Woman of Silk and Stone

by Mattie Dunman

  She wasn't beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, but had an appealing warmth about her that reminded me of a kindly librarian. Her features were heavy and too mannish for attractiveness, but she appeared to be in her late-thirties with pale blond hair streaked with the same indigo as Tam's. She had a good figure and was dressed in one of the more unassuming gowns I'd seen thus far, making her much more approachable. Her slightly too-wide mouth stretched to show broad white teeth as her smile grew more genuine.

  "Honey Sullivan, it is an honor to know you. To think that Tam has been blessed with the appearance of a Halqu in his rule! Now he will have someone other than this old woman to talk to," she joked in a throaty, smokes-two-packs-a-day voice.

  Cheered by the presence of another friendly face, I reached forward to take her hand. She looked startled, but quickly masked her surprise and mimicked my gesture as I shook her hand in greeting. "Please, call me Honey. I am just so thankful that I managed to land in such a beautiful country, with such a generous welcome."

  Tam grinned at me, looking decidedly more like a little boy than a king. "Ninna has promised to help Hili oversee your, ah...orientation," he said eagerly, looking back to his aunt for approval.

  She nodded and smiled at me, giving Tam a pat on the hand. "That's right, dear. Now sit up straight and remember your bearing, as we spoke of, hmm?" she chastised gently. Tam deflated a bit, but he nodded grimly and wiped his face clean of expression.

  Hoping to lighten things up again, I asked about some of the terms my auto-translate ability didn't seem to process. "I have been lucky enough to understand your language well so far, but I have to admit there are a few things I haven't grasped. What do Rabum and Ka Harsog mean?"

  Ninna shifted more fully in my direction. "Rabum is the title for Tam's father's father; my father as well. Just as my title is Ahatki; which means 'sister-mother' in the Common Tongue."

  "And what language is that? Is that the..." I paused, trying to remember what Damki had called the only language I hadn't understood thus far.

  "The Old Tongue, the language of the Ilati, the gods. Most of our official titles are still in that language." Ninna leaned forward, her violet-hued eyes keen as she surveyed me. "I am curious about that, your ability to speak and understand our language. I was only a child when the last Halqu was at court, but I remember he had to be taught the Common Tongue. It was very difficult for him, I believe."

  Fascinated, I scooted forward eagerly. "Is that so? I don't really know why I seem to understand your language, but from the moment I woke up here, everything just sounds like English to me, the language spoken back home. It's hard for me to tell when a different dialect is being spoken, but sometimes I can figure it out because of the phrasing being different."

  "The Ilati have surely blessed you, Honey. You seem to have an advantage that no Halqu I can recall has ever possessed." Ninna watched me thoughtfully, and I almost opened my mouth to tell her about my other little quirks, but something stopped me. Glancing along the table, I noticed Efrim watching me avidly, clearly able to hear our conversation despite being several seats away. Deciding that Jafar's evil twin probably didn't need to know about my new and exciting healing abilities and killer right hook, I just smiled and nodded.

  "I have been very lucky," I agreed. "The other term Tam used...Ka Harsog. What is that?"

  Tam spoke up again, his voice sounding more adult this time. "Zagmi Tilmun, perhaps you would be the best one to explain Ka Harsog to our new Halqu." He addressed one of the advisors on the left, a rotund, amiable-looking fellow with shoulder-length light-blue tinted hair and intelligent, sparkling eyes of iridescent gold. I liked him immediately.

  "I will be happy to, Bright One." He nodded his head respectfully at Tam and smiled kindly at me.

  "I'm sorry, but I didn't quite understand. What is Zagmi?" I asked, receiving a happy smile in return.

  "Zagmi is the title of the head priest, the servant of the Ilati. I study the ways of the gods and bring some small measure of their power to the people of Solis." Tilmun patted his round stomach cheerfully. "And I am greatly rewarded for my troubles."

  Startled, I laughed out loud for the first time since landing on Edin.

  "As you should be, Tilmun," Zinna said, smiling gently at the chuckling priest, who was reminding me forcefully of a blend between Winnie the Pooh and Friar Tuck.

