Chapter 8
It's warm, gusty…and when I inhale, I can taste salt in the air. The scent of the sea. I remember the view from above, how the currents warped the dark green blue below, violent and strange in its drawing waves.
Two great moons. The currents were in a mad dance because of this that much I knew. I had tried my best to do my homework about Sanghelios, before landfall, but now, here we are.
I step down the incline onto soil the color of cinnamon. My feet drag under me but a moment later and I find stone. Stepping carefully, I continue the walk down to the stone pier cutting a wide swathe through the sand dunes around us.
It's more comfortable than I had imagined, the air, though the wind snaps my hair across my face like a violent thing, seeming to change directions at a phantom's whim.
The sky above us is a lemony color, with hints of baby blue above the horizon line. In the distance I can see strange bulbous structures. Nearby there is a gazebo like structure with a black tarp with green edging snapping against its restraints.
It's not what I expected, it's even stranger. Like you can feel an alien presence, underfoot, and in the air. Even the scream of the wind carries a different tone. Forceful and strong.
It pushes and pulls at me, and I feel a little uncertain as we continue forward. It's like the very planet knows me as something foreign, like it's a body trying to rid itself of a germ. Pushing me out urgently.
"It's very windy here, is it normally like this?" I ask Kahlo. I have to speak up as the wind shrieks.
He turns his strong neck to gaze at me with those warm brown eyes I've grown to appreciate. "Yes Lacey, we are by the Gracian Sea, they are fierce waters. The pull of our moons creates stronger currents on air and in water." He cranes his head to the right of us, gesturing to the body of water I cannot see, but feel in the rapids around me.
"Are there ever big storms? That hit the coast?" The winds here are strong, and I don't want to imagine a hurricane force in this area.
"No. You are safe." Kahlo says, "It is not the season for storms, and we have another two months yet."
Oh boy. I sigh, and pull in another lungful of the salty air. It tastes like the ocean. I find it comforting, though I've not lived by the sea before, I know of it. Mom and daughter trips to the beach…those short summers.
Mom. I am so far away from her, from everyone and everything I have ever known.
I don't know how long I'll be here, but months…possibly, many months…I'm not sure how I feel about that. Flooding, raging storms, would probably be the least of my concerns at that point. I'm on a planet, released onto a dock that is swarming with massive sangheili, even the females taller than me, and not another human in sight…
I can't imagine being here on my own. The people here make me feel so tiny, and I can almost feel a tremor underfoot as they pass me by.
A big armored brute with shining red armor that gleams with dagger like adornments on the shoulders, a smaller, but nimble looking body with strange tattoos arching across lean muscular arms.
I glance the amber glow of one large male, and I flinch from his heated gaze. I've never seen an expression like that before, Kahlo has certainly never shown it, and it sends prickles of unease down my spine.
I duck my head, and follow Kahlo down the stone path, sand skirting around my feet, trying to calm the pounding of my heart with quick quiet breaths. Once again we are passed on the left by more turned necks in our direction, and this time a dark male blows air out through his nostrils loudly. I can hear him utter a word, and I flinch away from the look of clear contempt in his sharp reptilian eyes.
Kahlo throws an arm out and I only have time to blink before he is in the other male's face, his shoulders raised, neck turned out, cutting the air with a violent bark.
Words are exchanged, fighting words, and I can only stand still as a post and hope my only friend, my only hope on this strange new world, is not killed by a vindictive mob of Sangheili.
Others are coming at us from all sides, but I'm not sure who is on our side, if anyone. I suck in air quickly, and I can feel a flush come over my cheeks. I might just pass out on my face before they can even get to me.
Another growl, this one rising like thunder. The crowd thickens. Panic stifles my breath, and I feel ready to fall into the sand at Kahlo's back, but then there is another voice, one that commands more so than challenges.
"This will cease at once!"
I twist my neck to see who has spoken, too afraid to move much else of my body. It's another sangheili, but this one is armored, plated in something like leather, green hued, with knobby metal guards strapped at the thighs.
"By order of Kaidon Giyo, this human and her escort are not to be harmed." Another sangheili steps up beside the first, this one slimmer but wearing something like a long tan tunic that beats around his legs in the strong winds. Even in the scream of the wind, sangheili voices are strong.
This one approaches us and I try and stand firm, meeting their gaze head on, as Mr. Clint had informed me in his files about Sangheili. I had to display confidence, because being a pitiful mouse on a planet full of apex predators, would be dangerous. It would possibly encourage, embolden, those who meant me ill.
He steps up to me, and I realize my mistake, as he is not male. He is no longer just short, but she has a delicateness to her mandibles, the lower set peering up at bit at the tips, her head a gentle curve into her neck. Green eyes seem ultra-bright in the sunshine as she meets my gaze.
