Previously: Harsan tells Tharrak (Zeyin) that his mother, Ahandra, has been missing for nearly 10 years. After they leave the bar, they are confronted by a slave and a retinue of warriors from the High Clan. The slave tells them he's purchased Sira and Kahet, and that he's bound by oath to let Tharrak live… for now.

Pronunciation:

Ga'oul - gah'OOL - one of three moons orbiting Ashann

Izuren - ih-ZOO-rin

Khoru - KOH-roo

sa'eran - sa'EIR-an - "my love"

Tethris - TETH-riss

V'kora - v'KOHR-ah

A Kiss

Ten Years Ago…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a throat clearing and she looked up to see the last person she'd expected in her quarters. Gaidulus, tall and stoic, as if he were hewn from the very stone of the temple itself. He was as wise as any of the elders and as calm as the meditation pools he spent so much of his time in. She had never seen him lose his temper, not even once. And yet his dispassionate composure frustrated her to no end. Even now, he stood several paces away, careful to maintain a respectful distance.

"Gaidulus-kai. What are you doing here?"

"I heard Ahandra attacked you. I wanted to ask you myself what happened in order to quickly put to rest any false rumors."

Whatever flicker of hope Zaiyra had held that he'd come for her sake was quickly doused. Gaidulus was practical, the well-being and harmony of the ka'ii and its servants foremost in his mind. The memory of Ahandra lunging at her, hissing about serpents and danger flared inside her mind. She quickly squashed it.

"Iyan. Nothing happened. She had a vision and fainted, that's all." The white lie tasted sour on her tongue.

Gaidulus, his expression masked in neutrality, clasped his hands behind his back. "As you say." It was her only clue that he was skeptical of her story, but Zaiyra would not speak ill of Ahandra. Plenty of elders could do that for her. Some of them even had the gall to continue to refer to the seer as "thras'ka" in Zaiyra's presence. After everything her friend had done for this city. After everything she had sacrificed.

"Are you ready?"

The high priestess looked at herself in the holo-mirror, layers of rainbow-colored silk cascading from her shoulders down to her feet. Her acolytes had cooed at how beautiful she was, but she could not see it. She could only see the naïve little girl that had foolishly opened her hearts up, only to realize after many years that the male she cared about most felt nothing for her.

"Saa," she whispered, her thumb rubbing the faded scar on her left palm, the memory of their vows vivid and clear.

It had hurt when she had drawn the blade over her skin, but she'd put on her bravest face. She was going to be a kai after all. Gaidulus had stood next to her at the bonding ceremony, tall and imposing and glittering in the firelight, his arms, legs, and tendrils banded in gold. They had both worn matching purple robes, the loose, flowing silk draped over their shoulders and belted at the waist to hang to between their legs. As their blood burned in offering to the One, Gaidulus had drawn aside his long cape and knelt before her, offering his bleeding hand to her. Shyly, she'd placed her hand in his, her splayed fingers barely reaching the edges of his palm. They'd held each other's gaze as the priest and priestess wrapped their hands together and proclaimed them bonded in the sight of the One and the crowd. She barely knew him, but a duty to her fallen sisters and the previous female kai compelled her to join with him. He was a good kai, she'd heard. Patient and wise. She knew she would learn much from him, just as she had from Asharah.

Zaiyra glanced at his image in the holo-mirror, quickly turning it off when their eyes met. To be a kai was to stand apart from all others, even another kai, she thought as passed by him and exited her chambers.

She pushed aside all thoughts of Gaidulus and Ahandra once she arrived at the landing site atop the pyramid, nodding to the assembly as she took her place in the center. Elders and priests surrounded her and Gaidulus in a semi-circle several rows deep. Their acolytes - her three, his two - stood to either side of them. Above, clouds passed over the golden and crimson eyes of Feiren and Iren, casting deep shadows and glimmering beams of light onto the lake surrounding the temple island.

A horn, long and low, bellowed across the windy air, the sonorous note immediately followed by a deep shadow that blotted out the two suns. The great ship silently sailed overhead and, with a grace that belied its large size, the ray-like vessel swung sideways and gently coasted to a halt above the landing platform.

Zaiyra took a deep breath as the doors parted and guards in crimson cloaks and sunset armor filed out in two long lines that stretched from the ship to a mere few paces away, ruby masks glittering in the sunlight. As one, they turned and faced each other, stamping their glaives in unison against the onyx stone.

So many guards, she thought with some disappointment. It did not bode well for this first meeting if the Eastern ka'ii distrusted them this much. The last thing Kuuroch could afford was a religious war. They would have few allies if it came to that.

