Authors: Jessica Kong
From a distance, John saw the front door to the impressive, three-story log building open. An elderly man stepped outside. He seemed startled to see John approaching and raced back inside shouting. Two younger men exited the house, armed and ready to defend their home. One of them was Bogdan.
Bogdan lowered his weapon first. He spoke to the man beside him. The man was more hesitant to place his weapon in the holster he wore at his hip. They waited for John to near.
“Seacat, welcome. I was not expecting you.”
“I’m sorry to drop by uninvited.”
“No problem. You did give my permanent mate’s ancestor a fright.”
“Yeah.” John looked up at his ride. “Fluffy will scare anybody.”
“He knows Fluffy,” inserted the man next to Bogdan.
John met the man’s stony stare.
Bogdan gestured to him. “This is my sisder’s permanent mate, Asher Starr.”
The man had shoulder-length metallic-blue hair. He wore a silver chain around his head. From where he stood, John could not tell if the medallion had a pattern to it or not. The man’s eyes were of the same metallic-blue as his hair, with a speck of white light in the center. Around the eyes was a tattoo of dark blue waves.
John recalled the men at the bar on Cerko. Those men had metallic-silver hair and eyes. The tattoos around their eyes were dark swirling silver clouds. Could this man be from the same race?
“This is Seacat John McCall.”
Asher nodded his greeting. John did the same.
“Asher, can you take Fluffy to the barn while I welcome our guest?”
Asher nodded. He descended the front steps on soundless feet. He paused in front of John and held out his hand. He was tall and athletic-looking, but not as tall as John’s six foot five. He measured up to John’s nose. John glanced at the medallion. It had a carving of flowing waves. He handed Asher the reins. Fluffy did not protest following him. John twisted his lips. He could not figure out why animals did not like him? It was not like he went around kicking them.
Bogdan waved to John. “Come inside, Seacat, and meet my famuhlee.”
“Thanks.” John climbed the stairs to the wraparound porch two at a time. He entered the main three-story hall.
The second and third floors had open walkways that circled the main hall. Two curving staircases led to the second floor, one on each side of the hall. In between the stairs was the pillared archway that led to the rest of the house. There was group seating to the left and right of the room, each area with its own impressive stone fireplace. John looked upward and saw the blue sky. The ceiling was made of glass.
“Aeysha, Emtage, come and meet our guest,” called Bogdan in the Medlothian language. He spoke to John. “I will have to translate. My permanent mate’s ancestors do not speak Earthlish.”
“Oh, there’s no need.” John reached inside his shirt pocket. “I have a translator.” He hooked the device over his right ear and tapped the side to activate it.
Bogdan smiled. “I should have known. You deal with aliens all the time.”
“And not all of them speak Earthlish,” said John.
“How many dialects are stored in the database?”
“Too many to count.”
Bogdan pointed to the small device. “I have need for one of those.” He shook his head negatively. “My brain can only learn so many languages.”
John laughed.
An old man appeared in the center doorway. He cautiously approached Bogdan with a woman who clung to his left hand. The man’s once powerful muscles hung loosely underneath his clothes. His handsome features were lined deeply with age. The woman was extremely thin. However, her striking beauty was still evident in her high cheekbones, well-formed lips, and barely-aged skin. They had gray hair unevenly streaked with red tresses and a single chain around each of their heads. Their eyes were clear and alert, metallic-red in color, and surrounded by tattoos of dull red flames.
“This is Seacat John McCall of the Sea-anan Empire. These are my permanent mate’s ancestors, Emtage and his permanent mate Aeysha.”
The elderly couple bowed their heads in greeting.
“Good afternoon,” said John, inclining his head. “I apologize for scaring you before.” The translator converted his words into the Medlothian language and clearly replayed them through his wristguards.
Emtage bowed a second time.
A door closed. John automatically sought the source. A lovely young woman made her way across the second floor open corridor and down the left staircase. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and sun-kissed skin.
Bogdan raised a hand to her, urging her to come forward. “This is my younger sister Audra. This is Seacat John McCall.”
