Fingering the small, red star on the back of her neck, Brie nodded.
“If you and Ari are caught and you are asked what your relationship is, you will have to tell the truth. This could be devastating for both of you and for Torgin.”
A flood of dismay washed over her. “I hadn’t thought of that, Aunt Mira. What should we do?”
“I’ll meet the three of you in the kitchen at sunrise. With a little help, I think we can manage a safeguard. Go and get some rest. You’re going to need it.”
Brie put her arms around her aunt. “Please take care of my mother and grandmother,” she whispered, “and my father.”
“I’ll do my best. You bring Esán back as soon as you can. Evolsefil waits.” Almiralyn kissed her forehead and glided from the room.
Brie watched her go with some uneasiness. Returning to her chair, she sat for a time, absorbing the quiet of the house and the love she felt surrounding her. Will The Unfolding ever quit complicating my life?
The title of the book in her lap demanded her attention. Holding it closer to the lite-stick, she began to read. A dizzying deluge of information poured into her brain. For a moment, she shut her eyes, remembering EmitEnil , the Book of Time, and the wisdom she had learned from it. With a sigh, she closed the book and held it to her chest. Information about DerTah, like yesterday’s memories, saturated her mind.
Ari preened in front of the mirror, admiring her haircut and the richness of its new, dark brown color. “What do you think, Mother?”
Sparrow’s apprehension about what was to come showed on her face. “I love your red hair, but the brown looks good. Let’s see what you will look like as a boy.”
Ari shut her eyes and pictured the changes she wanted to make. When she opened them, her mother’s astonished expression made her check her reflection. “Oh my,” she whispered. The boy in the mirror was taller than she expected. His face, reminiscent of her father, looked back at her with a touch of rebellion. The brown hair was thick and unruly; the eyes, wide set and blue.
“I think,” said her mother, “you should get rid of the freckles.”
Ari concentrated on the image in the mirror. The freckles blended into tanned skin. She laughed. “And I didn’t think I had any talent at all.” She looked at herself from different angles. “Is there anything else?” She pointed at the small curve of her breasts. “I think these should go.” Her chest flattened and broadened as she spoke the words. Facing her mother, she questioned, “Well, what do you think?”
“I’m not your mother,” Allynae said from the doorway, “but I think you look great. Kinda like me when I was young…pretty darn handsome!”
Ari grinned and chucked a pillow at her father. He caught it and tossed it back. “You look good, Ari. Walk for me.”
Dropping the pillow on the bed, she strode around the room and back. “Well, do I walk like a boy?”
“Give your walk more weight…more attitude.” He watched her circuit the room again. “Much better. You’d fool me.”
“And me.” Brie joined them. “You look amazing!” She tipped her head and batted her eyelashes. “Kinda cute, too.”
Everyone laughed.
“We feel like a family.” Ari felt a rush of surprise.
Allynae put an arm around each of his daughters, “We are a family.”
Sparrow joined them in front of the mirror. “A pretty good-looking family, I might add, especially our son.”
Brie grinned at her sister. “I can’t wait for Torgin to see you, Ari. What shall we call you?”
Ari ran a hand through her brown locks. “Ira Raast. I’m Torgin’s pal.”
The light went out of Sparrow’s smile. “Tomorrow you’re off to KcernFensia, and I go to Thera. I wish we could all stay together.”
Ari watched her boy’s face grow sullen. “I still don’t see why we can’t help rescue Esán. And then we could go to KcernFensia and hide from Grandfather.”
“We’ve been through this,” Allynae told their reflections in the mirror and then chuckled. “We sure do look alike when we get testy, Ira.”
The tension for the moment broken, the family moved apart.
“Goodnight.” Sparrow hugged them and nudged Allynae toward the door. “Sleep well.”
“We’ll see you in the morning.” Allynae looked from one to the other as though memorizing their faces before following Sparrow into the hall.
Ari felt a moment of uncertainty as her parents left. “Now what?” She looked down at her twin.
Brie held up the small book and explained what had occurred in the library.
