“Oh,” Nica said with a sigh. “You’ll give me rides sometimes though, won’t you? Dodi gives me rides on his shoulders sometimes, and that’s fun, but Mana is always afraid he’ll drop me. I don’t think she’ll be afraid if you do it though cause you’re bigger and stronger.”
“Yes, we absolutely will give you rides, and we won’t ever drop you,” Vikter said, barely knowing what it was he was saying. He looked up and saw that they still hadn’t gotten out of the driveway yet.
“Hunt,” he said, “I think you can drive a bit faster than this.”
“No, Vikter, I don’t think that I can,” Hunt admitted.
“I’ll drive,” Lance said. He got out of the car, took Hunt’s place behind the wheel and put the ground-car in gear before pulling out of the driveway and turning toward the Davis’s guesthouse. He was driving more slowly than usual, but at least they’d get there before nightfall.
***
Jackson Bearen smiled as he watched Hope go from Harlan, to Matt, to Weld, kissing each of the sleeping babies very lightly so as not to wake them before tucking them in. Harlan, as usual, had kicked off his blanket entirely before tossing it on the floor. Matt had turned himself completely around in his crib so that his feet were on his pillow and his head beneath the blanket. Weld was the only one of the triplets who seemed to sleep peacefully, his head on his pillow, his blanket tucked around him just as Tess had left it when putting them to bed earlier.
When Hope was finished she left the room, smiling, but looking very tired. Jackson resisted the urge to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom. Sometimes Hope didn’t mind being hauled around, as she called it, but he sensed that this was not one of those times.
“Come in to the living room, niha,” he said, walking down the hall beside her. “Clark has made some hot chocolate for you, and Rob has started a fire.”
“Plying me with comforts,” Hope said with an arched brow. “What’s up?”
“Nothing is up,” Jackson replied. “Nothing much anyway. We’d like to talk about what happened today is all.”
Hope nodded in agreement as they entered the living room. She went straight to her chair by the fireplace and held her hands out toward the flames, sighing with pleasure at the warmth.
“Are you cold, Aspara?” Clark asked.
“Not really,” Hope replied. “Just cool enough to enjoy the warmth of a fire. It feels so good to me, whether I’m cold or not.”
Rob handed her a cup of hot chocolate, and she wrapped her hands around the cup, breathing in the chocolate scented steam. “I like it too, even if I’m not cold,” he said.
“Hope, are you worried about what happened today?” Jackson asked, deciding that there was no reason to beat around the bush.
“Yes and no,” Hope replied. “I’m relieved that the babies are all right. But I’m troubled that no cause for their distress could be found. If I don’t know what caused it, how can I keep it from happening again?”
“Maybe Dr. Davis was wrong, and there was no distress,” Clark suggested.
“No, I don’t believe that for a moment,” Hope said at once. “Even if I didn’t trust my feelings about her, don’t forget that Jareth believed her even before he found a foreign substance in my body.”
“I know, I believed her as well,” Clark admitted. “I just don’t want to.”
“I wish Doc had been able to find it, whatever it was,” Rob said. “This is one of the rare occasions when our body’s ability to heal itself quickly works against us.”
“I’m going to do everything tomorrow just as I did today,” Hope said. “Then I’ll go to the clinic at the same time I went to Arima House, and Doc will draw some blood. Maybe he’ll be able to find the problem, whatever it is. It’s the only thing I can think of to do.”
“It’s a good idea,” Jackson said. “We’ll be with you every step of the way too.”
“Thanks,” Hope said. “I know you guys are as worried as I am. But I believe that between Honey, Doc, and Jareth, they’ll figure out what the problem is and correct it. Everything will be fine.”
“You’re putting that much faith in Honey Davis?” Clark asked.
“Yes, I am,” Hope replied. “Her talents are amazing.”
“If she has such strong talents, why isn’t she a berezi?” Rob asked.
