“Well claiming’s all well and good,” I pointed out. “But he still hasn’t actually said that he loves me. He just said we’re chemically bonded. Apparently it’s like some kind of addiction.” I sighed. Even now I could feel a craving for him—I had a strong urge to find him and sink into his arms and never leave. Only my pride and the uncertainty I felt held me back.
“Oh yes—it is like an addiction.” Sellah nodded. “Especially when you’re newly bonded. I’ve heard that the craving for your beloved gets easier to bear after a few cycles but it’s very strong and urgent at first.”
“Yeah, well…” I sighed and crossed my arms, fighting the urge to go to the big alien with all my might. I needed to figure this out before I went rushing into anything else. “Maybe I don’t want to be addicted. Maybe…maybe I want to go home.”
“You can visit your home planet, I’m certain,” Sellah said. “Sarden’s not a tyrant—he wouldn’t refuse to take you.”
“Visiting once in a while isn’t the same as living there,” I said. “I have friends there and a life. Not a very exciting life but still… It’s a hard choice to make. Especially since I’m not sure what he wants.”
“Well, ask him.” Sellah sounded exasperated. “Tell him you love him.”
“Uh-uh.” I shook my head firmly. “Look, I’ve been in relationships before where I said the L word first—it was a complete disaster. You can’t do that—the girl can’t I mean. I’m a feminist but also a realist—and the reality is, the guy wants to be the one to say it first. If the girl says it first…” I shook my head. “I just don’t want him to feel like I’m pressuring him into anything.”
“I don’t think he would feel pressured,” Sellah said quietly. “And I don’t think he’d be upset if you told him—out loud—how you really feel. You don’t give my brother enough credit—I’m certain he’s wished for years that he could find a female he was able to bond with.”
“No offense to your brother,” I said carefully. “But I’m not going to assume he’s dying to jump into a life-long commitment unless he says so.”
“But you’re already in a life-long commitment,” she pointed out. “Your bond—”
“Is it completely unbreakable?” I interrupted. “I mean, not that I want to break it because, well, I don’t.” I shrugged uncomfortably. “But what if Sarden wants to? What then?”
Sellah shook her head. “What strange customs you must have on your planet. Among the Twelve Peoples that grew from the seeds planted by the Ancient Ones, it’s known that a bond between a male and a female is inviolable. It might fade in time, if you were determined to live apart, but part of you will always be bonded to part of Sarden, no matter what.”
“Wow,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Who knew that unprotected sex could have such long-reaching consequences?”
“It’s not just physical intimacy that forms the bond—although that is what seals it,” Sellah lectured. “It’s the fact that you couldn’t bond with one who was wrong for you. The biological reaction simply wouldn’t happen with an incompatible male, no matter how many times you, uh, made love with them.”
She blushed as she spoke and I realized something about her.
“Oh my God, you’re a virgin, aren’t you?”
Still blushing, she nodded. “And I’ll have to remain one my entire life. The Ria of Eloim is not allowed to be bonded to any male but the Rea. But if the Rea is her blood relative rather than her mate, she must remain celibate throughout her reign.”
“Wow—that’s tough,” I said sympathetically. “No wonder you don’t want to rule.”
“It’s not just that.” She sighed. “Although, I have to be honest that’s a big part of it. I wish I could find a male who would care for me the way my brother cares for you—but I never will. It is forbidden.”
She looked so sad that I put an arm around her shoulders and gave her an impulsive hug. After a moment, Sellah hugged me back and sighed again.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what I want. I have to try and take the throne back for the good of Eloim. Even before he had me snatched away, Hurxx was already implementing some policies that favored the rich over the poor and were designed to line his pockets and the pockets of his advisors. The Goddess of Mercy alone knows what he’s gotten up to since he got me out of the way.”
“You’ll fix it,” I said. “As soon as you kick him out.”
