Shades of Prophecy by Tessonja Odette

Author:Tessonja Odette [Odette, Tessonja]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crystal Moon Press
Published: 2019-08-20T16:00:00+00:00

Cora

I followed Ailan out of the room, leaving Mareleau curled up on her bed with Liam. Her pain had been palpable, nearly impossible for me to avoid absorbing as I’d sat with her. It was a relief to feel the weight of her closed door between us.

“I’ve changed so much since I’ve been gone,” Ailan said. “I never realized how much the Forest People were influencing me.”

I walked beside her down the hall. “Is that a bad thing?”

“The other Elvan would think so. They don’t trust me, just like the Forest People. I’ve lost the trust of both my peoples in a matter of days.”

“It’s not all of them,” I said, unsure why I felt the need to comfort her after expending so much energy consoling Mareleau. Perhaps it was because the words felt like truth. “Salinda began to trust you again. And I saw many others hugging you goodbye as you left camp, as if your identity was nothing of concern.”

“Probably because I told them I wouldn’t ask them to fight for me,” Ailan said, eyes on the floor.

Surprise and relief hit me at once. Maiya came to mind, her worries over her husband being forced to go to war. “I think that was the right thing to do.”

Ailan nodded. “Fighting against Morkai was one thing. You needed allies and asked the Forest People to help you. They gave you their support of their own free will. It was wrong for me to expect their aid simply for being their Wise Woman. Salinda helped me see that when we met with the elders.”

“Some of the Forest People will still fight for you,” I said, “if it comes down to it. I’m sure of it. Just like I’m sure the Elvan will warm up to you. Did you know any of them before the veil?”

“Some,” Ailan said. “The tribunal changes members regularly to allow new El’Arrans to have a turn with our government. Fanon was the only one I knew well, though.”

I remembered their heated reunion and blushed as I debated how far I wanted to pry. “How well did you know him?”

She smiled. “He was—is—my consort.”

“You mean…the two of you are married?”

Ailan pondered the question before answering. “None of us marry the same way you do in the human world. Each may choose their own partner at will. The Morkara may partner with whomever he or she desires, and any children born from any union are considered valid heirs, unlike in your world. It is only the blood of the Morkara that matters when naming an heir.

“However, the Morkara is paired with one partner as chosen by the tribunal. This pairing is a way to make alliances and reward certain families—similar to many noble marriages in Lela. The consort of the Morkara bears the additional burden of sharing in the Morkara’s duties and can act as steward if the Morkara is unable to meet certain tasks. Hence, Fanon’s position. As soon as Mother died, the Mora transferred to me. But when I became locked beyond the veil, Fanon was appointed steward.

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