Woman of Silk and Stone (4 page)

I frowned and tried to sit up straight,
hampered by his grip. "
Halqu
...does that
mean more people from my world? How did I get here? Where are
they?"

"Slow down, beautiful goddess. I will
explain."

"Stop that right now. My name is Honey, not
'beautiful goddess,' so use it." I raised an eyebrow in challenge
until he gave me an amused nod. "What's your name?"

"My name is..."

"You know what?" I cut him off, tapping my
chin. "Screw that. I don't care what your name is. For being such a
dick to me, I'm calling you Easter Island, since that's what you
remind me of. So suck it."

His heavily carved features stretched wide
and he laughed so loudly my ears rang. "Suck what?" he asked when
he could speak again.

I shrugged and looked over the endless blue
fields. "I don't know. It. It's an insult. Means
deal with it
."

He grinned down at me and nodded. "Very
well. I deserve that. Call me what you want."

My pique subsided and I smiled hesitantly up
at him. "Well, alright then. So," I drawled, surprised at how
comfortable I was becoming with everything. I'd heard of adapt to
survive, but I really seemed to taking it a step further.

"Yes, Honey?" he said, nodding at me to
continue.

I smiled at him genuinely and settled myself
more comfortably. "Can you explain where I am and what's going
on?"

"I do not know where you are from, or
precisely how you got here. In the old language,
Halqu
means '
the lost ones'
,
which is fitting. When we get to the city, there will be
Zagmi
who can explain it better, but
basically you have been pulled here from your own world. We don't
know why exactly, but you do have some kind of role to perform
here. Everyone who has fallen from the sky has done something
important for Solis, something vital for our continued
survival."

Gnawing on my lower lip, I considered his
explanation. "So there is some kind of freaky destiny thing going
on?"

He shrugged and kept his eyes on mine. "In a
way, yes. Nothing as specific as a prophecy, but all
Halqu
who survive have made some sort of
contribution."

The ones who survive?

"Wait, what do you mean the ones who
survive? How many of us are there?" I asked nervously, thinking
that this was sounding worse the more I learned. I thought
wistfully of my cramped apartment and financial difficulties, even
my flighty, absentee parents; reflecting that life was so much
simpler when I was only worried about losing my job.

"Well, it can be difficult to make the
transition. Not all
Halqu
come from the
same world, and some seem to be...less equipped than others, and do
not last long. But you're doing well so far. You're still sane, and
you seem to speak the language, which really helps. This is so much
less fun when we have to deal with one of you who can't
translate."

"Is this, like, your job or something?" I
asked in wonder, surrealism washing over me like a too-stiff drink
of Long Island Iced Tea.

"Part of it, yes. The Horde patrols the
grasslands, and this is one of the only known gates between worlds.
It's been at least ten years since the last one though. And
you're...different. Do all your people run so quickly or have
weapons embedded in their skin?" he asked curiously.

I glanced down at my right arm, startled and
thrilled to see that the piece of wood was no longer sticking out
off the end of my arm. Instead, smooth skin greeted me, as though
nothing had ever been amiss at all.

"Oh, thank god. That was so uncomfortable,"
I muttered, running a hand over my arm, frowning as I noticed that
the skin seemed firmer there, cooler.

"So, not typical for you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not even a little. Where
did it go? Did it fall off?"

"No, Honey. When we went to gather you, we
saw it and wondered what it was. I touched it and then it just
melted back into your arm, as though it was a part of your
skin."

I held out the offending arm and peered at
it probingly. I tried tapping it, shaking it, even blowing on it,
but nothing happened. After a while, I shrugged it off, knowing the
disappearing wood was the least of my problems.

And wasn't that just a damn shame.

"I need a drink," I stated baldly, my throat
practically burning from the need for whiskey or tequila, something
that would take the edge off the knife of encroaching insanity.

"Water?" my new buddy offered. I shook my
head. "Something stronger, perhaps?" he asked knowingly.

I nodded vigorously, and he laughed, turning
to look over his shoulder at our silent companion.