She shook her head. “It might not be that easy. The Council of the People is going to be very reluctant to de-throne a sitting Rae, especially one wearing the Star of Wisdom. In fact, as long as he has the Star on, he’s legally the ruler of Eloim and no one can say otherwise.”
“And you can’t take it off him?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I could try, I suppose, though traditionally only the Rae himself is supposed to remove it. But if the Star truly believes he is worthy to rule, it will refuse to be removed.”
“You have to try, though,” I said. “It sounds like the only way to prove what a fake he is.”
She gave a short, unhappy laugh. “I doubt he’ll give me a chance. He has a personal guard around him at all times—no one gets within ten feet of him.”
“Well…maybe it will be enough just to accuse him publicly and tell everyone what he did,” I said lamely.
“Maybe.” Sellah shrugged. “All I can do is try.” Reaching for my hand, she squeezed it and smiled gratefully. “I’m just glad you and my brother will be there for me when I do it.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” I promised, squeezing back.
But inside I wondered how in the world we were going to manage this. How could we put Sellah back on the throne if we couldn’t prove that Hurxx was unfit to rule in the first place?
I had no idea, but as Sellah said, all we could do was try. And as for my bond with Sarden, well, I would worry about it later, when all this was taken care of.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Zoe
“This is it. Are you ready? You certainly look ready. You look gorgeous.”
I looked Sellah up and down, completely in awe of how royal she looked. Al had really outdone himself with the clothing synthesizer this time. Sellah looked like the queen she was in the long red gown and white fur cape he had made for her. The red of her dress brought out the creamy tones of her brown skin, making her look absolutely regal and beautiful. Her dark hair was loose and flowed over her shoulders in glossy profusion that made me jealous—why couldn’t my hair behave like that?
For me, Al had made a similar gown but in blue instead of red. The cape I was wearing was black and not as long. In fact, it was more like a half-cape and I thought it looked kind of weird but Al assured me that it was the latest in Eloim fashion. At least the dress was pretty—the deep blue material was cut low in the front and dipped in to hug my curves and show off my hourglass shape. The shoes that went with it were sort of like a cross between clogs and flip-flops with tall wooden heels and a jeweled thong that went between my toes. They were surprisingly comfortable.
“I think we both look ready. That color of blue really brings out your eyes.” Sellah smiled at me. “Blue is such an exotic color for eyes.”
I laughed. “Says the girl with gorgeous golden peepers.”
She made a face. “Everyone on Eloim has golden eyes and dark hair. Believe me, Zoe, they’re going to take one look at your beautiful red hair and blue eyes and fall madly in love with you. Especially when they hear you’re a La-ti-zal.”
“Well, they’re not going to be focusing on me—it’s you we want to highlight,” I pointed out.
“I know.” She shrugged her slim shoulders. “I’m just saying that having you as a bonded mate may go a long way towards making Sarden more…respectable. It’s a known fact that not just any male can secure a La-ti-zal as a mate. Having you at his side will make him appear more legitimate in the eyes of the people.”
“Well, if you say so.” I shrugged. �
�I mean, I’m happy to help but he and I still haven’t really figured out—”
“Figured out what?” Sarden suddenly appeared in my doorway with Grav right behind him. Both of them were dressed in black, straight-legged trousers with short, tight, long-sleeved jackets to match. Sarden’s jacket was pure white and Grav’s was crimson. The Eloim male equivalent of fancy dress clothes reminded me a little of a matador’s outfit, although their trouser legs were tucked into tall, shiny black boots instead of ending at the knee.
“Haven’t quite figured out how to wear my hair yet,” I said quickly, when Sellah looked like she might say something. “What do you think—up or down?” I gathered my red curls in a chignon at the nape of my neck to demonstrate.
“Down,” he said at once. “Your hair is too beautiful to hide.”
“Thank you.” I could feel myself blushing and also, now that he was in close proximity, I could feel the need to be close to him. To be touching him.
