Fear's Union

Chapter Twenty-Four

—Xen—

He was back! Xen tingled, flushed and fidgety. She could not wait. So, where was he?

She stalked the Academy, searching for him everywhere he might be and everywhere else too. On a number of occasions her heart fluttered at the sight of him, but it was always someone else. It was never her man.

She tried his office, his classroom, the private training ground he used. She tried everywhere, but he remained frustratingly concealed. Was it a lie? No, she had spied him arriving. He was avoiding her. That was the only conclusion.

He couldn't avoid her forever.

She was in her room, the sanctuary she shared with Anejo. A single candle illuminated the sanctum, giving the place a sunset sheen. Strangely apt. It was her birthday eve, and she had a rich cake before her. It was a cake for both her and Anejo, but her friend wasn't back yet. It was Anejo's birthday too.

Keles came in without even a knock. She gasped – no-one walked in without knocking – but she quickly melted. She jumped from the bed, spilling the cake to the floor, and threw herself at him. He hadn't even closed the door.

He stepped back once and she stopped herself. Was he rejecting her contact?

"What's wrong?"

His head dropped, eyes down, grinding his foot into the floor. This was not her man – he was a shadow. What had happened to him?

It struck her then that he never came to this place. He must know that Anejo would not be here, and that could mean only one thing. Her legs faltered and she dropped to a knee.

"Anejo! What has happened to her?"

He straightened, military rigidity at its finest. His cheeks shifted, and the smile was warm. Was it good news?

"She is fine, she is fine."

Fine? That seemed a strange word to use when she was being tried for murder. "She's been acquitted?"

His head dropped, shoulders slumped. "Her sentence has been suspended indefinitely, but she was still found guilty. She will not be punished."

Her head swam and she crashed to the floor. She was guilty! But that was not really a surprise. All evidence pointed in that direction.

And yet she was saved from sentence, cleared of reprimand. How? Why? What on l'Unna could have intervened for such an outcome? Mandari justice was notoriously rigid – it was one of the qualities of Society – so what was it that had diverted the only end? Perhaps they had taken Anejo's findings into account. Perhaps they saw it for what it was – self-defence. But she was still trespassing, and against the High-Consul's wishes too. Her heart was pounding, her head full of possibilities, but Keles brought her back to the present. He pulled her to her feet, and she breathed in his smell. That was nice.

Her senses returned and she pulled her lover in. He squirmed, but she had a good grip. Her hands explored the contours of his body.

"How did she escape punishment?"

He was melting, bending to her will. Her heart quickened and she shuddered delicately. She went on tiptoes, pouting.

"She was declared a martyr by the Ranji."

The moment shattered, and she pulled away. That would not sit well with Anejo. Contrary to the perception, she actually craved isolation; a place out of the public gaze. It was the main reason that she wore the mask of the grey.