Chapter Seven
“Well, you’ve complicated things considerably by blowing that wild beast to the Seven Hells—there’s no denying that.” Ren’s face was dour on the small viewscreen of the shuttle.
“Saw that, did you?” Bram sat in the pilot’s chair and sighed as he rubbed at his slightly damp braids.
The sonic shower hadn’t been enough to clean his long, thick hair completely so he’d had to resort to water. Still, he would need a long soak in the bathing pool back on his ship to completely wash away the last microscopic traces of the gnasher’s blood.
“I could hardly miss it,” Ren said dryly. “You exploded the Goddess-damned thing like a roast in a wave-cooker. Did you really have to shoot it so many times?”
“It was headed straight for Alanah,” Bram growled. “I think I went into Rage for a moment—I lost my head.”
His friend sighed. “It’s understandable, I guess. You’ve been dream sharing with her for six solar months—you could hardly be expected to stand by while she was gored to death by a wild…whatever that damned thing was.”
“Don’t even speak of it.” Bram closed his eyes briefly. “Gods, if I’d lost her…”
“Well, you didn’t,” Ren reminded him. “You just made the entire population of females we’re trying to convince we’re harmless think you’re some kind of a dark sorcerer with a pocketful of black magic and a thirst for blood.”
“This isn’t helping, Ren.” Bram pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to drive back the headache that threatened. Gods, he was so damned tired of sleeping in the cramped quarters of the short-range shuttle! Hopefully this would be the last night—if Alanah would consent to come with him tomorrow and try a Claiming Period, that was.
“Do you think she’ll come with you?” Ren asked, speaking his thoughts aloud.
“Gods, I don’t know,” Bram groaned. “I hope so. I know the connection between us is strong. I can almost feel her wanting me the way I want her—but her natural modesty and the way she’s been raised are holding her back.”
“One of those cultures where a female’s virginity is prized above all else, hmm?” Ren raised an eyebrow.
“That’s part of it,” Bram admitted. “But there’s something else as well—something I don’t quite understand yet. I think it’s tied to some kind of superstition that damn Elder Witch has planted in her brain—in all their brains, for that matter. But I don’t know what it is.”
“Can’t you find out?” Ren asked.
“Of course—if Alanah will tell me. But I got the impression she was embarrassed to speak of it. It’s a taboo subject, apparently.” He shook his head. “I wish I could have had more time with her to prove I’m trustworthy before asking her to make this choice.”
“Well, you don’t. Time is short because of the world-killer,” Ren pointed out. “What are you going to do if she chooses not to come with you? Will you take her anyway, for her own good? Will we take a few dozen shuttles and round them up like cattle to bring back to the Mother Ship so they don’t die when the asteroid strikes?”
“You know that’s not how I want to do it,” Bram growled. “How could they ever trust us again if we took them by force? No, Goddess-damn it! There has to be a better way and Alanah is it. If I can convince her to trust me—to bond with me—she can convince her people that we’re trustworthy and we mean them no harm.”
Ren made a wry face. “Well, you’re the captain—we’ll do it your way.”
“Damn straight we will,” Bram snapped, then sighed. “Look, old friend, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just tired right now. Tired and missing my female.”
“You haven’t even formed a bond yet,” Ren pointed out skeptically. “Is she already that dear to you?”
“I feel like a piece of me is missing,” Bram told him truthfully. “Like I left my heart back in that stone castle when I let her walk away from me. It was damn hard to let her go, you know. I had her in my arms—I had to fight the impulse to just turn and run off with her. She’s such a tiny thing I could run for clicks and clicks holding her and never tire.”
“You did the right thing,” Ren said. “You have more than just one female to worry about. We need to save all of them—even the witch you keep talking about.”
Bram sighed. “Yes, even the witch. Although I’m afraid she’s going to turn out to be a lot more trouble than she’s worth.”
“Don’t worry about her for now,” Ren suggested. “Concentrate on convincing Alanah to come back to the ship with you.”
“I’ve done all the convincing I can do,” Bram said. “Now it’s up to her.” He pinched the bridge of his nose again. “She’s probably trying to make up her mind right now. Goddess, I wonder what she’ll decide…”
* * * * *
“There I think that’s the last of it.” Jenla frowned as she helped Alanah wash her hair. The two of them were in the bathing cave wearing their thin white wash shifts for modesty’s sake and trying to get the rest of the gnasher’s blood out of their long tresses.
