by Viola Grace
“I am aware of that, but I need to be here. The host has not stopped me, nor has the forest. I wish to see where the brides are stored.”
The captain looked at her and then at Acuar. “Host?”
“She has been given no information as to her fate, so she wishes to know. Her mind is filled with curiosity and she will not be denied.” There was amused pride in his tone.
“Will you show her?” It seemed that the captain was afraid of her reaction.
Acuar kept his hand on her back. “I will take her. Thank you, Captain.”
They walked into the paths of tunnels into the soil, veins of pulsing energy lighting their way. The glowing vines held the soil back and provided breathable oxygen.
“This is the seed vault?”
He laughed. “This is the entrance. Just wait.”
She saw what he meant a moment later. Stone was carved into a dry and secure hallway. Glowing quartz created a bright facility.
The seed bank was a wonderful construct going deep into the stone as far as the eye could see.
“Come with me. I will show you where they are.”
“I am not going anywhere without you.”
She looked around at the seeds, seeing several varieties that she had been negotiating for earlier that week. Her smile remained on her features right up until the moment that they saw the arched opening with the security screen.
“That is unusual. The Freyalki don’t use locks, or doors for that matter.”
He nodded. “True, but this is a special case. Come with me.”
She took his hand and walked toward the glowing wall of energy that blocked this area from all the rest.
She stopped just inside the energy field. “Oh. My. God.”
Females from over fifty species were encased in amber and lined up in an organised display.
Acuar tugged her forward. “This is Loari, the most recent bride before you. She was active for three hundred years before her host exhausted himself on a mission and they died.”
He moved to the next woman, “Tabrelo was caught in a radiation blast on the station. With her host unable to survive, they died together on the way home.”
He continued and she listened, but each woman was wearing the crop top and skirt that she had worn her first day. A different flower was depicted on their skin, and Honour recognised each one as symbolizing the parent race of the bride.
In the seventh bride, she noticed something. She stopped Acuar. “What is that?”
“What?”
“The pod off the main stem of the Gelu flower. The plant only does that when it is reproducing and none of the other women here are displaying offshoots in their flowers.”
“Pheela. She became pregnant twice and the children were removed to be incubated in a Freyalki host. The children survived but were sterile and did not continue her line.”
“Removed?” Honour was alarmed. “Why were they removed?”
Acuar put his arm around her waist. “Look at them. Really look. On average, these women lived hundreds of years beyond their species lifespans. They did not age. Their bodies could not make the necessary changes to keep and assist life to flourish. It was found with the twentieth bride that an incubator could be used, but it had to be a living, thinking being.”
Honour pressed her hands to her belly. No changes to her rose yet, but she was suddenly nervous. She needed to distract herself.
“How were they encased in amber?”
“Part of the hosts turned to amber and they preserved the bride for eternity.”
Honour reached out to touch the amber, and she felt the familiar presence. “It wasn’t just the host locking her in place. It was also the forest as you well know.”
“I know. All three together for eternity.”
“Did the brides know what would happen to them in death?”
“Most took no for an answer. Some had traditions to be buried, so this vault was created. They are buried, they are preserved, dressed in their formal clothing; we adhered to as many practices as we could.” He sighed and looked at her. “Are you all right with this?”
She smiled and caressed the amber. “Why not? You can feel the love here. Protection and love all around her. My people dress you up and put you in the ground. There is mourning for those above, and then, it is quiet.”
“The Freyalki mourn for five years when a bride and host die. No aliens are allowed on any world, no transit with any of our space stations. Everything goes quiet while the forest and the people mourn. Do you wish to see where the host seeds are?”
She smiled and nodded. “Please.”
They walked through the secure screen again and down another hall that was unguarded. Seedpods the size of her head were sitting on a table.
“So, the brides are secured, but the host seeds are out here for anyone to take?”
He laughed. “There is no danger. Only the forest can grow a host. The genes of past brides are spliced into every new round of seeds, becoming more complex as time goes on. The hosts began as ordinary Freyalki, and now, look at me.”
“Yes, you are very pretty.” She patted his shoulder.
He sighed. “Can’t I impress you at all?”
She laughed and put her arm around his waist. “You impress me simply by breathing. Now, where do the pods come from?”
“Ah, the most ancient tree grows the pods when it has completed its mourning cycle.”
She nodded. She had met the current ancient tree. They lived for thousands of years, but they eventually died. They measured time differently.
Honour looked around and nodded. “I have seen what I needed to. We can go now.”
He blinked and grinned. “You are a true treasure.”
“Thank you. If you hadn’t had me blackmailed and kidnapped, I would never have joined with you. If another host uses that tactic, I will come back to life, break through the amber and beat the hell out of him.” She smiled brightly.
He looped an arm over her shoulder. “I would expect nothing less, beloved Rose of Honour.”
Together, they walked back into the light and the forest that was eager for their company.
It was the most extensive three-way ever.
Author’s Note
Honour took a weird turn as some of my books tend to. Sorry about that. There is just something about writing a book with tree hugging where the tree can hug back. This is not the end of Honour and Acuar, expect to see them in the next series, here and there.
Well, I have finished the ‘H’s,’ and next release day, I will begin the ‘J’s.’
Jaded takes us back to the Nyal guardians (sorry, but we never really left; I like ‘em) and a woman who knows all your secrets. How can a man surprise a woman who knows everything about him before he even rounds a corner?
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
www.violagrace.com
About the Author
Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.
Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.
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