SANURA was charmed by the small cottage and the woman who had done the baking which had called them in this direction. After a diet of weeds, berries, and water, the roasted meat and garden vegetables-along with the sweet bread they had smelled and a tankard of cider- made a most scrumptious meal. There was a small barn where the horse Alix had collected after their welcome had been a.s.sured could rest-with the woman"s donkey for company-and there was hay and fresh water for the animal, as well.
The woman, who introduced herself simply as Donia, was a pretty, dark-haired woman who did not look to be more than thirty years of age. She seemed genuinely glad to see other people, and yet inside she hid something. Donia had a secret, and it frightened her to know that others might discover what she hid. If Sanura looked deeper, she might discover this secret, but she did not attempt to do so. Behind the secret there was a simple, good woman who would do them no harm. Nothing else mattered. Besides, it would be rude to pry, to push for information about their hostess. She would see what she was meant to see, as always.
Donia was very much isolated in this cottage in the woods, and at a quick glance Sanura saw no evidence of a male resident. There was a doll sitting by the fireplace, but no child about. It would not be polite to ask questions, especially as she and Alix did not wish to answer questions themselves, but Sanura was most definitely curious. A woman as pretty as Donia could marry well. With her baking skills, she could support herself as a baker in a village, large or small. Why was she here, apparently alone? The secret she hid kept her here, no doubt. Yes, she was a prisoner to the secret; she protected it with her very life, and would continue to do so.
Donia had easily accepted Sanura"s outrageous story of an unfortunate mishap with a vat of fabric dye, and she was very happy to take a gold bracelet in exchange for the food she so generously shared. It was obvious from the way she smiled at and wore the bracelet that she was unaccustomed to fine things but was certainly not averse to owning them.
They ate and drank and enjoyed not only the food and cider but the much-needed rest.
Donia was not afraid of Alix, but she was certainly wary of him. She kept her distance from him, though she was very much at ease with Sanura. Of course, Alix was a large and obviously powerful man, and might be seen as a physical threat to any single woman, even though he had done nothing to make Donia fear him.
After a fine meal and a short rest, Sanura could tell that Alix, who had been very quiet since they"d entered the cottage, was ready to resume their journey. He was tense, his neck and jaw and lips tight. No wonder Donia was wary! Alix needed a long, luxurious ma.s.sage to relieve his tension, or perhaps an o.r.g.a.s.m. Either would do. Given his current state of mind, neither was likely in the near future.
Of course, if Trystan decided to rise once again, that would change. Sanura wanted Alix, but she was afraid of Trystan. And yet in so many ways they were one and the same. If she were going to suddenly dismiss all that she"d been and all that she"d been taught in order to choose a man for herself, then why could she not have fallen for a simple, uncomplicated man? Why was it this one who seemed, so very much, to be hers?
They were saying good-bye when the door to the cabin swung open so swiftly that Alix reached for his sword. He relaxed when he saw the child standing there.
Sanura did not relax, and neither did Donia.
The child who had thrown open the door with such force was exquisitely beautiful, and looked to be five or six years old. Her hair was a pure white gold, and it fell to her waist in thick, straight strands. Her eyes were a brilliant blue that bordered on purple, and her face was without flaw. There was nothing to rival a child"s unblemished, fat cheeks and soft mouth, no beauty could compare. The dress the child wore was white and plain, and even though she"d been outdoors, it was unstained.
On the outside this was the perfect child. Inside, she was not so beautiful.
This was Donia"s child, and she was also Donia"s secret. This little girl was the reason a young woman hid in the woods, isolated from all others as much as possible. The appearance of the child frightened her, even though there could be no reason for anyone to fear such an innocent little girl.
Perhaps not so innocent, perhaps not so flawless.
"I told you to wait..." Donia began.
"I grew tired of waiting." Though the tone of the voice was that of a child, there was an adult tenor that put even Alix on edge. The little girl came into the cottage and slammed the door behind her.
