Sky Lands: The Gift Stones

“Rylo!” He opened his arms. It seemed as much a gesture of surprise as an invitation for an embrace.

  Audrey seemed to take it as the latter since she ran to him with a carefree abandon. He swung her through the air in a circle, and when they broke, the room was filled with their excited voices chattering in the airy words of Alhallran.

  Hallain glanced past Audrey’s shoulder. His blue eyes fastened on me, widening with incredulity. For a long moment, he stared, then slowly he approached me with a deliberate caution, as if he were touching a figment of imagination.

  He looked me over from head to foot, examining me like a specimen. Audrey was standing with her arms crossed, smiling with a twist of amusement. Hallain brushed my shoulder, his hand tracing the fabric of my t-shirt, rubbing the material between his fingers. He said something to Audrey and she responded with a jerk of her chin towards me.

  So he turned to me and asked, “What is your name?”

  The plain English struck me dumb. “Kevin,” I stuttered.

  He still examined me as if I were new. His words were halting, infused with an airy accent. “I… haven’t spoken English… in a long time,” he said. “Please forgive it, if it is not good.”

  “It’s fine,” I managed.

  He addressed the man I took to be the lead guard, speaking quickly. His Moreinan was flawless as far as I could tell, without a trace of the Alhallren accent I had detected in Audrey’s speech.

  The guard bowed before calling to the others with a sweep of his arm. They turned and mounted their hines, lifting off from the pillars and flying away into the yellow sky of morning.

  We were left alone in a hall that was suddenly hollow. The hine that we had stolen sat perched between the pillars. Hallain made a remark towards it, gesturing at it with a flick of his fingers.

  Audrey leaned to me, “My brother has forgiven us of our crimes. He says he will send someone to take back the hine we’ve stolen.”

  Hallain sighed, leaving the hall. We followed him into a shaded corridor.

  As he spoke to Audrey, his open Alhallren words echoed, ringing against the amber stones. The painted walls enclosed an outdoor courtyard with columned walkways. The morning light made dark patterns on the ground, and as we walked, the sun fell warmly between the slender cool of the pillars’ shadows.

  “He wants to know what’s ever to be done with me. I told him I just wanted to hurry home,” Audrey translated for me. Hallain made as if to respond with exasperation, but before he managed a word, Audrey cut in, “We should speak English in front of our guest to make him feel more comfortable.”

  “I’m sure he will not be more comfortable hearing me scold you.” But from his obvious English, it was apparent that he relented.

  “Speaking English is just an excuse, brother, for I’m confident I can win any argument against you in English – the only language in which I’m better than you.”

  Hallain sighed again. “Why could you not have found a better way of arriving, Rylo?”

  “You mean a more peaceful way?” There was a seriousness in her tone that silenced him.

  Beyond the pillars of the path, the world opened in a tumble of sand and bronze. Past the terraces, the dwellings of the city rose in bars of gold towards the morning sky. At the city’s edge, the earth was amber, tanned with brown into the horizon.

  We ascended stairs lined with columns that separated the steps from the golden view of the land below. On the other side of the stairway, the stones of the wall shimmered with ochre, painted with colors near the ceiling.

  “I could have let them arrest me,” Audrey was saying, “but what then? Imprisonment? Punishment? I may soon be queen, Hallain. I cannot risk capture in a foreign country. Would you leave Alhallra vulnerable without a monarch? You do still care for Alhallra?”

  “Of course I care,” he responded softly. After a while, he spoke again in Alhallran.

  “He chose to come,” Audrey replied. With a start, I realized they were talking about me.

  “Please forgive us,” Hallain said to me, “but no one from another world has ever been brought into ours.”

  We arrived at a landing. Tapestries adorned the walls and tall windows rose directly ahead. Above, the ceiling opened to the sky through floral cavities carved into the stone. Birds fluttered through the hewn lattice, weaving song into the ceiling.

  “Satine won’t react well to this visitor,” Hallain said. A chill wound through me at his words. “You should have thought better, sister.”

  “Look how my brother has grown,” Audrey replied, that familiar smile curving her lips.

  “Sister, please.” He walked to one of the tapestries; instead of hanging against the stones, the fabric was stretched taut within the wall. He pulled the tapestry aside, revealing a doorway into a spacious room. “You should keep him here and I’ll send him back to his world as soon as possible.”

