Walk On Mountains - Chapter Nine

1

Grydin smiled as he guided Marienda through a tunnel in the lower areas of the mountain.  The air was warm and hummed with a mechanical tone.2

“Where are we?” she asked, unable to see through the blindfold covering her eyes.3

“Almost there,” Grydin said.  “We’re near the rooms that house the machines that run the water, thermal heat and all the comforts of this place.”  He stopped outside of an open curtain.  “And here we are.”4

“You wanted to show me the machine?” she asked, confused.5

“No,” he chuckled.  “I said we were near them.”  He led her through the open curtain and sat her on a small ledge just to their left.  He let the curtain fall, then stood back to watch her.  “You can look now.”6

Marienda hesitantly reached up and took the strip of cloth from her eyes.  She blinked a few times, then stared in awe at the scene in front of her.  “Wow,” she whispered.7

Grydin smiled and sat beside her.  “A couple years ago, this was empty.  Then someone found one of the underground hot springs, and we decided to channel some of the flow here for baths.  There are…twenty rooms like this one, divide by sheet stone.”8

Marienda nodded slightly as he spoke, still staring at the approximately ten by ten foot hole in the floor that was nearly filled with water.  Steam curled towards the ceiling, adding to the surreal image.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bath that big.”9

“It was interesting to design,” Grydin said.  “Harder to build, but they’re great when you need to relax.”10

She finally looked at him.  “You built these?”11

“Yes,” he admitted.  He lifted his hand slightly and motioned to the water as the amulet around his neck glowed a soft white.  Water spouted up gently, raising to about three feet before falling back in a small fountain.12

“Are you showing off?”13

“Yes,” he laughed.  He moved a finger, causing the center of the water fountain to rise above the rest, making it two tiered.   “Would you like to go in?”14

~~~~~~~~~~15

The heat felt wonderful, and Marienda sighed as the water caressed her shoulders.  Grydin sat behind her, cupping small amounts of the liquid onto her hair with one hand.  His other hand was wrapped around her below the water, and as he paused to kiss her shoulder, she could feel him massage just below her waist.16

He whispered into her ear, causing her to blush at the suggestion as his strong legs wrapped over her thighs.  She glanced behind her, feeling her heart catch in her throat at the sight of him.  His hair was loose with the ends floating in the water around glistening shoulders.  The light behind him cast a shadow over his face, and to her he looked like a mythical god come to life.17

She leaned back to kiss him and let her lips stay on his as his arms reached under hers and strong hands grasped her shoulders.18

~~~~~~~~~~19

The next day, Yanuia paused outside a curtained door, then raised her hand and knocked lightly.20

“Yes?” a voice from inside, asked.21

“It’s Yanuia,” she replied.22

“Just give me a minute,” Grydin replied.23

“Is that all it takes you?” she quipped.  24

She could hear Marienda’s light laughter, followed by Grydin saying,  “Oh, funny.”  The curtain opened and she stepped back slightly as Grydin stood there dressed only in his pants.  “We just got out of the shower,” he said, and turned around so she could enter.25

Yanuia watched him walk across his small room, his wet hair leaving little water droplets on rippling bronzed muscles as he took a shirt out of a small wardrobe, pulled it on, and then lifted his hair out from below the collar of the light fabric.  She pulled her gaze away, only to find Marienda sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her.  Yanuia blushed as the other woman raised an eyebrow in silent communication.26

Grydin sat on the bed by Marienda and leaned back slightly against her body in a pose that looked completely natural and instinctive.  “Did you want something?” he asked with a smile.  “Or are you just going to stand there gaping.”  27

Yanuia blushed slightly and coughed as Marienda’s arm went around Grydin’s waist and settled on the opposite thigh.  “I was thinking about what you said the other day,” she began.  “And you’re right.”28

“I usually am,” he deadpanned.29

“Hush, you,” she said, crinkling her nose at him.  “I’ve been letting things that happened over ten years ago affect my thinking, and…” She looked at Marienda.  “I apologize.”30

