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The Gift

Page 43

by Bryan M. Litfin


  “You are the bravest and most gifted man I have ever met,” she said. “For that reason I dare not keep you to myself.”

  He stepped closer to her, much closer. “I will stay if you ask me. Just say the word.”

  “Why would you do that, Teo?” she whispered.

  He slipped his arms around her waist and brought her near. Laying his cheek against hers, he asked, “Don’t you know?” Ana’s heart raced at the ticklish feel of his breath in her ear.

  “I do know. But say it to me.”

  “I choose you, Anastasia of Edgeton. You are beautiful to me. I want no one but you.”

  Ana felt Teo’s mouth trace the edge of her jaw. The caress of his lips was maddeningly light and elusive. She shivered and exhaled, overcome with desire. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him against herself. He kissed her softly on the throat, then along her shoulder, which was bare in her summer dress.

  “Teo, I love you . . . I always have . . .” Her voice was breathy, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Tell me you want me to stay with you,” he said.

  “I want you to stay,” she answered, “but Deu wants you to go, and I want that even more.”

  He came to her then, kissing her with a passion she was more than willing to return. The intimate touch of their lips thrilled her in that quiet, lonely place. The kiss was soft at first, but it quickly swelled to something more exhilarating as ardor took them both. When they finally parted, Ana’s heart was racing, and she felt dizzy and weak.

  “Can I ask you something?” Teo’s voice was playful.

  She nodded.

  “Was that your first kiss?”

  Ana peeked up at Teo, suddenly feeling shy. “Yes,” she admitted. “Was it yours?”

  She asked it impulsively, though she already knew the answer was no. However, Teo surprised her by replying in all seriousness, “Yes, it was.”

  She looked into his face. His expression was earnest.

  “My first true one,” he said.

  Ana remained in Teo’s embrace as she stared out over the sparkling ocean that would soon carry him away. Her head rested on his shoulder, and his hands were clasped at the small of her back. They stayed like that for a long time, enjoying the warmth and oneness that bound them together.

  At last Teo sighed. “It’s decided then. I’ll go on the Papa’s mission. I would have stayed if you had asked me.”

  “I wouldn’t have asked it. There is no better path than the one the Eternal God lays before us. I release you with my full blessing.”

  Teo separated from Ana so he could look at her face. His fingers stroked her cheek. “My beautiful, sweet Ana . . . I’m going to miss you while I’m gone.”

  “Me too,” she said, laying her head on his shoulder again. “But I know you’ll come back to me. You always do.”

  EPILOGUE

  Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the woman who heard them knew whose they were. She strode across the room. The messenger stopped just outside the door. Before he could knock, the woman grasped the knob and flung it open.

  A fair-skinned man stood there, one of the many priests of Astrebril. His face bore a startled expression. “You were . . . expecting me?”

  “Of course. The Beautiful One reveals his mind to his servant.” The woman seized the priest with her eyes, but he could not endure the stare and was forced to look away. “Has the party arrived at the gate?” she asked.

  “Yes, Your Eminence.”

  “Very good. Welcome them and make them comfortable, for they have traveled far. I will greet them shortly.”

  The woman spun away, dismissing the priest by slamming the door in his face. She crossed to a vanity table and seated herself in front of a mirror. Jars of powder and small tins of cosmetics lay scattered on the table’s surface. She whitened her face, then reached for a lipstick. After painting her lips glossy black she rose from the vanity and turned toward the door. It was time for the visitors to meet the High Priestess of Chiveis.

  In the entry hall of the Capital Temple a party of men waited, wrapped in dark robes and even darker power. Crystal goblets of wine had been given to them. The men stood in a huddle conversing in hushed tones.

  The High Priestess swept into the room, her gown floating behind her. As she entered the hall, one of the men, taller than the rest, turned to face her. He wore chain-mail armor, and his right eye was yellow like a cat’s. His steady gaze stopped the priestess in her tracks. The man’s potency leapt across the room, grasping at her like a fist. His presence stirred the priestess like nothing in her prior experience. She wanted from him what she had never wanted from any other man.

