Chapter 103

Amanda dithered with her headscarf in front of the mirror. Tonight would be the first time after the incident that she would be going to an event as "the Ambassador's wife" and she was not looking forward to the scrutiny of the other Vulcan guests.

A warm hand rested on her shoulder.

"You should not fret," said the calm voice of her husband.

Amanda sighed and forced herself to turn away from the mirror. Sarek stood dressed in one of his more elaborate Ambassadorial robes complete with bronzed necklace studded with malachite gems. She had insisted on dressing more modestly, not wanting to draw even more attention to herself than necessary. Hence the headscarf and a simple blue robe with only a silver necklace containing a small aquamarine stone.

"I'm nervous," Amanda explained.

"That much is certain," he quipped.

He moved forward to place his hands gently on her upper arms. Amanda thought it was an embrace for a moment until he pushed her shoulders back, making her stand up straight. He stepped back.

"Better. An Ambassador's wife should not slouch."

Amanda's lips quirked at how very Svelda-like he sounded. She took in a deep breath and raised her head to squarely meet his gaze.

"Shall we?", she said, gesturing towards the door.

Sarek nodded his approval before turning to leave with her, his hand resting comfortingly in the small of her back.

Leaving the city walls, they were greeted by an usher that directed them to a sparsely lit platform in the distance. After leaving the man behind, they began their trek to the small spot of light in the pitch black. Amanda struggled with her footing even in her desert shoes and bit back a litany of curses after she tripped on her robe for a third time. At least no-one could see her struggle in this darkness…

Sarek had no trouble with the lack of light. After she stumbled a few more times he took pity on her and looped his arm about her waist to stop her from falling off the crest of the dune they were walking along.

After several minutes of silence focussed in concentration, they finally emerged from the dunes into the dull halo of the marble platform. As Amanda felt his hand slip away she immediately missed his touch.

Entering the seating area, Sarek nodded and acknowledged a number of the attendees already present. A wizened figure Amanda vaguely recognized stepped stiffly forward to greet them, his hand stretched in the ta'al.

"Good evening Ambassador. It is good to see you no longer with that impertinent aide," he said. His voice was so deep it sounded similar to that of an ancient oak groaning in the wind.

Sarek returned the ta'al.

"Greetings Svolnak. Indeed, she has returned to her prior post," he explained.

Amanda watched the exchange, curious. She? Before she could think on it further, Svolnak turned to regard her. His brows were bushy in their old age making them the most prominent feature on his face and his scrutiny that more serious.

"And this is your human wife. Adequately recovered from her previous bout of absenteeism, I presume?" he said, disapprovingly.

Amanda ducked her head, her cheeks flushed scarlet but the light was so dim she hoped it didn't show.

Svolnak appeared briefly mollified by her actions but Amanda was wrong.

"Though perhaps you are close to finding another water source whose rights you can rashly throw away to appease me and the others of the council that you have insulted."

Amanda's hands stiffened into fists inside the sleeves of her robe but again she did not say anything. He had at least revealed to her that he held a seat on the Vulcan High Council. In which case, she needed to be extremely careful not to make things any worse. A small part of her wondered why Sarek didn't step in to defend her but she knew that if he defended a human weakness then he too would appear weak and as if he were somehow under her influence.

After a further moment's silence, Svolnak's manner softened.

"T'Pau was wrong about you," he said wryly. "She described you as impulsive and reckless but you refuse to take the bait."

Amanda looked up hesitantly, her eyes wide with confusion. Had she somehow passed some sort of test?

"No, I've heard different stories about you from others… You care for a child that is not even your own species. Once mute, she now talks and interacts with other Vulcans. You sponsor your attendants in their vocations and you include those that are excluded."

Amanda knew he meant Socran but managed to keep her face neutral at his reference.

"Are all humans as kind as you, Lady Sarek?" he asked directly.

Given that he hadn't called her "human", Amanda judged it safe to speak this time.

"No, Osu. I'm afraid not," she said succinctly.

Svolnak cocked his head to give her a sidelong glance.

"Honest too. Good," he crooned.

Seeming satisfied with their interaction, he returned his focus to Sarek.

"I will speak further with you later. You should seat yourselves; the performance will start soon."

Svolnak briefly glanced her way once more before continuing with Sarek.

"Certainly less impertinent," he commented before shuffling away to find his seat.

