Page 16 of I Married Amreth

“There should never be red rocks in the river. Remember this well.”

“What?!”

She didn’t respond and looked back towards Mehreen’s room. The upper half of my bed began lowering again as I once more called out to Svira. But as soon as she stepped through the open glass door, I felt my consciousness get swallowed into a dark void, and I knew no more.

Chapter 5

Ciara

Unlike the previous time, I didn’t wake up with a sudden jolt of panic. Instead, I comfortably emerged from what felt like the best, most restful sleep I’ve had in ages. That didn’t prevent a brutal wave of confusion from crashing over me once I took in my new surroundings. Despite the fog that now wrapped my memory of recent events, I knew beyond any doubt that I had fallen asleep in a completely different environment. I vaguely remembered a ship, but not which one it had been.

I was now lying on an insanely comfortable bed inside what looked like a decent sized mud house. Wooden shutters covered a set of large windows. I removed the plush comforter covering me and carefully got out of bed. That movement brought back the fact that I had been immobilized previously. It was odd that I would remember that detail but not the actual place I had been held in. I made my way to the window to open the shutters. Daylight immediately flooded the room. At a glance, it appeared to be mid-morning.

Exposed wooden beams and clay walls gave the space a warm feeling. The furniture, which included a queen-sized bed, a dresser and two nightstands, was all carved in the same pale wood. Although beige, it had a slightly greenish tinge to it, like dry bamboo.

Unfortunately, the window looked out onto what I presumed to be a private garden, preventing me from getting a better idea of what was happening outside. Although still slightly worried, I didn’t feel afraid. The strangest sense of determination filled me.

It suddenly struck me that I was wearing some kind of light but demure nightgown. The fabric felt unfamiliar to me, as did its design. In the corner of the sparsely, but tastefully decorated room, a chair sat near the window with a set of clothes properly folded on top. At the foot of the chair, a pair of comfortable shoes just the perfect size for me also awaited. My cheeks heated upon realizing they added fresh undies to the pile.

I wanted to believe one of the Kreelar females provided these for me. It felt awkward that Aku might have handled it.

And yet, even as that thought flashed through my mind, with a certainty I couldn’t explain, I believed someone else, not of their species, got these for me. For a moment, I considered donning those garments right away then decided to explore the rest of the dwelling before taking any action.

I exited the bedroom to be greeted by a rather nice living area. A large couch and a chair, both made of wood with some very comfy looking beige cushions sat straight ahead from the bedroom door. To the left, a table with six chairs faced another large window on one side, and a small counter with a sink and cupboards on the other. Although this clearly served as the dining area, I couldn’t see anything that even remotely resembled a stove or cooling unit. But then, I didn’t recall seeing any type of night lamps or anything that hinted that they possessed electricity.

And yet, a part of me believed that someone had mentioned that the Kreelars were sufficiently advanced to harness electrical power. It suddenly struck me that, if they didn’t, helping them without the comfort of the advanced technology that had always been at my disposal would prove extremely challenging.

Still, I strolled over to the table upon which they left a few covered plates. I lifted the lid off the first one to find dry breads, jam, what I assumed to be cheese, cured meats, fruits, and some kind of clear juice. To my shock, right next to the plate that contained the fruits, I spotted my bracer.

My heart leapt as I greedily reached for it. Although I expected it, I couldn’t help a sliver of disappointment at the absence of any connectivity. But that didn’t make it unusable. As a member of the Interstellar Doctors Organization, I had been vaccinated against pretty much everything and anything under the sun. I also received a variety of intelligent nanobots that could detect most toxins and do quite a number on them should I find myself stranded somewhere without access to medicine.

Nonetheless, I scanned the food for any potential risk. It wasn’t wise to think that, because I had protection, I should recklessly expose myself to unnecessary bacteria. Even if my system could fight almost anything, there was nothing to be gained by putting myself through the discomfort—and maybe even the agony—of a random illness.

