by S. E. Weir
The Kurtherian paused, then spoke again. “ADAM, would you care to explain since you brought it up?”
“Phina, the changes TOM and I made before you were born allowed your sensitivity to the Etheric to come to a sense of balance, where you were not closed off to it entirely, but neither were you able to use it. This was a delicate process and a large part of what allowed you to live a mostly normal human childhood. However, when your aunt gave you the serum, it caused your system to be massively overbalanced. Those of us who are connected to the Etheric have an energy transfer system that acts much like a two-way street. When the serum, with what we will colloquially call altered vampire nanocytes, was introduced to your system, it created a traffic jam with your connection.”
She frowned as she turned on a heel in the other direction. “Do you mean like with cars?”
“Yes,” ADAM confirmed. “Remember when we watched Independence Day and there were so many cars on the road after the aliens showed up that they got stuck? How in some cities the throughway was blocked with traffic, so others decided to take the road going the wrong way and caused accidents? Your connection is behaving very similarly. The path between you and the Etheric was opened, but it’s messed up. Your body knew you needed more energy, so it caused you to consume massive amounts of food to make up for it while still intaking Etheric energy at an irregular rate. Then the excess energy was trapped, which caused you to need to increase your energy output.”
“Wow, okay. That explains a lot.” She frowned in concentration as she thought through the process. “So, because the connection was fluctuating and not flowing properly, it was overwhelming my body and causing it to begin breaking down. At the same time, it greatly increased my ability to mentally connect to and use Etheric energy, which allowed me to sense other people’s minds. Do I have that right?”
“Yes.”
“And this connection is stabilized now?”
ADAM paused a beat then answered. “Yes, after we inserted code that instructed the nanocytes to ignore part of the changes your aunt had made. However, one of the changes that your body needed to make, which I had recently suspected due to the readings we had taken and has now been proven, is that your brain has changed. It needs an input of Etheric energy to be able to process properly with enough space for all your functions.”
Phina stopped pacing and sat in her chair again, stunned. “So, this is why Sundancer told me earlier that I couldn’t keep my mental shields completely closed all the time. Because it cuts me off from part of my brain functions? That’s why I’ve been feeling more tired and sleepy since my coma? Because I’ve kept my mental shields shut tight?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Phina tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair as she thought. “Then this need to stabilize the Etheric connection between both parts of my brain is likely why I went into a self-induced coma.” She looked up sharply. “TOM and ADAM, what does the Etheric look like? Is it a gray space that stretches forever?”
TOM answered, “Yes,” at the same time as ADAM responded, “That is correct.”
She sat up straight, looking at those present in the room. “Then that is definitely what happened. I was aware and partially in the Etheric. I could sometimes hear conversations that weren’t quite discernible, as well as sense shifting energy. I could see the Etheric, but I wasn’t physically present. I could move, but only with my mind.”
Her thoughts flowed in several different directions until TOM broke in. “That confirms what we know and some of what we have suspected.”
Phina looked up, startled, then took a deep breath. “Thank you all for taking the time to share this with me and listen, but that’s it. My capacity to handle new revelations is overfull. I need to go do something and process.” She paused and looked around the room. “You’ve told me all the secrets you’ve been keeping about me, right? There’s not something else major you need to share or haven’t told me yet?”
“No,” ADAM answered. “That is everything I am aware of.”
The others agreed, except for Link. He stood up and walked over, reaching into his pocket to pull out an old-fashioned letter in an envelope. He held it out with a grave expression but a warmth that he didn’t always allow to show. “This is the last one that I know about. It’s a letter from your mom. She wrote one before every mission and gave it to me for safekeeping, then took it back when she came home. This was the letter she gave me before they left on their last mission.”
Phina’s hand trembled as she reached out to take the envelope then stared at it, her fingers smoothing out the rough and yellowed paper. “So, they weren’t regular Marines? They were spies, and the way they died in their file isn’t the truth?”
Link crouched down in front of her and touched her hand briefly, causing her to look up. He shook his head slowly, eyes dark with regret. “No. I told you everyone in Spy Corps has a cover. That was theirs. They did die heroes, working to gain information from the Leath. We had sent in an unmanned EI pilot into the Leath system. They volunteered for the follow-up, and after the battle on Karillia ended, we sent your parent’s ship in. They were there for almost a week, gathering information. We lost contact just after they sent a message that they had been spotted by another ship.”
Phina’s breath stuttered. “Could... Is there any chance they are still alive?”
At Link’s head shake, tears began welling up again, and she roughly wiped them away. “No, my dear. The Leath don’t take prisoners. If they had been able to get back, they would have by now. They wouldn’t have left you. They loved you more than anything.”
Looking up, Phina saw her sorrow reflected in his eyes. “You loved them too.”
He nodded, blinking more quickly than normal. “I still do. They were my family, and so are you.”
Phina threw herself forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him, the letter still in one hand. After a minute, her voice sounded muffled against his shirt. “And Jace?”
He sighed, then chuckled, the rumble next to her ear. “Yes, and that scamp too.”
She pulled back to look him in the eye. “How come I don’t remember you? Wouldn’t you have visited us?”
