Mona Lisa Awakening

Chapter Fourteen

The sun was a high ball of fire in the sky when I awoke. Amber's large hands slid up my spine in a slow, savoring stroke and I lifted my head and smiled at him.

"How do you feel?" he queried softly.

"Better," I said after a moment's consideration, "and stronger, oddly enough." I tested the restraints at my wrists and they snapped apart easily. Perhaps when I had healed Amber, I had healed myself as well. Or maybe I had just recovered quickly after some much-needed rest. Or perhaps Amber had imparted some of his own great physical strength to me. That raised another question. Did Queens receive some of their lovers' gifts or did it only work the other way around? Whatever it was, I was too grateful for the return of my strength to question it much now. I stripped off the manacles, freeing Amber.

With ease, he rolled to his feet with me cradled in his arms and set me down. "Let us depart," he said.

"Take me with you." Mona Carlisse's quiet voice coming from the corner startled me. She had been so quiet and still that I had actually forgotten she was there.

I hesitated. "The sun is at its hottest now."

She stood up. "I care not. I would rather die free in the sun than submit to another rutting pig one more day."

I looked askance at Amber.

"They will be less inclined to hunt us if she remains. A good chance, in truth, that they will simply depart to another hiding place. If we take her with us, they shall have no other choice but to come after us."

What he said made good sense, and yet… I had only been here one week, and awake and aware but only one day. And what I had seen that one day was enough to make my skin crawl. She had been here, at their merciless mercy, for over ten long years.

"How much sun can she take?" I asked.

"She can withstand up to one hour of direct sunlight," Amber answer. "After that, I can perhaps try to shield her with a blanket and carry her if necessary."

"What about you?" I asked softly. "Will you be able to tolerate the sun?"

Amber shrugged. "We shall see shortly. If not, we will have at least an hour's start before them."

I turned to Mona Carlisse. "I have extended a twenty-four hour offer to accept any man here if he comes to me with an honest willingness to serve. Not Greeves or his like, but men like Aquila. I do not know if any will accept, but if they do, I must have your promise that you will not seek retribution personally or through the Council for what they have done to you here."

Her face was a shuttered mask. "Only to those you accept," she finally said.

I nodded.

"Agreed," she said.

"Where is your daughter?" I asked.

"Casio shelters in a nearby cave when she does not sleep here."

"Can you lead us there?"

She nodded.

"Good," I said. "Let's go fetch her."

Mona Carlisse bowed her head in deep formality. "Thank you, Sister."

I inclined my head. A shrug seemed to impolite. "No thanks needed."

There was nothing to gather in the primitive structure but the two blankets. A gentle push and the chains gave with a snap that sounded quite loud in my ears, but no alarm was raised from the two huts in the distance.

The door swung open and Mona Carlisse ran soundlessly into the wilderness, the blanket over her head, only a small part of her face exposed. She led us to a small, well-hidden cave, crawled into the little hole, and emerged a short time later with Casio wrapped in the same manner as herself with the other blanket.

The little girl blinked wide, beautiful blue eyes at me. I smiled reassuringly at her. She looked behind me and craned her neck back to peer up at Amber. He squatted down to her level and let her study him.

They had the same brown hair, though his was much cleaner, the same cerulean eyes. I wondered what other like features we would discover behind all that dirt. Amber bestowed a warm, gentle smile upon the little creature that shared his own blood. Casio returned a fleeting smile that stuttered on her lips for a moment, then died. Shyly, she wriggled out of her mother's arms and hid behind her skirt.

We traveled in total silence. After the first mile, Amber picked up the pace, uncaring of any rustling or disturbing noise we made as we traveled through the dense brush and wild foliage.

I tapped his arm and gestured to his bare chest.

"I'm fine," Amber replied quietly.

"Doesn't hurt?"

Amber shook his head.

He looked well. No redness, no sign of discomfort. Mona Carlisse and Casio, on the other hand, were already flushed beet-red and sweating profusely, their faces pinched with soundless discomfort. But they pushed on without a word of complaint, Casio having to run, at times, to keep up with our longer strides.