“You mean Almiralyn is helping us?” Ari’s blue eyes widened in disbelief.
“I don’t think she’s too happy about it, but she knows in her heart that we have to go. We just need to do a little home work, collect Torgin, and meet her in the kitchen at daybreak.”
“I don’t know about you, Brie, but we’ve been up forever. I could use some sleep before we tackle the sands of DerTah.”
“Me, too.” She eyed her twin with interest. “I’ve never slept in the same bed with a boy.”
Ari gave a deep-throated snort and shifted, serious brown eyes meeting her sister’s. “This may be the last time I will be me until this adventure is done.”
“You will always be you, no matter what form you take.” Brie flopped onto the bed. “Let’s catch some sleep.”
Torgin had tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, but sleep continued to dodge his attempts to tame it into submission. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling. His anger and frustration from earlier stirred again. How can Almiralyn send me back to Idronatti? How can she sentence me to a destiny worse than encountering the death shadow again—erased memories and a profession I’ll hate? He threw back the covers and swung his long legs over the side of the bottom bunk. His feet came to rest next to the navy sneakers he had acquired in The Borderlands, the buffer zone between Idronatti and Myrrh. Maybe a walk will discharge some of this anger.
The garden, under the setting crescent moon, felt mysterious and other worldly. Memories flitting like ghosts through his mind—being trapped in an ice cage with Almiralyn’s bird form cradled in his arms; his first encounter with a Pentharian; Buster lying in a pool of blood; and Brie’s map bursting into flames—haunted him. A soft breeze chased past dramas away and sent autumn smells to tickle his nose. The rustle of gold-tipped leaves, like a tune dispersing through the night, made him stand still to listen. A spasm of loneliness washed over him. I wonder if my parents miss me. I wonder if the PPP have put me on their Watch List. I wonder… He sighed. Maybe a visit to Tam…
He wandered back to the barn and made his way to Tam’s stall. The tan pony whickered a welcome. Opening the gate, he wrapped his arms around her neck. “I’m scared,” he whispered. “We are going to DerTah to rescue Esán.” A chill made him toss his head in a Tam-like fashion. “Why am I always so anxious about everything?”
He grabbed a currycomb. Stroke-by-stroke the pony’s coat grew silky beneath his hands. And stroke-by-stroke his fear melted away. “How do you do that?” He combed her creamy mane. “You always make me feel better.”
She nickered.
“I wish you were coming with us, but it is too dangerous.” He replaced the comb.
Tam nibbled his fingers with her soft lips. Taking her head in both hands, he rested his forehead on her forelock.
“It’s time to go, Torg.” The voice, deep with laughter hidden between the words, seemed somehow familiar.
He turned to find a strange boy regarding him, his stance casual and easy.
“Who are…” He stared. “You’re Ari!”
“You got it, Torg.” The boy grinned.
Brie stepped into view. “Even better than yesterday, huh?”
Torgin walked around Ari, looking at her from all sides. “Much better than yesterday. You look—real!”
“From this moment, Torg, I am Ira Raast, your best pal, and I’m very real
.”
“Ira.” Torgin savored the name. “Ira. I like it.” A rush of dread flushed his cheeks. “Are we truly going?”
“We sure are. Almiralyn even packed these for us.” Brie indicated the backpacks she had set on the ground. “She wants us to meet her—”
The Guardian of Myrrh appeared in the doorway. “Trouble comes our way. Quick! Stand here in front of me and listen carefully. Unless you believe without reservation that Ari is Ira Raast, you won’t be safe. I am, therefore, going to do a mind touch that will place an illusion of forgetting over all three of you. You’ll retain your memories of time together but with Ira as Torgin’s friend rather than Ari as Brie’s twin. When Brie gives the sign, one I have already imbedded in her subconscious, you will remember Ari as Ari. Do you understand and agree?”
Brie nodded and reached for her sister’s hand. “You are my heart, Ari.”
Her twin grinned her consent. “Another adventure! Wow!”
“And you, Torgin?” The Guardian gave him a questioning look.
He shrugged. “Why not?”
