Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Morning brought the warmth of a new day and the satisfaction of a deep slumber, fueled by a much-needed release enjoyed by the alien priest and his human counterpart, though in their own chambers, and without the awareness the other was reveling in the same experience simultaneously.
Draikis rose and began a routine of stretches and limbering exercises as he sometimes did.
A means to greet the day with enhanced blood circulation and warm muscles, the flow of movements acting as a sort of centering meditation for him to prepare for whatever might lay ahead, though not much was on his schedule beyond seeing to the care of the brotherhood’s feminine guest.
As for Ella, she lounged in her bed a long while after waking, stretching like a cat in a ray of sunlight, her entire body tingling with the strange and novel sensations her odd new alien markings seemed to have created within her.
Whether it was the healing balms she’d been slathered in for weeks on end, the nurturing hot springs in which she had soaked with her sexy as hell priest, or the powerful pigments now living in her skin she didn’t know.
All that mattered was that she felt good.
“Mmm. Good morning, world,” she said with a grin, sliding from the cozy embrace of her bed, her feet planted on the warmth of the floor, courtesy of the hidden alien tech that always kept living areas perfectly comfortable for their inhabitants.
Ella bounced on her feet, light on her toes as her muscles fired, stronger and more resilient than she expected, as if she was supercharged with some sort of alien stimulant but minus any jitters.
She moved through a series of yoga poses, unaware that Draikis was doing something quite similar not far away but somehow finding her thoughts drifting to the strange man, wondering what he might be up to. Little did she know.
Her stomach grumbled loudly.
“Okay, time for food.”
She dressed quickly and headed for the door. While she’d been brought meals during her stay, her body was now clearly healed enough for her to take care of herself, and, truth be told, she was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious about always having her needs tended to by the reluctant priests.
Draikis wasn’t reluctant, of course. He was an absolute joy, in fact.
But the others? She just hadn’t ever connected with any of them even remotely, and certainly not like she had with her rescuer.
Whether that was because he felt a sense of duty and obligation was irrelevant.
What did matter was that in their time together they had become close.
More than just casually close. Odd as it was, millions of light years from home, she somehow just knew in her gut that she could trust him implicitly.
Ella stepped out into the corridor and shut the door behind her.
It was empty in either direction. Almost uncomfortably silent.
But from what she knew of these men, they were something of sticklers for rules and order, and that also meant nearly all of them took their meals together in the large dining hall.
Fortunately, she had already been shown where that was.
In fact, in her earliest healing walks with Draikis, he showed her quite a bit of his home, though she doubted he expected her to remember it all.
She was, after all, supposed to be focusing on simply walking, her very survival something of a marvel in and of itself.
But her curiosity overrode any delirium or haze of pain she might have been expected to operate under. She was on an alien world, and every little thing was exciting and new. More than enough reason to pay attention.
“Okay, this way,” she said to herself, walking slowly, padding on quiet boots provided for her as her own attire had been long ago burned to a crisp.
She took her time, taking in the artwork on the walls, noting the scenes depicted with great interest. This was a religious sect, after all, and their choice in decoration spoke volumes about their order.
The art was varied in medium with early pieces actually seeming to be hand-painted on some sort of solid substrate rather than canvas.
Later ones shifted to digital projections, but she only noticed that upon closer inspection.
If she hadn’t leaned in close to look at a few details, she’d have thought they were as much regular paintings as the oldest ones.
Nearly all of them, digital or traditional, depicted almost entirely men, for starters, though a few token women were interspersed in a few of them as servants or onlookers in a crowd.
Not surprising, given the nature of the place she was currently staying, but still, a bit jarring.
But once she moved past that detail, the imagery was actually quite interesting, the majority of them depicting key events in the Norvalian Sect’s formation as the key religious order of the Dotharian Conglomerate, tasked with interpreting the laws and enforcing them across the systems.
A few early images showed the original texts being crafted, a joint process with the founding fathers of the Dotharians.
The first to receive the runes that would become required across their entire realm.
Later, men, women, and children of multiple races were depicted receiving their first set of runes, the Infala bonding pairs in happy coupling, ensuring the continuation of the Dotharian ways.
Further down the corridor were the paintings of spaceships venturing out to conquer new worlds and systems, bringing them into the Dotharian fold.
Battles showed the brutal efficiency of the Dotharians in their quest, but once they were established as the dominant power across a great many systems, the paintings shifted again, now showing more peaceful arrivals on primitive worlds.
Given the harsh rules that Ella had been made aware of since her arrival, she had a sneaking suspicion that despite the smiling faces of the newly indoctrinated races greeting the Dotharians with open arms, the truth was a bit unseemlier than that.
Like the Romans, “Join or die,” seemed to be the most likely message, but as was the case throughout time, regardless of where in the galaxy, the winners wrote the history, and it told the story they wanted to tell.
The smell of delicious food wafted to Ella’s nose, snapping her back to the task at hand.
Food.