Movement caught her eye, a young priest dressed in red and gold with a small retinue of lesser priests and slaves sweeping down the smooth walkway. He strode toward them, his steps confident and light. As he drew closer, she could see blood tattoos decorating his arms and chest, the raised flesh dyed a deep crimson over his olive green skin. His tendrils clinked as he bowed, each one tipped with gold and loosely bound into a topknot.

"Gaidulus-kai. Zaiyra-kai." His head remained bowed. "Churande-kai sends his deepest regrets at being unable to meet you in person. He has been taken by a sudden illness that has left him without voice or strength. Knowing how important this meeting was, however, he sent me in his stead. I am Khoru, his right hand. He asks that you hear my words as his words, see my deeds as his deeds."

The rows of elders and priests behind her muttered in confusion behind them, unsure whether to be angry at this unexpected development. The meeting of the Eastern and Western kais had taken many years to implement, each side declaring the other heretics.

"Why were we not informed of this?" asked Gaidulus.

The young priest straightened. "The kai…" His eyes met Zaiyra's and he hesitated. The priest quickly cleared his throat before looking back to Gaidulus. "Um… he did not wish to delay this meeting. He feared death may take him at any moment and said too much would be lost otherwise."

"I see," rumbled Gaidulus. "Then I welcome you Khoru, voice of Churande. May the One smile on our endeavors." As he bowed, so did Zaiyra and the elders and priests.

When she lifted her eyes, Khoru was watching her, a smirk tugging his mandibles to one side. Before she could ask what he found so amusing, Gaidulus drew him away to greet the elders and eldresses.

Five Years Ago...

The silk gown clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination, her smooth chest exposed to the humid air for everyone to admire. Zaiyra growled softly and tore the silk gown off, flinging it into the corner with the dozen of other outfits she'd tried on and rejected. Too obvious. She needed a look that was simple. Regal. She glanced at the sunset yellow dress she'd just tossed, remembering how she'd once worn such things to try and woo Gaidulus. They'd gather dust in her closet until today.

Today… She flexed her mandibles, suppressing a shudder of eagerness. She had to make the right impression.

Zaiyra turned to her wardrobe, tapping her mandibles against her fangs one at a time as she considered her options. Her eyes wandered over each of her outfits, piles of silks, veils, and golden chains meticulously folded or hung by the temple servants. A pang of guilt hit her as she glanced at the mess she'd made nearby. She moved to straighten it when her eyes landed on a gown she'd dismissed out of hand earlier.

She lifted it up, the pale lavender shimmering softly in the morning light. This one, she thought. Its long robes and layered silk scarves would cover her from neck to feet. If he was serious, then she was not going to make it easy for him. Nothing screamed desperation like showing off every inch of skin possible.

I have been away too long from you, esteemed kai. Despite our differing beliefs, your wisdom is a balm to my soul and spirit.

From you, the words echoed in Zaiyra's mind as she pressed the gown against her body. They'd been communicating, openly and in secret, for several seasons. Passionate debate had morphed into poetry and philosophical musings. Khoru was subtle. Subtle enough that she doubted his feelings as she wrapped the silks around her body. She had to know for certain. Had to know if the thought of seeing her sent flutters of excitement through him, made his hearts pound like drums as her's did even now. No one had ever made her feel like this before. She felt like an acolyte again, stumbling through the motions, awkward and nervous while others silently judged her.

Zaiyra helped her acolytes get dressed, reminding them what to do and say when the emissaries from Dar'Isan arrived. She met Gaidulus and his acolytes just as they had begun to ascend to the top of the temple, his relief palpable when she arrived with Tethris, Izuren, and V'kora in tow.

"It is unlike you to be late," he commented.

"Forgiveness," she murmured.

She stared at him in surprise as he offered his arm to her, stuttering out a polite decline before they continued on in silence.

Her excitement overcame her curiosity at Gaidulus' unusual gesture, the temple horn blaring its call as soon as the expected ship was spotted.

Just as before, she and Gaidulus stood in the center while the elders and priests and priestesses encircled them from behind. The manta-like craft sighed as it landed, Zaiyra squeezing her hands together as the emissaries strode forth, Khoru among them.

They locked eyes and she hid her smile with a bow of her head.

Three Years Ago…

Zaiyra and Khoru walked the edges of the gardens, as far from the temple as possible. The Eastern priest had kept his distance until now. Every so often he would lean in to make a joke or whisper something that made her blush, his arm gently wrapped around her shoulders. As they entered a tunneled canopy, Khoru plucked a pale flower from the tangled ivy, offering it to her. "We do not have anything as beautiful as this in Dar-"

Zaiyra kissed him before she could think, before her better judgment made her second guess herself, before they returned to the temple that was her prison once more.

