In the distant fields, soldiers practiced shooting arrows from horseback. Boys with bows stood several yards away from targets and learned to shoot arrows. Under the heavy supervision of grizzled soldiers, older boys smacked at each other with practice swords. Bym pointed at them. She wanted to smack things. She wanted to smack some shit out of things. Guto nodded and went to find a weapon in one of the barrels. Bending down, she grabbed the back hem of her dress, brought it up to her stomach, and secured it under her belt.
“There. Now, I’m wearing pants.”
Eskil and Fane approached them. Smiling, Fane said, “Goddess Bym, we are honored to allow our soldiers to demonstrate for you their skills. They train hard each day to protect and serve you and our people.”
From between clenched teeth, Drem said, “She’s not here to watch them. She’s here so she doesn’t explode with anger and destroy the entire city with a tsunami.”
She went to Guto, selected her own dull but balanced blade, and joined him in a clear area. After all, he had been assigned as her teacher for a brief time. Facing each other, they went through the practice exercises she’d learned while an acolyte at the Umbra fortress. Then, they showed all of the young boys, who’d stopped what they were doing to watch them, the correct way to beat the shit out of each other with practice swords.
She’d begun to get breathless, and the sword had grown heavy in her arms. Guto knew it. He hit her sword and forced its tip to the ground. Then, he smacked her on the ass with the flat of his blade before she could spin away. “You’ve run out of stamina,” he proclaimed.
Being sweaty and tired, she had to admit he was right. The dull blade had become too much for her arms, and her palms had blistered and torn in a few places. She felt better though.
“You’ve been teaching her to fight?” Eskil was too tan from his environment to turn red with anger.
Drem said, “She’s good at it.” He’d tried to use a practice sword, but his angry touch had warped and twisted it. Instead, Hopcyn had thrown rocks into the air for him to incinerate with waves of black magic.
“Will the Goddess share with us what has caused her anger?” Fane asked.
“The Goddess? You say that like I matter.” She returned her sword to the barrel.
“You do.”
Turning her back and walking away, she said, “Bull fucking shit.” She didn’t see their expressions as they attempted to visualize such an act.
“Goddess Bym,” Eskil began.
“Oh, stop. Please. Goddess Bym? What a joke. Prisoner Bym is what you should call me! I’m a prisoner here.”
Eskil and Fane took to their knees and bowed their heads as did all of the Solis who were present.
“This is ridiculous.” She covered her eyes with her hands and screamed.
Danior strode up to them all. His concern was so great that his forehead practically hooded his eyes. “There has been a terrible misunderstanding,” he said as he too knelt at her feet.
“Oh, I think we understood perfectly.”
“Even I can’t argue,” Drem said. To be so close to finding the answers they needed only to be refused was infuriating. However, he’d begun planning how to sneak in without being caught and executed by the Solis who guarded the temple. “The Goddess Bym isn’t allowed to borrow books from her own temple.”
“I can’t read them. It will take me years to learn how to read the ancient language. I want Drem to read them to me. He isn’t allowed to enter which is totally sexist. Aurora’s priestesses won’t even let me borrow any of her books, so how should I feel? What good will it do me to sit in a room with books I can’t read? And, I don’t want anyone else. I want Drem.” Her chest began to buzz and ached.
Absently, she brought her hand up to it and scratched at it. The buzzing became more of a vibration until it increased in intensity to such an extent as to send her to the ground. The sunlight felt as though it tried to split her chest apart to get inside. Drem covered her with his body where she’d fallen. It eased her discomfort enough for her to open her eyes.
The sun was a lion in the sky prepared to pounce upon an injured zebra and eat her stripes. It wanted to make her solely his, eradicating the darkness from her as it had of Aurora and the goddesses of the Temporal Locum before her.
“The sun is always stronger than the stars,” Drem whispered sadly in her ear.
“Save me from it. I want the gentle kisses of my stars and the mystery of their twinkling lights. They leave me to wonder at my leisure while the harsh sun tries to force me to comply.”
“This way! Hurry!” Danior yelled.
