The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 37

Elera and Char were both silent as they left the barracks. The silence wasn't unusual for them. Char's father had always been loud, able to coax Elera into conversation and lighthearted banter when she otherwise would have held her peace, and Rath was the same way. But when it was just Elera and Char, they were quieter, adding weight behind their words when they did finally speak. Everything was well-thought out, or it didn't need to be said.

"I knew about Jonah," she finally said.

Char looked over at her, surprised. Her blue eyes met his, and there was a hint of sadness in them.

"Jarth and I were married, Char. There weren't many secrets between us." Her eyes faced forward again, although she wasn't really looking ahead. She was looking back.

"Your father loved adventure. He always needed to explore, to meet new people, to try new things. I learned very early on that I couldn't stop him, and I couldn't change him. But I couldn't be like him, either. He hated that. I tried, at first. I tried to go off with him on his impulsive travels, to feel that excitement. It didn't work." She sighed. "So, I stayed home, and he went out into the world, and when he came back home, he told me all about it."

Char dropped his gaze to the smooth stone of the street beneath their feet and jammed his hands into his pockets. His mother hadn't talked about his father like this since he died.

"And then Rath came along, and he was an obvious troublemaker right from the start. Jarth was planning their escapades before Rath could even walk. Which was fine, since Rath skipped walking and went straight to running." She laughed. "Always full speed ahead, without any regard for his safety. I thought for sure he'd never survive flight training. And that first time your father took him off on a journey - I wanted to be happy for him, to finally be able to go off on an adventure with somebody who enjoyed that, but I was scared to death of losing them both."

"I remember that," Char said quietly.

"Of course, you do," she said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I couldn't stop crying all night, and you were trying so hard to cheer me up." She looked up at him, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. "Because that's who you are. Rath is always looking for excitement, and you are always looking for people. That's why Jarth ended up taking you along when he visited humans."

Char couldn't help but notice they had passed the shops and were headed home. He wasn't about to interrupt his mother, though. She was going somewhere - with her steps and her words.

"You wouldn't know this, of course, but Jarth was a lot less impulsive after he started taking you boys out with him. He used to run everything by me first. That's how I found out about Jonah. And I was not thrilled about you meeting a human mage, but your father assured me that Jonah was a very nice boy, and I gave in." She chuckled. "I always gave in."

"You would have liked him," Char said.

"I'm sure I would have. Jarth was a good judge of character, and he could see past the things that I couldn't get over."

Char held the door open for her, still wondering where this was all going. "Iris knew Jonah when she was little."

"Did she?"

"He never talked about his background to Father or me, but he's the one who found her on the church doorstep when she was a baby. She looked up to him as a big brother until he left when she was five."

Elera had led him back to his room, where she was removing dresses from the bureau.

"You saved some of her clothes," Char realized.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "I knew she'd be coming back. You look at her like Jarth used to look at me."

"Mother..." Char averted his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.