hill I opted to walk the path up the cliff and take the skycage over riding the big red bird bareback again; Joss and Kael accompanied me. My second trip in the skycage fared better than the first, but not by much.
After dinner Nero asked us how we thought we were going to find Tenya when no one else had any luck.
I wasn’t sure myself. I only came because Joss insisted I might be able to help find her, but I wasn’t a skilled hunter or tracker. Secretly, I was relieved when Kael spoke up.
“How long has it been since she disappeared?” He leaned back in his chair casually and studied all of the dinner guests. Once again Kael had positioned himself with his back to the wall facing all of the exits. He scrutinized each person in turn and I felt his eyes linger on me before moving on to the rest. Tonight’s dinner included our small traveling party, Nero, Mona, Talbot, Xiven, Darren and a few other friends.
Talbot was Mona’s and Xiven’s father, a short, balding mild mannered man. Xiven was an older, masculine version of Mona. Neither looked like their father so they must have gotten their exotic looks from their mother.
“It’s been over six weeks now.” Nero sighed and rubbed his eyes dejectedly. “I went to her room one morning and her bed hadn’t been slept in and nothing was taken.”
“Why does that make you think she had been kidnapped?” Kael countered, his feelings hidden behind a steely face as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Are you implying that he’s lying? You low level son of a pig. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I’d known you were going to insult us.” Joss’ fist pounded the table hard.
Kael didn’t blink an eye. “You think I don’t understand the female kind? I do. It’s the quiet and innocent ones that you have to watch out for. They are the ones most likely to run at the first chance of adventure or when something better comes along.”
“You don’t know her,” Joss snarled.
“I probably know her kind better than you think. Let me guess; she didn’t leave the house much, did she? A perfect example of an obedient daughter. Never asked for anything, always seemed content.”
Joss and Nero’s mouth dropped slightly, as they sat speechless.
Kael leaned forward and finished his tale, directing the rest of his tirade to Nero. “But over the last few weeks she started to change. She became more restless, absentminded, needing to run out at the last minute to buy something she’d forgotten. You probably found her daydreaming more than normal.”
Nero closed his mouth and nodded sadly.
Kael’s eye lit with contempt. “They are the obvious signs you can’t ignore. She was secretly seeing someone. Knowing you wouldn’t approve, she more than likely ran away with him. There is nothing for us to do, no need for you to go out looking for a young lovesick woman.”
“How do you know? How can you possibly know for sure?” Nero asked, his face a mask of brokenness.
“Because I had once chosen a young girl, Gwen, to be my lifemate. We went before the leaders and received their blessing to begin our courtship and the closer we came to our Union day, the more hesitant she became.” The shadow that I could sometimes see around Kael was back and becoming darker with his bitterness.
“These were the signs she showed before running off with another.” Kael finished; a look of hatred swept his face as he glanced at me. I wasn’t sure whether the look was directed at me or about the girl in his story. I usually received many hateful looks from Kael.
Hemi, who had up until that point had been a quiet observer, eating and drinking without missing a beat, had started choking at Kael’s announcement. Hemi sputtered and coughed until he received a hard pat on his back from Darren, to clear his airways.
Nero cleared his throat and waved his hand in the air, conceding to Kael. “That may very well be the case in point. She was exhibiting all of those signs.” Nero sighed loudly. “It hurts me dearly to say this, but I agree with you, all the signs point to her running away.”
The silence that filled the dining room was so intense that it was almost unbearable. I was afraid to bite down on a celery stick for fear of drawing unwanted attention. But I definitely wanted to pull Kael aside and