13

~11~

A soft ray of orange light drifted down from the clouds, the Keneenean princess in it's wake, down and down she floated until she rested in Neo's waiting embrace. He stood on the main round limestone slab that led up into the palace. His breathe was heavy and raspy but he had made it back in time to catch her as she came to rest in his arms. Her crystal still upright in it's conscious awareness of the Soul, but once it released her, Ceshca's breath returned instantly. Gasping, her eyes fluttered open. She felt his nearness, the warmth of his embrace, the heat of his breath.

"Ceshca." he whispered gently.

"Neo." she murmured in response, her green eyes fluttered up to look into his, opening her tightly clasped hand the princess revealed a piece of jewelry in the palm of her hand. Glancing at her palm, Neo saw what she had. An intricately crafted earring lay in her hand.

"This earring was my father's gift to my mother, the night that I was concieved." she told him. The piece was stunning. A small hexigon shape with four adjoining pieces that held a small white crystal in the center of it, and set in he center of the white crystal was a fragment of an orange crystal. Three strands of micro crystals hung from the hexigon shaped metal.

"Wow, it's beautiful, just like you." Neo said gently to the princess, looking into her eyes. She gave him a sweet but playful smile. Jones approached them, then hung back as the two engaged in a rather passionate kiss.

"Ceshca! Oh Ceshca are you alright my daughter!" Father exclaimed as he found the two youngsters on his front porch, as it were. Ceshca pulled away from Neo's warm tender embrace and turned to greet her father. Neo was blushing as he met the King's gaze. Ceshca kneeled as her father came closer.

"The Keneenean kingdom is safe my King." she announced.

"Ah Ceshcaclameshcama..." Father rushed to take his daughter up into his embrace. He muttered a string of Keneenean words into his heir's ear then released her. She handed him her mother's earring.

"Now! Let's go to the thrown room to discuss the more important matter." Father said glancing at Neo.

When they had all settled into the thrown room, Father began the discussion. Before Neo or Ceshca could say anything about asking for his blessing on them, the King merely gave it to them openly and honestly.

"What do you plan to do now that your Commander is gone?" Father addressed Jones.

"Well sir, I believe I will take myself and my band of theiving mercinaries back to the surface and swear us all to secrecy." Jones replied respectfully.

"Yes that would be very good Jones. But would you stay to celebrate with I and my people, in honor of you helping save my kingdom?" Father smiled kindly.

"Yes, we would be honored and joyful at staying to celebrate with you, your Majesty." Jones smiled back. After Father dismissed them, Ceshca stole Neo away to her bed chambers before anyone could see fit to stall them for anything.

The couple lay on the princess's bed as they talked.

"What happened?" murmured Ceshca. Neo heard the uncertainty in her voice and saw the trembling in her lithe limbs.

"The Keneenean Soul picked you, it will only accept one of royal blood in order to protect itself and the people. You bonded with it in it's Emerald Shade, the only time that a human can bond with it." Neo began.

"But, what is it?" Ceshca burst with curiosity.

"Your father didn't tell you?"

"No." she returned sadly.

"The Atlantian Heart and the Keneenean Soul are as two conscious entities... the Soul is fueled by the collective feelings of it's people. Just as the Heart is for Atlantis."

"My mother was the first to be selected, over a century ago." the princess exhaled, her voice shook, to Neo she didn't seem to be ignorant as she had led him to believe; then again there was much that his scrolls and books had not been able to teach him.

"Why did you not grow up with the Soul visible to you and the entire city?" he asked gently.

"Father, he buried it, where we found it... Mita(Mee-tah). I mean, mother, she went up into the Soul and did not return... the capital was in chaos as it sank beneath the waves, Mita was chosen to try and keep the city from being swallowed by the sea!" Ceshca finally admitted. Her voice had risen as she spoke, peaking as she broke into uncontrollable sobs at the end. Neo sat up and took the tender woman into his lap, craddling her as she cried, her little body fit so perfectly into his as he then began to gently rock her back and forth. His own eyes glistening with tears as he realized that Ceshca had watched her mother's death because of the Soul, the Entity that Keneena chose to honor and call protector had stolen the former queen from them; it was strange even still that these people also had a strong faith in Ishka or as Neo had grown up calling Him; God.

"The texts that I have read say that your mother perished while giving birth to Veshna." Neo murmured gently.