Link shook his head regretfully. “I was the most visible out of all the spies because of my diplomatic role. I had acquired enemies. I didn’t want them touching you. I made a vow to your parents that if anything happened to them I would watch out for you and keep you safe. When your parents died, I thought about raising you, but you had your aunt. I had learned with Jace after his parents died years before that parenting is not a skill that I have.” He rolled his eyes and shrugged.
Phina raised an eyebrow and teased him. “What? There’s something Greyson Wells isn’t good at?”
The corner of his mouth turned up and his eyes lightened. “Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up, kid.”
She flashed a grin before asking, “So, why did you choose me to recruit and train as your replacement instead of Jace? You know he wanted it.”
Instead of answering right away, Link thought for a moment. He finally answered as honestly and thoughtfully as she had ever heard him speak. “Because you were family. I trusted you. Even though we hadn’t met officially yet, I had kept tabs on you to make sure you were all right and that I knew what you were up to. You had already taken steps to become a spy, and I figured training you would keep you safer in the long run.
“Being a spy ran in the family, so to speak, so that was another reason, but if you hadn’t had the skills, that wouldn’t have meant much. We are a lot alike, more so than you maybe realize.” He gave her a crooked grin that morphed into a look of pride. “But also, I wanted the best. I knew that whatever you chose to do, you would be brilliant at it, and I wanted that brilliance to shine in a direction that could use that light, even if you had to keep it hidden from most.
“Jace wanted the job, but he wouldn’t have been the right person, and we both knew it.” He shook his head with regret in his eyes. “He was stubborn about it b
ecause he wanted to prove himself, which caused me to lose patience with him. It eventually caused a rift between us. I think he’s happier now. Maybe we can bridge that rift in time.”
Nodding slowly, Phina gave Link a small smile. “Thank you for choosing me, Link.” After he gave her a brief smile and nod, looking uncomfortable, she raised an eyebrow at him. “You done with all the mushy stuff now?”
He sagged in relief. “Hell, yes!”
“Good, because now I have even more to process. I need to move and do something.”
Link gave her a knowing smirk. “Have fun flipping and whacking things.”
Phina rolled her eyes as she turned away, then paused. “You said you don’t want anyone to know about this. Does that mean I can’t tell anyone about it?”
Face growing serious, Link frowned in thought before sighing. “I know you are going to want to at least tell Alina. That’s fine. Just make sure anyone you tell is trustworthy and won’t share it around. The last thing we want is old enemies coming at you.”
Phina nodded in understanding, then thanked TOM and ADAM again, gave each of the males present hugs, earning brief smiles from Link and Braeden and a scandalous howl from Sundancer that it was undignified. From there she went into her bedroom to change and put her mother’s letter somewhere safe. Phina carefully placed the envelope in a treasure box of her important things. It lay next to her mother’s silver pendant. She lingered for a moment, fingering the paper. She finally shook her head and closed the lid.
Later. When she wasn’t overwhelmed. Phina changed, then left and decided to go for a run.
Chapter Fourteen
Etheric Empire, QBBS Meredith Reynolds
Phina raced out of the door and threaded her way through the people on the walkways. She headed for her workout gym, feet flying as she navigated the lesser trafficked corridors. When she reached hallways that were filled with more people, her brain calculated the speed, angles, and path to avoid everyone. As she sped past, she saw startled faces, curious ones who craned their head after her, and oblivious ones who were too intent on their conversations or destinations to notice her.
When she reached the corridor where the Marines guarded the entrance, she slowed down and finally came to a halt. She reached into her pocket and showed her pass to the guards who were often at the entrance and were becoming familiar with her.
After putting the pass away the guard on her left looked down and pointed. “Is that a new friend?”
Phina glanced down and saw the pink Previdian sitting behind her, his chest puffed out more than normal. “Sundancer? How did you follow me here?”
He gave her an imperious look. I am a noble and fierce predator, swift and sleek like the wind.
Frowning, Phina nodded to the guard that Sundancer was with her before responding. “But I was running fast. I didn’t think cats could run that fast.”
Sundancer gave her a quelling look before following her into the restricted area. I am not a cat! I’m beginning to think your brain has a malfunction.
Phina persisted while she led the way past the Marines moving in and out of the other training rooms to her smaller one. “But you have similar physiology. It shouldn’t be biologically possible for you to run as quickly as I did.”
Grumbling, Sundancer finally looked up after padding into the training room behind her. All right, fine. I used the Etheric to keep up.
“Ah, that makes sense.” Phina moved toward the mat to stretch. “At some point, we should talk about the connection between us. What you can do, and what you believe I can do.”
Must we? Sundancer settled himself at the edge of the mat, where he could lie down and watch her at the same time. He rested his chin on his paws and closed his eyes to a slit. I suppose we must. That would be the logical thing to do.
Phina began stretching her body, gradually lengthening the contortions as she grew more limber. She straightened and walked toward the bars, then paused and turned her head when she heard the door open.
Todd stepped into the room, the perspiration on his forehead showing he had been working out for a while already. He gave her a small smile in greeting. “Hey, Phina.”
