Carved in Stone

by Stein Willard

  “You can say that. My mother is a food critic.”

  “It must be a wonderful job,” Aka said with a grin. “Imagine going to all those expensive restaurants, receiving top class service and dining on seven star dishes.”

  Aeron smiled. “I can see the appeal. However, she’s more geared toward discovering new talent and tutoring them. She feels that the current celebrity chefs are monopolizing the industry, thus leaving no to little room for new talent and innovation.”

  “And what is your opinion on the matter?” The Sultana had her eyes on her plate which gave Aeron an opportunity to study her. Everything about the woman screamed sex. She took in the sleek black hair and the proud forehead until her gaze stopped at the beautifully sculpted lips. She wondered what they would feel like, pressed against hers. They looked so soft and inviting. The Sultana would surely be a good…no…an awesome kisser. Just as the dark head lifted, Aeron looked away.

  “I love a good meal. Growing up with a food critic, it was inevitable that I would be schooled in technical aspects like presentation, combinations and preparation. My general expectation is that it should taste good. Unfortunately, as part of my training I always had to be careful with what I eat. It meant that I missed out on a lot of good dishes over the years.”

  “You train?” Aka asked.

  “Yes, I’m a bodybuilder.” She didn’t look at the Sultana, but she could feel the woman’s eyes on her. “I’ve been stationed here for nearly two years now and with my existing workload, I’ve let myself go a little.”

  Sadik chuckled. “It doesn’t look like you’ve let yourself go too much.”

  Blushing at Sadik’s remark, Aeron stole a quick look at the Sultana. She was surprised to find the woman levelling a hard look at Sadik. She was knowledgeable enough with Turkish customs to know that Sadik hadn’t overstepped his boundaries in any way. It was a playful and honest remark to say the least. The Sultana’s eyes met hers and Aeron’s heart skipped a beat. The Sultana had a look of pure possession in her eyes, which quickly disappeared again.

  Aeron gave Sadik a shaky smile before returning her attention to her food. For the rest of the meal, conversation flowed easily around the table and Aeron took part, even enjoying herself. But she could not shake the look she’d seen the Sultana’s eyes.

  CHAPTER 18

  The night was beautiful with the moon hanging low in the sky, changing the sea into a liquid silvery mass. Standing with her hands clutching the railing, Aspen filled her lungs with deep, desperate gulps of air. She never expected it to be easy, but by the gods; she’d hoped it would be possible. She was burning up with desire and simultaneously strung so tightly she was scared her spine would snap at any moment. Dinner was barely done when she excused herself to come out onto the balcony. She needed a moment to collect herself. Her breathing was rushed and shallow and her grip on the railing tightened. She blinked rapidly to stem the tears which threatened to escape.

  Being so close to Aeron had made her crave for Phage so deeply. Looking at the familiar and beloved features, but having a stranger’s eyes look back at her was hurting more than anything she’d ever experienced. Not even Phage’s death had been this painful. Yes, there was an attraction, but that was all she could sense from the blonde. No recognition at all.

  She wanted her lover…needed her…craved her.

  “Oh…I’m…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

  Aspen spun around at the sound of Aeron’s voice and felt her knees buckle slightly at the sight of the other woman. I’m not ready to face you yet, she screamed silently. Instead, millennia of self-control made her conjure up a smile to hide the pain.

  “No, please, join me. After such a rich, filling meal and the many glasses of wine I’ve consumed I needed a bit of fresh air.” Aspen’s heart melt at the hesitation she saw in the blonde’s eyes. “I would love for you to join me.”

  The blonde came to stand next to her, her hands resting on the railing as she, like Aspen did earlier, looked over the calm sea. They stood in silence. While Aeron took in the serene moonlit scenery, Aspen’s eyes feasted on Aeron. She knew the woman was aware of her close scrutiny, but strange enough, Aspen didn’t care. Aeron may not know it …yet, but she belonged to Aspen. Just like Aspen belonged to her and with her. Aspen’s eyes fell on the large, strong hand resting on the railing. She noticed the blunt nails and the slightly scuffed fingertips. She reached out and placed her hand over the much larger one. She felt a tremor run through Aeron’s hands as the blonde head jerked to the side to look at her.

