Savage Splendor (Savage Lagonda 2) (37 page)

"I dare to play with fire," she murmured in his ear.

"I will dare to quench your hunger," he said, driving his manhood into her welcoming body. "Beloved, you have the power to make me your slave," he whispered against her lips.

Their lovemaking was frantic as each of them took and gave to the other. Afterwards Tajarez held her tightly in his arms and Mara curled up contentedly.

"Did I cause you pain, beloved?"

"No."

They were quiet for a long time, needing no words to tell each other what they felt. Time passed as they touched and caressed one another.

"Mara, I will never allow you to leave this valley again, unless I am with you. If your brother David wants to see you, he will have to come here."

"I cannot imagine wanting to leave. I will be content to live with you here for the rest of my life. My one wish is that I might remember the past."

"There are some things I would not mind if you never remembered."

"Such as?"

"I would be a fool to tell you, would I not?"

Mara sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. Let the past stay dead, she thought. She had the future. She had love. She had the heart of the dark, handsome king of the Seven Cities.

The next morning Tajarez made arrangements for Andrew to be presented to the people of the Lagonda tribe. Word had spread throughout the Seven Cities that the queen had been found and that there was a new prince.

By late afternoon a crowd of people was gathered at the steps of the palace, waiting for the king and queen to appear before them.

Mara walked down the steps to stand beside Tajarez, who was holding Andrew in his arms. When the people saw her a loud uproar reached her. Looking down into the sea of faces, she felt nervous and unsure. When Tajarez held up his hand silence moved over the crowd.

"Do not be nervous, Mara. Everyone here loves you," Tajarez said, knowing what she was feeling.

Mara gave him a weak smile, and raised her head proudly.

"My people," Tajarez called out. "I give you the queen, who has been safely returned to us."

The noise from the crowd was deafening, and Mara could see the joy on the faces of the people. Not knowing what to do with such a warm welcome, she raised her hand and smiled. She felt warmed by the love that reached her from the people of the Lagonda tribe.

"See how much you are loved, Mara," Tajarez said near her ear. Once more Tajarez raised his hand for silence. "I know you are all aware that your queen has been missing for many months. I want to assure you she is in good health. She has, however, lost all memory of the past. I am told by Tabo that her memory could return at any time. I tell you this because I know you have been concerned for her."

Tajarez paused. Raising Andrew over his head, he spoke in a commanding voice. "I give you Andrew, my son, and your new prince."

Once again the crowds went wild in their joy. The day was cold, so Tajarez led Mara back into the palace. Andrew was taken to the nursery and Tajarez took Mara's hand and led her up onto the raised dais, and sat her down in one of the chairs.

Mara looked at him, puzzled.

"There is someone who wishes to seek audience with you, Mara."

"What does this mean, Tajarez? What is expected of me?"

"Falon and Matio seek to petition you. They need permission that only you can give them."

"I do not understand."

"Falon belongs to you and needs your permission before she can marry."

Mara saw Matio and Falon approaching her. She felt as if she were stepping into someone else's place. The golden crown of the double cobra rested on her head, but it did not give her any insight into what her duties as queen were.

Falon and Matio bowed their heads and looked at Mara inquiringly. A heavy silence hung over the anteroom as Mara wondered what to say. Seeing she was going to receive no help from Tajarez, she spoke.

"What would you ask of me, Falon?"

Falon looked into her eyes hesitantly. "I seek permission to marry Matio of the royal guard, my queen."

Mara's gaze moved to the young warrior, whom she recognized as the one who had come to her at the cabin.

"Matio, do you love Falon?"

"It is so, my queen," he said, bowing his dark head.

"Falon, do you love Matio?"

Falon's eyes became soft. "It is so, my queen."

"Do you ask to be released from my service?"

Falon shook her head and blinked her eyes. "No, my queen, I am greatly honored to wait upon you."

"I see. Matio, I give Falon to you as your bride. I will charge you to care for her, for if you do not you will incur my displeasure."

