“I’m sure she would if she heard you,” Emily sent back, smiling. “And I’m lucky to have you too, you know! I’m the luckiest girl I know. But now we have to concentrate—I think the ceremony is about to begin!”
“Dear ones, warriors and maidens, sons and daughters of the Goddess,” Lit’aal began in a shaking voice. “We are gathered here in the sight of the Mother of All life to join this male and this female together in a most sacred bond forged by love. We—”
“Stop!” Mother Chundra’s voice rang out as she stepped forward, pointing a finger at Emily and Tragar. “Stop—this ceremony cannot go on.”
“What?” Tragar growled. “What is the problem?”
“The problem is that this joining ceremony is not legal.” Mother Chundra raised her chin and looked down her nose at them.
“How is it not legal?” Emily demanded. “I don’t want to be a bridezilla here but you’re ruining my day!”
“The Right of Conflict which this male demanded, was never met.” Mother Chundra sniffed and motioned at Tragar. “He asked for the right to fight for your hand—”
“Which I did,” Tragar gritted out.
“Ah—but you refused to kill your opponent and there he stands.” She pointed at Daro who was looking worriedly at Lit’aal. “No blood was spilled.”
“No blood was spilled?” Emily couldn’t believe the garbage she was hearing. “Um, did you not notice the huge wasp-thing that Tragar killed to save me? Its blood ate a huge crater in the arena ground.”
“The intruder Tragar killed was not the one he challenged,” Mother Chundra insisted. “Therefore, I must call a halt to this joining ceremony and demand that the inferior male, Tragar, leave the Temple at once. The new Khalla shall remain here until she can be sent out on assignment to the people of Rageron who need her healing touch.”
“How dare you suggest such a thing?” Tragar’s voice was a low roar. “I will never leave my Khalla—we are bonded.”
“Too closely bonded to be certain—probably a result of you drinking her nectar.” Mother Chundra made a disgusted face. “Nevertheless, in a solar year or so the bond should fade a bit. Enough for her to have control of herself as she visits the people.”
“Enough for you to control me, you mean,” Emily snapped. “I don’t even know how you have the nerve to suggest such a thing! What makes you think we’d do anything you say?”
The High Priestess gave her a smile that was inordinately smug.
“Maybe the little fact that I have a whole new retinue of Temple Guards waiting to do my bidding.”
The groves of green and purple trees on either side of them rustled and before Emily could even scream, two burly guards were gripping her by either elbow. Many more suddenly appeared all around them, grabbing everyone in the wedding party, including poor Lit’aal who was shaking with fear.
“You dare! Take your hands off my mate!” Tragar had already shaken his guards off. Suddenly, a long, deadly blade appeared in his hand. Emily wondered where in the world he had hidden it in those tight trousers he was wearing. Wherever it had been, he was gripping it tightly now and there were already two guards down. There was going to be a bloodbath in a minute if somebody didn’t do something…
“Stop!”
The voice was deep and commanding but still feminine. It seemed to ring through the Sacred Grove, freezing Emily’s blood in her veins. For a moment, she couldn’t understand where it might be coming from but then the voice spoke again and she realized it was coming from over her head.
“How dare you attempt to separate one of my beloved Khallas from her chosen mate?” the voice demanded.
Emily looked up. With a gasp, she saw that the twenty-foot tall statue of the Goddess had come to life. The formerly kind and gracious face was animated now, frowning down at the gasping High Priestess with a look of grim disapproval.
“I…” Mother Chundra had realized at the same time as Emily that the statue was the one speaking. “G-goddess?” she stuttered, apparently momentarily at a loss for words.
“And this Khalla especially—my own daughter.” The Goddess statue held out a hand to Emily, the white marble features softening somewhat. “My darling Emallia. I took mortal form to bear you but I had to leave you to be raised by others. I chose to put you on Earth because I needed you to understand the thoughts and ways of the humans—they are a vital part of the new race of Kindred that will be.”
