This chapter focuses on Wy and Kytia. In chapter 4, we'll find out what Lost is getting up to. If you're just tuning in, the story won't make any sense at all until you've read the previous chapters.
Thank you for editing, RNebular!
-Guin
***
Wyfrost dreamt of the Mountain. His deity tried to tell him something, but Wy couldn't understand the words. The sounds were distant, muffled, and tinny; not like the voice of the Mountain at all. It was more like...
The comm link he'd left on the nightstand chattered at him as Wy came up from a deep sleep. He untangled himself from a long pair of ylf'nim legs and propped on an elbow to reach for the comm. He listened to Lem, who was insistent on the other end of the link. "Repeat, the Ambassador is on his way. Do you copy, Wyfrost?"
Wy tried to answer, but first had to clear the sleep cobwebs from his throat. "Yeah... I mean... I got it... Copy, Lem."
Lem's concern came across. "Wy, is everything alright? Are you injured?"
"We're good, Lem. Just resting up."
"Sleep's for wimps, Wy." Lem joked.
Wy smiled and replied, "Then call me wimpy, I guess."
Lem laughed, "No, I don't think I will."
Wy nudged Kytia awake, then reached over her for Lost, but their witch wasn't there. "Where'd she go?" Wy asked Kytia.
Kytia sat up, just as groggy as he'd been. She blinked several times at the space where their lover should've been. Then she flipped back the blankets, as if Lost might somehow be hiding underneath them. "Lost?" Kytia called, but there was no response.
The three of them had decided that the former queen's suite was the only room with a bed big enough for all of them. Besides the bedroom, there were two closets, a sitting room, and a small private bathroom. All of the doors in the suite were opened, but they had been closed when they'd bedded down for a nap.
He laughed as Kytia got up and looked under the bed. Though it wasn't that far-fetched an idea, because Lost could be weird. Wy found Lost's suit hanging in one of the closets and held it up for Kytia to see. "I think she's gone off somewhere, Kytia. She'll turn up. Araquies is on his way, so you need to get dressed."
Everything that fit him was still on Araquies' ship, so Wyfrost put his under padding back on. He was dressed, his face washed, and his hair combed. Kytia was still naked and digging through the queen's closets. "It's just Araquies," Wy offered. "Pick something and put it on." Kytia paused in her hunt and gave him a stare that he could feel in his bones.
Defeated, he sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for her. She changed clothes four times, each time studying her butt in the mirror like she was trying to solve some mystical equation. As far as Wy was concerned, she had the finest ass in the multiverse, no matter what she covered it with. Still, he kept his mouth shut and let her do her thing. However, when Kytia went back and put on the first dress she'd tried on, Wy had to bite down hard on a snide remark.
Wy was sure that Araquies would be waiting for them in the throne room, but despite Kytia's fussing, they still got there first. He winced as she took the opportunity to lift the rug he and Lost had placed. She made a noncommittal noise and dropped the carpet back in place.
"Kytia," Wyfrost started, "she did the best she could—"
"Yeah," Kytia interrupted. "It looks better than I though it would. Wait... Is-is that why you two did all of this?" She spread her hands to indicate their decorating job.
Wyfrost nodded in response, and she asked, "Gods, am I really that bitchy?"
If Kytia thought that Wy would answer that question, she was almost as crazy as Lost. He folded his arms over his chest and laughed. Still, she pursued the topic with, "Seriously?"
I thought you knew,
was what wanted to come out of his mouth. Instead, he said, "I prefer to call it, 'passionately intense'."
She smirked at him and said, "You're sweet, and I love you for that. But we're still going to fight about this data chip." She produced the crystal from a pocket in her dress then tucked it away again.
Wy had half hoped she'd forgotten it. He'd been right when he saved the information, and he was still right. Whether right or wrong, any fight with Kytia ended with angry make-up sex. Over their last year together, he'd learned to set her off for that reason alone. Wy grinned at Kytia and said, "Then I'll look forward to the battle, my love."
The conversation came to an end as the front doors opened. Lem had arrived, and Wy was glad to see he carried their bags with their meager belongings inside. Ambassador Araquies entered right behind the Sil commander. The Eloua was a tall and lithe being who seemed to float rather than walk. Most of his body was covered in the mantle of flesh that gave him a manta-like appearance when he was under water. On land, he looked like a humanoid in a voluminous robe. His bioluminescence emitted a soft, calming, aqua glow.