The young couple looked at their queen with joy on their faces. "I will care for her very well my queen," Matio said.

"I have something to say to you, Matio," Tajarez spoke up. He had been silently watching the proceedings and thought that Mara handled herself very well as the queen she was.

Matio bowed his head, thinking he was about to be reprimanded for the injustice he had charged against his queen. He had been expecting it for a long time, and he dreaded that the time was now.

"I await your displeasure, my king," he said, standing tall and proud.

Tajarez arched an eyebrow. "My displeasure? Nay, Matio, I wish to honor you for your devotion to finding your queen. Without you, I doubt we would ever have located her."

Matio's face lit up and he looked uncertain for a moment. This was not what he had expected. His heart swelled with pride as he looked into the eyes of his king.

"I will state that you are to be honored, Matio. As of this day I am placing twelve warriors under your care. See to their training. I know you will do well."

Matio could hardly contain his joy. "I am honored by your faith in me, my king. I will strive to do my best."

Tajarez smiled at the young warrior. "You have only one flaw to overcome, Matio. I would charge you not to believe in first impressions. Seek deeper for the truth."

Matio's face burned red, but no one but he and the king knew he had received his reprimand, after all. "It is so, my king. I will remember."

31

I remember, I remember, happy days of years

gone by.

I remember, I remember where my future lies.

Tajarez was standing before the window, watching the City below him. His thoughts were troubled. When he was with Mara he was aware that she would try very hard to remember their past life together, but when he made love to her in the early morning hours, she did not surrender herself to him completely as she once had. He still wished for things to be as they once were between them. What if she never remembered? He felt another's presence, and he looked up to see Sagas standing beside him.

"Where is Mara?"

"I am told she is lying down. Where have you been all these months?" Tajarez demanded sourly. "I have made inquiries, but no one seemed to know where you were."

Sagas removed the heavy fur robe he wore and tossed it on a nearby cushion. His face showed his hundred and twenty-some-odd years.  His usually immaculate white robe was stained and dirty.

"I have been in the mountains. I told you this before I went away.”

"Great Father, you were in the mountains all winter? Have you no care for your health?"

Saga's black eyes snapped. "I was in no danger. I must go where I am called. So, Mara has lost her memory."

"Yes, and you would have known it sooner if you had been here when I brought her back," Tajarez said angrily.

"I knew it before you even found her. If she had heeded my words and worn the medallion, she would not have lost her memory," Sagas said matter-of-factly.

"The medallion! If she were to put it on now, would she remember everything?" Tajarez asked hopefully.

"Of course."

"Then we shall find the medallion and have her put it on."

"It will not be pleasant for her. Are you sure you want to subject her to that?"

"What do you mean?"

"When she starts to remember, her past life will pass before her and it will be as if she is living it."

"Would that be bad?"

"When she remembers her parents' death and your father's it will be as if they just happened. And what about when she almost lost her baby, and when Anias took her?"

"What shall I do?"

Sagas walked toward the door. "I am going to bathe, and when I return I suggest we consult Mara. And if I know her, which I do, she will want to remember."

Mara was standing on the balcony. The cold winds rustled in the trees and gathered the snow and whipped it about in a great white torrent. Hearing the bedroom door open, she turned and saw Tajarez enter with an old man.

The old man stood straight and tall. His hair was as white as the robe he wore. Looking into his eyes, she remembered him as the old man in her dreams. Ignoring Tajarez, she walked over to the old man and took his hand, an instinct that startled her, but the old man simply smiled.

"So long have you been away, Mara, that these old eyes have hungered for the sight of your face."

"I am still not all returned. Help me." Why had she asked him for help? Who was he?

"Where is the medallion now, Mara?"

She put her hand to her face, trying to remember. "I put it with the gowns I brought with me. I do not know where they are."

"I had them taken to the storage room," Tajarez said. He ran into the hall and told one of the guards to fetch the medallion.

"It has been a long way home for you, Mara, but it is almost over," the old man said.

