by C B Williams
“No, Goddess. He is not of Spur. He says he is from Entean. He is the Champion of Entean.”
“Entean, you say? That is a name I’ve not heard in a millennium.”
“Forgive my curiosity, Goddess, but these names, Spur and Entean. Who are they?”
Longwei studied her. It was time to begin her education. “Spur and Entean are like me, other worlds, Priestess. My Sisters.”
“Sisters? You have sisters? How many?”
“Many, but I have not spoken with any of my sisters for a long, long time.”
“Why not, Goddess?”
“Things…happened. Long ago. Things you have no need to know. You say this Champion of Entean wishes to speak with me?”
Kalea nodded. “Yes, Goddess.”
“Go now, Priestess. Go be with your people. I will summon you when I’ve named your Calling.”
“But I am only halfway through the moon.”
“Be with your people. I am satisfied. I am glad you are home where you belong.”
“So am I...Goddess?”
“Priestess?”
“You are very beautiful seen from above.”
“Another day, I shall ask you to describe what I look like. Now go, my treasured Priestess. Fly.”
Kalea bowed deeply and shifted into her Nuri form. Her wings unfolded and she launched herself into the sky.
Longwei noticed the wing. With a thought she restored its original beauty, blemish free.
So the Champion wishes to speak with me. Perhaps, then, I should pay him a visit.
She transformed into lava and melted into the cone.
Chapter 12
Longwei Pays a Visit
It had crept up on them during the night. If it hadn’t been for Little Sister’s whines and growls waking them, they might not have survived it.
Then the heat and small explosions drove them out of their hut. Speechless, they stared while the lava ate up the jungle around them, the molten rock forming a circle around their hut that glowed in the dawn. Soon it would block their only path to escape.
Little Sister pulled on Wren’s shirt.
“Wren, go with Little Sister while you can.”
“Never.”
“Please, Wren. Get your knives and go. If there’s any chance I can survive this, I have to know you’re safe. I don’t have enough power to protect us both.”
“I can’t leave you, Eloch. Please don’t ask me to,” Wren pleaded. “I’d rather die now than live without you. I mean it.”
“As would I.” He hugged her, breathed in her scent, clinging to her as much as she clung to him. “But to save us both, I must communicate with Longwei. Trust me. I know what I’m doing, Wren. I do.” He kissed her, gently, savoring her warmth. “Now, go,” he said releasing her.
Little Sister howled.
Wren glanced at her escape route. There was barely time. “I trust you, Eloch. Don’t keep me waiting.” Without looking back, she ran to join Little Sister, who whimpered and paced at the lava’s border. As she dashed to safety, she didn’t dare look back. If she had, she’d never be able to leave him.
When she was clear, Wren stopped and turned. “Oh Eloch,” she whispered and sank to her knees. She flung an arm around Little Sister and leaned into the great beast.
The lava was building a wall, blocking Eloch from her view. All she could see was the tip of his staff. She watched it swing in a circle around him. And then, that, too, was gone.
“If you die, I die.” She wondered when she had made that decision.
She swiped at her face, stood tall, and began her vigil with Little Sister standing beside her. She put a hand on the creature’s head, unable to decide who calmed whom.
Together they watched and waited for something…anything…to happen. But nothing changed. For three long days and three fitful nights the dome stood. During the day it smoked. At night it glowed as intensely as an ember in a fire.
And all she could think was that Eloch, the man she loved more than her life, was in there, surrounded by heat that would incinerate anything and everything in its path.
He had asked her to trust him, trust that he knew what he was doing. And so she did, despite the heavy sighs and looks of sympathy she got from the villagers who stopped by from time to time, bringing her food, drink, and keeping her company.
The one who visited most frequently was Pika. He forced her to eat and convinced her to nap, promised he’d wake her if there was a change. His calm reminded Wren of Flick, and she took comfort from having him stand silently beside her while she waited.
She was alone when the dome collapsed. The thunderous sound brought others running from all directions. They gathered around the collapsed dome in a semicircle, making room for Ululani and her children to stand beside Wren, who stood with her hands clutched over her heart, barely able to breathe.
Little Sister growled a warning.
“It’s okay, Little Sister” Wren told her. “They want to help.”
Ululani sighed and patted Wren’s shoulder. “I am afraid the Goddess has claimed your man,” she said sadly. “I’m very sorry. He seemed a fine and just man. I would have enjoyed being able to converse more with him.”
“The Goddess does not like strangers.” Haku said. “You should be careful. You cannot escape Her for long.”
“You cannot speak for Longwei,” Pika said, touching the tattoo at his throat.
“And neither can you,” Makini spat.
“Children, enough.” Ululani glared at the three. “This is not the time for squabbling. Our guest has just lost her mate. She needs our understanding and sorrow.”
“No,” Wren said quietly. “I don’t know what’s happened, but Eloch is not dead.” She turned to Ululani. “I’d know if he was dead.”
Ululani smiled sadly and shook her head. “I don’t see how he could have survived, I’m afraid. The heat alone would have killed him days ago. It grieves me to tell you this, but it is so.”
“Look!” A villager shouted and pointed upwards.
