Rai turned to leave, almost slamming into her sister.
"I'd like to talk about our plans," Bauleel said. "I know Vida wants to teach the Core a lesson and she's considering wiping out the colony. We four need to negotiate with her. Now, before things get out of control again."
Rai gripped her plate tighter, willing the helplessness to not show on her face. Moons, she was so, so tired.
"Rai needs to rest first, Bauleel," Graeber's voice cut in. "We're all in need of a little time to wind down after today's events, don't you think?" There was an undeniable 'you do not want to challenge me on this point' edge to his voice.
Bauleel's amiable expression turned grim, her brows drawing together and lips thinning. She looked every inch the Matriarch she once was, and more than willing to challenge Graeber despite his firm stance. Neither was used to being told what to do.
Rilte stepped up next to Bau. "The man's got a point. Tensions are running high at the moment. Why don't we find out how lovely these Sanctuary accommodations are?" Rilte asked.
"I simply don't want to run out of time. The Assessor could have the Core assembled in a matter of hours," Bauleel replied. Rilte reached out and placed an arm around Bauleel's shoulders, and she in return leaned into his touch, relenting if only for the moment.
Rai couldn't help but pick up on their chemical signatures with her enhanced senses. She was surprised Bauleel had become so close to a non-Core member, and that she'd been able to open herself up to anyone. But perhaps that was exactly how Rilte had gotten past her defenses. How could Rai be anything but happy for them?
"There will be time. I promise you," Rai replied. "Vida will delay them if necessary." Could they hear the lie in her voice? When would they suspect? Rai just needed some time to think.
"Good enough for me," Rilte replied. "See you both in a few hours." Rilte pulled Bauleel along by the hand down one of the lighted paths. Bauleel cast a meaningful look over her shoulder.
"Don't stress about it right now, Bauleel," Graeber called after them. "We'll work it all out. Go." He turned his full attention to Rai, and his look of concern only intensified. Wordlessly, he took the plate of food from her and gestured to the other lighted path.
At the end of the gravel lane, they reached a tall, arched doorway, which opened into a spacious suite decorated in earth tones and devoid of the jungle plants from the main Sanctuary area. The center of the room contained a squat but large square bed, there was a shower in one corner, and an eating area consisting of a short table surrounded by a bench covered with overstuffed cushions.
Graeber placed her plate on the table. "Why don't you eat first?"
Rai sat at the table and picked at the foods on her plate. There was comfort in eating, although Rai didn't have to eat much anymore. Not since Vida had moved in. Rai took a tentative bite.
"I'll be right back." Graeber had walked out the door before her mind had processed the words.
Rai ate, curious what he was up to. In a few minutes he returned, drinks in one hand and a bundle of plush fabric under one arm. She couldn't miss noticing the wild quality to his eyes.
"We're in luck. Traken had some hominid-shaped sleeping robes on hand. They aren't perfect, but I think they'll do. I had him take some to Bauleel and Rilte too."
"That's thoughtful of you." Rai shoved the food around on her plate, having only eaten about a quarter of it.
"I look after my own. You know that." He dumped the robes on the bed. "Not hungry?" She shrugged, and he set down water and a wine bottle in front of her. "Do you drink anything anymore?" He forced a grin, but it was slight and touched with worry.
Rai realized that, despite having her memories back, and despite knowing she'd been bonded to this man for multiple human lifetimes, they were not the same people they were before. Rai had no idea where her future lay and doubted Graeber would find a path alongside her own.
Rai shrugged her shoulders. "I don't get particularly hungry or thirsty anymore. Not since my transformation. But eating makes me feel more ... normal. It's a comfort."
Graeber opened a water bottle and took a long pull. "May I sit next to you?"
"Yes." Rai patted the bench beside her, and he lithely slid onto the roomy seat. His substantial presence, so familiar in Kilawren's memories, stirred a level of comfort reminiscent of long-lost home within her being.
"Tell me, Graeber. Are you afraid of me? Of Vidaaquar?"
He barked out a laugh. "I have never feared you. I can't even conceive of such emotion with you."
