leave him. The moment that she turned to follow the acolyte, a column of energy swallowed him as the power of Zeering bonded into his skin once again.
The acolyte led her up a set of stairs and down a hall. Two huge doors were at the end of the hallway and he reached out to open the doors, swinging them wide. “The Avatar’s quarters, Lady. We have kept them maintained for the last hundred years, waiting for his return.”
She smiled wryly. “And here I heard that the priests had attempted to kill Issul in an effort to install their own Avatar. Too bad no one asked Zeering about it. He can’t occupy a Reeban.”
The acolyte paused while opening the bathroom door. “What?”
“Apparently, your bodies or minds cannot hold him properly. You burn out too fast and every lost Avatar causes Zeering grief. He wanted your people to thrive, not to be lost in the grief of a world who had lost the extension of himself.” She was babbling and she knew it, but there was a pressure on her mind and she had to tell this young male exactly what the problem was between Zeering and his kind.
“Who told you this?”
“Zeering, while he was fully occupying his Avatar. Oh, is that a bathtub?”
The acolyte blinked at the change in topic. “Of course. The Avatar was used to bathing in water and so it was installed when the temple was built centuries ago.”
The young man with the mud brown hair bowed low. “Is there is nothing else for you, Lady?”
“A meal in an hour would be wonderful. For now, I would like to bathe.” She shooed him out and he bowed his way out of the bathing room and out through the two huge doors. He closed the doors behind him and she turned back to the bath with a happy giggle.
The taps were a little awkward, but she managed to turn them on and after a few minutes, the hot water flowed and began to fill the tub.
As she sat and waited, she went through the oils and soaps at the edge of the tub, sniffing until she had picked out her favourites.
The bathing room itself had a separate cabinet for the necessary, a charming sink and a wall of mirrors. It was a huge room and it seemed a shame to waste the Olympic-sized bathtub on herself.
She laughed and stripped out of the bodysuit. Who was she kidding? She was only too happy to jump into the water and enjoy a soak. Real water was in short supply on a mining ship that didn’t deal in ice.
Sebena dipped her toes into the water and with a happy sigh, she slid into the rising level. She turned off the water when it lapped against her breasts and she leaned back with another sigh. Oh, she had missed this.
Her body enjoyed the buoyancy of the water and she revelled in the feeling of her fingers getting pruney under the water.
She slid under the water and soaked her hair, getting the pink stuff nice and wet. With a happy growl, she poured some of the floral soap into her hand and lathered it up.
She soaped her hair and then her body, loving the smell and the relaxed sensation that spilled through her as the scent worked her over.
Laughing at herself, she rinsed off and flicked the drain. There was no time to spend the entire day in a bath, but it had been good while it lasted.
Decidedly woozy, she chalked up her light-headedness to the heat of the water, but when she took a few steps into the cooler air of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her, she knew something was wrong.
She staggered forward and headed for the door. She only had the towel around her, but she didn’t care. She needed help and she needed it now.
Two young priests saw her and immediately ran to her side. “What is it, Lady?”
“I have been poisoned, bring me to the Avatar.”
“He is communing with Zeering. We are not to disturb him.”
She gave them a dark look. “If he wakes and his mate is dead, he will be a lot less pleased than if you simply interrupt him. Now. Please.”
She collapsed at their feet. The next few images were spotty from her point of view. She was
The acolyte led her up a set of stairs and down a hall. Two huge doors were at the end of the hallway and he reached out to open the doors, swinging them wide. “The Avatar’s quarters, Lady. We have kept them maintained for the last hundred years, waiting for his return.”
She smiled wryly. “And here I heard that the priests had attempted to kill Issul in an effort to install their own Avatar. Too bad no one asked Zeering about it. He can’t occupy a Reeban.”
The acolyte paused while opening the bathroom door. “What?”
“Apparently, your bodies or minds cannot hold him properly. You burn out too fast and every lost Avatar causes Zeering grief. He wanted your people to thrive, not to be lost in the grief of a world who had lost the extension of himself.” She was babbling and she knew it, but there was a pressure on her mind and she had to tell this young male exactly what the problem was between Zeering and his kind.
“Who told you this?”
“Zeering, while he was fully occupying his Avatar. Oh, is that a bathtub?”
The acolyte blinked at the change in topic. “Of course. The Avatar was used to bathing in water and so it was installed when the temple was built centuries ago.”
The young man with the mud brown hair bowed low. “Is there is nothing else for you, Lady?”
“A meal in an hour would be wonderful. For now, I would like to bathe.” She shooed him out and he bowed his way out of the bathing room and out through the two huge doors. He closed the doors behind him and she turned back to the bath with a happy giggle.
The taps were a little awkward, but she managed to turn them on and after a few minutes, the hot water flowed and began to fill the tub.
As she sat and waited, she went through the oils and soaps at the edge of the tub, sniffing until she had picked out her favourites.
The bathing room itself had a separate cabinet for the necessary, a charming sink and a wall of mirrors. It was a huge room and it seemed a shame to waste the Olympic-sized bathtub on herself.
She laughed and stripped out of the bodysuit. Who was she kidding? She was only too happy to jump into the water and enjoy a soak. Real water was in short supply on a mining ship that didn’t deal in ice.
Sebena dipped her toes into the water and with a happy sigh, she slid into the rising level. She turned off the water when it lapped against her breasts and she leaned back with another sigh. Oh, she had missed this.
Her body enjoyed the buoyancy of the water and she revelled in the feeling of her fingers getting pruney under the water.
She slid under the water and soaked her hair, getting the pink stuff nice and wet. With a happy growl, she poured some of the floral soap into her hand and lathered it up.
She soaped her hair and then her body, loving the smell and the relaxed sensation that spilled through her as the scent worked her over.
Laughing at herself, she rinsed off and flicked the drain. There was no time to spend the entire day in a bath, but it had been good while it lasted.
Decidedly woozy, she chalked up her light-headedness to the heat of the water, but when she took a few steps into the cooler air of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her, she knew something was wrong.
She staggered forward and headed for the door. She only had the towel around her, but she didn’t care. She needed help and she needed it now.
Two young priests saw her and immediately ran to her side. “What is it, Lady?”
“I have been poisoned, bring me to the Avatar.”
“He is communing with Zeering. We are not to disturb him.”
She gave them a dark look. “If he wakes and his mate is dead, he will be a lot less pleased than if you simply interrupt him. Now. Please.”
She collapsed at their feet. The next few images were spotty from her point of view. She was
Similar Books
Alicia Jones 3: New Frontier
D. L. Harrison
The Guardian
Connie Hall
Balm
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Death Among Rubies
R. J. Koreto
Rise of a Merchant Prince
Raymond E. Feist
Tyler's Dream
Matthew Butler
Women with Men
Richard Ford
Rough Diamonds (A Spider Shepherd short story)
Stephen Leather
Dangerous Magic
Sullivan Clarke
Dark Light
Randy Wayne White