True Believers

by Maria Zannini

The man was full of surprises. Despite the rocky reunion, he had been sweet and gentle. Her na'hala wanted desperately to join with his and so did she, but in hindsight it was for the best they didn't take it any further. He might not have given her a choice, but she would avoid it if she could. Even with a soul cord, he was still mortal, and she didn't want to hurt him.

  Her mind retraced his well-sculpted form. He was handsome—broad-shouldered and trim at the waist. And the extra appendages near his penis were remarkably useful. All the more pity for coitus interruptus.

  She sighed. That was the hormones talking.

  Heat could still be days away, and Rachel hoped she wouldn't be trapped here when it happened. She needed one of her own kind to quell the madness. She didn't want to have to go through another heat cycle alone. Gilgamesh must have arrived in the United States by now. He'd find some way to get her back down to Earth.

  The servants provided her with an entire wardrobe, donated clothes from the females on board. Rachel rifled through her closet and changed into something that looked like a nightgown. It was soft, delicate and very sheer. The room was far too hot for anything else.

  She climbed into bed and let her body melt into the soft cushiness of the mattress. It was warm here, and humid. Once again her thoughts slipped back to Jessit. She licked her lips. There were other ways to please one another, without initiating union.

  Despite her growing sexual anxiety, her real problem was the Alturians. How accurate was that clicking device? Jessit had mentioned they could detect their gods' essence from space. Did it detect her as well?

  True believers, Gilgamesh called them. Just like the old humans. Not likely. The ancient humans could be excused. They were primitives, easily led by things they didn't understand. But the Alturians were sophisticated star travelers. How could they possibly believe the Nephilim divine? What had her ancestors done to produce such devotion?

  Rachel tried to sleep but it seemed useless. Her groin ached for a man. She ached for Jessit and the sex they almost had.

  She got up and walked over to the lone window. Her hand glided against a bulkhead, the subtle vibrations of the ship reverberating against her flesh. It had a familiar resonance, operating on electromagnetic energy. She tiptoed over to the door and listened. Nevar was still there, snoring like a buzz saw.

  What would it hurt to see Jessit once more?

  Rachel slipped back into bed, and with one deep breath found that quiet place in her mind, a terminal of sorts where she could break from her physical form.

  Inside her ethereal well she felt the giddy tremble of shifting. It tugged at her solar plexus like a contraction, pushing hard for release. A primal craving motivated her actions. She needed to see Jessit again, if only to watch him sleep.

  The room's lights faltered and winked out as she vibrated the atoms within her immediate space. Like a tendril of smoke, her energy ebbed out of her body and hovered above it in midair. She lit to the ground and reemerged into a recognizable form. Rachel gazed back at her body. It looked enough as if she was asleep.

  Her essence vibrated through the door and ventured outside. Nevar snoozed at his post. She smiled at him. “Pleasant dreams, old man. Don't let anyone disturb me.”

  He seemed to nod in assent and mumbled something under his breath.

  Rachel drifted in and out of rooms. Most people were sleeping; one man was having sex with a woman while another was having sex with himself. She backed out of each room quickly. She was only interested in the occupant of one bedroom.

  When the priest, Kalya, took her to her room, they stayed on the same floor. Jessit's quarters couldn't be far. A central hub yawned up ahead and she chose the corridor on the left to investigate. This one had a guard posted at the entrance. She wisped by him, pleased when she sensed familiarity.

  Jessit's wing. A thrill weaved through her when she became aware of his presence, as well. That was strange. That had never happened with a mortal before. Perhaps Gilgamesh was right. Maybe he was a distant cousin of sorts.

  Jessit had to be asleep by now. That tempered her enthusiasm but it didn't dampen her purpose. She was used to hunting mortals while they slept. They were much less inhibited if they thought her presence was part of a dream.

  Her spirit vibrated through the door and into Jessit's room. As her vaporous form took shape once again, her eyes grew wide from a sight she hadn't expected. Jessit lay on top of the blonde vixen she had seen in his room earlier. With a throaty grunt he climaxed and then rolled off her, a look of coarse satisfaction on his face. Rachel stood there in shock, her heart breaking in more pieces than she could count. She tried to back away, but it was too late. Whether by chance or by design, Jessit opened his eyes and saw her there.