“It’s Kalea!” Haku shouted. Eager to escape the heavy sadness, he shifted into his Nuri form and vaulted into the air. Pika and Makini followed suit.
Ululani hesitated and looked at Wren.
“Please go. Greet your daughter. I appreciate your concern, but I’d rather be alone now anyway.”
“We will be celebrating her return tonight. We will all understand if you decide not to attend. I’ve prepared a new hut for you. Pika can take you to it.” She patted Wren’s shoulder once more and turned back to the village, her people silently filing after their queen.
Wren took a couple of tentative steps toward the rubble, but the heat drove her back to where she’d been keeping her vigil.
It would be so easy to collapse into despair. So very easy. With great effort, Wren resisted the temptation, swallowed her tears, and squared her shoulders. As long as the instruments on board the Stardust, which monitored Eloch’s life force, said he lived, she would believe it. He was alive and would return to her. She would trust. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t reach Aiko and ask for verification. She would trust anyway.
“I would rather be with you than anywhere else,” Eloch whispered to Wren’s receding form. When he saw she had made it through the lava ring before it closed, he breathed again. And now he found himself alone, surrounded by a ring of lava, greedy, lethal fingers of molten rock tightening the circle.
The wall built until it formed a dome over his head. Only his power prevented it from engulfing him. He could feel its heaviness pressing down on him and wondered if he’d just created his own tomb. He could feel the heat. It was terrible, annihilating.
With tremendous effort he ignored it, took his staff, which had not burst into flame in the heat, and planted it before him. He stilled his mind and reached out to Longwei as he had tried to do so many times since he’d landed. I am Eloch, Champion of Entean, and I send greetings to You from Your Sister. Over and over he chanted th
e simple sentence. How long he had chanted or stood holding the lava at bay, he could not guess.
It was the heat that drew him from his meditative state. It was becoming unbearable. Rivulets of sweat ran down his back and belly, soaking into his leggings. The lava groaned. The ground shivered beneath his feet. It wouldn’t be long now. As the last of his strength gave out, he closed his eyes and thought of Wren, filling his mind with her lovely face. “I am so sorry, my love,” he whispered.
In that moment he mourned the fact he would never see her again more than the fact he would never step foot on Entean again.
“Open your eyes and look at Me, Champion.”
Eloch beheld a woman. Tall and graceful, like the Nuri, her long hair flowing over her breasts coiled like lava. She wore a garland of red flowers on her head and around her neck. Her eyes were coal and fire. Behind her was a tunnel. A lava tube had opened into his tomb. A cool breeze flowed from it.
“I would never let you die,” She told him, “I merely wanted to see how strong you are.”
Ignoring his trembling legs, Eloch kneeled. “My Lady Longwei, You are lovely.”
“I am,” she acknowledged. “I am also very angry. I would have destroyed you had you not been Entean’s Champion. Come. Follow. Until I can contain Myself, speak not a word.” She turned and headed into the tube.
Leaning heavily on his staff, Eloch followed. He shuddered when the dome collapsed behind him, its deep rumbles filling the tube and shaking the ground.
On legs he did not trust, he followed her deep into the mountain, hoping he would not collapse before each new step.
At last Longwei stopped and turned to look at him with eyes more coal than fire. “We will speak here.” At her imperial gesture, the tube widened to form a chamber, complete with lava-formed seating and a table beside one rustic bench. “Sit,” she told him as she seated herself.
Eloch sat and felt the seat mold to his form. He waited and felt his heartbeat find its steady pace. “It feels good to sit,” he said, his voice sounding rusty. He watched as a wooden cup materialized on the table beside his bench.
“You must have thirst. Drink.”
A command.
Eloch picked up the cup, looked at the milky substance, and drank. It tasted metallic and numbed his tongue. “What is it?”
“Something that will make you relax and stop your thirst. Drink. Finish it.”
He did, although the numbness had spread down his throat, making it hard to swallow. He set it down and studied Longwei while she scrutinized him.
After a few moments, he felt more relaxed, bordering on euphoria. He grinned at Her.
She did not return his smile. “Good. We will talk now. Why has Entean sent Her Champion without an invitation?”
The euphoria made it hard for him to collect his thoughts. “Forgive me, Lady, if I do not present myself in the appropriate manner. The drink―“
“Yes, I know about the drink. You do not need to be polished with Me. Speak plainly, Champion.”
Eloch nodded and shrugged. “Entean and now Spur are seeking to reconnect with their sisters.” He sobered when she frowned. “I apologize, did I do something wrong?” Her eyes were a burning red.
“Spur. You spoke Her name. How cowardly for Her to not send Her own Champion.” She paused, “Or perhaps very smart of Her, for I would have devoured him in flames.”
“You are angry with Spur.”
“Beyond forgiveness. How would Entean feel if Spur had sent Her creatures to live upon Her surface?”
“Not well. It is why I traveled to Spur, to tell Her that Her creatures were to remain where they were.”
“Entean was wise to have sent you. Although I do not understand why She is communicating with Spur.” She waved a hand, “Entean was never quick to anger. She preferred to soothe.”
