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When the exodus comes to a close, Frankie and I take seats at the table.
“And I was starting to wonder why they call you a king of pirates,” she hisses in my ear when they’ve gone.
“That was the most interesting part of the meeting, I guarantee you,” I tell her quietly. “The rest will be housekeeping and petty grievances.”
But I’m quickly proven wrong when Councilwoman Kannita immediately turns her attention on me and my mate. She’s a shrewd elder Kar’Kali with cropped black hair and aristocratic features that bespeak of her long ancestral line that once ruled a House of their own before her forebears bowed to Makiva.
“May I have your attention, dear council? I wish to bring a once-denied matter to the floor,” she says.
A hush falls. She has a commanding presence, which is why she’s often the emcee of votes and debates. My stomach drops because I immediately anticipate the subject she means to bring up.
“Since the Ka’lakkori is here today, may I re-enter my proposal from the last meeting on the Proving Ceremony?” Kannita makes herself look prim and casual about it, but she knows what she’s up to. I squashed her rutting proposal before it had a chance to breathe, but now she’s going to get my wife’s attention.
Sure enough, Frankie perks up.
“Does this proposal have something to do with me?” she asks.
“Oh, has my liege not mentioned it? I’m sure he’s been very distracted with the recent mate-bonding ceremony, but he assured me he’d bring it up with you.”
Frankie throws me a curious look. It’s hard to hide my irritation, but I don’t react at all.
“Yes, he and I have been very busy,” my mate says. “I’m sure he was planning to sit down with me about this proposal but there hasn’t been much time recently. Why don’t you tell me what it is that concerns me?”
She speaks so calmly and cordially; one would think she were trained for life as a political spouse from birth.
“The Proving Ceremony,” Kannita says, eyes lighting up. “Have you heard of it in your studies on Kar’Kali culture?”
“Only in passing,” Frankie replies with a shrug. “I’d assumed it was like a coronation, which is a ceremony we hold on Earth to crown royalty in front of a big crowd.”
“You’re partially right.” Kannita digs into the bag she’s brought to the meeting and takes out a coin. She presents it to Frankie. I’ve seen the Archaic antique before; it shows a Ka’lakka undertaking the Proving on one side and includes a commemorative portrait of the bygone ruler on the other side.
Frankie is transfixed.
I narrow my eyes. Something tells me Kannita has been sniffing around to find ways to gain my wife’s favor. Because how else would she know that Francesca is easily impressed by relics of the past?
“The Proving Ceremony would confirm to all who might’ve doubted that the Ka’lakka was accepted by the spirit. Both the Ka’lakka and his mate would enter the sacred pools that were heated from below by the Kali’Ka. And, if they emerged from this boiling hot bath unscathed, they would be celebrated as proven chosen. It just so happens that Ta’Nak Annir is not far from one such proving ground, ruins where Proving Ceremonies were held. The sacred pools still exist. I visited myself when I extended my trip to Ta’Nak Annir.”
I’ve heard this all before. Legend or not, it’s a silly excuse to dip my beloved in a boiling spring. But when I check Frankie’s reaction, she remains fascinated. She’s rubbing the coin between her fingers and hanging on to Kannita’s every word.
“The legends say that not only can the core of the planet determine the proper mate for each of us and repel outsiders from our land, but it can also show us which rulers are worthy of the name Ka’lakka. A walk through a sacred pool mixed with kali would separate the pretenders from the chosen,” Kannita goes on. “I mean no offense to you, my lady, but there are some among the people that have questioned your ability to rule over the Kar’Kali at the Ka’lakka’s side when you are human. But you saw how the mating ceremony and the wonderful party thereafter brought people together. They were rejoicing for you as our Ka’lakkori because the celebration brought that spirit in a positive direction. I proposed the Proving ceremony to create another opportunity for the people to see you as one of us.”
“I have been cautious about how I present myself and conduct myself among the people for the very reason that I understand how strange it must be to see me in this position,” Frankie says. “But I didn’t realize that there were complaints about me.”
“Perhaps your mate insulated you from this to spare your feelings,” Kannita suggests.
“There are superstitious types that aren’t pleased by anything at all,” I point out. “When I was unmated and starting a war, it was a bad omen. Now that I’m mated and trying to settle us down, that’s a bad omen too.”
“This is a pivotal time,” Kannita says. “We don’t need any uncertainty lingering among the people right now.”
“Kannita, I know you function without shame in an admirable way,” Councilman Po quips, “but don’t pretend it isn’t slimy to spring this on the Ka’lakka when his mate is the freshest blood at the table.”
Kannita pulls an innocent look. “I take offense to your suggestion.”
“Forget whether Kannita oversteps or not,” another council declares. “The question is whether the ceremony would improve spirits and support not only this human bond’s legitimacy, but others that might occur in the future.”
“It doesn’t help that every Deadhead is mated to a human,” someone mutters. “They stain the idea in some minds.”
“They’ll only find something new to harp on,” I say. “No one sensible bears any ill feeling toward Francesca. Which is why I chose not to pester her with these hurtful rumors.”
