Michaela (48 page)

She sank into the cushion, enjoying that it was every bit as soft as it looked. “I was pretty shaky afterwards, but I have a wonderful clan that manages to fix everything.”

Imold busied himself at a shelving unit that held a small cooling unit and glasses. “I have met Clan Korkla. From what I’ve seen, they are good men. You chose your lifemates well. I am thrilled that you’ve decided to allow one of us from this temple to perform your official clanning ceremony.”

He turned with a swish of robes and brought her a cup filled with thick orange liquid. Michaela accepted it with thanks and took a sip. It was a fruity drink, refreshing and delicious. She nodded her thanks and Imold stepped around the low table in front of her to sit on another white cushion.

After sipping a little more juice, Michaela told the priest, “I only know about Earther weddings. I hardly know where to begin with my own.”

Imold smiled. “Your ceremony rituals are entirely up to you. You are already clanned, but many enjoy the opportunity to share that happiness with friends and family. Clans celebrate as fits their particular needs.”

Michaela thought of her parents. Of the friends she’d known so long ago in Haiti, particularly the doctor who had hidden her secret. They had kept her alive, making it possible for her to find true love and acceptance. It made her sad to think they couldn’t see her happiness now, nor meet the men who had shown her she was fine the way she was.

Imold tilted his head, as if he could read all of her thoughts. “You will have few loved ones to attend on your behalf. This is the situation with the majority of Earther women who have joined us on Kalquor. Most have no one, save the Kalquorian friends they have made.”

Michaela swallowed the lump in her throat. “I have Jessica.”

“The empress. I hear she also fared well despite the abduction attempt. I am glad for that.” Imold leaned forward over the table, leaning his chin against his laced fingers. “Tell me about the parts of your culture you’d like to incorporate into your ceremony, Matara.”

Michaela blinked at him. “I can do that? I can use Earther rites here?”

Imold nodded, smiling as joyfully as before. “This is one of the most important days of your life, Matara. You can have anything you wish, so long as the rest of your clan agrees. The temple denies you nothing that is meaningful to you.”

Michaela tried to think of what she wanted in her wedding ceremony. She was too overwhelmed, however. Getting married was not something she ever believed would be possible for her. She’d never dared to imagine a lifelong commitment with anyone, not when her very existence hung in the balance.

She thought of the Earther weddings she’d attended and frowned. She hadn’t believed in the Church or its commandments. Women getting married had to attend classes that detailed what was expected of them: service to their husbands, bearing children, and always conducting themselves with modesty and humility. The vows of the marriage ceremony itself had been heavy on service to God, Church, and State, more so than loving one’s spouse and living happily ever after. None of that seemed to apply to her.

Master Imold interrupted her confusion. “I see you are a bit overcome.”

Michaela huffed an exasperated breath. “More than a bit. I feel like it would be nice to honor the people I came from, rather than the belief system forced on us.”

Imold pursed his lips as he considered. “Let’s think on it for a moment. Tell me something of your heritage.”

“My mother was from the Middle Eastern Bloc. Before Unification, her home was known as Saudi Arabia. It was very different from the places I grew up.”

“I see an opening there. Let’s start with your ceremony’s setting, using this place your mother’s ancestors came from. Are you familiar at all with how a home or important structure’s interior would look in the Middle Eastern Bloc?”

Michaela nodded. “I saw vids of some of the palaces that used to stand. Most were destroyed when the Northern Bloc invaded and took control. Some had a formal European influence, but my favorite rooms were ... how would I describe it? More organic, but elaborately so. Flowing architecture and details that were expanded on.”

“Can you give me an example?”

Michaela tried to come up with something familiar to Imold. “Like, if you took a wave coming in from your ocean and made the green of silk and the foam of velvet. The curve of it would be made absolutely perfect and stylized so your eye would just float over it. The designs of my ancestors were opulent and grand, but simple in form at the same time. Am I making any sense?”

Imold pulled a small, nearly flat computer out from under the table and tapped on its surface. “I believe so. Tell me if this fits.”

A vid sprang up in the air between them. It showed a bench made much as Michaela had described: the arms and legs of it curled like stylized waves. The bench’s main seating cushion was emerald green, fading into soft white as it reached the upholstered arms. It looked just like a wave cresting.

“That’s exactly it!” Michaela applauded with glee.

Imold looked pleased. “Would you like such a look as an overall backdrop to your ceremony? It could be a celebration of your mother’s people.”

Michaela could scarcely believe her luck that Imold would provide such a thing. “I would love that.”

Imold nodded and tapped on his computer again. “Very good. This is our starting point. From here, we will design the rest of the setting.”

Michaela’s mind swam with options now that the priest had given her a direction to head in. “Oh, we should have the music too. I have some recordings. And food for after the vows. I’ve already experimented with making Kalquorian food with a Middle Eastern influence. But there will be so many guests since Korkla is connected to the princes – I mean emperors. Do you think it can be done?”

“We have made many Earther Mataras happy with their ceremonies.” There was no doubt in Imold’s demeanor. “We will be able to figure out a great many things if you will work with us.”

“I will. Thank you, Master Imold. And here I thought you would just want to read me scriptures and pray ... or whatever you guys do here.”

Imold arched a brow. “Oh, we’ll get to that.”

Michaela started. Again, she thought of rites that preached Church and State, Church and State, and rarely the love between men and women. But Imold said her ceremony would be what she wanted...

Then she noted the man’s mischievous grin and the teasing light in his eyes. For heaven’s sake, Imold was putting her on.

She snickered and shook her head at him. “A priest with a sense of humor. I never saw that on Earth.”

“No?”

“No, they always looked pissed off because we were all so sinful. I like your way better.”

“Good. As I said, this is your day. We put a high priority on the happiness of the Matara.” Imold went about tapping on his computer again. “Let’s talk about your vows.”

