Chapter 6

 

 

The Next Morning

 

Zander stood by the landing field awaiting the shuttles bringing the Morinians down to the surface. Once the shuttles arrive, the Morinians will follow Zander and his team through the jungles up into the mountainous region one of the villages is hidden. Their arrival was sooner than they had been expecting, and he had to dress quickly to come out with Leader LarIS to greet them. He left his sister to get dressed and come when she was ready, preferably with HonORa.

Last night had been an awakening of feelings he thought were long gone. If he hadn’t been interrupted he might have continued kissing his priestess. Unfortunately they were interrupted.

After he had gone back into the banquet the night before, he found that his sister was feeling uncomfortable and wanted to go to their quarters. She offered to go alone but he didn’t want to do that. Zander didn’t have time to let HonORa.

He wished he had asked where he HonORa was staying. He didn’t sleep well at all, his thoughts of her and her response to him kept him awake. Her scent haunted him and he ended up taking a cold shower to cool off his body. Hopefully, they would have plenty of time to pick back up what they had started while traveling to the mountain village. He stood impatiently waiting on these strange aliens to arrive but all he really wanted to do was to seek out HonORa.

“Go slow with the priestess,” LarIS warned him.

He looked over at the male and suddenly remembered that LarIS could read thoughts. “What do you know of her?”

“I know quite a bit, because of my ability. I don’t try to intrude but sometimes people’s thoughts are so loud, I can’t ignore them. At the same time, I do try to respect people’s privacy and keep what I hear to myself.”

 That wasn’t an answer. Zander looked around the landing field. “I don’t see her here.”

“She and your sister will be coming soon. Priestess HonORa wanted to go to the temple once more before your team embarks to the mountains. Your sister is having breakfast with my Lola.”

He nodded and focused on the shuttle he could see far away in the sky. Thoughts of HonORa would have to wait. Zander rolled his shoulders and kept his body lose in case he needed to defend himself. He swore that he would never be caught off guard by an enemy again.

*****

HonORa knelt at the altar. She knew it was time to head to the landing field. A warrior had already stopped by her quarters early that morning to take her bag to load into the shuttle. This visit to the temple was a last-minute thing she felt she needed especially after last night.

“Goddess, help me put aside these confusing feelings about Zander so that I can serve you. I don’t know what to do. I have never felt this before.”

“What feelings have you confused, my child?” a female voice asked.

She startled, opening her eyes. She looked around but didn’t see anyone. “Is someone here?”

“I am always with you,” the voice said again.

The voice was instant and very close. Feeling anxious and unsure, she stood up and started to search the small open-air temple. She didn’t find anyone. Perhaps it was all in her head.

“I can hear you whether you speak aloud or in your head.” The answer was in her mind.

“Goddess?”

“Yes, child.”

“I don’t understand…why are you only now speaking to me?”

“I have spoken to you many times, mostly in your dreams.”

Tears streamed down HonORa’s face as she recalled memories that were faded in her recollection but for some reason she could at that moment remember them with clarity. Many times over the years she had called out to the goddess because she felt pain in her heart. Each time the goddess answered her and comforted her. The goddess must have made those memories fade afterward.

“What is troubling you?”

“Goddess, I have served you with my whole heart and soul.”

“That is true. You have been deeply committed and you are one of my favored children.”

She felt warmed by the goddess’s words. “I have never before questioned my decision to serve you, but I met this male who makes me question my life choices. He stirs things in me that I don’t want. If you could just help me overcome those feelings he brings out in me, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“You were but a child when you promised me your life in servitude. Perhaps this male is the direction I wish for you to take.”

“I…that can’t be. I lost TomAZ. He had been my life. When he died, I made serving you my life.”

“You have served me well. Now, I give you a gift of a new life…but you must choose it.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Listen to your heart, my child. It won’t lead you wrong.” The Goddess’s voice faded but HonORa felt warm and loved.

Maybe this whole thing with Zander would fizzle out. Then she could go back to serving the goddess as she had done before. Checking the time, she realized she had to make her way to the landing field. It was a good ten-minute walk and the fresh air would help her clear her thoughts.

Leaving the temple she waved at a few of the colonists that were clearing the stone pathway. Everyone she met here welcomed her and made her feel like she fit in with the. Maybe they preferred her company to the chief priestess. Goddess that was a horrible thing to think.

When she finally arrived at the edge of the field, she saw Lizetta first. She was also making her way to the landing field. “Good morning, Lizetta.”

Lizetta turned to face her with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. There were also dark circles underneath. “Good morning,” she replied.

“Did you sleep well?” She was worried about the girl. She evidently felt so uncomfortable at the banquet she had Zander take her back to their quarters.

