Elishiba turned her attention to where he gestured, looking out at the expansive desert sand and the golden globe of the sun sinking on the horizon. Shimmering, it blazed across the sand.
Bring him back? I surely want that.
Could she really do it, though? If the gods had decreed it so, and she wanted it, what was stopping her, only fear that it would not work? She wouldn't let that happen. The back of her eyes pricked with tears, but she wouldn't let doubt cloud her vision, not this time. She stepped away from Santor.
He didn't follow. They both knew he didn't need to, not this time. Back in the temple of Hurda she hadn't been so sure. Now, she was. If it was possible, she would make it happen, because there was nothing she wanted more in the world than to have him in her arms again.
In her heart, she had everything he had given her, everything he had made her feel, and everything he taught her. She would use it all—she would give it all. She took a deep breath, her headdress falling back from her head as she lifted her face to the heavens. “Amshazar, I love you with all my heart,” she whispered.
Lifting her arms slowly to the sun, she summoned everything she had within, the immense love she had for him, the desire, the desperate need to be with him for longer than they already had.
The power grew in her chest, rolling into a ball of fire that burned and flamed within. She recalled the first time, how it had grown and thrived between them in Suzin. She held onto it for as long as she could, until it threatened to burst through the wall of her chest, then she opened her hands. Her body jolted, her palms blazing sheer white light into the path of the sun. It reached as high as the sky on either side of her, creating a channel of light. She pictured him there, willing it.
In the distance, she heard the concerned voices of her companions as they ran closer to see what was happening. She heard Yoshi call out that Amshazar's body was gone from the palanquin it was being transported in, and certainty flooded her. Nothing could distract her now, because this was everything to her.
Her energy fed into the sun and it flared and bled into the horizon, creating a shimmering path of pure white light across the sand. The light whorled in on itself to an eye at its center, and she recognized it as a conduit between her and the sun. Her arms were shaking with effort, her body hot and glowing.
"Amshazar,” she cried, calling out to him, remembering her strange dream and willing herself to complete the image and reach out to him without failure. “Amshazar. Hear me. Feel me. Find me!"
Her voice rang out over the land, echoing through the sky and across time, louder than thunder, fiercer than lightning. The sun's rays radiated further than ever before, shimmering out across the sky and filling her vision. She fought to remain focused on its heart, battling with the sheer force of her own vitality. And then she saw a dark shape forming there in the heart of the light. Her body jolted, a massive tug snatching at her, pulling her bodily across the sand.
It was him—his answering call. The response she'd felt in their shared power, but now so great it almost sucked her into its heart. He was drawing on her to come alive.
"Amshazar,” she cried.
Across the space the shape moved, his bodily form absorbing the whorling light around him as he grew closer. As she took in the sight of his tall familiar form, his handsome face, the fall of his hair on his shoulder and his smile as he looked at her across the gap, she trembled inside.
And then the blazing sky melted away into the sunset, and he was right there in front of her, reaching out to her with both hands. She ran to him, meshing her fingers in his, reassuring herself it was real, it was really him.
"My love, I heard your voice,” he said, as he took her into his arms, his voice rough with emotion.
"Hold me, hold me,” she whispered, savoring the feeling of him. She kissed his face, her hands running over his body, claiming him as her own, because if this were another dream, Elishiba never wanted to wake up.
Epilogue
The night Elishiba appeared before the council of the gods for her introduction, she was filled with nerves and excitement. Amshazar was by her side, which calmed her a little—enough so she felt she could perhaps speak without stumbling over her words too much.
He led her by the hand and together they mounted the steps in the magi citadel. “See how worn the steps are, centuries of magi have trod this path before us. You are the first woman to do so."
Elishiba paused and lifted her eyebrows. “Amshazar, please. You are making me nervous again."
He gave her a quick kiss and smiled. “You have nothing to prove. You've already done all that they hoped for. This is just about what happens next."
What happens next? This was the first time he'd mentioned that. She was about to quiz him, when the door at the top of the steps swung open soundlessly and revealed the portal he'd described.
Santor stood there, beckoning them on.
Elishiba exclaimed in wonder as they stepped out into the mists of the plateau. The sky overhead shone with turquoise and silver, the mists rolling away from their feet as they approached the massive stone table, around which a group of figures sat.
Santor introduced her. “Empress Elishiba of Aleem."
"Welcome, Empress.” It was an older, thoughtful god who spoke, and he was at the head of the table. “I am Credan, and we are pleased to welcome you here this evening."
Elishiba murmured her thanks, glanced around at them all and then bowed her head, barely able to look upon them, for their personages were so awesome. It was Sevita who captured her attention most, for Sevita was smiling at her fondly. She was the only female presence, but she was so powerful. Elishiba knew that her order was equal to that of the male gods around her. Elishiba felt bathed in her beautiful radiance, an encompassing glow that enthralled her.
"Amshazar, thank you for successfully delivering a message to the exotic lands,” Credan continued. “This has been a project of special interest to Sevita, as you were aware."
Amshazar squeezed Elishiba's hand as he acknowledged Credan's words. “I'm pleased we were able to avert conflict. The Empress Elishiba has proven a worthy recipient of magi knowledge."
Several of the assembled gods chuckled and Credan lifted his eyebrows in an expression of amused irony. “The goddess Sevita has a very direct way of demonstrating her wishes."
Elishiba felt that they were talking about her but wasn't quite sure.
Sevita smiled, apparently not in the least perturbed by her companion's remarks. “Empress, you must forgive us. They jest at my expense, not yours."
When she blinked, Elishiba felt a certain understanding settling within her.
