Home.
Indaran could hardly wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
That evening, Indaran and Jasmine stood together on the deck near the bow of the ship, listening to the shish, shish of the wake slapping against the prow. Silvery Mornaue shone in a quarter phase, and golden Reescue dangled just above the horizon. A warm breeze blew against their skin, plastering their clothing to their bodies.
Shareef, evidently exhausted by the excitement of the day, slept curled up inside a coiled pile of rope.
Overhead the stars sparkled in the velvet sky. The rush of the waves was rhythmic and soothing, yet within Indaran’s chest, his heart beat in a fearful patter, and a boulder had settled in his stomach.
Jasmine slipped her hand into his. “The night is so beautiful. I could stand here watching the water forever. It’s so peaceful.”
“It is indeed.” He hesitated. “Jasmine. I look at my sister and Khan, and I see their happiness. I envy their happiness.”
“Why envy?”
“I wish I’d met you before I set sail for Louat. When I could have courted you with a whole heart, not a wounded one. I want you to be my wife, Jasmine. My queen. But I have so many scars in my soul. I’m not a fit consort for you, my beloved.”
“I, too, have a wounded heart, Indaran. Before I came to Louat….” her voice started to shake.
Concerned, he slipped an arm around her.
She inhaled a shuddering breath. “Khan’s half-brother…an evil man…he and his bodyguard kidnapped me. They…beat me and raped me. For several days. They were trying to discover Khan’s whereabouts. Amir was going to kill Khan, too, so he could get Khan’s inheritance.”
Appalled, he held her close with one arm, while rubbing her back with the other.
She burrowed into his embrace. “Withea healed me.” Her words were muffled. “But not completely. She’s let me work out some of the pain for myself. But I’m not through with the process. Perhaps, I’ll never be through. I don’t know what I will feel…how I will react if I were to…”
“Shush, shush,” he whispered into her hair. “It will be all right.” He kissed her forehead. “Does it bother you when I touch you?”
“No, your touch feels good. I feel safe. But what if when you…?”
“We’ll go slow. We’ll stop whenever you feel uncomfortable.”
“What if I can’t?”
“Then we won’t.”
“But you’ll need an heir.”
“I’m sure Daria and Khan will have one to spare.”
Jasmine looked up at him. “Are you sure, Indaran? Living with only half a wife.”
“Jasmine, Ontarem stole the life from my memories. I have only a black-and-gray past. Up until the day you released me. You brought me color and emotion. But I, too, am wounded in spirit. If I never regain my proper memories, will you turn from me, your half-husband?”
A frown creased her forehead. “No, of course not.”
“We will help each other heal.”
She relaxed into his arms. “I’d like to try, dearest.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
Joy flooded him, and he briefly closed his eyes in Thanksgiving. Then he loosened his embrace, grasped her hand and raised it to his lips. Retaining possession of Jasmine’s hand, he lifted his face to the sky. “Withea, Arvintor, Yadarius, I call upon you to witness our mating pledge.” He looked back at her. “Jasmine, my beloved. I take you for my wife. I take you for my queen. I will love and cherish you all the days of my life.”
He saw the sheen of tears in her eyes, before she gave him a tremulous smile. “My dearest Indaran, I take you for my husband and for my king. I will love and cherish you all the days of my life.”
He touched his lips to hers, careful to keep his kiss gentle. “We are married now, beloved. Shall we go to our cabin?”
~ ~ ~
Within the small cabin, shyness seized Jasmine. She’d taken one look at the huge box bed taking up most of the space and felt a blush tingle all the way down her body. Indaran’s presence seemed to fill the room, and she turned her back to him. She was glad she’d taken the time to completely bathe before joining Indaran on deck. But she’d never dreamed tonight would be her wedding night, and wished she wore perfume and a flowing, sexy nightgown.
It doesn’t matter. I have him.
He reached up to dim the lamp hanging from a hook near the door. In the faint light, shadows played over his beloved face, and she saw his concern for her reflecting in his eyes.
