by Ada Haynes
Then she told him, between her tears. “I never told anyone about Cholkye. No one knew about that pregnancy, apart from Yeshe and his family. We wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted Toshio to become the baby’s godfather. She was barely a month old when the soldiers entered our house. She was the reason everyone was at our place. We were celebrating her naming ceremony! So little! She was their first victim. One of the soldiers put a bullet in her head. I had to watch them. Do you have any idea what I felt, Ekbeth? I had to watch them kill my baby!”
Ekbeth fought a sudden nausea. “I understand. Still, you can’t hold Kellerman responsible for these men’s barbarism.”
She looked at him. He wished she had not. He had never seen such hatred in someone’s eyes in his whole life, and the light in the cistern was not even that good.
“How convenient that he only pays the executioners, Ekbeth! Are you so accommodating about your own daughter? The killer wanted to call it off until I had given birth, but Kellerman promised to triple the amount if I was killed within one week.”
“How do you know that?”
She remained silent for a moment, then said, “I found the bastard who shot me.”
Ekbeth decided against asking what had happened to the man. He’d rather not know.
Kimiel moved, uncurled, and put her back against the wall. “The bastard killed me. I died, Ekbeth. The last thing I remember of that night, I felt the baby die within me.”
“You still have to explain me how you miraculously rose from your ashes, Kimiel, but in the meantime, I have some news for you. Our daughter is alive, Kimiel.”
She stared at him.
“I’m not lying. The ER team managed to save her. I’m sorry for little Cholkye, but you have another daughter who needs you out there, Kimiel, and a son. Don’t you think they need your love more than this mad plan of yours to avenge them? ”
He heard her choke. She took her head between her hands. Wailed.
This time, he left the light on the ground and walked to her. He took her into his arms. She just curled into his embrace.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I just want him dead. So badly.”
“Sssh. I understand, Kimiel. We’ll take care of Kellerman. Together.”
They stayed embraced in the disgusting mud for a long time. Something crawled around his feet, but Ekbeth managed not to move.
Eventually, she stopped crying. “I want to see them, Ekbeth. Sonam, and my little girl…”
“Now? Do you want to give them nightmares for the rest of their life? Shall I bring a mirror to show you your face?”
She winced. “No, you’re right. I may need a bit of cleaning up first.”
“Nice to see you so reasonable at last. Let me bring you home.”
She nodded. Home was the hotel room in Zurich. Not knowing how long his discussion with Kimiel would take, and since the rag doll had proven its efficiency, Ekbeth and Annabel had agreed Judikali would sleep at the nurse’s place for the night.
He and Kimiel had the place to themselves. He let go of Kimiel next to the bathtub and turned the taps on. Then he undressed her. The stay in the cistern had made her clothes filthy beyond recognition. His as well, but that could wait.
“Do you want to keep them?”
She shook her head.
He helped her into the warm water, then washed her gently. Even touching her as he now was did not make the truth any easier to believe. “I thought you dead, Kimiel. Don’t ever do that to me again.”
She answered in a drowsy voice. “I was dead, Ekbeth, but I was not ready. I reminded the Goddess she owed me a favor. She gave me a new body for this soul.”
He had noticed some differences, but somehow his brain had not realized the truth. Ara had given her a new body? That was unheard of. He did not even need to read the Chronicles to be certain it had never happened before in their whole history.
She was really special to the Goddess, he realized.
That’s when he noticed the pointed ears. They had been hidden under her hair till now. He touched them hesitantly. Kimiel cringed.
“Yes, I was not very happy with those when I woke up in that body and discovered Ara’s little joke, but they are quite easy to cover.”
He looked at her back. “There’s no tattoo anymore.”
“Ah, another of her little jokes… How did you find out I was still alive, Ekbeth?”
He told her about the new Aramalinyia’s stone, carved with her name. “Did you put the stone in the Lake, Kimiel?”
She shook her head, and pondered Ekbeth’s question. “I think Ara did this. I have been ignoring her orders for too long.”
Ekbeth finished washing her. He helped her out of the tub and started drying her.
“Orders?”
She nodded. She was now leaning against him, eyes closed. “She wanted me to return to the Valley. I refused. We had a little discussion.”
He bandaged her hands, and put some adhesive bandages on her face. “You are a sight, Kimiel. Why did you have to mutilate yourself like that?”
She shrugged. “I’ll heal. So, what do you think of my new body, Ekbeth?”
He could not miss the playful tone in that question. She was unbelievable. Not less than an hour ago, she was all hysterics, and now… “I thought you wanted to see your children first, Kimiel? We’ll have to arrange a visit to…”
She turned around in his arms and put a finger on his lips.
“The children can wait another hour, or even till dawn. I did not expect it but I did miss you all those weeks. This new body is all yours, Ekbeth. Heart and soul. Kiss me.”
He discovered two things about her that night. How thoroughly new her body was and what she had meant by Ara’s little joke about the tattoos.
When she finally fell asleep against him, he was grinning. No one would ever know about the first thing… but my, the tattoos!
