The Torn, Book One of the Holding Kate Series (21 page)

Three men peered
at us over the railing of the walkway. Their somber expressions of mournful disgruntlement as they studied the dead Tondo turned my stomach. One of them grabbed a boy by the arm, gave him a command and nodded down to us. The little boy’s eyes grew round. He nodded and ran off on whatever errand he had been sent to.

They passed into an enormous tree and I thought they had moved on. I was about to ask how we were going to get up to them, when they appeared on the ground beside the trunk of the large tree they had passed into.

Tumbahti spoke to them and introduced us.

“Welcome to the Darchori.” The leader spoke perfect English. We were stunned.

“You speak our language,” Trip responded.

“Yes. The Cianti Todura taught it to us.”

My heart beat spiked. It was Corey. The Cianti Todura had to be Corey.

“Why do you come here with your atrocities paraded between you?” He glanced at the Tondo with great sadness.

“We have come to bring him home,” Donnie said, “and receive whatever punishment you see fit to give.”

The elders put their heads together and spoke. The leader nodded. “We will leave it to the Cianti Todura to decide.”

“May we see the Cianti Todura?” Donnie asked.

“Old man, how can you see anything with those eyes?” A voice high above us spoke.

I looked up in time to see him grab a vine and practically fall on top of us. He landed beside Donnie’s horse, reached up and pulled him from the saddle in an embrace. Tara jumped off of her horse and moved in to join the reunion.

I couldn’t see him. His back was to me. “You are young again! Did you go back?”

“Yes, the sphere fell on this year’s convocation.”

“It took us all back.”

“How did you get back here? Why did you come? You were home.”

Tara glanced over his shoulder at me, hesitantly. “We weren’t given a choice. She was quite insistent that she was coming. We couldn’t let her come alone.” She smiled.

The man seemed to tense, his posture became stiff, and then slowly he turned around to look at me.

Corey. My Corey!

His eyes were the same, deep blue and twinkling. Everything else had changed. His hair was gray streaked and laugh lines creased his face. His eyes locked onto mine and he seemed to drink in the sight of me. His eyes took in every part of my face, my neck, my arms and legs and body. I was doing the same to him, needing to make sure he was whole.

He slowly stepped up to my horse and craned his neck up to me. “Hey,” he said.

I studied him up close; this middle aged man was Corey? My Corey?

“Corey?” I whispered, tears clouding my vision. “Is it you?” I reached out a trembling hand to touch his hair.

“I have loved you for a thousand years.” His voice broke.

I fell into his arms and wept. He was my Corey, whole, hale, perfect. He held me tightly as if he couldn’t believe I was here. He kissed my hair and forehead. My heart spiked and a flush of warmth spread across my skin. I wanted him to kiss me, really kiss me, like we had done forever in the pink clouds or on the swing, but he didn’t. He just held me. I looked up into his face—his old man face and tried to see my Corey.

“You’re so old,” I moaned.

Everyone around us broke out into laughter and I suddenly remembered we weren’t alone. That is why he didn’t kiss me. We had an audience. I glanced around and saw the scowls of the elders. They seemed perplexed at the strange reunion.

Trip walked up behind me and held out his hand to Corey. “You really are old, dude. Freaky.” He grinned.

Corey dropped me from his hold and the air between us was almost violent. He shook Trip’s hand and laughed.

He glanced around and saw the expressions of the elders, passed a hand through his hair and looked down at his feet. “What have you brought me, here, Trip?” He held out a hand to the Tondo.

“He attacked Kate and me, and we defended ourselves. We mourn for the loss of your people.”

“Who is responsible for the death?” Corey’s tone was taking on an official sound.

“I am.” Trip answered.

“I am too.” Tara stepped beside Trip and took his hand. Corey studied the gesture and cut his eyes to me.

“I am responsible.” Donnie joined them.

“Me too,” I squeaked out. Corey turned back to me and frowned.

“You?”

“Yeah. Trip and I were arguing and I think the Tondo was trying to protect me. I also kept Donnie supplied with stones during the attack. I share the responsibility.”

Pain crossed over Corey’s face and he walked over to the Tondo, knelt down at his head and whispered something in his ear. Then he stood and pulled four of the gleaming scales from his neck and presented one to each of us.

“You will wear these scales around your neck for all to see while you are here. It will act as a reminder and a warning. It will remind the Tondo’s family that his life was given in protection of the weak. It will be a warning to all Tondos that you are warriors to be feared. I sentence you to serve the clan until such a time as you are taken from here. Each of you will be assigned a family to guard and serve while you remain. You will live with them, eat with them, work for them and protect them until such a time as you are taken.”

“So be it.” The elders chorused and turned to disappear into the tree.

“Come, friends, to my home. Let me introduce you to my family.” Corey smiled at us.

My heart fell into my feet. Introduce us to his family! Corey had a family. Of course he did. How silly of me to think he had waited for me. My hands began to tremble and I didn’t think I would be able to take two steps.

