Walk On Mountains - Chapter Ten

The sun slowly sunk below the horizon, first casting long shadows through the valley, then following up with near darkness.  A few stars shone in the far off sky, barely lending light to the people below.  Small flames began to claw their way out of hearthstone, fueled by burning chemicals as the air seemed to chill slightly, but stayed pleasant by the heat still emitting from the ground and the surrounding fires.1

People stood on top of the mountain, looking down into the darkness while they remained in the sunlight.  The opposite side of the mountain was already fully enveloped for its eight months of nighttime.  Marienda kept looking from one side of the mountain to the other, totally entranced with the surreal effect it had on her.2

She looked at Grydin who sat on the ground near her feet, tossing small rocks against an invisible target. “It’s unbelievable,” she gushed.3

“It’s creepy,” Grydin muttered.4

She smiled at him, then realized what he had said.  “How can you call this creepy?” She held her arms out to encompass both valleys.  “Every cycle brings new life, every darkness brings the ability to see what the light made you miss.”5

Grydin snorted slightly as he tossed another stone.  “It’s creepy…cree-py.”  He finally looked up into her eyes.  “Like little phantom fingers of ice advancing to stab you through the heart.  Creepy.”6

Marienda put her hands on her hips and stared at him.  “Let me see if I got it right,” she asked sarcastically.  “You think it’s creepy?”  He nodded.  “Then why are you up here?”7

He looked at her like it was obvious, then went back to tossing stones. He sighed to himself as she crouched down beside him.  Marienda put a finger under his chin and turned his face so he was looking at her.  “This is the first time I have ever seen anything like this,” she said softly as she caressed his cheek with her thumb.  “ So stop being a jerk, ‘cause it’s ruining my good mood.” She kissed him lightly then stood back up.8

Grydin laughed to himself and leaned back until he was lying down. He looked up at the still bright sky, wishing it could remain around for a while longer.  Ever since he could remember, he had always felt uncomfortable in the dark.  He tried to put it off as a silly childhood phobia, but it remained with him through the years.9

While growing up, his older brother had constantly scared him with spooky tales of the dark, about how phantoms from the mountains would come for children with silver hair, and that Grydin was the last kid left, so he better watch out.  When Grydin was seven, his brother died suddenly during the dark cycle, and it had taken him a long time to stop thinking that the phantoms had gone to the wrong bedroom that night. As he got older, he had grown out of believing in such nonsense, and rarely thought about the stories his brother had spun. 10

When his first mate died, he tried not to think about the stories, but they filtered in and out of his memory like a bad nightmare.  Part of him had convinced himself that he was going to the mountains so that the phantoms would finally get the right person and stop taking those close to him.11

