Page 85 of Return of the Nine

“Genetic transfer. There is a formal ceremony that you would enact at the embassy, and during the ceremony, there is a blood exchange. We share the ceremony with the Wilders. Not all species of the Nine need to key their females to them in such a way, but most do just for the sake of tradition.”

She blinked. “Wow. We just get up in front of witnesses and make a promise.”

He cocked his head. “How does that stop partners from straying?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Then, you have an inferior system. Once a couple genetically keys to each other, they are not stimulated by anyone else.”

“Ah. Well, that is nice.” She twisted her lips and checked her equipment again.

“What was that fish called that you pointed out to me?”

Em smiled. “I call them sugar fish. They are sweet and have the charming tang of citric acid. I don’t know what you would call them.”

A clattering of the spear gun made her jump. Rivvin boosted himself out of the water, and there was a long, thin filament tied to his waist. He began to haul on it, and to Emharo’s surprise, there were four huge silvery fish on the end of the line.

Weelar chortled with delight and helped Rivvin bring in the haul. The moment they were on the side of the entrance, Emharo closed the wet entry and the ramp descended again.

She began to get an idea of the strength of the Water Folk when Rivvin flipped the four fish onto the deck and he pulled a knife out of his bag to begin gutting them. Each of the silvery, hard-fleshed fish had to weigh over a hundred kilos.

He reached into the belly and pulled out something, grinning in triumph when he produced it.

Weelar was staring. “Is that what I think it is?”

“A Carring pearl. These four fish all have them inside.”

Rivvin continued butchering the fish, so Emharo brought up the storage well. “What is a Carring pearl?”

“Carring was the Water Folk capitol city. If these fish have the pearls in them, they have been there.”

“I don’t understand. What is the significance of the pearls?”

Weelar explained, “The power of the city was generated from a combination of ambient radiation and geothermal vents. The pearls contain traces of those minerals and the energy signature, so with a little analysis, we should be able to find the lost city.”

She withdrew a bottle of water. “Give me one of the pearls.”

Rivvin had all four out, so all four were dumped into her hand, covered with blood. She wrinkled her nose and washed the pearls in clean water.

With them held in her hand, she opened the charts that she kept on the vessel.

A bit of concentration and a spot glowed green. She grabbed her marker and placed an X on the spot. “There. That is your lost city.”

Rivvin looked over her shoulder. “It was that easy?”

She arched her eyebrow and held out the pearls. “Here. You try it.”

He chuckled. “No thanks. I still have work to do.”

His hands were covered with blood up to the elbow, and he returned to the fish to complete his work.

Whistling to herself, Emharo grabbed a bucket, tied it to a line and swung it overboard. As Weelar followed her gesture to the storage chest, she started washing blood off the deck.

Rivvin finished his work, and she splashed the deck at his feet before she handed him a fresh bucket to wash his arms. He rinsed his knife and wiped it carefully on his wrap before returning it to the sheath on his leg.

She put her hands on her suited hips. “So, do you want to see your lost city today?”

“Are we that close?”

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