Doira'Liim (The Beautiful Whisper of the Goddess Saga) (17 page)

     Talliea's eyes were wide with some unknown fear and her hands were toying with the loose material of her skirts. Her bottom lip was between her teeth as she nervously bit into the flesh. Arizira's stomach dropped at the sight. She could not stand to see Talliea upset. It was not her fault Arizira was in such a tumultuous state.

     "Tah-li, you did nothing wrong," she said again hoping to ease the uncomfortable air around them. "Nothing, okay? There is some dried rabbit meat if you require food and a small amount of the
dohethra
mixture left if your pain returns. You should try to rest whilst I am gone. Aitla holds the sky now. She shall ensure your safety."

     Darkness was rapidly growing around the two women and a sudden sting of fear crept up on Talliea. How long was she to be alone and without Arizira? Her discomfort must have shown on her face, because a moment later Arizira spoke again. "Aitla's light favors this spring. You will not be blind to Her forest, Tah-li. I shall speak with my people and return with as much haste as I am able. The night is for your people to be at rest. Take advantage of your slumber while you can."

     A smile, full of mischief and humor, came over Arizira's face. "Why?" Talliea questioned. She could not understand the obvious change of mood in the Arniran woman. Her stomach felt as if it had dropped inside of itself and her heart felt empty without Arizira next to her.

     "Because when next you see me, I shall be your
Siidu'lav
-- your teacher."

     Talliea chuckled and a bright smile overcame her face. Whatever was shadowing Arizira's thoughts, her playful smile and easy joking manner seemed to ease her worries. Her anxiety from before was all but washed away as she stared at Arizira for a moment longer, before scooting down to the floor of rock and using her cloak as a pillow. Tossing the blanket Arizira had made for over her body, she sighed and watched the other woman crawl out of their shelter.

"How long will you be away?" Arizira pondered the question for a moment before replying, "Two days, possibly three. I gathered extra nuts and berries, and you can ration the rabbit meat. If you follow the thermal spring, you will find the glade where we met, and there cool water will await you. I will return as quickly as possible, Tah-li."

Talliea nodded her head and tried to quell her rising panic. The thought of being alone in the forest for three days frightened her, but Arizira had at least ensured she would have food and access to fresh water.

     "Ahmanae?" she called softly before Arizira could depart. Silver-blue eyes ducked back down to regard her with curiosity. "Earlier, you said something to me as you were falling asleep. I did not understand it because your words were not my own. What did you say?"

     Arizira inhaled as her eyes took in Talliea's form. She remembered the words she'd uttered. They had slipped from her mouth so freely and without any sense of worry that, had she been more aware and not nearly so tired, she would have surely chastised herself for saying them. They had not been words of praise or declarations of love. They had not been vain or hurtful or intended to bring about any sort of reaction.

     They had been the truth. Plain and simple. The words had been what her heart had felt. Despite that, Arizira found herself unwilling to speak of them or their nature to Talliea. One word in particular she knew she could not define for the Esu woman.

   
Failira
.

     Its meaning was difficult to define, even in the Arnira tongue, let alone translate into Esulan.

     It was a word with many various meanings depending on the context in which it was spoken. The word was a term of endearment and high respect. The only two words in the Arniran language that held a higher status were
Nai'iris
and Aitla. Between friends,
failira
was the utmost term that could be used to describe a strong connection and sense of companionship. For teachers and students, the word held more of a respect or honored connotation. It could refer to someone who was thought of as highly important and greatly regarded.

     For lovers,
failira
was the single most desired word used to describe someone who was special, precious, or nearly as dear to an individual as Aitla herself. No other word could come close to describing the immense and staggering feelings believed to overcome a woman when she was in love
. Failira
, among lovers, was used to describe feelings of adoration, appreciation, respect, commitment, and desire.

     The word, in all actuality, was rarely used in present day Arniran circles. Its roots were older than time, and the only way most young Arniran children knew of it was through the legend of Ir'ra and Tareya. Old tales spoke of a great love that was said to have existed between Ir'ra, a beautiful Arniran acolyte of Aitla and Tareya, her mysterious mate of unknown origins. Stories surrounding the idea of the
Doira'Liim
were believed to have originated with Ir'ra and Tareya. The two women, according to Arniran legend, were said to be the first and, according to some, the only couple to discover the enigmatic bond. Tareya, although little was known of her, was believed to have possessed untold and unimaginable power.

     That power, according to legend, was said to have stemmed from the love the two women shared with one another. Very little ancient Arnira writings had survived throughout the ages, but for the story of Ir'ra and Tareya. Though most of the characters on the parchments containing Ir'ra and Tareya's tale were now difficult to read, one word,
failira,
was repeated several times and remained in clear view. The word was always near Tareya's name and used as a term of endearment.

     So it was that
failira,
over time, came to be used as a high form of praise or respect depending upon the context in which it was spoken.

     For all her short life, and even during her own trysts with other women, Arizira had never once felt the compulsion to use the word, and a compulsion was how it felt.
Failira
seemed to fall from her lips without her consent whenever she was around Talliea. The reasons why were unknown to her and for that alone, she knew she could not translate her earlier statement.

     Looking over her shoulder as the moon, full and white, came into her view, Arizira shook her head and turned back to Talliea's curious face. "I fear that I do not recall, Tah-li. Perhaps time will bring the words back to me. I must depart. Sleep. You are safe here. I shall return as soon as I am able." With that Arizira turned away and left. Her steps felt as heavy as her heart and thoughts.

                                                                      *  *  *  *  *  *

     The observer watched Arizira quietly leave the sanctuary of the thermal spring and pursed their lips. The first time the observer had seen the two women, they had held out the belief that the encounter was a one time occurrence. Now, sitting up in the trees which towered above the rock formation, the observer questioned their original deduction. It appeared increasingly so that the Arniran woman was deliberately meeting up with and protecting the Esu woman.

