collection of what looked like huts and a larger stone
structure nearly hidden in the shadows, the valley was empty.
His throat dried.
“Where are we?” he demanded.
“Home,” Maia said.
Not my home. But even as he thought that, a sense of
peace trickled over him. No two ways about it, there was a lot to be said for a
place empty of the sound of automobiles and bright lights.
Dusk? Wait a minute. Hadn’t it been night the last he knew?
So, along with everything else, he was in a time warp of some kind. Time
warp? No, it was more than that. He’d gone back, back in time.
“What year is it?” he demanded. For the first time in hours,
he thought about his schedule and what was at stake.
“Year? I do not know what you mean.”
About to point out that that wasn’t the only thing she
hadn’t been able to supply, it occurred to him that he, not she, was the one
who was out of step now. Out of his element, his world.
“You do not have to hold on so tight,” she said, wiggling
her fingers. “I will not leave you.”
He let up on his grip but didn’t free her because she was
the only thing that connected him to reality—or was she?
Bombarded by questions that might never have answers, he
again turned his attention to his surroundings. Modern trappings still hadn’t
miraculously appeared, but his initial impression that the hill was deserted
had been wrong. They weren’t alone.
The knot of people was far enough away and in enough shadow
that he had difficulty making them out, but Maia seemed eager to join them. He
went with her, not because he gave a damn who these folks were, but, well,
hell, because for reasons that went beyond his cock, he wanted to stay near
her.
There was a small fire inside a stone circle, and that
provided enough illumination that he realized that the group was made up of
men, women and children all dressed in what looked like peasant costumes—only
maybe they weren’t costumes. A trio of old men with long beards wore light
gray, almost white capes, and the way the others looked at them brought him to
the conclusion that they were some kind of leaders.
Then he spotted a tall, stately woman with long, white hair.
She had on a ground-length red cape made of gauzy material that left no doubt
that she was naked under it—like Maia. He guessed her age at around fifty. She
carried herself as if she were royalty. Behind her stood a huge, snow-white horse.
It took a conscious effort not to bow.
Maia released his hand and bent her head before the
queen-like woman.
“My Lady, I return,” Maia said.
“It is good to see you, Maia,” the older woman replied. “You
have done well. Taurus is here. You have mated with him?”
“I have. Twice.”
So much for privacy.
“Good. He willingly walked through the fire passage with
you?” the woman asked.
“He did what I needed him to do,” Maia explained. “But he
has no knowledge.”
You can say that again. Although it irritated him to
be talked about as if he were deaf and mute, there was no denying that there
wasn’t a whole lot he could add to the conversation.
“He belongs to you?”
“I do not know. Everything between us is new.”
Everything’s new—and I’d give anything to know what the hell
this is about.
“He needs to be tested,” one of the old men said. “Until he
has proven himself, we cannot trust him.”
Before Taron could point out that he could hardly hang
around forever, the old man loudly clapped his hands. Maia stiffened. Then the
knot of onlookers parted, distracting him.
A half dozen young women—or teenagers maybe—were walking
toward him. Like Maia, they all wore see-through veil-dresses. Their bodies
were—hell, they were ripe.
“They are yours,” the old man told him. “All virgins and
ready for sex.”
Maia had called it mating. Was there a difference between
that and sex? And more importantly, what the hell was going on?
“You want…” He swallowed and tried again. “You want me
structure nearly hidden in the shadows, the valley was empty.
His throat dried.
“Where are we?” he demanded.
“Home,” Maia said.
Not my home. But even as he thought that, a sense of
peace trickled over him. No two ways about it, there was a lot to be said for a
place empty of the sound of automobiles and bright lights.
Dusk? Wait a minute. Hadn’t it been night the last he knew?
So, along with everything else, he was in a time warp of some kind. Time
warp? No, it was more than that. He’d gone back, back in time.
“What year is it?” he demanded. For the first time in hours,
he thought about his schedule and what was at stake.
“Year? I do not know what you mean.”
About to point out that that wasn’t the only thing she
hadn’t been able to supply, it occurred to him that he, not she, was the one
who was out of step now. Out of his element, his world.
“You do not have to hold on so tight,” she said, wiggling
her fingers. “I will not leave you.”
He let up on his grip but didn’t free her because she was
the only thing that connected him to reality—or was she?
Bombarded by questions that might never have answers, he
again turned his attention to his surroundings. Modern trappings still hadn’t
miraculously appeared, but his initial impression that the hill was deserted
had been wrong. They weren’t alone.
The knot of people was far enough away and in enough shadow
that he had difficulty making them out, but Maia seemed eager to join them. He
went with her, not because he gave a damn who these folks were, but, well,
hell, because for reasons that went beyond his cock, he wanted to stay near
her.
There was a small fire inside a stone circle, and that
provided enough illumination that he realized that the group was made up of
men, women and children all dressed in what looked like peasant costumes—only
maybe they weren’t costumes. A trio of old men with long beards wore light
gray, almost white capes, and the way the others looked at them brought him to
the conclusion that they were some kind of leaders.
Then he spotted a tall, stately woman with long, white hair.
She had on a ground-length red cape made of gauzy material that left no doubt
that she was naked under it—like Maia. He guessed her age at around fifty. She
carried herself as if she were royalty. Behind her stood a huge, snow-white horse.
It took a conscious effort not to bow.
Maia released his hand and bent her head before the
queen-like woman.
“My Lady, I return,” Maia said.
“It is good to see you, Maia,” the older woman replied. “You
have done well. Taurus is here. You have mated with him?”
“I have. Twice.”
So much for privacy.
“Good. He willingly walked through the fire passage with
you?” the woman asked.
“He did what I needed him to do,” Maia explained. “But he
has no knowledge.”
You can say that again. Although it irritated him to
be talked about as if he were deaf and mute, there was no denying that there
wasn’t a whole lot he could add to the conversation.
“He belongs to you?”
“I do not know. Everything between us is new.”
Everything’s new—and I’d give anything to know what the hell
this is about.
“He needs to be tested,” one of the old men said. “Until he
has proven himself, we cannot trust him.”
Before Taron could point out that he could hardly hang
around forever, the old man loudly clapped his hands. Maia stiffened. Then the
knot of onlookers parted, distracting him.
A half dozen young women—or teenagers maybe—were walking
toward him. Like Maia, they all wore see-through veil-dresses. Their bodies
were—hell, they were ripe.
“They are yours,” the old man told him. “All virgins and
ready for sex.”
Maia had called it mating. Was there a difference between
that and sex? And more importantly, what the hell was going on?
“You want…” He swallowed and tried again. “You want me
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