Page 26 of Treasured By the Alien Rogue

“That’s kind of amazing,” she said, frowning at the now smooth floor.

“It’s part of the mystery of our gods. Our clan god lives inside our structures. It watches. Waits to serve us.”

“What about other clans? You mentioned crystal, stone, and rock.”

“Their gods reside within their residences, though the Indigan Clan’s crystal gods—they have more than one—also reside in their caves. The central gods, the strongest of them all, can be found within structures on an island not far from here.” Since they were the gods the traedors visited to beg for mates, they must be the ones who’d delivered Amanda.

“Does your god have a name?”

I shook my head. “Why would it?”

“You have a name. I assume everyone in your clan has a name as well.”

“They do.”

“So why not your god?”

“You’re a confusing female.” Before she could question me more, I led her into one of the adjoining rooms where I urged the god to form a table with two chairs from plant fibers. While Amanda sat, running her hand across the tightly woven table and marveling at how comfortable the chair was, I crossed to one of the few permanent structures within my home, a counter holding implements for food preparation—also crafted from a sturdy plant that grew in profusion near our village.

“The gods of some clans present Zuldruxians with food,” I said. “But our clan god does not.”

“I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable eating something that oozed up out of the floor like the table and chairs, although I’m not opposed to a vegetarian diet.”

“We hunt for meat, grow our own vegetables, and forage in the forest for herbs, berries, and other fruit. As for eating something provided by the gods, I assume a person does what they’re used to. If it was always that way, you wouldn’t question it.”

“You’re right.”

I requested a flame beneath a pan and proceeded to cut small pieces of meat off a chunk I took from my cool box. That, I’d wrapped with plants that were naturally cold. I added chopped vegetables and herbs to the pan, and soon, the kitchen filled with the delicious smell of our meal.

Amanda came over to stand on my right, tilting sideways to study the flame. She opened the door to the cool box and stuffed her head inside, marveling at the chilly temperature. “This is very much like home. We call this a refrigerator where I come from.”

“A cool box here.”

“Same thing, although ours isn’t made of plants.”

“What’s it constructed of then?”

“Metal.”

“I’m not familiar with a plant called metal, though you mentioned it before.”

“It’s not a plant. It’s a constructed material. We make a lot of stuff like that back home.”

It made sense she’d call this other planet her home. Zuldrux was mine, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

I took woven plates from an opening below the counter and placed them to the right of my cooking burner.

“It smells good,” she said.

“Marmelot meat, plus vegetables and herbs grown near the base of my shroom.”

“You must feel proud when you eat something you grew with your own hands. I assume you hunted for the meat.”

“I hunt regularly,” I said. “Zuldrux provides everything we need.” Except mates.

“What’s the weather like here?” she asked. “Where I come from, it gets very cold in the winter. We have to wear thick clothing, or we’ll freeze, and we spend much of our time during those months inside with heat generated by our homes. Our spring and fall seasons are nice. We can go outside while wearing only a light jacket, and the air’s crisp and wonderful. During the summer, it gets hot, but I like that season the best. I don’t even mind the humidity. I love sitting on the grass and soaking up the sun’s rays.”

I wasn’t completely sure what she meant with all that, but I enjoyed hearing her speak and seeing the animation on her face.

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