The green light on the interface of my bracer signaled the all clear. I took a bite of the cured meat. It tasted like a mild version of chorizo. The yellowish white slices indeed turned out to be some kind of cheese, which strongly tasted like Swiss cheese—my favorite. It paired perfectly with a bit of jam on the bread that could have been some multigrain cracker. Although slightly hungry, I didn’t settle down to eat and decided to complete the tour first.

The door near the dining area was locked. I presumed it was the main entrance. Saying it didn’t bother me to be locked in would be a lie. But under the circumstances, I could see Aku not wanting a random human to traipse around his village. For all I knew, his people hated my kind for what had befallen them.

I backtracked to the door on the other side of the living area. It turned out to be a second bedroom. The bed was a little smaller than the one I had slept in. The dresser was also smaller, leaving plenty of room for a large work desk which would be perfect for me to use as my office. The door on the back wall of the living area opened onto the backyard. It was small and cozy with tall fences for privacy. It only took me a second to realize the reason for it. They didn’t have a traditional bathroom, but an outdoor shower next to an outhouse.

To my delight, the outhouse wasn’t as rudimentary as I expected. As a field doctor, I had experienced my fair share of latrines and chemical bathrooms along the way. This one actually appeared to be linked to some sort of sewer system, which suited me just fine. It was clean, with the strangest toilet paper, almost like napkins, and a small sink likely hooked to a well system. I quickly relieved my bladder and then took a shower. A recessed shelf contained a set of towels. I grabbed one, dried myself off, and wrapped it around my body before returning inside the house. I put on the clothes that were left for me. It disturbed me what a perfect fit they turned out to be. They were comfortable, the type of durable outfit that we often wore on these kinds of missions.

I returned to the dining area and ate while assessing my current situation. The gaping holes in my memory seriously pissed me off. I should be worried about it, but a part of me felt like that loss had been expected. It was as if I had been warned beforehand, even though it didn’t really make sense.

The main question was who else had been brought here? I clearly remembered Brett Dunham and knew beyond any doubt that he would not be here. I also recalled seeing Mehreen. Having her here would be wonderful. I just wished I could contact someone off this planet to let them know that I was fine. My parents would be freaking out as they undoubtedly had been warned of my abduction by now.

Unsure what to do, I neatly packed the leftovers on a single plate which I covered and took the empty ones to the sink. Just as I was about to start washing them, a knock on the door startled the living daylights out of me.

“Come in,” I called out, my palm pressed to my chest.

The lock clicked, and then the door opened. I clasped my hands in front of me, feeling suddenly nervous when Aku’s broad frame filled the doorway. His eyes quickly glided over me before flicking towards the table.

“Good, you are ready,” he said in an approving tone. “Do not fret with the dishes. Someone will take care of cleaning up. Come.”

He gestured for me to follow and immediately exited the house without waiting for my response. I hastened after him, fascinated by the slow movement of his long, fluffy tail. It surprised me that he should have one. More advanced primates like humans and apes didn’t have tails, unlike monkeys. And this Kreelar clearly possessed an intelligence and sentience level on par with a human.

I stepped out of the house and into a rather charming inner courtyard. Within, eight other dwellings similar to mine lined the edges of the circular area. To my utter delight, a deployable field lab with solar panels sat next to the last dwelling across from my own home. Packed dirt served as pavement, although a series of flowers and small bushes adorned the front-end edges of each small residence. To our right, a tall gate restricted ouraccess to the rest of the village. A single guard stood watch in front of it.

Like Aku, he was wearing some poofy long pants, an adorned belt, and a decorative loincloth on top. His bare chest hid nothing of his well-defined abs. Leather bracers around his wrist boasted the same dark green shade as his leader’s. The main difference between them was the intricately carved circlet on Aku’s forehead, which I assumed served to mark him as the Chieftain, orKald, if I had properly interpreted my translator.

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