Sanura tried to look into the girl. There was something of Donia here, yes, but there was also something dark. This darkness was nothing like that which Alix fought. It was deeper, darker, demonic.
The little girl turned her eyes on Sanura. They were cold and fierce and not those of a child. "Do not use your witch"s powers on me unless I give you permission to do so."
"I cannot help what I see," Sanura said honestly. "I did not mean to pry."
"Mali," Donia said. She wrung her hands. "Our guests were just leaving. Please, let them pa.s.s."
"Not just yet," Mali said.
Alix, who knew nothing of the child before them, raised one eyebrow. He was more amused than concerned, but he did not sense the dark power in the innocent-looking Mali. Who could look upon such a child and see anything of danger?
Sanura relaxed a little. She didn"t attempt to see into Mali any more than she already had, but she knew that, like Alix, this child struggled. Like Alix, this little girl fought for her very soul. Even though Donia believed that all was lost for her and her daughter, that there would never be anything for them but fear and seclusion-she was wrong.
Without fear, Sanura dropped to her knees so she was eye to eye with Mali. "May I take your hand?"
"No!" Donia took a frightened step forward. To Alix it likely looked as if she were afraid for her daughter, but Sanura knew she was more afraid of what her daughter might do to their guests. There was great power in this child, some tapped, some as yet untapped.
Mali offered one small, delicate hand as if she were a queen. Sanura took it, and she was immediately washed in a power like no other she had ever known. Good and light from her mother, mixed with a demon"s powers and greed, a violent gift from her father, made this child what she was. In a flash, she saw an unwanted glimpse of this child"s creation.Sanura saw it all in an instant, even though to see into the past was not her gift. She saw all because the child wished her to see. Donia had been kidnapped by vicious soldiers and then delivered half-dead to their leader, a demon-possessed man who had raped her, beaten her, and even bitten her before leaving her for dead.
But Donia had not died, and Mali had been born of the night of terror.
"All is not lost," Sanura whispered.
"All has been lost for a long time," Donia answered just as softly.
The hand in Sanura"s was a child"s, soft and pliable and fragile.
"No," Sanura said, "there is as much of you in this child as there is of her father."
Donia flinched at the word "father."
"Teach her," Sanura said. Her eyes met Mali"s, and there within the cold she saw light. She saw hope.
"How can I?"
Sanura lifted her head and looked at Alix, who was thoroughly confused. "This child possesses great powers and is in need of a teacher to help her harness them. A great tutor will be required."
Alix"s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. He saw this diversion as a waste of time, a distraction. He was impatient to move on, not yet realizing what was truly before him. "I know of a wizard who lives near Arthes. Sian Chamblyn. He and his wife, Ariana, have trained witches and wizards in the past. I"m sure they would not mind working with another. This child is very young, however, and we have other matters to..."
"They will kill her," Donia whispered as she shook her head. "I did not ask for this, but Mali is mine and I will not let them kill her!"
A light of understanding came into Alix"s eyes, and he smoothly drew his sword. "She is a demon"s child."
Mali did not let go of Sanura"s hand when she waved the other, as if she were shooing away a pesky fly. Alix"s sword was magically plucked from his hand. The weapon went flying away from the people in the small room. End over end, the sword tumbled through the air before twisting one last time and ending with the tip embedded in the wooden floor.
"I could"ve killed you," Mali said calmly, "but I did not. Do you still wish to kill me?" She was unafraid in a situation which would terrify most adults.
Sanura lifted her own stilling hand. "Mali won"t harm us," she a.s.sured her companion as he retrieved his sword. She is like you, she wanted to say, and yet she could not share Alix"s secret.
So many secrets.
Sanura took Mali"s hand in both of hers, and she smiled. "You have great powers, child. I am gifted, but I possess nothing near your gifts."
"Mother says I will bring disaster wherever I go," Mali said. "I was born to bring misfortune." She shrugged as if that prediction did not concern her, but it did.