“They…they are?” Emily’s throat felt tight. She was still trying to process all this and it wasn’t easy.
The statue of the Goddess nodded.
“I needed you to live a mortal life, my darling. I have always watched over you—it was I who sent Tragar to your aid when your Tenrah came due the second time.”
“So you…you’re my mother? My actual mother?” Emily gasped. Inside her she could feel Emallia’s joy. “Mother—our mother!” she whispered eagerly.
“I am.” The Goddess statue nodded. “I know you have been through some difficult trials in your life, Emallia, as has the male I picked for you.” The vast marble face looked sad. “I cannot always protect everyone from pain—even those I love. For it is ultimately the trials in our lives that shape and mold us into who we are.”
“Goddess!” Tragar murmured hoarsely. “Forgive me for turning my back on you and disavowing you. I was angry…hurt.”
“Of course you were, warrior,” the Goddess said gently. “All is forgiven. I know how great your loss was—it was enough to shake the faith of even the most devout. I have tried to make up for your past sorrow by giving you my most precious daughter to love and care for. She will bear you many children, including the mother of the new Kindred race.”
“I will cherish and protect her always.” Tragar bowed his head reverently. “In fact, I was trying to pledge myself to her just now. Unfortunately, our joining ceremony was interrupted.” He shot a hard look at Mother Chundra who was still standing there in apparent awe, staring up at the Goddess statue that had come to life.
“Indeed.” The statue turned her gaze on Mother Chundra as well. “Priestess, you have much to answer for. In the hundred solar years since you have taken over this temple, you have inflicted pain and suffering upon many of my Khallas. You have separated them from their true chosen mates and denied them even the right to bond fully with the ones you gave in their place.”
“I did it only for their own good!” protested Mother Chundra. “That they might spread the light of the Temple all over Rageron without distractions.”
“You mean so that they could spread your own personal influence, making you the most powerful female on Rageron.”
“I only wanted what was best for them,” the High Priestess insisted stubbornly.
Emily didn’t know where she got the nerve to lie right to the face of the Goddess—or the statue of the Goddess, anyway. She had the idea that if the Goddess had been there in person, with nothing between her and the mortals she addressed, they would all be toast right about now.
Everyone else in the room was kneeling by now—Emily included although she didn’t remember getting down on her knees. And the new Temple Guards that Mother Chundra had hired were flat on their faces, obviously hoping to avoid notice and punishment.
“For their own good?” The marble face was like a thundercloud. “Was it for their own good that you denied them their chosen mates and denied the mates they were given the right to drink their nectar? You know full well that without such intimacy, a Khalla is unable to conceive by her chosen mate. Was it for their own good that you denied them the right to have children?”
“Children and mates would only take away from their sacred duty of serving the people and the Temple!” Mother Chundra insisted.
Emily stared at her. Was she actually arguing with the Goddess now? Wow, she was really asking for it!
The marble statue of the Goddess glared down at the defiant priestess.
“I see that your heart is as hard as this stat
ue I have chosen to use for my purposes. And since you will admit no wrongdoing, I have no choice but to strip you of your title and power. You are cast out of this Temple now and forever more.” The long marble arm pointed at the double doors of the Sacred Grove. “Go!”
“You…I…but your holiness!” Mother Chundra protested in a loud wail.
“Go,” the Goddess repeated. And think long and hard before you dare to darken the doorway of this or any other Temple dedicated to me again,” she continued. “For if you pass the threshold without true repentance in your heart, know that you will burst into flames. I do not tolerate dishonestly or hypocrisy in my presence.”
It looked as though the former High Priestess wanted to protest some more but suddenly, she closed her mouth with a snap and started walking stiffly towards the double doors at the end of the Sacred Grove. To Emily it looked like a stiff wind was at her back—or maybe an invisible hand was propelling her forward. At any rate, she left without looking back. After a moment there was a mad scramble and all the new Temple Guards she had hired ran out as well.
