Chapter 20 Esag
ESAG
The applause was still echoing across the lawn when the crowd began migrating toward the buffet, a cheerful stampede of hungry immortals eager to sample Soraya's cooking.
Esag kept his hand on the small of Tula's back as they joined the flow, partly out of affection and partly because he didn't want to lose her in the crush.
The harem ladies had clustered together during the speech, but now they were scattering, drawn in different directions by the novelty of mingling freely with so many new faces.
"That was a beautiful speech," Tula said, glancing back toward the podium where Annani and Areana were coming down the steps. "Annani has a gift for words."
"She's had a very long time to practice."
"True. But not everyone improves with age. Some people just get more long-winded." Tula grinned up at him. "You talked for over an hour this morning about the difficulty of carving a nose."
"The nose is the most important feature of any figurine, and it's the most fragile. I've ruined many nearly completed carvings because I messed up the nose."
"It might deserve a five-minute explanation, not an hour-long lecture."
Esag laughed. "You should have said something instead of pretending to be fascinated."
Her expression softened, and she cupped his face. "I was fascinated by you. You were so animated, so passionate about the stupid nose, and so incredibly sexy that I couldn't stop looking at you."
He was about to pull her into his arms and kiss her to oblivion when he saw his roommates heading their way.
"There you are," Davuh said, his eyes sweeping with undisguised interest over the group of ladies standing in line for the buffet. "We've been looking for you."
Esag had spent the night at Tula's, and he'd brought a change of clothing, so he hadn't needed to stop by the house he was sharing with them.
Roven nodded in agreement, though his attention seemed to be elsewhere. He was scanning the crowd with the focused intensity of a hunter seeking prey.
"Have you missed Esag?" Tula wrapped her arm around his waist. "Had no one to clean up after you?"
Davuh's eyes widened. "Is that what he told you?"
"Was I wrong?" Esag challenged.
"You are a neat freak," Davuh said. "You can't stand to see an empty beer bottle standing innocently on the coffee table and bothering no one."
Esag shook his head. "We've been living together for thousands of years, and I've always been tidying up after you. I think it's time to grow up, boys. I'm moving in with Tula."
Roven gasped. "You are leaving us? I thought we were family."
"You're welcome to visit us any time, but you're just not welcome to leave your dirty dishes all over the place."
"I guess it was bound to happen." Davuh's gaze slid past Esag to the cluster of ladies nearby. "So, are you going to introduce us to your friends, Tula?"
"I don't know." She pouted. "You don't seem like good catches."
Davuh pretended to be offended. "Don't believe everything Esag tells you about us. He just wants to make himself look good in comparison."
"Right." Esag grimaced. "Let me introduce you."
"Ladies," he said, raising his voice to catch their attention.
"May I introduce two of the village's most incorrigible bachelors?
These are my friends, Davuh and Roven. They're training to become Guardians, which means that one day they will protect and serve, but right now they mostly just serve themselves extra helpings at dinner. "
Raviki laughed, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Guardians in training? How impressive. Have you rescued any damsels in distress?"
"Not yet." Davuh stepped forward, his smile widening as he focused on Raviki. "But if you need rescuing, I'm your man."
"The only thing I need rescued from is boredom. This village is lovely, but we have nothing to do."
Esag watched the exchange with amusement. Davuh seemed taken with Raviki, and she seemed receptive to his flirting.
Meanwhile Roven had drifted toward Sarah, who stood apart from the group with a book tucked under her arm. Where had she even found a book in the village?
As far as Esag knew, the place had no library.
"What are you reading?" Roven tilted his head, trying to read the title.
"It's a book about quantum entanglement. I found it the other day in William's office, and he let me borrow it. It's about the physics of interconnected particles." She smiled. "Most people go glassy-eyed when I talk about physics, so don't feel obligated to show interest."
"I don't know anything about quantum physics," Roven admitted. "But I would love to hear you explain it, provided you use simple terms any ten-year-old can understand. My education is pretty basic."
Sarah blinked, looking lost for words. "I don't know if it's possible to explain in simple terms. I'm still struggling to understand it."
Roven's grin widened. "Good. Then we can read this together and help each other understand."
A shy smile curved Sarah's lips, transforming her delicate features.
"It's quite fascinating, actually. The way particles can be connected and affect each other regardless of distance or time.
" She trailed off, glancing at Roven as if expecting him to lose interest, but he leaned in closer, affecting an expression of rapt attention.
He'd never been the scholarly type, so his interest was in Sarah rather than quantum physics, but he was putting on a convincing show.
Tula nudged Esag with her elbow. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she murmured.
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm seeing it."
"Isn't this wonderful? They are perfect for each other. Raviki needs someone who can match her fire, and Sarah needs someone to appreciate her mind and not just her beauty."
"I don't know if my former roommates are good matches. They are too used to being bachelors, and they enjoy their freedom."
