Page 69 of Unfinished

“The cookies!” she shouted.

Neevish’s feathers snapped up and he ran over to their pans, carefully sliding them out. When he opened the lids, a whoosh of steam and smoke had him rearing back and coughing. He waved the smoke aside as he peered down into the pans before standing back up.

“They’re not entirely burnt. Once they cool, we can probably still hang them from Sienna’s tree,” he announced, and then he wiped his hands on his robes and made his way to the table for moremaesta.

The music changed and Sienna looked back at R’kash’s face, rubbing her hand over the strong forearm he held locked around her waist. “Do you want to dance?”

He took her hand, lifted her arm above her head and spun her around to face him. “Yes,” he said as he drew her close just as he had as they’d danced around the fire at the harvest festival.

R’kash did his best to lead them to her human music, but both of them stumbled along the way. His graceful steps devolved into them both skipping around in circles and laughing whenever one of them tried a particularly outrageous dance move. Jesthi took Veesha’s hands and twirled her around the room behind them, and eventually the other priests paired off with each other, leaving only Faseeth at the table, watching them all with his slightly cynical gaze as he sampled H’viss’maestapunch.

As they made their way around towards the Christmas tree again, Sienna slowed down to observe how pretty it looked now that it was fully dark outside. R’kash grabbed her arms and accidentally pushed her forward as he tried to slow his momentum. She reached for his shoulders, holding on for dear life, and luckily she only nudged the tree with her back before he regained his balance and pulled them to a stop. The ornaments shivered and shook, making tinkling sounds as the tree stopped swaying.

Sienna let out a relieved sigh when nothing fell. “Let’s move back a little. I don’t want to do that again.”

R’kash led her back to the table, and he was filling their cups with the punch when Veesha shrieked. The sound was so high-pitched and powerful that Sienna was sure her eardrums must’ve ruptured. She looked back as her ears rang and froze. Only about five feet away, balanced up on its hind legs, was some sort of animal.

“Raskui!” Jesthi shouted. “Catch it!”

The creature must’ve recognized its name, because it took off at the sound of Jesthi’s voice. It leapt forward, scurrying towards the table. Sienna tried not to mimic Veesha’s scream, but once the animal came closer, she could see that its cuteness was only a facade. The raskui had its mouth open to reveal two rows of teeth that looked like the serrated blade of a saw.

When it scurried towards her feet, Sienna jumped, kicking away her chair which promptly toppled to the ground. Theraskuihopped up on top and started racing up the side like it was its own personal balance beam.

She spun to the side and her glass of punch flew from her hands. “Watch out!” she cried as Ivekth lunged towards the raskui holding open a large fabric bag.

He twisted as the dark liquid sloshed out of the glass, trying to avoid it, but he ended up with a face full of punch. The glass thunked and bounced as it hit the floor, but luckily it didn’t break. Ivekth made a noise between a shout and a snarl as he held up the bag. From the crazy way the fabric bulged and shook, it was obvious he’d caught the raskui. Punch dripped from his feathers, and his robe had slid down his left shoulder, but he was grinning fiercely, showing his fangs and slightly pointed teeth.

Jesthi raised his hands and started up the nail clicking applause, and then Faseeth and R’kash joined him, but it quickly faded as Ivekth started hissing with laughter.

“Quick. Someone take this creature and release it outside. I smell like a night in Ivanna’s dockside,” said Ivekth as he held out the wriggling bag.

“And what would you know of such things,v’ithu?” asked R’kash as he reached for the bag and tapped Ivekth playfully on the shoulder.Young boy, Sienna’s translator helpfully filled in for the unfamiliar term.

Ivekth flicked his feathers up and down, and a shower ofmaestapunch hit R’kash full in the face. He blinked stonily until Ivekth grew wide eyed and worried, and then R’kash laughed and slapped him on the arm again. He turned to take the door out the back of the kitchen that the priests used when accepting deliveries, but H’viss walked over and wrapped his hand below R’kash’s on the bag.

“Let me take it out. Enjoy the evening with yourk’lallsa,” he said, sending a quick smile and a head bow Sienna’s way. R’kash released his grip and let H’viss take the bag.

“What else do humans do on Christmas Eve, lady?” R’kash asked her, moving closer to set his hands over her hips. “I like your human traditions.”

“Lots of things, I guess.”Church, entertainment-vid marathons, cookies for Santa. “Can you take me up to the roof? I’d like to see the stars.”

R’kash smiled softly. “Yes. I should’ve taken you before. It’s the most beautiful sight in all Evathi.”

Sienna looked down, setting her hand over his firm chest. “I doubt it, but maybe it’ll be a tie.”

R’kash tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes. “You’re correct—again. The most beautiful sight in Evathi is standing right in front of me.” He took his time as his lips pressed to hers, so soft and light, so achingly tender. She never even felt the brush of his tongue, yet her skin was heated and her head spun from the intensity of his kiss.

When he lifted his face, the only noise in the room came from Sienna’s comm device as it played “Oh, Holy Night.” She looked around at the others. Everyone looked content and happy, maybe a little sleepy, and they didn’t even bother to disguise the fact they’d been watching.

“Happy Christmas, Sienna,” said Jesthi. He smiled and took a sip of his punch before he raised his glass like he was toasting her.

“Merry Christmas,” she told them all before R’kash took her hand and led her away. She wasn’t worried about feeling the cold tonight. Not when an indescribable warmth bloomed in her chest as the faint strains of carols followed their steps. No, tonight the cold couldn’t touch her.

28

They tookthe service lift to the rooftop, and Sienna was grateful. She’d enjoyed enough of themaestato feel it, and the thought of climbing all of those ramps up the back of the temple was daunting.

The door slid open once the lift came to a stop, and R’kash motioned for Sienna to step out first. She’d spent a lot of time in the courtyard during her time at the temple, but she was still taken aback when she got her first good look at the rooftop garden. Far fewer plants grew along the low berms edging a narrow snaking path towards the center of the roof, but it was still magnificent.

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