Vari's Choices

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “It doesn’t really matter, does it? They’ll never know anything about me. It does make me sad for them though, to be stuck with me as their future mate.”

  “What do you mean?” Pandora asked.

  “They’ll never be able to have a family of their own.”

  “Of course they can,” Pandora said artlessly. “They can take a human wife and have a family. They just won’t be able to have daughters is all.”

  “Oh,” Vari said, careful to hide the new pain that blossomed in her heart. “Well, that’s good for them.”

  “I’m sorry, Vari. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Why not? Was it untrue?”

  “No, it's true. I just shouldn’t have said it.”

  “I’m glad you did. Glad to know they won’t suffer just because they got stuck with me by mistake.”

  Pandora fell silent, which was a surprise. Vari glanced down at her shoulder and saw that instead of a bird, Pandora was now in the form of a blond lady with blue eyes wearing a black and white striped dress. Her eyes were unfocused, and she had an expression on her face that Vari recognized, and that always made her tense. After a minute or so Pandora blinked a few times, then looked up at Vari.

  “A crossroad has been reached.”

  “Crossroad? What’s that mean?”

  “It means that the time has come for you to make a decision, and you have to make it on your own. I can’t help you.”

  “A decision about what?”

  “You’ve already begun to learn many things that you’ll need to know for your future,” Pandora said. “Now you must make a choice to accept your destiny and begin working in earnest to prepare yourself for it. Or not.”

  “What’s my destiny, Pandora?”

  “I don’t know. I only know that it’s very important to all the people of the Thousand Worlds.”

  Vari thought about that for a few moments but she didn’t know what else she could choose to do. For as long as she could remember she’d known she had an important destiny to meet. Whatever it was, it was all she had. “I choose my destiny. What next?”

  “First, we need to speak with your parents and the Dracons. Now is a good time since they’re all together anyway.”

  “Now?” Vari asked in surprise.

  “Yes, now,” Pandora said. “Let’s go.”

  Vari crawled out from beneath the bush, stood up and brushed herself off. She spotted something out of the corner of her eye and reached up to gently pull a sprig of lemon geranium from her hair. She turned it in her hand, examining the sturdy stem, the thick leaves, and the pretty yellow flowers that smelled like lemon peel and geranium. Of all the flowers in Aunt Lari’s garden this one had always been her favorite.

  She tucked the flower carefully into her shirt pocket. When she got home she’d press and dry it the way Aunt Lari had shown her.

  “Why are you keeping that?” Pandora asked.

  “Because I want to,” Vari said softly, and refused to answer any more questions about it. She crossed the garden, stepped up onto the deck, and paused at the patio door. “Are they gone yet?”

  “Yes, they’re gone.” Vari took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped inside. She heard voices in the dining room so she crossed the living room and stopped in the doorway. Her parents sat along one side of the big dining room table, Aunt Lariah, Uncle Trey and Uncle Val sat across from them, and Uncle Garen sat at the end, facing her.

  “Excuse me,” she said nervously.

  “This is an important meeting, Vari,” Faron warned gently.

  “I’m sorry, Ata, but Pandora says this is important, too.”

  “Do you need us to leave so you can speak with your parents in private, Vari?” Lariah asked.

  “No, Aunt Lari,” Vari said. “She says you all have to be here.”

  Faron exchanged worried looks with Saige and his brothers. “All right, Vari, go ahead.”

  “I have to start getting ready for my destiny.”

  “Your destiny?” Lariah asked.

  “Yes, that’s what Pandora said. I don’t know what it is, but I have to start working harder.”

  “What is it you’re supposed to do, Vari?” Saige asked.

  “I don't know, Mom. Pandora didn’t tell me that part yet. She says she has to talk to all of you about it.”

  “Pandora,” Garen said. “You wish to address all of us?”

  “Yes, Highness,” Pandora said. “I apologize for interrupting your meeting, but a crossroad has been reached, and a choice made, bringing a time for decisions. First, I am asked to offer those explanations and answers I possess.”

