Angel in Bronze

Eva knew she was a dead woman. She could cut her own rope and fall, depriving Ellsworth the pleasure, but she didn't want anything to happen to her friend. "Ellsworth, let Ru go. He didn't have anything to do with this."

"Oh, but he has been corrupted by your heretical teachings. Don't worry. Rupert Ashley is coming along quietly to the holy city of Regulum. There he will take part in the Synod's new reeducation program. He'll think properly again— or he'll die trying.

"It has been decided that you, Miss Evalyn Cleverleigh, are beyond redemption. How devastated your family will be when they've learned that you were killed in a cave in. It's clearly a sign the gods are displeased with your vile ways."

Ellsworth held something in his hand above the Well. Eva assumed it was a knife to cut her line, but she couldn't quite see it. Ellsworth said, "You might be interested in this, Miss Cleverleigh. I believe the magic loving heathens called this little artifact a Shatter Stone. I wonder if it still works."

"You're no Inquisitor, Ellsworth. You can't execute me without a trial. Besides, isn't using magic against your religion?" It was a weak jab, but hanging at the end of her rope, it was all she had.

Advocatus Ellsworth wasn't impressed with her legal expertise. He only laughed at her and raised the Shatter Stone high over the lip of the Well. If the magic still worked, he was going to bury her alive. Eva frantically whispered, "Shitshitshit..." as she loosened her belt knife to cut her line. Just as the last of the rope fibers gave way, Ellsworth dropped his magical grenade down the hole. She was free falling backward into the unknown, and hell followed in the form of a large marblelike artifact.

The ancient magic held true. As the Shatter Stone followed her down, it began to glow and expand. Logically, she understood that the quick way down only took seconds, but to Eva it felt like forever. Magical light and heat swelled and throbbed. Ru's strangled scream of protest was drowned out as the walls shook, knocking crystal and stone down around her. Finally, Eva landed with a solid whump. It knocked the wind out of her, but she was still alive. Her lantern went out when it hit the floor, but she could still see by the light of the stone as it did its work.

It turned out her landing wasn't nearly as solid as she thought. While the Well imploded over her head, the ground beneath her broke open. She fell again, this time tumbling head over heels in empty black space. She had a second to wonder at the atmosphere: warm, humid, with the smell of a wet garden. Then her blind fall came to abrupt halt as she crashed, and Eva lost consciousness.

She groaned as she came awake, because she ached all over. She wiggled her toes and her fingers, then tentatively moved her knees and elbows. Her quick assessment told her nothing was broken. Slowly, she opened her eyes, but either the cavern she'd fallen into was too dark to see, or she'd knocked herself blind.

Laying there, she tried to glean as much information as she could. Whatever she landed on was hard and uneven. She heard crickets and the burbling of a nearby stream. The chamber was warm, but she could feel the faintest breeze cooling the sweat on her skin. The atmosphere smelled of green plants. "Impossible," she muttered.

She needed to see where she was, and gas hadn't been a problem in the cave system thus far. So hoping for the best, Eva carefully dug in her pocket. The strike-all matches were a fairly new invention that had quickly become a must-have in her work. Not wanting to risk losing the whole box, she kept it in her pocket and deftly worked a match loose with one hand.

Holding it up, she struck the head with her thumbnail and gasped. A man's face stared down at her, and for a second, she thought he was alive. She held the match light closer and whispered, "Oh my gods, it's beautiful."

The bronze face had been sculpted with such fine detail that she half expected it to blink. He had a handsome square-jawed face. His eyes were wide set, and they possessed a quality of sad kindness. The corners of his full lips turned up in a small and curious smile. Even his long, straight hair had been created with so much care, she imagined it might be soft to the touch. Fine horns sprouted from his temples to encircle his head, and Eva's heart quickened. She saw the veins in his neck, the hills and valleys of his collar bone, even the nipples on his bare chest.

As her match went out, Eva had a better understanding of how she'd landed. Her statue was in a seated position, legs crisscrossed before him. His hands rested palms up on his knees. Eva lay across his arms, cradled in between his chest and gently upturned fingertips. It seemed as if the statue had caught her.

