A Thousand Years of Hope - 10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

A storm ravaged the island late Tuesday night, rain falling into the early hours of Wednesday.

A whispered ‘help’ woke Tani from a deep sleep. He sat up on his bed and listened to the raging rain. The trees in the forest around them broke most of it…

The plea for help came again, and he got out of bed.

Closing his eyes, he listened, and once it came again, he followed it, teleporting to the overflowing river in the middle of the conservancy. The waters had swelled and spilled over to the bank. Not caring that the rain was soaking him, he stood on a flat rock, searching until he saw the little red fox standing on the edge of the flooding river. It was pacing in distress, trying to reach a bobbing boulder caught between two large branches. The river water doing its best to take the boulder downstream.

Tani froze when he saw a second fox caught under the shifting boulder. The river water was racing down too fast. He didn’t stop to think. He teleported to the two large branches, reached down, and caught the drowning fox by its neck just as the boulder got loose of the branches and raced downstream.

Cradling the soaking fox, he returned to the flat rock, and the little fox that had called for help ran after him.

“You poor things, your cave must have flooded,” Tani said, placing the drowned fox he held on the flat rock. The little fox leaned closer, peering at its friend. “Don’t worry. He’s just swallowed a lot of water.”

Tani pressed two fingers to the still fox’s stomach and pushed. Water came out of its mouth, and it coughed. Tani rubbed its back, turning the tired fox to its side as it coughed more water. When it was breathing easier, Tani smiled and pressed his palms on both sides to warm it up. The rain was still falling, so he looked around the thick forest. They needed shelter.

Taking the two foxes into his arms, he walked deeper into the forest until he found a hollowed-out tree. He lined the inside of the hollow with leaves and urged the little foxes into the space.

“You two, don’t wander close to the river until I can get it to calm down,” Tani said when they were settled. The little fox who had desperately called for help licked his hand, and he smiled at the affection. “Stay here until the rain stops.”

He spent a few minutes ensuring the hollowed-out tree was safe and dry. When he was done, he returned to the burgeoning river.

Tani checked to see if any other animals had been caught in the fast sweep of water. He tried to calm the waters with his power, but it hurt to use too much.

Tani was still raw from the vineyard, so he stopped. He would need to talk to Uncle Amu in the morning. Returning home, Tani stood in the middle of his bedroom, soaked to the bone.

Staring at his muddy feet, all he could think about was what Dante was doing.

At six in the morning, Tani sat at the kitchen island table, reading a daily report from the conservancy on a tablet they kept in the kitchen.

The forest had damaged boundary fences and broken cameras, and the flooding river made it difficult for the animals to cross it. It pained Tani that his power still felt too raw to use. If he were to take on the tending of the conservancy, it would take him all day.

Eren entered the kitchen and stopped when she saw him. She was in a long, simple dress, her hair falling down her back. She was on bare feet, clearly not dressed for the day. She started to turn away in an apparent escape.

“Eren,” Tani said, remembering she kept blooming his Elderwood bushes. He could channel her excess power to the river.

“Little lordling,” Eren said, facing him and looking around the sunny kitchen. “Lord Amu?”

“He’s not back yet,” Tani said.

“Hera and Tom?” Eren asked.

“They are at the fortress working,” Tani said, placing his tablet down, now studying Eren. She was unwilling to be in the same room with him. Had to be his comment about disowning his father.

“And Cale?” Eren asked, going down the list of all the people she had met the previous night.

Tani grinned as he realized Eren hoped she would not have to deal with him alone.

“We can find Cale,” Tani said. “All we have to do is call for him.”

“You mean you call for him,” Erin said, bunching the skirts of her dress. “He won’t respond to me. I’ve tried.”

Tani blinked. He had always thought Cale responded to every call made to him.

“Cale?” Tani said and smiled when Cale appeared in a charcoal gray suit a few minutes later. His hair was brushed to perfection, and he was busy adjusting his cuffs.

“You called, Little Lordling,” Cale said.

“Eren was asking about you,” Tani said, pushing the tablet toward Cale, who stood a few feet away. He got up from his chair and went to the coffee maker in the corner. He didn’t feel like tea this morning. It was lucky someone in the house had felt the same. There was coffee already made.

“Do you think you can help me with a bit of work?” Tani asked. “The river is flooding, and it is causing trouble.”

“I will only make it get worse,” Cale said, picking up the tablet and reading the list made by Tom’s team.

“I don’t need you to fix it; take Eren,” Tani said, finding a mug; he poured himself a half cup and sipped the bitter liquid. “I tried last night, but I could not.”

He lifted his right wrist to show his cuffs.

“I overused at the vineyard,” Tani said, smiling at a panic-stricken Eren. “It happens after a big use. Eren, do you mind?”

“No,” Eren said, shaking her head. “I mean, yes, I will help.”

Tani smiled at her.

“Thank you.”

“Stop making her feel guilty this early in the morning,” Cale said, placing the tablet on the table. He moved to the coffee maker, checked the state of the coffee, and sighed. “Stop drinking stale coffee.”

Cale took the mug Tani held and the coffee pot to pour the coffee and rinse at the sink. He was adding fresh water to the coffee pot when his cell phone buzzed.

