"G II, do the roses in the rest of the realm all look like these?" The handmaiden nodded and then, sounding childlike, she repeated, "We thought everything would be well now that you are here."
Mikki put on a smile she hoped didn't look too fake. "I think it will be, but it'll take some work. The first thing I want you to do is to gather all those women we were dancing with last night. Have them meet me at Hecate's Temple. And get the other three handmaidens, too."
"Yes, Empousa." Gii curtseyed and then hesitated before she turned away. "You do not come with me?"
"No, go on. I'll be at the temple soon. I have something I need to take care of here first."
Gii flashed a relieved look at her before hurrying away. Mikki waited until the girl disappeared around the corner of the path that curved between two more beds of sick roses. Then she straightened her shoulders and walked purposefully back to the wide marble stairs that led to her balcony. Was she doing the right thing? She thought so. No, she knew so. When she'd realized how sick the roses were - all the roses were - she felt the unmistakable chill of danger deep within her.
Mikki climbed up two of the steps, stopped, reconsidered, and climbed up one more. There. That should make her tall enough.
She closed her eyes. Just as she had called Gii to her earlier, she called him. She thought about the strength of his body . . . the power in his voice . . . the care with which he had directed dinner be made ready for her . . . the slippers and the rosebud that floated in the crystal goblet . . .
"Guardian," she said softly, "come to me."
The air seemed to thicken and press with an angry hum against her skin.
"Why have you summoned me?"
For the length of one breath Mikki pressed her eyes more tightly closed. These are my gardens now. He is a security guard. Think of him as nothing scarier than a difficult employee. She opened her eyes.
He was standing only a few feet from her. How could any living creature be so massive? She'd been smart to move up that additional step. In the revealing light of morning he looked less manlike than he had the night before. He was dressed the same, in the short, military-looking tunic and leather breastplate, but the clothes seemed to extenuate the bestiality of his cloven-hoofed legs and horned head rather than dress him up as civilized . . . controllable. Mikki's mouth went dry, and she had to swallow twice before she could find her voice.
"I called you because Hecate told me that was what I should do if I thought the realm was in danger." She had to fight to make herself speak, and the result was that her voice was unintentionally loud and angry. When the Guardian's black eyes widened in surprise, she decided that her new (albeit unintentional) firmness might be a good thing.
"What is the danger, Empousa?" he rumbled.
With an effort, she kept herself from biting nervously at her lip. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that the roses are sick, which means the rose wall that surrounds the garden is probably sick, too. My intuition tells me that possible weakness is somehow dangerous." She held her breath, waiting for his snarl. Instead, he surprised her by bowing his head slightly to her.
"You were right to summon me, Empousa. I should not have questioned your authority. If the boundary between the worlds is weakened, I must guard against those who would use it as an opportunity to slip into our realm."
"So as I try to heal the roses, I need to focus on the rose wall first?"
"That would be wise, Empousa."
Mikki nodded and said, more to herself than to him, "That's what my gut was telling me. Good thing I listened."
"Your gut?"
"Yeah," she said hastily. "Hecate said I should follow my gut and I'd do the right thing."
He snorted. "The goddess said gut?"
Was it possible his dark eyes were glittering with humor?
"That's not exactly how she put it." Surprising herself, Mikki smiled at him. His eyes locked with hers, and Mikki could feel the sudden weight of his stare as if his look could bridge the space that separated them and touch her with its intensity. And she felt something else, something that she recognized from her dreams. Mikki felt the stir of desire. He was dangerous and frightening, but he was also a powerful, overwhelmingly masculine being. As in her dreams, she was drawn to him by a hot chain of fascination. Holding his dark gaze, she said, "Hecate told me to follow my instincts, and that's exactly what I intend to do."
As if he had become tethered to her gaze, the Guardian moved to her until he stood near enough that he could easily touch her. "And what is it your instincts are telling you right now, Mikado?"
Mikki's breath caught. She could feel the heat from his body. Standing up several steps had brought her almost eye level with him, and she was, once again, struck by the impossible contrasts that made up his face . . . handsome and fascinating . . . bestial and dangerous.
He's not part man, part beast. He's more than that. He's part god . . .
Slowly, he lifted his hand and took a thick strand of her hair that had escaped from its golden tie between his thumb and forefinger. While Mikki stood frozen, he let her hair slip like water through his fingers. His deep voice rumbled intimately between them.
"Can you not speak, Mikado? Where is the brave priestess who commanded me into her presence? Is my nearness enough to frighten her away?"
"I'm frightened, but I'm not going anywhere," she said resolutely and was pleased to see his eyes widen with surprise at her honesty. Purposefully mimicking his gesture, she reached up and touched a shiny length of dark mane that spilled over his shoulders.
