Carved in Stone

by Stein Willard

  Aeron debated whether to tell Harry. They were classmates at Harvard and not once did he give her any reason not to trust him. She remembered that one time she had that huge crush on Fiona Meelberg, a Dutch postgrad student. Blonde and blue-eyed, Fiona turned heads on the campus and all Aeron could do was to admire the blonde bombshell from afar. Then Harry came to the rescue. Knowing about her attraction to Fiona, he managed to get the woman to tutor them for a semester. It was hard to concentrate having the woman in such close proximity, but at the end of the semester, her attraction had dwindled a little and the three of them have become fast buddies. Fiona had a teaching position in Ireland and was happily married with three kids. To this day, she held her friendship with Harry in very high regard. The skinny boy-man has proved his loyalty and friendship over and over since then.

  “I’ll tell you, but I want you to listen first before you interrupt me.” Harry nodded and reached for his fork. “Uh…maybe you shouldn’t eat or drink anything until I’m done.”

  Harry’s eyebrow shot up. “You’re not serious…You are? But the food will get cold and you know how I hate cold fries.”

  “Trust me, Harry. I don’t think your skinny ribs can handle another Heimlich manoeuvre.”

  Exhaling noisily, Harry put his fork down and pushed his glass out of reach. “Okay. Shoot.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Aspen was still shaking as she let herself into the penthouse. She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. So close, yet so far. She heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

  “I know it would sound stupid asking a three-thousand-year old woman this, but where have you been?”

  Pushing away from the door, Aspen gave Aka a small grin. “Where do you think I was?”

  Aka eyes widened. “You were with her? Oh no, Aspen, I thought we spoke about this,” Aka said softly. “Did you talk to her?”

  “No. But I think she sensed my presence.” A slow smile formed on her lips. “I don’t know how she did it, but she always knew when I was near.”

  A look of relief came over Aka’s face. “Just be careful next time. We don’t want to scare her off before you had the time to seduce her.”

  Seduce her? Aspen almost laughed at that. She was the one being seduced.

  “Have you eaten already? I can prepare something light.” Aka stepped closer and held out her hand. “Come with me.”

  Taking the other woman’s hand, Aspen was led to the large, underutilized kitchen. When in Ankara, they mostly ordered from the restaurant. They could do so even now; even at this late hour. She owned the hotel after all. Aspen sat quietly as she watched Aka collecting fresh vegetables and lettuce from the fridge.

  “Would you like a salad?”

  “A salad’s fine.” She didn’t want to start a war by telling Aka that she wasn’t in the mood for food at that moment.

  “Anything to drink?”

  Aspen came to her feet and walked to the fridge. Aeron was drinking a beer, maybe it was time she tried that ghastly drink too. It couldn’t be too bad if the archaeologist liked it. She got herself a beer and a bottle of water for Aka. Seeing her choice of beverage, Aspen noticed Aka’s surprise.

  “Are you going to drink that? You hate beer.”

  Aspen twisted the top of and took a sip. She grimaced, swallowing the bile that rose at the horrendous taste. “It tastes even worse than I thought.”

  Aka chuckled. “I believe it takes some getting used to. Would you like something else?”

  “No,” Aspen said quickly. “I’ll finish this.” Even if it kills her. Aka smirked before she returned to the salad she was preparing. For a long moment, the only sound in the kitchen was of the chopping of the knife as Aka cut up vegetables. Aspen tried another sip of the beer and this time managed to keep a straight face.

  “Tell me about her.”

  Surprised, Aspen lifted her eyes to meet Aka’s. “Phage?”

  “Yes. I want to know more about her. About the two of you?” Aka prompted gently.

