“Tonight I was thinking about your proposal, and I sat down at my drawing table and...well...I don’t remember doing it. I don’t know what happened. One minute I was just sitting there, the next I blinked, and I had drawn this.”
Hope flipped back the cover of the sketch pad, turned it around, and held it up for them to see. She watched their faces as they looked at the drawing, so it was impossible to miss their shock.
“Am I right in thinking that these creatures are what you call bearencas?” she asked.
“Yes,” Jackson said as he approached her slowly, reaching out to touch the paper with one finger, as though testing to see if it was real. “This is beautiful, Niha.”
Hope nodded as she turned the pad back around so she could see it herself. She wasn’t sure she would ever get her fill of looking at it.
The drawing was of four large, bear-like animals with long fangs, claws and white fur with large black patches. Three of them stood on all fours in a semi-circle, their eyes the same colors as Jackson’s, Clark’s and Rob’s. The fourth one was smaller than the others and had turquoise eyes. She stood before them with three tiny owl-like birds perched on her back. One bird was white, one brown, one dark red, and all three had Harlan’s amber eyes.
The grass beneath their paws was blue, and the sky above their heads was lavender, indicating clearly that they were on Jasan. Though none of the animals wore expressions on their faces, there was a feeling of happiness and love about the entire scene that could not be denied.
Hope tore her eyes from the drawing and looked at Jackson, Clark and Rob. “Yes, I will marry you,” she said. “I will marry all three of you in a civil ceremony here, on Earth. Then we will perform the Soul-Link Triad, so that we are connected in every way. After that, we will take our sons and go home, to Jasan.”
Chapter 62
Jasani Space, The Chameleon
Mara could not quite believe how bad her luck was.
On the verge of true freedom for the first time in her life, she had told Eldar Hamat that she had no need or desire to return to the home she had shared with her Rami. There was nothing there that she wanted. She preferred to go straight back to the spaceport in Badia and begin her new life.
But Eldar Hamat had refused. Her demand for a reason went unanswered, so she decided there were probably a few things she should get from the house after all. It had never once occurred to her that she would find Kevlin, of all people in the galaxy, waiting for her in her bedroom. In fact, she’d been so stunned to see him, that she’d wasted several seconds staring at him open-mouthed, unable to think, let alone react.
Those few seconds had been all Kevlin needed to walk up to her, calm as you please, put one hand on her shoulder and press his beacon. Before she had time to consider shaking his hand off of her, she was standing on a transport pad staring at Stalnek Winicke. A face she had sincerely hoped never to lay eyes on again.
“Ah, apparently Xaqana-Ti’s information was correct,” Stalnek said with smug satisfaction. “Hello Mara, aren’t you glad that we rescued you?”
There were several responses that ran through Mara’s stunned brain, but her mouth had spent too many years with this reptilian throw-back to allow any of them to be voiced.
“How?” she said finally.
“We learned that you were incarcerated, and we tracked you,” Stalnek said, giving her next to no information at all. Not that it mattered, she thought. She was here, and how she’d gotten here made little difference.
“Where is William?” he demanded.
Ah, she thought, that’s why they’d come here. She should have thought of that. She made her face as sad as she could manage and shook her head slowly. She was quite pleased when an actual tear fell from one eye.
Twenty minutes later, after answering a couple of dozen questions, Stalnek had ordered Kevlin to contact Xaqana-Ti, whoever in the nine hells that was. Now here she stood, answering questions from an unknown voice over the vid terminal when what she really wanted to do was throw a monumental fit and demand they return her to Jasan.
But, that would more than likely end in her immediate death. She was going to have to find some patience. She was not a little girl any longer and she had learned a lot over the years. One way or another, she would come out ahead. The biggest problem she had at the moment was remembering to watch her tongue.
“You saw a makina?” Xaqana-Ti asked with carefully feigned shock after twenty frustrating minutes of interrogating the human female. If Stalnek hadn’t already told her that they’d tracked the female into, and out of, the council building, she would not have wasted her valuable time. Now, she was quite satisfied with herself. Her intuition had paid off once again.
“Makina?” Mara repeated doubtfully. “If you mean the robot shell thing, yes, I saw it.”
“Can you describe it for me?” Xaqana Ti asked.