He closed his eyes in annoyance at being creeped-out by a natural event like a planetary rotation. He opened his eyes, glanced to his right, and realized he was looking at Marienda’s silky smooth calf.  His eyes traced up the curve of her leg and a small smile graced his lips when he noticed he could see up her short dress.12

~~~~~~~~~~13

Marienda curled up closer to Grydin’s chest, snuggling into the blanket that surrounded them.  The glow from the fire cast orange and red highlights into his hair, and she couldn’t resist running a free hand though it.  He smiled at his mate as she sat on his lap, then went back to watching the people as they danced and partied around the outside bonfires.  Although it was a tradition of sorts to dance a welcome to the dark when the mountain was completely engulfed, he never partook in the event. 14

They jumped slightly as a young woman skipped up and sat on the ground beside them.  “Come join the festivities,” she said to Marienda.15

Marienda glanced from her to Grydin.  “Go ahead,” Grydin said with a smile.  He opened his arms from around her.16

“What about you?” Marienda asked. 17

The other woman, Karro, briefly touched Grydin’s arm.  “We’ve given up trying to get him to join,” she joked.  “He’s too old to want to have any fun.”18

Grydin gave Karro a mock snooty look.  “I am not too old,” he stated.19

Marienda paused as she started to stand, and looked at him.  “You know…I don’t think I ever asked how old you were.”20

“Does it matter?” Grydin asked with a small smile.  He took her hand and pulled her down so he could whisper in her ear.  “I’m as old as you want me to be,” he breathed, then kissed her cheek.21

The warmth of his breath caused her to shiver slightly.  She gave him a long kiss then left with her friend to join in the dancing.22

Grydin chuckled as he put his hands on the ground behind him and leaned back. Age had never mattered to him, and although he knew he looked younger than he actually was, he also knew that he was slightly older than Marienda since she had mentioned her age as being thirty when they had first met.23

He smiled as he caught sight of her on the other side of the fire, dancing and laughing with her new ‘family’.  As he watched her, he became totally entranced in the way her body moved to the music and the look of freedom on her face.  The flames licked towards the sky, casting shadows that seemed to dance in rhythm with the people, making it almost sensually surreal to watch.24

The next thing Grydin knew, he was standing behind Marienda.  He blinked, not remembering standing or walking across the ground to get there.  He hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling shyly as she spun to face him.  Surprise crossed her face, followed immediately by the biggest smile he had ever seen.25

Marienda launched herself into his arms, pressing against him as he held her close.  He was all too aware of the movement her body made against his as she swayed to the music, and soon matched her rhythm as everything but her disappeared from his sight.26

Marienda could feel the heat from his hand on her lower back, and could not tear her gaze away from the look in his eyes as he stared at her.  She remembered that look well from the first time they had met; a look made of pure carnal hunger.27

They moved backwards as someone banged into them from behind her, and the moment was gone.  Grydin laughed lightly as he placed his forehead against hers.28

Some distance away, Yanuia leaned back further into her mate’s arms as she watched her friend. She could not deny that he looked happy and as he slowly moved in rhythm with his woman, her thoughts drifted into dangerous grounds.  She blinked, embarrassed at thinking such things.  Although she had always thought of Grydin as an extremely sexually attractive male, she had never harbored a desire to be with him in any way but a friend.  She had a mate whom she loved deeply and who she would be faithful to until her last breath.  But her people had grown up believing that the concept of mates was outdated, and at times that teaching surfaced in her…not to mention that little crack that Marienda had made about hinting that she held more than friendship for Grydin.29

“About time he joined,” Dorran said into her ear.30

“What?”31

His arms wrapped around her tighter as he nodded towards the fire.  “I said it’s about time Grydin finally joined in.  Remember last year?”32

“Yes,” she replied.  “He was heartbroken, and it was all her fault.”  She frowned as she remembered how Grydin was after Marienda didn’t arrive.33

Dorran sighed.  “You know I love you, and cherish you…but this attitude is getting tiresome.”  He kept his face neutral when she turned to face him.  “You’re rude, petty and acting like she’s invading on your property.”34

“I am not.”35

“After all he’s been though, he deserves this.”  Dorran put a hand on her cheek to soften what he was about to say.  “Don’t ruin this for them.”36

Yanuia turned away from him and went back to watching the festivities. She ignored Dorran as he tried to whisper an apology into her ear and leaned forward slightly to put some space between their bodies.  She tried to concentrate on the group of people in front of her, but her attention kept getting drawn back to Marienda and Grydin.  Unsure why she was starting to obsess on the couple, she was immediately annoyed with herself and her mental reaction as she watched Grydin put a hand on Marienda’s waist, pulling her impossibly closer to his body to kiss her.  She thought about yelling at them to come up for air, but clamped down on the urge.37

She jumped as Dorran’s breath tickled her ear, and blushed as he whispered something about sneaking outside the lighted area for some one on one festivities.  She got off his lap, stood and took his hand as he led her away.  She commanded herself not to look back, and not to think about anything but her man for the next while.38

~~~~~~~~~~39

Marienda grunted softly as she was unceremoniously dumped onto the bed, followed closely by Grydin’s body.  He rolled over quickly and smiled at her.  He felt lightheaded from the festivities, but was glad that he had taken part in them with her.40

“Why didn’t you ever take part before now?” she asked, as if reading his mind. 41

He covered a yawn with the back of his hand and shrugged slightly.  “Explaining it would take far too long.”42

She smiled.  “I happen to be free.”43

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled onto his back as she put her head on his chest.  “Never saw a reason to welcome the dark,” he said and covered another yawn.44

