2
The huge, domed hall was full of Aldar of all shapes and sizes.
When Jursin found out about me and Kitari being bound, I thought it was going to end with my dead body being buried deep in the forest somewhere, not a party.
Of course, he’d already been informed before we went to see him after my team had left. We would have seen him sooner, but he was apparently busy with very important alpha business for quite some time. I got the impression that he was just avoiding us. Kesk, one of Arcay’s beta butler guys, mentioned overhearing Tallin having some strong words with Jursin while he was lingering after one of their council meetings. Once we finally did see Jursin, he’d had time to cool off, and Tallin had hovered at his side, smiling encouragingly while Jursin ground out his words between clenched teeth.
And now here we were, at what I could only describe as the Aldar equivalent of a wedding celebration.
A huge, circular raised surface in the shape of a half-ring filled most of the room, laden with all sorts of food. There was what looked like fruit—a whole lot of fruit—some interesting looking meats, bright liquids in bowls, and mounds of puffy looking things. Most of it seemed eerily familiar to me, like it had been created by one of those antique AI engines that churned out uncanny valley images that were almost right but not quite, and got stranger the longer you looked at them. I was determined to try everything I could get my hands on.
The food I’d had since I arrived in Amalya had been infinitely better than the foraged vegetation we’d had in the jungle. A lot of dishes were similar to stews and flatbreads, which were a little spicy and a lot delicious. I was sure this feast would be just as good.
Once we were settled in our places, Kitari was enjoying serving me far too much food. He wanted to get my reaction to all of the different dishes. I took a lump of something from one of the bowls in front of me and tried it while Kitari watched. It tasted a bit like pineapple, but salty, and chewy.
“This one’s called?”
“ Kalaneka ,“ Kitari said.
“ Kalaneka ,“ I repeated. The syllables didn’t sound right in my mouth. I had a translator clipped onto a sash around my waist, but I was determined not to use it.
“What do you think?” Kitari asked me for the hundredth time.
I smiled. “Another good one.”
He grinned as if it was a personal accomplishment and spooned the next pile of food onto my plate. At this point I was uncomfortably full, but he was having so much fun watching me, I didn’t want to stop.
I rubbed my stomach, and the thin material shifted against my skin. The local dress was interesting, colorful, and airy. I had to admit it made me feel pretty fancy; I was used to wearing fatigues and armor. I’d noticed, though, that Clay sometimes wore something that looked kinda like pants. I’d have to ask him where he got them and see if I could get a pair. I wasn’t quite ready to let go of them yet.
Rand had outright refused to wear anything other than his own clothes, only taking them off long enough to wash them. He sat at a table with a small crowd of Aldar around him, watching in amazement as he shoveled food into his mouth without seeming to need to stop for breath. On the other side of the hall, Koum stood stiffly watching him, as if he suspected Rand would suddenly start assaulting people with his placemat. That guy needed to learn how to relax.
Rand caught my eye and gave me a thumbs up, wiping his mouth on his forearm.
I snorted and scanned the room. I hadn’t spotted Jursin yet. In fact, we hadn’t seen him since Kitari had told him we planned to travel and explore the further reaches of the planet. He had told his father that exploring needed to start at home; Aldarmere first, then the stars.
It sounded perfect to me. Jursin hadn’t been as thrilled though, and even after Tallin had whisked me away to look at their garden, I could still hear the raised voices and feel the emotion shooting through the bond. Things had calmed down eventually, but when we left, Kitari had still been vibrating with frustration.
Jursin himself appeared in the crowd, approaching us, and I nearly choked on my mouthful. Kitari looked up, sensing my unease.
“Arani ,“ he said, bowing his head.
Jursin nodded back cordially. “I wish to offer my congratulations on your bond. And inform you that I have decided to appoint you the head of the exploration committee,” he said stiffly.
Kitari blinked at him, radiating confusion. “What exploration committee?”
“The one I have just created,” said Jursin.
Tallin popped up beside Jursin as if from nowhere and beamed. “Juri had a long think about it and we agreed that your fulfillment in life is more important than attempting to keep you from harm. You are fully grown now, and we cannot continue to treat you like a child.” They laid a hand on Kitari’s. “And we really do need to map out our planet more. It is a good idea.”
Jursin nodded. “Yes, you will be charged with exploring the further reaches of the planet that we have not ventured into recently, and document and map it. You will be in charge of a select team and will report back to the high council with your findings.”
Kitari kept his face straight, although I could feel the disbelief and excitement boiling away under the surface. “I accept the position,” he said formally.
“Good. We will hold the first meeting in three moons.” Jursin cleared his throat and actually seemed to hesitate for a moment. “I would also like to say that, despite appearances, I do believe you will achieve great things, and I support your choices. I am aware that I may have been too overprotective of you in the past, and for that, I apologize. You mean a great deal to me. After recent events, with you being so greatly injured, I was resistant to you being away in case something were to happen. It is possibly my greatest fear since the day you were born. But I have come to understand I am infinitely more likely to lose you through my own stubbornness than from any harm you may come to. And that would be an equal, if not greater, tragedy. It is true that holding on to something too tightly can cause its demise just as surely. I felt I should say that out loud to you.”
