by I. T. Lucas
“Can you suggest it to Kalugal when he comes back?”
“I can ask Rufsur.”
7
Sari
As Sari and David left Annani’s suite, Sari was still mulling over Kalugal’s suggestion of establishing a base of operations in China. It was good advice, but as Kian had pointed out, Jin was too young and inexperienced to lead the center, and even though she’d been born in the country, she’d grown up in the US and knew nothing about Chinese culture or politics.
The problem was that they had no one in the clan suitable for the job.
Unless they found a Chinese Dormant who lived in the country and was well-acquainted with its customs, politics, and economy, it would take many years before a center there could become an asset.
“That was an intense breakfast.” David misinterpreted her silence. “Your mother is surprisingly tolerant.”
“My brother and mother are often at odds. Lately, they have been getting along better, but sparing the captured Doomers has always been a sore point of contention between them.”
“What does Kian want to do with them? Execute them? I know that the Geneva Convention doesn’t apply to a secret war between immortals, but still. Your brother doesn’t seem like the type to advocate executing prisoners of war.”
“That’s not how it works. Doomers don’t surrender. They fight until they are incapacitated.”
“What’s the difference? Once they are overpowered and captured, they are considered prisoners of war.”
David had the luxury of naïveté. He’d never been forced to make the kind of hard choices that Kian and other military leaders had to make. War was an ugly business, and taking the moral high ground could cost the lives of those they were trying to protect. More often than not, it boiled down to kill or be killed.
“That’s precisely what Kian would have liked to avoid. The Guardians have a choice to either give Doomers a lethal dose of venom or inject them to the brink, which puts them in stasis. If not for Annani’s directive, the instructions would have been to kill, not to spare them.”
“What if they disobey?”
“In the heat of the battle, the Guardians sometimes lack the restraint needed to stop in time before the dose becomes lethal, and Annani understands that it happens. It’s difficult to gauge the precise moment when the heart slows down to where it needs to be for the body to enter stasis. A split second can make the difference between that and death.”
David shuddered. “Are you telling me that Kalugal might have overdosed me with his venom and put me in stasis? Or even killed me?”
“Not unless he wanted to. It would have taken much more venom than what he gave you.” Sari opened the door to her apartment. “To induce transition in a male, the venom bite shouldn’t last longer than a minute. I don’t know the precise timing for stasis or for a lethal dose, but it takes much longer than that. The male who’s doing the biting must listen carefully to his victim’s heartbeat. To put an immortal in stasis, he needs to pull out before the heart stops completely.”
“Scary.” David walked over to the bar and poured them both a glass of water.
“Is stasis a sort of hibernation?”
“I guess it’s a similar state only deeper.” Sari took the glass he handed her and sat on the couch. “The heart and all other body functions slow down to a level that is almost undetectable. Our bodies can survive without food or water or even air for thousands of years.”
“How is that possible?” David joined her on the couch.
“Bridget thinks that our bodies can absorb nutrients from the earth and convert them to the essentials needed.” She chuckled. “I wonder if the stories about the undead originated with immortals in stasis who’d been buried and accidentally found and revived. They look like mummies, and the poor mortals who found them must have been terrified enough to run for their lives when the mummy started breathing.”
David frowned. “How are immortals in stasis revived?”
Sari lifted her glass. “With water.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s what I’ve been told. I never tried to revive an immortal from stasis. Wonder, Anandur’s mate, was Annani’s childhood friend. She escaped just before the attack, but she was caught in an earthquake. She was buried in the Egyptian desert for thousands of years until a water pipe burst in a new housing development and flooded the cavern that she was in.”
“Did she retain her memories?”
“She didn’t remember anything at first. Not who she was, not where she was from, but she knew that she was an immortal and that she was different from the humans. After a long while, she started having little glimpses from the past, and when she saw Annani’s portrait, the rest of her memories were unlocked.”
David’s eyes shone with excitement. “Fascinating. I would love to talk with her about her experience.”
Sari didn’t know Wonder well, and she wasn’t sure whether her mother’s best friend wished to relive the traumatic experience. “Let me check with Anandur first. I can’t imagine how traumatic it was for her to be buried alive and spend weeks awake and aware until her body entered stasis on its own. In that regard, venom-induced stasis is much more merciful.”
“I’m less interested in what happened before than what happened after she woke up. She might be more willing to talk about that.”
“Makes sense. But in any case, I would like to ask Anandur before approaching her. I don’t want to inadvertently spoil Wonder’s vacation.”
“Of course.” David got up and put his empty glass on the bar’s counter. “So, what are our plans for the rest of the day?”
“How about a picnic by the lake?”
“Sounds lovely. But we’ve just had breakfast. By the way, where is your butler?”
Sari pushed to her feet and walked over to the bar. “There is no shortage of work around the castle.” She put her glass in the sink. “When I don’t need Ojidu’s services, he’s working somewhere else. I’ll ask him to prepare our picnic, and while he’s doing that, we can go horseback riding to tour the grounds. We didn’t get a chance to do it the other night.”
