Hunger (8 page)

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 house; maybe that was where he kept all of his personal items. If she were feeling more courageous, she would have asked him. But Ishk did not invite conversation when she joined him in the garden.

“What can I do?” she asked.

“If you are feeling strong enough, you can gather up these cuttings. Then separate them, the blooms here, the stalks here. When I return later, I will dry them.”

“What do you use them for?” She picked up the yellow flowers; they were big and bright, their petals waxy.

“The stalks are good for flavour. They were in the dish I prepared last night. The flowers are steamed, and the waxy residue is used as a sealant for paper.”

“Oh, like on envelopes?” she asked.

He cocked his head and thought for a moment. “Yes. You call them envelopes.”

“Great. What are they called?”

“
Clibit
.”

“Clibit,” she repeated, and smiled at the first piece of real knowledge he had given her. “Does everything in your garden have a use? Or do you grow some of the plants for pleasure?”

He stopped cutting and looked at her. “I grow all of the plants for pleasure whether they have a use or not.”

“I see.” She went back to collecting the cuttings he had dropped, feeling her body becoming suppler as she worked her muscles. Although by the time he told her to finish up outside, because he had to leave, the effects of the ocatha was wearing off and her face was beginning to hurt again.

“Come, I will administer the ointment once more before I leave,” he said, seeing her discomfort.

“It will wait until later. There is no need.”

“Don’t worry. I will not be repeating our mating. Not until tonight at least. I have no time left.”

Evie didn’t know how to feel about his words. Did she want to have sex with him again, or mate, as he called it? He thought she had found it unpleasant, which wasn’t true. Unsatisfying, yes, but not unpleasant. Maybe she would have to try it one more time before she could decide.

With some reluctance, he left for the tower, his cruiser covering the ground quickly. The day was perfect, the sky clear and the two suns bright. His work gave him purpose, but today he would rather be at home, he tried to tell himself it was because he didn’t trust her with his garden. Yet he knew she wouldn’t touch anything, not without him being there to supervise, she understood how much the garden meant to him.

In some ways, they were similar. She longed to learn about the plants, and he longed to teach her. It would be a good way to educate these human females. And it would be good practice for when he had a son.

That led him back to thinking of her on his bed, kneeling on all fours while he mated with her. The sight of her flesh, the feel of her around him. He longed to take his time and explore her body. Feel the warmth of her skin and the way she reacted to his touch.

Looming in front of him, the tower reminded him that his thoughts should be concentrated on how to overthrow the Hier Ruler. It looked next to impossible. With no co-conspirator among the council members, it would be up to him to drum up support from elsewhere. And the only place he would find that kind of support was back in the farming belt. He would have to leave his home here and put his council duties on hold.

He would also have to leave Evie behind; he could hardly take her with him and then preach to his fellow farmers that the females should be kept imprisoned.

Ishk wasn’t sure how, but by the time he reached the tower, he had talked himself into putting off any rebellion until he had put a child in her belly. Once she was securely held in the breeding house, he would leave. The council would accept his excuse when he insisted he needed to return home. He only had to tell them he was going to check everything was all right with preparations to raise the quotas of food stores, ready for the increase in population as more females arrived from Earth, and they would agree.

Yes, Lytril would accept any reason if he thought it was to benefit the human race.

It surprised Evie how alone she felt once he had gone. Ishk had granted her permission to sit in his garden, but not to leave it, or touch anything. She smiled. Granted her permission:
if anything said you’re a prisoner
, that did.

Around half an hour later, as she dozed in the sunshine, she heard a cruiser coming along the road. Only the slight vibration of its engine gave it away. She stood up. It didn’t sound the same as the one Ishk drove, and she became nervous.

Going inside, she hid behind the sofa as the cruiser pulled up in front of the house. However, when two women, and Okil, exited the cruiser, she didn’t stay hidden for long. People. Humans. She had guests.

Opening the front door, she was hit by uncertainty. Would Ishk mind them coming into his house? Had he invited them?

“Hello,” Okil said, smiling broadly. “You survived the first night with Ishk, then?”

“Yes, it’s good to see you, Okil.” She wanted to throw herself into his arms and hug him, it was so good to see a friendly face.

“And this is Celia and Elissa,” he said, introducing the two women, previous lottery winners, one who had a very noticeable baby bump.

“Hello. Thank you so much for coming to see me,” Evie said nervously. They both looked so happy, their mates must be easier to get along with than Ishk.

“It’s good to meet you, Evie. Okil has told us so much about you. Wow, those bruises look worse than Okil said they would,” Celia said.

“Oh,” Evie said pressing her hand to her face. “I keep forgetting. Ishk treated them with something. Um, ocatha?”

“Yes.” Okil looked surprised. “I thought, knowing Ishk, he might have left you to suffer. You are already working your magic on him, Evie.”

