Collecting

by Viola Grace

  She pointed out several edible species to him, including her personal favourite, sugar fish. What the Nine called them, she had no idea, but the meat was sweet and had a hint of citrus. She loved them.

  When the first predator swam past, Weelar froze in place. Em showed him the calm pose to take and the beast disappeared into the distance.

  He let out a stream of bubbles as he sighed.

  A ping on her wrist warned her that her oxygen was low, and she patted her tank and pointed back to the hull of the Nitka.

  Weelar was disappointed, but he accompanied her back to the ship with slow and easy motions.

  Em stepped on the hydraulic lift while Weelar boosted himself out of the water. Her hands unbuckled the tanks, and she peeled off her mask. “So, did you have fun?”

  “There is so much to see.” Weelar’s voice was amazed.

  “There is. I have been down a hundred times and still haven’t seen it all.” She grinned and hauled her tanks to the filter and compressor.

  “Is this area pressurized?”

  “Of course. If you want to go up to the deck, step on those stairs, seal the tube that will come around and walk up the spiral staircase to the deck. The hatch will open and seal behind you so that I don’t drown.”

  He nodded and sat down. “I will wait for you.”

  She chuckled and worked to purge and fill her tanks again.

  “You always refill them immediately?”

  “Yes. If I have to return to the water, I need to be able to act immediately. Waiting to refill the tanks could cost a life.” She grimaced.

  “I understand. Are you going to mate with Rivvin?”

  She paused. “I don’t know. I think so. I am not sure what is involved.”

  “Genetic transfer. There is a formal ceremony that you would enact at the embassy, and during the ceremony, there is a blood exchange. We share the ceremony with the Wildings. Not all species of the Nine need to key their females to them in such a way, but most do just for the sake of tradition.”

  She blinked. “Wow. We just get up in front of witnesses and make a promise.”

  He cocked his head. “How does that stop partners from straying?”

  “It doesn’t.”

  “Then, you have an inferior system. Once a couple genetically keys to each other, they are not stimulated by anyone else.”

  “Ah. Well, that is nice.” She twisted her lips and checked her equipment again.

  “What was that fish called that you pointed out to me?”

  Em smiled. “I call them sugar fish. They are sweet and have the charming tang of citric acid. I don’t know what you would call them.”

  A clattering of the spear gun made her jump. Rivvin boosted himself out of the water, and there was a long, thin filament tied to his waist. He began to haul on it, and to Emharo’s surprise, there were four huge silvery fish on the end of the line.

  Weelar chortled with delight and helped Rivvin bring in the haul. The moment they were on the side of the entrance, Emharo closed the wet entry and the ramp descended again.

  She began to get an idea of the strength of the Water Folk when Rivvin flipped the four fish onto the deck and he pulled a knife out of his bag to begin gutting them. Each of the silvery, hard-fleshed fish had to weigh over a hundred kilos.

  He reached into the belly and pulled out something, grinning in triumph when he produced it.

  Weelar was staring. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “A Carring pearl. These four fish all have them inside.”

  Rivvin continued butchering the fish, so Emharo brought up the storage well. “What is a Carring pearl?”

  “Carring was the Water Folk capitol city. If these fish have the pearls in them, they have been there.”

  “I don’t understand. What is the significance of the pearls?”

  Weelar explained, “The power of the city was generated from a combination of ambient radiation and geothermal vents. The pearls contain traces of those minerals and the energy signature, so with a little analysis, we should be able to find the lost city.”

  She withdrew a bottle of water. “Give me one of the pearls.”

  Rivvin had all four out, so all four were dumped into her hand, covered with blood. She wrinkled her nose and washed the pearls in clean water.

  With them held in her hand, she opened the charts that she kept on the vessel.

  A bit of concentration and a spot glowed green. She grabbed her marker and placed an X on the spot. “There. That is your lost city.”

  Rivvin looked over her shoulder. “It was that easy?”

  She arched her eyebrow and held out the pearls. “Here. You try it.”

  He chuckled. “No thanks. I still have work to do.”

  His hands were covered with blood up to the elbow, and he returned to the fish to complete his work.

  Whistling to herself, Emharo grabbed a bucket, tied it to a line and swung it overboard. As Weelar followed her gesture to the storage chest, she started washing blood off the deck.

  Rivvin finished his work, and she splashed the deck at his feet before she handed him a fresh bucket to wash his arms. He rinsed his knife and wiped it carefully on his wrap before returning it to the sheath on his leg.

  She put her hands on her suited hips. “So, do you want to see your lost city today?”

  “Are we that close?”

  “In Nitka, we are only an hour away from most places in the open ocean. Do you want to see the city?”

  Weelar nodded frantically, and Rivvin inclined his head. “Please. I have a few beacons left, and it would be a coup to have found one of the ancient cities.”

  She didn’t need to be told twice. She directed the ship, and soon, it was speeding over the waves.

  Chapter Eight

  “Come with me.” Rivvin held her hands and whispered it in her ear.

  “I can’t. It is too deep, and I can’t take the pressure.” She patted his cheek regretfully. “Go and find your city. I will remain here.”