One hand clutched his, the flower crushed beneath the ferocity of her desire while her other hand slid through his black tendrils and gripped the back of his neck, claws digging into his flesh. Khoru did not resist, letting her push him against the trunk of a nearby tree.

She pulled away, breathlessly searching his face. "Please tell me you want this. Please tell me you will not let me suffer another moment of loneliness in this world."

Zaiyra's hearts thundered inside her chest as Khoru took each of her hands and kissed their palms. His golden, glowing eyes found hers and she tensed, afraid.

"I am yours till death if you wish it."

The knots in her stomach unfolded, a smile breaking across her face as relief washed over her.

The hum of insects and bird song drowned out their sounds of passion. Evening gave way to night, the scarred moon Ga'oul looming over the eastern horizon.

Present...

Zaiyra threaded her hands through his long locks, panting as her pleasure ebbed away. Khoru rolled off of her, drawing her close and kissing her in the darkness. Silken sheets sighed beneath them, scented heat lamps filling the room with a soft orange glow. Contentment wrapped itself around her like a warm blanket, the heat of her skin pulsing in time with her hearts. She could lie here, forever, with him.

His mandibles nipped at her own, claws gently caressing her curves. Khoru had been insatiable the past few days, stealing her away at every chance, taking her with a ferocity that would've surprised her had they not been separated for so long. Months had felt like years, the agony of her desire teased by his lustful notes. She had replied in kind, eager to hear about his time in the court of Dar'Isan. Ghost, her faithful protector since her youth, was the only one amongst her bodyguards she trusted with the knowledge of their affair. He made sure their communication remained encrypted and that no one disturbed her at times like this one.

Khoru pulled her close and she nuzzled his chest, willing her anxious thoughts away. She could worry about everything later. The high priestess wanted to savor this moment for as long as possible.

Khoru rumbled. "Zaiyra."

"Hm?"

"Are you happy?"

She stroked one of his tendrils draped over his wide shoulders, his strong, male scent filling her mouth. "With you? Always."

The priest pushed himself up, resting on his forearm to look down at her. His golden eyes glittered with an intensity that both worried and excited her. Was he going to take her again? Was twice in one day not enough to slake his desire? Zaiyra's brows furrowed and she caressed his smooth jaw. "What is it, sa'eran?"

He took her hand in his, kissing her palm. "I want to ask you something, something I have no right to, but…"

Zaiyra remained still, emerald eyes searching his face as she waited.

"...I want you to join me in Dar'Isan."

"What?" Khoru's words sent a thrill down her spine and filled her stomach with dread. She wanted this. She couldn't. A thousand thoughts flickered through her mind. "Khoru... I don't understand."

"Saa, you do. You know exactly what I'm asking." He rolled over her, straddling her waist, his dark tendrils falling around their faces like a curtain. "Churande's going to name me kai soon, I know it. Sever your bond with Gaidulus. Come back with me to Dar'Isan." His cupped his hands around her jaw, thumbs caressing her upper mandibles. "With you by my side, we can unite the temples and prevent the schism from growing any worse. I know how dedicated you are to Kuuroch and your… beliefs. But we can find a way to make it work."

Zaiyra's hearts raced. He couldn't be serious. The tenuous peace between the orthodoxy, which held that the God and Goddess were separate and the High Clan was descended from Ashann, and the Sa'erazanites, which professed the God and Goddess to be the same based on Ahandra's visions of the prophet himself, were at stark odds with each other. For ten years they'd parlayed at the behest of the shans, but all that had come from it was a simmering hostility and religious skirmishes in the central territories between the two great cities as zealots battled for converts.

He slid two fingers over her mouth before she could speak. "Don't say anything, sa'eran. All that I ask is that you think about it and what you want for yourself."

"Myself?"

"I've seen the way the elders treat you. Like you're still an acolyte trying to prove yourself to everyone even though you're twice as clever and wise as the entire group of those old fools put together."

"And Gaidulus… he doesn't appreciate you. Not like I do. As kai. As a female." Khoru pressed himself onto her, biting the sensitive flesh of her neck with his fangs. She shuddered, hips involuntarily pressing against his thigh.

After he left her to steal away back to his quarters, Zaiyra sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, desire warring with fear as she stared into the gloom. To be with the male she loved, at the cost of destroying everything she believed in. Pain gripped her chest as the weight of world pressed in around her, claws gripping the silken sheets, her breath in heaving gasps.

Oh One, what do I do? I can't make this choice. I need you. I need Ahandra. I need answers.