Amanda raised her eyebrow to Sarek as if to say: what was that all about? Lacking in telepathic communication she had to settle for his nod and followed his gesture to sit on one of the folded kneeling stools in the audience area. Almost everyone was seated at this time and musicians carrying lyres had entered the stage. They settled down into their positions and began tuning their instruments to each other.

As Amanda was about to sit, she was interrupted by someone that after squinting, she recognized to be S'Kelnek's attendant.

"Shu-pal talsu, Master S'Kelnek requests your presence."

Amanda looked uneasily to Sarek who gestured for her to follow. As she stepped away, the attendant turned back to address him.

"And you too, Ambassador."

Amanda shared a glance with Sarek, shrugging slightly. Together they approached the front of the audience area in a line of seating where T'Pau and Svolnak were already sat. They found S'Kelnek waiting for them.

"At last you are here. Sit, sit," he instructed firmly. Gesturing to the empty seats either side of him.

Amanda looked to Sarek for guidance. Surely this was unusual for them not to sit together? Sarek took it in his stride and took the empty space between S'Kelnek and T'Pau. At least she was saved from that misery… This left her to be seated to S'Kelnek's right, at the end of the row. She would not get a good view but that didn't matter. What was important was that the guild members did. She cast her eyes across the crowd seated and wondered who they were.

A hush descended over the small audience as Amanda recognized the solitary form of Socran emerge onto the stage dressed in his customary white. However, he seemed different tonight. He no longer skulked in the shadows but stood tall and confident. His presence was almost mesmerizing.

After a few moments the musicians began to play, each working with the other to ensure that there was no interruption in sound. The chords they chose were melancholy in tone and the pace was slow.

Suddenly Amanda's attention was drawn away from the stage as she saw S'Kelnek motion for her to move closer. Amanda leaned towards him hesitantly, trying to keep a respectful distance.

"He will perform Mak'tar's Lament", he explained before moving away again.

Amanda couldn't help but furrow her brow in confusion. She thought that had been a musical piece for the lyre. There was also a song to go with it?

As she sat back in her seat, she caught Sarek's eyes watching her. They flashed with the reflection of one of the nearby globe lights. In the blink of an eye, his attention was back on the stage.

The music lilted gently higher and then lower almost like a deeply sad lullaby. As the music quietened to barely a murmur Socran, with his eyes shut tight, began to sing with a long deep note. Almost like a soft groan, the sound reverberated around the room like mist; thick and pervasive. Mid note Amanda heard something she had never heard before. His voice somehow seemed to trill but it was too slow to be called a trill and far too deliberate to be an accidental hitch in breath. He then continued on the same steady note as before almost as if he were sighing before it ended with a hushed sound. Amanda's skin prickled with goosebumps despite the warmth of the evening.

After a pause he began again but this time using words in an ancient Vulcan language she had not yet learned, followed again by another pause. His singing continued in this pattern, slowly but surely getting higher and higher. As it did so there were moments where his voice would grow loud and radiate through the air clear as a bell before reducing again to a hushed whisper.

Amanda was transfixed by the hypnotic sound of his voice and she waited in bated breath for those brief moments when he would make that unique undulating sound. The closest thing she could compare it to was some kind of Indian raga from her home planet but a very alien one. If she wasn't so human, she wouldn't hesitate to say that the song was deeply riddled with emotion. As the song waved and crested like a calm midnight sea, she could have sworn he sung the rising parts as if in wonder and the lowering as if swallowed with regret.

As the song continued Socran's style changed slightly. Instead of raising his lilting voice as if in wonder it became fervent with urgency as if he was desperately trying to convey something to them. Instead of lowering his voice as in regret it became forceful, almost embroiled with anger. Then suddenly it rose into a great crescendo and it felt like his beautiful clear voice would be heard for miles. But it didn't stop there as his voice rose even higher on an ascending scale into a range Amanda had only ever heard a woman sing. Amanda's eyes widened as he reached a climax at a note even she couldn't have reached. But the note didn't end there. His voice began to gently fall through the notes almost as fast as he'd come but descending in three distinct stages in an impressive technical feat. What lungs he must have! Amanda thought.