She held up her right hand, two fingers extended. With a whispered phrase, she touched each of them on the forehead and stepped back. Alarm shifted her expression. “Take your backpacks and hide!” she hissed and shoved them deeper into the barn.
The urgency in her voice made Torgin wish he were anywhere but Myrrh.
11
ConDra’s Fire
DerTah
E sán braced himself and opened the door. Nomed stepped through. “Close it.” The curt order rang through the room.
Obeying without question, Esán faced him. “What’s going on? Why’s everyone dashing around?”
“The forward guard of one of the most powerful leaders in this solar system marched through a portal on the Plains of DoOlb and scared Thaer’s people to death. They have demanded an audience with Wolloh, who’s furious at their lack of courtesy and the assumption that they can command him to do anything.”
“You seem upset, too.” Esán watched the scarred cheek twitch.
“The Dreelum are staying to help entertain what will most certainly be an interesting entourage, which means you’re not safe.”
“They won’t try anything with Wolloh on full alert, will they?”
“One cannot count on a couple of them to think beyond their own desires, so you must be vigilant. If things become too dangerous, you and I will disappear for a while. For now, do not wander anywhere at night. Keep your wards up and strong, and use your gifts to keep yourself safe. I have to go.” His hand on the doorknob tensed. A dark eyebrow shot up. A sudden yank opened the door and brought a startled Seval flying into the room. The door shut with a crack.
“Why were you eavesdropping?” Nomed rose to his full height and loomed over the young servant.
“I-I-I c-c-c-ame to g-get you.”
“Who sent you?” Nomed barked.
“M-m-master W-w-wolloh, s-s-sir.”
“Stop your stuttering, boy. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You could have fooled me.” Esán gave him a withering look.
Nomed shot him an irritated glance, pulled the door open, and shoved the young servant through. “Take me to Wolloh.”
Esán watched him vanish down the hall after a scurrying Seval. “You could at least have told me who’s coming,” he muttered, allowing himself a small slam of the door. He sprawled across his bed. “Hope I can sleep through the ruckus.”
Nomed and TheLise arrived outside Wolloh’s private office at the same time. Servants scurried in various directions. Some appeared harried, others terrified. Thaer of the Plains of DoOlb backed his pudgy body into the hall, glared at them, and waddled away, sputtering and swearing under his breath.
“Don’t just stand there. Come in, and shut that door.” The voice from the bowels of the room demanded immediate compliance. Nomed ushered TheLise in front of him and closed the door.
Wolloh’s handsome face met them. “The cheek of expecting me to march to their demands…” He laughed.
TheLise regarded him with inquiring gray eyes.
Nomed remained unmoved.
“Where’s Esán? I want him here where I can keep an eye on him. These da’am Dreelum are maddening.” He gave TheLise an appraising look. “You excepted, of course, my dear. They think they can use him against me. We shall see.”
“I believe Esán is trying to sleep.” Nomed took a seat. “He put up wards…very good ones, I might add…so I suggest that we let him be. Both TheLise and I are keeping tabs on him.”
“If anything happens to him…” Wolloh raised his disfigured hand and watched its claw-like fingers curl into a fist. “The boy’s smart and quick. We shall see how he copes. Now…”
A sharp rap on the door cut him short. “Enter,” he barked.
“The guard has arrived and demands your presence.” The servant backed out and closed the door.
Nomed peered out the window. “It seems they are impatient to see you.”
“They can wait.” Wolloh smiled at TheLise. “Are you prepared to play a game?”
“That depends on the rules.” She tilted her head. “You know I only play by mine.”
Wolloh laughed. “It’s a good thing you are so charming.” His good eye sought out Nomed. “And you? Are you ready to play?”
“You know I love a good game, but like TheLise,” he too smiled, “I prefer to play by my rules.”
Wolloh grabbed his cane and turned his mutilated cheek to his former apprentices. “In this game there is only one rule, my friends.” He dragged his damaged leg to the center of the room and stood between them. “Stay alive.”
