“Maybe.”
I ran my hand over her back to soothe her but quickly remembered it was bare when my fingers slid across the silken skin that teased me between locks of hair. I stopped moving then and just held her close, giving her time to wake up.
“Sohan?” she said, her voice still thick with whatever they’d given her.
“Mm hmm?” I replied, trying to ignore the feathery feeling of her lips and eyelashes tickling my neck.
“Have I told you I like how you smell?”
“What?” I laughed, my eyebrows drawing together.
“Yes. You smell like grass and trees and something…something warm like amber.”
“That’s, um…nice,” I replied.
She sighed deeply, her warm breath fanning out over my neck. “I find it very pleasing,” Ana said languidly. “Also, I like your eyes. I never know what color they’re going to be. I’ve decided it depends on your mood. When you’re angry, they’re brown as a mink’s coat. Sometimes they’re cinnamon or mahogany.” She touched the tip of my nose and giggled drunkenly. “But my favorite is when they’re a tawny sort of topaz. They sparkle then and I know it’s because you’re happy. I’ve only seen it a few times but I remember each one.”
I opened my mouth to reply, though I didn’t exactly know what to say, when the door burst open. The two brothers stormed into the room. Lifting Ana in my arms, I stood, preparing to shift us far away from the diamond temple.
“She’s gone!” one accused. “I told you we should take turns watching her.”
At first I was confused. I knew they couldn’t see me but they should be able to still see Ana. She’d look like a floating body to them. I looked down where she lay in my arms, and I found her staring at my face, her eyes a bit clearer. Gently, she cupped my cheek and I realized her body was blurred in time with mine. Whether she’d done that on her own or if it had just occurred by our proximity to one another, I didn’t know. I raised my brows, and she shook her head slightly, pushing against my chest so I’d set her down.
She twisted her fingers and I felt the fibers of the scarf envelop me. It changed me into a being that looked a lot like them but taller and much bigger. Long blond hair hung down my back and my arms and legs were bare and the skin gold. When she was satisfied with my appearance, she phased us back in their time.
“I am here, my lords,” she announced. “You have asked me to choose a mate and I have. My choice is my counterpart, my equal. He has come to fetch me and has roused me from the sleep you inflicted upon me in my mortal form.” She laid her hand against my bare chest and I placed mine on top.
Ana whispered using the power of the scarf. Threads wrapped around her, and it fashioned her a dress that sparkled with the light of a hundred stars. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around my waist, and I draped one across her shoulders, a sign of protection and possession.
The two men, who marveled at her power, sputtered in protest. “But…but you are Lawala born again.”
“No. I am not.” Ana shook her head sadly. “We are two of the ancients. I found you drifting among the stars and thought to offer you a new home. Sadly, you have taken advantage of my kindness and trapped me in this mortal realm. A realm where I flounder and do not belong. The one you seek did not heed my summons,” Ana said, stepping forward and offering her hand to Wyea.
He sank down at her feet. “Perhaps, she will come. You can seek out others,” he begged. “Try to find her. We implore you.”
“I am sorry,” she said. “I have brought as many as were willing and now it is time for me to leave.”
The man wrapped his arms around her legs and cried. “How can we survive without you?”
“I will gift you with the power to draw from the core of this world. There is a vast amount of heat there. More than enough to allow your people to flourish. But understand, you can never leave this realm. You will be happy here if you do not seek to expand your horizons, but if you do, I fear you will invite chaos. Because I have learned that I cannot fully trust you, I will place a guardian in your midst. He will report to me, and if I need to return, you will be removed from your position and stripped of your power. Do you understand?”
“We will find her,” Shala said. “Nothing can keep us apart. Not even an ancient.”
I stepped forward. “That is enough,” I said. “The two of you should be punished for what you have done.”
“We won’t stop looking for her,” Shala warned, a crazed light flickering in his eyes. “Even if you can’t or won’t bring more of our people, she will come of her own will. She loves us.”
“For your sake,” Ana said, “I hope you are right. But your power will wane if you misuse it. You would have to stretch your fingers into the stars to seek her, and in doing so, you will leech the warmth from your city. The trees will die and there won’t be enough food. You will destroy this haven I’ve created. Think on it seriously before you act.”
Wyea nodded but Shala stood stiffly, his hands in fists.
“Come, my lady fair,” I said. “Let them take counsel one with another. They have already taken more than you offered and deserve no further blessing at this time.”
“You are right, my love,” she said, looking up at me with hooded eyes. “But still, there is work to be done in this place.” Lifting her arm, she closed her eyes and a golden rope materialized, coiled around it in loops. “You will take this,” she said, “and hide it in the fire forest. It will be guarded closely by one of my beloved pets. You are to safeguard its location until the two of you are defeated in battle. Do you understand my instructions?”
“Yes, ancient one.” They both inclined their heads, but I saw the glint of malice still lurking behind Shala’s wide-set eyes.
“Very well. We will take leave of you now. Please,” she said after taking my hand. “Please do not squander the gift I’ve given you.”
With that, she murmured the words to the rope that would take away the time limitations for me and Ren to be men, and handed the rope to Shala. Ana then gave a flourish of her hand, and the two of us rematerialized in the fire forest a good enough distance away that we wouldn’t be immediately found. The scarf wound around us and we were soon looking more like ourselves.
“I’m sorry,” I said immediately. “I never should have left you alone.”
“It is I who should apologize,” she said.
“What happened, Ana?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me where you were going?”
“I left you a letter,” she stammered.
“A letter?” A realization hit me at once. Folding my arms across my chest, I said, “Ana, where did you put Kadam’s scroll?”
She snapped her fingers and a bag appeared. She dug through it and pulled out a rolled parchment, then opened it. Her face flushed and she handed it to me. “This is my letter,” she stated flatly and handed it over.
I read through it quickly. It said,
Sohan,
I understand you need time away from me. I do not blame you for this. Nor do I expect anything from you. If you choose a life separate from me, I will accept it. If, however, you return looking for me, I will stay at the stream in the forest near our home where you hunt for a week. If you do not find me during that time, I will assume you have decided to leave me. I…I will miss you, but I will not abandon my duty.
Ana
“Apparently, Kadam wanted to make sure I got it and his efforts backfired. Did you wait the full week?” I asked.
“Yes. But then I felt a change. I no longer sensed your presence.”
“I had to save Kadam,” I explained. “In doing so, I severed our bond. I didn’t mean to but he was trapped. When I asked him if we could get it back, he said it might be possible…” I trailed off. “Were you trying to finish the list without me?”
“Not exactly.” She kicked her boot in the grass. “I…I was foolish,” Ana said, then looked away from me. “I was seeking a connection and the pull brought me here.”