“Why not?”45

She could feel him shrugged again, and then a hand started slowly combing through her hair.  “Various reasons.”  He fell silent as he held her, then eventually sighed.  “Growing up, my older brother would tell me stories of phantoms that lived in the mountains and came for kids with silver hair.” He paused again.  “Used to scare me so much that I couldn’t sleep in the dark... I would leave the light on during the dark months, and the curtains open during the light times.”46

“Phantoms?”47

“Hey, I was five…the age that older siblings love because it’s so impressionable.”  He fell silent.  “Of course, later I knew he had told me those things to scare, but at times the idea surfaces and…”48

She hugged him gently.  “When I was growing up, this older girls in the dorms used to tell tales similar to that, only it was aliens from the nearest star that at any time could come for us, so we had better do their chores for them so they could protect us if it ever happened.”49

“That’s awful,” Grydin laughed, grateful for the mood change.  He yawned again, and blinked as the ceiling started to blur.  “Sorry…I’m tired out.”50

“Go to sleep,” she whispered and snuggled closer.  They were silent for a while, until she asked, “How old is your brother?”51

The hand combing through her hair faltered slightly.  “He died when I was seven.”52

Marienda closed her eyes, partially annoyed at herself for asking.  “Sorry.”  She felt him shrug again.53

“It’s okay,” he said, but tightened his hold on her slightly.  “I told you that my hair color was a genetic glitch.”  He felt her nod against his chest.  “They didn’t find out until after he died that he had a... genetic glitch...in his pulmonary system.”  He kissed the top of her head.  “No one here knows about that.”54

“Do you have…are you…” she stopped and ran a hand over his chest.55

“No,” he whispered.  “My parents thought the same thing, and I spent the rest of that dark cycle being poked, prodded and laying in machines while they ran tests.”  He patted her back gently.  “You should get some sleep.  We’ll be closing the main door in a couple days, and I, for one, could use all the outdoor time I can get.”56

“Are you switching subjects?” she asked.57

“Dropping the subject actually,” he corrected her.  “It still hurts at times, but it is the past, and,” he smiled wickedly, “I’m counting on you to arrest any phantoms that come my way.”58

She laughed and looked up at him.  “It would be my pleasure to use undue force on any and all of them.”59

“That’s my lady,” he praised as he brought his head down to hers and kissed her deeply.60

~~~~~~~~~~61

On the other side of the mountain, similar festivities were also taking place to welcome in the dark.  People gathered around a large fire, dancing, singing and partaking in orgiastic acts with each other.  Isiru smiled as someone grabbed her from behind, and turned in his arms, pleased to see that it was the man she hoped it was.  She moaned in delight as his amulet shone white and invisible hands caressed at multiple points over her body.62

She leaned back, bringing him to the ground on top of her, and dug her fingers into his back as the light from the fire cast a shimmering glow that danced across their bare skin.63

“I need you to do something,” he eventually whispered as his body slid along hers.  “I have to know I can trust you to do it.”  He leaned slightly above her, grabbed her hands and put them over her head.  “Can I?”64

At the point she was at, she would do anything he suggested, regardless how obscene.  She nodded as their bodies moved in cadence.65

“Bring me his woman.”66

Isiru tried to think, but it wasn’t working.  “Whose woman?’ she moaned.67

Pontage suddenly stopped and stood.  “Find a way. I don’t care how.”  He turned and strode away.68

Isiru stared at him walking; half tempted to slam him in the back of the head with an energy punch.  Annoyance fell upon her, partly due to what he had asked her to do, and partially because he had simply walked away instead of enjoying her body.   She had no qualms about delivering what Pontage had wanted but knew that Grydin would not give up his woman that easily.  She sat up as she thought about it.  Then again, it could be interesting to see just how much damage she could do, and still make sure Grydin was able to come for what was taken from him…for she knew that was what Pontage really wanted.  The woman would only serve as a momentary diversion for him; something to play with until his real objective arrived.69

She looked around, and noticed one of the new men watching her.  He had arrived a few weeks earlier and had fit right in with the rest of the clan, although he had yet to discover his inner energy.  Isiru beckoned him over, determined to take care of the other problem Pontage had left her with.70