LOST LOVE
Was it morning? Noon? Night? Was it sunny? Rainy? Windy? It mattered very little to the newly wedded, eternally connected, couple resting quietly in the comfort of each other's arms. Leven was utterly exhausted, but she fought sleep madly. She didn't want to miss a moment of this wondrous, miraculous bliss. She drew away a bit and pressed her lips to his chest. She leaned over him, propping up on her elbow. He reached over and took her hand in his. He kissed each fingertip and smiled a little when he once again noticed the henna markings. They would stain her hands for weeks.
"The henna, the kaftan, and the veil. How did you know?"
She smiled a little. "I didn't. Evie and I dug around a little, and we found a custom here and there. You didn't exactly tell me what you wanted, so I sort of improvised."
"It was beautiful, Leven, and I will never forget this day as long as I live. I thought I had given my heart to you thoroughly, but when I saw you earlier, I realized you did not have it all. Now, you do. You have every inch."
She kissed his lips gently. "I love you. I never knew what it was, what it meant until I found you."
He gazed up at her for an indeterminate amount of time. He had known love before, had experienced the joy and the pain it brought along with it. "Nor have I," he said, and he meant every single word. The love he felt for Sharîk was nothing like this, not as strong as this, not as all consuming. He kissed her and ran his hand through her hair. "We must sleep."
"Sleep," she asked with a grin. "Who needs sleep? This is our wedding night."
"Yes, it is," he said with his own grin. "Are you suggesting that we make love again?"
"No," she said as she placed another gentle kiss on his chest. "But if you don't want to, I don't mind begging."
He laughed. "Oh, my love, you will never have to beg me for anything."
She moved to straddle his waist. She looked down at him and ran her hands along his face and down his chest. "No?"
His hands cupped her breasts as his thumbs teased her nipples. "Abadan." ["Never."]
* * *
With the cries of their lovemaking echoing in her mind, Leven drifted off into a peaceful slumber. She smiled in her sleep as she felt the weight of Ardeth's head pillowed against her breasts. As she drifted further into sleep, her hand ran gently and lovingly through her husband's hair. Asleep, he seemed so vulnerable, so hungry for love. She slipped further and further into the fog of sleep, reaching that plateau where dreams first begin. Vaguely, from far away, she felt Ardeth's arms tightening about her body and he murmured softly within his own dream. She couldn't quite understand the words, but they weren't ones of distress.
Leven smiled. She saw Hazz like he was before he died. She wanted to speak to him, but he seemed outside the realm of consciousness. She stood near him as if she were watching a television program. Hazz stood in the middle of a nearly bare room. The only furniture inside it was a small podium with statues and figurines adorning it. He seemed to be praying. Leven moved closer, not wanting to disturb him. He was in a trance, rocking back and forth, mumbling incoherently. The only two words she understood were 'Hathos' and 'Isis.' She drew even closer. Beckoning you, great goddesses. I beckon you to take hold of the malak [angel] and bring her the love and peace she deserves. Bring her to her man pure of heart. Do not allow her to suffer as her great-grandmother, as her great-great grandmother. Leven stood stock-still. Had Hazz summoned the goddesses to her? Had he been responsible for bringing her to Ardeth? Her heart ached at the beautiful thought. She had come to Ardeth as a result of her prayers and Hazz's summoning of the goddesses. Why had this lovely, lovely man been victimized by an evil entity such as Sharr?
"Leven?"
The voice, so dreamy and soothing, so close, had drifted into her ear. She was too ensconced by the beautiful vision before her. Hazz had done more for her and her love than she first assumed.
"Leven," the voice called, urgently.
"Hmm. MaHabbi [love]."
"Leven? You must wake up."
She opened her eyes slowly, focusing them on Ardeth's face, but not focusing at the same time. He was gazing down at her worriedly. "What is it," she asked sleepily.
"You were moaning as if you were in pain. You were whispering kwaiyis [beautiful]. Are you all right?"
