Mara clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to blurt out the answers to whatever they asked. It was time to use her head. She had information that nobody else had. Information that even Stalnek did not know she had. And she was not going to give it away for free.
“I want my freedom,” she said. Then she folded her hands on the table in front of her, and waited. After a long silence, Summer spoke, surprising her yet again.
“You murdered six men,” Summer said in a low voice. “Three of those men were your own sons. Do you believe that you own knowledge that is worth their lives?”
Mara considered that question carefully. As much as she wanted to lie, she knew that, for whatever reason, she was not going to be able to do it. Not now, not in front of these women. She wasn’t sure if they were using some sort of magic on her, or if one of them had a weird psychic ability to force truth from her, and in the end, she didn’t care. If they wanted truth, she would give them truth.
“I did not murder them,” she said. “I contacted William to tell him that my cover was blown, and to tell him that I needed to be transported off of Jasan as soon as possible. I made a deal with William, an exchange of favors. I did not know what he planned to do. I admit that I guessed what he would probably do. But I did not know, and I did not make that decision.”
She paused for a moment, then tilted her head thoughtfully. “To answer your question, Arima Katre, no, I do not believe that any information is worth the lives of my sons. Nonetheless, that is what I want.”
Princess Lariah stared at Mara for a long moment, her expression giving nothing of her thoughts away. “When you say that you want your freedom, what exactly do you have in mind?”
Mara felt her heart skip a beat but she forced herself to remain calm. “I do not expect to remain on Jasan,” she said. “I have no desire to return to Earth either. If I give to you what I have, and it gets back to the Brethren, they will never stop until they kill me. The Brethren are all about secrecy. No one on Earth who is not Brethren is even aware of their existence. No one alive, that is.
“What I want is a new identity, and transport to a new planet with enough money to live comfortably. That’s all. You’ll never see or hear from me again.”
“How can we be sure of that?” Saige asked.
“That’s easy,” Mara replied. “If you do, all you have to do is let the Brethren know where I am, and what I told. I can promise you that I would not live any longer than it would take for them to reach me.”
“Excuse me a moment,” Lariah said. She pushed her chair back, stood up and left the room. Mara guessed that she was discussing the deal with the Princes, and she wondered what they would say. After a little thought, she decided that if her eldest sons were present, they would not deal with her. If, on the other hand, her sons were not present, there was a chance they might agree.
“Arima Katre,” she said, addressing Summer with as much politeness as she could manage. “Are your Rami here, as well?”
Summer smiled. “You are incorrect,” she said. “The Dracon Princes will make their decision based on what is best for the Jasani people, both Clan and Citizen. They are far more honorable than you can imagine. And, no, Ms. Winicke, I do not read minds. Your thoughts are plain to see for any who wish to look.”
Mara was staggered by that. She had always been good at hiding her thoughts and feelings. It was her strongest survival skill, developed as a child growing up among enemies.
She nodded and continued to wait, taking extra care to give nothing of her thoughts away. After what seemed like forever, but was actually only a few minutes, Lariah returned and took her seat.
“We offer this,” she said without preamble. “You are permanently banished from Jasan for all time. You will receive a new identity which will remain classified, and you will receive a sum of money sufficient for your needs for a period of ten years. Beyond that, you will have to fend for yourself. If you attempt to return to Jasan, or if you attempt to contact any Jasani, Clan or Citizen, the deal will be nullified. If the information you give us is deemed to be of little import, or if we discover that your information is blatantly false, and this is no more than an attempt to gain freedom, the deal is off. If you agree to these terms, we have a deal.”
“That sounds fine to me,” she said with a careless shrug. “My information is real, and I have no wish to return to Jasan. I want only to be free.”
Saige cocked her head and studied Mara intently for a long moment. “You have not been free since you were ten years old, have you?”
Mara glanced up, then dropped her eyes to the table again. “No,” she said softly. “I haven’t.”
“If you will tell us what you know now, your information will be reviewed. If it is deemed to be of importance, arrangements will be made for you to be transported to Berria. You will be taken to see William, as I promised, and you will also be taken to your home to gather your personal effects. You will have one night in your home for that purpose. The following morning you will be returned to the skyport in Badia. By that time arrangements will be complete for your new identity, and your destination. Is this acceptable to you?”
Mara’s first thought was to ask how she could trust the Princess’s word, but she had not forgotten the strange woman standing behind her. Besides, she had no choice other than to trust them. This was her chance at freedom, true freedom, and she was going to take it.
“Yes, that is acceptable,” she said.
Suddenly, her lips felt numb and her mouth went dry. She had never even considered revealing the information she was now about to share. She had always known, even as a child, that it would cost her life to do so. Even when she’d collected the information she had known that, and had often asked herself why she was doing it.
Perhaps, she thought, some part of her had suspected that a day would come when she would need it as payment to purchase her life. She was scared, and this time she didn’t mind admitting it. But she was going to do it anyway.
