The Crystal Rainbow Ch 26 30

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Twenty-Six – Entangled

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life is not a carefully woven tapestry, pristine and perfect, but rough and wild.

And, each day we find ourselves ever more entangled within its web.

"A Fool's Book of Wisdom"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine watched with fascination as a flush spread across his visible cheek and he turned his head away from her to hide his shame. Shaking her head, she reached a hand out for him and turned him back to her. She stood with his chin cupped in the palm of her hand and their eyes met. In her eyes, he saw the deep passion that burned there as well as a gentle, true love and it dwelt there with her complete acceptance of him as a man and with such an unshakable certainty that it swept away the last vestiges of his resistance. Erik quivered and a moan escaped his mouth as he surrendered to her will. His lips crashed down upon hers and the fire, which lay banked just beneath the surface of the man and woman's consciousness, burst into brilliant flame. Their mouths locked, their tongues dipped, swirled and danced in their own private tango of bliss. Soon, their whimpers and sighs grew into heated moans and groans. Their inferno fanned to an even greater intensity as their hands caressed each other and their bodies ground against one another. The conflagration of their passion consumed their bodies and eroded all thought from them as they wordlessly slipped to the floor.

And, in the midst of their passion, a streak of white bounced and then skittered across the floor to lie unnoticed and unwanted beneath an armchair.

◊ ○ ◊ ○ ◊

Khalid sat disconsolately on a bundle of hay he had pulled into Edgar's stall. The man's posture showed the depths of his dejection. His elbows rested on his thighs, his face cradled within the palms of both hands, his shoulders sagging, his entire body slumped forward.

"What am I to do, Edgar? Each day she seems to withdraw further into herself and away from me. It seems that nothing I do helps her in the slightest. And, the strangest thing is that I have no idea why it bothers me so. She is just my friend … you know. If she wishes to pout, I should just leave her alone. After all, I can think of a great number of things that I can do to occupy my time. After all, I am in Paris. I could view an opera or patronize a bordel! And what do I do? I sit here talking to an ass. Please do not take offense, mon ami. Do not glare at me, Edgar! You know that I only speak the unembellished truth! You are an ass, quite literally. And, for that matter, so am I. Helen may be my friend, but since I am speaking the truth to you, I must admit that I want more from her than her companionship. I only wish that I had the courage to tell her what I feel, but I know that she would never believe me. She believes her face is too hideous for anyone to love. Yet, Erik loves her, the girl loves her and I love her as well. She hides behind a wall of cynicism, which colors her every word until they drip with a venomous sarcasm. I realize that she has every reason to distrust humanity for I have seen the scorn they heap upon her, but after all these years … I just thought that if I kept coming back to her and stayed around long enough, she would see the truth of how I feel. But, it seems that will never be the case. Do you want to know something, Edgar? This is very amusing in a pathetic sort of way, but I will not give up on her. I cannot. I love her and nothing will ever change how I feel."

"And, how exactly is it that you feel, Monsieur?"

Khalid gaped as a tall woman with long, dark hair swept through the partially open door and into the barn. His eyes widened with surprise as he took in her appearance. It seemed from the way her arms wrapped tightly around her body that they were all but holding up the dress she wore. He ran puzzled eyes over her and frowned. Something about the woman sent a shiver of recognition through his confused mind, but he quickly dismissed it as a rush of fear ran through him. It clutched at his heart as he recognized the dress the woman had draped loosely about her.

"Madame, I realize this is a rather indelicate question, but the situation warrants my asking. How exactly did you come to wear the dress you hold precariously about your person and where is the owner of said dress? I swear, if you injured my friend, I shall forget that you are a woman and you shall not leave this place unaided …."

Peels of tinkling bell-like laughter halted his tirade and he ceased mid-sentence as the familiar sound washed over his ears.

"That laugh, I know it! It is she! But, how can this be true? This woman looks nothing like Helen. She is younger, taller, thinner, her eyes bluer, her skin smooth and utterly stunning. She is everything that Helen is not, yet, Helen's laugh issues from between her lips. This cannot be! Is there some enchantment, which clouds my eyes? How can this be?"