Soon, the only people left were the wedding—or joining party—and the wide-eyed priestesses who had stayed either because they still wanted to watch the ceremony or because they were too frightened to leave.
The vast marble face of the Goddess statue grew kind and loving again.
“Rise, my children,” she murmured in her deep, musical voice. “Continue with your joining ceremony. I would see my only daughter happily bonded to the male she loves before I go.”
“Oh, Goddess…” Lit’aal was still on her knees before the vast marble statue. “Forgive me, but I am not worthy to perform this sacred rite in your holy presence!”
“You are worthy, little priestess,” the Goddess assured her gently. “And you shall be bonded to the male of your choice.” She nodded at Daro. “The two of you will help to run this Temple while my daughter visits her adopted parents on Earth to assure them of her safety.” She looked at Emily. “And you, my darling, when you return to Rageron—for return you must—I want you to institute a change here at the Temple. Many more Khallas are going to be born both here and on the planet of the Wulven Kindred. They must be given free access to all the Temple’s facilities and they must be helped through their Tenrahs by the mates of their own choosing.”
“Of course…Mother,” Emily spoke the word hesitantly, but it felt right on her lips.
“One more word before we continue.” The Goddess turned to look at Tragar. “Be wary, Warrior for trouble is afoot. The new evil will merge with an ancient one to form something more dreadful than any of you may imagine. Dark days are ahead. But know that you can weather the storm if you love and care for each other as you should.”
“Yes, Goddess.” Tragar bowed his head respectfully. “You have my word that I will give my life to protect your daughter, my beloved Khalla, if need be.”
“I know that, warrior.” The Goddess smiled upon him. “Indeed, you have already given it once. That is why I gave it back to you after your heart had stopped in the breeding suite. I respect the sacrifice of a warrior for his mate—in the moment that you gave your life for hers, you earned your place at my daughter’s side many times over. No longer must you be tormented with doubts—despite your past, you are worthy. My beloved Emallia is in good hands.”
“Thank you, Mother of All Life.” There were tears in Tragar’s golden eyes and Emily felt the knot he had carried in his chest for years, since the death of his wife and children—finally loosen. She reached across the aisle for his hand and he grasped her fingers tightly and gave her a look so filled with love and devotion it made her heart ache.
“And now,” murmured the Goddess. “Continue with the ceremony. And know that your union is well and truly blessed.”
Lit’all rose from her prayerful crouch and turned to face the wedding party, who were also rising to their feet.
“Dear ones,” she began in a voice that shook only slightly. “We are gathered here in the sight of the Goddess…”
Emily knew it was her wedding day and she ought to be paying more attention. But her mind was a whirl with everything she’d just learned. And even more than the knowledge that the Goddess was her actual mother, was the fact that she was finally getting married—or joined—to the man she loved more than anyone else in the entire universe. The one who was right for her.
As she looked into Tragar’s golden eyes, so much like her own, and said her vows, she was only vaguely aware of the Goddess watching. And when at last, the ceremony ended and she kissed Tragar long and lovingly, she looked up and saw that the statue was just a statue again.
The Goddess had slipped quietly away. Yet now Emily knew she was real—a real being who loved her and was watching over her. There might be trouble brewing ahead but she knew the Goddess was looking out for her. With Tragar by her side, she would weather all the storms ahead with grace and confidence. And she would be with the man she loved, forever.
Chapter Thirty-four
“I’m really sorry about how I acted before.” Turra was standing in the warm sunshine wearing a white ceremonial robe and a penitent look on her narrow face in the reception area just outside the Temple.
Emily had decided to hold the reception outdoors because the weather was so lovely in the Holy Mountains. It was sunny and just slightly chilly—Emily’s perfect kind of day which she’d almost never gotten to experience growing up in the hot and humid Florida.
