Woman of Silk and Stone (10 page)

But the cracked wall remained.

Shaking uncontrollably, I sank to the floor
by the fireplace, clutching my hand to my chest as though it would
disappear. The fire seemed to blaze hotter, chasing away some of
the chill of the adrenaline dump, and for a moment, the smoke
seemed to wind around me, embracing me in an illusory grip.

Marginally recovered, I strove to consider
what had just happened through objective eyes.

Clearly, ignoring the fact that I had a
piece of wood attached to my hand when I landed here didn't mean
that the wood had just gone away. I remembered Temuk mentioning how
when they found me the new appendage had seemed to melt into my arm
after they touched it in curiosity. Somehow, I had just dismissed
that little bit of information as too much to take in and forgotten
it. Now, it appeared I had an answer as to where the pretty wood
club attached to my hand had gotten to.

It was inside me.

I pictured myself as Wolverine from X-Men;
instead of an impenetrable shield of metal over my bones, I
had...petrified wood? The novelty of the idea dissipated pretty
quickly as I examined my arm with more interest. I could tell by
feel where the wood had migrated and followed the sensation of
stone beneath skin all the way up my right arm, where it shifted
direction and spread across my collar bone, finally ending halfway
down my ribs on the left side. I stretched my left arm behind and
tried to determine if it covered my back as well, but it was hard
to tell from that angle.

Still, even without really being able to
examine it properly, it appeared that the wood had somehow blended
with my bones to give me one hell of a right hand punch, and formed
a protective shield around my heart.

All things considered, and despite how
creepy and bizarre I found the idea of having melted petrified wood
inside of me, things could always be worse.

Still hanging on grimly to my sense of
unreality, I moved on to consider my skin. The skin that was no
longer broken or injured. The skin that had healed within moments
of trauma.

Dragging myself to my feet, I moved to the
basin that served as a sink and pushed on a primitive pump,
watching in fascination as warm water sluggishly made its way free
of the tap. Shaking my head at the strangeness of the old-fashioned
but ingenious plumbing, I rinsed my hand underneath the lukewarm
water, marveling at the unmarred skin that should have at the very
least boasted a wicked bruise.

I turned off the pump and sat down on a
cushioned bench next to the mirror, staring at myself with an
unhealthy detachment. Feeling as though I lived outside my body, I
permitted my mind to wander, to try and recall some of what had
occurred while I tumbled in the void.

All I could really remember with clarity was
the pain, but deep down I knew somehow that I had been remade
there, whether it was to ensure that I would survive the transition
between worlds, or some danger that lay ahead. The last shreds of
hope I had stubbornly, if pointlessly, clung to that all this was
an elaborate dream wavered and guttered out of existence. In a very
basic sense, I was no longer the same person, and I had to start
acting accordingly.

A knock sounded on the outside door and I
returned to myself with a grunt, feeling the weight of my new
knowledge. But on some level, I found myself grateful for the
changes to my body, imagining that they gave me a better chance of
survival in this new world; the ability to translate and understand
different languages without effort, the quick healing, the
reinforced bone which purpose I had yet to discern, all gave me a
chance to accomplish something great with less dire peril.

The knock sounded again and I could hear
Hili's delicate voice calling for me. Getting to my feet in a
graceful swoop, something that, realistically speaking, wouldn't
have worked with my old body, I wandered out to the main room and
answered.

"Come in."

The door swung open and Hili greeted me with
a cautious smile. "
Beleti
Honey, it is
time for the evening meal. Are you well enough to attend?
Ensi
Tam asks that you join him at his
table." Her quivering voice told me this was something to be pretty
excited about, and I imagined if I got to sit with the king, my
personal advisor probably would too.

"Absolutely. Lead the way, Hili," I said
magnanimously, girding my loins for metaphoric battle. I had no
doubt that I would be under intense scrutiny every moment I was in
public view, so I gave myself the little pep talk I used to give my
clients when they had to make a statement to the press.

