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materials, coupled the two together.
    The priest told him, “I’ve never seen one before. Quite remarkable. Did you make this train, Thomas?”
    The boy nodded solemnly. “Yes. Thomas’ train.”
    “It is a wonderful train.” Rivek rose to his full height, perhaps an inch or two taller than his Nobek, Iris thought. He again swept his arm at the open entrance and said to her, “Please, come in and get out of this cold.”
    She held out the food container. “I really wanted to just drop this off, if that’s okay? It’s a pie. To thank Nobek Jol for saving Thomas’ life.” Her cheeks warmed. “It’s not much, certainly not enough to repay his kindness to us, and I don’t know if Kalquorians would even like apple pie—”
    Rivek gently interrupted her embarrassed babbling. “I have not tried apple pie yet, though I understand it is an Earther favorite. I know Jol will be very appreciative. Please, Matara, do come in.”
    Iris peered into the dim environs beyond the doorframe uncertainly. “I don’t want Thomas to break anything valuable. He can be a little destructive.”
    Rivek’s chuckle tickled her ears anew. “That is no concern, truly. Please.”
    He took the food container from Iris with one hand and gently pressed her shoulder with the other, ushering her in. Still clinging to Thomas’ wrist, Iris found her feet moving her through the entrance.
    “Well, if you’re sure,” she said. She was very curious to know how the amazing structure looked on the inside.
    Iris walked into what she thought must be the foyer. It was a small, enclosed space with no features. A much smaller doorway waited opposite of the one she’d stepped through. The moment she stepped into the foyer, the cold gave way to warmth. Apparently, a climate field was in use at the large entrance. Rivek guided her to the smaller doorway with that same gentle pressure against her shoulder blade. The way into the main part of the temple was just big enough for the two of them and Thomas to fit through.
    As they crossed the threshold, Iris gasped. As fantastic as the exterior had been, the interior was twice that.
    It was like walking into a stylized winter wonderland. Gleaming white pillars that looked much like soaring trees with interwoven branches dotted an otherwise wide-open space. Everything in here was the same blameless alabaster as the outside. The windows high above on the domed ceiling were real windows like Earthers tended to use on their buildings and not the Kalquorian-preferred vids. Either someone had cleaned the latest snowfall off, or the windows were heated, because natural light streamed in. Today’s brilliant sunlight created shadows of the tree-pillars on the floor, giving the illusion that Iris walked in an enchanted forest where winter reigned without the cold.
    Shucking off his coat and hat, Thomas squealed with delight as he stared around. “Trees. Thomas can climb.”
    As Iris picked up the boy’s outerwear, Rivek made his ear-prickling chuckle again, and this time she couldn’t help but shiver. It really was a delightful sound.
    The Imdiko told Thomas, “You may try, but they are slippery and the branches are high up. I do not believe you would get very far.”
    Thomas pulled hard against Iris’ grip to reach out to one of the pillars. He rubbed his hand over it as they passed. “Slippery. Slippery trees.”
    Rivek smiled at them both. “We’ll go to my counseling room where we can sit and speak.”
    Iris couldn’t decide whether she wanted to look more at the priest or the temple. Both were exceptional sights. “All right. Your temple is amazing. This isn’t typical of Kalquorian architecture though, at least not from what I’ve heard.”
    Rivek nodded. “It is not often we build such places from the ground up. Kalquorians tend to keep our structures part of the actual landscape. However, this being an Earther colony, we have tried to conform a little more to what your people are comfortable