  “You have strong hands… a warrior’s hands.” She trailed a finger down the long slender length of Aeron’s forefinger. “Warriors, except for the glory they brought to a name, were also considered great lovers because of the way their hands felt on their lover’s skin.”

  A soft gasp escaped from Aeron’s lips and Aspen looked up. Their eyes met and held. Aeron’s lips were still slightly parted, looking so soft and inviting. Before she knew what she was doing, Aspen leaned closer. Their gazes still held as she lifted her lips toward Aeron’s. She moaned softly when she felt the warm breath of Aeron on her forehead. Her breathing ceased when their lips were but a hairsbreadth away.

  “My apologies for…” Aka’s voice trailed off.

  Aspen jerked away from Aeron and pushed a shaky hand through her hair. She wondered if Sadik would mind if she tossed his mother over the patio to the jagged rocks below. She turned to find a blushing Aka holding a tray with coffee.

  “I thought after a meal and the three bottles of wine we’ve consumed, a little coffee would…” Aka walked over to the table. “I will leave the coffee for you and go check up on Anastacio. With the twins’ party tomorrow they might need my help.”

  Aspen smiled at Aka. The woman smiled back and quickly left.

  “Would you like me to serve you?” She saw a flash of surprise in the golden gaze. Aspen’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “I doubt even I can get coffee wrong.”

  Aeron blushed wildly. “I…I didn’t mean to imply that, Sultana.”

  Aspen chuckled. “I know, Doctor Whittaker. I was simply teasing you. So, would you like a cup of coffee or do you prefer another glass of wine?”

  “Coffee would be nice. And please call me Aeron.”

  Nodding, Aspen walked over to the table to pour two cups of coffee. “It’s a beautiful name, strong and ancient. An unusual name for an unusual woman.”

  Aeron appeared next to her, a silly grin on her face. “Well, not many people can make the connection. Most people think more in terms of ergonomic office chairs.”

  Aspen laughed softly as she pointed to the sugar and cream containers. Aeron shook her head and took the offered cup with a soft ‘thank you’.

  “It has many meanings, but my favourite is the Celtic version.” Aspen looked at Aeron as she drank from her cup.

  “The Goddess of Battle and Slaughter?” Aeron smirked. “My father is crazy about all things Celtic. Unfortunately, I’m nowhere near doing the name any justice.”

  If only you knew, Aspen thought as she studied Aeron. Maybe it was time to test the water. She walked over to the railing and stared out over the sea as she gathered her thoughts.

  “Phage was a great warrior. How could she not be, being the daughter of the celebrated Herponin, Queen of the Amazons?” A soft gasp sounded. She turned to look at Aeron and found the blonde staring at her, slack-jawed. “You will examine all the evidence tomorrow, but if you like, I could tell you more.” Her sharp gaze noticed the slight shaking of Aeron’s hand. “My ancestors collected everything they could find on Phage.” The lie rolled easily from her tongue. Aeron placed her cup on the table and came over to stand next to Aspen, her body radiating with expectation.

  “So it’s true.” Aeron whispered. “Will… will you tell me more, please?”

  Aspen nodded. “When the young Queen Aspen inherited a small kingdom from her father, she needed allies and trade accords to secure the welf
are of her people. All around her, the Romans sat in wait, plotting to steal her throne. As a last resort, she travelled to Greece to form an alliance with the illustrious Queen Herponin. Cunning and powerful, the Queen was known as a formidable opponent. Even the Romans cut a wide berth around her.”

  Aspen took a sip from her coffee as she recalled the first time she’d laid eyes on the Amazonian legend. Queen Herponin was tall and built like an oak tree. Her flinty eyes, steady and all-seeing had unnerved Aspen at first. It was in the middle of the dialogues that Aspen realized that the woman, dressed in animal fur and war paint, was not even aware of her own reputation. The Queen, first and foremost, fought for the well-being of her sisters. She called them all sisters and not subjects. She wanted to ensure that, if the time comes and misfortune befell her sisters, they would have a safe haven where water would be offered freely and the arms of friendship and trust would embrace them. Aspen’s respect for the woman was great.

