Woman of Silk and Stone

by Mattie Dunman

  "Oh, I love this. Every time!" Khenti gasped, his voice choked with hilarity. I blinked up at my rider, stunned at the strange turn in the conversation.

  "Wha...what?" I said stupidly.

  When my rider's laughter had tapered off to a shit-eating grin, he finally answered me. "Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help myself. It's just so hilarious the way you Halqu always fall for the 'destiny' bit. Don't worry, no one's going to make you run around in the buff."

  Shocked silence merged quickly into pissed off eloquence. "You...rotten, nasty, Smurf...JERK! You think this is funny? I just spent a freaking eternity wandering around some sort of limbo in the middle of D.C., fell through a portal, which fucking hurt, by the way! A lot!"

  I sucked in a deep breath and continued my rant, ignoring the widening of my rider's eyes.

  "And then I fall down some weird-ass rabbit hole to some schizophrenic universe where the damn grass is blue, and the sky is purple, and Easter Island natives ride around yammering about prophecies and naked streaking time. Oh yeah, and there's a fucking piece of wood attached to my hand!"

  I was nearly screaming by the time I finished, but I felt pretty confidently that I had made my point. My rider's face sobered abruptly and chagrin crossed his heavy features. I huffed peevishly and kept my furious glare on him.

  "I apologize. Truly, I didn't mean to distress you. Of course you are disoriented and frightened." He glanced over his shoulder at Khenti, who grunted an apology as well.

  "Well, how do you think you'd be doing in my situation?" I narrowed my gaze as Khenti's earlier words came back to me. "This has happened before, I take it? People just dropping out of the sky all willy-nilly?"

  My rider nodded and looked off into the distance in a classic thinking-man's pose. "I suppose the whole thing has lost a bit of the magic for us, yes. You are the third Halqu we have come across. And there have been many before. Although you are the first woman. And you're much more coherent than the others," he hurried to assure me.

  I frowned and tried to sit up straight, hampered by his grip. "Halqu...does that mean more people from my world? How did I get here? Where are they?"

  "Slow down, beautiful goddess. I will explain."

  "Stop that right now. My name is Honey, not 'beautiful goddess,' so use it." I raised an eyebrow in challenge until he gave me an amused nod. "What's your name?"

  "My name is..."

  "You know what?" I cut him off, tapping my chin. "Screw that. I don't care what your name is. For being such a dick to me, I'm calling you Easter Island, since that's what you remind me of. So suck it."

  His heavily carved features stretched wide and he laughed so loudly my ears rang. "Suck what?" he asked when he could speak again.

  I shrugged and looked over the endless blue fields. "I don't know. It. It's an insult. Means deal with it."

  He grinned down at me and nodded. "Very well. I deserve that. Call me what you want."

  My pique subsided and I smiled hesitantly up at him. "Well, alright then. So," I drawled, surprised at how comfortable I was becoming with everything. I'd heard of adapt to survive, but I really seemed to taking it a step further.

  "Yes, Honey?" he said, nodding at me to continue.

  I smiled at him genuinely and settled myself more comfortably. "Can you explain where I am and what's going on?"

  "I do not know where you are from, or precisely how you got here. In the old language, Halqu means 'the lost ones', which is fitting. When we get to the city, there will be Zagmi who can explain it better, but basically you have been pulled here from your own world. We don't know why exactly, but you do have some kind of role to perform here. Everyone who has fallen from the sky has done something important for Solis, something vital for our continued survival."

  Gnawing on my lower lip, I considered his explanation. "So there is some kind of freaky destiny thing going on?"

  He shrugged and kept his eyes on mine. "In a way, yes. Nothing as specific as a prophecy, but all Halqu who survive have made some sort of contribution."

  The ones who survive?

  "Wait, what do you mean the ones who survive? How many of us are there?" I asked nervously, thinking that this was sounding worse the more I learned. I thought wistfully of my cramped apartment and financial difficulties, even my flighty, absentee parents; reflecting that life was so much simpler when I was only worried about losing my job.

