She remained crumpled in his arms, not responding to his gentle, disbelieving, yet pleading caresses. No movement or sound broke the silence until...
“Oh No...” Ariennu croaked, peering over his arm at the younger woman’s expressionless face.. “She can’t be...Not now….not today…Not after...”
In a way, Naibe-Ellit looked so peaceful that it seemed a shame to disturb her, but Marai and Ari both knew her quiet wasn’t a natural one.
“Oh Goddess...Please wake up, pretty Brown Eyes...” Marai whispered, sweetly kissing her brow and eyes, then moving to her lips. The chill in her lips and in her hands echoed in her stilled heart.
“Oh baby sister...” Ariennu pressed her fists to her temples, her silent shriek leaping through all of their hearts. “No...no...oh goddess nooo...!” She began to keen, lunging toward them and taking up the young woman’s limp arm, to see if what she and Marai had sensed was true.
“Shh...Ariennu, Deka...don’t frighten her spirit.” Marai whispered, barely understanding the thoughts thatsuddenly poured through the crystal stone in his head. The earlier confusion had begun to lift, but the Children’s voices were exterior to his thoughts again, the way they had been in the wilderness, long ago.
Did I do this to her? What’s wrong? Naibe, precious, oh please...Don’t die on me... He saw her face bend, reforming into Ilara, Houra, and back into itself.
She rests...
She saw...
She rests in herself,
Afraid to exist
Wake her,
Man of Ai
Speak your heart...
She waits for you.
The voices became broken and tentative
“We have to wake her up.” Marai repeated dully, still in shock over how everything in the room and in their thoughts had been suddenly disorganized as if some astral thief had rifled their clothing and even their very beings, then departed. He took Naibe’s hand Deka had been sucking, kissed it, and began blow on it gently so it would warm with his breath. His fingertips pressed at her chest the way he had touched Houra earlier in the day. With a deep breath, he sent little pulses of energy from his own thoughts, through his fingertips, slowing his own heart, and commanding her heart to beat in harmony with his.
“One heart” he almost wept. “One heart, baby one...”
Her heart beat was slow at first, then stronger. Naibe’s head lolled back and her chin thrust upward, in Marai’s reassuring embrace. Three short, gurgling gasps issued from the back of her throat, just as her heart tried an erratic, weak rhythm.
“There...” He shut his eyes and sighed, relieved as he felt the beat grow steady.
Did she have a choking fit? He wondered: Did I do this to her...if I…if we... Marai trembled, assailed by guilt. How under heaven could we have been so wrapped up in each others pleasure that no one noticed she was in trouble. It simply couldn’t have happened that way, could it? He couldn’t find a trace of the memory but the idea of his part in this, bothered him. Someone wanted him to think he had done this to her. Something wanted to infect him with a paralyzing guilt like the emotions that surrounded him when Ilara died so long ago. He was naked and the women were in various states of undress. A force he didn’t yet understand wanted him to think they had torn each others clothes off as if they had been rabid at the moment the priest left. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t have been...
It’s that damned priest... He reflected, sitting back on his heels as Naibe came to her senses. He did this! Rabid...I will hunt him down and kill him like the mad dog he thinks I am!
After a moment, Naibe grew less pale, then gasped. With a slow wheeze, she began to breathe more deeply. Her eyelids fluttered, showing the deep wells of golden brown still sparkling with stars but bearing a puzzled expression.
“That’s it...come back to us, sweet Naibe...” He whispered gently, the whisper ending in the tenderest of kisses. One of her hands tried to reach for him, failed, then succeeded in shakily smoothing his hair.
“Oh Marai...” her voice was a slow, dreamlike hush as if she were a small child talking in her sleep “You’re still with me...” She returned her trembling lips to his face and her eyes slid open. “You have conquered me...entirely...I…I thought you were…g…” She started to say gone but her thoughts completed the word.
“Shh...rest, pretty one…I’m here…You know I wouldn’t ever leave you” He set his cheek next to hers, to comfort her, but when he tried to let her down onto the straw-cushioned mat, her terror-rigid fingers dug into his arm. Her head turned a little at the sound of a guarded sob.
