there is no food or medicine.”
“I see. Were you a farmer before you came to live here?”
“I am still a farmer,” he said shortly.
“Oh, I didn’t realise. It’s just, apart from the garden there doesn’t seem to be a farm around here. I didn’t see one from the cruiser. Or do farms look different to those on Earth?”
“This area is not suitable for farming. I have another house on some land along the farming belt. I have not studied your farming; I thought that it was impossible now to grow anything on Earth.”
“Some food. Or we would all starve. But not enough. My parents used to work on a farm. They were great big areas of land, but often the crops failed.” She drank some more, he was right; it certainly made her feel more perky. Between the drink and the ointment he had bathed her bruises in, she felt the best she had for some time.
It helped her put things into perspective. She had overreacted about sex with him. He owed her nothing; instead, it was she who owed him a child. Evie had to try not to lose focus of that and not to take everything so personally. He had made it clear from the outset, as had Okil, that Ishk was not interested in her. Other than as a vessel to breed with. He seemed resolutely unmovable on that score and she had to concentrate on enjoying the time she had here with him, learning what she could and then, when she went to live in the breeding house, she could relax and create her own small world. Surely another human female would be rejected by her mate at some point and join her.
“Will you show me your garden? I would really like to learn the names of some of your plants. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen flowers. Maybe I can help you outside while my bruises feel better?”
“I have to go to the tower soon.” She guessed he didn’t want to spend any time with her, but she desperately wanted to feel the air on her face and see the pretty colours once more.
“Please, Ishk. I won’t be any trouble. If you don’t want me to touch anything, just say.”
“Very well.” He got up, and she grabbed her clothes, dressing while he was out of the room. When he came back, she was just dragging her brush through her hair.
“Do you have shampoo? I would like to wash my hair properly.” She tugged it once more and then was worried she would break the brush.
“There is everything you need in the bathroom. We usually have showers similar to the decon’, but for once you may use the water.”
“Thank you, Ishk.” He bowed his head slightly, and then left her to finish dressing. She stowed everything back in her bag, not wanting to lose any of it in case she was suddenly taken to the breeding house. There was a possibility she would conceive straightaway, and maybe they monitored that closely. She had no idea.
Next stop was the bathroom, where she took a proper look in the mirror for the first time. “Shit.”
There was nothing else to say. Her face was a collection of bruises, her cheek swollen and one of her eyes blackened. Evie could certainly see why he found her so abhorrent. She looked a mess, not exactly a good advertisement for Earth, particularly human females.
Promising herself she would not look in another mirror for a few days, because there was still plenty of bruising to come out, she left the bathroom and went to find Ishk.
Entering the small sitting room, she saw him through the window; he was outside, trimming a plant back. She went to the door leading from the kitchen to the garden, taking her time to examine the house. It was single storey, made of stone and decorated in natural colours. Running her hand along the wall, she thought they were painted, the texture rough under on her fingertips.
One thing she noted was the lack of any pictures. No family photographs, nothing to personalise the house. The sitting room was comfortable, but again, nothing to make it his. Were all Karalians like this, or did he store everything in his other
“I see. Were you a farmer before you came to live here?”
“I am still a farmer,” he said shortly.
“Oh, I didn’t realise. It’s just, apart from the garden there doesn’t seem to be a farm around here. I didn’t see one from the cruiser. Or do farms look different to those on Earth?”
“This area is not suitable for farming. I have another house on some land along the farming belt. I have not studied your farming; I thought that it was impossible now to grow anything on Earth.”
“Some food. Or we would all starve. But not enough. My parents used to work on a farm. They were great big areas of land, but often the crops failed.” She drank some more, he was right; it certainly made her feel more perky. Between the drink and the ointment he had bathed her bruises in, she felt the best she had for some time.
It helped her put things into perspective. She had overreacted about sex with him. He owed her nothing; instead, it was she who owed him a child. Evie had to try not to lose focus of that and not to take everything so personally. He had made it clear from the outset, as had Okil, that Ishk was not interested in her. Other than as a vessel to breed with. He seemed resolutely unmovable on that score and she had to concentrate on enjoying the time she had here with him, learning what she could and then, when she went to live in the breeding house, she could relax and create her own small world. Surely another human female would be rejected by her mate at some point and join her.
“Will you show me your garden? I would really like to learn the names of some of your plants. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen flowers. Maybe I can help you outside while my bruises feel better?”
“I have to go to the tower soon.” She guessed he didn’t want to spend any time with her, but she desperately wanted to feel the air on her face and see the pretty colours once more.
“Please, Ishk. I won’t be any trouble. If you don’t want me to touch anything, just say.”
“Very well.” He got up, and she grabbed her clothes, dressing while he was out of the room. When he came back, she was just dragging her brush through her hair.
“Do you have shampoo? I would like to wash my hair properly.” She tugged it once more and then was worried she would break the brush.
“There is everything you need in the bathroom. We usually have showers similar to the decon’, but for once you may use the water.”
“Thank you, Ishk.” He bowed his head slightly, and then left her to finish dressing. She stowed everything back in her bag, not wanting to lose any of it in case she was suddenly taken to the breeding house. There was a possibility she would conceive straightaway, and maybe they monitored that closely. She had no idea.
Next stop was the bathroom, where she took a proper look in the mirror for the first time. “Shit.”
There was nothing else to say. Her face was a collection of bruises, her cheek swollen and one of her eyes blackened. Evie could certainly see why he found her so abhorrent. She looked a mess, not exactly a good advertisement for Earth, particularly human females.
Promising herself she would not look in another mirror for a few days, because there was still plenty of bruising to come out, she left the bathroom and went to find Ishk.
Entering the small sitting room, she saw him through the window; he was outside, trimming a plant back. She went to the door leading from the kitchen to the garden, taking her time to examine the house. It was single storey, made of stone and decorated in natural colours. Running her hand along the wall, she thought they were painted, the texture rough under on her fingertips.
One thing she noted was the lack of any pictures. No family photographs, nothing to personalise the house. The sitting room was comfortable, but again, nothing to make it his. Were all Karalians like this, or did he store everything in his other
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