  "Well, it can be difficult to make the transition. Not all Halqu come from the same world, and some seem to be...less equipped than others, and do not last long. But you're doing well so far. You're still sane, and you seem to speak the language, which really helps. This is so much less fun when we have to deal with one of you who can't translate."

  "Is this, like, your job or something?" I asked in wonder, surrealism washing over me like a too-stiff drink of Long Island Iced Tea.

  "Part of it, yes. The Horde patrols the grasslands, and this is one of the only known gates between worlds. It's been at least ten years since the last one though. And you're...different. Do all your people run so quickly or have weapons embedded in their skin?" he asked curiously.

  I glanced down at my right arm, startled and thrilled to see that the piece of wood was no longer sticking out off the end of my arm. Instead, smooth skin greeted me, as though nothing had ever been amiss at all.

  "Oh, thank god. That was so uncomfortable," I muttered, running a hand over my arm, frowning as I noticed that the skin seemed firmer there, cooler.

  "So, not typical for you?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "Not even a little. Where did it go? Did it fall off?"

  "No, Honey. When we went to gather you, we saw it and wondered what it was. I touched it and then it just melted back into your arm, as though it was a part of your skin."

  I held out the offending arm and peered at it probingly. I tried tapping it, shaking it, even blowing on it, but nothing happened. After a while, I shrugged it off, knowing the disappearing wood was the least of my problems.

  And wasn't that just a damn shame.

  "I need a drink," I stated baldly, my throat practically burning from the need for whiskey or tequila, something that would take the edge off the knife of encroaching insanity.

  "Water?" my new buddy offered. I shook my head. "Something stronger, perhaps?" he asked knowingly.

  I nodded vigorously, and he laughed, turning to look over his shoulder at our silent companion.

  "Khenti, throw me your flask," he ordered. Khenti tossed a hard, leather vessel at him, grunting unintelligibly. "Here, try this."

  I took the flask and put my lips to the opening, cringing at the heavy scent of leather.

  "It's not great quality, but it'll knock you on your ass," Khenti yelled, drawing his horse-thing closer.

  Metaphorically throwing my hands up in defeat, I took a swig, nearly choking at the unexpected burn as it trailed fire all the way to my belly. It was strong, but not unpleasant; there was a faint licorice flavor, reminding me of the ouzo I drank on a dare in college.

  "Opa!" I muttered, rubbing the moisture off my lips. Both men were watching me avidly, as though they were waiting for an entirely different reaction. "What?"

  After another moment passed and I didn't explode, Khenti just shook his head and took the flask back, letting his horse drift behind us again. My Easter Island pal eyed me with concern for another minute before chuckling and giving me a friendly squeeze.

  "That's usually too strong for Halqu. Even for many Solisians. It's made from..."

  I cut him off before he could get going on the brewing process. From what I knew of most nomadic cultures, I doubted it was terribly hygienic or appetizing. "No, it's fine. We have a drink like that back in my world. Some water now would be good though," I added. Khenti passed me another flask, this time with clear, refreshing water; even the lukewarm, mineral taste didn't put me off. I had nearly drained the flask before he took it back from me, shaking his head.

  "Not too much. It will make you il
l. I know you must have many questions, but try to get some rest. We'll be in the city in another hour or so, and the people there are much better suited to explain things. You're safe now," he promised me, and for some crazy reason I believed him.

  Feeling a little less panicked than I had when I woke earlier, I nodded and rested my head against his massive chest, letting the gentle sway of the animal beneath me tempt me into unconsciousness.

  Chapter IV

  Streets Are Up Even When You're Down

  When I woke again, the blue silk-grass had given way to a flat plain of flagstone dotted with refreshingly familiar looking greenery stretching out before the towering golden walls of the city. I sat up, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep and sinking into a resigned acceptance. I had fallen asleep, or been knocked unconscious, at least three times now and each time had awoken in this bizarre world, without even a glimpse of my own home.

  I conceded I wasn't going to wake up anywhere else.