  Garen’s eyebrows rose in surprise, as did everyone else’s. “Please go on, Pandora.”

  “The Eternal Pack honors their Chosen above all others, but even for her they would not involve themselves as they have in this matter were it not for the Chaos that works against the Thousand Worlds.” Pandora paused a moment to let the shock of that statement settle. “For this reason, Varia Lobo’s destiny must be met at all costs.”

  “Do you mean the Xanti’s chaos?” Faron asked incredulously.

  “I do.”

  “How is that possible? The Xanti have not existed for several years, and they never touched Vari’s life.”

  “That is both true, and untrue,” Pandora said. “I ask that you think back to the events of the day on which your daughters were conceived.”

  Faron frowned, then looked to Saige, Dav, and Ban who appeared to be as perplexed as he was. Just as Faron was about to ask what difference that made, understanding blossomed in his mind. “Bless the Creators,” he said softly. “But…wait. They were not conceived until later that night.” Saige gasped softly.

  “That’s true, but it’s also true that the chaos of the Xanti flowed through all of you to some degree, and one of you to a very great degree,” Pandora said gently.

  “All three of them?” Saige asked.

  “I’m sorry, Lady Saige, truly I am, but I don’t know the answer to that question,” Pandora replied, sympathy in her eyes. “I know only that the possibility exists, though it isn’t very strong.”

  Pandora had chosen her words as carefully as she could while still being plain, fully aware that Vari was standing there listening. “I understand that this is difficult for all of you, and I’m sorry for that. But the time has come to plan for the future.”

  “What is Vari’s destiny?” Saige asked.

  “I don’t know the answer to that either,” Pandora replied. “I do know that of all the beings of the Thousand Worlds, Vari alone will be capable of doing whatever it is that must be done. If she is diverted, or if she fails, the consequences will be dire.”

  “For whom?” Garen asked.

  “Everyone and everything that lives and breathes within the Thousand Worlds, perhaps even the entire galaxy.”

  The Dracons and the Lobos grew pale. “She is but a child,” Faron ground out when he could summon enough calm to form words.

  “A child who will grow into a woman in a few short years. She will face her destiny whether she is ready for it or not, as must we all. The only choice to be made now is whether or not she’ll be prepared when she faces what is to come.”

  “And the Chaos?” Saige asked. “How will we combat that?”

  Pandora hesitated, then looked at each of the Lobos, then each of the Dracons. “This conversation never leaves this room,” Garen said solemnly. “On this you have my word as High Prince of Jasan.

  “I thank you, Prince Garen,” Pandora said. She looked back to Saige. “The Eternal Pack must proceed with great care, or risk causing change that may only make things worse. It was my destiny to be remade by the Creators such that I am now part of Vari, and part of the Eternal Pack, but only enough to act as a link between without the risk of a connection that could cause unwanted change.”

  Pandora paused as Saige gasped sharply and placed her hands over her face. Everyone at the table understood what it meant tha
t the Creators themselves were involved. After a few moments Saige lowered her hands and lifted her chin, her eyes red, but determined.

  “I apologize, Pandora,” she said, her voice raw with emotion. “Please go on.”

  Pandora nodded. “With the aid of the Eternal Pack, I can guide Vari away from the obstacles that Chaos brings against her. That is my purpose, and my duty, and I am bound to both as I am bound to Vari.”

  “Are you saying that we can do nothing against the Chaos?” Saige asked.

  “I do not know if you can, or cannot, Lady Saige,” Pandora said. “I know only that identifying and preventing what is not meant to be without changing what is meant, is a dangerous endeavor that is not to be taken lightly. The Eternal Pack has accepted the role they’ve been asked to play in this, as have I, but we must take great care to tread lightly and with caution.”

  Faron looked to Dav who nodded so briefly even he barely saw it. Then he looked to Ban who sat with his fists clenched on the table in front of him. After a few moments he nodded as well. Then they all looked to Saige, whose eyes were fixed on their daughter.

