by Lani Aames
"They are gone?" he asked but expected no answer. His dark eyebrows furrowed and a deep sadness filled his eyes. "So it was foretold that one day this would happen. I did not think it would be so soon."
"It's been thousands of years since it happened, whatever it was that wiped out your people. There is so little information about you that it took years for my friend to find this place. And only then because he had a scroll."
"A scroll?"
"A map of this place and how to find it."
Zamar's hand moved to her hair and picked up a strand that was not yet wet. "I have never seen hair the color of gold. Where are you from? What are you now called?"
He worded the question strangely, but she answered. "My name is Lia Morgan. It's been a long time since the last sacrifice, and the world has changed so much."
"Lia," he said, savoring the sounds, and nodded. "I am aware of the changes though I do not always know what they mean."
"When my friend found a short passage in a book about the Zamarians, the only name your people are known by, he became obsessed over the idea of finding this place and the sacrificial chamber of the god Zamar."
"I am no god! I am as mortal as you."
"Then how did you become a statue?"
"The Dark Priest punished me when I conspired against him."
A spike of fear shot through her and she shivered. The Dark Priest was the one who ordered the destruction of the woman's maidenhead so she and her lover would be sentenced to death.
"Do you re—" Zamar broke off and hesitated. Then he said, "Do you know of him?"
Lia nodded, but he seemed to sense her fear. He gathered her up into his arms and cradled her as he sat at the edge of the pool. She clung to him, feeling safer with his arms around her.
"Ever since I entered this place, I've had visions of a man and woman. I saw everything through the eyes of the woman as she met her lover, although it was forbidden for her to make love. They—They were caught by the Dark Priest, and…"
"And?" he prompted.
"And the woman was—was deflowered at the order of the Dark Priest, so the two lovers would be executed." Lia shrugged. "That's all. That was the last of the visions before I found this chamber."
Zamar leaned close to her and whispered into her ear, "Remember, my One…forever."
Trembling, Lia looked up at him and tears filled her eyes. "Those were his last words to her, the last words I heard, anyway. He was always in the darkness and the shadows and I never saw his face. It really was you?"
"Yes," he murmured against her hair.
"And the woman?"
"She was Aeliha. As the eldest daughter of the king, her body was sacred to the goddess we worshipped at the time. She was forbidden the pleasures of the flesh, especially intimacy with a man. I became a priest because I could not marry my Aeliha and to try to learn to control my passions. If I could not have her, I did not want anyone."
"But you were together anyway."
He smiled. "We could not stay away from one another. Aeliha would slip past her guards and come to me here in the priests' chambers, although I begged her not to."
"Wh-What happened to her?"
Zamar looked down at her and placed a kiss on her lips. "I will tell you later."
"Why?"
"I do not think you are ready to rem—to hear."
Lia jerked upright and would have leapt from his embrace, but he held her tightly.
"I know the word you keep stumbling over! Why should I remember anything?" Lia shook her head. "I was in the woman's mind, and I could see out of her eyes. I know some things, but I don't know everything she knew."
Zamar pulled her back down to sit in his lap, his arms around her. Why did it feel so right to be with him like this? She couldn't find the strength to leave his embrace. She didn't really want to. She wanted his hands on her body, his lips against hers. She wanted him to make love to her again.
"I had the impression that you would die when the Dark Priest found you two together. The woman kept thinking it would mean your deaths if you were discovered. Why were you not killed?"
"I was punished with a fate worse than death," Zamar murmured sadly. "I was only a novice priest. In the very beginning I saw how he controlled even the eldest priests. I wanted to believe he had good intentions for our people, but I soon came to realize his plans were only for the good of Mahkul."
"M-Mahkul?"
"The Dark Priest's name was Mahkul. He wanted the power to control and the wealth the people would give him. When I would not betray my people and led the conspiracy to stop him, Mahkul found a way to stop me. Instead of allowing me to be executed as I should have been, he cast me in stone. The curse showed the people how powerful Mahkul was, and they eagerly followed him."
