Heirot

Telanis looked around the room, not sure exactly how one defined the beginning and end of this task. "I am....half way done," he informed her cautiously.

Laya covered her mouth. He was too cute. "Oh," she said behind her hand. "Well, good job! That's fast!" Laya ran the rag up her arm to the black mark.

It had faded.

She dropped the rag in the water. It now was nothing but a faint white scar on her skin. She was cut off from Kron because his master was dead. That meant... that he might not be able to find her after all. A new feeling of relief flooded through Laya. She was definitely free now.

"I think you missed a spot right there...." She pointed playfully by the dinner table.

Telanis glanced at the table and back to her. He hadn't seen this before...only on floors...but he was determined to help. Lifting the broom up and out, he put his arms over his head and carefully swept the top of the table.

That was about when Adonis tiredly walked in. He raised an eyebrow at his brother's work. "What the heck are you doing?" he made himself ask.

Laya slid further into the tub, nearly doubling over with laughter. "I meant next to the table," she laughed.

She couldn't stop laughing. It felt like it had been ages since she laughed like that. She finally clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself, worried it might hurt his feelings.

Telanis froze and looked down at the floor next to the table. It looked the same as the rest of the floor. "Oh, right," he murmured, sweeping at it.

Adonis rolled his eyes and walked toward his brother. "Give me that. You're making it worse," he muttered, taking the broom. "You should rest, after last night. Flat out stupid, coming in here alone like that."

Telanis blinked at his brother, who was glowering at him. "I was trying to-"

"Trying to drain yourself unconscious while the only person who could get you out froze to death in the shed?" Adonis challenged.

Laya found it very intriguing how she didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable sitting in a tin tub full of water naked with someone other than her lover in the room. But, Adonis was not like a man to her. She twisted, crossing her arms over the top of the tub and resting her chin there. "He just thought he was doing the right thing," she told Adonis. "Don't be so hard on him."

Adonis turned his glare on her. Normally, human women made him uncomfortable, but he didn't think twice about her nudity as he scolded her. "Don't encourage him. You could have lost limbs in that weather," he snarled.

"I don't understand," Telanis said, dazed by all this scolding. "Are you mad because you're worried about me or Laya?"

"Neither of you!" Adonis snapped.

Laya frowned knowing that wasn't true. He did care about them, and she knew that deep down, though she wouldn't press him. "Well, now he knows not to do it." Her voice was soft, her gray eyes flickering between them. "No one lost a limb and we are safe. Let us be happy with that." She twisted again, sinking down into the tub until her head submerged under the water and her knees drew up and out of its warmth.

Adonis took a deep breath and started sweeping the ash and dust Telanis had thrown all over the room. He realized something as his brother carefully moved out of his way and stared at him. He realized he'd been absolutely terrified, from the moment that creature got to the house right to the moment he finally fell asleep in front of the fire. Maybe he really was being too harsh. Maybe he'd been shaken more than he realized and didn't really know how to handle it. He swept the debris into a pile and brushed it to the front door. His pulse jumped for a second as he opened it. There was nothing that could hurt them out there. The door was safe. He opened it and swept out the dirt and grime.

Telanis watched his brother curiously, careful not to step on the dirt as Adonis inadvertently herded him around the room. He couldn't read anything from his brother's mind. It felt just as locked off as it had before. He went to stand by Laya's bath instead.

"Did he say anything to you?" he asked her softly, watching Adonis's back on the other side of the hallway. "About the stone?"

Laya brushed her wet hair from her face. She looked from Adonis to Telanis and wondered briefly about keeping his business a secret. "He hasn't been able to sense us since then," she whispered faintly. She reached for the towel she'd laid near the tub. She held it there for a moment and timed it for when Adonis's back was turned. She stood and wrapped the large cotton cloth around her body. "I told him that it could come back..."

She stepped out of the tub, trying to drip as little water on the floor as possible.

She went to the bed room and shut the door until it left a small crack. Instead of getting dressed Laya fell lazily over the end of the bed, stretching out in front of the fire.

She felt a little bad for telling what Adonis had told her, but she felt deep down that Telanis had a right to know. Laya crossed her arms and rested her head there as she lay on her stomach. She let out a heavy sigh.

Telanis half-formed his lips into a question as Laya left the room. He felt stunned by what she'd told him. He heard his brother walking back toward him.

"What are you doing spacing out over there? Did you even pay attention to how to do this?" Adonis grumbled as he put the broom against the wall next to him.

Telanis swallowed and couldn't bring himself to look him in the eye. Was it really possible Adonis had lost his gifts? He seemed fine... "Brother...are you..are you okay?" he asked, uncertainly.

Adonis crossed his arms and cast him a critical look. "Do I not look okay?" he pressed.

"You look different," Telanis said quietly. Something didn't seem right about the way his brother was looking so exactly straight at him. It almost had the opposite effect.

"Yes, I broke my jewelry. I'm not a pretty princess anymore. Can we move on?" Adonis sighed.

"Princess?" Telanis murmured as his brother turned back toward the front door. "Where are you going?"

"Town." He glanced over his shoulder and noticed his brother's startled stare. "I'm coming back," he defended uneasily.

Telanis took a deep breath and nodded. The door shut and his brother's form walked past the window, into the woods. The white unicorn stared at Laya's bath for a few moments and then walked back into her bedroom. "He went to town. He didn't open to me," he said quietly as he walked in and gazed out her window.

Laya frowned. "Town?" she asked him quietly. "I'm sorry Telanis... Just give him time. I think he's getting better, I really do."

She wanted to believe that at least. "I wanted to go to town..." she breathed out. Laya sat up on her legs, pulling the cotton towel around her as she watched Telanis stare so longingly out the window.

"Do you want to go after him?" She thought for a moment... "Or maybe it would be best if he had some alone time? He could think and come to terms with what has happened. Maybe that is for the best. He'll be back, don't worry."

Laya stood up and went for the closet. She opened it up and looked at her mothers clothing. The clothing was old and had been sitting a long time in the dark closet. She pushed through the clothes until she found one that was meant for winter. She smelled it and it didn't exactly smell fresh.

Sneezing, she tossed the dress on the bed.

She would have to settle for one of her other dresses that were still packed in one of the bags sitting in the living room.

"You're probably right," Telanis said, his lithe form turning from the window back to her. "I'm glad that he can talk to you." He looked around her at the dress she was holding. "It's pretty," he said, though his eyes were drawn to the graceful curve of her back as he said it. He trailed his fingers along her shoulderblade to the small of her back, admiring the soft glow of her skin in the rising sunlight.

Laya shivered at his gentle touch, swallowing. Her storm gray eyes flickered to him, her head tilting slightly at his touch. "It was my mother's," she said softly. "It needs washing. I like that Adonis will talk to me, even if I can't really help. I feel like I can help by listening."

Laya turned to him, smiling softly. Telanis was magic, she knew that. He had to be, because when she was with him she forgot the terrible things that happened the day before... As if they happened years ago instead of hours.

Telanis smiled warmly. "Did she look like you? Your mother?"