Relics and Runes Anthology

by Heather Marie Adkins

  The rope tie was long and meant for someone of greater width than me. No matter, I folded it in half and pulled the tasseled end through the looped end. Done. It was warm and cozy from Supreme Mother holding it close to her own body. Perhaps I will enjoy the warmth of these garments.

  “Ah, Grand Pere, did you hear that? We have our own avenging angel.”

  “Yes, I did, Mother. How He has blessed us this day!” And he chuckled in a fashion only short round men can chuckle, in a charming pleasant comforting sort of way. He made a very good priest.

  “I think I am ready now, if you are.” I returned his smile.

  “Yes, well, that was fast! Oh, my dear I’m so sorry, here I brought you some slippers. I hope they fit. These stone floors are freezing at night.”

  “They feel refreshing to me after the hot sand. Thank you so much for your generosity. It is very kind of you. Shall we eat?” I was suddenly ravenous as I contemplated the sea bass again and my mouth began to water in anticipation.

  “I believe our little guest is hungry, Mother.”

  “Yes, I do believe so, Pere Father. We should give her some something to eat.”

  Supreme Mother walked with me back to the rectory after dinner. I was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue. The walk back from the dining hall seemed much longer than it did when we went earlier to meet the others who were already seated, waiting for us. I was introduced and a brief history of my happenstance was given. Then, after Grand Pere had given the meal blessing, we passed the food, taking only what we needed.

  I took a good bit of food, particularly the sea bass. While I enjoyed crab, mussels, and clams, my impatience made it impossible for me to dally at the opening of the shells. I was anxious to eat. It seemed I was the first to break bread and start with the bass. It was lightly cooked with mild seasonings and a generous dousing of lemon. It was scrumptious. I don’t think I looked up from my plate for ten minutes, I was so focused on the delightful food. I have never had an appetite for vegetables. But these had been cooked with the fish and were irresistible. I took my fair share and ate every morsel. When I finally finished, I sat back and wiped my mouth with the napkin at my place setting. I released an involuntary sign deeply rooted in my satisfaction, “Ahhh…” and looked up to a dozen smiling faces. I felt immediately self-conscious, but unnecessarily.

  “Thank you all so much for the delicious meal. I didn’t realize I was quite that hungry.” But it appeared all were sated and moving to clear the table. I stood, too, and filled my hands with things to be removed.

  “Thank you, Verité. The Sisters of Mercy can handle this. I will get you settled in your room. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, Mother. May I say goodnight?”

  “Of course, Verité, please do. They will appreciate your comments.”

  “Permit me to take my leave, for just one moment…” and I held the Supreme Mother’s hand in gratitude. I walked over to Grand Pere at the head of the table and bowed slightly with sincerity.

  “Goodnight, Grand Pere. Thank you so much for the hospitality. The meal was delicious. And the company was charming although clearly, I was preoccupied with my platter and that delicious fish. I am sated and tired to the bone. Would you extend my gratitude to the Little Sisters of Mercy for the beautiful meal? I am going to walk back to the rectory with Supreme Mother. Thank you, my Father. It has been one of my greatest joys to have met you and I am so honored you have allowed me to stay.”

  “Rest, my child. The coming days may prove draining as well as demanding.”

  This rotund little man with the cherubic face and amiable laughter stood, grabbing my hand to steady him as he rose from the table. As he stood, the nips and tucks of the fabric unfolded to unveil the little crumbs and morsels that missed his mouth but not his lap. He giggled.

  “The cats and mice will have a bounty tonight!” He shook out his robe and wrapped his arm around my waist to walk me to Supreme Mother.

  “Goodnight, Father.” Impulsively, I bent only slightly and kissed the pleasant man on the cheek. A gasp escaped Mother. I winked and smiled at Grand Pere and then turned to loop my arm through the Supreme Mother’s arm.

  “Shall we go, Mother?”

  “Yes, dear girl. I’m sure you must be exhausted.”

  “I am, Mother, to the bone. To the very depths of my bones and I fear the next few days and more.”

