The Machines of Theda, page 10
part #3 of The Monster Of Selkirk Series
He studied her for a moment longer, amused by the blush he was giving her. Chuckling deeply, he continued, “Could your discomfort with my gaze be because you have lived a relatively sheltered life? Have you never experienced a true port tavern? Never smelled the sweat of desire? Ah, my dear, you must allow me to broaden your horizons! How about we make a trade? You teach me your ways, and I will teach you mine.”
His request was full of not-so-subtle innuendo. Tallis’s instincts were screaming at her to say no, to turn him down, for she knew he could not be trusted. But her curiosity was winning out over her rational mind. Part of her did want to see and experience all the things Rodrigo was offering.
Telling herself she would easily be able to resist him because of her loyalty to Tomas, she decided to take a leap of faith. “Very well, you have a deal. I’ll meet you here tomorrow, same time.”
Returning his rakish smile with one of her own, she delicately sprang up the wall and climbed back into her bedroom window, with Tomas oblivious to her nighttime escapade.
Tallis was still asleep by the time Tomas woke that morning. He couldn’t help but watch her and smile to himself. Her hair was tousled and covering her face, her mouth half-open in a silent snore, and her arm haphazardly tossed over her eyes. She was barely beneath the covers and Tomas let his eyes follow the curves of her bare legs. Watching her soundly sleep, it was not for the first time that Tomas berated himself for not being with Tallis the way she seemed to want.
Tomas was well-aware of what both his heart and body desired. And with the way Tallis had kissed him the night before, it was obvious she wanted him in the same way. But Tomas needed to wait before consummating his affections for Tallis. It was what he had been taught in the monastery, and he truly loved the idea of saving himself until married in the eyes of Wodan. Not only did it suit his morals, but there was also a certain kind of romanticism to it. And while Tomas wasn’t sure what to call his relationship with Tallis, he knew what he wanted it to be. He was just unsure if that was something Tallis wanted as well.
She was on a path of self-discovery, a search for what it meant to be a half-elf, a new species of sorts, or one of little acclaim. Tallis hoped they could one day return home, and she could be the ambassador the elves so sorely needed. But Tomas didn’t know if those plans included him, and it made him wonder if he was wasting the one chance he would ever have to truly be with Tallis.
His intentions were pure, which should be enough to satisfy Wodan, and yet he knew it was not. Gulping his heart back down into his chest, he turned away and took deep, calming breaths, trying to banish the yearning to run his hands over Tallis’s smooth skin. Distracting himself from such thoughts, he sat down at their little desk and began to work.
He wasn’t making one of the many designs he and Fabiana had worked on earlier. Instead, he began taking apart the various mechanical pieces from his clothing and the pieces that Tallis didn’t wear and was reassembling them into a kind of pendant.
He wanted to make her something that would let her know he didn’t mind her waking him every night to save her from her own nightmares. He would always come for her, even if it meant moving worlds. He may not know how to say such things to Tallis yet, but he hoped she would understand with the trinket he was fashioning for her.
Before he had gotten too far in his creation, he heard Tallis begin to stir. Hastily, he hid what he was working on and turned to watch her stretch in bed and give an enormous yawn. He smiled at her; even as disheveled as she was, she was gorgeous.
“No nightmares this time, I take it?” Tomas asked as Tallis rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
She looked at him sheepishly for a moment. “No, there were nightmares, but I, well, I found a way to ensure I was too exhausted to even dream. I went into the alley and did the meditations Donovan taught me.”
Tomas stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment. He knew it wasn’t his place to tell her what to do, but that did not keep him from worrying. “Are you…are you certain that’s wise? What if it isn’t safe?” he stammered, hoping he didn’t sound too controlling.
Tallis rolled her eyes. “It was fine, Tomas. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of crime here, anyway, now that I think about it. Look, about yesterday at dinner—”
“Do not trouble yourself about it, Tallis,” Tomas said, cutting her off. “You were…you were right. I should have been more considerate in asking how your day was and listening to what you found. You did unearth something, didn’t you?”