Audra smiled. “Welcome to our home,” she said in a soft, spoken voice.
“A pleasure to meet you. Bogdan, this is an amazing house. From what I’ve seen in the city, and the homes I passed on my way here, I didn’t think a place like this was possible on Surreal.”
Bogdan’s chest puffed with pride. “Thank you. This home belonged to my ancestors. It’s been passed down through five generations. Each generation added their own improvements.”
“Our home was one of the very few spared from the attack,” added Audra. “We had to make minor repairs after the war, but we were lucky that the damage was mainly cosmetic. We were able to do the work ourselves.”
“The rest of our race was not so lucky, including the king,” continued Bogdan. “The old castle and nearby villages were completely destroyed. A new location for the city had to be found. The king opted to build the city and the new castle near the only untouched building on Surreal.”
“The house of worship,” inserted Audra. “It is now the school.”
“Afterward, we surrounded the city with the walls. What you saw was as far as we could get with our limited funds.”
“Did Yudit seek help from other worlds?”
“Of course. But it gets complicated when all your wealth was lost in the explosions and the fires that followed. No one wants to work for free, let alone give away expensive materials.”
John nodded his understanding.
“Come, Seacat, I want you to meet my permanent mate. Excuse us, everyone.”
Audra reached for John’s folded clothes. “I’ll hold on to these for you.”
“Thank you.” John followed Bogdan up the right staircase.
They turned and passed three doors. At the fourth door, Bogdan softly knocked. A feminine voice bid them to enter. John stayed a few steps behind Bogdan. His lips parted at seeing the bedroom.
The large room was painted in earth tones—cream and brown. More cream, brown, green, and red were introduced in the pottery, artwork, and linen. The floor and furniture were made of solid, dark wood. The wall opposite the door was seamless glass. The cream-colored, billowing curtains were pulled apart. John could see the mountains in the distance. There was a bluish haze to them. Scattered white mists formed at their peaks. The view was impressive.
Beside the glass wall was an oval side table and a four-poster bed. On the bed sat a woman, propped up by large pillows. She looked like her elders with metallic-red hair and eyes. Dark red flames surrounded her eyes. She wore a silver chain around her head. At closer inspection, John saw flames carved into the medallion. Her pale mystical beauty could enchant the pickiest of tastes. John could see why Bogdan had married her.
“Darling, this is Seacat John McCall. This is my beautiful kindred soul, Mira.”
“Welcome to our home,” Mira said in a melodious voice.
John bowed at the waist. “Thank you, my lady.” Straightening up, he saw her hand pass over her large belly. John was relieved to see that Bogdan had not lied to him. John regarded the oversize belly. He felt it was too large to be hosting one child. Then again, he knew nothing about the Medlothian race. “I hope you are feeling better.”
“As long as I stay off my feet, my contractions are limited.”
“Bed rest is the best thing to do in your condition. Take it from me. My mother had twenty-four children.”
The coupled gaped at him.
John laughed. “Only five of my siblings were single births. The rest of us were multiples. Mostly twins and triplets, and a set of sextuplets. I’m part feline. That’s our usual birthing pattern.”
Bogdan nervously laughed. Mira nodded.
“I’m glad Mira’s not part feline. I can only handle one infant at a time,” Bogdan commented.
“Really?” asked Mira.
“Of course. Besides, it would be difficult for you. Remember, I’m gone for several lunar cycles at a time.”
John noticed Mira’s worried expression before she turned her face away.
So did Bogdan. “Darling, what’s wrong?”
Mira did not answer. She stared out the window.
Bogdan sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “Darling, what is it?”
“I thought you would be happy with this pregnancy.”
“I am happy, Mira.”
“You would not be with more than one infant.”
Bogdan placed her hand between his. “Do not be ridiculous. I love you. I want to create with you as many infants as we are allowed.”
“Even if they come in pairs?”
Bogdan kissed her hand. “As long as they come from you.” She faced him with love in her eyes. “Do not worry yourself over this. We’ll care for our infant when he or she arrives.”
“Infants,” she whispered.
“Excuse me?”