"You are Lacey Drake." The female says, tipping her head at me. I can now hear the pitch in her voice. She doesn't sound accusing, rather pensive. "I am Karis 'Gorhee, the Kaidon is my father, I'm to direct the both of you to our keep."
Keep? Wait…
"We…we are going to a keep?" I look at Kahlo for an answer. Keeps, as I read about in the files provided on route, were gathering halls for the local populace, but mostly home to powerful families.
He looks at Karis, and then at me. "My home is with Kaidon Giyo and his family. He will treat you kindly, I promise Lacey, he is honorable to all beings. He's my favorite uncle."
Uncle? I guess I can't argue with that. Blood thicker than water maybe? Or does he mean in a familial not-actually-related sort of way?
I smile, more so in relief than anything, even as I feel a tingle of unease at my neck. I'm still okay. I understand a bit about Sangheili hierarchy, this Kaidon rules this land, he is the king here. If he is on my side, than I feel better, even as the crowd thickens of curious onlookers.
Kahlo by himself, he is large, but being surrounded like this, it is sobering. Sangheili amass around me, and I'm not sure if three sangheili is enough if one of them gets brazen. Surely they would not challenge their own lord's order?
I jump as Karis speaks. "Move along." Karis says loudly. "It is over. If anyone has issue with the human, then they may take it up with Kaidon Giyo."
Thankfully that seems to do the trick, and I can breathe again, though the poisonous stares still lance me. I definitely feel like an abscess. Why do they seem to hate me so much?
It's disconcerting.
Regardless of my uncertainty, we have a goal in mind, and we are now guided through the long dock, and onto soil. Fortunately there are more stones in the sand that help my feet through the thick sand.
The ground is uneven, sand scattered around a mass of grassy clumps. I spot a few flowers, long violet ones peering through the rusty green blades, and I feel a bit more at ease. They look like the ones that grow in the park near my home. Verbena.
I wonder if I'll ever see them again. Anything familiar again.
Distracted by another uphill climb, I try and not betray my discomfort as my heart begins to pump faster. This earth is hilly and the sand pulls at my heels as I struggle upward. I feel sheepish as I find myself at Kahlo's side suddenly. He had stopped for me, of course. The pathetic human with her stubby legs looking sad in comparison to their own strongly built ones.
How has our species come so far? I dread to think what would have happened if the covenant had met a more primitive humanity. Technology had been our saving grace.
"It is not far." Kahlo informs me. He rests a hand on my shoulder, and the heaviness of it only makes me feel smaller. "If you like, I can carry you."
I look up at him. I'm sure the mortification of the idea is in my expression. I already feel out of sorts here. It's sad. That would really leave no opposition to the idea of me being the weakest creature possibly existing on the whole planet.
"No, I'm fine." I sigh. "I'm just a bit…short. Unused to this terrain. I'll catch up." I dig into the pocket of my pants for an elastic hair tie. I find it, but my chap stick is missing. Wonderful. This whole area looks dry, barren. How can anyone live here? I don't even see any more flowers.
We follow our guard up another steep slope of ground, and I do my best to disregard the piercing eyes all around, as I realize I'm suddenly the center of attention again.
I can see another sangheili step closer, from the corner of my eye, and I'm swallowing a knot as he moves to my free side, Kahlo still close on my right. His eyes are watching me, a glimmer of yellow on his gray face. The color of the sun.
"You are small." The sangheili speaks suddenly, and I stumble a little in surprise.
I meet his gaze, still walking, and this male working to keep even with my own small pace. I don't have to look to know Kahlo is watching us, for he has also kept stride with us, shoulder to shoulder. I'm pretty much pinned in, and I try to relax my breathing at the nearness of this stranger.
"Yes." I manage to say, my voice surprisingly clear. "I'm probably shorter than your children. I mean, any kids here." Keep stumbling Lacey…
To my surprise, and relief, he laughs in response. A kind sound, nothing mocking or rough in the jilt of it. "Yes, that must be so. Do humans run quite fast?"
"Mian, enough." I can't help but jump a bit at the sudden interlude.
The female sangheili meets the curious sangheili on his left.
"I'm only making chat." Mian says. "Are you not curious about her? I mean, we don't see many humans around."
"Yes, because we had once made a career out of killing them. Besides, Sanghelios is no place for humans, they are not natural to it." Karis says bluntly, and I flinch at the change of topic. I wasn't sure if discussing the Covenant war would be taboo or not, but apparently they were not shy about the subject.