"Khenti, throw me your flask," he ordered.
Khenti tossed a hard, leather vessel at him, grunting
unintelligibly. "Here, try this."

I took the flask and put my lips to the
opening, cringing at the heavy scent of leather.

"It's not great quality, but it'll knock you
on your ass," Khenti yelled, drawing his horse-thing closer.

Metaphorically throwing my hands up in
defeat, I took a swig, nearly choking at the unexpected burn as it
trailed fire all the way to my belly. It was strong, but not
unpleasant; there was a faint licorice flavor, reminding me of the
ouzo I drank on a dare in college.

"Opa!" I muttered, rubbing the moisture off
my lips. Both men were watching me avidly, as though they were
waiting for an entirely different reaction. "What?"

After another moment passed and I didn't
explode, Khenti just shook his head and took the flask back,
letting his horse drift behind us again. My Easter Island pal eyed
me with concern for another minute before chuckling and giving me a
friendly squeeze.

"That's usually too strong for
Halqu
. Even for many Solisians. It's made from..."

I cut him off before he could get going on
the brewing process. From what I knew of most nomadic cultures, I
doubted it was terribly hygienic or appetizing. "No, it's fine. We
have a drink like that back in my world. Some water now would be
good though," I added. Khenti passed me another flask, this time
with clear, refreshing water; even the lukewarm, mineral taste
didn't put me off. I had nearly drained the flask before he took it
back from me, shaking his head.

"Not too much. It will make you ill. I know
you must have many questions, but try to get some rest. We'll be in
the city in another hour or so, and the people there are much
better suited to explain things. You're safe now," he promised me,
and for some crazy reason I believed him.

Feeling a little less panicked than I had
when I woke earlier, I nodded and rested my head against his
massive chest, letting the gentle sway of the animal beneath me
tempt me into unconsciousness.

When I woke again, the blue silk-grass had
given way to a flat plain of flagstone dotted with refreshingly
familiar looking greenery stretching out before the towering golden
walls of the city. I sat up, blinking away the last vestiges of
sleep and sinking into a resigned acceptance. I had fallen asleep,
or been knocked unconscious, at least three times now and each time
had awoken in this bizarre world, without even a glimpse of my own
home.

I conceded I wasn't going to wake up
anywhere else.

My eyes were wide as I took in the walls of
the city, understanding finally why the Easter Island boys kept
referring to it as the Golden City. Everything about it glowed, not
like the dull gleam of the precious metal with which I was
familiar, but the perfect, luminous beauty of the sun breaking
through clouds. It shimmered and glistened, radiant and unlike
anything I had ever seen. The walls were seamless, simply reaching
upward out of the earth, all flawless symmetry and function, no
single stone wasted or lost to erosion.

"Welcome to the Golden City, Honey. The seat
of the Royal House of Sol, capital of Solis," my friend said
proudly, gesturing at the swiftly approaching gates. I could see
men walking the top of the wall, standing sentry. Several pointed
in our direction and waved a greeting. Khenti waved his free arm
and gave a loud yelp that I took for a "hey, how's it going?" kind
of thing.

"It's beautiful," I murmured, wondering just
what I was getting myself into. So far this world seemed pretty
harmless and friendly, but I had a feeling things would not be so
simple once I entered those shining gates.

"So are you coming in with me, or..." I
asked, nervousness digging a pit in my belly. I clung to his furs,
not wanting to be parted from the only familiar being in the
world.

"Only at first, Honey. Then Khenti and I
must return to our patrol. But when our duty is done, I will come
back and visit you, I promise." His voice was low and reassuring,
and I appreciated his insight.

"What's your real name, Easter Island?" I
asked, my voice little more than a whisper.

He grinned down at me, his strange, granite
features almost merry. "Temuk. If you need me, ask someone to get a
message to Temuk of the Horde, and it will find me."

