RESURRECTION (RIBUS 7, #5)

by Shae Mills

  Finally making her way back to Terig, Chelan’s eyes were wide. “Are all the items original?”

  “Aye.”

  She shook her head. “Incredible.”

  “A labor of love, I assure you. You may do a more in-depth exploration later. Right now, follow me.” And he began back toward the staircase.

  Winding their way up once again, they finally reached one of the tower rooms. Chelan entered slowly, her eyes taking in all the splendor. She stepped over to the large bed, her fingers threading through the velvet that draped it. The floor served to display intricate rugs; more tapestries coated the high walls. Four small windows pierced the thick stone, marking the four points of the compass.

  Close to the bed, just to the side, was another large fireplace; comfortable chairs, one situated on each side of it, waiting to be occupied. Above the mantle, two beautiful claymores were positioned below the clan crest of the Frasers.

  Chelan continued to explore the room, absorbing all the details as she approached a window. There, she paused briefly to look out over the vista. “Ohh...,” she whispered, the view that of the ocean just beyond the bailey. Moving to the south window, she could see out over the stables to the beautiful rolling hills abloom with heather and wildflowers. Through the third window, she peered at the horizon: a wooded area, the dark green of the trees in stark contrast to the brilliant greens of the hills before them. The last window looked out over the ramparts of the vast castle, more towers punctuating the stone expanse with their regal presence.

  Chelan turned away from the window and found Terig leaning against the doorjamb. She took a deep breath and held it an almost impossibly long time as her mind sorted through everything she had just seen. “You stay here?” she finally asked. “This is your room?”

  Terig smiled. “I see that living with the Iceaneans has sharpened your Earth senses.”

  Chelan chuckled. “’Tis not hard to recognize a man’s domain, both visually and by scent.”

  Terig raised an eyebrow. “By scent?”

  Chelan grinned. “I’ve been among the Iceaneans a long time: my senses are indeed finely honed, and it’s your scent that I detect here.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her skeptically. “Is that good or bad?”

  Chelan blushed involuntarily. “Good, my Lord.”

  He straightened. “Well, that’s a relief, because after we have dined this eve, this room is yours for the night.”

  Chelan ducked past him and out into the stairwell. “In my travels, I’ve displaced far too many men from their beds. Any of the rooms below is well suited to me.”

  She began down the stairs but Terig caught up to her. “Nonsense, lass. I want you to savor all that is of your ancestral past, not only Earthly but Scottish. This room displays it all across the centuries. Plus, as you have discovered, the views are beyond description. Nay, you’ll not stay elsewhere.”

  Chelan smiled. “We shall discuss this further over dinner.”

  Terig watched her as she continued her descent. “Or over its prep!”

  Chelan swirled around, almost losing her balance on the uneven stones. “Prep?”

  “Aye. These are not the decks of the RIBUS, nor the grounds of the Imperial Palace. There are no food dispensaries or servants. There is, however, a fully functional modern kitchen complete with electricity, plumbing, and all the advanced appliances one could ever wish for. And as I recall, it’s rather lavishly stocked.”

  Chelan’s eyes lit. “I haven’t cooked for almost two decades, my Lord. It will be wondrous to do so, but you may end up regretting my participation.”

  “Not to worry. This old bachelor long ago mastered the art. You may assist if you like?”

  “I would like. After all, it’s a woman’s work, no?” And she laughed.

  Terig sighed. “So they say, but alas, there are no women to be had within my domain, for the most part. Female Earthlings would cringe at the thought of locating here, to a desert planet. As a result, most of the time I’m compelled to rely on my own devices and forced to endure my own company.”

  “Well, tonight you won’t be alone. You lead the way, and we shall begin.”

  Terig stepped down to her and took her by the arm, and they once again began navigating the stairs. Then he ushered her through the great room and to a massive kitchen. At the entrance, they stopped, and Chelan took everything in. It was a unique blend of old and modern, but definitely all of Earth. One could set about preparing a meal in the time period of one’s liking.