"That is not true," Sanura said. "You are as much your mother"s daughter as your father"s, and with training and determination you can be a great force for good in this world." Again, she looked at Alix. "We must get her to this teacher you know."
While Alix did not make a move toward Mali, not for good or for ill, he was horrified by her suggestion. "I cannot, I will not subject Sian and Ariana"s children to this . . . this monster." He lowered his voice as he said the final word, but that did not negate the hurtfulness of it.
Sanura glared at him. "Mali is no more a monster than you are." The words had more meaning for the two of them than for Mali and her mother, and Alix got the message loud and clear.
"Still..."
"Choose another teacher, then," she interrupted. "There must be someone who can help."
After a moment"s hesitation, he nodded in reluctant agreement. "We must first finish the task at hand."
Mali laid her hand on Sanura"s arm. "You wish to remove the blue," she said.
"Yes."
"Why? It"s very pretty. I wish I was blue."
"No!" Donia shouted, but it was too late. Mali"s skin began to turn. Shades of blue drifted across her skin, coloring her face, her hands, her arms.
"Your wishes come true," Sanura said with a smile.
"Sometimes," Mali said with a shrug. "If I wish it for myself and I wish hard enough. I suppose I should wish it away now, though it is very pretty. I look like the sky on a fine winter day." The next wish must"ve been silent, because the blue gradually faded until Mali"s flesh was once again pale and creamy white.
Alix was now more intrigued than horrified. "That"s very interesting. Can you wish the blue from our skin?"
Mali rolled her eyes in a very adult manner. "Of course not. Don"t be ridiculous."
"It was just an idea," Alix muttered.
Mali gave her attention to Sanura. "There is a plant which grows nearby. It will remove the stain from your skin."
"And his?" Sanura asked.
"No," Mali said petulantly. "He wanted to kill me. He doesn"t like me. I think he should remain blue."
"He"s very sorry, now," Sanura said.
"I don"t think he"s sorry at all," Mali said with a pout. "He has not said that he"s sorry, and he doesn"t look sorry."
"Alix, apologize," Sanura ordered.
"I will not. She"s a demon"s offspring, and it is my duty..."
"Fine," Sanura said. "Remain blue." She stood and grasped Mali"s hand in her own. The child looked at those clasped hands curiously, and Sanura realized that no one had ever walked hand in hand with this child before. Her own mother was as afraid as she was protective. Donia needed as much tutoring as Mali. Perhaps more.
They walked toward the door, and with a careless flick of her free hand, Mali opened it. Afternoon sunlight spilled across the floor.
Behind them, Alix groaned. "All right," he said, his boot heels clicking on the wooden floor of the small cottage. "I"m sorry. I could never kill a child. The drawing of my sword was simply a reaction to the disclosure of your true parentage. It was a shocking revelation."
They walked out of the cottage and toward the woods which lay in the opposite direction from which they"d come. "You would not have killed me in any case," Mali said calmly.
"Of course not," he said, very convincingly.
"I"m not at all easy to kill," she explained, and she glanced over her shoulder to look squarely at Alix. "If you don"t believe me, ask Mother."
Chapter Eight.
THE plant the little girl led them to appeared, at first glance, to be ordinary enough. It grew close to the ground and was mostly hidden beneath the larger leaves of other low-lying plants, but Mali knew exactly where to look. She dropped down and broke off a thick leaf, and when she did so, a thick, pale green substance oozed from the plant"s broken edge.
Mali turned to Sanura first, gently placing the torn side of the thick leaf on one blue arm. Sanura jumped when the gooey substance met her skin, and Alix instinctively leaned forward, ready to lunge and separate the two females. The plant wasn"t helping Sanura, it was hurting her.
Sanura laughed before he could do more than tilt his body in her direction. "It"s much colder than I expected it would be."
Alix settled back, but not without noticing that Mali looked his way and smiled mischievously.
A mischievous half-demon child.
