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NAHLI
It was like a dream and a nightmare at the same time. Nahli stood back in the Bone Valley with Anton, Roka, and Pav. She stared out across bone mountains, wide hills, leafless trees, all while listening to remains pour from the sky. Nothing had changed. A horrible thought crossed her mind and she swung her hand up in front of her face, but skin still covered her bones.
Nahli relaxed and turned to look at the hand resting on her arm. It was only Anton attempting to calm her, while Pav examined the scenery in wonder. She couldn’t help thinking about Daryna, the blade going across her throat. But she was alive—back in Kedaf.
Roka gnawed on his lower lip, his brows knitting together. “It’s not finished yet. I must focus on undoing what Maryska has done.”
At that, he closed his eyes, and the ground beneath their feet quaked. Bones rattled and clacked against one another, the sound growing stronger, as though the world itself was moments from destruction. Nahli noticed Roka still gripping the queen’s crown, but there wasn’t anyone now to wear it.
Her eardrums throbbed as the noise grew to a roar. Bones lifted from the ground, mountains of remains separating. All throughout the valley, countless bones floated off the ground, frozen in levitation. Pure magic.
Nahli’s lips parted as the hovering remains began to piece themselves together, shifting in different directions, finding all of their companions. Full skeletons formed from the bones and once complete, they slowly descended to the rocky ground, not yet awoken.
Under Nahli’s feet, the pebbles vibrated as the ground made a thump-thump, thump-thump noise. Her chest tightened at what was to come, and she couldn’t even blink, for fear she would miss something. A flutter of emerald green spread across the dirt as tiny blades of grass sprouted, twisting and molding together to form luscious fields.
Grassy hills now stood where mountains of bones had been, some small, others stretching far into the sky. The fog cleared completely as a sapphire sky came out of hiding, producing a golden orb that shone down on the Bone Valley. But it could only be the Divine Valley once again.
Trees, flowers, bushes—all of it—came alive with color. The cottages rid themselves of their boned outer walls, revealing new shells of vibrant blues, yellows, browns, greens. Color. More than she could have ever imagined. In Kedaf, there was color, but not like this.
The place was beginning to look like spring and summer, while outside the door had been autumn and winter. She didn’t have the words to describe how brilliant it all was.
Nahli waited with impatience for the skeletons standing in the grass to come alive, but they didn’t stir. Instead, in front of her very eyes, the ground shifted and separated. She tugged Anton to the side to prevent him from falling into what had opened to a milky liquid—familiar.
Peering over the edge, Nahli watched as the Lake of Flesh swished in gentle motions. Not still, as it had been before.
It was then that the skeletons rose from the earth, and their flames came to life. Some rubbed their eye sockets, waking from their deep slumber. If it was anything like when she’d died, it would have been a dreamless sleep.
Roka cupped his hands and called out to the people in the Divine Valley, his voice spreading throughout. “One at a time in the lake, and all will be well.”
At first there was silence, until skeletons chattered with one another across the fields, repeating the words Roka had spoken. A dusty skeleton walked to the edge of the lake and sank into the liquid.
Roka turned to Nahli, Anton, and Pav. “This will take a while, but once it finishes, I will close it back.”
“Where did you send Maryska?” Nahli asked.
Because Maryska had been left as bones, Nahli thought she’d been sent here. And if that were the case, would she be one of the skeletons now alive and moving?
Roka brought the tips of his fingers together and didn’t look at anyone in particular. He gazed out at the Divine Valley, deep in thought. “Maryska’s flesh is in the lake, and her bones are in the walls of the narrow hall we squeezed through earlier. The liquid is deep underground here and runs to the room, connecting to the Lake of Flesh.
“I will have to re-arrange the work she has done with the humans outside of the Divine Valley. But do know, there are reasons why they have to stay outside the door and face their punishments for now.”
Nahli didn’t feel the need to question further. Secretly, she hoped Boda was out there in the wall for murdering her.
Nahli scanned the area, her new home. When she found out that she wouldn’t be leaving, it hadn’t surprised her. She had never expected to go back. The first time she discovered she’d died, she never thought there’d be a way for her to return to Kedaf.
