by Mallory Rush
Nearing her neighborhood video store, Eva saw a large, tall man with waist-length black hair, go inside. Her heart raced faster than her feet as she went after him. He was reaching for a movie when she latched onto his arm with the same impulsive instinct that had her calling him by name.
"Urich," she said, wondering just who Urich could be.
"Excuse me?" The man's pale blue eyes regarded her with interest.
"I... I'm sorry, but I thought you were someone else."
He glanced at her grip on his arm and she quickly let go, edged away while she continued to stare at him in confusion. "His eyes are green," she muttered. "Very green and like a glass you can see forever in. A—a looking glass, and—and his features are exotic, different from yours, and... and..."
"Lady, you okay?"
Backing into a display, she heard it overturn, saw the man coming over, picking it up while she stood there with the walls pressing in. She had to get out, get away from the clerk anxiously asking if she needed some kind of help.
The clerk. She triggered the flash of a vision: Urich with a load of videos. The clerk devouring him like the eye-candy he was. The clerk had seen him.
"There's a man who comes here with me and he's about the size of this man, but he's darker and his hair is thicker and... have you seen him? Have you seen Urich? I have to find him, but I don't know who—" he is. "Where he is."
Though she caught herself, the clerk and the man who bore a slight resemblance to Urich exchanged uneasy glances.
Eva suddenly realized they thought she must be a schizo on the loose who belonged in a straight jacket. And just maybe she did! But she did have ample screws intact to say, "have a nice day," then escape the store.
The minute Eva reached home, she went straight for the brandy—only to slosh more on the counter than she was able to land in the snifter. In her mind's eye she saw an elegant, manly finger point at the bottle and alter the liquid's direction as that voice again teased her inner ear: The laws of gravity are not as indelible as you think.
"Who are you?" she screamed. Taking the bottle with her, she went from room to room, screaming, "Where are you? Damn, what are you doing to me?"
In her bedroom, she stopped. Everything was the same, but it wasn't the same at all. It was too empty in here and yet it seemed full of memories she couldn't remember.
The dipping sun cast a rosy blush on the walls that were whispering secrets she couldn't catch, but catching her in the middle of their senseless murmurings. I hunger... come Beauty... kiss... beast...
"Stop this!" she cried, pounding the wall until she fell to the floor in a messy, hysterical heap of racking sobs. The bottle rolled from her numb hand as she crumbled inside, feeling an agony of loss, only God knowing what it was, but it was there and growing, tearing her apart as surely as someone called Urich was the cause.
When she ran out of tears, she laid there in the dark, her hair soaking in a pool of tears and brandy. Turning her lips to the wood planking, she sipped at the drink she'd yet to consume. She could have been a dog, was her thought, if she put her tongue to lapping. Lord, what was she doing here, drinking like an animal and mewling like a wounded cat—
Animal? A cat? No, not exactly a cat, but a... lioness.
"Yeah right, Eva," she said with a shrill laugh. "You're hearing voices, imagining things that didn't happen and people who don't exist. You are going to take a bath. Then you are going to bed. And when you wake up in the morning, if you don't have your act together, you will call a shrink. Get it? Got it. Good."
Pulling herself up, she stripped off her clothes and wiped the floor with them. Then she took her bath and went to bed. But then came his voice, whispering, I love you, Eva. Love yourself... you can be all that you dare dream to be...
Eva switched on the radio, turned it up loud enough to clean her ears out and fill her head with the last words she needed to hear from the Moody Blues or anyone else puzzling where reality ended and illusion began. And big help the Moody Blues were, concluding that was one of those decisions everyone had to make for themselves.
* * *
There was no need for a holding cell. Raven glanced at Urich as they took their places behind Zar who led the processional that would lead to their certain end.
It was a foregone conclusion: Self-inflicted death. Urich would be given the blade first; his blood still fresh on it, his co-conspirator in this matter of the heart would then turn it on himself and end his existence as well.