"It has been my wish for a long time that women should be admitted to the Magi School. You embodied the strength and clarity of mind that assured me you would be an ideal recipient of such knowledge. You not only proved adept at sorcery, but you demonstrated your female knowledge, and instinct helped you seek the just path. You have paved the way for many women to follow.” She folded her hands in front of her. “I hope you will forgive the fact you represented a test for me?"
Elishiba paused only a moment before nodding. “The skills I learnt from Amshazar enabled me to achieve the very thing I wanted, the safe negotiation of peace for my country and my people."
"It is my belief,” Credan interjected, “that the empress would have achieved much without the benefit of sorcery. However, it has proven an important point to us as the council. We must consider women as candidates for the Magi School. I'd also like to add that your influence on Emperor Hanrah of Karseedia seems positive. Whilst he is in a difficult place within himself at this present time, he will come through it and in the future he will visit Aleem and he will adopt many of your more just ways with your people."
Elishiba couldn't withhold her smile in response to that news, and glanced at Amshazar. He nodded, and she could see the pride in his eyes. “If that is the case,” she said to the assembled group, “it makes me very happy."<
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She lifted the pendant she had been wearing around her neck since they left the city of Lhastari, and carried it to the table, setting it down carefully. “I have brought this captive jinneyah and her prisoner, the Empress Mehmet, here for your safe custody."
"A wise move,” Credan said with a smile.
One of the other gods murmured something about keeping it safe and out of Hurda's reach.
Credan lifted it in his hand, observing for a moment the swirling purple and white lights within the amulet, before snapping the object closed within his palm, wherein it seemed to vanish completely from sight. “We appreciate your thoughtfulness on this matter, Empress."
Elishiba stared for a moment, wondering if it were some trick, a sleight of hand, and then chastised herself. These were gods, not men. She rejoined Amshazar, who nodded approvingly.
"Part of our duty when we gather here at the council,” Sevita said, “is to consider the prayers of those who seek our intervention, and to discuss the continuing influence we may have."
She directed this last remark to both Elishiba and Amshazar, and Elishiba was aware that Sevita was trying to draw Amshazar into the conversation.
Amshazar nodded. “I noticed Hurda has not yet rejoined the council?"
Sevita sighed. “Alas, the god of war has still not returned. He is now out of favor with us here. He has taken his meddlesome ways further afield and I'm afraid there is still more work to be done, Amshazar."
Amshazar put his free hand to his chest. “I understand, and I await the council's suggestion on how to proceed."
For one terrible moment, Elishiba thought they were going to part her from Amshazar, for the conversation suggested they were going to instruct him with another task, and that he would have to leave her. She tensed, a sudden chill overcoming her. Could she bear to be parted from him again?
As soon as the fear welled up inside her, Sevita seemed to sense it and the golden aura surrounding the goddess's body grew brighter, which lulled Elishiba's troubled spirit.
"Empress Elishiba, now that your country is at peace with Karseedia, we foresee a stable and prosperous period ahead in your region. Your father's health is weak, but he is more content now, and that will enable him to rule until your stepbrother Tariq comes of age. In view of that, we wondered if you would consider spending some time in the Magi School to extend your skills, and then use your powers as a negotiator and a leader, alongside Amshazar, in the future?"
It took a moment for Elishiba to realize the immensity of what the goddess was saying. The opportunity they were offering her was so incredible, a mammoth decision, so life-changing in every respect. To leave Aleem, but to stay by Amshazar's side? She had done her duty to Aleem, was her place with the man she loved now?
She turned to him and looked into his eyes.
He lifted both her hands in his own and raised them to his lips, kissing them gently. “This is a big decision, my love. If you choose to stay with your people, I will understand and return to you as often as I can."
Elishiba shook her head, for she sensed her destiny in this. This is what he'd meant when he said the meeting would also be about what would happen next. It was about the future, their future. Their lives, and what they might go on to achieve. Together.
To explore the world with the man she loved, to take on new challenges, to practice and refine her new sorcery alongside him, would be a wondrous thing. She remembered how she had seen the trade routes unfolding before her, and how she'd wondered about those who lived on the road. As she looked at her handsome lover, she recalled watching him riding his stallion across the desert sands as they made their journey to Karseedia.
He smiled, and in the deep well of his eyes she saw a world of possibility—a world of adventure—and an image of them entwined in that starlit sky when they had first become lovers.
"I would be proud to accept this opportunity,” she said to the assembled group.
Sevita nodded, smiling to herself, and an impressed murmur ran around the assembled members of the council.
Elishiba felt Amshazar's response, a vibrant life force pulsing through their clasped hands. He hadn't been sure of her choice in this matter. He was pleased, grateful, too. But for Elishiba the answer had come readily, because it was written on her heart.
About Saskia Walker
Saskia Walker is British by birth, but due to her parents’ nomadic tendencies, she grew up traveling the globe—an only child with a serious book habit. She dreamed of being a writer since the age of 12 and finally began writing seriously in the late 1990s. By that time she'd received a BA in Art History and a Masters in Literature and the Visual Arts, and worked in all manner of diverse careers—but the stories in her head simply had to be written.
First published in the small press under the guidance of the leading British fantasy writer, Storm Constantine, she's now been published in almost forty anthologies, including Best Women's Erotica, The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica and the Black Lace Wicked Words series. Her first erotic novel, Double Dare, came out in October 2006 and her first fantasy romance, The Strangeling, was published in early 2007 by Juno Books. Novel Reckless is forthcoming.
The author lives in the north of England—close to the beautiful, windswept landscape of the Yorkshire moors—with her real life hero, Mark. Mark supports her work through all its ups and downs, and runs the tech side of her Web site (www. saskiawalker.com). He also, she says, “somehow manages to keep me sane and grounded when fiction threatens to take over."
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Visit www.juno-books.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
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