Page 28 of Stealing the Star Stone

“My village is not far.” Amenkar wiggled his catch. “I come for the quet.” He stopped again, whipped out a dagger, then sliced off a tail. The white jelly-like flesh wobbled on the end of his blade. He offered it to Nova.

She almost recoiled.

Amenkar brought the blade closer to her mouth. “He must eat to understand. It is a gift of the quet.”

“Oh!” Eli grinned then frowned. “How? We were both healed—”

“It chooses who to bestow it upon.” Amenkar’s gaze switched between Eli and Nova. “I would say you did not seek them out for their powers.”

“Nova, honey, eat the eel.”

“Why?” She swallowed hard, her gaze on the gelatinous lump.

“Amenkar says that eating the eel helps us to understand Lethari.”

“You ate one?” she squeaked, then with a grimace, slurped the fish into her mouth. Her eyes widened, a smile bloomed, and she licked her lips. “Like chicken, almost—”

She cried out and fell to a knee, dropping the blaster to clasp her head. But before he could react, she straightened, the pain scrunching her features smoothing out.

She blinked, color returning to her cheeks.

Eli helped her to her feet.

Amenkar handed her the blaster. Thank you,” she said.

“A pleasure.”

“I understand you,” she whispered, awe in her parted lips. “Your world’s magical.”

Amenkar smiled. “It pleases me that you think so.”

Geometric rocks stacked into great pillars of black stone pierced the sand like teeth. Eli clambered up a dune then gawked at more pillars lining the path. Each one carried a glowing symbol; his vision blurred, and words formed, speaking of legends and heroes.

“Are you reading this?” she whispered.

But he didn’t answer her, fascinated by the people gathering to watch them.

Small houses rose out of the sand, cobbles appeared beneath Eli’s feet, and as he crested the dune, a city spread out.

This was no village. Narrow roads formed a star and led to the center where he expected to find a castle, pyramid, or tall structure.

“This is Vael’Tir—the city of Lethaar.” Amenkar swept out a hand.

From the white of their togas and loincloths to the splashes of scarfs and headdresses, Eli struggled to take in all the detail. Gold skin gleamed everywhere, and gold marked the houses with crests of animals he didn’t know.

Chatter filled the air, from whispers to outright cries of alarm, demanding to know who they were. Amenkar marched on, waving aside anyone bothering him.

“The chief will decide” was all he said. On repeat.

“I’m starting to think this wasn’t a good idea.” Nova clasped Eli’s hand. “We’re moving away from the island.”

“We need help, Nova-honey,” he said. “And if playing nice with the local tribe gets us to the island safely, I’m willing to risk it.”

She harumphed but said no more.

When they reached the center of the city, what lay before them would forever be embedded in his memory.

There was a structure, except it went down, carved into the black rock.

Forests surrounded the hole like silent guardians.

Along the sides, stairs headed into its depths, lit by flickering blue flames that burned without fuel.

Like the one in the cave. Narrow waterfalls in muted orange plummeted into the shadows, cooling the air rising to bathe him in a fine mist.

A sense of rightness settled on him.

He trailed Amenkar without hesitation. Nova stayed on his ass, almost too close.

But he wouldn’t complain when he needed her near.

Anyone leaving the reverse pyramid dipped into tiny alcoves to let them pass.

None bothered Amenkar. The deeper they went, the more the rock pressed on Eli.

He couldn’t shake the timelessness of the stone steps smoothed by many feet over thousands of years.

“It’s incredible,” Nova whispered.

They reached the bottom where a pool dominated the center. In it, a few eels swam.

Eli paused beside it. “Amenkar, why do you fish for eels when you have pools of them?”

“These are sacred.” The man didn’t pause. “Come.”

Behind the pool and opening into the rock was an archway about fifteen feet tall. Poems of grandeur lined the curves. Two men stood guard, hefty lances in their grips, but they didn’t twitch when Amenkar strolled past.

Blue flames illuminated the tunnel, then into a hall they went, bigger with taller pillars than the cave they’d found the star stone in.

People lounged on cushions and soft rugs, platters of food and drinks nearby.

White-clothed servants rushed around, seeing to their needs.

Ethereal music softened the hum of conversation.

Which stilled, all gazes on them. Along a broad path Amenkar continued, pausing in front of a dais. He climbed it and settled on a cushion.

His guards kneeled. “My chief,” they said.

Eli gawked at the distinguished man. Amenkar was the chief? Why deceive them? Or had the man not trusted them? Eli had expected a throne at this rate, instead, similar to the others, there was a rug, many colorful cushions, and platters.

On instinct, Eli dropped to a knee, tugging Nova down with him.

Amenkar rose, his broad smile lost amid the gold of his skin.

“I found these two, or should I say, they found me? They were hunted by the Skrillith, and they bare the Kovari Shol’s touch.

” He circled Nova but didn’t linger. He caught Eli by the shoulders and lifted him.

“Your hair is beautiful. It is like ours.” He flicked his hair with gold strips woven through the braids.

“Thank you for the compliment, my chief,” Eli said.

“You say you are here for the Kovari Shol.” He shifted his gaze to Nova. “My apologies. Such power should never have left this world.” He grimaced. “To make amends, I must offer you a Lethari welcome.”

“We don’t want to inconvenience you, my chief,” Nova said. “We simply wish to be free…of each other.”

The man glanced between Eli and Nova. “A hot bath, food, and a soft bed cannot be declined. Not when you both smell like a yuxmet.” He chuckled. “Spend a moon, and at the next sun, I shall have my men escort you to the temple. If it chooses to grant you its Kovari Shol, I have no power to deny it.”

When Eli opened his mouth to back her up, Nova nudged him with an elbow and hissed, “He said a hot bath. Shut up.”

Two women appeared and escorted them away. When Eli peered over his shoulder, he caught the chief whispering to the scarred man carrying a lance. An unknown tension tightened their posture.

That didn’t bode well.

He prayed he’d read the room wrong.