“Drem?”
“Yes, Bym?” He stared down at her from within the hood of his cape, using it and his body as he was to shield her from the sun.
“I think I might need to work on my temper before it kills me.”
“It won’t kill you. After your powers fully merge, not even the goblins will be able to kill you. Oh, they can still ravage and kill the populous, but you will be immortal until you do as the goddesses before you and pass your burden onto another.”
The thought of shackling the burden of the Temporal Locum to someone else made her feel guilty.
He whispered, “Don’t cry. They’ve brought a covered cart to take you home.”
“Home?” Her eyes filled with hope.
“Your home here,” he said as he cupped her cheek. “I’ll find a way, Bym. I swear it.” He got his hands under her and lifted her. In seconds, he had her in the seat of a little cart.
A brightly painted canopy of red and white stripes protected her from above. The contraption had two large wheels, like a wheelbarrow. A man stood in front of her with his back turned holding its handles. Then, he ran. It was like he was the horse of her private buggy. He took her to the house which she’d been given to use. The priestesses all waited for her there. She didn’t want to look at them. They were the last people she wanted to see.
Unfortunately, they refused to take the hint. They bathed, dressed, and fed her. Then, they loaded her into the same man-drawn buggy and walked in front of and behind her all of the way back to the temple. There, she was guided to a couch to rest. Drem was summoned, and he was granted admittance to the room of ancient texts with the understanding of the Goddess Bym’s presence being a requirement. Guto and Iago remained in her company which freed Hopcyn and Gethim to pursue their own amusements. Eurig had been absent for the entire day. The hours dragged by.
“Would you like to play a game?” Iago asked.
Bym stared at him, and thunder rumbled through the sky. Too bored to sit any longer, she went in search of Drem and found him in a room which was filled with dusty old books. Unlike everyone else, he couldn’t have been happier. “Drem, it’s late. If you let us leave now, I’ll come back with you in the morning.”
“Early?” Eagerly, he looked up at her from his book.
“Sure, but I need something to do.”
He returned the book to its shelf and followed her from the room. His eyes spoke volumes, but his lips didn’t move. He’d found a lead and was formulating a plan. Eagerly, Guto and Iago walked with them away from the temple and back to the palace. It had been one of the most boring evenings they’d ever spent in each other’s company.
Bym found Eurig in the bathing chamber. He was seated on a bench, and Iago stood behind him. “Hold still,” Iago said soothingly.
She inched closer, wondering what was going on. Then, she noticed the red glow emanating from Iago’s hands which he held over Eurig’s left shoulder. “Who did this to you?” Ready to avenge him, she gaped at the black and blue bruises and knelt before him, bracing her hands on his thighs.
“I did it to myself while learning how to throw a spear from the back of a galloping horse.”
Intrigued, she asked, “Can you teach me to do it?”
“No!” both of them said.
“Fine. No need to yell.”
When she started to rise, Eurig took her hand, brou
ght it to his lips, and kissed her fingers. “No one wants to see you hurt, especially not me.”
Her feelings for him softened. “Drem and I will be spending tomorrow in the temple,” she said to Iago. “You don’t have to go. Take Guto and find something fun to do. All of us shouldn’t have to suffer.”
“You don’t find your temple to your liking, Goddess?” Eurig asked. A smile played about his lips.
She shrugged. “I’m afraid of the sun. I imagine it might be beautiful at night.”
“Danior told me what happened to you today. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“You can’t fight the sun.” She patted his cheek.
After dinner, Drem had disappeared into the library, leaving them all to relax. Bym took Guto and Eurig off to bed where the three of them cuddled and slept.
Eurig woke her the next morning with a kiss. He’d opened the window to see as he’d dressed. Stroking her cheek, he smiled. “I’m going to train, now. I wanted to give you something to help you pass the time, so I got you this.” He pointed to a basket on the floor, kissed her once more, and left.