“The Brethren have a number of what Stalnek called relics,” she began. “According to Stalnek, they’re items that came with the Brethren’s ancestors when they first arrived on Earth. As leader of the Brethren, Stalnek had custody of them. He kept them in a locked room in the house we lived in.
“I heard him talking about them sometimes with other Brethren that came to visit him. I learned enough to know that the two most important items were an ancient book that Stalnek called The Book of Knowledge, and a large crystalline ball that he called the Erekorra
“I became curious about those relics. More than that, actually. I think I became obsessed with them. I couldn’t help it. Everyone was so awed whenever they were mentioned, and I was dying to see what was behind that locked door. My life was very boring, so thinking about getting into that room and seeing those relics was pretty much all I did when I wasn’t chasing after William.
“Once my mother died, Stalnek paid more attention to the furniture than he did to me. He often forgot I was even there, which made him careless about what he said or did when I was around.
“When I was fifteen I saw him put the key to his secret room in its hiding place. Finally. I’d been trying to find it for years by that time. The next time he was gone for a few days on Brethren business, I got the key and went in.
“There were dozens of items, all set up on little tables all over the room. There were figurines, memory crystals, tablets and what looked like huge jewels. In the center of the room were two tables much bigger and fancier than the rest. One of them held a big crystalline ball about eight to ten inches in diameter. It was perfectly round with a smooth surface, and it had every color you can imagine constantly shifting and swirling within it. I figured that had to be the Erekorra. The other table held a book.
“The book was big, about two and half feet wide, three feet long and maybe ten inches thick. The pages were so thin you could almost see through them, and it was written in a language I had never seen before. I knew i
t had to be The Book of Knowledge that Stalnek talked about so often.
According to Stalnek, the book and the Erekorra were the most important items the Brethren had. I figured that made them the strongest weapons that could be used against them.
“The Erekorra was useless because Stalnek had no idea what it was, what it was for, or what it could do. It was the bane of his existence. He hated that he couldn’t figure it out. For all he knew it was nothing more than a fancy decoration. That left the book.
“I couldn’t steal the book. It was far too big for that. Eventually I decided that if I could get images of its pages, I could store them in a memory crystal. Then I could steal the book, without taking the book. Nobody would ever know I had it.
“For me, this was simply something to do with my mind. For all I knew, I would never leave that compound alive. I had no future, so I had no plans as to what I would actually do with the book, or the images, once I had them. So it didn’t matter how long it took me to accomplish my plan. It gave me a sense of satisfaction to know that I was doing something that Stalnek would have hated, and that he would never know about.
“It took me a year to get my hands on a vox that I could use to take the images with. In fact, it was a vox that Stalnek had given to William, and that I deliberately, and carefully broke so that it no longer worked as a vox, but would still take images. When it got tossed out, I retrieved it.
“Over the next several years I snuck into Stalnek’s room whenever I could and took images of the pages of that book, one page at a time. There was something about it that seemed to help me cope with my life. The older William got, the more risky it became, but for some reason, the higher the risk got, the more fun I had.
“When I was 24, William turned twelve, and Stalnek informed me that I was no longer needed to take care of him. He gave me a choice. I could either go to another compound to take care of other Brethren children, or I could go to Jasan and be a contract bride. Jasan had just begun advertising on Earth for contract brides, and I knew what Stalnek thought of Jasan, so I was, at first, shocked that he had even suggested such a thing to me.
“Then I learned that, if I chose to go to Jasan, it would be with the understanding that I worked for the Brethren, and that they would own my loyalty. I would inform them of any significant changes in Jasani government or military status, or, most importantly, if any Clan Jasani found their Arima.
“Of course I chose to come to Jasan. It was the closest I would ever come to having a life of my own, in spite of the constant threats of what would happen should I ever fail to report. But I wasn’t leaving without the images I had risked so much, and spent so long getting.
“I transferred the images to a memory crystal, which was simple enough, but I knew that everything I had would be scrutinized before I left. I was not going to be allowed to take a memory crystal. So I had to get creative.
“My Mother had a necklace that she gave to me before she died. It was simple, just a blue stone set in silver, hanging on a silver chain, but it was a large stone. So I transferred the images to a memory crystal of the same shape and size, and replaced the pendant with it. The problem I had was matching the color. I had to delete some of the images in order to match the color of the original stone. But it worked. I was able to leave Earth with the necklace, and nobody ever guessed that the stone was actually a memory crystal.”
“You brought the memory crystal to Jasan?” Princess Lariah asked.
“Yes,” Mara replied smugly “Do you think that information is worth the bargain we made?”
“Yes, I am certain that it is,” Princess Lariah replied.
Mara raised one hand to the silver chain hanging around her neck. She wrapped her fingers around it and yanked hard. The chain snapped and came loose in her hand, which she thrust out over the table, pulling the pendant from beneath the neck of her blouse.
She froze at the sight of Arima Katre’s unsheathed sword positioned motionlessly a hair above her wrist, and the feel of cold metal against her throat. She didn’t dare breathe.
