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The Seduction of Seleste

from the world of the mating season

In His Blood

Chapter 50

Later that evening, they wrapped Enayape's body in a white sheet and placed it in a dory. In tears, Seleste had insisted on grooming the dead girl before they wrapped her. She brushed down Enayape's frizzy mane and fur, and even took a washcloth and cleaned her. When Seleste had finished, Enayape's fur was spotless and smooth, and she was so beautiful, she might have simply been sleeping down in the boat. Seleste leaned down near the dead girl's ear and whispered words no one could hear, but Keme knew she was whispering that she was sorry. They then wrapped Enayape in the sheet and lowered the dory to the water. They cut it lose, and it was such a windy day that it wasn't long before Enayape was rolling away along the waves.

Captain Hakid said a few ceremonial words as the body was borne away, and Keme and the others stood at the rail, watching solemnly as Enayape's dory sailed out farther and farther.

"I would hate this," said Talisa after a pause. "To have my body just wandering around the sea in a dory," she explained when everyone looked at her.

Honiahaka put a comforting paw on Talisa's shoulder. "Enayape may have wanted it. It was tradition among the sea wolves. Traveling around the world the way they do, you can imagine they have had to release many loved ones into the sea."

"And they just believe the sea is better," Seleste said quietly. "The sea is their mother, the way the earth is ours."

While Honiahaka was well-informed about most tribes, Seleste was not. But everyone knew from where she had gotten her information. Keme put a sympathetic arm around Seleste: touching Enayape must've given her so many visions.

Talisa watched Seleste anxiously a moment. "It's not your fault, Sel. Enayape made her choice."

Seleste bowed her head. "And used me to do it." She lifted her small paws and looked at them. "She knew I had some kind of magic, that she could use me to die. If only my magic . . ." she glanced at Keme, ". . . had protected our baby."

Keme wanted to argue that it probably hadn't even been their pup, but he knew it was useless. Seleste had been through a great deal in a short amount of time. She probably saw beginning a family with Keme as the one good thing that could have come from all the rape, abduction, and death they had witnessed and endured. She looked at him with large sad eyes, and wanting for that sadness to go away, he kissed her cheek and pulled her close in his arms.

Later that night, Keme couldn't sleep. He kept thinking of Seleste. Seleste had magic! Did that have something to do with her death later down the road? Would she use magic while she was pregnant and perhaps die? Keme didn't know why he was so certain Seleste was going to die, but her absence in his vision - it had a meaning, he was sure of it. The Mirror of Pavati had shown him without Seleste for a reason.

Keme sighed miserably and sat up in bed. Seleste was sleeping peacefully on the bottom bunk across from him and Talisa slept soundly on the one up top. Keme peered over the side of his bed. Honiahaka slept on the bed beneath his, his cheek on his arm and a line of drool sliding down it. Keme made a face. He was going to go up on deck and perhaps pace back and forth when something made him pause.

A familiar scent filled the air.

Sitting very still, Keme's eyes darted through the gloom. It wasn't long before he noticed him. Sylas. The white fox sat on a barrel in one corner of the room, his legs dangling, his paws limp between his thighs. He sat there glowing softly, his slanted eyes fixed on Keme as if he'd been waiting for him to sit up.

"You!" Keme said.

Sylas smiled. "Me."

Suddenly frantic, Keme felt his own chest and face, then twisted around and looked down at his pillow, as if he expected to see himself sleeping there. He was relieved to realize he was actually awake this time. Good. Walking around out of his body was . . . unsettling.

"Don't worry," said the fox. "You fell asleep an hour ago. I'm actually in your head."

"You're in my dre . . .?" the word died on Keme's lips when a duck went quaking through the room. "Alright. I believe," Keme said dispassionately. He climbed down from the top bunk and approached Sylas.

The young fox laughed as the duck started pecking lazily at Honiahaka's face. The yellow bill went right through the sun chief's lips - in and out, over and over, until the long slender neck had slipped inside. All the while, Honiahaka lay there, eyes closed, his lips enclosing the slender neck as he unknowingly sucked it.

Sylas shook his head. "You're weird, Keme. But then, I guess I've walked weirder dreams."

Embarrassed, Keme rubbed the back of his neck.

"You know what that means?" Sylas said and nodded at the duck. But it wasn't really a question. His blue eyes sparkled mischievously.

Keme shrugged moodily. Watching as the duck's slender neck fed in and out of Honiahaka's mouth like a thick cock, Keme thought he had an inkling. To his horror, another duck waddled in and slipped its head in Seleste's mouth.

