Lucinda

 

When she awoke, the sun was well on its way to the middle of the sky. She slept the day away. She was also alone. The events of the night were fresh in her mind and her body ached with satisfaction.

Her shoulders twinged as she sat up. Okay, all the aches weren’t of satisfaction. Next time she’d insist on that giant bed of hers back in the city.

A figure appeared in the door, temporarily hidden in shadows, but Lucie knew him. She could feel his presence.

“How do you feel?” Asche pushed a steaming cup of fragrant tea in her direction.

“Where’s Sarsen?” she dared to ask.

“He left at first light.”

“Oh.” She had warned him that sex would change nothing between them. Silly her for hoping that it would.

“He wanted to get you a present.”

“Oh.” She perked up. She shouldn’t. It was shallow to be excited about a present, but she couldn’t help herself. She downed her tea to cover her excitement. “He doesn’t have to get me anything.”

Asche repaired the dress, but clearly the garment’s days were numbered. Ertale arrived and indicated that it was time to leave.

“Sign language! Why didn’t I think about that?” She had taken a year in American Sign Language to fill a language credit back in school. “I don’t remember much.”

Lucie cracked and wiggled her fingers, trying to remember the motions. Ertale looked at her hands with interest. “On my planet, people who cannot hear or speak communicate with hand signals. They have a whole language, but I don’t know much. I can show you a few signs if you like.”

He nodded, then pointed to the mountain and made a talking motion with one hand.

“Yes, I can walk and talk at the same time, smart mouth.”

She demonstrated yes and no. Those were easy. She rubbed her chest to indicate sorry. She placed her finger tips over her lips and moved it away to say thank you.

“I really don’t remember anything useful. I’m sorry. I should have been a better student.”

Ertale tapped Asche on the shoulder. Then he touched his own mouth. The shorter male furrowed his brow. “The talkative one wants to know if there’s a sign for kiss.”

A warm rush came over her. “I know that one. And a few more.”

She walked up to Ertale, swinging her hips with purpose. Standing before him, she curled her hand towards herself. “This means me.” Then she crossed her arms over her chest with her hands placed high at her armpits. “Love.” She brought her hands together in two fists with the thumbs up, then moved them down. “Sweetheart. But that’s also you, Big Guy. And this is kiss.” Her fingers moved from the corner of her mouth to her cheek.

Ertale repeated the motion.

“Gladly.” She stretched up on her tiptoes to meet his lips. Warm and solid, his kiss sent a shiver down her spine and ignited desire in her belly. Her arms hooked around his neck. They’d never make it to the city at this rate.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been jealous of Ertale before,” Asche said, voice nearly a whisper.

“Come here then.”

Asche wasted no time, his kiss demanding everything and she was ready to give it. Reasonably, she needed a day to recover. She wasn’t exactly walking straight and her thighs ached in new and interesting ways. She moaned into his mouth, not caring.

Asche pulled away. “I don’t think we should keep Sarsen waiting.”

“Spoil sport.”

They made the foot of the mountain in good time and zipped up the road in a cart. Once inside the city, Asche took her to a new section, midway between the industrial lower level and luxurious top levels. Terraces wrapped around the city, carved out of the interior of the volcano. The plots of soil were empty with just weeds. A few trees clung to the rocky face, their boughs heavy with seeds.

“This used to be gardens. The entire city used to be green, actually.”

“Not for a long time, it seems.” Plants would help filter the air and make it a touch more breathable. “Ornamental or practical gardens?”

“Both. This side—” Asche gestured to the fields nearest her own apartment. “—was ornamental. Sheenika could not gaze upon anything less than perfection. The other side was dedicated to the kitchens.”

They rounded a corner and went up a short set of steps. Sarsen knelt on the ground, planting seedlings in pots. “What do you think?” he asked, a grin on his face.

“Are you trying to distract me with gardening? I don’t know that I have a green thumb.”

Ertale frowned and picked up her hand for inspection. He shook his head.

“You said you made medicine on your planet,” Sarsen said. He gestured to the seedlings. “These are some of the medicinal plants the valos used. Maybe you can find use for them.”

“Really?” Excitement flared in her. “Tell me everything.”

 

Ertale

 

Asche and Sarsen were arguing. Again. Their voices drifted up the gardens. Lucie had not noticed yet, either distracted from the hard work of clearing plots or human hearing was not as sensitive as valos. He, however, heard every word and it was time to put an end to it.

Over the last few days, Lucie had directed her mates in clearing the gardens and planting new seedlings. She spoke excitedly about going back to the forest to collect fresh specimens. The anger inside her that Ertale recognized in himself seemed to be focused in a new direction.

The suklaa trees, long neglected, ran wild in the gardens. The older trees were well beyond their fruit producing years and the newest growths needed to be cut back. The fruit itself was inedible, but the nut within was a delicacy. Ertale remembered it had been a favorite of his parents. Perhaps Lucie would enjoy it as well.

