Blessings Of A Curse - 2012 USA Edition - chunk 03 (standard:fantasy, 9422 words) [3/6] show all parts
Author: Wayne Edward Clarke	Added: Apr 07 2012	Views/Reads: 2061/1538	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Part 3 of Blessings Of A Curse.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

what he had to ask.  “Alilia, I...  I hate to have to ask this now, but 
we must know.  What is the nature of the curse you have cast upon...  
Well, what is the nature of the curse?” 

Alilia did not answer for a moment.  “I was thinking that my son is
forever dead because she had raped him by trickery, and so I cursed her 
to be raped until the end of days.  That is her sentence.” 

Yazadril and Nemia could only stare in shocked surprise for a moment. 

“But...  Raped?” Nemia finally asked.  “How is that possible?  No one
could do such a thing, no matter if it was justified or not!” 

“No elf could do such a thing.” Alilia quietly agreed, nodding. 

Again there was a long, strained silence. 

“So, how then...?” Yazadril began before Alilia interrupted him, her
eyes flashing to his, her voice tight with anger and bitterness. 

“I have given her to the damned human!” she cried, seeming loud in the
great quiet space. 

A moment later Nemia fainted, and Yazadril caught her, swept her up in
his arms. 

“He will only live another seventy years, at most!” Yazadril stated
accusingly.  “If he were any other, I would expect the curse to extend 
his life to match Talia's lifespan!  But since the curse cannot 
directly affect him, I expect it will kill her when he dies!  So you 
have sentenced her to an early death after all!” 

“She is not sentenced to be raped until the end of her days, Yazadril,
but until the end of days!” Alilia barked.  “As long as the sun rises 
above this world, he will rape her!  Forever and ever, as far as we are 
concerned!” 

“But...  How can that be?” 

“How should I know?” Alilia asked, her voice returning to calm, her gaze
to Bezedil's face.  “It is not a spell, it is an intuitive curse.  It 
is enough that I said that it would happen, and the curse took enough 
power from me to make it so.  My power may not be fully recovered for a 
year, or it may never be.  A human can live longer than you think, 
perhaps as long as one hundred and twenty-five years.  The curse will 
last at least that long, for it will let nothing kill him.  Perhaps 
after he dies, it will animate his corpse, so that his dead body can 
keep raping her, and perhaps when she dies, it will do the same to her. 
 One corpse being raped by another, until the sun eats the world.  Or 
perhaps when he dies the curse will fail.  I do not care.  It will last 
long enough that I will see her punished for my son's death.” 

“Your son killed himself in a moment of youthful foolishness, as my
daughter did!!!” Yazadril yelled.  “Can you honestly say that Talia 
deserves what you have done to her?!!!  That for a few moments of 
stolen pleasure she deserves to be raped by a corpse for millions of 
years?!!!” 

“No.” Alilia admitted calmly.  “It was done in a moment of thoughtless
anger, and it was horribly excessive.  I do not care.  I can do nothing 
about it now.  After I have seen that she is punished by him a few 
times, you can kill me for it if you wish.  I will not hinder you from 
taking my life, for with Bezedil gone, my will to live is gone with 
him.” 

Yazadril could only stare in shock for long moments, then his eyes
hardened.  “Perhaps I will kill you, Alilia.  Or perhaps I will gather 
the power to cast a similar curse upon you.  You can spend a few 
thousand years taking turns with my daughter, being raped by the corpse 
of my friend.” 

He waited only long enough to see the shocked fear on Alilia's face,
before turning and carrying his wife from the hall. 

Nemia woke in his arms as he left the hall and emerged into bright
sunlight.  “You have not carried me like this since I was a child.” she 
murmured.  “I knew even then that you were my destined love.  I was 
only eight years old when I first saw you, and I knew in a moment that 
you were destined to be my husband.” 

“Did you?” Yazadril asked in surprise.  “Well, you certainly took your
time at letting me know about it!” he chuckled. 

“Would you have believed me, if I had told you at the age of eight that
you were my destiny?” Nemia giggled. “No, I suppose not.” he smiled. 

“When I became an adolescent I rebelled against the idea, as I was so
attracted to young males my own age.” Nemia mused.  “I convinced myself 
that you were too old for me, and that my feelings for you were only 
childhood foolishness.  Still, my heart leaped in my chest every time I 
saw you, and to escape that, I moved to Final Valley to live with my 
aunt.  As far away from you as I could get while still remaining within 
the lands of The High People.  My parents could not dissuade me, so a 
month later, they moved there as well.  And there I dwelt for two 
centuries, happy but lonely for love.  Then came the day you visited, 
to oversee the renewal of the Wards.  The moment I saw you I knew how 
wrong I had been, and I ran away and cried for all the decades I had 
wasted.  Then I washed my face and brushed my hair, and put on my 
prettiest blue dress...” 

“And you came and told me in no uncertain terms, that you were to be my
wife!” Yazadril laughed, caught up in the memory. 

“Yes!  And you stared at me like I had grown another head!” Nemia
laughed. 

“Is that what it looked like to you?  I was so smitten by your beauty
that I could not even speak!  Your words filled me with such hope, that 
I was terrified that you were only teasing me!” 

“Truly?  I was so afraid that you would reject me that I stepped up and
kissed you!  I knew you would not reject me after that!” Nemia giggled. 


“I remember.  I remember it like it was this morning.  And from that
moment, I knew not one moment of unhappiness.  Until yesterday.” 

Their mood sobered, and he continued carrying her home, between the
widely spaced gigantic trees. 

After a while Nemia spoke again.  “Yazadril, my love, I know not what
will happen to Talia, or what the curse will do to her, but as long as 
we have each other, I know we can find a way to be happy.  I will never 
stop loving Talia, or stop trying to help her, but even if the worst 
happens, we cannot give in to despair.  Right now I feel more horrible 
than I ever dreamed I could, but whatever happens, we cannot let it 
ruin the rest of our lives.” 

