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“And Orr?”
“He said you were too worried about the goddesses’ wrath to cross them in any way.”
“Well, you won, but please don’t repeat that.”
“Can I at least collect my UCs?”
“Not until after the marriage ceremony.”
Commander Fox puts one finger over his heart. “Thank you for telling me. I won’t collect the UCs until after you are married.”
“I must tell her who I really am first. I slipped a few times because I was getting too comfortable with her, and that’s not the way I want her to find out.”
“Nonsense, those are your nerves talking. You’ve studied human cultures and languages almost as much as Lev, and he’s an anthropologist.”
“I made mistakes. I once referred to ‘human’ laws and said ‘galaxy’ rather than ‘world’ a few times. I’m sure there were some other blunders that she didn’t mention.”
“I see,” Commander Fox says as we near the base and puts the transport on autopilot. “How are you going to tell her you’re Alliance then?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lev probably has some good suggestions. No one knows human women better than him.”
“Nothing against Lev, but I was going to ask Caroline, as she’s an actual human woman.”
“That’d probably be even better,” Commander Fox agrees, “The only thing is that sometimes she’s more practical than romantic.”
“If there was any way I could tell Ivy who I really am and know that she’d still be my wife afterward, I wouldn’t care if it was as unromantic and as dull as supply list.”
“Fair.”
“Thank you for personally picking me up. It lessened the sting.” We make eye contact. The loss of Ash is still raw for everyone. “I must go to the shrine and offer my blood for forgiveness.”
“From what I assume, you’ve got a lot to repent for. Will we see you at the evening meal?”
“You will,” I assure him with a smile.
“Walk in the goddess’ light.”
* * *
I quickly drop my bag in my quarters and head to the goddesses’ shrine. I strip off my human shirt as if I’m stripping off a costume. I’m the only one here. I light a candle and fall to my knees before the goddess of home’s statue. I look at her jeweled eyes in the candlelight and pray to her. “Please don’t cast me into the darkness for what Ivy and I did. She’s my other half, and I want to keep her. Always. If she knew I were Alliance, I think she would’ve still married me in a proper ceremony, and I swear she’ll do it in the future.” I repeat this over and over under my breath until the white prayer candle burns down to my fingers. Then I take the ceremonial knife at the base of the statue, cut myself in seven ceremonial places, and ask for understanding from all the goddesses and gods. “These are the Lost People, and I must compromise with their unexpected customs. Please do not cast me into the shadows.”
After all my prayers and small blood sacrifice, I pick up my shirt and leave the shrine. Walking back to my quarters, I’m met by my squire Vin.
“Thank the goddesses for your safe return.”
“What did I miss the last week?”
“Not much. You choose a convenient time to be gone. The commander even said it was as if the goddesses planned it themselves.”
“I brought you something from Earth. Come with me.”
Vin walks with me back to my quarters, and I open my bag and hand him a book I bought at the airport after I said ‘goodbye’ to Ivy.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a fictional book. Apparently one of the most famous on Earth. It’s about a man returning from war and being waylaid by different mythical encounters.”