I couldn't determine if Karis's tone suggested she didn't want me here, or she didn't care either way. I'm hoping for the latter.
00oo00oo00oo00
The keep is huge, it's just as I imagined, but even larger.
I'm not sure how that is possible.
It's like some great medieval castle, but the battlements are not square, but curved in like the edge of a serving dish, and the towers are rounded more like mushrooms than arrows. The purple-gray stone of this place is ultra-smooth, but the foundation gives away to large block like protrusions, and it seems as if this castle has risen out of the very bedrock around it.
There is still sand, but it brushes across a plum colored stone that now makes up most of the earth around us. There is no green here, but long stalks of blue-purple grass grows along the walls ending in serrated points.
The door itself is further in, and is preceded by a great arching hall that has long rectangular cuts in the walls that allows light within. Beside this natural light, there is torchlight between the windows, and an artificial green colored light at the end where the great door stands.
We move towards this massive stone door, and I can hear our foot thuds echoing back to us in the large hallway. It grows more narrowed as we continue, and I'm in the mix of long sangheili legs again, trying my best to keep near Kahlo.
Kahlo can hear my breath pick up, his hearing keen as ever, and I don't shy away as he in turn, moves closer to me.
The door may look archaic, but it opens swiftly, with a mechanic like zipping sound. I can feel a cool gust of air as we cross the threshold, and I feel my heart speed up when I see we are in another large room, but this one is filled to the brim with sangheili.
Of course, at our entrance, the conversation in the room ceases almost entirely, and all those eyes focus on us.
No, me, mostly me. I'm the odd one out, the smallest, though strangest of them all.
Oh gosh. There's so many of them.
I lightly moisten my dry lips, trying to ignore the throbbing in my ears with the speeding pulse of my heart.
At the end of the hall, there is a short metal table on tall legs, where a council of sorts is gathered. At the center of the table is a bowl of something like fruit, and I can see a smaller sangheili reaching for it. A child, a bigger head on his body, the shine of silver scales at his neck. The sight would make me feel better if I wasn't painfully aware of how small he is in the midst of adults.
Equal of course, to my own height.
A voice booms and I stop suddenly, Mian almost running into me. I land somewhere within the crook of his arm, and I'm staring out at the massive sangheili who is approaching us now with large gains on his tall legs.
"Karis. You are just in time."
The female sangheili steps past us and meets her father halfway. He grabs her at the arm, and tucks his neck against her own, pulling back a moment later to regard us over her shoulder. "And here she is."
I stiffen, aware of everyone's attention on me, once again. I can feel my cheeks burn, and I can only stare like a fool as he crosses the space between us in seconds, looking down at me with large shining eyes.
"Is she ill? Her color is changing." Here we go again.
"I'm fine!" I squeak out, and I'm mortified as it comes out very much a sad sound. I'm not afraid now, as much as embarrassed, feeling ashamed in the presence of so many large capable looking beings.
Kahlo chuckles of course, and I can't help but want to disappear into the floor. "She is shy, human bodies are very expressive. They're always changing colors."
Of course, the Kaidon only laughs. Laughs.
Kill me now.
His mandibles press in, in what I recognize as a smile, and he stoops a bit, meeting me at eye level. "You are a woman? I don't want to insult you." He paused. "You are quite small."
"Yes, sir," I say quickly. "I am."
"I understand mammalian functions differ quite a bit. Do you have all the items you need to be comfortable here?" He asks. All I can think of is this great warrior alien looking fellow, flipping at a book about human biology, and feeling even more embarrassed.
No one is looking ready to cut me apart, but my gosh, the eyes. I'm on display, and it is so awkward I want to bury myself outside in that sand.
"I've taken care of my—it. Everything." I almost said cycle. That would have been a fun explanation. Thankfully I had hormone, birth control, nine-yards, embedded in my body. A dosage that should last well over a year. I'm probably not going to be here that long, but not worrying about lady problems will be very helpful.
"That is good to hear." He rumbles, and he stands straight again. I'm in his shadow of course, but I try to meet his eyes, even as I have to look up to do so. He has eyes that are a blue color. I've never seen blue eyes on a sangheili before, but they are vibrant. The edges of his gray face is lightly scarred, and there is a mark like a burn under one eye.
"Lacey is a writer." Kahlo says suddenly, and I'm turning red all over again. "She was working in that field before the incident. She has a good storytelling sense."
"I'm no author." I say quickly, "Just recording events, in my neighborhood. Journalistic."
There must have been a reason Kahlo had spoken up about my writing interests, as Kaidon Giyo appeared curious.
"My mother was a storyteller." He said. "She was always an impressive woman to me, in action and in words. I am glad to meet another who enjoys the written word."