“I know, Nemia.  I cannot lose you.  I could not bear to live without
you.” 

“Or I without you.” 

When they arrived home they discovered Hilsith asleep at their kitchen
table.  Yazadril called to her, then shook her shoulder a little, then 
more firmly, to no effect.  He quickly read her aura, and shook his 
head in consternation. 

“She has had Sleep cast upon her.  By Talia.” he pronounced. 

“Talia!” Nemia cried as she ran from the room. 

Yazadril hurriedly cast Awaken on Hilsith, and hurried after his wife. 

He found her hurrying from their bedroom. 

“She is not in there!” Nemia told him, sounding on the verge of panic. 

“Check her room, I will check Dalia's!” Yazadril said. 

“Talia!  Talia!” they called as they hurried from room to room. 

“She is here!” Hilsith called from the central room, and they hurried
there, then out to the balcony, where Hilsith stood in amazement. 

Talia floated in mid-air, four feet past the balcony's railing, spinning
slowly in all directions like a child using her first Levitation spell, 
with no attempt to control her orientation.  Her nightgown was mostly 
covered with her blood from the waist up, because Nemia's largest 
kitchen knife protruded from her chest.  It was clearly through her 
heart, because the handle bounced a little with her every heartbeat.  
Of course, her heart should not have been beating still, with the big 
knife through it, but there it was.  Talia was softly crying, hanging 
limply in the air. 

Yazadril cast Movement upon her, and gently stopped her spinning while
drawing her into his arms.  Then he almost fell with her, because the 
moment she was back onto the balcony the Levitation spell dissipated.  
Talia had not dismissed it, it simply ended. 

Yazadril carried her in and gently laid her on the couch.  He discovered
as he did so that the knife point protruded from her back, when it cut 
his arm. 

He Healed his wound as Hilsith carefully tore Talia's nightgown from the
neckline down the front.  Only a few drops of blood still leaked from 
around the wiggling knife blade.  Hilsith firmly grasped the handle and 
pulled it straight out.  Talia gave a short scream and convulsed a 
moment.  The wound healed as fast as the blade was removed.  It was 
completely gone the moment the tip of the knife came out of her flesh, 
and no scar remained to show it had ever been there. 

“Talia?  Talia?  Please speak to us my love.” Nemia quietly begged. 

“I cannot kill myself!” Talia sobbed.  “The curse will not let me fall,
it will not let me die, and I will go to him!  I will go to him soon, I 
cannot resist the urge to do so!  I am damned!” 

“Talia, we know what you are going through.” Yazadril gently told her. 
“Alilia has told us of the nature of the curse.  It is a powerful 
curse, but I will find a way to defeat it, I swear I will!” 

“You should have let me die yesterday!” Talia sobbed bitterly.  “I
cannot live without Dalia!  I cannot live without Bezedil!  I cannot 
live with what I am going to do!  Oh sweet Source above, the curse is 
so horrible!” 

“Listen to me, Talia!” Yazadril told her insistently.  “You must have
faith, my love!  In eight thousand years, I have never met a problem 
that I could not solve eventually!” 

“Then kill me!  Find a way to kill me!  You must, Father!  Swear it to
me, please!” 

“I will not.” Yazadril stated firmly.  “Listen to me Talia; Alilia made
a mistake when she chose to give you to Markee, of all people!  He 
alone is immune to magic, my love!  The curse cannot affect him, and it 
cannot make him do anything!  He is truly a good soul, and he will not 
rape you!  I am certain of it!” 

This finally seemed to release Talia from her dark mood a bit.  Her
crying slowed, then stopped.  She slowly sat up and wiped her eyes and 
face with the hem of her ripped and bloodied nightgown. 

She looked up at her father, and he recoiled a bit from the horror and
intense pain he saw in her face, then he threw his arms around her and 
hugged her tight. 

“You do not understand.” she told him, and her heart-rending pain was
plain in her voice.  “He will rape me.  I will make sure of it!  I will 
do whatever I must to make him do it! 

“The poor boy is damned for eternity!  If he truly is a good soul, it is
the most tragic part of this entire tragedy.” 

She gently pulled back from Yazadril's embrace and took his hand in one
of hers.  She held her other hand out to Nemia, who clasped it in both 
of hers.  Tears flooded both their faces, but they managed to not be 
overcome by weeping. 

“I am so very sorry for the death of Dalia.” she told her parents.  “She
was...  She was half my soul. 

“And now I must go to him.  Father, please cast Tongues upon me, so that
I can speak his language. 

“Mother, please help me to choose something to wear that might make me
appear attractive to a human, if such a thing is possible.  I know that 
it may not be, since we are not even of the same race.  But this will 
be easier for him if he does not find me repulsive. 

“Actually, since humans and elves have been known to produce half-elven
children, you are of the same species, if just barely.” Yazadril told 
her.  “At any rate, it is well known that many human males find elven 
females to be very attractive indeed.  And you are very beautiful, 
Talia.” 

“That is good, then.” Talia nodded.  “Please, help me prepare quickly. 
The urge to go to him grows stronger by the moment.  If you do not help 
me, I will go to him regardless.  You cannot stop me, and I cannot stop 
myself.” 

“Come then.” Nemia said as she stood and wiped her eyes with her
handkerchief.  “I have some clothing that I made for myself when I was 
preparing for my marriage to Yazadril, when I worried that he might be 
too old to feel desire for me.  A needless worry, as it turned out, but 
the garments are very enticing.  And I will enhance your coloring a 
bit.” 