  His jaw slackened and he scrunched the covers over his torso. “Rachel,” he whispered.

  The poor little naked girl must have asked him what was wrong, her long, slender hands begging to be of service, but he pushed her away.

  “Rachel.”

  Rachel shook her head and ran through the closed door, dimming every light in the immediate vicinity.

  She returned to her body and shook it back to life. When she awoke, there were tears on her face.

  ***

  Jessit ordered Ajula out with a gruff bark. The poor girl withered before his eyes, thinking she had displeased him. He kissed her on the cheek and told her to get dressed. He didn't mean to frighten her. But truth be told, he was frightened.

  He thought quenching his lust on Ajula would cure him of his need for Rachel, but it only made it worse. What was it about her that kept him caged? Did gods put spells on mortal men?

  Jessit didn't understand. Rachel looked ready to disembowel him. Was she upset that he was with another? Surely she wasn't expecting him to take her to his bed, not now that they knew who she was. Maybe she wanted him celibate. Jessit groaned at the irony. He was doomed!

  When they took his gonads, he prayed the priests would use anesthetic. He dressed in a hurry, throwing on the uniform that lay rumpled in a chair. His first thought was to go to her at once, but this was a god. Whatever his sins, he wanted to make sure she understood he was repentant.

  He was also no fool. He needed an alibi for being able to see her. Jessit rifled through a drawer and pulled out a cube of menze. He lit it and let the hallucinogen's smoke waft through the air. Jessit waved the fumes at his clothes while holding his breath. When he could stand no more of it, he bolted out the door and ran to Kalya's quarters.

  He banged on the door, rousing the attention of the guard on duty in this wing. If the old man didn't answer soon, Jessit was going to key in an override code and drag him out of bed. Kalya came to the door, still in bed clothes and half asleep.

  “Get dressed,” Jessit ordered.

  “What's happened?” Kalya asked, more annoyed than cooperative.

  “I need your intercession. I have displeased the Lady.”

  “You what!” Kalya ran to his closet and rummaged out a freshly pressed robe. He threw it on, not bothering to give it the blessing it required. “What did you do?” he grumbled and hurriedly buttoned his cassock.

  “I'm not sure, but I saw her—or rather she saw me. She looked displeased.”

  Kalya stopped, his fingers frozen on one of the top buttons. “What did she see?”

  “It doesn't matter. All I want you to do is vouch for my piety.”

  “Piety is measured by the generosity of the penitent,” Kalya said wryly.

  “Name your price, priest. Only hurry.” Jessit eyed a scanning monitor that his search teams used to detect the gods' radiation signature. He picked it up and ran a diagnostic on it while Kalya finished dressing.

  Jessit wasn't sure what he hoped to prove with it, but he had to show Rachel that he would never do anything to displease the gods, especially her. And he hoped to do it without letting Kalya know that he had seen her in her ethereal form unaided. If Kalya discovered the truth his career would be over.

 
; They rushed to Rachel's quarters. A servant dozed at his post. Jessit snarled at him, nearly snapping the pitiful steward's neck off his shoulders. “What kind of ship am I running here, Nevar?”

  “It won't happen again, sir.” The old man blanched in fear.

  Kalya too, cursed him. Nevar would be lucky if he closed his eyes at all for the next two days. Jessit knocked on the door and waited. It seemed an eternity before she answered.

  “It's your ship. Come in, or don't,” she yelled through the door.

  Nevar looked sheepishly at Jessit, but remained mute. Jessit entered with Kalya right behind him. Both men hesitated at the doorway.

  Rachel sat on the bed and fumed at them. She seemed a little surprised to see Kalya, but every fiber in Jessit's body was sure that he had been expected. She fitted herself with the translator.

  Her nose looked red and her face flushed and moist. Had she been crying? He wanted to hold her, comfort her. If only he could be sure she wouldn't hang him by his intestines for his trouble. Despite the flash of fury, she looked helpless and fragile, as if she could break at any moment.