His voice grew quieter and quieter before it became almost a comforting hum, drifting in and out like a slow, soothing breath. Socran then turned away from them and slowly left the stage, making his way into the entrance of the nearby canyon. His voice gradually becoming more and more distant. Occasionally he would traverse some high notes like the chant of a monk and the sound would echo through the canyon, mingling with the comforting wave-like drone of his hum.

When she could no longer hear his subtle voice, Amanda took a deep breath and was shocked to suddenly feel her cheeks wet with tears. Quickly, she wiped them away with the sleeve of her robe hoping that no-one would see. The rest of the audience lay completely still, no doubt still able to hear some of his remaining song outside of her limited hearing range.

Sarek and Amanda returned to the compound in a thoughtful silence. It was only once Amanda had begun to undress in the bedroom that Sarek brought it to an end.

"I'm sorry, adun. Can you say that again?" Amanda asked. She had been completely lost in her own reverie and hadn't noticed that he was speaking to her.

She hung up her blue robe and then removed her shift to change into the white gauze of her night dress. As she moved to the dresser to brush out her hair, she noticed that he still wore his Ambassador's robes. His gaze was discerning as he looked at her from across the room, arms folded behind his back.

"What did S'Kelnek say to you?" he asked again, quietly.

Amanda's brow furrowed at the question. She abandoned her brush on the dresser.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

She moved towards him, reaching out to help him remove his robe but he raised a hand to stop her. Was that concern written in his features?

"Just as the performance started, he told you something. What was it?" he said. His tone indicating a little impatience at her absentmindedness.

Amanda dropped her arms and looked to the side as she remembered the brief exchange.

"Oh that. He just told me what song Socran would be performing," she shrugged. "Why?"

"It was a rather… intimate gesture," Sarek said, disapproving.

Amanda sighed.

"He's my master, what was I supposed to do? Ignore him?" she said, a little frustrated. "I'm not gifted with telepathy like the rest of you are."

Sarek's gaze didn't soften but this time he allowed her to remove his outer robe from his broad shoulders.

"Are you feeling alright, Sarek? If I didn't know any better, I would say you were feeling jealous."

She placed his robe inside a protective seal and closed the door of the closet.

"Besides, I thought you approved of him as my…"

She turned around to find Sarek mere inches in front of her. He was so close she could feel the warmth of his body.

"Master," she finished softly, looking up into his dark eyes.

They stared at each other for a few moments, the atmosphere suddenly feeling tense. Amanda wished she knew what was going on inside that Vulcan brain of his. When he didn't move or speak for some time Amanda tentatively reached forward and wrapped her arms about his chest, nestling her forehead into the side of his neck. She felt his shoulders slowly relax in her embrace and his hand rest gently on her shoulder blade.

Amanda raised her head and wrapped her arms about his neck. Standing on her toes she gave him a firm kiss before resting her forehead against his and closing her eyes.

"You don't have to answer that," she said kindly. "It's been a long day. Will you rest with me?"

She opened her eyes and playfully rubbed her thumbs gently down his temples and up the tips of his pointed ears. He let out a deep, appreciative breath, closing his eyes. She continued to work down the muscles of his neck and into his shoulders when his hands rested on hers gently to stop her.

"As you wish," he said finally and before Amanda could respond he swooped her up and carried her to the bed before laying her gently down.

As he moved to lie on top of her, Amanda deftly opened the front of his tunic and ran her fingers across his chest. He removed it to expose the muscle tone he had attained over the last few months due to his intensive physical conditioning regime. Not too lean for Amanda but still pleasing in shape.

Sarek pushed her night dress off her shoulders and dragged his lower lip and then grazed his teeth across her pale right collar bone. He followed up with a small nip of his teeth and for a moment considered to go further but appeared to change his mind at the last minute and converted it to a kiss.

When they broke apart, she caught his mouth in her own in a passionate embrace. As Amanda's lips tingled with excitement she expertly pushed his remaining undergarments down his thighs. Needing no further encouragement, Sarek freed himself and tenderly held her against him as he entered causing Amanda to break the kiss to breathe in sharply. She clung to him as they moved together and as the pleasurable ache grew in intensity within her she dragged her fingers hard down his back causing him for the first time to groan. Amanda smiled but it didn't last long as he began to kiss her fiercely in retaliation, allowing her few moments to catch her breath. She found herself drowning in him and as they inevitably reached their climax Amanda raked her hands through his hair, grazing her lips against his ear before gasping his name:

"Sarek…"