Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

A s Sabrost returned to the small monk's cell that had been his home for the past ten years, Brother Ystava accompanied him. The two of them walked silently through the long, stone corridors, past the archways that opened out into carefully manicured courtyards, dripping with green moss. The constant cool mist drifted through the openings and left streaks of water on the gleaming stone.

"I will pray for you tonight," Ystava said solemnly when they reached the entrance to Sabrost's cell. "May Tetlana show Her favor to you."

"Thank you, brother." Sabrost bowed and slipped through the curtain of polished beads into his room.

It had taken him most of the first year to grow accustomed to the confined space and the heavy stone walls, but eventually, this space had become his sanctuary.

Tonight, however, he felt as restless and uncertain as he had that first year. His feelings were illogical – he had worked and prayed for this moment, and tomorrow he would become a fully ordained Priest of Tetlana. And yet he found himself pacing back and forth the few steps the space permitted. Eventually, he sighed and went to kneel in front of the small statue of Tetlana. The crudely carved wooden statue was almost as old as the monastery, the wood rubbed smooth by countless hands and only a faint trace of gilt remained on the bowed head.

"I offer myself into your hands, my Goddess. I wish only to prove myself worthy. Help me to find peace."

He waited in silence until at last weariness overtook him, and he made his way to the hard, narrow bed that remained one of his tribulations. As his eyes closed, he kept the image of Tetlana firmly in his mind.

The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer cold. Instead of the cool stone that he had forced himself to become accustomed to, warmth surrounded him. What felt like warm sand cradled his body, just as it had done on his native planet of Hsslak.

His eyes flew open to see an arc of brilliant blue sky above him. But it was not the sky of Hsslak. Only a single sun blazed above him. And the sand that cradled him and scratched comfortingly at his scales was a soft shade of pink, highlighted with small, glittering specks of gold.

He was also most definitely not on Lisko. There was no trace of green, no cool brush of misty air, no forbidding stone walls.

Where was he?

He'd had little opportunity to travel before he entered the monastery, but this place did not resemble anywhere with which he was familiar. In fact, there was no explanation for his presence here, unless…

Had Tetlana heard his doubts? Was this a final test?

As if in response to his thoughts, a hot breeze flickered across his skin, and he realized that he was naked.

That seemed appropriate if he was being tested – that he should be bare before the Goddess.

The breeze also stirred something at his feet. When he investigated, he found a crudely woven bag, already half-covered with sand. The bag held a long sharp knife and a sheet of flex plas.

A shiver ran down his spine, despite the heat, and the line of thin spikes along his backbone flared.

Tetlana's symbol was printed in two places on the sheet.

It was a test, and he vowed he would prove worthy.

On further examination, he decided that the sheet contained a map. Obviously his task was to journey from his current location – marked by the first symbol – to the location of the second symbol. Next to the second symbol was a green circle that could possibly represent Lisko.

He cast another look at the sun high above him. It would be better to burrow into the sand and wait until the cool of the evening to travel, but a restless excitement filled him.

He should not hesitate to fulfill Her commands, he told himself.

On a more practical note, while he could go for long periods without liquid, he would eventually need to find a source of water. A rocky outcropping in the distance seemed promising. A song of praise filled his heart as he set off.

He had forgotten that distances in the desert could be deceptive, and it took him longer than he had anticipated to reach the rocks. But he enjoyed the journey – the ability to walk freely and at his own pace, the sun heating his back and shoulders, the soft sand beneath his feet – all so different from the cool stone and restricted lifestyle of the temple.

A tantalizing fragrance drifted past on the breeze as he neared the stone pillars. He parted his lips to let the secondary scent receptors on his tongue experience it more fully. The sweet, slightly floral scent was like nothing he had ever encountered, but he was eager to discover the source.

He rounded the first outcropping and came to an abrupt halt.

The pillars of rock formed a rough oval, and a small figure was huddled on the ground in the pocket of shade between them.

His tongue flickered, tasting the air, and he had no doubt that this was the source of the tantalizing scent. He took a few cautious steps closer, but the figure did not stir.

As his gaze traveled along slender curving legs to gently rounded hips and a delicately molded back, he suddenly realized that he was looking at a female – not a Hsslak female, but a female nonetheless. Except for the images of the Goddess that were scattered throughout the Temple, he had not seen one since he entered the monastery.

He hissed a shocked breath, the sound unusually loud in the compact area. The female jerked and rolled to her feet in one sudden move.

"Whothehellareyou?"

