“Especially the natives,” Lock murmured softly, watching as the chief conferred with the two males Kat assumed must be her mates. “They worship and revere their females almost as goddesses. Which of course, is as it should be.”
Kat shook her head. “You guys…I swear, if more Earth girls knew about Twin Moons, your whole planet would be completely overrun with desperate females looking to be Kindred brides.”
“I don’t think so.” Deep’s voice was unexpectedly harsh. “We frighten your kind, Kat. Frighten them to death.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded in a low voice. “If you have something to say—”
His eyes flashed. “Nothing you want to hear, I’m sure.”
“Be silent.” Lock’s voice was unusually sharp. “The chief wishes to speak.”
“Visitors from the land beyond, we bid thee welcome,” the chief said in a low, melodious voice.
Kat counted the syllables silently. Good—no more haikus! Maybe because she’s a woman? Who knows…
“Thou art indeed most welcome, though thou camest as trespassers upon our holy soil,” the chief continued and Kat sighed inwardly. Apparently, the convo-pillar had traded Japanese poetry for Old English mumbo-jumbo. But at least she’s understandable. And she doesn’t sound like Yoda—that’s always a good thing.
“We are pleased to do your bidding, blessed one,” Lock said, bowing deeply again. “If by our sacrifice of pleasure we can make your full moons festival more sacred, then we gladly give of ourselves.”
Speak for yourself! Kat thought. From the dark look on Deep’s face, he was thinking much the same. The two of them remained silent, however and Kat couldn’t help thinking it was a good thing they had Lock to do the talking. He was really sweet and kind and honest but he could also, apparently, be a silver-tongued negotiator when he put his mind to it. It gave her new respect for the light twin, who could be sometimes overshadowed by his brother’s dark moods.
“Thy coming was foreordained by the stars,” the chief said, nodding her head at Kat. “A sunfire goddess searching for the sacred blossom, and her mates, light and dark, as the moons above.” She lifted her hands to the heavens and Kat looked up instinctively. What she saw nearly took her breath away.
High above them were two huge moons. One was a brilliant, silvery white and the other was so black it looked like an onyx orb in the sky. Both were many times bigger than Earth’s moon and the white one shed an eerie, otherworldly light over the holy meadow. Kat couldn’t understand how she hadn’t seen them before. They had either risen very quickly or she had been too involved in the conversation with Deep and Lock and the chief to notice. But now that she had seen them, she couldn’t look away.
“Oh,” she whispered reverently. “They’re beautiful.”
“Dakir and Lanare,” the chief said softly. “The twin lovers of Nyra, our beloved sun. But how came the fiery maiden to choose them both? Tonight shall we speak of these things and show them again for the pleasure of all.”
“You mean we’re going to show them,” Deep muttered, frowning.
The chief caught his words and nodded. “Indeed, warrior. Your brother has told me of your quest. Know this—if thou please the gods with thy sacrifice, the holy meadow shall burst into blossom and the fifilalachuchu flower shall be thine.”
“Really?” Kat looked around the meadow eagerly, but she saw nothing except the little yellow and blue flowers she’d woven into a crown the day before. “Where are they?”
“They shall not bloom unless thy sacrifice is pleasing.” The chief sounded stern. “See to it that it is.”
“Of course we shall,” Lock said smoothly. “How do you wish us to perform, oh blessed one?”
“My mates and I shall sit here, behind the screen of leaves.” The chief gestured to the flowering bushes behind them. “I shall speak the sacred words and thou must act upon them. See that thou givest proper sacrifice—the gods themselves are as we shall be—seeing but unseen.” She nodded at them regally and then stepped back behind the bushes. Her mates followed her and, after a brief rustling of leaves, the three of them were completely concealed.
Seeing but unseen, Kat thought. Well, at least that’s a little less intimidating than if they were all standing over us watching. I guess if we have to do this—
“In the dawn of time, from the emptiness of the great black void, was born a beautiful elite maiden, with the curves of a goddess and fiery red hair,” the chief’s low, musical voice began, interrupting her thoughts. “Her name was Nyra.”