Whoa, girl—rein it in, I told myself sternly. It’s a chemical reaction and until you figure out exactly what’s going on, you need to keep a lid on it.
Which was easier said than done—especially when Sarden was eating me up with his eyes.
“Um…are we all ready to go?” I asked, trying and failing not to lust after him. He looked really hot in fancy dress clothes. The fitted jacket seemed to emphasize his broad shoulders and the snug trousers showed off his perfect ass.
“Tellum is preparing the shuttle—we’ll go directly to the palace,” Sarden said. “We should be just in time to catch the last bit of Grievance Day.” He looked at Sellah. “You look lovely, little sister. Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He nodded briefly. “Then let’s go.”
* * * * *
The atmosphere of Eloim was surprisingly Earth-like with blue skies and green grass and vegetation—well, greenish anyway. It was more turquoise than what I would call actual grass-green. Still, it looked close enough to home to make me happy.
The royal palace, however, wasn’t what I had expected. But of course, what I had expected was Cinderella’s Castle from Disney World. I don’t know why—because that’s what comes to mind when I think of palaces and kings and queens and fairy tales, I guess. But the palace of Eloim wasn’t like that—there were no soaring buttresses or high turrets or tall towers. In fact, it wasn’t very vertical at all—I think the whole structure was no more than one story high.
But what a story. It was a long, low, gray stone complex that seemed to stretch for miles. In fact, I thought it looked more like a small city than a dwelling place for a royal family.
“These halls we’re passing through are behind the common areas,” Sellah explained in an undertone as we made our way through what seemed like miles of echoing stone corridors. “This is where the lower couriers and servants live—the footmen, the maids, the—”
“The muck workers?” I suggested, grinning.
She smiled. “Yes, them too, I suppose. We’ll be coming to the more restricted area soon.”
“Will we be able to get in?” I asked. We were traveling by hidden routes through the palace as much as possible. Also, Sellah was wearing an opaque black veil that hid her face. We didn’t want Hurxx alerted until the moment we stepped foot into the throne room.
“There will be guards posted at the doors of the throne room. I suppose we’ll find out if they’re loyal to Hurxx or Sellah,” Sarden said grimly.
“Doesn’t matter.” Despite his fancy clothes, Grav looked positively menacing. “They’ll get out of the way if they know what’s good for them.”
“Please—no violence.” Tellum sounded nervous. “We cannot appear to be a gang of thugs pushing our way into the throne room.” He gave Grav a nervous, sidelong glance which the other male returned with a wild, white grin. Clearly Grav was spoiling for a fight—I wondered if he would get one.
“We’ll rein it in as much as possible,” Sarden promised. “But one way or another, Sellah has to be seen—and not just by the Council—by the common folk as well. They love her.”
“They loved me, you mean.” Sellah sounded unhappy. “I’ve been gone for months.”
“They’ll remember you,” Sarden said reassuringly. “In fact—”
But just then we turned the corner and found ourselves facing a broad, arched wooden door bound with golden hinges. And standing on either side of the door were two Eloim guards. They were wearing scarlet and gold uniforms and holding some nasty looking weapons that looked like a cross between a spear and a pickaxe.
They turned at once and one said,
“Halt. None may enter the throne room without a pass.”
“And even if you’ve got one,” the other guard said. “Grievance Day is almost over. You’d do better to return on the next one.”
“We’re not going back.” Grav stepped up to face them, a low growl rising in his throat.
I saw the guards go pale but they stood their ground, leveling their pickaxe-spears at the huge alien.
“This isn’t necessary,” Sarden said. He looked at the guards sternly. “Open in the name of the Ria.”
Sellah stepped up and lifted her veil to let the two of them see her face.
At once, the two of them fell to their knees.
“My lady! Forgive us! We didn’t know!”
“That’s all right,” Sellah said gently, smiling at them. “Just open the doors—quietly if you please—and let us pass.”