  Aspen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She hadn’t spoken about Phage to anyone. Being the descendants of her loyal servant, Potlemis, Aka and Sadik followed the millennia-old instructions left by their ancestors and predecessors on what was expected from them. No one, not even Potlemis, had asked her about Phage. Then on the other hand, he was there when Phage was still alive. He had witnessed their love. The only time he came close to asking her outright, was that night when the sky opened and raged down on the earth, cleaving it with lightning bolts and lashing rain. The gods were livid and she was their target. With Phage barely gone and the realm still mourning, the gods heaped more agony on them. Floods destroyed lands, drowned livestock and dumped the small kingdom into a state of emergency. To appease them and to plead forgiveness for her rash outspokenness over the loss of her soul mate, Aspen had called upon them to focus their rage on her. They ceased their onslaught. The rain stopped, rivers settled and soon afterwards the fields turned green with the promise of forthcoming abundance.

  One night, not long after that, Aspen awakened with a deep, bone-jarring pain in her chest. Her bedroom was lit by an unusual light. When she tried to sit up, she found she couldn’t. Then came the doomed words. She still remembered them clearly as if they were only uttered an hour ago.

  “Mortal Queen, you have brought the ire of the gods upon you and your people. Your selfishness brought your kingdom to the brink of collapse. As Guardians of the people, it is not our wish to take what precious little they have. Thus, in generosity, we have multiplied what we have seized in anger. But you have a debt unpaid, Queen Aspen. A debt we refused to extract in blood. With the first rays of the sun tomorrow, the payment of your debt will commence. You were willing to incur the wrath of the gods over one person. We deem it fair to let you wander the earth in search of that one thing you were willing to sacrifice your kingdom for.”

  At that time, paralyzed by fear, she didn’t understand the full meaning of the words. But she did at first light.

  Not able to sleep and chained to her bed by the searing pain, she could feel her insides shifting painfully. The muscles in her body became rigid as a terrifying coldness seeped into her limbs. By the time the first rays of the sun touched the earth, she laid in petrified paralysis; her senses awake but her body an alien vessel of emptiness.

  As was his custom since the passing of Phage, Potlemis came to her room first. What he saw, made him drop the tray with breakfast and rush to her bedside. Helplessly, she had watched as the closest person to family wept mournfully. He had locked out the world from her chambers that day and stayed with her the whole day, fasting.

  They were both surprised when, as soon as the last rays of the sun disappeared, her heartbeat filled their ears, startling her after the long silence. Immediately, her limbs became mobile and with a deep gasp, she sat up, scaring poor Potlemis into a faint.

  That first night, Potlemis, after hearing all that had transpired between her and the godly being, asked her if Phage was worth it. Without any hesitation, she had given her answer.

  “Phage is everything.”

  “Excuse me,” Aka inquired softly as she regarded Aspen with confusion. “Did you say something?”

  Realizing that she must’ve spoken out loud, Aspen cleared her voice and met Aka’s eyes. “I said Phage is everything.”

  Aka smiled gently. “Then I heard you right the first time. What was she like?”

  Aspen lifted the bottle to her mouth and took a long draught. She blinked at the bitter taste in her mouth. Was the taste ever going to get better? She looked up and found Aka’s twinkling eyes.

  “It will get better,” Aspen said weakly, not sure whom she was trying to assure, herself or Aka.

  “I would hope so.”

  Aspen looked at the bottle and gently picked at the label. “She was very quiet…an introvert. I think I was the only person who could get her to say more than a few sentences at a time. Gentle.” Aspen swallowed at the
sudden lump in her throat. “For a warrior she was very gentle. The children always flocked to the castle to be with her. They knew she wouldn’t say much, but she was patient with them, carving wooden toys…” Her voice trailed off.

  It was only when Aka skirted the marble island to gently wipe the tears from her eyes, that Aspen realized she was crying.

  “I miss her.” The whisper sounded broken, even to her ears.

  “Hush, Khatun. We’ve found her.” Aka murmured gently and cupped Aspen’s cheek. “The search is over.”

  Aspen swallowed hard to stop the fresh tears that threatened to fall. “Having her so close and not be with her…it hurts so much.”

  “Then we’ll have to make it happen sooner than we thought. Should I ask Sadik to see if he can bring her to the island earlier?”

