Seeing the surprised look on Mia’s face, Korum explained, “I don’t like to clean up, so I am using some of our technology to take care of that part.”
“So the dishwasher is strictly decorative?”
“More or less. You can use it if you like, but you saw what I just did, right?”
Mia nodded.
“You can do the same thing if you’re here on your own. Or just leave the dishes on the table, and the house will take care of them after a few minutes.” Walking back to the table, he sat down across from her and smiled. “The main dish will be ready in a couple of minutes.”
“I can’t wait to try it,” Mia told him, smiling back in anticipation.
So far, being in Lenkarda was proving to be a fantastic experience in every way, and she felt an intense wave of happiness washing over her as she stared at Korum’s beautiful face. It was hard to believe that only this morning she thought he would be deported to Krina, and now she was sitting in his house in Costa Rica, conversing with him in Krinar language, and enjoying the food he’d prepared for her again.
As her mind drifted to the earlier events, her smile slowly faded. She could’ve lost him today, she realized again. If Korum was right about the Keiths’ intentions, then he could’ve been killed if the Resistance had succeeded. A sickening cold spread through her veins at the thought.
It hadn’t happened, she told herself, trying to focus on the present, but her mind kept wandering. Even though the rebels had failed, the fact was that she’d participated in the attack on the K colonies. And now they wanted her to testify, she remembered with a chill going down her spine, to go in front of their Council and the United Nations and talk about her involvement. Korum seemed to think that he had the power to protect her from the Council, but she didn’t understand how something like that worked.
“What’s the matter?” Korum asked, apparently puzzled by the suddenly serious expression on her face.
Mia took a deep breath. “Can we talk about what happened this morning?” she asked cautiously. “And about what happens now?”
His expression cooled slightly, the smile leaving his face. “Why?” he asked. “It’s over. I want us to move past it, Mia.”
She stared at him. “But –”
“But what?” he asked softly, his eyes narrowing. “Do you really want to talk again about how you betrayed me? How you nearly sent me to my death? I’m willing to let it go because I know you were scared and confused . . . but it’s really not in your best interests to keep bringing this up, my sweet.”
Mia inhaled sharply, trying to hold on to her temper. “I only did what I thought was best,” she said evenly. “And you knew everything all along – and you used me. And now it seems like your Council wants to use me too, so excuse me if I’m not quite ready to ‘move past it’.”
“The Council doesn’t have any say where you’re concerned, Mia,” Korum said, looking at her with an inscrutable amber gaze. “They can’t tell you what to do.”
“And why is that?” Mia asked, her heart beginning to beat faster. “Because I’m your charl?”
“Exactly.”
She stared at him in frustration. “And what does that mean? That I’m your charl?”
He regarded her levelly. “It means that you belong to me and they don’t have any jurisdiction over you.”
Before Mia could say anything else, he got up and walked over to the pot on the stove. Lifting the lid, he stirred the contents slightly, and an unusual but pleasant aroma filled the kitchen. “It’s almost ready,” he said, coming back to the table.
The two-second pause helped Mia gather her composure. “Korum,” she said softly, “I need to understand. You, me – I feel like I’m part of some game where I don’t know the rules. What exactly is a charl in your society?”
He sighed. “I told you, it’s our term for the humans that we’re in a relationship with.”
“So why doesn’t your Council have jurisdiction over charl? It’s like your government, right?”
“Yes, exactly,” Korum said, answering the second part of her question. “The Council is our governing body.”
“And you’re part of it?” Mia remembered John telling her something along those lines once.
“When I choose to be. I’m not a big fan of politics, but it’s unavoidable sometimes.”
“How can you choose something like that?” Mia asked, staring at him in astonishment. “Are you an elected official or does it work differently on Krina?”
“It’s very different for us.” Korum got up and walked over to the stove again. “We don’t have democracy the way you do. Who gets to be on the Council is determined based on our overall standing in society.”
Mia’s eyebrows rose. “What do you mean? Like you’re born into the upper class or something?”