by Speer, Flora
He took her hand again and they continued walking. Now she became aware of an unfamiliar hollowness in the area of her stomach.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Ravenous.” He paused to lean toward her and nibble at her earlobe.
“Herne, I’m serious.” She stopped walking, pulled back a little, and looked up at him. “I ate a lot more food than I usually do. Every mouthful tasted delicious, a fact I noted with surprise because I ordinarily don’t pay much attention to what I eat. But at this moment I feel as if I haven’t eaten at all.”
“Now that you mention it,” Herne said, “I am hungry. Kissing you distracted me from my rumbling stomach.”
“I don’t think there was much substance in the meal we consumed,” she told him. “Nor do I believe it was too much batreen that made me trip. I drank it because I was thirsty, and it did quench my thirst, but that was the only effect I noticed. However, I have had bouts of lightheadedness and dizzy spells ever since we were hit by lightning while we were still aboard the shuttlecraft.”
“Perhaps it wasn’t lightning,” Herne said. “Perhaps that was the moment when we were transported to another time and place. I’ve experienced the same feelings of lightheadedness, but apparently not as severe as yours, and it does seem to be occurring less often. Do you think the dizziness made you trip, not the batreen? It’s possible. The spells will probably fade away as mine are doing.”
“It would be a relief.” They were walking once more, this time with Herne’s arm around her. “I don’t like the feeling of not being in control of my own body, not even for a minute.”
“No?” There was laughter in his voice. Merin knew at once what he meant.
“That’s different.” From the sudden heat flooding her face, she felt certain she was blushing. She said what was in her heart. “Here in Tathan, the laws I have obeyed throughout my life don’t seem at all important.”
“I know. On Sibirna I would never dare to tell a woman I loved her. It would be a fatal admission of weakness. But here, I have told you, and will doubtless tell you again before the night is over. Whatever has happened to us, it’s not all bad so long as we have each other.”
They reached Dulan’s house. Behind it, they could see the long white shape of the Gathering Hall. Dulan had left a lamp burning for them and the door unlatched. The sitting room was empty.
“You said earlier that we should take turns standing watch,” Merin reminded Herne.
“Right.” He moved toward the guest chamber, Merin following him. “We ought to close the door, too.”
“Your tone of voice leads me to believe that you are not entirely serious about our need to stay on guard,” she chided.
“I am, but at the moment, something else interests me more. You.” He threw the bolt on the guestroom door. “I want to make love to you again. I think you want it, too.”
“My existence has been turned upside down,” she said. “Everything I was taught now seems wrong to me. It’s difficult to think clearly, especially when we touch.”
“It’s the same for me.” He reached toward her, to draw her close. She put her hands on his upper arms, keeping their bodies apart for a little bit longer while she tried to understand the sudden differences in her thought patterns.
“Herne, when we came together before, did it hurt you? Please be honest.”
“I wouldn’t call it pain,” he said. “It was a little uncomfortable for me at first, because you were obviously untouched and your entrance was unusually tight. Also, I was trying to restrain myself and that was difficult. Believe me, there is no man in the universe who would consider it a fault in his woman that she came to him completely innocent. You can also trust me when I say neither of us should feel anything but pleasure from now on.”
“Am I your woman, now that we have lain together?”
“For as long as you want to be. I hope forever.”
Once more Merin felt as though everything she knew had been turned around. She had always been taught that the forbidden act she and Herne had committed was hideously painful, that there would be great loss of blood along with permanent, debilitating damage to the bodies of both partners. But Herne had apparently suffered only a moment of discomfort, while her own pain, though sharp and prolonged and accompanied by some bleeding, had ended in unexpected delight. And they were both obviously still healthy. It was easy for her to reach the only possible conclusion from all of this.
For reasons she did not understand, she and everyone else on Oressia had been told lies about the act of love. If her teachers had lied about one subject, they might well have lied about other matters, too. She had been betrayed by those whom she had trusted completely. The realization made her feel ill. It also made her determined to deal honestly with others, especially with Herne, who was dearer to her than anyone else had ever been, and who had not lied to her.
“I sat at Dulan’s table tonight,” she told him, “thinking about what we had done, and wanting to do it again.”
“Then we had identical thoughts.” His quiet voice ignited a fire inside her. She offered him the one gift she had left to give.
“Would you remove my coif?” He could not possibly know that no one was ever allowed to remove an Oressian’s coif, to look at another person’s hair, not even in death, but he seemed to understand the solemnity of her request.
“I would be honored.” He unfastened the chin strap, then lifted the stiff white fabric off her head. Beneath it her hair was tightly coiled and pinned. She bent her head so he could loosen it. He combed through it with both hands, releasing it into curls and delicate tendrils, until her face was like a pale flower set in a mass of gleaming dark brown and gold. Herne caught his breath at the sight.
“My dear love,” he said, “thank you for trusting me enough to let me do this.”
With her hair freed from its strict restraint, Merin was able to answer the question he had asked when they first entered their bedchamber.
“Make love to me, Herne.” Smiling at him, she began to open the neck of her treksuit.
Solemnity suddenly gone, Herne tore at his own suit, pulling his arms out of the sleeves.