A light tap on her shoulder grabbed her attention. “What is it, Big Guy?”

He pointed to a grove of suklaa and indicated for her to follow. When in the wild, the suklaa grew wide with its thin branches twisting in all directions. Only with constant tending did the trees grow tall and the limbs straight. Fruit littered the ground. He selected a ripe fruit and removed the center nut.

He squeezed the nut gently to pop open the shell. Lucie took the nut and made a face. “It’s bitter.”

Perhaps he remembered wrong. Memories were fuzzy, but he remembered one of his father sitting near the fire, roasting the nuts.

Roasting. They needed to be cooked.

He cupped a handful of nuts in both hands and focused on heat. The nuts steamed in their shells before splitting open. Lucie breathed in the rich and earthy aroma. “That smells fantastic.” She popped the roasted nut in her mouth without hesitation.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh my— That’s chocolate!”

She reached for another, but Ertale lifted the nuts above her head. She jumped, arms outstretched. “Come on! Don’t be a jerk.”

Ertale touched the corner of his mouth and then his cheek.

“A kiss, huh?” A smile played on her lips.

He nodded.

“This is extortion.”

He shrugged. She didn’t seem outraged at the price he demanded.

“Fine, only because I literally haven’t had chocolate in years.” Her words were stern, but her tone was playful.

He delivered a soft and equally playful kiss to her upturned face. With her eyes closed and her pink lips parted, he fed her another nut. Her pink tongue licked her lips. “More.”

They traded kisses for suklaa nuts until his supply ran out.

“That’s amazing. It’s just like chocolate and hazelnut.” She licked her lips again. He couldn’t resist another kiss and a slow drag of his tongue over hers. The faint taste mixed with his mate’s own stimulating flavor.

“Gosh,” she said, as they pulled away.

He signed beautiful. She blushed.

His vocabulary had expanded in recent days as Lucie remembered more words. His voice had been taken long ago, but he did not care too much. He’d had nothing of importance to say. Now he bubbled over with so much to tell her, but he was limited to a handful of words. He’d have to show her what was in his heart every day for the rest of his days, but even that would not be enough.

“You’re just saying that to get me in bed.”

He signed sorry even though he wasn’t.

“That was the most sarcastic thing I’ve ever heard you say,” she said with a laugh. “You are so not sorry.”

She knew him.

He lifted her off her feet with an arm around her waist and brought her to his eye level. He planted another kiss on her mouth.

“Yeah, you’re not sorry.”

Lucie bent to pick up more of the suklaa fruit. The soft rind fell away easily. “If Amber knew we had space chocolate, they’d be here in a heartbeat.”

Displeasure rumbled in his throat. He did not care for the other humans. They flung cruel words at his Lucie and refused the help she offered, even at the expense of their own lives. He had no doubt that they would perish in the forest. They were ill-equipped and stubborn. Survival required flexibility.

“Let’s gather these up. They’re too good to waste. And these trees—” She paused, contemplating the overgrown and wild orchard. “Are they healthy? They look kind of sad.”

Ertale signed yes. The trees were healthy.

That was the moment Lucie finally heard Asche and Sarsen shouting. The males approached the gardens, their argument preceding them.

“It’s irresponsible,” Asche said.

“I don’t want to be lectured about responsibility by you.”

“Irresponsible and dangerous and you can’t stand being wrong.”

“We are duty bound to try,” Sarsen replied, voice firm. Ertale knew that tone. It was Sarsen’s I’m-the-boss-so-don’t-argue-with-me tone.

“Is that your protocol talking or do you actually believe this ferix shit scheme is a good idea?” Asche nudged Sarsen with a pointed finger. Sarsen’s eyes flared bright gold and for a moment Ertale was convinced Sarsen would lay the other male out.

Then Asche pushed Sarsen over the edge. His next words were unforgivable. “I can’t believe you would risk another mate.”

The two men fell into a tumble of angry words and fists. Not a skilled fighter, Asche’s blows were unpredictable and dangerous. Sarsen dodged some, but a respectable amount landed true.

Lucie grabbed Ertale’s hand. “What’s gotten into them?” Those magma-brained idiots did not realize their antics upset Lucie.

Ertale separated the two easily, one restrained in each hand. They snarled at each other like wild ak’rena. Patience worn short, Ertale slammed their heads together.

“Hey!” Asche rubbed his skull. Raw renewal material leaked from a split lip. With their ire now focused on Ertale, the fight dissolved.

“What was that?” Lucie prodded at Asche’s lip.

“Nothing to worry about.” The simple male puffed up at his mate’s attention.

She narrowed her eyes and dug her thumb into the split.

“Ow! Woman, stop that!”

“Tell me. Now.”

Sarsen pulled her off Asche. “Calm yourself.”

“I won’t have you fighting among yourselves. Not for me.”

“We were not fighting about you,” Sarsen said. Asche laughed bitterly. “Not directly. I believe we can revive some of the Fire Valos with their heartstones.”