She gave him a tentative smile of encouragement.
“You are so beautiful,” Indaran murmured, stepping closer. He toyed with her hair, loosening the braid and combing his fingers through the long waves. He massaged her head. The warmth of his hands penetrated her scalp. The warmth of his love filled her heart.
She sighed with pleasure.
He lowered his hands to her neck and massaged the tight muscles, then gently worked at the knots on the top of her shoulders and between her shoulder blades. Inside her stomach, the tight ball of fear also relaxed. As his hands touched her skin, so did his othersense touch her heart, soothing the trauma of the brutal experience of her past.
Each stroke of his fingers, every curl of his othersense around hers, made her feel safe, cherished. Ready now, she lifted her chador and pulled it over her head. She tossed the garment into the corner, then turned to face him.
He toyed with the button of her red blouse, then stopped. “Are you sure?” he whispered, brushing his knuckles over her cheek.
She reached up to pull him down to her and kissed him. “Very sure.”
~ ~ ~
Indaran drifted on the edge of sleep, Jasmine’s naked body curled into his. He lightly stroked her hip, careful not to wake her. In the end of a long, careful night of lovemaking, his bride had surprised him with her passion. He thought she’d also surprised herself. Drowsy, he kissed her shoulder, looking forward to the future—all he would share with her, both in and out of their bed.
He inhaled a deep breath of contentment, enjoying the scent of Jasmine’s hair.
A memory struck him, jolting him fully awake. He flashed back to the night Ontarem had taken possession of their ship…their capture and imprisonment.
They’d vanquished the Evil God and escaped, but not completely. As if in a dream, he saw the Che-da-wah, fierce fighters, riding against the soldiers of Penutar on the vast plain of Drayleth, fighting for their freedom.
Not just their freedom. The freedom of their entire world.
Ontarem will never stop His attempts to conquer all the Gods and Goddesses, to enslave all the people of Kimtair.
He sat up.
Jasmine sighed and turned over.
He stroked her shoulder, conscious of wanting to protect her from all harm.
They’d escaped, but for how long would they be safe? Perhaps a few years, perhaps generations. But someday, Ontarem would work his evil ways on them. They’d never know true peace or have security. Somehow, Ontarem had to be stopped.
Kokam’s words came back to him. “If you kill me, He will raise up another in my place. One far more powerful.”
The vision of the Che-da-wah came again. Dread certainty weighed down his spirit.
We need to turn back.
END OF BOOK TWO
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Read on following the Glossary for an excerpt of Book Three, HARVEST OF DREAMS.
GLOSSARY
THE DEITIES OF KIMTAIR
Withea, Goddess of the desert
Yadarius, SeaGod, God of Seagem and the creatures of the ocean
Besolet, Goddess of Ocean’s Glory
Guinheld, Goddess of Zacatlan
Arvintor, TwinGod, God of Exonlah
Ontarem, Evil TwinGod, God of Penutar
HEROES AND HEROINES
Book One: Khan Laenser and Daria, Princess of Seagem
Book Two
: Indaran, Prince (and later King) of Seagem and Jasmine Karzai
Book Three: Thaddis, (deposed) King of Ocean’s Glory and Sadie Isaacson
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Earth
Amir Laenser, Khan’s half-brother (who tries to kill him)
Moussad, Amir’s henchman
Seagem
The Royal Family
Iceros, King of Seagem
Prince Cihkel,
Prince Joshel
Prince Setteff
Others
Issa, Daria’s nurse
Micfal, the weaponsmaster
Caifed, Archpriest
Anza, Archpriestess
Philan, Micfal’s grandson
Ocean’s Glory
Stevenes, King of Ocean’s Glory (deceased)
Ogan, Councilor
Boerk, soldier
Penutar
Pasinae, Trine Priestess