She nodded and smiled a little. "Wonderful," she whispered. "It's okay, Ardeth. I had a nice dream. I dreamt that Elder Haka summoned the goddesses who brought me to you. He gave us a beautiful gift, and I wish I could thank him."
A tear had rolled down her cheek and he quickly kissed it away. "You were dreaming."
"No. I saw it, just as I saw you."
Her voice held a far away quality as if she were still asleep with her eyes open. "And?"
"He wanted us together because of the baby, because he lost a baby. He didn't want it to happen to you, to me. He wanted to see us happy." In her sleep/awake state, her hands drifted down to her abdomen. "He knew we would make a baby, he knew you weren't supposed to stay. He knew this, but he sent for me, he sent for me so your heart wouldn't grow cold like his did. His heart grew cold because he couldn't be a father. You weren't supposed to be a father, you were only to break the curse, but he wouldn't have that. It's why he told you. If he hadn't, you never would have known."
Although her slightly slurred whispering voice haunted his soul, he felt a desire to prod her along, to delve into what she saw. "Elder Haka lost a child? He was unmarried."
A soft smile played on her lips. "So were you. So was I. It doesn't take marriage to produce a child. It was too late for him, but not for us. He pushed and it happened. He wanted to see you hold your baby, and he made it happen. He made it all happen."
"Leven? Where are you," he asked softly, gazing down into her calm face.
"In the wide space between sleep and consciousness, in the hallway of prayer. It's where one must go to find the truth. Hold onto me; hold onto your child. Watch over me, watch over us."
Her words had taken on a hint of threat, a precursor to loss. "Leven? What does that mean? What will happen?"
"Not for me to see, not for you to know. Hold us, hold us close, and if you lose us, find us quickly."
"If I cannot," he asked.
"Then Haka's work will be for naught." Her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.
What was this? What did she mean? He had pulled much from her, but still wanted more. "Leven," he whispered urgently. "Leven."
She opened her eyes and focused them on his face. "What is it," she asked.
Her voice and demeanor had changed abruptly. "Where are you?"
His bizarre question startled her. She gave him a 'have you flipped' look. "In bed, with you. Why? Where are you?"
Ardeth gazed down at her incredulously. "You were talking about your dream, you were…"
She placed her hand on his cheek. "Ardeth? Maybe you were dreaming."
"No," he said. "I was awake."
"It's okay, weird things happen to me when I dream sometimes. It probably meant nothing."
He shook his head stubbornly. "No. I do not believe that."
"I don't remember anything. It's okay, nothing after my dreams of you has meant anything." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "It's okay. It's nothing." She thought she saw tears shining in his eyes.
"No, it is not," he insisted. "If anything should happen to you, my heart will cease beating."
She wrapped her arms around him and he held onto her tightly. Despite what she said, what she felt, her dream had touched him, had set off a horrid premonition inside him.
* * *
Early the next morning, Ardeth awoke and noticed immediately that Leven was not beside him. Still panicked about what happened to them last night, he thought she had completely disappeared. Hastily, he grabbed his pants and slipped into them. He stepped into the darkened hallway and heard noises coming from the bathroom. Quietly, he rapped on the door, hoping it wasn't Evie. Behind the door, he heard Leven's voice calling out "Yes?" Ardeth opened the door and entered the bathroom. She was in the tub again, safe and sound. He exhaled deeply and went to the tub, getting down on bended knee.
"You have such a concerned look on your face," she said. "Would you stop worrying so much? I told you. It was nothing."
He ran his hand through her hair, his fingers holding onto a sandy lock. "It may be nothing, but please do not go out alone."
"Okay, I promise." She reached out to him and he kissed her deeply. She broke the kiss and gazed lovingly into his warm brown eyes. "Come in with me?"
He smiled at her. "Do you have to ask?"