“Maybe she is,” Jackson replied. Hope rolled her eyes.
“Do you think that every woman with a psychic power must be a berezi?” she asked.
“Of course not,” Jackson replied. “However, the reverse is true. All berezi have psychic powers.”
“Berezi or not, I don’t care,” Hope said. “Though I hope for her sake that she’s not, since she’s married. What’s important to me is the fact that she’s an obstetrician with a psychic gift that is more wonderful than any I’ve ever heard of. I think we should try to convince her to stay here, on Jasan.”
Jackson studied Hope for a few moments. She was putting a lot of faith in a woman she’d only just met, but that wasn’t what bothered him. That she was being so adamant about it did bother him. That wasn’t like Hope at all.
“Niha, there is something else bothering you,” he said. “What is it?”
Hope set her cup down on the small table next to her chair and sighed. “Yes, there is something else,” she admitted. “I meant to speak with you about it, but with everything that happened today I thought it might not be a good idea to bring it up.”
“But it’s still bothering you,” Clark said.
“Yes, it is,” Hope said. “I just don’t want to upset the three of you.”
“Knowing you are worried about something is upsetting for us,” Clark said. “Please, share it.”
“All right,” Hope agreed. She absently traced the owl tattoos on one wrist with her finger while she told the Bearens about Aisling’s letter, and her conversation with Lariah. When she was finished Jackson shook his head.
“Niha, you cannot be saying that you believe we should allow the Narrasti to go unpunished for all they have done,” Jackson said. “They killed your sister, and Grace. They imprisoned Berta for her entire adult life. The crimes and sins laid at their door are too numerous to count.”
“It was the Brethren who did those things, not the Narrasti,” Hope said. “That the Brethren are part Narrasti does not make the Narrasti responsible for their actions.”
“It is difficult for me to separate the two, I admit,” Jackson said. “But the Narrasti did rescue the Brethren from Earth, so they are obviously allies, at the least.”
“I don’t like the Narrasti or the Brethren,” Hope said. “But Jackson, I have suffered more personal loss at their hands than you. So why is it that your anger with them is so much stronger than my own?”
“The Jasani have always been at war with the Narrasti,” Jackson said. “Maybe it’s something bred into our blood and bones. We battled from the beginning, and we will battle until the end. Our preference is that we win that battle, and only by wiping them out can we be certain of our victory.”
“How do you know that you have always been at war with them?” Hope asked.
Jackson opened his mouth, then closed it.
“Everyone knows it,” Clark said. “All of the stories say so.”
“But how do you know it?” Hope insisted. “Is there proof? Writings? Paintings?”
“Eldar Hamat has taught us the stories handed down for generation upon generation,” Jackson said. “He is the only member of our race who lived before the Dark Time. Are you saying that he has lied to us?”
“Of course not,” Hope said. “Eldar Hamat would never do such a thing. I am sure he taught you the truth exactly as it was taught to him. I’m only asking how true the stories are that he was taught. That’s all.”
“Our world was destroyed,” Jackson said. “We have nothing that speaks of a history other than the one we know. At some point we must choose to either believe what we are told, or not. We believe it.”
***
Michael awoke just as Honey was getting ready to climb into bed.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, relieved to see that his color was back to normal, though he still looked tired.
“Better,” he said. “I’m hungry though. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hungry.”
“Probably because you aren’t used to using your psychic ability,” she said. “Luckily, Aunt Berta sent dinner over for us and she sent enough for a family of ten. Why don’t you go jump in the shower and I’ll heat up some food for you.”
“Thanks, Honey,” he said as he dragged himself out of bed. “In return, I’ll tell you all about my day. You won’t have to ask me any questions at all.”
“In that case, I’ll even give you some desert,” Honey said.
Michael paused in the bathroom doorway and turned to look at Honey carefully, hearing the worry in her voice. “It’s going to be fine, Honey,” he said. “You’ll see.”
