"Amara..." Lord Bane repeated her name softly. "Even your name stirs longings I had thought extinguished forever." He took one step nearer, then halted again at her obvious unease.

"Forgive my forwardness, I pray. My manners are grown rusty after uncounted years bodiless in the void." His thirsting eyes swept her rain-soaked form. "And the skull grants me now such vibrant senses, so acute as to be overwhelming."

Despite herself, Amara felt a flush rise to her cheeks at the frank desire in his gaze. She drew her wraps tighter, struggling to ignore the effects of his raw masculine aura. She needed answers first.

"What magic trapped you thus in the skull? And why do you say I freed you?" She kept her voice steady, though his intense presence made her pulse quicken oddly.

Bane lifted the skull before his face, furrowing his brow. "The workings of jealous rivals, those who feared the heights of pleasure I revealed. They bound me forever that none might learn my secrets." His hand clenched until his knuckles whitened.

"But your fateful presence here, Amara, broke their curse at last." His tone softened and grew almost tender. "I know not why fortune so blessed me, yet I thank whatever gods may be."

He moved closer, slowly, as one might approach a skittish doe. Amara stood frozen, nerves thrumming, as he extended a hand to brush aside a rain-soaked lock of her hair. His light touch trailed down her cheek and along her neck, leaving a wake of gooseflesh.

"So delicate, so exquisite," he whispered, staring raptly into her wide eyes. "What bliss we might show each other, you and I..."

Amara twisted away, pulse quickening. "Do not take such liberties!" She shuddered, unsettled by her body's traitorous response to this strange man's caress. However kindly he now spoke, sinister motives might yet lurk beneath the surface.

Bane lifted both hands in a pacifying gesture. "As you wish, dear lady. I overstep myself." He drew back a measure, watching her closely. "I propose a pact between us, that you may come to trust my intentions are honourable."

Amara hesitated, then gave a wary nod. "Let us hear this pact then."

The corner of Bane's mouth quirked upward. "Plainly you seek understanding of these wondrous Skulls, else why make such perilous pilgrimage here? I know their ancient mysteries as none now living do. Let me teach you a measure of their secrets."

He paused, gauging her reaction. Amara wet her lips. To learn more of the Skulls was indeed her dearest wish. But at what cost or risk?

Seeing her indecision, Bane pressed on. "In return, I ask only that you help me regain what was so cruelly ripped away—a chance to live and breathe freely in this world, not as prisoner in Hollow bone. To feel the sunlight on my face, the rain on my skin." His eyes entreated hers. "Grant me but a moon's span to walk at your side, that I may remember what it is to be a man."

Amara listened intently, weighing his words. Perhaps this strange spirit offered opportunity rather than threat. And in truth, the thought of journeys through peril with one so mystically handsome at her side stirred her blood more than she cared to admit.

"I...accept your proposal, my lord," she said at length. "One moon's cycle you may travel with me. But I bind you first to oath—that in all things you shall treat honestly with me, and bring no harm to any under my protection." She thought of young Hiwana slumbering untroubled somewhere in Bane's presence. "Swear this to me, and we have a bargain."

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Something flashed in the depths of his night-dark eyes at her shrewd condition. But he gave another courtly bow of acquiescence. "By my life and power, I so abjure."

Amara released the breath she had been holding. She had gambled on Bane's word having worth, despite his unknown past. Had she been wise to ally with one so strange and fell? Only time would tell. For now, she longed only to escape the chill rain and find rest.

As if sensing her shivering fatigue, Bane said, "Come, you are weary and cold. I know now of a place we may shelter." He offered his arm, and after a moment's hesitation, Amara took it. His body radiated a penetrating warmth that seemed to seep through cloth into her very skin.

Bane led her through crumbling passages to a small chamber set apart. There they found pillows, blankets and provisions as if awaiting their arrival.

Amara peered at her escort. "Did you conjure these things?"

"After a fashion. I can project ideas into reality's weave, though only dimly." Bane guided her down onto the bed. "Rest now. You are safe in my care." The sincerity in his tone made Amara believe him. Utterly drained, she sank into deep and dreamless slumber.

When Amara awoke the next morning. She sat up, momentarily confused to find herself alone. Then memory returned in a rush—the voyage here with Hiwana, the discovery below the temple, and the summoning of...

"Lord Bane." She whispered the name, unsure what to make of the darkly magnetic stranger. Had their meeting been only feverish fantasy born of the storm? But no, his residual aura lingered like some dark spice in the air.

Rising, Amara ventured out into the passageway. She found Bane in the courtyard, performing what looked to be ritual movements—a dance or martial exercise unlike any she had witnessed. His long frame wove sinuously through complex forms and his bare skin illuminating in the fresh dawn light. Amara watched, transfixed by the predatory elegance of his motions. This was a man of secrets and mysteries beyond her ken. What had she gotten herself entangled with?

Sensing her presence, Bane concluded his exercise and turned, lips quirking. "Did you sleep well?" At Amara's mute nod, he gestured toward the gate. "Come then, walk with me. I would show you something."

Intrigued, Amara fell into step beside him as they passed out of the temple precincts. The storm had washed the air clean and vivid. Bird calls echoed from the dense foliage beyond the ruins. Every leaf and petal seemed cast in jewel tones by the low morning sun.

"What do you wish me to see?" Amara finally asked.

"Patience, my beauty." Mischief shaded Bane's tone. "We draw near now."

They crested a rise carpeted in dew-strung spiderwebs that caught the light like diamond veils. As they started down the far slope, Amara glimpsed flickering blue through the screen of leaves ahead.

She hurried her steps, and Bane matched her pace. They passed beneath trailing vines and outcrops into a shaded grotto where a pool lay serene, fed by a musical stream. Bioluminescent algae or tiny creatures filled the depths with their soft azure glow.

Amara slowly knelt at the pool's mossy edge, spellbound by its ethereal beauty. This strange spirit, Bane, had led her straight to paradise. She cupped a handful of the cool, faintly twinkling water to her lips, then glanced up at him.

"You have a gift for sharing beauty."

Bane gave a small bow. "My life's purpose was once to reveal life's hidden raptures." His tone turned reflective. "I hope still to walk that path again, though the way before me now is veiled."

Amara did not respond, but his words sparked questions. What had Bane's existence been before deathless darkness claimed him? What did he truly seek in their alliance? There was much she did not yet grasp of his clouded past.

Rising smoothly, Bane extended a hand to help her up. "But come, I promised you knowledge of the Skulls, and that pledge yet remains unfulfilled."

Amara placed her hand in his, feeling fresh eagerness stir. Here was one who might illuminate mysteries at the heart of her quest. She would learn all she could, then chart her course forward when Hiwana awakened. That thought reminded her...

"My companion, the island girl. Her fate is intertwined now with ours." Concern pinched her brow. "When will she wake?"

Bane's expression softened. "Soon, have no fear. The working that restored me will leave no hurt upon her. Trust that I know what is needed." His dark eyes held reassurance.

Amara nodded slowly. Thus far he had dealt honestly. She would give him the benefit of doubt, though keeping her mind keenly alert. With Bane's guidance, the revelations this day might bring could reshape her entire journey. The Hallow Skull's secrets beckoned, and she could wait no longer to unravel them.