by Amy DuBoff
“Or, if that firstborn would be more useful through a marriage alliance,” Wil said.
Cris shook his head. “Yeah, that’s the core of it.”
“You mean marrying off a daughter and having her brother take over the company instead?” Raena asked.
“It’s happened,” Cris admitted.
What a delightful future. “Is that what you’re planning to do with me?”
“No,” Wil hastily replied. “Never.”
“But if you were named the primary heir,” Cris said, “you’d be the first female heir to Sietinen in two dozen generations. This family has a very long history of only having one child and having that child be male. Some families, like Vaenetri, are known for their daughters.”
“Though I have a brother, too,” Kate interjected.
“Practices encouraged by the Priesthood, no doubt,” Wil mumbled.
“Regardless,” Cris continued, “there are a lot of political implications with the decision, no matter which way it goes. We’d like to give you as much choice in the matter as possible, but the fact is that we have some serious politicking ahead of us and the better we can position our alliances, the better.”
“That’s what tonight is?” Jason asked. “Figuring out where you stand with everyone and how we fit in?”
“It’s just a getting-to-know-you affair,” Wil assured him. “We won’t decide your fates in one night.”
Raena wasn’t sure she believed him, but she nodded.
“Enough of that now,” Kate declared. “Let’s get you settled in and rested. It’s going to be a long night.” She set off down the hall.
Raena stared out the windows as she walked, trying to quiet the churning thoughts in the back of her mind about the sort of life she may be forced into. Joining the TSS had seemed like a certainty with a clear progression, but now knowing the extent of the political angle that would need to balance with telekinesis training, she no longer had a clear vision for her path.
Her mother must have sensed her distress because she fell into step with her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. Nothing will be as bad as it sounds right now.”
“I think having my fate decided is something worth worrying about,” Raena replied.
“We’re not deciding anything. And you should know that this family has a long history of defying the status quo.”
“All right,” Raena yielded. “I’ll put on my best charm for the night.”
Her mother smiled. “Who knows? Someone might surprise you.”
After winding down several corridors, they eventually arrived in a more intimate hallway with potted plants between the doors and glass-walled alcoves that looked like small conference rooms.
“They have you in here,” Cris said, gesturing to three doors in a row. Wil and Saera in the first, then Jason, and Raena. The lock is programmed to recognize your ID chip.”
Raena headed for the farthest door and ran her wrist over the panel next to the door. The lock clicked open and the door swung inward.
Inside, a couch was perpendicular to the door, facing a large viewscreen on the wall. The back wall was all glass with double doors leading out onto a spacious terrace overlooking the lake. The doors were open and a temperate breeze drifted through the room.
She immediately headed for the terrace to admire the view. Sunlight glistened on the lake and standing out in the open air made her feel like she could be anywhere in the galaxy at that moment.
Snapping herself out of the reverie, she went back inside to scope out the bedroom. The entry was on the left, adjacent to her brother’s quarters, and the bathroom was accessible from both the living room and bedroom. She found a dark blue evening gown hanging in the bedroom that somehow sparkled even more than the lake. I guess this is what I’m wearing tonight.
CHAPTER 13
Wil examined his son. “Maybe we should have fitted you for a TSS uniform instead.”
The charcoal gray suit Jason wore fit with the tailored finesse he’d expect from anything supplied by his grandparents for a formal occasion, but it didn’t look right to see someone who so closely resembled himself in anything other than TSS attire. It’s not fair to impose that on him. That doesn’t make me any better than my grandparents trying to woo them in the ways of Taran politics.
Jason looked himself over in the floor-length mirror. “I’m not really in the TSS yet.”
“You are enrolled… classes just haven’t started,” Wil pointed out.
His son sighed. “I wish we didn’t have to dress up at all.”
“Well, that much is unavoidable.”
Jason stepped away from the mirror. “What are we supposed to do? Is this like a dance, or what?”
“No, it’s not some sort of old-timey ball,” Wil replied with a soft smile. “It’s more like a business cocktail hour—except the business being conducted is politics and strategic alliances.”
“Great.” Jason’s face drained.
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to talk about any of that. But I won’t lie—you’ll probably be swarmed by a number of potential suitors.”
“You have to be kidding.”
Wil gave him a sympathetic look. “I wish I was. I got roped into one of these when I was a few years older than you. Fortunately, I had your mom with me. That was the night I proposed, actually.”
“So that story you told us about Vienna…” Jason started.
“That wasn’t how it happened,” Wil confirmed. “We had to recreate many aspects of our lives when we decided to raise you on Earth.”
“This,” Jason made an all-encompassing gesture of their surroundings, “the TSS, Tararia… It’s a lot to pretend didn’t exist.”