Mira made herself more comfortable on the bed. Bogdan quickly fluffed her pillows and helped her to sit back. “When I first became ill with this pregnancy, I was extremely weak. One day, Asher escorted me to the washroom while Audra got my things. His hand brushed my belly. He uncovered something I did not know at the time.”
John already knew what she was about to say. He folded his arms and passed a hand over his mouth to cover up his smile. He observed Bogdan’s reaction. The man slowly drained of color. He appeared to have made his own guess.
Mira caressed his cheek. “You will have a son and a daughter.”
Bogdan lowered his head onto his wife’s overly round stomach. “You have nothing to worry about. I will be here to help you raise them. I will speak with Gorwin. Perhaps I can cut back on my training. And while I’m away, we can find someone to aid you.”
“You will not cut back on your hours. You would have graduated years ago if you did not spend so much time with me. During your absence, I will raise our infants. Only the family can help. I do not want outsiders near our son and daughter. They would not understand a Medlothian infant.”
“As you wish, my love.” Bogdan kissed her.
John closed the door behind him. He did not want to see anymore. His thoughts had drifted to the reason he was there. He stopped by the railing and inhaled. Jasira. It was Wednesday, so she was at the schoolhouse by now. She had been angry that morning because he had asked her to leave his room the night before.
Sadly, Jasira was unaware of the chaos brewing in his thoughts, of the pain and loss swelling up in his soul. If only she were alive. John would tell her that he felt complete when she was near him. That his uncertain future seemed darker without her. That he no longer saw a path to walk on if she was not by his side.
John gripped the railing and took a deep breath. Only one person could make him feel like that. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Still, a part of him refused to accept it. What was he going to do? Even if he learned the war took place a thousand years ago, his feelings would remain the same.
Jasira, somehow, had seeped through his skin, took a firm hold of his essence, and refused to release him. It could only mean one thing. The fates had not given up on tormenting his family. He was their next victim. And they had gotten him where it hurt the most—in his soul. During the holiday his family loved most. Christmas.
John closed his eyes and bowed his head, fighting back tears. He would not breakdown. No matter what Bogdan told him, he had to remain strong.
“Seacat, are you all right?”
John had not heard Bogdan exit the room. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and inhaled deeply.
“Is something wrong?”
John sniffed. His head tilted back. Staring up at the blue sky, he blinked rapidly. He hoped Bogdan did not mention his tears. He was not ready to speak about Jasira, so he talked about his other ache.
“It’s one o’clock. The days seem to go extra slow on Surreal.”
“That’s because you long to go home.”
“You have no idea.” He took another deep breath. “Where I come from, the next two days are special days.” His gaze lowered to the floor below. “December twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth—Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” He rubbed his eyes. “The days have a religious significance to my family. My family, along with dear friends, gather and celebrate. We open gifts, eat until our buttons pop open, and drink until daylight.” He sadly smiled. “It’s a joy to watch the children open their gifts and start to play with them.” His smile faded. “There’ll be no Christmas this year.”
Bogdan stood quietly beside him.
John changed the topic, wanting to get his thoughts off the holiday. “Congratulation on the twins.”
Bogdan smiled. “Thank you.”
“So your wife is really a Medlothian?”
“Yes.”
“Asher, also?”
Bogdan nodded. “He’s from the north side of Medlothia. My permanent mate is from the south.”
“Does he have family?”
“Yes. They live here, as does Mira’s family. Mira’s an only child.” He smiled guiltily. “Her parents and I spoil her.”
John stared downward. “I know how that goes. I spoil all my sisters.”
Bogdan patted him on the back. “Come. My sister is preparing lunch. You will meet the rest of the family there. Plus, yesterday I was informed of something that will be of great interest to you.”
“What’s that?”
He turned John to the right. “Lunch first.”
.
John entered the large dining room. Bogdan’s family was already there. Bogdan motioned for John to sit in the seat beside him. While they ate the delicious lunch Audra prepared with her mother-in-law’s help, Mira’s father and the Starr men revealed who they were.
“Space Guardians!” exclaimed John, fingering his translator.