2. Aizor

Chapter 2

"The hunt was good," I said to my fellow clan members, and they nodded. Many of my people sat on stumps, eating from crystal plates around the fire in the ceremonial chamber, a tall, blue and teal crystal structure that had once hosted my clan's god.

When it went silent, it took our future away with it.

My ancestors abandoned it, but I'd guided my clan back here not long ago. Now we couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

My gaze scanned the thirty males, four females, one of them elderly, plus our three precious young, only one of whom was female.

We few people were all that remained of my once thriving Indigan Clan. To think, when the crystals had been alive, there were so many Zuldruxians, thousands would attend the annual clan gatherings in the great valley below. Now we were lucky if a few hundred could make the trek to the event this coming season, the first to be held in years.

"Our hunters killedthreebribards today," Jessia, one clan elder said, smacking her tusks. "We rarely see the like." She pushed her long braid of silver hair back over her shoulder. All of us shared the same hair color. "We'll smoke what's left tomorrow and store it for winter."

We'd all help. Ages ago, tasks had been divided between the sexes, but with so few females born to the remaining Zuldrux clans, duties that used to be exclusive to our females were divided among us all.

The bribard herds tended to cluster deep in the woods along the sides of the mountains during this season, making them a challenge to stalk. This hunt would feed my small clan for a long time, supplementing the food provided by our god.

The fire flared, highlighting the blue faces of those sitting closest to the warmth. Winter would be upon us soon, though we rarely saw snow in this part of the world.

The cold that came with the season was no longer a huge concern, unlike when we'd lived in rudimentary huts. Our god-given, crystal homes emitted heat, keeping us warm. In the hot months, they radiated cold, and it was common for us to remain inside, basking in the frigid air.

"Did you see any evidence of the Celedar Clan while hunting?" I asked Krute, my second-in-command.

He frowned into the flames. "Perhaps. Some crushed vegetation on one of the trails. The persistent feeling of being watched."

I growled. The Celedar Clan lived in the forest between here and the central valley and their clan traedor, Nevarn, was determined to encroach on our land.

"Post more guards." He'd be foolish to attack my clan with so few males of his own, but a strong traedor protected the people he served.

Krute nodded and lifted his hand. Two males left our group and melted into the shadows beyond our crystal dwellings.

We finished our meal, complimenting the gods on the spices used on the tubers and the sauce one of the males had suggested for the grains. After, we placed our dishes inside a bin and one of the males carried it into the dining area in the back of the building where they would be absorbed and brought forth for our next meal.

I added more wood to the fire, noting how low the ceremonial pile had become. I'd already dropped numerous trees in early summer, and they would be dry enough by now to cut into smaller chunks and split.

Someone elsecoulddo it. After all, I was the clan leader and supposedly above menial tasks such as this, but I enjoyed the mindlessness of the activity. The work kept me strong and ready to do battle.

Assuming another clan attacked. Back when our clans were larger, fighting was common. Now, no clan wanted to lose even one member to prove they were stronger than the other.

"Gather round, little ones," Jessia said with a toothy smile, settling back in the comfortable chair I'd crafted for her last winter. I'd cut the lumber, carefully sanding it down to ensure no splinter would pierce her thin skin and covered the finished product with soft cushions. "Sit, and I'll tell you the story of a world that once was, a world that now is, and a world that may yet wait for us."

A hush fell over those who hadn't left after the meal was finished. We'd all heard her tales numerous times, but each retelling felt fresh. It was good to remember, good to hear. Even better to believe that something would change to ensure that our world thrived once more.

Our two young boys left their indulgent parents and scurried around the fire to sit at Jessia's feet, gazing up at her raptly.

Willire nursed at her mother, Tepesta's breast, and was too young yet to listen.

Watching them, all of us sighed. Younglings were precious. They should be our future, but if our prayers were not answered soon, I didn't want to think of how things might be within five or even ten years.

My clan was dying and only the remaining gods could save us.

"No one knows when the crystal structures first planted themselves in the broad, open areas of our once glorious world," Jessia said in a lilting voice that drew all of us in.

Even the baby, Willire, looked toward her before returning to her mother's breast.

"Some say they arrived in silver ships and that they descended from inside, walking stiffly down planks and out into the middle of the valley before sinking their roots deep within the soil," she said. "Others say the crystal structures were dropped from the ship, that they impaled the surface when they hit, driving spikes deep. Yet others suggest they've been here forever, even longer than our own people."

Muzzire, our strongest hunter, nodded. "I believe they've always been here. They're gods, after all, not beings from another world." He spat, the liquid sizzling in the fire, before nodding slowly. "Everything we will ever need is here on our planet."

Yet hope for something better might soon arrive from the stars.