Zar had been so incensed by the news that Raven thought them lucky to even get a hearing. But he'd taken a perverse pleasure in seeing Zar ready to do murder, as apparently had Urich who had taunted his father to do it.
That's when it had occurred him that while his own honor would demand he accept his sentence, Urich could refuse. Now that would put some life into this stale piece of the universe that could use a kick in its logically collective butt!
Why, he hadn't felt this alive in a millennia himself. Less than a day on Earth and he'd trade whatever life he had remaining for another—but there wasn't much remaining, even if by some miracle he was spared. He was old but Urich was young and not deserving this at all.
Urich who had made him remember what it was like to be so enraptured with a female that he threw reason to the wind. A female worth dying for, one who could make him lust, make him love, make him infinitely more than the sum of his parts.
All this Raven thought upon as the members took their designated places while they, the accused, stood at the far end of the vast table, a slab of silver that lacked any warmth. Zar had even less as he took his position at the head where he piously recounted the charges against them:
"Conspiracy. Breaking the supreme laws of logic. Adulterating the sacred ritual to defile the womb of conception. Treason by desertion of service, honor and duty." Done with his accusations, Zar demanded, "What say you to these atrocities committed against your ruler, your people?"
Turning to Urich, Raven embraced him, thus inciting the murmurs of incredulity their list of crimes hadn't summoned.
Loud enough for them all to hear, Raven announced, "I say Urich is a superior being that all of us could learn greatly from. I give him my eternal gratitude for reminding me that the worst atrocity is to live without love. And to live without it, a fate worse than death."
* * *
Standing on the balcony, Eva stared up at the starry night. Filtering from her room was the music that had led her outside with nothing on but a thin, white cotton gown.
It was chilly out but it had nothing on the chill gripping her within. "Nights In White Satin" had prompted stunning, vivid images of intimacy shared on her bed with a man whose face and form had crystallized in her mind.
"Question" had provoked more questions than she already had. But there were answers to be found in "The Voice" which spoke of dreams, the future, the past...
Urich. She could hear his voice, feel him like an infinite echo in her heart, her mind, so real and so pure that she knew, knew that he had been no more a dream than she was now, asking herself along with the Moody Blues, "Isn't Life Strange?"
How strange to remember falling into his looking glass gaze and seeing forever in his eyes, only for time to naysay that memory, unshakable as it was sweet.
Where had their time together gone? Memories that were poignant, fantastical, were surfacing. But there were holes, big gaping holes she was desperate to fill; and how desperate she was to understand how she could have memories that sprang from an empty pocket of time. It was as if it had been swallowed with the totality of quicksand.
Quicksand? Swallowing, erasing... yes. Urich had phenomenal abilities, she remembered that. But how could any man reverse time? Only... he wasn't a man! He came from—from... where?
Catching at the escalating images she frantically tried to piece together, Eva's eyes probed the night sky. He was out there, somewhere in another world, gone from this one where she'd searched without knowing what she w
as looking for.
And now she knew.
She had to find him. Had to. It was coming back to her now, quickly, except... why had he gone? Anxiety gnawed at her until it became a dread certainty that something terrible had happened to break them apart. But they were supposed to be together, always, mates for life, he had given her—
Eva cupped her neck. The kiss of the beast. An eternal kiss that not even time in its fickle composition could erase. A claim so indelible that they were still locked, bonded with memories that refused to bow to Urich's tampering of time.
A memory of him bowing to her with flowers, kissing her hand as if she were a queen of the universe coincided with the announcer's apt conclusion: "And now, ending our tribute to the Moody Blues, 'For My Lady'."
With that, Eva had the last elusive piece to the puzzle of Urich's departure. The song was about a man who so loved a woman that he'd give up his life for her, freely, completely.
Clutching at her neck, struggling for breath, she wheezed, "My God, oh my God, he's—"
She had to find him, save him, die with him, anything but stay here and know Urich was dead while she died her own slow death, mourning his loss.
"That's it for now. Until next time, remember to keep your feet on the ground and continue reaching for the stars!"