  Chelan started to explore as Terig crossed the kitchen and ducked out a large wooden door. She hardly noticed his absence till he returned shortly with a basket of fresh vegetables and a large slab of meat. Chelan watched him as he emptied the basket onto one of the many counters. She stepped up to him and peered down at all the food. “These are all of Earth?”

  “You’re partially correct—all grown right here in my very own greenhouses.”

  “And the meat?”

  “Well, that’s alien, but its taste is akin to venison. I did have some Highland cattle for a while, but this particular creature is much more adaptable to the rather overheated climatic system here.”

  “You hunt?”

  “When time permits. I’ve introduced a few adventurous Cleosans to the art of tracking game on horseback, so they manage to keep my freezers stocked.”

  “But this is fresh?”

  “Yes. When Korba first suggested I have you as my guest, a few of my buddies went on a hunt. There’s one young boy who not only is a deadly shot, he seems to live for the pursuit. I really should get Korba to sign him up for the military. He has tracking skills you wouldn’t believe.”

  Chelan smiled. “I think Korba prefers sensors.”

  “Oh, we all do, but there are places sensors cannot reach.”

  “You’re so right. Anyway, what’s on the menu?” she asked. “A good old homestyle stew, it looks like.”

  “Aye, if that’s to your liking? Even though it’s warm outside, the atmosphere within these stone walls remains cool, perfect for a warm dish to heat the soul. But we can tackle anything you wish.”

  Chelan’s eyes shone as she looked over the fresh herbs scattered among the vegetables. “Oh no, a hearty stew is just what I’d love. Nothing says home like a stew and some bread to go along.”

  “You have that right.” And he handed her a knife.

  Chelan began immediately, peeling and chopping carrots, onions, potatoes, and turnips into large pieces. Terig in turn tackled the meat, transforming it with obvious mastery into consistently sized chunks. Then he dredged the pieces in flour and spices.

  They worked side by side in silence for a time before Chelan took a chance on expressing her thoughts. “Have you never wed?”

  Terig’s lip quirked. “Nah, never had the opportunity.”

  Chelan stared at her work, careful with the knife so as not to add her fingertips to the stew. “Are you not lonely?”

  “At times, but I have a lot to keep me busy. And as I mentioned, I do have help. Cleosans come and go and tend to some of the tasks here, like the greenhouses, especially while I’m gone. The castle lands require upkeep through manipulation of the climate machines, which I look after myself as much as humanly possible. But I can’t do everything. And my work for the Cleosans is time-consuming. So, overall, I don’t have a lot of time to get lonely.”

  Chelan glanced at him as he began preparing more herbs. She bit her lip as she braced herself for her next question. “May I ask your age, my Lord?”

  “Thirty-eight Earth years, my Lady.”

  “Do you age naturally?”

  “Aye, except during any space travel. Unlike Iceanea, Cleos is bathed in more than its fair share of cosmic radiation. Even with the climate generators, there’s little protection unless one moves underground.”

  They lapsed back into silence for a time as Chelan’s thoughts were catapulted back to her stay in the Dead Zone.
The toll her loneliness took on her had been devastating. When Shan had dropped in on her, the happiness mingled with fear had been overwhelming. She needed his companionship so badly, yet once he had recovered, the anxiety over his eventual loss dogged her at every turn. How long she would have endured the caverns if not for his company was anyone’s guess. But she knew that she would have gone mad without the masculine comfort he had supplied her with for so long. But then, her situation was very different from Terig’s. She had been in exile; Terig was free.

  Chelan was suddenly transported out of her thoughts when Terig moved off to start a fire in a large fireplace. Carefully, once the flame was fully ablaze, he placed a sizable cauldron in the center. After it heated for a bit, he tossed in some fat and then the meat.

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Tonight, we prepare the old way, aye?”

