Page 31 of Unfinished

Sienna moved closer, watching as he made a small cut without even wincing. When he was satisfied, he wiped the knife on his robes and sheathed it, all the while cupping his other hand to keep any blood from falling. His lips moved, but he didn’t speak aloud as he raised his arm higher until his hand was well over the dark pool. Sienna frowned, looking down into the water. It was strange that she couldn’t see even a few feet into the water, much less all the way to the bottom.

She heard the first drops of blood hit the surface, rapidly followed by little ripples. A loud rustling made her think one of the Xithilene must be shifting their feathers, but the sound was different somehow—softer. Suddenly, something moved so fast out of the corner of her eye that she half jumped. When she looked at the pool straight on, she screamed.

One of the super-sized flowers had split in half, as if it had a hinged jaw, and it lunged towards the water where R’kash’s blood had spilled, attacking like a Spinosaurus desperate for its next meal.

“Holy shit!” Sienna clapped a hand over her mouth and hopped back from the low retaining wall. Maybe that wouldn’t translate well and she wouldn’t look like a jerk for swearing in front of a toddler, but really, blood seeking carnivorous water plants? In their sacred pool?

“Don’t be alarmed. That’s just one of thej’kavi. It means guardian. They grow frequently in our northern swamps—they help keep pests under control.” R’kash was wiping something over the cut on his palm as he shot her a confused glance. “We would never expose you to anything truly dangerous.J’kaviwon’t attack outside of their strike zone, and they’re lazy. They’re happy to take our offerings, but they won’t bite you, and even if they did, you could free yourself with a firm pull.”

Sienna swallowed and shrugged her shoulders. “If you say so. I’d rather not experience it myself.”

H’viss, the priest who’d suggested the offering in the first place, tilted his head towards his shoulder, regarding her with an appraising look. “Holy shit. Do your people truly find any type of excrement holy? It’s an odd notion, but as we’ve been told, humans can often be unpredictable.”

She knew her flushed face was betraying her now, but the only consolation was that they probably didn’t understand what the change in her complexion meant. “It’s not meant literally. No one thinks…excrement is holy. It’s a curse, something I really shouldn’t have been saying in front of all of you, but it just came out. You have to admit that the plants, thej’havi, are shocking for someone unprepared for them.”

“J’kavi,” R’kash corrected, “and yes, I can understand your distress, but be calm, Sienna.” He slid his arm beneath hers and steered her away from the now perfectly placid pool. The monstrous flower was as still and peaceful as if it’d never moved—too bad she could see the pink tinge of R’kash’s watered down blood staining the blossom’s edge. “Let me introduce you to the other priests, and then we’ll go sit and I’ll tell you more about the temple.”

Sienna nodded and gripped his hand. “That sounds good to me. Do you promise there’s nothing lurking near the bench that might bite?”

R’kash went still before he turned his head to look at her, a hint of that dark intensity shining in his eyes before he flashed her a grin whose pure wickedness was completely unexpected. “Nothing besides me, lady,” he said before leading her back towards the food table, as cool as you please.

Sienna shook her head softly. Disorienting, overwhelming, yet still wonderful—what a day. She breathed in deeply and then let it all go on the next exhale. She was here in Evathi, R’kash’s hand clasped with hers, and everything would work out fine, she just knew it.

16

R’kash’s priestshadn’t been kidding about the corn, or maize as they preferred to call it. She didn’t know who was in charge of the Human Affairs Cultural Collection, but they obviously needed to do a lot more research. She knew that there were all sorts of wonderful ways to prepare it, but if what she’d tasted on that table today was representative of Xithilene cooking abilities, she’d need to start spending more of her own time in the kitchen.

Veesha was still flitting about the courtyard, apparently undeterred by the threat of thej’kavi, because each time she circled back to the sacred pool, she leaned frighteningly far over the low barrier.

“Has she ever fallen in?” Sienna asked, unable to look away as the little girl ran for the pool’s side this time around.

“No. She knows better,” R’kash replied.

Sienna looked at Veesha balanced on her tiptoes and then back at R’kash again.

“Veesha can swim.” Faseeth sidled closer, his lithe body swaying as he stopped by the far end of the bench. “I find your concern refreshing. You never had children of your own on Earth?” he asked.

“No. I never found a mate serious enough to start a family with, but I’ve always wanted children in my life.” Sienna placed her hands in her lap to stop herself from fidgeting. “What about you? What made you decide to be a tutor?”

The tips of Faseeth’s vivid green feathers lifted up as his eyes narrowed on her with interest. “You’re much different than I thought you’d be.”

“What did you expect?” she asked.

R’kash’s hand moved to cover her knee, and his low rumble started up beside her. Aboard the ship, Kayla had mentioned that in one of their briefings—Xithilene men had the ability to create a rattling sound in their throats when threatened, displaying dominance or anger, or…when they were aroused. A quick glance at R’kash’s face right then ruled out that last option.

“I wasn’t sure what kind of mate would come to a cold place like this. Then I saw you and thought perhaps you might’ve been tricked into your mate bond, but you don’t seem surprised by Evathi.”

R’kash’s fingers clenched over her knee before he quickly removed his hand, that rattle-rumble sound growing louder and higher in pitch. She’d need to say something fast if she wanted to have any hope of diffusing the situation.

“You’re right. I’m not surprised by the temple. R’kash sent me images of Evathi and the surrounding land for months. It was difficult to wait so long to come. We’ve always been honest with each other from the beginning,” she said, looking Faseeth right in his electric green eyes. R’kash made a strange choking noise beside her, and she placed her hand on his arm. “Are you feeling all right?” she asked, softening her voice.

“Yes,” he bit out with a hefty dose of hiss lengthening the S-sound at the end.

“I started teaching younglings from Lisseethi families living in Verkissat about their culture several years ago. When Veesha’s situation was explained to me, I knew I had to help her,” Faseeth said.

“Lisseethi, that’s the southern region, correct? Are all winged Xithilene originally from Lisseethi?” Sienna asked, tracking the blur of black feathers heading for the food table. Veesha slid down beneath the table cloth, luckily without disturbing it too much. All of those corn products would be a mess if they spilled and got caught in her wing feathers.

“That’s right, and yes, as far as we know, all winged Xithilene share Lisseethi ancestry. It’s exceedingly rare for younglings born in the Northern Continent to have wings, and historically, they’ve been ostracized. Your…” Faseeth’s tongue flickered out and then retreated as he gave R’kash an assessing look, “mate at least has enough wisdom to know that Veesha needs to learn about her own people.”

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