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“They are there, below the stone.”
“I see.”
“Isn’t this how you obtain food and clean clothing where you come from? Why kneel at a riverbank or lean over the fire to sear meat? I cannot imagine such a thing.”
“We don’t have gods like yours.”
This couldn’t be true. “Who performs these tasks for you, then?”
“We do it ourselves.” She lifted her arm and clenched her fist, massaging the muscle in her upper arm. “Exercise keeps us healthy.”
“Ah.” I nodded, still not exactly sure what she meant.
“Didn’t you have to do all this for yourself not long ago? You said you only recently moved into your crystal homes.”
“Some things were still done for us by the gods, though we tried to ignore that fact.”
“Why?”
“Because we thought they’d harmed us.”
“I see. Do your gods also vacuum?” she asked, gazing around raptly. I liked that she was enjoying her time on Zuldrux. “And what do you do about disposable goods?”
“I don’t understand your words.”
We reached the entrance to the cave and walked inside, pausing to allow the lectums to bloom on the ceiling above us.
“A vacuum is something we use to clean.”
“The gods keep everything tidy as well.”
“Amazing,” she breathed. “That’s . . . No cleaning? It’s like heaven. As for disposable goods, I’m referring to things like bags to store stuff in, paper cups you throw out. Trash, I guess. It’s disposable, meaning disposed of when it’s no longer needed.”
“We use everything and whatever we don’t need is absorbed into the ground by the gods. There’s no need to throw things. We’re gentle when we lay them on the ground or on the counter.”
“What do the gods get in exchange for serving you?”
“We honor them.”
“I have to say, this beats burning disposable goods or covering them with dirt in a landfill. I . . .” Her smile rose. “I like it. Your gods are the kings and queens of recycling.”
“Our gods are not male or female.”
“Do they procreate at all?”
“As far as I know, they don’t have sex.”
“How do they make baby gods?”
I snorted. “There’s no such thing. They’re here. Their crystal structures cover our world. And their network of roots thrives below the ground, serving our needs while we worship them.”
“That’s it? They do everything for you in exchange for being thanked?”
“What else would we give them?” I asked, puzzled by her amazement.
“Blood?”
I lifted my brow ridge. “What would they do with our blood?”
