Edin: An Ilmarinen Prequel Page 3

  Edin became sure of who it was when the person turned and looked at him. With violet, violent eyes, Lilith stared at Edin. Somehow, Edin did not feel afraid of the woman, although he knew he should have been. Only when lord Tanahn's mother turned away and entered the castle, did Edin take a breath.

  He was afraid he wouldn't have many more coming to him.

  Chapter 7

  Over the next few days, life grew calmer. The people still reeled from the new law, but Edin felt safer as more days went by without him being dragged to the castle and thrown into a cell. Anessa slept beside him every night, but she no longer asked for anything. He would have preferred her to remain in Dai's room but it would have appeared strange to his mother, and he did not want to make things worse. As for Anessa, all Edin could guess was that she hoped that one day he would see her as an adult.

  He knew that someday, he would. But that did not mean he would ever look at her as more than he did now. She looked like Dai to him. And even all grown up, she would appear to him as a sister because he had watched her grow into a woman before his eyes.

  He could never look at her, or think of her, as he did Serenity.

  But, he wished he could. Edin wanted nothing more than to happily return home from work to his wife, and to take her up in his arms and kiss her.

  Because loving Serenity was dangerous.

  He followed her again. Heavy with child, Serenity left the castle and headed toward the forest. The only reason Edin had noticed her was because he always looked for her. As she disappeared from view, lost among the trees, Edin should have turned back to his work. He should have dropped her from his mind. Edin was not strong enough to do that, though, and as he had once before, he dropped his tools and followed Serenity.

  The forest confused him. Edin didn't know which way Serenity went, but he kept moving anyway, and listened for any footsteps. When he found Serenity, she seemed lost. At first, he just watched her, taking in her face, her swelling belly. He was quickly filled with envy that he immediately pushed away. Serenity did not love being a mother, he knew, and he did not want to be envious of a man who forced on her something she did not love. What he wanted, though, was to help her see that it was something to love. That he could show her gentleness.

  When he sensed how frightened she was lost within the woods, Edin was about to show himself. He hadn't thought out a plan. As before, he was just going to help her. She would remember him, perhaps, but that would not change the fact that he broke a law. But, nothing could stop him from going to her.

  Just as he took one step towards her, Edin felt something tug on his arm. He froze, knowing it was not a branch. The touch was unmistakably human. Edin turned around, slowly and eyes wide with fear, to come face to face with lord Tanahn's mother, Lilith.

  She had a frightening beauty, dark and menacing. Her eyes looked amused, but Edin did not feel that there was anything funny about the situation. Edin let the woman run her fingers from his cheek and down along his chest while she held him pressed against the tree. The whole time, her smile grew larger. Then the immortal goddess placed her palm against Edin's cheek. She gave him a stern, almost warning look, before Edin felt his mind and body grow tired, and he slid down the tree, eyes closed.

  When he woke, it was dark. Evening had fallen. Edin scrambled to his feet and immediately felt confused and disoriented. He wasn't sure what had just happened, only that his family would be worried about him. Edin raced to his home and threw open the door. Everyone looked at him like he was insane. Dai laughed.

  "Is there something wrong?" Anessa asked. She had just finished up his dinner. As she always did, so it was ready for him when he returned home from work.

  Edin shook his head in reply. Did he make it back home as he normally would have? Did no one know that he had left work and chased after Serenity? Did Lilith keep quiet? Edin was very confused, but he let Anessa lead him to his place at the table. She placed his meal before him and kissed his cheek.

  Was Lilith just going to wait, torture him for a while? Twice now, the woman had seen him, and there was no way she would let him get away with disobeying the law. Edin was doomed. He just didn't know when.

  While everyone ate, Edin stared dumbly at the table. He heard his mother and Dai argue, about Shylan, no doubt. After awhile, Edin felt Anessa's small hand rest over his. His eyes darted to her, and she gave him a worried smile. The last thing Edin wanted was to upset her, but he couldn't help but look at her and see that she would be widowed at only fourteen years. That she would be given away to another man, after she struggled so hard to love the one she had. She would have to do the same a second time. Edin knew that she might not be as lucky as she was with him. Another man would see her as an adult. She would be a mother. Then again, that was what she said she wanted.

