Desert Stars (32 page)

“
Very well, praise Allah,
and to you as well,” said Mira, returning the warm welcome in kind.
As she leaned forward to kiss Lena’s cheek, however, she was
careful not to bump into her swollen stomach. Lena was only a few
months pregnant, but it had already started to show.

“
Please, come in!” said
Lena, leading her into the front room. In spite of their humble
circumstances, a gold-embroidered carpet covered the dusty floor,
while an ornate stained glass chandelier cast a dim but sufficient
light. Mira took her seat on one of two reclining couches, while
Lena hurried out of the room, no doubt to get some
refreshments.

“
Would you like coffee or
tea?” she called out.

“
Oh, please, I
couldn’t—”

“
No, I insist! What will
it be?”

“
Perhaps a little tea,”
said Mira. “Not too hot, of course.”

“
Of course.”

Mira glanced around the room while
Lena prepared their drinks. She and Mazhar certainly hadn’t lost
any time in decorating the place. A stuffed falcon perched on an
end table in the corner, its magnificent wings outstretched with
its beak open in a silent yet eternal shriek. Silken flags and
religious banners draped the walls, while an image of the Temple of
a Thousand Suns hung prominently at the head of the room, carved
from ivory and inlaid with silver. The image was so realistic that
it caught Mira off guard for a moment, giving her flashbacks of the
final leg of her journey there with Jalil. She swallowed and tried
to keep her memories of the place bottled up, with little
success.

“
Here you are,” said Lena,
bringing out a tray with two ceramic white cups and a tea kettle,
as well as a plate of dry biscuits. She set the tray on the floor
and poured the tea, handing Mira the first cup before taking her
own.

“
It’s been so long since I
last saw you,” Lena said, taking her seat on the other couch. “How
have you been?”

“
Well enough, praise
Allah,” said Mira, sipping her tea. It was perfect—full of flavor,
yet not too thick or too warm.

“
Praise Allah,” Lena
concurred. “Do you like the blend?”

“
It’s absolutely
delicious.”

Lena beamed. “Mazhar says it was grown
in a place called Aliet Dome,” she said. “I understand you passed
through there on your way to the temple.”

“
Yes, we—I
did.”

“
What was it
like?”

Mira paused, wondering where to start.
For some reason, all she could think about was the night with Jalil
on the balcony of Sarah’s house, huddled together for warmth as the
light from the dome mingled with that of the stars and
satellites.

“
It’s—big,” she said
softly. “As big as a world. And the landscape is completely green,
like this carpet.”

Lena laughed. “Green ground? How can
that be?”

“
Not the ground, but the
plants. They grow so thick, you can’t see the ground except where
it’s rocky. And in some places, there’s water—as much water as we
can hold in our cistern, and more. The air is so wet and cool, it
never feels dry, even with the sun beating down on it all
day.”

“
It sounds exotic,” said
Lena. “I should like to go there some day.” She smiled and nodded,
but from the look on her face, Mira’s words had clearly gone over
her head.

“
It’s beautiful,” said
Mira, giving up on any further attempt at explanation. She took a
biscuit and ate it slowly.

“
Of course,” Lena added,
“I wouldn’t want to live there. In that regard, things worked out
very well for me, praise Allah—though I wish I could say the same
for you.”

Mira recognized the veiled reference
to Jalil. “Yes,” she said, “though things could certainly be
worse.”

“
Yes, they could,” said
Lena. “You’re fortunate that Sathi arranged for you to marry
Ibrahim so quickly.” She gave a meaningful look at Mira’s
stomach.

Why does everyone assume
that I’m pregnant with Jalil’s child?
Mira
wondered with some consternation.
Why is
Tiera the only one who believes me when I say I never slept with
him?

“
I don’t know,” Mira said
softly. She bit her lip, wondering how to broach the
subject.

“
Don’t know? What could
possibly be left to wonder about?”

“
Well, Tiera told
me—”

“
Oh Tiera, always up to
some mischief,” said Lena, rolling her eyes. “She almost ruined my
wedding day, you know. Don’t let her ruin yours.”

“
I don’t think she wants
to,” said Mira. “She seems to mean well, and—”

“
If she truly meant well,
she wouldn’t discourage you from this marriage. Ibrahim may have
his flaws, but he’s a wealthy cousin with an honorable reputation.
If you turn him down, you may never get another chance like this,
especially how—and pardon me for putting it so bluntly—tainted your
honor is.”

“
I don’t know,” Mira
said.

Lena gave her a puzzled look. “Are you
sure it’s safe to wait? Children grow quickly, Mira—not long, and
your belly will look like mine.”

“
No, it won’t,” Mira
whispered. “I’m—I’m not pregnant.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Yes.”

Lena stared at her, but not in
disbelief. “Then do you mind me asking you some frank questions,
sister to sister?”

Mira took a deep breath. “No, not at
all.”

Lena glanced in either direction
before leaning forward so that her mouth was only a few feet from
Mira’s ear.

“
What exactly happened
between you and Jalil?” she asked. “Did you share the same
bed?”

“
Only once,
but—”

“
Once is enough,” she
said, patting her swollen stomach. “Believe me.”

“
I know,” said Mira, her
cheeks blushing. “But we never, well—”

“
You never made
love?”

“
No,” Mira whispered. “We
didn’t.”

Lena nodded. “I see.”

“
You believe
me?”

“
Yes.”

Mira’s heart leaped in her chest. “You
do?”

“
Yes.” Lena sank on her
couch, sprawling out comfortably on her side. “I never thought
Jalil was the kind of man to run away from a girl after shaming
her. No, I believe you.”

“
Oh, thank you!” Mira
exclaimed.

