them.”
I didn’t see much choice in the matter. I was
foolish to think I was being saved for something greater. I was merely collateral
in an intergalactic union—a simple vessel.
“Who’ve I been paired with?” I already knew. Onine
had all but told me in the garden. “He’ll lose his beauty …” I didn’t mean to
speak aloud.
I could barely breathe, as my throat tightened. Tal pulled
me closer and bathed me in coldness. A cooler breeze rushed up over the tips of
the young blades of wheat—the warm season hadn’t reached us yet. The
smell of his skin made me feel alive and I put my cheek on his chest to hear
his heart beat. He didn’t flinch, holding me as though he’d never let me go. It
felt good to touch, it felt right.
“El,” he said in a low voice, his smoky breath
comforting me in ways too subtle to explain. If my flesh could’ve melted into
his, evaporated at once, I’d have welcomed it. “I’ll never let anything happen
to you.”
I let him hold me, as I wept, imagining the
suffocation of a Venusian flame.
“El,” he said, as though giving my name to the
darkness, “I want you to be mine again.”
His admission made me think of Onine. I broke our
embrace, pushing away from him and wiping my tears with the back of my hand. Our
tender moment was swept up in the breeze.
“You can’t save me,” I said. “I won’t leave the
Kyprian.”
Tal kicked the soil at his feet, tossing his head
back to shake the hair from his brow. He reached for me again, catching my hand.
He threaded my fingers with his and brought our hands up to his chest. “I can keep
you safe,” he said. “I will.”
He squeezed his palm against mine and I knew he could
feel my warm skin. I pulled my hand from his and tucked it into the fold of my
frock. I searched for Luna in the sky to avoid his gaze. “I’ve been selected,”
I said. “I have to obey the will of the Kyprian goddess.”
I’d been chosen for Onine—I couldn’t tell Tal
what happened to me in the garden, and in the golden forest, but I knew I’d
been chosen for the keeper. He’d already tried to make contact, to tempt clay
with fire, but had lost his nerve.
Tal looked at me with an expression that tore into
me a little. When he didn’t blink his wicked eyes, I felt their coldness
penetrate mine. Before reaching for me again, he caught himself and let his
hand fall to his side. I imagined the blush before it rushed into his cheeks.
“What has he done?”
“Nothing,” I said.
He moved forward and caught my face in the palms of his
smoky hands. He squeezed my cheeks, pinching my skin with his thumbs and
forefingers. “I’m going to take you away from here and you will be mine again.”
Free yourself from your
chains, but do not let him take you. You do not want to anger Kypria. She sees
you. The
words of Saturnia’s sister replayed in my mind and I drew my head back, forcing
him to release his grip. The smell of smoke stayed on my cheeks.
“I won’t go with you,” I said. “I’ve been chosen.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t want
this—to mate with him—with such a being.”
“He’s not—” I stopped myself. Pointless to
argue, I’d already decided to give myself to Onine willingly but Tal didn’t
need to know it.
“Tiro is the most foul Kyprian here,” he said.
“Tiro?”
He sighed and looked more defeated than he’d been
since the start of our conversation. “You’ve been selected for the floor master.
I thought you knew.”
“It can’t be Tiro—no, it’s Onine.”
He smiled but I only saw his pity. “Onine is gone.”
***
I could not do it. I could
not raise my fingers to feel your skin. We were alone, I had my chance, but I
could not do it. You look at me with those dark eyes and I feel lost, or
perhaps I am found. Kypria has made her intentions for me clear, but I find it
difficult to deny myself any longer. I know you enjoyed the transcendency I
allowed you to
I didn’t see much choice in the matter. I was
foolish to think I was being saved for something greater. I was merely collateral
in an intergalactic union—a simple vessel.
“Who’ve I been paired with?” I already knew. Onine
had all but told me in the garden. “He’ll lose his beauty …” I didn’t mean to
speak aloud.
I could barely breathe, as my throat tightened. Tal pulled
me closer and bathed me in coldness. A cooler breeze rushed up over the tips of
the young blades of wheat—the warm season hadn’t reached us yet. The
smell of his skin made me feel alive and I put my cheek on his chest to hear
his heart beat. He didn’t flinch, holding me as though he’d never let me go. It
felt good to touch, it felt right.
“El,” he said in a low voice, his smoky breath
comforting me in ways too subtle to explain. If my flesh could’ve melted into
his, evaporated at once, I’d have welcomed it. “I’ll never let anything happen
to you.”
I let him hold me, as I wept, imagining the
suffocation of a Venusian flame.
“El,” he said, as though giving my name to the
darkness, “I want you to be mine again.”
His admission made me think of Onine. I broke our
embrace, pushing away from him and wiping my tears with the back of my hand. Our
tender moment was swept up in the breeze.
“You can’t save me,” I said. “I won’t leave the
Kyprian.”
Tal kicked the soil at his feet, tossing his head
back to shake the hair from his brow. He reached for me again, catching my hand.
He threaded my fingers with his and brought our hands up to his chest. “I can keep
you safe,” he said. “I will.”
He squeezed his palm against mine and I knew he could
feel my warm skin. I pulled my hand from his and tucked it into the fold of my
frock. I searched for Luna in the sky to avoid his gaze. “I’ve been selected,”
I said. “I have to obey the will of the Kyprian goddess.”
I’d been chosen for Onine—I couldn’t tell Tal
what happened to me in the garden, and in the golden forest, but I knew I’d
been chosen for the keeper. He’d already tried to make contact, to tempt clay
with fire, but had lost his nerve.
Tal looked at me with an expression that tore into
me a little. When he didn’t blink his wicked eyes, I felt their coldness
penetrate mine. Before reaching for me again, he caught himself and let his
hand fall to his side. I imagined the blush before it rushed into his cheeks.
“What has he done?”
“Nothing,” I said.
He moved forward and caught my face in the palms of his
smoky hands. He squeezed my cheeks, pinching my skin with his thumbs and
forefingers. “I’m going to take you away from here and you will be mine again.”
Free yourself from your
chains, but do not let him take you. You do not want to anger Kypria. She sees
you. The
words of Saturnia’s sister replayed in my mind and I drew my head back, forcing
him to release his grip. The smell of smoke stayed on my cheeks.
“I won’t go with you,” I said. “I’ve been chosen.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t want
this—to mate with him—with such a being.”
“He’s not—” I stopped myself. Pointless to
argue, I’d already decided to give myself to Onine willingly but Tal didn’t
need to know it.
“Tiro is the most foul Kyprian here,” he said.
“Tiro?”
He sighed and looked more defeated than he’d been
since the start of our conversation. “You’ve been selected for the floor master.
I thought you knew.”
“It can’t be Tiro—no, it’s Onine.”
He smiled but I only saw his pity. “Onine is gone.”
***
I could not do it. I could
not raise my fingers to feel your skin. We were alone, I had my chance, but I
could not do it. You look at me with those dark eyes and I feel lost, or
perhaps I am found. Kypria has made her intentions for me clear, but I find it
difficult to deny myself any longer. I know you enjoyed the transcendency I
allowed you to
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