Eva lit another match to see how she could get down. That's when she noticed the hint of leathery wings folded behind him. This further convinced her that she'd finally found the tomb of the Tenkaru. She laughed and cried at the same time, "I knew I'd find you! I just knew it!"

Find of a lifetime or not— she was in an unknown cavern at the bottom of a pit, in a cave system the locals claimed was haunted. There was no one coming to save her. If she didn't save herself, she was going to die down there. The bronze statue was mounted on a dais, and that sat securely on the earthen floor. Eva sat up to have a quick look around, but as she did so, her head swam and her vision blurred.

"Whoa," she breathed as exhaustion and nausea washed over her, and her match died again. She curled on her side in his arms, turning her face to his chest. "Sleep," she mumbled. "I'll figure this out after I sleep."

Though her body ached, and she was possibly concussed, dreams of her winged lover were more vivid than ever. He licked at her bruises in a way that her waking self might find barbaric, but in her dream state, it was a perfectly natural thing for him to do. Every caress from his gentle hands, every flick of his tongue suffused her with powerful healing energy. Then glowing blue eyes found hers and he whispered, "Nevvari, my queen is returned."

He lowered his head, and his tongue, long and quick, slipped between her labia and swirled around her arousal. He gripped her thighs tight, pressing his face between her legs. Moaning into her wet skin, he devoured her. As he took her passion higher, Eva gripped the bony crown around his head. The antlers were stronger than they looked, and she held on tight as she tilted toward her Tenkaru's face.

As always, she woke before she could finish. The ache of a release denied added itself to the pain from her fall. In the blackness of the cave, there was no one to see her cry, so Eva allowed herself a few frustrated tears. Self pity aside, her injuries insisted that she return to sleep.

When she woke again, she was surprised to find herself in brightly lit surroundings. Mindful of her aching head and body, Eva carefully got up to have a serious look around. It wasn't hard to miss the light source, for several massive crystals grew just off center from the cavern's cathedral ceiling. The crystalline cluster formed a pentagonal shape, and they lit up the cavern with daylight.

At first glance, the whole place was wild with growing things, a large garden left untended for years. A stream flowed from some place she couldn't see, and it made a circuit around the room. Through the foliage, Eva took a guess at the dimensions. The circular floor was sixty feet at its diameter, as near as she could tell. With exception of the crystal structure, the domed ceiling was smooth. She had to squint to see the perfectly circular seam where she assumed she'd fallen through. That hole was closed now, like a trap door shut tight against intrusion. The entirety of the room gave the impression that it was built with intention, rather than formed by nature.

In the center of it all was the bronze statue of the Tenkaru. She walked around the statue. Though her headache raged, and her bruised muscles raised a protest, Eva tugged at the ivy that grew up around his dais, finding words and symbols etched into the metal. The statue itself was clear of vegetation, and in the daylight, he was even more remarkable. If he stood up, the Winged Man would've been around six and a half feet tall. As she further examined him, she noted that his maker had gone so far as to sculpt extra muscles in his shoulders to accommodate his wings. The details were so striking that Eva expected him to take a breath.

Then she was the one to gasp as she looked at his hands. They were in a different position than she'd previously thought. His forearms still rested on his knees, but his palms were turned down, casually hanging from his wrists. She would've sworn they'd been turned the other way the night before. She stepped closer and studied his kind face, and another thing struck her as odd. Though he had been down here for nearly two hundred years, there was not a spot of tarnish on him. His metal finish was completely unweathered.

The hand thing was something Eva could overlook. After all, she'd gotten banged up in the fall. If she hadn't been thinking clearly, it was understandable. However, the aged bronze statue, in such an environment, should have been grey-green with tarnish, and he was like new. She stared at his unmoving face and asked, "How? How is this possible?" The Tenkaru didn't answer.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered to herself. "I have to get out of here. 'Reeducation' sounds bad. I've got to save Ru before they hurt him."

Of course, she had to get out and save her assistant, but she also had work to do. Eva found her pack and dug out a sheet of paper and a graphite stick. She just wanted a quick rubbing of the writing on the base of the statue. As she stuffed her work back in her bag, she looked up at the Tenkaru's face. It didn't feel crazy to her at all to say, "I know we just met, and I'm sorry, but I really need to go get my friend."