* * *
Much later that morning, Evie wanted to drag Leven off into Cairo to browse around. Ardeth didn't feel comfortable having her go out, but he assumed she would be well protected with Evie. Besides, she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted that the craziness from last night was nothing more than an overwrought dream. He was tempted to follow her, just to be on the safe side, but he hesitated. She was already exasperated with him and it wouldn't take much for her to become completely tired of him. He sat back in a bit of a daze, totally unhappy with his choice. He tried to hold a conversation with O'Connell, but his heart wasn't into it. After a few impatient moments, he announced that he needed air. He had to find Leven. He didn't feel good about her leaving, regardless of her reasoning. Something would happen to her, he knew it.
* * *
Leven broke away from Evie for the slightest moment as some silly baby item drew her attention. She wasn't sure why she loved it so, but it had drawn her right into its spell. It was a baby blanket with an intricate design woven into the fabric with red and black threads. It resembled something close to outlandish lightning bolts, but not lightning bolts. The pattern was beyond explanation, but it grabbed her. She reached out to touch it and it felt very soft and inviting. It was perfect for a baby. Held transfixed by the sight of the beautiful blanket, she didn't quite notice that she was being drawn bit by bit away from the crowd.
Perfect, Sharr thought. The bride of the Medjai Chieftain had no idea the street side stand was an illusion created to draw her in. Once encased in its force field, she would know little until she was sucked completely into it. By that time, it would be too late. Sharr stood in the periphery of the crowd watching the progress of her abduction. He had come back and chosen another body. He was grateful to his dark god that he hadn't brought him back to the wasted body of Zilan. Instead, Set had given him Radab's body. It was ironic. His weakness for women and sins of the flesh had finally given him the ultimate pay-off. He was inside the object of his lust. Sharr concentrated hard and watched as the stand drew back, back, and back. The young bride was completely oblivious to her own plight.
Leven's attention was drawn away from the blanket when she realized she could no longer see Evie; no longer see anyone around her. There was nothing but air, sand, and this stand. What the hell was happening to her? She seemed to be standing on solid ground, but she was not. She appeared to be floating into some kind of weird space. When she reached out, her hand hit an invisible shield of some sort. She was completely imprisoned. Below her, she could see a few people below. One of them was Ardeth. He appeared to be searching for her. No. Oh no. Where am I? Where am I going? She tried to call out, but she had no voice.
Ardeth moved through the throngs of people searching for his wife. When he didn't immediately see her, he began to panic. Why had he let her go? Why hadn't he held on to her as she had said in her dream the night before? He spied Evie and felt an instant of relief, but when he noticed the concerned look on her face, his heart fell to his feet. He turned to look around behind him and his eyes caught sight of a glimmer of silver. Whatever it was, it was partially buried in the sand. Bending down, he brushed the sand away and gasped audibly. It was Leven's half of the amulet. She was gone. She had been taken. Sharr.
Sharr continued to concentrate, to work his evil magic, until he was ready to set her down. Once on her feet, he would have to move swiftly. The spell would break and once she saw him [or her], she would run. Of course, she wouldn't get far away, not in the desert. He couldn't let her die by means that didn't involve the sharp blade of a dagger straight through her heart.
"Ardeth," Evie said from beside him.
"This is Leven's," he said without glancing up at her. "She has been abducted."
"We'll get Rick and help you look."
He shook his head. "No. I will find her."
Leven's head jarred upward, as if she had been nodding off. She realized that she had landed hard on the ground. She looked around her stupidly, wondering where she was. A figure was approaching from the distance, seemingly unaffected by the heavy sand. She stood up and began to scramble away from the figure. Whoever it was didn't mean her anything but harm. She managed no more than two steps before she was hit in the back by an incredible force. It felt like a gigantic hand grabbing her and pulling her back. She was frozen solid, completely unable to move. The gigantic, unseen hand began to drag her backward until she was at the feet of her captor. Radab? She tried to scramble up to her feet, but Radab held her down with an invisible force.
"Sharr," Leven spat weakly.
"None other. It is time for my curse to end. Did you enjoy your wedding night? I surely hope so. You will never see your warrior again."
"You stupid…"
Before she finished her thought, Sharr touched the top of her head. "Sleep." Leven fell at his feet completely unconscious.