There were graceful tables and chairs scattered around as well as a fountain filled with some kind of pale blue punch that Tragar warned her was extremely alcoholic. In fact—he was drinking a glass of it now. When he caught her eye, he raised it to her in a silent toast and grinned. Emily smiled back, feeling happy and secure and totally loved.
There was even a special wedding cake set up on a tall table at the end of the grassy area, although the Temple chefs had been mystified when Emily had asked them to make it. Apparently the Kindred didn’t usually do a wedding cake or the cake cutting ceremony.
“Well…” Emily looked at the penitent priestess uncertainly. Turra hadn’t been in the ceremony and Emily wondered if she knew how the statue of the Goddess had come to life and ordered her mentor out. If she had heard, she might be trying to ingratiate herself with the new High Priestess of the Temple—though Emily was still trying to wrap her head around her new title herself.
“Please,” Turra pleaded. “Look—I brought you these as a gesture of apology.” She brought a hand out from around her back and Emily saw with delight that she was holding a huge, lovely bouquet filled with all kinds of wild flowers in every imaginable shade of blue.
“Oh, they’re gorgeous!” she exclaimed, taking the flowers in both hands. They were heavy and their stems felt cool and waxy against her fingertips. The one thing she hadn’t had at her ceremony was a bouquet—mainly because it was considered rude to bring dead plants into the Sacred Grove, at least according to Lit’aal. Everything in the holy chapel should be green and growing in reverence to the Goddess who was the Mother of All Life.
“Do you like them?” Turra smiled shyly. “I had them gathered from the Deep Blue—the jungle that covers much of Rageron. I thought it would be a nice gift to accustom you to your new home.”
“Well, thank you.” Emily was deeply touched. Maybe she had been too hasty in judging Turra. Maybe the other girl just wanted to make peace.
“It’s said that the Dream Blooms in the center have the scent of the Goddess’s own home land.” Turra pointed to the deep indigo blossoms in the very center of the bouquet. “Go on—smell them,” she urged.
Emily was about to do just that when Kate and Rone came up on her other side and distracted her.
“Hey, girlfriend.” Kate grinned at her. “Well, that was a ceremony I don’t think any of us will ever forget!”
“You’re not kidding.” Emily laughed. “It was…amazing. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
&nbs
p; “It answers a lot of questions, though,” Rone rumbled thoughtfully. “Now we know why you were found on Earth so far from where any other Khalla has ever been.”
“And we know that everything that happened to you was the will of the Goddess,” Kate added. “Looks like Rone and I were on a wild goose chase.”
“Oh, I’m sorry you came out here for nothing,” Emily exclaimed but her new friend just laughed.
“Don’t be silly! Of course we didn’t come for nothing. I found a great new friend and we got to see the Goddess in action—not many people can say that!”
“Well, I—”
“A-hem.” Turra cleared her throat pointedly and Emily realized she was nodding at the lush bouquet of multi-hued blue blossoms she still held in her hands.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said, smiling politely. “Kate, just look at the gorgeous bouquet Turra gave me.”
“Oh my—those are gorgeous!” Kate leaned closer, her face almost right in the flowers. “Are these all native to Rageron?”
“They sure are.” Emily smiled. “And Turra says the ones in the middle are supposed to smell just like Heaven. Go on—take a whiff.”
“No!” Turra shouted at the same time Rone barked, “Wait!”
But Kate had already leaned forward to bury her face in the riot of blue blossoms. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with their fragrance.
“Kate—no!” Rone grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her away from the bouquet Emily was still holding.
“What…?” Kate shook her head like a woman waking up from a dream. Then she looked up at Rone and frowned. “Who…who are you?”
“Kate? Lalli? It’s me.” Rone took her small hand in both of his much larger ones and looked into her face. “Just me—your mate, Rone.”
“You…” Her pale green eyes widened and filled with fear. “Oh my God—there’s something different about you. Something wrong. Get away from me! Leave me alone!”
She yanked her hand out of his grasp and stumbled away, looking over her shoulder as though he was a vicious beast coming to get her.