“I hope so, Michael,” she said. “I really hope so.”
“Just give me a few minutes,” he said. “Then I’ll tell all.”
Honey watched Michael close the bathroom door, then she reached for her bathrobe and left the bedroom. She closed the door quietly behind her, not wanting to awaken Nica.
She entered the kitchen, turned on the light and opened the chiller. As she took dishes out and removed the covers, she thought about the Vulpirans. The more she saw of them, the more obsessed with them she began to feel. She’d been so surprised when they’d returned with Nica earlier. She hadn’t expected that, and wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Nica had a tendency to say things that shouldn’t be said in front of anyone other than herself or Michael.
Honey didn’t blame her. She was only five years old and the things she saw and heard were, for her, normal. Talking about them was normal too, for a child. But the Teriens didn’t see things that way, and the older she got, the more difficult it became to keep her with them all of the time without isolating her completely, and they didn’t want to do that. Nica was a very social child, and like any other child, she needed to interact with people outside of her own home.
Which was why Michael had worked so hard for the position on Earth so much earlier than they’d originally planned. It had always been the first step in their long-term plan to break free from Terien completely, but it was still only the first step. They were not free yet.
Now, here they were on Jasan. Definitely not a part of their plan, but the opportunity for Michael had been too good to pass up. She’d never dreamed that so many people could be so accepting of psychic abilities, but from what she’d seen so far, the Jasani didn’t see them as being anything out of the ordinary. It was a nice change, but she wasn’t sure getting used to it was a good idea. It was dangerous to forget, even for a moment, that they were under the thumb of the Teriens.
By the time Michael entered the kitchen a few minutes later, Honey had a plate heaped with hot food waiting for him. She opened a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass as he sat down and began eating. She waited patiently, sipping her wine as he satisfied the worst of his hunger.
Then he began talking. He told her about the Xanti that had been captured after trying to kill her Aunt, and that it was being held in a special enclosure right there on the ranch. He told her about his meeting with Sergio Farnswaite, and all that the man had told him.
Then he told her about connecting with the Xanti psychically. He didn’t give her too many details of that, and she didn’t want them. Instead, he focused on his reasons for feeling it was necessary. When he was finished, he emptied his wine glass, as though trying to wash away memories of the Xanti. She refilled it for him as he returned to his food.
“After we left the Xanti’s cell, I collapsed,” Michael said. “They took me to the infirmary, had a doctor named Doc, of all things, check me out. Then the Vulpirans brought me home, and here we are.”
Michael pushed his plate back and picked up his wine, letting Honey sift through everything he’d said. She understood why he’d revealed his psychic talent to the Vulpirans. But she was still scared.
“What happens if the Teriens find out?” she asked.
“I’m not sure it matters,” Michael said.
His offhand manner made her angry, but she held onto her temper. Getting mad wasn’t going to solve anything. “If you’re not careful, Michael, you’ll lose everything,” she said in a low voice. “We’ll lose everything.”
“The only thing we have that matters is ourselves, and Nica,” Michael said. “We’re both finished with school now, so they can’t hold that over us any more. You’re a doctor, like you always dreamed, and I’m a scientist, like I always dreamed. We’re hundreds of light years away, Honey, out of the Teriens’ reach.”
“Right now we’re out of their reach,” Honey said. “What happens when we return? If they find out about your psychic ability they’ll recall us to Terien immediately, and they’ll keep us there. We’ll never get another chance to escape. And what about your position in the Terien Scientific Federation? You worked very hard for that, Michael.”
“I’ve worked hard to become a scientist, not a member of the TSF,” Michael argued. “The only reason I worked so hard for a seat on the TSF was so we could get assigned to Earth. It was our only real chance to escape Terien, and we’ve done it.”