“Hi. Did the guard tell you I was here?”
“I asked Meredith to tell me when you came to work out so I could join you when I’m free.” He stopped when he noticed Sundancer, who eyed the man suspiciously. Todd walked over to the Previdian and crouched and petted him, offering his hand to smell. “Who’s this little guy?”
“That’s Sundancer.” Phina stepped closer as she watched the hairless pink creature rise and sniff Todd’s hand delicately, then twitch his nose. “He tells me he’s a Previdian with a connection to me through the Etheric.”
Sundancer replied mentally. Because we are connected. He yawned, flashing his sharp teeth, then leaned forward to allow himself to be petted. I am also beginning to question your intelligence with how difficult you seem to find this concept.
“Well, with those teeth, he’s no doubt a small but fierce warrior, just like you.” Todd flashed her a grin.
Sundancer uttered pleased meows. “This one is a wise and discerning individual.” He stretched so Todd could scratch under his chin after he recovered from his surprise. “You can keep him.”
Todd startled at the verbal response then chuckled. Phina sighed and rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Sundancer.”
“This isn’t your usual time to train. Did you need to get some energy out?” Todd gave Sundancer a few more scratches and pets, then rose to listen to the answer, leaving a grumbling Sundancer to lick his paws.
“Sort of.” Phina shrugged and began stretching again since she had been standing still for a few minutes. “There’s been a lot of revelatory information over the past few hours and I needed to process.”
“Anything you want to talk about?” Todd inclined his head toward the mat. “Or would you like to spar? I have some time. Meredith will let me know when I need to leave.”
Phina thought about Todd’s offer while she assessed him. He appeared sincere and not asking just to do so. She didn’t want to breach his trust by checking mentally. She was still trying to find a balance between being mentally open to the Etheric but not so open that she was overwhelmed by what she sensed from everyone.
I’ll show you some exercises for that later.
Phina glanced over in surprise at Sundancer, who had laid down again to watch them. Deal. She moved to the middle of the mat and fell into a stance. Should she share? Link said to make sure anyone she told was trustworthy. Phina eyed Todd again briefly before nodding. “Could we do both at the same time?”
“Sure, we can try that.” Todd appeared good-humored until he settled into a sparring position. Everything else fell away into a gaze of clear focus and awareness. When he saw she was ready, he sprang forward. In between blocks, kicks, holds, and handsprings, Phina told him what had happened that morning, beginning with meeting Sundancer and seeing her friends again and ending with the revelations from Link, TOM, and ADAM. She left out Link’s real name. She figured that was private and for him to decide who should know.
Todd huffed his words as he slid to the side of an attack from her then moved forward to kick the back of her knee. “Wow. So... How are you feeling about it?”
Phina blocked the kick then raised her elbow to block a punch. She sprang to the side and swept his leg, causing him to fall to one knee. “I don’t know. It’s all mixed up.”
She stepped back and blocked his rush as he surged up from his knee, then slipped around him and jumped up to put her arm around Todd’s neck in a move that should have rendered him unconscious within ten seconds.
“Maybe satisfaction that I finally know what happened.” She ground out as she continued to press his neck.
He bent over and pulled her off so that her back would have slammed onto the mat if she hadn’t kept rolling. She stood up and turned to face Todd, who paused to catch his breath as he listened. She was also winded. She
thought seriously about the question.
“I’m proud that my parents were so highly respected, grateful that they loved me that much, and really, really wishing that I could talk to them right now.”
“You have the letter,” Todd pointed out quietly. “It’s not the same, but it’s still their words.”
Phina blinked back tears as she nodded, determined not to cry. “True. I’ll probably read it soon. I wanted to get used to everything I learned first. There’s only so much change I can handle at one time, and I’ve had a lifetime’s worth of change already.” The side of her mouth curved up as she tried to smile but didn’t quite make it.
Todd shook his head thoughtfully. “I think you sell yourself short. You can handle a lot more than you think you can. You haven’t needed to, so you haven’t discovered the depths of your capacity yet.”
“Oh?” Phina’s smile worked better. “Think you know me already, huh?”
He flashed a small grin. “I’m beginning to. Want to continue?”
Phina thought back to Link’s response earlier to being done with the mushy stuff and realized that maybe Link was right, and she had a lot more in common with him than she thought. She had no trouble returning Todd’s grin. “Hell, yes.”
Etheric Empire, QBBS Meredith Reynolds
Sundancer followed his human to her residence after she had gotten her mind and body aligned again. There had been a lot of information, but the male human who was interested in his charge was correct that she could handle more than she thought she could.
You do realize why you feel the need to start moving, right?
Phina stopped outside her door and looked down with a puzzled frown on her face. “No? There’s a reason beyond being overwhelmed?”
He shook his head sourly. Do I need to spell out everything? You humans are a lot of trouble. I’m sure my cousin’s Torcellan isn’t this high maintenance.
“From what I hear, no Torcellan is low maintenance.” His human snorted and shook her head as she began moving again. He followed after her, taking his time. “Am I supposed to figure it out on my own, or ask a passing mystic, or guess a magic word, or something?”