  My eyes were wide as I took in the walls of the city, understanding finally why the Easter Island boys kept referring to it as the Golden City. Everything about it glowed, not like the dull gleam of the precious metal with which I was familiar, but the perfect, luminous beauty of the sun breaking through clouds. It shimmered and glistened, radiant and unlike anything I had ever seen. The walls were seamless, simply reaching upward out of the earth, all flawless symmetry and function, no single stone wasted or lost to erosion.

  "Welcome to the Golden City, Honey. The seat of the Royal House of Sol, capital of Solis," my friend said proudly, gesturing at the swiftly approaching gates. I could see men walking the top of the wall, standing sentry. Several pointed in our direction and waved a greeting. Khenti waved his free arm and gave a loud yelp that I took for a "hey, how's it going?" kind of thing.

  "It's beautiful," I murmured, wondering just what I was getting myself into. So far this world seemed pretty harmless and friendly, but I had a feeling things would not be so simple once I entered those shining gates.

  "So are you coming in with me, or..." I asked, nervousness digging a pit in my belly. I clung to his furs, not wanting to be parted from the only familiar being in the world.

  "Only at first, Honey. Then Khenti and I must return to our patrol. But when our duty is done, I will come back and visit you, I promise." His voice was low and reassuring, and I appreciated his insight.

  "What's your real name, Easter Island?" I asked, my voice little more than a whisper.

  He grinned down at me, his strange, granite features almost merry. "Temuk. If you need me, ask someone to get a message to Temuk of the Horde, and it will find me."

  "Thanks," I breathed, feeling less uneasy. Another few minutes passed in silence and at last we approached the gates. In the distance they had seemed huge, insurmountable. Now that we waited at the base, I imagined they rose to brush against the sky, one long stretch of solid sunbeam. There was a loud knocking sound and then the doors dragged open, slowly, ponderously, giving me plenty of time to jump off the horse-thing and make a break for it.

  But Temuk held on to me, supporting me with his large presence, and I found myself wishing I'd had time for a shower and a manicure. I had no doubt I looked dusty and bedraggled after my strange journey, and probably didn't smell as sweet as my name.

  I was suddenly bombarded with questions I should have asked instead of sleeping like an idiot. I should have been quizzing Temuk and Khenti on what had happened to the other "Halqu" like me, whether I would be expected to perform some miracle or marry the chieftain of the goats or something. Anything at all other than placidly napping while being conveyed to my ultimate doom.

  I knew I should've watched those damn Doctor Who episodes.

  My entire body was quaking violently, as though someone had flipped a switch inside for 'vibrate.' Temuk gave me an encouraging squeeze and even the mostly silent Khenti sent a half-hearted smile my way, but nothing eased the knotting terror that gripped me. Thinking that hey, it had worked for Dorothy, I closed my eyes one last time and wished with every fiber of my being that I was back in the office, headed toward Grant's smug face, at the job I hated but needed, that everything was as it should be.

  A shuddering boom signaled the stilling of the gates and I heard Temuk's whispered voice in my ear. "Welcome."

  Screw Dorothy. She lied.

  And now I was stuck over the rainbow.

  I opened my eyes and caught my breath, completely taken aback by what I saw. Based on my experiences thus far, and people tossing out words like "horde" and "Halqu," I had somehow pictured a medieval village at best, maybe a bustling marketplace with people in leather and lots of straw all over the place.

  Instead, I gaped at the long, walled entryway and the open space at the end which revealed gleaming gilded streets and a row of colorful townhomes very much like Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina, where I grew up. Tears burned my eyes as relief so overpowering my entire body sagged swept over me. This was not some superstitious hamlet I was being abandoned to, but a city; a civilization advanced enough to have paved roads and recognizable buildings.

  "Oh thank god," I whispered, suddenly smiling and for the first time since I left the office, feeling as though I had started a great adventure.

  A tall flaxen-haired, darkly tanned man who looked reassuringly human approached us, his well-starched crimson uniform and perfect posture identifying him as some sort of military officer. His eyes widened and jaw dropped when he saw me clutched in Temuk's arms and then he remembered his dignity and bowed crisply before addressing my rescuers.

