by LK Rigel
Faina smiled, as serene as ever.
"With this tattoo," Durga tapped the skin under her left eye, "I hope to begin a new tradition. It was inspired by Rani."
Faina frowned. "Ranigita? She's not four years old."
"Rani, Jake's sister. Jordana's mother. Rani died saving my life during the DOG war. A lifetime ago. She had a tattoo on her left cheek. She told me once that it was the mark of her commitment. That when she served that commitment, she needed nothing else to feel complete."
Durga carelessly picked up a piece of candy from a dish on the table. As the taste filled her mouth, she felt a twinge of love. Khai had imported honey from Allel to Luxor to make these sweets that she loved. Oh, Khai!
This was not good, this hole in her heart.
"That's what this mark signifies. The completion of my service. I won't accept any more bids for contracts."
"Emissary." The struggle between Faina's alarm and her desire to be supportive played out over her face.
"I am the bridge to the goddess ... and all that. I made the mistake that I tried to protect you from, Faina. I fell in love."
"Oh, Emissary. I had suspected something like that. I'm sorry. But aren't you afraid of what Asherah will do to you?"
"I'm ruined for chalice work." Who would have thought that Faina would be the only one she could talk to this way? She loved Jordana, but there was a reserve between them. "We'll see if Asherah smites me."
"She will," Faina said without emotion. "Somehow. Sometime."
Faina was surely right, and still it didn't matter. "I'm going down to the orientation to scare the shib out of the new girls."
-oOo-
"Very funny."
When Durga got back to her room, the Empani was sitting on her bed in the form of Khai, strumming his guitar. The new chalices had been duly frightened by her tattoo. The older ones weren't so enamored of it either. It was rather satisfying, causing so much discomfort. It took her mind off other things.
"What's funny?" the Empani said. "That tattoo is impressive. Looks like it hurt."
"It did. But that pain will end," she said melodramatically. "My heart will ache forever." The Empani reacted with feigned melodramatic sympathy, just the way Khai would have done.
One nice thing about the Empani's visits was that she could always tell it the truth. It would know the truth anyway, since it could read her mind.
The Khai Empani kept strumming the guitar. It was an excellent manifestation, down to the muscle tone and expressive eyebrows. Her body responded to his presence, as if it really were Khai. She'd heard of humans having sex with an Empani, but that just seemed wrong.
Exgusting. Stop that, Durga.
It began to sing, mimicking Khai's gorgeous baritone to perfection.
It's hard to be a man when the gods are changing.
How do you hold your sword? Where do you place your lance?
What do you tell your heart when the gods are raging?
What would you suffer for romance?
What would you forfeit for romance?
Why would you even take a chance?
Wait. She didn't remember that song. Had she even heard it before?
He doesn't know what he wants; he only knows that he wants
And women these days are so strange. It's a new age.
He doesn't even wonder now.
He doesn't know what he needs; he only knows that he needs
And this old malaise holds him so strong, has held him so long
He doesn't even wonder now.
Khai. It was Khai. He'd come to Corcovado, come to her room, come to her.
Then there was a day when he loved a woman
And was received into her gentle grace
And it was good then to be human
Lingering in her warm embrace, lingering just to watch her face
Lingering for one more taste.
And if the old world has died, then let a new world arise
He'll live out his days, and hold her so long, hold her so strong
He doesn't even wonder now.
And he'll remain a man though the gods are changing.
He put the guitar aside on the bed.
"You're not wearing your circlet or your armbands."
"I'm not, my love."
"You're not an Empani."
He laughed and opened his arms to her. "I most certainly am not, my love."
She ran to his embrace.
"I've completed my commitment to Luxor." He wrapped his arms around her. "The city has its ensouled heirs. That's all they needed me for. I have abdicated my crown, and my brother will serve as regent until my son is of age."
"You gave up a kingdom for me."
"I gave up Luxor for you. You are my kingdom. I told you once, my lady. I already have a queen."
Epilogue -- The Spiderwork
The princes were beginning to arrive for the Rites of May.
Durga, Matriarch of Sanguibahd, looked down on the dirigidock from her penthouse bedroom in the admin tower. A sky blue airship with brass fittings and a white caduceus, symbol of Versailles, floated serenely over the sailing ships in the bay and into the dirigidock for a perfect tie-down.
Hmph. That city had become quite the elegant vanguard since it received the charter for the College of the Kings' Physicians. How many years ago was that?
"Matriarch," the page behind her said. "You wanted to know when we heard from the Emissary."
"And?" She turned around, and the page jumped. New girl. Not used to the dagger tattoo.
