Eternal (19 page)

When the meal was over Len and I cleared the table while the clan began to discuss the issue at hand: alben-hunting, when, where and how. They went back over the morning's argument, still disagreeing over whether they should stick together or send out a party to hunt the female. Bironan wanted to hunt, and Lomen was with him. Faranin, Nathrin, and Mirali wanted everyone to stay put. Caeran and Madóran didn't offer opinions.

It looked like they were just going to keep arguing until something happened. I got up and wandered away from the table. The front windows were still covered, so I stepped into the entryway to look out on the
plazuela
. The green smell of all the plants made me relax.

Len joined me. “This is how they work things out.”

“
By arguing about it over and over?”

“
Yeah. It beats a war.”

I shook my head, gazing out at the twilit garden. “Sometimes I don't understand them at all.”

“
Me neither. But it's worth it.”

I glanced at her. “You think you can find a cure?”

She raised a shoulder. “I'm willing to spend my life trying.”

Shouldn't I be willing, too? Savhoran needed that cure.

“
I'm going to make some tea. You want anything?”

I shook my head and watched her head for the kitchen. I envied her commitment, to be honest. She knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish in this life. I didn't, really. I wanted to be with Savhoran, but that wasn't a lifetime achievement.

When she came back with a tray of teapot and mugs, I followed her back into the great room. The ælven were still debating around the dining table. Madóran smiled and nodded at Len. She and I served tea to them all, then retreated to the sofa with our own mugs. We might be honorary members of the clan, but we didn't have a say in this discussion.

To my surprise, they actually reached a decision. Bironan had worn them down and convinced them that a party should go out to hunt the female alben. Faranin finally agreed to go with him and Lomen. It sounded like they were still planning to walk.

I got up and walked over to the table. “Look, if you won't let me drive you, at least take the bus. You'll get there faster.”

Bironan frowned. “Bus?”

“
Yeah. You can catch one to Albuquerque from Las Vegas. Len or I could drive you there tomorrow.”

“
I will drive them,” Caeran said.

Len whipped out her phone and surfed up the bus schedule. Plans were made, and the meeting was over.

Nathrin and Mirali headed for their room, and the rest of them drifted over to the sofa and chairs. Madóran got out his guitar and he and Len took turns playing. On one song that Madóran played, all the ælven sang along in their language. It was so strange and beautiful it gave me goosebumps.

I got out a deck of cards and sat at the long table, playing solitaire. It helped me think.

What could I do to help? Playing poker wasn't useful, especially since money wasn't an issue.

I could boss the ælven around.

I snarked to myself as I shuffled. Probably they wouldn't put up with me telling them what to do, but I did sometimes wish I could. Their beat-the-dead-horse method of discussion was a slow way of getting things done.

Lomen came over and joined me. I dealt us a hand of Hold'em.

“
We will play in another tournament,” he said. “You were doing very well. You deserve another chance.”

“
Thanks. Your action.”

“
Check.”

“
I bet two samolians,” I said.

“
Call.”

I dealt the flop, low mixed garbage. Lomen checked again. I looked at my cards: they hadn't changed. Jack-ten off-suited.

“
Check.”

Turn card: ten. Lomen checked.

“
Four samolians.”

He called. I turned over the river card, a seven. There was a chance of a straight. Lomen checked again.

I stared at him for a minute, trying to decide if he was slow-playing me. He gazed mildly back. Ælven don't get impatient—they have all the time in the world.

I checked and showed my hand. He turned over pocket aces.

“
You should have bet those,” I said.

“
You would have folded.”

“
Maybe, but you might have won more if I called. And more to the point, I could have caught a straight and beat you. Better to bet hard with pockets.”

He smiled. “I am disinclined to be aggressive. You are a better player.”

In poker, yeah I guessed I was. Arrogance can pay. Not that the ælven weren't arrogant in their own way, but they were usually subtle about it.

I hastily wrapped white light around that thought. Glanced at Lomen, but he didn't show any sign of having heard.

The next morning after breakfast Caeran drove the hunting party to Las Vegas in Len's car. Still no answer when I called Savhoran's cell, and he hadn't left me a message. I tried to dismiss it, but I was worried.

I helped Madóran in the garden again, this time with Len standing guard. Nathrin was sticking close to Mirali. I missed Lomen more than I'd expected, and was glad when Caeran came back. He brought in four bags of groceries; Madóran had given him a shopping list. I helped put stuff away.

Len and I spent the rest of that day practicing ælven, with Caeran coaching us. He said I was doing well. I figured he was just being nice.

The six of us had dinner in the kitchen, and I missed the hunting party even more. There were too few of us. Dinner conversation was a bit strained, because we avoided talking about the one thing all of us were thinking about. We went our separate ways for the evening.

The next day was Monday, and Madóran had patients coming in. Len helped him, which left me to entertain myself. I left another message for Savhoran. I was tired of reading so I opened the door of my room, sat on my bed, and stared out at the
plazuela
.

Caeran walked by and noticed me sitting there. “Do you want to go outside?”

“
Madóran said not to alone, even in daytime.”

“
I will go with you if you wish.”

He didn't have to ask me twice. I went around smelling and touching every plant in the garden, I was so glad to be out there. Walked through the orchards and the vineyard. Finally I settled in a chair in the shade near the fountain, and Caeran sat next to me.

“
Do you wish you were hunting too?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I wish there were no need to hunt.”

“
Yeah.” I watched a hummingbird visit the honeysuckle vine on the south side of the
plazuela
. “What do you think that female would be like if she was cured?”