The white shifts were transparent in the warm water of the hot spring pool but they didn’t show much. Though both girls had full breasts, their nipples were tiny, flat dots and between their legs were only hairless, colorless slits.
This was as it should be. As neither girl was married or given to a man, and neither had been blessed or had a fertility ritual said over their union by the Elder Witch, their flowers had not “bloomed” yet, rendering both of them sexually immature.
“Well, we’re finally clean,” Jenla said, checking her own long hair as well. “I didn’t think we’d ever manage it. That gnasher’s blood went everywhere.”
“It certainly did.” Alanah sighed as she wrung out her wet hair. “I don’t like sleeping damp when it starts to get cold but in this case it’s worth it.”
“You should have told the giant to be more careful not to make such a mess when he was killing that gnasher,” Jenla said lightly. Clearly she was joking, but Alanah frowned.
“His name is Bram, not giant. And he killed the gnasher to save us—both of us.”
“Both of us but mostly you,” Jenla said dryly. “I think he’s quite taken with you—even if he is a giant, my Princess.”
“I know Bram seems like a giant to us, but that’s normal for him, the way our size is normal for us. He can’t help it that his people are bigger than ours.” Alanah pointed out.
“His people?” Jenla’s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. “So…there are more like him?”
“Well…yes,” Alanah admitted. “I believe there are quite a few of them. But they sent Bram as a kind of…emissary. At least that’s how it seems to me.”
“They sent him? Why? What do they want with us?” her friend demanded, starting up.
“Jenla, please…” Alanah took her best friend’s hands and drew the other girl close beside her. “I’ll tell you but you have to swear to keep it to yourself.”
Jenla took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
“All right, my Princess. Whatever you tell me, I’ll keep in the strictest confidence.”
“I know you will.” Alanah fidgeted for a moment, then plunged in. “You see, Bram’s people are all males, the way ours are all females. And, well…”
Jenla’s brown eyes widened. “Are you saying they want to marry us? To take us as wives? But Alanah they’re so huge.”
“I know they are.” Alanah blew out an unhappy breath, puffing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. “But Bram says there are ways to…to help that situation. I don’t know what they are yet—I don’t even know if I believe they would work,” she added quickly, lifting her hands in a gesture of uncertainty. “But if they did, well…wouldn’t it be better than having no one?”
“Having a giant husband? I don’t know…” Jenla shook her head. “Yulen was the same height as me—we could look directly into each other’s eyes. We fit together so well when…when he held me.”
“I know it would be strange and different but if it could work, well…think of it, Jenla! We could have husbands and fathers and lovers again. Children to love and raise and to help us when we age. Families instead of just a bunch of women growing old together.”
“But how could we have their children?” Jenla asked practically. “They’re certain to be big everywhere and even if Thiera promised to do her most potent fertility ritual I don’t see how anyone’s petals could, uh, spread that wide.”
She blushed as she spoke and Alanah blushed as well. But she lifted her chin, trying to overcome her embarrassment.
“I don’t see how either but, well, Bram has promised to show me.”
“What?” Jenla’s eyes widened even further. “And you’re going to let him? But how, Alanah? How will you convince Thiera to work a fertility ritual for you so that your flower will bloom? You know she doesn’t like him.”
“It doesn’t matter if she likes Bram or not—she has to do the ritual if I declare an intention of marriage,” Alanah said stubbornly. “It’s in the letter of our law. Once an intention is declared, the Elder Witch must uphold it.”
“An intention of marriage? Would you really go so far?” Jenla sounded aghast. “But Alanah, you’ve only known him two days.”
“I’ve known him longer than that.”
Taking a deep breath, Alanah told her friend what she had dared to tell no one before—of the dreams she’d shared and had been sharing for months with her giant. Jenla listened quietly but with an uncertain look on her face as Alanah spoke. She didn’t interrupt once.
“So you see,” Alanah finished, “I’ve known him in my dreams for the length of a standard engagement period already. And the connection I feel for him, Jenla…” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think how to describe it. “It’s so deep…so true. I know Bram would never hurt me—know that he only wants to love and protect me.”
“And…do you really think you can trust these feelings—these dreams?” Jenla asked quietly. “Are you certain they aren’t more magic?”