“They’ll take your credentials if we don’t go back, Michael, they said they would, and they will, just like they took mine before we left Earth to come on this trip. The only way for you to get around that is to make a name for yourself so big that they wouldn’t dare, and the best way to do that is the TSF. That’s what you told me, Michael. That was our plan. Now you’re telling me that...what? You don’t care about your credentials any more?”
“Of course I care about them,” Michael said. “But I think I’m known enough already. I get invited to all of the conferences now, I’ve even been invited to speak at a few, and the Jasani invited me here for my expertise. I think it’s possible for me to be accepted for the knowledge in my head, and my abilities, even if Terien revokes my credentials.”
“What if you’re wrong?” she asked. “What if they revoke your credentials and nobody else wants us? What will we do then?”
“Honey, I don’t want to go back,” Michael said. “Not ever. After we’ve been here for a while, I’m going to talk to the Vulpirans about the possibility of us remaining here, on Jasan. I’ll ask them if there’s a position for me. If they say no, then I’m going to look for another world that will take me. I’ve made up my mind, Honey. I’m never going back to Terien again.”
“What about me and Nica?” Honey asked, suddenly frightened. “Are you going to just leave us here?”
“Of course not,” Michael said. “You two are the only people who matter to me any more, and I would never abandon you. But Honey, we’ve bent ourselves to the shape and size of the mold the Teriens demanded of us for long enough. I’m tired of living a lie. Aren’t you?”
“Of course I am,” Honey said with a sigh. “But I’m also afraid that the Teriens will take Nica.”
“They’re not going to do that,” Michael said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I know you’re afraid of it, but honestly, it makes no sense. There’s no reason for them to take her, Honey. If they wanted her, they wouldn’t have allowed us to bring her to Jasan.”
Honey sighed. Maybe Michael was right. She was still afraid, though.
“Forget about the Teriens for a moment and look around you,” he continued. “The people here are willing to accept that I have psychic abilities. I see no reason why they wouldn’t accept the same in you, and Nica.”
“Actually, all of the women at Arima House know of my abilities,” she admitted. “They know that Nica has an ability too, but I didn’t say what it was. They not only accepted it without batting an eye, they were excited about it. I did like being accepted that way Michael, so I do understand what you’re saying.”
“See
?” Michael said brightly. “It’s all going to work out, Honey.”
“I hope so,” Honey said. “I really do.”
“Be patient, Honey. Give it a little time. I really believe that Jasan is exactly the right place for us.”
“I’ll be patient,” she agreed. “But please, Michael, be careful who you tell our secrets to. Just in case. That’s all I ask.”
“The Vulpirans are trustworthy,” Michael insisted. “Outside of them, I won’t tell anyone anything without discussing it with you, first.”
***
“Nica is an adorable child,” Hunt said as he gazed into the fireplace of their own guesthouse. “So bright, and so beautiful. She looks much like her mother.”
“I wish we’d asked her to tell us more, or even why she said what she said,” Lance said
“We couldn’t cross-examine a child, Lance,” Vikter said.
“I’m satisfied with what she did say,” Hunt declared. “I had no hope at all, in spite of your words, Vikter. Now, I do.”
“How do we know it wasn’t just the imaginings of a five year old?” Lance asked.
“I think you two are missing the more important questions,” Vikter said as he rose from his chair to add another log to the fire.
“Which are?” Lance asked.
“First, why would Nica say that her mother was going to marry us, when she is already married to Michael?” Vikter said.
“Maybe something is going to happen to Michael,” Hunt suggested.
“Maybe they’re going to end their marriage,” Lance put in. Hunt and Vikter both stared at him. “You know that humans end their marriages all the time,” he said. “It’s a natural part of a society where finding one’s soul-mate is a guessing game. Mistakes are bound to happen, and happen often.”
“All right,” Vikter said, turning back to the fire, “if either of those two suggestions is true, and I admit that I can think of no others, then why was the child not upset?”
Lance and Hunt stared at him in surprise. “I hadn’t thought of that,” Lance said.
The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga Page 8