Wanting the sensation of his skin against hers, Merin turned her back and quickly removed all of her clothing, then went to the bed. He moved behind her, to run his hands up along her spine and down her sides. She leaned back against his chest, to let him reached around and play with her breasts and stroke her abdomen and down between her thighs, while he kissed the nape of her neck, her shoulders, her throat. His hands moved further, pressing, probing, exciting her beyond endurance. He was doing the most incredible things to her, and she could tell by his quickened breathing that his passion was growing as fast as her own, yet when she pulled away he let her go.
She lay down upon the bed and stretched out her legs. To her surprise, it did not embarrass her to have him watch her movements with devouring eyes. The need that had been growing within her all during the evening could no longer be controlled. Innocent as she still was, she did not know how to indicate what she wanted, except to simply say the words.
“Come.” She opened her arms to him. “I want you inside me right now.”
He was as gentle as he had been the first time, which was a good thing, for Merin knew an instant of jabbing pain – but only an instant, and then all was soaring delight. Her tongue was in his mouth, his manhood was deep inside her, and the exquisite madness was upon her again. She went rigid, poised at the brink of an ecstasy nothing could prevent, and then she sailed bravely out into empty space with him, fearing nothing so long as Herne was with her.
Afterward she slept deeply, lying on her side with her hands at her face like a child. Herne pulled himself up to sit with his head against the wall, keeping watch, protecting his love in case of danger. Moonlight shone upon her through the open window. Even in the silvery light her hair showed brown and gold, with glints of red. Herne picked up a strand, twisting it around his fi
nger.
She had been so innocent that she hadn’t understood exactly what they were doing the first time they made love. Still, for all her innocence, she was the most passionate woman he had ever known. He wanted to cherish her, to guard her and keep her safe for the rest of their lives. His chronic anger and his constant irritation with the daily frustrations and difficulties of life, had vanished, absorbed into the vast expanse of his growing love for her. It was as though there had been a gaping, ugly wound in his soul, and Merin had healed it. He felt complete and at peace, a whole man for the first time in his life.
He knew they might not be able to return to their own time. They might both die here in Tathan when the inevitable Cetan attack came. If necessary, he would give his life to protect her. Whatever finally happened to them, he would always be grateful to her for the happiness and the new peace she had brought him. And nothing would ever make him stop loving her.
Chapter 12
“We are to meet Saray at midmorning,” Dulan told Merin and Herne when they gathered to eat the first meal of the day. Tula, who was to go to Saray’s house with them, arrived soon after. He brought their transportation with him, a wooden cart painted bright blue and yellow, drawn by a pair of black Denebian ixak.
“So this is where you get your leather.” Herne appraised the prancing beasts with a knowing eye.
“Ours is not so fine as true Denebian leather,” Tula said, “but it is adequate for our needs.”
“How many ixak did you bring to the planet with you?” Herne asked, adding to Merin, “It’s no wonder Denebian leather is so expensive. The Denebians have a near monopoly on it because ixak are notoriously difficult to transport. When I was a boy there were only a dozen ixak on all of Sibirna.”
“We lost fifty out of eighty animals during our travels,” Dulan informed them. “Fortunately, most of the survivors were female, so we were able to mate them to the remaining males as soon as we arrived, and the herd has grown steadily. They provide meat for those of us who choose to eat animal products, their hides are tanned into leather, as Herne has noted, and their sharp-edged horns make excellent cutting tools. We turn their hooves into glue and grind their bones into a powder that is used to make both pottery and mortar. There is little in the ixak that is not valuable to us.”
“Best of all,” said Tula, holding the reins tightly to keep the animals under control, “is their willingness to pull heavy loads over long distances.”
Dulan and Tula climbed into the front seat of the cart, with Tula driving. Merin and Herne sat in the back seat. They were comfortable enough while moving slowly along the paved streets of Tathan, but once they left the town and were heading northward across a treeless plain, Tula urged the ixak into a faster pace. It was a bumpy ride over a rutted country road. Merin held tight to the side of the cart to keep herself from being thrown about, and Herne did the same on his side. The two telepaths, accustomed to this form of transportation, did not seem to mind the lack of springs or of padding for the wooden seats.
“There is the River Tath on our left,” said Dulan, waving a hand in that direction. “North of the city the land begins to rise as we approach the cliffs. Half a day’s journey beyond Saray’s house is the quarry where all of our building stone is cut. The stone is floated down the Tath to the city on barges.”
It took about an hour to reach Saray’s house, which was built on a slight rise overlooking the river. A servant was waiting at the entrance to show them to Saray.
The rooms through which they passed were decorated in white, pale green, and silver. All were open and airy, sheltered from sun and wind by the surrounding garden, which was planted with trees and white flowers. They came out of the house onto a sun-dappled terrace, where a small fountain played. In the pool beneath the splashing water, blue and black fish darted, searching for food. White stone benches were set about the terrace. On one of them sat a black and white cat, and a woman with long black hair. The woman rose as her visitors approached.
“I am honored that my old teacher comes to me for help,” she said, looking at Dulan. “What is it you wish of me?”
