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“Vasta refused to accept that Unda already had a mate and so a fight ensued. And in the process poor Unda was killed. With her dying breath she cursed Osi, taking her blessed rains to the sky.” Tellar pointed to the stars beginning to emerge on the opposite horizon.

“Oh, the stars do look like raindrops frozen in the sky.” She nodded.

“But that’s not all. A curse fell on the people, too. We grew this thick shell. The females, so they could never be hurt the same way by the males, and the males so that they couldn’t feel so passionately,” Tellar explained. “Well, as the people began to suffer from the drought, they knew something had to be done so they turned their anger on Vasta. Osegrin was their leader and he hoped that vanquishing Vasta would bring back the rains and end the curse so he led the war against Vasta, killed the barbarous male, and scattered his ashes across Osi.” Tellar pointed to the sandy dunes and rocky landscape beyond the Sanctuary.

“He became your deserts.” She smiled, enjoying the origin story.

“Exactly. But sadly the curse wasn’t lifted and the rains did not come. As the years passed, Osegrin learned he couldn’t have young with his mate and the rest of his people suffered the same.”

“Because of the whole Ken doll thing,” she commented, eyeing Aculus.

“What is that?” Tellar asked.

“It’s nothing,” Aculus quickly replied, then scowled at her.

Nadzia covered her mouth to repress a giggle. “Sorry, continue.”

Behave, she admonished herself.

“Osegrin was desperate. He cared deeply for his mate and missed her touch. So, he tried one last time to appeal to Unda. He and his brothers began building a large estuary.”

“The one we found beneath the Sanctuary,” Axilla added.

“But it was a terrible struggle. Osegrin and his followers had to fight others for access to water and then there was the vicious Xerocle that guarded the water source.”

“Fearsome beasts,” Axilla commented, sounding awed.

“Their claws can shred a shell like it’s nothing, one of the few creatures that can. But they’re endangered, so we don’t have to worry about them much.” Aculus grimaced.

“Oh, so that’s a real creature?” she asked.

“Yes.” Tellar nodded. “At great cost the estuary was eventually completed, the Osivoire nearly went extinct like the Xerocle. Osegrin carried his mate into the waters, and the other females, too, since they had fought hard, losing their mates in the great struggle. And there they prayed for forgiveness.”

“We’re here,” Axilla announced as the vehicle came to a stop in front of the enormous Sanctuary.

“Wait, so what happened?” she asked as they got out of the hovering car.

“As Osegrin held his devoted mate, his shell weakened and they joined. But so too did the shells of the other females who were in the estuary and they repopulated Osi.”

“Except we didn’t lose our shell. Some say it’s because Osegrin killed too many people, other say they killed too many Xerocle while collecting water. Who knows? Come, we must get ready for the celebration.” Axilla hurried Tellar through the massive arches that led into the Sanctuary.

“Well that was quite a story.” She looked to Aculus.

“Shhh. Must I repeat, don’t let Tellar hear that,” Aculus muttered, making her laugh.

Twelve

It’s a Party

Nadzia

The room she was given made her apartment look like a cracker box, and the view from the balcony of the new sunken garden was stunning. She was admiring it, in awe of how the Osivoire created this oasis in such a harsh climate, when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” she called out.

“Are you ready for the party?” Aculus asked as he entered.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she commented then paused as she saw Aculus.