Chewing her lip as if considering, Tallis said slowly, “Maybe. Go see if Mario or Nezetta has something in the way of breakfast while I collect my thoughts and I’ll tell you what I did, and did not find.”
Nodding, Tomas left so Tallis could change and went to see if the inn owners were up and had any food for their new favorite patrons. Tomas wasn’t sure why the couple found him and Tallis so endearing, but they had taken to them right away, and went out of their way to make the two of them comfortable and happy, even if they didn’t have the coin to pay them for all their generosity.
Nezetta spotted Tomas first and waved her tanned, plump hand at him as she was busy cooking. There was a kind of jittery excitement to her that made Tomas wonder how Mario had gotten her to settle down in a place like the Sleeping Olive.
Leaving Nezetta to work, Tomas lingered in the bar as Mario prepared the counter for the flux of other patrons who would soon be rousing from their beds. “You saw Fabiana yesterday, yes? How’d that go?” Mario asked as he wiped down the counter.
“Considering I wasn’t trained here in Theda, Fabiana seems pleased with my abilities,” Tomas told him, trying to keep his pride in check.
Mario gave a hearty laugh. “That is wonderful, Tomas! Now you can help me around the tavern to keep things working, so you won’t have to find new rooms. I like you and your, well, what is she, Tomas? She is not your wife, yet you share a room. She is your woman, yes?” Mario asked, scratching at his beard.
Mario had a bluntness to him that Tomas was unsure how to respond to. He was a kind man with an easy laugh, but he was painfully direct, especially when he was curious about something, and Tomas and Tallis seemed to be an oddity that Mario loved to puzzle over. It was uncanny how Mario seemed to capture the things that Tomas was thinking and then force him to speak them aloud, even when Tomas would have rather kept his thoughts to himself.
“I do not know what you’d call us. She isn’t my anything, specifically, though we do care for each other. I would…I would do anything for her, Mario. She has been through much and lost a great deal, and yet she keeps going. She never stops and never falters. Even when she stumbles, she picks herself up, puts on a brave face, and keeps going. She’s amazing and I, well, she’s just an amazing woman.”
He had never actually told anyone what he felt for Tallis. It was usually so obvious that no one ever need ask, but it felt good to say it aloud. It seemed to make his feelings more real, and filled his body with a pleasant warmth, like a spring breeze wafting through a valley.
Mario smiled knowingly at Tomas. “Make sure you keep her then. Ladies like your Tally are wild things. They burn like wild fire in dry grass, consuming everything in their way, and if there is nothing there to fuel them, they will eventually leave, yes? My Nezetta was like that, so I know a thing or two about such women.”
Mario hadn’t meant it unkindly. He was trying to help Tomas, as he did seem to genuinely like him and Tallis together. But it still felt like a stone hitting the pit of his stomach as he suddenly realized that he did not know what to do to keep Tallis. He didn’t know what to do to make sure he was all that Tallis would ever need. He simply hoped the trinket he was working on would do the trick for the time being.
As she sauntered over and elbowed her husband in the side, Nezetta saw the pallor Mario’s words had given Tomas. “Leave the man alone. He’s in no danger of losing his fair lady. Here you go, my not-newlywed, and don’t worry about my husband. He thinks himself a wise sage of love when he is no such thing,” Nezetta said, teasing her husband as she handed Tomas a basket of fresh fruit for them.
Tallis was already dressed by the time Tomas returned. She was wearing her black corset and breaches but forewent the blouse she had originally worn underneath, choosing instead to leave her shoulders bare, and show the lovely subtly of her bustline. The dark fabric of the corset made Tallis’s pale skin appear more radiant and her lustrous hair shimmer all the more.
Tomas could not help but stare wide-eyed at her as he murmured breathlessly, “By Wodan’s Garden, you are beautiful, Tally.”
Tallis blushed as she tied her hair back in a messy bun, thick tendrils of her wavy hair falling about her shoulders. “You aren’t so bad-looking yourself,” she responded with a wink as she took the food from Tomas’s hands and began eating ravenously.