She redirected her focus and her feet to the source of the delightful aromas, heading to the open double doors of the dining hall.
She stepped inside and nearly stopped in her tracks.
So many priests of the order were there, yet it was incredibly quiet, nearly all the men eating in silence, though those in more ornate attire were talking in low voices.
It was a bit odd, but ultimately it didn’t matter. What did was the promise of a satisfying meal.
Ella made her way to the serving area and took a plate, heaping a good portion of food from the communal dishes onto it, but not so much as to seem unladylike. She was a guest, after all, and this was the first time most of these men had actually seen the woman living under their roof.
“Is this seat taken?” she asked, joining a group of young priests at their long table.
The nearest shook his head. The others just stared in what looked like disbelief.
“Okay, thanks,” she said, sitting down and digging right in. “Oh, man, this is fantastic. My compliments to the chef.”
The men said nothing, staring at their food, but mostly picking at it rather than eating.
Ella ignored them as best she could. If they didn’t want to talk, that was fine.
She had plenty to think about after studying the artwork in the corridor.
Namely, that her home planet was decidedly not in the Dotharian Conglomerate, and if that was discovered, who knew what might happen?
She’d been abducted, violently at that, and her arrival here was a result of that. She hadn’t corrected them in their incorrect belief that her world was a new addition to the realm. But Draikis had mentioned something casually that sat like a cold rock in her belly. A lingering worry.
“The Dotharian Overseer for the sector is away on business, and while Elder Soparo is the arbiter of most matters, in your case we do need the overseer to decide how best to help you, given your situation. Likely, he will arrange to have you returned to your home world.”
Draikis had been upbeat about that. He’d clearly meant to be reassuring, but his words were anything but. Ella chewed her food slowly, musing just how bad things could get, and fairly soon at that.
What if they try to send me home? Shit. I want to get back, but if that happens, they’ll find out Earth isn’t part of their realm. And from what I’ve seen, odds are they’ll try to conquer us. We wouldn’t stand a chance.
On top of her concerns for her home, Ella had some very real worries of her own. And those dangers were so real she could feel them in her skin, quite literally.
And the tattoos. They gave me a full set of these runes thinking I’d lost them in the fire. If they find out I didn’t have them at all when I got here, what’ll they do to me? I mean yeah, I have them now, but I think I broke their law, even if unintentionally.
The Dotharians, and their Norvalian Sect by extension, were sticklers for the rules, that much had been made abundantly clear.
I need to read their laws. No loose interpretations, much as I appreciate Draikis’s help, but I need to see the originals to know just how screwed I am.
“Hey, I was wondering. Where could I find a copy of the laws? I’d love to get a better understanding of them.”
The men turned and stared in unison, but none spoke. At least not aloud. The glares, however, spoke volumes.
“Sorry, was I not supposed to ask about that? It’s just there are a lot of formalities and aspects I’m not entirely sure of. I hope that’s not—”
“You do not speak here, female,” an angry voice said from just behind her.
Ella jumped, turning to find Totaxxis scowling down at her.
Did he just call me female? Jesus, what an incel, she grumbled silently, wisely keeping the thought to herself.
“I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I just—”
“You are not allowed here. You should not be within our walls at all. If it was up to me—”
“But it is not, Brother,” Draikis countered, striding into the dining hall, a worried look on his face. “You know this woman is our guest, and she is to be treated as such.”
Ella felt the rune on her chest twinge, her breath catching at the sight of his chiseled features. Totaxxis was not so impressed.
“Perhaps,” he growled. “But females are not permitted to dine with the brothers. You know this.”
“I do. But she does not. She is new to our ways. Our rules.”
“She is your responsibility, Draikis.”
“She is. And I apologize for my failing. But she knows now, and if you will but step aside, I will escort her out of the dining hall to enjoy her meal in another location. Unless, that is, you wish for her to stay.”
Totaxxis stared hard at the priest but stepped aside, allowing Ella to rise. Draikis picked up her plate and took her by the arm, leading her to the door in a hurry.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
“Shh. Wait until we are outside.”
Ella held her tongue for the duration of the walk, worried she’d somehow messed things up with the hot priest. But the look on his face, while stern, was not one of true anger.
She didn’t know how she knew it, but she was certain this was all an act for any prying eyes.
Once they were safely outdoors, that was confirmed.
He released her arm and turned to her, a tender look in his eyes once more. “That was not a good idea. You should have waited for me to bring you your meal.”
“I just didn’t want to be a burden.”
“And the intent is appreciated. But the results are, well, they are something of a mess.”
“Sorry.”
He reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay, Ella. It’s not your fault. You just have much to learn.”
“Will you teach me?”
“Whatever I can, I will. But now is time for you to eat. Regain your strength. You appear whole, but despite outward appearances, you are still healing. I would not have any setbacks in your recovery.”
“I understand.”
His warm smile threatened to melt her into a puddle. “I know you do. You are a very smart woman. Like none I’ve ever met, truth be told. You will learn, of that I am certain.”