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Topiara - Chapter 34
The moon hung low on the horizon, and the evening was chilled with the threat of another freezing night. The campfire had once more burned down low from lack of atten tion, and only an occasional flame licked upwards from the blackened brands which remained. Jilan rolled over beneath his cloak and roused, rising up on an elbow to look around sleepily as if to discover the cause of his awakening and rubbing one eye sleepily.
Farranby and Sharin lay where they had curled up be neath their own cloaks, with Farranby's soft snoring adding to the night sounds. But Lyara once more sat erect on a fallen log by the edge of the fire, the leather pouch that held her power stone cradled in her hands. Jilan felt Rodayn's power stir slightly; and wrapping himself as tight ly in the cloak as he could, he rose and walked over to join Lyara on the log.
"Couldn't sleep, huh?"
Lyara glanced briefly in his direction in the moon light. "I had a lot to think about lately," she admitted softly. "Besides, I don't think well a-pony-back."
Jilan sat silently for a moment. "I know," he finally agreed. "I've been thinking too." He leaned toward and nudged Lyara with his shoulder. "And I owe you an apology."
"What for?" Lyara's voice was a startled whisper.
"All those times I gave you a bad time when your stone was speaking to you," he replied calmly. "I had no idea what you were going through."
Lyara nudged him back with her shoulder and refocused her gaze on the fire. "Forget it. There's nothing to forgive."
The two of them sat close together in comfortable silence for a long moment. Eventually Jilan sighed. "Lyara?"
"Yes?"
"Do you ever get used to the visions?"
"Depends," she admitted reluctantly. "It took me a while to learn to cope with To... my stone as if it were a very wise but nosy friend. Sometimes the visions are short and to the point. Sometimes, they just confuse things..." Her voice trailed off. After a long moment of silence, she glanced back in Jilan's direction. "Why? Are the visions bothering you?"
Jilan's shoulders hunched. "Not bothering me, neces sarily, just..." he sighed. "I guess they're confusing things for me too." He paused, and turned slightly on the log so he could face her. "Especially where you're con cerned."
Lyara allowed the leather pouch to drop from her grasp and turned so that she too was facing Jilan. "I know. We do need to talk, don't we?"
"We've been putting it off for some time now..." Jilan shifted on the log nervously.
Topiara warmed slightly, and Lyara sniffed as if in answer to a silent comment. But her tone when she spoke again was anything but derisive. "I know I've been putting it off -- that it's my fault we haven't talked like we promised."
Jilan shook his head. "Like you said to me, forget it. It wasn't anyone's fault. I had things to work through too. I had to realize that I couldn't just be selfish in this. I saw..." he paused, not sure if what he wanted to say was the right thing but knowing it was something that needed saying, "...I saw you... what happened..." He reached out a hand and placed it gently on hers as it lay on the log. "I'm sorry. I wish with all my heart I could make those nightmares go away."
Lyara had stiffened, but then forced herself to relax again. "The nightmares aren't your fault, Jilan," she replied softly. "They are just memories that hurt."
"I want to take away that hurt," he insisted, "but I can't unless you let me try. I don't want to do more harm than good in the trying." He sighed and removed his hand from hers. "And every time I even get close, you stiffen up or pull away. I'm afraid to touch you, to reach out to you, for fear I'll drive you away further." In despair he began to turn away.
With a deep breath, Lyara seemed to come to a decision, buoyed by if not encouraged by that silent voice. She reached out to touch Jilan's face tentatively before he could turn from her any further. "I promise not to pull away," she whispered softly.
Jilan blinked as if startled, then moved slowly to reach out to her in return with both hands as if scarcely believing that she had given her permission, finally framing her face warmly. "Tell me if I do anything that frightens you," he breathed, beginning to pull her toward him with a gentle yet relentless pressure. Lyara's hand dropped from his face to rest on his shoulder as if for balance as their lips moved closer together and finally touched. Brief though it was, Lyara was amazed at her own reaction -- that like the last time, her heart began beating faster.
When they pulled apart enough to look at each other again in the moonlight, Lyara smiled at him shyly; and Jilan wrapped his arms around her shoulders gently and pulled her close with a contented sigh, thrilling at the sensation of her arms moving to circle his waist. Lyara laid her head against his shoulder with eyes closed, soaking up the sensa tion of security his embrace was unexpectedly giving her.
"Gods, Lyara!" he breathed, lips moving almost sensu ously against her hair. "I can hardly believe this is happening! Is this really you?" A finger beneath her chin tipped her face so that he could bend down and kiss her again with more feeling.
With Topiara warm on her breast and talking into the innermost recesses of her mind, and with his arms holding her close, Lyara felt the last of her barriers to Jilan's affection crumble as the kiss deepened. This was no Stepan; this was no Talandri kidnapper. This was Jilan, faithful and loving -- and she could no longer hold back her response or the affection for him that she had tried so des perately and so unsuccessfully to stifle.
Jilan felt the release; the sudden disintegration of whatever obstacle had been holding Lyara from accepting what he was offering. And with the lowering for those final obstructions, the rapport that had been almost palpable between them snapped into crystal clarity, deepening the giving and receiving of affection and trust between them as the emotions passed not only through the two of them, but through their power-stones as well. It was as if two half-beings, insufficient by themselves, had found their perfect others.