Kokam, Trine Priest
Nabric, Trine Priest
Vol, Priest
Landers, soldier
Freeish, Landers’ wife
Tashta, Landers’s daughter
Slave Camp
Mastin, Indaran’s friend
Tempor, councilor’s son, twin of Elanath
Elanath, betrothed of Cihkel
Attle, a page
Timba, a page
Chercheca, mother of Merrel
Merrel, baby saved by Jasmine
Che-da-wah (nomads)
Stridza (Stridzat and Stridzae) clan leaders
Roe-al, the son of the Stridzae
Jora, Roe-al’s betrothed
Dihel, clan warrior
Porval-nic, Roe-al’s rival
Sha-na, healer
ANIMALS
Horses
Nika (belongs to Khan)
Daisy (belongs to Khan)
Teifa (belongs to Daria)
Darklady (belongs to Roe-al)
Monkey-bats
Shad
Shir
Mongas
Shareef (belongs to Jasmine)
Jatay (belongs to Roe-al)
Read on for an excerpt from book three of
THE GODS’ DREAM TRILOGY
HARVEST OF DREAMS
by Debra Holland
EARTH, ISRAEL
PRESENT DAY
The beeping of a machine jerked Sadie Isaacson awake. She straightened in the chair, wincing at the crick in her neck from sleeping with her head on the foot of her grandmother’s hospital bed.
She opened and shut her dry eyes a few times, trying to make them focus. Then she checked on her grandmother, lying withered and pale near death. A while had passed since her grandmother had last woken, much less spoken, but Sadie hadn’t given up hope that she would again. Before the end.
Beyond the partly-opened door of the room, Sadie could hear the bustle of the hospital and the sound of voices. But in the room there was silence, except for the occasional beep from one of the machines connected to her beloved grandmother, her last living relative.
Please, wake up.
As if her grandmother had heard her wish, she slowly opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. She turned her head toward Sadie.
“I’m here, Bubby,” Sadie said in Yiddish, the language her grandmother preferred. She smoothed away strands of hair that had escaped from her grandmother’s long gray braid and now curled near the faded brown eyes—eyes that had lost their alertness several weeks ago.
Bubby tried to smile. “I’m…going, Zeesa.”
“I know.” Just saying the words made Sadie’s throat close up.
“I hate to…I hate to leave…you alone.”
Sadie tried to speak, but couldn’t. Instead, she tried to smile through her tears.
Her grandmother inched her fingers over to the side of the bed.
Sadie reached out and took her hand, feeling the papery skin slide over fragile bird bones.
“I’ll be…with my Avi.”
Sadie had to lean closer to hear her gasping words.
“I wanted to…die when…he did.”
She knew her grandmother referred to 1948. Her grandparents had safely hidden through most of World War II, until the Nazis caught them a few months before the end. Weakened by deprivation, her grandfather died. Her grandmother, with her strong spirit, survived the concentration camp, miraculously still pregnant with the baby the couple had conceived just before their capture.
Sadie gently squeezed her grandmother’s hand.
“I…I had…to live…for the baby growing…inside me.”
Sadie gave her a tender smile. “I’m glad you did.”
“I’d given up…hope that…your father…would give me a grandchild…. ’til you. You’ve been…my light, Sadie.”
Sadie’s tears spilled over. One dripped on their entwined hands. “And you’ve been the best grandmother ever.”
“I would go…through it all…again…just to have…you, Zeesa.”
Sadie stood and bent to kiss her grandmother’s forehead. “I love you. I always will. Go in peace, Bubby.”
Her grandmother’s hand tightened on hers, and her expression became anxious. “The medallion.”
What’s she talking about?
“Underwear…drawer….”
Was Bubby hallucinating? Or had Sadie misunderstood her? Her Yiddish wasn’t the best. “Do you have a medallion in your underwear drawer?”
“Yes.” The word was almost a sigh. “Return….” Her grandmother’s eyes fluttered close. She drifted back into sleep.