Marienda smiled and started to speak, but Grydin’s voice stopped her.  “No,” he said.31

Both women looked at him in slight confusion.  “No?” they asked at the same time.32

“No,” Grydin repeated.  “As in not good enough, not sincere and better try again.”  He smiled slightly as Yanuia continued to stare at him.  He lifted Marienda’s hand from his thigh, kissed the palm of it gently, and stood.  “I’ll come back later.”  He smiled at both women and walked out of the room.33

~~~~~~~~~~~34

“You left them alone?” Dorran asked.  “Together?”35

Grydin nodded as he helped check over some of the equipment in the lower levels of the mountain.  “They’ll be fine,” he assured his friend as he crouched to look beneath one of the machines that recycled their water.  “And maybe Yanuia will get over this attitude she has for Marienda and I won’t have to feel like a complete jerk after I snap at her.”36

“Never feel like a jerk when you’re sticking up for your woman,” Dorran pointed out as he adjusted a few things.  “Of course, if you show attitude towards my woman, then…” he trailed off with a shrug as a silver maned head looked at him.  37

Grydin smiled slightly as the other man’s amulet gently glowed.  “You best be rethinking that course of action,” he said as he grabbed an instrument and held it above where he had just been working.  He nodded at the readings and put the tool down.  38

Dorran laughed.  “Relax.  To tell the truth, even I think Yanuia has been rather rude to your mate.”  He walked to another machine and made a few adjustments.  “Look…you know I consider you as the younger brother I never hated, so I’m going to give you some worldly advice.”39

Grydin laughed.  “You’re two years younger than I am, but please, continue.” He moved to the same machine Dorran was working on and checked below it.  “I am your humble student.” He grabbed a tool and started to take a panel off the lower part of another water reclamation unit.40

A small smirk crossed Dorran’s lips.  “Then pay attention.”  He slipped into the stance he used to use on the student he taught before coming to the mountains over ten years ago.  “There are a few things you have to know about mates.”41

The noise of Grydin working stopped, prompting Dorran to lean over the top of the unit to look.  Grydin was vacantly staring at the unit, then quickly glanced up before going back to his examination.  “Such as?” he asked.42

Dorran closed his eyes briefly.  “I’m sorry…”43

Grydin stood and leaned on the unit so quickly that Dorran inadvertently took a step back.  “Sorry for what?” Grydin asked in a mild voice.  He sighed.  “I know about mates, I had a mate that I loved, she died.  You know about energy mates, I recently found mine, and half the time I have no idea what’s going on.” He crouched back down to what he was working on.   “It’s a completely different issue.”44

Dorran sighed.  “Nonetheless, I am sorry for what I said.  Now, explain this ‘no idea what’s going on’ thing.”45

“Ever since that first time on the cliff,” he paused to smile at the memory.  “I can’t think straight.  All I think about is her and I’m lucky if I can even remember my name.  When I see her, I just want to be skin to skin with her, and sometimes I have to remind myself that we're in public.”  His head came up as he heard laughter.  “That’s amusing?”46

“No, Grydin,” Dorran laughed.  “That’s love.”47

~~~~~~~~~~48

“Grydin showed you the baths?”49

Marienda nodded.  “They’re wonderful.  So relaxing and sensual.”50

The two women stared at each other, unsure what to say once the small talk was out of the way.  51

“Why don’t you like me?” Marienda finally asked.52

“It’s your profession and the way you were taught to deny rights to others,” Yanuia replied.  “You are brainwashed to believe anything they tell you.”53

Marienda rubbed the fingers of her right hand together slowly.  She had heard this sort of talk many times, usually by those older than her. “It would take me far too long to straighten out all the misconceptions you have,” she said, trying not to sound defensive.  “It is true that at one time the Rules Enforcement department was like what you described.  But that changed a year before I was placed in a position there.”54

