift to my daughter, Noriel. I look forward to serving you, Basileus Dio,” Thanir said.

    “No thanks needed, Lord Draeya. You are helping me more,” Dio said, placing a gentle hand on the older man’s shoulder. “Now, I will walk you out and you can introduce me to Lord General Draeya. I would love to meet this adopted brother of mine. The generals I have met so far are very stern. Is your son just as fierce? What does he like to eat? Do you think he will mind exploring the city with me? I have never had a brother before.”

    Thanir chuckled as they headed out of the little hall.

    “I will let him answer all your questions, Basileus.”

    ****

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  • Blades of Ashes Ch 1-2

    Arc 1: The Case of the Forged Silver Coins

    Chapter 1-2

    The capital gained a different mood as night descended. Wives with families rushed home to tend to their households. Husbands who cared hurried along with them. The bachelors and revelers made their way to the many restaurants in the city or to livelier establishments hoping to socialize and find good company.

    In the garrisons, officers changed shifts, wrote reports, and upheld peace and civility in the capital city of Genad.

    Standing on the balcony outside the Inspector General’s office at the Counterfeit Inspectors Unit, Raithion Maenaer watched an attendant in the inn across light lamps to ward off the night.

    The inn was one of the cleanest establishments in the capital. He knew the inn’s dining hall was packed with people having a meal. Others migrating to the second floor of the inn to watch the dancers, and listen to musicians play.

    Raithion knew because he had rented a room at the back of the inn for the time being. Anyone who discovered this would think it strange as he had a perfectly good home on the opposite side of the capital.

    However, he did not intend to draw attention to his presence in the counterfeit inspector’s unit because his work was confidential.

    “General.”

    Raithion turned to his left to find a tall thin man standing a few feet away.

    The man wore silver green armor, his helmet held in his left hand. The silver-green armor was the uniform used by the exchange bureau officers. It was hard to reconcile it with his most trusted friend.

    “Haedor, you look like when we were still green in the training fields at the Naga garrisons,” Raithion said, grinning at his friend’s immediate scowl.

    “Don’t remind me,” Haedor said, adjusting the collar of his green armor. “This thing is too itchy. I’ll be happy when we leave here. We brought back the last of the counterfeit silvers from the exchange hall an hour ago. The two inspectors who went with me are in the main hall busy writing reports on the day’s collection. The master assayer has been working on the counterfeit silvers. He has news.”

    “How much did you collect today?” Raithion asked, a frown creasing his forehead at the losses the people were experiencing.

    “We are at a hundred thousand silvers this evening,” Haedor said, his tone heavy with anxiety. “There will be riots if the forced confiscation continues.”

    “That is what the person behind this plot is hoping for,” Raithion said, abandoning his view of the city on the balcony, he entered the office. “The faster we can solve the source of these forged coins the better for the people.”

    “Your father is waiting for a report on the composition of the forged silver coins,” Haedor said. “We find the source of the materials used, and we will have the culprit.”

    “True,” Raithion said. He retrieved his sword from the top of the large desk and led the way out of the inspector general’s office. “Still, this case feels more complex than simply finding the source of the forgery.”

    “Could you be over-reading their intentions?” Haedor asked as he closed and locked the door, leaving it as they found it.

    Raithion wished he were, but his gut feeling told him there was more to uncover.

    “We have no evidence to show there is more than a simple intention to ruin the economy,” Haedor said.

    They walked along the wide corridor to a staircase that would lead them down to a main hall. The main hall was a simple room with three desks manned by three inspectors. Each desk was laden with reports of the unit’s findings on the counterfeiting case.

    The true Inspector-General would then send the reports to the military general in charge of investigations in the palace’s military offices. This general would then present them to the Basileus at the imperial court.

    Raithion acknowledged the two inspectors who were hard at work with a single nod. He walked tall and with purpose. None of them doubted his position as the Inspector-General. He crossed the main hall to a corridor in the back. Haedor following him close.

    This corridor led to the most important room in the unit: the assaying room.

    Haedor knocked on the door, and when he got a grunt in response, he slid the door open allowing Raithion to pass him first.

    Raithion entered the laboratory-like space with apprehension.

    The imperial assayer had a bad temper. Most of the inspectors in the main hall had long decided the assayer’s exposure to the various metals and chemicals in this room was the cause of his bad temper.

    Raithion thought otherwise.

    He figured the wizened imperial assayer simply did not like people and preferred hunks of metal.

    “Inspector-General has arrived right on time. I, Sinsa, have found the source of the metal you have been looking for.”

    “I had no doubt,” Raithion said, smiling at the old man standing behind a massive worktable.

    Sinsa was over seven decades old, though he looked younger. He was dressed in a black leather apron that protected his comfortable cream linen clothes. A black metal mask rested on top of his head. He usually slid it down to cover his face when he was working. The metal mask had slits where the eyes were located. The slits were covered with light gauze used to protect the eyes. It took some getting used to when Sinsa wore it and looked at him.

    Raithion was glad it was pulled up for the moment.

    Sinsa’s gnarled and callused index finger pointed to a balance scale on the worktable.

    Raithion smiled and moved closer.

    “The forger is very skilled,” Sinsa said, his voice tinged with admiration. “He used iron to form the core of the counterfeit silver coins. Then, he adds bits of low-quality silver probably melted from a pure silver coin to fool the eye. He then plates the iron with a coating of more low-quality silver. In time, this silver coating will fade. At that time, it will be clear that there is iron underneath, but I doubt he’s worried about that. It is fine artisanship.”

    “He is more concerned for the outcome of this plot,” Raithion said, studying the liquid metals on the balancing scale’s holders. They looked like liquid metallic blobs resting in fine small measuring trays. He knew nothing of their properties, so he could only trust Sinsa’s explanation.

    “What am I looking at, Master Sinsa?”

    “Once I discovered how the counterfeit was made,” Sinsa continued, “I decided to identify the source of the iron ore they have used. The forger is quite clever. He chose to use ore with a high concentration of iron.  There are traces of titanium. The core of it is unique. So much so, that I can tell that it is only found in places where liquid fire erupts from the earth.”

    “What does this ore look like in its original form?” Raithion asked, glancing at Sinsa, a streak of excitement at this low-key breakthrough racing down his back.

    Sinsa reached for a small wooden box on the worktable and handed it to Raithion.

    “The only source ore with this level of iron and titanium is called burnt ore,” Sinsa said.

    Sinsa took a step back from the worktable and sat on a high stool studying Raithion.

    “If I give you the name of the people who mine this burnt ore, what happens to them?”

    Raithion opened the small wooden box and studied the burnt ore sample. He picked it out and held it to the lamp light. It looked rough and dull to his eye, harmless.

    Yet, the forger who turned this into counterfeit silver had done irreparable damage to people’s lives.

    “Master Sinsa, the imperial mint is very strict with counterfeiting,” Raithion said. “No one can tolerate damage to the mint. Counterfeit silver coins are ruining people’s lives as we speak. Our empire would fall if we let it continue.”

    “What if the miners are not responsible for the counterfeiting?” Sinsa asked.

    “I am clearly holding a sample from their product. We will have to determine their level of involvement,” Raithion said, returning the small stone of black ore to the box. He closed the lid and handed the sample to Haedor.

    “Master Sinsa, the empire is not without laws. If the miners are innocent, naturally they will come out of this unscathed.”

    Sinsa scoffed and reached up to remove his metal mask. His silver hair was tied in a neat bun at the top of his head. His gnarled hands untied the strings of the helmet before he looked at Raithion.

    “The last miners involved in such a case ended up dead,” Sinsa said. “The Inspector-General responsible was not conscientious. He added them to the list of the guilty and an entire clan disappeared. Are you going to do the same, Inspector-General Maenaer?”

    Raithion paused at the way Sinsa emphasized the title.

    The assayer was not blind after all.

    “I want to promise you that I will be responsible,” Raithion said, meeting Sinsa’s probing gaze. “However, you must understand that we all answer to someone higher in the chain. Such a decision does not lie with me. The matter of counterfeited silver coins must end. I’m already holding a sample of their ore. You cannot protect them, Master Sinsa. I can only promise to try to minimize the damage and get this mining clan a fair trial.”

    Sinsa placed the mask on the stool next to him and studied Raithion for a moment.

    “Strange but your face makes me want to believe you will try to do as you promise,” Sinsa said. “You are right. There is no turning back now. I have no choice but to trust you. The clan’s name is Sura. They mine this burnt ore from a mountain in their hometown, though I cannot tell you where. They are the only ones I have ever seen with it.”

    Raithion frowned.

    “You’re saying this ore can only be found with the Sura Clan.”

    Sinsa nodded.

    “Yes. There is no doubt. However, you cannot blame everyone in the clan for the counterfeiting. There is probably someone in the clan who is diverting the burnt ore during transit.”

    “Probably,” Raithion nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Master Sinsa. I’ll make use of this information. Do not share it with anyone else.”

    “Not even the team of inspectors out there?” Sinsa asked, giving Raithion a critical glance.

    “Especially them,” Raithion said, the glint in his eye when he met Sinsa’s gaze had the older man sucking in air.

    “You’re more than you seem,” Sinsa accused.

    “If you say so,” Raithion said, and then turned away from Sinsa, ready to leave.

    “Wait,” Sinsa said. “Who are you? I truly doubt you’re the new Inspector-General taking over this unit.”

    “I am who I need to be for the moment. Today, I need to be the new Inspector-General,” Raithion said. “So, I am.”

    Sinsa kept quiet for a moment and then sighed in resignation.

    “Whoever you are, please do your best to protect the Sura Clan,” Sinsa said. “They are good people.”

    “We’ll have to see,” Raithion said, giving Sinsa one last nod.

    Raithion left the assaying room followed by Haedor. He did not stop until they were outside the building. Raithion took in a deep breath glad that he would not have to be here any longer. He had needed a sample of the original ore used to continue his quiet investigation. Now that he had it, it was time to return to his place.

    One of the attendants at the stables brought their horses around.

    “Where to?” Haedor asked when they mounted their horses and headed to the compound’s exit.

    “We go to see my father,” Raithion said, as he mounted his horse. “We need to report the source of the burnt ore and get permission to start an investigation into the Sura Clan. Send someone to clear out my things at the inn across the unit.”

    “I will,” Haedor said.

    Raithion gave the inspector’s office one last glance, his thoughts lingered on Sinsa’s request. The Sura Clan was indeed in trouble if they had chosen to counterfeit silver coins. He was not sure what he could do for them.

    Raithion urged his horse forward in the direction of the private manors on the outskirts of the city with a soft sigh.

    ******

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  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 12-1

    Tani frowned and Dante smiled, brushing a second kiss on Tani’s right cheek. Tani was cute when he was upset and unsure of himself. Dante decided to take advantage of the indecision. He led Tani to the front door of Artri House, and gave an approving nod when the house opened the door without his prompting.

    The manor felt empty.

    His grandmaster was out, and his mom was somewhere in the vineyard handling daily chores with the vineyard manager. His father had yet to arrive it seemed.

    The old grandfather clock in the main hall said it was fifteen minutes after four. Holding Tani’s hand tight, Dante led him up the staircase heading to the third floor where his suite of rooms was located. Dante opened the door to his rooms and turned to meet Tani’s gaze, knowing they were crossing an invisible line, one he wanted gone but needed Tani’s consent.

    Tani hesitated for a short moment, then he gave the subtlest of nods and Dante led him into his room. He closed the door, and they both stood at the entrance for a moment, Dante still holding Tani’s right hand. He used his left hand to sink his fingers into Tani’s wet hair.

    “You need a hot shower,” Dante said, then turned to lead the way into the bathroom on his right.

    Dante opened the sizeable shower stall and turned on the water, using his own temperature preferences. He stepped back out and turned to Tani who stood behind him seErming in deep thought.

    “Wanna talk about it?” Dante asked, letting go of Tani’s right hand. He stepped in closer and rubbed his hands up and down Tani’s arms, drawing his attention. He frowned when he noted the red mark on Tani’s right cheek. “You were smiling when I left you. Who ruined your mood?”

    “I don’t want to talk about it,” Tani said, shaking his head, and then looked at his wet shirt, and started unbuttoning it.

    “Okay, don’t talk about it,” Dante said. “I’ll make dinner for us, and we can spend the evening together. We can get to know more about each other.”

    Tani pulled off his wet shirt without unbuttoning it all the way and dropped it on the sink counter.

    “Sounds delicious,” Tani said with a small nod. He reached for the button on his trousers, and paused when Dante held his hands in place.

    “Thank you for coming,” Dante said, and smiled when Tani looked at him, amber eyes filled with surprise. “I’m really happy you came when I called, Tani.”