“Ari...weeping for me?” Naibe-Ellit asked in a weaker, fading voice. “You know...you ...you...All we did is love each other...love each other so...You h...the storm came...here... in our room.”
“Stay with us, Naibe...don’t go...” Marai seized the young woman up by the shoulders and held her close, swaying her in a gentle, rocking embrace, feeling his own horror-driven tears wanting to well up.
Oh, goddess mine...what evil has come upon us? He trembled, trying desperately to think through the web of opalescent sparkles that still edged everything in the room. Ariennu had masked everything that happened in rainbow secrecy so deep only Naibe could unlock it. If what took place was that horrid, Marai knew he would never be able to ask either of them to tell him what had happened.
“Oh… I will use everything in my power to find and kill that bastard...it’s not right...” Ariennu mouthed, finding her clothing and fastening her shift.
“There...my Brown Eyes...” Marai sat in the floor, rocking her in his arms. “You’re so beautiful, you slay me when I look at you...” He shut his eyes, trying to reassure himself and everyone else in their room, but found himself swept away by his own intense emotions.
The gold sparkling of the lapis blue stone in Naibe Ellit’s brow glimmered in joy like the stars at night, but she was far from happy.
“Please don’t go to the priests tomorrow.” She threw her arms tightly around Marai’s neck. “Stay away from them...from this.” Naibe-Ellit continued, pressing Ariennu’s hand. “Please...don’t go...Just take us away from them, beloved...” Her voice rushed through his heart.
He felt the air tremble with her “goddess-voice” whisper making him want to obey it’s commands so badly. His eyes closed.
“If they did this...” he whispered, his fingers tangling in her hair. He didn’t want to let her out of his grip. “Then you know I have to go...”
“No...you don’t understand...” She was crying aloud now, shaking and gripping him with all of her might “I saw...I drew down a time that is not yet come to us...“I saw you lying dead, my beloved...don’t you understand? Those awful men were laughing and feasting over what they did to you when you went to them...and we...” She struggled and clung hopelessly, already understanding the dark, far off look in his eyes and knowing her vision wasn’t going to change a thing. “They take us and strip us our power, then cut us...cut adrift and apart from one another...” She sobbed against his chest.
Ariennu sighed, rubbed her arms and shifted her eyes looking for the unseen source of a sudden, unearthly cold, that hovered over the room. She knew Naibe spoke the truth. The Children of Stone had changed them and had given them strength, but they were just beginning to learn of their gifts. Everything might fail if they had to go on without Marai keeping them secure. Their powers were even more random and disconnected than Marai’s were. From time to time they would stumble across a gift or talent when they least expected it. It was still early in this gifted life for them. Sorcerers and adepts could easily discover how to rout everything that joined them and made them strong unless the Children of Stone “took them over”. She knew they wouldn’t interfere that much.
If Marai was gone, Ari knew she would try to keep Naibe and Deka together with her for a while. She’d done that before in the bad days. They would make and sell the date-honey candy. They would carry on working with Etum-Addi too. Still, in light of a
ll that had been done for them by the mysterious Children, such a life as merchant women seemed so pointless.
Eventually, she could already see, they would part ways, probably after some silly argument or misunderstanding. Now made whole, they wouldn’t need each other the way they had in the past. She would ultimately be drawn to take advantage of a wealthy man the way she had always done in the past. Perhaps they would all find lives of similar gain...perhaps... Ariennu felt ill, wondering why these thoughts were coming to her, and why she was suddenly afraid of being thrust back into that life. Then she thought of something else.
Am I the reason Marai can’t remember what happened? Has my gift locked the truth away from even myself? Should I tell him? Am I even sure of what happened? Naibe has so much more magic to her than the rest of us! Ari thought. Is that why she was the target of the attack?