"Sir, Kaidon." I hesitate. "What should I call you, I'm sorry, I don't want to offend you?"
"There is no offense here, Kaidon is fine." He says. "Lacey, shall I call you by that name?"
"Yes Kaidon." I smile with my lips. "That will be fine, thank you for having me."
"I'm sorry to hear about your situation. No harm will befall you here, I can assure you that. Now come. I'll have Tygis show you your room."
The Kaidon called out that name, and the child ran over. Up close I could see that he was actually a she. She wore a dark blue tunic that ran around her thighs in interesting light patterns, twisting like vinery. It matched her blue eyes of course, and they looked at me with shining curiosity. Over me of course. Dammit I'm short…
"Tygis is my youngest, she will show you to your room. As proper to you, the hall is shared by the female members of my family. If you have any concerns, find my first wife, Caeda."
First wife?
Kahlo interrupts before I can even think to ask a question. "Thank you Kaidon Giyo, I will resume by prior duties, if that is your will."
"How have your duties gone? Have humans taught you many new skills?" The Kaidon asks.
"Well, I have met many capable humans, and felt honored in their ranks. I have learned of many things."
"Good. I will be honored to have you at the wall." Giyo nodded.
I looked at Kahlo. "What is at the wall?"
"Before Kahlo left us to work with your human government, he was stationed at our gates." The Kaidon explains. "It is necessary to protect all gates, for it is the unwary that suffer the most."
Of course. I had gone on believing it would turn out alright, and this happens. So Kahlo will have a job here. What will be expected of me then?
"Do you need me to do anything?" I ask.
The Kaidon only turns his head, mandibles shuffling in something like confusion. "Of course not. You are my guest. You may do as you please here. If it is in your interest, you may assist my family in small ways, but no it is not expected of you."
"Thank you, I just don't want to be a burden."
"It is not that way." Kaidon Giyo assures, and he turns to regard Kahlo again. "Now, I have much I would like to tell you, and I hope you in turn will gratify me in that regard."
With a farewell, I am left alone of course, with this daughter of the Kaidon's, who only looks at me quietly with shining blue eyes.
"This way." She suddenly chirps, and I have to move quickly to keep up as she moves towards a hall to the left of us.
This hall is windowless, but something like torchlight is scattering our shadows across the ground. It isn't fire though, some kind of contained blue-green energy that washes over us in the same cool color.
There are many doors that we pass by, all in the same stone, although some are etched in some kind of runic design, or contain small windows that are too tall for me to see within.
We stop eventually at a door that thankfully has a unique etching at its front, or I'd never be able to discover it again on my own.
"Here." Tygis says. "This is it."
She looks at me, and I stare back, feeling shy again. So I suppose I was to just go on in?
"Thank you." I say.
She stares at me for a long moment, and cocks her head a bit. My eyes catch the shiny scale like protrusions on her neck. I know young sangheili have those. They lose them as adults, some kind of genetic marker all children have.
"You are older than me?" She asks. "We are the same height. Will you grow more?"
"No." I smile. "This is my forever height. My species is a bit smaller. Of course, I'm not the tallest woman I know, a little in the middle."
"Definitely little." The girl agrees. "Well, I have to leave now. Mother Caeda is at the end of the hall. Find her if you need anything."
"Thank you." I say to Tygis, though it is to her back as she is moving back down the hall. She seemed friendly enough at least, mostly curious in a child-like way.
Now it's just me, and this huge stone door. I trace the swirling patterns at the blue stone, marveling at how perfect the curvature is, wondering what kind of story it was telling me. Some parts appeared like giant blue clouds, but with lines cutting through them like lighting. A figure, looking very much like a sangheili in a great helm, was lifting one fist up, towards the sky.
I grab the square shaped knob, and I'm surprised that it doesn't twist in my grip. I try and pull, and end up pushing forward, the square part pulling me with it, as the door fell open.
It is a nice room. Definitely built for a larger body than mine. But there is a bed, new materials laid out on the large table to my right.
I go to the table, and I look at the boxes there. There is a bundle of cloth, one larger than the others, tied off with something fibrous. The box beside that one is full of random objects. I pull out a strange stone piece that moves about like a rubix cube and drop it gently and find something like a book.
It is a book, and I have to laugh out loud at the contents. Pictures. I then realize that this is a box of toys. This is a picture book, there is no script to be seen, but the pictures.
They are beautiful, and drawn expressively. I marvel at the story within, trying to imagine a strong sangheili wielding a small brush with such masterful fingers.
The bed is what one would expect a bed to be like, but it is rounded at the top, shaped more like a large bean, with a bundle of pillows hugging the bowel like interior at one side. The bedspread is a green color, unadorned, but thick, soft at the touch.