  Jessit bowed his head and asked for permission to speak with her. She waved them in as she sat cross-legged on the bed, the bedding rumpled beneath her. Her silk sleeping gown clung to her body like a moist kiss, leaving nothing to the imagination.

  She caught his gaze, forcing him to look away. “Well, what is it?”

  Her voice cracked. She had been crying.

  “My Lady, a little while ago I witnessed your essence in my room.” His eyes fell to the monitor in his hands and measured his words carefully. “You seemed upset.”

  Kalya, wily and sharp-eared as always, snapped to that confession. “You saw the Lady in your room, Commander?”

  Jessit cleared his throat, hoping he was as good a liar as he was a sinner. “I was with Ajula. We had a cube of incense smoldering on my dressing table.”

  “Menze, Commander? Why would you use menze in your room?” Kalya narrowed his eyes at him.

  Jessit shifted uncomfortably. “My lord, everyone knows menze heightens sexual endurance. I…uh…needed the help.” That last part caught in his throat, but he needed to sound convincing.

  Kalya never did play a fool, and he crept closer to Jessit and sniffed him as inconspicuously as he could. “Did your servant see the Lady?”

  “I didn't ask. It was enough that I saw her. When I realized the Lady was upset, I immediately came to you for guidance.” He turned to Rachel. “And I come to you for forgiveness, Lady. If I have offended you, I will perform whatever penance you decree.”

  Rachel's voice faltered a bit, but the sharp edge of her anger had softened. “Commander, whatever it is you think I am, you're mistaken.”

  Kalya pushed Jessit aside and bowed low before her, a series of creaks ticking in succession. “Holiness, we know who you are. Our instruments have proven it. It is our own vanity and blindness that prevented us from seeing it from the beginning. We both beg forgiveness.”

  Her face grew pale and it took her several seconds to respond. She looked over at the monitor in Jessit's hands. “Is that what you use to find gods?”

  Jessit nodded, offering it to her for inspection. She waved it away, looking vulnerable and unnerved.

  She wiped her eyes and collected herself. “How can you be sure it is your gods' radiation signature? When was the last time you even saw a live god?”

  Kalya fielded those questions, a relief to Jessit. A priest was bound to have far more clout with the Holies than a soldier.

  “My Lady.” Kalya's hands spread palms out in a show of humility. “Our technology has became sophisticated enough to detect the delicate resonance of Dal'Soon's soul.”

  There was recognition and unease in Rachel's eyes when Kalya spoke Dal'Soon's name. Dal'Soon was Anu's brother, the Holy who sacrificed his life in battle. His was the most sacred relic on all of Alturis.

  “You have Dal'Soon?” she asked hesitantly.

  Kalya bowed, giving the sign of blessing on Dal'Soon's name. “We only have a piece of him, my Lady, stored in the holiest of our temples. But we know so little of the early days, we would welcome your wisdom.”

  He had her. If she admitted anything, she would no longer be able to deny her divinity.

  Rachel pursed her lips, looking down at her clasped hands. But she wasn't through with him yet. “Who else knows about me?”

  The room fell silent. Jessit could feel his balls lurch into his body. He wondered how many ways a god could kill a man. It felt an eternity until his nerve returned.

  “We have sent a message home telling them we found you and Lord Gilgamesh.” Jessit hoped they hadn't been premature. They should have checked with the Divinities first.

  Rachel got up and turned toward the port window, her diaphanous gown tracing all her gentle curves. Behind her shoulder, the soft shimmer of sunlight crept up on Earth's horizon.

  That dull ache of need crept over Jessit. Why did the most amazing woman he had ever met have to be a god?

  “Why did you bring me here, Commander?”

  “It was a mistake, my Lady.”

  Kalya interjected. “He didn't mean it that way, Holiness. He means we were ignorant of your grace.”

  Rachel turned around abruptly. “That's not what he meant at all. He brought me here to entertain him, to pay him for his services.” She jabbed a finger at Jessit's direction. “A lord's wish. Isn't that what you asked for, Commander?”

  Jessit thought his testicles had shriveled up and fallen off. Somehow he found his voice. “A grievous error in judgment, my Lady. If I had only realized you were one of The Hundred—”

  “That is no excuse,” Kayla interjected.

