The next week seemed to run together for AJ. It was a week spent in the elvish world, which meant that another half a month had gone by in the human world. Their timeline was growing shorter and shorter. It was now only a month and a half in the elvish world, three in the human world, until the celebration of life. Only that little time make sure that they were all prepared. Gods, would they be ready?
AJ practiced with Brain daily to make sure that his skill with the sword stayed sharp. He ran drills with the dragons to prepare for anything that might come from the sky. The mermaids had arrived and he spent a small part of each night in the water discussing their part in things.
On top of that he and Brian walked the barrier lines, checking for any weakness, any signs of attack. Nothing came, but they still checked it daily.
Then the centaurs and the satyrs arrived, and homes and food had to be found for them. Their little area was starting to grow crowded. AJ blessed the stars that this area was almost entirely unpopulated by humans. They lived further inland where it was less dangerous. These cliffs were known for their wild weather patterns. AJ knew that this was caused by the elves in an effort to keep them secreted away.
Beyond that he also met with Kevin and Nick each day to check on them and make sure that they were settling in easily enough. Usually he managed to get visiting in with Isleen, Richard, Geoff, Marzio, and Sofia then as well. They were all home from their excursions, with promises from those that they had seen.
All in all, things were coming together nicely. Every few days someone new arrived. Pixies, or the nymphs. Imps. The elves were doing a wonderful job of keeping the peace and making sure that all had homes to their liking.
But – AJ couldn’t help but feel this niggling doubt in his chest. Since the death of Iona he had grown more serious. More war minded. Driven. It worried Brian, who had told him that rather bluntly. The best that AJ could explain was that he had this feeling, like something was coming, something they weren’t expecting. Something important.
So he practiced every day, and did everything that he was supposed to, but all the while he watched and he waited. Something was coming. What, he didn’t know. But it was coming, and soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He finally got a break one afternoon. A chance to sit and relax. Well, it was a little more than that. Brian and Tripha had gained up on him, and then on the others around them. They basically came up to AJ and told him that he was going to relax, whether he liked it or not. Then they told everyone that no one was to bother him. To make sure of it, Tripha was standing guard over them on the cliffs edge.
Stretched out in the sunshine, propped up against Tripha’s side with his lover next to him, AJ had to admit that he did feel better. The sun was warming his skin in a delightful way. With a sigh of contentment, AJ tipped his head back onto Tripha’s sun warmed scales and let his eyes drift closed. “Ok, so you guys were right.” He conceded defeat. “This feels wonderful.”
Amusement slid along the bond, an echo to Tripha’s amused growl. “Even the trulion must be human for a while.” Brian said softly. He shifted to hug AJ against him. In turn, AJ adjusted his body so that he was lying in the curve of Brian’s arm, his head resting against his shoulder.
Brian’s free hand started to stroke through AJ’s hair, which was spanned over his chest. That felt so good that AJ shamelessly slid down, laying the back of his head on Brian’s lap. His lover grinned, catching the hint, and started to run his fingers through AJ’s hair. The light pulls on his scalp felt wonderful and put him even further into relaxing. “I can’t help it. There’s just so much that needs done. With more races arriving every day it seems there’s always more to do.”
“There are plenty of others who can take up the burden for a short while.” Brian insisted. “It doesn’t always have to fall to you, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. Somehow I just seem to end up in the thick of everything. I keep looking for something…”
AJ’s voice trailed off on a sigh. For a split second Brian’s fingers paused. Then he resumed his combing. “You still have this feeling, then?” he asked casually. Despite the calm in his tone, AJ felt the worry in the bond. He hated worrying Brian, but he couldn’t seem to chase this thought away. “I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m just getting anxious, and reading too much into it.”
A grumble behind them showed that Tripha disagreed. “If you have a feeling, then trust to it.” He spoke, turning his head to look at them. “You are trulion for a reason. If there is something plaguing you, then it must be for a good reason. Trust to your instincts, Alyck. They are there for a reason.”