She started to turn away and look for an exit when she noticed one of his hands had changed again. Though his arms were in the same position, the fingers of one hand now curled so that his index finger pointed downward. She cocked her head to the side, and she asked the statue, "A-are you moving? Are you moving?" She then answered herself, "No, no he's not— it's not. Get a damn grip, Eva. This isn't the time to lose your mind."

Determined to get out, she circled the entirety of the chamber over and over again. She shoved between overgrown plants and trees, and she pulled clumps of ivy away from the walls. She waded in the cold shallow water of the fast-moving stream. Air was coming from someplace, if she could only see where. After searching and re-searching, she decided that the faint breeze had to come from the area where the crystals brought in the light. Like the seam in the ceiling, it was far from her reach.

Her body's aches faded into the background as panic rose to the fore. Caught up in a moment of aggravated frustration, she screeched and pounded her fists against the wall. Eva sat down hard and put her face in her hands to stifle an angry sob. Her hours of frantic searching revealed that she was trapped in a long-forgotten graveyard. She was sure the only occupant, the Tenkaru, was entombed beneath his statue. His body would be the find of a lifetime, and she had no one to tell. Then there was Ru. She'd gotten him into the gods only knew what kind of trouble. It was her fault, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The light from the crystal structure began to fade, and she realized that the garden's version of night was coming. It was fine to take a minute to feel sorry for herself, but her truth was she was stuck. Eva needed to take stock and figure out how she was going to survive. She emptied her pockets and turned her bag upside down. The canteen was almost full, she had a handful of nuts and dried fruit, and she had a few ounces of jerky. Thirteen matches were left in her box. Her lantern was crushed, but there was still oil in the reservoir.

Many of the fruiting plants in the garden were familiar to her, like early versions of the fruits and vegetables she was used to. She was going to find out if the stream water was potable, but she'd hold off on that experiment as long as she could. There were small fish in the stream, as well as crickets and worms. As the chamber darkened further, a cricket leapt to the toe of her boot and seemed to regard her with curiosity.

"Don't worry," she murmured to the bug. "I'm not that hungry. Not yet."

She gathered her things and went back to the statue in the center of the room. She didn't know why she went there, as one spot was as good as any other. But something about the Winged Man's presence made her feel less lonely. There was nothing in the garden that could hurt her, but somehow his was the safest place to camp.

She used what remained of the light to ration out a quick meal for herself. She patted down a bed in the ivy and used her pack for a pillow. She looked up into the statue's eyes and said, "Food, water, and shelter are great, but there's nobody here but you. I'm going to go crazy down here. I'm already talking to bugs and inanimate objects." She noticed that his expression had changed from a sad wistful smile to a look of thoughtful concern. "And I'm hallucinating. I probably have brain damage. I am so fucked."

She slept, fitful and dreamless, until she felt something brush against her face. Thinking it a leaf or a cricket, she moved to brush it away only to find it was a hand that touched her. With a strangled shriek, she sat up to find a faintly glowing face looming over her. He was the Tenkaru from her dreams, but Eva was wide awake. "Shit!" she squeaked, "Wh- what the hell?"

He tilted his head and looked her up and down. His face was a mix of curiosity and delight as his eyes met hers again. He said, "Nevvari, you are beautiful." He reached for her, as if he would touch her face again, but this was no dream. Eva jerked her head away from his reach. Confused and perhaps a little hurt, he slowly lowered his hand.

"I'm Eva," she said.

He smiled softly and lowered his head in a nod. "Yes. You are Eva. And you are Nevvari."

Face to face with him, he was even more beautiful than in her dreams. She wanted to put her arms around him, to feel his skin on hers, to taste his kiss. Instead, she argued with him. "No. I'm Evalyn Cleverleigh, from the city of Regulum in Drenuin."

He said, "I remember Drenuin, though I know not a place called Regulum." Then he chuckled softly and gave her a wink, saying, "And though it has been two centuries, I remember my mate."