Her gaze fixed on the North Star, she chanted Urich's name like a mantra while holding fast to all that he had taught her and she did believe. Yes, belief was the key. She believed in herself and knew that anything she could imagine was within her ability to reach.
Eva imagined a telepathic wire running from her to him, just past the envelope and into the Black Hole.
And then she reached for the stars.
Chapter 21
Zar proffered the death blade with a curt bow. Urich defiantly crossed his arms, knowing his life was the only bargaining chip he had and it was time to go for broke.
"You do it," he challenged. "Go ahead, Zar, kill your treasonous hybrid of a son. I can read your thoughts and you want to stab me in the heart that's responsible for this whole distasteful and painfully embarrassing mess."
"You're embarrassing yourself," Zar snapped. "After insulting us all and debasing yourself with that sentimental tripe you called a justifiable defense, the least you can do is execute your last order with some dignity."
"You dare to speak to me about dignity?" he scoffed. "You, Zar, are a coward. Now, go ahead and stab all you like. No one could possibly blame you. And I'm sure it would be the most emotionally rich experience of your sad excuse for an existence. My own I owe to you, but nothing else. No excuses, no apologies. If you feel that I owe you the life you regret ever giving me, then take it."
Zar gripped the hilt and raised the blade. Urich met his livid glare levelly. And smiled.
They both knew that to do murder was to break a law higher than any of those he himself had committed. And how sweet it was to provoke Zar to a crime of passion, make him walk in the other man's shoes, as Earthlings would say.
Suddenly, Urich's smile wavered. He perceived Zar's sly retaliation just before he turned to Raven.
"Urich's always admired you more than any other. Show him how to die with honor and we'll honor your remains with respect and gratitude for this final act of service."
Raven hesitated only briefly before slowly reaching for the means to his honor's restoration, while his mind spoke a plea that Urich refuse to follow the order his elder was compelled to obey.
"Wait." Urich gripped Raven's wrist within an inch of the hilt. "Even if Raven slays himself first, I won't take the blade. And I'm the one whose blood you really want—it just depends on how badly you want it."
Zar raised a brow. "You wish to strike a bargain?"
"A fair and logical exchange. First, my life for his." Though the ruler had the final vote, he glanced at the assembly.
Much as Urich hated to admit it, especially now, his father was a just ruler, wholly devoted to his people. All present pressed forefinger to temple, signing their agreement.
"Very well. What else?"
"Leave Eva alone."
"What!"
"You heard me. Leave her alone and search for another who'd bear our progeny willingly. Eva will resist you. And I'll resist my sentence unless you agree, and so long as I'm alive, you can't have her anyway. This leaves you with the option of killing me yourself—an offer you've already refused—or promising to leave her untouched. Whether I die or not, you can't claim her. These are my terms, non-negotiable. Again I ask you, how badly do you want my blood?"
A grudging respect flickered in Zar's eyes for the mental strategy even he could appreciate.
As did the Tribunal, who he turned to for the ultimate decision. Like Pontius Pilots washing their hands clean of the blood that would be taken, one by one they opened their palms. A sign of returning the decision to Zar.
Urich was certain it pleased Zar—his authority remaining unquestioned, his judgment upheld. He was emerging unscathed, getting his revenge without soiling his reputation or the blade wielding hand he extended to the son he had never loved.
Without a qualm, Urich gripped the hilt. Then placed the razor-point tip to his steady heart beat.
"A final request," he said calmly. "Allow Raven to return to Earth if he so desires."
"Granted. Have you any last words?"
There really were none. He'd driven a hard bargain and won each and every demand placed.
"Farewell, Raven." Raising the blade to plunge, he issued his parting charge. "Have enough fun for us both."
His gaze on the gleaming tip, Urich filled his mind with thoughts of Eva and was about to slice down when her voice shattered the silence, screaming, "Stop! Stop!"