As if her touch was an electric charge, the Guardian jerked back from her. His voice was raw and hoarse. "Have a care, Empousa. You might find the beast you awaken is not as tame as the roses that are yours to pet and pamper." Then, with a growl, he whirled around, his hooves biting into the marble pathway. He was leaving, abruptly and without warning . . .
"Wait!" she yelled after him.
The great creature froze, his broad back turned to her. With a jerky motion his head swung so he glared over his shoulder.
She met his eyes again and could almost see herself reflected there - a weak, indecisive woman who, like an inexperienced young girl, had called him back to her without knowing for sure what she wanted to say.
The image angered her.
Hecate had chosen her as High Priestess, Empousa of the Realm of the Rose. She had summoned him. It had been her instincts that had alerted them to a possible danger. It didn't matter that she didn't totally understand the danger. She was doing what Hecate had chosen her to do. And damnit! He had touched her first! What the hell game did he think he was playing, and by what right did he think he could dismiss her? She was no girl child dressed up in the robes of power. She was a grown woman - independent and intelligent. She didn't tolerate patronizing men, with or without hooves and horns. Mikki slitted her eyes at him and spoke slowly and distinctly.
"There are things I need to know before you run away."
"I do not run - "
"No!" She shouted the word, ignoring the warning in his voice. "I speak with Hecate's authority. This time it's your turn to listen and answer."
His face was alien in its mixture of man and beast, but she was certain she saw approval register in his dark eyes.
"What is it you wish to know, Empousa?" he said. Turning, he walked the few paces back to her.
She felt his approach as if he changed the pattern of the air around them. She swallowed hard, careful to keep her voice businesslike and her mind from wandering.
"I need to know if there is one area of the rose wall that is more easily penetrated than the rest of it. Maybe a place where there is a break in the roses, like around a door or a gate."
He considered, then nodded, his shaggy mane spilling over his broad shoulders with the movement. "Yes, there is a gate in the roses, and it makes sense that that is where the barrier might be most easily breached."
"Do the handmaidens know about this gate?"
He nodded again. "Yes, Empousa."
"Then I'll have them show me where it is after I have them collect fertilizer."
His thick brows shot up. "You expect the handmaidens to tend the roses?"
She looked at him like he was totally nuts. "How do you expect me, all by myself, to tend this many roses? They need to be fertilized, pruned and deadheaded, and that's just for a start. I'd kill myself trying to do all that alone, not to mention that I wouldn't get it all done. That's not smart or productive."
His face had hardened again into an unreadable mask. She blew out a burst of frustrated breath.
"Are you telling me that the other Empousas did all that by themselves?"
"I do not recall an Empousa commanding the women to do anything to the roses except to cut bouquets to decorate her room."
"What about the fertilizing and pest control and the general care roses always need?"
"These roses have never before needed that kind of care. They simply required the presence of the Empousa to thrive."
"They've never been sick before?"
"Never."
"And before the, um, time you spent as a statue, you'd been here a long time?"
"I have been here since Hecate claimed dominion over the realm."
Which, Mikki guessed, had been a damn long time ago. So for literally eons the roses had been healthy, without needing any care except for the presence of Hecate's High Priestess. Until now, when she had suddenly become Empousa. Great. The news just kept getting better and better.
"Well, it looks like times have changed, or I'm a different type of Empousa, because the roses need care now. I can't do it on my own, so the women are going to have to help me."
He looked at her silently for what felt to Mikki like a long time before saying, "I believe you are a different type of High Priestess."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Neither," he said gruffly. "It is simply a fact."
"I think it's good," she said firmly, determined to be undaunted by his cynical attitude. She knew from her personal propensity for cynicism that the attitude usually hid feelings that were too painful to let the world see. Her cynicism had hidden the fact that she never felt like she truly belonged. She wondered what his was covering. Did it have something to do with what he had done to cause Hecate to turn him to stone and banish him? She realized she had been standing there gawking at him, and she hastily continued. "But I suppose changing worlds has made me more likely to think different is good."
"Odd," he said, his deep voice edged with sarcasm. "It did not have the same effect upon me."
"I imagine if I'd been turned to stone I wouldn't be so willing to think 'different' was synonymous with 'good,' either. But at least you know I can't cause you to turn into a statue," she said and wanted to cover her flapping mouth with her hand and stop her stupid words as she watched his face go rigid with tension.
"Is that all you wish to ask me, Empousa? I should go to the rose wall and inspect the boundary."