Grumbling, she rolled over to go back to sleep, but the bed was empty. She lifted up onto her arms and looked around. Where was Guto? Rolling over, she sat up and saw Drem coming out of her bathroom. She scrunched up her face at the smell which followed him. The pickled fish hadn’t been agreeing with the Umbra.
“The other ones are occupied,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Time to get up.” He hurried her through her morning routine, but when he tried to bypass the breakfast table, Imani and Arden intervened. The priestesses had magic of their own, even if it wasn’t as powerful as that commanded by the Umbra sorcerer. Deciding to concede, he sat on a cushion.
Bym sipped her tea, ate slowly, and did her best to make polite small talk with the ladies. It was driving Drem crazy. He was like a dog who wasn’t allowed to eat a treat. Taking pity on him, even though her day would be a long bore, she asked him to get the basket Eurig had given her. Then, after pulling up the hood of her cloak for protection, they left the house. Supposedly, if she remained calm and centered, the magics residing within her would do the same. Unfortunately, she wasn’t ready to put any trust into her emotional stability. She held Drem’s arm to keep him from running to the temple.
Shopkeepers swept their front steps free of sand and shells. Housewives carried baskets along the streets. She imagined they contained laundry but did her best to keep her eyes on the street. She didn’t want to risk making eye contact any more than she wanted to risk the sun’s notice. These were Aurora’s people. They mourned her. Yes, they were relieved she’d been found. Remembering why, she turned her hourglass over to start a new day. They arrived at the temple, and Drem left her basket by the couch she favored before disappearing. It was near a large pillar under the roof’s protective shadow and away from the temple’s central, circular, open ceiling.
Worshippers of the sun were arriving. Bym kept to the shadows and listened as they prayed for an early spring with plentiful rain and sun. Once their morning prayers were done, and they’d wandered away to start their days, she sat on the couch and lifted the basket’s lid. Inside were brilliantly dyed fabrics and threads, needles, pins, chalk, scissors, and measuring tape made of knotted cord. Bym gasped with delight. Then, she ran across the temple and asked the priestesses if she could have some paper and a writing utensil. Supplies in hand, she sat and sketched out a design.
Then, with it in her mind, she laid out a beautiful lilac fabric, carefully marked it with chalk, and cut out her pattern. Pinning together her seams, she spent the day with a smile on her face and a needle and thread in hand.
The priestesses were beyond relieved to see the Goddess at peace. They joined her with their own sewing. Eventually, Drem came away from his books to check on her. Finding her happy and amused, he backed away without being seen.
For a week, Bym and Drem returned to the temple each day. Hopcyn had given her a small bag of colorful seed pearls, and she occupied herself with carefully sewing them along the V-neck of her flowing lilac dress. Word had spread amongst the Golden City of her sewing. Now, rumor had it she had been a seamstress in her former life. Regardless, her activities were centering her enough to allow her to walk in the sunlight and moonlight without being overcome by their power, but day and night were still somewhat erratic. Sadly, the longer she remained with the Solis, the stronger they became, and she feared Drem’s magic dwindled.
“I found it!” Drem strode across the temple floor and knelt at her feet. For a moment, she feared he’d blurt out their secret in front of everyone. Only she saw his wink. Drem had a plan and wanted her to play along. “Put these things away,” he said of her sewing. He tried to help. She slapped his hands away and carefully arranged everything in her basket. “Bym!” The man could be so impatient.
“Alright!”
“It was in a dusty parchment, buried and forgotten, but I told them it was real. They will believe me soon enough, my goddess.”
She searched the depths of his eyes and saw knowledge and power there. He’d found what he needed about the Stones of Luna Ignis. He’d free her from being a beacon to the goblin attacks by sending them into a slumber which would last for as long as she did.
He whispered, “I will never fail you,” and took her hands in his. Drem pulled at the power within her, making her eyelids narrow to slits, and strengthening his own magic for what he meant to do.
Her breathing quickened, and her lips parted. The flush of her cheeks told him that the pulling of magic from her and into him stirred her passions just as it did his own but not now. Now, the priestesses of the Golden City watched. They wanted to know for what spell he had searched, and they wouldn’t be disappointed. However, he had no intentions of allowing any of the Solis to discover the truth until it was too late to stop him.
