Read Online Change of Heart 05 - Forging the Future by Mary Calmes - Free Book Online
Authors: Mary Calmes
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didn’t understand that.”
“He simply was not strong enough to serve,” Yusuke explained, putting her hand on Artem’s other shoulder. “Your sheseru is now strong enough to be both enforcer and protector.”
I turned back to Artem. “Thank you.”
“No thanks are necessary, my reah. It is I who am blessed.”
I glanced at the other man, also down on one knee.
“This is Andrian Basargin, the leader of your semel’s khatyu.”
I smiled at him. “Khatyu are the warriors of the tribe, right?”
He nodded, and I saw how kind his smile was. “Yes, my reah.”
This man was handsome as well, with jet-black glossy hair and dark cobalt blue eyes with deep laugh lines in the corners.
“I was one of the first to meet you many years ago.”
I couldn’t keep from wringing my hands. Part of me was excited and happy to have them all there, to meet them… but that again was the issue. I was meeting them , they were seeing someone they knew, and in Crane’s case especially, knew extremely well. So the flip side was that their presence made me anxious and worried and more torn up inside than I’d been just a day ago. It was both a relief and nerve-racking at the same time. “I wish I could remember.”
“You will, my reah, in your own time.”
The faith was overwhelming, and when he lifted his hand to me, I clasped it tight. It was amazing, the look on his face, like I’d given him something great.
“I really hope that I’m worthy of all this trust,” I murmured.
“You are,” he promised.
“Okay.” I inhaled to get my bearings, releasing his hand. “May I leave here and show you all the city?”
“Of course,” Artem assured me, his voice gravelly and low. “We will do as you desire, my reah.”
It was like a weight was lifted. No one would make me do anything I didn’t want to anymore.
“My reah.”
We all turned to Alaine and his sylvan and sheseru. He had several of his khatyu with him as well.
Yusuke immediately stepped forward, bowed, and then put herself between me and them. “How may we serve you, semel?”
“I would request that your reah greet some members of my tribe.”
She crossed her arms. “Perhaps later this evening, but at present my reah wants to walk the city with us.”
“I will have my sheseru and some of my khatyu—”
“That’s not necessary,” she cut him off sharply. “And you would insult Logan Church, the semel-netjer, if you inferred that his maahen, his sheseru, the beset of his reah, and the leader of his khatyu could not see to the safety of his mate.”
“I—”
“That’s not what you were alluding to, was it?”
“I simply wanted to—”
“Because honestly,” she said flatly, “if you were to insist upon such a course, Artem Varda would have no choice but to challenge your sheseru to mortal combat.”
They all sort of took a community gulp of air.
“No, I—” Alaine stumbled over his words. “I meant no offense, Yusuke Adams. I merely… does mortal combat not seem—”
“How else may such an offense be rectified, semel? I gave you a clear answer, and you disregarded all propriety by insisting that it was not within our ability to protect our own reah.”
“I—”
“I will fight your maahes, if you prefer,” she offered matter-of-factly, as though either was perfectly acceptable.
I lifted my hand to stop her, to interrupt, to tell her I could just stay home with them, but Crane didn’t allow me to touch her and instead pressed a finger to his lips. Apparently I needed to keep my mouth shut.
“Semel?” she prodded.
Alaine was unnerved: from how wide his eyes were and how flushed his face was, it was obvious. “I—we have no maahes. Our tribe is not large enough.”
“I see, well, then, we return to my original offer of combat between the two sheserus.”
“That’s not—”
“Of course, normally there would be no question, as Jin Church is more than capable of seeing to his own safety.”
I was?
“You
“He simply was not strong enough to serve,” Yusuke explained, putting her hand on Artem’s other shoulder. “Your sheseru is now strong enough to be both enforcer and protector.”
I turned back to Artem. “Thank you.”
“No thanks are necessary, my reah. It is I who am blessed.”
I glanced at the other man, also down on one knee.
“This is Andrian Basargin, the leader of your semel’s khatyu.”
I smiled at him. “Khatyu are the warriors of the tribe, right?”
He nodded, and I saw how kind his smile was. “Yes, my reah.”
This man was handsome as well, with jet-black glossy hair and dark cobalt blue eyes with deep laugh lines in the corners.
“I was one of the first to meet you many years ago.”
I couldn’t keep from wringing my hands. Part of me was excited and happy to have them all there, to meet them… but that again was the issue. I was meeting them , they were seeing someone they knew, and in Crane’s case especially, knew extremely well. So the flip side was that their presence made me anxious and worried and more torn up inside than I’d been just a day ago. It was both a relief and nerve-racking at the same time. “I wish I could remember.”
“You will, my reah, in your own time.”
The faith was overwhelming, and when he lifted his hand to me, I clasped it tight. It was amazing, the look on his face, like I’d given him something great.
“I really hope that I’m worthy of all this trust,” I murmured.
“You are,” he promised.
“Okay.” I inhaled to get my bearings, releasing his hand. “May I leave here and show you all the city?”
“Of course,” Artem assured me, his voice gravelly and low. “We will do as you desire, my reah.”
It was like a weight was lifted. No one would make me do anything I didn’t want to anymore.
“My reah.”
We all turned to Alaine and his sylvan and sheseru. He had several of his khatyu with him as well.
Yusuke immediately stepped forward, bowed, and then put herself between me and them. “How may we serve you, semel?”
“I would request that your reah greet some members of my tribe.”
She crossed her arms. “Perhaps later this evening, but at present my reah wants to walk the city with us.”
“I will have my sheseru and some of my khatyu—”
“That’s not necessary,” she cut him off sharply. “And you would insult Logan Church, the semel-netjer, if you inferred that his maahen, his sheseru, the beset of his reah, and the leader of his khatyu could not see to the safety of his mate.”
“I—”
“That’s not what you were alluding to, was it?”
“I simply wanted to—”
“Because honestly,” she said flatly, “if you were to insist upon such a course, Artem Varda would have no choice but to challenge your sheseru to mortal combat.”
They all sort of took a community gulp of air.
“No, I—” Alaine stumbled over his words. “I meant no offense, Yusuke Adams. I merely… does mortal combat not seem—”
“How else may such an offense be rectified, semel? I gave you a clear answer, and you disregarded all propriety by insisting that it was not within our ability to protect our own reah.”
“I—”
“I will fight your maahes, if you prefer,” she offered matter-of-factly, as though either was perfectly acceptable.
I lifted my hand to stop her, to interrupt, to tell her I could just stay home with them, but Crane didn’t allow me to touch her and instead pressed a finger to his lips. Apparently I needed to keep my mouth shut.
“Semel?” she prodded.
Alaine was unnerved: from how wide his eyes were and how flushed his face was, it was obvious. “I—we have no maahes. Our tribe is not large enough.”
“I see, well, then, we return to my original offer of combat between the two sheserus.”
“That’s not—”
“Of course, normally there would be no question, as Jin Church is more than capable of seeing to his own safety.”
I was?
“You
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