"A message just came in. She's bringing two bleeders, one from Allel and one from Settlement 20 of Garrick." The page barely hid her sneer at the word settlement. Durga didn't blame her. Jordana was so desperate to prove a legend true. But one doesn't find treasure sifting through settlement trash.
"And? That hardly seems worth my time."
"Sister Jordana said to tell you that she believes the settlement bleeder is the one she's been looking for."
Durga sighed. "Sister Jordana always believes she's found the one. Very well, you may go."
"Yes, Matriarch." The page disappeared in a flash. Durga chuckled. They were all afraid of her now.
Poor Jordana. Such a romantic, believing in legends and princesses. And where did it get her? Instead of chasing after the whisperings of wildlings, she should have followed Durga's lead and found a good man to love her and care for her heart.
Durga had suffered no repercussions. Asherah had done nothing to her.
She whirled around. Was something there?
Quickly, she lit a beeswax candle. Such hubris was dangerous, even in the form of a thought. She should be grateful, not gloating, that Asherah had let her step away from the Triune Contract with no damage.
But had she? She went back to the window, a niggling idea finding a nest in her brain. This new settlement trash of Jordana's might be a problem.
But that was ludicrous. Durga had built an empire here in Corcovado. The world's most powerful families hoped for a daughter who bled. The Concord Cities looked to Sanguibahd -- Red City, they called it now -- for the last word on every matter.
It couldn't be undone by one little uneducated settlement girl.
Jordana should quit chasing fairy tales and take a lover. A man like Khai. He had been gone years now, and still every time Durga turned around she expected to see him ogling her, smiling with that male hunger she tolerated only in her Khai.
Loved in him.
She'd loved him through the whole thing. When he turned forty and wasn't as fast as he used to be. When he was fifty and started to forget little things. The name of a flower. Sixty, slowing down, but still wonderful in bed. She loved him.
He lived to seventy-two. Not long enough! His body was buried on Corcovado next to Rani. She used to visit them once or twice a year. Now, not so much. Now she rarely left this room.
Pish! She had to shake herself out of this ridiculous melancholy. Call up the mean Durga
. Cruel Durga. Love-is-not-the-mission Durga. Get out of this isolated aerie. Go down and frighten the white tops with her dagger tattoo.
Or leave Jordana to do it with the snake winding around her bald head. Ha. She'd topped them all with that one.
Love was not the mission. That was the paradox of Durga's life. Without their knowledge she had loved them all. Rani, Jake, Char. Faina. Jordana. Khai most of all. And in the end, she'd kept Khai for herself.
And if Asherah doesn't like it, as Char used to say, she can smite me.
"You always were a warrior."
The voice was as rich as honey. Durga turned around to Khai – young Khai, bold Khai, his raised eyebrow and brilliant smile. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested against his chest. He lifted her chin and looked into her soul with true affection. He kissed the dagger tattoo below her eye.
"It's so good to see you again."
Spiderwork (Apocalypto 2)
LK Rigel
From the author:
I live in California with my cat Coleridge. I’ve been a singing waitress, a journalist, a court reporter, and a teacher. I’ve written songs and stories all my life.
As an independent author, I love being able to publish stories that may not fit into a pre-determined mold. One challenge though is not having traditional publicists and promotional venues. If you’ve enjoyed this book, would you consider leaving a brief review or comment at Amazon or Goodreads?
This has an impact in two ways. Of course, it helps other readers decide if they’d like to read the book. Also, it helps me decide what book to write next. I always have about four projects in planning stages, and I’ll choose to focus on the story it seems that people are anxious to read. Should I finish Copperhead, the next book in the Apocalypto series? Or maybe that snarky vampire novel that’s on the drawing boards?
And thank you - your feedback makes a difference!
-o0o-
now available
Bleeder (Apocalypto 3)
More by L.K. Rigel
Thank you so much for choosing to read Spiderwork. I hope you enjoy reading the Apocalypto series as much as I enjoy writing it. I love to hear from readers. You can email me at [email protected] or visit my website at http://www.lkrigel.com/.
Table of Contents
Epilogue -- The Spiderwork
The End of the World
Fire and Revelation
Raptor and Chalice
Vain To Deny It
The Beekeeper, The Samaeli
Emissary of Sanguibahd
Durga and the Musician
Empani Rani
The Coronation Feast
A Kiss Like Lightning
Get A Dog
The Blackbird
The Liminal Gauntlet
Lotus Dagger
Everything Dies In Garrick
Tesla
Age of Consent
Hieros Gamos
Red Dagger
Epilogue — The Spiderwork