When he had stumbled upon a spell created by a middle-aged Solis healer of centuries past, he knew he’d found the perfect means by which to please Bym and to alleviate the suspicions of the Solis. He whispered, “Hold still. Close your eyes.” His words were a humming in her mind. He moved his hands to her head. As the priestesses watched, he shrouded her in a black mist. Then, Drem took his hands away, released his magic, and smiled.
Bym felt a heaviness and a long-forgotten warmth. Her eyes shot open and focused on Drem’s smug smile, a smile which changed as his eyes filled with desire. Lifting her hands in disbelief, she felt hair! Running her fingers through it, she brought it around so she could see. Thick, golden-brown hair slid through her fingers, and it was longer than it had been. “My hair! You gave me back my hair!” Grabbing his cheeks, she bombarded his lips with kisses. “You are magnificent! You are the most powerful, brilliant of all sorcerers!”
Knocking him over in her haste to stand, she left him where he’d fallen laughing on the temple floor, and ran to one of the many reflective mirrors used to light every cranny of the temple. She lowered it so she could see. Then, she screamed and jumped for joy. It was gorgeous, thick, shiny, healthy, and longer than it had ever been. She tugged at it to make certain it was truly and firmly attached.
“I’m not bald! I’m not bald! Will it last? Is it real?” With her forehead scrunched in worry, she ran back to Drem, straddled him, and shook his shoulders.
He was laughing too hard to answer.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the temple as guards spilled inside. Danior had his sword drawn and death in his eyes.
“Hold!” Arden ordered. “All is well.”
Danior said, “We heard our Goddess cry out.”
The priestesses had mirth in their eyes and smiles on their lips. It put Danior and his men at ease. Then, they saw her.
Drem said, “It is yours and permanent so long as you don’t cut it or allow an overzealous monk to shave it.”
Pushing herself off of him, she ran back to the mirror. Ecstatic, she held handfuls of it up so she could admire it. “You gave me back
my hair! I thought it would take me years to grow it back out!” Delighted, she ran back to Drem, took his hands, and forced him to his feet so he could dance around in happy circles with her. She let him go so she could get her basket.
Danior and his men were grinning. “So, this is the reason for the tantrums, arguments, and swordfights? You wanted to find a spell for hair growth?”
Drem clasped his hands before himself, hiding them in the sleeves of his black robe. He bowed his head in acknowledgement to the Solis commander. His simple gesture and Bym’s behavior served to break any remaining tension.
Running to Drem with her long hair bouncing around her and her sewing basket on her arm, she asked, “Do you have any coin?”
Drem nodded to her.
“Great! Let’s go!”
“Where?”
“Drem! I finally need a brush and ribbons and things! Hurry!” She covered her head with her hood since hair or no hair she was still frightened of the sun. “Danior, where’s a store with what I want?”
Offering the Goddess Bym his arm, he grinned. “Allow me to escort you.”
It wasn’t long before she sat in front of a window in her living room brushing her hair. Drem kept her company, and privately he told her what she’d known since she’d seen his eyes in the temple. He had a lead on the Stones of Luna Ignis. He took the notes he’d hidden in his robes to the library where he immersed himself in the study of ancient maps.
When Guto, Hopcyn, Gethim, and Iago returned from their day of exploration, their mouths dropped open when they saw her. Drem emerged from the library long enough to say, “I present to you Bym. Had anyone seen her thusly, they never would have mistaken her for male.”
Guto was transfixed as if in shock. He backed away and left the room. Bym chased after him. His shoulders were hunched as if in defeat. “Hey, what is it? Don’t you think I’m pretty? Do you like me better bald?”
He looked at her then. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’ve not treated you as I should.” His handsome face was wrought with guilt. She had to grab his robes to keep him from leaving. “Bym, you’re far too beautiful for the likes of me.” He touched her hand is if he wanted to remove it but lacked the strength to do so.
Temporal Locum Page 24