Yanuia looked skeptical.  “And how long ago was that?”55

“I was placed ten years ago, into a new system.” She leaned back onto the bed. “I’m guessing that you were caught in the Mastrrio District riots…”  She nodded at the look on Yanuia’s face.  “Yes. After those riots, the system was completely reworked, and all personnel involved were stripped of rank and position.”56

“I was not aware of that,” Yanuia said softly and looked at the floor.57

“You left the domes that year, correct?”58

Yanuia’s head snapped up to look at her, taking immediate displeasure to Marienda’s deductive reasoning of her actions.  “That makes no difference,” she snapped.  “The teachings are instilled from an early age.”59

Marienda sighed.  “I had to enforce rules that I myself did not agree with…because it was the law.  When I was promoted through positions where I could make a difference, I recommended little changes here and there.  I still walked the same area day after day, dealing with people who would gladly kill me if they thought they could get away with it.”60

She sat up and fixed Yanuia with an even stare.  “So I really don’t need someone who is stuck in the past giving me a hard time.”  She held up her hand to stop a response.  “I am sorry that you had to go through the riots and had to deal with the mass murders that resulted from the lock down. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to apologize for belonging to a profession that you have no current knowledge of.”61

~~~~~~~~~~62

“So, how is Marienda?”63

Grydin glanced up, then went back to working on another system  “She’s fine,” he said in a neutral voice.   He pushed a few buttons, and picked up the glass of liquid that appeared.  He offered it to Dorran.64

“No,” he said as he took a step back.  “You fixed the food processor, so you get to test it.”65

Grydin hesitated, brought the glass up to his nose and sniffed.  He took a small sip and instantly began to choke.  “Smooooth,” he finally croaked out and took another drink.66

Dorran took the glass and tested the alcoholic beverage.  “That’s nasty,” he said as tears welled in his eyes.  “It’s perfect.”67

“Damn right,” Grydin said as he punched in a code for another glass.  “Break time.” He sat against the nearest wall.68

Dorran sat with his back against the processing unit.  “So, how is Marienda?”69

“You already asked that,” Grydin said as he took a large drink from his glass.70

“I didn’t mean how is she doing.” He paused.  “I mean how is she.”71

“I don’t have sex and tell,” Grydin said mildly.72

Dorran laughed.  “Oh, right.  You wouldn’t shut up about it after you banged Isiru.”73

“Never mention me and that manipulative bitch in the same breath,” Grydin said darkly.  “Besides, I think the term I used was slammed.” He finished off his drink, stood to get another, and then sat back down. “But, yeah…I get your point.”74

“So?”  Dorran got himself another drink, grimacing as he took the first sip.  75

“Marienda is very limber,” Grydin said after a few moments.76

“Yeah?”77

“She can touch the soles of her feet to the back of her head.”  He chuckled at the look of wonder on the other man’s face.  "And..."78

“Hold on,” Dorran said.  “I’m still working on that mental image.”  He grunted as an invisible hand poked him in the chest.79

“No mental perversions of my woman,” Grydin warned lightly as his amulet returned to it’s normal colour.  “I’m still pissed at you for not telling me about that mating ritual her dome does.”80

“Yanuia asked me not to tell,” he tried to explain.  “She said it might change your view of whoever was coming.”81

Grydin opened his mouth to object, but stopped as he considered the words.  He accepted another drink from Dorran.  “When Marienda explained it to me…I thought it was barbaric.  I mean, it’s like lining a woman up for strangers to take a poke at.”  He absently swallow the entire drink in one gulp.82

“It’s their way.”83

“It’s disgusting,” Grydin stated.  “I know I’m not innocent in intimate relations, and I’ve probably screwed a lot of women in more ways than one, but…” He trailed off, suddenly feeling lightheaded from the alcohol.84

“I felt basically the same way when Yanuia explained it all those years ago.  She couldn’t understand why the concept upset me.”85

Grydin sighed then stood slowly.  “Better get back to work.”  He grabbed an instrument an approached a low machine near the back of the room that served as the heat distribution unit.  He checked the readings that indicated how much thermal energy they were siphoning off from deep below the planet surface.86

Dorran slowly went to another unit.  “Remind me not to test the distribution unit so thoroughly next time,” he moaned.87

“Only if you remind me, too.” Grydin crouched down to check some things.88

“But, it’s all in the line of duty,” Dorran said.  “That unit needed to be fixed.”89

Grydin stood suddenly and looked at the door.  He shook his head slightly and went back to what he was doing.  He glanced up to find Dorran watching him with a bemused expression.  “What?”90

“The emotional connection with your mate takes a little getting used to.”91

Grydin ran a dirty hand through his hair, then grimaced when he realized he did it.  “I noticed,” he said as he wiped his hand on his thigh.92

“It’s handy on those times when their hormones get all emotional,” Dorran said seriously.  “It’s like having an early warning system.”93

Grydin laughed, then checked the readouts on the heat distribution unit.  “Damn,” he said with a frown.  “It’s still not reading maximum power.”  He stared at the unit for a few minutes, his earlier alcohol buzz completely forgotten.  They needed the units to work at peak efficiency so as not to freeze during the dark months.  94

“You think the others are tapping into our sources?” he said, referring to those that lived on the other end of the mountain.95

Grydin looked at him.  “I would not put it past them.”  His eyes closed slightly.  “Remember a couple years ago, the idea about harnessing solar for power?”96

“Wouldn’t help us now.”97

“It would take a cycle to set up, anyway,” Grydin said.  “But it would help maintain maximum levels next cycle.”  He pulled himself away from the unit.  “Let’s kick the idea around, see if it’s viable, and work something up.”  He paused.  “But first, we should track down where the energy is being taken from.”98

