by Unknown
“Are you sure this is what you want?” He asked as his clothes fell away.
“Yes,” I pulled him to me, his lean hips fitting perfectly against me.
There was nothing between us then. Not clothes, nor other gods, not even this unknown woman whose body I held prisoner. It was just him and I, skin to skin, magic dancing over us. His lips touched my neck, wet tongue licking me at me and teeth nipping, as his fingers slid over my body eagerly.
I roamed him as well, learning every curve of muscle, every sensitive spot he had. The night began to fill with moans and low laughter, with sighs of delight and screams of pleasure. I started to pull his hair free of its braid but he reached back and stopped me.
He stared down at me, breath coming rapidly, eyes suddenly wild. Then he reached back and undid the braid himself, the black mass of his hair falling down around us as he brought forward a black feather in his hand. Carefully, he laid it in the grass beside us and searched my eyes again.
I spread my hands around his face and brought his lips back to mine. He groaned, his body going slick beneath my hands, his flesh sliding into me more rapidly. We slid against each other in sensuous delight, my thighs lifting around his hips as his hair started to drip water over my skin. I laughed, sinking my fingers into the wet mass of his hair and then pushing him over so that I straddled him.
He laid beneath me, looking up at me with soft eyes, skin glistening in the moonlight, and my heart filled with him. It overflowed and burst. I had never felt anything like it, this consuming and yet freeing feeling that made me want to scream in happiness and fear. It was truly mine now, not just the remnants from another woman's heart. The bud had burst into full bloom for me at last.
I sank into him as he did into me and we lifted our voices together in worship of each other. The primal delight of gods. Love blooming between us in our underground garden.
Chapter Thirty-Six
I awoke nestled in against a beating heart. Smooth golden brown skin stretched across a muscled chest. I spread my hand over it, over Toby's heart, and sighed with happiness.
Then the skin lightened, the chest I laid upon widened, and the whole body I was pressed against thickened. I looked up with mounting horror and saw another man laying where Toby should have been.
He had the same straight black hair as Toby and eyes that were shaped in a similar way but those eyes were entirely blue, no ring of brown around them, and the blue was brighter and at the same time deeper. The cheekbones in that harshly masculine face weren't as high or sharp as Toby's and the chin was a touch wider. Black brows winged over those love-filled eyes and my heart stuttered. My happiness soured into guilt.
Then he was gone. The whole garden was gone and I was lying on a cold floor, strange stones beneath me. Tiles, that's what they were called. Bathroom tiles. I placed my bloody hand against them and wept until I fell to the floor and pressed my hot cheeks against their cool relief. Flashes of a dead man burned through me and made me sob harder. I saw him sleeping; peaceful, trusting that he was safe in his bed.
He hadn't expected a witch to know the chant to let her through his wards. Hadn't expected death to be a sword of enchanted steel, held in the hands of a human woman. It would have been a clean death, quick and silent, had I known how much weight to throw into the swing of that sword but beheading a god isn't something you can practice for.
I hadn't severed his head completely and his hands had gone to the gash in his neck as I pulled the sword back. A gurgling sound had come from the remnants of his throat as he threw himself at me, a horror movie monster made of blood and gore. I had screamed and started hacking at him, a panicked movement without any thought behind it, but he was injured enough that it had worked. He'd finally fallen at my feet and stopped moving.
I had fallen as well, dropping to my knees as I gasped for breath. Then I stared at his corpse, mutilated beyond recognition, and made myself set that image into my memory forever. I would learn from this, get better and stronger. Next time, death would be easier, at least for my victim.
I went home and straight into the bathroom, where I'd finally let myself give in to the tears.
I came gasping out of the memory, her memory, and braced my hands out to either side of me. Who was this woman? Why had she killed gods? I felt a shiver coast over me as my breathing slowed, and I pondered her. She'd obviously felt that the killing was something she had to do or she wouldn't have put herself through that horror but why? More importantly, why did I feel pity for her?
“Good morning,” Toby whispered and I looked back to see that he was Toby once more.
“Good morning,” I smiled and laid back down against him.
“I need to go and talk to Naye,” he said reluctantly.
“I know,” I swallowed down the lump of anxiety in my throat. “Should I wait here?”
“I think so,” he sighed and sat up, lifting me with him.
“Okay,” I pulled away from him and started looking for my clothes.
“Ata,” he took my arms. “Last night meant everything to me. I've betrayed my brother but I feel like I've finally been true to myself. All these years and its always been his desires that we've chased. I deserve something wonderful for myself. I deserve you.”
“Yes, you do,” I smiled and leaned my forehead into his. “Just remember that when you face him.”
“He'll have to accept this,” Toby sighed. “Our magic works well together. Maybe even better than the Sun would have blended with the Moon. I don't know why I never saw it before, the correlation between Moon and Water. There is no outshining each other, we simply blend, a symphony of magic. I think we can still have the union we sought. We can still bring our people victory.”
“I think so too,” I stroked my hand down his smooth chest and my skin started to glow. “And there's a correlation not just with my Moon and your Water but with your Darkness as well.”