Curious at everything, at all that is new and alien, I explore the rest of the room like the very child they thought me to be.
I think about writing again, but about this experience. This is a cultural experience after all, and I wonder how many humans have found themselves in my position, and marveled the same, at this opportunity.
My things will be here soon, and then I can pull out my computer and take some notes, and start creating again. There's just so much inside me, so many words that need to come out. I'm excited about being here now.
I'm opening up a closet in the wall, next to three other smaller doors, when I hear a tapping at the door.
The nervousness is back again, and I approach it carefully. Whoever it is, did not announce themselves, and I immediately have a vision of an assassin crashing through it and impaling me on a sword.
Cursing my mind for coming up with another anxiety for me to contemplate later, I take in a quick deep breath and move to answer the call.
The door opens and I have to look up again, as it is another person that towers over me.
She is tall, slender, and very obviously female, with skin that is smooth and the color of soft grey clouds, ones that precede a gentle rainfall. Her eyes are brown, but flecked with gold, and the reptilian pupil is apparent in them. The tunic she wears is blue with a fringe of brown around the neck and arm falls.
"Lacey?" Her voice is soft, feminine, but I can't read her face. Only her mandibles move, the rest of her still. Almost cautious.
"Yes?"
"I am Caeda. Giyo has requested that I introduce myself." Her neck turns as she moves suddenly from stone, surprising me. "If you require anything, I ask that you come to the end of the hall, to my room, and ask."
"Tygis said as much." I smile. "It's nice to meet you, I hope I will not be a burden in any way."
She cranes her head again, staring down at me with those large shiny eyes. "That is doubtful. You will find peace here, I will not allow anyone to intrude on my hall. This is a safe place, and I hope you will only keep it well."
"Of course, it will stay tidy." I promise. "I appreciate you having me."
"It is Giyo's will not mine." Her voice rings with amusement, though she doesn't seem unkind. "You seem sensible, so I'm sure we will get along fine. If you need me, I spend most of my time in my room. I have my own work to look after. If you find I'm absent, you can fetch Tygis. My daughter is with her father most days. She takes after him more so than her mother." That last note was a bit of a huff.
"What kind of work do you do?" I ask. I am curious. What is it like to live here, to exist in such a fortress among so many?
She smiles then, mandibles clasping together like folding arms. "I create fabric work. Mend clothes, dye. I keep our designs true to their roots." There is pride in her voice.
"You make everything? All the clothes, sheets?"
"I have much help." She says. "I'm pleased of my work, so I must ask that you treat our things with respect, if there is a cut, I will repair it, but do not dirty them unnecessarily."
"I will. Did you leave the boxes at my table?"
"Yes, just a few things. I wasn't sure what you would want." She says. "I hope you will find them useful. You are small, but shaped differently. I can take your measurements later if you would like."
"Thank you that would be great, but if you need me to help you with anything, I'm here." I offer quickly. She has a lot of work to do, it's only right to offer help, if she'll have me. I don't want to burden anyone here, they are freely keeping me here, offering their home.
"Don't feel obligated, but if you wish to make yourself useful, I don't mind. I only expect you respect the order of it. For now, I will leave you. I must meet with my husband."
"Thank you again, it was nice to meet you Caeda."
"You as well, do not hesitate to find me if you require anything."
With that, she turned and began to walk away with surprisingly soft footfalls. I watch her leave and then return to my room. My room. Would I be here often? Leave the hall much at all? How would I take meals, with everyone? Here?
I guess there was not much more to do but wait.
00oo00oo00oo00
I don't have too long to wait, after messing around with the puzzle thing in the box, and flipping through the illustrated book (and marveling at a few gruesome narratives) my door opens without introduction.
I start, nearly dropping the book in my hand, and the head peering within shuffled her mandibles a bit.
Tygis watches me place the item back into the box. "Lacey. Come. It's time to eat."
So that was the situation, it was going to be nerve-wracking, sitting at a table with a bunch of strangers, species differences aside.
I smile at the child, moving towards the door. "What are we having?"
"Colo, a bit of tagget." I have no idea what those are. Meat or vegetable though, I was definitely hungry.
I follow her down the long hall again, and when we cross the entry room to start down a more spacious corridor, this one is populated of course.
"Stay close." Tygis instructs me, and I do as she says, trying not to trip up around so many large moving bodies. There are many others in the hall, and I can't help but feel anxious all over again. I'm almost lost in a sea of legs, if it weren't for Tygis at my side, I wouldn't know where to go.