Nahli hated to admit that she was a little disappointed about Anton returning. She loathed herself for having that tiny flame of misery, trying to burn down all the relief and happiness she felt that he’d be reuniting with his siblings. She would eventually blow it out.
“They all seem to be adjusting rather well,” Anton said, observing the lake.
The people could now return to their homes to begin anew. Nahli attempted to not look too terribly hard since each one coming out was naked.
“Yes,” Roka said, “but so much time has passed, and new bones have fallen in, that everyone will have to adjust, and the recent ones will have to find homes.”
They would figure it out, the way she’d have to, as well.
Roka inched toward Pav. “I am going to have to send you to Kedaf now.”
“Anything you want me to tell Kezia?” Pav asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
Eyes wide, Roka looked taken aback, nervous. “No, but please check on her for me.”
“I was going to anyway.” Pav turned to Anton who hauled him into a hug, squeezing tight.
After pulling away from Anton, Pav surprised Nahli by dragging her into a fierce hug, too. “You would have been good for Anton. But when I meet up with you again one day, we’ll have to practice with our swords, since Anton is shit at it.”
Nahli laughed. “I’ll be waiting.”
When Pav shifted back, he pressed his sword at his own throat.
“Wait,” Roka said. “You do not have to be so dramatic.” He pushed Pav’s hand back down, placing his palm on the boy’s shoulder. “Ready?”
“I hope so.”
“From when you wake, make sure you uncover Anton before the following morning.”
“I will,” Pav answered softly.
Roka closed his eyes. Pav was there one moment and gone the next. A weight lifted from Nahli because Pav was now in Kedaf, and could start unearthing Anton’s body before it was too late.
“You’re sure he’ll be okay?” Anton pressed.
“Yes.” Roka nodded. “Anton, I’m allowing you to wake in the morning so that you and Nahli can have a little time to say goodbye. If this is not what you wish, you will at least have the opportunity to change your mind.” His lips formed a sad smile.
Nahli took a deep swallow and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She wouldn’t want Anton to feel like he was doing something wrong by returning home, because he wasn’t.
“The cottage where Anton has been staying will be yours for the night.” Roka paused for a moment, then met her gaze. “It is yours now, Nahli.”
She’d already slept there once, and the fact that it was Anton’s for a bit made it seem not so terrible. But she’d still need to get used to sleeping indoors again.
“I have something I need to take care of later,” Roka continued, “so I will be indisposed. It is too important to leave unsorted.”
Nahli and Anton said their goodbyes to Roka.
After Roka left, Nahli and Anton strolled together down the path, blooming with flowering trees and a litter of different-colored crystalized daisies. It felt like a whole new world, even the brown path was vivid. As Nahli passed skeletons waiting in line to go into the lake, several gave a “hello.” Even after the hellishness they’d gone through, the people here were friendly.
Anton stayed silent as they approached the cottage. The merged bones were gone, and in its place stood a beige home, with a blue thatched roof and matching door. It was simple but cute.
When they crossed through the door together, it felt like home. The inside of the cottage was the same as before, only it now had color. Even Anton’s carvings were still sprawled out on the table.
Nahli dropped down on the settee, and Anton sat beside her, leaving a narrow gap.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I don’t always have the right things to say, but getting to know you was unexpected. And I wanted you to have something.” Anton reached deep into his pocket and pulled out a carving, placing it into her palm.
She brought it closer to her face, her eyes brightening as she let out a laugh. “It’s a chicken!”
He smiled, cheeks flushed, while rubbing his jaw. “That day when you were running with the chicken in your arm is something I won’t ever forget. I wanted you to have a reminder that I’ll always be thinking of you.”
“Are you telling me that you carried this in your pocket the whole time we were outside of the Bone Valley?”
His eyes shifted to the side. “Yes. I made this one before you came. I know you wanted a ship carving, but I didn’t have time to complete one yet.”
“It’s perfect. I don’t need a ship to sail away anymore.” Nahli set the chicken on the table, letting her fingertips feel the texture.
As her chest expanded at the emotion consuming her, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Anton and pecked him on the cheek. His eyes connected with hers, his expression appearing stunned by her affection.