“It looked like a human man, only much bigger, maybe seven feet tall, long blonde hair, blue eyes, shiny skin,” Mara said. “I thought it was a real person until I saw two little doors in its chest. Inside was a big compartment with buttons and levers.”
“Anything else?” Xaqana-Ti prompted.
“There was a line of text on the rear of the compartment,” Mara said. “I couldn’t read it. It was done in purple lettering on a bright yellow background, but the lettering was unfamiliar to me. I couldn’t begin to tell you what it said.”
“Are you certain of those colors?” Xaqana-Ti pressed.
“I couldn’t read it, but I’m not colorblind,” Mara replied irritably. “Yes, I’m sure. Purple on a yellow background.”
“Very well, I thank you,” Xaqana-Ti said, using the human’s words of appreciation though she didn’t really understand them.
“Stalnek,” she said, dismissing the female from her mind now that she had what she wanted from her. “I must tell you that the evacuation of your people from Earth is complete. My source informs me that the Directorate attacked your compound during the evacuation, but everyone was able to escape unharmed. Analysis of their tactics shows that the intent was to kill, not capture, your personnel.”
Stalnek had lived for many centuries, all of it on Earth, and though he did not particularly like or trust humans, he was part human himself. He found it difficult to believe that his entire family, his entire people, were nearly exterminated for no reason. Raided, perhaps. If the Directorate had discovered they’d been abducting women and mind wiping them, he knew they’d be displeased, and would look to arrest whoever they thought the perpetrators were. But killed? All of them? It made no sense.
“They have no reason to exterminate the Brethren,” he argued.
“But they do,” Xaqana Ti replied. “They have captured a ground-car equipped with Blind Sight. There are Clan Jasani on Earth now, and they have identified Blind Sight as Xanti technology. They have convinced the Directorate that the Brethren are in league with the evil Xanti, and so, like the Jasani, the Directorate decided to destroy the Brethren.”
Stalnek did not trust the Xanti, but what Xaqana-Ti said had too much truth in it for comfort.
“The Xanti sell their technology to many races,” he pointed out. “Why would they assume that, because we had purchased Xanti technology, we are in league with the Xanti?”
“Because they acquired a female of advanced years by the name of Berta, who told them this.” Xaqana-Ti sighed heavily. “If you do not wish to believe me, that is your choice. If you like, I can order my ship to return the Brethren to Earth. However, it will take some time as Earth fired on the ship and nearly destroyed it as it attempted to escape.”
Stalnek was shocked that Xaqana-Ti had mentioned Berta. Again, she had too much real information for him to completely discount what she said. He did not want to believe her, but it seemed she must be telling the truth.
“I thank you for your assistance in saving my people,” he said finally. Then he gritted his teeth, but there was no help for it. It had to be said. “The
Brethren are in your debt, Xaqana-Ti.”
“Such kind words,” Xaqana Ti said, careful not to reveal her inner glee at the boon. Having the Brethren in her debt would certainly come in handy in the future. “What are your current plans, if I might ask?”
“I had thought to return home, to Earth,” Stalnek replied. “Now, I am uncertain. The Jasani must pay for the death of my son, but I can do nothing on my own.”
“I will give you the coordinates for Onddo, so that you can be reunited with your people,” Xaqana-Ti offered. “If you decide to return to Earth, I would caution against using Blind Sight,” she added.
Stalnek nearly shuddered at the idea of boldly entering Earth space without Blind Sight. Having a camouflage system that prevented them from being seen had actually saved the Brethren a lot of money on bothersome details like registrations, licenses, inspections, tolls and, in the case of his yacht, purchase price.
There was no way he could possibly return to Earth without Blind Sight. He’d be arrested the moment he entered Earth space.
“Coordinates to Onddo would be appreciated,” he said. “I must be reunited with my people so that we can plan revenge on the Jasani for what they have done.”
“Of course, Stalnek,” Xaqana-Ti replied. “I understand completely. Is there anything else I can be of assistance with at this time?”
“I do not believe so, Xaqana-Ti, thank you for asking,” Stalnek said, trying not to sound sarcastic.
“Very well, I will inform Xi-Kung that you are on your way,” she said. “If you find that you would like assistance in your endeavor against Jasan, please do not hesitate to speak with Xi-Kung. I would have no objection to joining forces with you.