"Anyway," Keme said uncomfortably, and he was suddenly wishing he was astral. Anything but this. "What are you doing here, Sylas?"

"I meant to pop in on you much sooner - in fact, Zaldon insisted that I check on you every night."

"He did?" Keme lifted his eyebrows. Wow. Zaldon was as fussy and protective as Talisa had often complained.

"Yeah, but that's the thing," Sylas said and frowned. "I haven't been able to reach him."

Uh oh. That didn't sound good.

"I realize he's not supposed to use sorcery anymore," Sylas said slowly. He frowned, then shook his head. "Maybe he's just sick in bed," he said, as if to convince himself all was well.

"You can't just go to the sun village and find out?" Keme thought of Seleste and Talisa and what Zaldon's death would do to them. He couldn't let that happen.

Sylas' handsome face grew somber. "I can't leave Miras Eii physically," he said. "My real body is back there, in the Ivory Palace - I mean," he tilted his head down, "I can leave. But I've got too many . . . obligations at the moment."

In the dim light that slanted in from the hall, Keme peered at Sylas and noticed for the first time that there were bags under his eyes. The young fox looked so drained. His flowered tiara was croaked around his ears and he looked weary, even strained. What exactly was happening at Miras Eii? Keme asked as much, trying to keep the worry from his voice.

"Is it my sister? Where's Aayan?"

"No, no," said Sylas, "Wynn is the same as she's been the past ten years - suspended in time, never aging, never changing. It's like she's been put on pause," he said and pushed his paw back through his mane miserably. His ears flattened on his head and he stared at the floor. "And as for Aayan," Sylas looked at Keme. "I left him with the servants. He's sleeping at the moment, doesn't even know I'm gone."

"Sylas," Keme said. "Please. What's going on?"

Sylas swallowed hard. His blue eyes searched Keme, as if he was silently debating whether or not he should tell him. He gazed steadily at Keme as he finally answered, "I'm losing it, Keme."

"It?"

"Everything," Sylas admitted wretchedly. "Wynn's presence in Miras Eii, it provides the kingdom with an immense source of power. Her being half shemale is one of the reasons she survived the ritual to become one of us. Magic is in her blood. For this reason, our coming together made Miras Eii flourish. But then . . . she slipped away. So did the magic. The kingdom is falling apart. Literally."

Keme stared at Sylas, not knowing what to say.

"There's little food, there's hardly any water," Sylas went on. He climbed down from the barrel and began to pace.

Keme took a step back and watched him sympathetically.

"Wynn's essence," Sylas said and clutched his paws on the air, "went off_ _somewhere, and wherever she went, she took the magic with her."

"Isn't there some way to bring her back?"

Sylas halted and shook his head dismally. "I'm sure there is," he said, "but none that I can find. Zaldon was working on it with me - in secret, of course. If his family knew he was using magic to contact me - well. . . ." He looked at Keme and smiled. "Kel would probably find his way to Miras Eii and strangle me."

"How long has Zaldon been helping you?"

"Things only started to get bad the last three years or so. I approached Zaldon for help a few weeks ago - when he contacted me about you, actually."

"What?! Why haven't you sought help before? And why Zaldon! What could he possibly do that a fox couldn't?"

Sylas pinched the flesh between his eyes and just stood with his head bowed a long moment. Watching him, Keme felt guilty for raising his voice. Sylas must have been under a great deal of pressure: his wife was in a coma, his child would not speak, his subjects were slowly starving to death, and his kingdom was falling to ruin. But, dammit, this was his sister they were talking about! And his nephew! And Zaldon - who meant so much to Seleste, Talisa, and Honiahaka.

"This," answered Sylas at last. He dropped his paw from his face and his head tilted back. "This has never happened before," he said wearily to the ceiling. "Not in all the history of the fox kingdom. I . . . I don't know what to do." He lifted his head and looked at Keme. "I don't know!"

Keme's heart suddenly seemed to weigh a thousand pounds: Sylas' eyes were so small with fear. The blue spheres were frightened and shining with unshed tears. He moved across the room to the fox and placed his paw on his shoulder.

"I can help," Keme said.

Sylas stared at him. "Don't - don't be silly! What can you possibly --"

"I dunno," said Keme and shrugged. "What could Zaldon possibly do? I'm Wynn's brother. Maybe I could wake her. And I'm half shemale, Sylas. . . magic is in my blood."