A familiar sight quiets my pacing heart as I see Mian up ahead. I'm almost delighted to spot a friendly face in the crowd, and I pick up my feet to reach him quickly.
"Lacey." He greets as he spots us. "I hope you're hungry. The tagget smells well-seasoned." I could definitely smell something in the air. Meat-like. My stomach of course, gives a muted rumble, and I know that I will likely consume whatever they offer freely. It had been a long journey here after all.
It would be a good day to try new things. Adapt a bit more to this whole situation. It's not like the few granola bars I'd packed would last very long.
"What is a tagget?" I ask as we continue walking. Tygis walks a bit ahead, maybe impatient to eat. Mian just shortens his stride to keep alongside me. I make a mental note to thank him for it later.
"Reptile, it likes to scale the cliff walls near here. Usually fast climbers." Mian says. "Luckily a good spear throw shook him loose so we could finish him off quickly. Flesh is tender, sweet, you'll enjoy it."
A giant lizard. My stomach turned at the thought. Just ease into it Lacey.
"Sounds…great." I force a smile. Food is food, though, it will be a new one for me. I won't be rude, I'll take whatever they offer with grace.
The pounding of footfalls on the stone ground is too quick for me to even turn in time to spot the body moving towards me.
Mian makes a sound like a grumble, and he moves into my path gracefully and the body slams into him instead.
"Blood and fire, Innis."
I blink up at the massive body stepping back from us, the neck arching as he regards us with deep brown eyes.
"Are you trying to wipe out the human?" Mian asked with a slight scowl, motioning at me. "What has you in such a rush?"
"I can't find Mora anywhere." The voice is clipped, frustrated. He doesn't seem to notice me, instead looking at Mian with mandibles clasping together in a tugging motion. "She is furious with me."
"What is it that you've done this time?" Tygis asks, surprisingly me by her sudden return. She must have saw him coming. She makes a huffy breath at him, snorting gustily through her nostrils. "You're always making someone angry."
"You are outspoken, as usual, child." Innis said, hissed through his mandibles lightly, making me jump at the sound.
I'm not sure what to make of him. He is huge, and strange. Of course, my movement attracts his attention, and his eyes center on me. I shuffle my feet a little, feeling self-conscious.
"This is she?" He asks. I try to determine contempt in his tone, but his words are slow, uncertain. More so that he is curious than aggravated by my presence. I'll take that as a positive.
"Yes." Mian dipped his head at me. "This is Lacey."
"You are quite small." Innis says.
"Yes." I smile. "I've been told."
"What is your age? You come barely past my knees. My niece is taller than you in her twelfth year, and she is yet a woman."
Mian's breath whistled through his mandibles as he sighs. "And you wonder why you easily drive women off."
Innis snorts, twisting his brown neck to regard Mian with something like humor. "I'm only glad your sister is nothing like her brother."
Sister? Oh…I smile at Mian, who is too busy glaring back at Innis.
"You can nip necks later." Tygis scowled, the tips of her mandibles turning out into what I recognize as a scowl. "I'm hungry."
"Does your mother know you speak of such things?" Innis shook his head. "It is not proper."
"I'll be proper when my belly is full." Tygis says. "My fingers hurt and I still have to deliver food to Ce'em."
"Caeda working you again?" Innis laughs. "How do you like threading? I'm glad I don't have to bother with such chores. It is a dull affair. Woman works."
"I guess you can always go naked." Tygis says. "Not much to look at anyway."
"Tygis." Mian looked at her in faux shock. "Run along and eat, before you consume us all."
"Gladly." She shot back, and went ahead.
Now the halls were mostly clear, so that meant the feeding area was filled to the brim with bodies that would round me like a net. The thought of being surrounded completely, by taller more powerful beings, has me anxious all over again.
There were bad seeds in every barrel, and I won't fool myself into believing this stay will be perfect. I've met a few who clearly objected to me being here at the port, so most likely there would be more like minded individuals here too.
Mian was fast though. He had easily stepped in to intercept Innis, so maybe it would be best to stick with him for now.
At the thought of a potential guard, my thoughts turn to Kahlo again. He is probably glad to have time to himself again. After all, he probably feels that this is the safest place for me. It had all been his idea to begin with.
I almost feel ashamed that I want him with me. Like some kind of bothersome child who can't let go. I had grown used to having him near, it hadn't even been a month…yet, it was nice. I was so used to being alone at home, with my ideas and the occasional pull outside by my friend that did little to disrupt my interest in being solitary.
Am I just afraid? To be alone? Or is it really just the fear of being killed before my dreams can be realized? That my voice can be heard.
"Do you smell it?" His voice cuts through the fog of my thoughts, and I look at Mian. He looks at me for an answer.