"Atobea (Ah-tobe-e), Father, he wanted to protect me from having to be the chosen one as well. Praying night and day to Ishka that I would never be forced to make that same sacrifice. It just proves how little history has done my people justice in those scrolls that have been discovered." Ceshca said softly as her tears subsided.

"Ceshca, I didn't know. Please forgive me my love." Neo held her so he could look into her deep green eyes.

"I know you have much to learn Neo Livingston, it is why I haven't been any harsher with you. Strangers have never been to Keneena before your arrival. Ignorance is to be expected among the younger races." Ceshca smiled at his concerned gaze, "And yes my sweet Neo, I forgive you, for I never held anything against you in the first place."

"Thank you Ceshcaclameshcama." Neo managed to say her name without screwing it up. At this the princess smiled deeper.

"So how is my accent?" he asked as she climbed out of his arms and again sat facing him.

"Provincial, boorish, testy." she gave a funny expression as she spoke, wrinkling her nose a bit as if his poorly articulated pronounciation of her language truly did effect her. Neo bowed his head slightly in shame and embarrassment.

"I do apologize your highness." he nearly whispered, his cheeks flushed with all manner of emotions at her honest critism.

"Ah Neo Livingston, it takes Keneenean childern half their lives to begin speaking our native tongue correctly. Like children of your surface world, I am positive there are those who accel faster than others, yes?" Ceshca lifted his chin in her palm, smiling tenderly at her newly found love. Neo's eyes met her's, which for him only added to the sting of her prior assesment, but he nodded in response to her thoughtful words. On the surface, Neo Livingston was a sought after historian and linguist, that is how the government discovered him... but down here, in this world of unparalleled beauty and wonder, filled with exotic living and strange customs; Neo Livingston was as a child. And he sure felt like one, especially at this moment.

"Neo please, be happy, share a smile with me my love, my maddia (madd-ee-ah)." Ceshca spoke. Neo's head shot up and his eyes zeroed in on her lovely face, her keen eyes were steadily watching him; anticipating his reaction.

"Maddia? Me?" his stunned voice shuttered with feeling as he repeated the word in his own mind. The words of the Keneenean people were much like other words of old, single words and phrases; hell entire conversations held so much depth. A vortex of multiple emotions and sensations could be in the meaning of a singular word.

"Ceshca! Oh Ceshca come, come!" squealed Veshna as she burst into her elder sister's bed chamber, the girl rushed over to her and snatched her hand and Neo's.

Startled the couple jolted out of their conversation as they were tug along by the young princess.

"Where are we going child?" giggled Ceshca.

"To Leila and Jones!" she said happily.

"What for?" Neo said as the couple exchanged a glance of surprise.

"Well someone has to help Ceshca get ready for the celebrations later tonight, no? And I refuse to be the only one this time." Veshna replied. Neo smiled as he detected the young girl's textured accent behind her english words.

"How long did it take you Ceshca." he whispered to the princess as Veshna dragged them down several hallways.

"I started speaking soon after Mita passed away. I was about eight. Veshna is learning quickly as well." answered Ceshca as Veshna finally came to a halt at a double door entrance. Whirling about the younger princess glared at Neo, suspiciously almost.

"Now... no men allowed threw these doors. You must go wait with the other gentlemen in the main hall." her voice took on a stern tenor, Neo tried to hold back a humored smile but it slipped as Veshna likewise tried not to giggle at herself.

Bowing low Neo said in all sincerity, "Yes your highness." he stepped to the side to let Ceshca pass by as Veshna opened one of the doors for her, he kissed her hand softly and bowed to her as well.

"I am honored and very pleased by your offer My lady." Neo purred as he glanced up at her as she passed into the room. Veshna narrowed her eyes at him, but quickly followed her sister, shutting the door behind her.

"Surprise!" Leila and Jones called out as Ceshca and Veshna entered the main room.

Ceshca gasped with delighted surprise as her best friend, Jones, and Rilana popped up from hiding behind various objects. Leila held up one of Ceshca's sexiest outfits, Jones held jewelry and Rilana was standing next to a long mirror and table where several makeup bottles and tins sat.

"So what did that all mean?" Jones smiled as Ceshca came closer to her friends.

"Yeah, what did you offer Neo?" Veshna pipped in as she took at running leap onto the available bed.