It had surprised the hell out of him when he had seen them appear on her skin the first time. He would get used to them eventually, he supposed.
He chuckled. He could not wait to see the community’s reaction to this new Kimiel.
68
Kimiel looked over the balcony at Kse’Annilis and the Lake.
This was her home. She did not plan to go anywhere else at least for some years to come. Shona McLeod had died that night in Zurich. She was now fully Kimiel Keh Niriel.
Aramalinyia of the As’mirin of Kse’Annilis. Ara’s voice.
She knew most of the As’mirin still had trouble believing her tale. How the Goddess had given her a new body. She could understand that. She had trouble believing it herself. She could still remember when she had opened her eyes as if emerging from a long restful sleep, only to discover this body slightly different than the one she had been used to. It was not only the pointy ears and the tattoos. This body had never been abused by drugs and beatings. It had never fought. It was not ready to fall apart. This was more than a second chance. It was a new birth.
Dead, to be reborn. How true the Bhutanese astrologer had been.
She had woken in the Temple, which, thankfully, was deserted at the time. Her first movements had been a bit awkward, but she soon got the hang of it.
Ara told her she was to stay and assume her Aramalinyia functions again. Kimiel did not think so. She had asked for this new body for one reason only. She had transferred herself to the Other Side. Something else that had come to her much more easily. She had not fainted.
She did not want to remember what had happened next. Oh, Kellerman had become a bit of an obsession all right. She had used the money from one of her secret accounts to hire one of the best computer hackers she could find. They had managed to access Kellerman’s private accounts. Trace her killer. What the man had told her before she’d killed him had only reinforced her determination to get rid of Kellerman forever. She was done with niceties.
She could have killed a lot of innocent people, she now realized. She was glad that Ekbeth and Tosh
io had found her in time and stopped her. Brought her back to her senses.
She looked around her and sighed. She was the Aramalinyia now. There was so much to do. Her lifetime probably would not be enough. Kse’Annilis had to be rebuilt to its ancient glory.
Ekbeth and his cousin were trying to find a way to finance the reconstruction.
As’leandra and Najeb had somehow managed to find the original plans. Najeb was busy experimenting, guided by the ancient books, trying to understand them. She smiled, remembering how his latest experiment had destroyed another house. Its family had been indignant, but she had just told them Najeb had her full support, and this had been enough to pacify their fury.
This was perhaps the only advantage of those tattoos she now wore. Ara’s glow had been something, but the tattoos got an even faster reaction. They only became visible when she got emotional—whether angered or overjoyed, but they covered her entire body, even her face. Difficult to miss them. It was enough of a warning to be cautious around her.
She had many reforms in minds. Reforms she could simply have imposed on the community overnight and they would have accepted because of who she was. Ara had to be crazy to have given her so much power over these people. It was frightening sometimes.
Ekbeth had strongly advised her to wait before introducing those reforms to the High Council. Some of them he just told her to forget about.
She was glad to have him. He was her safeguard. Her smile turned warmer. He was her lover, her partner. She looked at the perfect creature nestled in her arms, fast asleep. He was her daughter’s father. She kissed the little angel’s brow.
From the moment Ekbeth had put Judikali in her arms, Kimiel had had the hardest time to let go of her. She and Ekbeth regularly argued over the right to hold her. There was not going to be another little girl so loved in the world, this side or the other, she had decided. Judikali had suffered enough. Now, there would be only love. Love and protection.
That brought her thoughts to Sonam and her smile turned sad. She had cried bitter tears when she had first seen her son. He had cringed in fear when she had tried to embrace him. He had not recognized her.
Their relationship was a bit better now. She visited him every day, and last week he had started smiling at her. She had hope that he would get better. His doctors were optimistic. Sonam was still young enough to survive this trauma, they had told him. With their good care, he would eventually forget.
The hope did not lessen the guilt. She had abandoned her baby boy to this monster. Najeb had explained to her where he and Toshio had found him. If only she had gone to Bhutan earlier…
She sighed and kissed Judikali again. She could not change the past. Hopefully, Sonam would get better. She could not wait to bring him here with her. She wanted to have her family all around her.
She heard steps behind her, coming in her direction.
“Aramalinyia? We are ready.”
She put a last kiss on Judikali’s cheek, and put the baby in the cradle. Annabel gave her a little encouraging smile.
It had been a risk to introduce Annabel to the As’mirin world, but Ekbeth and Kimiel had agreed it was best for their daughter to keep the same nurse, so they had carefully started preparing her for the big news. Annabel had reacted to the explanations more calmly than they had expected. She had certainly freaked a little bit after her first transfer, but, all things considered, she had adapted to the new situation wonderfully.
They had someone be with Annabel constantly, so that she did not feel alone. Kimiel made sure that all her questions were answered.
This was one tiny problem taken care of.
And another problem was about to be solved. For good.
After a last look at her sleeping daughter, Kimiel left the room and walked to what was now her own study. Thankfully, Ekbeth’s apartment had enough rooms to provide all the needed space for the administration of both her duties and his without reducing the private segment.
