Haven Widows, Orphans, and Strangers

Haven Chapter Twenty Six Just Another Night

Chapter Twenty Six

Just another night.

            Michael walked the hallway towards his own door, carved with the symbol of Haven.  He always stopped to examine the carved image of an angel under a tree.  It reminded him of Azrael tonight.  Maybe not in the outer image of Azrael, but what was on the inside.  He imagined that the angel would be as kind and wise as his mentor. 

            He let his senses drift into the room.  He felt the presence he hoped for.  Immediately Dianna’s warmth flowed back along his own senses and into him.  Love, and kindness penetrated his mind making him breathe deeply as if he could absorb more that way.  

            Entering the room he saw Dianna sitting at a table reading one of many books stacked around her.  She scribbled notes in another book he knew she had recently started.  It contained all of her newfound information on the Panthers.  She had quickly taken over the care, treatment and interrogation of the Panthers and had found out much from the one called Rrang.  He was the one that was captured with Aveline by the small pond.  Rrang was the best approximation they could get to the panther’s actual name.  Their language was very different from any he had heard before.  It was very guttural and not suited to a human.

            “It is sweet how you watch me when you think I am not paying attention, but also a little unnerving.”  Dianna said without looking up.

            “It is a little unnerving how you always know when I am watching.”  He answered as he walked closer.

            She lifted her head from her work and he kissed her on the cheek.  Michael took an extra moment to breathe in her flowery smell and savor the feel of her silky hair.  Somehow after a long day her hair was still beautiful, not a hair out of place.  Perfect curls hung down past her slender bare shoulders framing her perfectly unblemished skin.    

            “Find out anything useful about our new guests?”  He asked.

            “They don’t like us.”  She said with a straight face.

            Michael took a seat opposite hers and smiled at her attempt at humor.

            “Did you know that a third of the ones that attacked you were female.  While the males are slightly dominant, the females are considered equals in most things.  Including fighting.  They do not call themselves Panthers either.  That’s a slang term, others call them.  They don’t mind it but they call themselves Yaguarete.  It translates to True Beast.  Sometimes they refer to themselves as just Yaguara.  I still do not understand the difference if there is one.”

            “That seems an appropriate name.  Are any of the others besides Rrang speaking with you?”  Michael asked.

            “Not really and not even Rrang will talk to me if the Anii are present.  For some reason they really do not like Au’Seek.”

            “They have been enemies for a long time.”  He picked up one of the books and absently thumbed the pages.  “Have you spent much time with the Anii?”  He put the book down without reading a word.

            “I have.  Fascinating people.  They live all the way on the other side of the desert.  Far in the mountains northwest of Carthose.  It is amazing how fast they can travel great distances.  The Yaguarete’s lands are west of the Anii but they have spread out all the way around the far side of the desert and south to the Someri border.  There lands are as large as Carthose and larger than Someri.”

            “No wonder the Anii are seeking allies.  I should have been paying attention to those areas.  I should have seen this coming.”  He scolded himself.

            “Right.  In your spare time when you are not watching every king, queen or so called emperor around the WaArekuruuSea.  Maybe when you are not trying to educate all of their children so they will grow up to be better rulers…     If you had seen the Panthers what would you have done?  There are thousands and thousands of them.  They are a warrior society.  They only respect combat.  Would you fight each one?  Maybe fight every one of the hundreds of clan leaders?”  She finally ended the mini tirade.

            Calmly Michael mulled over her words and he replayed Azrael’s words   “You can’t do it all.  You will do your best and it will be enough.”  He seemed to be getting double-teamed tonight.    “They might not respect Michael, but they might respect Gabriel.”

            “That they might, except for one thing.  I don’t know how to tell you this.  I’m supposed to, but it’s a little embarrassing.”

            “Do not keep me in suspense.  What is it?”  Michael leaned forward smiling but tense wondering what had Dianna laughing but unwilling to share.

            “Well you know your big secret.  That you are both Michael and the scary Gabriel…  The Anii know.  They know you are both.”  Dianna alternated smiling and grimacing. 

            Michael felt betrayed but didn’t know by who.  “How could they know?  No one can see through my disguise.  There is not a mage or wizard alive that could tell I am Gabriel.”  He stopped talking and only sputtered for a time.

            “It is not magic.  They uh smelled you.  They have very keen noses.  The students noticed it first.  You brought them here as Gabriel and then taught them as Michael and they could tell by your smell that you were the same person.”

            “Of all the idiotic stupid things.  I could have masked the smell if I had thought of it.”

            “You wouldn’t think of it.  What human would?”

            Michael began laughing.  “How foolish I must have seemed.  Talking in circles about Michael and Gabriel as two people when they knew.  Why did they not say anything?”

            Dianna laughed too now.  “Aubry did not want to embarrass you so she forbade anyone to talk about it.  Any Anii coming in contact with you was instructed to go along with it.”

            “The reason she told me was that the Yaguarete will be able to do the same thing.  She wanted me to warn you, that you already showed yourself to them as Gabriel, and not to visit the cells as Michael or they would know.”  Dianna was still trying not to laugh and still not succeeding. 

            “Thank Au’Seek for me.  I was planning to go to the cells tomorrow.  Now that I know, I can eliminate my… smell!”

            Michael laughed and walked around the table to take Dianna’s hand.  “Let’s go to bed, I am tired.”

            Dianna let go of one more chuckle and allowed him to lead her away.  She rubbed her eyes and yawned only now realizing how long her day had been.  “Yes sleep, that is a good idea.”

            She yawned again.  “You didn’t tell me about your night.  What did you do?”

            “Oh, nothing unusual.  Just another night.”  He answered and pulled her close, looking directly into her bright blue eyes.  “How tired are you?”

            Dianna smiled and raised a questioning eyebrow for an answer.