As her bedroom door closed behind her and Talia, Hilsith turned to
Yazadril. 

“Theramin and Dilimon have requested to accompany you when next you
visit the human.” she told him.  “And I think it would be wise if I was 
there.” 

“I agree, and I will inform Theramin and Dilimon that we are preparing
to go.” 

“There is a knight of The People of Life on the ground below us.”
Hilsith continued.  “I suspect he is monitoring Talia's whereabouts 
somehow, so that he can inform Alilia when Talia goes to the human.” 

Yazadril shrugged. 

“And Yazadril, I am sorry I was caught unawares by Talia's Sleep spell. 
I should have monitored her more closely, as I should have suspected 
that she may still be suicidal.” 

“That is all right.” Yazadril nodded.  “We learned from it.” 

“We learned?” Hilsith prompted. 

“That Talia cannot suicide, and perhaps cannot be killed in any way.” 

Theramin and Dilimon arrived a minute later. 

“Greetings, Yazadril.” Theramin gently said when Yazadril answered the
door.  “I have been chosen to represent the Council of the High People 
in dealing with the question of Alilia's curse upon Talia.  Dilimon 
here will represent the Sentry Corps.” 

“Welcome, both of you.” Yazadril said as he ushered them in. 

“We both met Markee last evening, when we explained to him that you
would not be meeting him due to a family emergency.” Dilimon told him.  
“We gave him a few supplies and things to make his camping more 
pleasant, and visited with him for an hour or so.  He is quite a 
likable fellow.” 

“He is that.  And he has had a grave injustice done to him.” Yazadril
sadly revealed, then related what he had learned of the curse.  “We 
will see what we can do to minimize the suffering that he and Talia 
face.  Time enough to reach judgments after that.” 

Soon they were ready.  All except Talia had changed into their hiking
clothing; stout boots, pants and tunics suitable to walking in the 
forest, as Yazadril had worn when he met Markee.  Nemia carried a large 
basket of barbering and tailoring supplies. 

Talia wore a garment that was as enticing as any there had ever seen on
any elven female.  Since Yazadril had seen it years before, and had 
happily removed it from Nemia's giggling form, he knew that it was 
composed of a long white silk ribbon with hundreds of strips of 
almost-transparent white gauze sewn to it's edge.  The ribbon was 
artfully wound around Talia's torso from her armpits down to her hips 
and back up again, where the two ends were tied in a bow over the 
center of her collarbone, so that when she stood still the overlapping 
strips of gauze covered her from just below her shoulders to halfway 
down her thighs.  When she moved, the gauze strips moved in the breeze, 
revealing tantalizing glimpses of her nakedness beneath.  Her tiny feet 
wore matching sandals of white silk ribbon over white leather soles.  
Nemia had enhanced Talia's color, brightening the blue of her eyes to 
an incredible magic sparkle, and deepening the pink of her lips and the 
blush of her cheeks in a subtle way that enhanced the fine bone 
structure of her face.  Dilimon had stared at her a moment before he 
recovered his aplomb. 

“We are ready.” Yazadril told Talia, unsure how she wished to proceed. 

“I will walk.” Talia said, the horror and pain still plain in her voice,
though her eyes were now dry.  “I must go to him, but I am in no hurry 
to begin my torment.” 

“Then we will walk as well.” Yazadril said, and led the way to the door,
then down the many steps to the ground. 

When they reached the ground, they found Alilia waiting for them by the
foot of the spiraling stairway.  Talia faced her, and spoke 
unflinchingly. 

“I sorrow for the death of Bezedil.” she stated quietly.  “I would
gladly have burned in fire for eternity if it would have saved him.” 

“Then you should be glad that I did not think of that, for if I had,
that is exactly what would have happened to you.” Alilia calmly 
returned. 

Talia simply nodded, turned, and set her feet upon the path to the pass.


Talia may have wished to walk, but Alilia had no such patience.  Without
even a hummed note, she Translocated them all to Yazadril's clearing of 
contemplation, where they appeared on the grass about six feet in front 
of Markee. 

Who yelled and fell backward off the log as his hands slapped onto his
face. 

“Markee!  What's wrong?” Yazadril asked in confusion as he and Hilsith
rushed to the boy's side. 

“You startled the life out of me!  And that light!  It's blinding!  It's
like looking into the sun!” Markee complained. 

He sat up with a hand across his eyes, and looked at Yazadril through a
slit between two fingers.  “I'll be okay as soon as the spots are gone 
from in front of my eyes.  As long as I don't look over there.” he said 
as he pointed to the rest of the group. 

“Does it hurt?  Did the light cause your eyes to feel physical pain?”
Hilsith asked. 

“No, it's just too bright to look at!” Markee reported.  “What is it?” 

“Ah.  I imagine that Alilia is the source of much of the light.”
Yazadril told him.  “You see my power as a glow, but over half of my 
people have more raw power than I, while Nemia, Talia and Theramin are 
our strongest wizards.  And as I told you, Alilia is exceptional in 
that regard.” 

“Alilia, is it possible to hold less power, or to limit its... its
leakage, for want of a better term?” Hilsith asked as she rejoined the 
group. 

“No, and no.” Alilia said, and snorted.  “Leakage.  That term would be
very humorous, in any other circumstance.  But perhaps there is 
something I can do.  There.  Does that help you, young man?” 

“No, sorry.” 

“Ah.  And now?” 

“Yes, that worked, though the rest of you are almost painfully bright as
well.” Markee told her as he cautiously removed his hand from his eyes 
and looked toward the group.  And gaped. 

“I'm curious as to what you did just now.” Yazadril said to Alilia. 

“You are always curious.” Alilia stated, and actually showed a small
smile.  “First I cast Battle Shield, a blocking spell.  It forms a 
sphere about me that protects me from magical attack.  When that didn't 
work, I reversed its effect, preventing my leakage, as you put it, from 
escaping beyond it.” 