    Tani made a face at him, and Dante bit back a chuckle.

    “Take a shower,” Dante said, taking in Tani’s body naked as he removed his pants. “Have I told you how exciting it is to have you stripping in my bathroom? I don’t think I’ll forget this one for years. It is fantastic sexy.”

    Tani chuckled and picked up his trousers and boxer briefs. He shook them out and placed them on the sink counter. He blew a kiss at Dante before he entered the shower stall and closed the opaque glass door.

    Dante sighed wishing they were at a stage where he could follow Tani into the shower. It was a tragedy not being able to yet. He took Tani’s wet clothes and dropped them into the hamper. This was the second set of clothes he was going to have in his closet for Tani. The first set was from the day Tani healed their soil. Dante let out a happy hum and hurried to his closet. He found a t-shirt and comfortable grey slacks.

    Dante spelled them to fit Tani’s size and placed them on the sink counter. He found a towel and a new toothbrush. When he was sure Tani had everything he needed, he listened to Tani shower for a few minutes, then called out.

    “I’m going downstairs to the kitchen. Find me when you’re done.”

    “Okay.”

    Dante grinned and left his suite, heading downstairs. In the kitchen, he washed his hands and headed to the fridge. He took stock of the ingredients in the fridge and was happy to see his mother had the makings of chicken rice pilaf and a veggie salad.

    Dante pulled out shredded chicken in a sealed bowl, and another bowl with chicken broth. He carried them to the kitchen range counter and went in search of long-grain rice and orzo in the pantry. He measured enough of both to include his parents and the grand-master.

    Although, he and Tani would have a private dinner. No one was taking his time with Tani tonight.

    Besides, Tani did not look in the mood to socialize. His parents would have to wait until tomorrow for Tani.

    Dante wore an apron, washing his hands again, and got to work.

    Tani came downstairs when Dante was busy adding the required chicken broth to the sautéed rice and orzo. He looked calmer, and laid back in the borrowed t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was dry and messy, as though he had finger combed it. A lock of it fell over his right eye, and all Dante wanted to do was reach out and pushed it back so he could see Tani’s eyes.

    Scents of cinnamon and all spice filled the kitchen.

    “It’s smells so good in here,” Tani said, walking on bare feet. He pulled out a chair at the island table, sat and watched Dante add a teaspoon of salt and then reach for the black pepper crusher. “You look at home in the kitchen.”

    “Mom made sure I knew how to cook,” Dante said, finishing with the black pepper. “She did not want to have a son who cannot take care of himself.”

    “Nora is admirable,” Tani said, with a small sigh. He rested his elbows on the kitchen table and watched Dante cover the pot, and lower the heat. “Do you have cousins?”

    “I do,” Dante nodded. “My mother has siblings. Two sisters who have made their lives in Istanbul. Between the two aunts, I have five cousins who now have made families and are living in Greece, and Spain.”

    “Do you visit them?” Tani asked.

    “Yes, when they have occasions they call us. Mom makes it mandatory to attend so I cannot ignore them. They all come here for family celebrations too. Artri House comes alive those times. Those days we have almost a hundred people in these halls. My mom loves it.”

    “Do you love it?” Tani asked.

    “Sometimes,” Dante said, with a shrug.

    Dante got a baking pan from a shelf under the kitchen range counter. He greased the pan with olive oil and spread out the pieces of shredded chicken on the pan. He turned on the oven and got to work sprinkling the shredded chicken with chopped cilantro, salt and garlic.

    “What do you mean sometimes?” Tani asked.

    Dante met his gaze and braced his hands on the counter.

    “I do try to avoid spending too much time in the festivities. It gets noisy and I find the level of affection I have for everyone is not at par with theirs,” Dante said, and then stared at the shredded chicken on the baking sheet. “Viola called me cold. She believes my emotions are locked away behind a cold wall. I agree with her. I was locked away.”

    “Was?” Tani asked.

    Dante glanced at Tani.

    Tani’s gaze set his heart dancing in a wild rhythm inside his chest. He had never felt this surge of excitement over a person before. Not even with Viola. He was happy just having Tani sit across him at the island kitchen table.

    “Dante?” Tani’s amber gaze filled with concern.

    Dante smiled and picked up the baking sheet. He opened the oven and slid the baking sheet in to warm up the shredded chicken for ten minutes. He set the timer and closed the door. Wiping his hands on the hand towel in his apron pocket, Dante returned to the stove to check on the rice.

    “Are you saying you’re free now?” Tani asked, not letting the topic fade away.

    “Perhaps,” Dante said, getting a clean spoon. He used it to scoop out a bit of rice to check doneness. “I might be thawing out because of you. I feel too much when I’m around you, Tani.”

    Dante walked around the island table to where Tani sat and held out the spoon of cooling rice.

    “Taste,” he said, and Tani studied him for a moment before he took in the spoon into his mouth, and ate the rice. “Is it good?”

    “Mm,” Tani nodded when he swallowed.

    Dante leaned on the chair next to Tani, holding the empty spoon.

    “You should have been a chef.”

    “No,” Dante shook his head. “I’d be a terrible task master. I would chase away all the staff with a bad temper.”

    Tani grinned and rested his chin on his right hand.

    “What were you like as a boy?”

    “Full of myself and out of control,” Dante said. “I had to learn how to control the fire inside me. There were very many near misses. Mom had her hands full. One summer, I burned the grapevines closest to the manor when I tried to roast potatoes in the firewood pit in the back garden. Nora gained a few gray hairs that day.”

    “Were the vines saved?”

    “No,” Dante shook his head. “We only managed to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the vineyard. We had to uproot the damaged vines, restore the soil, and plant a new batch. Mom and Dad punished me to work with the crew for a month. I helped with the digging, no spells allowed to make it easier.”

    “It must have been an adventure.” Tani chuckled

    “I did not think so at the time,” Dante said, shaking his head. “It was the first time I understood how tiring tilling the land can be.”

    He moved away from Tani and returned to remove the rice from the stove.

    “What can I help with?” Tani asked, as Dante picked up the pot and placed it on a wooden board on the island table.

    “I just need to put the chicken rice pilaf together. Then we can toss a veggie salad together. Give me a minute, I’ll bring the salad ingredients to you,” Dante said, checking the oven timer. He had five minutes on the chicken.

    Dante hurried to the sink. He had rinsed the iceberg lettuce and cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces. He added in a mix of herbs he had chopped into fine pieces: sorrel, parsley, dill, and fresh mint, and mixed them in with the lettuce.

    Dante took the colander to where Tani sat, together with a clean glass salad dish.

    Dante then went to the fridge and brought out lemon juice squeezed by his mother into a small jug and a slice of white cheese. Closing the fridge, he got the salt container and the olive oil. He carried everything to Tani.

    “What’s missing?” Dante asked, leaning on the table smiling at Tani.

    “Something to mix everything,” Tani said.

    “Okay, coming right up.”

    Dante found a tablespoon, and the wooden spoon they used to mix salads. He brought them back to Tani and stole a kiss on Tani’s cheek. Tani smiled, and it felt like a little win.

    Tani took a small clean bowl from a pile on the island table and got to work. He poured about three tablespoons of olive oil into the bowl, adding a pinch of salt and half the juice in the jug. He used the tablespoon to mix the liquids together.

    Dante returned to the other side of the table.

    “Did you get to eat your roasted potatoes?” Tani asked, as he put the lettuce mix into the glass dish.

    “I did,” Dante said. “I had gotten them from the vineyard manager’s patch. They were very big, and looked delicious. So, I ate them in the evening when my mother thought I was repenting my sins in my room.”

    “You didn’t even share with her after burning the vines. Sneaky child,” Tani said.

    “I was determined to keep my roasted potatoes to myself,” Dante said. “If I offered them, then I would have to explain how I got them in the first place. I didn’t want my potato supply cut off.”

    Tani laughed then, and Dante paused in the act of chopping up parsley and dill to stare at him.

    “What now?” Tani asked, when he noticed Dante staring.

    He was pouring the mix of olive oil into the lettuce in the dish. He used the wooden spoon to toss the salad and make sure every bit of the lettuce was covered with olive oil.

    “I should find more funny stories to tell you,” Dante said. “I love your laugh.”

    Tani took a piece of lettuce and popped it into his mouth. He nodded in satisfaction and reached for the slice of white cheese.

    “Your childhood sounds so interesting,” Tani said. “I wish I could have seen it.”

    Dante started to ask if Tani had tried to see him when he was younger, then stopped himself. He did not want to see Tani sad tonight. Their past was already so difficult to deal with, better to keep things light, cheerful.

    “Did you have a girl or boy you liked during your teenage years?” Tani asked, as though reading his thoughts.

    “There was one,” Dante said, finishing with the parsley and dill. He got four stalks of scallions and chopped up the green parts only. He left them all on the chopping board and went to check on the warming shredded chicken. Opening the oven, he pulled out the baking sheet without an oven mitt, relying on his fire magik to shield his fingers. In any case, heat had never burned him.

    Placing the baking sheet on the cooker, he turned off the oven and the timer.

    “Who was he?” Tani asked.

    Dante stole a glance at him and found Tani concentrating on breaking pieces of white cheese and tossing them into the salad bowl. He bit back a smile, remembering his torrid infatuation with Ermin, a boy whose family lived by the docks. Ermin’s family ran a tourism business, taking tourists on boats to see the surrounding islands. Ermin was handsome, and loved the waters too much.

    Dante always found him on a boat dressed in swimming shorts and nothing else. He could not be blamed for wanting to find out what a kiss between them tasted like, or all the exploration they did with each other on the beach of a small tiny deserted island where Ermin liked to fish.

    Dante grinned at the memory of Ermin now.

    “He must have been something if he still has you smiling,” Tani said, pushing the salad bowl to the middle of the table.

    “He was,” Dante said. “Ermin was a summer fling I thought I would never get over. We were experimental with each other. He taught me how to kiss, and how to make my partner feel good. We had a lot of oral sex. I was young, excited to be getting off whenever I felt like it. Ermin denied me nothing. We celebrated each other until my mother caught us in the fertilizer storage room.”

    “What did Nora do?”

    “Of course she was shocked,” Dante said, opening the pan with the rice.

    Dante added the shredded chicken on top, and placed the chopped herbs on top of the chicken. He took the chopping board to the sink, thinking about his mother’s wide gaze when she opened the store and saw him coming as he clung to a shelf as Ermin sucked him off. He could not have stopped himself if he wanted.

    She truly chose the wrong moment to check on their fertilizer stock.

    “Were you scared?” Tani asked, studying him now.

    “No,” Dante said, placing the chopping board on the drainage rack. “I didn’t really care about it, but Ermin did. He was mortified. I guess I was scared of losing access to him. Nora left us alone and we cleaned up in the shower behind the store. We found her waiting for us at the back of the manor. She gave us both a glass of lemon tea and made us sit with her. She asked Ermin if he was serious about me, and he got scared and ran off.”

    Dante wiped his hands on his cloth and leaned on the sink counter. He met Tani’s gaze and shrugged.

    “Mom did not mind that I liked having sex with boys,” Dante said. “She just cared that the boy I was with was serious about me. He wasn’t. Ermin was terrified Nora would tell others about us. When the summer season ended, he moved to Istanbul.”

    “His loss,” Tani said.

    “Nora’s exact words to the whole incident,” Dante said with a small smile. “After that, Nora made my Dad have the sex talk with me.”

    Tani grinned.

    “Did he? What was it like?”

    “Christophe is not like my mother, or like the Grandmaster with many words,” Dante said. “He’s laid back with me. He took me out to the beach beyond the olive grove. He brought a pack of beer and a cooler filled with fish. We camped out, roasting fish, and he gave me my first beer. I told him I liked both boys and girls. I thought he would lecture me, but he gave me two rules. One, to learn how to commit when a relationship is serious, and two, to learn how to take responsibility if my partner gets kids.”

    Dante thought about his stint with Viola and his father’s eternal disappointment that his grandchildren were not Ekho-blessed.

    “I failed with the first rule, but I have learned how to take responsibility of the consequences to the best of my ability,” Dante said.

    “You’re a lucky man, Dante. Your parents are present for you, each in their own way. You should be proud of it.”

    Dante nodded, and wondered why he read a wistful note in Tani’s voice.

    “I am,” Dante said, pushing off the counter. He went to get two plates from the cupboard and two wine glasses. “Come serve food, Tani. We’ll leave the rest warming for Mom, and Grandmaster Landi. Dad might also be around, but I want to be selfish tonight and hide away with you.”