Tani frowned, wondering where he had left his own. He had not seen it since the day he was at the Arturo vineyard.

“Hi, Hera,” Cale said when he answered the call. “He’s right here. I’ll put you on speaker.”

Cale placed his phone on the island table and returned to making coffee.

“Babu,” Hera said. “Where did you take your phone?”

Tani chuckled and returned to his chair.

“I don’t know,” Tani said.

“Honestly,” Hera said, exasperation clear. “I’m going to find a cord to clip on the phone and have you wear it like a necklace. Uncle Amu won’t make it to the tour. We need you.”

“No.” Tani started to protest, gaining Cale’s undivided attention.

“Who is going to do it then?” Hera asked.

“You or Tom,” Tani said.

Hera sighed and would have started complaining, but Cale stopped her.

“Just a sec, Hera,” Cale muted the call and turned to Tani.

“You promised to make an effort on this,” Cale said, glaring at Tani. “Running away is not helping you or him. Time keeps moving along.”

“Why do you care so much?”

“I’m not going to answer that,” Cale said, glancing at a fascinated Eren. “All I know is that you should do the tour today. If you don’t, Eren won’t help with the river, right?”

Eren started to protest inclusion, but Cale glared at her, and she sighed.

“Right?” she said, though it sounded more like a question.

Tani scoffed, looking at her momentarily, and then he turned to Cale.

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Tani said, reaching for Cale’s phone. He unmuted the call. “Alright, Hera, what time should I be there?”

“Before ten o’clock, you can use Tom’s office. We’ll be waiting for you,” Hera said.

“See you,” Tani ended the call and studied Cale, who was now making coffee. “You’re very invested in me and Dante.”

“I’m just tired of watching the colossal disasters between you,” Cale said. “I miss my domain and a peaceful existence.”

“You can imagine how absurd that sounds from the Ekho god of calamity,” Tani pointed out.

“You’re full of good fortune, but you never make it work for you,” Cale said, pouring Tani a fresh cup of coffee when it was ready. He brought the mug to Tani, his right brow raised. “Who is more absurd?”

Tani drank his coffee in silence because he had no answer for Cale. He needed to deal with his indecisiveness.

Right before ten o’clock, he teleported into Tom’s office after a hurried shower and a change of clothes.

Hera was visibly relieved to see him. She hurried to his side to adjust his shirt while Tom watched them from behind his large desk.

“I am so glad you agreed to give this tour,” Hera said, arranging the mandarin collar on Tani’s white shirt. “Otherwise, Tom would have to, and he bores everyone to sleep.”

Tom chuckled, and Tani winked at him.

Tani had left the top two buttons of the shirt open. Hera finished with the collar and brushed off lint from his shoulder. Tani tugged at the long sleeves of his shirt. He had used magic to turn his wrist's gold cuffs into thin bracelets carved to look like a chain of Elderwood leaves.

Tani smoothed his left hand over the short part of his hair on the left side.

Hera used the comb she held to manage the long fringe of hair falling to the right side. She brushed his hair down his right side, straightening out red-brown curls into their cut, making sure his hair hid his right ear lobe. She used a finger to slide a few strands away from his forehead.

Tani grinned at the intent look on her face as she brushed his hair.

She was the one who had taken him to the salon. Hera and Deniz chose his hairstyle, turning it into a right undercut with his long hair brushed to one side to hide the gold Elderwood leaves on his right earlobe.

Hera stepped away from him when she was satisfied with her work. She placed the comb in a small bag on Tom’s desk and then took him in.

They were anticipating the arrival of Dante’s students in a few minutes. Tom and Hera handled the visit arrangements, clearing with the various departments and the cafeteria.

Tani had been last to arrive at Tom’s office.

“How do I look?” Tani asked Hera.

“Like the patron of The Elderwood Conservancy,” Hera said with a satisfied nod. She handed Tani gold-rimmed reading glasses that would mute the otherness of his eyes. Tani wore them without protest. “Am I right, Tom?”

“Right,” Tom said, getting up from his chair behind the desk. “The alarm at the gate pinged my phone three minutes ago. They are here.”

Tani breathed in and moved to the windows showing off the front of the building.

His heart sped up when, a few minutes later, he saw a white staff bus driving up to the fortress’ front entrance. Despite the many hours Tani spent telling himself he should not get excited over Dante, his heart betrayed him when the man so much as appeared.

Knowing Dante was on the bus was enough to speed up his heart.

Tani sighed quietly and slid his hands into his tailored black trousers. This was the start. He had no way to stop it, and he was afraid he would hurt too many people this time.

“Babu,” Tom said, coming to stand next to him. “Uncle Amu is sure you’ll not be as available after today. Should we be worried?”

Tani stared at the white bus, which had slowed down, navigating around the fountain at the front and stopping at the front doors.

“The conservancy will continue,” Tani said. “You’re here. There is Uncle Amu, and Cale is around. Everything should run without a problem, like when I was away.”

“Okay,” Tom said with a soft sigh.

Tani looked behind him and was glad to see Hera on the phone.

“I will ask you to make an appointment with the conservancy’s law firm,” Tani said, giving Tom a small smile. “I need to clean up a few things.”