  Emharo watched as Rivvin and Weelar dove through the hole in the bottom of the ship and saw their gleaming pale skin disappear in the dimness of the water.

  She curled up against the wall and waited for an hour until, finally, they returned with goofy grins on their faces.

  “We set the markers. I will ask our archaeological team to file for permission to examine the site.” Rivvin had something in his hand, but he skilfully avoided bringing it into her viewing area.

  “Good. Are we ready to return to the lab?”

  Weelar was still grinning. “Yes, but it was amazing, simply amazing. Thank you for taking us out here, I am sure that it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

  Emharo sealed the entrance again, and they returned to the deck. She directed Nitka back home and peeled her dive suit down to her hips, leaving her dressed in the leather bodice that was her normal swimwear.

  The sunlight was still bright when they arrived at the dock.

  Rivvin and Weelar lifted the storage chest out of the holding slot and walked it down the ramp to the dock.

  Morro and Harold were waiting for them. With the audience, Em was glad she was back in her jumpsuit and boots.

  Her father smiled at the storage container. “What do you have there?”

  Em shrugged. “Something that Rivvin found. It’s enough for a week, even for our large party.”

  The Water Folk grabbed the container and brought it up to the lab.

  Em watched them go, her gaze fixed on Rivvin’s legs and butt far more than she was comfortable with. She shook her head and looked at the resigned expression on Morro’s face.

  He asked her outright. “So, you have agreed to mate with him?”

  Her father was shocked. “What?”

  “I have agreed to let him court me. But yes, I think that he is probably the one male who won’t run screaming just because I have to find something at dawn or in the middle of the night.” She shrugged.

  �
��If that is the way it is, you might just be meant for each other. Water is a very patient thing.” Morro offered her his arm, and she took it, walking back to the habitat and lab.

  Harold was following, “Mating?”

  “Married, Dad. Rivvin proposed, and I am seriously considering it.”

  “Oh. That’s all right then.” Her father was trying to grapple with the concept.

  “Ask Mom, she has been pushing me at him since he arrived.”

  Morro laughed as Harold froze in amazement. “I am going to tan her backside.”

  “Don’t be too hard on her. She finally found a guy as nuts about the ocean as I am.”

  Her father was still grappling with the idea when they entered the kitchen where Weelar had one length of a fish out and Rivvin was loading the rest into the freezer.

  “It looks like red meat.” Morro was more interested now than he had been previously.

  “It is. Tastes like it too. We had some for lunch.” Rivvin smiled and lifted the empty container in his arms. “I will just wash this out and put it back on the Nitka.”

  Em smiled at him as he passed. No matter how much time he and Weelar spent in the sun, they didn’t change colour. She had asked them about that, and it was simply a matter of them being evolved for a little more radiation and a little less dryness.

  She shivered as her skin complained of its coating of salt. “I am off for a shower. I will see you at dinner?”

  Morro nodded. “I am eager to find out what you discovered today. It is obvious that you have done far more than simply tagged some fish.”

  Emharo shrugged. It was not her story to tell.

  * * * *

  Rivvin called the embassy and spoke with Daphne. “I want to take her to mate, but I want to make it official first.”

  “So you want to use the mating gardens?” Daphne smiled. “Not a problem. Did you also wish to use the quarters for the Water Folk?”

  “For one night, please. We will return to her private retreat for the second night.”

  “Understood. Does she need proper attire?”

  “I don’t care what she wears, as long as she says yes.”

  Daphne chuckled. “That is a yes then. Women need more trappings than you do. We need to feel the solemnity of the moment or it will just be another day, and you don’t want that.”

  “You are correct. Please arrange the formal dress of the Water Folk.” He grinned, knowing that Emharo would look stunning in the necklaces of pearls and shells…and nothing else.

  “For you as well?”

  “Yes. Is tomorrow too soon? We will need retrieval.”

  “It will be done. There will be a skimmer for you at noon.”

  “Thank you, Daphne. Give my best to Ambassador Leoraki.” He inclined his head at the image in the small view screen.

  “I shall. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” Rivvin disconnected the call and sat back. It was done. Tomorrow evening, he would have a wife, now he just had to convince her that it was a good idea.

  * * * *

  Dinner was quiet. Everyone rampaged through the fish steaks, the crisped kelp salad and the roasted tubers from the shoreline.

  When dinner was over, Emharo smiled.

  Morro asked Rivvin, “So, explain where you went today?”

  “The Water Folk city of Carring. Emharo took us directly there. There was no delay, and Weelar and I swam down to mark the edges of the city with beacons.”

  “So, you went for fish and you found an ancient city? That is a pretty good day.”

  Rivvin smiled slowly at Emharo. “And it isn’t over yet.”

  She was suddenly the recipient of every gaze in the room. Emharo cleared her throat. “Well, I think I will be heading to my office. It has been quite a day, and I need a solid night’s sleep.”

  She got to her feet, cleared her plate and cup, heading swiftly into the kitchen. Once there she rushed to her room, got a change of clothing and spare towels as well as a small data pad for her notes about the day.

  With the pack on her shoulder, she tried to slip out the habitat door, but Rivvin was leaning on the exterior of the building. “Sneaking off without me?”

