"It's out." Hivak handed him the torch lighter. "You need to light it again."
Ruvon brought the flame to the cigar, drew in another careful mouthful of smoke, tasting the rich tobacco again, and felt the small square of folded paper resting against his chest through the fabric of his jacket.
Rufsur lifted his glass. "To the groom."
"To the groom," eight other voices answered.
Ruvon lifted his glass. "For most of my life, I didn't imagine a day like this, and I'm not talking about just the wedding. I mean, having you here with me, smoking cigars, shooting the breeze, and passing the time with my friends." He had not planned a speech, but these words needed to be said. "Most of us here just assumed that we would never get to do this sort of thing because males like us didn't deserve it."
"To you all," he said.
Other than Max, everyone sitting with him on the back porch had thought the same thing at one time or another.
Max was a clan member, a Guardian, one of the good guys.
But so were they, kind of. The stain of having been Doomers would never be completely cleansed, regardless of the fact that none of them had chosen to be born in the Dormant enclosure and inducted into Navuh's army at thirteen. None of them had chosen the life they had been forced to live until Kalugal had offered them a ticket out of hell.
But Arezoo had accepted him despite the sins of his past, and she believed in him.
He vowed to spend the rest of his immortal life making sure that she never regretted choosing him.
11
AREZOO
The cart waiting outside Arezoo's home was beautifully decorated, and she loved it even though she felt a little ridiculous riding to the village green instead of walking there. She could have covered the distance on foot in less than fifteen minutes, even in her high heels, but Amanda insisted that the bride and her bridesmaids were going to arrive at the party in style.
The vehicle was long, like the flatbed garden cart used to transport supplies from the parking garage to other areas of the village, but this was an actual cart that functioned as a limousine. There were four rows of seats behind the driver, and a canvas canopy provided protection from the elements, which was important in case it started raining.
Hopefully it wouldn't rain, or the wedding would be ruined, but a glance at the darkening sky revealed regular fluffy clouds that didn't look like they were going to start pouring water over Arezoo's guests.
White ribbons spiraled around the railings, garlands of pink and white flowers draped the sides, and a larger arrangement crowned the back. Small bouquets were tied to each corner.
"It's amazing," Laleh said. "So beautiful."
"It's ridiculous," Drova sneered, but she was smiling, or what passed for a smile on a Kra-ell face.
"I love it," Arezoo said. "Amanda has a gift for turning ordinary things into extraordinary."
"She does." Anandur, who had volunteered to drive the contraption, offered her a hand up.
"Thank you." She smiled at him.
Her mother appeared in the doorway, holding her clutch in both hands like it was her lifeline. She'd cried twice already and reapplied her lipstick once. Angelica had used waterproof mascara on her, but even that didn't survive the waterworks. Her mother was going to get a hefty bill from the stylist for all the extra work.
"No more crying, Maman."
"I'm not crying."
"We've been through this. Just think happy thoughts or go over inventory lists for the grocery store. Anything to distract yourself from the emotional turmoil in your head."
Anandur cleared his throat and offered her mother his hand. "Your chariot awaits, madam."
Drova climbed into the cart behind Arezoo. "Let's get this thing moving. I'm hungry."
"You can't eat before the reception," Donya admonished.
"Of course I can. All I need is to grab one of those fake juice boxes with blood and drink it discreetly. No one will notice."
