Chapter Fifty-seven
Calemir froze, his whole body turning rigid as a mountain.
“Hello to you too brother” Tarron wittily said in elvish to himself with a lazy grin.
Color drained from Calemir’s skin, leaving him white as a sheet. Was this a dream? Some sort of nightmare? He gripped the door hard, his knuckles turning white.
“Who are you?” Calemir demanded.
The humor in those familiar and terrifying silver eyes dissolved. “You hurt me brother, have you already forgotten about me?” the words spoken in elvish. Eyes filled with joy, shock and trembling fear Calemir studied the man, who looked so strange yet very familiar. His face, silver eyes of stormy clouds, wicked smile and built. Except for his hair, which was once red, it was silver. No, no, no. Impossible, perhaps he just resembled his brother. Or maybe he was hallucinating Calemir thought, but the voice was Tarron’s.
“Tarron?” the name squeezed from Calemir’s throat.
“In flesh and breathing” Tarron stated, the laidback easiness returning in his expression.
Calemir blinked, mind muddled. “How, how is it possible?” his voice came out as a whisper, as if afraid if he asked a little loud Tarron would vanish as a ghost would.
“Calem” Nara called hesitantly. The deep male voices had pulled her from sleep. Naked, Nara had hiked the sheets higher over her chest before sitting up on the bed. She would have admired Calemir’s defined wide back if it wasn’t how stiff he looked from her point of view. A terrible feeling had found its way into the pit of her stomach. “Who is it?” she asked when Calemir didn’t turn or say anything.
His brother looked past his shoulder with a mischievous smile he said to him. “I see you are occupied. I’ll be waiting downstairs.” With a pat on his shoulder that made him tremble, Calemir watched his brother stride away. It was when Nara called him again, did Calemir snap back from shock. “Who was that?” she asked.
Calemir looked at her, his face inscrutable to her.
“Hey,” she said softly. “What’s wrong?” He looked shaken. With a shake of his head, Calemir fled the room, leaving Nara confused.
No words could describe how terrified he felt as he descended the stairs. Hearing Tarron’s voice talking with Izza, sent a cold chill through his veins. His pulse drummed perilously and found it hard to breath as he neared the dining room. Calemir’s stomach knotted with unimaginable fear. Braving himself for the worst, he stepped into the dining room. Izza standing in front of his brother was the first to speak to him in elvish. “Is not this wonderful” her enlightened smile almost blinding him. “He is alive.”
Calemir forced a smile for the woman who had practically raised him and his brother. “It’s hard to believe.”
Izza clutched her chest. “He almost sent me to an early grave.”
Tarron’s laugh startled Calemir. Calemir looked at him, hugging Izza before releasing her to her feet. “Forgive me,” his brother said with a boyish look. Izza patted Tarron on both arms, emotions in her eyes. “I’m just glad you are alive.” She gazed at him with disbelief and pure joy for a long moment then said. “I’ll let you two, talk,” and left the room. No, don’t leave! Calemir clamped the words with his teeth before they escaped from his mouth. Dread washing over him, he stood still as Tarron turned and faced him. There was a fair distance between them, but Calemir felt they were standing just inches apart. The intensity in those silver eyes bore into his as they looked at each other. His throat dried like a desert. Although he was drowning in a bottomless pit of fear and guilt, he felt nothing from his brother. No anger, or pain. There was just a haze of happiness around him. Calemir’s mouth fell, confused. How could he feel that after what he had done?
Tension nested in the air.
Tarron pursed his lips and cocked an eyebrow. “Is it the hair? Makes me look like father, doesn’t it?”
“No, no…” Calemir stammered startled by the question. “I mean yes. You do look more like father with that hair color” he managed to say.
Tarron gave a small smile before his expression sobered, his voice serious. “I missed you brother.” A pause. “Can I at least hug you?” Tarron spread his arms wide.
Jaw locking tight, Calemir closed the distance between them. He was the first to wrap his hands around the other, and within a minute of a second, Calemir felt his brother's hand on his back. His arm tightened around Tarron. Shame, guilt, joy and all kinds of emotions known and unknown to man welled inside him. Calemir buried his head into Tarron’s shoulder, tears welled in his eyes as he choked. “I’m sorry” he voice was a hoarse whisper. Tarron patted him on the back, feeling Calemir’s chest spasm. “I am so sorry” Calemir begged, his eyes turning red. Tarron’s face twisted as he continued to pat him. They hugged for another long minute before Tarron dropped his hands and stepped back. “Who are you and where is my brother?” Tarron teased.
A sound that wasn’t quite a laugh or cry rattled in Calemir’s chest. Still heaving, Calemir wiped his face with the back of his hand and looked at him. “Does Leena know you are alive?” Calemir asked after a moment of quietness.
Tarron rested his hands on his hips, shaking his head he said with gleaming eyes. “Not yet. I am a little scared what she might do when she sees me.”
Calemir nodded and asked again. “What about the king and mother?”
Before he could reply, the sound of quiet footsteps had him looking over Calemir’s shoulder. Calemir twisted on his feet and looked at Nara who stood just at the entrance of the room.
Narrowed eyes. “You” Nara glanced at the silver haired elf. “It is you again.”
Calemir glanced from Nara to Tarron then back to her again. “You know each other?”
“He is the man I told you about” Nara looked at Tarron. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you again,” Tarron said instead in Nyr.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“His brother” Tarron pointed at Calemir with a tilt of his chin.
Brother?
“Tarron this is Nara and Nara this is my brother Tarron” Calemir interjected, watching Nara intently.
“But your brother is…” Nara trailed off as she glanced between the two men, remarking the little similarities in their features or more to say how the two resembled their parents. “dead” Tarron finished her sentence casually. She glanced at Calemir then back at Tarron. Then it dawned on her. Nara stiffened.
“Hmm, I seem to have quite an effect on people today” Tarron mused, his eyes on her. He knew what the girl was thinking just from the way she stood protectively, and her brown eyes glared at him.
“Are you going to see the king and queen?” Calemir asked in elvish, returning the talk to what they had been discussing before Nara had walked in.
“Yes, I am, and I would be pleased if we went together,” Tarron said. It was Calemir’s turn to stiffen, that fear rekindling. “Please brother, do me this favor” Tarron added. Swallowing, Calemir nodded, watching him sigh as if going with him was a relief. “When do you want to leave?” he asked, folding his hands behind him.
“Today” Tarron replied. Calemir’s brows crept slightly up before smoothing out.
“Is that going to be a problem?” Tarron glanced at Nara then back to him.
Calemir shook his head.
“Good.” He smiled tightly. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
**