Tagan's Child (14 page)

The King spoke
in such a way that I knew I simply could not refuse, I would be a
fool not to do as he was suggesting.

“You are very
kind. I will collect Toby from school when we get back and return
with him straight away.” I raised my eyebrows questioningly at
Ahran who nodded in agreement. In spite of my reservations about
Toby’s future, he would be safe and we would be living in the lap
of luxury for the foreseeable future. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after
all.

“Good, well
that settles it then.” The King seemed relieved and Leylana visibly
relaxed.

“We were sorry
to hear of your friend’s brutal attack,” the King said, his tone
turning grave. “If there is anything we can do that would help
speed her recovery, please let us know.”

“Thank you,” I
answered gratefully.

Grudgingly, I
was beginning to like these people. Not only were they warm and
welcoming but they were also refined, caring, generous and
protective. We continued to eat our lunch and I attempted to focus
on mine and Toby’s unusual and impromptu vacation rather than dwell
on the less desirable aspects of the situation, such as the
prospect of losing Toby and Ahran’s relationship status.

I marvelled at
how much the Ramians ate, even the willow-slim Leylana ate double
the amount I ate. As someone who appreciated food, it was good to
be among people who seemed to share my enthusiasm for it. Much of
the following conversation was between Ahran and the King and about
how business was going. Leylana chipped in from time to time. They
both seemed to take an active role in the running of their kingdom,
which sounded like it operated on an almost feudal basis. They
clearly owned much of the land in the region and it was leased to
tenants. These tenants operated within large cooperatives and Ahran
was keen to hear how successful some of the more entrepreneurial
tenants were faring as they trialled new technological methods of
energy and food production. It struck me that this was a world of
contrasts. A medieval system of kingship operating alongside
technologically advanced methods of food production aligned with an
ultra-modern lifestyle.

Ahran talked
knowledgeably with Halsan and was clearly excited about his new
venture. He was keen to pick the King’s brains about the best way
forward for some of his ideas. I was impressed. Ahran was obviously
well-educated and had a sharp brain. I had learnt more in the last
hour about him than I had in the last few days. And much to my
dismay, I felt even more drawn to him.

I decided I
would do whatever I needed to do in the short term to protect Toby
and then I would distance myself from Ahran as quickly as I could
thereafter. Somehow, I would pick up the pieces of my life and try
to forget that I had ever met him. What I hadn’t figured out yet
was how I could fashion a life that straddled two worlds.

Whilst their
conversation flowed, Leylana and I chatted about Toby, what his
interests were and what he enjoyed doing.

“And what was
Toby’s mother like?” Leylana asked as she sipped some fresh
juice.

“Katie, was a
sweet and gentle person.” It didn’t get any easier talking about
her. The extent to which I missed her had not diminished in the
slightest over the last year. I swallowed. “She was clever, worked
hard at school and was popular. We were very close. She was also a
very good mother as it happens.” I wanted them to know that she
would have been a worthy daughter-in-law.

“What brought
Tagan to Earth?” I asked. I had to smile inwardly at my use of the
word. I had never referred to where I lived as Earth. Hatherley
usually sufficed.

“Like lots of
young people, he was keen to travel and wanted to experience a
different culture.”

I fought the
urge to laugh. Most gap year students went to Thailand or South
America not another world entirely.

“Katie was
devastated when Tagan left, it took her a long time to get over him
disappearing without a trace.” I couldn’t help mentioning the fact
that he had left so suddenly after Katie had fallen pregnant, I
felt I owed it to my sister. I waited for Leylana’s response.

“I’m sorry if
your sister suffered as a result of Tagan coming home. He was a
good person and he certainly would not have abandoned her if he had
known she was carrying his child, but as you know our world is not
perfect and we have our enemies. At the time, we were at war and
Halsan wanted our son to return to help him strategically.” She
looked weary of the conflict. “Tagan had been a very successful
Commander for the Strategic Operations division in our Special
Force and came back to Dinara to help his former colleagues fight
the threats to our kingdom.”