Tom studied him for a minute and then frowned.

“I hope you know I’m as attached to you as Hera and Deniz,” Tom said. “I know you disappear on us, but it is okay because we all know you’re around. Easy to meet. Easy to call. I’m asking you now. Can you not go somewhere we can’t reach you?”

Tani turned to face Tom, unable to give him an answer. The look on Tom’s face reminded him of the first time he ran into Tom in this fortress. It was a mix of challenge and determination.

When Tom was twelve, he was furious at the world. His family lived on the outskirts of a city on the mainland. They hid their abilities because they could not share them in a rapidly changing modern world. Tom rebelled against his parents' ideas. He resented having to hide his true self.

He wanted to show his friends his gift of making the earth shift, making flowers bloom on notice, and whatever else he thought up to amuse himself. When they did not understand him, he ran along the beach on the mainland, terrorizing anyone who dared pick on him for being a freak.

One evening, Amu got a message from one of his contacts to check out a strange boy at the beach. Amu arrived just as Tom was busy throwing balls of sand at three boys. Amu ended up with a solid ball of sand in his mouth and became one of Tom’s victims. Tom was eternally shocked when he, too, received a mouthful of sand in his face in retaliation. Amu always gave back as good as he got. It was the way of the fox clan.

Soon after, Amu brought Tom’s whole family to the fortress and tasked them with caring for The Elderwood Conservancy. Young Tom could play to his heart’s content in the fortress's forests. He met more people like him and made great friends who understood him.

Tani was living at their station in East Africa then, but he would stop by to manage issues that cropped up with the fortress. On one such visit, he ran into twelve-year-old Tom and almost ate dirt from the garden at the front of the fortress before there was a fountain.

Tani grinned at the memory.

Tom followed him for a week to discover how Tani had evaded his ball of dirt. He could not remember how Tom got him to teach him how to shift dirt in midair. The kid was a ball of persistence. As time passed, he became Tom’s teacher, helping him with his abilities.

Then Tom grew up. Their roles changed. Tani started relying on Tom to care for the fortress more and more. In a blink, here they were. Tom was all grown up.

“Do you remember throwing balls of soil at people when you were twelve?” Tani asked, grinning when Tom scowled at him.

“Why are you bringing up my dark days?” Tom asked, frowning at him.

Tani chuckled.

“You were such an angry kid,” Tani mused. “Looking at you now, who would believe it?”

“You,” Tom said with a grin. “Uncle Amu ate a lot of sand.”

“He did,” Tani agreed.

Tom looked handsome as always. His thick dark hair was in a neat cut and combed back. His brown eyes were kind. His smile was ready. He dressed in proper suits when he was at work. Today, he wore a gray suit, white shirt, and burgundy tie.

“I might not be able to give you the promise you want,” Tani said, his gaze shifting to Hera.

Hera was still busy writing down a note as she listened to the person on the other end of the call. She looked classy today, wearing a navy blue sheath dress and black heels. Her braids were in a tight ponytail, the length of them falling down her back.

Tani continued.

“I will, however, make sure you’re all—”

“Do not say ‘taken care of,’” Tom said, narrowing his gaze.

Tani smiled and met Tom’s gaze.

“It is the only thing I can say to you,” Tani said. “I have unfinished business…”

“Then finish it and still return to us,” Tom said, ending the conversation. “I’ll call the lawyers, but only because Uncle Amu would want me to. I expect to see you at my lastborn’s tenth birthday party, Tani Ryuzo. I should warn you, my wife will give me five kids.”

Tani scoffed.

“You have not married your girlfriend yet.”

“Well, look at all that time we have together,” Tom grinned.

“They are signed in,” Hera said, ending her call. “Rachel has led them to the waiting room. Ready, Babu?”

“Yep,” Tani said, pulling his hands out of his pockets, fighting off nerves.

“Here,” Tom said, holding out a black phone. “If you leave the fortress, we need to call you.”

“Okay.”

Tani took the phone and slipped it into his trouser pocket, smiling at the determined look on Tom.

Tani rubbed his hands together, suddenly looking forward to the tour.

“We should start with the tower at the entrance,” Tani said. “I think they’ll get a kick out of the observatory, won’t they?”

“Cale was painting up there a month ago,” Hera said, picking up a folder from Tom’s desk. She led the way out of Tom’s office, with Tom bringing up the rear. “Something about helping the restoration crew.”

“Cale sure has a lot of time,” Tani said, shaking his head as he followed Hera. “He had better not have installed gargoyles on the roofs.”

Tom chuckled behind him as he closed the office door. They headed to the waiting room at the reception together.

****

“Dante, this place is epic,” Thomas said, folding his hands against his chest. “I can’t believe it is not on a roaster at our department for visits.”

“They’re low-key about visits,” Dante said, fighting the urge to pace with impatience.

They were in a waiting room. The eight students who had come along sat in the leather chairs around the room, murmuring amongst themselves. They were all waiting for their guide.

“How did you find them again?” Justina asked.

“Professor Roberto from biology,” Dante said. “He said they have a lab that tests soils. Though he has not visited the conservancy, one of their researchers worked with Professor Roberto.”