"Neo is my Maddia." purred Ceshca as she stepped over to Leila so she could help her out of her clothes.

"Huh?" Jones said, she couldn't help as her eyes openly stared at Ceshca's true comfort at just getting naked in front of an audience.

"Meddia, means uh... he is her lover, her friend, her comforter, her guide, her best friend." Leila explained as best as she could. She helped Ceshca slip into the short gauzey dress, it came mid-thigh, and had thinly braided shoulder straps. It was see threw and the color of soft sea blues and greens. It made her orange tattoos, body jewelry, and eyes pop vividly.

"Ah okay." Jones merely shook her head as she attempted to assiminlate the multi-faceted word, "I like your piercings." she added as Ceshca came to her and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you Jones. I never imagined you would be here." commented the princess.

"Uh, yeah, well Leila asked me if I wanted to see you one last time before I left, so I said sure why not." answered Jones casually.

"Aren't you staying for the party?"

"Yes... but." Jones began. Ceshca turned to see Leila smirking, as if she had a curious little secret up her sleeve. Jones handed Ceshca her earring. The princess gasped as she saw that it was her Mita's earring.

"Father said he wished that you keep mother's earring Ceshca." Veshna supplied as she watched her older sister carefully put it in her left ear. In her other ear she put a smaller orange crystal so as not to detract from the larger piece.

"And now the finale, your makeup!" sang Rilana as she danced around her area.

"You are such a clown Rilana." smiled Leila as she dressed herself in the adjoining room. Ceshca sat down at her friend's table and closed her eyes, wondering what Rilana would do to her.

~12~

Neo sipped at his cup of Keneenean wine as the rest of the crew and the city danced. He was seated near the wine serving table. The glow from the Soul high above the limestone circle cast the people in an warm comforting atmosphere, they laughed and danced, singing broke out whenever some of the elders glanced up at the Soul. Musicians played their oddly shaped instruments, a low sounding trumpet, a guitar and a harp sounding tools set the dancing tempo. King Montinmma sat on his thrown smiling and enjoying the company of several of his court advisors. Neo's pallet adjusted to the wine the more he sipped, his eyes scanning the crowded area for his beloved. The wine resembled a tart pomegranate with small specks of soft fruit that tasted somewhat like a cross between a lime and a strawberry. Suddenly the music ceased and Neo's attention was drawn towards the whispers of the crowd, his eyes searched but saw nothing until he followed the gaze of the crowd.

Ceshca stood at the top of the stairs, Neo's heart nearly burst from his chest as it swelled with love and pride for the woman. Her hair was thrown up in a mess of tendril curls that fell every which way, her dress was the color of the sea and he could catch hints of her lush body beneath the soft fabric as she began to descend the staircase. Her eyelashes were dark with mascara and her lips were a pleasant pink color. Leila, Jones, Rilana, and Veshna trailed behind the princess in her slow pace. Neo eyes registared the other girls presence but he couldn't pull them away from Ceshca, the orange light from the Crystal glistened off of the piercings that were beneath the gauze, her tattoos seemed to radiate light, her legs swung freely and her feet were bare; just the way Neo knew she liked it. Once the women had reached the bottom step the entire crowd bowed as one to the princesses, uttering words of thanks and graditude.

Ceshca walked straight to Neo, while the remaining girls joined the crowd or found another friend to chat with. Father nodded to the musicians and they resumed their tune. Ceshca smiled beautifully as Neo reached his hand out to her as she approached him.

"Ah Ceshca, stunning does little to express how much of a goddess you truly are." Neo spoke to her as she took his hand.

"Thank you my love. You look handsome indeed." purred the princess as she spun a few turns into his lap. Her eyes locked with his as she pressed her lips to him, drowning him in a long slow kiss. Instinctively Neo's hands stroked and caressed her back and sides. Ceshca's arms wrapped about his neck, her small short form had to reach in order to lock them.

"I don't want to stay here." Neo's breathe was heated in her ear.

"Alright." murmured Ceshca as she stepped away from him, taking his hand she snuck them out of the crowded party. She led him threw a small patch of jungle and ruins.

Leila's sharp eyes caught the couple sneaking out and she just smiled, knowing where her friend was taking her lover.