Jessia grunted. She never enjoyed being interrupted. "In my story, we assume they descended from the stars. They are our gods, after all. However, it matters not if they were here always or came from somewhere else, does it?" A challenge rang out in her voice.

He said nothing, staring into the flames.

"Before the ships left, never to return, the varying structures were each infused with a god. The ships never returned, and our gods remained. We revered them, as we should, and they bestowed their goodness upon us." Her hand waved to the circle of glowing blue structures around us. "This . . . This crystal is still infused with a god."

Tepesta peered up while nursing her youngling, as if the god would reveal itself to us. Ours never did; not physically, that is. But we felt their presence in the way they cared for us, aided us. I'd brought my clan back to the Indigan lands three years ago, but it still felt like yesterday.

"What about our homes?" the youngest of the two brothers, Trevar, asked, speaking of the circle of smaller crystal structures not far from this one. "Are they also infused with a god?"

"The gods within our homes are dormant," I said. "Will they come alive once more? We cannot say."

Trevar nodded, his blue eyes wide.

"They abandoned us," Muzzire snarled. "If we die, it's because of them."

"Not so. Although, until only a few years ago, that's what we all believed." Jessia smiled to see us staring at her raptly. "Thanks to our traedor and others like him, some haveawoken."

Trevar's eyes widened even farther, but he said nothing, just gazed at Jessia with his mouth open.

Jessia stroked his silver hair. "After the disease swept across our world, killing so many of us and even most of our gods—"

One of our younger males gasped, though we'd all heard the story before. Jessia had a way of spinning it in a manner that drew us all in.

"Most of our gods perished from the disease as well, leaving behind their exoskeletons like the ones we now call our homes. Remember, though, your mighty ancestors lived and died here in the Indigan Clan. But our wise leader, Aizor, went with the other clan leaders to speak with the remaining gods in the valley."

To beg, that's what we did. Webeggedthe gods to help us. And they told us they would. That was in the spring three years ago, and as the seasons passed, one after another, I'd begun to lose hope that they'd fulfill their promise.

"Soon, the gods said." Jessia's rheumy gaze met mine, and she nodded. "Soon they will send us a sign. They promised to gift us with a future. And when that future is here, our clan will flourish once more."

"'We'll gift you with mates,'" the gods said. "'When we release one to each of you, we'll send a sign that she's your crystal-given bride.'" I nodded at the smiles greeting my words. While the gods didn't indicate who would receive a mate, I prayed I would be among those chosen.

"Many females. That's what the gods promised." Jessia's grin widened, revealing her even white teeth and tusks. "Once they're here, our clans will grow, and we'll be a strong people once more."

Trevar tipped his head back, taking in the crystal structure surrounding us and arching overhead. Moonlight shone through the god's exoskeleton, igniting beams of every variety of blue, making them dance across the floor. A gust of wind swept through the open doorway, stirring the fire, making the shadows shimmer across the blue.

"What sign will our god send?" Trevar's older brother by two years, Brulon, asked.

I shook my head. "We don't know."

"Then it could've happened already," he said with a frown. "And we missed it."

"We should not be doing this," Krute said softly beside me. "They won't be clan. They won't be Zuldruxians."

We'd gone through this many times. "What would you have us do? There are no more mates for us here. They must come from the stars like our gods."

"I don't know." His hard gaze met mine. "But it's notthis." With that, he rose and stomped from the central crystal structure and out into the night.

I sighed. I was the traedor, not him, though he'd fought me for the honor. That was six years ago. I thought by now he'd accepted the will of the gods and trusted me to make the right decisions for our clan. I'd remind him tomorrow that while I accepted input from everyone, my decision in this was final.

Staring into the fire, I let my distress about Krute pass. This was a time of joy for all the clan, not one of sorrow.

Would I receive the sign soon? If so, thenshe'djoin me. She'd love me as much as I did her, and I'd plant many young in her welcoming body.

Jessia stood. "It's time for me to rest." She rubbed her lower back. "My bones are tired.I'mtired. But not so tired that I'm ready to leave you all yet. I want to see our clan rejuvenated once more. I feel that time is coming."

Someone gasped, and my gaze was caught by the glow outside.

We all rushed out, staring around, but we couldn't find the source of the light.

Tepesta pointed upward, and we all crooked our heads back.

A crystal shard detached from the main structure and speared down. Something like this had never happened before. It landed in the soil between my feet. Holding my breath, I blinked down at it.

Light blazed from within the shard, and a sudden burn flashed across my right inner forearm. I rolled my hand over to expose my arm in the light, and Muzzire sucked in his breath.

A symbol—that of the Indigan Clan—was etched across my skin in every shade of blue.

At that moment, Iknew.

At that moment, I felt incredible joy.

Because my mate would arrive shortly.