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LYDIA
After the wedding, since none of them ate, the valos held a feast for one—me—at the entrance of the city. I enjoyed it while watching a show of death racing. Nobody died, obviously, but they went out of their way to knock out their rivals, erecting ice walls in their path or deliberately bumping into each other. I almost choked a few times laughing myself to tears.
They had set the table at the foot of the giant statue of Tarakheen at the entrance of the city. To my shock, they had reshaped her to my likeness. Although flattered and deeply touched, E’Lek didn’t belong to me and I didn’t want them thinking in any way that I held such ambitions. Both Jaan and Lorvek reassured me none of them believed that. Kai had carved iwaki flowers at my feet and in my cupped palms which stretched outwards in an offering gesture.
To the Northern Valos, I was Lydiazul’vir Dor E’Lek, the Giver of Life.
Two days later, the Builders and Crafters completed the funeral chamber for their brothers and sisters who hadn’t survived the magma room. They used the room where the females had been enshrined and other Artisans joined their efforts to Kai’s to make it bright and beautiful with colorful carvings. The valos didn’t decay upon death. They froze, their bodies remaining in a permanent stasis. Walking inside, you could almost think you’d entered a wax museum.
In the weeks that followed, we held many discussions as to the future of E’Lek. Although the Northern Valos had kept minimal contacts with the other valo cities, they had relied heavily on trade with the City of Light. They intended to resume their business with them, assuming they were still a thriving people. The Crafters would visit them the next time they returned.
I still struggled to wrap my head around the fact that a valo city had been built on top of a giant dinosaur. Apparently, the Creator of the City of light had bioengineered three of those beasts. They were so heavy the ground shook for miles around with each of their steps. I realized now it was what had awakened me after I’d washed up on the bank of the frozen land. It came by once every month. Kai promised to take me there once the Hunters made sure it was safe. I could hardly wait.
I wondered if potential survivors of the Concord had encountered any of those other valos. A few weeks ago, the Hunters had found the half-eaten remains of one of the prisoners, recognizable by his orange outfit. No one else had made it this close to E’Lek. I still had mixed feelings about it. Part of me would welcome the presence of another human, but I trusted very few of them. Once the Hunters made contact with the other cities, we’d know for sure. They promised to inquire about my girls; Quinn, Zoya and Petra. It would be wonderful to see them again. Maybe I could hook them up with one of the guys here. Duke was a good sort.
We also wondered about the lost tribes. The majority of the valos here were born or married in E’Lek. We had no idea what the Creator had done to the four nomadic tribes of the Northern Valos before anyone realized what was happening. They could be somewhere out there, wasting away in hibernation too. A few Hunters and Miners had set out to try and discover what had befallen them and if they could be rescued.
With the valos having reclaimed the upper-city, the lower-city still served as a workplace for growing the crops and crafting. The suite Kai and Duke had built there for me also served as a romantic getaway. With much effort and ingenuity, my mate had managed to keep his surprise a secret. On our wedding day, Kai had revealed the breathtaking work he had done in the hot spring room of the lower-city.
Originally, it had been a dimly lit room with a rough-edged pool and uneven stone walls. Now, a giant fresco of me sitting in a field of iwakis with Cutie on my lap decorated the entire back wall. The side walls displayed various scenes related to the life of his people before the change. Glow stones embedded in strategic places on the floor and ceiling bathed the room in a soft, intimate glow. Touchstones on intricately ornate pedestals in the corner of the room could be activated for more light. But it was the ceiling that took my breath away making Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel look like amateur work.
When I asked him how he’d managed to do this in the heat of the room, he explained that he’d been able to tolerate more of it since we’d become intimate. Two months after our wedding, any doubts we held that we affected each other had evaporated. While he still couldn’t withstand serious heat like in the magma room, Kai’s default body temperature now loomed closer to a human’s. Best part, he could also handle the heat of the hot spring’s water for extended periods without sustaining any damage. Something happened the day we exchanged blood and I couldn’t be happier.
I sat naked at the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water. Kai jumped in from the opposite side and swam up to me. Standing between my parted legs, he lifted his head to kiss me. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him back with all the love that bubbled in my heart for him.
“I have a secret to tell you,” I whispered against his lips.
“What is it, my Lydia?”
I grabbed his hand and placed it on my stomach. He stiffened then his eyes widened, the question obvious on his face. I nodded in response.
“Looks like little Teo will soon have a friend to play with,” I said.
His heartstone shone bright, his face contorted with emotion.
“My Lydia... My iwaki...”
I smiled and kissed my husband again.
THE END