  “Vari, do you want to do this? Tell me true, baby.”

  Vari didn’t hesitate. “Yes, Mom, I do. I don’t understand all of what Pandora said. But if something bad is coming, I want to be ready this time. Not like before.”

  “Before?”

  “Like with the shadow people.”

  Saige looked surprised, then thoughtful, then resigned. “I’m proud of you, baby girl. Never forget that.” She turned to Faron. “We can’t send our daughter to her destiny unprepared.”

  Faron turned his eyes to Garen, reading the sorrow and regret in his Prince’s eyes. Then he looked at Pandora. “Please tell us, Pandora, how we can help Vari prepare to fulfill her destiny.”

  “It would be my honor to do so, Lord Faron.”

  Chapter 6

  After a lazy afternoon dozing off and on while watching entertainment vids with Pandora, Vari got up to dress for dinner. She wore jeans again and a long-sleeved navy blue tee along with dairi on her arms and along the sides of each leg. She tied the laces on her sneakers, then picked up her hand terminal.

  “You coming, Pandora?” she asked while putting the hand terminal in its holster.

  “Yes, please,” Pandora replied, flying quickly to her shoulder before changing into a black and white striped butterfly as big as Vari’s hand. Vari reached for the door knob just as someone knocked. She opened the door and frowned at the expressions on the Dracon-Bats’ faces as well as the tension she felt coming from them.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We’re not sure,” Declan replied, then his eyebrows shot up when he spotted Pandora on her shoulder.

  “What?” Vari asked, turning her head so she could see her shoulder. “It’s one of her favorite forms.”

  “It’s very…striking,” Declan said, his lips twitching slightly.

  “It is,” she agreed. “What were you going to tell me?”

  Declan cleared his throat, embarrassed at having been distracted. “We received a message from High Prince Garen requesting that all of us, including you, assemble in a secure location for a vid conference as soon as possible.”

  Vari immediately stepped out of her room and closed the door. “Should Pandora be included in this?” he asked carefully, not wanting to insult either Vari or her companion.

  “Yes, she has a security clearance equal to mine.”

  Declan was surprised that Vari had a security clearance, let alone Pandora. He turned and began walking up the corridor with Vari at his side, and his brothers behind them.

  “Did Prince Garen mention what this meeting is about?”

  “No, he didn’t,” Declan replied. “However, in the same message he requested that we go to full stealth, and then set course for a specific set of coordinates as quickly as possible.”

  “Stealth?”

  “There is more to the Bihotza than is commonly known.”

  Vari nodded but didn’t ask questions. She was too worried about why she’d been asked to attend this conference. “What’s at the coordinates he gave you?”

  “Nothing,” Declan said tightly. “It’s an empty spot in the center of the shipping lane we’re currently using.”

  “Where are we going now?”

  “We have a secure conference room on Deck Two,” Declan said, glancing at her briefly before opening the stairwell door. Her expression was cool and calm, but he could sense the tension vibrating within her. “If you’ll allow me to carry you, we can use Air.” Vari’s eyes widened and she took a small, involuntary step back while the tension he felt coming from her suddenly exploded into something close to panic.

  “I’d prefer to take the elevator,” she said shakily. “You go on ahead and I’ll catch up in a minute.”

  Declan frowned. They’d all noticed how little she appeared to like elevators, so this was confusing. Unfortunately, Prince Garen was waiting for them so this wasn’t the time to figure it out. “Would you like us to go in the elevator with you?”

  She scrambled for a response that wasn’t overtly rude. “I’d like a few moments alone, if you don’t mind.”

  They watched as she turned and walked away with the striped butterfly on her shoulder. She pressed the call button and the doors opened almost immediately. He waited until she stepped inside, then turned toward his brothers who looked as baffled as he felt. Then he entered the stairwell and used Air to climb up the stairs

  By the time the elevator arrived they were standing in front of the conference room door, waiting for Vari to join them. Declan pressed his palm to a DNA reader on the wall next to the door, the door slid open, and Vari stepped inside.

