Chapter Twenty-Four – Trust the Talisman
It was too late to stop it when I opened my eyes and saw the cloud that had formed above the bed. Shontae took the challenge and outperformed all my expectations. Her power was stronger than I had imagined, so when she amplified my arousal, it caught me off guard.
The water came to me, pulling from every source in the house and accumulating above. The moment I orgasmed, it rained down on us.
“Oh, shit!” Shontae’s body trembled with shock and pleasure as she came the same moment I did.
“Sorry,” I gasped. “About that. That’s never happened before.”
I did the best I could, pulling the water from the floor and bed and sending it to the tub to drain, but the room was still damp.
“You can’t sleep in here now. You’ll have to share my bed.” I looked around. “I’ll replace anything that might have been ruined.”
“Shut up and lead the way.” Shontae chuckled and smacked my ass. “That’ll teach you to challenge me again.”
We walked, still naked, down the hall from her bedroom to mine, and just as I looked back at her to comment about smacking my ass, she collapsed. I ran to her and made it just in time to catch her head.
“Shontae!” I cradled her head in my lap, fanning her face with my hand.
“I’m okay,” she muttered as Sire flew down the hall to land beside her. The bird looked at me as if she suspected I’d done something to cause it. “Maybe I overdid it back there.”
“It’s time to fix this for good.” I reached out, tugging at the threads again.
“What are you doing?” She tried to sit up, but she trembled and had to catch her breath.
“You wanted to see the Bane, right?” She nodded. “Well, your wish is my command.”
I crossed the path between Earth and the Bane, carrying Shontae and Sire with me. When we made it through the haze of nothingness, we stood just outside my cavern. Sire sang and flew in circles above us as I waited for Shontae to get her footing.
“This is beautiful,” she said, looking out at the field. “Wish I wasn’t naked, though.”
“Oh.” I looked down, having forgotten about our state. “We can fix that.”
“This is your home.” Her voice was a sigh of appreciation.
“It is. And I’ll let you see more of it as soon as you’re okay.” I put my hand around her waist and guided her inside.
“Even the air is so fresh. I see what you mean about the dangers of living on Earth.” She looked over her shoulder at the view outside.
“Don’t think that's a problem only on Earth; trust me, there are plenty of worlds out there with people who think their homes are infinite. They're not. I've seen quite a few be destroyed by the people living on it.”
“Do you think Earth can avoid that ending?”
“I'll say yes for your comfort.” I tapped my forehead against hers.
“Ha!” She nudged me back. “Thanks for that. So…where are we?”
“My home.”
“You live in a cave?”
“This is just one of the entrances.” I laughed at the disbelief on her face. “I came here first because I knew you would appreciate it. Had I thought about it, I would have taken you into the bedroom first. At least there, I could have found you something to wear.”
“Hey, how many girls can say they stood in the nude in a new world?” She smiled then paused. “Where is Sire?”
“I suppose still flying outside.”
“Is it safe for her?”
“Of course.” I nodded. “Sire is a lot stronger than you know. Did you know her kind aren’t from Earth?”
“Are they from the Bane?”
“No, but their world is more similar to this than yours. I think being here will be good for her. Once I have you settled, I’ll go retrieve Sire. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
We reached the heart of the cavern, and the pool in the center came to life.
I’d been gone too long, and I could feel its energy.
Relief. That was the thing about water few chose to acknowledge: the life within it.
For me, it was a being, ever-expanding, eternally learning and adapting.
From the time of my youth, water was more than an element of nature.
It was a friend, a ready partner, a support system.
I looked at Shontae. Her eyes widened then squinted as she noticed the movement in the water, the same as everyone else. She wondered what caused the waves. I waited for her to ask the same question. I had a prepared statement.
“Wow, your water missed you a lot, didn’t it?” She looked at me. “You should take a swim, have some bonding time.”
My mouth fell open. “That’s what you say?”
“Is that wrong?” She frowned. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“No, it's just, most people ask how the water is moving. They want to know the cause.”
“It seems pretty obvious. Your magic is tied to water. That water doesn’t seem like it’s a part of this world.
Maybe it’s something you brought here with you.
” She glanced over her shoulder. “I imagine this water for you is like that crazy bird out there for me. Yeah, she’s fine without me, but we’re bonded on some level.