A soft knock on the doorframe made Sadie look in that direction. A short man with a prominent nose stood there. He wore a prayer shawl draped over his shoulders and, when he gave her a polite dip of his head, she saw a yarmulke attached to his short, curly hair with two bobby pins. The expression on his thin face was pleasant, but her hackles rose at the sight of him.
“I’m Rabbi Kamins,” he said in heavily accented English. “I heard about your grandmother, and I have come to offer words of comfort…to pray with you.”
“No!” Sadie held back an instinctive growl. She forced herself to soften her tone, to sound polite. “Thank you, we’re fine.”
His bushy eyebrows rose. “The nurse tells me your grandmother doesn’t have long….that you two are very close….”
“My grandmother doesn’t believe in God.” Sadie crossed her arms over her chest. “Nor do I.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I will still bid you peace. Shalom.”
She nodded a dismissal.
He stepped outside the room. “Shema Yisrael…”
Sadie strode over to the door and, for the sake of her grandmother and the other patients, didn’t slam it shut. Once she’d closed the door, she leaned back and let out a tired exhale, then walked over to resume her vigil at her grandmother’s side.
Sadie stayed with Bubby through the quiet hours that followed, until her grandmother slipped away to join her husband and son.
The minute her grandmother’s spirit left her body, Sadie felt the transition—an absence of the loving presence that had supported Sadie all her life. One minute her grandmother was there, the next she was gone.
“Good-bye, Bubby. I love…” Sadie whispered. But she couldn’t finish the words. Leaning over, she rested her forehead on her grandmother’s hand. “What am I going to do without you?”
~ ~ ~
Sadie floated over an azure sea, drawn to distant peaks rising from the ocean. Overhead, the sun brightened a lavender sky. Curious, she allowed herself to be pulled through the air, almost as if she’d caught a current.
As she drifted closer, the peaks turned out to be islands rising from the ocean, although instead of the tropical lushness she expected, a gray miasma swirled and undulated above the land. Waves thrashing against the sides of the islands parted the mist and briefly revealed clinging vegetation before the grayness swallowed any sight of the rocky sides.
The wind current pulled her until she hove
red above the scene. From the overhead view, Sadie could see three mountainous islands piercing the fog, each one the point of an equilateral triangle. Harbors on all three isles faced away from the middle. Buildings made of lava rock stair-stepped up the foot of the mountains. Wooden sailing ships like the ones she’d seen in historical movies floated in the harbors. Massive walls of lava brick separated each village into two sections, reminding her somehow of the walls that had imprisoned the Jews in concentration camps in WWll.
The ocean in between the islands roiled storm-gray, so different from the translucent turquoise water she’d flown over.
They’re too perfectly aligned to be natural.
A gray light like a searchlight beamed from the top of each island, converging at a midpoint between them at the surface of the water. Here, the ocean churned.
The air current lowered her closer, and Sadie shrank away, backpedaling to avoid getting sucked into the lasers or whatever they were. But her wishes didn’t matter. Instead, she dropped within ten yards of the ocean’s surface. She braced herself for the impact with the water, but instead, her momentum stopped, and she hovered above the sea like she was cupped in an unseen hand.
Now Sadie could see into the water. Something lurked underneath the spot where the three beams met. Since it seemed important, she narrowed her eyes, trying to make out what was there.
She thought she saw a man, a giant man. No, it couldn’t be, not under water.
Again, she peered. But it was. He sat in a high-backed chair, like a throne. The chair didn’t move with the water, but remained fixed. The man…alien…whatever he was, slumped against the back, his head lolling. Something rested on his lap; she couldn’t discern what. But a wave smoothed for an instant, and she saw a golden trident, broken in two pieces.
Neptune?
This is a very weird dream.
But it didn’t feel like a dream.
Murmuring came, not to her ears, but inside her mind. She strained to decipher the words. They repeated over and over until she finally understood.
Reaper of Dreams (The Gods' Dream Trilogy) Page 29