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Chapter Ten:
Another Episode that Night
Altaire sat in his room,
speechless. He'd seen the man from earlier today approach Marium in a rather
informal way. When he'd seen him brush ever closer to her, he began to wonder
if that was permissible or not. Then he saw her open her mouth, to call out to
him, to a friend.. and the strangely dressed young man kissed her.
That made him burn with
jealously and madness. He'd almost run out there and confronted the foreign
boy. But he wanted to see how Marium would react to the situation.
He heard her words, crisp
and cold, even before she opened her lips to speak them. “I am the High Priestess of Yin, as much as you try to prove otherwise.
And I will not be toyed with in such a way as to assay my comrades' trust. That
will not happen again, Faede. On my word, I will not allow it.”
They were beautiful
words, strong words that needed much self-control to say. Then he saw the man
start toward the house, and knew, as Marium drew her sword and braced heavily
on it, tiredly, that something was wrong. This young man would stir the
balance.
Marium was still leaning
against her sword as Altaire exited from one of the various assorted doors on
the side of the temple. He walked over to her and knelt down to her height.
'That was very honorable of you, Marium.'
"You were watching
me again." it wasn't a question. She was getting used to phrasing her
words like she had an audience all the time. "Altaire, you-"
Before she could say
another word, Altaire held her hands in his. Left in right, right in left. His
grip had an almost rushing air about it. His brown hair moved out his eyes, and
she saw he had heavenly, bright green eyes. Her gasp halted in her throat.
"Look at me the way you looked at that man."
"…? Like Faede? I
can't. That look was one of spite, Altaire. I don't like him very much."
she managed, cheeks tinted pink. He gazed at her for a few more seconds, then
brought her close to himself. "A-Alta-"
His lips quieted her
words, and she felt a different, more crystalline, solid empathy aimed at the
Priest in the white cloak that held her so bruisingly close that it was
uncharacteristic. Their hands were intertwined, and she leaned closer to him so
that she wouldn't break the kiss.
After moments, he broke the
embrace, almost reluctantly. "Why didn't you push me away, like you did to
that Faede boy? Where's the speech you gave him?"
Marium wasn't afraid of
Altaire's biting words, because underneath them was a current of disbelief and
childlike wonder. He felt drawn to her by an otherworldly force, and he
couldn't resist it. "I think, it's because I do feel it now."
Altaire was confused for
a moment, but then he understood. "Oh, Marium."
"We are supposed to
be together, and no one will change that. We have to promise that,
Altaire." she said, seriously. He nodded, rationally.
'I promise.'
"So do I. Nothing
can break that promise, okay?" she clasped her hand around his, winding
her fingers with his. "I'm so tired. So much has happened tonight, I won't
be surprised if it's all a dream."
He glanced at her,
uncertainly as he led her into the temple. "I wouldn't, either."