  Chelan was mesmerized by the flames licking the belly of the black pot, the smell of the meat and the spices conveying her fondly back in time and space to a life she once knew. “Aye,” she whispered.

  Finally, her gaze floated back to Terig. The skin-tight braes hugging his slim hips, the white linen shirt coating his broad shoulders—the Earth garb all so familiar, yet now so foreign. She watched as he stirred the meat with something akin to a large wooden paddle, and the smells were absolutely heavenly. She closed her eyes momentarily, then focused back on him.

  His light brown hair feathered over his shoulders and just over his collar. His neatly trimmed beard and mustache, dusted with a hint of red, complimented his handsome angular features. Though smaller than her men, Terig was the same unique blend of heavy muscle for strength and sinewy litheness for speed. Like the Iceanean warriors, he was a fighting man.

  Finally, she tore her eyes away from him, a stirring in her stomach taking her by surprise. Why after all her years immersed in Iceanean perfection was she suddenly so taken by a man spawned of Earth? But she knew it was not because of his obvious good looks or his potent masculinity. She had that and more in Korba. It was something far different, something much more elusive, more basal.

  Her thoughts were once again stolen as he straightened and smiled at her. “It’s going to be a fine meal, my Lady.”

  The perfect Scottish burr sliding off his tongue like a familiar song wove its way into her heart. That was it: a shared history that she did not have with Korba or with any of the Iceaneans. Terig was of her blood, of her world. “Here’s tae us who’s like us,” she recited under her breath.

  He added water to the sizzling pot and then he turned to her. “The vegetables, if you please?”

  Chelan smiled and gathered them together quickly, scooping them all into a large bowl. Then she drifted over to his side, emptying the bowl into the cauldron. She took in a deep breath. “Oh, it smells marvelous!”

  Terig glanced down at her. “We have made enough for a small army, so later I’ll freeze most of it for future meals.”

  “Sounds like you’ve done this before.”

  “I have, a time or two. I never know when I’ll be called upon, and often when I return, cooking a meal for myself seems an impossible task. So this works well.”

  She smiled at him and then looked back at the fire, her gaze held by the lapping flames.

  He stared at her, and his heart warmed. When he had spoken with Korba, he had wondered just how far he could take a relationship with her in his domain. Now he knew, the Warlord’s plan aside. This woman had more than a shared past with him. She was all happiness, full of curiosity and spirit. If it were at all possible, she would be the perfect companion, and undoubtedly the Warlord had long since come to the same conclusion.

  He smiled to himself and then moved off to another door which led to a cellar where he retrieved a couple of tankards and several bottles of ale.

  When he returned, Chelan approached him as he poured the brew, and he offered her one of the mugs. She tasted the cool drink and nodded with appreciation. “Oh my—it’s been such a long time, and this is divine.”

  Terig smiled. “Come, let’s lounge in the great room while the food cooks. It’ll be a while.”

  Chelan followed him out into the giant room and then watched as he began stacking wood into the center of the cavernous fireplace. She squatted down beside him and looked closely at the logs. “I meant to ask while in the kitchen, but wood?” she queried. “Actual wood? You know I have to ask, because cosmically speaking, it could be anything.”

  “Aye, yes, actual wood from the forests here—mostly pine, some fir. I harvest only the very mature trees, so I can’t take too much. For the rest of my needs, I sometimes get more brought in from other planets.”

  Chelan watched as he tossed a small white capsule into the center of the tinder, and within moments the entire field of wood sprang to life with a warm orange flame. She grinned. “That ignition system was not of Earth.”

  Terig laughed as he glanced up at her. “No. That was of the Empire. But pretty handy, hey?”

  He stood and then pulled two large chairs forward. Both sitting, they stared into the flames as the heat from the hearth radiated about them. The rooms in the castle had indeed been cool, and Chelan appreciated the warmth, languishing in the familiar comfort provided by the fire.

  Terig sipped at his ale as he watched the flames dance. Then he spoke once again, still in English. “So, do you like your life with Korba?”

