Page 3 of Dreaming of an Earth Christmas

K’thiss,

I assume you will be attending the Christmas celebrations at the palace. In the interest of best pleasing our mates, I’ve compiled some research on this holiday. Review the attached vids and documents and bring T’kalinth once you’re finished. Ask for me at the temple tomorrow morning and we will complete our plans for the success of the gathering.

High Priest of the Lady, Chief Attendant of the Temple of Verkissat,

Sseith of Ka’alaniss

There. Done. He could put off K’thiss and his glowering moodiness for at least one additional day. He had some ideas of how best to use the surly former captain, but suspected K’thiss might require some persuading to fulfill his role.

One task completed, now on to the next. Although he loved to dress his Carlie in jewels and fine garments, the idea of purchasing items and then disguising them and making her wait to open the parcels had been difficult for him to grasp when his mate had first explained it to him. When he’d received his first wrapped gift from Carlie, he’d begun to understand the appeal, but it hadn’t taken him long to learn that sometimes the best presents couldn’t be packaged at all.

Sseith pushed his chair back and stood. He’d take a walk through the central courtyard of the temple to clear his mind. He had an idea of something that might please Carlie more than any jewel he could procure, but he wasn’t certain there was enough time left to carry it out. It would also require some stealth on his end to make it happen, and he was abysmal at keeping secrets from his mate.

You’re doing it for her,he reminded himself.For Violet, too.Yes, he believed he knew his mate well enough to be certain that the present he had in mind would be what she wanted most of all. The main obstacle was deciding who could best carry out the mission. He didn’t have the type of unsavory contacts who took runs from planet to planet for a price, but given enough time, he’d think of someone else who would.

He let the door shut behind him and entered one of the wide main halls of the temple. He smiled. Although he’d never regret the time he’d spent with Carlie in Lisseethi, this was home. Under duress, he might concede that certain regions of Lisseethi could actually be more astounding than Verkissat, but he’d missed the temple greatly during his exile.

A tall, dignified attendant inclined his head with a quickly hidden smile as he approached Sseith. “Well met, Xilleth,” he called as they were about to pass one another in the hall.

The smile broke free. “High Priest,” Xilleth murmured respectfully before he continued on his way.

What a relief it had been to find that his temple had missed him, too. His people had forgiven him—far more easily than the rest of Xithilene—but all of the humiliation had been worth reclaiming his position. Here he was most himself, the best version of Sseith of Ka’alaniss, the man who could provide the kind of life he envisioned for Carlie and his daughter. The influence of Xithat had faded, and the temple had never seemed so pure or so free.

He didn’t have far to go to reach one of the entryways to the courtyard. He hadn’t really planned to visit his hybridization lab, but Sseith found his feet carrying him down the familiar path before he’d made a conscious decision. Perhaps it was the perfect place for him to be now, anyway. He might still anticipate some difficulties in producing an ideal Christmas tree, but there had been some other notable plant-items that were associated with the holiday. One in particular appealed to him. Bundled branches from a poisonous, parasitic plant were traditionally hung from doorways, and when a couple passed beneath, the male had permission to kiss the woman at his side. Any excuse to taste his Carlie was welcome, and if it added to her joy in this strange holiday, so much the better.

He inclined his head as he passed a few supplicants walking towards the offering groves. He’d almost reached the entrance to his lab. Once there, he’d do his best to find a suitable plant that met the admittedly rather odd requirements this mistletoe possessed. As a matter of practicality, he didn’t keep many parasitic plants in his gardens. Usually he ripped such things out by the roots and had them incinerated, but he hoped he might be able to find at least one option that would work. He wanted his Christmas kisses if he was required to spend the holiday in the palace.

The climate in Verkissat was fairly constant throughout the year, but he did have a small structure where he could control humidity and temperature for those more delicate or demanding specimens. He walked towards the transparent outbuilding and pressed his fingertip to the door. A slight prick let him know that the lock had taken his blood. It should open for him shortly. He let his hand drop back to his side and straightened his robes. When he heard the welcoming click of the lock disengaging, he pulled the door towards him and stepped inside.

