“A picnic?”
“Is that what you call it on your world?”
“Yeah.”
“Then a picnic it is. Eat up. It will do you well.”
“What’ve you got in there?”
“A nice selection of treats I thought you might enjoy, now that you are free of your bedrest,” he replied, pulling out a rather impressive little spread of things to sample.
Ella didn’t hesitate, indulging her curiosity and tasting them all. The fruits were sweet, sour, tangy, and one sort of berry was even oddly tropical in taste. The breads and baked items, courtesy of the in-house bakers, were delightful and equally varied. Sweet and savory, light and hearty. By the time she reached the small containers of cooked items hermetically sealed and still as hot and fresh as the moment they were packed, she was actually beginning to feel a bit full.
That didn’t stop her, though. She’d been forced to eat sustenance food balls aboard the Raxxian ship. To have real food, and good food at that, was an incredible delight. And now that she was done with bed rest, her diet could be expanded to include all manner of interesting things.
Her priestly host packed up the leftovers when they’d finished and continued on their little excursion, showing her all manner of things new to her alien eyes. Plants and animals she’d never seen before, as well as technological marvels hidden within the walls of the compound itself, seamlessly integrated without distracting from the lines of the buildings.
At long last, he returned her to her chambers.
“Again, tomorrow?” he asked, confident of her reply.
“You know it.”
“I will see you then.”
She watched him leave, his sculpted ass really filling out his trousers marvelously as he moved. Priest or not, Draikis definitely didn’t skip leg day.
The next day they walked a bit farther, and again the next one. There were so many things to see, all novelties to the woman from Earth. And her host was quite delighted to show them to her. He was proud of his home, and the two found themselves rather enjoying their bantering walks together. Draikis was always known to be something of a quick wit, and Ella was more than able to keep up with him.
It was on their sixth outing that he showed her the secret chapel that had been abandoned hundreds of years earlier when new facilities were constructed.
Draikis pushed aside some foliage on the side of one of the older buildings on the periphery of the compound, revealing a discolored door. He pressed an indentation, releasing the mechanism with a click, then pushed the heavy door open. It stopped halfway, rust, broken wall, and debris blocking the mechanism.
“This way. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but it’s worth it.”
“I trust you. Lead on.”
He did just that, activating the internal lights with a wave of his hand. At least, the few that were still functional.
“Mind your step,” he said, offering his hand.
“Thanks,” she said, taking it and holding on tight.
“Your eyes will adjust to the light in a moment. And it’s just a short walk,” he noted as he led her down a rather dark stone corridor.
The lighting elements were ancient, whatever gave illumination faded to barely more than a flicker decades ago. The walls were still intact, however, and the floor, while uneven in spots, was relatively unobstructed. Interestingly, their footfall was somehow muffled with every step.
“The elders of the Norvalian Sect have always valued silence,” he noted, clocking her as she stepped louder to try to get some sort of an echo. “The sound-dampening nature of this structure is a testament to both their beliefs as well as the building abilities of our elders all those years ago.”
“The walls absorb sound?”
“Essentially, yes. There is a more complex explanation, of course, but let’s just leave it at that. This place is designed to keep prayers quiet. To offer one absolute serenity.”
“Echo!” Ella shouted.
Draikis twitched at the yell, but the walls did their magic, absorbing nearly all of the sound in an instant. It was almost disconcerting, but also rather peaceful.
“Sorry. Had to test it.”