The elder woman knew Naibe saw into thoughts and brought forth the goddess as “Divine Seductress”. No one, not even Marai, could resist her. Young Naibe had been changed the most of the three of them. Ari knew she herself and Deka had been restored to a radiance that was at least partly there in their youth before bad acts and self abuse brought them to hardship and ugliness. Naibe had been born pitiful and taken advantage of because she knew no discontent. She changed and was continuing to change, growing even more powerful, but it was becoming obvious she either didn’t know how to control her power or didn’t wish to. She was very much still a little girl at heart, because she had never been a child. Ari was still tempted to call her “little one” or “baby girl” even though she was of average height and of a beautiful, curved and womanly form.
This afternoon she had paid for her beautiful energy.
Deka remained at Naibe’s feet, hanging her heard and averting her eyes. Her body shook with an occasional sob as she struggled to regain her metal-like control.
Ariennu knew the Ta-Seti woman had never been this shaken...not even in the first bad days in the sand, when N’ahab-Atall beat her and Chibale, her owner, made her take on the entire encampment one drunken evening, despite her miserable looks and twisted, bony back.
Deka...who does she think she is, anyway? The elder woman kept thinking that she had felt Deka’s hand somewhere in this missing afternoon. What was that about? She had welcomed whatever sorcery had been at work that afternoon. She even smiled in hungry delight when they woke until she realized something unwarrented had happened to Naibe. Ariennu sorted through her shrouded memory and found an image of the dark woman laughing and perched on that window sill in the shape of a winged lioness.
Whatever spirit had been brought by the priest’s spell had frightened all four of them, but Deka had known who or what it was. That she recognized it, frightened her beyond her wits even though she had actively welcomed it at first.
Does she hate us? Does she hate herself? Ariennu wondered. Whatever had been eating her heart since the first day the two women met in N’ahab-Atall’s camp was showing itself little by worrisome little.
“You think we should leave then?” Marai asked, but knew where this line of talk was leading. He’d thought of it, himself, many times. Now he was of two minds.
Run, get away from this treachery...they’ ll kill you all... the women’s voices whispered through the Children of Stone. It suddenly seemed like a good idea until he opened his eyes to what had just been done to them...for no apparent reason.
“Well, you at least, aren’t going anywhere for a while.” Marai pressed Naibe in a firm embrace, still checking to see that she was improving. “Not ‘til get this solved. I don’t like getting toyed with like this.” He lay back again, holding her, encouraging her fingers to spread out against his chest and warm themselves some more. She still felt a little cool to him. That made no sense, considering the afternoon had been so hot.
“I passed out!” She pouted in a new suggestion, withdrawing her hand. “Silly me...if you weren’t so good with my body. I’m like a new lamb, just wrung out like a dye-cloth but give me a few minutes...We could still leave tonight...” She inched up on her mat, suddenly beaming and stretching, kissing the tip of his nose, to show him how much stronger she was feeling.
“Naibe...” Marai kissed the top of her head. Normally, he might have laughed and pridefully teased her. Now it was no joke. The same idea returned to haunt him again. Inside the missing time there had been some sort of utterance-induced orgy that had dazzled the four of them and sent poor Naibe into a state of near oblivion. “You and I both know you don’t stop breathing or still your heart when pleasure makes you faint.” He stared firmly and deeply into her eyes, not even cracking a smile at her attempted humor.
Marai knew what Naibe-Ellit had done. She had called down a vision of what might be their future. Not prepared for what she had seen and open to other energies because of her intimacy with Marai, she had cast herself down into a deep sleep similar to the sleep that came upon everyone in the Children’s vessel...That she had done it to get away from her fear of losing her beloved and had not been under the Children’s protection scared him.
“I know what you did.” he whispered, consoling her. “And you could have died, my sweet...if we hadn’t been together...” He trembled “Promise me...”
“Promise?” She replied almost dully, looking up again.
“Promise me you won’t ever do that again.” He let her back down on the mat and pulled a shawl over her. “You have to rest now and I have something to solve. If you go on to sleep, I’ll take you up where it’s cool later on. He quietly extended his hand over her face sending the calmness of ordinary relaxed sleep into nher thoughts.
