Page 16 of Across the Stars (Cosmic Threads of Fate #1)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MAE
Watai was his name. Somehow, it suited him.
His teal eyes glowed brighter as they held hers. A deep rumble rolled through him while a wide toothy grin crossed his face, revealing his sharp feline fangs.
“Mae,” he said slowly, sampling her name on his lips like a fine wine. “Mae.”
“Watai.” His mother nodded toward her son, giving him a stern stare. The way the golden speckles seemed to burn in their white irises made Mae uneasy. “Nya ekya qtx’te qun’ Mae.”
Mae’s ears perked up at the sound of her name, drawing her attention to the older female.
She was used to speaking with aliens, but only for short conversations and always about business. She had never dealt with them outside of delivery and pickup of goods and the rare times she was required to transport workers.
She was a newcomer in this world. She needed to learn everything she could about the moon from its natives if she wanted to survive long enough to return to the Atlantis .
The first thing she needed to know was whether she was their hostage or prisoner, or whether they were simply taken aback by her sudden arrival. She hoped it was the latter, because she didn’t want to have to use force to escape.
“Yes, my name is Mae.” She placed a hand on her chest and nodded, hoping to decipher what they were saying about her. “You’re Z’Omika, and he’s Watai. Do you have any questions for me?”
The older male pursed his lips and creased his brow as he looked at Z’Omika, who she assumed to be his mate, and then at her, as if he, too, was trying to figure out what they wanted to do with her.
Mae took the initiative in making introductions and extended her hand to the curious male.
“Mae,” she murmured, bobbing her hand in front of her, hoping he’d know enough to shake it. “I’m Mae. What’s your name?”
Her move immediately drew the family’s attention. They all stared at her hand, and then at her.
Mae slowly withdrew her hand and pointed to her chest, repeating her name before gesturing carefully to the older male, not wanting to appear aggressive.
Z’Omika nudged the male beside her with a wild grin. “Xa Yasunu...” she sang in a sing-song tone, playfully drawling out the words.
The male pursed his lips, his tail whipping agitatedly behind him as he cast an exasperated glare at Z’Omika, prompting her to laugh and nudge him once more.
“Tska nyi xymu,” he growled, though his teal gaze held no anger. “Nya qyx’te qun’ ‘yvike.”
“Qyx’te qun’ nyen’yte,” Z’Omika replied, her voice firm as she pointed at Mae. “Nya’ytan Watai qe’asu qun’ zewi nya’yte, Mae.”
Mae tried to decipher what they were saying as silence fell between them. She could only make out that they were talking about her and their son, Watai.
She looked at the younger man and noticed how his hands were fisted as he stared at the other two. His face was emotionless, but his tail couldn’t hide his frustration.
“Z’Ymelo.” The elder male ignored his family’s stares and returned his attention to Mae. “Nyi tiskzo Z’Ymelo, qe’asi Z’Omika, Z’Awnu qun’ Vev’zeo O’mylo, Xe’pule Darha ku Watai, nyxi qun’ Enizo.”
Mae didn’t understand most of what he’d said, but she recognized enough to make out the important parts—their names.
Z’Ymelo was the name of the older alien male, and she was correct about him being married to Z’Omika. Mae noticed how both parents mentioned Darha and Watai in that order, so she assumed the female she’d seen earlier in the large hut was Watai’s older sister.
The father had to be someone important, judging by the elaborate headdress he wore and the way he presented himself—both of Watai’s parents had to be.
The sudden realization of the differences in what they wore compared to their two children, and the enormously large hut she had woken up within, higher in the tree, must’ve been their home…It all stunned her.
Watai’s parents had to be leaders of their people, which made Watai the equivalent of a prince.
“I’m sorry. Zoo-My-Mellow.”
She paused and looked around the room at the three aliens, unsure how to address them respectfully. She had plenty of experience dealing with aliens throughout her missions, but she’d never dealt with anyone higher-ranking than business managers and minor government officials.
Mae was clearly in over her head and needed to tread carefully.
She cursed herself for her rash reaction earlier. To get through this, she had to be vigilant about how she acted. Accidentally breaking some cardinal law of theirs might get her thrown into a prison—or worse, killed.
Her eyes widened as she dropped to her knees, bowing her head and placing her fists on the wooden floor.
“Please forgive me,” she swore, her gaze fixed on her clenched white knuckles rather than the high-ranking couple. “I had no idea who you were.”