“
Of course, you should
still marry Ibrahim.”

Mira’s smile fell.

“
What? Why?”

“
Because even if you and I
know the truth of what happened, people aren’t going to believe it.
After all, when a boy and a girl are alone together, Satan is the
third one with them.”

“
But—but that’s not fair!”
Mira cried. “Jalil and I never—I’ve still got my honor.
I—”

“
Not in the eyes of the
camp, you don’t,” said Lena. “Pardon my bluntness, but for all
intents and purposes, you’re spoiled goods.”

Mira’s stomach fell out from under
her. She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears.

“
So you’re saying I won’t
get strawberries at my wedding?”

“
I’m afraid not, Mira. I’m
sorry.”

Mira didn’t know what to say to that.
They sat in silence together for a few moments.

“
Of course, that’s not the
end of the world,” said Lena. “Ibrahim is a good man—he’ll make an
excellent husband for you. Tiera doesn’t know what she’s talking
about.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Of course I’m sure. That
girl could look at a carving of pure ivory and find a blemish the
width of a hair.”

“
Maybe…” Mira’s voice
drifted off.

“
Listen,” said Lena, “it
sounds as if your only real problem is that you’re having second
thoughts. If that’s the case, I can help you out.”

“
How?”

Lena leaned forward and grinned
mischievously. “By giving you and Ibrahim a chance to find out if
you’re compatible.”

Mira frowned. “Compatible? I
don’t—”

“
Oh, don’t tell me you
haven’t thought about it. Ibrahim is quite the catch, and I’ve got
a couple of private rooms in my tent, far away from any prying
eyes…”

Mira’s eyes widened as she realized
what her sister was suggesting.

“
I—I don’t—”

“
Oh, come on,” said Lena.
“It’s not that big of a deal. Everyone does it.”

“
Everyone?”

“
Sure.”

“
I don’t
think—”

Lena laughed. “Oh, don’t pretend like
you don’t know. Amina’s a year younger than you, and she’s already
slept with half a dozen men. Surayya—”

Mira’s jaw dropped. “She
has?”

“
Yes. Didn’t you
know?”

“
No!”
Half a dozen men? Lord of Earth!

“
Well, it’s true.
Surayya’s had a couple of secret boyfriends, now—she’s hoping to
get one of them to marry her soon. And as for me and
Mazhar—”

“
You and Mazhar?” Mira
said incredulously. “You slept with Mazhar before you were
married?”

Lena nodded. “Of course we did! What’s
wrong with that?”

“
But—where do you find all
these men?”

Lena threw back her head and laughed.
“Oh, Mira—where have you been? Men aren’t hard to find; the desert
isn’t completely empty. Most of them live less than a hundred miles
away. We arranged all our meetings by radio or planetnet; the most
exciting part was sneaking out to see them. Of course, I think
Mother always knew, but Father…”

You had strawberries at
your wedding, even though you slept with Mazhar long before your
wedding night,
Mira thought to
herself.
I never actually slept with
Jalil, but because everyone thinks I have, I’ll never have that
honor.

“
But—but isn’t that
wrong?”

Lena rolled her eyes. “Wrong? Let me
tell you something, Mira: everybody acts as if fornication is a
horrible, dishonorable thing, but nobody actually believes it. It’s
just a rule we follow for society’s sake, so if people tell little
white lies about it, it’s no big deal.”

It was to Jalil,
Mira wanted to say.

Lena put a hand on her shoulder, as if
to console her. “I know you’re nervous,” she said, “but trust me,
there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of
everything.”

“
I don’t know—”

“
You and your second
thoughts—will you give it a rest already? You’ve been a virgin for
far too long, Mira; you don’t know what you’re missing.”

Mira opened her mouth, but found
herself at a complete loss for words. So many thoughts and emotions
were running through her, she felt completely paralyzed.

“
Trust me—it’ll be fine,”
Lena said again. “I’ll call for you when everything’s ready. Is
that all right?”

No!

“
I, I—”

“
Excellent! I’ll see you
soon, then.”

Before Mira knew what was happening,
Lena was escorting her to the door. A moment later, she stood
outside under the hot desert sun, as lost and confused as
ever.

* * * * *

Jalil walked lightly down the main
corridor and stopped at the door at the end, hesitating for a
moment before stepping through.

The bridge was unusually quiet; only
the hum of the ventilation system broke the silence. The lights
were off, but the stars outside were easily bright enough to
illuminate the room with their soft glow. Indicator lights along
the walls and ceiling blinked on and off, their yellow and orange
hues mingling with the milky blue glow of the starfield.

From the pilot’s seat in front of him,
Nash glanced over his shoulder and nodded. “Hello
there.”

“
Hello,” said Jalil. He
walked over and sat down in the astrogator’s chair.

“
Bored?”

“
A little,” Jalil
admitted. “I’m afraid I’m not very useful.”

“
Don’t worry about it.
While we’re in the starlane, there’s not much for any of us to
do.”

Jalil nodded, turning to gaze out the
window at the stars. Next to him, Nash resumed his work.

“
What makes the stars so
bright?”

“
Distance,” said Nash.
“We’re in deep space now, so there isn’t anything bright enough to
drown them out.”

“
It’s amazing,” said
Jalil. “I’ve never seen so many at once.”

Nash glanced up at the window. “I
hardly notice them anymore. Places change you the longer you live
in them, I guess. This ship feels as familiar to me as my parents’
home.”

Jalil nodded. “Why did you decide to
join the crew?”

Nash shrugged. “I suppose I wanted to
get away, see the rest of the universe. I never had much of a plan,
but this feels right, being a merchanter. If I can, I’d like to get
my own ship and make a living this way.”