  The High Priestess resumed her stride toward the visitors. The black-robed men circled around their leader. He put his hands on his hips. She stared into his face, and he returned the steady gaze.

  “I welcome you to Chiveis in the name of Astrebril the Great,” she said.

  The man in armor stepped forward and clasped a fist to his chest, then knelt before the High Priestess with his head bowed low. “I thank thee, O servant of the Beautiful One,” he intoned. Though his words were thick with a foreign accent, she could understand his speech.

  “Rise.”

  The man stood.

  “What is your name?”

  “I have no name. Men call me the Iron Shield.”

  “Astrebril told me you would come. He did not say why. Speak now, and be plain about your business.”

  “I come to you on the heels of a defeat. My liege lord was killed at the hand of my enemies.”

  “And how does that concern me?”

  “My enemies are yours as well—Teofil of Chiveis and his woman Anastasia.”

  The High Priestess drew back with a hiss but quickly regained her composure. “How can that be?” she snarled. “My general told me they fled to a frigid glacier where no one can live.”

  “Somehow they survived. They crossed the ice and arrived in Ulmbartia. There they began to spread word of . . .” The man paused, unsure of the proper term.

  “Christianism,” she finished, drawing a nod from the Iron Shield.

  The High Priestess clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. She wanted to shatter something, to lash out, to abuse the innocent—anything to cool the rage that seethed inside her. The scent of Astrebril’s threefold powder would have been a comfort, but it could not be had at the moment. She fingered the iron collar around her neck until at last she could speak. “What do you want from me?” she asked the dark warrior.

  “I come from Roma,” he answered. “Perhaps you know what that means.”

  Roma?

  The announcement shocked the High Priestess. Roma was a city of legends. Was it even real? Did it still exist after so many years? No one had come to Chiveis from Roma in how long? A century? Maybe two?

  And yet an emissary from Roma had now arrived. He stood before her, right here in the Capital Temple of Astrebril. It could only mean one thing.

  The Iron Shield leaned close. The High Priestess let him come. “I wish to renew the Pact,” he whispered.

  The words brought a smile to the black lips of Astrebril’s favorite queen.

  STUDY QUESTIONS

  1. Why is the novel called The Gift? What “gifts” can you identify in the narrative?

  2. Consider the situation with the bottle of medicine in chapter 2. Teo makes a heroic run to fetch it, but the necessary medicine was with Bard all along. In what way does this parallel the larger themes that emerge through the narrative?

  3. In this story Teo and Ana both serve as Christ-figures. How does Teo exemplify the Incarnation in Part One? What does Ana teach us about the Cross in Part Two?

  4. Why does Ana get caught up in a fast lifestyle? What delusions does she believe? What is the source of her confusion?

  5. Why is Dohj Cristof driven mad by Ana?

  6. What theological themes are represented by Ana’s encounter with Drake on Hahnerat? Hi
nt: what do the names of these two characters mean (an Internet search can be helpful here)?

  7. Who is the main villain in this story? Why do you think so?

  8. In your opinion what is the most exciting scene in the book? The most saddening? The most romantic? The most mysterious?

  9. By the end of the story, is Vanita Labella “saved”?

  10. What does the Overseer reveal about the nature of Christianity?

  11. In the Chiveis Trilogy many of the locations are actual places. For example, Roma is obviously Rome. Can you identify any specific locations within the city? Thinking further afield, where is Nuo Genov? The Domo in the Forbidden Zone? Greater Lake? Manacho? The newly-discovered pass that Ana crosses while injured? The island of Hahnerat?

  12. What meaning do you discern in the names of the book’s three acts (Solidarity, Extravagancy, Victory)?

  13. When does Teo become aware he is in love with Ana? When does Ana realize it in return?

  14. Why is Teo so committed to building and using the gunpowder bomb in Part Three?

  15. Summarize the theological theme of the book in one sentence.

  COMING in JUNE 2012

  Book Three of the

  CHIVEIS TRILOGY

  For more information, visit www.Chiveis.com

 

 

 


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