“Pigment.”
“Right. Pigment. But you’re saying your tattoos are alive?”
“Every person you have met possesses them. And yes, they are alive. Some enhance abilities, some create new ones. How each person reacts is a variable we can never be sure of. The Infala, however is universally the key rune and will grow to itsfull potential on its own, bonding partners even across different species.”
“Wait, did you saybonding?”
“Yes,” the woman replied, pulling her top open, revealing the faintly glowing rune on her chest. “I am one of the rare few to have been fortunate enough to Infala bond within my own people. It does not happen often here, sadly. Only when in the presence of your destined mate will your Infala shift and grow to match one another. It is the most powerful union in the galaxy.”
“But there are so many more men than women?—”
“And that is a problem amongst my kind. And why an Infala bond is so rare. You see, with so many males in our city, if a female of age does not find her mate within their numbers, she leaves upon the arrival of her twentieth year to travel the worlds in search of her mate.”
“And that’s why the boys were following that girl? Yanna?”
“Yes and no,” Zoldana replied with a little smile. “Maldonian males train their whole lives to be the best versions of themselves in hopes of one day competing for the honor of escorting those rare females as they travel, providing her security and companionship in her journey, while also affording them the opportunity to perhaps find a mate of their own.”
“But why are there so many men here?”
“Genetics of our kind are fickle. Over ninety percent of offspring are male.”
“But it seems there are more than that.”
“They are also typically born in pairs.”
“Twins?”
“Not identical. At least, not often. But yes, twins. And, again, nearly all males. Compounding things is that while they can have offspring among our own, none can reproduce outside our kind until they are Infala bonded.”
“Wait, so theycanpartner up with their own kind if they want?”
“Yes.”
“But you said there are barely any women born here?”
“Yes again.”
“So they can but they pretty much can’t.”
“Right.”
“And they need this Infala thing to bond.”
“Now you’ve got it.”
“This is all so confusing.”
The old woman smiled kindly at the poor woman trying to make sense of a whole new way of life. “They can mate without an Infala, but that is also quite rare, and it requires a pheromonal bonding that, while far less potent than the Infala, is nevertheless enough to form a lasting union. It is something only a compatible mate will even smell, though it will be mostly subconscious. Regardless, the pheromones are quite uncommon, and only mature males who have reached the top tier of their ilk ever hope to emit them.”
“So, almost no one.”
“Correct. Though you have already met two of the prime contenders when you arrived. Arkness and Rykker are the highest ranked males in the city, vying for the top position, though there has not been a female for them to escort come of age yet. The situation has led to some…tensionsbetween them at times. But that is not for you to concern yourself with. For now, we have other things to focus our attentions on. Such as getting you your Dotharian runes.”
Zoldana waved her hand in the air and a door appeared where what had seemed to be a window to the outside had been. It was actually the wall, clearly, and behind it, another room. Olivia once again marveled at their technology.
“You have already met Nijello, the Skrizzit, of course. He will assess your healing and readiness to receive the runes.”
“More ink,” Olivia sighed. “Well, it’s not my first rodeo. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do what I can.”
