Mya glided about their home; the room they were in now was filled with books, thousands upon thousands of them, lining the walls. She frowned at all the different writings, different languages. She felt the soft whoosh of the air from the woman's wings before she appeared next to her. She frowned, why would the creature walk when she had such lovely wings?
"Because it requires far more energy than I have at the moment, my goddess," was the soft whispered reply.
"You can read my thoughts?"
The woman shook her head, "Not your thoughts. Your feelings, yes. I am an empath. A gift that only a few of my kind has, but I think that it is one with which you are very familiar, am I not right?"
Mya chuckled, "Yes." It had been the first thing that she realized was different about her. Set her apart from the other novices. She could sense emotions in others: anger, fear, despair, lust, they beat at her, bombarded her like giant hail balls in the mightiest of storms. It was another of her secrets, only Lano had ever known.
Even she had seemed a bit in awe of Mya's gifts, she had thought for a long moment then before telling Mya that a time would come when her gifts would be revealed, but until that time she must speak of it to no one. She had said that it was another manifestation of her powers, that emotions themselves were born of the wind and carried upon them. Perhaps now was that time, perhaps this woman held some key to that which had always confused her, "How do you manage?"
Amarah smiled, "It is not as bad since I joined with Marham. He is a protector and somehow works as a buffer of sorts, at least for some of the stronger, nastier emotions. But I remember as a little girl never wanting to leave my room because every time I did it was as if everything came flying directly at me at once. I would get this horrible headaches then collapse on the floor in fits. The doctors could give my parents no hope so they sent me away to a temple. It was the best thing that ever happened to me," she smiled.
Mya shook her head, her own memories of being torn from her father, forced to go to the temple seemed fresher than they had in years. The other woman placed her hand over hers and she felt a soft discharge of energy. "Our Fate calls to us all, my goddess. It cannot be avoided however much we might like."
She looked to where the two men stood talking across the room, "It is not always such a bad thing, you know. He was wounded, his friend Tam brought him to the temple to heal but the wounds to his soul were not as easily healed as the ones to his body." She waved her arms at the books, "His hobby, a search for truth. He has collected thousands of books from so many different worlds, different religions, beliefs."
She sighed, "But still the dreams haunt his sleep. Great men are not easily placated, but then again I think you know that already. What of yours?"
Mya shook her head, was about to deny the woman's words. But something stopped her. The dream stopped her. If this woman was right, if Fate was not something to be fought, then perhaps the answer lay in embracing it, embracing him. It was certain that fighting it as her father and Lano had held no promise. She smiled softly and nodded, "Yes, mine."
***
Aved held the book that the other man was showing him gingerly. It was an ancient text and its words written in a language he did not know. But even as the man extolled the wisdom in its words, his eyes kept drifting to where she stood with the other woman. What was he to do now?
He had been a young man, barely finished with his time as a primary and new to the Council when Lano had taken him under her wings, guided him as was her duty, counseled him wisely and grew him into the man he had become. He had loved her...and he always would.
But it was not the same as it was with her. Something in her called to him. Brought out every protective instinct inside of him. Because of his feelings for Lano he had forsaken marriage, a family, and at first she had been the daughter they never had. He had joined with Lano in celebrating her accomplishments; her gifts that made her outshine all the other novices.
When Lano had passed they had both been gutted. But no one was as shocked as he had been when the Tribunal broke with tradition, selecting a novice to replace the woman he had loved. With her. While as senior Councilor, he might have selected another High Priestess as his counselor, sought out Soji or Rata, he had not been willing to turn her care over to Mij, who was too distracted with his new wife, and certainly not to Versil, whom he had always knew was slightly off. So he had remained in the charge of the new High Priestess of the air.
It should have fallen to him in those unusual circumstances to indoctrinate her. But how could he? She was like a daughter to him. He still loved Lano. And a hundred cycles and come and gone, technically the High Priestess of the air remained an untouched novice.
But she was not that sweet little girl that they had nurtured and overseen together. She was a woman, full grown. A woman with strength and gifts that he feared not even they had seen. A beautiful, gifted and very desirable woman. And as protective as he still felt of her, there was nothing fatherly about the feelings that she had been stirring up inside of him for some time. And watching the serene way in which she of all of them floated from one change to the next, he had the feeling that nothing would ever be the same between them either.
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart," the man's words floated to him through the fog of his thoughts. Yes, it was good advice the words of this ancient philosopher Marcus Aurelius. He would have to think upon it more.
"But it is late and I am a rude host. Here, we will show the two of you to your room," he offered. Protest welled up inside of Aved. It was not if he had not spent tens of thousands of evenings holding her in his arms and talking until they fell asleep. It was not even as if he did not want to this evening. It was just that something was different. She was different. And he had no idea what to expect.
The gentle touch on his arm and the soft smile upon her lips as she looked up at him stopped his heart, "Yes, please, Marham. I am more than ready for bed this evening. What of you, Aved?"
Yes, what of him, he questioned as they small party made it through the house in the clouds. He prayed to the goddess for the courage to as the saying went...accept and love with all his heart. For at the moment, that seemed a dream for a far wiser man than he.
***
"Frig," he spat as she splashed in the warm waves again this rising. Curses seemed to be the only words he spoke since they came to this goddess forsaken place. But that was because here they did not have the luxury of even the sheer robes that once covered her full curves. If they had been torture, then this was insanity. His palms itched to cup her full breasts. His arms ached to wrap about her waist and draw her back against his hard body as he had those first nights here, before she had awaken. And since...he had dared not. Though his body strummed with the raging need to take her.
"Frig," he cursed again as he tried to focus upon the words on the tablet. Something about punishment and control. The first of which this must be some severe form for his lack of faith in the goddess and the latter of which he had none when it came to her.
"Is that all you do? Curse?" she asked as she plopped down on the sand next to him. She used his tunic to dry her long red tresses now, just as she used it each night as a blanket. He wished she would think to use it to cover those soft curves of hers.
"Goddess damned. Is that all you do? Walk around naked and worry about my language, priestess," he accused.
She frowned and looked down at her body, "Since when did it bother you? I walked around my chambers like this all the time. I only wore robes when I left them. Aren't you used to it by now?"
"Used to it? About as friggin' used to it as putting a banquet before the man dying of hunger and telling him he can't eat. That used to it enough for you, priestess. And to answer your other question, only since I came of age, cycles ago," he shook his head.
She frowned, "I'm sorry. I never knew. I guess it was just so," she seemed to search for the word as she paused. In the end, she simply dropped her head and whispered, "I don't know what to say."
"Join the friggin' club, priestess," he replied as he laid the tablet aside and poked at the fire with a stick. It was getting low, perhaps he should use that as an excuse to go further into the island, search out wood. And do what he had been for so friggin' long...touch himself as he thought about how good it would feel to bury himself inside of her. He might not believe in her goddess, but he sure as hell wanted to commune with her priestess. "I'm going to get some more wood before it gets too late."
She nodded her head as she picked up the tablet that Tam had given him. "Some more of the coconuts and those long yellow things too would be nice."
"As you wish, High Priestess. Is there anything else, High Priestess?" he knew that he should not mock her; it was not really that at all. But how the frig was he going to manage living on an island all alone for goddess knew how long, when all he wanted to do was push her back in the sand and bury his sword deep inside her fountain. "Frig," he spat one last time as he turned and stalked into the forest.
***
Of all the goddess damned people to be stuck in this place with. Him. Why him? "Was I really such a bad servant that you punish me like this?" she asked as she stared out across the waves at the seemingly endless waters.