  But, she had been taught since childbirth to want that.

  And Serenity! Serenity would not be free if he died for her. For being foolish enough to follow her.

  "Edin?" Anessa's voice broke his thoughts, and he smiled at his wife. A fake smile, meant only to calm her fears.

  And that is how the days continued. Edin smiled. He watched his back, and stared at his bedroom door all night, Anessa curled up against him. He smiled some more.

  His fate arrived late one night. Eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, Edin watched his door, his ears strained to hear the knock that brought the men come to take him away. A knock did not come, though, but just a sense that there was someone there. For some reason that Edin would never understand, he just knew that someone waited for him, and him alone. Anessa slept soundly, unperturbed, while Edin's chest pounded and his mind screamed. Carefully, Edin pried himself from Anessa's grasp. As he felt his way through the small house, the light from the moon floating through the windows, Edin went straight for the front door.

  He opened it quickly, ready to meet his fate.

  His fate came in the form of Lilith, with an amused smile on her face again. In her arms, she held a bundle.

  "Congratulations, father," Lilith said, and she stretched out her arms to offer the bundle.

  Dumbly, Edin took the gift. The blanket squirmed, and Edin quickly moved the blanket aside so he could see what he had. Of course, he knew it was a baby, which was obvious. But why did Lilith deliver it? What Edin wanted to see was whether the child held the features he hoped.

  The baby was beautiful.

  Beautiful to Edin because it had her eyes, and soft tufts of her hair. The child was silent, and didn't fuss. Instead, the little boy looked up at Edin with curious, wide eyes. Unable to control his emotion, Edin gave a sob-filled laugh.

  "I thought you had come to execute me." He looked at Lilith with thankful, grateful eyes.

  "No," she said, lightly. "I have come to reward you."

  "But, why?"

  "This is where that little boy belongs."

  Her words held a wisdom that Edin would never live to know. That his son would grow up strong and loved. He would carry on his father's work with stone. That he would fall in love and wed the very woman he loved. Children would be born from that love. Years would go by, the line would continue, until the day a dark eyed boy would be born. A boy named Garrick. Lilith had just delivered to Edin the start of her own death.

  Chapter 8

  It wasn't until Lilith had left and Edin closed the door that he noticed there was something in the bundle with the baby. Carefully, Edin pulled the child from the blanket and gently rested the baby's head on his shoulder. Then he shook out the blanket. A fairly large blue stone struck the floor at Edin's feet. As Edin picked it up, he could tell immediately what it was.

  Lapis lazuli. A very rare stone, and very illegal in Ilmarinen. The lapis lazuli was said to give the bearer a strong sense of courage and love, but it was so rare that no one was sure how to use the stone for any other healing properties.

  Had Lilith purposely left it within the blanket?

  "Edin?"

  Startled, Edin jerked his h
ead toward the sound. It was Dai, and Edin gave an unexpected sigh of relief. She saw the baby and her eyes grew wide with excitement. Edin saw that she was about to yell for the others, to wake them up, but he shushed her and motioned her to get close to him. Once at his side, Dai took the baby from his arms where she was able to get a good look at the child's features. Then her jaw dropped.

  "Is it?"

  "Yes," Edin answered. "Lilith brought him."

  "Lilith?" Dai looked from Edin to the baby and back again.

  "And she left this within the blanket."

  Edin presented the lapis lazuli. Dai was so shocked that Edin quickly grabbed the baby because she seemed about to drop him. With the stone in her hand, Dai stared with wonder. And then she frowned.

  "What do we do? What does it mean? Will you destroy the stone?"

  "No."

  An excited scream filled the air, and both Edin and Dai looked toward the sound. Anessa rushed to them, squealed with delight, and she pulled the baby from Edin's arms. It took a few moments, as Anessa kissed and cooed over the baby, before she realized where the child came from. Who its mother had been.