~~~~~~~~~~99

The two women stared at one another, each one sticking to her conviction, neither one willing to be the first to break the deadlocked stare.  Marienda could understand why the other woman had a fear of her profession.  The riots that followed a simple arrest in the Mastrrio District of one of the six outer domes had been violent and deadly.  When it was over, more than one hundred people had been killed in the riots, and nearly five hundred had died when the dome was sealed off for a week in an attempt to stop the rampages.  When the Rules Enforcement pulled out, various factions formed, each one consumed by pent-up rage at the establishment, each one trying to outdo each other in taking over the dome.100

When these factions had nearly effectively killed each other off, and the riots finally ran out of steam, Rules Enforcement moved back in with a vengeance.  When it was finally over, the entire Enforcement section was called to task for its handling of the incident, and a complete overhaul was ordered by the government.101

Marienda knew that this was not a problem that would easily be resolved between the two of them, so she decided to let it go for another time.  Instead she would work on other issues, and maybe try to convince Yanuia to meet her half way on a fresh start.102

Marienda stretched out on the bed so she way lying on her stomach while looking at the older woman.  “You think I’m going to hurt Grydin.”103

Yanuia regarded her steadily as she took her time to compose a response.  “At first I did,” she finally admitted.104

“And now?”105

“Now I’m not sure.”  Yanuia ran her fingers through her short blonde hair.  “Grydin has been through a lot, relationship wise, and he never really chose wisely.” She stopped to see if Marienda was about to object, but only got an interested stare from her.  “Since he arrived here, he has had a rather extensive list of bed mates, and every time it has ended up in pain for him.”106

Marienda slowly sat up and looked at her.  “Grydin is a grown man, who, I’m quite sure, is aware of what he is doing, and if not, is able to accept the consequences.  He does not need you, me, or anyone else second guessing any choices he makes.”  She smiled slightly.  “Besides, I think you’d have the same dislike for any woman Grydin chose.”107

Yanuia’s cheeks turned red, but she declined to respond.108

Marienda pursed her lips as she nodded slightly.  “You are a good friend to Grydin, and I am going to give you the benefit of that friendship.  But know that if you ever cross that line, then you’re going to find out that your fear of Rules Enforcement personnel is well justified.”109