“I think you know,” said Dulan.
“Good day to you, Tula.” Saray smiled at him. ”Who are these strangers?”
“Merin and Herne.” Tula sounded annoyed, as if he thought Saray was playing with him. “Thanks to you, they landed in Tathan unwillingly, out of time, out of place. It is your duty to return them at once, after which we expect you to cease these outrageous experiments.”
“Gently, Tula.” Dulan put out a restraining hand. “Saray is not one to be forced into anything.”
“Dear Dulan,” said Saray. “Always patient, always slow to change.”
“Some changes are best not made,” said Dulan.
With the black and white cat trailing after her, Saray approached Merin and Herne. She was a gracefully slender woman, but older than Merin had first thought. Seen from a nearer perspective, there were fine lines about her dark eyes, and a softness to the outline of chin and throat that suggested approaching middle age. But there was no grey in the straight black hair that hung almost to her waist and her white gown was fastened at her shoulders with round gold brooches, a style that made clear how firm and smooth her upper arms still were. Her feet were bare. She wore twin bracelets of gold strands twisted together to look like rope and tied into a knot at each wrist.
Merin glanced at Herne and saw that he had noticed, too. Saray’s jewelry was more finely made, but in style it was identical to the twin bracelets of a High Priest that Osiyar had worn when he first arrived at Tarik’s colony.
“Do you call yourself a High Priestess?” Herne demanded.
“Others do.” Saray responded with a look of astonishment at the abrupt question. “I do not. I am but a conduit for the power of Ananka.”
“From what I’ve heard and experienced,” Herne told her, “you have great power yourself.”
“Why do you ask if I am a High Priestess?” Saray inquired.
“We count among our friends a telepath who was a High Priest in a different settlement on this world. He wore bracelets like yours.”
“I am pleased to hear you say this.” Saray flashed a triumphant look in Dulan’s direction. “Will you believe me now, old teacher, that my efforts will have meaning far beyond your lifetime or mine?”
“What I believe or do not believe is not the issue here,” Dulan replied. “Your thoughtless experiment has harmed these good people by removing them from their friends and all they know. What you and Ananka do that does not affect others is not our concern. But now you have begun to harm the innocent and the unwilling. That we cannot allow.”
“Do not threaten me, Dulan. My power is greater than yours.”
“While you were my pupil,” Dulan told her, “I tried to instill in you a sense of moral obligation as well as telepathic strength. Talent such as yours carries with it the responsibility to balance it against the temptations of unbridled power.”
“You accuse me of immorality, of irresponsibility?” Saray looked stunned. “I have merely followed the dictates of my teacher, who advised me always to test the boundaries of my skills.”
“To every skill there are limits beyond which it is unwise to reach,” Tula said.
“I would expect that from you,” Saray sneered. “You, who cannot control your own detection of the emotions of others, who have but minimal telepathic talent.”
“Tula has talent enough to cause him to be banished from the Jurisdiction along with your parents and the rest of us,” Dulan snapped. “Saray, we are not here to quarrel, but to find solutions to mutual problems. We ask your help for Merin and Herne.”
“I am aware of no problems that we have in common,” Saray said distainfully. “And what you call a request sounded more like a demand to me.”
“Saray.” Seeing the flash of rising anger in the woman’s dark eyes, Merin decided she ought to make her feelings known instead of letting others spea
k for her. “Herne and I do not belong in Tathan. We want to go home.”
“And you believe I can send you there? How flattering.” Saray transferred her attention from Dulan and Tula to Merin.
“You brought us here. Only you can see us safely back again,” Merin insisted, boldly meeting Saray’s gaze.
“I did not do it alone,” Saray admitted. “I needed Ananka’s strength to carry out this most daring of all my experiments.”
“Now that you have proven your ability to overcome the barriers of time, it seems to me that the necessary next step would be to reverse your experiment. You can have no other use for Herne and me. Please, send us home.” Merin kept her gaze on Saray’s and held her breath, hoping.
“An eminently sensible scientific proposal,” Saray said. Then, looking at Herne, she asked, “Does Merin speak for you? Do you wish to leave Ananka and the delights she has to offer in order to accompany Merin?”
“I love Merin,” Herne replied without hesitation, his prompt and sincere words ending a moment of anguish for Merin, making clear his preference for her over the mysterious attractions of Ananka. “Wherever Merin is, I will be at her side.”
“I think Ananka will not be pleased.” The corners of Saray’s mouth pulled downward. “Still, because Merin has made a polite request of me instead of commanding me as these two who claim to be my friends have done, I will confer with Ananka on the matter.”
“When may we expect an answer from you?” asked Tula with more than a little impatience.
“The answer will not come from me, but from Ananka. When I have learned it, I will convey it to you,” Saray responded. “May I offer you food and drink after your journey?”
The question was a rhetorical one, for servants had already appeared bearing trays of fruit and delicate pastries, pitchers of cool water, and the ever-present batreen. Feeling desperately hungry in spite of having eaten a large morning meal, Merin eagerly accepted several pieces of fruit, some pastry, and a goblet of water. She noticed that Herne was eating heartily, too.