My magic isn’t tied to her, but she is one of the few beings I can be around who calms my spirit. ”
“Come with me.” I laced our fingers and led her to the edge of the pool.
As we neared, the water pulsed. “You’re right.
These are waters from my home world. When I was forced out, I managed to bring some with me.
I carried it across the universe, and that was how I knew the Bane was the right place for me. Because when I got here, it settled.”
“They forced you out?” Shontae’s hand tightened around mine. “You didn't say that before.”
“No, I didn’t.” I looked into her deep brown eyes and then glanced down at her full lips, always appearing to be painted a deep reddish brown, but that was just their natural color. “I’m sorry to have kept that from you.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re learning to trust me. I get that.” She lifted to kiss my cheek, her bare breast brushing against my side as she did. “Tell me what we have to do. I'm assuming we have to get in the water to make this work.”
“Yes, but there is another step we have to take first.” I called to the water, and it came to me, forming a chair for Shontae. I held my hand to it, rushing the molecules to warm it before sitting her down. “Are you okay?”
“Wet, but okay.” She smiled. “It's warm, like a nice bath.”
“I’ll be right back.” I walked away from her, holding my hand out to the water. It reached to me, licking my fingertips and welcoming me home.
I glanced back at Shontae once more before walking through the door at the back of the cave. On the other side was my true home, decorated to match who I was when I first arrived in the Bane. Everything was done in my comfort color: pink.
I went straight to my workshop. Everything I needed was there. I grabbed the bowl with the prepared clay mixture. It had been there for a few days, after I’d finished it. Looking at it, I felt a pang of guilt. This could have been avoided, but I wanted more time with her.
Grabbing the bowl, I headed back out to Shontae.
She stood as I approached her, ready for whatever I had planned.
With a small nod, I dipped my hand into the bowl, coating my fingers with the clay, and then drew the discovered symbols across Shontae’s chest, arms, stomach, and legs.
It took a while to find them, the symbols of balance from her ancestor’s original home.
Those who were like Shontae always needed them.
Once I finished the spiraled lettering with harsh strikes through the center of each character, I coated my palms in the clay and whispered the words of her bloodline. I’d become familiar with the dialect and had planned to teach it to the girls at some point.
The words called balance, peace, understanding, and awakening to the receiver. Shontae already knew her powers, but, as I’d experienced, she had only scratched the surface of them.
I turned from her to go to the water, where I held my hands against the surface. The hum of power charged the water, and it pulled the remaining clay from my flesh, creating a thin net over the surface. I stepped back and called the water to rise.
Two figures emerged, and the net of clay kept the watery forms from dissolving, giving them shape. I directed their energy, our walking talismans.
“Do you trust me?” I asked as the beings took their positions on either side of her.
“Of course I do.” She looked at the watery beings and then back at me. “This is already weird, but yeah. I trust you, Likosa.”
“Good.” I smiled, and the talismans danced. As they moved around us, the water smacked the edge of the pool, creating a rhythm to their motion. I walked toward Shontae, staying within the circle they drew until we were chest to chest.
I lifted my hands at my side, palms up, as they called to the water in the pool.
It came in thin ropes that wrapped around us, tying us together at the waist. When the tie was done, the talismans stopped their dance, turning their backs to the water and lifting their chests to the sky.
They bounced their chests in the same rhythm as Shontae and I were pulled into the pool.
She grabbed me, shocked by the motion, and I wrapped my arms around her, pressing my lips to her ear.
“It’s okay,” I told her and felt her body relax as she realized we floated together in a bubble, surrounded but untouched by the water.
“This is amazing,” she whispered.
Suddenly, I worried about the last time, the last kiss, and I pressed my lips to hers.
“Remember, you trust me,” I whispered against her lips.
“I do.” She nodded.
When I pulled back, the energy of the ritual took over.
Shontae’s head fell back, and water shot into her mouth.
I held her as tightly as I could as my magic blended with the power of the ritual to heal her.
Her fingers dug into my flesh, and I knew she was afraid, but she was strong. She would pull through.
Tears ran down her face just as it ended and her body, stronger, expelled the water.
She fell into my arms, heaving and trembling from the experience.