He was so busy staring at her that at first he paid no attention to the fact that he couldn't understand her words. A tangle of bright golden curls – the color dedicated to Tetlana – topped her head.

Was this a sign? Was she a Chosen of the Goddess?

But then his gaze dropped and his thoughts traveled in a far more profane direction as he took in the beauty of her naked form. Small, perfect breasts were topped with large, rosy nipples. For a startled moment he wondered if she was with child – the only time the breasts of a Hsslak female were noticeable – but as his eyes slipped further down her slender body, he decided this was her natural state.

His gaze was arrested at the apex of her thighs. Tetlana had blessed her with another patch of golden curls, both highlighting and concealing her feminine folds. His kalu stirred within its sheath at the enticing sight, but he forced himself to ignore it.

"Dontcomeanycloser."

The sound of her voice shocked him into snatching his attention back to her face. The words still held no meaning, but the defiance in them was unmistakable. Unfortunately, he could also see the fear behind the bravado and was immediately ashamed. Chosen of the Goddess or not, a female should never have to worry when a priest of Tetlana was nearby.

He quickly dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

"Please forgive me. I mean you no harm."

There was no response, and he looked up to see that she was edging along the rock wall towards the sparkling pink sand of the open desert. He frowned. Her pale, defenseless skin did not look as if it could withstand the rays of the sun still high overhead

"You do not have to leave," he assured her, but the speed of her movements only increased at his words.

He sat back on his heels, watching in distress as she left him. He did not want to frighten her, and yet, he did not think she should leave the shelter provided by the rocks.

What would Tetlana wish him to do?

As he sent up a prayer for guidance, he realized that the female carried a woven bag similar to his own. But the significance of that fact faded as she stepped out of the shade. He saw her wince when her bare feet touched the hot sand.

Unacceptable.

He rose to his feet, humming soothingly as he approached her. Despite the obviously painful heat of the sand, she turned to flee, and he shook his head. While he admired her spirit, he would not let her damage herself.

With the speed ingrained in him by his training, he quickly caught her and lifted her into his arms.

She immediately screeched and began fighting him, her arms and legs flailing as she tried to escape. She succeeded in landing several blows that would have damaged a lesser male, but he ignored them, carrying her back into the shelter of the rocks, and placing her gently on the ground.

As soon as he did, he missed her scent surrounding him. Only a hint of her delicious fragrance lingered on his scales and he had the strangest urge to rub her against his body.

She glared at him defiantly and took a step back, then another. He only watched as she retreated, but as soon as she was several feet away, she turned and dashed for the desert again.

He shook his head and went after her.

This time he was more prepared and secured her arms and legs as tightly as possible when he lifted her into his arms. Unfortunately, that meant holding her closely against his body, her impossibly soft skin and delicate female curves arousing sensations he had never thought to experience.

It was harder to let her go this time, and when she slid down the front of his body, he had to fight back a groan.

Once more, she immediately took a step away from him.

"Yourenotgoingtoletmegoare you?" she muttered.

Despite the unfamiliar language, the way she looked from him to the opening in the rocks was all too clear.

He shook his head. "I will not allow you to harm yourself. You are under my protection. Whether you like it or not."

They stared at each other, and then she gave a defiant sniff. He almost laughed at the frustrated expression on her face, but such an action would be unworthy of a follower of Tetlana.

Instead, he bowed his head once more, and decided to try and establish a common ground. He pulled his bag from around his neck and offered it to her, gesturing to hers.

"I believe we may have a shared purpose."

Not that he understood that purpose, but surely Tetlana would reveal it in time.

The female's eyes widened, and for the first time he noticed that they were a soft, clear green, the color of the stone dedicated to the Goddess. Yet another sign that Tetlana had sent this female to him.

The question that remained was, why?

After studying him suspiciously, the female gradually extended her own bag. He took it as gently as possible, even as she snatched his and jumped away. She was as skittish as a Tevonian colt.

Once again, he was tempted to laugh, but she was wise to be cautious and he kept his face as solemn as possible.

Her bag only contained two items as well. One was a small packet containing a kestava cloth, and he wondered why she had not bothered to unfold it to use it as protection against the heat of the day. The second item interested him more – a flex plas sheet similar to his own. The symbols on the sheet were different but their placement on the sheet appeared to be the same. Obviously an indication that they should journey together.

He looked up, intending to show it to her, and saw that she had seized the knife from his bag. The tip wavered only slightly as she pointed it at him, and once again began backing towards the open desert.