As he spoke, his hand lazily caressed her breasts until her nipples were hard points. Desire stirred in her once again, although she wouldn't have thought it was possible so soon.
"Over time, they began to believe the lies Mahkul told them. Every generation when the sacrifice of a virgin was made, I saw they were ever further removed from the old ways and enslaved to Mahkul's ways. It began with the abandonment of Seniha, the goddess my people had worshipped since the beginning of time. I believe it amused Mahkul to make me as a god in the eyes of my people."
His hand roved farther down over her ribs and belly, a finger rimming her navel. She quivered at his touch even as she listened to him.
"I would try to tell them, but they would not listen. Even though they were told I was their god brought to life, they feared Mahkul more than they feared me. After all, I was only alive for one day every generation, but they were forced to live with his greed for power and wealth every day of their lives. And I never showed them any powers I might possess."
"And the virgin sacrifice?" Lia asked, her voice trembling. Suddenly, she was afraid this Dark Priest would appear and drive a knife through her heart. Although, technically, she was no longer a virgin.
"The sacrifice is her virginity, not her life," he said with a small smile, as if he knew what she was thinking. "We would spend a day and a night in intimacy, hoping she would conceive. If she didn't, Mahkul would banish her from the village, never to be seen again. When I was brought to life the next time, I would see the grown sons or daughters that resulted from the previous union. Sometimes there would be none," he added wistfully.
Lia's eyes grew wide. Conception was a concern with them, but it was much too late to worry about it. She had never dreamed the statue would actually come alive while inside her. Or maybe she did, but didn't want to admit it. She decided they would worry about it later—if there was a later. Their first priority was escape.
"Is there another way out of here?" she asked as his hand moved even lower, fingers tangling in the curls between her thighs. "The crevice closed when I entered."
"It has always done so when the virgin entered this chamber. Always, when the night was over, the crevice would open and the people would leave, and I would become a statue until the next generation."
"You would be intimate in front of everyone?" she asked, trying to imagine performing as she had in front of hundreds of people. But she supposed that was the least of their worries.
Zamar laughed, his green eyes twinkling. "No, not after the first mounting."
Lia started. There was that word again, mounting. A word she had never thought of in connection with sex before today. Had it been left over from a suppressed memory of the woman's?
"A tent would be prepared for us and we would spend our time there while the people feasted and rejoiced. A successful mating ensured a bountiful generation for the village."
His finger delved deeper, driving into her and her breath caught. Her hips pushed against him so that his finger would go even deeper. Too soon he pulled out, setting her on the edge of the pool so that she was half in, half out of the water. He parted her legs and moved between them. His hands raised her hips and his head lowered.
/> His tongue swirled over the folds and creases and dipped into her slit. She leaned back, closing her eyes, and let the sensations wash over her. He sucked her clit, intensifying the urgency, bringing her to the edge, then stopped and circled it with his tongue again. He had teased the woman in this same manner, and she had loved it. Lia now knew exactly why.
Zamar repeated this process over and over, driving her wild with the build up and let down again and again. He continued until she was squirming with the need of release, bucking her hips toward his mouth only to find it gone.
"Oh, Zamar, please," Lia whispered when she didn't think she could stand another minute of his sweet torture. Lia gasped when he slowly eased a fingertip into her anus, but her muscle gripped him hard and pleasure rippled through her. Other fingers slid deep into her slit, a wonderful feeling she could now enjoy. Then his mouth sealed over her clit, his tongue working it quickly.
The myriad sensations all at once sent her over the edge, her hips moving in a frenzy against his lips and hand, as her muscles tightened and a tidal wave of pleasure swept through her. When the last tingling ebbed away, she relaxed, totally depleted.
