24. Aizor

Chapter 24

Ihad six days left, and I wasn't going to waste any of them. I would win Vanessa's heart, and she'd tell me she wanted to stay.

With a plan in mind, I sought out Krute to get our talk over with, though we didn't have much to discuss. His scouts had spied a herd of bribards in the small valley adjacent to the one with the island housing our gods, and he thought we should put together a hunting party to take down three to cure. We stored dried, smoked meat for the cool, winter months, and with fall approaching and the nights getting chilly, now was an excellent time to do it.

"Anything else?" I asked him. We sat at the central firepit in the middle of our ring of homes, though the fire wasn't lit.

"Muzzire swears he found footprints in the woods above our village."

"Nevarn's clan?" I asked sharply.

Vanessa, who was studying the wooden chair I made Jessia, even sitting in it and rocking with a big smile on her face, paused to look our way.

Krute shrugged. "He said the footprints were big. Much bigger than any Zuldruxian he's seen before. I suppose they could be from the Celedar Clan."

"Our males chased them away a few days ago. What reason would Nevarn, or his males, have to keep coming this far from their forest home?"

We both looked at Vanessa.

A growl rumbled in my chest. I'd slice Nevarn through, sew him back together, then slice him all over again if he so much as touched my mate.

"Post more guards," I said.

Krute nodded, and we both stood. "I'll do so right away."

"Also send two males to look for a woman like Vanessa."

Her smile widened, and I loved seeing the thanks in her eyes.

Krute's thick brow ridge tightened. "A female?"

"Yes." I explained about the women inside pods on the island and how Vanessa noted one of them was missing. "If they find her, bring her to us. We'll keep her safe."

"I will." He started to leave but turned back. "Aboutyourgod-given mate."

I cocked my head.

Coming back to stand beside me, he lowered his voice. "She wants to leave, doesn't she?"

Not if I had anything to say in it. "Not yet."

"You should send her back. I still . . ." He growled.

"You still believe we shouldn't respect the gifts from the gods?"

"They don't belong here. None of them." With a snarl, he left to seek out the other males.

Grumbling, I walked over to stand in front of Vanessa.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Everything will work out as it should." I shot a glare at Krute's spine.

She rubbed her fingertips along the intricately carved armrest. "This is a gorgeous piece of work."

"I made it," I croaked, proud that she admired it so much.

"You did? It's beautiful. You're quite talented."

"Thank you. Are you ready to bathe now?"

Her gaze narrowed on my face. "Yes." Hesitancy came through in her voice, but I wouldn't do anything with my mate she wouldn't enjoy.

I held out my hand. "Walk with me, and I'll select the perfect pool. Warm but not too hot."

And completely isolated from the rest. For a female who let me lick between her legs while she was braced against the wall inside the central meeting building housing my gods, my mate was surprisingly shy about revealing her body to others.

"Do we need to get clothing?" she asked, pinching the tunic she wore. "This one needs a good wash." She squinted around as we walked up the hill to the cave entrance. "You said there's no laundromat? I assume I'll need to take my turn at the local river with a rough rock."

"What's a lawndamatt?"

She explained.

I still didn't understand. "The gods wash our clothing, though wash is an odd way to put it."

"I'm trying to picture crystal gods kneeling on a riverbank, scrubbing tunics in the water with soap made from . . . lye." She frowned. "I think that was how they made soap long ago on Earth."

"I've told you our gods only reside within the crystal structures."

"Can they move? Like, uproot a structure and take a stroll through the valley?"

"Our gods are as immovable as the trees. They dwell within the spires that long ago sent roots deep below the ground. When a disease swept across this world, many of us died and most of the crystal gods went dormant. Only a few care enough to interact with us now."

"Like the ones on the island."

"Those and one here within my clan. Only a few gods remained for each clan while the rest . . . I assume they're gone forever. It's been a very long time." I grunted. "As for washing, the gods absorb our soiled clothing and return it or something similar to it while we bathe."

"Absorb like the plates?"

"Yes. I mentioned their roots sink deeply. They network everywhere below the ground."

"I didn't see any in the mountain caverns."

"They are there, below the stone."

"I see."

"Isn't this how you obtain food and clean clothing where you come from? Why kneel at a riverbank or lean over the fire to sear meat? I cannot imagine such a thing."

"We don't have gods like yours."

This couldn't be true. "Who performs these tasks for you, then?"

"We do it ourselves." She lifted her arm and clenched her fist, massaging the muscle in her upper arm. "Exercise keeps us healthy."

"Ah." I nodded, still not exactly sure what she meant.

"Didn't you have to do all this for yourself not long ago? You said you only recently moved into your crystal homes."

"Some things were still done for us by the gods, though we tried to ignore that fact."

"Why?"

"Because we thought they'd harmed us."

"I see. Do your gods also vacuum?" she asked, gazing around raptly. I liked that she was enjoying her time on Zuldrux. "And what do you do about disposable goods?"

"I don't understand your words."

We reached the entrance to the cave and walked inside, pausing to allow the lectums to bloom on the ceiling above us.

"A vacuum is something we use to clean."

"The gods keep everything tidy as well."

"Amazing," she breathed. "That's . . . No cleaning? It's like heaven. As for disposable goods, I'm referring to things like bags to store stuff in, paper cups you throw out. Trash, I guess. It's disposable, meaning disposed of when it's no longer needed."

"We use everything and whatever we don't need is absorbed into the ground by the gods. There's no need to throw things. We're gentle when we lay them on the ground or on the counter."

"What do the gods get in exchange for serving you?"

"We honor them."

"I have to say, this beats burning disposable goods or covering them with dirt in a landfill. I . . ." Her smile rose. "I like it. Your gods are the kings and queens of recycling."

"Our gods are not male or female."

"Do they procreate at all?"

"As far as I know, they don't have sex."

"How do they make baby gods?"

I snorted. "There's no such thing. They're here. Their crystal structures cover our world. And their network of roots thrives below the ground, serving our needs while we worship them."

"That's it? They do everything for you in exchange for being thanked?"

"What else would we give them?" I asked, puzzled by her amazement.

"Blood?"

I lifted my brow ridge. "What would they do with our blood?"

"It's a long story. When you're up for a scary tale, I'll share it."

She said so many confusing things, yet I found her exciting to speak with. I wanted to hear all about her world and talk to her about mine.

"You thank your gods and that makes them happy," she said with a sigh. "How can you tell this makes them feel good?"

"They glow."

Her breath caught. "I don't believe I've seen that."

"You did last night."

"You mean . . . That's right. I thought it was something like the northern lights." She explained what she meant.

"I believe, my pretty mate, you will see these lights again tonight."

"I can't wait."

I had six days left, and she was eager to experience things in my world.

It was a start.