Urich stopped in mid-plunge, stunned by the sight of Eva racing at light-speed over the table's surface, a ripple of shocked gasps following in her wake.
The gasps were almost as amazing as seeing Eva fly like an avenging angel in the see-thru gown she raised to her thighs to better run while she shrieked, "Put it down, Urich! Damn, did you hear me? Put it down!"
Down she came from the table, leaping over the end. Too dumbfounded to move, only his heart was in motion. Rising, beating too fast, reaching out for the woman who seized his hands and the blade they held.
He caught her to him in a fierce embrace. "Eva, Eva," Urich said over the rampant murmurings, "What are you doing here? How did you—"
"We'll hash it out later," she briskly informed him. Breaking away, she waved the blade at the assembly. "Right now, I have a score to settle and anybody that's not ready for a nasty earful had better clear out."
All save one leaned eagerly forward.
Zar stepped back, folded his arms. "Who do you think you are to intrude where you have not been sanctioned to come?"
Pointing the shiny tip at his nose, Eva commanded herself not to swipe off its superior tilt but to say cool as ice, "I'm Eva Campbell and I want to know just who do you think you are to sanction a Kangaroo Court like this? Don't tell me. You must be Zar. If you were younger and had something called a heart, I might even mistake you for Urich." Lowering the weapon to Zar's chest, she mused, "I wonder if I put this to a worthy use if I'd even find one."
"Are you mad?" he asked, sounding truly curious.
"Oh yeah, I'm mad all right. Madder than hell, to be exact. In fact, I am so damn mad right now, you'd be real smart to explain to me where you get off expecting your son to kill himself because we fell in love and shared our bodies to express what we felt."
"Our laws are not yours," he said succinctly, as if that was explanation and justification aplenty. Studying her, he observed, "Your body is pleasing to look upon." From the ranks came a rousing agreement that made Eva wish she'd come wearing a chastity belt. "Yes, quite pleasing. How unfortunate that I vowed not to touch you in exchange for Urich answering to his crimes."
"Falling in love is not a crime! Not loving your son more than your twisted sense of justice, that's a crime." Her
grip tightened on the hilt and Eva silently wondered if she was capable of killing. She'd never thought so before, but just as a lioness would kill to protect her young, as a mother would to save her loved ones, Eva knew she wouldn't hesitate to do the same. "If anyone deserves to die, Zar, it's you."
"I am not on trial, therefore your judgment bears no consideration." Just like that, he dismissed her with an authoritative command. "Give Urich the blade. His trial is over and he's accepted his executioner's duty. Our agreement is sealed and you've delayed our proceedings long enough."
Eva gaped at Zar. Didn't he have ears to hear? And then she remembered Urich saying that they wouldn't understand a word she said. True enough, she could have been speaking a foreign language for all that Zar had comprehended.
"Eva," Urich said firmly, "the deal is struck. You can't change what's already been ordained. Kiss me once, then you have to go." In disbelief, she watched his lips descend, felt them move over hers, imparting all that he was, all that he felt and thought, with a tender passion. But when his fingers slipped over hers and he tried to claim the knife, Eva jerked away and put the edge to her jugular.
"No. I'll kill myself before I let you have this." Swiftly, she moved from his reach, positioned herself where all could see her. "If it's blood you want, I'll give mine."
"Eva, enough," Urich chastised. "Give me that. Raven, prepare to take her home."
"Certainly."
Raven advanced and she threatened, "come any closer, and this gig's over. I want to strike a new deal. My deal, forget Urich's."
"Dr. Campbell," Zar said reasonably, "your blood is not wanted, nor is it needed. You bear no guilt and there is no need for you to suffer. Or to strike another deal."
"A better deal. One that'll get you what you want and me what I want."
"I'm intrigued. Go on."
"You're not going on anywhere but home," Urich informed her, slowly closing in.
"This is between me and your father." Fearing that Urich would zap her home or seize the only leverage she had, Eva appealed to her only hope—ironically, Zar. "I want an hour alone. One on one, just you and me, Zar."