David chuckled. “That wasn’t the other night. It was The Night. You turned my world upside down.”
“I hope for the better.”
He lifted his hands and brushed his fingers through her hair. “With you, my world is infinitely better.”
Sari swallowed. “So is mine with you.”
Except, the happy dream could be cut short at any moment. David still had the transition ahead of him, and she was worried sick about him. Perhaps she should ask Bridget to fly over?
Steven was a good doctor, but he had no experience with transitioning adults.
“Stop worrying.” David kissed her lips softly. “Let’s go riding, have a picnic on the lakeshore, make love on a blanket, and then take an afternoon nap under the sky.”
She laughed. “The lakeshore is a popular spot on the weekends. I don’t think making love in the middle of the day is an option.”
He made a disappointed face. “Then we will have to make do with enthusiastic necking, or we can come back to your place.”
“We can do both.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed him back. “I need to change.” She glanced down at his loafers. “You don’t happen to have boots, do you?”
“Are riding boots required? Other than these, I only have flip-flops and running shoes.”
Evidently, David wasn’t much of a horseman.
“Running shoes can provide the grip, but you need at least a two-and-a-half-centimeter heel to help your feet stay in the stirrup and not slide through it. Good riding boots also support your legs and ankles, making it easier to maintain a correct leg position.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Indians rode barefoot or in moccasins, and they were excellent riders.”
“We are in Scotland, David. I know nothing about Indians and their riding style. You need boots.” She glanced at his feet
again. “Size eleven?”
“Twelve.”
“American twelve is British eleven.” She pulled out her phone and called the stables’ manager. “Fergus. Do you have any size eleven riding boots left?”
“I sure do. Who needs them?”
As if he didn’t know.
“David and I want to tour the grounds, but he didn’t bring with him any footwear that is appropriate for riding.”
“Are you on your way?”
“We are just heading out. We will be there in a few minutes.”
8
David
“I hope the boots are new.” David followed Sari into the stables. “I have a thing about wearing someone else’s footwear.”
She cast him an incredulous glance. “I would never have you wear used boots. One of my clan members makes them. But just so you know, they will probably need some light breaking in.”
“Not at all.” A smiling immortal walked toward them with a pair of brand-new black boots dangling from his hand. “This leather is as soft as butter.” He offered David his other hand. “Fergus at your service.”
“Thank you.” He shook what was offered and then took the boots. “Do you keep them on hand in all sizes?”
“Pretty much. Once Vernon decided that the readymade stuff wasn’t good enough, he started making these by hand, and he brings me a couple of pairs every day. I’m doing the selling for him, but the supply exceeds the demand. I told him that he needs to start advertising them online.”
“How much do I owe you? Or rather Vernon?”
Fergus shook his head. “Those are on the house.”
“I’ll pay for them,” Sari said.
“Vernon wouldn’t hear of that.”
“I insist. Have you ever known me to accept free stuff from our artists?” She pointed at the boots. “And those are artisan quality.”
David smoothed his hand over the soft leather. “They feel amazing. But if anyone is paying for them, it is me.” He cast Sari a stern look that didn’t leave room for negotiation.
“Fine.” She turned to Fergus. “How much is Vernon charging for the boots?”
“Two hundred pounds, which is a bargain given the quality.”
As David patted his back pocket, he recalled that his wallet was still in his satchel back at Sari’s place. “I have to go back to get my wallet.”
Fergus waved a hand in dismissal. “Rubbish. You can bring me the money later. Vernon is not in a rush to get paid.” He sized David up. “What’s your skill level?”
“Beginner,” David admitted.
Even though Sari didn’t look surprised, she arched a brow. “I thought that you’d ridden before.”
David smiled sheepishly. “When I was a kid, my mother took Jonah and me to ride ponies almost every weekend. But that was a long time ago, and all we did was trot in circles around a corral.”
“Not a problem.” Fergus clapped him on the back. “I’ll get you a very gentle horse.”
When the guy returned with the animals, the black one approached Sari and nudged her hand.
“Hello, Handsome.” She patted him fondly. “By the way, that’s his name.”
“You named your horse Handsome?”
“Why not?”
“Indeed. He’s a good-looking animal.” David patted the neck of the brown one. “Hello, buddy. Are we going to be good friends today?”
As if the animal understood, he nodded his head.
“Hey, he can understand me.”
Fergus laughed. “Moray nods his head at anything that sounds like a question.” He patted the horse’s flank. “Are you a unicorn, Moray?”
The horse nodded.
“Can you fly?”
The horse nodded again.
Fergus laughed. “You see?”
David shrugged. “After what I’ve seen and heard so far, a flying unicorn that is shrouded to look like a normal brown horse would not surprise me. Moray might be telling the truth.”