I began to feel
guilty about the uncharitable opinion I had held of Tagan for so
long and I grudgingly accepted that his reason for leaving Katie
and returning home was a laudable one.

A sad
expression settled on Leylana’s face. “Unfortunately, Tagan enjoyed
life in the military and he found it hard to leave after he
returned home. I always preferred it when he was working behind the
lines but he was committed to the men who worked under his
leadership and he preferred to be with them, ‘where it mattered’,
he used to say.” She said this with a little smile. “One night his
unit was ambushed by Bazeera’s forces, he and Ahran had gone back
to save one of their soldiers who had been trapped. Tagan was
killed in the cross-fire.”

Ahran and the
King had finished their conversation and were listening to what
Leylana was telling me.

I glanced over
at Ahran and his expression was troubled. How awful to witness your
cousin’s death? I also felt sorry for Leylana, I couldn’t imagine
how dreadful it must be to outlive your child.

“Once again, we
face difficulties in our world,” the King interjected. “Bazeera has
become increasingly powerful and will not stop until she gets what
she wants.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “But our Special
Force is a formidable army and we have every confidence that we
will defeat her.”

“So you were in
the Special Force with your cousin?” It wasn’t sensible to find out
any more about Ahran’s life but my question was out before I could
stop it.

“I spent thirty
years in it. Tagan and I spent the last few years in reconnaissance
together,” he replied.

“What Ahran has
not told you is that he and Tagan were our top agents and they
received the highest awards for their loyalty, commitment and
bravery.” Halsan’s pride was obvious.

I was
impressed. “What made you leave?” I asked

“Thirty years
is long enough,” he answered.

“I have no
doubt he will be just as successful in his next venture,” the King
said, changing the subject, it was obviously a painful topic of
conversation for them all.

Sulaan
reappeared. “There is a phone call for you my Lord.”

“I’ll take it
in my office.”

The King wiped
his mouth on his napkin and stood up. He turned to me. “Thank you
for coming my dear, it was lovely to meet you at last. I will make
sure preparations are made for your return. If you will all excuse
me I have matters to attend to.”

“Thank you for
the lunch and thank you for everything you are doing for us,” I
said gratefully.

“Not at all,
it’s the least we can do.” The King kissed his wife on the cheek
and he returned to his office.

“We ought to
get back if you want to visit your friend in hospital before Toby
finishes school,” Ahran suggested.

“Yes, okay.” I
had forgotten about the portal and I didn’t relish the trip back
through it.

Leylana stood
up and Ahran respectfully followed suit, I took his lead and stood
up too.

“Well Sophie, I
cannot wait to meet my grandson, I won’t be able to concentrate on
a thing until you both return.” She came around to my side of the
table and gave me a hug. She looked over to Ahran. “Look after them
both won’t you?”

“Of course.” He
nodded.

The Queen left
us and Ahran and I made our way back to the entrance. “If this
building is built into the side of the mountain how come it is so
light everywhere?” I asked trying to make conversation to fill the
awkward silence that had settled between us. Ahran had suddenly
gone quiet. I hoped I hadn’t upset him when I had asked about his
time in the army. Tagan’s death had obviously hit him hard.

“Fibre optics.
Light is channelled through cables.”

“Oh right,” I
said, nodding. “Is it a good idea going back through the portal
having just eaten?” As much as I wanted to get back to see Audrey,
I wasn’t looking forward to losing my lunch.

“You might not
find it as bad this time.”

We left the
palace through the front doors and walked down the front steps. The
large wooden gates opened as we approached. We climbed the hill to
the portal pretty much in silence. I used the time to digest the
last hour or so. I had warmed to the King and Queen much more than
I had thought I was going to and I was feeling less anxious than
when I had arrived.

I was out of
breath by the time we got to the top of the hill.

Ahran’s
breathing remained steady.