  Aspen blinked at Aka. She would like that more than anything. To stand before Aeron, inhale her scent and look into those beautiful golden eyes of hers. She craved to touch her skin even if just to make sure that Phage’s incarnation was not a cruel dream conjured up by the ever-vengeful gods.

  But she shook her head slowly. She had waited so long already. Three more days were nothing.

  “No, Aka, I can wait,” she said in a strong voice.

  Aka smiled and Aspen could see the love and pride in the woman’s eyes. At that moment, she missed her ever faithful Potlemis. She had mourned him for centuries after his passing. He had made sure that she was taken care of before his passing. In front of her stood a tangible memory of the man she loved like a brother. Aspen came to her feet and enveloped Aka in a tight hug.

  “I love you and I am honoured to call you family,” she said and brushed a kiss over the shorter woman’s crown. They stood like that for a long moment before Aka pushed out of the embrace. Aspen saw her slyly wipe her eyes.

  “You need to get something in your stomach before that beer makes you act even stranger than you already are.”

  Aspen smiled brightly at the self-conscious woman and took another sip of the beer. Once again stunned by the horrible taste, she pulled her face. When she stole a look at Aka, it was to find the woman shaking her head.

  “Why you do it to yourself, I don’t know.”

  “Aeron likes it,” Aspen said sheepishly and waited for Aka to laugh at her. Aka put the chopping knife down and leaning both hands on the marble surface, stared at her.

  “You expect me not to laugh, don’t you?” When Aspen shrugged, Aka smirked. “Not a chance of that happening.”

  For a moment they looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Aka unexpectedly threw her head back and let out peals of laughter. Taking the half full bottle, Aspen walked over to the sink, where she poured out the foamy brew. She returned to her place at the island and waited patiently for Aka’s laughter to die down.

  She’ll never admit it to anyone, but she, too, can see the absurdity in trying to do something as juvenile as drinking beer to impress a love interest.

  ***

  Aeron called the waiter over and smiled when he motioned that he would attend to her in just shortly. When she turned back to Harry, it was to still find him staring at her in mute shock. For a moment she doubted her judgement in not having censored some of the things she’d told him. She quickly discarded the thought.

  “Are you okay, buddy?”

  “I’m not sure,” he answered in a timid voice.

  “Would you rather I shouldn’t have told you?”

  Harry snorted. “It’s too late to ask that question now, Aeron.” He reached for his water glass and took a sip. “How long has this been going on?”

  Aeron bit the tip of her nail. “The dreams or the invitation to Lesbos?”

  “The phone calls…everything?”

  “Well, the dreams started on my twenty fifth birthday. They only increased recently when Sadik told me about Phage and the artefacts he had in his collection. The phone call only happened that once.”

  The waiter came over to their table and Aeron asked for two more beers and reordered their dishes. The waiter had a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at their half-eaten plates. He kept his silence and began to clear up the dishes. While the waiter cleared up the table, Aeron studied Harry. Harry’s eyes were dark and worried behind his thick-rimmed glasses.

  “I know,” he began when the waiter had left, “I have no right to say this to you, but I’m worried about all this. It sounds a little too farfetched, but you are the most level-headed person I know.” He clenched and unclenched his hands. “What if this is a setup or…or a way to kidnap you. You’re very rich and that is no secret. Everyone knows about your father and him being archaeological royalty.”

  If Harry wasn’t sounding genuinely concerned, Aeron would’ve laughed at him. Harry had always been too sceptical of everything in his life, except their friendship. She reached out and placed her hand over his.

  “Thank you, Harry.”

  “For what?” He looked even more puzzled.

  “For caring and for not telling me I’m crazy.”

  Harry gave her a small grin. “I have to admit that for a split moment there I thought you were.” He sobered up suddenly. “Having seen the woman with my own eyes, I can’t help but believe you. Do you know who she is?”

  Aeron felt a frisson of arousal, thinking about the woman. “No. I have no idea who she is. I don’t even know what she looks like.”