"Thanks," I breathed, feeling less uneasy.
Another few minutes passed in silence and at last we approached the
gates. In the distance they had seemed huge, insurmountable. Now
that we waited at the base, I imagined they rose to brush against
the sky, one long stretch of solid sunbeam. There was a loud
knocking sound and then the doors dragged open, slowly,
ponderously, giving me plenty of time to jump off the horse-thing
and make a break for it.

But Temuk held on to me, supporting me with
his large presence, and I found myself wishing I'd had time for a
shower and a manicure. I had no doubt I looked dusty and bedraggled
after my strange journey, and probably didn't smell as sweet as my
name.

I was suddenly bombarded with questions I
should have asked instead of sleeping like an idiot. I should have
been quizzing Temuk and Khenti on what had happened to the other
"
Halqu
" like me, whether I would be
expected to perform some miracle or marry the chieftain of the
goats or something. Anything at all other than placidly napping
while being conveyed to my ultimate doom.

I knew I should've watched those damn Doctor
Who episodes.

My entire body was quaking violently, as
though someone had flipped a switch inside for 'vibrate.' Temuk
gave me an encouraging squeeze and even the mostly silent Khenti
sent a half-hearted smile my way, but nothing eased the knotting
terror that gripped me. Thinking that hey, it had worked for
Dorothy, I closed my eyes one last time and wished with every fiber
of my being that I was back in the office, headed toward Grant's
smug face, at the job I hated but needed, that everything was as it
should be.

A shuddering boom signaled the stilling of
the gates and I heard Temuk's whispered voice in my ear.
"Welcome."

Screw Dorothy. She lied.

And now I was stuck over the rainbow.

I opened my eyes and caught my breath,
completely taken aback by what I saw. Based on my experiences thus
far, and people tossing out words like "horde" and "
Halqu
," I had somehow pictured a medieval village at
best, maybe a bustling marketplace with people in leather and lots
of straw all over the place.

Instead, I gaped at the long, walled
entryway and the open space at the end which revealed gleaming
gilded streets and a row of colorful townhomes very much like
Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina, where I grew up. Tears
burned my eyes as relief so overpowering my entire body sagged
swept over me. This was not some superstitious hamlet I was being
abandoned to, but a city; a civilization advanced enough to have
paved roads and recognizable buildings.

"Oh thank god," I whispered, suddenly
smiling and for the first time since I left the office, feeling as
though I had started a great adventure.

A tall flaxen-haired, darkly tanned man who
looked reassuringly human approached us, his well-starched crimson
uniform and perfect posture identifying him as some sort of
military officer. His eyes widened and jaw dropped when he saw me
clutched in Temuk's arms and then he remembered his dignity and
bowed crisply before addressing my rescuers.

"Temuk of the Horde, what have you to
report?" he asked crisply, his eyes darting to me every few
seconds.

"I, Temuk of Horde declare that on this, the
fifth morning of Solus, I recovered a
Halqu
. She was injured and needs care." Temuk spoke
formally for the first time, sounding subtly different in his tone
and pace, making me wonder if he was speaking a different dialect
and I just couldn't tell.

The guard who answered him spoke in the same
lilting fashion, which strengthened the impression that they had
switched to a different dialect. Thankful for whatever weird twist
of fate had given me the power to understand and translate, I
listened anxiously to the conversation.

There was evidently some shock and
excitement that I was a woman, reminding me that according to
Temuk, I was the first female
Halqu
to
drop from the skies. We were quickly waved through the walled entry
and behind us I heard the distinct clang of the gates closing. It
was strange, but as the gates cut off any retreat and panic began
to rise, I had the sense of a comforting presence, of someone
watching over me. Swallowing a stiff lump of nerves, I pasted a
smile on my face and hoped that I didn't look as bad as I thought I
did.

"What happened to her?" the guard asked,
wincing as he took me in. So much for making a good first
impression.

"Hey there, I'm Honey Sullivan. Thanks for
the welcome! Your city is gorgeous," I said in my most chipper,
'fake it 'till you make it' voice. "I don't suppose I could use a
shower or something? A restroom?"