But as the four women she had just met rushed her through the long, narrow corridor and her fate drew closer, Allara found that her wedding night was all she could think about.
And though fear was a cowardly emotion, she felt it building relentlessly inside her, making her heart pound in a frantic rhythm that refused to be stilled, no matter how hard she tried.
Four
“This is the Sacred Grove. Oh—you have to take off your shoes here—it’s holy ground,” Liv told her, when they at last exited the tunnel and found themselves in the middle of a wide parkland just on the edge of a forest.
Allara looked around herself in wonder.
“This is…still inside the ship?” she asked hesitantly. The green and purple grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see and there was a pale green sun shining overhead. A balmy breeze stirred the green and purple leaves of the trees and ruffled the gold lace veil that still covered her face.
It felt like being out in the open lands beyond the city where she had been raised. Not that she’d gotten to go there much, but she’d had one governess who believed in the health benefits of fresh air when she was younger. Some of her happiest memories were of running barefoot through a field with the grass tickling her toes, as it was now that she had removed her slippers.
“Oh yes—the Mother Ship is huge,” Liv told her. “It’s about a fourth the size of Earth’s moon, which it orbits.”
“The Sacred Grove is for ceremonies and worshipping the Goddess, of course,” Lauren said, gesturing to the forest they were about to enter. “But the rest of this area is park land. It’s a great place to go on a picnic with your new man.”
“A pic-nic?” Allara frowned.
“Oh, sorry—the translation bacteria must not be able to translate that,” Lauren said.
“A picnic is just a meal you eat outdoors,” Sophie told her. “It can be really nice and romantic—especially around evening time when they dim the sun and make it feel like sunset.”
“Oh, I understand.” Allara nodded. “I had a governess once who took me on picnics in the open lands beyond our city. It was…fun.”
“There—see? Our cultures aren’t that different after all!” Kat exclaimed.
“Be sure to ask Brand to take you on a picnic out here in the park once you’re Joined,” Liv told her. “Okay, are you ready to go into the Sacred Grove?”
Allara’s pulse sped up and her lungs felt tight.
“Is…will my…my husband be there?”
“Yes, he should be waiting at the altar,” Kat said. “But don’t worry, doll, we’ll be with you right up until the last minute. We won’t leave you until the ceremony is about to begin.”
Allara felt an absurd rush of gratitude to the four alien women. Absurd because it was ridiculous to feel any affinity to the enemy at all. But gratitude nonetheless, because they were willing to stand by her.
Aunt should have come to stand by me, whispered a resentful little voice in her head. Instead, she abandoned me to torture and death.
“Now listen, doll, about the ceremony,” Kat said, bringing her out of her thoughts. “I did the best I could when I was planning it, but your people are just really secretive about their customs and rituals—I couldn’t find anything except the fact that music is really important to you. That’s right, isn’t it?” she asked, looking at Allara anxiously.
Allara nodded.
“Music is life,” she said simply. “That is why there is a Song House in every neighborhood of my planet. So that every citizen may partake in song on a daily basis.”
“Wow, it sounds almost religious,” Liv remarked, looking at Kat. “Maybe you should have put more emphasis on it.”
“I have karaoke set up for the reception.” Kat sounded defensive. “Look, Allara,” she said, turning back to her. “Like I was saying, it’s hard to find out how your people tie the knot. So this ceremony is kind of half Kindred and half Earth customs.”
“Did you have the planning of it?” Allara asked.
“Kat plans everybody’s ceremonies,” Sophie assured her.
“I really hope you like it—I did the best I could with what I had,” Kat said to Allara apologetically. “But if you hate it and want a do-over, I’m sure Brand won’t mind.”
“A…’do-over’?” Allara asked, frowning.
“If you want to repeat the ceremony in a way that’s more in keeping with the traditions of your own planet,” Liv explained.
“Repeat the ceremony?” Allara shook her head. “No, I do not think that will be necessary.”
Apart from the fact that she would be dead by morning, it was an odd idea. On her own world, the marriage ceremony was simple and to the point, but it sounded like Kat had planned something much more elaborate for her Joining to the evil one.
To Brand, she thought, biting her lip. I wonder what he looks like.