Blood Series: Yellow - Chapter Fifteen
Nikole was only a mile from the house as she walked along the forest edges. She’d taken the time to herself to think about what she wanted to say to everyone, to the men that ran her life, to herself, about everything. How was she expected to constantly pick up the mess yet not be shown any respect when that was clearly what she’d earned?
She felt the warm sun on her skin; it had warmth that couldn’t be duplicated by anything else. She stopped on the trail and closed her eyes, the rays soaked up by her olive toned skin. She tilted her head back and pulled the clip out of her hair, felt the strands moving against her back as the wind breezed around her. Days like this were when she remembered her omm and siti, the way they used to take her out to the lake when she was a little girl.
Her head still tilted toward the sun, she started to think about her siti Afaf, and her omm, Ikram. Those two ladies had taught her how much fun the sun could be. Everyone knew the magik in the sun was part of the key to their own magik. The Gods had ensured that the Algula wouldn’t be cave dwellers, because like blood, the sun was essential for strength and nourishment. It kept them young and made them feel good. She felt her body instinctively start to sit on the ground and then move lower to lie out on the cool dirt. Her mind began the journey back to 1190 A.D., to an afternoon when the three of them left had the men at home.
“Nikole, you have to remember, the men might think they are in charge, sweetie, but the reality of it is, it’s us women who control what they think they want,” Ikram said as they started to set the picnic up at the lake’s shoreline. This area in Lebanon was known for the wine it produced. The land was rich and fruitful. “That’s very true, my bent. Why, I remember when your baba first started with me after our nexus. He kept thinking we were a perfect fit because everything he wanted, I wanted as well,” Ikram laughed as she pulled some of the grapes off of their vine. “What he didn’t know was that I presented each of those opportunities for him.”
“None of that matters to you though, Omm; you’re the real ruler since you come from Gedi’s line.” Nikole tore some of the leavened bread and dipped it into the hummus that her omm had brought with them. The leavened bread tasted like heaven in her mouth. She looked over to her omm who was shaking her head.
“Child, what you don’t understand is there isn’t a real ruler. We share equal responsibility. There are things that each one brings to the table as a monarch, and you rely on your supporters to help you in your weakness. Together we make a full unit. This is why we want you and Zayn to rule together, sharing responsibility, strengths, and weaknesses.”
“I don’t know, Mama. Zayn doesn’t seem like he wants me to be anywhere near his crown. He acts like I’m a child.” Nikole looked out over the water as she saw a fish jumping, causing little waves to hit the shoreline.
“That’s because, right now, you are a child. That’s what you are failing to see. You are not old enough, neither of you are yet, to fully grasp what is needed to rule. I was thrown into my crown because my baba was dying. Look what the rushed ceremony has caused. Haydar has sworn to kill me, his flesh and blood.”
The ladies sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about what Ikram had said. Afaf remembered the night her ebn’ left. Never was there a pain greater than watching your child turn his back on you and leave.
“Had your akh been levelheaded, Ikram, he would be here helping you and Tamman rule. He would be able to bask in the greatness you all could have achieved. I’ll never forget the pain of that evening, your abb dying in our arms and my ebn’ casting us aside. I don’t think I can die knowing how much trouble there will be between you both. I never thought the prophecy would come true, but it seems we are heading down that road.” Afaf reached up and touched a strand of Ikram’s hair, her soft, dark locks shimmering in the sun.
Nikole opened her eyes and knew her siti must have made her remember that memory. Just because they were gone didn’t mean they couldn’t still teach us from up in the heavens. Siblings fighting- unacceptable. What it did to their people when their monarchs were at odds. She missed that lake, she had discovered a while ago that today it was called Taanayel, in the heart of Lebanon’s wine country. She wished she could travel back there and lay on the lake shore with her mama and siti. So few years she had had with her siti, but each memory she treasured.
Nikole stood up and dusted her clothes off. She had to go make amends with Zayn. It was what her mama would want her to do. Looking up into the sky away from the sun’s glare, she quietly spoke. “I know, Mama, I know. Like you always said, strength and weakness go together. It’s our job to complement one another.” She took off on a slow jog toward her house. She wasn’t in a rush to get back, but she didn’t want to put it off too long. Her mind kept telling her she was right; she had a right to be mad, a right to demand answers. Her heart, her heart felt her omm’s pain of being at odds with her own akh. She couldn’t let herself hold resentment toward Zayn.
Fifteen minutes later she arrived at the doorstep of the mansion. She walked in for the first time since Zayn’s departure.
“Zayn, are you home?”
Alec pulled into his driveway after the almost two hour drive from Nikole’s place. The burnt trees were a cruel reminder of the previous night. He already felt the pain of missing her, and it had just been a handful of hours. How was he going to cope with knowing her feelings, feeling her anger? His heart was burning and he was certain it was because she was upset. Was she upset because he was gone, or did something else happen?
He could call her, talk to her, find out, but would that do any good? If he didn’t want to continue their relationship, could he really just be friends with her? Two weeks until the blood connection dissipated, he had to deal with these feelings in the meantime. Hopefully she wouldn’t go through too many emotions. He knew better than to have let her feed from him so much, but the bond, the connection, it felt so perfect.
Alec stepped out of his truck and started to make the walk up the stairs. He realized as he walked into the living room to an empty house with no one there to greet him or shoes to trip over, maybe he’d made a mistake. He went to his desk to think. He always thought better sitting with a pen in his hand. Pulling out a notepad, he picked his pen up and closed his eyes. He needed to let the guilt of letting her leave go. He hadn’t even realized what his hands were doing. He knew they were moving, but what they were forming wasn’t on his mind.
After twenty minutes he decided to look down, and that’s when he realized he’d written a letter.
Annah,
My love, I am so sorry I let you down. I let Haydar take you from me, and I’ve been paying for my crime ever since the day you died. I wish… I wish there was something I could do to make myself feel less at fault. I know he would have attacked, and I had to be out on the front lines, but I should have killed him to defend your honor. I hope you can find it somewhere in the afterlife to forgive me…
Love,
Your Alec