  “All I could make out was that she was quite tall. It was too dark to see anything else,” Harry added. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He squinted at her. “This is all so strange. What are you going to do about this? And how do you know the Galatian artefacts are not just a ruse to lure you to…I don’t know.”

  This time Aeron chuckled. “How come I get the idea that you want to go with me, Hairball?”

  Harry smiled but his eyes were serious. “I’m just worried, Aeron, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Aeron leaned over the small table and grabbed Harry in a tight hug. “I love you, but if it comes out I said it, I swear I’ll make you disappear.” When she was settled back in her seat, she smiled. “I promise I’ll be fine. I’m a good judge of character and Sadik is a not a crook.” She held Harry’s eyes for a long while until he looked away.

  “Okay, fine. By the way, you never told me about the sex. Is it nice?”

  Aeron felt her face turn warm. “For crying out loud, Harry! You pervert.”

  A bright smile lit up Harry’s face. “You do realize that if you are getting laid, even in your dreams, then there is hope for me too.”

  They both burst out laughing causing the other patrons to scowl at them.

  CHAPTER 13

  The rest of the week flew by and by the end of Thursday evening Aeron was so tired that she simply collapsed face first on her bed. Luckily, in her near comatose state she’d remembered to set the alarm so she could wake up after a short nap to pack. She took a quick shower and was busy packing when there was a knock on her door. Looking at the alarm clock she wondered who would be visiting her at half past ten in the evening. She peered through the peephole and smiled when she saw Caroline’s grinning face. She opened the door and squealed when she saw a smiling Harry standing next to Caroline.

  “Since we won’t see you on your birthday tomorrow, we’ve decided to come and congratulate you today,” Caroline said and stood on her toes to give Aeron a one armed hug. She pushed past Aeron and entered the room. “I see you’re packing already...”

  Aeron turned back to Harry and pulled him into a hug. “Hi, Harry.”

  Harry blushed furiously and pushed up his glasses after the exuberant hug. “You’re getting too touchy feely lately. But then I understand that you can’t help yourself. I have that kind of effect on women.” He held up a plastic carrier and Aeron saw a couple of wine bottles peeking out. “You take this. I have to compose myself before I enter your domain.”

  Frowning slightly, she took the plastic bag. “You’re a wei
rd one, Hairball.”

  “Says the Airhead. Now go.” He really looked harried and laughing; Aeron entered the room and closed the door behind her.

  Caroline immediately dived for the bag and pulled out a wine bottle. “Those kids will be the death of me. Can you believe what they did?” Before Aeron could respond, Caroline continued. “Two of them were chasing each other around and accidently bumped into my desk. The chard I called you about earlier fell and broke. It will take a miracle to get it accepted and catalogued.”

  Aeron winced. “That’s really bad.”

  “Yes, I had to inform Mustafa and he was livid. I’m sending the two back home tomorrow and they will feel the pain when I award marks for field work next semester.”

  The door opened and Harry stepped in, a small pink and white cake with burning candles formed in a three and zero. “Happy birthday to you…”

  Caroline joined in with a silly little dance. Aeron laughed at the two’s off-cue rendition of the song and clapped hands when they killed off the song with an even worse off-cue note.

  “You guys are the best,” she gasped through her laughter and gave them each a hug.

  “Make a wish,” Harry said softly and, keeping his arm around her, held the cake high. “And make it a good one.” He winked at her.

  Caroline pushed closer. “Am I missing something here? What’s with the secret language and the winks?”

  “You’re imagining things, Caroline dear,” Harry teased, winking at Aeron again.

  “See…see! There! You did it again.”

  “Really, Caro, you need to see someone about that. It could be contagious,” Harry growled playfully, covering his nose. At Caroline’s furious look Aeron and Harry burst out laughing.

  “Whatever,” Caroline cut back. “Blow out the candles so we can get to the wine.”

  “Ah, the wench speaks my language,” Harry purred. “Now blow out the candles.”