“It was hard. Really hard, sometimes, to keep up the front,” Wil admitted. “Anytime you had a bad day at school or talked about something you wished you could do, I wanted to tell you that so much more was possible than what you could see. Especially the last couple of years when you were talking about college—we really considered telling you then. I know what it’s like to have plans for the future thrown out the window with no notice. I’d always strived to avoid doing that with you, but maybe it was inevitable. Either you could grow up surrounded by this and have the pressure of responsibility gradually added over the years or live in blissful ignorance and have it all thrust upon you at once. I had both, but I thought the latter would at least grant you a few good years.”
Jason released a slow breath. “Looking back on it, we did have a good childhood.”
I hope he’s not just saying that to make me feel better. “There’s a lot for you to look forward to now,” Wil continued. “While these last few days have been completely crazy, once you get settled into the TSS I’ll be able to teach you some pretty incredible things. The only reason I resisted you learning to drive a manual car is because I’d have rather been giving you flight lessons.”
His son’s eyes widened with excitement. “You fly outside of the simulators?”
“Oh yeah, of course. I learned to fly way before driving. Actually, I didn’t drive until I went to Earth with your mom for the first time. I started flight lessons in space when I was twelve.”
“That sounds awesome.”
Wil smiled. “I’ll take you out as soon as we get back. I don’t go out much anymore, but I love it.”
“I can’t wait!”
“All right, consider it done.”
Jason’s nerves seemed to settle. “I guess the party tonight will be the worst of it.”
“That’s my hope,” Wil agreed. “I’ll stay nearby and try to deflect all the political types from you.”
“That’d be great. I have no idea what to say.”
“Stars! I don’t most of the time, either. Most of the people around here don’t know how to interact with me since they know I’m TSS through and through, so they tend to leave me alone.”
Jason frowned. “See, I’d think that’d make you fascinating a
nd I’d want to learn more.”
“Well, there’s some more history behind it than that. For a long time, those with abilities were relegated to the outskirts of society. Even though the official stance of the Priesthood has changed over the last two generations, there’s a lot of lingering hostility—especially in the High Dynasties. No one wants to get too close to Agents.”
“Are they scared?”
“Not scared… Maybe intimidated.”
His son cocked his head. “Why?”
“Abilities like ours are rare these days. We are trained and committed to using those powers to defend and protect the Taran worlds, but there’s really nothing stopping us from abusing that power, and they know it. For that reason, there’s always been a bit of a tenuous truce between Agents in the TSS and the rest of society.”
“You mean, we could start reading their minds and manipulating them?” Jason questioned.
“Not just that, but physically overpower them. Weaponized telekinesis is very difficult to counter.”
“Is that what you teach in the TSS?”
Wil dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. “We teach students how to defend themselves, but our aim is never to hurt others.” At least not since the war ended. I’d hoped to never use my abilities like that again, but there’s no telling what we may need to do to bring down the Priesthood once and for all.
Jason examined him. “Did you have to hurt people during the war?”
“Yes.” I hope they never find out just how many.
His son nodded slowly. “I guess that’s why you don’t like talking about it.”
Wil searched for the right words. “There… was a lot about the war that wouldn’t make sense without the proper context. I just want to make sure we cover everything in the right order.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now,” Wil said, “we should probably put that topic on hold and go retrieve your mom and sister. Being late to the party won’t make for a great first impression.”
Jason glanced at himself one more time in the mirror. “All right. Lead the way.”
They headed out into the residential corridor and walked several meters down the hall to Raena’s quarters adjacent to Jason’s.
Wil hit the electronic chime next to Raena’s door. He glanced over at Jason. “Sorry again about all this formality.”
Jason tugged awkwardly at the bottom hem of his suit jacket. “It’s fine.”
“I appreciate you saying so.”
His son shrugged in response.
Wil smiled reassuringly. “Look, just remember you have the upper hand. Everyone will be vying for your attention but you don’t owe them anything.”
“Was that an invitation to mess with them?” Jason asked.
“Oh, please do.”
The door to Raena’s quarters cracked open.
“Are you ready?” Wil questioned when she didn’t emerge.
“Yes, she’s ready,” Saera said in reply.
As the door swung open the rest of the way, Raena stood framed in the entryway.
Wil’s breath caught when he saw her looking so much like her mother when they first met. The sapphire blue dress interwoven with iridescent threads shimmered even in the low lighting with every movement. While the V-neck cut of the dress and wide straps were relatively modest, the form-fitting bodice underscored Wil’s realization that Raena was very far from his little girl anymore. “You look beautiful,” he told her.
“Damn,” Jason said from next to him.
Raena blushed. “I just about died when I saw this waiting for me. It’s so…” She trailed off as she ran a hand over the fabric on the side of her thigh.
“It fits you perfectly,” Wil told her. “Come along, we shouldn’t keep the guests waiting.”
“Would it be wrong to create a literal telekinetic bubble around her?” Wil asked Saera.
“She’ll grow up whether we consent to it or not, so it’s probably best she learn how to fend off the animals sooner than later,” his wife replied. “All the same, I wouldn’t stop you.” She flashed him a coy smile.