  “Then let’s get you settled, dear girl. There is peace in sleep only. So, take your respite while you can for I fear your days will be filled with demands and activity for which you are not prepared.” The tall, hawkish woman whose heart was much softer than her appearance, walked me to the small sleeping room off of the rectory that had been made up for me with fresh linens and a burning candle. A small sleeping garment lay folded neatly in the middle of the cot with a small linen hand towel neatly folded beside it.

  “Yes, Mother, sleep…restorative sleep. I welcome the black abyss. And I am grateful for your kindness.”

  “God bless you, my child. Sleep well. You are safe here.”

  “Thank you, my Mother. And may God keep you in His safe and warm embrace.”

  6

  Verité…Verité Come to Me

  I was weary to the bone, so weary, it ached to move. I readied for sleep by washing my face in the basin. The very small mirror that hung above the bowl only reflected tiny portions of my face at one time. A larger mirror may have distracted me from sleeping immediately, had I been able to view my new form in total. The small sensitive breasts were ever a temptation to touch as was my taut belly, which was once rounded and covered in gray scales. The tiny pouch was soft and appealing and I rubbed my fingertips and palms languidly over the small bump to the furry mound below.

  My thoughts and hands lingered on the heated slit between my thighs. I closed my eyes and my head fell back while I indulged the new sensations. How bad was I to explore these lovely parts that now allowed me to move freely amongst the mortals? Not bad at all if I was in any other building.

  My hands snapped quickly to my sides as though I’d been caught doing something very bad.

  But I wasn’t. At least, I knew I wasn’t being watched so it couldn’t be thought of as bad.

  I chuckled. No wonder this was so much fun. People thought it was dirty. Dirty was bad.

  Bad was good, to my mind’s eye.

  And it felt good to explore my new bits and curves; they’re much more beautiful than the body I was born with.

  Damn the tiny mirror! My quest of curiosity was thwarted by the church!

  My aches overrode my temptation, so I collected up the nightshirt and pulled it over my head. I sighed as it tumbled down my arms and to the floor. The fabric was practical and clean, but stiff and coarse. I really didn’t think it would interfere with my ability to sleep.

  I pulled the blanket back and crawled in the small, humble bed and pulled the cover up to my chin. It felt good to relax my bones and muscles as I stretched them out. I arched my back and indulged in further relief when I rolled to blow out the candle.

  Darkness fell immediately in the small cell. The sparse room represented the scant luxuries present in the rectory. I felt the fundamental focus of the surrounds were clearly spiritual and there was great comfort in that, even for me. I had a peaceful countenance and comfort as a result.

  Before long, I was fast asleep.

  I have no idea of the time, or how long I slept when a feeling, a dreamlike image formed before me as my consciousness was forced out of the thick fog of slumber.

  “Verité…Verité…” and with that, my keen senses and hearing rang me fully awake. I bolted upright on the cot. The room was pitch black, but my eyes had adjusted to the darkness earlier. There was no one in the room with me, not that I could make out visually, so I tilted my head towards the widest part of the room, listening for echoes of what I thought I just heard.

  “Verité…Verité, come to me, Verité…Verité…” It seemed like a chant.

  I
kicked the covers off my body. My pulse raced, beads of anxious perspiration formed on my brow, my heart beat out a cadence of urgency as I dressed. I took the sash Rock gave me to cover my parts, stepped over it, ran it up my body, crossed it at my midriff and tied it behind my neck. The back I crossed with a twist and tied it at my waist in front. I grabbed the robe Supreme Mother had given me prior to dinner, folded it and left it on the foot of the cot which I made quickly, respectfully.

  “Verité…Verité…”

  “I’m coming, Rock!”

  The halls of the rectory were empty and silence hung in the cloak of the black night. I ran instinctively through the long hallways to a spire of stairs. Pulling myself as I ran up the stone edifice by the bannister rail, I hit the top door to the roof in but moments. The round hanging iron handle was heavy and rusted in place but held no resistance for my strength. I breathed on it briefly, my heat freed the joint and lock and it opened easily without further struggle.