“I thought they were dead,” Lucie said.

“Some are lifeless, but others can be restored.”

Ertale tapped Sarsen on the shoulder. Was he certain?

“I think so. Some heartstones are shattered and beyond repair. The fire has died in others. There are some… I hope so.” Sarsen reached for Lucie’s hand, his thumb rubbing circles on her now healed palm. “We can bring this city back to life.”

“That does sound nice,” she said.

“It sounds dangerous,” Asche interrupted. “We are not talking about sane valos. They were disturbed. They wanted to die. Let them rest.”

“Before, they only had the choice to die. Now they can chose to live or die,” Sarsen said.

“And if they see Lucie and think her the return of the Creators? Like we did? Do you think they’ll embrace her with welcoming arms or will they try to hurt her? Half of them were already mad when they went into the Forge. Seeing her might just push them over.”

“She’ll stay hidden,” Sarsen said.

“For how long? A day? A year?”

“We’ll explain that she is not a Creator.”

“They are mad! You cannot expect rational behavior from them!”

Lucie flinched at Asche’s shout. Ertale placed a protective arm around her. He’d grind his brother to dust if they continued to upset her.

“Not all of them are insane.”

“You do not know that for certain.”

“They were our tribe. How can be abandon them?”

For a moment Asche’s shoulders softened, Sarsen’s argument persuading him. “They chose to let their fires die. Can you now respect their final wishes?”

“It was my protocol to protect them,” Sarsen said. He stepped right up to Asche, chests nearly touching. “I must do everything I can to help them.”

“Your priority should be to protect your mate,” Asche said.

“We can do both.”

The two males glared at each other, moments away from exchanging blows again.

“Do it.”

They turned to Lucie, stunned.

“Let’s bring them back. Give them a choice.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Asche said.

Lucie shook her head. “Sarsen’s right. They deserve a choice to live or die. Let’s bring them back.”

“And if they want to hurt you?”

“I’ll stay hidden, until we know they’re safe.”

Ertale’s chest swelled with pride at his mate’s compassionate and bravery, perhaps a bit foolhardy nature. He understood Sarsen’s desire to revive their fallen kin but Asche was correct. Reviving the fallen valos was dangerous but he would defend his mate. That was his protocol, after all.

 

Asche

 

He could kill Sarsen. If he didn’t think his mate might be a little annoyed at the demise of one of her mates, he’d lay Sarsen out cold. They had clashed plenty of times in the past. Sarsen was too used to giving orders and being obeyed and Asche was too used to following his own pleasure of the moment for the two males to have never clashed. However, Asche never thought he’d find himself in the position of being the responsible one.

It was unnatural.

Something troubled Sarsen and until the male confessed, Asche glumly followed him back to the Forge.

Over the last few days, Sarsen worked to separate broken heartstones from the undamaged. Asche fashioned cushioned trays to hold the most fragile of the stones. He knew what Sarsen was doing. He separated hope from hopeless, trying to control his own wildly expanding emotions with a near endless task.

Their mate had no means to return to her people. He understood that much. What he also understood was that she may, at some point in the future, try to leave Sonhadra. Her spirit demanded the freedom to choose her fate. This brought him comfort, knowing his mate willingly joined his triad, not because it was the only option. For Sarsen, this only created panic.

“Can you reshape this?” Sarsen thrust out a heartstone. Yesterday he matched heartstones to the fallen bodies in the Forge and calculated which ones had the best chance of revival.

Asche examined the cracked heartstone. The fissures went all the way to the core. The renewing fires had long since evaporated. “I can reseal the surface, but I do not know that it will function.”

“Will you try?”

Asche took the heartstone without answering. Of course he would try. Lucie asked him to help Sarsen. He didn’t need to insult Asche by asking if the male planned to renege.

Contemplating the cracks in the heartstone, Asche knelt at the edge of the renewal pool. The molten liquid bubbled and churned. He could manipulate the surface and reseal the cracks, but the fire was gone. The stone would be empty and lifeless. If there was any chance of success, he needed to rekindle the fire.

He plunged the heartstone into the pool. Heat penetrated deep into his hand, spreading up his arm like wildfire. He hissed. The renewal fires were always unpleasant, but he could suffer mindlessly. Focusing on the heartstone in his hand amplified the pain coursing through his body.

Seal the cracks. The material responded to his will, reshaping and flowing.

With a shout, he yanked his hand out of the liquid fires and stumbled back. Landing on his ass, he cradled the heartstone to his chest.

“Did it work?”

Asche held out the heartstone for inspection. His own palm glowed red from heat, but the heartstone glowed hotter. It burned a brilliant white. Too hot. An incandescent light filled the vault.

“Is it supposed to do that?”

With a loud pop and crack, the light vanished. Asche watched helplessly as the hearthstone crumbled to dust, taking with it a valo’s life that could never be recovered.

“No. It wasn’t supposed to do that.”

Sarsen hung his head and sighed deeply before standing. “Again.”