The Cycles of Revelation Series

Artifact of the Dawn: Rituals (A Queer Sci-Fi Adventure)

Episode 73: Mathias explains to the Athla’naa Med Techs what is involved in the pair-bonding ritual, so they can make sure it’s safe for Ardyn.

Ardyn and Jenira were fussing over Jevan when Faelan came into the room. “Are you up for a walk?”

“Where to?” Jevan wondered.

“Amyra and Tamaryn are meeting with Mathias in the main lab,” Faelan explained. “They thought you might want to be there.”

Looking over at Ardyn, he smiled when he saw his ears raise. “This should be interesting.”

It had been a few days since Jevan had been awake from his healing slumber. Between the physical therapy and frequent walks with Ardyn and his family around the ship, the aches in his back and hips had almost disappeared. There were still twinges of discomfort, but he was moving a lot better already.

Jevan leaned slightly on Ardyn, mostly to let him feel like he was helping. “Join us, Sis.”

They followed Faelan to the lab, and Jevan was trying not to get his hopes up. We’re probably not compatible and then I’ll be back to the same problem again. Still, if we are compatible, what would being bonded to Ardyn be like, I wonder?

“… then I’d like to get a sar’ora as a pet. Wouldn’t that be nice, Jevan?”

“What?!” Jevan asked, coming out of his reverie, only to see his sister sniggering at him. He realized he’d been so lost in thought that Ardyn was saying nonsense, but he played along. “Oh, yes, that’s a wonderful idea. It could sleep at the foot of the bed and keep those icy feet of yours warm.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were already an old, bonded pair,” Jenira teased, and they all laughed as they entered the lab.

“Well, it sounds like you’re feeling better,” Mathias said, coming over to greet him. “Remarkable that you’re up on your feet again. I’m sorry I haven’t been in to visit, but that Takyra has been keeping me busy.”

Jevan was about to ask again about this council that Keryth had mentioned, but Mathias raised a hand. “Save your questions until you’re fully recovered. There’s much to discuss, but it can wait. Now, I’ve brought all the pair-bonding ritual items for the Athla’naa to analyze. I hear that you and Ardyn are thinking about becoming bonded. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Jevan affirmed, hugging Ardyn with the arm he still had wrapped around his shoulders. “We’re just not sure if the bonding will work between our species, which is why they need to know what is involved in the ceremony.”

“It would have never occurred to me to even wonder about that,” Mathias admitted. “Still, I’ve also never heard of a Medellan and Athla’naa pair-bonding either.”

They made their way over to a table where Jevan recognized the traditional chalice that Mathias used in the ritual. Tamaryn and Amyra were carefully studying the objects. “Please, tell us what the ritual involves.”

“First, I must mix the blood of each partner into this chalice,” Mathias said, picking it up, along with a metal rod with a knob on one end. “We make these of a very specific alloy of metals, and this alloy is only used to make these chalices. We then use the quickener rod to mix the blood together.”

“Why do you make the chalice of this specific alloy?” Tamaryn asked, taking the chalice from Mathias, studying it.

“The ancient texts don’t explain it, but perhaps Andreesen or Marta know?” Mathias speculated. “I just know that they pass the specific formula for this alloy down from one ard to the next. They taught me to mix the blood this way, or the ritual will not work.”

Amyra took the chalice from Tamaryn. “Why is this alloy only used to make these chalices?”

“The metal is too soft for anything else,” Mathias explained.

“Interesting. So, how do you get the blood, and what do you do with it once it has been mixed?”

“During the ritual, each partner cuts their non-dominant palm before squeezing it into the chalice. Then, as ard, I take the chalice and mix them together using the quickener. As part of the ritual, I must stir the blood to the count of one thousand. Then the pair must wash each other’s wound within the mixed blood, carefully massaging the blood into the wound. Afterward, I apply an herbal poultice on each wound before they wrap each other’s hand with a strip of ceremonial cloth.”

Jevan had witnessed several pair-bondings and could picture each step as Mathias explained. “I always wondered why the ritual had to include blood. That doesn’t seem like a pleasant thing to do.”

“It’s not!” Jenira said, holding out her hand to show her bonding scar. “It hurt worse than I was expecting it to.”

“Are these all the herbs you use in the poultice?” Tamaryn asked, picking up a bundle of plants.

“Yes, I grind them into a fine powder and mix them with some of the oil in that jar,” Mathias explained. “It makes a paste that’s applied to the wounds.”

Tamaryn and Amyra both picked up scanners and used them to scan each of the items. They also took samples of the oil and each herb, placing them into small, clear receptacles and sliding them into slots next to a large display panel on the wall.

Then Amyra came over with another tool. “I’ll need a sample of your blood for analysis. Also, I’d like to take a sample of blood from Jenira. I need to understand the changes between someone who has undergone the pair-bond ritual with someone who hasn’t,” Amyra explained. “Then I’ll take a sample of Ardyn’s blood so we can determine if it’s safe for him to undergo this ritual.”

“If you are, this will be a momentous occasion,” Mathias said, looking like a proud papa. “I’m glad you found each other and have grown so close. Although, I now wonder what you two were up to during your confinement.”

Ardyn’s ears immediately went flat as his head ducked.

“We were too busy plotting our escape to think of much else,” Jevan said with a wink.

Mathias squared his shoulders and took a breath. “I… should have said this a long time ago. I’m sorry for everything I put you through. The sentence I pronounced was unjust. If I had known even half of the truth, I would have never — ”

“Thank you,” Jevan said, stopping him. “We’ve forgiven you ages ago. You have more than redeemed yourself since then.”

“We have all been through too much to hold grudges against each other now,” Ardyn added.

Amyra walked over to them. “We have everything we need. Why don’t you get in some more walking while Tamaryn and I analyze everything? We’ll let you know when we have the results.”

As his stomach rumbled, Jevan nodded. “How about we head to the dining hall?”

“Glad to see you have your appetite back,” Ardyn teased, ready to support Jevan again.

“Let me walk on my own this time,” Jevan said as they headed out. “I can’t lean on you forever.”

Ardyn moved away and mumbled something that Jevan couldn’t quite hear. “What was that?”

Sighing, Ardyn looked up at him. “I said, if you needed me to, I’d gladly let you lean on me always.”

Jevan reached out and pulled Ardyn close to him, as a flood of emotion rose in his chest. “Come here, you. How about we just lean on each other?”

As they continued down the corridor toward the exit of the hospital wing, Ardyn leaned his head against Jevan as they walked arm-in-arm, while Mathias chuckled beside them.