  Like any conference room there was a table, chairs, a large vid screen on one wall, low shelving along another, and a vid terminal in the corner. The furnishings were much nicer than she’d ever seen in a ship’s conference room before but she figured, correctly, that it was often used for meetings with high level dignitaries.

  Jay went directly to the vid terminal while Kai pulled a chair out for her at the table. She shook her head. “No thank you, Kai. I prefer to stand.”

  As do we,” he replied, pushing the chair back. She watched Jay’s back as he continued to tap away at the vid terminal.

  “Why’s it taking so long?” she wondered aloud.

  “The high level of encryption Garen requested takes a little extra time to implement,” Declan said from where he stood beside her. She noticed that he’d left a couple of feet between them and thought little of it other than to be grateful. Kai moved so that he stood at her other side with the same distance between them, and after another couple of minutes Jay joined them, standing close beside Kai.

  The vid screen on the wall in front of them flickered to life, filled with gray static for a few seconds, then resolved into the faces of High Prince Garen Dracon and Lord Protector Faron Lobo. One glance at her father’s expression sent a frisson of fear racing down Vari’s spine.

  “What’s happened, Ata?” she asked before anyone else could say anything.

  “It’s bad, Vari,” Faron said. “You need to brace yourself.”

  “Mom? The boys? Bean?”

  “They’re fine, we’re all fine,” Faron said. He glanced at Garen who nodded. “The Leaper is…missing.”

  “Missing?” she gasped as the blood drained from her face. “What does that mean, Ata? I don’t understand.”

  “All passenger liners have a beacon that emits a signal at regular intervals. The Leaper’s beacon went silent approximately twenty hours ago. A general alert should have gone out immediately, but the technician on duty was new and entered the wrong code, sending a low level notification instead. It wasn’t upgraded until about three hours ago.”

  Vari felt as though she was falling into a deep, dark hole. She heard her father’s voice calling her name as though from a great distance and latched onto it. A few moments later she blinked i
n surprise when she realized she was on her knees, gasping for air, her head spinning dizzily.

  “Vari?” Faron called sharply.

  She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs before noticing for the first time that Declan knelt beside her. When she saw him reach for her she forced herself to her feet. Kai pulled out a chair for her, then started to place a hand on her shoulder to guide her into it. She flinched away from his hand, then dropped her eyes as she sat down, her body stiff, her fists clenched. When several seconds passed without one of them touching her, she began to relax a little.

  “I’m all right, Ata,” she said, not even noticing the tears on her cheeks until Jay placed a box of tissues on the table in front of her. She thanked him with a nod and took one.

  “Have you tried to contact…,” she broke off, wincing at how closely she’d come to violating protocol. Even though this was a high level encrypted connection, the situation was too serious to risk mention of certain names.

  “Yes,” Faron replied, gentling his tone. “Both.” Vari nodded. Of course they’d tried that. She wasn’t thinking clearly, and that wasn’t acceptable. She needed to get a grip on herself.

  “Vari,” Faron said softly. She looked up. “Can you feel her?” Vari’s stomach tightened. She knew what he was asking. It scared her to try, but she had to. She closed her eyes and calmed herself before searching her feelings carefully.

  “Nothing’s changed, Ata.”

  “That makes two of you,” Faron replied with relief.

  “The coordinates you sent us,” Jay said. “They’re the last known position of the Leaper.”

  “That’s correct,” Garen said. “We need you to go in search of the Leaper and, if possible, take it back or disable it. If, as we strongly suspect, the Doftles have her, it may not be possible for you to do more than track it. In that event, you must do all you can to retrieve one specific passenger, and a second one if possible.”

  “Which passengers?” Declan asked in surprise.

  “That information will be given to you at another time,” Garen said carefully. Then he shifted his gaze to Vari, who nodded. Declan frowned. Apparently she knew the identity of the passengers Garen spoke of. But how?