“Soothe is a good description,” Eloch agreed before he continued. “Let me explain. When I arrived, I discovered Spur was in hibernation. Her people had repudiated her. Her people who were the ones colonizing other planets, not Spur. They were unguided. The planet was unbalanced. But no longer. Spur has regained control. When she learned of this, Entean forgave Her Sister.”
Longwei nodded and frowned. “I never wanted those creatures Spur and Entean were so happy creating. I thought they would become uncontrollable. It appears I’m correct.” Her eyes bloomed red. “When they arrived, I called to Spur. Told Her I did not want Her creations defiling My creation and to take them away. When She did not respond, I took matters into My own hands.”
“You destroyed them?”
She snorted. “Of course not. I made them Mine.”
“The Nuri?”
She shook her head. “I created the Nuri from those of Spur, but others of Spur I modified only so they could survive.” She softened. “They would have died, but I admired their determination.”
“The Nuri are special, then.”
“They are special, but I do not love the others less.” Her eyes heated. “I still resent their coming to Me without My permission. I would never have created such troublesome creatures. They lacked humility. I buried their ships and all they contained under my lava before I took pity.”
Eloch nodded. “There are many still on Spur who are learning humility as well.”
“Spur has regained Her proper station?”
“She has begun to. She has control, as I stated earlier, but not all love Her. She would like to speak with You again. She told me through Her Champion how She misses you. I believe She seeks your advice.”
The fire in her eyes intensified. “I am not ready to speak with Her.”
His wits finally returning, Eloch realized it was time to change the subject. Quickly. “Where is your Champion?”
Her laughter sent chills up his spine. Through him.
“I have no Champion. I am my own Champion.” The cup refilled. “Drink.”
Eloch hesitated before he drank. But it was not the previous drink. It was the sweet milky water he had discovered inside the tree nuts. He drained the cup. It refilled. He drank more.
“But who helps You maintain the balance on Your surface?” he asked, setting the cup down.
“Who’s to say it is unbalanced? Any unbalance on My surface comes from others not of Me, such as yourself.”
Eloch bowed his head. “I am sorry. Now I have spoken with You, I and mine will leave You and Yours in peace.”
“I think not, Champion. Not yet. I may need you.”
“Need me?”
“I can no longer keep My people naive. They must learn more of what they are before others take further advantage of them.”
“I do not understand, Goddess.”
“You are not the only off-worlders to have found My planet. I now realize you won’t be the last. My people need to be educated. And they are seeking to be educated. My best and brightest are asking questions. I want you to help them.”
“I will do what I can, but I am Entean’s Champion. I must do Her bidding. If you would only speak with Her.”
Longwei’s eyes flashed. “I can keep you here whether I speak with my Sister or not. But I will consider it.”
Eloch lowered his head.
“You have nothing to say?”
He looked up and gauged his response by studying the fire in her eyes. “What could I say to change Your mind? This is Your domain.”
“You are wise, Champion.” She rose and Eloch followed suit. “Perhaps I will converse with Entean. Since you are here without My permission, it is only reasonable to use you and your people to educate mine. While I am deciding, I will allow you to return to your mate. She needs comforting.”
“Wren,” Eloch breathed.
“Wren, yes. I can tell this has pleased you.”
“Very much. Thank you.”
Longwei swept Her hand and an opening appeared. “If you follow this trail down the mountainside, you will arrive at the village where you are staying. On your way, you will find a ma
n in a hole. He is one of yours. You may take him with you.”
Eloch bowed again, “Thank you, My Lady.”
She touched his arm to stay him and felt the plant. “What is this... that grows within?”
“A gift from Entean so I may always remain connected with Her. It enables me to sense my surroundings as Entean does.”
“This impresses me. You can communicate with Her at this distance?”
“If only that were true! I can feel Her love for me, but cannot communicate with Her directly.”
Longwei cocked her head. “And your power?”
“A gift from Spur.”
She studied him. “Perhaps I shall give you a gift as well.” She dropped her hand. “Perhaps not. You may go, Champion. I will be in touch.”
Eloch bowed once more and turned to leave.
“Wait.”
“Yes, My Lady?
“My priestesses. They speak for Me when matters are trivial. They help with balance. But I am My own Champion.”
Eloch nodded and bowed. “Thank you for explaining their role.”
“You may go.” Longwei waved Her hand and sealed the tube.
Genji lay flat on his back looking up at the sky through the round opening. Was anybody ever going to rescue him? He had given it three days, but now, the morning of the fourth, he finally realized it was time to swallow his pride and contact Aiko. He could handle it. He’d survived embarrassment before. He’d survive it again.
It hurt him to think Kalea hadn’t tried to find him. Really hurt him. It was the reason he hadn’t tried to contact the Stardust after the first day of waiting. He had been so sure she would come for him. Why hadn’t she? Where had she gone?
He’d believed they had a connection, a friendship at least. Perhaps something more. He shook his head and laughed. “Typical of me to misread signals. Typical foolish Genji. The girl just wanted to go home.”
He reached for his equipment bag and dug around for the transmitter.
Time to be embarrassed.
A shadow blocked the light. He felt a little flutter.
“Genji?”
A male voice, one he recognized.
