Rejar Part 45

"I see." That made Agatha pause for a moment. She rallied quickly. "I may take my mother's locket, of course?" She fingered the one possession around her neck she truly could not bear to leave behind.

Rejar smiled. "Of course."

"What shall happen to all of this?" She gestured with her hand, indicating the property and possessions.

There was a tap at the door.

Emmy stuck her head in, eyes going wide at the broken windows and fallen chandelier. "I was just wanting to check on her Highness's health. Lady Agatha. I had to see for myself that the poor dear was all right. I hope I'm not intruding?"

Rejar eyes locked with Agatha's.

They both grinned.

Emmy was soon to become the richest maid in all of England.

"Come, Lady Agatha, Emmy," Traed took the two women's arms, "Let us leave these two to... recuperate." Traed walked them to the door.

{Thank you, brother. For everything. I know what this has cost you. Once again you have stood for the family of Krue.} Traed hesitated at the door. He looked back at Rejar. "Am I not a part of this family?" his tone was very quiet.

{Yes.} "And the elder brother as well?"

Rejar was slower responding this time. {Yes ...} "And you must pay heed to an elder brother, must you not?"

Rejar sulked, dreading what was coming. His experience with Lorgin told him it could be anything. Anything at all.

"Good, then stay out of my head!" A huge smile broke across Traed's face.

Rejar looked at him, shocked. Traed was grinning? Mayhap I am still delirious! The Familiar's lips twitched.

Raising that one mocking eyebrow, Traed closed the door behind him.

Aviara Lorgin stood in the Hall of Tunnels, waiting.

Abruptly a portal opened and Yaniff stepped through. Alone.

Lorgin looked behind the mystic to see if the others were following, but there was no one.

The Tunnel sealed.

"Where are Rejar and Traed?" He was not a little concerned. It was past time his brothers came home. Suleila was beside herself, having not seen Rejar for so long, and Krue was threatening to go after his errant son himself.

Rejar would not be a happy Familiar if that were to occur.

"They will be along shortly."

"But who will open the Tunnel for them?"

"Traed will open the Tunnel."

Lorgin wasn't sure he had heard him correctly. "Traed? How can he ... ?"

"I will tell you everything in good time. Ah, yes! Rejar will have a surprise for everyone, I think."

Lorgin did not like surprises. Especially from his Familiar brother. Experience had taught him that with Rejar it could be anything. Anything at all. "What kind of surprise?" he asked warily.

Yaniff's eyes glittered. "You will see when they get here."

"They?"

Yaniff chuckled. "And how are Adeeann and Melody?"

Lorgin instantly beamed like the proud father he was. "Fine. I vow she is the smartest babe! I think she will be a ruling council member."

"You can tell this?" Yaniff chided. "Truly, Lorgin, it is you who is the great seer!"

Lorgin grinned sheepishly.

"Here-a gift for Adeeann. A momento from her home world." Yaniff tossed him a curved object.

Catching it, Lorgin examined it curiously. "What is it?"

"It is called a pipe."

"What do you do with it?"

"There are those who smoke it, but I have found it works best unlit." The wizard's cryptic laughter echoed off the walls as they made their way back to the home of Krue.

"I did not tell you the rest of the story, souk-souk..."

Rejar and Lilac lay curled together on their sides, closely embracing each other. They had been through a life-affirming ordeal of discovery and were not about to let go of each other any time soon.

"Tell me how it ends, Rejar." Lilac rested her cheek against his chest.

"Well, the old wizard sends his brother to watch over him because he is concerned. You see, the Familiar would not leave this new world he had come to, even though he knew he did not belong there."

"Why wouldn't he leave?" She kissed the golden hollow at the base of his throat. Cinnamon and bayberry teased her.

"Because he had found something that was more important to him than life itself. It had come to him that the 'whirlpool' must have brought him here especially to be with his Prunella. So he could not return with his brother; for how could he go and leave his heart behind?"

"Rejar." Lilac gazed up at him, eyes s.h.i.+ning with all the love she felt for this exceptional man. Her own sweet Rejar.

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her fingertips. Staring deeply into her eyes, he placed her palm over his heart. {It beats for you.} "I love you so, Rejar."

A long, mellow purr of contentment followed the tender touch of his lips to hers.

The day Rejar agreed to join the Charl marked a day of awakening for him.

All that Yaniff prophesied would come to pa.s.s. The second son of Krue would go on to become a champion of extraordinary power and strength among his people.

In the pa.s.sing of time, the name Rejar, or "the Gifted," would become legend. Such a transcendent destiny, however, would demand its own price.

So begins the story of Rejar ta'al Krue.