“I don’t know about that. I think he just got tired of me whimpering pathetically when I moved.”

“Right. Well, we have brought you some clothes and other goodies that no self-respecting human female can be without on Karal.” Elissa handed her a bag full of small bottles. “Shampoos, moisturiser—those two suns play havoc on your skin. And Okil, there’s the box in the cruiser with the clothes.”

“I’ll get them.” Okil went back to the cruiser and came back to the house, carrying a large box.

“I would invite you in,” she said awkwardly, “But…”

“We understand, it’s why Vanessa didn’t come. She thought it might cause trouble if Ishk knew she had been here.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Celia placed her hand on Evie’s and said, “Listen, if you need anything, if he is cruel to you, let Okil know. He promised to pass by every few days and check in on you.”

“I’ll be OK. Ishk isn’t so bad. I mean, he doesn’t like me. But I don’t think he’ll hurt me.” She smiled then, brightening. “And anyway, once I conceive, I won’t be living here.”

“He still intends to send you to the breeding house?” Elissa asked.

“Yes. I think that is one thing that will never change. He is so against humans. And I don’t think I’m the person to change his mind.”

“You never know, Evie. Here are the clothes. See what fits, and then we can get some made for you. You can pretty much design what you want and the tailors will make it for you. The fabric is mainly cotton; all the materials are natural. Get your order in soon, though; once there are hundreds of us, I think they will have to move to mass production.” Celia kissed her cheek gently. “We will visit you every day when you go to the breeding house, Evie. We won’t just leave you there alone.”

“Thank you.” Was that all she could say? Feeling overwhelmed by their kindness, and feeling the full force of Ishk’s rejection, she watched them leave. Only when they were no longer visible along the road did she turn and look down at the box of clothes and decide now might be a good time for a relaxing shower and a new dress.

The bathroom took some figuring out. The shower was a completely enclosed cubicle, with two dials. One, she presumed, was for water, one was for the decon’ shower. She only hoped that if she used the wrong one it wouldn’t gas her.

Standing on the outside and leaning in to turn the dial didn’t work. Evie assumed the door had to be shut to contain whatever came out of the vents. Assuming that even Ishk wouldn’t have a killer shower installed, she stepped in and turned on the right-hand dial. Nothing happened, or at least nothing she could tell. Turning it off again, she tried the other one.

Water came from the vents on the side of the wall, and from the ceiling. It wasn’t what she expected, and she ended up with water in her face. Grinning, she quickly opened the soaps and shampoo Celia and Elissa had given her and washed. Pure luxury. The scents were amazing, leaving her skin the cleanest it had ever been. Even when she lived with her parents, she had never been this clean.

They used to use a bath filled with water, for all of them; Evie would go first, and then her mom, lastly her dad. Although her mom always made sure to top the water up and make it warmer for her dad. But soap had been the kind that never lathered and never smelt like this. Taking another deep breath, Evie could just imagine she was rolling through a scented flowerbed. If she hadn’t been so aware of Ishk’s warning she would probably have stood in the shower, letting the water cascade over her body, for hours.

Instead, she washed the soap off and squeezed the water out of her hair, only then realising she had no towel. In fact, she had not seen any towels in the bathroom. Turning the water off, she was about to get out when a whirring sound started and warm air hit her body from the vents. It was powerful, almost knocking her over.

Then they adjusted to her size, and she found that if she stayed central in the cubicle, they were positioned to hold you in a place. The jets of air perfectly balanced. Evie had to admit, the Karal were ingenious with their technology. And she could hear Ishk’s voice now, “
All solar powered
,” Smiling, she found herself wondering when he would be home. His company might be sullen and he was disinclined to talk, but she found his love of his garden and watching him cook, soothing.

“Right. Clothes.” The jets switched off, presumably they knew she was dry; and she exited the shower, going to the mirror and looking at her hair. It was so clean, if a little windswept. She brushed it and left it loose around her shoulders. For once, it actually looked shiny and blonde, not dirty blonde, but golden. If only her face wasn’t quite so discoloured, she might look halfway to normal. At least the swelling was subsiding, but the water had taken away some of the effect of the ocatha and her body was beginning to ache once more.

Before her body gave out on her again, she began to rummage through the box of clothes. Picking them out one by one and laying them on the bed, she was stunned at how beautiful they were. Simple, in natural colours: beige, greens and blues. Evie wondered what plants were used, because she was sure that none of the dyes would be synthetic.

They were loose fitting, but flattering to her figure. She tried on a blue dress, which brought out the colour of her eyes. With her blonde hair, it made her look like a clear sunny day on Earth. Running her hands over the fabric, she turned slowly, watching it sway around her knees. Dresses such as this had been out of place on Earth. Durable, serviceable clothes, usually a shirt and pants with a sweater to keep out the cold, were what everybody, male or female, wore.