  “Verité…”

  My head whipped in the direction of his voice. My body, as I ran the blackened hallways, up the twisting stairs and through the door to the widow’s walk beneath the pinnacles of the church on the roof, spread and began to transform. It stretched, twisted, blossomed into a form I recognized as my own. I found comfort in the confidence this body instilled in me. By the time I reached the edge of the high walk, above the gargoyles that protected the edifice from attack, I was fully transformed. But there was no such protection outside the hallowed walls of this religious structure. The gargoyles were perched atop the zeniths to defend the church against all evils. No such defense lay outside this courtyard and it was evident that Rock needed my help.

  “I’m coming, Rock!”

  I never doubted my ability of flight as I leapt into the night sky. My wings unfolded and stretched to full width, my tail provided ballast. My arms shortened and long, fierce nails grew at the tips like sabers. The scales that provided me protection against all odds dropped into place almost immediately. My ears lengthened with tiny cilia that caught the sounds which betrayed my enemies and prepared me for battle. The horns that had withdrawn into small buds beneath my hair on my forehead, ratcheted out as I flew. The air foils were cool beneath my wings and it raced by my ears with a speed that matched my dispatch.

  I was euphoric to be who and what I was again.

  There was a reassurance of doing what I was born to do. As a brief afterthought, I inhaled deeply and breathed out through my mouth, my forked tongue slicing into the night sky as though igniting a switch that lit the sulfurous gases and chemicals I exhaled.

  The midnight sky illuminated with the burst of fire that I expelled through my mouth. A squint forced my gaze to narrow and my brow furrowed, shading my eyes from the fiery heat.

  I was alive and fierce, and formidable. And I felt beautiful in my natural state, the state of my father and forefathers before him. There was little that could defend against my aggression, if I felt that it was needed.

  I had no fear, ever, as a dragoness. I used my powers only to defend the defenseless, to help the downtrodden, to protect the innocent.

  And I responded, now, at the behest of Rock. I would die, if that is what it came to, protecting his life and wellbeing.

  “Rock, speak to me. Speak and I will hear you. I am coming to you. Speak.”

  “Verité…I am here, here Verité.”

  “Moments, Rock…I will be there in moments.”

  “Verité…Verité…”

  “I’m coming. I’m coming.”

  I came to an airborne halt as I hovered to focus on his voice as it rose up to me on waves of his essence. It was there, there on the palace roof, in one of the rooftop guard turrets. I could smell him, better still, I could see him. I dropped my head and hurled myself to the turret in which he stood. I sliced through the night sky with speed and an accuracy of dispatch. I landed with a loud ker-thump-thump as my clawed talons grabbed the roof spire and steadied my landing. Rock was staring at me with eyes wide with disbelief.

  “You’re…you’re a…you, Verité…?”

  “Yes, Rock, it is me. I tried to tell you, but…well, at first it didn’t seem to matter but then it did and, well, it was a bit too late. I was afraid you’d think me daft and delusional. I thought for a certainty that you would run as far and as fast as you could in the opposite direction as I traveled. It made sense to me that you wouldn’t take me seriously if you knew I was a dragoness, royal of blood, too. And then, it was too late, we had crossed that invisible demarcation making any return futile.”

  “Yes, well…based upon the way I feel right now, your instincts did not fail you. Still and all, you should have told me. I don’t think it would have mattered to me over the all and all.”

  “You think not, do you? I can tell by your expression that I should doubt that determination. Clearly, why would you believe someone you just met? Why would you want to believe me? There was little reason for you to trust a naked girl you found sleeping on the beach beneath the sunshine.”

  “I agree. There was little risk of an involvement at the outset of our meeting, so why would you trust me with what is obviously a very significant secret? It is quite likely, I would not have believed you and weighted your disclosure unfavorably. Yes, I see your point.”