  Chelan peered own at her drink and smiled. “Yes, but at times, as you might imagine, it’s been very difficult.”

  Terig settled himself deeper into his chair. He stared into her eyes, his voice soft and mellow. “How so, if you permit me to ask?”

  Chelan rolled her eyes and then chuckled. “Ummm... let’s see. First, there’s the completely alien culture and their mores, the wars, the violence, and the constant bloodshed. Then there are the losses I’ve had to deal with; my planet, my home, my family, my friends.” She sucked in a breath. “Then there have been the deeper losses, all those that have befallen all of us, and some even more personal to me.” She looked to him. “If I were to go into detail, I really wouldn’t know where to begin, or where to end.”

  Terig’s lips thinned, and he raised his tankard to her. “I know what you mean on so many levels. I know all about alien cultures and the adjustments that must be made to acclimatize to them. And I am all too familiar with loss, both on and off the battlefield.”

  Chelan looked at him closely, sensing a melancholy about him. “My Lord?” she questioned.

  Terig took a deep breath. “You had asked earlier if I had ever wed.” He paused and took another drink. “I came close once. I did meet a woman who stole my heart. It was a love like I never thought could exist. But it wasn’t to be.”

  Chelan wondered if she would be overstepping any bounds by asking more, but she decided to chance it. “A Cleosan woman?”

  Terig threw his head back and laughed loudly. When he recovered, he looked at her. “Heavens, no.” Then he smiled. “Though I tried that once.”

  Chelan leaned forward. “You tried? What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “No, no. I don’t mind. I had a fancy for a Cleosan woman I worked closely with. Actually, I still work with her often. She and I share similar interests and have the same sense of humor. Originally, when we first met, I was very much alone, and thought that maybe something could come of our liaison.” He chuckled and then stared up at the ceiling. “I brought her here once with a romantic weekend planned, you could say.” He stopped.

  Chelan found herself on the edge of her chair. “And?”

  “And, though I had lived and worked with these people for nearly two decades, I had never bothered to discover much about them on a more intimate level. I knew they fell in love, married, had children, but that was about it. All I did was work, so why did I need to know more?”

  Chelan chewed at her lower lip. “She turned out to be not as you wished?”

  Terig chucked again and looked at her with a
twinkle in his eye. “Aye, you could say that, but not as you might think.”

  Chelan sat back. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal.”

  Terig took a long draw of his ale. “No, it’s okay. In retrospect, it served me right for not researching the people I had been living among for so long. I’ve never found the Cleosans particularly attractive, the women not a whole lot different-looking from the men, but with Leeman, there was an intellectual bond. She felt the same about me and seemed interested in pursuing something a little more. Our first romantic evening here, we became intimate... for a while.” Terig laughed again. “Oh my god. Aliens!”

  Chelan smiled. “Oh, come on. Don’t clam up now. You can’t leave me hanging here.”

  Terig wiped at his eyes. “Well, she undressed me, slowly and seductively, and seemed to be enjoying herself immensely in her explorations. Then I reciprocated. I didn’t mind the absence of breasts, but when it came time to... to...”

  Chelan was so overwhelmed with curiosity, she finished the statement for him. “To make love to her...”

  Terig smiled with unabashed relief. “Ah... yes... thank you. Well, I found out that my anatomy approximates that of their males, but the females differ significantly.”

  Chelan unexpectedly felt her skin crawl. “What happened?”

  “I backed away gracefully.”

  “But what was so different?”

  Terig grinned. “You haven’t eaten yet.”

  “I’ll chance it.”

  Terig leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He stared into his ale for a moment before looking back at her. “You asked for it.”

  Chelan braced herself. “Lay it on me.”

  “Well, they do have an orifice, but it’s not for penetration. Their reproductive organs are quite high up inside their bodies. When aroused, this opening relaxes and allows the woman to actually reach up within herself and draw out her... well...”