She didn't resist when he turned her over and stepped between her legs again. She couldn't have resisted if she wanted. She lay still as he spread her legs farther and entered her from behind, his stiff cock sliding easily into her. It occurred to Lia that they didn't have to do this because there was no village to ensure fertility and bounty for. Everything and everyone Zamar had known was gone. But as she languidly joined the rhythm he'd set, his cock pumping into her, she didn't see any reason to stop him either. What was done, was done. Lia had no regrets. She didn't really regret that Mac hadn't been her first. She didn't regret sacrificing her virginity to Zamar and releasing him from his prison of stone.
He grew longer and harder within her, and his thrusts increased in speed and intensity. She tried to keep up, but she was exhausted. When she thought he might batter her into pulp, he came with a loud groan, shooting his hot semen into her. Instinctively, she pressed back against him, hoping her movements prolonged his pleasure. He made a few last jerking motions, then collapsed atop her, carrying most of his weight on his arms on each side of her. He kissed the nape of her neck.
"I have waited an eternity for this, my One," he whispered.
Lia shook her head. She was not his One, as much as she wished it were true. She opened her mouth to deny it, but he kissed her instead.
"There is another way out," he said. "Mahkul would appear and disappear at will, but it was not by conjure. He had uncovered a few secrets, including how to turn a man to stone, but that was the extent of his sorcery. He had very little natural ability and it was another reason he hated me."
Lia let the opportunity to deny she was his One slip by and focused on his belief there was another way out of the chamber. "That's wonderful!"
"But I do not know where it is," he said regretfully.
"That's not wonderful," she said, trying to keep the disappointment from her tone.
"We will find it." He rose up and helped her to her feet. They swam across to the other side and emerged near Lia's belongings.
"Maybe we should just wait until the crevice opens again," Lia suggested as she got dressed, and pulled her wet hair into a ponytail.
Zamar shook his head, his coal-black hair rippling over his shoulders. "With the dawn, the crevice opens and I begin to turn to stone. It is a much slower process than coming alive. I grow sluggish then I cannot walk. Soon I do not blink or breathe and I lose consciousness of my surroundings. I tried to escape several times in the beginning, but I would always turn to stone. I found it was easier for the sacrifice if I chose an accommodating position before I turned completely."
"But then it doesn't matter, does it? Even if we find a way out, you would still turn to stone. We can just wait until—until the time is up and the crevice opens." Lia finished tucking her shirt into the waistband of her shorts, but her heart was crumbling in her chest. She had finally found the one man who could get past her panic and allow her to make love like a normal person, only to lose him. She could never bring him back again because she was no longer a virgin.
"No, it does matter. If Mahkul controls the openings then he is here, somewhere."
"That's not possible, is it? He would be long dead."
"Immortality was one of the few secrets Mahkul learned. He had uncovered ancient paintings—ancient even in our time—deep in the caves beneath this one. He was the only one who knew where they were located. Most of the paintings had been defaced, their meanings undecipherable. But a few, he said, remained intact. From them he learned the secret of immortality and how to turn a man to stone and a few other tricks to impress and control the people. He did not have the ability to expand on the knowledge he had gleaned and create his own conjures."
"Immortality," Lia whispered incredulously. Yet, was immortality any more unbelievable than a stone statue turning into a live man? And if the Dark Priest was here, was he the one who had taken Mac?
"He could very well be watching us now," Zamar said, his eyes darting toward the shadowy reaches of the chamber's farthest depths.
Lia hugged herself, glad she had dressed. Her skin crawled with the thought of the Dark Priest's eyes on her. Her face grew warm with the thought that he might have seen what she'd done with Zamar the statue and Zamar the man.
The faintest whisper of a sound echoed throughout the cavern and startled them both. Footsteps sounded and a brilliant light moved from behind the pyramid and around the pool.
Zamar stepped in front of her protectively, but she peeked over his shoulder, blinking against the light. The footsteps stopped several dozen yards away and the light went out. It took a few moments for Lia's eyes to adjust to the sudden dimness, but when she did…
"Mac!" she cried out and launched herself around Zamar, running toward him.
