Descended Read online

  She grunted and made another mark on her pad.

  “So…what does all this mean?” I said, feeling frustrated at the lack of information about the situation I found myself in. “What do I do now?”

  “Now?” She looked up. “You’ll go to Femme One, pass the Trials of Ascendancy, choose a Consort from among those royal males deemed worthy by the Council of Wisdom, and rule the galaxy.”

  “But…what if I don’t want to?” I asked. “What if I just want to go back to Earth and finish my training to become a doctor?”

  “If you want to be a healer, I’ll train you myself,” she said, nodding approvingly. “But my dear, there are many, many more lives you can touch and heal by being a good and wise Empress than by just being a healer.”

  I sighed. “Now you sound like Kristoff.”

  “Listen to him,” she said firmly. “He was Sundalla the 999th’s most trusted confidant and Guard. If she asked him to protect you, he’ll do it even if it means giving his life. He won’t play you false.”

  Her words confirmed my gut feelings about Kristoff but I had more questions—so many more.

  “Tell me more about the whole Consort thing,” I said, trying to pick my words carefully. “Is it…really necessary?”

  Her faded eyes widened.

  “Necessary? To have a Consort?”

  “Right.” I nodded. “I mean, if the Empress is the one who calls the shots—the one in power—then why does she have to have a man by her side at all?”

  She snorted and shook her head, as if I’d just said something incredibly stupid.

  “A Consort is necessary to slake the divine lust which will come upon you once your needing is ended and the breeding part of your Royal Cycle has begun,” she said, frowning. “Only the seed of the proper male will be able to quench the fire you feel inside.”

  “But how can we be sure that’s really going to happen?” I said. “I mean, I’m supposedly in the needing phase right now and I feel fine.” Which was a bit of a white lie—the tingle I’d felt earlier was already growing. But I was so used to not having any sex drive at all, it seemed impossible that something which had always been inconsequential to me could somehow dictate my life.

  “The needing you’re feeling now isn’t a true needing,” Dr. said dismissively. “Nor was the withdrawal you had. That was just because you very foolishly gave Kristoff a transfusion of your own blood. The Goddess-Empress should only give her blood during the Culling Ceremony in order to pick a true, royal Consort. Once you do that, you’ll enter your true cycle and understand the need for a male to quench your lust.”

  “I gave Kristoff my blood because he was my patient and he needed a transfusion,” I said stiffly. “I had no idea about any of this Goddess-Empress stuff but even if I had, I still would have given him the transfusion.”

  “Careful, my dear.” The old doctor frowned at me. “What you’re saying is only a hair’s breath from blasphemy. The Goddess-Empress must never knowingly give her blood to a commoner.”

  “Kristoff isn’t a commoner,” I argued, beginning to get really pissed off. “Or even if he is, so what? He came to me and protected me before I even knew I was in danger. He followed me and refused to leave me alone even when I thought he was crazy for telling me I was supposed to be the Empress. He’s saved my life multiple times—you can’t tell me he’s not qualified or worthy to have a transfusion of my blood!”

  “Easy, child…” A small smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. “You sound like my Lady-Goddess Sundalla the 999th. She was always very adamant about her causes as well.”

  “Kristoff isn’t a ‘cause,’” I said, frowning. “As far as I can tell, he’s my only friend in this whole mess. The only one who isn’t trying to kill me or control me in some way.”

  “And that will be doubly true once you reach Femme One,” she said, apparently unconcerned by my words. “But though he is a good and faithful guard, a guard is all he can ever be to you. I know the blood you gave him makes you feel drawn to him, but you’ll get over that in a day or so once your blood has left his system.”

  “A day or so?” I raised my eyebrows at her. “Transfused blood should last a minimum of thirty to sixty days in a host body and it can last as long as one hundred and twenty days.”

  “Not the blood of the Goddess-Empress,” she said dismissively. “Its special essence is absorbed into the host body in a day or so and then it becomes as normal as the host’s blood. So don’t worry, my dear—the drawing sensation you feel towards Kristoff will fade very soon.”

  “And then what? You think I’ll treat him like dirt just because you say he’s not good enough for me?”

  I didn’t know why I was getting so upset about this—it was pretty much what Kristoff himself had been saying to me from the moment we met—that he was just my guard and could never be anything else. But I’ve never liked elitist bullshit and I wasn’t having it now.

  “All I’m saying is you must have a Royal Consort, child,” Dr. Churika said frowning. “Bear that in mind and don’t do anything you shouldn’t with your guard.”

  I thought guiltily of the way Kristoff had helped me pleasure myself and how good it had felt to come in his arms. Of how safe I had felt when he held me the night before and I talked to him about things I’d never told anyone else before. Would I really lose all the good feelings I had for him once the special essence in my blood was completely assimilated into his system? It didn’t seem possible but the doctor seemed to take it as a matter of fact, not even open to discussion.

  “You’re silent,” she said grimly, interrupting my troubled thoughts. “Which I take it means you’ve already done things you shouldn’t.”

  “Anything I have or haven’t done is none of your business,” I said firmly, tired of listening to her crap. “I’m an adult and a doctor myself, you know. I don’t have to put up with this kind of condescending treatment. In fact, I want to get out of this…this slime tank right now!”

  To my surprise, she smiled again.

  “Ah—so much like your predecessor! Come out and get dressed then.” She nodded at my discarded scrubs. “Are those ugly, baggy garments really what healers wear on your home world?”

  “They’re called scrubs and they’re very comfortable and practical,” I said stiffly, clambering awkwardly over the high side of the tank and taking the towel she offered. To my surprise, I didn’t have to use it much at all. The slime slid off my skin and went back to the tank, leaving hardly a trace behind when I got out of it.

  Dr. Churika made a tsking sound with her tongue and shook her head. “You’ll have to get used to court finery once you get to Femme One and I’m afraid it’s not nearly as comfortable as those ugly Earth clothes of yours.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that so I just kept quiet and pulled back on my underwear and scrubs.

  “As I said before, you’re not truly in your Royal Cycle yet, so I’m not going to prescribe any kind of suppressant for it as I might for an Empress who was having difficulty between the onset of her needing and her joining with her chosen Consort. If you have difficulties or renewed desires, just remember that they will pass.”

  “But…what if they don’t?” I asked, remembering the overwhelming need I’d experienced before Kristoff had helped me to help myself earlier.

  “They will,” she said firmly. “They’ll only last another day at most I should think, if not less. But if you do experience a problem, I’ll recommend that you go to the Royal House of Goddess Pleasures.”

  “The what?” I asked but she was making a few final notes on her pad and turning to go.

  “Kristoff can explain,” she said. “For now, you need to get to Femme One.”

  “Thank you,” I said stiffly. I wanted to add that I had about a million more questions but I got the distinct sense she was dismissing me.

  I would never treat a patient that way! I thought resentfully as she nodded and left the room. I wonder what the hell Su