"I dreamed about you. When I was frightened you came to me in a dream. You told me not to despair, that you would be beside me."

"Yes, I know."

"It was a dream, was it not? Thinking back, it seemed so real at the time. It was as if you were in the room with me—and you took me to see . . . Tajarez!"

"It is best if you think of it as a dream."

Tajarez had returned and he handed the medallion to Sagas.

"Mara," the old man said, "I have it within my power to return the past to you. I must warn you, however, that it will be very painful for you. You will relive all that happened to you that was memorable. Some of the experiences will be pleasant; others will hurt you. It is for you to decide."

"I want to get my memory back. I will do anything. How long will it take?"

"Hours, days, who can say? You will be in a trance and must not be disturbed for any reason, for should you awaken before the transition is completed, you will be lost between the two worlds, and not even I can help you."

"I will take the chance."

"No, Mara!" Tajarez cried. "I did not know it would be so dangerous. Your memory is not that important."

"It is important to me. Please, do not try to stop me. I would do anything you asked of me, but this I must do for myself."

Tajarez took her hand. "I could forbid it."

"You could, but you will not," Sagas said. "Clear this whole floor of everyone. Bar the door to the garden and allow no one to enter it. Post guards at the stairs and let no one come up the stairs. There must be absolute quiet," Sagas said with authority.

"I am going to remain with her," Tajarez said.

"I expected you would, as will I," Sagas said.

Tajarez left the room. First he sent a servant to prepare a big meal for Mara. Then he ordered the second floor vacated, and even the nursery was moved downstairs. He then had the garden sealed off and stationed a guard at the gates. Guards were posted at the foot of the stairs, as Sagas had ordered.

After Mara had eaten and the dishes were cleared away, she sat down on the bed and Tajarez sat beside her. "Mara, there is still time to change your mind."

"No, I have made my decision."

The palace seemed as quiet as a tomb as Sagas pulled up a cushion and sat down beside Mara.

"Mara, you will know fear, heartache, and grief. Tajarez and I will be unable to help you in any way."

"I am ready."

Tajarez leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, and then Sagas stood up and slowly placed the golden medallion over her head. As the medallion fell between Mara's breasts, it felt as if it had burned her skin.

She waited for tense moments, but nothing happened. She was about to voice her doubt that the medallion would help her, when she started feeling dizzy. She clutched Tajarez's hand, and a bright red light flashed before her eyes, blocking everything else from view. Then it was as if she were falling down, down. She opened her mouth to scream, but she could hear no sound.

But Sagas and Tajarez heard her scream over and over again.

Tajarez jumped to his feet. "Stop it, Sagas. I cannot bear to see her like this."

"Remain silent, or leave this room," Sagas said. "It cannot be stopped now. Her mind has reached back to her childhood and will progress slowly forward. If we stop it now, she will have the mind of a child."

Tajarez sat down on the cushion beside Sagas and watched as Mara's face relaxed into a serene expression.

"She is remembering her childhood," Sagas said. "It will be a long process. The hour grows late. If you want to sleep, I will sit with her."

"No, I will stay with her also."

Hours passed and the two men watched over Mara. Sometimes her face would ease into a smile. "It would seem that she had a pleasant childhood," Sagas said, speaking in a hushed tone.

It was in the morning hours when Mara started to moan and turn her head from side to side.

"What is happening?" Tajarez asked, rising to his feet.

Sagas put a restraining hand on Tajarez's arm. "She is apparently reliving something unpleasant. I would caution you not to interfere in any way. I told you if she were to awaken before she has made the transition to the present, it could be very dangerous for her."

Mara started to cry, and Tajarez sat back down on the cushion, knowing she was going through an experience that he could not help her with. All he could do was sit quietly and watch over her.

"Mother, Father, help me. I have been taken by two savages. Help me," Mara cried out. Her body was trembling as if she were cold; and yet tiny drops of perspiration popped out on her skin. "What can they want with me? I am so frightened. Someone, help me, please. Who are you? Why have you saved me? You are also an Indian, yet like no other I have ever seen."

