Page 114 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"Where did you come from and how?"
"I can't tell you any more about that," he said. "That secret is bound by oaths I cannot break, and I mean I can't physically say them."
Even now, skirting so close to the full truth about his origins, he could feel the binding oaths tightening around his mind like chains, warning him against revealing too much.
"Are you compelled to keep things a secret? Does someone on your world possess Lord Navuh's compulsion ability?"
He shook his head. "It's part of the shamanic tradition in my world. I guess it's a kind of magic. But maybe it's a different sort of compulsion. There are many similarities between your kind of immortals and mine."
He'd expected her to push back and ask more questions, but surprisingly, she just nodded. "How long have you been on Earth?"
"Over a thousand years," he said. "I came here to hide treasures of immense importance to my people. They were safe and protected on Mount Ararat, but about two centuriesago, there was an earthquake so massive that it shook the entire mountain. An avalanche followed, so vast it buried entire villages. And it buried the entrance to the cave in which my treasures were hidden."
Tamira smiled. "Now you have me intrigued. What are those treasures?"
He grimaced. "That's another secret that's protected by vows. I can't tell you what they are. But I can tell you that I've done everything in my power to find a way to recover them. Every path I've tried has led to failure. I tried to involve geologists in the area, but no one was interested. I even tried to go back by myself, but the Turkish government controls access to the mountain. They say it's because of military sensitivity, given the area's proximity to the border. But really, I think they know something is there."
"That must have been so frustrating for you."
"You have no idea. I have to find a way to retrieve them. I can never accept failure even if what I was meant to protect is buried under millions of tons of rock and ice, and I can't get to it."
"Oh, Eluheed." The way she said his real name made his chest tight with emotion. "That's terrible."
He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. "Not everything is. I was searching for a way to retrieve my charges and found love instead. Now, I just need to figure out how we can both escape this place, dig out half a mountain, retrieve my treasure, and transport us to what’s left of my home."
41
TAMIRA
Talk about an impossible mission.
The pieces she'd been collecting about Elias, or rather Eluheed, all clicked into place, forming a picture that was both more extraordinary and more heartbreaking than she'd imagined.
Even the god Mortdh wouldn't have been able to achieve Eluheed's goals, and he had been the most powerful being Tamira had ever encountered.
She cupped both his cheeks. "Is there anyone from your world who can come to help you?"
He shook his head. "I was hoping for that, but as the years went by, I realized that no one was coming for me. The others back home who knew where I was must have been killed."
Tears gathered in her eyes, threatening to spill. She knew what it was like to hope for family to come and rescue her,take her back home, to love her. She'd been only seventeen when she'd been gifted to Mortdh, and after realizing that she was just one of many and that he would never love her, she had dreamt about a rescue that had never come.
"I'm so sorry, Eluheed."
"You aren't scared of me now?" he asked, vulnerability clear in his eyes. "I'm not even from this world, Tamira. I'm something different. An alien on this planet."
She couldn't help but smile at that. "Eluheed, I'm five thousand years old. I've seen gods walk the earth, witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, and been held captive by a powerful immortal who commands thousands of immortal warriors. Learning that you're from somewhere beyond Earth is surprising, and even more surprising is that you are a different kind of immortal. You don't have fangs or venom glands or glowing eyes. But I'm delighted that you can live forever, and I won't have to say goodbye to you. That was my biggest fear."
His relief was palpable. It seemed like every muscle in his body loosened a fraction.
"You're taking this much better than I thought you would," he said.
"I find nothing alarming in your revelations. You've given me hope for a future we can have together." She traced her fingers along his jaw, feeling the tension there. "I just wish I could do something, anything to help you find your lost treasure. How deep is it buried?"
"The entire face of the mountain collapsed," he said, leaning into her touch. "The avalanche was massive, and it created a new topography. The entrance I used to access the cave is under at least a hundred meters of rock and ice, possibly more."
"You need another earthquake."
He laughed. "Do you have the ear of the god of earthquakes? If you do, please request a very localized one. I don't want to be responsible for the deaths of the people living in the area." The amusement slid off his face. "I've seen enough death to last me my entire immortal life."