"Helen, how …?" His voice a choked and ragged utterance.

He stood there entranced, as the woman paced with all the grace of a caged panther back and forth before him. Khalid silently ran his eyes over the length of her body and wondered what lay hidden within the excess of material. Raising his eyes to her face, he took note of her raven-colored hair, which had streaks of gray and white shot through it. The strands of white gave the appearance of sparkling highlights in the dim candlelit interior of the nighttime barn. Her deep sapphire blue eyes sparkled and flashed and the man could not decide if they gleamed from the light or from a deep merriment.

"And, I do not care what causes it. Her eyes are beautiful. Her lips, her hair … mon Dieu! She is beautiful! It is Helen. If there is magic afoot, I find that I do not care. And yet, how can this be?"

His mind wrapped around this single thought, caught in an endless loop. A low, sultry chuckle finally broke his frantic pondering. She halted several steps in front of him and waited for the stunned man to act. He remained frozen, locked in his shock. She cocked her head and studied him carefully when he made no move toward her. She sighed and holding her hands out to the man, took a cautious step forward.

"Does it matter how? Khalid, it is still me, Helen."

Her throaty voice soft, husky, uncertain. She hesitantly took another step towards the man and lifted her arms higher. Her eyes now glistened with unshed tears, which she fought valiantly to contain behind her rapidly blinking eyelids.

"Mon homme le plus précieux, magnifique

¹

! Does anything else truly matter right now? Time enough for explanations later."

The man remained silent, staring warily at the woman.

"She offers everything that I have ever wanted. So, why can I not move? She is so beautiful!"

Her hands fell to her sides, dropping silently as their movement unleashed the torrent of tears, which splashed and ran down her smooth cheeks. She turned from him and began to stumble back towards the door of the barn. The moment Helen's eyes broke contact with Khalid, he snapped free of the malaise that had held him tightly within its malevolent grip. He started forward, gasping.

"No! Helen, wait! Please do not go!"

She froze and he rushed to her side, placing a trembling hand upon her equally shaking shoulder, but she did not turn to look at him.

"No, Helen. Please do not cry. You must understand that this … this … uh, er, well, you … I … um … damn it! Of all the … I never expected … I had no idea! I am so sorry! I did not mean to make you cry …." He managed to stammer. "Please turn around, Helen."

She slowly turned, sliding out from under the hold his hand had on her shoulder and stood before him, her face wet with her tears. Her bottom lip quivering and her eyes shining. Khalid gasped at the pain, longing, love and hope, which radiated from the dark, liquid depths of her gaze.

"Allah, preserve me! It is true! Helen!"

And, without either one realizing they had moved, their bodies smashed together in a desperate, but long desired, embrace.

◊ ○ ◊ ○ ◊

Jacob shifted his position on the branch and shivered as a bitterly cold breeze rippled through the tree. He clutched his woolen cloak tighter about his body and forced his thoughts away from his physical discomfort to focus them upon the rustic cottage. The old woman was inside her bedroom, yet again. She sat stiffly upon the wooden rocking chair, unmoving. He frowned.

"Damn! Oh, please, not another night spent in the chair! I just do not believe that my arse can take another hour in this tree. Aw, fuck!" He shivered slightly as another gust of wind whipped about him. "There is something in the air; something that puts me of a mind to believe that the devil holds a candle to the wind this night. Aye, surely it is that. An ill-wind blows, Jacob. An ill-wind blows through to steal unrepentant souls. Bloody hell! Was the money worth the price of your soul?"

