Free Fantastical Ramblings by Irene Radford Page A

She needed
to be there. Now.
    She took Sha’awna’s hand. Together they began to circle the
copse deosil, the way of the sun. Before long, on the western side, Katya spied
a path, not much more than a game trail, but clear of major obstacles.
    Whatever lay within tugged at her, urging her to push her
tired feet faster.
    “It’s here. I can smell it. I feel the awesome presence,” Sha’awna insisted, pressing close to
Katya, urging her to move faster yet.
    “What is it?” Katya asked. The slanted light from the dying
sun showed a clear spot just ahead. Blood shone in that light. Dark and
foreboding. And yet it also held the promise of the warmth of a cheery fire
contained within a hearth.
    Sha’awna rushed past Katya, dragging her by the silken
leash. She cast off her hat and veil just before stumbling on the first of the
granite steps leading to the open square. Katya helped her to stand, all the
while surveying their surroundings. The blue bead remained dormant. No overt
threat. But Katya had not survived in a dangerous world and a more dangerous
career by relying on talismans and spells. She trusted her eyes, her ears, and
her gut instinct.
    Tiny vines and grasses poked through the minute seams in the
paving of the large square, open now, once enclosed by walls and pillars. The
surrounding jungle of scrub trees and groundcover needed time to encroach as
far as it had. At lot of time, many seasons of rains and seeds to wear space in
those cracks. Something wild and strong had scattered the pillars and walls
outside the square. Surrounding buildings, much smaller, lacked roofs and
doors. Gaps in the stone walls where windows once lighted the interiors were
now un-shuttered and un-glazed.
    And then she spotted the scorch marks. Fire had reigned here
once. Fire and destruction. She knew the patterns, had seen them before in
another temple, another place and time. But these patterns began and died out
in different sections. Only the attempt to break the altar remained the same.
    “What is this place?” Katya whispered. “What god was
worshipped here?” It all felt familiar with just enough difference that she
knew this place was not home. Yet she was welcome.
    “ Was ?” Sha’awna
gasped. “Where are the chanting priests and priestesses? I smell no incense or
candles. I hear no hymns of praise. What happened?” Her last question rose on a
frightened squeal.
    “There is no one here, now. The place was burned out and
abandoned long ago.”
    “Lost. I am lost. Totally, irrevocably lost.” Sha’awna dropped
to her knees, all traces of her natural grace gone. She slumped, clutching her
stomach. Tears streaked her face. “My only choices have been stolen. I have
nothing left. I am nothing.” She collapsed prostrate on the ground, long
fingers scrabbling at the worn granite.
    A rush of noise rose behind them. “My lady, my love, where
are you? Do not hide from me, your prince!”
    Sha’awna groaned. “Lost. I am lost.”
    “My lady.” Katya dropped to her knees cradling her sobbing
friend. “Dry your tears, my lady. Your journey is almost done. Your prince has
ridden out to meet you.”
    “My prince,” Sha’awna spat. “My owner. I am as much a slave
as ever. Money exchanged hands; none of it came to me. Contracts signed, none
by me. None of it my choice. I am not even to have the honor of becoming a
wife. Merely a consort.”
    “Even so, my lady. My friend. As consort you will have
rights and privileges, far beyond what was granted you as a courtesan.”
    “Neither the man nor the place of my enslavement were my
choice.” Her voice became angry.
    The voices grew closer, along with the sounds of heavy feet
thrashing through the undergrowth.
    “Here I had hoped to find sanctuary with my goddess. But
that too has been stolen from me.” Slowly, almost painfully Sha’awna pushed
herself to sit.
    “Which goddess do you worship?” Katya asked urgently. “This
place feels so familiar, I am so