“I just wish I knew what it was!” Tension seeped back into AJ’s muscles, tightening his body. “it gets stronger every day, but I can’t place it. There’s something coming at us. But what?”
The hand in AJ’s hair suddenly tugged, drawing his attention. His eyes snapped open, looking up at Brian’s face. “No more talking.” His lover told him sternly. “Obviously you can’t talk without talking business ,and this is supposed to be a resting time for you. So no more talking. Just lie there and enjoy the sunshine and let your energy recoup.”
For a moment he debated arguing his points further, but he realized that Brian was right. He should relax. So he closed his eyes again and let his mind drift in that half-conscious state, lulled by the stroking of Brian’s fingers in his hair, the sound of Tripha breathing, and the warm sun on his skin.
It really was a soothing day. There was nothing that was going on that couldn’t wait an hour for him to lie here and recharge himself. The elves had everything well in hand with all of their guests. Flreu himself was entertaining all of their friends. He had taken a strong liking to Nick, as well as Kevin. They spent most days with him in the back garden, eating their meals there even, exchanging stories. Flreu loved hearing about their musical group, and stories of what AJ had done in particular.
Their barrier had been strong this morning when they’d done the walk through, so he shouldn’t worry about that. The elves that were there weren’t all familiar to him, but he trusted the elves with his life. None had betrayed him. IN the history of elves it was in their very nature to be dependable and steadfast beings.
Yet…Twyla had been half elf, just like him, and growing into that elvish blood when he had turned toward evil. But none of the elves now were like that. Twyla had been rare, a random element. There had been no others like him before or since his time.
The elves that guarded along the barrier were there to see to the welfare of all. AJ realized that he had never really looked deeply at those elves. Not like he had with the goblins, or the dwarfs. Them he had inspected as they arrived, testing to see if another was anything like the half possessed goblin had been. That goblin had been bad before Twyla had joined him.
Just like in the speech he’d given on the day of Iona’s death; wherever there was dark, there was light. But it worked the same in reverse. Wherever there was light, there was always a form of dark. Had he really been so lax as to not personally inspect the elves that guarded them? He had just taken it for granted that all elves were good. But wasn’t Twyla proof of the opposite of that?
That thought grew, and with it the wrong feeling that had been inside of him. He felt as if he was missing something. Something important that connected the two. The guards and this feeling of trouble. Putting the two in the same sentence like that had AJ going stiff.
He ignored Brian’s questing probe at his mind. He was too focused on this thought that was unraveling, painting a picture of horror in his mind. How could he have not thought of it before? Roth had come that night, with Twyla riding him, to inspect the barrier. He had openly said that, and AJ had taken it at face value. But what if that hadn’t been what he was really there for?
What if he had been going after, not the barrier, but the barrier guards. Maybe…meeting with someone? Or, worse yet, using blood magic to bind them to his will. Oh sweet God. Had he been so blind?
AJ leapt to his feet, his eyes going wide with horror. He was supposed to be their protector. Their trulion. Gods above, if what he suspected was true, he had failed miserably.
Belatedly he realized that Brian was standing in a defensive crouch, his eyes scanning the area around them. Tripha was on his feet as well, his tail flicking as he took looked for the coming danger. They had such faith in him and his abilities. How could he tell them that their faith was unfounded? “I am an idiot.” He admitted out loud.
Looking at them, AJ pressed his hands over his face and tried to order his thoughts. He couldn’t afford to go running off without thinking this through. He had been an idiot so far. Now he needed to use his brain.
“What if Roth lied to us that night?” AJ asked in a soft voice that wouldn’t carry on the wind. “What if he wasn’t here to inspect our barrier?”
Tripha switched to mind speech, using the talent that the dragons were known for to speak directly to their minds. ‘What have you thought of, a’anish?’
‘What if Roth wasn’t looking at our barrier, but at our guards? What if he was meeting with someone, or seeking to capture and persuade someone to his side?’