“Brilliant!” Yazadril smiled. 

“Perhaps not.  It seems to be having a mesmerizing effect on your young
human.” Alilia pointed out. 

“What?” Yazadril said as he turned back to Markee, who was staring at
the group with his mouth open.  “Markee?  Are you all right?” 

“What?  Oh, yes, I'm fine.” Markee stated, as he continued staring. 

“It is not Alilia's inverted shield that is mesmerizing him.” Hilsith
giggled. 

“No.” Markee said as he tore his eyes away from the group.  “It's... 
Ah, how can I say this courteously?  I mean...  Are all the ladies of 
your people this beautiful?  For if they are, I'll never be able to 
concentrate on learning anything!” 

Even with all the other emotions that Alilia, Nemia and Hilsith were
feeling, Markee's obviously unfeigned and deeply affected admiration 
for their beauty touched their feminine hearts.  All three could not 
help but smile a little, even Alilia, and Nemia and Hilsith actually 
blushed a bit! 

“Are they all so beautiful?” Theramin mused as he suppressed a grin. 
“Yes, my boy, they truly are.” 

“Thank you Markee, you are truly kind.” Nemia said as her smile grew a
bit.  “As are you, Theramin.” 

Talia had been hiding behind her mother and Dilimon; unable to face the
man she now felt to be her master.  She chose this moment to shyly step 
into view, her arms by her sides, her head bowed.  After a long moment 
she found the courage to meet his gaze. 

Markee's jaw had dropped in amazement.  His eyes were wide, and shining
a bit with moisture, as if whatever he was feeling was so powerful it 
had almost moved him to tears. 

Yazadril looked to Talia, who was staring back at Markee with an
indescribable expression.  There was a gentle breeze blowing, and it 
was having the designed effect on her garment. 

“I knew it.” Talia murmured.  “The poor boy finds me repulsive.” 

“What?  No!” Markee protested.  “I mean...  You're...  I never thought I
would ever see anything so beautiful in my life!  You are so pretty 
and... enticing... I...” 

He suddenly became aware that he was staring, and dropped his eyes. 
“Please...  Please forgive my rudeness.  I was... caught by surprise, 
that's all.” he stammered as he rose from the ground and sat back down 
on the log.  He squinted as he looked at the group.  “You know, the 
rest of you are still painfully bright, especially with you all 
standing in a bunch like that.  Could I ask you to all move away from 
each other a couple of feet?” 

They complied with his request. 

“Thanks.  Yazadril, I really wish you'd given me a chance to get cleaned
up before you brought me visitors.” 

“I'm sorry about that, Markee, but... there have been... developments.”
Yazadril hesitantly told him as he moved around the log to stand 
between the young man and the group, and to one side.  He had to 
swallow hard before he could continue.  “They are difficult to speak 
of.  It will be easier, and more informative for you, if I simply show 
you what has happened. 

“But first, introductions.  Markee, this is...” 

“Excuse me Yazadril.” The young man said as he stood. 

His full stature was so imposing that Hilsith and Nemia both stepped
back a bit.  The young man sadly shook his head at this, then 
continued, looking to the ancient elf as he did. 

“I've thought a lot about what you said, about taking responsibility as
an adult now.  My name's really not Markee.  I was named after my 
father, and since we have the same name, everyone called me Markee.  
It's a child's nickname, and I guess it's time I stopped being a 
child.” 

He turned to the waiting group.  “I am Markhan Reginus Longstrider, of
Shinosa Valley, an invested Ranger of the Northern Forests, and a loyal 
subject of King Wittan of Finitra.”  And with that he executed as 
courtly a bow as Yazadril had ever seen performed in the palaces of the 
great empires, sinking gracefully to his left knee as his right arm 
swept out and across to finish with his head bowed and his right palm 
over his heart.  He held the pose for a short moment, then smoothly 
rose as he stated: “I am entirely at your service.” 

He allowed himself a tiny, smug smile at their surprise at this
performance. 

“I have made a horrible mistake.” Alilia stated calmly.  Though she
maintained control of her expression, tears gathered at the corners of 
her eyes. 

“Yes.  Ah, be that as it may...” Yazadril stammered, and shook his head
a bit while he regained his mental balance.  “So, would you prefer we 
call you Markhan, or Master Longstrider?” 

“Master...” Talia murmured, and shuddered as she stared. 

The confused young man glanced back and forth between Alilia and Talia,
both of whom were looking at him with peculiar intensity.  “There's 
something very strange going on here, isn't there?” he asked as he 
turned back to Yazadril, his brows knitting a bit. 

“Yes there is, but we'll get to that in a moment.” Yazadril nodded. 
“So, in answer to my question?  Shall we call you Markhan?” 

“No, that will always be my father's name, not mine.  I think I'd like
you to call me Mark.  That's what they call my grandfather, I'm told, 
and he has the same name.” 

“Ah.  Mark.” Yazadril nodded.  “So you are actually Markhan Reginus
Longstrider the Third?” 

“The Fifth, actually, if you choose to word it that way.” Mark said. 
“My grandfather's grandfather was the first of that name, and now it's 
a family tradition for every firstborn son.” 

“Ah.  Well, you have already met Theramin, senior horticultural wizard
of the High People, and Dilimon, Second Captain of our Sentry Corps.  
This is Hilsith, a Healer of great renown who comes to us from the 
northern elves of The Warm People.” 

“Pleased to meet you.” Mark said as he gave her a polite bow. 

“And I you.” Hilsith replied with a small smile as she returned the bow.


“This is the Princess Alilia of the People of Life, of whom I've
spoken.” Yazadril continued. 

