Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) (25 page)

Gewin let out another hardy laugh. "I bet you have."

"Quiet, brother," Gorin snapped.

"I have considered it. I consider all options before I make my decisions."

Gorin unfolded his arms. "Zidaoz, these creatures are from lands much farther south than this. They are not comfortable in this cold weather, and you have not allowed them to move around for many hours. If you have them standing still all through the night, I would not be surprised if most of them froze to death."

"Well, since you seem to be experts on the animals, what would you do with them?"

"At the very least, permit them to walk around in this area
while the sun is still in the sky.
It will warm their blood and protect them from the cold.
The sight will also confuse the Medorans and make them think an attack may be coming tonight. It will force them to be on high alert and give them little chance for rest. After nightfall, allow them to sleep in clusters so that they can help keep each other warm. If all goes well, they will survive the night unharmed and be ready to march down to the battle in the morning."

"And what are your plans?" the Zidaoz asked. "If you do not want to go down to the battle, then why are you here?"

Gorin swung his war hammer up to rest on his shoulder. "We don't care about your war. We are here to kill Rommus Tirinius."

Chapter
30

"Knock knock," Alana said as she knocked on the heavy wooden door to the library.

Rommus looked up from a book and snapped it shut. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't. I have been looking for you since sunset. I was afraid you were
still
over in Taburdum fighting. Am I bothering you?"

Rommus rubbed his eyes and sat back. "No, I am just searching for something that doesn't seem to exist."

"Aren't we all?
" she said with a crooked smile.
"
What is it you're trying to find?"

"Well, I'm sure you remember the dreams I had
several months ago
that led us up to the Land of the Gods. Terinopus, the god of life is apparently gifted with that ability. He visited me in a dream recently, and I am trying to figure out what he was trying to tell me."

"I don't understand. Can't you just go by what he said?"

"Not exactly. Before he could explain himself, he was telling me about the guardian of the void. He called him 'the soul under the mountain'
and I have been looking for any reference to that at all and I can't find anything. I am beginning to think it was just an ordinary dream.
"

"I doubt it, Rommus. If it was real enough to make you come here and study it, then it's probably real.
It was real before when the gods summoned you to the Land of the Gods.
It's a shame you can't look up information in the Great Library in Taburdum. There are a lot more books there."

"T
his should be enough. There's
got to be
100,000
books in this library."

Alana looked around at all the books in the shadows beyond the candlelight. "
Hey, this
is the library we came in to avoid the storm in the fall; where Vohl came in after he was shot with arrows."

Rommus looked around and nodded. "Yeah, this is the place."

Alana idly scanned the distant walls.
"It seems like no matter how hard we try to move on, we end up in the same places."

Rommus stared at her a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. I just
noticed that we're in a lot of libraries studying things."

"Information is
valuable
a weapon. Are you sure you mea
nt nothing by your comment? A
re you hiding something?"

She was offended that he would
question her like that
, but he was right. She lied about the comment meaning nothing, but she didn't know how to address the issue directly. She could only think of dancing around the edges, trying to offend him slightly, and hope that he would bring up the topic that she couldn't
seem to
. If he would just bring it up himself, it would prove that he cared.

"I'm not hiding anything, Rommus. You know all about how I feel."

Certainly
that
comment would do the trick. He had to know what she meant with such a direct statement.
The last time they were studying in a library, she had admitted how she felt about him.
But instead of opening his mouth and discussing his feelings, he began reading the spines of books he had stacked up on the table. He didn't acknowledge her statement at all, and that stung.

She folded her arms. "Okay Rommus, I came here for a reason. I need to know if there is something between us or not. I know you don't want to talk about it and that you are busy with all that is going on, but this is something I need to know. I need to know it right now."

Rommus sighed, still reading the titles of books. "If you need to know right now, then no."

"No? No what?"

"No, I don't see anything between us. I hold great value in our friendship and I appreciate who you are. I admire you and I like being around you. But if by 'feelings' you mean something more than that, then no. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt your feelings with it, but I am not going to be dishonest."

"Is it that you think our friendship will be compromised? I promise it won't. I'm not a little girl; I'm a woman. I know how serious this s
ort of thing is. This is
life
Rommus. This is your life and my life. I know there are a million important things going on, but this is important too."

"I know it's important Alana, but I'm sorry; it's just not what I want right now."

She wiped the tiniest of tears away from an eye. "Rommus, you have to be sure. Stand up, put your arms around me and tell me you feel nothing at all."

"Alana I—"

"Stand up, Rommus. Hold me for just a moment. It's all I ask."

He slowly and reluctantly stood
, his chair squealing against the wooden floor. She stepped in and wrapped her arms around him.
Even while standing there relaxed, she could feel the power in his muscles. She felt life breathing into him as he drew in each breath. His heartbeat was strong but calm—just like he was. His arms seemed as if they were carved out of stone. They wrapped around her, squeezing her gently so as not to harm her with their might.

