The Lark Taps Twice

Chapter 9: Soulmates

Miriam screwed her eyes shut tight and braced for the inevitable crash of pain as she hurtled toward the hardwood floor.

And waited.

And waited.

"Are you all right?"

Again the words brushed her face with deep rumbling heat, and her eyelids flew open. For a moment she considered the possibility of severe head trauma and death to account for the view. The man bending over her was the twin of the clay figure she had been studying, though his features were sharply defined and twisted with concern.

She met his eyes and sank into their depths, midnight blue studded with silver that reminded her of lying on her back in the fields near her home and stargazing with her parents many years ago. I could spend the rest of my life looking into these eyes and die happy. Wait, what!?

"Miss, are you all right? You're just staring at me."

That voice again. It feathered over her mind and absorbed her thoughts. Part of the luscious irises she had been admiring disappeared beneath narrowed lids. Such a shame to hide such intriguing places. What did he ask me again?

"I - I'm all right, I think. What happened?" Really smooth, Mir.

The man's face relaxed into a good humored smirk, reinstating her view of the universe in his eyes. "You tripped on some cumbersome air, my lady. I must have dropped mine when I saw you admiring my grandfather's handiwork. Most visitors breeze through this room and write it off quickly as fantasy, if they take the time to engage deeply with the art at all. From your expression, you not only engaged with this piece, but you connected with it, as well. I had to meet the woman with such good taste."

A throat cleared above them, and both looked to the source. Jim stood a few feet away, eyes darting everywhere but at the two of them.

"Are you going to put her down, or stand her back up, or something? It's a bit disconcerting to see - that."

Those fascinating orbs widened slightly, and the man pushed himself up from the floor in a smooth motion as he spoke, "My apologies. I was so distracted by the young lady's beauty and near fall I did not realize I had... I haven't been able to control anything in this world in so long I've forgotten how strange magic appears to humans. One moment."

As though cradled by a cloud, Miriam found herself floating up from the floor and curled into an upright seated position as she moved across the gallery to a bench next to the large blank wall space in sight, and all without her moving a finger under her own power. Abruptly the supported sensation broke off, and she dropped an inch through the air to the bench with a yelp.

The man dashed to her side. "I am so sorry, my lady. I am out of practice using my magic. Are you hurt?"

Not wanting to sink back into his eyes, Miriam focused on his chin and said, "Just surprised, again. Are you going to keep doing that?" She couldn't resist adding a wink.

Her reward was a rumbling laugh that reminded her more of a cat purring than human laughter. "Not unless you enjoy it, my lady."

He seated himself beside her, his knee pressing against hers. The contact warmed her skin through her jeans, and that warmth spread into her chest, softening her tone when she asked, "Why are you calling me your lady? Are you a time-traveling knight?"

He didn't respond right away, and she dared to study his expression to gauge his reason. He sat with his head tipped back, eyes closed, lips parted, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" she blurted.

In a daze, he bent his head forward and shook it, then scooted backwards just enough to separate their knees an inch or so. Instantly Miriam felt her insides go cold, as though this stranger had stolen all the warmth from her body and soul when he shifted away. She shivered and watched his shoulders shudder in time with hers. His eyes snapped open, and again she was lost in them, almost missing his quiet words.

"I call you my lady, because that is what I believe you are: mine. Among my people, it is common knowledge that each of us has a soulmate, one person in the entirety of creation meant for them, and vice versa. Most people find their soulmate when they are in their twenties and are utterly surprised by the discovery of that person's identity. I just celebrated my thirty-second birthday, but I have known the face of my soulmate since I was a child."

He paused, and midnight blue darkened to full black. "My grandfather had a series of visions about the future of our family, and our world, in his final year of life. This gallery is the collection of art he created to preserve those visions. The sculpture that caught your eye is from his vision of a possible future, one where I find my soulmate in time to prevent a change of leadership that will seal the downfall of both worlds."

Red edged his pupils when he added, "Grandfather assured me you would come to me when the time was right, if only I waited patiently in the right place, and here you are."

Shall I swoon now or later?

Out loud, Miriam sputtered indignantly, "I have no idea what you're talking about! All of this 'my people', and soulmates, and magic, and worlds: none of this makes any sense! I'm not completely convinced I haven't passed out on the floor with a traumatic brain injury, and everything since you first whispered in my ear is just a failing attempt by my dying brain to ease m-- "

Before she could say "my suffering," he interrupted her tirade by leaning close and brushing his lips against hers. Whatever she was about to say was obliterated by the sparks singeing all of the nerve endings in her face from the faint contact. The warmth from pressing her knee to his seemed like a match in a windstorm by comparison. She froze, overcome by shock, unable to respond, even when he pulled back and extinguished the heat.

One corner of his mouth curled in amusement as he gazed at her. "In time, I will explain everything to you; there will be no secrets between us. For now, I can assure you I am no figment of your imagination, and neither is your reaction to my kiss. The fact that I can use my magic around you, in this place, confirms your importance to me, even if you do not yet accept it. If the next several hours proceed as I hope, we will have a lifetime to get to know one another, and at some point, the bond between us will be clear to you, as well. Come, both of you, we have much to discuss."

Miriam had forgotten Jim's presence, and heat returned to her face, this time in an epic blush. Certain she glowed as red as a traffic light, Miriam ducked her head as the stranger-who-kissed-her stood and offered his hand.

"I need a minute alone, please. I'll be right behind you," she murmured at the shiny floor. Silence stifled the room for two short breaths before -

"Of course. We will be in the main hall, where you entered. Shout if you need help standing, and I will be by your side in seconds."

A hesitation, then a tingle as a large hand stroked the top of her head with all the pressure of a piece of paper propelled by a child's puff of air.

"Sir, let us retire to the main gallery. I would like to hear your opinion of one of my newest acquisitions."