"How can you be so sure? I have no idea what Vida or the Juggernaut have in store for me."
"They don't matter. I will not lose you again. And I have nothing to fear from you," Graeber replied. He reached out a hand and, after a brief hesitation, Rai took it in her own.
Rai didn't shut him out, and their mental connection deepened, two minds brushing past one another along a dark corridor. "You don't know me anymore, Graeber. Not who I am now. Or even, what I am."
"I agree, you are no longer the Kilawren I knew and loved. But Vida is a layer of you. Rai is another layer, one I have also known for a time, although less well. Vida is another layer of you, and I accept all that you are, in this present moment. If I didn't, I would not be worthy of your trust nor respect."
"Vida could erase me at any time." Rai took a moment to probe for Vida's consciousness, yet she remained distant and still as stone. "I cannot predict her actions."
"I can feel your anxiety, your confusion," he replied. There were no secrets between skin talkers. "Rai," he spoke in a whisper, and she met his eyes, hers full of frustration, his full of wonder. At that moment, she calmed, his presence steady and steadfast. "Open to me."
Her gut twisted, knowing what he asked, wanting to give it, but unsure she was willing to strip herself bare to him yet.
"I told you, I'm not afraid of you. Of what you've become."
Rai nodded, and let down the last of her shields. Defenses she didn't even realize she'd been gripping tightly to, and then Graeber's mind flooded into hers. In turn, her mind flooded into his consciousness, and they blended together, feeling what the other felt in each movement, each breath. Every touch amplified and echoed between them, an awareness shared.
Rai felt his focus as a thirst long unquenched, awaiting reconnection with the one he'd lost long ago. Rai reached out with a part of herself to fill his void, and she felt him strengthen, become more like her. Less human, more Progenitor.
None of that was of consequence, however, as Rai was lost in the timeless space between them.
"I feel, different," he said. "Energized. You gave me something. A part of yourself? Of her?" It was less a question and more a statement of fact.
"I felt you needed it. It won't make you like me. Well, I don't think so, at least." She frowned.
"We'll see." Icy blue eyes pierced hers, and she felt him probing. Felt him encounter the solidity of the dormant Vida, his eyes filling with questions. "What happened in the Marker?"
Rai's eyes erupted with unbidden tears. "Let me show you." She pulled up her memories of the entire episode, replayed it in her mind, including her attempts to rouse Vida afterward. Graeber's face grew grim.
"Who'd have thought our invincible Progenitor could be so fragile?" he replied. Rai felt his compassion for Vida, and for a moment they both marveled over the kindness they felt for a being who'd caused so much destruction. "Are we concerned for Vida because she's an asset to us in negotiating with the Juggernaut, or has she influenced our perception of her in some way?"
"I don't know how we could know if Vida modified our awareness? And yes, Vida being unavailable for this meeting leaves us in a tight spot, doesn't it? The Juggernaut expect a Progenitor to perform in short order." Rai knew the tide of her panic swelled just beneath the surface, surging to break free. "What do we do when they return?"
Graeber smiled. "We give them their Progenitor." He looked at her meaningfully.
"We fake it? I fak
e it?" Rai asked.
"Yes, and if we play it right, we get an outcome more suited to our liking."
"That's a dangerous game. Vida could awaken at any time." A shudder ran through Rai. "And her wrath is fearsome."
"I'm willing to risk it. The alternative is worse. Consider telling the Juggernaut the Progenitor has gone dormant, and they can do as they will with the planet. What then?" He stroked a hand down her cheek, but the truth of his words cut deep.
"They'd declare this planet a Sanctuary, just like all the rest where they've discovered Progenitor relics. They'd destroy our colony, wipe out all evidence of human existence, and keep us as some sort of lab rats." Rai shuddered.
"They'd keep you, Rai. You're a relic to them. The Core? Perhaps they'd keep some of us for experiments, but the Assessor was quite clear in his opinion of our use of Methuselah treatments. Without Vida to speak up to protect us..."