There were many rumors in Columbyana about the possibility that the Isen Demon"s offspring had survived, even though the demon itself had lost the war and had been forever buried. Alix knew of one such child with certainty. Linara was being raised by Sophie Fyne Varden, who was a powerful witch in her own right. Last he"d heard, Linara was showing signs of developing her own gifts-or curses-but she was not at all mischievous or dangerous.
Mali"s existence gave greater credence to the argument that many such children survived. He now knew of two half-demon children who lived among them. Were there more? More rightly the question should be, how many more? They would all be five or six years old, not much of a threat at first glance, but what would happen in ten or fifteen years, as they grew to adulthood? Some of them would perhaps be like Linara, and receive the proper training to help them choose the right path. But what of the others, the ones who had been hidden away from the world as Mali had been hidden?
Kill her, kill her now.
No. She"s just a child.
A demon child. She sees me, did you know that? She sees us, and she knows that the two of you are very much alike.
We"re nothing alike.
Alix pushed the dark thoughts down and turned his attention to the transformation taking place before him. Together Mali and Sanura worked the gel from the thick leaves over her exposed skin, and the blue disappeared. Beneath the blue paint Sanura"s skin was golden and flawless, smooth and warm. He wanted to reach out and touch the natural-toned flesh which was revealed, to run his fingers against every inch as it was uncovered.
The necessary plants were small but abundant, and when they had taken a few leaves from one, they moved on to another, so as not to kill the plant. Mali had no problem finding the vegetation, no matter how well the thick leaves were hidden.
Alix wanted to help with the ch.o.r.e he watched so closely, but knew his a.s.sistance in this endeavor would not be welcomed, not by the demon child Mali and not by Sanuraherself. He tried to tell himself that he wished only to a.s.sist in order to speed along the process, but that was a blatant lie. He wanted to be close to her again, to touch her in any way-innocent or not so innocent. As if he could run his hands over Sanura"s body and not become aroused all over again. As if he could touch her and not have her.
Sanura sat on the ground, the blond child leaning over her. Mali ran a newly broken leaf over Sanura"s long and slender blue throat. Sanura tipped her head back to allow the child better access. The substance from the leaf"s core dissolved and then wiped away the blue paint, stripping away that which had protected Sanura from the touch of those men who were not allowed the honor.
He had touched her. No, no, the other part of himself had done the forbidden touching. If not, he never would"ve dared to start that which he had gladly finished just that morning, no matter how strongly he was drawn to her, no matter how much he craved her. He had trained himself to be better than his baser instincts, to ignore the calls within him which spoke of need and darkness. Nothing had ever been as difficult as ignoring the call to Sanura.
When all of Sanura"s exposed skin was devoid of the blue, the two females turned to Alix. Two women, one fully grown and one a child, both of them powerful, both of them seeing too much. Mali broke off a new piece of the plant and threw it to him. More rightly, she threw it at him. Alix caught the surprisingly heavy leaf in one hand.
"It wouldn"t be wise for me to get too close to you, splintered man," the girl said. "You"ll have to manage without me."
"I won"t hurt you."
"No," Mali said easily, "but he will, if he gets the chance."
Alix did not protest that there was no he, as he ran the leaf across his arm and watched the blue fade away. He had fought, denied, and suppressed that other all his life, and now two females he barely knew saw through him with surprising ease. Splintered man, the little girl called him. How could he argue with that?
The substance inside the thick leaf was indeed much colder than he had imagined it would be. Still, it would take more than a bit of chill to make him squeal as Sanura had. Alix was nothing if not controlled. The plant"s inner substance removed the blue and then seeped into the skin, leaving very little residue behind. It was not magic, exactly, but came very close.
Sanura took another piece of the leaf and began to help. She removed the markings from places he could not see or reach properly; she removed small bits of blue he missed in his haste. The back of his neck, a place on his shoulder, beneath his ear, she gave them all her attention. She even ran a bit of leaf across his nose, making sure he"d removed all the blue there. He watched her closely as she tended to him.