"Yes." I say. "It smells nice." It does. My stomach is uttering yet another rumble at the scent. I'm hungry, and I think as long as it still doesn't have eyes, I'll eat anything they throw in front of me.
We are standing at the great rounded entrance to the dining hall now. I see long rounded tables, where many bodies are sitting about, or standing to fetch more food items, in a bustle of movement. There are so many different sizes, colors, and smells.
It's overwhelming, and I can't help but reach for Mian, and I'm both relieved and embarrassed when he slips his arm around me, resting one great hand on my shoulder.
"We will get you through." Mian says. "Just stay close and I'll find us a seat."
I do so, glancing down every so often to make sure I don't step on his large feet. I marvel at the toes, at how they splay open as he walks, reminding me of the fully animated and rendered dinosaur exhibits in the virtual reality hubs at the museum back home. I wonder if they have any such places here. I heard that history on Sangheilios is kept very well.
"Here we are." Mian pulls me gently down a line of tables, and I feel my heart hammer in my chest as several heads look up to regard us quietly.
A pale head, almost a crème color, stares at me with eyes like honey, but none too sweet. A prickle of unease travels down my spine as his eyes narrow, the arc of his pupil showing like a cut. He has a long scar that arcs across his nostrils, turning to disappear into the bend of his top left mandible.
I look away quickly, but I can still feel his eyes on me as we travel further down the row. I hear a whispering, and though I cannot hear the words, Mian stiffens a little as we move along.
"Here we are." He doesn't bring up those hostile strangers, instead gesturing to the free seats to our right. "I will bring the food, you can wait here."
My first trial. I force a small smile, even though I'm terrified. I'll have to sit alone now, until he returns, and now I see even more eyes on us, on me. How would I even determine who means me harm or not? One of them could 'accidently' fall on me and kill me. They could plea to their leader that it was only a mistake.
Just how badly would I faire here without friends? I couldn't feel more relieved that I had Mian to help me here. I will be safe as long as I stick with the ones I know. Surely it will be ok. I mean, Kahlo would also check on me eventually, right?
Relax. No one would dare go against their Kaidon. It's fine.
I relaxed into the wide stool, scooting a bit around to get comfortable. It had a weird dipped turn at the corners.
I hear a sizzling sound and I jump a little in my seat as a shadow falls over me, and steam warms my face. A long stone platter is sat in front of me, and I can see skewers of meat resting atop.
It smells amazing. My mouth is watering, and I swallow as Mian takes a seat next to me. It looks like the kabobs I've had back home. It smells a bit like chicken skewers, with a bit of spice.
"You'll love this." Mian tells me, already reaching for a stick of meat. "Be cautious though, it is hot."
I have to pick one up in two hands, it is a bit heavy, a bit of meat sliding around on the skewer as I carefully pull it to my mouth.
I blow a little on it, and I can feel Mian's eyes on me.
"You look funny when you do that." A voice laughs. I look across the table and see Tygis take a seat across from us. She places a jug on the table and unrolls a bundle of fabric. I see wooden cups within, and she begins stacking them in front of us. These cups though, have fluted tips, long and sweeping like the neck of a swan.
"Those are neat." I say.
She just blinks at me, reaching for one of the cups. "They're only drinking containers, do you not have them back home?"
Mian sighs. "Her mouth is shaped differently. I'm sure they have containers, just not of these kind."
"Yes." I say. "They don't have the long part, just bowled at the top."
"Ah." Tygis says. She tips the pitcher over, and I watch her fill a cup. "Well, here is water. We share that much in common."
The meat is very good, and the company is more than I could have asked for. Mian is kind, gentle. Patient. He takes the time to teach me things.
He tells me about the old ways of their keep. Of the farmland to the east, of the great floods in the past that had torn a whole shelve off the coast, sending part of the coastal village into the depths.
The meat is tender, sweet. I want to take it home, to share it with my mom. I can imagine how delighted she would be, to try something new and exotic. We used to buy new flavors of food and make a night of trying them out.
When I'm finished with half a skewer, I use the other part of their strange cups to drink. The water is cool, and has a stony taste to it.
Mian argues with Innis, who had appeared soon after Tygis, swearing that his intentions with Mora were pure, and that he wasn't a 'loathsome creature' for making her upset with him, for what was apparently the sixth time.
"I am not her captor." Innis insists. "She has not left me yet, it is of her will if she does. I love her, she knows this."
Tygis snorts at that, "All males say that. You wouldn't know of love if it thumped you on the nose."
"You are but a child, an insolent one at that." Innis shot back. "You have yet to bear eggs, you know nothing of the ways of adults."