  “I am only going to my office so I can be alone. Don’t you have to deal with Weelar’s hero worship or something? He is so excited to finally be a proper Water Folk.” She began walking, but he paced beside her, his shirt tucked in and his trousers fading into the tops of his boots.

  “Why are you running?”

  He didn’t mean literal running, but she understood him well enough. “Because I am not sure. I am not used to not being sure about something. You look so brilliant to me that I am not sure that my own senses aren’t deceiving me. Maybe my body wants you but my mind is being lied to, or perhaps the opposite.” She kept walking.

  Rivvin sighed and walked with her.

  “I am going to hold you tonight, and perhaps, your mind and body can achieve some clarity.”

  She stopped halfway through the forest of stone. “Really? All night? What if I get up and go collect something?”

  “I will be with you, no matter where the search takes you.”

  Emharo’s heart fluttered happily at his words. They entered her cave, she turned on the heat and he took a swim while she recorded her notes from the day. She was the daughter of two researchers after all.

  Wrapped in a towel around his hips, Rivvin joined her on the couch and tugged her against his chest. “How did you come by the name Emharo?”

  “My parents have an equal relationship. When I appeared and I was a girl, my father wanted to name me after my mother and my mother wanted to name me after my father. So, I am Em for Emaline and Haro for Harold. It could be worse. It could be Haroline.”

  He chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair, straightening and tugging the tangles free.

  “I want you to marry me.”

  Em licked her lips. “I am aware of that.”

  “Tomorrow. A shuttle will come for us at noon, and we will be wed in the tradition of the Nine. If you want a Gaian ceremony after that, I have no objections.”

  “So, if there is a wedding tomorrow, there will be a wedding night tomorrow night?”

  He paused. “That is the general sequence of events. The housing for the members of the Water Folk is being reserved for us.”

  “So you have arranged it all.”

  “It is only a matter of time. If I leave you, my body will call out for yours and yours will begin to pine for mine. A wedding calms us both down and allows us to focus on things that we wish to.”

  “Can I stay on Gaia?”

  He turned her in his arms and pulled her up on his chest. “As long as the mother ship is in the sky, you can remain on Gaia with only occasional forays into space. If they leave, we will need to go with them. Can you accept that?”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “If you are with me, I can.”

  His smile was slow and preceded a kiss that melted her bones. He was careful with the sharp teeth in his mouth and his lips had a dexterity that left her shivering.

  She broke the kiss, “Yes, I will marry you tomorrow.”

  He stroked her cheek. “Fine, now go to sleep. I will be here when you wake.”

  Em snuggled against his chest and let the rhythm of his breathing take her under.

  Chapter Nine

  It was a full skimmer that returned to the embassy. Harold and Emaline Baker insisted in seeing their daughter off as she entered the mating garden.

  Daphne whisked Emharo away as Apolan spoke to the others of her party. Rivvin came up with them in the lift, but he left her with a wink as Daphne took her down another hall.

  “I foolishly asked Rivvin if he wanted you to wear Water Folk traditional garb. He said yes, so I am recommending to you that you not move around too much.” Daphne entered a room with a large pool in it and lifted the costume in question.

  “Oh. Wow. Okay. Well, it is tradition and only one day in my
life. I can deal with this.”

  She stripped and tied the swath of long strands of shells and pearls around her hips. The top was made up of necklaces that went on in gradually widening circles that incidentally covered her breasts. Her back was bare, her waist was exposed and she grinned as she let her hair tumble down to cover her.

  “That looks wonderful. Oh, he left this for you.”

  A tiara made of three Carring pearls was in Daphne’s hands. She knew it must have been what he carried up from the city. He had not had time to set any of the found pearls.

  With dignity and solemnity, she set the pearl tiara on her hair. It glowed the same bright blue that overlapped Rivvin every time she saw him. It was hers. Of that, she had no doubt.

  She walked with Daphne to the edge of the gardens where a guard and her family were waiting.

  The guard inclined his head to allow her into the garden, and the moment she was inside, Rivvin appeared from behind a tree. His hip wrap was made of shimmering fabric, and he wore a shell necklace that matched hers. “You look stunning.”

  “You are very pretty as well.” She smiled shyly and took his hand.

  “Thank you. Shall we?”

  He led her through the trees until they reached a garden full of white flowers that gave off a sweet perfume.

  Emharo breathed deeply, and she calmed immediately.

  Rivvin withdrew a knife from the altar and handed it to her.

  “What do I do with it?” She frowned at the blade.

  He pulled her down so that they were both on their knees. “You cut my skin, I will bite yours. Then, we press the wounds together.”

  She placed the knife blade on his skin and made a small, shallow cut.

  He pressed his hand to hers and deepened the cut. He then took her knife hand and lifted her wrist to his lips. A kiss to her wrist preceded the bite, but the moment he pierced her skin, he pressed her wound and his together.

  “Emharo Baker, you have agreed to be mine. You are my wife, share my life and all my possessions.”

  “Rivvin Sequelar, you have agreed to be mine. You are my husband, share my life and all my possessions.” She smiled, “Even Nitka.”