Page 30 of Abalim

Time stood still as she and Abalim locked in a moment of destiny that wove them together.

“Lisa.”

His smoky, panties-melting voice made her believe in dreams.

“Abalim.” Lisa whispered. Damn. Way to dazzle the man with her verbal skills or with a sultry glance standing there with her mouth and eyes wide open like a kid in a candy store.

“Excellent.”

Lisa blinked. Rerqel’s voice broke the spell between her and the breathtaking man in front of her.

“We are gratified our selection of the two of you appears to be the appropriate choice.”

Her eyebrows popped up. What did it mean they put the two of them together? She glanced at Abalim. His blank stare was on the alien.

Lisa?His voice whispered in her mind.Can you hear me?

She jumped.Abalim?Darn it. Here was the proof the Xeltrians had crumbled the mental wall she’d built for herself. She took a quick peek at the alien.I wouldn’t bother talking in my mind, they can hear us.

Because of the Dreamwalks we shared, I’ve created a private path between us. No matter how powerful these aliens think their psychic abilities are, I can work around them. Especially since they don’t have a thorough understanding of how our minds work.

Lisa bit her bottom lip. Those dreams were real? Looking at him, she’d never know he spoke to her in such an intimate manner. His stance and face were emotionless, never glancing her way. Heat rose, making her face and neck burn as her heart raced.

“To better understand you emotional creatures, we have created the Quandary of Existence,” Rerqel continued. “You will interact with a species called the Lumarians from the planet Nexoros.” The Xeltrian waved his spindly fingers toward a wall behind them.

The surface blurred until a picture of another world cleared.

As if they were watching a movie, the scene panned over an alien village nestled in a canopy of colossal trees. The trees towered over structures of organic and metallic materials. Their branches formed intricate networks of connections between them. Dotted among the trees were shimmering leaves topped with delicate woven branches, a glowing backdrop to the sky in a soothing violet gray. Fluffy yellow clouds floated by without a care in the world.

When she looked closer, Lisa noticed the branches housed several dwellings, resembling elegant nests, hanging from the trees like organic lanterns.

The entire village was held together by translucent bridges and walkways made from the same glowing, organic material. On the ground were two-story structures made of the same material. In the central grove was an amphitheater with backless wooden seats in front of a massive tree twice as big as those surrounding it. The foliage scattered on the ground had a variety of mismatched leaves.

The dark ones reminded her of solar panels that absorbed energy from the sun.

Other odd-shaped leaves flittered around on the trees in different colors. The massive tree had a spiraling trunk that created a luminescent canopy, as if protecting the nests within.

Lisa frowned when she noticed some of the leaves in the huge tree had drooping black and gray branches, as if they were dying.

Movement in the village caught her attention. She gasped at the sight of the humanoids in the small village.

They had a striking appearance, with smooth skin like a dolphin’s. Their clothes were simple tunics that rippled in a multitude of colors as they moved. They all had large, expressive eyes of a single bright color and no visible pupils.

Their eyes reminded her of an anime character. Cute as hell and hard to resist.

The aliens walked on two legs and had two arms. Each one portrayed a graceful dance of motion whenever they moved.

“For thousands of generations in the village of Aroonshire, the Lumarians have created a tradition to sacrifice one of their own to their god, Echovara. The sacrifice was given the title of Ritual of Renewal. They believe it is necessary to maintain the balance of their world in order to ensure the prosperity of the entire community.”

Lisa gasped. “OMG! They murder one of their own in front of everyone?” Never in her wildest imagination when writing her stories would she have someone sacrificed like that. Visions of a Mayan priest ripping out their victim’s still-beating heart made her dizzy. She hated violence. That’s why she wrote love stores with happy endings.

“The sacrifice is not a gruesome act, but is instead a solemn and emotional event. The elder is treated with the utmost respect and awe. Almost like a god themselves.”

Lisa crossed her arms. She didn’t care. No one should die because of some stupid, antiquated belief.

“Your task is to interact with the Lumarians and observe this ritual, and then bring back your recommendations to us.”

“Recommendations for what?” Abalim stood with his feet apart and clasped his hands behind his back. His voice was smooth as he faced Rerqel.

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