    Tani got up, bringing the salad bowl with him. They spent the next few minutes serving up plates. Dante cleaned up the remaining dishes and left the pot of chicken rice pilaf on the cooker. They sealed the salad bowl with cling film and left it in the fridge.

    Dante got a new bottle of a medium-bodied rosé from the wine cellar next to the pantry. He handed it to Tani, along with the pair of glasses.

    “I’ll carry the food,” Dante said, taking their plates and spoons now on a tray.

    “Where to?” Tani asked.

    “My rooms, no one will disturb us,” Dante said, leading the way out of the kitchen.

    Tani followed without question.

    “Artri House watches the happenings within its walls,” Tani said, as they went up the stairs. “Does it bother you?”

    “No,” Dante said. “I wouldn’t call it watching because that sounds creepy. I think of it as logging, like remembrance. The manor will let us know when something is amiss, or someone is in danger, or when an intruder comes in.”

    “That’s useful,” Tani said, as Dante’s door opened when he got close. “Very useful when you’re carrying stuff.”

    “Yes,” Dante said, taking their plates to a low table in the middle of the living area in his suite.

    His suite was his sanctuary. It was built with three major rooms. Two rooms on each side of the living area. Floor to ceiling windows filled the living area with natural light and a great view of the vineyard. Dante had decorated the space with an eclectic antique style. He collected pieces during his travels and brought them back to add to the comfort. His most exciting piece of furniture was the comfortable couch with large deep burgundy cushions facing the windows. It was the perfect spot to watch the vineyard, the olive grove beyond, and the seas in the horizon

    Dante could already imagine an evening spent sitting with Tani on the comfortable cushions watching the sunset.

    “My bedroom is to the right,” Dante said, pointing to the open door into his sleeping space. “The closed door on the left is a library/office/study/research room. I clutter it with a lot of paperwork on good days.”

    “What happens on bad days?” Tani asked, taking in the living area with an air of curiosity.

    “I fill this place with chests packed with artifacts and old papers. They spill over into this room, and my bedroom,” Dante said. “Mom calls them my obsession moments.”

    Tani placed the bottle of wine on the low table, and the wine glasses next to it. He reached for a cushion from one of the regular couches by the wall and dropped it on the floor near the table. He sat down and smiled up at Dante.

    “I can’t wait to discover those days for myself,” Tani said. “Let’s eat, Dante. I’m suddenly starving.”

    ***

    <<Previous | Table of Contents | Next >>

  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 11-1

    Tani’s gaze shifted to the round room. It was a museum of sorts. One he started at a low moment in the years between cycles when he missed Dante the most. When Dante hurt him, he sometimes suffered constant episodes of wanting to bring it down, burn the contents, and restructure it. Yet, each time his beloved left him, he returned here, like a forlorn fool. Lost in memories and a love he could not forget, glancing at the elder leaf bracelets disguising his cuffs, nor a love he could discard.

    He never thought to share this tower with the others, but this Dante felt infinitely different, with his determined gaze, and his raging firepower.

    Sharing this tower felt like the best way to convince him they were doomed.

    “Tani,” Dante said, his voice cajoling, his eyes pleading with Tani.

    Tani was amazed by the fact that their doomed love story was having the opposite effect on Dante Arturo.

    He met Dante’s gaze.

    “I’ll give the time,” Tani said, after a moment, not missing Dante’s relieved sigh. “I always did, Dante.”

    Dante held out his hand to Tani.

    “Start by giving me your phone,” Dante said, when Tani frowned at him.

    Tani reached into his pocket and got the black phone Tom gave him.

    “Why do you need my phone?” Tani asked.

    “So I can reach you when we’re apart,” Dante said. “In this century, a phone is just like having a personal messenger. I need to be able to reach you, Tani. You can’t imagine how frustrated I was with Tom when you left my house. He would not give me your phone number. I thought I was going to burn down the manor with frustration.”

    “Sorry, I misplaced my other phone,” Tani said. “I think it was when I was in the vineyard.”

    Dante took Tani’s phone and turned it on. Swiping the unlock button he grinned.

    “Tani, you don’t even lock your phone.”

    “I just got it,” Tani said, frowning.

    Dante keyed in his number, then dialed. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reached for it to save Tani’s number. He held out Tani’s phone back to him, and Tani stared at him, amused.

    “Do you think I’ll remember to bring it along everywhere?” Tani asked, biting back a grin when panic filled Dante’s eyes.

    “Should I help you remember?” Dante asked, his gaze shifting to the black smart phone on his palm. “I can spell it so that it finds you when you get a call.”

    “Is that something you would do?” Tani asked, taking the phone from Dante before he actually spelled his phone. What a frustration that would be, hauling the gadget everywhere. He only carried it when he knew Hera or Tom would need to call him.

    “Tani,” Dante stepped forward, looking into his eyes. “Don’t you want to reach me when you need to talk to me?”

    Tani slipped his phone into his pocket and shrugged.

    “I can always find you, Dante,” Tani said. “Have you forgotten? I followed you to your Viola’s house in the Americas.”

    Dante smiled. It was a startling curve of his lips that had Tani staring. Dante’s smile was genuine, his eyes shined, his face lighting up, softening his face. Tani started to bring his hand up to touch the curve of Dante’s bottom lip. He stopped halfway when he looked up and found Dante watching him too.

    “What did I say that made you smile?” Tani asked.

    “You called the U.S. the Americas. Why are you calling it my Viola’s house?” Dante asked, his voice low, husky, teasing.

    “I—,” Tani frowned. “She is though.”

    “No, she is definitely not,” Dante said, taking a step closer, he gripped Tani’s right elbow. “She would snap at you for a full minute if she heard you call her mine. She’s the mother of my children. That’s it. She has a lover. Someone who makes her happy. Her loyalties are with him. I’m very sure she’ll be having a wedding soon.”

    Tani’s heart skipped hard, violently squeezing in his chest, filling with more hope than he knew how to contain.

    “I do want to be yours,” Dante said, his gaze so serious, Tani dropped his gaze to the collar of Dante’s white shirt.

    “It will take me more than the minutes we have been standing here to digest your words,” Tani said, confessing his heart.

    “I know,” Dante said, with an understanding nod. “How did you know to find me the first time?”

    Tani grinned, and started to pull away from Dante, but he would not let go of his right arm.

    “Tom has a great team of investigators. They gave found your address,” Tani said.

    “Tani.” Dante narrowed his gaze at him.

    “I’m a deviant Ekho,” Tani said with a sigh. “My powers are limited.”

    Dante’s hand slid from his right elbow to his right wrist. His fingers circling Tani’s wrist. His thumb rubbing over the Elderwood leaf bracelet. Tani watched it with a sense of apprehension.

    “I want to burn these off,” Dante said, his words sounding like they came from between gritted teeth. “It’s unfortunate they are placed here by someone more powerful than me. They make me ambitious.”

    “Ambitious for what?” Tani asked.

    “I want to be powerful enough to take these off you,” Dante said.

    Tani chuckled.

    “How often does your temper get you in trouble?” Tani asked.

    “Often,” Dante said, and then winked. “But it’s always the best kind of trouble.”

    Tani scoffed and was grateful when Dante’s phone started buzzing. He thought Dante would let go of his wrist, but he was only disappointed. Dante slipped his hand into his, tangling their fingers. He answered his phone after looking at the caller ID.

    “Yes, Justina,” Dante said, looking at Tani.

    “Where are you? You disappeared on us.” Tani heard Justina say on the other end of the call. “The food is ready. Hera and Tom are wondering—”

    “I’ll be right there,” Dante said.

    “Um, have you seen Mr. Ryuzo?” Justina asked. “Thomas has a few questions for him…”

    “I’ll see if I can find him,” Dante said, smiling at Tani.

    “Okay, hurry,” Justina said, then ended the call.

    “She has a little crush on you,” Dante said. “Should I tell her I have dibs on you?”

    “Do you?”

    “I do, Tani,” Dante said, putting away his phone. “So, if you don’t always have your phone, tell me how else I can reach you.”

    “Say my name,” Tani said.

    “What? How?”

    “Just say my name,” Tani said, holding out his hand to Dante. “Let’s go back before your students send out an SOS and start looking for you all over our fortress.”

    Dante grinned and took Tani’s hand stepping in too close. So close, he filled the space between them with the scent of Jasmine.

    Tani closed his eyes and started to step back, but Dante held his hand tighter, stopping his little escape.

    Tani teleported out of the fourth tower and into the drawing room turned into a library. It was empty. He started to let go of Dante’s hand, but Dante still held on.

    “Stop trying to escape me. I’m afraid if I let you go, I won’t get to see you again,” Dante said, his scowl deep.

    “Where am I going? I’m right here,” Tani said, firmly letting go of Dante’s hand. He turned and headed to the door. “Come on, Fire Lord. For the record your temper needs help.”

    Dante caught up with him just as Tani stepped out of the drawing room into the wide hallway.

    Tani smiled when Dante kept pace with him, walking side by side. He opened the glass doors opposite the drawing room, and they entered the large courtyard. The Elderwood bushes were blooming. Tani cursed under his breath because Eren had clearly messed with his work. She was unable to curb her power. It was spilling all over.

    “The Elderwood flowers are beautiful,” Dante said beside him, taking in the rectangular courtyard. “This would have been the center of life in the old days.”

    “Yes,” Tani smiled, pointing to the square patch of grass on his right. “The weavers worked here on warm days. An all weather loom was mounted out here. Life was harsher then, but it was also simpler. The gardens at the back of this fortress were for crops. It was easier to grow our own food then.”

    “I think it was a spectacular choice to protect the women here,” Dante said. “I would have loved to be part of it, Tani.”

    “You were—”

    Tani started to say Dante was part of it, but paused. They had just agreed to think of Dante as being different from the rest. Tani stopped on the path, in the middle of the courtyard and glanced at Dante. Making a conscious decision to make a fresh start. He smiled and reached up to press his left palm on Dante’s right cheek.

    “I think you would have loved it,” Tani said, his smile widening when Dante stood very still staring at him. He dropped his hand away from Dante’s cheek. “I have an Ekho visitor who is making my Elderwood bushes bloom at will. She’s a bit of a headache.”

    “Another Ekho?” Dante asked.

    “Yes,” Tani said. “I seem surrounded by them of late.”

    Tani continued on the path to the cafeteria doors. The construction crew was hard at work on the archway to Tani’s right. The doors leading into the front hall were accessible from the courtyard, just not now. Tani shared these little tidbits with Dante without prompt. He opened the glass doors and led the way into the warm cafeteria already packed with staff and the tour students. Hera met them, smiling at Dante as she led the way back to the table where Thomas and Justina sat.

    ***

    Amu found his oldest sister working in her garden, her hands deep in the healthy soil. She was tending apple saplings. She was obsessed with growing them. Amu thought it an obsession because the only person he knew who loved apples was Tani. Anit knew Tani loved them, and in a strange twist, she poured her guilt and love into growing a massive number of apple trees. His gaze moved over the large spread of apple saplings filling the one-acre garden behind their family home and he bit back a smile.

    “Anit, our fox clan log house is soon going to change its name to the Apple House,” Amu teased, leaning on the worktable where she kept her supplies. He folded his arms against his chest and smiled when Anit turned her gaze on him.

    “What problem brings you here?”

    “I also visit you when I don’t have problems to solve,” Amu said, with a slight frown.

    “You came to see me days ago,” Anit said. “I gave you apple trees for my Tani’s born day. Did you give them to him?”

    “I tried,” Amu said. “They are in our garden still in their growing bags. Tani is thinking on whether to plant them or leave them to me to plant.”

    Anit let out a heavy sigh, and pulled out her hands from the fertile soil. Her abilities similar to Tani’s, she could nurture soil, turn it healthy. She sat back on her haunches where she knelt, and rested her hands on her bright green frock.

    Anit gave all her attention to Amu.

    Amu took her in. His sister had given Tani the shape of her face, though hers was infinitely feminine and delicate. She had also given Tani his red hair. Where Tani’s hair boasted shades of brown in the red, Anit’s was pure red, like ripe pomegranate seeds. Her eyes the color of the leaves of an apple tree. She was short, only four feet nine, but the power within her could destroy a planet. She was as old as Sunu, the Immortal Lord. Her most destructive trait to date was her ability to carry a grudge. Her biggest gift was the ability to give life, as Tani was her greatest creation.

    “I need your help,” Amu said now, knowing her grudge against the Immortal Clan would make their conversation difficult. He held her green gaze. “Eren wants a meeting with you. She has a task that can only be completed with your approval.”

    Anit let out a soft chuckle.

    “It takes a special kind of man to walk into my domain and try to convince me to help the people who have imprisoned my son,” Anit said, barely taking a breath between her words. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Don’t say more if you hope to see me in the next decade.”

