Chapter 4

I squeezed Rillnam, and then released her. I climbed to my feet, and offered her my hand. "On your feet everyone; we've got a ritual to perform. Follow me."

I led the four of us to the door we'd entered by, and turned to Tonrath. Males seemed as slightly favored as leaders among the Craxill as they were among modern Earth, so I was appointing him my deputy. But I was in charge; it would be my ass if this didn't work.

"Open it," I told him.

Blinking, he said nothing, but touched the side of the doorway, releasing the latch with a click. He pushed the door open, and I found myself facing two guards, one male, one female; one in the colors of Poxrill and one in the colors of Maltorl.

Facing the male, Maltorl, guard, I said, "I am John Patrick Rogers, bonded mate of Simatorl Rillnam of Maltorl, and I have need of you as witness and assistant in a Ritual of Joining. Attend me."

Turning to the other guard, I said, "Remain at your post. I will select one of your clan-fellows to act as Second Witness. If your orders require it, you may summon a replacement for this one, or report this event, or both. Otherwise, he will return to this duty shortly. The Ritual will not require a great deal of time."

I turned and reentered the room, not checking to see if anyone followed me, or if the door was closed behind me. Back at the globe on the pedestal, I paused, and turned. To my non-surprise, I found the guard standing behind me, in the "waiting for duty" pose.

"Wait here," I told him, "I will return in a moment." Turning to the others, I said, "Tonrath, lead me to a portal which has a female guard of your clan."

Tonrath bowed slightly, and led us to the first door that we'd posted guards at after entering the grove. Once there, he opened the door, and again I gathered in a guard, this time politely requesting her services as a witness to a ritual involving her clansman.

Once I had my second acquisition in place, I gestured everyone to the same position we'd been standing in when Tonrath had invoked his ancestors.

"I lack a ritual for my task today," I said, "And must therefore create my own. I dedicate myself to the memories of my ancestors and the ancestors of my new clan, in hopes that my efforts will be successful." I repeated the gesture that Tonrath had used, and was echoed by the other three youngsters, as well as the guards.

Turning to the guards, I said, "You are here as witness for your respective clans, one of which I am now bonded to. This ceremony is private. To the extent that your previous oaths, orders, and duties require you to report it, you may, but you will not speak of it otherwise, unless I or your superiors order you otherwise. Are my orders clear?"

Both guards nodded, and everyone quietly ignored the fact that I hadn't asked if they would be obeyed.

Holding out my hand to the Maltorl guard and said, "I require your blade."

Saying nothing, he reached to his waist, and removed his knife, kissing the blade before handing it to me. I kissed the blade as well, and then turned to my companions.

"Monrill Tonrath, attend me," I said formally.

When Tonrath stood in front of me, I began to speak.

"I base this ritual on one belonging to an ancient people of my homeland. They are not my ancestors, but their descendants share the land with my people. By the ancient ritual, two men otherwise unrelated become brothers; by the ritual I create today, they become one soul."

I held up my right hand, palm towards Tonrath, and said, "Repeat after me. I bring forth my blood, to share with my brother, that we may become one." As I finished speaking, I carefully drew the blade across my palm, just deep enough to allow a small amount of blood to ooze forth.

I handed the blade to a wide-eyed Tonrath, who drew a deep breath, and repeated my words and actions.

I lowered my hand, and extended it to him, as if to shake, and he mirrored my actions. I grasped his hand in mine, and said, "As our blood joins, so do our souls. Henceforth, my name is Monrill Tonrath, born to the Poxrill clan of Craxill, and soon to be bound to India of Earth."

His voice quivering, Tonrath said, "As our blood joins, so do our souls. Henceforth, my name is John Patrick Rogers, born to North America of Earth, and bound to the Maltorl clan of Craxill." He cleverly adjusted the phrasing, remembering that I'd asserted that I was already bonded to Rillnam.

Still clasping his hand, I said, "John, a part of you will always be a part of me, and a part of me will always be a part of you. Though our hands now part, our souls remain joined. We stand as one before our ancestors, our clans, our families, and our friends."