     Why?

     The observer could not begin to venture a guess. Why was the Esu woman away in the woods and why was the Arniran woman continuing to meet up with her in secret? How were the two of them communicating? Was a coup being planned?

     Slowly and quietly, the observer lowered themselves from the tree and softly landed on the forest floor. They glanced back toward the darkened rock cliff that held the sleeping and unknowing Esu woman, before turning their eyes northward. Quickly, the observer started off in the direction that Arizira had taken. Their feet were silent as they headed deeper into the woods...

                                                        Chapter 13: Dreams and Visions

     Talliea rolled over onto her back and was suddenly aware of a weight above her body. Startled, she opened her eyes and looked up at the person hovering just above her. Full wakefulness came back to her at a rapid pace. Two eyes looked down at her and a confident smile spread across the face of the person perched over her waist and hips.

     "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice heavy and raspy. Her previous state of sleep gave her tone a slurred quality. The person above her smiled wider and leaned over her causing their faces to nearly touch and their chests to press together. "Do not be afraid," the person said.

     Talliea swallowed and tried to calm her breathing. She could not comprehend how matters had come to be as they were. It seemed to her only a short time ago that Arizira had left and she had fallen asleep. Now, she was awake and in a completely new situation. "I am not," she replied and her words rang true. She was not afraid. It was not fear that coursed through her system, but confusion. Confusion and arousal. She could not understand what had caused the sudden brazen attitude to come out in the woman above her.

     Arizira smiled softly and gently traced her fingers down the side of her face. "You are very beautiful, Tah-li." Talliea inhaled and felt the pulsating throb between her legs intensify. The way Arizira was looking at her was unlike anything else she could describe. Arizira was not looking at her the way Markahn had in the past. She was not viewing her as a prize to be won. She was not looking at her like Lao'dahn had when he had assaulted her. He had only seen her with eyes that beheld a possession to be claimed.

     Arizira looked at her like a person. She looked at Talliea with desire and respect and...lust. The simple feeling of Arizira’s fingers as they smoothed down the soft plane of Talliea’s cheek set her heart to racing. "Ari?" she questioned, trying to understand what had come over the Arniran woman. Arizira trailed her fingers down her chin and neck and brushed them over the hollow that met her chest. Her touch was not forceful or intended to be used to control her. It was soft and reverent and awoke every nerve in Talliea's body.

     "I have feelings for you, Tah-li," Arizira said and her voice sounded different. It held a more husky quality and the sound of it was intriguing. Drooping her eyelids and feeling her breathing becoming more erratic, Talliea licked her lips and looked up into silver-blue eyes. Her hands were resting somehow against the outsides of Arizira's hips and she tried to control the urge she felt to knead the flesh there.

     "F-feelings?" she asked, her own voice sounding heavy. Arizira nodded and slipped her fingers under the first button of Talliea's top and deftly undid the restraint. "Yes, but I do not desire to force myself upon you. We must share in this experience. You must also have feelings for me." Talliea's eyes closed and rolled into her head when she felt Arizira's soft touch graze across the top of her left breast. The hands resting against Arizira's hips began to flex and her heart skipped a beat when she heard the smaller woman hiss at her touch.

     Her rational mind tried in vain to get her to think upon the consequences of her actions. It tried to get her to question what had brought Arizira back so soon and why she was initiating such intimate physical contact. The other, more wanton, side of her told her to throw caution to the wind. It begged her to enjoy the moment and give into what her body had been so desperately searching for.

     That side of her won out and she glided her hands over Arizira's hips and across her sides before finally allowing them to rest on strong yet slim shoulders. "I have feelings for you, too, Ahmanae, but I fear I do not know how to express them to you," she admitted truthfully.

     Arizira's smile grew as her fingers undid a second button of Talliea's blouse. Her breath was warm and sent shivers across the Esu woman's skin as it washed over her face and across her neck. "That is okay, Tah-li," she said before moving her fingers lower and cupping Talliea's full and heavy breast.

     Talliea lost her breath and arched her back up in an attempt to increase her contact with Arizira. Her eyes closed and she heard herself let out a deep moan. Her entire body was thrumming and vibrating with the nearness of the woman on top of her, and she could think of nothing more affirming or beautiful than the moment the both of them were sharing. Opening her eyes and looking down, she watched Arizira's hand squeeze the flesh of her breast while her fingers swirled around and teased her taut nipple. She could not believe how unbelievably good the sensation felt. Never had another made her feel what Arizira was. Markahn had never once caused her to feel anything close. When Lao'dahn had touched her, he had brought her pain. Not pleasure.

   
Pleasure.

     That was what she was feeling now. Pure, undiluted pleasure. Arizira leaned closer and her lips softly brushed across her cheek. The feel of them heightened, if possible, Talliea's desire for the other woman.

     "Tah-li, I want you," Arizira whispered. Talliea turned her head until her mouth was nearly touching Arizira's. Their breathing mingled together in ragged pants and their eyes met with a smoldering heat. Unconsciously licking her lips, Talliea felt her heart pounding inside her chest at her own proximity to Arizira. She was unsure how to advance their contact and the feeling of Arizira's fingers as they continued to tease her breast was wreaking havoc upon her mind.

     "Ari..."she moaned, but she knew not exactly what she was asking for. Arizira closed the distance between them and Talliea felt the tip of the other woman's tongue teasingly glide along the underside of her top lip. The limited contact flared to life in her a stronger desire than before, and the throbbing between her legs increased. She felt a wetness she'd hardly ever known before spread from her center and it only seemed to become more noticeable the stronger the throbbing became.