Tajarez knew she was reliving the time she had been abducted by the two Indians and he had rescued her.

"I love you. What is your name? It does not matter that you are an Indian, I will always love you." Her voice went on and on. "Why do you leave me? I want to go with you. Why is it that you will not talk to me?" She tossed on the bed, and Tajarez could hear the pain in her voice. "You spoke to me. Your name is Tajarez."

Sagas glanced at Tajarez questioningly.

Tajarez shrugged his shoulders. "So I broke my vow of silence. It seemed important to her to know my name."

Suddenly Mara screamed and sat up. Her eyes were open and tears flowed freely down her face. "My mother and father are dead and it is because of me," she cried.

Tajarez would have gone to her, but once again Sagas prevented him.

464

Mara fell back on the bed and seemed to calm down for a while.

All through the night Tajarez and Sagas stayed beside her as she relived her past. Sometimes she would smile or even laugh, and at other times she would cry. All through the next day Mara continued her search of the past to reach the present.

Once she frowned. "Sasha, in what capacity does Tanka serve the prince?"

Sagas smiled at Tajarez's discomfort. "Wish I could have seen you get out of that one."

The experience was emotionally draining for Tajarez, and he knew that it must be hell for Mara. He heard her cry out when his cousin Anias had abducted her, and he knew when she was reliving the Kiowa raid, where he himself had almost lost his life. It was as though he and Sagas were reliving her past and her inner feelings with her. At one point she smiled and parted her lips. "Tajarez, we cannot make love here in the open, someone will see us."

Sagas looked at Tajarez, and Tajarez raised his eyebrow as if daring the old man to comment.

"Interesting," was the only comment Sagas made.

When the dawn came Sagas had Tajarez hang a fur robe over the window so no light would penetrate the room, and hour after hour Mara took Tajarez on the journey into her past. She cried when Tajarez's father died in her arms, and she laughed when something funny occurred.

Tajarez knew when she was dreaming that he was making love to her. Her lips would part and her beautiful body would become soft and yielding

"I think it would not be wise to tell her how vividly she remembered some things," Sagas said, smiling at Tajarez.

"I do not enjoy your knowing about the more intimate details of our marriage," Tajarez whispered in vexation.

"I am much too old to be stirred by the thoughts of passion, yours or any others," Sagas said, smiling. He was enjoying the effects Mara's dreams were having on his young king.

The two men had no way of knowing how old the day was in the darkened room. Tajarez became restless and began to pace the floor. Mara had been silent for some time when she began to moan, and Tajarez returned to her side.

"They will all drown, and it is because of me," she cried as tears spilled down her face. "Oh, no, God, please. Palomas has been shot. He is dead, and so is Matio. I cannot live with the thought that they lost their lives because of me." She screamed, and then became silent.

Sagas stood up and removed the medallion from around her neck. Mara appeared to be sleeping calmly now, and the old man motioned for Tajarez to follow him to the door.

"I will leave you now. Let her sleep. When she awakens she will be as before." The old man looked tired as he left the room.

Tajarez returned to Mara and removed his clothing. He dropped down on the bed beside her and drew her into his arms. He pulled the covers over them both, kissed her cheek, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Tajarez awoke feeling something soft against his face. Opening his eyes, he saw Mara bending over him, her golden hair spilling across his chest. She was sprinkling kisses over his smooth face.

"I love you, I love you," she whispered. "I remember everything," she said in an elated voice. "I remember being married to you, I remember your father, I remember everything."

His hand crept down her body and he raised his eyebrow, finding she wore nothing. "Do you remember that I love you?" he asked as he rolled her over on top of him.

"Yes, I remember that you said that you did, but I would like you to refresh my memory a bit more," she challenged him seductively.

Fire leaped into his dark eyes as she rubbed her satiny body against him in the most sensuous way.

"What would be my queen's pleasure?" he said in a husky voice.

"To please my king," she told him breathlessly.