“Do not bow to me.” Alilia said to Mark before he could do so. 

“All right, though I'm pleased to meet you.” Mark said in puzzlement. 
“May I ask why I should not bow?” 

“Because I have done you an injustice.  If you bow to me, you will
regret having done so when you learn what has occurred.” Alilia told 
him, her voice brittle. 

This left Mark with no response, and Yazadril hurried to fill the
awkward lull in the conversation.  “This is my wife Nemia.” 

“Pleased to meet you.” Mark said with a bow, which Nemia returned. 

“And this is my daughter Talia.” 

“Pleased to meet you.” Markee bowed with a broad smile.  “Yazadril has
spoken fondly of your mother and yourself.  And your sister of course.  
How is she?” 

“She is dead.” Talia stated quietly.  She finally managed to tear her
gaze away from his face as he gaped in shock, and she turned into her 
mother's arms as she burst into tears.  Soon they were both sobbing 
sadly. 

“I'm sorry...  I'm so sorry, I didn't know...” Mark stammered, ashamed
at his unintended insensitivity. 

“There's no way you could have known.” Yazadril told him sadly, and
wiped his own fresh tears away. 

“How did it happen?” Mark asked, then wondered if the question was
inappropriate.  “No, I'm sorry, it's none of my concern...” 

“Actually, I'm afraid it is.” Yazadril told him sadly.  “And as I said
previously, there are matters that are difficult to speak of...” 

“Perhaps for you.” Alilia interrupted bitterly, then turned from
Yazadril to Mark.  “Sit down, it is irritating to have to look up that 
far.  I will tell you what has happened.” 

She continued as Mark abruptly sat.  “My son Bezedil arrived here
yesterday, and quickly fell in love with Yazadril's daughter Dalia.  
Twin sister to that one, and nearly perfectly identical to her in 
appearance.” 

She pointed at Talia without looking away from Mark, and continued. 
“Then, while Dalia was out of the room, Talia came to Bezedil and 
passed herself off to him as her sister.  Dalia returned to the room 
and found Bezedil and Talia consummating.  Dalia was so struck by what 
she saw as their betrayal that she committed suicide by leaping from a 
high window.  Realizing his mistake, and filled with remorse for what 
he'd done, my son leaped after her to save her.  He was too late, and 
upon seeing her die from impact with the ground, he was so filled with 
grief and despair that he did not save himself. 

“When I learned this...” 

“That is not what happened.” Talia interrupted, quietly but firmly. 

Alilia's head whipped around in surprise as she looked to Talia, then
her face contorted with rage.  “How dare you say that!  All was 
revealed in my son's last Reading, as his life was fading from his 
broken body before my eyes!” 

Tears flowed freely down Talia's cheeks, but her jaw was set with
determination.  She swallowed hard as she was held by Alilia's gaze.  
“It did not happen like that.  You made me see the Reading as well.  
You made me see Dalia die.  But you did not see what happened before 
that.  You hate me, so you will not believe what I say, and I...  I 
cannot speak of it.  So Read me.  Read me so that all can know what 
really happened.” 

“If you are innocent, why did you not declare it so yesterday?!” Alilia
demanded. 

“There was nothing but grief and pain in me then, overwhelming all
else.” Talia stated quietly.  “The twin of my soul and my destined love 
were both dead, and I wanted only to die.  I was not listening to 
anything that was said.  I did not care what you did to me.” 

“And now you do.” Alilia stated frostily. 

“I still do not care what happens to me for my own sake, and it would
not matter if I did.” Talia told her, struggling to control her voice.  
“You have damned me for eternity, and that is all there is to that.  
But I have regained my thinking enough to consider my parents' 
feelings, and they should know that it did not happen as you think it 
did.  Furthermore, Mark will need to know the truth.” 

“If you can bear it, we must perform the Reading, Yazadril.” Theramin
quietly pointed out before Alilia could retort.  “It is her right to 
defend herself.” 

“Ah.  It is too late to consider rule of law.” Nemia stated calmly. 
“And it is too early.  We must concentrate on minimizing the harm that 
has been done, and on preventing any more harm to ourselves or to each 
other.  After that is done, we will deal with legality and diplomacy.” 

“You will perform the Reading, or I will, and less competently than you
could have done it.” Alilia stated coldly.  “But we will know the 
truth.” 

“Uh, if you don't mind my asking, what does a Reading do?” Mark asked,
hesitant to interject, yet driven by his need to understand what was 
happening. 

“It allows the caster to experience some of the memories or thoughts of
the person it is cast upon.” Yazadril explained.  “In this case, I will 
cast a variation of it that will read a specific segment of Talia's 
memory, rather than her present thoughts, and transmit those memories 
to the rest of you.  We will experience them with all of our senses as 
if we were reliving our own memories, complete with every thought and 
emotion that Talia experienced at the time.” 

“Oh.  And uh, will it work for me?” Mark hesitantly asked.  “You said
that this affects me, and I'd really like to understand what's going 
on. 

“No, now that you mention it.” Yazadril admitted.  “It is unlikely that
you could receive the Reading.  Let me think.  I could re-cast the 
vision of the Reading as an Illusion.  You wouldn't be able to see it, 
since you didn't see the Illusions of the Wards, but I could use the 
Illusion as the pattern for a Light spell.  Nemia brought some white 
cloth in her tailor's pack, and if we stood in the shade of the trees 
and I projected the light pattern upon the cloth, you should be able to 
see what we are seeing.” 

“And a very complex piece of work it will be, Yazadril.” Theramin said. 
“Performing the Reading, casting it to us, casting the Illusion of it, 
and casting the Light projection of it.  Only you could do it.  
However, it still only conveys the visual component of the Reading to 
Mark, here.  I will assist by casting Sound of the audible component.” 