Mae hoped that whatever cosmic connection the space dragon claimed she had with Watai would protect her from that. Still, Mae couldn’t push his boundaries too far. They were still strangers in this discovery dance.
A pair of blue feet with five toes and an anklet made of corded beads stepped forward and stopped in front of her fists. As the shadow descended upon Mae, she squeezed her eyes shut, worried she’d done something wrong.
A hand gripped the bottom of her chin, tilting her head upward. Sharp nails dug into her skin as the alien shifted her head left and right.
“ Aweu qun’ nya, Mae. ” Z’Omika spoke softly, her voice like a tranquil waterfall washing over Mae. She tilted Mae’s face to force her to lock gazes with the female leader. The golden speckles in her white eyes radiated an intense glow, entrapping Mae, unable to look away. “ Aweu qun’ nya, Mae. ”
Z’Omika pushed Mae back gently until she sat back on her heels. Mae moved as if in a trance, their gazes never breaking.
Z’Omika drew her tail in front of her and grabbed the shimmering fibers at the tip, raising it to dance between their locked eyes. She let go of Mae’s chin and grabbed her hands, guiding them to clasp the shimmery fibers.
Time seemed to stand still as she gazed into Z’Omika’s golden eyes.
Mae felt an unusual energy rising within her, as if her awareness was expanding beyond her physical form, flowing through the fibers entangled in her hands.
The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Her muscles shuddered as tingles ran down her arms and up her legs. It was as if tiny invisible fingers were caressing her every cell.
She felt lighter and more relaxed. Her breathing slowed. She could hear her own heartbeat and feel the blood flowing through her body.
Faint whispers echoed in the distance, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying—not that she cared. All that mattered was what was in front of her and within her.
Mae closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her mind as she focused on the strange sensation. It felt like her body was dissolving into energy and being absorbed through the fibers of Z’Omika’s tail.
Mae was suddenly enveloped in darkness, and she felt as if she were falling into a bottomless pit.
She fell for what seemed like an eternity until she landed gently in a pool of water surrounded by thousands, if not millions, of iridescent threads that illuminated the area. Clusters of the luminous fibers formed a tapestry, almost like a giant interwoven spiderweb.
Z’Omika stood naked before her, a warm smile on her face.
“Welcome, child,” the female alien said, her soothing voice washing over Mae. “I know this must be strange for you. I’ve been tasked with speaking to you and ensuring you aren’t a threat to the people.”
“Where are we? What have you done to me? I haven’t harmed your people, nor do I want to.
” Mae’s brow furrowed in perplexity as she looked down at her hand and then her body, noticing that she, too, was naked.
Her feet stood on the surface of calm water that ripped with each movement she made.
Her reflection stared back at her as she covered her mouth in surprise.
“How can I understand you? Just a few moments ago, we couldn’t communicate. ”
“Young one, we are one with Z’Mynua.” Z’Omika raised her arms above her, as if greeting Mae, toward the many glowing threads that surrounded them.
The gold in her eyes had faded, replaced by their gleaming whiteness.
“I am Z’Aymo—the Voice of Z’myu, Spiritual Leader of the Vev’ezo O’mylo—the Lake Trinity Clan.
I am mated to Z’Ymelo, my Z’Awnu, War Chief of my people.
I am mother to Darha and Watai. It is my responsibility to bring you before Z’myu so that your character can be judged. ”
“So you’re the female leader of the clan that lives in the tree where I awoke?” Mae remembered there being six other trees on the planet and wondered if that meant there were that many other tribes. “How many clans are there? And do they all have two leaders?”
Z’Omika scanned the nearby threads before looking off into the distance, to the clusters far away.
“The Z’Aymo rank is given by Z’myu to the daughter blessed with the power to speak to her, for she is the mother of us all.
Male or female, the Z’Aynu can be anyone worthy of being destined to protect both the Z’Aymo and her people.
“There are only five other Z’Aymos on Z’Mynua, one for each clan. We are responsible for guarding the daughter trees that extend from Z’myu’s heart. Every Z’Aymo is significant in their own right because we lay down our lives to spiritually guide the people back to our great mother’s arms.”
“Six clans, twelve leaders—”
“There aren’t always twelve leaders,” Z’Omika clarified. “Sometimes a Z’Aymo requires the protection of more than one Z’Aynu.”
Mae reflected on what she had said, piecing together her words.