He thought for a moment. “She might be the same. She may have developed a taste for blood. Gehmanin was unimpressed at the possibility of a cure.”

Oh, great.

“
Do you think any of the alben will be interested? I mean, why go to the trouble if they're not?”

“
For Savhoran.”

“
Well, yeah. But will any of the others want the cure?”

“
Most will, I think. Pirian may. I wish I had been here when Madóran talked with him.”

“
Do you know him?”

“
No.”

“
He hasn't been back, so I guess he kept his word.”

Caeran nodded.

I sat thinking about the future, when the cure had been found and Madóran's patients were all alben coming to the hacienda to be treated. A parade of them coming in, with Len and Madóran working on them and me directing traffic. Caeran and Lomen standing watch in case one of the alben went rogue. When the patients came out of the treatment room their hair wasn't white anymore, but brown like the clan's or black like Madoran's. Each of them left a pile of gold coins or a handful of gems on my desk.

“
Manda?”

Gentle voice startled me awake. I blinked, realizing it was Caeran.

“
Madóran has lunch ready.”

We went to the kitchen and found Madóran and Len already chowing down on chicken salad. There was a huge bowl of apricots on the table; one of Madóran's patients had paid with fruit and eggs. The apricots were rosy and perfect. I ate about ten of them along with my lunch.

“
Lomen called,” Len said. “They're in Albuquerque.”

I looked up at her. “Lomen's got a phone?”

“
I gave him mine,” Caeran said.

“
Have they seen Savhoran?”

Len shook her head. “They're going to stop by his place after sunset.”

I took another bite of salad. I wanted to know about him
now
.

Madóran only had one more patient that afternoon, so Len and I worked on ælven some more, with Caeran's help. I loved just listening to him speak the language. I knew I wasn't pronouncing things right—there were nuances of inflection and stuff that were far more subtle than anything in English.

We worked until four, then sat in the
plazuela
until suppertime. Caeran chaperoned us, making me grateful yet again. Long ago—forever ago—I'd been jealous of him, but he had done me too many favors. I owed him.

We all gathered in the kitchen for supper, Mirali and Nathrin too. Mirali was moving a little slowly and she looked pale. She said something to Madóran in ælven and he answered. They spoke too fast for me, with my two lessons, to have a snowball's chance in hell of understanding. I looked at Caeran and saw a slight frown on his brow.

Mirali picked at her meal. I wondered if ælven pregnancies were like human pregnancies. They might have a whole different set of problems. It didn't surprise me when Madóran, Nathrin, and Mirali all left right after we finished eating.

Len, Caeran, and I cleaned up and put away the leftovers. While we were washing dishes Len's phone rang. She stepped aside to answer it and Caeran took her place at the sink.

I tried to listen, but Len's side of the conversation was mostly “Uh-huh” and “OK.” When she hung up, she came back to the counter. Caeran looked at her and they had one of those long staring moments.

Len took the dish towel away from me. “Savhoran's not at home. They found his cell phone in his apartment.”

Shit.

“
They're going to look in the bosque, but they think he's been gone a while. There's no fresh khi in his place.”

I frowned. “Fresh what?”

“
Khi is the energy of a living being,” Caeran said. “We leave traces of it wherever we go.”

“
Like chi,” Len said. She turned to Caeran. “But there's also prime khi, right? That's different.”

“
Not really,” he said. “The earth is a living being.”

That didn't make a lot of sense to me, but I didn't really care. Savhoran was missing. That was what I cared about.

Len pushed a glass of ice water into my hand and nudged me toward the table. I sat down and stared out the window. Most of the
plazuela
was in shadow but a strip of flagstones at the east side were glowing golden in the setting sun.

Had he left New Mexico? He knew how his presence bothered the others. He might have decided to leave for their sake. But without even saying goodbye?

Len and Caeran were talking quietly and finishing up the dishes. I rubbed my eyes and drank some water, and tried to understand how Savhoran could just leave. He didn't know me that well; we'd only met a couple of months ago, and for an ælven that wasn't very long. And he didn't like the fact that he had to drink blood to survive.

My heart lurched as I thought that maybe he hadn't left at all, at least not that way. I closed my eyes, refusing to even think about that. Listened to Len and Caeran putting things away. Outside a bird gave a falling cry.

I heard someone sit across from me. I opened my eyes and saw Len looking at me, worried.

“
We're done,” she said. “Want us to walk you to your room?”

I nodded and stood, taking my water glass along. We went out to the
portal
and walked around to my room. I went in and said good night, then watched them walk around to the west side where their room was.

I sat on my bed and watched the garden slowly darken. Fought against the sadness.

Maybe Savhoran was just out hunting. Maybe he'd found a hot lead on the alben female. Maybe he'd found her hiding place and was staking it out.

The garden was getting hard to see. The bushes were just dark blobs now. I could just make out the patio furniture, and now and then I got a glint off the fountain's water. Was the moon up? I stood up to go look, and was halfway to my door when I saw someone jump into the
plazuela
and land silently,
knees bent like it had just been a small jump.

A chill of fear shot through me. It was the alben female.

I
could just make out her silhouette. She was looking around, peering through the glass walls. I dropped to a crouch behind my dresser. Stupid; she could probably tell I was there anyway, but it made me feel better.

She hadn't spotted me yet. I was debating whether she'd hear me if I did a mental shout out to Madóran when another person jumped down into the garden from the roof. Male, long hair, dark. He grabbed the female and they scuffled.

“
Shit!”

I ran out into the
portal
, not caring anymore if I was seen. Looked around for something I could use as a weapon. Yeah, not bright, but I wanted to help.