    “Anit, our fox clan depends on you. You’ve made a vow to protect the mortal realm with our maker. You can’t shirk that duty just because you’ve closed the boundaries of our lands to the Immortal Clan,” Amu said. “I would not be here if it wasn’t important.”

    “What so important you would ask me to help the Immortal Clan?”

    Amu decided to use the one thing that always made Anit give in.

    “Tani cleansed a massive invasion of Kara ot in the mortal realm. The cuffs on his wrist had to come off for him to do it,” Amu said.

    Anit got up fast, scrambling to her feet; she wiped her hands on her skirts and crossed the distance to stand before Amu.

    “How is he? Is he lucid? Should I help?”

    Amu hid a smile at the pure concern in her eyes.

    “He’s fine,” Amu said. “His beloved helped him endure the pain. Dante is a bloodborn warlock this cycle.”

    ‘Don’t talk to me about the mortal,” Anit said, her voice half a growl. “Where is Tani?”

    “I left him at Elderwood. He looked in high spirits now that his beloved is close. He is still taking care of Deniz, Hera, and Tom.”

    “The mortal children he’s adopted while he endures loneliness because of a human soul,” Anit closed her eyes. “I don’t understand my own son. What does Eren want with our fox clan?”

    “The size of the Kara ot in the mortal realm is questionable,” Amu said. “She suspects someone carried it through the gates.”

    “So, she’s not interested in the fox clan but the Inter Clan Court,” Anit said, with a deep frown.

    “She wants to ask about the amount of kara ot in our lands,” Amu said.

    “Those stuck up idiots in the Septum don’t believe anyone outside the immortal clan can cleanse black weed.”

    Anit seethed for a moment, and then reached for a towel on the worktable. She wiped her hands and took in a deep breath.

    “I’ll change into appropriate clothes. We’ll go to Elderwood. I need to have a good look at Tani before I listen to Eren’s immortal clan nonsense.”

    “Tani might not want to see you,” Amu reminded her.

    “I’m his mother. He can’t change that fact no matter how many mortals he loves. He has endured pain, which usually has him passed out for years. I will see his face.”

    Anit shimmered away and Amu let out a sigh. He hoped Tani would be in a good mood after spending a day showing his beloved around the fortress. Otherwise, mother and son would only end up hurting each other again, and their last hurt had now lasted thousands of years.

    ****

    “Thank you for the tour, it was fascinating and we learned so much,” Justina said, smiling at Tani. “Is it possible to visit the fortress again?”

    “Perhaps, though the fortress is not open to visitors often. We made an exception for Mr. Arturo because he helped us with a dilemma,” Hera said. “We’ll have to keep in touch to see how tours would work out in the future.”

    “I hope you consider it,” Justina said, seconded by Thomas.

    The students each thanked Tani, Hera and Tom, and then they boarded the Arturo Vineyards staff bus.

    “So,” Dante said, turning to Tani. “When do I see you again?”

    Tani smiled, clasping his hands behind his back. “When do you want to see me?”

    “This evening until I close my eyes,” Dante said with a slow smile. “Tomorrow morning when I open my eyes, all day…”

    Tani chuckled.

    “I don’t remember you being so clingy.”

    Dante shrugged, reaching for Tani’s right hand. His fingers wrapping around Tani’s wrists, circling around the elder leaf bracelet.

    Tani bit his bottom lip. He had both hoped for and dreaded this moment for days. The moment he chose to throw in his lot with Dante Arturo, regardless of their assured destruction. His heart squeezed tight as he met Dante’s gaze.

    “Get your guests to the ferry,” Tani said, his voice soft, low, for Dante’s ears only. “See them off.”

    Dante took in a sharp breath and he seemed to hold it in as he waited.

    “Call me when you’re back at the vineyard,” Tani said, his tone full of promise. “I’ll come.”

    Dante smiled wide, his eyes lighting up so beautifully, Tani pulled his hand out of Dante’s hold fast afraid he might kiss the man in front of all his students. Just because he was always in love with Dante’s soul, didn’t mean Dante loved him too. It would be too soon. Gods, he had no sense of self-preservation.

    “I’ll hurry,” Dante said, not saying more. He waved goodbye to Tom and Hera, and then boarded the staff bus as fast as he could.

    Tani bit back a chuckle as the driver started the bus and pulled out of his parking space.

    “What was that?” Hera asked, coming to stand next to Tani.

    “What?”

    “That,” Hera nodded to the retreating bus. “You and Dante, making eyes at each other? Has the warlock enchanted you, given you some strong juju?”

    Tani chuckled and shrugged. He smiled at the retreating bus and started to walk away from the fortress.

    “Babu?” Hera called after him.

    “I’ll be unavailable for a while,” Tani said.

    “Where will you be?” Hera asked.

    “Occupied by the strong juju,” Tani said, turning to wink at Hera. “Finish reading The Lightning Thief to Deniz for me.”

    Hera let out a soft sigh and Tani was aware of Tom pulling her into a short hug before they headed back to the fortress.

    Tani walked with brisk steps, taking the less traveled path back to his house behind the fortress. Once he was in a safe spot, he teleported into the living room, and immediately started to leave when he felt the strong energy in the room.

    A powerful wall of energy wrapped around him and stopped his escape. Tani solidified in the middle of the room, his gaze on his mother who stood by the long comfortable couch Deniz and Hera loved to lounge on.

    Anit looked every bit the fox goddess that she was, powerful, beautiful, and elegant. Her long hair looked like fire, and she had robbed the blue skies of color as her dress seemed alive with it. She started to cross the room to his side, and he gritted his teeth to greet her, hoping to stop her approach.

    “Mother.”

    Anit stopped a few inches away from him, her green eyes taking him in, there was a frown on her smooth forehead, and he scowled at the sight of it. She had no smiles for him, ever.

    “Tani,” she said, her voice coming out in a soft breath, as she reached up to touch his left cheek.

    He slapped her hand away and stepped back.

    “What are you doing here?” Tani asked, hating how defensive he sounded.

    “Amu came for me, something about Eren,” Anit said, with a negligent shrug. “I heard Cale took off the cuffs on your wrists. The last time it happened, you needed some help from me. You don’t like to hear it, but you did. Your mortal brings you so much misfortune…I-I worried.”

    Tani closed his eyes, a soft chuckle coming out of him before he could stop it.

    “What?” Anit asked a note of hurt in her voice. “Can’t I worry about my son?”

    “Which son do you worry about?” Tani asked, opening his eyes to look at Anit. “The last time we stood face to face, you screamed me out of your study at the Fox Clan’s log house. You could not stand to look at me because my eyes remind you of my father. Amu, the only one who has ever wanted me in our family, brought me to this mortal realm to live with him. He is my parent. I ask again, which son do you worry about?”

    Tani’s eyes burned with the faint power in his veins. Gold and amber shimmered in his eyes, and sure enough, Anit winced and stepped away from him, as though burned.

    “See, you still can’t look at me,” Tani chuckled, hating the bitterness coloring his forced laugh.

    “Is that why you have decided to torture yourself in the mortal realm? Why you live with the shadow of the power your parents gave you? It’s a disgrace to see the next Fox Lord live like this.”

    “Then forget you had me,” Tani said. “Continue living as though I don’t exist.”

    Anit slapped him, the force of her slap making him turn his head, his cheek exploded with pain but it could not compare to the pain in his heart.

    Tani bit his lip to keep from crying out and turned away from his mother. He paused when he saw Amu standing at the entrance into the living room.

    “You should not have brought her into our home without telling me first,” Tani said to Amu.

    “You returned earlier than I thought,” Amu said. “Cale is on his way with Eren. They were busy in the conservancy as per your request.”

    “Thank them for me. You know my mother and I can’t be in the same room,” Tani said. “I’ll stay at Artri House with Dante until you solve Eren’s issues. Find me when Elderwood is free of Eren, and The Fox Goddess.”

    “Tani—” Anit started behind him.

    Tani left his house not ready to hear her say his name again. It hurt too much when she never had good words for him to hear.

    Thankfully, she let him leave. He teleported to the olive grove at the Arturo Vineyard and stood among the old olive trees taking in deep breaths. His chest ached…not with anger, but with longing. He brought his right hand to his cheek, still remembering the feel of his mother’s hand on his skin even as it was painful. It was the first touch in years. He could not remember what it felt like when she hugged him, or held him. That he wished for the memory pained him more.

    Tears filled his eyes and he stared up at the sky wishing for rain to wash them away.

    ****

    Dante was filled with impatience during the ride back to the vineyard. He wished he could get the driver to speed, but it was four o’clock. Even though the island was no city, there was mild traffic caused by people returning home from a full day of work in their small city. He was glad when they finally left the city center and took the open road to the vineyard.

    Thunder rumbled in the sky, and Dante frowned when he felt power call to his. Heavy rain fell just as they entered the vineyard’s gates. Dante opened the window and held out his hand to the falling rain, and felt Tani’s power touch his.

    He bit his lip, waiting to call Tani’s name. The bus driver brought them to a stop at the front of Artri House. Dante thanked the bus driver for spending the day with him. He then sent him off to park the bus and clock out.

    Alone in the front yard, Dante spoke the words he had been holding in.

    “Tani, I’m home.”

    He stood in the front yard at Artri House, next to his mother’s favorite planting urns and waited in the rain. Hoping with all his heart that Tani had told him the truth, half-afraid Tani would ignore his call. His past lives made him feel insecure with Tani. Made him afraid Tani might not bother to give him a chance…he closed his eyes, when several minutes past.

    “Tani,” Dante said, pleading. “You promised. Please.”

    Dante felt a shift in the air, and then Tani stood before him shivering with cold: his clothes wet, his hair wet and sticking to his head, and his eyelashes clamped with water droplets.

    Dante stepped forward and gripped Tani’s arms. He looked into closed off amber eyes, and for a moment, thought he saw tears mixed in with the raindrops. Tears or no, Tani was unhappy.

    “What’s upset you?” Dante asked.

    Tani gave the slightest smile, and shook his head.

    “I wanted to spend time in your Artri House,” Tani said. “Now, I’m not sure it is appropriate.”

    “Why wouldn’t it be?”

    “I’m in a terrible mood. I’ll make for terrible company,” Tani said, looking up at the sky and the dark clouds above.

    Dante noted that Tani was still in the white shirt and pants he had worn earlier for their tour. He had not changed, which meant, something had happened during their short separation.

    “Keep your terrible mood,” Dante said, leaning in to press a kiss on Tani’s forehead. He reached for Tani’s right hand and tangled their fingers. “I’ll keep you.”

    ****

    <<Previous | Table of Contents | Next >>

  • Blades of Ashes Ch 1-1

    Arc 1: The Case of the Forged Silver Coins

    Chapter 1 -1

    The air was rife with the scent of burning wood, baking bread, fried fish, and fresh wood shavings. All of it mixed in the wind, but the baker crossing the cobbled street paid no mind to these mixed scents. He was used to them having worked in the busy markets of the capital city, Genad, all his life. Instead, he hurried into the exchange bureau with a spring in his step.

    The baker carried four bags filled with silver from his baking shop to the first empty counter and smiled at the attendant.

    “I want to turn these into gold denaris.”

    “One gold denari is at twenty-five silvers.”

    “Wasn’t it twenty yesterday?”

    “You can thank the finance minister for the change,” the attendant said. “Do you want to make the exchange?”

    The baker studied his bags of silver for a minute, then nodded his head and pushed the bags to the attendant. He needed the gold denaris to purchase the piece of land his wife wanted for their home. They had worked a year and a half to save the silver. They made periodic exchanges with the bureau so that they would be able to pay the land broker.

    “Yes, I’ll make the exchange,” the baker said, with a soft sigh.

    He had no choice. Their land broker had insisted on gold denaris.

    The attendant took the silver bags and started counting them.

    The baker felt a tight string of anxiety rise when the attendant pulled out a weighing machine. This had never happened before. As though sensing his surprise the attendant glanced at him and smiled.

    “We have no choice these days,” the attendant said. “The silver coins have a problem. We need to weigh them to make sure they are not forged.”

    The baker frowned but did not move to leave. He watched the attendant start weighing his silver. His frown deepened when the attendant pushed ten out of his twenty silvers aside. The rejected pile grew even bigger it could fill a bag on its own.

    “Why won’t you use these silvers?” the baker asked, his voice shaking with a mix of fury and anxiety.

    “They are not silver coins,” the attendant said. “The weight of these rejected coins is too light. They do not have enough silver to be considered for exchange.”

    The baker slammed his fist on the counter and shouted.

    “I disagree!”