“No wonder,” Thomas said. “If Roberto discovered this place, we would not have heard the end of it.”

Justina chuckled and started to comment, only to stop when the door opened.

Tom walked in first. Looking formal in his business suit. Hera followed, looking beautiful this morning in a navy blue dress. She smiled at Dante when their gazes met, giving him a short nod of recognition.

Then…Tani walked in.

Dante forgot all the reasons why he was here. His gaze riveted on Tani, taking him in from his red-brown hair to his amber eyes hidden behind reading glasses. He looked handsome in a white shirt and tailored dark trousers. He wore white slip-on Vans this time. Dante smiled as he realized Tani seemed to have a serious fixation with the brand.

Tani stood behind Hera and Tom, hands in his pockets. His gaze moved around the room.

Dante took in a breath, waiting…he breathed out when Tani finally looked at him, and their gazes held. Time stopped for a solid minute, and he could only look at Tani.

Then, Tom started talking, and Tani broke their gaze. Dante sucked in air, feeling the loss of Tani’s gaze on him deep in his soul.

“I want to welcome you to The Elderwood Conservancy,” Tom said. “We have not had guests in a while, so we’re all excited to show off a bit of our fortress.”

“We hope you enjoy the tour and the stories you’ll learn about this fortress from one of our patrons,” Tom said. “Next to me is Miss Hera. She helps manage our conservancy. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to approach her. Professor Arturo, you mentioned in your message that you want to look at the architecture of the building and learn about the fortress’s history. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Dante said, nodding. “We’re learning how architecture from the different eras still influences modern architecture. Also, can we get an explanation as to why the horrendous addition of modern walls is at the front?”

The students laughed, and Tani shook his head at Dante for the mischief. Dante found he liked Tani’s censuring look.

“I’m sure you’ll discover the answer soon,” Tom said with a quick smile. “Allow me to introduce our patron, Mr. Tani Ryuzo. His family has supported and lived in this fortress since its commission in the fifteenth century.”

Tom clapped his hands, prompting the students to do the same.

Tani grinned at Tom’s short introduction and took a step forward.

“Call me Ryuzo,” Tani said, turning to Dante, Justina, and Thomas. “And I will take responsibility for adding modern walls at the front.”

Dante grinned, and Tani nodded, turning his attention to the students.

“Everyone keeps inviting you to The Elderwood Conservancy, so I’ll explain who we are,” Tani said. “We are an organization dedicated to creating a safe space for endangered wild animals and plants. We also run an environment research center where we work to discover new ways to protect and conserve our environment.”

“Are you saying the forests around the fortress belong to the conservancy?” One of the students asked.

“Yes, they are protected forests,” Tani said. “If you go deeper, you’re likely to run into wild animals and discover rare plants that cannot be harvested.”

“Do the wild animals reach the fortress?”

“They can, but they don’t,” Tani said. “We have mounted a perimeter fence about two hundred meters around the fortress to protect the mortals living here.”

Tom coughed, and Tani glanced at Dante, who was hiding a grin at his use of the word mortals.

“I meant to say we don’t want the wild animals finding our staff in their offices,” Tani said, gaining chuckles from the students. “We do get an occasional monkey stealing bananas from an unsuspecting staff member in the flower gardens, but the fortress grounds are secure.”

“How do I work here?” A dark-haired young man sitting at the front asked, looking quite serious and eager.

“Does it look like a fun place to work?” Tani asked.

“Yes, I love conservation science,” he said.

Tani grinned.

“Then, we would have to ask Tom and Hera,” Tani said. “They are the true heroes of our organization. They work at the helm of the conservancy, coordinating the massive effort it takes to navigate various government laws, keep researchers working, and keep our conservancy safe and secure. Talk to them on how to join,” Tani said. “Now, about the fortress….and the addition of modern walls…”

“You’re not going to let that go, are you?” Dante asked.

“No,” Tani said, making the students laugh again. “The building is steeped in Ottoman architecture. The smaller tower at the entrance was used to control who entered the fortress. The rest of the building makes it a fortress with its four towers. It is square, with three flours on each wing and a courtyard in the middle. Let’s not sit in here. If you’ll come with me, we’ll start with the front tower of the fortress and work our way in.”

Dante smiled as Tani led the way out of the waiting room.

Hera’s phone buzzed, and she moved to the side to answer the call.

Thomas and Justina approached Tom, so it fell to Dante to herd their students after Tani. They left the waiting room and turned left.

Tani led them into a hidden stairwell right after the waiting room that led up to the smaller round front tower.

“As mentioned earlier, the fortress was commissioned in the Fifteenth Century. At the time, the Ottoman Empire was enduring a great expansion, which meant war. A great power shift began, and as is expected of war, the need for sanctuary grew. The fortress was commissioned for this purpose,” Tani said as they climbed the stairs. “The wall on your right is part of the original build, constructed with natural stone and mortar. It was the busiest part of the fortress because it was the first point of contact. Suppliers left their wares here, messengers spoke to the fortress soldiers, and anyone who wanted sanctuary made their request in this tower.”

Dante ran his hands over the cold stone and slowed down when, for a full minute, he thought he saw the stairs turn to wood instead of the marble they were now. The walls were covered with intricate wood beams, and an elegant railing ran along the side with glass. He stopped and blinked.