  That was when the excitement ended, and she gave the baby a blank look.

  "Congratulations, Anessa," Dai said.

  Something was wrong, they could both tell, brother and sister. Their mother, since she heard the commotion, joined them then. While the three women gathered around the baby, Edin snuck into his room and hid away the lapis lazuli stone beneath his pallet. When he returned, he found his wife in tears and the baby no longer in her hands.

  "I do not want it!"

  "Yes you do. This is what you have wanted all along."

  Edin's mother held the baby and tried to get Anessa to take him into her arms.

  "But it is her baby."

  "It is our child, Anessa," Edin said, more forcefully than he intended. He took the little boy from his mother. Nothing would be able to take the child from his hands. "He is beautiful, not because of his heritage, but because he is ours to love and raise."

  "You only love it because of her."

  "Anessa!" Edin's mother shouted.

  "Leave her be," Edin said. "Let her feel as she wishes."

  Edin didn't tell them that Anessa was partly right. The baby carried Serenity's very being within him, and that was a part of him that Edin would love wholeheartedly. However, he also knew that if a child had arrived that was not Serenity's, his heart would still have loved it just as much. But, he was glad this baby boy was Serenity's, because by loving him and raising him, Edin was able to help Serenity in some small way, even though she may not ever know it.

  For the rest of the night, Edin held his baby boy while the others woke up nursemaids for milk, and bought cloth and goods from tired-eyed merchants. They were used to such intrusions, and didn't mind. They always seemed glad for a newcomer to the city.

  And the days passed. Edin hated to leave for work. He wanted to spend every moment with his son. He especially hated to leave him with Anessa, but always knew that Dai and their mother would not let any harm come to the baby. The house was filled with new warmth, brought on by the sounds of a child. Even their father, who never left his bed now, his eyes would gleam when the baby was placed on his bedside.

  After awhile, Anessa warmed to the child. It was impossible not to. The baby made everyone smile, and Anessa had always wanted to be a mother to a beautiful baby. It made Edin glad and lightened his heart when he returned home from work and saw his wife feed their baby boy.

  Edin felt at peace, and was no longer afraid of being dragged away and thrown in a cell, or executed. Lilith had rewarded him for loving Serenity, and he was grateful for it.

  And then came the announcement: Lord Tanahn was to be wed.

  Chapter 9

  Edin had not seen Serenity in some time. When he did see her again, she was no longer the woman from the castle, dressed in one simple dress, but a scion to wed the lord Tanahn, dressed in finery. The men bowed to her as she approached, as did Edin. He could not help but recall the time he had repeatedly called her a lady, and she had despised the name.

  If he were anyone else, Edin would have disliked Serenity for her change of status. He would have called her a hypocrite, and traitor. However, Edin knew Serenity, knew her heart and every meaning of every beat, and he did not see her relishing in her new role.

  "I am dismissing you from your work," she said to them all.

  "Dismissing, my lady?" Cartel asked.

  "Well, not permanently. With Tanahn gone I cannot see why you should keep this up. I do not care if the walls are built. Go home to your families. Spend time with them, while you have it."

  Her eyes scanned over the group, and when hers fell on Edin his breath caught. He wondered if she would remember him, recognize him, and somehow show him her gratitude. That is not what happened. Instead, Serenity's eyes passed him by, as they did every other man there. With a smile, Serenity walked away. And Edin followed her with his eyes.

  He wanted to chase after her. To grab her arm and make her look at him. Once she recognized him, he would tell her that her son was now their son, and that he was loved. And he imagined that she would smile, and maybe even hug him in thanks, or place a light kiss upon his cheek.

  He stayed. Edin went back to his work. It was not long ago when Edin would have risked all for the chance to be near Serenity, but now he was a father. Father to her baby. He could not risk losing that little boy.