He watched her, amused that a good night’s rest had given her such an appetite. He knew better than to comment on it, though, as he silently ate with her. He had learned enough from the brothers to know it was impolite to comment on a lady’s eating habits, even in jest. Instead, Tomas enjoyed their closeness and the fact that their silences were no longer tense.
“So, what did you find at the monastery?” he asked as Tallis finally slowed down enough to sip at her tea.
“Well, painfully little. That’s really the strangest part. No one knows anything about the elves, or dag’ears, as they refer to them, even though they all seem to be on friendly terms. Even the ones in the cities don’t speak of their culture with outsiders.
“The monastery didn’t have anything, so I went to the library, and a codger of a librarian reluctantly let me read the one book he had on tremps, or dag’ears.” Tallis paused to toss a dried apricot into her mouth.
“Yes? And what did it say?” Tomas prompted.
“It told me nothing I hadn’t already experienced for myself. Except in the very back of the book…there was this strangely written line. It gave a brief warning about half-elves and something called an elandili, but I guess that may be the same thing. I’m not sure. Anyway, it didn’t say why or anything helpful, just to beware of them. I asked what it meant, but the librarian insisted he didn’t know.
“Curious, isn’t it? The elves in the city seem to recognize me, and now there are books giving warnings about half-elves? I don’t know what it means yet, but there’s something very strange going on here.” Tallis pushed away from the table and glanced out the window, deep in thought.
“Is it possible that you are only looking for danger? I don’t mean…I don’t mean to say you’re looking for trouble, Tallis. Just that now there isn’t any, now that you are somewhere safe where you can relax and heal, is it possible you are looking for something to spoil it, because, well, that’s what’s happened before?”
Tallis didn’t snap at him; she was silently considering his words as she watched the world wake below her. After a long moment, she said, “I really wish that were true. That a day of lounging on some golden shore would wipe clean the unease that comes with every sideways glance a tremp gives me. But there’s something here, something is wrong, I know it. And if I don’t figure it out then I worry I won’t be safe. That you won’t be safe, if you’re with me.”
Her fear was genuine and touching. But Tomas was determined that Tallis didn’t need to be his protector; he could take care of himself, and together they could look out for one another. Tomas knew that while her worries may be somewhat legitimate, her fear over the strange text and the way the elves in the city treated her was still partially tied up in her desire to not be a half-elf. And not just any half-elf, either, but one that was created out of a dark ritual with a monster.
Tomas knew Tallis wanted to be nothing but normal, despite everything and everyone telling her that she could not be. She failed to see that part of her brilliance was rooted in her uniqueness. But with more and more evidence suggesting there was something ominous about half-elves, Tomas knew that Tallis was waging a silent war with herself.
Joining Tallis at the window, he slipped his arm around her hip and pressed her to him, grinning to himself when he felt her body soften as she rested her head on his shoulder. Squeezing her hip lightly, Tomas said, “You don’t need to worry, you know. About me or about anything. I am going to keep you safe. Just like before. I know you are not the monster you fear you may become. You’re a hero, Tallis. You are…you’re—”
“I’m what, Tomas?”
“You’re perfect,” Tomas said, turning Tallis to face him and cupping her chin in his hand. Taking a cue from Mario’s advice, he boldly kissed Tallis before she could protest about her own perfection. Any protest, any thoughts she had at all, died in her throat as she melted in his arms.
He felt her knees go weak, and Tomas held her all the tighter. Enjoying the way she responded to his touch and the way her body quivered with pleasure, Tomas ignored the voice in his head telling him to stop. He felt Tallis’s fingers delicately tangle themselves in his belt loops as she pulled him even closer, until there was nothing between them.
His reasons for waiting began falling at his feet like snow, melting away as it met the ground. Tallis grabbed at everything she could, holding on to him tightly as if she worried he would slip away once again. He let his hands slide over her slight frame, delighting in the goosebumps that trailed after every spot he touched, knowing it was he who put them there. He buried his hands in her silky hair and let it tumble over them, cradling her head as they moved.