"There is no other option," Rai resolved. Too many lives hung in the balance. "But can I do all of the tricks a Progenitor does? She'd just begun to show me her abilities."
"You lighted the way to our rooms without her help. How'd you do that?"
"Her, my, mind's eye. I suppose it's a part of me now?"
"I wager it's hardwired into your new physiology, not her consciousness."
"You're right. I do have access to Vida's tricks. At least the ones I've seen her use. Even if I'm like a child using them compared to her expert hand."
Graeber turned her towards him, eyes dark with worry. "What about the move she used on Terem? Can you do that, if you have to?"
Sorrow filled her heart. She hated having to admit it, especially to him. She nodded. "I already have."
His expression became grim, "No, that's good," he replied. "Because you will be called upon to repeat that particular performance. And soon."
A shiver ran down her spine. "I can and will if it means saving the colony." She placed a hand on his chest, savoring in the feel of his heartbeat, his breathing, and their connection. "For now, let's keep this secret between us, agreed?"
"Agreed. I wouldn't want to put any strain on Bauleel, and I fear it's beyond Rilte's ability for subterfuge."
Rai frowned. "That's my concern. One slip, and we could be ground to bits underneath the might of the Juggernaut Empire."
"We won't slip up. Not this time. Not working together."
Rai curled up against him and pushed the negative thoughts away with the grounding of his energy. They would succeed because the price of failure was too high.
Chapter 31
Rai, awaking from slumber, sensed the coming of the Assessor with her mind's eye. She goaded Graeber to alertness. "We must wake the others. Brague is on his way." He sensed her knowing through their contact, and didn't question further, rose and dressed. Rai stood and examined her sleeping robe, adjusting it to sit squarely on her shoulders.
"You're not going to wear that?" he asked, pulling on his leather pants.
She shot him a sly grin. "Of course not." Focusing, she transformed the elements in the robe into a layered silken gown in oceanic blues which hugged her form, yet fanned out in layers around her calves and elbows. With a shake of her head, her auburn curls fell into place. She left her feet unshod, preferring the contact and knowledge gained from contact with the ground.
"All women would envy your newfound talents." He buttoned up his shirt, shaking his head ruefully.
"Aye, but not the price I've paid. Let's go."
He pulled on his boots and grabbed his cape as they walked out the door. Rai steered them to the room Bauleel and Rilte occupied and knocked. Moments later they answered, fully clothed.
Rilte noted her change of clothing. "Clever trick."
"Is there still time to discuss our options?" Bauleel asked, anxiety weighing down in her voice.
"Yes, the Assessor just now finished gathering the Core members," Rai replied.
"That doesn't give us much time to negotiate with Vida." Bauleel's hands worried at each other.
"Rai had conversations with her last evening, and I believe we have come to an arrangement," Graeber replied.
Rilte perked up. "Well, that's good news then, yes?"
"What sort of an arrangement?" Bauleel asked, wary.
"She has relented on her insistence to destroy the colony," Rai replied. "The Temples and the current breeding methodology have to go. I don't see a way the Juggernaut would abide by it otherwise. But Vida feels she can now incorporate the humans into her overall plan."
Bauleel let out a long breath. "That's a huge relief!"
"Wait." Rilte was guarded. "What exactly is the 'overall plan'?"
"She's been transforming the planet into beings like herself. Like me. Humans will be a part of this change," Rai explained. "It's the intended natural order on this planet."
Rilte shook his head. "You're asking too much. I've seen what it can do unchecked to the adult mind. Terem is a prime example."
"To the adult mind, yes. If children were raised to be shifters, it could be different. And those of us in the Core fared well through the change." Rai met his gaze, and the anger percolating within. "You need to understand, what's in the bio-system here, it's not going away. Vida's changes can't be fought, only accepted."
Rilte's fear bubbled under the surface. Bauleel's hands fidgeted. "But humanity will lose something in this process, becoming something different. New. Many will reject the change. Vida will not bend on this?" Bauleel asked.