  She glanced at Aeron and found the woman’s gaze on her. “To conclude their pact, the Queen offered her daughter, Phage, as a guarantee to Aspen. They joined and were happily married for five years, ruling Galatia until Phage fell in battle.” An image of Phage’s unmoving body, frozen in death, flashed before Aspen’s face. It was much later that she heard that Phage led the charge on a fleeing Roman battalion. A wayward spear managed to breach her armour and pierced Phage’s lung. Not wanting to give in to defeat, she had ordered her men to leave her and disintegrate the Romans. All the while, she laid there on the battlefield, her precious lifeblood seeping out. But she stubbornly held on to see Aspen for one last time. My warrior. My heart. My breath.

  Aspen abruptly turned away and walked over to the table to replenish her coffee cup. Tears lodged in her throat but she blinked them away. It was not time to cry. “Under their reign, Galatia grew prosperous. Phage obliterated the Romans, their biggest threat. Her prowess and reputation made the Romans quake in their boots.”

  “And Aspen? How did she survive the death of her mate and Queen?”

  I died too.

  Aspen’s hands shook as she poured herself another cup of coffee. Luckily, with her back to Aeron, the other woman didn’t see anything. She cleared her throat before turning back to face the woman whose first death she was narrating. Aeron’s eyes swam in tears. She walked over to the blonde and cupped the distraught woman’s cheek. Their eyes held for what felt like an eternity. At that moment, Aspen wished she was bold enough to tell the woman that everything was okay now. Or at the least to just pull her into her arms. As an alternative she stepped away from the woman.

  “She buried her Queen and disappeared. But not before she bequeathed everything she valued to a loyal servant.”

  “Your ancestor?”

  Another lie. “Yes.”

  She averted her eyes knowing that the pain of lying once again might show. Phage never lied to her … not once. Not even when she was dying. It irked her to do this. She gulped when the blonde took a step closer to her and she looked up to find two tears streaking down Aeron’s cheeks. For a moment there was hope … hope that maybe Aeron remembered and felt the anguish Aspen experienced.

  “Tell me about Aspen?”

  Surprised, Aspen blinked at the woman. “Aspen? What about Aspen?”

  “Was she loved before she met Phage?”

  Aspen froze. An image of a beautiful dark woman in an elaborate golden headdress, stroking a cat and accompanied by a horde of slaves, flashed before her eyes. She remembered slanted dark eyes, accentuated by black eye liner and a strong, prominent nose every time the woman came to visit. She once asked Anura, whom she had learned later was her nursemaid, who the woman was, but no answer was forthcoming. Anura allowed her to be in the room when the strange woman came calling but she was always cautioned to be quiet and respectful. Aspen bowed before the richly dressed woman and stood as still as a statue as the woman stared at her intently. Always overwhelmed by the woman’s attention, she was happy to return to Anura’s bosom when the strange woman left. Her nursemaid would cradle her closer to her heart with a fierce expression on her face and whisper soft endearments to her, accompanied by tender kisses. She felt loved. She was loved.

  Then came that night when the nursemaid woke her in the dead of the night. The night was quiet, but unsettling as she sat on the step of the house she had shared with Anura, waiting for her as the woman rushed through the house. A short while later, they and their belongings were packed onto a camel and rushed into the dark night. Too scared to ask an already nervous-looking Anura, she had sat quietly, her small arms clasped around the other woman’s waist as the camel’s ungainly gait carried them further away from their home and friends. They found refuge in a strange land, with even stranger people. Just when she thought that they were settling into their new home, a strange man with a wild beard began visiting their residence. He would sit opposite her in his strange animal fur garb, staring at her. Anura was never far, her hovering presence a safe anchor to a ten-year-old. She grew up to understand that the strange man was the king of this unusual, but generous group of people. Although different from the place she’d spent her first few years, Aspen felt at home amongst the passionate, war-loving race. The king’s visits continued, but after two years it began to dwindle and finally stopped. However, Anura remained a constant presence. Her love and tenderness, Aspen’s home.