“And I will simply relate Talia's thoughts and emotions verbally, and
translate those and the spoken words into your language, Mark.” Nemia 
nodded, moving to stand next to him.  “You will still lack the 
components of touch, scent and taste, but those are less important, and 
I can tell you of any important evidence of those natures that occurs 
in the Reading. 

“Theramin, you will have to keep your Sound casting quiet enough that
Mark can hear both your casting and my spoken translation of it.” 

“Thank you.  I appreciate everything you're doing to include me in
this.” Mark solemnly said. 

“Fine.  Let us have it done, then.” Alilia snapped as she turned on her
heel and strode to the nearest edge of the clearing. 

The rest followed, and Nemia took a folded white cloth from her basket. 
Once under the canopy of the trees, she unfolded it to a ten-foot 
square and Levitated herself to pin it's upper corners to two branches, 
so that it hung with it's lower edge touching the grass. 

“Thank you Nemia.” Yazadril said as he moved to face the center of the
cloth.  “Theramin, let me Read you for a moment while you watch me, 
would you?” he asked. 

Theramin nodded, and Yazadril hummed a short arpeggio and did so,
nodding when he had a firm Reading. 

“Shared Reading, first test.” Yazadril stated, and clapped his hands
three times.  “Thank you, Theramin.” he said, and mentally reviewed his 
spells.  He hummed a short melody and cast an Illusion of himself near 
the cloth.  The elves present saw a duplicate Yazadril standing before 
the cloth.  He cast Light upon the cloth, then gradually linked it to 
the illusion of himself that his eyes were seeing.  It gave him a 
strange double vision of his own image until he had the two perfectly 
synchronized. 

“Tell me what you see, Mark.” he said, as his brow furrowed in
concentration. 

“There was a big round white light on the cloth, and then it changed,
and now there's a picture of you, from the front!” Mark explained in 
amazement. 

“Good.” Yazadril nodded.  “Now I'll release the Illusion, and it will go
back to white light. 

“Theramin, I'll send you the Reading I took of you watching me, while
using it as the basis of the Illusion and the Light spell, and you will 
cast the sound of it, please.” 

“Mark, you should next see a picture of me saying; shared Reading, first
test, and clapping my hands, just as I did a moment ago, and you should 
hear me say it and the sound of the clapping, as well. 

Theramin's face set in firm concentration, matching Yazadril's
expression as they cast. 

“It works!  I can see it and hear it!” Mark told them excitedly. 

“Good.  It gives me a disorienting triple vision, but it will work”
Yazadril stated, a little tensely. 

“Well done.” Alilia was forced to admit. 

“It gives me quadruple vision.” Theramin stated as he let his spells
fade and shook his head a bit.  “I see you, Yazadril, and I see you in 
the Reading, and I see the Illusion of you, and I see the Light 
projection of you.  Thankfully, it will be less complex when we do 
Talia's Reading.” 

“Indeed.” Yazadril nodded as he turned to his daughter.  “I will hold
the first moment of the Reading until I have my four spells stabilized, 
and Theramin has his Sound casting ready.  Try to be brave, my child.  
This will be very painful for all of us.” 

“I...  I know it will, Father.” Talia quietly agreed.  “You should begin
the Reading at the moment Bezedil arrived.  And end it where Bezedil's 
Reading began.  You already know what happened after that.” 

“But Mark does not.” Yazadril gently pointed out.  Talia hesitated, then
nodded, and Yazadril gave her a supportive embrace.  “All right then.  
We begin.”  With that, he placed his hands gently on the sides of her 
bowed head, and closed his eyed in concentration. 

The light on the cloth changed to a view of the interior of Yazadril's
central room, as seen from the doorway into the kitchen.  In it, 
Yazadril faced Bezedil, who was still holding his palm to the top of 
Alilia's dark wood chest, beside Alilia, though the elves present knew 
it was only her Projection.  Arrayed around them were Nemia and the 
rest of the senior wizards, not all of them close enough to see in the 
viewing.  The moment was frozen, and none of the figures moved. 

“Talia feels love at first sight for Bezedil.” Nemia stated quietly. 
“Her heart races, her throat is constricting so she can hardly breathe, 
and she thrills to the sight of him.  She is aware of her sister Dalia 
standing to her left, who is leaning close to speak privately.” 

“I am ready, Yazadril.” Theramin said. 

The scene took on motion, and over the other sounds in the room, Dalia's
voice was heard speaking a melodic language Mark had never heard 
before.  Nemia's translation came a heartbeat after the spoken words, 
and with her commentary, Mark was given an understanding almost as 
complete as that of the elves as the scene unfolded. 

“Look at him!  He is delicious!” Dalia giggled. 

“He is my destined love!” Talia quietly exclaimed her realization. 

“Ha!  There is no destined love, you silly squirrel, as I have told you
many times before!” Dalia laughed.  “Love is where you find it!  Three 
times before you have thought that a cute new boy was your destined 
love!  And all three times I have been a dutiful sister, and stood 
patiently aside when I could have been enjoying his pleasures, while 
you mooned over him for weeks!  And then of course, you finally decide 
that he is not your destined love after all, though I know not how you 
could decide such a thing without even sharing your virgin body! 

“Well, I am afraid I will not be so generous this time, dear Talia! 
This one is too scrumptious to pass up, and I will be enjoying him by 
this afternoon, you can be sure of it!” 

“No, you do not understand!” Talia blurted excitedly.  “Those other
times I thought that those boys might be my destined love, but this 
time I am absolutely sure of it!  More sure of it than I have ever been 
of anything in my life before!  Bezedil is my destined love!  I have 
seen him in my dreams, Dalia, I swear that I have, though I did not 
remember those dreams until now!” 