  “He doesn’t want to be sent back, do you, Kevin?” Audrey asked.

  “If I’m honest, not yet. I don’t want to intrude, but I just got here,” I said. “And your world looks – amazing.”

  “Of course you are welcome here,” Hallain said. “But others… may not have an open mind…” His words tapered away.

  “I think Jesath would love to meet him. Jesath would definitely have an open mind. He would be thrilled.” Audrey’s face brightened visibly at the thought.

  “Jesath is not Satine.”

  “If Satine wants me to take him back, I will. But until then, it would be nice to have a guest in our world.”

  “It is… rather interesting,” Hallain admitted, studying my features. He drew a breath and gestured to the room. “Well, Kevin, this is your chamber while you are here. You should rest after such a night. Even my sister must feel tired.”

  Inside, the room was furnished with rugs and cushions. Layers of painted color gilded the ceiling and walls; large vases ornamented the corners. The far wall was open, made entirely of long pillars twined with silks. Between the columns, the land could be seen in a luminous view below, the brown earth streaked with the blue veins of the Dabi. Set into the stones of the floor was a pool of golden water, and from it wafted the scent of honey. The entire room was fragranced with an overpoweringly sweet perfume, stirred by the wind.

  A movement caught my eye. Peering from the shade were two glowing eyes, red like embers. The eyes crept out and a sleek body materialized from the shadows, black as if formed from the night. It slinked from its bed of pillows onto the tawny stones. For a passing instant, I thought of a Doberman and of a cheetah, and then I knew what it was.

  “It’s a sik!” I cried.

  “It’s alright,” Hallain assured me. “It won’t harm you. It’s here to protect you.”

  I eyed the cat warily. It had silently crossed the room and sat at the foot of a pillar, like a shadow. It looked towards the ceiling at the birds that flitted between the carvings. I glimpsed the flick of a red tongue across its black mouth.

  “Rest well, Kevin. I’ll send a servant with some food, and help yourself to the bath.” He gestured to the golden pool with a tilt of his head.

  “I’ll be in the room next door if you need anything,” Audrey said. Before I knew it, they had pulled aside the tapestry and stepped out.

  I studied the colors of the doorway drapery. Its patterned design looked back at me. I noticed a twist of rope hanging from its edge, near a hook in the wall. Guessing its purpose, I looped the rope over the hook, locking the tapestry door.

  For the first time, I was alone in a foreign world. Standing between the pillars, the stones of the floor ended sharply at my feet, bending into the exterior of a wall, reaching below to the lines of the palace’s layered design. The fronds of tall trees shaded parts of the palace and obscured the ground. Beyond them, amber bricks built the city across the lands, beneath a sky patterned with light. At a short distance, a flock of hines flew through the clouds, like prehistoric beasts in a forgotten time.

  The sik came a
nd sat not far from me. I would have been afraid, but it was calm as it gazed out in a reverent solitude, the silks of the pillars waving against its black fur.

  My skin was sticky with sweat and heat. The fragrant humidity had a texture that was oppressive. Yearning for a cold shower, I knelt at the edge of the golden bath. I stirred the waters and was surprised to find it pleasantly cool, refreshing to the touch. Although it was denser than water, the honeyed liquid flowed smoothly. As I stirred, a scent was released that seemed a mixture of honey and ginger.

  I stripped off my clothes and lowered myself into the waters, sinking in and leaning back. The liquid was dense enough to buoy me up, yet fluid enough so I moved easily within it. Pulling a cushion to me, I propped it against my neck and closed my eyes, with a grin palpably implanted on my face.

  • • •

  I must have dozed off, for a tiny voice called me back to myself from far away. When I opened my eyes, I saw a gold-bricked ceiling painted with geometric designs. I thought I was dreaming before my memories came back to me. I jerked upright, the waters splashing. A girl’s voice was calling muffled from behind the tapestry door, her hand denting the fabric as she pressed against it. I remembered Hallain had sent a servant to bring food.