He turned to the elder woman when he heard her growl.
“That’s it...I’m going to go to their houses to kill them all...” Ariennu stood up, disgusted. “You know I could get in past their pretty guards...When I was younger...” She wanted to tell of the time when N’ahab-Atall had first found her working as a thief in the city and how he used her to charm guards for him in order to get everyone through gates.
“Then...you know why it’s even more important for me to find them and take care of this, don’t you.” Marai stroked Naibe’s hair, watching her golden eyes calm and her thoughts begin to drift in peace again. “Before they try something else that hurts any of you...”
“So...Now it’s not about “Unlocking Secrets,” any more, is it?” the elder suddenly snarled. “Men, showing each other up...that’s what this is becoming now...Not that I would exactly blame you...if my heart wasn’t screaming at me that what you’re about to do is shivering god-cursed suicide.” Ariennu bent to tidy up the disorganized clothing. It was a trademark of just how upset she was.
Just like Houra. Marai caught himself thinking, but didn’t fathom why until later.
Ariennu stood up, shoving Marai back down and away from her.
“And don’t count on this...” she pointed to the stone in her brow. “Lot of good this was against their power this afternoon!” she paused. “Know what? Just go and have your ‘meeting’ with them. You’re no different than any other man I’ve been with...” She pressed her hands against her skirt. “Just because you’re finer to look at, wise to our ways, and wonderful in my bed...You’re just a man underneath all that pretty skin. So they toyed with your women and insulted you...you stupid man of the sand...why wait? Put your kilt on and go right now, while you’ve got enough blood in your eye!”
Casting baleful and exasperated glances around the apartment, she began picking up hastily discarded clothing. She threw each item in the direction where it belonged, without even looking. “You get yourself killed...Go right ahead! We’ve come all this way and had a not-bad life as sellers of the spice and scents, and we’re even going to be able to help your family!” She whirled, staring down at him “But you? But you’d throw it all away and jump at a challenge made by a gutless priest whose first good one probably came from his own mother! I could tell these things of him when I touched him! There’s a smell to the
m when they lie too close in their family! Baby girl pulled out that his mother was a prophetess. A prophetess! Pah!’” She spat “Prophetess in Kemet is nothing more than one in Tyre. Play-acting high class temple kuna in that town...Here, they just dance and play and drink and sing, and sex up a bit, get herbed up and start talking visions...”
“Finished?” Marai pursed his lips.
“I’m this close, Marai...” Ariennu grumbled and turned her back to him.
Marai heard her ranting, but he didn’t hear it. He was thinking about the blinding flash of light from the priest’s fingertips as the amulet turned and caught the light of the sun. He knew Ariennu was right, but it didn’t stop him from being compelled. He reached forward, seized her hand and pulled her down to her knees, then beckoned Deka to draw closer. A little flash of memory was beginning to emerge here and there: The priest was holding that amulet high to catch the noonday sun, a flash blinded them, and his words gently, yet lovingly whispered.
Turn back once
Seek all you desire, beloved one
Drunk in Happiness and light
The drink the womb loves best
Turn back twice
See Love Strong and Beauty Fair
Turn back thrice
Do not see where I will go
A simple “turn-back? Ridiculous! Marai thought. If it was designed to cover the priest’s departure so no one would be tempted to see the direction he took, that was absurd too. The man had already given him directions for finding him the next day. There was only one way to the dock where his conveyance would be stored. There wasn’t any need for secrecy.
Was it a show of illusionist’s skill in response to Naibe’s dance or Ariennu’s stunt of nearly stealing his amulet to show he had access to the Children’s power too? ‘Turn Back’ in the wilderness when he used it, had been a killing tool applied to a sword of a brigand. The gentle utterance he remembered sounded like little more than a prank blessing…a good wish. Something hidden had been invoked.
Marai sat back cross-legged on his mat, extending his upturned palms. Deka and Ariennu grasped his hands, forming a circle. Together they would try to help each other remember everything and somehow make sense of the afternoon.
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