Woman of Silk and Stone

by Mattie Dunman

  "Was that so hard?" I demanded, exasperation clear in my tone. "Seriously, that was all I needed to know. Concise, to the point, practical. That's the clearest answer I've gotten to any question since I got here," I grumbled, shifting my eyes away, appalled to feel the unwelcome burn of tears.

  Warm arms encircled me and I was pressed into Adar's massive chest, his curiously smooth skin pressing against my cheek, driving his scent of cardamom and clove into my head. "Ti summu, do not weep. I am a fool. You have been here only a few days and yet you are expected to simply understand everything, aren't you? Perhaps because you are so different from previous Halqu, so much less helpless, it is easy to dismiss any notion that you need time to adjust."

  The true empathy in his voice helped to ease the unexpected well of grief and frustration that bubbled within me. What he said struck true, and it was partly my fault. Apart from a few minor breakdowns my first day here, I'd been putting on a good face for everyone at court. I never let anyone see how disoriented I was by certain things, like the casual use of what was basically magic, nor did I let on how out of place I felt at the banquet table every night, stuck between various ministers and dignitaries, all of whom wanted a chance to chat with the new Halqu.

  Just because I hadn't needed to be taught the language, or recover physically from my journey through the void in the way previous Halqu had, people seemed to think I was automatically on the same page, that a few vague words tossed my way would make everything clear; when in reality, I was quietly drowning.

  Over what I considered my orientation period at the palace, I had delved into every Halqu journal I could get my hands on. Some of them were helpful, including information that identified how to avoid insulting every noble-blooded twerp who came my way. Much as I loved Hili, and as sweet as she had been about helping me choose clothes and trying to explain the dynamics of court, she was little more than a child, and simply didn't have the resources to give me the kind of education I needed to survive.

  Most of the journals, however, were chock-full of complaints. I learned all about the other halqus' home worlds, what they had left behind, what troubled them here, and as much as I sympathized, none of that had much bearing on my own experience. Worst of all, it seemed pretty clear that most halqu didn't live more than a few decades, and some only lasted a year or two, mainly because of injuries they sustained coming through the void, or disturbingly, exposure to the foreign diseases of Edin. That one had me panicking and washing my hands every five minutes, though hopefully it wouldn't be a factor now.

  I seemed to be an anomaly in a number of ways; I was only the second halqu to come from Earth, and I was the only one who arrived with special abilities. There was no journal from the other Earth halqu, but from what I gathered through sporadic conversations with Tilmun, the man from my world was the third halqu to come to Solis, some three thousand years ago. Apparently, his contribution had been to teach Solisians how to read and write. Guess he was too busy to practice what he preached.

  At any rate, for the most part I was just winging it, muddling through on the scanty knowledge I'd managed to acquire thus far, and bluffing my way through most interactions. For Adar to state so plainly what I had been going through chipped away at a wall I'd erected within, one of my endless means of shoring up confidence, of keeping that poised smile ready for the world.

  I melted in his arms, and for the first time since opening my eyes on Edin, I leaned on someone completely; just let the tears fall, my knees crumple in weakness, and my fingers cling to something so much more substantial than my fragile hope.

  And he held me.

  Sometime later, when I finally stopped weeping and that twisted clenching in my chest had unknotted, I blinked my salt-encrusted eyes open and stared into the swirling green-blue depths of Adar's gaze. He smiled at me, so beautiful, so exquisite, and the last of my defenses crumbled.

  "Thank you, Adar. I'm so sorry I..." he cut me off by pressing his lips against mine, soft, warm pillows of satin that gently teased and feathered along the opening of my mouth. It was inviting, a tantalizing request for more. After a moment, I breathed in his spicy-sweet scent, opening my lips and allowing him entrance.

  All the tender consideration vanished and he drank at my mouth as though it was a fountain in the desert, the source of his immortality. His kiss first smoldered, stoking the embers of passion between us until I was trembling, then erupted in a brilliant flash of heat that seared me to my bones, and finally engulfed me in a tingling warmth that filled my core and spread outward, as though seeking to touch every part of me, the flames licking around my heart without pity or hesitation. It went on and on, until stars burst behind my eyes, and my whole body yearned toward him, breaking free of my skin and pressing into his, forcing my pleasure out to crash against his in a merging of souls.

  He gasped against my mouth, his body stiffening before he groaned and sank to his knees, taking me with him. Burying his face in my neck, he panted for a long moment while I drifted on a sea of tranquility, feeling the intensity of our exchange ebb and ease, leaving me to radiate with a blissful sense of completion.

  Adar was breathing heavily, his body vibrating slightly as he continued to hold me, and I felt small drops of what felt like warm oil sink into my shoulder. If I didn't know better, I might have thought my new husband was weeping.

  "My treasure, ti summu, thank you," he gasped, pressing his lips against my skin, kissing every inch of me he could reach without moving. "I will wait forever for you, for whatever you can give me now. At last...I am complete," he whispered, and in that moment, despite the fact that I'd only just met him, that he was a seven-foot immortal fire guardian from another dimension, that I still had no idea what I was doing or how I would cope with all the changes bombarding me; I knew that I was falling deeply in love with Adar.