The man ceased talking quietly to himself, his words giving way to softly muttered curses, but he continued to watch the wrinkled lump of flesh perched stiffly upon the still chair. After a time, he fell back into an uneasy silence, his nerves screaming, sending shocks stinging through his body with every creaking branch or rustling leaf. The night deepened, but seemed to drag on interminably as he waited. He waited in growing anticipation of the unknown. And, then he noticed that the forest had gone hushed, as if it too held its breath as it waited along with him. His eyes ached, his arse numb, but he refused to move, lest he miss it … whatever "it" was. A sudden wind whipped through the forest, seeming to draw with it the very air about him towards the modest cottage in the wood. A loose shutter banged as the wind descended upon Helen's home, but he refused to allow his attention to leave the old woman. He watched in stunned silence as the wave of air swept into the old woman's room and enveloped her, which caused her long grey hair to swirl about her face. Oblivious to the maelstrom surrounding her, Jacob watched her eyes flash open and her hand slammed fiercely down onto the arm of her chair. He gasped and his mouth gaped in shock as a brilliant crimson bolt of light struck the old woman's chest with such force that it knocked her chair backwards and she rolled onto the floor. Unable to move, Jacob watched the still, crumpled body and he felt something deep within him break and split in two. Then, she moved and he could breathe once more. She lifted trembling hands to her head, as if to rub away a pain there. The man swore he could hear the woman moan as she struggled to her hands and knees before rising on wobbling legs to her feet. Jacob blinked and leaned forward as his eyes took in the sight of long raven tresses cascading down the woman's back.

"Oh, bloody hell! The queer cuffin may as well bestow the cramp word upon me, as I am as likely to find success in palaver with Xavier about this as I am to finding myself bleeding emperor of France

²

!"

All thought left his mind as the woman turned and he caught sight of her face. He watched with rapt attention as she stood still for a moment, her mouth working in silent conversation before she strode across the room in the direction of her door. Her purposeful stride broke as something seemed to catch her eye and Jacob realized from the glint of light near her hand that she had stopped before a mirror. He continued to watch in wonder as he saw the woman gaze at her reflection, only now realizing the miraculous transformation that had occurred. Tears that Jacob felt could only be tears of joy, coursed down her cheeks as she stared in awe at her face. Tearing her eyes from the mirror, she hiked up her skirts and ran from the room. Before Jacob could react, he heard a door slam and he saw the woman, still holding up her gathered skirts, run the short distance between the cottage and the barn. She slowed at the entrance and gently pushed open the door. Then, after unconsciously patting her hair, she slipped inside the barn and out of Jacob's view.

He remained on the branch for a time too stunned to move before swinging down to the ground. Crouching low, he cautiously approached the window of the woman's room. His body began to tremble as he remembered with a rush of heat the last time he had approached this place. With a shake of his head, he cleared those lustful thoughts from his mind and turned his attention to his surroundings. He carefully searched through the shadows for any sign that he was not alone, but found none. The man righted from his crouch and looked into the woman's room. Immediately, his eyes alighted upon a small scarlet glow, which emanated from beneath the bed. Without realizing it, he pushed up the casement, hauled himself up and easily flipped through the window to quietly land inside the room. The moment his feet met the floor, the world seemed to spin around him and he dropped to his knees.

Even with eyes closed, Jacob could still feel his world spinning out of control. Drawing a deep, calming breath, he carefully opened his eyes. He jumped to his feet startled to find he was no longer in the cottage in the wood, but it seemed to the mystified young man that he was now in a long, dimly lit hallway of what appeared to be a castle of some sort with walls of dark, rough-hewn stone. Jacob wanted to stop walking down this corridor, to stop, turn and run back down the other way, but his body refused to cooperate with his mind. His eyes swung downwards, taking in the black shimmering robe in which he now found himself clothed and valiantly resisted the blanket of hysteria that threatened to envelop his mind. He had no idea where he was or where he was going, but his body seemed to know and he allowed his mutinous legs to carry him confidently down the corridor. Curiosity finally overcoming his fear, Jacob felt surprise as his feet suddenly stopped before a short, wide oak plank door, bound together with thick iron bands. His hand lifted and he watched as it rapped a deliberate pattern of knocks against its dark rough surface. He waited, shifting from foot to foot before he heard a warm feminine voice on the other side of the door.

"Yes? What do you want? I have told you that I require no assistance in …."

Her words tumbled from her mouth in a garbled rush and stopped as she truly took note of the man standing before her. She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth to muffle her sudden, delighted cry. Before Jacob could take in the young woman's appearance, she literally leapt into his arms and his traitorous arms clutched her in a tight, desperate embrace.

"Oh, Cadmus." She murmured into the soft folds of his robed chest.