"You act more of a child than I do." Tygis retorts. "You can barely read, how is it that you boast more knowledge than I, when you only know of fighting and chasing away women?"
Mian laughs at that, while Innis grinds his jaws, teeth clicking in frustration.
"Here you are."
I recognize the voice, and turn too quickly in my seat.
I'm immediately taken in by the newness of him. Kahlo is wearing a new set of armor, and it shines on him something extravagantly. It's sleek, a copper color, but with a twist of something runic at the corners. A proud arched helm sits atop his head, and his eyes shine from under it.
"Will you join us?" Mian asks him. "Your friend here is quite taken with our meat. I told her as much. Tagget does not disappoint."
"No Mian." My heart sinks a bit at that, but he nods at me. "I have business to attend to, I was checking on Lacey first."
"No time to eat?" Innis asks. "Is there something wrong?"
Kahlo shakes his head slowly. "Not yet, it is only a break at the central wall. A pipe burst but we suspect a kylonit."
"Here?" Mian looks confused, and as I have no idea what that word means, I can only listen. "That doesn't bode well."
"Yes, they cause a lot of damage, and if it is still nearby, we should destroy it why we have the chance." Kahlo says.
"What is that exactly?" I ask. "Is it dangerous?"
"They can be. It is a territorial creature, quite large. They travel far, we suspect it smelled fresh water and broke through to drink."
Innis cranes his head. "Yes, they have powerful claws. They can kill easily. The worst part is when they settle. A kylonit has a long reaching howl. It can call a pack in quickly, and you do not want that."
I imagine giant beasts with massive claws, and I put down my cup slowly. I heard there were plenty of dangerous animals on Sangheilios, but I have had yet to see any myself. I do not hope to change that anytime soon.
"Stay safe, ok?" I tell Kahlo, and he looks at me with what I know is a smile on his mandibles.
He rests a hand on my head for a moment. "I'm glad to see you're doing well Lacey. I'll return to check on you later."
With that, he turns to leave, and I feel cool air on my head again.
When we finish eating, I'm relieved to see that much of the room has cleared of its other occupants. It is mostly a few groups near the outlying tables near the cooking areas.
"I have to go now." Tygis says. "Mother needs me. I'll talk with you later Lacey. I have some things I'd like to ask you."
I wonder what, but before I can ask she is moving off in a hurry. I watch her go, feeling Mian's presence at my back as he stands. Innis had already left after a few more arguments with Tygis.
"Will you go to your room now?" Mian asks. "I'm sure you're tired from your journey here, but if you're not, I can show you around the keep?"
I smile at him, appreciative, but still a bit overwhelmed. "Are you still open to that tomorrow? I am tired."
He seems pleased, and dips his head, mandibles tucking in a quick motion. "Of course, that will be good. It's just exciting to be with you. I mean, you are new to me, and this place is new to you…so, it will be great for both of us." He looks embarrassed, turning his head a bit to the side, and I can't help but make an amused sound.
"That will be great, thanks so much Mian. I would have been completely lost without you."
"I was glad to. Have a good rest."
"Thank you." I hesitate remembering one small problem. "Could you perhaps, help me find my room again?"
He laughs. "Of course." And we're off again.
00oo00oo00oo00
"Are you certain?" The tall sangheili looks over towards the table, the place that sits the human and her company. She had passed them by earlier, he had recalled her alien scent, and had found it amusing how she smelled so much like a weak animal. Soft, and all too delicate.
"Very." The other male stares there too, making a sharp sound with his mandibles clasping. "Fortune does smile on us."
"The kaidon knows?"
"He does, but he does nothing. A tool to use for the good of all of our kind, and he does not take it. He is a tired fool."
The third member of their group, who remained quiet until now, shuffles his mandibles nervously. "You would go against him? No hesitation?"
"I would go against Urs himself." The pale sangheili says. "This must be. It is the only way."
"We have had enough of staying complacent. Are we in agreement then?" He looks to his two associates, and they nod back.
"We collect her when the time is right. Until then, we stay quiet. If you betray me, you betray us all."
"Yes Galu." The tallest of their group says. "I will be true to our cause, as always, you lose no faith in me."
"It must be." The third agrees.
"Then it will be, and soon." He promises.
Sorry it took me a long long…not-a-minute. It took a long time, and I apologize. I've just had a crazy bunch of different things in mind, and this is my last year of college and I have a lot of stuff I need to do still, but I tried my best to make up for it, by creating a lengthier chapter. This one is about twenty pages. So hopefully you guys find some good stuff here.
Hope everyone had a great summer, anyone else excited for Halo Reach PC? It's going to be great!
Let me know how you liked this chapter. :3 Until next time…