The Charmer

Chapter 28

She lowered her gaze. “You Haunt men must take lessons in charm. Thank you. I will enjoy it.”

He leaned back and gave her a lazy grin. “Of course, I have to admit the thought of you wearing it may cause me to loose sleep...” he laughed and caught the pillow she tossed at him, “but the gift of your smile makes the sacrifice worth while.”

She wagged a finger at him and he chuckled. “I will call for Rihlia. She will wish to help you prepare to meet your admirers.” He kept the pleasant expression on his face until he was safely out of the room. The moment the doors closed behind him, he lost all traces of amusement.

He looked critically over the two Haunt captains he’d personally selected to guard Jasmine while she thanked her admirers. Each had achieved a reputation for vicious ferocity in battle during the years before Jayems officially came to power. Isfael had guarded his back during the ambush that had taken Keilor’s father and the rest of his family. When the battle had been over, only the two of them had been left standing; b****y, but alive. Isfael had been by his side ever since.

He turned his eyes to Raziel. That Haunt had been feared as the most devastating warrior in the realm before an attack by jealous rivals had brought him down. They tortured him and left him for dead, going on to slay the rest of his family. Raziel had recovered and single-handedly destroyed his enemy’s entire clan. He was fearless, soulless.

The Haunt knew him as the Immortal.

Those two were the only ones in the entire garrison who could hope to best him in battle, and Jasmine couldn’t have been safer if he’d been standing by himself. But just to be sure…

“Her visits are to be short, safe, and pleasant. If she so much as looks distressed, remove the irritant at once. Take care of her.” He turned away, paused and looked back. These might be his friends, but still… “One other thing, comrades. If you take a liking to her, I’ll have to slit your throats.”

Isfael growled and made an obscene sign. Raziel gave him toothy grin. Satisfied, Keilor walked away, smiling.

***

“Stop fussing. You’re not my nurse.”

Rihlia grunted and shifted her grip around Jasmine’s waist. Jas had one arm flung around her shoulders for balance. She’d already threatened to dump her friend on the floor or have one of their escorts carry her. “No, and I’m not a pack mule, either. I told you to let me get the books for you. I would have been there and back by now.”

With an effort, Jasmine straightened and took most of her weight on her own feet, hiding what it cost her. It had seemed like a great idea to go check out the library. What better way to while away the long hours she was forced to stay abed than with a stack of books? Besides, she was sick of staring at her own four walls.

She’d unfortunately overestimated her stamina and was relieved when they staggered into the library and she was dumped onto a bench.

Breathing heavily, Rihlia dropped down beside her. “Somebody else is carrying you back.”

“Oh, knock it off,” Jasmine grumbled, panting for real. “I’m not that heavy.”

Rihlia grinned and dropped the act, hopping up with a sickening amount of energy. “What would you like me to get first?”

The immense old library had few patrons that day, and the silence peculiar to such hallowed halls of books made Jasmine feel right at home. The room was octagon in shape. Shelves of books rose to the carved panels of the arched ceiling. Trees grew right out of the floor. Benches had been built around them to provide seating. High, arched windows filled the western facing wall and provided plenty of reading light.

She sighed in delight. It was perfect. No doubt everything she ever wanted to know about these people was in here, and she couldn’t wait to get her hands on it.

One of the little giraffes (villi) that were such popular pets in this world walked up and gravely sniffed at her. Lemming wagged her tail politely and returned the greeting. Amused, she watched as it sauntered off, curiosity satisfied.

Independent little creatures, she thought.

“Can I help you?” A voice inquired, and she turned to find an older man with the expression of someone trying to keep his thoughts to himself.

He bent to pet the villi who’d greeted them, creaking with the movement.

“I was hoping to learn a little more about the history of the Haunt, and especially about charmers. I don’t suppose you would know much about it, would you?”

If anything, the librarian grew more severe, but he moved off to find the books. Uneasy, Jasmine murmured, “I don’t think he likes me, Ri.”

Rihlia cleared her throat and sat down beside her on the bench. “Not everyone here likes humans. It’s especially bad because you’re...”

“Charmer,” Jasmine supplied, saying the word like a curse.

Rihlia bit her lip. “It would have been worse if Jayems had let you go back home and anyone had found out. There might have been war. As it was he had to deal with an uproar once word spread that a…uh, that you were here.” Her face darkened. “Some people even wanted to kill you.”

“What!” Jasmine stared at her in alarm. “What did I do?”

Upset, Rihlia rubbed her arms and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Nothing. It’s just that too many of the older generation still remember what it was like before they came here. They’re worried you might be some kind of danger to them.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jasmine scoffed. “What am I going to do, single-handedly annihilate the entire Haunt race? Give me a break!” She stopped in mid-tirade, suddenly realizing what else Rihlia had said. “Ri,” she said slowly, “They’ve been here for over two hundred years. You told me that yourself. How could they possibly remember anything?” Rihlia was silent. Jasmine swallowed hard. Addressing the floor, she asked, “Just how long do you guys live, anyway?”

“Three hundred years is considered a good, old age,” the librarian supplied, returning with a stack of books and a register for Jasmine to sign. It took her a moment, but she scrawled her signature with a heavy hand at the bottom. He set the books on the bench beside her and went about his business.

She rubbed her face, wondering if she’d ever get used to living in an alien world. Three hundred years!

“You don’t look so good,” Rihlia said, worried. “I think we’d better get you back to bed.”

Without being asked, Isfael picked her up like an infant and Raziel followed with her books. Jasmine squirmed and grumbled at the indignity of it, but she truly was too tired to argue. Even with the annoyance of Isfael’s fur tickling her nose and making her want to sneeze, she was asleep by the time they reached her room.