“Some people fear the dark,” he teased.
“Not the moon,” I smiled serenely. “The moon loves the dark.”
“And the Dark loves his Moon,” he pulled me tighter to him. “Maybe we should try this blending once more. Just to be sure.”
“I think that would be best,” I lifted my mouth to his and felt the Moon rise inside me, calling to the tide inside him... and to the Darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tobadzistsini didn't return for hours, leaving me to wander the garden aimlessly as I worried about him. Brother against brother, it was an evil concept but one that had come to pass often enough to make it almost cliché. Could Nayenezgani get past my new relationship with his brother or would they end up destroying each other?
I'd already lost a son without ever knowing him, I couldn't lose Tobadzistsini. He was the man I'd been meant for. That I'd been with Nayenezgani first was a bitter twist but maybe my dying had been meant to be. I'd been brought back to be with my true love, to find completion with him. Surely this all hadn't been done for nothing.
The thought settled me and made me more anxious all at once. I couldn't even go looking for him. I didn't know the territory and didn't think it was wise to go wandering through it alone. What if he never returned? How would I even get out of Toby's secret garden?
“Ata?” It was Toby. My breath whooshed out in relief.
“What happened?” I turned to see him standing in the cave entrance looking grim.
“We fought,” he sighed. “A lot. I wondered if we would kill each other at one point. Then, as we laid there panting and bloody, he finally relented. He's very angry but he accepted what can't be changed. He's focused on our people now and wants to go ahead with our plans as soon as you're up for it.”
“What are your plans exactly? We never settled on one at the meeting.”
“First, he wants us to undertake the ritual to join our magic,” he said.
“He's okay with that?”
“I told him how our magic seemed to want to be together,” Toby nodded. “He a
greed with me when I suggested that we might still be able to combine our magic and be a great force for our people.”
“And he's okay with you and I?”
“He'll be okay eventually.”
“And then what do we do with this combined power?”
“Then we take down the tribal leaders at Tseghahoodzani.”
“Rock with a hole in it?” I translated the word into English. “Yes, I remember discussing this. There's a gathering of all the chiefs soon.”
“Window Rock,” he smiled. “It's the capital of the Navajo Nation and yes, all 24 delegates, the Speaker, the Vice-President, and the President of the Navajo Nation will be there. Naye thinks it's a great opportunity to catch them all in one location.”
“It will be a slaughter,” I observed.
“Yes, most likely.”
“And you both feel this is necessary?”
“I do,” he came forward and took my hands. “Sometimes people must be sacrificed not just to the gods but to other people. You know this. We must make the hard decisions that they don't have the wisdom to make, lead them down the path that may be difficult but that will end in happiness and peace.”
“I'm not sure so much violence is the solution,” I set serious eye on him, “but what I am sure of is you. If you think this is for the best, I'll follow you into battle and stand beside you as we destroy the enemies of our people.”
“And when it's all over,” he leaned his forehead to mine, “we will be together.”
“In our underground garden forever.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The room looked much the same as it had the last time I'd been there. Candles lined the walls, there was a pallet of furs in the center of the room, and around the pallet were complicated designs drawn in sand. The scent of sage hung heavy in the air but it was soon washed away by the clean scent of Toby.
“Are you ready?” He held a hand out to me.
“I think so,” I glanced toward the door and saw Naye settling onto the ground with a drum in his lap. He gave me a bitter look. “Is he going to stay there while we...”
“He needs to direct the spell for us,” Toby nodded. “This won't be easy for him either but it gives the spell more power and allows us to focus on each other.”
“Okay,” I sighed and he lifted me up into his arms.
He carried me carefully over the symbols and put me on my feet on the fur. Then he took my dress and pulled it over my head as Naye started to drum. The rhythmic pounding seemed to seep into my skin and as Toby took the last of my clothes away, every inch of me began to tingle.
He disrobed as well and took my hands, placing them on his chest. Then he put his hands over my chest and we centered ourselves together. I felt his magic licking at my fingertips as my magic rose in me like the moon in the sky, to tingle beneath his palms. Toby nodded once and then helped me down onto the pallet.
The fur was soft beneath me but his skin felt even more luxurious against mine. His hips shifted between my legs and I felt him place himself carefully against me as Naye began to chant. I couldn't focus on the words, they just blurred into one long sound, another note to the drumming. The sand designs began to glow, casting light over Toby's face as he looked down into my eyes.
“I am Water and Darkness,” he said softly and his words trembled in the air between us, “but I am nothing without you. I share my power with you so that we may become something greater together. Will you have me?”
“Yes,” I whispered and he slid into me.
Pleasure jolted out from where we were joined, leaving me gasping for breath as I realized his magic had poured into me with his flesh. The first piece of the bridge had been laid between us and now it was up to me to place the next board.
“I am the Moon but I am nothing without you,” I said breathlessly. “I share my power with you so that we may become something greater together. Will you have me?”
“Yes,” he lowered his mouth to mine and the Moon rose higher inside me until it flowed out of me and into him.
