Edna swallowed. “You are asking me to give up everything that I've worked for my entire life. It’s not fair to ask it of me.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t have done it if I saw any other option. I would have quit my job with Kalugal first, but you know why I can’t. And that’s not the only problem. Kalugal didn’t think of it yet, or perhaps he did and just didn’t say anything, but because of Annani’s ability to override his compulsion, he can’t allow me to be exposed to her. Other than Jacki, I’m the only one privy to all his secrets. Not even Phinas is aware of all Kalugal’s plans. They have nothing to do with the clan, but still, Annani could get information out of me that he needs to keep private. Once he realizes that, I don’t know what he will do. I’m afraid he won’t allow me to come here at all.”
“Crap. That’s really bad. When did you figure that out?”
“It occurred to me as I listened in on his conversation with Kian before dinner.”
“But Annani is rarely here.”
“If he can compel people over the phone, so can she.”
64
Rufsur
Rufsur groaned. “Fuck it, Edna. Let’s just elope and leave everyone to worry about their secrets while we sunbathe in Madagascar or some other exotic place.”
Edna smiled. “You would do that for me?”
“I’d do it for us. Yes.”
“And who would keep an eye on Kalugal?”
“No one. Let him do whatever he wants with the world. Why should we sacrifice our happiness for others?”
It was just talk, and he could never do that, but it felt good to say it.
She sighed. “We both love our people, Rufsur. We would be happy for a week or two, and then we would miss everyone and crawl back home.”
“Hey, maybe that’s the best idea we've had so far. What can they do to us if we just present them with the fact? We can elope and come back after a year with a child. They won’t kick us out or throw us in prison, right? We will suffer through a few months of angry scowls, but that’s a small price to pay. We’ll just have to hope that Kalugal doesn’t go crazy during that year.”
“There might be another option.”
“Lay it on me.”
“While you were outside with the guys, I talked with the ladies, and they are all in support of unifying our communities. Annani is in favor too. In fact, she was the one pushing for it from the beginning. She can talk to Areana, who no doubt wants the same thing, and if both goddesses pressure their sons, they will be forced to at least put the idea on the table and negotiate. When Amanda fought for her right to mate Dalhu, Kian resisted with everything he had. And yet with Annani’s help and Dalhu’s willingness to do whatever it took, he eventually gave in and accepted Dalhu. At first, it was on a probationary basis, with Dalhu being restricted to Amanda’s apartment and wearing a cuff. But now Dalhu is a full member of the clan, and Kian trusts him completely.”
“What was the sacrifice that everyone is talking about? Dalhu also mentioned it while we were talking outside, but he didn’t say what it was.”
Edna looked away. “It was horrible, and it was my idea. But only an extreme act could count as redemption in the eyes of the clan, and more importantly, in Amanda’s eyes.”
“She demanded it?”
“She came to me, asking for my advice. I told her about a brutal ancient custom, and she told Dalhu about it. He didn’t hesitate even for a moment. He was happy to have the option to redeem himself.”
Rufsur shook his head. “What did he have to do to atone for the crime of being an ex-Doomer?”
“That wasn’t his crime. Dalhu was the commander of the unit that murdered our top programmer in the Bay Area. Mark and Amanda were close. Naturally, she couldn’t tolerate the idea of mating the man who was responsible for his murder.”
“Mark is the ghost who talks to Nathalie, right?”
“Yes. Supposedly, he sent Amanda a message through Nathalie that he forgave her, and that she should accept the Fates’ decree and mate the man they’d chosen for her, or something to that effect. I wasn’t there when Nathalie delivered the message, so I don’t know the precise wording.”
“Do you think that Nathalie made it up?”
Edna sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe Andrew put her up to it. He had a thing for Amanda before falling for Nathalie, and maybe he wanted to help her out.”
Rufsur rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Talk about an impossible situation. The obstacles in our way seem insignificant compared to that.”
“Right. Amanda had to contend with Kian’s disgust with her, Mark’s grieving family, and an entire clan who hated her mate. After I explained the custom, she went to talk to Mark’s mother, and begged her to accept it.”
“What was the custom?”
“In ancient times, if a servant killed a servant of another household, the head of the victim’s household could ask for retribution to compensate the family. It could be in the form of monetary compensation or physical. If it was monetary, the perpetrator’s head of household would pay it, and the killer would become his slave for life to repay the debt. But if the killing was accidental because the men were fighting or because of negligence on the part of the accused, the killer was given the option to choose physical retribution.”
“But Mark was murdered. There was nothing accidental about it.”
“True, but Dalhu wasn’t the one who actually did the killing, and he also was a soldier following orders. So, he couldn’t be accused of premeditated murder.”
“He could have been charged with war crimes.”
Edna smiled. “Let’s not put Dalhu on trial again, shall we? He has already been punished and forgiven.”
Rufsur nodded. “Please continue.”
“For the custom to apply, Mark was considered a clan employee, and Dalhu Navuh’s. Kian, as the head of the clan, demanded retribution, and Mark’s mother had the right to decide what form it would take. She chose a whipping that was performed by her brother, and then entombment for seven days. And the only reason she agreed to that was as a favor to Amanda.”
Rufsur cringed. “I could have survived a whipping, but the idea of entombment scares the crap out of me. Dalhu must have been really desperate.”
“He was. But it worked. Kian respected his sacrifice and the dignity with which he endured it, and he allowed him out of his prison cell to move in with Amanda.”
“That’s a great story, but regrettably, it doesn’t apply to us. I have nothing to atone for, and neither do you.” He sighed. “Dalhu said that the Fates demand a sacrifice for their gift of a truelove mate, and that mine might be my friendship with Kalugal.”
“Would you sacrifice that for me?”
He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Yes. I love you, Edna. You are my life, my future, my everything, and I would gladly sacrifice all that I have for you. But by abandoning Kalugal and severing ties with him, I would risk much more than myself. When his grandfather went insane, he destroyed half of the ancient world. Kalugal has the means to do much worse.”