  “And then you kissed me…”

  “…and the world changed forever.” He watched as my form began to shift back, little by little, until I stood before him once again in the sash I’d fashioned into a shift, of sorts.

  “Yes, yes something like that, Rock. It was too late. And then you had to leave.”

  “I knew you were different from the start, but the difference, I thought, lay in magic not…not in super powers.” Rock began to chuckle and the chuckle rolled into a loud bellicose laughter. “I knew the girl that would steal my heart would be different, but not this different. Not a dragoness!”

  “You mock me? You dare mock me, mortal!” My ire welted and stung. My immediate reaction was self-defense and I began to shift back to my dragon state.

  “No, my Verité. Of course, not! I adore you. I laugh at myself not at my good fortune. And you are a treasure. One which I claim as my own. I do not know how we will navigate the future before us, I only know that I will be with you and it will be together.”

  This man extended his hand and touched my cheek, now back to the soft tissue he first kissed, not covered in cold scales. I was charmed by his sincerity. I stared into his eyes, searching for deceit, but none was to be found. I believed he meant his declaration.

  “And you are my knight, Rock. It is true. But, what brings me here with such urgency? What can I do?”

  “Oh, yes.” And he laughed some more. “I’m so sorry, Verité. There is nothing more than my passion and desire for you. I wanted to see you, be with you. I didn’t know how you would get here or when, but I had to call on you to come. I thought maybe sorcery or magic. But, I really didn’t care. I missed being with you.”

  “As charming as that sounds, Rock, I was not only in a deep and restorative sleep after a bountiful meal, but then I was panicked you were in danger.” I cleared my throat as emphasis to the severity of the conditions.

  “But how was I to know? I wasn’t even sure that if I held the talisman to my heart and said your name, as you instructed, that you would hear me and come. What if it didn’t work at a time when I needed you most?”

  “So, instead, this was a test?”

  “No, not a test. I am not making this clear and you are not making this any easier.”

  “I don’t intend to make it easier. I intend the truth.” I leaned my shoulder against the building. I relaxed as the truth took shape and I smiled, flattered by the conversation.

  “Then the truth is as simple as stated. I missed you. I am not in imminent danger, although that could change at any moment. I just missed you.”

  “Oh…well then.” I rolled my back against the spire wall as Rock moved in closer. He tou
ched my hair and brushed it out of my eyes. I smiled at him as he did.

  “So, that’s where they come out of…” He cocked his head in curiosity. “…your fierce horns.”

  “Yes, want to see where my wings sprout?” I laughed.

  “I think I know.” And he moved in closer, if that was possible and ran his hand over the nubs on both shoulders. “Do you know when they will come out?”

  “Well, I am not very experienced in morphing. It has only happened to me a few times, but I am beginning to get a feel for it. It does seem to happen when I am needed most and somehow, I know. I just know.”

  “Then you must know how much I need you.”

  “I do. I feel it and I felt it in the rectory. I feel it now. You must feel my need for you, then, too.”

  “It burns inside me, Verité. I can’t think an hour without your name crossing my lips and the swell of my chest rise with my heart. My hands ache with an intense pain to hold you, my kisses burn hot with the flame of desire. My eyes tire from longing as I search for the vision of your form on the horizon or in the clearing. And all of this in just a few short hours of knowing you. Pray, is this love, so fast and swift?”

  “I don’t think it could be anything else, could it? I feel the same yearning and desire for you in your absence, Rock. Last night when I readied for bed, I wanted you near. I wanted your lips on mine, your heart pressed in flame next to mine. I washed and as I ran the sponge over my body, I imagined it as your hands, finding a home for your fingers…on me, in me, holding me.” I sighed deeply with desire as Rock bent once again to kiss me, deeply, passionately with an unrequited hunger.

  I kissed him back with a craving that held a century of desire rooted in the passions of my ancestors. It is the hunger of faith, the fervor of a need to be coupled that only the silent moonlight seems to understand. I wrapped Rock in my arms and drew warmth from his embrace. He bent me backward softly and laid me gently on the sash that once clothed me.