In the next instant, Zamar threw his arm around her midsection, bringing her up short, and called out, "Mahkul!"
Zamar held her tight against him. "This is your friend?"
Lia nodded weakly.
"This is also Mahkul, the Dark Priest," he said softly.
"No…no…" she mewled, her mind racing, trying to put the pieces together and resisting at the same time. She closed her eyes, but wasn't swept away into a vision. Yet, scenes flashed before her eyes…Zamar bound and gagged at the top of the pyramid. She, as the woman in the visions, on her knees, her arms trussed behind her. Mac as the Dark Priest standing to one side, the light of triumph in his eyes, his mouth almost smiling. The flash of a blade toward her, horror in Zamar's eyes, then…blackness…but everything to her was crystal clear.
Lia jerked her eyes open. "You," she said, her voice hoarse. "You brought me here on purpose."
"Of course, Lia," he said, moving closer, and it was then she noticed the gun in his hand. "I've spent many lifetimes looking for you. I knew who you were from the moment we met, and the similarity of your name clenched it. Those who are reborn often have names similar to those in a previous life. You're remembering, aren't you?"
Lia nodded.
"Good."
"You forged the map," Lia said, trying to untangle her thoughts. "And the book. To lure me here with you."
Mac laughed. "Well, technically, it's not a forgery. I drew the map centuries ago. The book is legitimate, too. I was working with the archaeologist during the time he wrote it. The hardest part has been finding you, Aeliha. This is the first time our paths have crossed since I witnessed your beheading."
Zamar's hands tightened around her, and she could feel the tension and hatred emanating from him.
"That you were still a virgin when we met was miraculous," Mac continued. "Only a virgin fucking the statue could bring Zamar back to life. Do you know how rare virgins are these days? If I'd known how difficult it would be to find one, I'd have changed the circumstances of his turning. But there you were, Aeliha, ripe for the plucking."
>
"Why do you need Zamar alive? I know you hate him. You could have smashed the statue into a million bits at any time and that would have taken care of him forever. Why did you need me? Any virgin would have done at any time before now."
"I knew you were out there, somewhere, Aeliha. I didn't know it would take so many lifetimes to find you or I might have given up sooner. When our people were conquered and slaughtered, I could have smashed the statue and been rid of him for all time. But I had to have a purpose, didn't I? Immortality can be a bitch without a purpose. Besides, I wanted to see the look on his face when I killed you in front of him again. I want to see the loss and despair. And then I want to see the look on his face when I kill him."
Lia whirled away from Mac's laughter to face Zamar. "The thing in his hand is a weapon. If he pulls the trigger, the small handle, a little piece of metal will come out so fast you won't be able to see it, but it can kill you if it hits you."
Zamar jerked his head to show he understood and shoved her behind him again. "Mahkul, let her leave this place and we will settle our differences."
Mac shook his head. "I can't do that. While I was working with the archaeologist, I found an incantation to take another's power, but it requires the sacrifice of a woman. Not necessarily a virgin, Lia, but you will have to die this time."
"Oh, Mac…" Lia began but didn't know what to say. The memories of Aeliha were blending, then receding, separating with the memories of her life as Lia. Aeliha's memories were almost as full of Mahkul as Zamar, especially when they were children. If she was Aeliha, how could she have been so easily tricked by him as Lia?
"I really will miss you, Lia. Some of the best times I've had in this millennium were with you." Mac shifted his gaze to Zamar. "You, I won't miss at all."
Mac eased his backpack off, reached in and brought out a pair of plastic handcuffs.
"Cuff him," Mac said and threw the straps at Lia.
Time slowed. As Lia watched, the cuffs made a lazy arc in the space between them. Mac's and Zamar's movements became sluggish, and when Mac spoke, his voice was guttural and drawn out so that she couldn't understand what he said.