“Well he is no virgin, I can tell that just by looking at him!” Dalia
teased.  “So I will not be despoiling him with my pleasure, and you can 
have him when I am done with him!  Besides, the way my heart races to 
look upon him, I may fall in love with him myself!” 

“No!  Please, Dalia!  I tell you he is truly my destined love!” 

“Well then, just walk right over there and tell him so!  If you cannot
overcome your shyness to save him from my caresses, perhaps he is not 
your destined love after all!” 

Talia gazed at Bezedil, overcome with longing for him, yet the thought
of just walking over and speaking with him filled her with overwhelming 
timidness.  “Please Dalia, just give me a few moments!  You know how I 
am!” 

“To the bold goes the prize then!” Dalia laughed.  “I am sorry, sister
of mine.  You can go first the next time.” 

A moment later Yazadril had finished introducing his wife and the
wizards to Bezedil, and Dalia approached them, while Talia stood 
helplessly. 

“You!” Bezedil exclaimed upon spying her. 

“My fame precedes me!” Dalia laughed, performing a graceful curtsy 

As she rose, Bezedil gently took her hand, bowed low over it, and gently
kissed it. 

“Ahh, Bezedil, I present my daughter Dalia.  Dalia, this is Alilia's son
Bezedil.” Yazadril said, a bit uncomfortable with the intensity with 
which the two were gazing into each other's eyes. 

“Come.  I will show you my room.” Dalia said, her smile bright and her
eyes glinting as she took his hand and led him away. 

Talia could not help but discretely follow as far as the entrance to the
hall, and once Dalia's door shut behind them she could not help but 
move to it, her heart crushed within her.  A few moments later she 
heard Dalia giggle through the door, then speak. 

“My!  You waste no time, do you, my handsome steed?” Dalia laughed. 

“I have waited too long already!” Bezedil chuckled in return. 

A few minutes later Talia heard her sister's rising sounds of passion,
and she collapsed to the floor and quietly cried. 

Under the edge of the trees, her back to Mark and the elves monitoring
the Reading, Talia gave a choked sob and tearfully spoke: 

“I should not have eavesdropped.  I knew it was wrong, but I could not
help myself.  I could hear them as they made love for the next 
forty-five minutes, and I assure you that nothing else happened or was 
said during that time.  May we move the Reading ahead, past that time, 
please?” 

“That would be best.” Alilia nodded, barely able to speak. 

“All right.” Yazadril quietly agreed, and he let the light and the
illusion fade.  “I've already taken the entire Reading from Talia, so 
that I could have more concentration available to display it.  I'll 
quickly skip forward to the next actions or spoken words, and we'll 
continue from there.” 

He closed his eyes and his brow furrowed for a moment.  “Ah.  Here it
is.  If you are ready, Theramin, we will continue.” 

At Theramin's nod, the review of the Reading resumed. 

It revealed that Talia lay curled on her side on the floor of the
hallway, quietly weeping, and her heart felt like poisoned rot within 
her. 

“Oh!  Oh Bezedil, a pause, please, give me a pause!” Dalia was heard to
gasp behind the closed bedroom door.  “Your passion has exhausted me!  
I must recover before I can sustain even another moment of pleasure!” 

“As you wish, my love, always.” Bezedil chuckled. 

“My love.” Dalia said in wonder, and it was unclear whether she
addressed Bezedil thusly, or merely repeated his words, marveling that 
he should speak them to her. 

“Oh Bezedil!  I have never experienced anything as incredible in my
life!  My sweet Lords and Ladies, but you are a masterful and 
inexhaustible pleasurist!” 

“I have heard that it is infinitely better with the one who is your
destined love.” Bezedil quietly declared.  “And now we have some proof 
of the truth of that!” 

“Not you too!  You sound like my parents and my sister!” Dalia laughed. 
“There is no such thing as destined love!  Love is where you find it!  
And perhaps we have found it!” 

“How can you say that, you of all people?!” Bezedil teased.  “I assure
you my dear, destined love is a factually proven phenomenon!  I have 
seen you in my dreams with ever increasing frequency for the last three 
months, and so I have researched the phenomenon with great rigor!  I 
knew that we would soon meet; there was no doubt!  Come, you must admit 
that you have also dreamt of me, for it could not be otherwise!” 

There was a very long moment of silence. 

On the floor in the hallway, Talia's heart slammed up into her throat
and almost choked her completely. 

“Dalia?  Is something wrong?” Bezedil asked in concern. 

“I...  I must use the privacy!” Dalia blurted, and as her footsteps were
heard lightly running to her bedroom door, Talia quickly rose and 
slipped into her own bedroom. 

She had no time to close her door before Dalia emerged into the hallway,
still belting her robe, but Dalia took no notice as she quickly moved a 
few steps down the hall in the opposite direction and entered her 
mother's study, which she knew would be empty, as her parent's voices 
could be faintly heard from the direction of the central room. 

Talia's heart pounded in her ears so loudly that she thought it might
deafen her.  ‘Dalia now knows that Bezedil is my destined love!  I 
dreamt of him, as he knew I would!  She will tell him!  She must tell 
him!' Talia thought, the realization filling her with a shining 
elation, and a blazing hope. 

But long minutes passed, and Dalia remained behind the closed door of
the study. Talia was increasingly drawn to go to Bezedil, who waited 
alone in the next room; to reveal to him that she, Talia, was the one 
who was his destined love, to feel his arms around her, to feel the 
fulfillment of him, to give herself to him completely, as she had never 
given of herself before. 

Yet at the same time, her shyness rose again within her, and she knew it
for what it was; fear of embarrassing and humiliating herself by saying 
or doing something stupid and inappropriate, and fear of rejection.  
She prayed that Dalia would return and reveal the truth, but the long 
moments passed as slowly as the seasons, and still the study door 
remained closed. 