  And it was going to last forever.

  Chapter XIII

  Look out, helter skelter, she's coming down fast

  Thundering footsteps and the clash of steel woke me.

  Adar and I had simply decided to ignore the rest of the world for the evening, so after he called for a servant to make sure everything was settled for the night and that Tam was okay, he locked the door and told me we weren't leaving until morning. I put up a token protest, but honestly, I was exhausted, and I simply didn't have it in me to put on a brave face for everyone after nearly being murdered again.

  So we curled up together on the enormous bed and talked. I told him about my life on Earth, and Adar explained a few things about Edin I hadn't known, as well as a more detailed description of Shinar, which I was looking forward to visiting one day. All things considered, I was dealing with the new paradigm shift pretty well. Darwin would have loved me.

  We fell asleep snuggled against each other, and for the first time in my life I slept with a man's arms around me all night, feeling a sense of homecoming unlike any I'd ever had back on Earth.

  That was then.

  Now I shot up in bed, confused because everything I heard sounded so much like my dreams; except instead of hoof-beats, I heard frantic running and fleeing. Instead of battle cries, I heard truncated screams and loud clatters that seemed to be getting closer and closer.

  And this time, there was no empty field, and no thin trail of smoke twining around my ankles. This time, a man-shaped figure of smoke and fire sat up in bed next to me, turning the sheets beneath us to ash within seconds before he extinguished the flames and clutched me to him.

  "What the hell is going on?" I whispered, knowing instinctively that something was deeply wrong. I glanced at the window high on the wall and saw that it was still dark out, so we couldn't have slept for more than a few hours, but in that time, it sounded as though all hell had broken loose.

  "Wait here, I will find out," Adar ordered, and without further ado, dissolved into the black smoke I was so familiar with, vanishing under the door and taking all the heat with him.

  I sat there shivering for
a moment, terrified and bewildered, before my brain caught up to the rest of the world. And then I wanted to kick myself.

  Since when did I huddle under the blanket, waiting for some guy to save me? Particularly when I happened to be immortal and packed one hell of a punch? Tam could be out there right now, in terrible danger. After all, even though the earlier assassination attempt seemed to be directed at me, he was standing right next to me at the time.

  Had I been looking at this all wrong?

  I assumed the attacks on me were personal in some way; most likely instigated by Efrim or someone like him that I had rubbed the wrong way. But from what I understood, violence like that was pretty rare, if not unheard of, at court, and I hadn't been here long enough to make any more dangerous enemies.

  So why now? Why all these attacks?

  Unwilling to wait another moment, I jumped out of bed, pulling on the shoes waiting by the couch. I dithered for a moment, worried about leaving a note or something for Adar, but then I glanced at the merrily burning fire and wondered if he was still keeping track of me that way. Feeling like a complete moron, I nonetheless spoke to the fireplace, hoping I was sending a Darisam's version of a text message.

  "I'm not waiting here. Come find me. I'm going to check on Tam."

  Frankly, annoying though Hamsum's dogged presence could be, I was pretty worried that he wasn't bursting through the door right now. I couldn't imagine anything would have kept him from my side during such pandemonium, and a sick feeling churned in my gut when I thought of what might have happened.

  The fire flared and I thought it seemed displeased, but that was probably the panic talking. Darting over to the door, I cracked it open slightly, peering through the slight opening to see a darkened hallway. No one seemed to be running past, and the screams were further off now, making me think that the danger had passed my door by.

  And why was that, I wondered, creeping down the silent hall with my deadly fist at the ready. After all, I'd been the focus for all the recent violence, so why would it skip me now? Because no one knew where Adar had taken me? Or just because of Adar? Maybe. Then who was the real target?

  Tam.

  It had to be. According to everything I'd heard, apart from some brewing discontent regarding the tax situation, the kingdom had been at peace for longer than anyone could remember. Even at the death of the previous monarch ten years ago there hadn't been any uprisings.

  So what had changed? Me.

  The moment I met Tam, we had a connection, and over the past few days it had deepened to the point I was thinking of him as a little brother. Someone to look out for. And Tam had developed a pretty intense attachment to me as well, spending at least half his days with me in one way or another. I had been included in all the council meetings, sat next to him at dinner; I had become a new friend and confidant to an impressionable young boy with unthinkable power.

  Which made me a threat.

  I reached the end of the hallway without interference, and knelt to the floor before peeking around the wall to what appeared to be a larger hall, probably one of the main thoroughfares leading to the great hall. There was still no one in sight, so I sped along with my shoulder to the wall until I reached the opening to the main area.

  All the while I kept thinking, running scenarios through my head. Who would benefit most from my death? And why had the attacks on me now shifted to something that clearly affected the whole palace?

  Because I was immortal now, and everyone knew it.

  That was the only rational explanation. Up until now the attacks had centered on me, because as far as everyone knew, I was powerless when I first arrived. I had kept my strange healing abilities and the reinforced bone from everyone, and even my survival of the first attack could have been written off as a lucky fluke. Of course after that, I had Hamsum watching my every move, so any further attacks would have to be surprise ones. And while Hamsum and I had discussed a few possibilities, it had never occurred to either of us that someone would attack me while I was out in the open, walking next to the king.