Then Corey turned to me. “You. We have so much to catch up on.” He took my hand, pressed it to his lips. Pain crossed his features as though the act of kissing my hand was too difficult to bear.

“Come,” he whispered and led me into the base of the enormous tree. I saw an opening and a winding staircase carved into the hollow of the tree.

We ascended the stairs and came out on the wide pathway suspended high above our horses. They were already being tended to by some of the Darchori. The Tree City was amazing. The woven bridges and pathways were solid, with no give or sway as I assumed they would. It had taken thousands of years to create these natural paths. They were beautiful and ancient works of art. I couldn’t appreciate them very well at the time. I just kept thinking about what Corey’s wife would look like.

We stepped up into a tree house, and Corey moved forward to kiss a beautiful and sensuous woman on the cheek. “Nanrik, Tara will be your house guest for a while.” He held his hand out to indicate Tara.

She smiled, walked forward and hugged Tara placing a kiss on her cheek. “Welcome, warrior.” She said in a deep voice.

“I will send her back to you after we have visited,” Corey stated.

“As you wish, Cianti Todura.”

We continued down the walkway, Corey leading and greeting the Tree People as they passed. He was greatly loved by the clan and completely accepted as one of them. It occurred to me that he had probably lived here longer than most of them had been alive. Corey kept my hand as he toured us around the city. I didn’t mind. I liked it. All too soon he would drop it and take the hand of his wife. My heart would stop beating in that moment.

I drew in a shuddering breath. Corey turned to study me.

“Are you okay, Kate?” He was concerned. His face crinkled into a frown.

“Yes. It’s just a lot to take in.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and said. “Yes, I can imagine that it is.”

We came to another home and Corey swiped at a wind chime to announce his arrival. A man came to the woven door and smiled at Corey. “Cianti Todura, how can I serve you today?”

“Is your beautiful wife home?” Corey asked.

“Of course, I will get her.” He stepped back into the home and I heard some low voices and noises.

The first thing I saw was a stick stretched out in front of the woman. It was a walking stick, one like a blind person would use. The next thing I saw was the severely scarred hand that was holding it. This person had been burned very badly. Her whole arm was covered in the hideous scars. When she turned, I saw that her face had also been burned, her scars were the main feature. You could hardly get past them to see the person. When I did, I looked into the eyes of my friend.

“Pinky!” I exclaimed.

“Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in years.” Her voice was raspy. “And a voice I haven’t heard in years. Kate, is it you?!” She cut a knowing expression toward Corey, and then wrapped me in a hug.

“Pinky, what has happened?” My face contorted in pain and empathy.

“Ah, yes. I do see that for you we have only been gone a matter of hours. We are still very fresh in your heart, aren’t we?” Again the arch of the eye brow to Corey.

He dropped his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Trip, Donnie, Tara, and Kate are our guests. Could you house one of them?”

“Only one? They can all stay with us.”

“No, not all of them.” He picked up my hand and smiled at me.

My heart did a flop
.
Eeww gross! Why am I so attracted to an old man?
I thought.

Pinky chuckled and waved her hand. “Go on you two. You have a few years to catch up on. Come back when you get hungry. Now Trip, Donnie, Tara, come in, come in. I want to touch your faces and catch up.”

They filed into the house and Corey and I were left standing on the door step. He watched me with his twinkling eyes. “You are exactly as I remembered you.” He moved a strand of hair out of my face, his eyes doing what his hands could not.

My heart fractured with pain. He was not my Corey. He was someone else’s Corey. I closed my eyes and he cupped my cheek in his hand. I stopped breathing.

“Come, you must meet my family. They have heard so much about you.” He pulled me along with him.

I’ll bet they didn’t hear the good stuff.
I thought.
The loved-her-for-a-thousand-years stuff.

We walked around a large circle bridge in the center of the town. Corey pointed to the largest tree I had ever seen. “Home,” he stated.

I suddenly didn’t want to go in. I didn’t want to meet the woman who had made love to my Corey, had babies with my Corey. I hated her already. I stopped. Corey turned to me and I shook my head.

“I can’t…” I was shaking from head to toe.

“Kate!” Corey was immediately alarmed. “What is wrong?”

“I can’t…”

He suddenly looked over my head and beamed. “Here she is. The woman in my life.”

I gazed into his rapturous face. He was totally besotted with the person behind me. I couldn’t stand it. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Corey took my shoulders and turned me around. “Taylia, meet Kate. Kate, this is my Taylia.”

I looked at a beautiful woman who was much older than Corey, but striking still. Her face broke into a magnificent smile. “It is so good to meet the true love of Cianti Todura.” She took my hand into hers and squeezed it.

“Even you call him by his title?”

“Oh, yes, of course. We all call Father by that title.”

“Father?”

“Yes, Kate. Cianti Todura, Corey, is my father.”