The implications of AJ’s words had the two with him going as still as he. Brian rose from his defensive crouch, wide eyed. ‘Sweet Jesus, how could we have not seen it?’ Brian’s voice was full of shock. ‘We’ve been fools. Of course he wouldn’t tell us what he was really doing there. Is this what you’ve felt that’s been wrong, song of my heart?’
Sighing, AJ nodded. ‘I’m afraid it is. It’s the only thing that fits. The only thing that feels connected to it. I never thought to check the elves for signs of evil or possession or such. I let my heart get in the way of my mind, wanting to believe that all elves are honest as good. That it’s not in their nature to be evil. But look at Twyla. He was a half elf when he left, with magical abilities, just like me. Elves can be evil. Anything has the potential to be evil. If they have an ally in our home…’
‘Then Roth knows everything that we do. He would know what our plans and defenses are.’ Tripha spoke seriously. The repercussions of that chilled them all despite the bright sun. ‘He will know what he is up against and how to easily counter as he comes in. We will be like sheep led to slaughter.’
“Fuck!” AJ shouted loudly to the sky. He pressed his fingers to his temples, rubbing at a headache that wasn’t really there. Another thought occurred to him, and this was enough to have his entire body feeling numb. “He’s coming.” He whispered.
Eyes wide in his face, AJ looked to his friends. “Roth is coming early. He knows how to get past us, and he’s coming early to break through before I get the chance to figure it out. He’s smart. He’ll know that there’s a chance I’ll catch on. So he’s going to come before all of our forces are here and steal the castle. Then he can wait in his own sweet time for the celebration to arrive. Gods above…”
Frantic, he grabbed hold of Brian’s hands, barely noting that Brian had gone pale, as pale as he himself felt. “Go find grandfather. Request that he shield your conversation and speak with him privately. Tell him everything. Tell him there’s a spy, that Roth is coming, everything!” AJ released Brian and turned to Tripha. “You and I will act as if we’re inspecting the barrier. I heard once that you can shield magic so that none sense it? Is it true?”
“It is.” Tripha growled at him, straightening his body.
“Good. Then while we fly, I need you to hide mine. I’m going to scan each elf we past, and I don’t want them knowing. I don’t want to alert our traitor that we’re on to them. We will find the one we’re looking for. I should be able to shield him before he even knows what’s going on.”
“Won’t shielding him tell him that he’s been compromised, and have him trying to send a warning?” Brian asked fearfully.
For just a moment AJ stood there, staring at them. A thought came in to his mind, and he shuddered under the weight of it. But it was the only answer that he could see. The only thing he could do. “I’ll use the same web Roth did on us. Our traitor won’t be able to do anything, and we’ll be able to question him or her.” He spoke in a flat voice.
It looked like Brian wanted to argue for a minute. But his eyes turned as hard as AJ’s and he nodded lightly. There was no mercy to be found in war. Mercy was for the weak.
AJ reached out, grabbing the front of Brian’s tunic and pulling him in for a hard kiss. ‘I love you, Brian Thomas Littrell.’
‘I love you too. Do what you have to, Alex. It’s like you’ve said to me before. No mercy. Maybe we were meant to live through that so we had the knowledge to use on our side. Remember that the one you’re going to use it on is a traitor. Feel no sorrow over this. None.’
The strong words and the soul searing kiss gave AJ strength and determination. He pulled back and smiled at Brian. ‘Remember to keep it calm, lover. We don’t want you running in there alerting everyone to what’s going on.’
‘Gee thanks, Alex. I never would have thought of that.’ Was the sarcastic reply he got as Brian turned to walk away. AJ couldn’t resist. He used a flow of air like a small switch and hit Brian’s ass as he walked away. Brian jumped slightly, but he didn’t turn around.
His mind back on the matters at hand, AJ moved over and mounted up on Tripha’s back, clinging to the saddle. “Let’s make our rounds, friend.” He said, patting the shining neck. Face utterly calm, AJ looked around him as Tripha rose from the ground. No one would guess the rage burning inside of them. They would find this traitor, and whoever it was would rue the day they had decided to betray them.