He looked up in time to see his students following Tani up the tower. His gaze lingered on the glass walls showing off the front of the building. He hurried up the steps, past his lingering students, until he was behind Tani.

“Why was the tower rebuilt?” Dante asked, needing to know.

“In the seventeenth century, a great fire broke out in this tower,” Tani said. “The occupants of the fortress disagreed with a neighboring Sultan. The tower was built using wood between floors, on the stairs, and on the roofing. The fire left it severely damaged, and the structure almost collapsed. We’re lucky the fire did not spread to the rest of the fortress.”

The stairs brought them to an open landing on the third floor. The glass wall built on their left showed off a stunning view of the fountain and the front of the fortress.

“When did the tower gain the glass view?” Justina asked, having reached them.

Tani’s attention was on a glass door in an open space to their right. He smiled when the door opened, and a tall man wearing a security uniform waved at him.

“This front tower stayed damaged for a time. We—it was rebuilt in the early nineteenth century as a visitor reception area. As architecture modernized and the fortress’s work changed, we redesigned this part of the tower to serve the needs of the conservancy. The fortress has always served as a sanctuary,” Tani said, leading them to the open glass doors.

Dante was surprised to discover a very modern security room.

The room was packed with security officers monitoring screens filled with forests and swamps.

“Wow,” Thomas said, as eager to discover as his students. “What is this?”

“As I said, we’re responsible for the forests around us. In these last few decades, monitoring the conservancy’s lands for poachers and raiders in the forests looking for precious trees and herbs has become important. The men and women you see at work watch out for unusual movements like human encroachment into forests and poachers hunting our herd of precious Asian elephants,” Tani said. “If you want to work here, expect action-filled days when we chase poachers off the conservancy.”

“Do you ever allow public tours in the forests?” one of the students asked.

“No,” Tani said. “We only allow need-based tours for research scientists. The team of wildlife veterinarians we have on staff runs the tours. They take care of any animals that absolutely need support. They also help us learn how to monitor, maintain, and increase the numbers of the endangered animals.”

“How do you get a job here again?” Justina asked.

“Ask Hera or Tom,” the students told her in answer.

“Fred is going to show you a little movie the security staff prepared to show you the amazing creatures we have in our conservancy,” Tani said, nodding to the tall man who wore the security uniform.

Fred urged the students to follow him to a small sitting area with a screen mounted on the wall. Tani stayed back to allow the students to move closer. Some sat on the four chairs before the screen, and the remaining stood behind their friends, with Thomas and Justina joining them.

Dante finally took the chance to stand next to Tani.

The moment he leaned on the wall next to Tani, Dante cursed under his breath at the mad urge to lean in closer to Tani and take a deep breath. Tani smelled so good: apple and citrus teased his senses. He started to cave into the urge but didn’t get a chance. Instead, he stared into Tani’s amber eyes, still distracting even hidden behind reading glasses.

Tani watched him for a moment and then smiled.

“What?”

“Why did this tower really burn down?” Dante asked as Fred dimmed the lights near the screen and started his video.

Tani folded his arms against his chest and shifted on the wall to face Dante.

“Why do you want to know?” Tani asked in a low whisper, his amber eyes visible even in the dim light.

“I had a moment when we were coming up,” Dante said, matching Tani’s low whisper. “It felt like I was once here in this tower. The stairs were made of wood, so was the roof…”

Dante remembered the stories from his grandmother’s journal.

“I think the fortress was used to protect women who did not want to live as slaves at the time. They made dyes and wove carpets here in exchange for a place to live. I…”

“You were Dane. You helped bring those women here,” Tani said, his voice filled with nostalgia.

“Hm,” Dante nodded and then added. “Dane is not me, though; he just looked like me.”

Tani chuckled and nodded.

“I know. Dane is different from you. He was a soldier born of a Christian woman and stolen from her at birth. He grew up into a masked janissary under a powerful sultan. We met while I was saving women lost in the forest. He helped me fight off deadly mercenaries, and we fell in love,” Tani said. “He later fell in love with a woman in the castle where he worked. She discovered his visits to our fortress. She sent a troop to burn the place and stop Dane from helping the women. This tower suffered the worst of the fire they set. We sent everyone away to our other sanctuaries and emptied the fortress for a period.”

“He should have chosen to stay and help you,” Dante said, angry at Dane’s love for a vengeful woman.

“You’re angry,” Tani said, studying him. “Don’t be. Dane helped the women because we were together, not because he thought I was doing the right thing. When the woman in the castle found out about the fortress, he ended our relationship the only way he could. He returned to who he was and delayed the troops so the women could escape. I—”

“Your heart was broken,” Dante cut in, his anger rising at Dane’s betrayal of Tani. “He broke it when he married the woman who burned down this tower. You watched the wedding in the square and then left after bidding him goodbye.”

Tani exhaled and shrugged.

“It wasn’t the first time,” Tani said, his gaze shifting to the video on the large screen on the wall. “I wasn’t helpless, as you know. The fortress endured. It was a cycle I had to get through.”

