Page 39 of Stone
Chapter 20
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Ra, the sun god, disappeared behind the obelisks, dragging the blanket of night across the sky behind him.Garenthchecked the figure still sleeping in the room. She hadn’t moved much while he’d waited for the end of the day.
With the exception of the one time when he’d returned to the front eating room to get another drink of waterfrom the basin, he’d remained on the outer metal ledge. His hunger pangs hadn’t returned, even though he knew several hours had passed. For that he was grateful. He was beginning to fear becoming human again. Becoming a real man again. For with that need to eat and to drink, he knew that eventually the time would come when he would need to sleep. And that meant he would also tire.
He couldn’t afford to sleep or grow tired until he’d acquired the mother idol again.
When he determined it was dark enough for him to continue his search, he took off without waking her. Circling around the towers, he kept himself open as he sought for that intangible signal that would lead him directly to the vial. Meanwhile, this vast city refused to slow down. No matter whattime of the day or night, it was always moving, always active.
Time passed. The moon godKhonsurose above the edge of the world to begin his nightly ride across the dark, heavenly dome.Garenthkept to his original plan, flying in steadily widening concentric circles, using Brielle’s home as his center. The further he pulled away from her, the fainter his connection with her became.It didn’t disappear completely, but it diminished enough to allow him to clear his head and focus on the idol.
A strange metal bird with wings atop its head flew near him. It held a metal torch between its misshapen feet and played the light over the buildings and the streets below. To avoid detection, he lifted further above the temples. The winds became stronger the higher he flew.Cold and biting, they slid over him like a dead lover’s caress, and he shivered—
Garenthslammed into the side of one building and clung there, digging the talons on his hands and feet into the structure as the truth bombarded him. He felt the cold. More proof he was regaining his humanity. First the hunger, then the thirst, and now the cold.
No. It was not hungeror thirst that first reawakened in me. It was need. It was desire. It was wanting Brielle to accept me in a way that was almost desperation.
He shivered again. Closing his eyes, he opened himself up and prayed toPetbe. The wind stilled as if in answer, and at long last, it came to him. A sensing so faint, it was difficult to pinpoint where it was coming from.
Garenthlaunched himself back into the sky, letting the air currents keep him aloft as he honed in on the signal. When he opened his eyes again, a large black obelisk loomed in the distance. Its outer walls were made of the shiny rock, and he could see his reflection appear as a tiny dot on its surface that gradually grew larger as he approached.
The whispers in his head increased, lettinghim know he was closing in on the mother idol. His stomach tightened, but not with hunger. Beating his wings to increase his speed, he locked on to one particular shiny panel and lowered his head to ram it the same way he’d entered the building where he’d first found the vial.
And Brielle.
That last thought flitted through his brain the same instant he hit the wall.There was an explosion of thunder. Pieces shattered around him as he hit the floor and rolled, finally coming to a stop when he crashed into the opposite wall.
It took him a few seconds to collect himself before getting to his feet. Pieces of the dark yet clear stones fell off of him, landing on the soft carpet with the sound of tiny bells. The room was obscure. The only light camefrom outside, filtering through the hole he’d created.
The mother idol’s voice in his head was louder. It drew him as solidly as if a rope was tied between himself and the vial.
He went over to the rear wall covered with shelves. The calling emanated from here. From within these objects that stood on these shelves. Giving a low growl, he swept an arm across one shelf,knocking several of the heavy objects onto the ground. There on the wall, behind where the objects had been, he saw a round stone with markings on it. He touched the stone, which turned slightly. Grabbing the small protuberance, he pulled on it, but the stone held fast.
A noise caught his attention. It sounded like someone was trying to come inside. His time was running out.
He dug the nails of one hand into the minute crack behind the turning stone and tugged. There was a slight give. At the same time, the idol’s voice grew stronger. She was there on the other side of the turning stone.
Bright light flooded the room, almost blinding him. Simultaneously, someone shouted.
Garenthshook his head as his eyes tried to adjust and glancedover his shoulder. A man in a uniform stood on the far end of the room. He held one of those strange swords in his hands, and it was pointed directly at him.Garenthnoticed how the man’s eyes widened with that look of horror he was growing accustomed to.
He was so close to obtaining the mother idol. He couldn’t stop now. Not when he had finally found it.
Dismissingthe man, he dug the talons of his other hand behind the turning stone. This time when he pulled, he put everything he had behind it. There was a screech, like the cry of a wounded animal as his muscles strained.
The uniformed man repeated his message with more force, but behind itGarenthheard the growing fear. It was obvious he was being ordered to do something, or not do something.The man had to be from a security detail, and had been alerted whenGarenthhad crashed into the building.
The turning stone screamed again. There was another slight give, then suddenly the stone came off in his hands.Garenthtried to keep himself from falling backwards, without success. The unformed man aimed his weapon, and a popping sound echoed in the room.
A hot,burning sensation hit him in the ribs and slid down his hip.Garenthhesitated. This time the weapon affected him in a way it hadn’t before. As he regained his humanity, it was evident he was becoming more vulnerable to injury. Should he go after the man, or continue in his quest of the mother idol?
The vial whispered in his mind.As long as you retain possession of the vial I’veplaced in your hand, you will live.
You will live.
He had to live. He could not die. Not now, and not from the strange weapons these people used.