“I’m afraid your sudden movement has caused my friends to react in a protective manner,” Lariah said coolly. “If you will open your hand and allow the object you are holding to fall to the table, that may help.”
Mara did as Lariah asked, dropping the big blue crystal onto the table with a thud and a slither of chain. The blade against her throat disappeared, but it was several seconds before Summer lifted the blade threatening to remove her hand at the wrist.
Mara wasn’t altogether sure what surprised her the most. Arima Katre’s obvious skill with the sword, her speed, or the absolute knowledge that they could, and would, maim or kill her without a second’s hesitation. These women were nothing like what she had thought they would be. They were berezi, yes, but they were nothing like her mother had been. They were strong, confident and self-assured. And very dangerous.
Arima Katre slid her sword back into its sheath, and sat back down, much to Mara’s overwhelming relief. The dark blue stone lying on the table glittered in the overhead light, capturing everyone’s attention. After a moment, Saige reached out and slid the stone across the table toward Princess Lariah.
Lariah looked at the stone for another few moments, but she did not reach out for it. Instead, she raised her eyes to Mara again.
“You have worn this stone for all of these years, haven’t you?” she asked.
Mara nodded, but she did not speak. There really wasn’t anything for her to say.
“I have one further question for you,” Princess Lariah said, “and a request.”
“All right,” Mara said, trying to sound calm though her heart was still racing from her near death experience a moment earlier.
“Why did you attempt to steal the blood of my daughter?”
“That was the bargain I made with William,” Mara replied. “We exchanged favors. That was what he wanted. He did not tell me why, but I can guess.”
“Please do so,” Princess Lariah said.
“Berezi are extremely difficult to find,” Mara said. “They always have been, and from what little I could gather from William over the past few years, they have become even more difficult to find than ever. I believe that they wanted the blood of one of your daughters to determine if she is berezi. Of course, that is just my guess.”
“I have a question for you as well,” Arima Katre put in. “Or two.” Mara turned to the dark haired woman, trying once again to meet the other woman’s gaze, and failing.
“How many Brethren are there, and where is the compound you lived in?” Arima Katre asked.
“When I was a child, I think there were about three thousand Brethren, from what I overheard here and there over the years,” Mara replied. “The Brethren prefer to live in large compounds of several families grouped together. Many of those compounds were near, or in, major cities that were destroyed during the Bolkin Wars, nearly decimating the Brethren completely. There were a handful of Brethren who preferred to live in smaller family groups, as Stalnek did, and only they survived.
“Stalnek sent William to Li-Hach-Cor to live for his safety, in case another attack occurred on Earth. A few years ago William told me that there were only about 80 Brethren left. I have no idea how many there are now, or even if William was telling the truth. Nor do I have any idea where the compound was that I lived in. I know only that it was in a desert.”
“I also have a question for you,” Arima Lobo said. Mara felt the woman’s eyes boring into her and gritted her teeth against saying something rude. She preferred the eyes over the feel of cold steel blade.
“Yes?” she asked shortly.
“You hate your mother for being weak, that is clear,” she said. “But do you hate berezi because your mother was one, or do you hate berezi because you are not one?”
“Both,” Mara replied, surprising herself. She had not intended to answer that question at all, but her mouth had done it anyway.
“What request di
d you have, Princess Lariah?” she asked, hoping to avoid further questions.
“I would ask that you consent to a drawing of your blood,” Princess Lariah said.
Mara frowned.
“Consider it a trade,” Princess Lariah said. “Your blood in exchange for that of my daughter.”
She didn’t want to agree to this, but she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.
“Agreed,” she said as graciously as she could manage.
Princess Lariah stood up, as did the other two women. She reached out and plucked the necklace from the table, then nodded briefly to Mara.
“Go in peace, Amara Winicke,” she said. “May the remainder of your life be free of the anger and hatred that has twisted your soul.”
She turned and walked calmly out of the room, with the other women right behind her. The last to leave was the woman who had stood behind her during the entire interview. She paused as she turned to close the door, meeting Mara’s eyes with her cold blue ones for a long moment. Then she pulled the door closed and locked it, leaving Mara alone once more.
Chapter 50
Earth, Phoenix II
After several hours, Hope left the intensive care nursery in search of food. She couldn’t believe how hungry she was until she realized how much time had passed since her meal with the Bearens. Just thinking about the Bearens caused her chest to ache, so she was glad to see Grace waiting for her when she stepped into the hall.
“There you are,” Grace said, giving Hope a quick hug. “I was hoping you’d come out soon.”
“What’s up?” Hope asked, noting the worry in Grace’s eyes.
“I have to go home,” Grace said. “I’m sorry Hope, really I am, but my little sister isn’t well and she needs me. Faith is off-planet, and there isn’t anyone else available right now. I need to check on her, and find someone to watch over her, but I promise to come back just as soon as I can.”
“Family comes first, Grace,” Hope said. “Don’t worry about me. I want you to keep in touch with me, but there is no need for you to come running back unless that’s what you want to do.”
The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga Page 33