“Ready?” Ahran
asked.

“No, can I just
sit down for a bit and get my breath?” I panted, knowing if we went
now I would definitely throw up.

“Take your
time,” he said.

I sat down and
Ahran came and sat next to me. He sat so close our arms were almost
touching. I concentrated on a spot in the distance and tried not to
be so conscious of him. For the last fifteen minutes it had felt
like he was in my company under duress and now he had chosen to be
so near to me. I couldn’t keep up with him. I didn’t want to move
away, that would seem too obvious, maybe if I tried to remember my
schoolgirl geography that would help me to take my mind off the
distracting smell of him.

“Now, a hill
that shape is it called a spur or a heel?”

“Sophie?”

“Mmmm,” I
turned to look at him only to find his face just inches away from
mine.

All thoughts of
geographical features vanished as I looked up into his face.
Suddenly, all my good intentions disappeared and all I could think
of now was how his lips would feel on mine. I searched his eyes, he
looked conflicted and confused. For a few heart-stopping moments I
thought he was about to move away but he gently touched the side of
my face instead. I didn’t pull away nor did I give him any
encouragement to continue even though the voice in my head screamed
for his lips to touch mine. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind
that there was a reason why he shouldn’t kiss me but for the life
of me I couldn’t remember what it was.

My heart
slammed against my ribs and it was nothing to do with the hill we
had just walked up. Something flickered in his eyes as if he had
just resolved the conflict behind them and excruciatingly slowly,
still with his hand on my jaw, his lips came towards mine, all the
time his eyes daring me to stop him. I was lost in the drowning
blue of his eyes and held in his spell with no hope of resisting
him. His lips touched mine and my eyes closed automatically, my
heart feeling like it was about to pound right out of my chest. For
a few blissful seconds my mind was silent and I allowed the
sensation of his kiss wash over me. My lips responded, parting
beneath his as the intensity of our kiss increased. Ahran’s body
shifted and he pulled me towards him. His hand moved down the
column of my throat and his thumb gently caressed the pounding
pulse at the base of my neck. It was the hottest kiss I had ever
experienced.

A groan came
from deep in his throat and for some reason it made reality hit
like a slap in the face. I pulled away and sat back on my heels. We
were both breathing heavily. We stared at one another for a few
moments, the intensity of the kiss had surprised us both.

“We shouldn’t
have done that,” I said breathlessly. I don’t know why I had become
the voice of reason all of a sudden because it certainly wasn’t how
I was feeling inside.

“I’ve wanted to
do that ever since I laid eyes on you,” he said without a trace of
regret.

His words
surprised me and my stupid misguided heart sang. “If you had done
it this morning, I probably wouldn’t have stopped you, but as I
have recently learnt, you actually had no right to kiss me.” It
took a moment for him to realise what I meant.

“You mean
Talina,” he said flatly.

“Yes, Talina,”
I said, refraining from adding ‘duh?!’ on the end.

“Talina and I
have been betrothed since we were children,” he said as if it
explained everything.

I couldn’t help
my surprise. “What, like an arranged marriage?” I asked,
momentarily forgetting our little indiscretion.

“My parents and
her parents are allies and our marriage will join together two
powerful families.”

“Do you love
her?” It was suddenly very important I knew the answer.

Ahran
hesitated. “I ...” he seemed to be searching for the right word,
“...care about her,” he replied.

He hadn’t said
loved, the traitorous little voice sing-songed in my head.

“In Ramia, it
is believed that our parents have our best interests at heart.
Providing we like the person they have chosen for us it is believed
love will grow and generally it does. My parent’s parents did it
for them as did my aunt and uncle’s parents for them, they all have
very successful loving relationships, it’s how things are done
here.”

I thought about
Ahran and Talina’s love for one another growing and it made my gut
twist.

“Well, let’s
pretend that didn’t just happen then shall we?” I said in as
business-like a voice as I could muster. I stood up. I needed to
step away and compose myself.