“Tani,” Dante started, oddly upset about the last part of Tani’s comment. It was as though he was resigned to all of Dante’s predecessors hurting him now.

“Stop thinking about sad things. Watch the video,” Tani said. “I’m quite proud of Hera and Tom’s work with the Asian elephants. They’ve managed to increase their numbers. I will need to expand their territory somehow. Maybe you can help.”

Dante studied Tani’s face in the dim light and wondered where Tani hid his hurt. Where did he take the pain of centuries of betrayal?

He wished—

“Don’t look at me like that,” Tani said.

“Like what?” Dante asked.

“Like you owe me,” Tani hissed at him. “It is the last thing I want from you, Dante Arturo.”

“Then what do you want?” Dante asked.

Tani shrugged and moved away from him.

Dante breathed out and returned to the video his students were watching. The screen was filled with a Bengal tiger climbing a large tree. The tiger was magnificent, but all Dante could think of was the scent of apples and citrus filling his nose and the picture of Tani watching Dane get married, as written in the journal.

When the video ended, the students clapped and asked Fred questions before moving on to the next part of the tour.

Tani was cordial with the students. He patiently answered questions as he took them to the tower's fourth floor, where they discovered the reason for all the glass. A glass dome covered the top, creating an observatory with a professional telescope.

They each got a turn at the telescope and then had to move on to the next part of the tour.

Tani walked them through magnificent hallways with high arches built with brick and exotic wood, the walls adorned with colored stone and tiles. They all marveled at a drawing room turned library, whose walls were decorated with gold calligraphy.

Dante watched Tani through the tour, barely asking his questions, his thoughts preoccupied with the past and the present. He wondered what Dane had seen walking these halls with Tani. He asked what that idiot had thought, giving up on Tani so quickly for a woman who would dare burn this place down. Thinking about it made Dante angry.

“You must be hungry,” Tani said, pausing at a broad, grand staircase leading them back to the ground floor. “We have gone through three wings of the fortress. Due to privacy reasons, we cannot enter the fourth wing. It is a residential area and is where our staff lives. We are left with the courtyard…”

Tani frowned, looking over Dante’s students to the back.

“Alas, we cannot enter the courtyard for legal reasons,” Tani said, pointing to Hera and Tom. They were holding their hands up and shaking their heads. “Or so I’m told. A renovation crew is working on the archway leading to the front hall. Our tour will now head to the cafeteria. Hera and Tom will guide the way, and you can get a warm meal.”

“Aren’t you coming along?” One of the girls asked. “You’re not leaving us, are you?”

Tani met Dante’s gaze and then grinned at the girl.

“I’m not leaving yet. I’ll join you in the cafeteria in a few minutes,” Tani said.

Hera and Tom took over, guiding the students away.

Tani frowned when Dante remained standing at the landing, just watching him.

“Why are you still looking so sad?” Tani asked his hands at his sides. “Is it because of what I said about Dane earlier?”

“I can’t shake it off,” Dante said. “Any of it. I thought I could, but hearing you talk about it…I think this burden is too heavy. What do you do with the pain? None of them could burn it away. They were human, pure.”

Tani held out his right hand to Dante. He sighed when Dante did not make a move to take his hand. So, Tani closed the distance between them. Tani removed the reading glasses he wore so that Dante could see his amber eyes.

“How much do you know of our past?” Tani asked.

“We’ve loved each other seven times that I know of, and two that are not quite clear to me,” Dante said, remembering the stories in the diary written by his grandmother, plus the dreams he had experienced. “I have disappointed you each time, and you’ve walked away with a broken heart. How can you look at me as you are right now?”

“How do I look at you?”

“With interest,” Dante said, frowning.

“You are interesting, Dante,” Tani said. “How did you come to know of our past?”

“A journal written by my grandmother,” Dante said. “She worried I would disappoint you too. My mother gave it to me when you left the vineyard. I read it and wanted to see you. I wanted to…”

“To what?” Tani asked, cocking his head to the side.

“I don’t know,” Dante said, shaking his head. “Now that you’re standing before me, I don’t know what to do.”

Tani studied him momentarily, then held out his right hand again.

“Are you going to take my hand, or aren’t you?”

Dante’s gaze shifted to Tani’s right palm. His gaze fixated on the thin bracelets shaped like Elderwood leaves. The leaves a mirage, hiding the actual shape of the gold cuffs Tani wore because of him.

“Tani,” Dante said, his voice a whisper, as he looked into amber eyes. “I’m afraid I won’t want to let go if I hold your hand. Do you think you can accept me? I—I want to try being with you. I’m not like the past me.”

Tani chuckled and shook his head.

“You were always different, never the same. Also, I’m the one offering my hand, Dante. Will you take it or not?” Tani asked.

Dante placed his left hand over Tani’s palm and gasped when Tani clasped his fingers tight.

“Close your eyes,” Tani said.

It was the only warning he got, and then they were in a burst of gold light. The landing faded away, and they stood in a large round room. The domed ceiling was filled with paintings of a floating citadel surrounded by waterfalls. The floating citadel was so exotic that Dante thought it a fantasy, including the man painted in a corner sitting on a tall throne-like chair. He looked like Tani but wasn’t; the hair was wrong. It was dark and long.