Before he could raise an eyebrow, Nomed found himself in the midst of nine mounted soldiers, whose horses pranced in nervous circles, raising red dust and making the scorching heat seem hotter. Wolloh lifted his clawed hand. The horses backed into a wide circle, the arrogance of their riders replaced with frustration and a touch of disquiet. Nomed waited with interest for the High DiMensioner’s next move.
An officer urged his horse forward. It balked and backed further away from the circle’s center. The man jumped to the ground, threw the reins to his lieutenant, and strode purposefully toward Wolloh. The clawed hand lifted again, the crystal knob of the cane glowed. The officer came to an abrupt halt. His angry face flushed as red as the desert sand.
Wolloh spoke in an undertone that only the officer, TheLise, and Nomed could hear. “You are?”
“Tinpaca Granier.” The reply hissed through bared teeth.
“I require time alone with you, Tinpaca. Send your men back to your camp. I suggest they move it to the opposite side of my land, where they will find a good well and plenty of firewood.” His voice, hypnotizing and calm, held the weight of authority.
The officer’s eyes flashed. “I demand…”
Wolloh’s head turned, his scarred and deformed profile made more frightening by the harsh light of the DerTahan sun. A growl issued from the grimaced lips. The officer’s mouth clamped shut. Pivoting, he faced his men. “Return to camp and move it further east until you find a good well and firewood. I will join you later.”
In unison, eight armed men wheeled their horses around and galloped toward the gated entrance of Shu Chenaro, leaving a cloud of red dust in their wake. Tinpaca Granier reversed his pivot and saluted Wolloh.
Nomed almost laughed out loud when Wolloh’s good eye winked at TheLise before it refocused on the officer. “Leave your weapons with your horse, and join me in my office.” A slight hesitation from the Tinpaca brought Wolloh’s clawed hand up for the third time. As though in a dream, the man removed his holster, two knives, and a hidden pistol.
A satisfied expression settled over Wolloh’s face as he led the way through the house with the docile Tinpaca following. Nomed and TheLise, acting as rear guard, exchanged amused glances. In Wolloh’s office, the soldier first sagged and then came to life, his stance erect and his eyes furious. “How dare y
ou—”
Wolloh’s cane thumped against the floor. The man’s mouth clamped shut. “Allow me to begin.” The High DiMensioner’s sightless eye gleamed. The distorted grimace became exaggerated. “You are on my planet and in my home. While you are here, you will abide by my rules and our laws. First and foremost, you and your men may never carry weapons of any kind when visiting Shu Chenaro. You will show unerring respect to everyone in my household, and you will represent your planet and your leader with behavior befitting the dignity I know he would demand if he were here. If you ignore my dictates, you and your men will be dispatched back to your planet in disgrace. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir.” The officer saluted and remained at attention.
Wolloh changed the angle of his head. Granier stared at the handsome smoothness. “It is late.” The High DiMensioner’s mouth curved into a gracious smile. “I am certain that you and your men need to rest. We will meet at mid-morning to discuss your needs. If you require anything for your comfort or that of your men, my Major Domo will see that it is delivered to your camp.”
The door opened to admit a tall, dignified man. “Stebben at your service.” He acknowledged Wolloh with a nod. “Please come this way.” He bowed before stepping into the corridor.
Tinpaca Granier clicked his heels together, saluted, and strode after the Major Domo.
Nomed closed the door.
TheLise sank into a brown leather chair and laughed. “You were quite wonderful, Wolloh. Will Stebben be able to handle him?”
Wolloh’s good eye sparked with humor. “Stebben can handle almost anything, my dear. As with both of you, I trained him myself. Now, I must prepare for tomorrow. Let us place a ward around the ranch so we can all get some sleep.”
Nomed helped TheLise to her feet. Forming a circle with Wolloh, they joined hands. Energy glowed around them, its throbbing hum permeating the quiet office. When Wolloh finally released their hands, the handsome side of his face relaxed into a weary smile. “What an interesting time.” He turned to both of them. “Off you go now. I’ll expect you to join me for breakfast, and bring Esán. His training begins tomorrow.”
The UnFolding Collection Two Page 8