  That night when he returned home, he told his family that Serenity had given them all time off from work, and that they were to stay at home until lord Tanahn returned. It made them all very happy, and very grateful to Serenity, for her kindness. Even Anessa had to admit that with Serenity as their lady, things might be better for them.

  "She spoke to us as well," Dai said. "She brought goods for everyone. The entire city."

  "What did she say? Did she see Haniel?"

  "No. Anessa kept him inside."

  Edin nodded, but did not question his wife. Anessa would not want Serenity to see her son, in fear that the wife of their lord might wish for him back. It made sense for her to feel that way, although Edin knew that Serenity would not ask for such a thing.

  "She gave us fresh bread, and wished that she could do more. She asked if there were children in the house. We mentioned Haniel, but she did not ask to see him."

  The day came when the people of the town had to present their gifts to the wife-to-be of lord Tanahn. Everyone bustled about and nervously headed toward the castle. The scions tried to out do each other, while the begotten just tried to find something acceptable, worthy enough, for the new lady, even if it was some family treasure or an item that could have fed the family for weeks. No one could show themselves before Serenity and present a lowly gift.

  Edin's family decided to sew a great blanket for Serenity. It was rumored that she was with child again, an idea that worried Edin although he did not speak it, and the women had spent most of their time sewing. The blanket had an intricate design, and was made from new cloth bought from the market. It was an item that not even baby Haniel had. The family could not afford to make two blankets.

  Edin wanted to present Serenity with a different gift. The night before, Edin stood outside the front door, stared up at the stars, and tried to figure out how to get his gift to her without consequences. Lost in thought, Edin didn't hear Dai leave the house and stand beside him. When he realized she was there, he looked down at her and noticed that she stared at the sky as he had been. He laughed a little at his sister.

  "What are you doing awake?" he asked.

  "What are you doing awake?" she repeated.

  Edin sighed and looked away from her. "I wish to give Serenity the lapis lazuli."

  "Do it," Dai said. "Lord Tanahn is gone. No one will arrest you, unless by Serenity's orders. You know she would not order it."

  "I do not know if I could face her."

  "Why ever not?"

&
nbsp; "I have so much to lose now." Edin's voice trailed off. He remembered how easily he would follow Serenity's every whim, as if she held a spell over him.

  "I will do it." Dai stood in front of Edin, and he could see the plan form in her mind. Her eyes moved as she thought. "I will go after mother and Anessa. We will tell them that we have some other plans. Anessa would prefer it if you did not go. She would not want to see you with Serenity. Shylan will make sure I get in." Dai smiled, happy at the thought of the young man. "Will you let me help you?"

  The lapis lazuli stone belonged with Serenity, Edin was sure of it. He didn't know why Lilith gave it to him, but he did not need it. This was going to be the only chance he'd have to give it to her. Dai was right when she said that no one would care about the law without lord Tanahn present.

  Edin nodded, a slight smile on his face.

  "Can I ask why you want to give the stone to her?"

  "She wanted me to bring her a heaven."

  "Heaven?"

  "I cannot give her what I do not know, but she seemed to think that I could. I am hoping the stone will give her the courage she needs to find that heaven for herself."

  "I hope so too."

  "'A heaven for Serenity'," Edin mused. "That is what she said to me. She claimed my name suggested I could give her such a gift."

  "Do I look as you do when I think of Shylan?" Dai laughed a little, and Edin blushed. "I hope I do."

  While Edin's family went to present their offerings to Serenity, Edin wandered the forest outside the castle. Edin and Dai had told their mother and Anessa that they were going fishing. As Dai had believed, Anessa was glad that Edin would not go with them to the castle, to Serenity. Once Dai had delivered the stone, she would meet him in the forest.

  He paced along the riverbank, and had been for some time, when Dai finally arrived. She told him that the stone not only shocked the entire city and would be talked about for some time, but that Serenity had loved it above all else. That made Edin glad, knowing that he had made Serenity happy. But, it was when Dai told him that Serenity remembered him, his name and who he was, that Edin felt more than elated. He could have danced and made a fool of himself throughout the entire township.