    The attendant continued his work, not moved or shaken by the baker’s protest.

    “I truly cannot change any silver coins that do not match the weight. This is the new rule.”

    The baker started to bang on the counter again but stopped when three bureau guards in silver-green uniforms came up behind him. Three tall and burly guards, each wearing a state-issued sword. Their silver-green uniform had fine chest armor and wrist bracers. The long skirts of their uniforms reached down to their fine leather boots. The silver-green helmets they wore made it so that no one could identify them.

    The baker gave them a wary glance. They looked too intimidating to face, to say the least. He had heard the rumors of how cruel their training was; he had no hope of surviving a fight with them.

    The baker sighed at the obvious bullying. He could only watch the attendant continue weighing his silver. Disappointment growing with every silver piece added to the discard pile. Discontentment rose, and it soon turned to anger.

    “You can thank the finance minister for the new laws,” the attendant said when he noted the ugly expression on the baker’s face. “He is only protecting the kingdom.”

    The attendant finished counting the silver pieces.

    “You have exchanged five hundred silver pieces into twenty gold denaris,” the attendant said, counting out the gold denaris.

    “The silver coins were one thousand to start. I should have forty gold denaris,” the baker complained, taking the bag holding his twenty gold denaris.

    “You should but you do not,” the attendant said.

    He bagged the rejected silver pieces and held them out to a guard the baker had not noticed before.

    “Why can’t I keep those if you’re rejecting them?” the baker asked. “I earned them fair and square. I can find some use for them.”

    “These forged silvers should not be in circulation. They will ruin our trade. Here is advice for you, Sir.  Weigh the silver coins you receive from your customers. Take forty grams for each silver piece and nothing less. Otherwise, you will be at a loss. Thank you for contributing to the well-being of our empire.”

    The baker glared at the retreating guard who carried his rejected silver pieces, then cursed the officials in the palace before he left the exchange bureau.

    He was the fifth such customer the attendant had seen.

    “We can’t keep this up. At some point, they will start a fight in our hall.  Trouble brews in our beloved Lyria,” the attendant sighed, as he watched the baker cross the street.  “These forged silver coins will ruin us.”

    ****

    Late in the afternoon, a cargo carriage left the bustling port of Naga State, situated on the east coast of the Lyria Empire. The cargo carriage raced to the capital city of Genad. The long-established main road was even. The empire’s Ministry of Works had rolled it with fine gravel. The Naga King was also very conscientious about maintaining it.

    Tall evergreen trees grew on each side of the wide road. They took up swaths of land that soon opened up to private estates and small villages belonging to the people who lived in the state of Naga.

    The cargo carriage ran smoothly. The skilled artisans who built it had forged strong steel frames that secured thick solid blocks of wood to make up the body of the carriage. The carriage had no windows. It only had one solid steel door with an intricate lock. One needed a long key to open the lock. The person who locked the carriage and the one who would open the carriage at the destination each held a key.

    These two people belonged to the Sura Clan. The Sura Clan made a living off mining, smelting, and blacksmithing. They had done it for so long that they had established a way of life, and grown into a culture like no other in the empire.

    A seasoned driver and his assistant sat at the front of the cargo carriage. The seasoned driver knew to keep the carriage going without stopping.  The four horses leading the carriage would get to the midpoint of the journey where the midpoint stationmaster would exchange them for a new set.

    The horses ran along, fast-paced, confident…

    The wind changed direction.

    A tall heavy tree fell across the road blocking the way. The horses broke speed, and the driver did his best to calm them. Too occupied with controlling the horses, the driver did not notice the ten men on horses surrounding the cargo carriage.

    One of the men pulled the driver’s assistant off his perch. The second man sunk a sword into the driver’s shoulder, pulling him down too. A third man jumped on the driver’s seat and took control of the horses, bringing them to a full stop.

    “Should we check the cargo?”

    “Not here. Naga has too many guards loyal to the inspector’s unit and someone might find us. We need to head northeast to the border of Storait Province and Naga. Our blacksmith will know how to handle the lock.”

    “Very well. In any case, this last amount of black ore should be enough to serve our purpose.”

    “You had better hope so. Otherwise, if the plan breaks, Lord Hulan will not spare us.  Move the tree, get rid of those two, and let’s get moving.”

    *****

    <<Previous | Blades of Ashes ToC | Next>>

  • Blades of Ashes – Intro

    Part I

    Troubles in Serene Waters

    An Introduction

    Once upon a time, there existed an empire named Lyria. The Empire of Lyria was a progressive collection of six states, governed by a Basileus1, named so for he was a king of all kings. An illustrious parliament in the capital city of Genad helped the Basileus manage the empire and its people.

    The prime minister, assisted by fifteen cabinet ministers, led Lyria’s imperial government and answered to the Basileus. The imperial parliament had almost two hundred members sourced from the six states of Lyria. Each member represented a county in their state and was elected by the people of their state. Mostly, they hoped to send more resources to their State King and better their communities.

    The Basileus devolved governance, as he could not be in each state at the same time. The six states each had a State King who ran a state government that answered to the Basileus’s imperial parliament.

    State Kings forwarded pressing troubles at the state level to the imperial parliament in the capital city called Genad.

    The imperial parliament also handled matters of the empire’s general infrastructure, diplomacy with neighboring kingdoms to the west, the empire’s financial health, and the empire’s security.

    The imperial parliament also offered aid to the states in the empire, as needed. Politics under the State King were mild and easygoing depending on the people’s ambition.

    The capital city of Genad was a different beast altogether. It was the center of power in the Lyria Empire.

    The place that nurtured wealth and influence. A prime minister was viewed almost in a matching status as the Basileus in his imperial palace. A member of parliament could aspire to join the prime minister’s cabinet and with it, have the right to move billions of gold denaris to their home state at will.

    The Capital City, Genad, had grown into a whirlwind of constant power struggles among the different political allies and military officials.

    In the background of this progressive and active governance, Lyria remained an empire. The people called the leader of their empire, the Basileus, a king of kings. He had the power to protect the people by commanding the armies and bringing justice to the people by punishing those who broke the laws. Even the prime minister was wary of the Basileus’ latent power and did not push his greed too far.

    Lyria’s Basileus came from the House of Adertha. Adertha had produced fifty Basileus.

    At the end of the Lyria Imperial Year 1335, the reigning Basileus, Rokas Adertha, abdicated his throne due to health concerns and made his son, Dio Adertha, the new Basileus.

    Dio was only twenty-five years old. He was young by any courtier’s standard, but he knew how to forge powerful alliances and grow the military. He was confident his alliances would help him retain his power and grow the Lyria Empire.

    As his reign grew, a sinister plot hatched in the dark gained momentum placing the empire in dire straights. A plot that would strain Dio’s friendship with his strongest ally…to the breaking point.

    Bladed of Ashes ToC | Next>>

    Footnotes

    1. Basilieus – Emperor or King of Kings | origin of the title roots to the Roman empire. The Basileus was the ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire.

  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 10-2

    “Dante, this place is epic,” Thomas said, folding his hands against his chest. “I can’t believe it is not on a roster at our department for visits.”

    “They’re low key about visits,” Dante said, fighting the urge to pace with impatience.

    They were in a waiting room. The eight students who had come along sat in the leather chairs around the room murmuring amongst themselves. They were all waiting for their guide.

    “How did you find them again?” Justina asked.

    “Professor Roberto from biology,” Dante said. “He said they have a lab that tests soils. Though he has not visited the conservancy, one of their researchers worked with Professor Roberto.”

    “No wonder,” Thomas said. “If Roberto discovered this place, we would not have heard the end of it.”

    Justina chuckled, and started to comment only to stop when the door opened.

    Tom walked in first. Looking formal in his business suit. Hera followed, looking beautiful this morning in a navy blue dress. She smiled at Dante when their gazes met, giving him a short nod of recognition.

    Then…Tani walked in.

    Dante forgot all the reasons why he was here. His gaze riveted on Tani, taking him in from his red brown hair, to his amber eyes hidden behind reading glasses. He looked handsome in a white shirt and tailored dark trousers. He wore white slip-on Vans this time. Dante smiled as he realized Tani seemed to have a serious fixation with the brand.

    Tani stood behind Hera and Tom, hands in his pockets. His gaze moving around the room.

    Dante took in a breath, waiting…he breathed out when Tani finally looked at him and their gazes held. Time stopped, for a solid minute, and all he could do was look at Tani.

    Then, Tom started talking and Tani broke their gaze. Dante sucked in air, feeling the loss of Tani’s gaze on him deep in his soul.

    “I want to welcome you to The Elderwood Conservancy,” Tom was saying. “We have not had guests in a while, so we’re all excited to show off a bit of our fortress.”

    “We hope you enjoy the tour and the stories you’ll learn about this fortress from one of our patrons,” Tom said. “Next to me, is Miss Hera. She helps manage our conservancy. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to approach her. Professor Arturo, you mentioned in your message that you want to look at the architecture of the building, and learn about the fortress’s history. Is that right?”

    “Yes,” Dante said, nodding. “We’re learning how architecture from the different eras in history still influences modern architecture. Also, if we can get an explanation as to why the horrendous addition of modern walls at the front.”

    The students laughed, and Tani shook his head at Dante for the mischief. Dante found he liked Tani’s censuring look.

    “I’m sure you’ll discover the answer soon,” Tom said with a quick smile. “Allow me to introduce our patron, Mr. Tani Ryuzo. His family has supported and lived in this fortress since its commission in the fifteenth century.”

    Tom clapped his hands, prompting the students to do the same.

    Tani grinned at Tom’s short introduction, and took a step forward.

    “Call me, Ryuzo,” Tani said, and then turned to Dante, Justina and Thomas. “And, I will take responsibility for the addition of modern walls at the front.”

    Dante grinned, and Tani nodded, turning his attention to the students.

    “Everyone keeps inviting you to The Elderwood Conservancy, so I’ll explain who we are,” Tani said. “We are an organization dedicated to creating a safe space for endangered wild animals and plants. We also run an environment research center where we work to discover new ways to protect and conserve our environment.”

    “Are you saying the forests around the fortress belong to the conservancy?” One of the students asked.

    “Yes, they are protected forests,” Tani said. “If you do go deeper, you’re likely to run into wild animals and discover rare plants which cannot be harvested.”

    “Do the wild animals reach the fortress?”

    “They can but they don’t,” Tani said. “But, we have mounted a perimeter fence about two hundred meters around the fortress to protect the mortals living here.”

    Tom coughed, and Tani glanced at Dante who was hiding a grin at his use of the word mortals.

    “I meant to say, we don’t want the wild animals finding our staff in their offices,” Tani said, gaining chuckles from the students. “We do get an occasional monkey stealing bananas from an unsuspecting staff member in the flower gardens, but the fortress grounds are secure.”

     “How do I work here?” A dark haired young man sitting at the front asked, looking quite serious and eager.

    “Does it look like a fun place to work?” Tani asked.

    “Yes, I love conservation science,” he said.

    Tani grinned.

    “Then, we would have to ask Tom and Hera,” Tani said. “They are the true heroes of our organization. They work at the helm of the conservancy, coordinating the massive effort it takes to navigate various government laws, keep researchers working, and keep our conservancy safe and secure. Talk to them on how to join,” Tani said. “Now, about the fortress….and the addition of modern walls…”

    “You’re not going to let that go, are you?” Dante asked.

    “No,” Tani said, making the students laugh again. “The building is steeped in ottoman architecture. The smaller tower at the entrance was used to control who entered the fortress. The rest of the building is what makes it a fortress with its four towers. It is square with three flours on each wing and a courtyard in the middle. Let’s not sit in here. If you’ll come with me, we’ll start with the front tower of the fortress and work our way in.”

    Dante smiled as Tani led the way out of the waiting room.

    Hera’s phone buzzed and she moved to the side to answer the call.

    Thomas and Justina approached Tom, so it fell to Dante to herd their students after Tani. They left the waiting room and turned left.

    Tani led them into a hidden stairwell right after the waiting room that led up to the smaller round front tower.

    “As mentioned earlier, the fortress was commissioned in the Fifteenth Century. At the time, Ottoman Empire was enduring a great expansion, which meant war. A great shift of power began, and as is expected of war, the need for sanctuary grew. The fortress was commissioned for this purpose,” Tani said, as they climbed the stairs. “The wall on your right is part of the original build, constructed with natural stone and mortar. It was the busiest part of the fortress because it was the first point of contact. Suppliers left their wares here, messengers spoke to the fortress soldiers, and anyone who wanted sanctuary made their request in this tower.”

    Dante ran his hands over the cold stone, and slowed down when for a full minute, he thought he saw the stairs turn to wood instead of the marble they were now. The walls covered with intricate wood beams, and an elegant balustrade running along on the side with glass. He stopped and blinked.