  "Yes, well." He cleared his throat and his expression grew more serious. "To answer your earlier question, Honey, Ka Harsog is the gate in the sky that leads to other worlds. Halqu always appear through Ka Harsog, and a few blessed ones have disappeared through the gate to venture to other worlds where the Ilati see fit."

  I absorbed this bit of news with some difficulty. It was so hard to wrap my mind around all of this. I was never the most fanciful child; my parents told me the truth about Santa Claus when I was three, not wanting their offspring to waste time or energy on a commercialized fairy tale; or, more likely, they didn't want to have to remember to buy me presents. I was never particularly drawn to the paranormal or science fiction; and as far as wormholes went, even having gone through what must have been one, I had a hard time believing they existed. To hear everyone referring to the Ilati, or gods, so casually, to hear Tilmun mention in all seriousness a gateway to other worlds was nearly incomprehensible to someone like me.

  And then his words registered.

  "Wait, people leave here too? Go to other worlds? Maybe my world?" I asked incredulously, wondering if all those stories about aliens building the pyramids might have some base in reality.

  "Yes. Not often you understand, at least from what we know. It is possible some are taken without our knowledge, but people don't go missing very often in Solis, so we have some idea how many have traveled the gates." He hesitated and then spoke more gently, reaching out to place a chubby hand on mine. "Honey, please do not for a moment think there is way to return for you."

  I sputtered and then narrowed my eyes at the puffy little man. "Why? If people from here go through the gate, why can't I just pop back? Not that I don't love it here, but..." I added quickly, with an apologetic glance at Tam's worried expression.

  "Honey, you must not even consider it! Only one Halqu has ever tried to journey back and he...he did not fare well," Tam warned, nearly leaping out of his seat, his expressive young face pinched in distress.

  Ninna patted his hand and he subsided, still looking at me anxiously, as though I might simply disappear into thin air. "Settle, Tam. It is not seemly for you to become so agitated," she chastised, even as she gave him a warm smile and squeezed his hand.

  Turning to me, Ninna gave me a sympathetic look. "Tam is right, Honey. Long ago, the first Halqu tried to return to his world. His name was Ralf, and he was very powerful, blessed by the Ilati with the ability to see the gates and to work their magic. He traveled to each realm and told of his homeland and the will of the Ilati to foster the Halqu to come, and all of Edin blossomed into a new era of learning and innovation. After many years, he grew tired and wished to return home to his own world, and so Ralf gathered the rulers of each realm, and his friends from the Horde who first found him, and all went to the gate to bid him farewell."

  Ninna paused, looking over at Tilmun in entreaty. I could guess the story got kind of unpleasant from here on.

  Tilmun nodded and turned to me, taking in my avid expression with a wry smile. "I don't wish to upset you on your first night in the Golden City, but you must understand that to attempt the crossing again is impossible. Ralf was confident that because of his mastery of magic, he would be able to move through Ka Harsag at will, but he was wrong. The Ilati sent him here, as they do every Halqu, and they did not intend for the gate to work both ways."

  Ready to scream in frustration at all the stalling tactics, I forced my face into an expression of pleasant curiosity and gestured for Tilmun to continue. "Please, what happened to him?"

  With a beleaguered sigh, Tilmun gave in and continued. "Very we
ll. Ralf called on the Ilati and with his magic forced the gate to open. All who were present were nearly blinded by the brilliant light that poured from the gate, and then there was a terrible roaring noise, like the sound of a thousand Idimmu, and Ralf was raised into the air, his very skin peeling from his bones. He begged the Ilati to relieve him, to close the gates, but they were silent and he was stripped of all his flesh until only his spirit hung below the gate, still crying out for mercy."

  My mouth had dropped open and a sick feeling roiled in my gut. Somehow in the back of my mind, I was still holding out hope that I could get back, that I could do whatever I was here to do and then as a reward, I'd get shipped back home.

  But getting all my flesh stripped from my bones didn't sound like much of a reward.

  Tilmun gave me a pitying look and finished his gruesome tale. "For seven days and seven nights, his spirit remained, calling out for help, begging to return home, to be released. Finally, as dawn approached on the eighth morning, he quieted and called the rulers closer. He told them that his spirit was about to be released and that he had a message from the Ilati.