We had passed an hour and were nearing two when Mona Carlisse and Casio reached their endpoint. Amber stopped us by a small stream. Casio collapsed on the ground, panting, while Mona Carlisse dragged herself to the water, sipped it, and splashed it over her heated face. She submerged her arms up to her elbows in the cool water for a moment, then picked up Casio, brought her to the water's edge, and made her drink while she splashed water on her red little face.

So Mona Carlisse did care for her daughter, I wondered if other Queens were like her or more like my mother.

I was a little winded and my eyes were tearing from the irritating brightness of the sun, but otherwise I was holding up well. Amber stood guard while we rested, comfortable in the sun except for its bright glare, teary-eyed like me.

"That one is not like his father," Mona Calisse said quietly, looking at Amber.

"No," I replied, "not within."

"He serves you with a devotion beyond a reach that I have ever seen. Few men would refuse a life where their will was served by a Queen."

She turned to Amber. "Why did you still care for your Queen when there was no longer any need to, when it was even in your detriment to do so?"

"We are drawn to Queens," Amber replied. "It is our nature to desire to serve you, protect you. We require your warmth, your presence, as much as you require our strength. She is the Queen I have dreamt all my life of serving."

Mona Carlisse gazed at him wonderingly. "Why?"

"Because she loves and cherishes us as much as we love and cherish her," he said, his eyes fixed upon me.

I squirmed a little at the word love but did not deny it. I did love them, both of them, even now. My heart twanged at the thought of Gryphon, a soft ache.

"And she shows it by her actions, as you yourself have so witnessed—what she does, how she cares for us, how she foolishly puts our needs ahead of her own safety." He said the latter with sharp acidity.

"It was worth the risk," I declared. "You were worth the risk."

Amber's eyes caressed me with surprising gentleness. I smiled tenderly back, aware that a strong elemental bond between us had been forged.

He turned and addressed Mona Carlisse. "If you will carry Casio, I can then carry you both."

"I can carry Casio," I offered.

Amber shook his head. "No. If you deplete your strength, then I shall have to carry you as well."

I didn't like it but his logic was inarguable.

Mona Carlisse covered Casio completely with the blanket and picked her up. Amber arranged Mona Carlisse's blanket so that it shielded her and the child, then lifted them both into his arms and started off at an even faster pace than before.

Two hours later, he put them down, breathing heavily.

He glanced at me, assessing my state. My heart beat a little faster and my muscles were starting to protest the abuse, but I could still go on.

"The sun goes down in one more hour," Amber informed Mona Carlisse. "Are you two able to walk now?"

She looked no better—worse, actually—despite her rest. Her heart was pumping fast and she panted with her mouth open—her body's way of cooling itself. But she lifted her chin up, a true Queen. "Of course."

They stumbled along doggedly, Mona Carlisse picking Casio up whenever she fell and pulling her along. The little girl trudged valiantly on as the sun slowly set with lazy ease. I was wondering how many more miles we had yet to cover when a giant bird swooped down and landed nearby. It was an eagle, bigger than its natural normal variant, with gray intelligent eyes. Amber's sword hung about the bird's neck along with a cloth bundle. In the distance, a wolf howled in joyful hunt, catching our scent. A hyena gave a laughing, chilling cry. I shivered.

Amber moved protectively in front, putting himself between us and the eagle, but he did not attack.

A shimmer of energy, of light, and Aquila stood before us. He tossed Amber his sword and calmly stepped into his clothes and shoes that he had wrapped within the bundle.

When Aquila was fully dressed, he knelt, facing me. "Milady. I wish to serve you if you will have me."

I stepped out from behind Amber's protection. Amber tensed but did not stop me as I went to the kneeling man. Gently, I cupped Aquila's neatly bearded chin with both hands and lifted his face so that I could peer directly into his eyes. He stared up at me unflinchingly and allowed me to search those gray depths that slowly swirled back to their normal green-brownish hazel even as I watched. An extraordinary transformation to behold.