Kitari burst out of his seat and threw his arms around his father. Jursin’s face stayed stoic throughout, but I was certain I saw a deeper purple spread across his face. When they separated, he cleared his throat loudly and had to march off very quickly to speak to someone about something important.
“It makes me so happy to see my boys getting along,” Tallin said, trailing Jursin with their eyes. “I will give him a moment to inspect the tables alone. It is very important the klava are organized in a straight line.”
Kitari watched his father move stiffly away. “Was that you?” he asked. “Did you get him to say that?”
“No, love. That was entirely him,” Tallin said.
Sometime later, I was trying not to be sick. Arcay, Silvun, and Rand—still somehow picking at food from a bowl in his lap—had come and sat on the padded mats strewn on the ground. Even Jursin had returned and seemed to have recovered from his sudden attack of emotions. Tallin sat next to Kitari and ran their hands over his hair, weaving it into intricate knots and braids. He tilted his head slightly, radiating comfort. It was such an intimate moment to have in public, but felt entirely natural for them. It made my chest ache. I’d never experienced something like that.
Kitari looked at me. “You are sad. Why are you sad?”
“I’m not sad, I’m happy.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
“No. It’s just…Tallin seems really nice.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his intelligent eyes glinting.
“They are your parent, too, now,” he said finally.
“In my eyes, you and Kitari are one, just as Jursin and I are one.” They smiled. “And as such, you are now my son. I expect regular visits. Being on the other side of the planet is not an excuse to miss our evening meal.”
That sounded great to me.
While I tried to fight back the dampness gathering in my eyes, Clay flopped down next to me and leaned in conspiratorially.
“Welcome to the family,” he said. “You’ll get used to them.”
“Thanks,” I said.
An Aldar went past, sloshing a glass of amber liquid in their hand, and shouted something at us in Aldarian.
The translator translated for me, “Much congratulations to the happy couple.”
I tried to answer back using the Aldarian I had picked up so far. ” Oh , sala… uh … inquiree felle…don. Dom ?”
“ Don ,“ Clay corrected. “Don’t worry, you’ll pick it up.” He smiled. “It’s going to be weird having another human around, but you better not try to steal my thunder as the exotic outsider. I’ve got a good thing going here and I’m not about to share it.”
I blinked at him. “Oh no, I wouldn’t—“
Clay put his hand on my shoulder. “Dude, I’m joking.”
I breathed out. “Oh, right. Haha.”
He had a very dry sense of humor. I could see why he and Arcay were a perfect fit.
Kitari had been telling me about the hierarchy there, and if I had it right, Arcay was the second in command after Jursin, and Silvun was the third. It looked like Kitari had lifted me into the elite inner circle for the first time in my life.
“It will be your turn next, Silvun,” said Arcay. Clay snorted and then covered his mouth with his hand.
Silvun made a face like he’d just trodden on a landmine. “I cannot think of a worse fate.” Then he turned to me and Kitari, and said stiffly, “I wish you eternal contentment.”
Clay snorted again.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Who would have thought we would have another human living amongst us?”
“Hey, I’m a human, too, you know,” Rand said around a mouth full of food.
“I do not seem to be able to keep humans away,” Jursin said wearily.
“Yes, isn’t it wonderful,” said Tallin.
Jursin sighed. “Perhaps it is time we give in to the inevitable and take proactive action. Otherwise our planet will be overrun with them within the next ten cycles.”
“We’re sitting right here, Juri ,“ Clay said. Jursin frowned at the name.
“What kind of action?” Arcay asked.
“I am not sure yet, but it is vital we secure peace.”
That sounded promising to me.
“That may be a challenge,” Arcay said. “Your human chief’s actions were…troubling.”
That was putting it lightly. “Our bosses said they didn’t give him those orders, but Chief wasn’t working alone. He kept saying ‘we,’ and it was specifically about the soul bond. He wanted to find out more about it by studying us. It was like he wanted to experiment on us or something.”
There was a moment of silence, and the atmosphere changed. Arcay, Silvun, and Jursin stiffened noticeably and glanced at each other. Arcay touched Clay’s hand, who smiled weakly. There was more going on here that they weren’t telling us, but it looked like they weren’t about to share.
I glanced at Kitari, who was just as confused as me.
“There’s something going on, and I don’t think it died with Chief,” I said.
“You are more perceptive than you seem,” Jursin said.
He probably meant it as a compliment, but Kitari twisted his mouth in the universal gesture of people being embarrassed by their parents everywhere.
He continued on, oblivious, “We will scale that mountain when we arrive at its base, for now, let us celebrate this union of souls.”
Kitari met my eyes, and I knew that whatever adventures came, we’d face them together.
I had finally found my home.