She cast him a mock glare. "Aren't you used to being a bachelor? Perhaps you want to continue enjoying your freedom?"
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I never enjoyed being a bachelor. I was lonely and miserable and ridden with guilt. You saved me."
She swallowed. "You saved me first."
"Did I? I was just there while others did the work of saving."
"Semantics." She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Your roommates are good matches for Raviki and Sarah. Now we just need to find a match for Tony and the other ladies."
Esag's interest sharpened at the mention of Tony's name. "Tony is human. How are you going to find him a match?"
"There are humans in the village, and besides, he thinks he might be a Dormant. Maybe I should help him find an inducer instead."
Esag grimaced. "I'm sure Tony can manage that without you. Kaia and William can help him."
"I feel bad about ending things with him, and I still care about him. I'll feel better knowing he has found someone. He deserves to find happiness."
Esag was not a stranger to guilt, and he understood where she was coming from. Besides, if Tony had a mate, it would divert his attention away from Tula, which was an appealing prospect.
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Not yet. But let's keep a lookout." Tula's gaze drifted across the lawn toward the table where Annani and Areana were sitting. "We should load up plates for them."
"Maybe they are just waiting for the line to dwindle."
Tula shook her head. "I don't think it's appropriate for two goddesses to stand in line with the rest of us.
They should be served." She started toward the buffet.
"I know what Areana likes." There was a wistful tone in her voice.
"I've been taking care of her for thousands of years.
It's strange to think that those days are over. "
"I'll get a plate for Annani," Wonder said from behind them.
They hadn't noticed her joining the line.
Tula smiled. "Isn't it wonderful? We are sisters, and we both served the royal sisters. It's like the Fates put us in the right place at the right time so we could serve Annani and Areana."
They loaded plates with herb-crusted lamb, fragrant rice studded with dried fruits and nuts, roasted vegetables glistening with olive oil, fresh salads, warm flatbreads, and an array of dips and spreads that made Esag's mouth water.
Wonder selected items she knew Annani favored, and Tula did the same for Areana, her hands moving automatically as she assembled a plate that perfectly balanced flavors and textures.
Esag filled his own plate and one for Tula, making sure to include extra portions of everything she'd been eyeing. She was eating for two now.
"Are we done here?" Wonder asked, balancing two plates with impressive skill.
"I think so," Tula said. "We can always come back for seconds."
They made their way across the lawn toward Annani and Areana's table, but as they approached, Esag saw that they weren't the only ones who'd thought to serve the goddesses.
Kian and Kalugal had gotten there first, each carrying plates that they were setting down in front of their respective mothers.
The goddesses' children had beaten them to it.
Wonder laughed softly. "Well, it seems we weren't needed after all. No matter—I'll give this plate to Anandur. The man is like a garbage disposal. He eats everything."
She veered off toward where her mate was standing with his brother, leaving Esag and Tula to find their own seats.
Tula stood frozen, staring at the family tableau before them. Areana was flanked by her sons and their mates, and Annani was surrounded by her children, all of them smiling and talking and existing in a bubble of familial warmth that suddenly seemed impenetrable.
Esag touched her arm gently. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head, and her jaw tightened. "It's nothing."
"Don't worry about it. I can eat what you prepared for Areana. It won't go to waste."
"It's not about the food," she whispered, and turned to face him.
"I've been like a daughter to Areana for five thousand years," she said.
"I took care of her. I brushed her hair and talked to her when she was sad.
I was the one she confided in, the one she leaned on.
But she doesn't need me anymore. She has her real sons to take care of her. "
Esag understood the fear of being replaced, of becoming obsolete, of losing the role that had defined her for so long that she couldn't remember herself in any other role.
He put the plates he was carrying on a nearby table, took the one she was holding and put it aside as well, and then wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest. She came willingly, her forehead pressing against his shoulder as she fought to compose herself.
"You are irreplaceable, and Areana will always need you," he murmured against her hair. "You are the sister she chose, the daughter of her heart. That doesn't disappear just because her sons are with her now. She has enough room in her heart to love you all."
"You don't know that."
"I do." He pulled back just enough to cup her face in his hands, tilting it up so she had to meet his eyes.
"Love isn't a finite resource. Having more people to love doesn't mean loving the existing ones less.
Areana's heart is big enough for all of you.
Besides, you have people caring about you, too.
You're not alone anymore. Areana will always be important to you, but she's no longer your entire world. "
Tula stared at him for a long moment, something shifting in her expression. Then she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him, soft and sweet and tasting faintly of salt.
"How did you get so wise?" she asked when they parted.
"Thousands of mistakes." He took her hand. "Come. Let's eat. You need to keep your strength up."
"For the baby?"
"For the baby. And for me." He grinned. "I have plans for you later that require copious amounts of energy and stamina."
Tula laughed. "You're incorrigible."
"I know. But you love me anyway."
She didn't say it back. She wasn't ready yet. But the adoring look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.