"I can only promise to do my best to protect you," I told him solemnly, "but I cannot guarantee it. If the Council rules otherwise for what you have done…"

"Then so be it. I have lived long enough. It would be a good way to go, an honorable way, serving you."

"Then I gladly welcome you," I replied informed acceptance.

Aquila took a deep breath, let it out in a gentle gust, and placed a light kiss upon my hand. Standing back up, he bowed deeply. "My Queen."

"How far back are the others?" Amber asked him.

"Several hours' distance," Aquila replied. "But they will close that length rapidly once they change." He paused and smiled. "None other than I, however, can fly."

Amber turned to Mona Carlisse. "Do you have another form, milady?"

"No," Mona Carlisse said with regret.

Amber turned back to Aquila. "If you are able to carry Mona Carlisse and Casio in your eagle form, I shall see to Mona Lisa."

Aquila nodded and I saw the look of unspoken understanding pass between them. Amber would not entrust my safety to Aquila just yet.

Shoes and clothes were wrapped in blankets and hung around my neck and Mona Carlisse's. I looped Amber's sword and belt over my neck and one shoulder, allowing the blade to rest behind me. It was much heavier than it had looked in Amber's hand. Aquila shifted once more into a majestic eagle and waited patiently for us.

"He does not feel bloodlust?" I asked.

"He is a bird," was Amber's simple reply, "and he has not just battled."

Amber hesitated before shifting. "Do not fear me when I change."

I lay my hand upon Amber's chest and smiled up at him. "I won't."

He pressed a tender kiss into my palm and shifted. Wild amber eyes lined in black kohl stared back at me, eye-level with my standing self. I reached out and stroked his furry head. He lazily blinked those golden eyes and turned his head so that I could scratch behind his ear, making a deep rumbling sound, purring.

The great cat crouched down before me and I clambered onto his back, my arms twining securely about his neck. A few gliding steps to make sure I had my seat and then he was running in smooth, loping strides through the thick brush, darting among the trees.

Aquila soared above us, his sharp talons wrapped carefully around Mona Carlisse and Casio. The little girl lifted her hot face to the cool blowing wind and smiled wonderingly as they flew over the trees above us.

I clung and buried my face in Amber's tawny fur. inhaling that feral musky fragrance that was him. Powerful muscles bunched and uncoiled beneath me in a smooth, steady rhythm. Leaves and branches whipped rapidly by us. He ran on tirelessly in that loping, ground-covering run that did not falter, did not slow, even as hour after hour passed and darkness descended fully, and his breathing grew harsh and labored.

Amber finally came to a halt beside a pool of water. I slid off him, unburdening him, and let him lap the cool water. His flanks heaved in and out, panting, as he rested fully upon the ground, those golden eyes blinking tiredly in that lazy-cat way.

Aquila glided down, dropped Mona Carlisse and Casio gently to the ground, and came to rest on a nearby stump.

"How are you doing?" I asked the other Queen.

Mona Carlisse rubbed her waist. "He grips us tightly but carefully. The wind, at least, feels good upon our faces." She bent down and scooped up some water to drink, then splashed water over her face. It was less alarmingly red than before, I saw with some relief.

"Are you having fun, Casio?" I inquired.

The little girl nodded. "It is fun to fly."

I smiled. "I shall have to try it myself one of these days."

I stretched out upon the wonderfully cool ground, relaxed my muscles, and closed my eyes. It seemed but a brief moment later when a cold wet nose nudged me. I reached out and stroked Amber's white whiskers. They felt like thin wires but his muzzle was surprisingly soft and silky. His panting had slowed.

"Time to go, huh?" I climbed back on top of him.

The wolf howled again, much closer. They were covering the distance faster than we were, unburdened, unhampered. How much longer, I wondered, did we have to travel? It would be a close race, determined solely by the remaining distance.

We broke out of the forest into the safe familiar clearing several hours later. Lights around the compound and from the main building brightly welcomed us.

In the forest behind us, so close that it made me shiver and hasten my pace, animal howls of gnashing rage lifted and filled the sky.

We were back at High Court.