Part 37 (1/2)

”Really?”

”Yeah,” she murmured. ”Concentrate.”

He opened his eyes using the sense of sight, and stared at the awe-inspiring landscape. There was so much about Damali that was more spectacular than the mountains and contained just as much mystery. She'd healed another family, had healed theirs, too; the angels had given her their tears. He could still feel her gentle rhythm behind him. The wind still seemed to be her voice.

The colors now added a new level of awareness, and he definitely wondered how he'd been so blind? For all the ugliness in the world, the world was still going on. Here, sitting at the edge of heaven, never did he dream that both he and Damali would be alive in the same time and s.p.a.ce, sharing a yak blanket on the cliffs of nowhere, with stainless steel blades on their laps, watching sheep mate.

”You think the shepherds used to do this?” she murmured.

”Do what?”

She laughed softly. ”Sit and try to feel all the elements of the universe while watching rams fight over flocks?”

”I supposed there's not much else to do up here, other than that,” he said with a deep chuckle.

She liked the way his laughter rumbled through his body into hers. ”We're not supposed to be talking,” she said laughing.

”Shush, we're not talking,” he said quietly, ”we're whispering and laughing. Don't have Zang Ho come back up here and pop you in the head again.”

He felt her body shake with giggles and knew she'd covered her mouth with her hand. He could see it without even seeing it, just like he could mentally envision her megawatt smile. Here he was supposed to be a Neteru, and all his senses had been so dull...

How did that happen?

”You have to go back to making music,” he said softly as her giggles abated. ”Writing poetry, singing, jamming with the band in the studio, or on the steps. Music is energy, harmonic chords that create positive vibrations. You know?”

”All right, Naksong,” she murmured, a giggle in her voice, but with a deep tone of appreciation threaded through it. ”I sorta got away from it, because it can be so all-consuming and I didn't want to shut you out.”

”Baby, don't give up anything like that for me-music is part of your soul.”

He felt her nod and closed his eyes and sighed.

”So are you,” she said quietly.

”Same here,” he murmured. ”You know I would never, ever hit you,” he said in the barest of whispers.

”I know you didn't hit me,” she said, and then laughed softly, ”but you slapped the s.h.i.+t out of her.”

He laughed. ”I'm sorry. It scared me.”

”You know that's only the second time in our lives you've admitted that?”

”You've never told me that,” he said, his tone becoming mellow. ”I wasn't sure how you'd react, if I ever told you something like that.”

”Deep,” she murmured. ”Then I owe you an apology, because I've been scared as s.h.i.+t for a long time.”

”Get out of here, D.”

”I'm serious.”

He didn't answer for a while, but continued to feel and listen to her breathe.

”The Naksong was right,” he finally said in a gentle murmur. ”There's no reason we haven't been in sync. No matter come what may, nothing should ever get between me and you. Not even old flames... especially not that.”

Again he felt her nod, but she said nothing. However, he did notice that her breathing hitched slightly and was no longer deep and even.

”You getting tired?” he asked, wondering if her legs were starting to fall asleep. Discomfort would be the perfect reason for her to tense; at least he hoped that's what it was and not 'what he'd said. He'd meant every word.

She slowly shook her head no, then took in a deep breath and held it for a second; he could hear her release it through her nose.

Then she leaned her head back, slowly, carefully, as though she were falling, and inhaled deeply again as the back of her skull fit against the curve of his neck. Either she was getting sleepy and didn't feel like keeping the rigid meditation posture, or she wanted to stand and move, like he did. He wasn't quite sure, so he gently tested by straightening his legs and then pus.h.i.+ng his spine against hers.

Force met force, and there was enough trust that they wouldn't drop each other by pulling up in a sudden move. His knees bent and his feet pushed against the ground; so did hers, until they stood back-to-back, and turned at the same time. He went to the left, she cut her blade to the right, slow motions, moving clockwise and counterclockwise to each other's controlled moves, eyes closed, sensing the motion before it happened, knowing where the other would be, mirror images, moving faster.He could feel dampness coat his skin, tasted salt as he licked his lips and kept pace with her. The air was cool flowing through his hair; it had dampened, too. She smelled good; he knew where she was at every moment till time stopped, sound abated, nothing existed except the sound of her breaths.

He'd glimpsed her expression from the corner of his eye as they pa.s.sed each other in a blur of motion. His back slammed against hers. She froze and didn't move. Enough. Time to slow it down, slide back to the ground, and regain their breathing. He was so turned on that for a moment he couldn't will his knees to bend.

She waited, had caught the look on his face. Gooseflesh covered her arms beneath her sleeves. His eyes burned with pure silver light. His Neteru marking on his jugular glowed white hot. He was majestic swinging a blade under the sun. They had to sit down, they had to sit down, they had to sit down. All she had to do was simply bend her knees.

She did, and they buckled, causing him to almost plummet, then pause, wait for her, and continue the slow descent to the blanket, adding pressure to pick up the slack when her weight s.h.i.+fted. He was trailing pure male Neteru; she sucked in a huge breath and allowed the scent to coat her tongue and her insides. It was all in his sweat, mixing with rarified air, and flowers, and gra.s.ses, and rich, dark earth. She hit the blanket with a thud. He'd stopped breathing for a second. Her blade trembled in her hand, not from fatigue. She was one with the blade, she was one with the blade, she was one with the blade... She dropped it.

She heard another one thud as it hit the dirt.

”Listen, D-”

”I know.”

”You think he's coming back anytime soon?”

”That old dude pops out of thin air,” she said after a moment.

He nodded, and took in a huge breath of air. ”Yeah, I know.”

”I think we're synced up.”

He nodded and swallowed hard. ”Yeah.”

She closed her eyes and opened her hand. His filled it, not the sword. He nuzzled her shoulder with his chin, slightly turning. She breathed him in with a shudder.

”You smell so good it doesn't make any sense.” She opened her other hand and his filled it.

”I can feel your Sankofa, like it's burning right through your coat.”

She squeezed her lids shut tighter. ”It's climbing up my back, like you,” she said hoa.r.s.e. She turned her arms inward, but didn't turn to face him as he wrapped them around his waist. She dropped her head back to touch his and pressed her knees together.

”You're apexing.”

He nodded. ”I know. I can barely breathe.”