As the kiss ended and she once more breathlessly snuggled down into the warmth of his embrace, Lyara didn't even bother asking herself what had taken her so long to wake up. All that mattered was that she was no longer a prisoner of her nightmare; no longer terrified of Jilan's touch.
The five ponies halted at the top of the knoll over looking the valley that contained Tandri, their riders suddenly silent and pensive. The pack pony's sides heaved once tiredly – the packs it carried heavier than normal from the amount of specie stored among the clothing and other belongings.
Lyara looked across at her three companions to her right. "Alright now. Does everyone know what they're supposed to do first?"
Sharin, at the far end, piped up first. "I find lodg ings for all of us at the White Flower Inn and get our belongings taken care of, then go to market."
Farranby nodded, then spoke in his turn. "I need to file the change of ownership of the island with the proper authorities and set about claiming the reward for Vinzen and his pack of scum."
"I find my father's usurer and invest our extra capital for our return," Jilan responded next, "and then head back to the White Flower to wait for the rest of you."
"And I pay my respects to Lyndon and let him know the end of the story of Vinzen -- so he can tell Iliria and Dorin that the one who had them attacked has received jus tice." Lyara's voice was tired, as it always was whenever she spoke of what they had just been through.
Jilan reached out and touched her hand as it held the reins as if to offer comfort, a gesture that wasn't lost on Sharin and Farranby. They looked at each other with indul gent smiles at the sudden and yet somehow not unexpected show of intimacy between the other pair. Lyara smiled at the reassurance and patted Jilan's hand in return, then noticed the expression on Farranby's face. With a blush, she cleared her throat and sidled Surefoot a little out of Jilan's reach.
"Oh now..." Farranby's tone was light and accepting. "Don't go getting all embarrassed on us, Lyara. I always knew there was something between you two, and it's about time you got around to figuring it out. Took you long enough..."
Sharin giggled and nodded, which made even Jilan cough to cover his own embarrassment. "Thanks a lot, Farranby," he grumbled good-naturedly, with a sideways smile in Lyara's direction as if to add his reassurance to that of the oth ers.
"You too, Sharin," Lyara growled, then chuckled.
"Oh, you're welcome," the younger woman grinned back gaily.
"Just for that..." Lyara said with a suitably wicked grin as she half-turned in the saddle and untied her saddle pack and bundle, "you get this..." and tossed first the pack and then the bundle over the heads of the men at Sharin, who caught them handily.
"Anything else?" Sharin asked with deceptive calm, only to have first Jilan and then Farranby follow Lyara's exam ple. By the time the she had the various packs and bundles secured, she looked half-buried in the saddle. "You're all so generous!"
That was all it took, and the four of them shared a moment of laughter that went a long way toward restoring their spirits at long.
"How much did you leave at the usurers?!" Sharin gaped at Jilan, and then reached across the table for the warm loaf of fresh bread.
"Twenty thousand pieces," Jilan repeated slowly, still almost not believing it himself. "And it took two hours for three clerks to count it all."
"We're all rich..." Sharin breathed, her eyes wide.
"Rich enough," Farranby agreed with a nod. "And don't forget, we're all each still carrying sizeable pouches with the rest of it."
"What are we going to do with it all?" Lyara asked nobody in particular. The other three turned and looked at her, but none had an answer.
"Why don't we all get home safely from the Vryies homeland, and then worry about it?" Jilan responded after taking a long draught of bitters. "Anyway, by then the usurers should have increased our portions of what we've left with them substantially."
"Well, I don't know about you folks," Farranby re marked, leaning back in his chair and yawning with arms stretched out straight, "but I'm going to call it a night. Bynad and Jaina own that island again free and clear in the eyes of the gods as well as all Talandri, and the reward is slated to go to the usurer when its issued as well. For my part, I'm going to sleep for a week, I think."
"Not a bad idea," Lyara agreed, struggling to stifle an answering yawn of her own. She drained the last of her bitters and rose to her feet. "But perhaps we should set a time to meet to discuss plans tomorrow?"
"How about we just gather down here as we wake up? Once we're all up and about, then we figure out what to do next?"
"You're too logical, Jilan," Sharin shook her head. "And I'm too tired for logic."
"Good night!" Farranby laughed and left the table. Sharin stood as well and bid the other two good night.
"I think we've been abandoned," Lyara said with a smile.
Jilan nodded. "Sure looks that way." He finished off the rest of the bitters in his mug, and then smiled at her. "How are Iliria and Dorin?"
"They both are out working," Lyara didn't bother stifling this next yawn. "Iliria is due back the next day or so from a trip up north. Dorin is making sure the old Lord Kivan has a smooth and uneventful return to his family's estate on the coast, and isn't expected back in Tandri anytime soon."
"They're both all healed up then?" he asked and then found himself mimicking Lyara and giving a big yawn of his own.
"Guess so," Lyara yawned again. "Gods, Jilan, I'm sorry! I'm starting to have trouble holding my eyes open. I should never have had that last lot of bitters."
"I think it's time we both turned in. We deserve our rest." Jilan bowed quite gracefully and impulsively extended his hand to her. "Can I escort you to your room, Guide?"
Lyara smiled tiredly and put her hand in his, feeling the comfortable rapport and the feeling of completeness that came with his touch surge forth again. "Lead on," she told him, letting him pull her closer so that he could release the hand in favor of wrapping an arm about her shoulder. "I'm too tired to even forge a path to my own room."
"I think I know the way," he told her. And together they walked up the stairs toward the rooms above.
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