    He looked up in time to see his students following Tani up the tower. His gaze lingered on the glass walls showing off the front of the building. He hurried up the steps, past his lingering students until he was behind Tani.

    “Why was the tower rebuilt?” Dante asked, needing to know.

    “In the seventeenth century, a great fire broke out in this tower,” Tani said. “The occupants of the fortress had a disagreement with a neighboring Sultan. The tower was built using wood between floors, on the stairs and the roofing. The fire left it severely damaged, the structure almost collapsed. We’re lucky the fire did not spread to the rest of the fortress.”

    The stairs brought them to an open landing on the third floor. The glass wall built on their left showed off a stunning view of the fountain and the front of the fortress.

    “When did the tower gain the glass view?” Justina asked, having reached them.

    Tani’s attention was on a glass door at an open space to their right. He smiled when the door opened, and a tall man wearing a security uniform waved at him.

    “This front tower stayed damaged for a time. We—it was rebuilt in the early nineteenth century as a reception area for visitors. As architecture modernized, and the fortress’s work changed, we redesigned this part of the tower to serve the needs of the conservancy. The fortress has always served as a sanctuary,” Tani said, leading them to the open glass doors and Dante was surprised to discover a very modern security room.

    The room was packed with security officers monitoring screens filled with forests, and swamps.

    “Wow,” Thomas said, as eager to discover as his students. “What is this?”

    “As I said before, we’re responsible for the forests around us. These last few decades, it has become important to monitor the conservancy’s lands for poachers and raiders in the forests looking for precious trees and herbs. The men and women you see at work watch out for unusual movements like human encroachment into forests, poachers hunting our herd of precious Asian elephants,” Tani said. “If you want to work here, expect action-filled days when we chase poachers off the conservancy.”

    “Do you ever allow public tours in the forests?” one of the students asked.

    “No,” Tani said. “We only allow need-based tours for research scientists. The team of wildlife veterinarians we have on staff run the tours. They take care of any animals that absolutely need support. They also help us learn how to monitor, maintain and increase the numbers of the endangered animals.”

    “How do you get a job here again?” Justina asked.

    “Ask Hera or Tom,” the students told her in answer.

    “Fred is going to show you a little movie the security staff prepared to show you the amazing creatures we have on our conservancy,” Tani said, nodding to the tall man who wore the security uniform.

    Fred urged the students to follow him to a small sitting area with a screen mounted on the wall. Tani stayed back to allow the students to move closer. Some sat on the four chairs before the screen, the remaining stood behind their friends, with Thomas and Justina joining them.

    Dante took the chance to finally stand next to Tani.

    The moment he leaned on the wall next to Tani, Dante cursed under his breath at the mad urge to lean in closer to Tani and take in a deep breath. Tani smelled so good: apple and citrus teased his senses. He started to cave in to the urge, but he didn’t get a chance. Instead, he found himself staring into Tani’s amber eyes, still distracting even hidden behind reading glasses.

    Tani watched him for a moment, and then smiled.

    “What?”

    “Why did this tower really burn down?” Dante asked, as Fred dimmed the lights near the screen and started his video.

    Tani folded his arms against his chest and shifted on the wall to face Dante.

    “Why do you want to know?” Tani asked in a low whisper, his amber eyes visible even in the dim light.

    “I had a moment when we were coming up,” Dante said, matching Tani’s low whisper. “It felt like I was once here in this tower. The stairs were made of wood, so was the roof…”

    Dante remembered the stories from his grandmother’s journal.

    “I think the fortress was used to protect women who did not want to live as slaves at the time. They made dyes and wove carpets here in exchange for a place to live. I…”

    “You were Dane. You helped bring those women here,” Tani said, his voice filled with nostalgia.

    “Hm,” Dante nodded, and then added. “Dane is not me though, he just looked like me.”

    Tani chuckled and nodded.

    “I know. Dane was different. He was a soldier born of a Christian woman and stolen from her at birth. He grew up into a masked janissary under a powerful sultan. We met while I was saving women lost in the forest. He helped me fight off deadly mercenaries, and we fell in love,” Tani said. “He later fell in love with a woman in the castle where he worked. She discovered his visits to our fortress. She sent a troop to burn the place, and stop Dane from helping the women. This tower suffered the worst of the fire they set. We sent everyone away to our other sanctuaries and emptied the fortress for a period.”

    “He should have chosen to stay and help you,” Dante said, angry at Dane’s love for a vengeful woman.

    “You’re angry,” Tani said, studying him. “Don’t be. Dane helped the women because we were together, not because he thought I was doing the right thing. When the woman in the castle found out about the fortress, he ended our relationship in the only way he could. He returned to who he was and delayed the troops so that the women were able to escape. I—”

    “Your heart was broken,” Dante cut in, his anger rising at Dane’s betrayal of Tani. “He broke it when he married the woman who burned down this tower. You watched the wedding in the square, and then left after bidding him goodbye.”

    Tani exhaled and shrugged.

    “It wasn’t the first time,” Tani said, his gaze shifting to the video on the large screen on the wall. “I wasn’t helpless as you know. The fortress endured. It was a cycle I had to get through.”

    “Tani,” Dante started oddly upset about the last part of Tani’s comment. As though he was resigned to all of Dante’s predecessors hurting him now.

    “Stop thinking about sad things. Watch the video,” Tani said. “I’m really quite proud of Hera and Tom’s work with the Asian elephants. They’ve managed to increase their numbers. I’m going to need to expand their territory somehow, maybe you can help.”

    Dante studied Tani’s face in the dim light and wondered where Tani hid his hurt. Where he took the pain of centuries of betrayal. He wished—

    “Don’t look at me like that,” Tani said.

    “Like what?” Dante asked.

    “Like you owe me,” Tani hissed at him. “It is the last thing I want from you, Dante Arturo.”

    “Then what do you want?” Dante asked.

    Tani shrugged and moved away from him.

    Dante breathed out and returned his attention to the video his students were watching. The screen was filled with a Bengal tiger climbing a large tree. The tiger was magnificent, but all Dante could think of was the scent of apples and citrus filling his nose, and the picture of Tani watching Dane get married as written in the journal.

    When the video ended, the students clapped, and asked Fred a few questions before they had to move on to the next part of the tour.

    Tani was cordial with the students. He answered questions with patience as he took them to the fourth floor of the tower where they discovered the reason why all the glass. A glass dome covered the top, creating an observatory complete with a very professional telescope.

    They each got a turn at the telescope, and then had to move on to the next part of the tour.

    Tani walked them through magnificent hallways with high arches built with brick, and exotic wood, the walls adorned with colored stone and tiles. They all marveled at a drawing room turned library, whose walls were decorated with gold calligraphy.

    Dante watched Tani through the tour, barely asking his questions, his thoughts preoccupied with the past and the present. He wondered what Dane had seen walking these halls with Tani. He wondered what that idiot had thought giving up on Tani so easily for a woman who would dare burn this place down. Thinking about it made Dante angry.

    “You must be hungry,” Tani said, pausing at a wide grand staircase that would lead them back to the ground floor. “We have gone through three wings of the fortress. Due to privacy reasons, we cannot enter the fourth wing. It is a residential area, and is where our staff lives. We are left with the courtyard…”

    Tani frowned, looking over Dante’s students to the back.

    “Alas, we cannot enter the courtyard for legal reasons,” Tani said, pointing to Hera and Tom who were holding their hands up and shaking their heads. “Or so I’m told. There is a renovation crew working on the archway leading to the front hall. Our tour will now head to the cafeteria. Hera and Tom will guide the way and you can get a warm meal.”

    “Aren’t you coming along?” One of the girls asked. “You’re not leaving us, are you?”

    Tani met Dante’s gaze and then grinned at the girl.

    “I’m not leaving yet. I’ll join you in the cafeteria in a few minutes,” Tani said.

    Hera and Tom took over, guiding the students away.

    Tani frowned when Dante remained standing at the landing just watching him.

    “Why are you still looking so sad?” Tani asked, his hands at his sides. “Is it because of what I said about Dane earlier?”

    “I can’t shake it off,” Dante said. “Any of it. I thought I could, but hearing you talk about it…I think this burden is too heavy. What do you do with the pain? None of them could burn it away. They were human, pure.”

    Tani held out his right hand to Dante. He sighed when Dante did not make a move to take his hand. So, he closed the distance between them. Tani removed the reading glasses he wore, so that Dante could see his amber eyes.

    “How much do you know of our past?” Tani asked.

    “We’ve loved each other seven times that I know of, and two that are not quite clear to me,” Dante said, remembering the stories in the diary written by his grandmother, plus the dreams he had experienced. “Each time, I have disappointed you and you’ve walked away with a broken heart. How can you look at me as you are right now?”

    “How do I look at you?”

    “With interest,” Dante said, frowning.

    “You are interesting, Dante,” Tani said. “How did you come to know of our past?”

    “A journal written by my grandmother,” Dante said. “She worried I would disappoint you too. My mother gave it to me when you left the vineyard. I read it and wanted to see you. I wanted to…”

    “To what?” Tani asked, cocking his head to the side.

    “I don’t know,” Dante said, shaking his head. “Now that you’re standing in front of me, I don’t know what I should do.”

    Tani studied him for a moment, and then held out his right hand again.

    “Are you going to take my hand, or aren’t you?”

    Dante’s gaze shifted to Tani’s right palm. His gaze fixating on the thin bracelets shaped like Elderwood leaves. The leaves a mirage, hiding the true shape of the gold cuffs Tani wore because of him.

    “Tani,” Dante said, his voice a whisper, as he looked into amber eyes. “I’m afraid that if I hold your hand, I won’t want to let go. Do you think you can accept me? I—I want to try being with you. I’m not like the past me.”

    Tani chuckled and shook his head.

    “You were always different, never the same. Also, I’m the one offering my hand, Dante. Will you take it or not?” Tani asked.

    Dante placed his left hand over Tani’s palm, and gasped when Tani clasped his fingers tight.

    “Close your eyes,” Tani said.

    It was the only warning he got, then they were in a burst of gold light. The landing faded away and then they were standing in a large round room. The domed ceiling filled with paintings of a floating citadel surrounded by waterfalls. The floating citadel was so exotic, Dante thought it a fantasy, including the man painted in a corner sitting on tall throne like chair. He looked like Tani, but wasn’t, the hair was wrong, it was dark and long.

    “This is the fourth tower in the fortress. This room takes up the third and fourth floor. It is not accessible by anyone,” Tani said, looking at Dante. “You have to be Ekho to enter here. Not even Hera and Tom know about it because there is no door.”

    Dante nodded in understanding, looking around the room. The windows were high and tall. They allowed more than enough light into the perfect round room. The light showed off painted portraits mounted in intervals on the natural stonewalls. The furniture looked antique, the shelves filled with books, and leather bound journals. There was a desk with two chairs set next to each other. A long comfortable couch arranged by what he assumed used to be a fireplace.

    “There used to be a bed in the middle,” Tani said. “I got rid of it in a fit of anger after a bad night.”

    “You have a temper,” Dante said.

    “You do too,” Tani said, with a shrug. “This is—was my room until the last century. I—I—, um, since you know what we have been to each other, I want to share my memories of you, not what others have told you.”

    Dante nodded in agreement.

    Tani rewarded him with a small smile then clasped his hand tight and led him to a painting to their right. Dante sucked in air when he took a close look at the hanging portrait.

    It was Durante. The first one of him. He was dressed in the white robes he wore the day he married, and broke Tani’s heart. The one who started Tani’s hell.

    “I still remember the day I met you clear as day,” Tani said, his voice low. “Your scent drew me to you. The pack of wolves chased you, you didn’t shout because you were afraid your family would hear and come after you. So, you ran…and stumbled through the barriers I made right into my protected forest. I had no choice but to save you.”

    “Barriers?”

    “Yes,” Tani said, reaching out to run his palm over the frame of the portrait. The dust on the frame disappeared, and Tani dropped his hand away. “You ran right through, I suppose you were meant to.”

    Dante studied the portrait. A fine gold mist surrounded Durante in the portrait. He had thought it dust at first, but now that Tani had cleared it away, the gold mist remained.

    “What is this?” Dante asked, touching the gold mist aura, tightly wrapped around Durante.

    “It is how I see you even now,” Tani said. “I took after my mother’s people more than my father imagined. Ekho’s believe in having one true beloved. When we meet them, we share part of ourselves with our beloved. A sacred bond that cannot be severed. When I first met you, I knew, you’re my beloved. I tried to ignore it for a time after you left the forest. You were human and I am Ekho. We were from different worlds, it was better to wait for another time, another meeting. It is what our people do. But then, you returned holding food and concern for me. I—”

    “You tried to scare him,” Dante said, remembering Tani letting go of his glamour for Durante in his dream. “You showed him your eyes, and your claws thinking it would make him run.”