“It isn’t magic but the way of his people—of the Kindred,” Alanah said firmly. “They are mostly male and when they find a female they are able to mate with, their minds align and they begin to share dreams. Bram explained it to me.”
“It still sounds like magic to me,” Jenla said doubtfully. “But a good kind of magic at least. Not like all the mumbling and potions and powders and spells Thiera deals in.”
“No, nothing like that.” Alanah sighed. “She’s not even speaking to me now—did you know it? I’m afraid to think what kind of rumors she’s spreading about Bram.” She shook her head. “It’s going to make leaving with him tomorrow all the more interesting.”
“So you’re determined to go?” Jenla asked. “You’re determined to marry him? But you have no father to give you away.”
“I’ll give myself to him,” Alanah said decisively. “After all, my father left the throne to me. If I don’t have the authority to say who takes my hand in marriage, I don’t know who does.”
“Thiera will think she does,” Jenla predicted darkly. “She won’t like performing a ritual for your blooming.”
“She doesn’t have to like it as long as she does it.” Alanah spoke with more bravado than she felt. She was dreading the confrontation she knew was coming at breakfast the next morning when she announced she was leaving with her giant.
Because she was certain now—she and Bram were meant to be together. She didn’t know how it would be accomplished but she had seen him do miraculous things already and had faith he could do more. As long as she got a fertility ritual from the Elder Witch—no matter how grudgingly given—so that her flower could bloom, she was certain that Bram would be able to help her open even further to receive his shaft.
At least, she desperately hoped so. For more and more her body ached for him, ached to feel his big, warm hands caressing her skin…his mouth on hers…touching and kissing everywhere…
“Alanah? My Princess?” Jenla’s voice brought her back to reality.
“Hmm?” Alanah looked up, blinking.
“The tea we ordered from the kitchens is here.” Jenla nodded thanks to the girl who had served them and held up two steaming earthenware mugs. “Something to warm us up before we have to go to bed.”
“Oh good—which one is mine?” Alanah shivered. The water in the bathing cave was tepid at best and she dreaded getting out of it and drying off in the frigid air.
Jenla sniffed the mugs. “Hmm…rosehips and mint in this one and…chamomile and sweetbush in this one.” She handed the second mug to Alanah. “Your favorite.”
“Thank you.” Alanah took a sniff before drinking deeply of the steaming liquid. “Hmm…” Frowning, she pulled the mug away and made a face.
“What is it?” Jenla was sipping from her own mug. “Don’t you like the taste?”
“I think whoever made it overdid the sweetbush,” Alanah remarked. “It’s much stronger than usual…almost cloying.”
“Would you like some of mine?” Jenla asked, holding out her mug. “I don’t mind and you know you like rosehips too.” She winked at Alanah. “They make for sweet dreams, so I’m told.”
Alanah blushed, recognizing her friend’s oblique reference to the dreams she’d shared with Bram.
“That’s all right. I’m warm enough—I’ll just get out and dry off now.” She yawned. “I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.”
“So you’re really going with him? How long will you be gone?” Jenla asked.
“Only four days. The harvest is all in so at least I won’t be missing much work.” Alanah yawned again. “Goodness—suddenly I’m so tired.”
“Well, it’s been a long day,” her friend observed. “Maybe we’d both better get to bed.”
“Agreed.” Sighing, Alanah prepared to exit the warm water. “I’m going now. Good night, Jenla. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“I don’t think you’ll notice me much if your giant is there.” Jenla’s brown eyes danced with mischief, though there was still worry far back in their depths. Suddenly she leaned forward. “Oh Alanah—are you sure you’re doing the right thing, marrying him?” she asked quietly.
“Look around, Jenla—who else would I marry?” Alanah asked reasonably. “But even if the plague hadn’t come, even if we still had all our men, I would still want to marry Bram. I care for him so deeply—and he cares for me too.”
“I pray to all the gods you’re right.” Jenla murmured. “Good night, my Princess,” she added as Alanah wrung out her bathing garment as well as she could and wrapped herself in a long towel.
“Good night,” Alanah said for the second time and yawned. “See you in the morning.”
She was beginning to feel so sleepy she could hardly keep her eyes open. It made her wonder if she would be too tired to dream-share with Bram tonight—she hoped not. She longed to see her giant again, even if it was only in her dreams.
But soon enough I’ll be in his arms and go with him, she told herself. Go with him to his ship and see all the things I’ve dreamed about for so long come true…