“This is the fourth tower in the fortress. This room takes up the third and fourth floors. It is not accessible by anyone,” Tani said, looking at Dante. “You have to be Ekho to enter here. Not even Hera and Tom know about it because there is no door.”

Dante nodded in understanding, looking around the room. The windows were high and tall. They allowed more than enough light into the perfect round room. The light showed off painted portraits mounted in intervals on the natural stonewalls. The furniture looked antique, the shelves filled with books and leather-bound journals. There was a desk with two chairs set next to each other. A long, comfortable couch arranged by what he assumed used to be a fireplace.

“There used to be a bed in the middle,” Tani said. “I got rid of it in anger after a bad night.”

“You have a temper,” Dante said.

“You do, too,” Tani said with a shrug. “This is—was my room until the last century. I—I—, um, since you know what we have been to each other, I want to share my memories of you, not what others have told you.”

Dante nodded in agreement.

Tani rewarded him with a small smile, then clasped his hand tight and led him to a painting to their right. Dante sucked in air when he took a close look at the hanging portrait.

It was Durante. The first one of him. He was dressed in the white robes he wore the day he married and broke Tani’s heart. The one who started Tani’s hell.

“I still remember the day I met you clear as day,” Tani said, his voice low. “Your scent drew me to you. The pack of wolves chased you. You didn’t shout because you feared your family would hear and come after you. So, you ran…and stumbled through the barriers I made into my protected forest. I had no choice but to save you.”

“Barriers?”

“Yes,” Tani said, placing his palm over the portrait's frame. The dust on the frame disappeared, and Tani dropped his hand away. “You ran right through. I suppose you were meant to.”

Dante studied the portrait. A delicate gold mist surrounded Durante in the portrait. He had first thought it was dust, but now that Tani had cleared it away, the gold mist remained.

“What is this?” Dante asked, touching the gold mist aura tightly wrapped around Durante.

“It is how I see you even now,” Tani said. “I took after my mother’s people more than my father imagined. Ekho’s belief in having one true beloved. When we meet them, we share part of ourselves with our beloved. A sacred bond that cannot be severed. When I first met you, I knew you were my beloved. I tried to ignore it for a time after you left the forest. You were human, and I am Ekho. We were from different worlds. It was better to wait for another time, another meeting. It is what our people do. But then, you returned holding food and concern for me. I—”

“You tried to scare him,” Dante said, remembering Tani letting go of his glamour for Durante in his dream. “You showed him your eyes and claws, thinking it would make him run.”

“He called me a fox,” Tani grinned. “I let him think so because it was easiest. I didn’t know how to explain my kind. My heart would not let him be alone, so I loved him as the fox he thought I was.”

“He ended up breaking your heart,” Dante said, shaking his head, remembering the night Durante wedded and Tani wore his gold cuffs.

“He needed immortality,” Tani said with a slight shrug. “A mortal’s life is short; a blink of an eye and it’s over. So, mortals form bonds through the family. Their children meant to succeed where their ancestors did not, meant to push the family to the next era, the next century. His decisions were rooted in the ways of a mortal. Without him, you would not exist. He made the right decision. Because I love him, I understand him.”

“I don’t,” Dante said, shaking his head. “If he loved you too, he should have been loyal to you.”

“Don’t judge him so harshly,” Tani said, meeting Dante’s gaze. “Durante’s bloodline has lived one thousand years, moving from century to century. It is the best magic he could have forged.”

“Still—”

“You have two children,” Tani said, his words sharp. “Your bloodline will see the next generation, the generation after, and so on. Who are you to judge him?”

“I did not marry Viola,” Dante said, needing Tani to understand his failure with Viola. “She is not my beloved, Tani. I—”

“You what?”

“I was careless when I was younger. I stayed with Viola and let her believe in a future together when I felt nothing for her. We made Zach and April, but I could never offer her more than financial support. We separated for her sake and the children. I am not tied to Viola, and I regret the pain our relationship brought to her.”

“Don’t regret the children,” Tani said, shaking his head. “Don’t do that when they both love you so much.”

“I don’t regret Zach and April,” Dante said. “I am, however, a bad parent to them.”

Tani stared at him momentarily, then turned to the portraits on the walls. He moved to the second one and shrugged.

“I’ve realized that parents are also people who make mistakes. Their children must learn how to live with the mistakes they make,” Tani said, smiling at the second man he loved. “He was Dante like you. A simple man who only wanted a simple life. He didn’t know what I was or think I was a fox. We were happy for a time.”

“Until his wife chased you out of the settlement,” Dante said.

“Violet has remained a steady force in your life with an astounding variation of her name,” Tani said, softly chuckling. “I hated her for a while; my hate turned to tolerance. I suppose without her, you would not be here.”

“Tani.”

Tani moved to the next painting, placing his palm over the frame, his power wiping away the dust.

“This was Duante,” Tani said, studying the painting of a man dressed in white robes. “He was a scribe. Duante was quite dedicated to his work at a magistrate’s office. We were together for a very short time before he married and promptly chased me away. He made me so angry that I left his town and traveled the world, determined to forget him.”