But it wasn't right. She could tell by the way he held her that he thought of her a nothing more than a friend. She had learned when she was a lot younger that men who were her friends hugged higher than men wh
o wanted something more
. His arms wrapped aroun
d her ribcage, and not the small of her back. He was her friend. He wasn't hiding any feelings for her. He was telling her the truth.

Still, she did not want him to let go. She wanted that moment to last forever; as imperfect as it was. She pressed her face into his chest, hoping that his shirt would help to wipe the tears away. She found herself squeezing him harder than she wanted to, which was prob
ably uncomfortable for him. S
he didn't care.

She pulled away and looked up into his dark eyes. "Nothing."

It wasn't even a question—it was a statement. She knew the answer and didn't even have to ask. There was no sense in embarrassing herself any further or forcing him to comment on feeling
s
he simply did not have. She would have to let go. As soon as the embrace ended,
she knew
they would be nothing more than friends for the rest of their lives.

"I'm sorry Alana. I don't want to hurt you. I hope you know that."

"I do," she said as she backed away and wiped her eyes.

"I wish things were easier. I'm sorry I can't be the man you want me to be."

She gathered herself for a moment over a sigh. "Vohl tried to kiss me."

"What?"

"Please don't hold it against him. It's my fault. I think I said things that made him think it was okay. He has been hiding his feelings for a long time, and he has not acted on them out of respect for you."

Rommus stared at the floor as he drummed his fingers on the desk.
"I can't hold it against him. You're a beautiful woman
inside and out. He would be a lucky man to win your affections."

"You're not angry about him hiding it?"

"Not at all. He's an admirable man to go to such great lengths not to offend his friends.
He's a good man."

Alana nodded.
"He is a good man. I know that."

Rommus paused for a moment and tapped his knuckles on the table. "Do you have feelings for him, or is there nothing there?"

She was afraid that he would ask that question. If she admitted that she had no feelings for Vohl, then he could point out that the situation was a lot like the one between her and him. Feelings were not something that could be forced, and no matter how hard one tried, something could not be made out of nothing. It was a balance between two people, and attempting to make it work on only one side would never do anything but tip everything over.

"I have to admit, Rommus, it has been on my mind since I learned how he felt about me. It's all I can think about. It's why I needed your answer tonight."

Rommus nodded absently. "I see."

"Are you angry at me, Rommus? Are you angry at Vohl? I don'
t
want things to become more complicated than they
already
are."

Rommus flashed her
a quick smile. "I'm not angry
at either of you, Alana. I admit I am pretty shocked at all of this, but it's understandable. People feel how they feel; that can't really be helped.
Although, he is several centuries older than you, you know.
"

"
He doesn't look old. He looks and acts like people our age.
I haven't made any decisions about anything. It's just that I'm not a young girl anymore. I know I'm not
old
, but I am beginning to feel the need to, you know, settle down or something. I have always been sort of a free spirit, but I want something solid. Does that make sense?"

"Of course it makes sense. I can't hold anything against either of you. You came to me a few times and told me how you felt, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate that you are telling me everything about Vohl as well. If the two of you can make each other happy, then that's what I want for both of you."

Alana let her shoulders slump. "I don't know, Rommus. It's not my first choice, and in a way that's very unfair to Vohl. If I ever chose him, he would know it was only because you refused me first. That's not how love is supposed to be."

"I guess n
ot, but life rarely resembles our perfect dreams. There is no such thing as perfect here in the real world, but in a way, that is its perfection. I find beauty in the flaws; not just between them.
But
I can't say I know all that much about love; maybe none of us do. I leave that subject to the poets."

"And what subject is there left for you, Rommus? If it's not love that drives you, then what does?"

"War, Alana. I h
ave
had to do terrible things. A
s
much as I have tried to avoid it, I ki
ll to bring order to the world.
I may lack the divine powers, but I
am
truly
becoming
the god of war."

Chapter
31

Vohl dismissed his guards when he arrived at Song's door. The two armored men
didn't leave, but walked a few paces and turned to stand guard near the door. The soldiers of Legion Archenarius were prone to disobey orders when it came to protection. None of them would let harm come to their leaders at any cost. Vohl had followed Rommus's lead and allowed the soldiers to protect in the manner they saw fit.

After knocking several times with no answer, Vohl opened the door a crack. "Song? Are you in here?"

When no answer came he drew his sword. His alert guards drew theirs as well, but only one approached, leaving the other to watch for any potential threat in the streets. The hinges creaked and protested as Vohl slowly pushed the door open.

Immediately something flew at him. At first it was
just
a brown blur, but when heard the growls and snarling barks he knew that it was Song's dog
. When Vohl saw the bright yellow eyes, the animal instantly fell under his spell and relaxed. Looking into her eyes, he could feel her emotions very clearly. She was distraught and afraid; and not of Vohl. Something was very wrong, and the dog was undoubtedly worried about something.