"They need you. They need the answers you
can give them; they need the words from your mouth, the expression
on your face. They can only take what you give them, so only give
them what you can bear," I muttered under my breath, soothed by the
familiar mantra a PR professor had taught me. Hili cast me a
dubious glance, but I raised my chin and tilted my lips up slightly
for an enigmatic, knowing smile. Without a doubt, I was the one
holding the ace up my sleeve in this situation. My presence in this
world meant they needed something from me, and I had unexplainable
healing abilities and a stone shield around my heart to protect
me.

I was totally going to kick some ass.

***

The dining hall was just that. A cavernous,
high-ceilinged room filled with polished wooden tables and benches
that stretched the length of the walls, reminding me of a
cafeteria, albeit a much fancier one. Vibrant tapestries depicting
Solisians making merry in bright bold colors hung from the ceiling
all along the walls, and the floor was one great slab of that
marvelous golden stone that seemed to be a favored building
material around here. At the far end of the room, a raised platform
was covered in thick, braided rugs of blue and turquoise. There
were three long tables facing the room, one in the center and
slightly higher than the others; obviously the king's table.

At first glance, the size of the room and
the crowd was overwhelming enough to set my knees knocking, but I
simply gritted my teeth and forced myself to think rationally. It
was probably where all the court members had their meal served at
the same time, so of course it was crowded. And of course all of
them would be staring at me; after all I was a
Halqu
and apparently a big deal. Nothing to get all
worked up over.

Hili led me towards the raised platform with
a spring in her step, clearly relishing her new position. It was
kind of cute, though I hoped it didn't go to her head. I was still
unclear on how old she was and how that would translate into Earth
years, but based on her behavior thus far, I imagined her to be the
equivalent of a fifteen-year old.

As we passed the long tables, I kept my eyes
forward and a pleasant smile on my face. Out of the corner of my
eyes, I could see heads moving together, whispering, and elegant
tan hands gesturing in my direction. The hall was eerily quiet,
just the unintelligible mutterings of the people brushing my ears
until we finally reached the platform. Even though I knew it was an
unfair comparison, I felt like I had just walked the gauntlet. But
I was still standing, and as Tam rose from his enormous carved
chair at the center of his table and gave me a smile so brilliant
and genuine, I felt all my anxiety melt away.

What a sweet kid.

"Honey Sullivan, we welcome you to the
Golden City and to Solis. We are honored that you have come to us
from your land of Earth," Tam addressed the room in a surprising,
booming voice that any town crier would be proud of. Up close, I
could see his hands shake slightly with nerves and my heart swelled
with pride at this boy's determination to do his job at such a
young age. I gave him an encouraging smile when he glanced my way,
and he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Not since my
Rabum's
rule have we been blessed with a Halqu in
Solis, and we cherish your sacrifice in crossing
Ka Harsag
to bring the strengths of your world to
ours." Tam blew out a great sigh and looked down tentatively at the
woman seated next to him. She gave him a smile and a nod, and he
relaxed his shoulders a bit before turning and grinning at me.

Thunderous cheers echoed through the vast
hall as the court reacted to the king's declaration, and with a
heartening nod from Tam, when the crowd quieted I made my own
statement.

"Thank you for your warm welcome. I look
forward to learning all I can about Solis and hope that I will
bring further glory to the Golden City," I proclaimed, projecting
my voice as much as possible. Marveling over how steady my voice
sounded even though my gut was churning like a blender, I managed a
smile as the crowd once again roared their approval.

Once things quieted down, Tam asked me to
sit next to him. I glanced at his table, seeing six men and one
woman spread out on either side of him, all facing the rest of the
hall. I smiled and made eye contact with each of them before
nodding my head at Efrim, who was seated at the far end of the
table and looking quite put out. Smirking just a bit, I moved to
the empty seat next to Tam. He gestured and a servant emerged from
behind a curtain where he must have been hovering, waiting for a
command. The servant kept his eyes on the floor as he moved the
chair out from the table and placed a bright yellow cushion on the
seat. Hesitating, I glanced back at Hili, who nodded at me to take
my place before moving to one of the side tables on the platform,
where she was seated between two ornately dressed women, making her
tasteful but comparatively plain gown stand out like a swan in a
flock of peacocks.