Tonrath repeated my words, verbatim this time. I released his hand, and took a step back. I caught his eye, and indicated the knife, still in his left hand, and the guard still standing beside us. He nodded fractionally, and turned to the guard. He kissed the blade, and returned it to its owner, who kissed it, and put it back in its place.

"Your service does me honor," he said formally to the guard, who bowed without speaking.

Turning to Rillnam, he said, "I thank you for the use of your blade."

"My blade is yours, my mate," she replied, bowing formally.

I turned to both guards and said, "The ritual is complete. Return to your posts. Remember the orders of John Patrick Rogers."

Both guards bowed, then turned and returned to their respective doorways.

I turned to Priya, and bowed. "I am Monrill Tonrath of Poxrill and Craxill, and I offer myself to you as bond-mate. I am Tonrath to family and friends."

Priya responded in kind, and I replied in turn, completing the offer and acceptance.

I turned to "John" and said, "While Priya and I complete our bonding, perhaps you would like to join again with your bond-mate?"

Rillnam was looking at me with love and something akin to worship in her eyes, while "John" was merely worshipful. They both nodded, then bowed to me in unison before turning to each other and beginning the bonding ritual.

I turned to Priya, finding a similar look of love and pride in her face, and said, "We begin with touching of the face."

I followed the Craxill ritual as long as I could, but when Priya kissed me, as she'd kissed "me" before, I dropped the act, and began to caress and kiss her in earnest, human fashion. She was hot and ready almost instantly, and I found myself kneeling between her thighs before I knew it.

A moment later, we were moving in the ancient rhythms, as I drove myself deeply within her. She was moaning in pleasure, and the extra slickness of Tonrath's lubricants combined with my earlier release in Rillnam kept me going long enough to drive her through three orgasms before I finally spent within her.

As I supported my weight on my elbows, and across her hips, I looked over, to see that a quivering "John" was only just preparing to enter an equally quivering Rillnam for the first time. He seemed to be waiting for something, but it wasn't clear what.

"Take her, John, make her your mate," I told him.

With a shudder, he did just that.

They were both so wound up that it took only a few strokes before Rillnam spasmed beneath him, triggering her mate's release, and a second, louder reaction from her. As they came down from their releases, Rillnam threw her arms and legs around her new mate and stared into his eyes, which were staring back at hers just as intently.

I looked back at Priya, who'd been looking at the two as well, and said, "I love you, wife. When we started this journey, I regretted that I would not be marrying you. And now, I have, even if I had to become an alien to do so."

Priya's eyes glowed as she said,"And I love you, 'Tonrath.' Your soul may be alien to me, but my heart knows strength and honor when I see it. I am proud to be your wife, your lover, and whatever else you may want me to be."

I looked down at where my sperm was leaking out of our joining, and said, "Eventually, I'd like you to be the mother of our children. If possible, I'd like to wait until I've finished my education; I've still got a few years to go. I have a trust from my grandparents that will support the two of us, but it might be a stretch to support a child as well."

Priya hugged me firmly, and said, "My body is yours; breed me as you will. As it happens, my cycle began last week; I should not ovulate before the seed you have filled me with has expired. I was not using contraception; I will begin as soon as I can get an appointment."

I was about to reply when I noticed motion beside us. I turned and found "John" and his mate gazing at us in awe.

"John" spoke first, saying, "There are no words I know sufficient to thank you, my lord, for what you have done for me. I was sent to complete a task for which I was unprepared, and you rescued me from my failure. I will forever be in your debt."

Rillnam spoke next, saying, "I too am without the words I need, my lord. We had fulfilled our pledge, however poorly on my part, but you set that aside, so that I could have a mate of my own people. Though I have bonded with this new John, you will always own a part of my heart, and I will serve you however you may ask."

I shook my head, and told them both, "We four were bound for a common goal, and we succeeded or failed together. You are in my debt only to the extent that I am in yours, for it took all of us to get to where we needed to be. I am no man's lord, nor any woman's, and especially I am not a lord over my soul-brother or his mate. But I accept your thanks if you accept mine, for without this journey, I could never have gained the mate whose love I now claim as mine.