They fell over themselves doing it and soon the arched door was swinging quietly open, allowing us to enter the throne room.
We came in from the side, with the throne on our left and stopped just inside the doorway. There was a kind of shadowy alcove there where we were able to stand unnoticed.
I noticed at once that the people in the room seemed to be divided into different groups. The ones at the back of the room, farthest from the throne, must be the common people, I thought. They were dressed in simple clothes and seemed to be waiting patiently. Closer to the throne, the clothing got dressier and dressier—these must be the nobles and couriers, I supposed. Standing right near the throne I saw a group of older Eloim males, all wearing long, sober black robes. Tellum was dressed the same so I assumed these were the members of the Council of the People, which appeared to be sort of like a Parliament that kept the Rae and Ria in check.
The throne itself was a long golden chair, almost like a fancy bench with a high back. It had two crimson cushions on it and was clearly meant for two people to sit on. However, it had a single occupant now.
A large, rather flabby-looking Eloim male with a long, luxuriant curling mane of black hair was lounging on it so that he took up both cushions. He was dressed in a gold brocade jacket which was too small to contain his gut. It spilled out under the jacket and over his tight gold trousers, resulting in a pronounced potbelly. The crimson satin-like material of his shirt was stretched tight over it in a ridiculous and not-very-attractive way.
That has to be Hurxx, I thought, eyeing the lounging Eloim with distaste. On his head he wore a golden circlet with a single, luminous blue-green jewel set right in the middle, like a diadem. The jewel seemed to pulse with some kind of energy. Though his hair flopped when he turned his head, the crown—which had to be the Star of Wisdom—stayed very firmly in place and didn’t move so much as a millimeter. Around his neck he wore a gaudy gold chain set with jewels of the same color.
“There he is—the bastard,” I heard Sarden growl.
He started to go towards the throne but Tellum put a restraining hand on his arm and pulled him back to the shadowy alcove we were standing in.
“Be patient. Let me pick the moment to reveal the Ria,” he said in a low voice.
Sarden subsided, still growling, but I could feel his anger and frustration through the link we now shared. I couldn’t say that I blamed him, either. Hurxx had sold his sister
into slavery just to get rid of her and he didn’t look like he felt guilty for it one bit.
Asshole.
“What’s that necklace he’s wearing?” I murmured to Sellah—for some reason the gold chain with its blue-green stones kept drawing my eyes. “Is it official court jewelry—like the Star of Wisdom?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Or at least, it wasn’t official before Hurxx had it commissioned. He had it made before we were crowned to wear to the coronation and he’s never taken it off since. He wears it everywhere, whether it matches his outfit or not.”
I made a face. “Doesn’t look like it would match any outfit.”
“I thought not too,” she murmured. “But he loves it for some reason.”
“And now,” one of the Council members said, stepping forward. “Before this Grievance Day is ended, we have one more matter to put before the Council and the Court.” He glanced back at Hurxx who made a languid gesture with one hand and nodded for him to go on.
“That’s Yancy—one of the Council that’s in Hurxx’s pocket,” murmured Tellum. “You can be sure that anything he says comes straight from the mouth of the Rae himself.”
“Let’s hear what he has to say, then,” Sarden growled.
“As we all know,” Yancy, the Councilor continued in a loud voice, “Our beloved Ria was taken from us by shameless ruffians many solar months ago.”
There was a murmuring in the crowd and I saw several of the common women dabbing at their eyes. Sarden must be right then—Sellah was loved and missed.
“Our ships pursued these pirates tirelessly,” Yancy continued. “But alas, we were too late to save our Ria. It is my sad duty to tell all who are gathered here today that she is dead.”
There were more murmurs from the crowd—some sad and some shocked. Most of the couriers and nobles looked upset as well.
“That bastard!” Sarden started forward again but again, Tellum held him back.
“Wait,” he said simply. “Let Hurxx dig a deep enough hole to bury himself.”