"Yes, I'll get the women and meet you at the gate." Mikki had to shout the last part of her sentence at his swiftly departing back. "You're welcome," she muttered. God, he was confusing! One second he was all smoky-eyed and erotically dangerous - talk about the classic bad boy! And the next second he was withdrawn and cynical. It was like he was two people.
"What the hell am I thinking?" She shook her head at herself. "He's not two people; he's a person and an animal, and I need to quit having delusions of a young Marlon Brando (with horns) and remember He Is Not Human." Interracial dating was fine. Interspecies dating? "Please, Mikado. Just please. Relocate your common sense and take care of the roses." With a sigh she started down the path Gii had taken to the center of the gardens, heading into what she was sure would be the continuation of a vastly difficult day.
The gathered women parted like a sea of delicately colored flowers to make a path for Mikki to join the four handmaidens who were standing within Hecate's Temple. Many of the women called greetings to her, but they were decidedly more subdued than they had been the night before. Mikki hoped they were in the mood to work. She climbed the temple steps, smiled a quick hello to the Elementals and then turned to face the crowd. Please don't let me sound as nervous as I am, she thought. Immediately, Hecate's stern voice spoke from her memory. When you speak, it is my power that answers. The memory boosted her confidence. She ignored the lingering soreness in her body and the vague nausea she seemed unable to get rid of and looked out at the crowd, purposefully meeting the eyes of several of the women as she spoke.
"The roses are sick."
Frightened murmurs ran through the group, and Mikki had to raise her hand to silence them.
"But that's why I'm here. I understand roses. I know what they need, and with your help, we can make them healthy again." Mikki was pleased at the attentive expressions of the listening women. "The first thing we must do is fertilize them. So I need you to gather things that roses need to thrive." She paused, ordering the thoughts in her head. She'd already realized the obvious - that she would have to depend on wholly organic methods of fertilizing and pest and disease control, and that wasn't all bad. Many times the natural ways were the best. Last night she'd eaten meat that tasted like prosciutto. That was pork, wasn't it? Which meant they had to have pigs somewhere. It was a start . . .
"Hog manure," she said, and the bright, attentive expressions dropped into frowns. "You do have pigs, right?"
A few heads nodded hesitantly.
"Good. I want you to fill baskets with pig manure." Hardly taking a breath, she turned to Nera. The Water Elemental was watching her with large, round eyes. "Nera, is there a lake or sea nearby?"
"Yes, Empousa, there is a large lake within the realm."
"Excellent." She turned back to the crowd. "I'll need fish heads, entrails - anything you'd normally throw away instead of cooking. Actually," she continued as if the group of women wasn't staring slack-jawed at her, "I need dead organic matter, both plant and animal. Gii, I'm assuming that the forest outside the rose wall is dark and dense?"
"It is, Empousa."
"Then the forest floor should be rich with loam. Bring buckets or baskets or whatever, along with something to turn over the ground around the roses so we can mix the fertilizer into the soil."
"But bring them where, Empousa?" Gii said.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Mikki spoke so her voice carried out over the crowd. "Bring everything, empty baskets and those filled with the fertilizer I've mentioned, along with gardening tools, to the gate in the rose wall. We'll start there."
No one moved.
"Now would be good," Mikki said firmly. "The roses have been ignored too long."
Still no one moved.
Floga cleared her throat and moved closer to Mikki. "Empousa, this is highly irregular."
"What is? That I've told you we need to fertilize the roses or that you're refusing to do as an Empousa asks?"
Floga paled. "I would not refuse your bidding, Empousa."
Mikki looked at her other three handmaids.
"None of us would refuse you, Priestess," Gii said quickly, and the girls nodded agreement.
Mikki swung her gaze out to the crowd and raised her voice, making sure she sounded well and truly pissed. "Then is it only the women of the realm who refuse to obey Hecate's Empousa?"
The crowd stirred restlessly. One woman, who was probably about Mikki's age, stepped forward and curtseyed quickly.
"My sisters and I will gather the baskets for the forest loam, Empousa."
Another woman moved to the front of the group. "I will bring the fish offal."
"As will I."
"And I."
"We will see to the hogs," a young girl said from the middle of a group of teenagers.
Mikki wanted to weep with relief and thank them all profusely. But her gut told her that was not the reaction the people expected, or deserved. So instead she simply said, "Then I will meet you at the gate. You'll need to hurry. We have a long day ahead of us. The quicker we get started, the better." She turned her back to the dispersing crowd and caught Gii's eyes. "I'll need you to show me where the gate is," she whispered.
Gii smiled her approval before bowing her head and dropping into a deep, respectful curtsey. "As you wish, Empousa."