* * *
"I have never visited Merrill's home, but I know that it is very close to Wlodek's," Ilaisaane glanced at the two vampires Xenides sent to her. She had no desire to allow them anywhere near her home so she'd met them at a neutral site. A pub in Luddesdown was where they sat, which to her seemed the back of beyond. Ilaisaane preferred her comforts and city life. If the occasional human offered a meal, well, she didn't turn that down, either. Saxom had taught her in secret after killing her sire, working diligently to bring out her desire for power. She yearned for Wlodek's position, but killing him would not guarantee the seat in the center of the Council. There were too many others nearly as powerful. She would have to fight her way through all of them and frankly, the odds were not in her favor. She was determined to use guile instead of force. Xenides might be a stepping-stone to the seat of power.
* * *
"Avilepha, what are you doing?" Kifirin appeared out of nowhere. Again. I was sitting on the banks of the river, tossing stray stones into it. Dragon's dojo had been cleaned already and I toyed with the idea of going back to the Solar Red temple but held off for tonight.
"Tossing rocks into the river," I said, flinging another pebble far out into the water. More than likely, I could toss one to the far bank with no trouble, although the river was more than a quarter of a mile wide at this point. I'd deliberately taken myself upstream in case any boats came down, carrying priests. This bend of the river hid me well from the city's population, in case the priests did float past. Their death would come swiftly if they did.
"I was hoping you would be interested in other activities," Kifirin sat down next to me, gazing across the river at something even I couldn't see.
"What activities?" My small pile of river stones was nearly depleted. I might have to get up and hunt for more.
"I know that the Blood King here informed you of the Elemaiya, both dark and light."
"He called them Bright and Dark," I agreed, tossing another rock.
"Very good. That is what they call themselves," Kifirin smiled slightly, pleased with my knowledge.
"Gabron said his mother was a quarter Bright Elemaiya, making him an eighth. He says that I must be of that race as well." Kifirin radiated warmth. It wasn't hard to sit next to him; the air around the river was very cool and mist was rising from the water itself.
"He is wise," Kifirin acknowledged with a slight nod.
"So, you think he's right?" I looked up at Kifirin. His face definitely belonged to an angel, I think.
"He is correct," Kifirin informed me.
"And you know this how?"
"I know a great deal. What I wish to ask is whether you would like to accompany me for a visit to both the Bright and the Dark Elemaiya. I know you have a very good nose—perhaps you would like to get their scent. It might help you in your future dealings, both with those races and the vampire race as well." Kifirin placed an arm around my shoulders. Truly, I wanted to huddle into his warmth. I stayed still, instead.
"Someday, perhaps you will follow your heart and your instincts," Kifirin told me. "Do you wish to go or not?"
"I do," I said, rising easily and dusting off my loose trousers. "I'm not going to be sorry to leave this clothing behind," I muttered. Calling it shapeless was a compliment. "Where are we going?"
The question didn't have time to leave my mouth completely before Kifirin had us somewhere else. And by somewhere else, I mean on another planet somewhere else. The smell was completely different. I wish I knew how he did that, along with Pheligar, and most likely Dragon and the others of his kind.
"It is called folding space," Kifirin informed me, leaning his mouth next to my ear and breathing softly against it. His breath was quite warm. "Do you see the lights, avilepha?" He lifted a hand and steered my chin in the proper direction. There were lights off in the distance. They looked like fairy lights to me, winking softly just outside a grove of trees. Kifirin and I stood in knee-deep grasses on a world that didn't appear to have the least bit of technology.
"The Bright Elemaiya prefer this type of world; their gifts are not forced to compete with machinery and electronics."
"What gifts are those?" I looked into Kifirin's dark eyes.
"They have the ability to world-walk, between the gates. They can also relocate, but that is a limited gift. A few have mindspeech or the ability to shield or glamour. Fewer still have shape-shifting abilities. The rarest of all have either foresight or the ability to turn to mist as you call it, and the rarest of the misters are capable of turning others to mist with them." Kifirin was watching my face as he described the Elemaiyan gifts.
"Can any of the misters see other misters? While they're mist themselves?" I had to know and Kifirin seemed so knowledgeable about them.
"Ah, there you have hit upon it," he smiled. "I knew this about you already, m'hala. Only the most powerful among them have ever had that gift, and none of the full or half-bloods possesses it in this time frame. The Elemaiya, both Bright and Dark, have revealed their shortsightedness by upholding their laws on the dilution of the race. The gifts still come to those less than half, and they are too blind to see it."
"But how did I come by that blood?" My mother never said anything about this—if she knew about it, that is.
"Avilepha, someday soon, perhaps, one who knows will tell you. It is not my information to give. Come; let us walk among them—they will know not to harm us." Kifirin took my hand and we wandered toward the lights.
Two guards stood with tall, sharply pointed pikes at the entrance to the camp, and I didn't miss the gasps as they pulled aside and bowed as we walked past them. The Bright Elemaiya were not very tall as a whole—I didn't see any of them that stood more than five-ten or so, with most shorter than that. They were also slender of build, with ears that were slightly pointed. I thought they were lovely to look upon, with pale, clear skin and mostly blue or vivid green eyes. Their hair colors ranged from blond to dark brown, with reds here and there, most of it hanging down in long braids to their waists or below.
"May we offer you food and drink?" A female had come to stand before us, a crystal cup in her hands, which she offered to Kifirin.
"Queen Friesianna," Kifirin acknowledged her, but neither bowed nor debased himself in any way. He gripped my elbow, letting me know to remain upright as well. Kifirin accepted the cup with his other hand, drank a little and then passed the goblet back to the Queen. I got her scent, along with all the others I'd been getting. It was a different spice and one I now recognized a little—Henri and Gervais had it in a small amount, as did Robert. I could only assume that Robert's brother, Albert, had it as well. The others that had it, surprisingly enough, were Merrill and Gabron. Gabron had been telling me the truth about them, and that made me wonder just how often the Elemaiya had children with a human.