Page 7 of Drengr
That was a longer speech than I'd ever heard Njal say before. As our Captain, he always stood a little apart from the rest of us, keeping emotionally distant. I'd had no idea he felt this deeply - or that he could speak this eloquently.
"Do you need me to order you?" he asked firmly. "You swore a blood oath to me. If necessary, I will hold you to it."
I stepped back and saluted him with full sincerity. "You won't have to, Captain. I will think on your words."
Njal smirked. "See that you also act on them. Tomorrow, I want you to be watching the females like everyone else. And take that shirt off. It's time."
I turned away before he could see my expression. A deep fear rippled through me. Take off the shirt, the one Randi had made me. Once I did that, I would look like an unmated male. Was I ready?
I waited until Njal had returned to the house until I slowly followed him. With one last look at the dark, gloomy sky, I went to my room - before realising that I shared it with someone else. So I turned around again, went back into the rain, and slowly peeled the drenched, threadbare shirt from my chest.
When it was done, when the shirt was a crumpled mess in my hand, I pressed it against my chest.
"I am sorry, Randi," I whispered. My lips brushed the wet fabric as I said goodbye to my kvenn.
For an hour, I said my apologies. I told her of my regrets, of all the things I'd planned for us, of the life we should have led. I whispered my deepest feelings, my sorrow and my guilt. And by the time the rain finally stopped, my heart was a little lighter.
7
Holly
Ahorrible noise woke me, a mix between an out-of-tune trumpet and a five-year-old trying their hand on a string instrument for the first time. I covered my ears and groaned. What had happened to my alarm clock? This was not the usual tune that would wake me every morning at the same time, no matter whether it was a weekend or a workday.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to get my bearings and to remember where I was. Last night, I'd been transported to a spaceship. Today, I would learn more about the aliens we were going to meet. And marry.
That thought made me sit up straight. Among all the excitement of yesterday's reveals, I hadn't quite internalised that I'd been matched to an alien. And the only reason the Vikingar had chosen Earth women was because they could get us pregnant. They needed a new generation to save their kind from extinction. Steff hadn't said it in that many words, but it was obvious. We were to have alien babies.
I was 38, so it was surprising they'd chosen me and not just younger women who could pop out a whole busload of babies before the menopause.But I supposed that if their DNA tests had concluded that the alien guy and I were meant for each other, age didn't matter.
I wished I knew more about him. Well, make thatanythingabout him. I didn't even know his name. And we still had no idea what the aliens looked like.No tentacles, Steff had said. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed.
When the horrible alarm sounded a second time, I left my comfortable bed and searched for some clothes in my suitcase. I'd been too tired last night to unpack. The cabin was small but cosy; not much more than a large king-size bed, a few cubby holes in the walls that could be used as shelves, a mirror and a large screen above the bed. Right now, it showed the same view of Earth that I'd admired in the dining room. There was no wardrobe, so I stashed the cubby holes full of my clothes and other random items I'd brought. My toiletries were already in the shared bathroom. I had a dim memory of being grateful that the alien toilets worked the same way as human ones, but I'd been too exhausted to explore the bathrooms properly. Not sure if there'd be time for a shower before breakfast, I dressed in a simple blue maxi dress. Assuming we'd go somewhere sunny - the pictures in the agency brochure had been full of happy couples on tropical beaches - I'd mostly packed dresses. Luckily, the spaceship's temperature was pleasantly warm.
Outside my cabin, I bumped into a young woman who'd been particularly scared upon our arrival. She was in her mid-twenties, with delicate, almost elfin features and an adorable pixie cut. She gave me a nervous smile.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked while looking left and right, unable to remember from which direction we'd come last night.
"Not really. Do you think they'll make us meet the aliens today?"
Her voice wavered slightly. She was still scared. That made me think, why wasn't I as scared as her? I was on a spaceship far away from home. I should be terrified. Instead, I'd fallen asleep almost immediately and had slept through the night, unplagued by nightmares or worries. Excitement was the overwhelming emotion driving me this morning. Maybe fear was yet to come. This might all be my brain's preferred coping mechanism.
"Steff said we'd be the ones to decide when we're ready to meet them," I reassured her. "I'm Holly, by the way."
"Candice. How are you so calm?"
I shrugged. "No idea. I'm a teacher, so maybe it's because I'm used to remaining calm in stressful situations. Or maybe I've not quite processed everything yet." My stomach growled so loudly that Candice's gaze flicked to my stomach.
"Sorry. Do you know how to get back to the dining hall? My sense of direction is awful."
Candice pointed to our right. "I think it's that way. Do you mind if we have breakfast together?"
"Of course! We're all in this together. I doubt any of us expected to be matched with aliens."
At the mention of our unknown hosts, Candice's lips quivered. I quickly took her hand and pulled her along the corridor. "Come on, before my stomach starts its own choir."
Sadly, this wasn't an audience of eight-year-olds, so my joke didn't cause the giggles I'd anticipated. I had to remember I was among adults now. Behave, Holly.
Most of theother women were already in the dining hall. Some still wore their pyjamas, while others were perfectly dressed with full make-up and jewellery, ready to meet their matches. Steff waved at us when we entered.