She’d closed her heart off after leaving her parents, then even more so after Zikri abandoned her. And she should really continue to leave it closed, especially since Anton was going back to Kedaf. He would be gone in the morning. But how could she shut off something that needed a pulse to live?
Slowly, she leaned forward again, so close that their lips were only in a shadowed touch, then closer, as if a feather was running its tip across. Then finally their lips completely embraced, and she moved hers against his. His mouth was as warm and soft as she’d imagined it to be. She drifted her finger to the scar on the side of his eye, feeling the uneven dip in his skin.
Anton’s hand scaled her back, the tips of his fingers running the entire length of her spine until they were tangled in her hair. The kisses, sweet and innocent, felt like butterfly wings fluttering against skin.
She ached to appear valiant, like the kind of girl who went for what she wanted, but her hand quivered as she reached for the edge of his tunic.
His hand fell to her wrist. “I know what I said to you at the lake about doing things together if we succeeded, but I don’t want to leave you feeling like I was only looking for a quick tumble. We don’t have to do anything. For the rest of the night, we could spend our time talking, and I’d be perfectly fine with that.”
“You would?”
“Yes. But I’m not going to lie, I’d keep thinking about it.” He chuckled, rubbing his thumb along her wrist.
“Good, because I’d be thinking about it, too.”
She yanked at his tunic again, and he let her remove it over his head. His body wasn’t overly muscular, more of a lean and fit build. He was perfect.
Anton lifted her into his lap, kissing her as her hand traveled up from the curves of his abs to his chest. He ran the tip of his tongue along the center of her lower and upper lip, causing her to part her mouth. She then moved her lips with his, caressing them, tasting all of him that she could. He slid his tongue into her mouth, slowly flicking his against hers, making her release a low moan.
She knew he was much better at this than her, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but for him and her and this moment.
His hand dropped to her lower back as the other one shifted again into her hair, and she wanted more, pressing against him even as he pulled her close.
She grabbed the hem of her tunic and dragged it up and over her head, exposing her breasts, waiting for his touch. He trailed a finger down the center of her chest, and warmth spread through her, straight to her center.
Anton hugged her close, lowering Nahli to her back on the settee. She kept her arms around his neck, the weight of his hips between her legs.
“At any time, you can ask me to stop,” he whispered.
“At any time, you can ask me to stop.” She grinned.
Anton’s eyes caressed her skin as he looked at her shyly. “This is a first for me, because I want to.”
Her heart sank knowing he’d only done this before because he’d been getting coin. When she’d been with Zikri, it was because she’d wanted to, even though it wasn’t a choice she should have made.
This time, it was different.
She cupped his face in between her hands and kissed him deeply, praying he felt how much she yearned to be with him, too. If only for stolen moments.
The rest of their clothing came off until all that was between them was warm skin—something she would never take for granted. She could feel with bones, but the nerve endings that were associated with the human body were a glorious thing. It was proof of that as Anton cradled her breast, pressed his mouth to her nipple, and stroked between her legs, making her body arch.
When she reached for his manhood and tightened her grip, he groaned into the crook of her neck. She then guided him to the spot that desperately yearned for him while nipping at his bare shoulder.
As he pushed inside her, they both gasped in pleasure, gazing at one another. And when his body started to move, she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him on.
Inside their bodies, their skeletal bones still reached for one another, as a beautiful feeling built and built with each roll of Anton’s hips, until an array of colors blasted through her, and all her nerve endings ignited at the same time his did.
Neither moved, just held onto each other, chests heaving, hair damp, and smiling.
Through the remainder of the night, there were plenty more kisses and touches. But most of the time was spent talking, and the words they spoke to each other intertwined in the same way their bodies had.
Before she drifted to sleep, Nahli reached for the chicken that Anton had made, and she nestled it in her palm as she nodded off. In the morning, she wanted to wake to a part of him that would still be there when he left.
The last thing Anton said to her before she surrendered to sleep was, “I could have loved you, you know.”
His words made her smile, even though she wished they had more time together. But she promised herself that one day, she’d see him again.