Kytia stood on the dais and waited for their approach. She held her head high and her back straight. Wyfrost had never thought of Kytia as regal before, but that was the only way he could describe how she looked to him then. A twinge of discomfort hit his sternum. If she took over Raelinholm, she wouldn't be able to go with him when he left, and Wy knew he had to leave.
Araquies smiled graciously as he came to stand before her. "Kytia, it is good to find you well. And this," he indicated her look and her environs. "It suits you."
She lowered her head and said, "Thank you, Araquies. Thank you for everything you and Lem have done. You've risked so much for us, and there's little we can do to repay you."
Araquies replied, "For the Ay'niki, we have observed their way. We feel it is time for them to learn a new way. This can be challenging for a sentient species who find themselves so very distant from the divines. From Hibreon, we ask only for a small portion of land and sea where we may conduct our studies. If we may..."
Araquies opened the holographic display on the Ay'niki console in the center of the room. He brought up a three dimensional image of Hibreon. He enlarged an area not far off the eastern coast and indicated the area. "We'd like to establish here..."
"No." Kytia stated.
Araquies blinked at the abruptness of her tone, but his grace continued. "Alright. Perhaps here." He brought up another area further south, but he received the exact same response from Kytia. Still he proceeded with patience, but when she shot down his third choice, Araquies recognized the pattern.
A slight tremor of fuchsia briefly rippled amidst his tranquil aqua glow, the only physical indication of his frustration. With the tolerance of a parent to a recalcitrant child, he chided, "Kytia, we
did
have an arrangement. Or have we misunderstood one another?"
Kytia lowered her head, and Wyfrost could tell that she tried to choose her words carefully. Tact wasn't something that came easy to her. "Yes, we had an arrangement, and I'm not going back on that."
She paused as she thought hard about what to say next. Wyfrost had begun to wonder if he should step in and help her out, but he didn't see any problem with Araquies choices. He knew the Eloua would stand there for days, just waiting for her to finish what she tried to say. The only thing he could think of was to suggest a postponement.
Just as Wy stood up to say something, Kytia finally continued her argument. "As I said, Araquies, we are grateful for everything you've done. I just need you to understand that my people have had enough alien influence." She turned the projection to display the other side of Hibreon. "Put your facility on this side."
Araquies considered the offer. "And if the Ay'niki should return?"
"We have their communications tower. Lem's people can help Wyfrost reconfigure it so that if we need you, we can contact you."
Kytia and Araquies held a stare for a long, uncomfortable moment. At length, Araquies nodded. "We are disappointed that your people will not accept us and the divine enlightenment we offer, but we will respect your wishes, Kytia. We will remain on this continent until we've found the
Nephilumen.
We must learn whatever we can of our predecessor, Sabrael, so that tragedy does not repeat."
Wyfrost spoke up. "I think I might be able to help you with that." Immediately, he had everyone's attention. "I'm not positive, but I might know where the ship is."
Kytia took a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the console. She stared ice into Wy's veins, but she otherwise kept herself in check. He probably should've talked to her first, but it was too late now.
Araquies gave a gentle smile and head tilt towards the display. "Please, Wyfrost, show us where you believe the
Nephilumen
to be."
Wy shifted his vision between the console, Kytia, and Araquies. Then he said, "No, I don't think I will." Again, there was only a slight tremor of pink in the flesh of the otherwise docile alien. Wy explained, "I'll show you and Lost to your ship in person. But I want a shuttle ride to Fjallheim first. I have to know what happened to my people."
"We understand, and will gladly escort you to your village, Wyfrost. However, we must question the wisdom of bringing the Oracle to the
Nephilumen
. She has experienced a grievous trauma, and a return to the ship may hinder her recovering mind."
Wy and Kytia both smirked at that. He was surprised when Kytia announced, "Lost is a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. If she wants to go, then she goes." Wy knew Kytia was mad at him for withholding information, still she stood up for him and for Lost.
Araquies gave a small nod of acquiescence. "When would you like to leave on this expedition, Wyfrost?"