Raena took a hesitant step into the hall, finding her balance in the unfamiliar heels.
Saera confidently followed her out into the hall and closed the door to the room. “Four Generations of Sietinens together for the first time in decades. This party will be the talk of Tararia.”
The flush on Raena’s face deepened. “Great.”
“Yay…” Jason murmured with thick sarcasm as the four of them made their way down the hall toward the main ballroom.
“The way I look at it,” Wil said, “by the end of the night, you’ll either love us a lot more or hate us once you see what you were missing all these years.”
“Really have my fingers crossed for the former,” Saera added.
Raena glanced at Wil. “I doubt we’d hate you.”
“We kept an entire galactic society hidden from you for sixteen years,” Wil replied. “I expect a good deal of resentment.”
“You had some valid reasons…” his daughter said.
“But at the same time, we could have grown up with all this,” Jason countered, making an all-encompassing gesture.
“I can’t even imagine,” Raena murmured. She stopped walking. “Sorry, I need to fix the strap on this shoe.” She leaned her left hand on the wall and brought her right foot off the ground so she could adjust the placement of the straps on the opened-toed heeled sandal with her free hand.
Just as she finished arranging the main straps in the center into a more comfortable configuration, a segment of the wall she was leaning against pulled inward. Conditioning from years of martial arts classes helped her quickly regain her balance.
A young man in his late-teens with dark brown hair and gray eyes appeared in the previously hidden doorway to the servant passage. He froze when he saw them out in the hall. “My lord, I’m sorry, I—” He cut off when he locked eyes with Raena in front of him.
An electric spark of telekinetic energy passed between them, invisible to most but unmistakable to Wil. The young man tore his gaze away from Raena.
Stars! Was that a resonance reaction? Wil glanced at Saera and she seemed equally confused. “Quite all right,” Wil said to set the young man at ease. Who is he?
Saera must have been thinking the same thing. “I’ll take the kids. Get his name,” she told Wil telepathically. “All set, Raena? Let’s go.” She urged the twins to continue down the hall.
Raena glanced one more time at the apparent servant before complying.
“I’ll catch up with you,” Wil told them. He then turned his attention to the young man who was still standing awkwardly in the recessed doorway. “Hello.”
The teenager gulped. “My lord—”
“You opened a door while doing your job and we happened to be standing here,” Wil stated. “It’s fine.”
“We’re not supposed to be seen…”
Wil smiled. “My grandparents can be elitist pricks sometimes.”
The servant’s gray eyes widened with shock.
That got his attention. “What’s your name?” Wil continued.
“Ryan, my lord. Ryan Pernelli.”
“And what is your position here?”
“I’m a maintenance tech, my lord,” Ryan replied, keeping his gaze downcast. “Communications systems, mostly.”
It was obvious to Wil’s trained senses that Ryan had latent telekinetic abilities, which was only confirmed by the charge that passed between him and Raena. However, it made no sense how someone with that magnitude of potential could be a lowly maintenance tech. “Are your parents also in the Sietinen Dynasty’s employ?”
Ryan shook his head. “No, my lord. I’ve been a Ward since I was six years old.”
Did his parents know he would develop abilities and that’s why they gave him up? The TSS is the only home for people like him. Wil was tempted to offer him a training position in the next cohort on the spot, but he decide
d to wait. Was the connection with Raena like what I have with Saera, or was she just the first non-bonded person with abilities he’d been exposed to?
“Do you need my services, my lord?” Ryan asked when Wil remained silent.
“No,” Wil replied. “Sorry to have held you up.”
Ryan bobbed his head and stepped into the hallway, closing the door to the servant passageway so it was once again indistinguishable from the wall. He hurried down the hall and ducked into a small conference room reserved for overnight guests to make private video calls.
Wil hung back for another minute, still processing the interaction. Someone with strong ability potential working for the Dynasty. Knowing us, that can’t be a coincidence. He set off at a light jog to catch up with his family, devising a test to help him decide his next steps. Depending on the outcome, the next few days might prove very enlightening.
* * *
Sounds of music and conversation filled the hall as Raena approached the reception room with her family. The indistinct hum of voices gave the impression of a large crowd. How big is this party?
The corridor terminated in a set of carved double doors, which were presently closed and flanked by two attendants.
“Uh oh,” Wil said when he saw the closed doors. “I remember this. They probably want to formally present you.”
“What does that mean?” Jason questioned with audible alarm.
“Pretty much display you on the stairs for all to see before they throw you to the wolves,” Wil replied.
Raena’s jaw dropped.
Her father smiled. “I’m mostly kidding. Well, not really. But, we’re here for backup. It’ll be fine.” He stepped toward the door and the attendants came to attention. “Sooner we go in, the sooner it’ll be over.”
Reluctantly, Raena positioned herself in front of the door.
Jason came to stand next to her. “This is stupid,” he muttered.