Rai's heart went out to Bauleel, but she and Graeber had been over the possibilities all night. Removing the changes Vida had wrought on the planet was simply beyond Rai's understanding and abilities. The colonists would have to adapt.
"Will she stop the plague? Can we at least get that much?" Rilte spat out, face flushed.
"That is agreed." Rai nodded, keeping her face calm. Could she instigate such a change on her own? Much hinged on her ability to not only imitate the Progenitor role but also wield Vida's powers with deft precision.
Within her mind's eye, she felt the presence of the Assessor board the Sanctuary ship. "We must go now. He approaches." Rai turned and faced Graeber, and for a moment her mask slipped, and she knew he saw into the panic floating under the surface.
Graeber reached up and cupped her shoulder. Through the skin bond, his thoughts were clear. "Never forget the Progenitors are invincible, untouchable to the Juggernaut. They may challenge you, but they will never seek to harm you," he communicated. "Show them no fear, for you are the vessel of their creators."
Rai's eyes dropped, and she mentally touched Vida's stone cold shoulder. "Yes, I'm a walking Seed Marker and specimen, all rolled into one indestructible package."
"You're indestructible?" His lips twitched in a hint of a smile.
Rai laughed. "Maybe?"
Graeber pulled his hand away, breaking the connection. "We'd better get going," he replied. At least he'd lightened her mood.
"What was that all about?" Bauleel asked her, voice lowered.
"He told me a joke to lighten my mood. And it worked," Rai smiled at her sister. "Don't worry too much, today will be hard, but I have a feeling Vida will cooperate."
"I hope you're right," Rilte replied. "The fate of the colony depends upon her edicts."
"As she's well aware," Rai replied, turning away from them both to stem the tide of questions and advice. They meant well, but they also didn't know the full situation, and it was better if they played along as if nothing had changed.
Rai swept out of the room without further discussion, and the rest followed, Graeber closest behind her. When she neared the central area of the ship where the Assessor awaited her, she walked right up to him and met his gaze fearlessly.
"All is in place, Progenitor," Brague inclined his head.
"I am aware / Let us proceed," Rai spoke, using the Progenitor's gift for multidimensional speech. Without waiting for a response, she swept past Brague and headed for the exit via the ship's circuitous r
oute. Everyone followed her, but Graeber came alongside.
When their eyes met, he had an unspoken question for her. "I understood you back there. How?"
"The energy sharing?" she replied with a smile. "It's a good thing, now you'll understand all of the Juggernaut."
"That's a definite edge." He kept his smile contained to his eyes, and soon they both refocused on the path ahead.
Outside of the ship, a new day had dawned, and with it, more Juggernaut and their transport ships crowded the area. Yet Rai knew with her mind's eye where to go. No doubt Brague would lead them, but she needed to prove her abilities, lest they are questioned later.
When other Juggernaut she didn't recognize saw her coming, they backed away, bowing and groveling to clear her path. Her image must have been circulated within Brague's crew. They reached the area where the Juggernaut had corralled the Core members. The Guardians had been kept in another group, except for the few who'd been Core themselves, like Graeber's sister Raza. The Juggernaut guards parted, and the four humans and the Assessor entered the area, facing a now irate group. The grumbling and whispering started when the crowd saw who was colluding in their captivity.
Brague stepped forward. "Let me be quite clear to your feeble minds. You will listen without complaint to the Progenitor. Her word is law to me, and my word is law to the Hegemony." He stepped back with a flourish, leaving her the proverbial floor.
Rai heard the whispers of 'Progenitor' rise up from the amassed Core gathered. In truth, just over two dozen of the original colonists and crew remained, and all stood beside or before her now.
Whispers of 'traitor' and 'murderer' followed close behind. Rai met their gazes, one by one. Some had defended her, some had abstained, but most had condemned her to death. They had all been colleagues, many friends, at one point. Rai no longer considered any of them worthy of her regard. Bauleel and Graeber alone had earned her trust. Either the Core would accept her offer, or they would perish. The time when she would have had misgivings over their potential fates was long past.
Dreams Manifest (The Depths of Memory Book 2) Page 23
