bring herself to let him die. She cared for him, and when Gabel regained consciousness and looked up into her sweet face, he fell in love. Tasoneela learned quickly that her handsome pirate was a man worth loving in return. Gabel begged her to leave her island and travel the oceans with him, and for love’s sake, she did.”
Thena paused again to take a deep breath of fragrant air. “And?” Jed asked immediately. “What happened?”
Thena repressed a victorious smiled. “Tasoneela loved Gabel, but she missed her island. She was desperately miserable, and Gabel couldn’t bear to let her suffer. He brought her back here and stayed with her. They were going to farm the land.”
Thena stopped talking as she gently shooed a butterfly away from her face. “What happened?” Jed demanded.
“Miguel de Leturiondo learned that Tasoneela and a French pirate were living on Sancia, and he sent a detachment of soldiers to capture them.” Thena pointed to the north. “They trapped Tasoneela and Gabel on the beach near that end of Sancia. Gabel stood in front of her, protecting her with his body, and fired at the soldiers. Several fired back, and a bullet killed Tasoneela.”
She paused again. Jed leaned towards Thena without realizing he was doing it. “Was Gabel killed too?”
Her face somber, she nodded. “He asked the soldiers to kill him. They refused. But they let him carry Tasoneela’s body to a glade she’d loved, and he buried her there. He asked them again to kill him, and this time—touched by his grief, and knowing that torture and hanging waited for him on the mainland—they did. They buried him next to Tasoneela.”
Thena looked quietly at Jed and was pleased to find belief in his expression. Then he began to come back to reality a little, and his dark eyes gauged her with mild suspicion.
“Is that tale true?” he asked, almost smiling.
“It is. I swear.” Thena was sincere. She’d heard the story of Tasoneela and Gabel so many times and from so many people that she had no doubt it was true.
They rode in silence for several minutes, Jed assessing the strange feeling of wonder her story evoked, Thena assessing Jed. The forest floor began to slope downward. Abruptly the horses stepped into a cove surrounded by the dense woodland. Deep, shimmering water beckoned with soft arms of sand. A murmuring creek wound back through the forest from it.
Jed breathed in the cool, sweet air of a heaven on earth. The elves, he was sure, would appear at any minute to greet Thena, their goddess of the woods.
She slipped down from Cendrillon’s back and walked to the water’s edge, her senses acutely aware of every sound as Jed jumped down from JackJaw and followed. She sat in the warm sand and he sat also, very close beside her. Too close. That primitive sexual innuendo again, she thought with a quiver.
“This is it,” she whispered. “This is where Tasoneela and Gabel are buried.”
His heart pounding, Jed twisted his head andlooked at her in surprise. She met his gaze and his pleasant, musky breath touched her face. Her lips parted slightly as she inhaled his life, his nearness.
“Here?” he murmured.
Thena’s nerve endings felt stretched by the magnetic pull of his gaze, and suddenly she knew she’d made a terrible mistake by telling him the lovers’ story. Not only had the story captured him, it had captured her as well. Her pulse raced, and the insides of her thighs, already made sensitive by Cendrillon’s coarse hair, tingled.
“Here,” Thena said breathlessly. “Sometimes … sometimes I hear them laughing … I think they made love here.” She couldn’t stop looking into the seductive depths of his eyes. “I’m going to call you Jedidiah from now on,” Thena whispered.
A look of bewilderment and delight came into his face at the abrupt announcement. “I’m too ordinary to be a Jedidiah. Jed suits my plain nature better. But thank you.”
Thena shook her head very slowly, never
Thena paused again to take a deep breath of fragrant air. “And?” Jed asked immediately. “What happened?”
Thena repressed a victorious smiled. “Tasoneela loved Gabel, but she missed her island. She was desperately miserable, and Gabel couldn’t bear to let her suffer. He brought her back here and stayed with her. They were going to farm the land.”
Thena stopped talking as she gently shooed a butterfly away from her face. “What happened?” Jed demanded.
“Miguel de Leturiondo learned that Tasoneela and a French pirate were living on Sancia, and he sent a detachment of soldiers to capture them.” Thena pointed to the north. “They trapped Tasoneela and Gabel on the beach near that end of Sancia. Gabel stood in front of her, protecting her with his body, and fired at the soldiers. Several fired back, and a bullet killed Tasoneela.”
She paused again. Jed leaned towards Thena without realizing he was doing it. “Was Gabel killed too?”
Her face somber, she nodded. “He asked the soldiers to kill him. They refused. But they let him carry Tasoneela’s body to a glade she’d loved, and he buried her there. He asked them again to kill him, and this time—touched by his grief, and knowing that torture and hanging waited for him on the mainland—they did. They buried him next to Tasoneela.”
Thena looked quietly at Jed and was pleased to find belief in his expression. Then he began to come back to reality a little, and his dark eyes gauged her with mild suspicion.
“Is that tale true?” he asked, almost smiling.
“It is. I swear.” Thena was sincere. She’d heard the story of Tasoneela and Gabel so many times and from so many people that she had no doubt it was true.
They rode in silence for several minutes, Jed assessing the strange feeling of wonder her story evoked, Thena assessing Jed. The forest floor began to slope downward. Abruptly the horses stepped into a cove surrounded by the dense woodland. Deep, shimmering water beckoned with soft arms of sand. A murmuring creek wound back through the forest from it.
Jed breathed in the cool, sweet air of a heaven on earth. The elves, he was sure, would appear at any minute to greet Thena, their goddess of the woods.
She slipped down from Cendrillon’s back and walked to the water’s edge, her senses acutely aware of every sound as Jed jumped down from JackJaw and followed. She sat in the warm sand and he sat also, very close beside her. Too close. That primitive sexual innuendo again, she thought with a quiver.
“This is it,” she whispered. “This is where Tasoneela and Gabel are buried.”
His heart pounding, Jed twisted his head andlooked at her in surprise. She met his gaze and his pleasant, musky breath touched her face. Her lips parted slightly as she inhaled his life, his nearness.
“Here?” he murmured.
Thena’s nerve endings felt stretched by the magnetic pull of his gaze, and suddenly she knew she’d made a terrible mistake by telling him the lovers’ story. Not only had the story captured him, it had captured her as well. Her pulse raced, and the insides of her thighs, already made sensitive by Cendrillon’s coarse hair, tingled.
“Here,” Thena said breathlessly. “Sometimes … sometimes I hear them laughing … I think they made love here.” She couldn’t stop looking into the seductive depths of his eyes. “I’m going to call you Jedidiah from now on,” Thena whispered.
A look of bewilderment and delight came into his face at the abrupt announcement. “I’m too ordinary to be a Jedidiah. Jed suits my plain nature better. But thank you.”
Thena shook her head very slowly, never
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