    “He called me a fox,” Tani grinned. “I let him think so, because it was easiest. I didn’t know how to explain my kind. My heart would not let him be alone, so I loved him as the fox he thought I was.”

    “He ended up breaking your heart,” Dante said, shaking his head, remembering the night Durante wedded and Tani wore his gold cuffs.

    “He needed immortality,” Tani said, with a small shrug. “A mortal’s life is short; a blink of an eye and it’s over. So, mortals form bonds through family. Their children meant to succeed where their ancestors did not, meant to push the family to the next era, the next century. His decisions were rooted to the ways of a mortal. Without him, you would not exist. He made the right decision. Because I love him, I understood him.”

    “I don’t,” Dante said, shaking his head. “If he loved you too, he should have been loyal to you.”

    “Don’t judge him so harshly,” Tani said, turning to meet Dante’s gaze. “Durante’s bloodline has lived one thousand years, moving from century to century. It is the best magic he could have forged.”

    “Still—”

    “You have two children,” Tani said, his words coming out sharp. “Your bloodline will see the next generation, and the generation after and so on. Who are you to judge him?”

    “I did not marry Viola,” Dante said, needing Tani to understand his failure with Viola. “She is not my beloved, Tani. I—”

    “You what?”

    “I was careless when I was younger. I stayed with Viola and let her believe in a future together when I felt nothing for her. We made Zach and April, but I could never offer her more than financial support. We separated, for her sake and the children. I am not tied to Viola and I regret the pain our relationship brought to her.”

    “Don’t regret the children,” Tani said, shaking his head. “Don’t do that when they both love you so much.”

    “I don’t regret Zach and April,” Dante said. “I am however, a bad parent to them.”

    Tani stared at him for a moment, and then turned to the portraits on the walls. He moved to the second one and shrugged.

    “I’ve come to realize that parents are also people who make mistakes. Their children must learn how to live with the mistakes they make,” Tani said, smiling at the second man he loved. “He was Dante like you. Simple man who only wanted a simple life. He didn’t know what I was, nor think me a fox. We were happy for a time.”

    “Until his wife chased you out of the settlement,” Dante said.

    “Violet has remained a steady force in your life with an astounding variation of her name,” Tani said letting out a soft chuckle. “I hated her for a while, in time my hate turned to tolerance. I suppose without her, you would not be here.”

    “Tani.”

    Tani moved to the next painting, placing his palm over the frame, his power wiping away the dust.

    “This was Duante,” Tani said, studying the painting of a man dressed in white robes. “He was a scribe. Quite dedicated to his work at a magistrate’s office. We were together for a very short time before he married and promptly chased me away. He made me so angry, I left his town and traveled the world, determined to forget him.”

    Dante held his tongue as Tani went down the line of four more versions of him, until he stopped at the portrait of a masked janissary, a red strip over his mask. Tani lingered on this one, his gaze complicated.

    “We have the same portrait at Artri House,” Dante said. “He is holding the mask and his eyes are full of sorrow. Why is he different for you?”

    “His Violet burned my tower,” Tani mused. “He loved me enough to hide the existence of this fortress from his Sultan. I just didn’t understand his ties to his family were tighter than the ones before. He almost made me believe he would stay with me, until Violet burned the fortress. It is lucky he cared enough for my causes to help the women who found sanctuary here. After him, I almost gave up.”

    “One of Dane’s daughters found my great-grandfather,” Dante said.

    “Yes,” Tani said. “Someone pushed her to find him for his bloodline. I knew nothing of it. The family was consistent with the name Durante for two more generations, which is probably why they named you Dante.”

    “My grandmother knew the original story,” Dante said. “The patriarch of the family told her.”

    “I figured as much,” Tani said, stopping at the last portrait.

    In it, Durante was dressed in a dated suit, probably nineteen twenty. He stood tall and held a cane.

    “I ran away to East Africa after surviving him,” Tani confessed. “Even though he married Violet early, he kept us longest. I was a secret he enjoyed having. We stayed together until he turned thirty. Then Violet wanted to move to the Americas, so they left. I would have followed, but he insisted on having a clean slate when they landed in New York. A branch of his family stayed here, and the other moved to New York.”

    Tani sighed, and let go of Dante’s hand.

    “So,” Tani said, indicating the nine portraits on the wall. “This is the size of the baggage I carry. I have tried my best to let it go, but…there are moments when it leaves me feeling broken. The cuffs on my wrist probably have a lot to do with that.”

    Dante stood in the round room, his gaze moving from portrait to portrait. The faces on each one similar to his, but not quite. Their priorities certainly differed from his.

    “Tani,” Dante said, facing the extraordinary man who had loved his soul for centuries. “Let’s agree on three facts.

    “Okay,” Tani said. “What facts are these?”

    “First, I am not them,” Dante said, pointing to the portraits. “Agreed?”

    Tani folded his arms against his chest, and studied him for a moment.

    “Agreed,” Tani said after a while. “You were never the same, ever.”

    “Okay, this is good,” Dante said, taking a step toward Tani. “Two, I am truly interested in you. And when I say interested, I want to kiss you and make love with you. What about you?”

    Tani smiled wide, studying him for another minute before he dropped his hands to his sides and nodded.

    “I’ve always wanted you, Dante,” Tani said. “Our physical attraction has never been the problem.”

    “That’s good to know,” Dante said, relieved, he took a step toward Tani.

    “I’ve heard about us from my grandmother’s journal, then a warning from a grimoire in our home. All of them ask me not to disappoint you. As a result, I ran here to find you,” Dante said.

    “I thought you wanted a tour for your students?” Tani asked.

    “No, I was hoping to find you because I don’t have your phone number or know where you live. I have to tell you, it breaks my heart when I listen to you talk about us. It sounds like you’ve given up on me,” Dante said, taking another step forward, stopping only because Tani raised his right hand as though to stop him.

    “You’ve judged my decision on all the others,” Dante said. “I’m not them.”

    “No, you’re not,” Tani agreed. “Your warlock education has given you more information than the rest. I’m grateful that I don’t have to explain what an Ekho is to you.”

    “My Grandmaster is a solid jerk who pushed me too hard and turned me into an overachiever. I even know there is a Septum in the Ekho Realm, and what it has done to you with those cuffs.”

    “Sounds like a man who understands how to groom a fire warlock,” Tani said. “You have one thing right too. I have given up on proving my choice. I was not going to meet you this lifetime. , This time, I was going to ignore you existed and return to the Ekho Realm forever.”

    Dante nodded, taking in the sting of Tani’s words. He stepped back.

    “Why did you approach me?” Dante asked. “If you gave up on me, you should have let the kara ot ravage our vineyard.”

    “I should have,” Tani said, his answer stinging more than it should. “But I can’t. It’s an Ekho’s job to make sure that blight does not spread in the mortal realm.”

    “So, you came out of obligation?” Dante asked, oddly hurt by the thought.

    “Yes,” Tani said. “No matter what’s happened between us, I can’t see you in danger.”

    Dante took comfort in that statement and took a step forward.

    “Then, Tani, are you willing to give me a chance?” Dante asked. “My number three is: How do I show you that I choose you this time?”

    “You—”

    Dante waved to the portraits around him.

    “I understand from your perspective that the evidence is clearly not on my side,” Dante said, scowling at the men on the wall with his face. “I’ve never felt so attacked just as I’m thinking of hitting on a guy I like for a date. This is a lot of pressure. So, give me a chance, Tani.”

    Tani stared at him for a full minute, and then chuckled.

    “I just laid out our less than stellar past,” Tani said.

    “I still want my chance,” Dante said, pointing to all the portraits. “Each of them got their chance. They fucked up. I want mine.”

    “We might not have enough time,” Tani started, then bit his bottom lip as though to stop himself from talking.

    “I don’t care,” Dante said, taking another step toward Tani. It brought him close enough to take in Tani’s scent again. “I want my chance with you. My time with you, Tani. Can you give me that?”

    Amber eyes met Dante’s determined gaze.

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  • A Thousand Years of Hope Ch 10-1

    A storm ravaged the island late Tuesday night, rain falling into the early hours of Wednesday.

    A whispered ‘help’ woke Tani from a deep sleep. He sat up on his bed and listened to the raging rain. The trees in the forest around them broke most of it…

    The plea for help came again, and he got out of bed.

    Closing his eyes, he listened, and once it came again, he followed it, teleporting to the overflowing river in the middle of the conservancy. The waters had swelled and spilled over to the bank. Not caring that the rain was soaking him; he stood on a flat rock, searching until he saw the little red fox standing on the edge of the flooding river. It was pacing in distress, trying to reach a bobbing boulder caught between two large branches. The river water doing its best to take the boulder downstream.

    Tani froze when he saw a second fox caught under the shifting boulder. The river water was racing down too fast. He didn’t stop to think. He simply teleported to the two large branches, reached down, and caught the drowning fox by its neck just as the boulder got loose of the branches and went racing downstream.

    Cradling the soaking fox, he returned to the flat rock, and the little fox that had called for help ran after him.

    “You poor things, your cave must have flooded,” Tani said, placing the drowned fox he held on the flat rock. The little fox leaned closer, peering at its friend. “Don’t worry. He’s just swallowed a lot of water.”

    Tani pressed two fingers to the still fox’s stomach and pushed. Water came out of its mouth and it coughed. Tani rubbed its back, turning the tired fox to its side as it coughed out more water. When it was breathing easier, Tani smiled and pressed his palms on both sides to warm it up. The rain was still falling, so he looked around the thick forest. They needed shelter.

    Taking the two foxes into his arms, he walked deeper into the forest until he found a hollowed-out tree. He lined the inside of the hollow with leaves and urged the little foxes into the space.

    “You two, don’t wander close to the river until I can get it to calm down,” Tani said when they were settled. The little fox who had desperately called for help licked his hand, and he smiled at the affection. “Stay here until the rain stops.”

    He spent a few minutes making sure the hollowed-out tree was safe and dry. When he was done, he returned to the burgeoning river.

    Tani checked to see if there were any other animals caught in the fast sweep of water. He tried to calm the waters with his power, but it hurt to use too much. He was still raw from the vineyard so he stopped. Letting out a sigh, he decided he would need to talk to Uncle Amu in the morning. Returning home, Tani found himself standing in the middle of his bedroom, soaked to the bone.

    Staring at his muddy feet, all he could think about was what Dante was doing at the same exact moment.

    At six in the morning, Tani sat at the kitchen island table, reading a daily report from the conservancy on a tablet they kept in the kitchen.

    There were damaged boundary fences, and broken cameras in the forest and the flooding river was making it difficult for the animals to cross it. It pained him that his power still felt too raw to use. If he were to take on the tending of the conservancy, it would take him all day.

    Eren entered the kitchen and stopped when she saw him. She was in a long simple frock, her hair falling down her back. She was on bare feet, clearly not dressed for the day.

    Eren started to turn away in a clear escape.

    “Eren,” Tani said, remembering that she kept making his Elderwood bushes bloom. He could channel her excess power to the river.

    “Little lordling,” Eren said, turning to face him, and looking around the sunny kitchen. “Lord Amu?”

    “He’s not back yet,” Tani said.

    “Hera and Tom?” Eren asked.

    “They are at the fortress working,” Tani said, placing his tablet down, now studying Eren. She was clearly unwilling to be in the same room with him. Had to be his comment about disowning his father.

    “And Cale?” Eren asked, going down the list of all the people she met last night.

    Tani grinned as he realized Eren was hoping she would not have to deal with him alone.

    “Cale we can find,” Tani said. “All we have to do is call for him.”

    “You mean you call for him,” Erin said, bunching the skirts of her dress. “He won’t respond to me. I’ve tried.”

    Tani blinked. He had always thought Cale responded to every call made to him.

    “Cale?” Tani said and smiled when Cale appeared a few minutes later in a charcoal grey suit. His hair was brushed to perfection, he was busy adjusting his cuffs.

    “You called, Little Lordling,” Cale said.

    “Eren was asking about you,” Tani said, pushing the tablet toward Cale who stood a few feet away. He got up from his chair and went to the coffee maker in the corner. He didn’t feel like tea this morning. It was lucky someone in the house had felt the same at a point. There was coffee already made.

    “Do you think you can help me with a bit of work?” Tani asked. “The river is flooding and it is causing trouble.”

    “I will only make it get worse,” Cale said, picking up the tablet and reading the list made by Tom’s team.