The Tenkaru leaned in so close she could feel the heat of his skin, and he purred, "I remember her very well, my queen. My Nevvari." Then he shrugged and grinned. "My Evalyn Cleverleigh of Regulum, if you prefer. I know my love."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped, but there was a part of her that did know. She wanted him so much she could hear her own pulse pounding in her ears. She kept her fists clenched, refusing to give in.

His smile fell away, and he grasped her chin in his hand. His touch was gentle, yet somehow demanding at the same time. She had no desire to pull away from those tender fingers. He softly nuzzled her nose with his own as he whispered, "A queen knows the face of her king, Nevvari Sitxuné of the Grand Arcadium." His voice turned to a low growl that made her insides quake. "Speak the name of your king. Say my name."

She longed for his hand to slide down from her chin, to stroke the passions he excited in every part of her body. She couldn't pull away, nor could she turn from the intensity of his gaze. She wanted to say that she didn't know who he was, but his words plucked at memories that were not her own and still a part of her. "Trexien," she breathed his name on sigh that came from the deepest part of her soul. "Your name is Trexien." She smiled as the familiar syllables left her lips. "I called you Trex."

He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. "Yes, my love." With both hands, he cupped her face and gently kissed her temples and her cheeks. Then his lips found hers, and white heat flashed. His tongue was as long and nimble as she recalled from her dreams. His kiss started a flood of moisture between her legs.

A hand slid into her hair, tilting her head back as he worked his lips and tongue over her chin and neck. Another hand clutched at her breast and tore at her clothes. It was too much, he was moving too fast, and her practicality screamed that she didn't even know him. "Stop!" she cried out and pushed away from him.

He was panting, his need evident in his eyes and his prominent erection. Still he moved back, giving her some space. "I am sorry, Nev-... Eva. What is wrong?"

"You're going to fast. I don't even know you. I- I'm not that kind of woman, Trex."

His face fell in frustration as he said, "You do know me! You just do not remember. Eva, please, I only have a little time. I yearn for my curse to be broken."

He'd gotten her blouse open, and she clutched the garment to cover herself. "What curse? Explain to me what's going on here."

"The Chosen tore you away from me. And they imprisoned me here," he pointed at the blackness behind him, and she assumed he gestured at his statue. "I have the briefest moments of life during the daylight hours, the occasional tick between one heartbeat and the next. In the darkness, I have only the span of one hour between the days. The curse is broken when I am reunited with my queen. They told me they killed you, but I knew that one day your soul would return to mine. I never lost faith in you, my queen. When we are joined, the curse will be lifted, and you and I can leave this place."

"Ah, I see." Eva didn't see. She was convinced that she had finally gone completely crazy. "So, fucking a statue is how I get out of this cave?"

He sighed, exasperated with her. "Yes, making love to your mate will break this curse on us both. And I am not a statue now, but I have little time left this night. I wasted half of my time just trying to decide how to approach you." He stood up and turned away from her. His glow faded as he snapped, "Go back to sleep, Evalyn of Regulum. Crazy women need their rest."

"Hey!" she shouted and got up after him. She followed the glowing form of his twitching wings as he ascended his dais. "You get back here and talk to me, damn it!" When she reached him, he had already taken his seated position. His warm luminous skin began rapidly cooling to bronze. She wanted to fight— she wanted to fuck— but he was unreachable. So she yelled at him instead, "You, you... bat-winged asshole!"

In a huff, Eva returned to her bed of leaves. She tried to close her blouse, but several of the buttons were lost in Trex's haste. "Fine," she declared to no one in particular. She finished tearing the shirt off, wadded it up, and threw it. She was still angry as she took her bra off and threw that as well. "Good riddance," she shouted at it.

As she lay back on her make-shift pillow and the sweat began to dry, the open air felt glorious on her bare skin. In time, Eva started to relax. Staring into the blackness was just like having her eyes shut, and as she drifted back toward sleep, she was able to laugh at herself. "'Bat-winged asshole?'" She repeated the phrase and giggled. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

In the morning, she looked at Trex to find him in an attitude of contemplative pouting. His chin rested on a fist, and his bronze gaze brooded in her general direction. "Look," she began. "I'm sorry, but you've got to admit, this is a lot to take in." She stared at him for the span of a full minute, and his pose didn't change. Eva sighed, "Are you just going to pout all day then?"