She retrieved a small vial from its special compartment, and Called herself out of the room. She reappeared in the very center of the Temple. The center of all attention.
All the As’mirin were there today, she realized.
As they had been for her own trial.
The irony was not totally lost on her.
She said the words, “Bring the prisoner here.”
The guards brought their charge. She met Kellerman’s incredulous stare calmly.
He stammered, “You! You are dead!”
She smiled at him. “You should know by now that I’m not easy to kill, Kellerman. Kneel.”
The guards forced him down. His eyes were burning with anger. “You are going to pay for this, Shona. I am powerful! I’ll destroy you.”
She shook her head. Kellerman had apparently repeated those words from the moment Najeb and Kalem had taken him from his cozy villa two days ago. Even a stay in her favorite cistern had apparently not helped hush him up. He would probably never learn.
“You are a human. I am the Aramalinyia, the Goddess’s voice. Hear your sentence and repent before it’s too late.”
He tried to shake the guards’ hands off.
“You can’t…”
She ignored him, looked at Ekbeth instead. His tiny nod was all the encouragement she needed. She focused on Kellerman again. “Kellerman, you’ve been brought here today to be judged by our Goddess. Your crimes are many and odious, but she’ll been the one to decide whether you should be allowed to keep your miserable life or not.”
His eyes were glowing with hate. “This is a farce.”
She saw the tattoos appear on her hands, then on her arms. At least the sight shut him up.
She had tried to remain composed. She really had tried. But she had suffered too much because of this man. His hate for her was well met.
She took the vial and opened it. “Undress him.”
When the guards were done with their little knife play, Kellerman was white with fear.
Finally, he understood what was about to happen.
She looked into his eyes. “Not a farce. Actually you are probably the first full blood human who has ever been put through Ara’s trial, if that is a comfort. Open his mouth!”
The guards obeyed. She poured the liquid into his mouth. She knew that she was now not only showing her tattoos—she was also glowing. Ara was sharing this moment with her and she was glad for it.
“Ara, judge him. And don’t be merciful. He does not deserve it.”
Kellerman started screaming a few seconds later. He screamed and writhed on the temple sand for a long time. Then he stopped moving.
One of the Na Saoilcheachs confirmed his death. Kimiel closed her eyes. Justice was done, at last.
Yeshe could now rest in peace. Yeshe and all his family.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. Ekbeth. She covered his hand with hers. Shona’s life was now truly over. Kimiel would never completely forget her past, of course, but it was time to embrace her new life.
A quiet laugh answered her.
Yes, indeed. Welcome home, child.
Cast of Characters
The humans
Toshio Watanabe : Antiquities dealer, Shona’s boss
Maire Kincaid : Toshio’s wife, Shona’s friend
Jeffrey Matheson : Toshio’s employee
Yeshe : Shona’s first husband, dead
Dorje : Yeshe’s older brother
Sonam : Shona’s and Yeshe’s son
Cholkye : Shona’s and Yeshe’s daughter, dead
Orsina : Ekbeth’s personal assistant
The As’mirin
Ara : Goddess
The Aramalinyia (Pes’almari) : Ara’s voice
Leli : servant
The Na Duibhnes (Finance)
Ekbeth : Akeneires’el
Arkel : Older brother of Ekbeth, former Akeneires’el, dead
Kas’el : Second brother of Ekbeth, dead
Alyasini : Arkel’s daughter
E
s’ael : Uncle
Keremli : Ekbeth’s and Lyrian’s great-great-grandmother
Lyrian Farrill : Ekbeth’s cousin, ex-husband of Sarah-Lysliana McLean
Kalem na Seffet : bodyguard
Najeb na Seffet : bodyguard
The McLeans (Entertainment)
Duncan: Akeneires’el
Fiona : Duncan’s sister
Alasdair : Duncan’s second son, dead
Arkeri : Alasdair’s wife, dead
Andrew : Alasdair’s and Arkeri’s son
Sarah-Lysliana : Alasdair’s and Arkeri’s daughter, ex-wife of Lyrian Farrill
Kieran : relative
(The McLeods)
Malcolm : Duncan’s Elder son, dead
Emily: Malcolm’s widow
Richard : Malcolm’s and Emily’s son
Kathleen : Malcolm’s and Emily’s older daughter
Philip Murray : Kathleen’s husband
Shona (Kimiel) : Malcolm’s and Emily’s younger daughter
The Na Lioms (Callers)
Nukri : Caller
Akalabeth (and Sieven) : Nukri’s grand-daughter, Kas’el’s daughter, Caller
The Na Saoilcheach (Doctors)
Erinani : surgeon
Bers’el : expert in toxicology
Kes’alri : doctor
The Na Liathes (Buildings)
S’emoel : Akeneires’el
As’leandra : Eldest daughter of S’emoel, mind reader
The Na Ghorms (Library)
Keryl : Akeneires’el
The Na Dearghs (Procurement)
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Copy right@2016 by Ada Haynes
Cover design: damonza.com
Formatting: damonza.com
ISBN-10: 978-1535434850
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
