Chapter 11

 

 

Zander was up before the sun rose. He always was an early riser. That hadn’t changed since leaving Norad. The early riser always found the best pick of the prey. He checked his sister’s room and was glad to see her sleeping peacefully. She must have played hard yesterday and tired herself out. He was grateful for that. Seeing her act her age and let her guard down a little gave him hope that she would be okay.

Walking into the kitchen, he opened the cabinets and took a survey of what foods and utensils they had. The cottages were outfitted with the same equipment that was used in the prime cities on Katiera and Kiljor. It was still new for him, nothing like what he grew up with. He missed the open fire pits and slow cooking the meat until it fell off the bone. The flavor isn’t something that could easily be replicated. He did have to appreciate the advantages of having foods cooled and cooking time cut in half.

“You’re up early,” Lizetta commented drowsily as she walked over to the couch and sprawled on it.

He smiled at her. Lizetta was not a morning person. He remembered how their mother would have to call her multiple times to get her up. His father just said that Lizetta was one of the rare flowers that only bloomed at night and that she needed the rest so that she could be more beautiful each rising. Goddess he missed his parents.

He cleared his throat which had clogged up with emotions. “I’m ready to get to work.”

“What are you working on today?”

“I wanted to meet with the Morinian elders. I need to ask them questions about the Morins, every detail they can give me on how they made their split from them to whether they know of places that the Morins would go to hide. For them to evade capture all these years would mean that they knew what areas to avoid.”

Lizetta sat up. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but don’t you think the Katieran and Kiljorn leaders asked them about all of that before even sending them here?”

“I’m sure they did, but even the smallest detail could help us locate the remaining Morins. Sometimes it takes being asked multiple time for people to come up with something they hadn’t thought about before.”

“I just don’t like you getting so involved with the Morins.”

He knew talking about the Morins was a sore spot for Lizetta, so he changed the subject. “Why don’t you go back to bed? It’s still quite early.”

“I’m up now; I won’t be able to fall asleep,” Lizetta said as she looked at him.

“Are you hungry for breakfast?”

“Yes I’m starving. I’ll help you,” she offered, standing up.

Relief filled him at her words. He worried about her losing so much weight. It was like watching her disappear before his very eyes. If coming to the Colony and making friends is helping her appetite come back, then he was eternally grateful to the goddess for this chance.

Lizetta came into the kitchen and easily fell in place helping him. He remembered how their mother and Lizetta would often cook the meals and he and his father would clean up afterward. Sharing the duty of cooking was something they had done since they left Norad. It was comforting, making them both feel a little closer to their parents.

It made him think about how his people hadn’t had a chance to mourn their loss with any kind of buriel ceremony. He had hoped once they made a decision on where they would like their home to be they could do that, give his people closure. He pushed those thoughts aside for now.

Zander and Lizetta worked together making breakfast. Lizetta was setting their plates on the table when she frowned. “We made a lot of food. Should I go invite Priestess HonORa over to share with us?”

His shoulders pulled back as he straightened up in his seat. “Yes, I can invite her.”

“No, you’re already sitting. I won’t be but a minute.”

“Will she even be awake at this time? It’s early.”

“She gets up early to do morning prayers at the temple. Well, there’s no temple here in the village, but I’m sure she still gets up for her prayers.”

He watched Lizetta walk out the door and hoped that HonORa would agree to come. Standing up, he quickly walked over to the kitchen cabinet where the dishes were stored.

“We have a guest for the morning meal!” Lizetta called out as she came back in. HonORa followed her.

He piled food on the plate and poured a glass of fresh-squeezed fruit, it was yellow a round squishy thing but his friend Ava had told him it tasted like a fruit on Earth called an orange. He brought the food to the table and sat the plate and glass down in front of HonORa. She looked up at him and his breath caught at her beauty when she smiled. Goddess she was lovely first thing in the morning.

“Good morning, HonORa.”

“Good morning Zander. Thank you for inviting to eat with you. It looks and smells delicious.”

“Zander makes the best breakfast pockets. It has cheese, vegetables, and eggs,” Lizetta bragged.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had this combination before,” HonORa said as she used her fork to cut off a piece and lift it to her lips.

Zander couldn't look away as she placed the food in between her lips. He shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling tightness in his pants. Did she know what she did to him?

“Mmm…this is wonderful.”

Goddess, help me! He prayed silently.

“Told ya,” Lizetta said, eating some herself. “I slept more last night than I have in ages. How did you sleep, Priestess?”

“Please, call me HonORa. I slept fine, thank you.”

He looked over at her and noticed that her cheeks were reddened. What caused that reaction in her? Did she dream of him as he had dreamed of her? He certainly hoped so. In his dreams he had made love to her over and over. He woke up with a deep need to be deep inside of her.