  Aspen offered Aeron a small smile. “Yes. She was loved.”

  Finally, a truth.

  ***

  Aeron was confused as she looked at the Sultana. As an archaeologist she had interviewed her fair share of sources. The accounts were always descriptive, speculative and sometimes exaggerated. The Sultana’s account was different. There was something in her voice as she spoke…something almost personal.

  She moved to stand next to the woman and placed her cup and saucer on the table, ignoring the now familiar thrill that went through her every time the she was in close proximity to the woman. The dark eyes watched her closely and for a moment Aeron wondered if she was about to overstep her boundaries.

  “Are you okay?” she asked carefully as she studied the woman. She saw a slight widening of the woman’s eyes. Why would a simple gesture of concern cause such surprise? The woman nodded slowly as she moved even closer to Aeron. She was so close that Aeron had to lean back so she could see the woman’s eyes. For a silent moment they just stared at each other.

  “I am now,” the Sultana answered after a while as her arms curled around Aeron’s waist. Aeron’s breath got stuck in her chest as she felt a sharp current of electricity rush through her at the woman’s touch. The Sultana pressed close, resting her dark head against Aeron’s chest. “I’m more than okay now.”

  With her senses on overload, Aeron stood like a statue not knowing how to handle the unexpected turn of events. Finally, an odd sense of awareness and protectiveness settled in the pit of her stomach as she looked down at the dark head. Aeron almost shook her head at the strange sensation. The woman was immensely powerful, confident and more than capable of taking care of herself. It was absurd for Aeron to feel protective of her. Even as her mind tried to analyse the strangeness of the moment, Aeron’s body reacted. With infinite tenderness she rested her cheek on the sleek dark head as her arms enfolded the woman in a protective circle. Aeron felt the woman take a shuddering breath and she tightened her hold. She felt a slight tremor chase through the Sultana and automatically responded to the woman’s obvious distress.

  She lifted a hand to gently stroke the Sultana’s sleek mane. Her body stiffened in alarm when, instead of abating, the shaking got worse. In fact, the woman was shaking almost uncontrollably now. She held the woman at an arm’s length so she could see her face. The Sultana was ashen and her eyes, although dry, were dark with anguish. Concerned, Aeron cupped the woman’s cheeks. “Should I call Sadik or Aka? You don’t look so good, Sultana.” The pale lips moved, falling open and closing again. For some inexplicable reason it physically hu
rt Aeron to see the woman like this. “Hang on, I’ll be back soon.”

  Before she could take another step, a strong hand grabbed her wrist. “Please don’t go.”

  Aeron swallowed hard. “But…but you need help. I will not be long, I promise.”

  Dark pits of anguish met hers. “Only you can help me.”

  Aeron blinked. “I…I don’t understand. How could…I…What should I do?”

  “Kiss me.”

  Not sure she’d heard correctly, Aeron leaned closer to the Sultana. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. “Excuse me, but did you just ask me to kiss you?” She watched the Sultana closely to make sure the woman’s request was not the result of an intoxicated state.

  “Yes.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Aspen couldn’t stop shaking, no matter how hard she tried. The more she tried, the worse it became until she just allowed the frightening emotions that twirled inside her to pour into her blood and infect the rest of her body. How could she have been so stupid to allow herself to get so close to Aeron? Embraced her? What was she thinking, she berated herself. She sought Aeron’s eyes and found the woman staring back at her with a shell-shocked expression on her face. At that moment Aspen wished she’d kept her mouth shut. She had just blown her chance with the woman.

  She took a steadying breath and stepped away from Aeron. She schooled her face into a mask of indifference. “I have a long day tomorrow. Thank you for celebrating your birthday with us.”

  She turned away, but before she could move, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered closed as sharp shards of pleasure shot through her. She slowly turned back. Aeron’s eyes were warm with concern.

  “Thank you for a wonderful birthday, Sultana. I hope you’ll feel better soon.”