He strolled down the first long aisle on the left side of the structure. The building curved like a crescent. Larger specimens grew along either side and two aisles separated them from a wider raised planting area that snaked through the center. The draining table brought the plants to hip-height, and he was able to quickly scan the varieties currently available. When he looked upwards, he saw several various epiphytes hanging from the artificial support branch he’d had installed from the ceiling. His lips curved up in a slight smile when he saw one that Carlie had requested for him the year before—an orchid from Earth.

Sseith tilted his head towards his shoulder, considering the large waxy leaves and the vibrant flowers. No, the orchid would not work as a substitute for this mistletoe. He needed something that more closely matched the qualities of the original. He walked down towards the end of the building. The only truly harmful plants he kept here were situated the furthest from the entrance.

Countless plants were poisonous—that was hardly a unique characteristic. Poisonous and parasitic narrowed the field considerably. Sseith stopped in front of a tooth blossomed flower. The plant mimicked the large blossoms of the lisseth vine to encourage nocturnal animals to approach. Then the “flower” would close around the unsuspecting prey, liquifying the body over the course of a day’s span in order to use it for sustenance. He shook his head, a gesture he’d taken from his Carlie. If the flower remained closed during the day, would it still function as a kissing signal? He didn’t want to take any chances.

He turned to the right and inspected the only other feasible option, the u’ath stinger. Sseith stood back from the plant, well accustomed to its voracious appetite after working with the thing over the past year. Transporting it would require some creativity, as would fastening the specimen over a doorway, but he believed he’d be able to find a solution. Sseith grinned. Perfect. The u’ath stinger was dangerous and unusual. Although he acknowledged that a plant that stole blood from its prey wasn’t exactly the same as one that slowly suffocated its host, the general character of the two organisms felt similar enough that he was confident in his success.

He retreated carefully from the hazardous plant section and continued on with the inspection of his specimens. From what Carlie had revealed before and the human media the bureau had provided, he was certain that red was the signature color of the festivities. Red and green. There would already be foliage in abundance, and because of his own predilection for red flowers, he had plenty of options for ornamenting the Christmas tree and the garlands. Once they were closer to the beginning of their celebration, he would prepare several blossoms with stasis locks to preserve the flowers.

Sseith made a few notes on the small viewscreen he carried before he reattached it to his belt. Now he’d just have to hope that K’thiss and his friend T’kalinth chose to show themselves at the temple the next day. As long as the others followed his lead, this year’s Christmas would be a success. He flicked back his robes so they flared out behind him as he lifted his head high and strode towards the entrance of his growing structure. They would do as he said—no man wanted to risk his mate’s displeasure.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

K’THISS

K’thiss surreptitiously readthe comm from Ka’alaniss one more time before he swiped the viewscreen on his desk clear.

“I’m planning to run down to the ruins. Lijeth told me he needed some help with the latest installation at the museum.” He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Alexis’ hurried announcement. She was tucking her dark hair behind her ear as she tugged the strap of a leather bag over her arm. He still wasn’t sure what all she kept in it. He’d tried suggesting she wear a smaller purse from her belt, but Alexis had always laughed it off as if he’d been making an amusing joke.

“Does that mean Althiss will be coming with me?” he asked.

Alexis flashed him a bright smile, and he knew immediately that it’d be an even more trying morning than he’d already been anticipating. Their son was a beautiful winged miracle, but he was going through what Alexis assured him was a temporary phase among human children—the terrible twos. She’d whispered something under her breath about just waiting until he was a threenager, but K’thiss had chosen not to investigate further. He’d prefer to remain ignorant of any further trials he’d face in the future.

“If you don’t mind, that’d be great. After what happened last time—” Alexis’ face grew pink and she simply shook her head. “Lijeth would prefer it if Althiss remained in the outdoor portion of the Calakmul site when we visit in the future. It’s just easier this way. Anyway, I need to do a little Christmas shopping afterwards.” She smiled. “Neither of you can be with me or it will ruin all of my surprises.”

“Are you pleased about the upcoming celebration at the palace?” he asked, watching her face to see if he could discern her true feelings.

If it made his k’lisseth happy, he wouldn’t complain, but he wanted to be sure she wished to attend this gathering. The idea of such excess and formality as they’d surely experience among the bronze-scaled palace inhabitants made his feathers twitch with dread. There was no doubt that controlling Althiss in that environment would be an arduous task indeed. Bronze-scaled nobles didn’t have to alter their homes to protect curious winged younglings, and there were sure to be all sorts of unforeseen hazards.

---