  "All the rulers of Edin gathered beneath the gate and watched as it finally closed, leaving Ralf's spirit still suspended in the air. His voice was no longer wracked with pain, and he was able to speak clearly. Ralf told the rulers that the Ilati would send Halqu through Ka Harsag when they were needed, and that they were to be treated as treasured gifts, blessings from the Ilati. But the Halqu must make Edin their home, and must never try to return again, or the balance between worlds would be destroyed and devastation would come to Edin. At last, Ralf's spirit dissolved and he was free from the destruction of Ka Harsag. And so since his death, all Halqu have been treated as blessings and given every chance to make a happy life on Edin, but none have attempted to return through the gates."

  Tilmun finished and leaned back in his chair, his previously jolly smile gone and his features drawn with grief. The entire table was silent for a long moment while I processed all that he'd told me, confused about the idea of Ralf's spirit hanging around and passing on messages from the gods; but then again, this wasn't my world, and the rules I knew didn't apply here. What I took away from the story was that there was no return ticket home, I was stuck here for good, and I needed to suck it up and deal.

  After several long moments, I realized everyone was waiting for me to speak. Tam watched me anxiously, his violet eyes wide with distress, so I gave him a reassuring smile. "I understand. Thank you for telling me. I...I won't try to return now, I promise."

  Everyone let out a breath and I realized belatedly that they had been worried about me; maybe they expected me to burst into tears or run screaming from the hall, but I knew when I was beaten. Something deep in my chest settled, a knot of tension I hadn't been aware of, and I accepted that my life was beginning anew.

  "You will not regret it, Honey. We will care for you as a blessing from the Ilati. You will want for nothing," Tam promised me earnestly, his young face shining with promise. I reached out and grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze. I caught Ninna's eye as she watched our interaction intently and she gave me a gentle smile, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

  I was home.

  Chapter X

  Hit Me With Your Best Shot

  I woke with a start, my heart pounding violently.

  Reaching out with my senses, I tried to determine what woke me, why I had the feeling I was not alone in my room. From the safety of my bed, I peered out into the gloom, the shadows only interrupted by the soft glow of the embers in the fireplace. I could neither hear nor see anything to alarm me, but the sense of intrusion remained.

  Cautiously, I shifted the heavy blanket from my legs and moved to stand up. A hand slammed into my chest, shoving me back down, knocking all the air out of my lungs. Before I could catch my breath, hands wrapped around my throat and a heavy body pinned me down, immobilizing me completely.

  Even as black spots filled my vision, I reacted like a wild animal, clawing ineffectually at the hands crushing my throat, trying desperately to gain some room, some air so that I could think straight. The hands squeezed harder and a dark, male voice muttered incoherently above me.

  Now frantic for air, in a last attempt to free myself, I grasped one of the hairy arms pressing against my chest and dug in my fingernails, surprised when the flesh gave way and something cracked beneath my touch, like a twig snapping under pressure.

  A guttural scream roared above me and the hands fell away at last. Sweet, beautiful, life-giving air flowed past my bruised throat and into my lungs. For a moment I did nothing but breathe, recognizing from the pain in my neck and burning in my chest that I had been on the cusp of total strangulation.

  With the return of air came a spike of awareness, and I pushed the hefty, writhing body off of me and flipped over to straddle it. In the dim light, I couldn't see much, but was able to make out a pair of blazing yellow eyes wide with agony, and blurry masculine features. Realizing that I must have crushed the man's arm with the newly discovered strength in my right hand, I wrapped it around his throat and started squeezing.

  Immediately the man on the bed tried to lurch out of my grip, and we wrestled for position, him trying to pin me again while I just grimly tightened my hold, praying that he choked before he could do any more damage. Alarm filled his pain-glazed eyes as he realized he couldn't shake my hold and I tightened it yet again to demonstrate the fragility of his position.