"Where are we going?" Neo smiled as hanging vines and leaves as big around as an elephant's ear hid her leading form, the brush was not thick but it hung low. The air seemed to grow thicker as more water content filled the area. Ceshca ignored his questioned and continued to push threw the greenery. Suddenly she stepped threw a patch that appeared to be just like the leaves that they had been trudging threw for the past half mile, except she disappeared from his already limited view.

"Ceshca, what..." Neo began to say but was cut off once he stepped threw the spot that his girlfriend had, stunned into silence. The thicket dropped from around him and his gaze was met by a domed canopy of leaves and high rising trees, a scattering of large hunks of limestone lay several yards around him, his ears caught the music of a gentle waterfall. The air was thick with steam that rose from the ground, Neo felt as if he had just walked into his very first steam bath.

Suddenly Ceshca's pendent light burst threw the cloudy fog surrounding them and Neo gasped in wonder as his eyes were met by a statue. She was gorgeous, carved of the whitest limestone that he had ever seen, sections of her were crumbling or missing but still her beauty was preserved even as the fog lifted Neo could see that this was a statue of a royal, but who? A breeze blew, rustling the canopy high above their heads allowing some of the steam to escape, further cleansing the dense air. Neo saw that there was a small tranquil pool at the base of the statue's feet, and the sound of trickling water was coming from the figure's eyes and mouth. The statue held a smile that met her eyes, setting them ablaze with a lifelike feeling to them. A thick mossy grass covered the ground under Neo's feet as he stepped nearer to the massive statue. Ceshca was kneeling at the water's edge, crouched over her own knees with her face resting in her hands as they formed a point as her fingers touched at the tips.

Neo heard her words as he came softly to her side, she was paying respect to this person, telling her of what had happened in the past few days. The man loved the sound of Keneenean rolling from Ceshca's lips, he could never appreciate it from any other then her, it flowed so effortlessly, as if she were singing a gentle love song to this statue. Then again he had never heard true Keneenean until this voyage, he knew now that it sounded pretty and romantic from a native, like french or cherokee would to a white man; a stranger to the ways of the culture. He had much to learn and perfect if he ever were to speak it correctly. Tears slowly rolled from his eyes as he caught the rhyme and reason for her prayer... the statue... this woman was a depiction of her mother. One thing Neo was confident about was that he could understand the language better then he could hope to speak it at the moment so instead of offering his own prayer he merely listened to her's. She was telling her mother every detail off the past few days, explaining her new found love with him, and how she had called Leila for help. She spoke of saving the kingdom and Father's love.

Neo admired the script that graced the statue's clothing as Ceshca stood up again, a big smile on her tear stained face. She saw his own tear streaked cheeks and hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you for coming with me." she whispered.

"Always Ceshcaclameshcama." Neo answered. More of the fog lifted and Neo found that they were surrounded by pillars of limestone that encircled the former Queen, like a hedge of protection; he always noticed a curious bug in the air.

"Ceshca what is that?" he asked as she turned to see what he was eyeing. She smiled again then laughed.

The little bug was no bigger then a May-fly, it's wings were bigger as were its eyes, it had receptors that looked much like a tiny fern leaf. The body was shaped like a long thin oval and the entire creature was green, almost a metallic green.

"These are Niin (Neen). They are um, like what you would call fireflys." she giggled as one of the glowing little bugs landed on her fingertip. Neo realized that the whole canopy was filled with the Niin, as their glowing selves buzzed closer and closer, seeming to be curious at the visitors.

"Are they dangerous?"

"Dangerous? No. They thrive in thick foggy areas like this, and during mating season they glow even brighter." explained Ceshca as she gently captured several, taking a small class tube that she had hidden under her dress she deposited them into it, then closed the tube with a soft sticky fabric.

"Ahhh." Neo said as he saw how, once enclosed the little bugs metallic green glowed even brighter still, producing a light bulb.

"When the city came to settle here, we did not have light for nearly 45 years. Niin were what we captured to use as a way to light the darkness. My father ordered that this place be a safe haven for them to live and breed, this is the one closest to the palace though." Ceshca said.

Neo gingerly stretched his hand out towards the bugs, and a few seemed to sense him, they timidly landed on the pads of his fingers. He had to keep from gasping like a small child as he made his discovery, their legs felt like the brush of a feather against his skin, and their big curious eyes stared up at him as if in acknowledgment of his presence. As they lowered their fern like sensors, he nearly giggled uncontrollably for they too felt soft to his skin; like velvet.