  "Temuk of the Horde, what have you to report?" he asked crisply, his eyes darting to me every few seconds.

  "I, Temuk of Horde declare that on this, the fifth morning of Solus, I recovered a Halqu. She was injured and needs care." Temuk spoke formally for the first time, sounding subtly different in his tone and pace, making me wonder if he was speaking a different dialect and I just couldn't tell.

  The guard who answered him spoke in the same lilting fashion, which strengthened the impression that they had switched to a different dialect. Thankful for whatever weird twist of fate had given me the power to understand and translate, I listened anxiously to the conversation.

  There was evidently some shock and excitement that I was a woman, reminding me that according to Temuk, I was the first female Halqu to drop from the skies. We were quickly waved through the walled entry and behind us I heard the distinct clang of the gates closing. It was strange, but as the gates cut off any retreat and panic began to rise, I had the sense of a comforting presence, of someone watching over me. Swallowing a stiff lump of nerves, I pasted a smile on my face and hoped that I didn't look as bad as I thought I did.

  "What happened to her?" the guard asked, wincing as he took me in. So much for making a good first impression.

  "Hey there, I'm Honey Sullivan. Thanks for the welcome! Your city is gorgeous," I said in my most chipper, 'fake it 'till you make it' voice. "I don't suppose I could use a shower or something? A restroom?"

  Now that I seemed to be on the cusp of civilization, my body's needs were becoming impossible to suppress and I began to yearn for a toilet with an unholy passion.

  The guard gave me an incredulous look and then turned back to Temuk, brows raised in surprise. "She speaks Solish?"

  He nodded and gave me squeeze. "And the common tongue as well. Perfectly."

  Apparently that translation thing was still working for me, for which I was overwhelmingly grateful. The idea of being stuck here and unable to communicate was chilling. The guard looked me over again and then smiled for the first time.

  "Forgive me, Honey Sullivan. I am Nergal Sandu, a city guard. This is...well, unprecedented. I should send you on to the Royal House..." he began, gesturing off in the distance, past the neat row of buildings I was too tired and stressed to really take in.

  "Oh, please, I really need to..." I broke off, wondering how I could put delicately that my bladder
was about to burst.

  "But I can see you would like to be cleansed first. Please, follow me," he said, gesturing at Temuk to follow. The beast beneath us snorted and moved again, following the guard down a side street, its hooves clacking on the cobblestones. The road was made of the same stone as the walls, but was smooth and worn with use, the luminosity dulled somewhat from years of travel. Numbly I took in the passing buildings, the brightly painted doors and soft pastel brick of the homes. People moved out of our way, watching us pass with expressions of curiosity, excitement, and a few times, open hostility. I was comforted to see that everyone seemed to be pretty normal looking, if a little on the thin side and dressed like they were ready for a toga party, but unease filtered my relief as I realized my initial friendly reception in this world might not be indicative of mass opinion. I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes, abruptly unable to deal with any more new information.

  At last we came to a halt and Temuk gently shook me. "Honey, Sandu will take you to the Ekkalum, the royal house. We must go on ahead and make our report. I will see you again soon," he promised. I took in his blue-painted, weathered-stone face and marveled that he had somehow become dear to me already. Tears threatened, and I blinked furiously, hesitant to show any weakness in this unknown situation. Temuk smiled at me and then lifted me down into Sandu's waiting arms.

  "You will have to explain why you call me Easter Island eventually, Honey," he said in farewell before making a clicking sound with his tongue and turning the horse-thing around. I watched him go with a sinking heart, knowing that my only friends here were deserting me.

  "Not alone, not anymore," a voice whispered in my mind, and I shivered delicately and looked around, feeling eyes on me.

  "It will be alright, Honey," Khenti said, his voice gruff but comforting. He gently bowed his great blue head and gave me a parting smile.

  "I must leave you here, Honey. Whisper my name on the wind if you need me, and I will come," he intoned in his deep, man-of-the-mountain voice.