  Bastard. The old man intended to keep the blame solely on him.

  “Lord Kalya is quite right. It is no excuse, and I am sorry, Divinity. I committed a grave sin forcing you into service. I will pay whatever penance you give me.” He folded his hands across his chest, a prayer for clemency in his heart.

  “You're damn right. You will pay. And you can start by getting out of my room. I don't ever want to see you again.”

  “My Lady—”

  Kalya interrupted him, grabbing him by the arm and forcing him toward the door. “As you will, Holiness. We beg your mercy. I can assure you this man will be punished.” He pushed Jessit out the door, all the while bowing and hailing Anu's name.

  ***

  Rachel crumbled in a heap on the floor. What did it matter if these aliens thought they were gods? Maybe Gilgamesh was right, and they could be useful. Tomorrow she'd negotiate a return to Earth. From there her father could handle any future negotiations.

  Her dealings with these aliens were over. Whatever she thought she saw in Jessit was an illusion. Her rising hormone level had impaired her judgment. Yes, that was it. She'd been a fool thinking there had been a connection between them, even a tenuous one.

  She lay her head on the floor, rubbing her fingers against the nap of a fine-loomed rug. Tears blurred her vision when she thought about Jessit in the arms of that beautiful blonde girl. Why did he bother with her if he already had someone? It hurt her more than it should have.

  Asshole. Waltzing in with a façade of reverence didn't impress her in the least. And what was he trying to pull, telling Kalya that he saw her because of some incense? There wasn't any incense in that room.

  She pounded a fist on the floor. Agh! She could have any man. Why did she have to want him? Rachel swallowed her tears. Hormones, she reminded herself. It was the hormones talking. In a few days all this would pass and Jessit would be a memory.

  Chapter 18

  Jessit stripped to a white loincloth and knelt in a confessor's pool. The shallow bath had a mere few inches of blue-colored water, blessed by the priest, Kalya.

  Senit waited for him in the back of the temple. Jessit didn't go into the confessor's pool often, and he couldn't even remember the last time Senit had stepped into a temple. But this tim
e his friend accompanied him without complaint.

  Kalya muttered some ancient words, but the gaping holes in his teeth made a mockery of the solemn prayer. Jessit didn't care. He wanted absolution, though he would have preferred it from Rachel. She had dismissed him with a terse order not to show his face again. How did it go so wrong for him? He had wanted some fun with her, that was true, but he also brought her up here to protect her from the American military. She had to understand that he was a true believer and would never blaspheme the gods if he had known her identity.

  Kalya delighted in his priestly duties; they had spent most of the night in confession. The old man questioned him repeatedly, trying to trip Jessit up, but he stayed true to his story. Before meeting the priest in the confessional, he had awoken Senit from a sound sleep. His instructions were simple. Senit was to tell Ajula that Jessit had lit a cube of menze. That was the only lie required of her.

  He knew Ajula would comply. No bound slave refused her master's orders, no matter how bizarre the request. And Ajula had always been a good and faithful servant. The girl was the least of his worries.

  Jessit peered over at Senit, who looked ill at ease among all these idols. Senit was a loyal friend. When he had finished with Ajula, he came straight to the temple to stand by his side. Jessit asked him to leave, but he steadfastly refused.

  Senit took Jessit's clothes as he disrobed and folded them neatly over his arm. He whispered to Jessit so that Kalya wouldn't hear. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I don't have a choice.”

  “This is stupid,” he whispered. “Let me get you out of here.”

  Kalya grabbed Jessit by the wrist and dragged him over to the shallow pool. “You are not welcomed here, heretic.”

  Jessit jerked Kalya's arm away from him. “I am allowed a witness, priest. Senit is staying.”

  The old man grumbled an acknowledgement before ordering Senit to stay on the sidelines. A witness's only role was to make sure the penitent didn't die during the sacrament.

  Kalya baptized Jessit with the blue water from the adjoining fount that piped its way into the basin. He gave Jessit several prayers to recite three times in succession before stepping back from the shallow well.