    “I don’t need you to fix it, take Eren,” Tani said, finding a mug, he poured himself a half cup and sipped the bitter liquid. “There were foxes in trouble last night. I tried to soothe the river last night, but I could not.”

    He lifted his right wrist to show his cuffs.

    “I overused at the vineyard,” Tani said, smiling at a panic-stricken Eren. “It happens after a big use. Eren, do you mind?”

    “No,” Eren said, shaking her head. “I mean, yes, I will help.”

    Tani smiled at her.

    “Thank you.”

    “Stop making her feel guilty this early in the morning,” Cale said, placing the tablet on the table. He moved to the coffee maker, checked the state of the coffee, and sighed. “Stop drinking stale coffee.”

    Cale took the mug Tani held and the coffee pot to pour out the coffee and rinse at the sink. He was adding fresh water to the coffee pot when his cell phone buzzed.

    Tani frowned, wondering where he had left his own. He had not seen it since the day he was at the Arturo vineyard.

    “Hi Hera,” Cale said when he answered the call. “He’s right here. I’ll put you on speaker.”

    Cale placed his phone on the island table and returned to making coffee.

    “Babu,” Hera said. “Where did you take your phone?”

    Tani chuckled and returned to his chair.

    “I don’t know,” Tani said.

    “Honestly,” Hera said, exasperation clear. “I’m going to find a cord to clip on the phone and have you wear it like a necklace. Uncle Amu won’t make it to the tour. We need you.”

    “No.” Tani started to protest, gaining Cale’s undivided attention.

    “Who is going to do it then?” Hera asked.

    “You or Tom,” Tani said.

    Hera sighed and would have started complaining but Cale stopped her.

    “Just a sec, Hera,” Cale muted the call and turned to Tani.

    “You promised to make an effort on this,” Cale said, glaring at Tani. “Running away is not helping you or him. Time keeps moving along.”

    “Why do you care so much?”

    “I’m not going to answer that,” Cale said, glancing at a fascinated Eren. “All I know is that you should do the tour today. If you don’t, Eren won’t help with the river, right Eren?”

    Eren started to protest inclusion, but Cale glared at her and she sighed.

    “Right?” she said, though it sounded more like a question.

    Tani scoffed, looking at her for a moment, and then he turned to Cale.

    “You’re enjoying this too much,” Tani said and reached for Cale’s phone. He unmuted the call. “Alright, Hera, what time should I be there?”

    “Before ten o’clock, you can use Tom’s office. We’ll be waiting for you,” Hera said.

    “See you,” Tani ended the call and studied Cale who was now making coffee. “You’re very invested in me and Dante.”

    “I’m just tired of watching the colossal disasters that happen between you,” Cale said. “I miss my domain and a peaceful existence.”

    “You can imagine how absurd that sounds from the Ekho god of calamity,” Tani pointed out.

    “You’re full of good fortune, but you never make it work for you,” Cale said, pouring Tani a fresh cup of coffee when it was ready. He brought the mug to Tani, his right brow raised. “Who is more absurd?”

    Tani drank his coffee in silence because he had no answer for Cale. He needed to deal with his indecisiveness. Right before ten o’clock, he teleported into Tom’s office after a hurried shower and a change of clothes.

    Hera was visibly relieved to see him. She hurried to his side to adjust his shirt, while Tom watched them from behind his large desk.

    “I am so glad you agreed to give this tour,” Hera said, arranging the mandarin collar on Tani’s white shirt. “Otherwise, Tom would have to, and he bores everyone to sleep.”

    Tom chuckled and Tani winked at him.

    Tani had left the top two buttons of the shirt open. Hera finished with the collar and brushed off lint from his shoulder. Tani tugged at the long sleeves of his shirt. He had used a bit of magic to turn the gold cuffs on his wrist into thin bracelets carved to look like a chain of Elderwood leaves.

    Tani smoothed his left hand over the short part of his hair on the left side.

    Hera made use of the comb she held to manage the long fringe of hair falling to the right side. She brushed his hair down his right side, straightening out red-brown curls into their cut, making sure his hair hid his right ear lobe. She used a finger to slide a few strands away from his forehead.

    Tani grinned at the intent look on her face as she brushed his hair.

    She was the one who had taken him to the salon. Hera and Deniz chose his hairstyle, turning it into a right undercut with his long hair brushed to one side to hide the gold Elderwood leaves on his right earlobe.

    Hera stepped away from him when she was satisfied with her work. She placed the comb in a small bag on Tom’s desk, and then took him in.

    They were anticipating the arrival of Dante’s students in a few minutes. Tom and Hera were handling the visit arrangements: clearing with the various departments, as well as the cafeteria.

    Tani had been last to arrive at Tom’s office.

    “How do I look?” Tani asked Hera.

    “Like the patron of The Elderwood Conservancy,” Hera said with a satisfied nod. She handed Tani gold-rimmed reading glasses that would mute the otherness of his eyes. Tani wore them without protest. “Am I right, Tom?”

    “Right,” Tom said, getting up from his chair behind the desk. “The alarm at the gate pinged my phone three minutes ago. They are here.”

    Tani breathed in and moved to the windows showing off the front of the building.

    His heart sped up when a few minutes later he saw a white staff bus driving up to the fortress’ front entrance. Despite the many hours Tani spent telling himself he should not get excited over Dante, his heart betrayed him when the man so much as appeared.

    Just knowing Dante was on the bus was enough to get his heart speeding.

    Tani let out a quiet sigh and slid his hands into his tailored black trousers. This was the start. He had no way to stop it, and he was afraid this time he was going to hurt too many people.

    “Babu,” Tom said, coming to stand next to him. “Uncle Amu is sure you’ll not be as available after today. Should we be worried?”

    Tani stared at the white bus, which had slowed down, navigating around the fountain at the front and coming to a stop at the front doors.

    “The conservancy will continue,” Tani said. “You’re here. There is Uncle Amu, and Cale is around. Everything should run without a problem, the same way it has when I was away.”

    “Okay,” Tom said with a soft sigh.

    Tani looked behind him and was glad to see Hera on the phone.

    “I will ask you to make an appointment with the conservancy’s law firm,” Tani said, giving Tom a small smile. “I need to clean up a few things.”

    Tom studied him for a moment and then frowned.

    “I hope you know that I’m as attached to you as Hera and Deniz,” Tom said. “I know you disappear on us, but it is okay because we all know you’re around. Easy to meet. Easy to call. I’m asking you now. Can you not go somewhere we can’t reach you?”

    Tani turned to face Tom, unable to give him an answer. The look on Tom’s face reminded him of the first time he ran into Tom in this very fortress. It was a mix of challenge and determination.

    When Tom was twelve, he had been very angry at the world. His family lived on the outskirts of a city on the mainland. They hid their abilities because they could not share them in a rapidly changing modern world. Tom rebelled against his parents’ ideas. He resented having to hide his true self.

    He wanted to show his friends his gift of making the earth shift, making flowers bloom on notice, and whatever else he thought up to amuse himself. When they did not understand him, he ran along the beach on the mainland terrorizing anyone who dared pick on him for being a freak.

    One evening, Amu got a message from one of his contacts to check out a strange boy at the beach. Amu arrived just as Tom was busy throwing balls of sand at three boys. Amu ended up with a solid ball of sand in his mouth and became one of Tom’s victims. Tom was eternally shocked when he too received a mouthful of sand in his face in retaliation. Amu always gave back as good as he got, it was the way of the fox clan.

    Soon after, Amu brought Tom’s whole family to the fortress and gave them the task of taking care of The Elderwood Conservancy. Young Tom could play to his heart’s content in the forests surrounding the fortress. He met more people like him and made great friends who understood him.

    Tani was living at their station in East Africa then, but he would stop by to manage issues that cropped up with the fortress. On one such visit, he ran into twelve-year-old Tom and almost ate dirt from the garden at the front of the fortress, before there was a fountain.

    Tani grinned at the memory.

    Tom followed him for a whole week to discover how Tani had evaded his ball of dirt. He could not remember how Tom got him to teach him how to shift dirt in midair. The kid was a ball of persistence. As time moved on, he became Tom’s teacher, helping him with his abilities.

    Then Tom grew up. Their roles changed. Tani started relying on Tom to take care of the fortress, more and more. In a blink, here they were. Tom was all grown up.

    “Do you remember throwing balls of soil at people when you were twelve?” Tani asked, grinning when Tom scowled at him.

    “Why are you bringing up my dark days?” Tom asked, frowning at him.

    Tani chuckled.

    “You were such an angry kid,” Tani mused. “Looking at you now, who would believe it?”

    “You,” Tom said with a grin. “Uncle Amu ate a lot of sand.”

    “He did,” Tani agreed.

    Tom looked handsome as always. His thick dark hair was in a neat cut and combed back. His brown eyes were kind and his smile was ready. He dressed in proper suits when he was at work. Today he was in a grey suit with a white shirt and a burgundy tie.

    “I might not be able to give you the promise you want,” Tani said, his gaze shifting to Hera.

    Hera was still busy writing down a note, as she listened to the person on the other end of the call. She looked classy today, dressed in a navy blue sheath dress and black heels. Her braids were in a tight ponytail, the length of them falling down her back.

    Tani continued.

    “I will, however, make sure you’re all—”

    “Do not say ‘taken care of’,” Tom said, narrowing his gaze.

    Tani smiled and met Tom’s gaze.

    “It is the only thing I can say to you,” Tani said. “I have unfinished business…”

    “Then finish it, and still return to us,” Tom said, ending the conversation. “I’ll call the lawyers, but only because Uncle Amu would want me to. I expect to see you at my lastborn’s tenth birthday party, Tani Ryuzo. I should warn you, my wife will give me five kids.”

    Tani scoffed.

    “You don’t even have a girlfriend.”

    “Well, look at all that time we have together,” Tom grinned.

    “They are signed in,” Hera said, ending her call. “Rachel has led them to the waiting room. Ready, Babu?”

    “Yep,” Tani said, and pulled his hands out of his pockets, fighting off nerves.

    “Here,” Tom said, holding out a black phone. “In case you leave the fortress and we need to call you.”

    “Ok.”

    Tani took the phone and slipped it into his trouser pocket, smiling at the determined look on Tom.

    Tani rubbed his hands together, suddenly looking forward to the tour.

    “We should start with the tower at the entrance,” Tani said. “I think they’ll get a kick out of the observatory, won’t they?”

    “Cale was painting up there a month ago,” Hera said, picking up a folder from Tom’s desk. She led the way out of Tom’s office, with Tom bringing up the rear. “Something about helping the restoration crew.”

    “Cale sure has a lot of time,” Tani said, shaking his head as he followed Hera. “He had better not have installed gargoyles on the roofs.”

    Tom chuckled behind him, as he closed the office door. They headed to the waiting room at the reception together.

    ****

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  • Blades of Ashes – New Story

    Blade of Ashes is my new project, pouring all my heart into it. As I do for everything else. If you love epic stories, check this one out, and let’s discover the Empire of Lyria together.

    Blades of Ashes Book Cover

    About

    The Empire of Lyra is in a time of peace, but the ambition of one courtier threatens its stability.

    Raithion Maenaer

    A skilled general who believes in loyalty to the family, clan, and the empire’s Basileus. During a case assigned by his commander, Raithion meets Azula, a free-spirited blacksmith, who tugs at his heart. Their connection is brief. Soon, Raithion’s youngest sister is engaged to marry the Basileus. Raithion must grow his family’s strength to protect her. His mission grows more complicated when he discovers a plot hatched by an ambitious courtier named Gesi Ajai. A plot that costs Azula everything, and sets them on different paths.

    Azula Doriel

    Azula and his Sura Clan are master blacksmiths who provide the empire with fine metalwork. The Sura Clan is caught in the crosshairs of Gesi Ajai’s ambition. Gesi frames the clan for counterfeiting in order to gain its market share, leading to the imprisonment of Azula’s parents and the destruction of his clan. Azula manages to save his older sister, Alise, but she loses her beloved in the ensuing fight.

    Azula pledges to get his revenge on Gesi Ajai for the sake of his family and their clan.

    Their Mission

    Years later, Raithion and Azula meet again. Basileus Dio has thwarted Gesi Ajai’s ambition at every turn; Gesi has now decided to take the throne by any means necessary, even if it means wiping out the Basileus and Basilinna before they have any heirs. Raithion now needs Azula’s help to bring Gesi Ajai down. Together, they must navigate treacherous court politics and uncover Gesi’s machinations.

    Will Raithion and Azula be able to protect the empire and bring Gesi Ajai to justice before it’s too late? #lgbtcontent #yaoi #friendstolovers