  But then, very publicly, Adar had made me his arrami and secluded us for the rest of night, making sure everyone who knew anything about Darisam would realize I was now either immortal or simply untouchable because of my mate.

  So killing me no longer had any purpose. But if my influence on the young king was the motive, and I had to believe it was, then Tam made the next logical target.

  There was only one person I knew of that might view me as a threat to their position, and if I was right, and all my instincts were screaming that I was, then Tam was in grave jeopardy.

  Well, screw that.

  I wasn't dragged all the way from Earth and given a petrified wood arm to let my new little brother get assassinated.

  A hand clamped down on my shoulder and I squealed.

  "Ti summu, I cannot imagine what made you think you should risk yourself by leaving the room without me," Adar's voice grumbled in my ear, his tone menacing. I took a deep breath and ordered my heart to start beating again.

  "I cannot imagine what makes you think I will respond positively to that tone," I retorted, bristling like a cat rubbed the wrong way.

  He blinked at me and a smirk crossed his face before he narrowed his eyes.

  Which, let me just say, was really freaking intimidating.

  "I told you to stay in the room where you were safe," he snarled, making that weird rumbling sound in his chest again. It wasn't anything like a purr, or even an animalistic growl; it was more like the sound of thunder rolling, which was, if possible, even more unnatural.

  "Yeah, you did, and then I realized there was no good reason for me to stay there. Now stop arguing with me and tell me what's going on. Where is everyone?" I snapped, loathe to waste any more time on this dominance shit.

  Adar glared at me, and if things hadn't been quite so dire, I might have felt a little faint, but he finally just shook his head and gave me a look that clearly stated, "this conversation is not over."

  "Ensi Tam is gone. As is his Ahatki and half of the Litum. Two council members and a few guards are dead, many are poisoned, and Sukkall Efrim is being held responsible. The danger has passed; we can return to my chambers." Adar recited this litany of horrors as though telling me what he had picked up at the grocery store. I stared at him in utter disbelief for a moment before snapping out of it.

  "Please tell me you're joking," I begged, and some of my desperation must have gotten through.

  Adar gently folded me into his arms and pressed my head against his broad chest. "I tell the truth, Honey-sa. There is nothing to be done now. You are no longer a target, and there is nothing to do until Tam returns. We will travel to Shinar and return when the palace is more settled."

  For a second I took comfort there against his solidity, an unmoving stone in the midst of a tempest, but I shook him off and pushed away, fury surging through me with intensity I didn't know I was capable of.

  If Tam wasn't dead already, he needed me. And there was no way I was letting him meet with some tragic accident under the care of his psychotic, power-hungry aunt.

  "You can go to hell, Adar. I'll be busy here," I spat out and pushed passed him to enter the main hall. Only a few were about now, mostly servants who appeared dazed and unsure of what they were to do. There were a few bits of furniture knocked askew, and one guard lay on the floor moaning and clutching his stomach, but for the location of what had sounded like an epic battle, it didn't look that bad.

  Spying a servant I recognized as a server at dinner, I hurried over, calling out to him. The man glanced over his shoulder and immediately halted, wringing his hands nervously. His clothing was wrinkled, but he didn't look any worse for wear.

  "Beleti, please! You should be in your room, w-where it is safe," he stuttered anxiously, his eyes darting over my head to the seven-foot Darisam who had caught up with me was glowering.

  "Don't mind him. Now tell me exactly what has happened," I ordered h
im, my tone firm and calm, hoping that would give him something to focus on.

  He hesitated a moment and then nodded. "Shortly after you...ah, retired for the evening," he muttered with a speaking glance at Adar. "The king went to his chambers to recover from the ordeal, and the evening meal was served. Then..." he gasped, emotion overcoming him. "Half the council and guards fell over, sick or unconscious. And the rest of the Litum rushed to the king's chambers and escaped with him and the Ahatki. Sukkall Efrim's personal servant was found to have poison in his possession, and the remaining members of the council took Efrim into custody. They are meeting now to decide how to proceed."

  Panic thrumming through my veins, I grabbed the man's shoulders. "And those who were poisoned? Are they all dead?" I demanded, my heart beating so hard it vibrated in my chest.

  "Honey-sa, stop. Your guard will live, and most of the others will also. Let this man do his work, and I will take you the council," Adar said calmly, finally getting my attention. The moment I released the servant he gave me an abbreviated bow and scuttled away.

  With tears in my eyes, I looked up at Adar, watching as his stone-carved features softened, his radiant skin taking on a muted glow.

  "Ti summu, forgive me. I was...disappointed that our time was interrupted, and I do not have the same attachments to these people as you. But I will help you now," he promised. And I believed him.

  "Take me there. We've got to stop whatever is happening and get to Tam. His aunt will kill him."

  Adar's eyebrows arched, and I knew he was wondering how I'd arrived at that conclusion, but urgency was riding my heels and I didn't want to waste any time explaining. He seemed to understand because he merely nodded, then gathered me in his strong arms and dissolved us into smoke.