The girl shrugged her thin shoulders. “It’s hard adjusting to a new place. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes that’s true. When I first came here I kept waking up early in the morning to sounds of birds that we don’t have on Katiera.”

They walked together toward the landing field, but one of the warriors motioned for them to stop. “A shuttle is landing. We want to get it secure on the ground before allowing anyone else near.”

“Of course, thank you,” HonORa said as she waited with Lizetta.

“There it is!” Lizetta pointed up into the sky just as a silver shape descended through the clouds. “I’ll never get used to seeing that.”

HonORa smiled, glad to see the girl’s face light up with excitement. It must be strange to have grown on up on a planet where space travel, and even modern conveniences such as electricity and running water, didn’t exist and then to suddenly be thrust into that world—she didn’t think she would have been able to handle it quite as well as Lizetta.

The shuttle landed on the designated landing spot. The doors remained shut while several warriors secured the area. They gave the clear motion so she and Lizetta started walking again. As the shuttle door lowered and became a ramp, two males exited, one with dark brown hair and the other was bald. She had met the bald-headed male once before on Kiljor. He was Commander AshOR, who served the Colonists. The other male was LornER, a friend of TomAZ’s. She hadn’t seen him in a few years.

Three other people exited the shuttle. A blonde female from Earth whom she had met before, another female she first thought was a Katieran with long dark hair, but then HonORa noticed that her skin was slightly paler, and then there was a slightly older female that followed them. Her attention was drawn by the blonde. She walked over to Zander and threw her arms around him in a very easy manner like she had done it dozens of times. Zander lifted the female and twirled her around, making the female laugh. It was clear that Zander had feelings for the female. She felt a very unfamiliar feeling—jealousy. Who was that female? She must have asked out loud because Lizetta answered her.

“That’s our friend, Ava. She helped save our people when the Morins attacked. Don’t worry, Zander may have been interested in her at one time but she is now fully mated to Commander AshOR.”

So Zander had been interested in the pretty blonde who now planted a kiss on his cheek. At least the male AshOR was handling the situation by pulling them apart. She felt a little guilty for her possessive feelings. She was a priestess and certainly not in a relationship with Zander. That didn’t quell the satisfaction she felt when he turned her way and gave her a heart-melting smile.

Commander AshOR made the introductions. “Leader LarIS, this is the Morinian commander, Kayley, and the Morinian leader, Lidia.”

Zander looked a bit shocked to see two of the most prominent positions held by females. HonORa almost snorted at his archaic sentiment. Unfortunately, the world HonORa was raised in was mostly male dominated because the females were so few. Zander was introduced and he turned to introduce his sister, who walked to his side. LarIS then turned to introduce HonORa.

“This is Priestess HonORa.”

Both Morinian females turned to her and smiled warmly. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Priestess.”

“Welcome. I hope your trip to the Colony was pleasant.”

Leader Lidia answered, “We had a rough moment but all is well.”

“Where will you be taking our people?” Commander Kayley demanded, looking around suspiciously.

Leader LarIS spoke, “We are sending coordinates now so that the other shuttles will meet at three different coordinates.”

“Why split us up?” Kayley asked, not sounding too pleased with the plan.

“Safety reasons. So many shuttles arriving and traveling in a convoy would draw attention that we don’t need,” LarIS explained.

“Does your people resent us like the Katierans and Kiljorns? We’ve had to shuffle our people around for months. We need time to just…be. At least until a new home world can be located.”

“Unfortunately, there are those among my people who would be very resistant to harboring Morins,” LarIS told them, shaking his head.

“We’re not Morins!” Kayley exclaimed.

Leader Lidia placed a calming hand on Kayley’s arm. “They do not know us yet. Once they do, they will know that we are nothing like the Morins.”

“You come from the Morin line,” Zander stated with his arms crossed over his chest.

Kayley glared at him but Lidia was the one who spoke. “We broke off from that line decades ago when we fled our dying home world. I’m sorry for what the Morins did to your people, to all your peoples, but we are not the same. Do not judge us for things we had no control over.”

HonORa gave Zander an angry look as she moved forward to calm the females. “Of course you’re not the same as the Morins. Leader LarIS is wise, though, to keep your arrival secret in order to protect not only your people, but also his own. If the Morins knew where to find you, they would lead an attack on the Colonists.”

“We wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Lidia reassured her.

HonORa called on the goddess as she placed a hand on the arms of both females. “We don’t wish that for anyone, either. The goddess has plans for you, that’s why she kept you alive and have brought you here. We all need to show a little faith.”

Lidia smiled warmly. “I agree, faith is what held us together all these years.”