  I was about to get up when I noticed the sik crouching at the edge of the bath, its body hidden in shadow. Only its head protruded black over the golden liquid, its red tongue lapping at the waters. I shooed it away with sweeps of my arms. It leapt off my clothes and went to lie lazily in a sunbeam, stretching and yawning. I examined the water for signs of cat saliva, but discerned nothing. “Sick,” I muttered. “No pun intended.”

  Leaping out, I pulled my jeans on as fast as I could, sprinting to the tapestry door and unlatching it. A young slip of a girl stepped in holding a tray topped with bites of food. The moment she saw me, she stared, her eyes round and bright as if set with gems of garnet. Her white dress contrasted sharply against her red-bronze skin. A rope twined in a belt around her waist.

  She recovered herself with a shake of her head, swinging a length of copper hair braided down her back. A spotted pattern ran along her neck, peppering her shoulder blade. They reminded me of the stripes on Nakada’s neck. I had assumed the stripes had been tattoos, but now I doubted.

  The girl set the tray on a rug. She went to the bath, reached deep into the waters and pulled a plug along the basin floor. The water drained out in a swirl of honey. As soon as she replaced the plug, fresh water began to pour in from an opening at the side.

  When the bath was once more filled and golden, she placed folded white cloths onto some cushions. Finished, she turned to me, speaking quickly in Moreinan. I shook my head to indicate that I didn’t understand. She tilted her head and closed her eyes in a manner I understood to mean sleeping; then she indicated an emerald sheet on the floor and the rope hanging next to it. She pulled the rope and the emerald drape began to tighten, the ropes lifting the drape so it curved like a boat, with all its variety of cushions nestled in it like passengers. She stopped abruptly, letting the drape sag to the floor again.

  Smiling at me, as if her task was completed, she gave me a final look from head to foot. Then she crossed the room and disappeared out the tapestry door.

  On the rug, the sik was sniffing at my food.

  “No!” I shouted as I ran towards it, my bare feet slapping the stones.

  The sik leapt back with a hiss that froze me almost in mid-air. I stood, completely motionless, my insides cowering. The large cat gave me a red glare with its eyes. But it moved off, slipping into the shade, black as a panther with the grace of a cheetah.

  A bead of sweat slid down my temple, mixing with the honeyed waters that still scented my skin. With relief, I sat in front of the tray to inspect the prize I felt had almost cost me my life.

  On the tray was a bowl of tiny octopus tentacles seasoned in a brown spice; the dish tasted sweet. Next to it was a plate of leaves topped with mini-lobster claws, drenched in a golden juice. Scattered decoratively along the tray were clam shells stuffed with meats and vegetables peppered with spices. When I ate them, they were so spicy I immediately downed the cup of clear broth. Pulling the cup back, I saw small nuts floated in the remaining broth to give it flavor. The drink left an odd powdery texture on the tongue.

  Soon, there was nothing left to eat. Sighing contentedly, I examined the folded white cloths that the girl had laid down. Picking it up, I found it was a large woolen shirt; its softness made me want to curl into it and sleep. I held it against me and it hung long, almost to my knees. On the ground, the other white cloth was more extensive with elaborate folds. I couldn’t figure out how to wear it and wondered whether it was clothing at all.

  I shrugged. My jeans were feeling stiff, so I took them off and changed into the shirt. I lay on the emerald drapery, shifting among its plenitude of pillows. I remembered the girl’s gesture at sleeping and realization dawned on me.

  Just below the ceiling, a hook protruded from the wall. As I lay on the emerald drape, I pulled the rope, and the drape curved up with me and the cushions in it. As I pulled, the drape lifted me higher and higher towards the ceiling, so that soon I was looking down at the room, at the rug-covered floor strewn with cushions. The sik was lying in the shade, its side heaving gently with sleep. Between shafts of light, the pillars cast long shadows across the floor, and the silk drapes waved into the room on a hot breeze.

  I raised myself until I could almost touch the high ceiling. I was surprised at how little effort it had taken to raise myself so high. I wrapped the rope around the wall hook and felt myself swing slightly on the green drape, cushioned by pillows, as though in an elaborate hammock hanging from the ceiling.

  I inspected the knot around the hook one last time. Making sure it was secure, I sank beneath the mountain of cushions, drew a light sheet over myself, and slipped into a happy slumber.

  Chapter 23