“Okay. Oh, I think I should warn you about my dress too. My clan says it’s no big deal, but ... well ... I’m not so sure.” Michaela thought about her scanty excuse of a gown and her face warmed. “You are a priest and I guess this ceremony counts as a holy thing, right? I shouldn’t be ... um ... risqué?”

Imold chuckled again. “Ah, so you’re celebrating the Empire’s lack of inhibitions as well. The joining ceremony might include physical joining?”

Michaela’s face was no longer warm. It flamed. The priest laughed and reached over to pat her hand like a comforting friend.

Making his demeanor mock-serious, Imold said, “Let me note this down: plastic sheeting beneath the clan to protect the flooring from spills.”

That did it. Michaela erupted in hysterical laughter, not quite believing a priest would make such a bawdy joke. When she could speak again, she said, “Okay, okay, it’s not a big deal after all. You guys are something else.”

He snickered, unrepentant. “Eventually you will take our acceptance of natural urges for granted.”

“No, Master Imold. That is something I will never take for granted. You can bet on that.” There was no humor in Michaela’s tone.

“Then you are fortunate to know to appreciate what you have been given, even if that ability grew from an unfortunate history.”

She snorted. “
Now
you’re sounding like a priest.”

* * * *

Two hours later, Michaela and Imold had a basic outline in place for the clanning ceremony. The priest planned to send her a list of caterers who had familiarized themselves with Earther-type food, along with decorators who might be able to realize the perfect setting.

She couldn’t resist teasing him. “You’re not just a priest; you’re an event planner.”

Imold laughed along with her. “I admit I tend to go beyond the usual tasks the temple sets for priests when it comes to clanning ceremonies. I love putting such celebrations together, and you Earther Mataras have given me many opportunities to indulge myself.”

Michaela left Imold feeling happy in her heart. With so much already in place for the date she still had to set with her clan, she had no concerns about the ceremony.

It was close to lunchtime. That meant Michaela had all afternoon to kill before her men returned home from work. Too delighted with life to go home and be alone, she decided she would visit the marketplace.

Half an hour from the Temple of Life, Michaela put her slippers on and entered the tunnel that went from the cliff-hugging beach to the underground marketplace. The well-lit tunnel was meant for pedestrian traffic. The only vehicles allowed to use it belonged to emergency responders.

At this time, few people journeyed along the smoothly-bored hole in the side of the cliff. Most Kalquorian men were working at this time, and Kalquorian females were so rare one often didn’t see them for days on end. Most of Michaela’s fellow travelers along the brightly illuminated tunnel were Earther females. Of the nearly 2000 that had been brought to Kalquor, most were concentrated in the capital city. She smiled and nodded to them as they passed.

The few men Michaela did encounter bowed to her. In some cases they openly stared, their faces wishful. As always, Michaela couldn’t help but automatically wonder how much they’d want her if they knew she was as male as she was female. Even after all the evidence she’d experienced to the contrary, she still initially thought others would be repulsed.

Reaching the end of the tunnel was always a revelation. The market area was an amazing piece of engineering, one Michaela would never have believed possible.

It resided deep underground, in an immense mine that had played out long ago. Yet it was as if Michaela had stepped from the tunnel into an outdoor countryside. The same blue sky with its soft clouds and golden sun that had arched over the beach stretched overhead. Michaela knew it to be an illusion, but the knowledge did not negate the feeling she was outside again.

The ceiling of the former mine was one enormous vid transmission, showing the current weather going on in the real world. Ventilation mimicked the soft breezes that now played through Michaela’s curls.

Beyond the tunnel were two wide paths, just large enough for a medium-sized shuttle to navigate. One went to the left and was bordered by newly blooming flowers and colorful shrubs celebrating the return of spring. The foliage managed to appear to be naturally occurring growth as in the wild.

The path to the right went into a heavily wooded area. Michaela knew there was housing located in that direction.

She turned left, heading for the market. The streets of the shopping hub were arranged in a series of squares. Michaela soon entered the first of these.

At the center of the square was a rock feature, carved from the mine’s natural stone. It was like a small mountain, allowing for rock-climbing enthusiasts to race up one side in competition. On the other side, a waterfall splashed into a basin. This was filled with colorful swimming creatures that were more mammalian-looking than fishlike, but breathed through gills. The rush of the waterfall was a wonderfully soothing sound.

Entertainers surrounded the feature, playing music, acting out scenes from one of the local theater’s shows, and performing dynamic feats of acrobatics. Michaela neared an Imdiko who shaped and fired small clay-like objects to hand out, little promotional bits of art to draw attention to his larger sculptures in a nearby gallery. He glanced up and smiled to see her watching him form a tiny dril with practiced fingers. He paused in his work to reach into a box of the small decorations. He drew out a delicate yellow flower sculpture half the size of Michaela’s palm. He presented it to her with a flourish.

“For you, lovely lady who blooms brighter than any flower in the Empire. Have a wondrous day.”

The piece was exquisite, and Michaela’s appreciation was genuine. She thanked the artist profusely, knowing that the Kalquorian men watching would note that an Earther female liked such things. If they had been lucky enough to lure a woman from Earth to Kalquor, they would go check out the Imdiko’s other artwork in the gallery and perhaps buy something.

She moved on, cupping her new treasure in her hand and rubbing a thumb over one of the flower’s petals. In this square, the mountain waterfall was surrounded by restaurants and meeting places. There was also a pleasure club tucked unobtrusively between two larger buildings, its presence notable only by its black door. Michaela glanced over and saw a scarred Nobek limp out of the place. She shivered to think of rooms filled with naked muscle, of cries of pleasure and pain. Michaela thought she’d one day like her clan to take her in there to watch the sexual antics of others.