  I grunted in pain as the man slammed one meaty fist into my kidney, and my grip loosened enough for him to pull free and land another gut shot. Abruptly, the fire blazed, bathing the room in light, startling my attacker. Taking advantage, wheezing in agony, I formed a fist with my powerful hand and slammed it into his temple, watching in satisfaction as he crumpled to the floor unconscious.

  For a moment, I just lay there, breathing through the splinters of pain in my throat and gut, trying to think past the grateful realization that I was still alive. The heat in the room seemed almost unbearable to me, though whether that had to do with the sudden surge of the flames or my own raging adrenaline, I wasn't sure. At last, my mind caught up to the situation and I carefully pulled myself to my feet, wincing at the deep ache in my back.

  The man who tried to kill me lay silent and still on the stone floor, his eyes staring up unseeing. I didn't recognize him, but he looked like most of the Solisians I'd come into contact with thus far; darkly tanned skin, tall, and well built. His eyes were a strange yellow color I normally associated with reptiles, but apart from that he appeared like any other man, from either world.

  His left arm was clearly broken, the shattered bone poking up against the skin in a completely unnatural way. His throat was bright red, and I could see the impression of my fingers clearly highlighted even against his dark skin.

  But the thing that made me fall to my knees, that made me stop breathing, was his head.

  The side my fist had struck was completely caved in, a concave mess that encompassed half of his face. My hands shook as I realized the implications.

  I killed him. With one blow.

  I don't know how long I sat there in shock, just staring at the crushed skull, tears streaming down my face, but eventually it dawned on me that no one could know how I killed him. If I explained how I caved in his skull with one blow, all sorts of questions to which I wasn't sure I wanted to give answers would arise. Considering that a complete stranger had just tried to kill me in my sleep, I thought keeping my new defensive capabilities a secret might just save my life again.

  Shutting down the part of my brain that was tormented by ending another being's life, I looked around the room for something I could use to explain his broken arm and skull. I paused, once again feeling the overwhelming sense that someone else was in the room with me, was hovering just behind me, out of sight.

  The smoke seemed to be thicker than normal around the fire, and under my breath, I thanked the flames for giving me the
vital moment of distraction that had saved my life. The smoke seemed darker, almost making a recognizable shape for a moment, but then dissolved into the air, leaving the fire burning steadily. Rubbing my aching neck, I turned away, too freaked out to consider the strangeness of that moment.

  At last, my eye landed on a larger light stone, slightly bigger than my fist, and heavy enough to have caused serious damage had a normal woman wielded it. I grabbed the stone and compared it to the dead man's wounds before pressing it into his skin, coating it in blood and the slight sheen of sweat on his arm our fight had generated. I didn't know what kind of investigative capabilities they had in this world, but I knew it couldn't hurt to have his DNA on the supposed murder weapon. There wasn't much of anything I could do about the obviously broken arm or handprint on his neck; I just had to hope people would be too surprised by the attempt on my life to wonder how I had gotten such a good grip.

  Satisfied with the staging and feeling the adrenaline that was keeping me going begin to wear off, I moved to the door and opened it, peering out. The hall was empty, but there was a faint light at the end of the corridor, so I ran toward it and at long last let out the scream that had been building in me since I woke up.

  I was gratified to see that it took only seconds for a guard to respond to my cry, but I did have to wonder how my assailant had gotten into my room in the first place. Deciding for the moment to let someone else figure that one out, I pointed toward my room and waited for the guard to return.

  "Beleti Honey, are you well?" he demanded, taking my arms in a gentle but fortifying grasp. I was beginning to give out, so it was nice to lean on someone else's strength for a bit.

  "I'm okay, but he got a few good shots in," I answered, unsurprised by the husky tone of my voice. I knew my throat had to be damaged, but I hoped I had broken free before he managed to do anything permanent.

  Pounding footsteps announced approaching company, and I allowed the guard to guide me back to my room and sit me down on the couch in front of the fire, as far from the body as possible. The moment I dropped on the couch, the fire blazed a little higher, raising my suspicions. I had no idea what was going on, or whether I was just hallucinating, but that was not the first time the fire had reacted to my presence, and I was beginning to wonder if here in Solis, the fire had some sort of elemental intelligence.