His magic came rushing in to take its place, Water and Darkness. It filled me, seeping through my blood and bones, drenching every part of me. As it poured into me so did he, his hips slamming into me faster and faster. Then his magic rushed up and out of my mouth, back into him as mine came home to me, completing the circle.
He kept me pinned, his tongue lashing mine, lips sealed against me, and I realized we were far from done. The chanting seemed to fill the room as again my magic rushed out of me and his replaced it. Over and over the two powers circled through us, each revolution bringing me closer to ecstasy. They raced around the circuit our bodies formed until I could no longer discern one from the other. They blurred and then exploded, our bodies cresting with them. Our kiss broke as we both cried out, voices echoing off the stone.
We were one.
I could feel him. His emotions, his loyalty for his brother and people, his honesty and integrity in all that he did, the intelligence he held back so his brother could shine, the power of his convictions and his love... for her.
I dropped my eyes from his as it hit me. How much he loved her, Vervain. I pulled her name from his mind. He sensed it immediately and put his palms around my face, angling his head down so I'd look at him. In his eyes there was gratitude for this gift that had been given to us, this joining of magic and lives, but overriding that was love for me too. He loved both of us. Together. The combination that had brought us to him.
There were no words. We didn't need them there. Not with the magic still riding our slick skin and the chanting falling away into silence. I sensed that we were completely alone. Naye had left us to enjoy the aftermath of the ritual and that act of consideration made me think better of him.
Toby's mouth descended on mine again as I felt him swell inside me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him tight against me as we completed the ritual in our own way, becoming one in flesh again as we'd already done in magic. The desire lifted us higher and higher, and our combined magic shared the pleasure we felt with each other, doubling it, magnifying it.
When the heights had been reached and our pleasure released, I opened my eyes to find him staring down at me. Happy. He was so happy and that was enough for me.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The Navajo Nation Council House was a beautiful example of Native American construction. It was octagonal in shape, covered with adobe, and boasted an elevated central roof that was connected to tower-like forms along the outer perimeter by rough-hewn timber. These large logs extended out from the roof like the spokes of a wheel and between two of those spokes, the grand door stood. The Council House rose up from the bleak landscape like a proud and stoic chief, surveying his tribe.
It was with a heavy heart that I watched that tribe rise up against their chief and paint him red with the blood of their own people.
I wouldn't cry. I wouldn't bow under the weight of this violence. I'd seen violence before, been the victim of it even, but I'd never allowed it to rule me and I wouldn't start now. Especially not when my people depended on me. It was done and there was no turning back. I'd tread the path we'd chosen with them as courageously as I could.
But it had been the wrong path to choose. I knew it deep in my bones, felt the winds of calamity rising behind me. A cold draft on my hot skin, cold enough to constrict, to strangle. More death was coming, this slaughter was far from the last of it.
This was supposed to be the day we remembered as the start of a great change. A day of freedom and justice. A turning point for the Native Americans of all tribes. Instead it would be remembered as the start of a great tragedy. A day of blood and violence. An evil day that would haunt me forever.
Our new, combined magic wasn't even needed in the fight. I had merely stood upon a hill so that our army could see me. A symbol that they were blessed by their gods, that this bloodshed was sacred and honorable. I, Nayenezgani, and Tobadzistsini, stood together watching over
them, encouraging our people to kill each other. We were meant to step in should anything go awry but it all went according to plan. It was almost too easy.
All of the council, including the Speaker, the Vice-President, and the President, were dead. Everyone who'd been in the Council House was dead. Everyone who had stood in the path of our army, was dead. Not just dead but obliterated. They had dragged the President from the Council House and tied him to a large pole. Then he'd been lit on fire.
That particular scene would haunt me forever. In the midst of so much horror, it was the worst. Somewhere deep inside, I felt how evil it was. I knew it had been done to others and every time it had elicited a crowd. Humans found the sight rallying or perhaps satisfying. Something about fire appealed to anger, ironically cooled it down.
The smell of meat and hair hung in the air along with the odd smell of other things burning. You'd think that flesh would smell the same as it burned, no matter if it were cow or man but that's only flesh. A man is made of more than flesh and it's all those other things that add disturbing nuances to the mix. Though I guess a man smelling like dinner was pretty disturbing all on its own.
I had looked away from it when he'd caught fire and began to scream, flashes of another fire going through my mind. My stomach turned as I realized that this body I was in had been a party to just such a thing. Not just a part of it but the actual instigator. She'd... no, how had she? I swayed as I felt the fire in my throat, the pure ecstasy of releasing it onto my victim. And that victim, it wasn't human or god, it was... fey. What was this thing I was living within?
“Ata, are you alright?” Toby had whispered to me and I could hear the disgust in his voice. He didn't approve of this either and the thought strengthened me a little. I looked up at him with steady eyes.
“Burning stakes do not lighten the darkness,” I said in a clear voice that carried over the army.
Naye had shot panicked eyes to me and I knew immediately what he feared. A mob in this state could easily turn upon itself or its leaders and although we wouldn't die if they attacked us, Naye's uprising would be over.