Dante held his tongue as Tani went down the line of four more versions of him until he stopped at the portrait of a masked janissary, a red strip over his mask. Tani lingered on this one, his gaze complicated.

“We have the same portrait at Artri House,” Dante said. “He is holding the mask, and his eyes are sorrowful. Why is he different for you?”

“His Violet burned my tower,” Tani mused. “He loved me enough to hide the existence of this fortress from his Sultan. I just didn’t understand his ties to his family were tighter than before. He almost made me believe he would stay with me until Violet burned the fortress. Luckily, he cared enough for my causes to help the women who found sanctuary here. After him, I almost gave up.”

“One of Dane’s daughters found my great-grandfather,” Dante said.

“Yes,” Tani said. “Someone pushed her to find him for his bloodline. I knew nothing of it. The family was consistent with Durante for two more generations, probably why they named you Dante.”

“My grandmother knew the original story,” Dante said. “The patriarch of the family told her.”

“I figured as much,” Tani said, stopping at the last portrait.

In it, Durante was dressed in a dated suit, probably nineteen-twenty. He stood tall and held a cane.

“I ran to East Africa after surviving him,” Tani confessed. “Even though he married Violet early, he kept us longest. Our relationship was a secret that Durante enjoyed having. We stayed together until he turned thirty. Then Violet wanted to move to the Americas, so they left. I would have followed, but he insisted on having a clean slate when they landed in New York. A branch of his family stayed here, and the other moved to New York.”

Tani sighed and let go of Dante’s hand.

“So,” Tani said, indicating the nine portraits on the wall. “This is the size of the baggage I carry. I have tried my best to let it go, but…there are moments when it leaves me feeling broken. The cuffs on my wrist probably have much to do with that.”

Dante stood in the round room, his gaze moving from portrait to portrait. The faces on each one looked similar to his, but not quite. Their priorities certainly differed from his.

“Tani,” Dante said, facing the extraordinary man who had loved his soul for centuries. “Let’s agree on three facts.

“Okay,” Tani said. “What facts are these?”

“First, I am not them,” Dante said, pointing to the portraits. “Agreed?”

Tani folded his arms against his chest and studied him for a moment.

“Agreed,” Tani said after a while. “You were never the same, ever.”

“Okay, this is good,” Dante said, taking a step toward Tani. “Two, I am truly interested in you. And when I say interested, I want to kiss and make love with you. What about you?”

Tani smiled wide, studying him for another minute before he dropped his hands to his sides and nodded.

“I’ve always wanted you, Dante,” Tani said. “Our physical attraction has never been the problem.”

“That’s good to know,” Dante said, relieved. He took a step toward Tani.

“I’ve heard about us from my grandmother’s journal, then a warning from a grimoire in our home. All of them ask me not to disappoint you. As a result, I ran here to find you,” Dante said.

“I thought you wanted a tour for your students?” Tani asked.

“No, I was hoping to find you because I don’t know your phone number or where you live. I must tell you, it breaks my heart when I hear you talk about us. It sounds like you’ve given up on me,” Dante said, taking another step forward, stopping only because Tani raised his right hand as though to stop him.

“You’ve judged my decision on all the others,” Dante said. “I’m not them.”

“No, you’re not,” Tani agreed. “Your warlock education has given you more information than the rest. I’m grateful I don’t have to explain what an Ekho is to you.”

“My Grandmaster is a solid jerk who pushed me too hard and turned me into an overachiever. I know there is a Septum in the Ekho Realm and what it has done to you with those cuffs.”

“Sounds like a man who understands how to groom a fire warlock,” Tani said. “You have one thing right, too. I have given up on proving my choice. I was not going to meet you this lifetime. I had decided to ignore your existence and return to the Ekho Realm forever.”

Dante nodded, taking in the sting of Tani’s words. He stepped back.

“Why did you approach me?” Dante asked. “If you gave up on me, you should have let the kara ot ravage our vineyard.”

“I should have,” Tani said, his answer stinging more than it should. “But I can’t. It’s an Ekho’s job to ensure that blight does not spread in the mortal realm.”

“So, you came out of obligation?” Dante asked, oddly hurt by the thought.

“Yes,” Tani said. “No matter what’s happened between us, I can’t see you in danger.”

Dante took comfort in that statement and took a step forward.

“Then, Tani, are you willing to give me a chance?” Dante asked. “My number three is: How do I show you I chose you this time?”

“You—”

Dante waved to the portraits around him.

“I understand from your perspective that the evidence is clearly not on my side,” Dante said, scowling at the men on the wall with his face. “I’ve never felt so attacked just as I’m thinking of hitting on a guy I like for a date. This is a lot of pressure. So, give me a chance, Tani.”

Tani stared at him for a full minute and then chuckled.

“I just laid out our less-than-stellar past,” Tani said.

“I still want my chance,” Dante said, pointing to all the portraits. “Each of them got their chance. They fucked up. I want mine.”

“We might not have enough time,” Tani started, then bit his bottom lip as though to stop himself from talking.

“I don’t care,” Dante said, taking another step toward Tani. It brought him close enough to take in Tani’s scent again. “I want my chance with you. My time with you, Tani. Can you give me that?”

Amber eyes met Dante’s determined gaze.

***