Aliel

Chapter 24

That night Varen slept in the dining room, and, since my bed was much too small to allow for two people, Lorien had to sleep on the floor in my room. He gave me a kiss goodnight, then lay down on his sleeping mat and was soon breathing deeply. But I lay awake, thinking about everything that they had said.

How was I not to worry about it all? This could be the end of everything. This new threat could potentially wipe out the entire country of Halet. And who's to say that it will stop there? I didn't believe that this didn't involve the other elven clans. How could it not? An elf had been fused with a human, and from how Lorien had spoken about it, it was completely unheard of.

Surely the other elves must at least be interested about it.

I was very worried, and I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to sleep very well that night because of it. Well, if I wasn't going to sleep, I might as well be comfortable, or at least semi-comfortable. I got out of bed and, bringing my blankets with me, laid down next to Lorien. I'd been without his warmth for two and a half months, and I wasn't going to stand another night of it. He started awake when I touched him, then relaxed when he saw that it was me.

"Is something wrong?" he asked gently, his green eyes glowing softly at me.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to be beside you." He didn't say anything, just pulled me close, and I actually fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

"Claresa," I heard a voice call to me. "Claresa, wake up!" I was being shaken gently, and I opened my eyes. Sunlight poured in from the window and lit up the room, including Lorien's face, which was very close to mine. There was a great deal of excitement etched in every feature, and he seemed to be struggling to breathe. "Claresa, I've got it, it's all become so clear!"

"What, Lorien, what is it?" I asked, sitting up quickly, and just as quickly wishing I hadn't. Sleeping on the floor had definitely not been the more comfortable option last night, and I felt a crick in my neck as well as a sore back. Lorien placed a hand over my stomach.

"This! This is it, Claresa!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't you see? This is why the Alushaliel claimed us to each other. That being we fought is a combination of an elf and a man, created against nature, but incredibly powerful. Imagine how powerful a natural half-breed would be!"

"Lorien, you're not making any sense..."

"Don't you see?" he asked again, getting up off the floor and pacing around my small room, gesturing as he spoke. "I'm an elf. You're a human. Our child would be the first half-breed in history. In fact, I believe it was meant to be that way. The Alushaliel claimed us at just the right time for it to come about. And then us joining the war before that... the old magic is guiding us. I can see it all, it's all come together so perfectly!"

He stopped pacing, and came to kneel in front of me, taking my hands. "It was all meant to be, Claresa. Our child is the answer."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Just one moment. You think that we've been guided, to come together and have a baby, who will... what? Save us all?"

"Yes, I believe that it would be just as powerful as that being, maybe more, and will be able to defeat it."

"You're talking about our baby, Lorien, not some... thing to be used as a weapon!"

I threw his hands away from me, not believing what I was hearing. How could he talk about something like this so callously? How could he even consider it? This was our child, our flesh and blood. Even if it was possible that it could have that kind of power and be able to save us, there was no way that I would let my baby near any kind of confrontation with the elf-human hybrid. What kind of a mother would I be if I did? Lorien looked hurt by my actions, but I didn't really care at the moment.

"I think you should go, at least until you can talk some sense." I didn't want to hear any more of his ramblings.

"But, Claresa, you must see that-"

"JUST GO!!!" That was the first time I'd ever yelled at him, and I almost broke down. But then I folded my arms resolutely and looked away from him, setting my jaw. After a minute he got up and went out of the room. I was fuming. No, I couldn't see how putting our child in danger was supposed to be the answer.

And what was all that about the old magic guiding us? I thought the Alushaliel was just to find mates, not control our lives! Though now that I thought about it, if telling us who we could marry wasn't controlling our lives, then what was? There was a knock at the door, and I was just about to yell again when I saw that it was only Renai.

"What happened? I heard you yelling," she said, coming in and closing the door behind her.

"Lorien thinks that our baby is supposed to be some sort of weapon against that elf-human."

"What?"

"He thinks that because the elf-human is so powerful, a natural half-breed would be just as or more powerful. But that means that my baby will have to fight that monster, and I can't allow that! It's too dangerous, I have to protect it, no matter what!"

My folded arms now moved over my stomach, as if that would fend off all of the danger I now feared would befall my baby.

"What am I to do, Renai? Lorien is convinced of this, how am I to make him understand?" Renai was quiet for a little while, then came to kneel in front of me.

"You must work this out together, Claresa. You need to tell him about all of your concerns."

"But what if he won't listen?"

"He will, Claresa. He loves you, and he loves your baby. He probably just got a little carried away. I'm sure that he will understand what you're feeling."

I knew that he could have just gotten overly excited, and now I regretted raising my voice to him. I would go and apologize. But I wouldn't back down. I would protect my own. And if worse should come to worst... I would stay here, and Lorien would leave. My heart hurt just thinking about it. We'd only just been reunited. But what else could I do? I thanked Renai for her advice, and she left me to get dressed. After getting dressed I sat on my bed for a few minutes, thinking about what I was going to say. Then I opened the door and went down the stairs.

Renai was down in the kitchen, of course, getting ready for the coming sale day. She smiled at me, then pointed over her shoulder into the dining room. I heard low voices from the room. I wondered if Lorien was telling Varen all about his epiphany, and now I worried that I would have two elves to stand against instead of one. But I would remain firm, no matter what happened.