A Book of Dust and Breath

Chapter Six

Morning might have come an hour ago or not at all. Thanks to the heavy black-out curtains in his hotel room he had no way of knowing. His head throbbed. It could have been due to the demons or the alcohol. Maybe there was no difference, in the end. He rolled and stretched, pushed himself to the side of the bed, and glanced at the clock. Almost ten.

Clicking on the light he saw a neatly folded blanket at one end of the couch. A piece of paper lay on top of it.

Her handwriting was not the neat, precise printing he would have expected. Rather, it was a large, loopy scrawl that brought to mind "i's" dotted with hearts and little smiley face signatures.

Max,

I stayed the night to make sure you didn't die. I was a little worried for a while. Based on your snoring, I guess you're going to make it. Tournament is today. Must run.

Lily

Huh. Well, that was a note somewhere to the right of hate mail and left of a love letter. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Maybe he was a fool to try making anything of it at all. It was information.

Dropping the paper on the little side-table, he padded to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The scalding water melted the tightness in his muscles.

He considered going home. What was he even doing here? If he was going vacation, it wouldn't be in a place like this. He'd been a fool to listen to Daniel; Daniel, who ate and drank whatever he wanted and treaded the line, always, between faithful servant and reckless immortal.

Then he thought of Lily; Lily who held herself like a soldier and sought to spread the way of peace.

He wondered how hard it could be to find a major Aikido tournament in a city the size of Vegas. Certainly not impossible.

She should have been resting the night before, preparing for her big moment. A twinge of guilt panged within him.

The right thing would be to leave her alone.

Even though, in all those lifetimes, he'd never met someone quite like her.

The concierge would be able to tell him where he needed to go.

~*~

It was a short walk, down the street and around the corner to the resort hosting the tournament. Max crossed the vast, echoing, elegantly tiled lobby and followed the signs to a hallway lined with a long blue and gold carpet. No wonder Daniel loved this city. Everything was excessive. It was minimalist Hell.

Chairs ringed the massive rectangular space of the main ballroom. Max slipped into an empty seat and waited for Lily's name to be called. When she walked to the mat in the center of the room, he let himself fall into a half-state. His awareness of the crowded auditorium dimmed just enough for him to catch the subtle movement of energy beneath the surface of physical existence. In the center of his focus a tall, slim woman stood, inhaling and exhaling in a slow, rhythmic pattern that matched the pulse of All That Is. The circle of combatants around her broke, advancing one after another and her body moved in fluid harmony, never once crossing the flow circulating through all things.

Her existence floated along the stream of universal energy with the gentle ease of a swan, drifting on a river's current.

The emotions he felt toward her radiated out from him, adding their glow to the room's charged aura.

When it was over, the attackers lay scattered on the mat. She turned to the judges and bowed. The crowd roared, drawing Max fully back into the physical realm.

He edged his way to the end of the row and bounded down the steps to intercept her as she came off the floor. Her eyes met his, her expression unreadable. Was that joy in her eyes? Or just the light of victory?

"You were amazing," he said. "I was worried I'd been a bad influence."

Her gorgeous mouth turned up at one corner. "You are clearly a bad influence, but it will take more than one night of debauchery to keep me down."

His body ached for her. More than that. His soul ached for her. In all his years, he'd rarely witnessed harmony like she'd just projected. "I wish you would teach me," he said.

She laughed.

Oh, sweet, musical laughter! He'd give every other good thing in his life to hear it again.

On the heels of that thought, he wondered what she would sound like crying out in pleasure. The response in his body was instant and powerful.

He swallowed hard.

A deep, crimson blush crept into her cheeks as though she'd heard his thought.

"I have to go."

He nodded. "Of course."

"Meet me for dinner again?" She was different in this setting. Lighter. Happier. More alluring, and that was saying something!

"I'll fight Hell to be there if I need to," he said, meaning it.

She leaned in. A surge of desperate longing raced through him. Then she turned and walked away. Max stood among the crowd, feeling entirely human.

***********************************************************************************

What do you think about Max and Lily? Destined to be together or a huge train wreck, waiting to happen? 

Keep reading! Daniel's on his way, soon to share his "wisdom" on the subject.

Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting! Y'all make my day!