Zander cleared his throat. “What plans do you have for today HonORa?”

“I am going to make sure the Morinians are settled and have everything they need. Then I’m going to visit the villagers. Many of them rarely leave their homes when others visit. I want to reassure them that they have nothing to fear from the Morinians. I was hoping that Lizetta would come with me to lend a hand.”

“Yes, I would love to help out. I want to get to know the villagers better. Zander’s going to be gone most of the day. I would sit here bored, otherwise,” Lizetta replied.

HonORa looked over at him. “Will you be back for the midday meal? The villagers are planning on preparing a large stew and serving it in the town square. They do that from time to time, and everyone joins in. They thought it would be a perfect way to welcome the Morinians. Also, I would like to introduce you to some of the villagers that I have become close to.”

“In that case, I will make every effort to come for the midday meal,” Zander promised them.

Their eyes met and that electric current between them sizzled again, making their physical distance seem to nearly disappear. It took him a second to realize that his sister was saying something to him. He flushed as he turned to give her his full attention. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I wanted to know if you’re okay with me working with HonORa today. I didn’t ask first.”

“You don’t have to ask me first on things like that. I do realize that you’re growing up—

maybe a little faster than I would like, but that’s my issue to deal with not yours. I trust your judgement and I trust HonORa.”

They all ate in a comfortable atmosphere, with light conversation. It was one of the most relaxed and enjoyable meals he had in a long time. His sister lit up with questions about the village and he was impressed with HonORa’s ease and patience answering all the questions she was asked. HonORa fit in with his little family. It made him feel enormously pleased. The only thing missing was his parents but he knew that they would have adored HonORa. He was feeling so at ease, he even asked a few questions of his own.

“How long have you been on the Colony?”

“I’ve been here just a few months.”

“Do you stay in the village or down in the Colonial prime city?”

“I’ve split my time between the two because I’ve made friends in both locations. Thankfully, the village is equipped with some modern technology. I’ve never been good at camping out.”

“Oh, we love going out into nature, right Zander?” Lizetta commented.

“Yes, but I think I’ve been spoiled. I find myself enjoying the luxuries of a soft mattress and hot running water.”

Lizetta laughed. “That wasn’t always the case. When we first arrived on Katiera Zander kept going out onto the balcony to sleep. He snored so loud that warriors were called to investigate the disturbance, fearing a wild creature was loose in the city.”

“It wasn’t that bad, believe me.” Zander tried to deny it, but he smiled with humor. It had been a long time since his sister had teased him like this.

HonORa laughed. “Since my wall is next to your, I may just discover the truth for myself.”

He winked at her, “Maybe you will.”

*****

Oh my Goddess! Did I just invite myself to his bed? Or was he inviting me? She felt heat rise in her cheeks. She put another fork full of food in her mouth to keep from saying anything else that was embarrassing. Glancing over at Lizetta, the girl had a smile on her face as she ate but didn’t make any comments. Either she didn’t understand the faux pas HonORa made, or she was pleased about it for some reason.

“So, what things are you going to be doing today, Zander?”

“I’m going to help Leader ZenIM and hopefully question the Morinian elders.”

“What do you want to question them about?” HonORa asked curiously.

“Everything they know about the Morins. They may know areas that the Morins like to return to from time to time.”

“I’m sure that Prime Leaders RendEL and KadEN have questioned them thoroughly by now.”

“That’s what I told him, too,” Lizetta said with satisfaction.

“Yes, they probably have. However, as the leader of the remaining Norads, I have the right to ask my own questions and to seek justice for my people.”

HonORa placed her fork down. “What if there are no more Morins to punish?”

“I don’t believe they’re all gone.”

“The ones that attacked your people are, right?”

“We don’t know that for sure. I have to trust others that they were dealt with. I want to handle this myself.”

She didn’t like the hard look that came into his eyes. There was such hatred there when he talked about the Morins. As a priestess for the goddess, she was all about love and support of others. How could she support him when he sought the death of others? At the same time, how would she feel if almost all of her people had been annihilated? She didn’t know the answer to that and it disturbed her.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to do a few things before I head out to check on the villagers. I’ll come back to get you, Lizetta, in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be ready,” Lizetta told her.

HonORa nodded at Lizetta but didn’t look over at Zander. Once again, the differences between them may prove to be too great to overcome. If it was someone else she would tell them that the goddess would never give them a situation they couldn’t handle. That the goddess would lend her strength to those who asked it of her to help them. Was this the true path the goddess wants her to take? No response came from the goddess which meant that she had choices she had to make and no one not even the goddess can make those decisions for her.