“Good one.” Fergus clapped him on the back. “Do you know how to mount him?”
Hating to admit that he wasn’t sure, David shook his head. “If you tell me what to do, I’ll manage.”
“First, always check the saddle to make sure that it’s secure, but not too tight.”
As Ferguson talked, Sari demonstrated on Handsome.
“Second, ensure that your horse is standing square and balanced. Third, stand close. Now gather the reins in your left hand and rest your left hand on the pommel.”
Sari demonstrated and David followed her example.
“Now, place your left foot in the stirrup, your right hand over the side of the saddle, and propel yourself up and over.”
David watched Sari do that and copied her moves.
“Good job.” Fergus smiled and then turned to Sari. “Keep an eye on him. He’s a newbie and a fragile human.”
Ouch. From the immortal’s perspective, it was the truth, but David hated being referred to as fragile.
Sari grimaced. “I’m well aware of that. You don’t happen to have a helmet that will fit David, do you?”
Fergus shook his head. “I only have some for the kids, and they are all too small.”
“We will be careful.” She turned to David. “The only ones who need helmets for riding are pre-transition boys. That’s why we don’t keep them in larger sizes.”
As Sari lifted the reins and Handsome started toward the exit, Moray followed obediently.
“What about the girls?” David asked.
“When they are old enough to ride, they are already immortal. Our girls transition as babies or toddlers.”
Sari had told him that the children born to immortal males did not have the immortal genes and couldn’t transition. And although those born to the females had the necessary genes, they still needed to transition to become immortal. The boys transitioned as part of a coming of age ceremony, so it had to be done when they were teenagers, but she hadn’t explained how it was done for the girls.
“How come boys and girls don’t transition at the same age?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Somehow it is enough for the girls to be around my mother to enter transition. Boys have to go through the same ceremony that you did.”
That was odd, but then so was everything about this new and fascinating world Kalugal had brought him to. Besides, the goddess emitted palpable energy, so it was possible that alone was enough to induce the girls’ transition. The question was why the same didn’t work for the boys.
If Sari didn’t know the answer to that, though, then no one else did either. Other than perhaps the goddess, who had decided to keep it a secret.
David had a feeling that was just one of many things that Annani chose not to share with her children. Another example was her encounter with his prior self. Perhaps she wasn’t proud of some of the things she’d done, or maybe she thought that shrouding herself in mystery amplified the awe her people felt for her.
As someone who was no stranger to pride and its consequences, David couldn’t fault the goddess for it. “I owe you an apology for implying that I was a better rider than I actually am. One of my many failings as a human and a man is an over-inflated confidence in my abilities. I always think that I can figure out how to do anything in whatever situation.”
“That’s a good approach to life. A can-do attitude is much better than an afraid-to-do, or can’t-do.”
“So, you are not angry at me?”
“I might have been if you didn’t fess up. I don’t want to endanger you in any way.” She smiled. “Then again, I knew that you were a newbie. Asking whether boots were necessary for horseback riding gave you away.”
“Jonah and I rode ponies wearing sneakers, so I thought that only professional riders wore boots.” He cast her an appreciative look. “By the way, I love your riding outfit. These tight pants look extremely sexy on you.” He slowed down so he could get a better look at her from behind. “They hug your ass to perfe
ction.”
9
Sari
“The lake is down the hill.” Sari pointed to the shimmering water visible through an opening between the trees.
They’d spent a very pleasant hour walking or trotting. Moray had been a perfect choice for David. It had taken only a few minutes for him to relax in the saddle and realize that he didn’t need to do anything and just let the horse do the work.
“It’s a steep incline.” David seemed a little worried. “Any special instructions?”
“Stirrups slightly forward and lean back just a little. The horses are well familiar with this path, and Moray will just follow Handsome.”
“Good to know.” David glanced up at the thick canopy above them. “Compared to the rest of Scotland, your grounds are surprisingly densely wooded.”
“The clan has been planting trees throughout the centuries, and we don’t raise livestock or allow deer to roam free in our territory. Contrary to what people believe, the harsh weather isn’t responsible for Scotland’s deforestation. Livestock and deer are at the root of it.”
When they cleared the trees, and the entire lake became visible, David chuckled. “Calling it a lake is a slight exaggeration. It’s more of a big pond.”
“First of all, I don’t know what you are comparing it to, and secondly, it’s all ours.”
“I apologize for offending your lake.”
“Apology accepted. Are you ready for lunch?”
“I’m starting to feel hungry, and not just for food.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we have company. Edna and Rufsur beat us to it.”
“I can see Ojidu, but I don’t see them. Where are they?”
“On the other side. Look for the red and white blanket.”
“I see it. But how can you tell those are Edna and Rufsur?”
She smiled. “Immortal eyesight.”
David let out a breath. “That’s a shame. Spending the morning looking at your lovely backside gave me some very naughty ideas for dessert.”