He felt her fumbling at the straps of his clothing and knew he was passing the point of no return. Caught up in his desire, he told himself he would have to live with the consequences when there was a sudden sharp rap at the door.
Tomas growled deep in his throat as he felt Tallis pull away to answer the door. He grabbed her hips, his fingertips finding the spaces between her clothing, and pressed her to him as he kissed her deeply.
They had just bumped into the edge of the bed when the knock came again and Nezetta’s bright voice called from the other side of the door, “Tomas? Tally? Sorry, my dears, but there is a…there’s someone looking for you.”
This time Tomas did not grab at her when Tallis slipped away and readjusted her clothing. He had to turn his back on the door to do the same as Tallis poked her head out to greet Nezetta.
“Who is it? We don’t know anyone here, Nezetta. Is it Fabiana?” Tallis asked trying to pretend that Nezetta hadn’t just ruined a moment that neither was sure could be recreated.
Nezetta hesitated, something she never did. Eventually, she said in a low whisper, “I’m sorry, but no. It’s a dag’ear. She won’t give her name, but she says she must speak with you.”
Tomas joined Tallis at her side, saw the sharp line of her clenched jaw, and knew Tallis was debating whether or not to meet the elf face-to-face, or to slip away. Saving her from having to respond, Tomas said, “We don’t know this person. Tell her…tell her we are not here, and we’ll slip out the back way. Don’t worry, Nezetta, no trouble will come to you, or Mario,” he told her with a smile.
Tomas wasn’t sure if Nezetta fully believed him, but she nodded and went back downstairs, leaving Tomas to deal with a very cross Tallis. She slipped around him and fastened her daggers tightly around her waist and stared at Tomas’s crossbow as if debating whether or not she wanted him to arm himself as well.
Gently, he grasped her shoulders and pulled her away from his handcrafted weapon. “It will not come to that, Tallis. Trust me. No trouble will come of this.”
Tallis glanced at him momentarily, clearly wanting to believe him. Sighing, she said, “Fine. Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be trapped inside all day with some tremp looking for me.”
Lightly, she sprang down the stairs and slipped out the back door, Tomas struggling to keep up. She peered through the door, and when it looked clear, stepped out into the early morning sunshine.
Tomas wasn’t sure where they were going, but he was content to let Tallis lead for a time as she maneuvered through the backstreets and zigzagged her way towards the crowded port. They had seen the least number of elves near the docks, so Tomas assumed that Tallis believed the area to be safe.
“I don’t understand it, Tomas,” Tallis said, leaning against a shipping crate that had yet to be unloaded. “Why do tremps seem to care so much about me? I could understand it in Selkirk. There I had a purpose, even if it wasn’t of my choosing. But here? Why would they care about me here?”
“Well, obviously it has to do with this…business about half-elves being outlawed, but I don’t know why elves would care more about that than others, nor how they would even know you were one. You don’t look…I mean, you look human, Tallis,” Tomas said softly so no one would hear them.
“Think, Tomas. Remember how Cullen said the Sipsis back in Selkirk were originally formed because they were tremps and humans with half-elf children? Do you never remember seeing anything that said why they had to resort to forming the clans?”
Tomas thought for a moment, going through all the books and scrolls he had ever read. But the monastery back home also lacked information about the elves, outside of half-remembered rumors about how the elves went feral to begin with. At the time, it didn’t seem to matter, given the state of them, but now it seemed so glaring. It was almost as if there had been a tome there dealing with the elves or elven relations with humans, and it had been deliberately removed at some point in their history.
It sent a shiver down his spine as he finally began to grasp what was making Tallis so fearful. There was a reason half-elves were forbidden in both Theda and Selkirk, and there was a reason why someone, or something, had gone through the trouble to make sure no one knew why.
Shaking his head, Tomas said, “No, there was nothing about it other than a royal decree signed by our king and the elven high priestess before they went feral. It simply stated it was forbidden. Nothing regarding why it was a decree to be broken under penalty of death.”