She lifted her head and their mouths met in a hungry kiss. She moaned into his mouth as he deepened the joining of their lips. Her hands ran down the sides of his back and stopped to knead and squeeze the firm mounds of his ass. Jacob almost choked as he felt the woman pull him firmly against her body and rub against his rapidly quickening manhood. She chuckled, pleased to find him hard and ready for her. She opened her eyes and lifted her head to gaze upon the face of the man with whom she had unwittingly fallen in love. She raised her hand to caress his cheek softly and then ran her fingers across his succulent lips, which caused him to nip at her playfully. Her lips took on a mischievous smirk, but she suddenly sobered as her eyes met and locked with his. Looking into her hazel eyes, Jacob realized that beneath her lighthearted façade, the woman whom he held in such a loving embrace, felt only sorrow. She attempted to present him with a veneer of happiness to please him, but the emotions he read in her eyes told him everything he wished were not true. Her eyes broke from his and her gaze slid to the floor as she reluctantly pulled away from his embrace.

"Cadmus, what are you doing here? If Agathocles should discover us together, I shudder to think what would happen. We spoke of this and I thought we agreed to the necessity of ending this madness."

Jacob felt his head shake forcefully and wondered if he had any control over this body. It seemed he was now simply a passenger traveling along in this body, seeing, hearing and feeling everything, but affecting nothing.

"No, my love, you spoke, I listened. But I agreed to nothing. How can you even contemplate, much less countenance, the thought of allowing that … that … him to wed and bed you? The only person you protect if we cease to be with one another is I. Sabratha, what do you believe he will do when he discovers that your maidenhead is no more? That you gave it to another. Do you honestly believe he will not care? Do not fool yourself, my love. You will see him in all his unbridled fury when he learns that another took you before he could. You see, to him you are his property and he suffers no man to take what he believes is his. He will not kill you, but he might put you aside and make you his concubine. But, no matter what he calls you, wife or whore, he will punish you for the rest of your life, until you beg for the release of death. However, he will never willingly allow you to leave him. You hold too much power within you, so you will continue. Notice I did not say live. Oh, no! That beast would not allow you the pleasure of death. You shall not live, you shall exist and nothing more." He paused and Jacob felt the man, Cadmus, take a deep breath before he spoke again. "Sabratha, I love you and I know that you love me, too. Please come away with me. Now. This very night. In fact, this very moment. We shall leave his kingdom and settle far away. I cannot allow you to stay here with him when I know how he intends to use you. Surely you know that we could be happy together, you and me. You do not need to sacrifice our love to save me for without you my life is meaningless. You must come away with me! Please say you will. I beg you!"

He watched as her eyes slid away from his to look over his shoulder. Fear twisted in his gut as he saw her eyes widen in horror as they looked past him. He felt her breath catch in her throat as her body violently began to tremble. Silence hung heavily in the room and a sense of dread swept over Jacob.

And, then the sharp crack of someone's hands slowly and purposefully clapping together shattered the quiet of the room. The sound struck his ears like a fist to his gut. A man's jeering voice joined the staccato beat of hands, further twisting his innards.

"Well, is this not sweet? Sabratha, I do believe my wizard, your teacher, loves you. Cadmus, I never took you for a fool, but it seems I was wrong. Either that or you thought me a fool. In either case, I must now exact payment for your folly."

The man never attempted to move towards them, but remained motionless leaning against one side of the doorframe. He lazily lifted his hand, snapped his fingers and then pointed at Cadmus.

"Witch! Bind him."

Jacob winced as he watched his king's eyes run over Sabratha with a hunger that bordered on madness. When at last he brought his eyes to meet hers, Agathocles growled angrily at the emotions he read there. Then, with a coldness belied only by the passionate heat radiating from his eyes, he spoke again.

"On second thought, I believe it is better if you bind them both, Marla. Then, I command you to prepare her for the binding ritual. And, I warn you, attend to her personally, as I shall be most displeased should any mishaps occur." The king turned to Cadmus and spoke in a deceptively casual tone. "I no longer feel the need to bind her to me in marriage. She is used goods now and no longer holds any appeal to me. I shall take no man's castoff as my bride and have no need of any more whores."