Finally Talia's need to go to Bezedil drove her forth, and she silently
padded from her room to Dalia's door.  She tried to bring herself to 
tap upon it, to no avail.  Then she caught the powerful scent of 
Bezedil's passion, mixed with Dalia's more familiar one, and she 
noticed that the door was opened a crack. 

Seemingly of it's own volition, her hand slowly pushed the door open
enough for her to slip silently into the darkened room from the dim 
hallway. 

Bezedil stood naked with his back to her, peering through a crack
between the closed curtains of the open window near the bed, admiring 
the view while impatiently waiting. 

Talia tried to speak his name, but her mouth seemed numbed, and she
could not bring herself to speak.  Silently and slowly, she closed the 
distance between them.  Again she tried to speak and could not, and 
again her hand seemed to have a will of it's own as it rose to caress 
his shoulder. 

She thrilled at the touch of him, and then he quickly turned and took
her in his arms as he spoke. 

“Ah, my love, you were gone a long time, and still I am insatiable for
you!” he chuckled. 

‘No!  I must tell him first!' Talia thought in a panic, and with a
wrenching effort of will, she spoke, her voice quiet and quavering.  
“No, wait, I am...” 

But he heeded her not, and then he was kissing her fully upon her mouth,
and his hands were insistently caressing her, and all thought in her 
mind fled before an overwhelming onslaught of emotion and sensation. 

She had no strength to resist as he gently slid her garments from her
body with a few skillful motions, his fiery kiss uninterrupted while he 
did so, and drew her down onto the bed. 

Then the door opened fully and Dalia stood in the dim light of the
hallway, her face stricken.  Only a moment she stood there before 
running to leap through the curtains. 

Bezedil made a quiet sound, then he scrambled from the bed and leapt
after Dalia. 

Talia sat on the bed for a moment, stunned.  She rose and went to the
window and looked out, expecting to see Dalia flying away with Bezedil 
close behind.  She did not see them until she looked down.  Incredulous 
grief hit her like a hammer blow as she saw their broken bodies on the 
ground far below.  She let herself fall forward. 

Yazadril let the Reading continue as Talia fell and was barely caught by
Nemia, as she was forced to experience Bezedil's last Reading, as she 
was punched and cursed by Alilia, bringing impossible horror and agony 
until Yazadril had finally forced Sleep upon her. 

The spells faded, and Mark brushed away his tears, choked with emotion
at what he had been shown.  All were crying, Yazadril and Nemia as they 
stood clinging to each other, Talia as she hugged with Hilsith, 
Theramin and Dilimon and Alilia as they stood alone and failed to be 
stoic. 

“Come back to the camp.” Mark said in a choked, rumbling voice.  “I'll
make us some tea.” 

The elves followed him, still weeping, and as he busied himself with his
brazier and a teapot Theramin had given him the night before.  
Yazadril, Nemia, and Alilia seated themselves on the log, while the 
rest sat cross-legged on the grass. 

Soon the scent of Theramin's tea blend became apparent, and they slowly
regained control of their emotions. 

None spoke until Mark had served them all honeyed tea in the tin camp
cups Dilimon had given him, then sat down himself. 

Alilia stared into her cup a moment, then spoke without looking up. 

“Talia.  Never has an elf ever been so wronged by another, as you have
been wronged.  Mostly by me, but also by your sister, and by my son.  
Rather than your having raped my son by trickery, it is more true to 
say that since he did not heed your refusal, he was about to rape you, 
though you would not have considered it such.  You are a fine young 
wizard, so you know as well as I that my curse cannot be recalled or 
countered, no more than we can bring Bezedil and Dalia back to life, or 
cause ashes to become the tree they once were.  Such complete changes 
cannot be reversed, and to apply the power it would take to even try to 
deflect the curse would almost certainly result in a disaster of 
cataclysmic proportion. 

“Any apology I offer could only seem a pathetic jest compared to the
enormity of the wrong I have done you, yet still I do apologize, and no 
words could convey how sorry I am for what I have done to you.  Nothing 
I could give you or do for you could begin to repay you for what I have 
done, yet know that from this moment forward I am your servant, and 
that all I have is yours, as is any service I or my people can render 
you.  Any punishment you wish to inflict upon me, I will gladly 
endure.” 

There was a long moment of silence before Talia replied, her shaking
voice barely above a whisper. 

“I understand what you did.  Your son had just died, and from his last
Reading, limited as it was to those last few moments, it seemed that I 
was responsible.  Were I in your place, I also could not let such a 
thing pass, and I may have done the same, or worse. 

“And Bezedil was my destined love.  He truly was.  And those few moments
were all I had of him.  He should have been my husband, but I was too 
cowardly to speak to him before Dalia did.  You should have been my 
mother-in-law, and we should have grown to love each other dearly. 

“And...  And too, I have to do what Bezedil would have wanted.  He would
not have wanted there to be dark feelings between you and I.” 

She took a deep, shaky breath and wiped away more tears, so distraught
that she was barely able to speak. 

“I forgive you, Alilia.  You owe me nothing, except that there be peace
between us.” 

Alilia bowed her head and buried her face in her hands.  “Please, do not
forgive me!” she sobbed.  “I cannot bear that you should be so noble, 
after I have been so vindictive!  I cannot simply bear this on my 
conscience!  There must be some penance or restitution, something I can 
do so that I can feel that I have atoned for what I have done!” 

After a moment, Talia nodded.  “All right.  I leave it to you to decide
on something appropriate.” 

Alilia dropped her hands to her lap.  “I will.  Thank you.” she
whispered, her throat too constricted to speak fully. 

“Wisely done.” Theramin murmured to Talia. 


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