Tam was waiting patiently at my side while I
took note of all this, and once I returned my gaze his way he
immediately launched into introductions.

"Honey, I would like for you to meet my
closest advisors." Pointing to the men on either side of the table,
he rattled off a few names that were too long and convoluted for me
to grasp. From what I could tell the men, the oldest of whom
appeared, to my eyes, no more than forty, represented his treasury,
foreign affairs, the military, the city guard, domestic affairs,
and his head
Zagmi
, which I gathered had
something to do with religion. I smiled and nodded a greeting,
hoping that Hili could provide me with a list of names to memorize
later when I wasn't so overwhelmed.

"And this is my most treasured advisor, the
sister of my father,
Ahatki
Ninna. Since
my parents journeyed to the Gateway of the Gods, Ninna has been as
a mother to me." Tam looked down with real affection at the woman
seated next to him. She reached over and squeezed his hand before
turning her attention to me, a curious smile on her face.

She wasn't beautiful by any stretch of the
imagination, but had an appealing warmth about her that reminded me
of a kindly librarian. Her features were heavy and too mannish for
attractiveness, but she appeared to be in her late-thirties with
pale blond hair streaked with the same indigo as Tam's. She had a
good figure and was dressed in one of the more unassuming gowns I'd
seen thus far, making her much more approachable. Her slightly
too-wide mouth stretched to show broad white teeth as her smile
grew more genuine.

"Honey Sullivan, it is an honor to know you.
To think that Tam has been blessed with the appearance of a
Halqu
in his rule! Now he will have
someone other than this old woman to talk to," she joked in a
throaty, smokes-two-packs-a-day voice.

Cheered by the presence of another friendly
face, I reached forward to take her hand. She looked startled, but
quickly masked her surprise and mimicked my gesture as I shook her
hand in greeting. "Please, call me Honey. I am just so thankful
that I managed to land in such a beautiful country, with such a
generous welcome."

Tam grinned at me, looking decidedly more
like a little boy than a king. "Ninna has promised to help Hili
oversee your, ah...orientation," he said eagerly, looking back to
his aunt for approval.

She nodded and smiled at me, giving Tam a
pat on the hand. "That's right, dear. Now sit up straight and
remember your bearing, as we spoke of, hmm?" she chastised gently.
Tam deflated a bit, but he nodded grimly and wiped his face clean
of expression.

Hoping to lighten things up again, I asked
about some of the terms my auto-translate ability didn't seem to
process. "I have been lucky enough to understand your language well
so far, but I have to admit there are a few things I haven't
grasped. What do
Rabum
and
Ka Harsog
mean?"

Ninna shifted more fully in my direction.
"
Rabum
is the title for Tam's father's
father; my father as well. Just as my title is
Ahatki;
which means 'sister-mother' in the Common
Tongue."

"And what language is that? Is that the..."
I paused, trying to remember what Damki had called the only
language I hadn't understood thus far.

"The Old Tongue, the language of the
Ilati
, the gods. Most of our official
titles are still in that language." Ninna leaned forward, her
violet-hued eyes keen as she surveyed me. "I am curious about that,
your ability to speak and understand our language. I was only a
child when the last Halqu was at court, but I remember he had to be
taught the Common Tongue. It was very difficult for him, I
believe."

Fascinated, I scooted forward eagerly. "Is
that so? I don't really know why I seem to understand your
language, but from the moment I woke up here, everything just
sounds like English to me, the language spoken back home. It's hard
for me to tell when a different dialect is being spoken, but
sometimes I can figure it out because of the phrasing being
different."