“Thank you, Xaqana-Ti,” Stalnek replied carefully. He did not want to offend her after such an offer, but he would have to think long and hard before agreeing to partner with the Xanti in a battle.
“You are most welcome, Stalnek,” Xaqana-Ti said. “Farewell.”
Xaqana-Ti closed the connection and stopped the recording. She chuckled softly to herself as she began the delicate work of editing the recording, removing all mention of the Brethren and Onddo. She added a few snippets from older messages she had received from Stalnek, taking her time, enjoying the meticulous nature of the task. By the time she was finished, the conversation between her and Stalnek was strictly a business discussion.
He was informing her that Blind Sight had been compromised, and offering her information on the death of his son. Mara’s information was secondary to their conversation, and, evidently, a total surprise to Xaqana-Ti.
She had obviously been so surprised that she’d barely had the foresight to ask about the identification colorations inside the makina. Colorations which, to the eyes of the Xanti, were completely invisible until a special light was used to reveal them. Colorations which were unique to each Ruling Queen. Only Xitura-Re’s brood were assigned makinas with purple on yellow colorations. But of course, Xaqana-Ti could have no way of knowing that. Such information was strictly confidential. Only the Supreme Queen knew the secret colorations belonging to each of her daughters.
Once Xaqana-Ti was satisfied that the coloration portion of the conversation was perfect, she added more mundane topics after it that she and Stalnek had actually discussed at other times. When she was finished, Xaqana-Ti set the recording aside. She would wait a day or two, then listen to the message again with a fresh ear. Only when it was absolutely perfect would she, regretfully, transmit it to the Supreme Queen. And that would be the end of Xitura-Re. The only punishment for the crime of allowing one of the all-important and most secret makinas to fall into enemy hands was instant annihilation. And rightly so.
She settled herself comfortably and closed her eyes, quite pleased with her work. Now all she had to do was decide which plan to put into motion next.
Chapter 63
Earth, Greece
Hope stood on the balcony of the magnificent old villa perched on a cliff overlooking the Aegean. Jackson, Clark and Rob had insisted that they get married in Greece, on a beach overlooking the sea that, as her mother had often told her, matched the color of her eyes. She was so happy with their choice. It would have saddened her to never have seen the Aegean, or to have never visited the homeland of her ancestors before leaving Earth.
She looked down at her hand, smiling at her ring as it sparkled in the sun. She had never imagined that she would have an old fashioned wedding with a ring, and a dress, and flowers like the images in her Wedding Book. She had dreamed of it, but she had not believed it would actually come to pass. People just didn’t do old-fashioned weddings like this any more.
But here she was in a white lace gown, with a crown of flowers in her hair, which was pulled back from her face with shimmering crystal combs and hung loose down her back in a cascade of curls and ringlets. She looked like something out of a fairytale. Better still, that was how she felt.
She had been shocked to discover that the Director was actually performing the ceremony. He had promised that he truly had the power to do it, and that it would be legal. He had also told her that, if she preferred, they would find another to do it, but she knew it was important to him. Ellicia had meant so much to him, and they were taking the last reminders of her away to another world.
After the ceremony, she had taken him aside and invited him to come to Jasan to visit, or to live. He had accepted her invitation once she’d promised him it was open-ended.
She looked down the beach where Karma and Berta were strolling through the sand with Aisling between them, their pace slow to accommodate Aisling’s limp. She smiled, happy to have so many friends now. Her only regret was Grace. She would have loved to see her pixie face standing beside her during the ceremony. But she also knew that Grace would want her to be happy, so she tried not to let the memory of Grace make her sad.
“Are you happy?” Jackson asked as he came up behind her and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“Very,” she said. “I’m not sure I could be any happier. I’m a little nervous too though.”
Clark joined them on the balcony, followed by Rob who handed her a glass of champagne. They both kissed her as Jackson had, and she reveled in the sense of completeness and belonging that she felt.
“Niha, if you prefer, we can wait,” Jackson said. “There is no need for us to rush into this now.”
“No,” Hope said at once. “I want to do this. This is right, I know it absolutely. If we don’t do it now...I don’t know.” She looked at them, feeling vaguely helpless, which wasn’t a feeling she liked.
“Do you have a specific reason for feeling so strongly about this?” Jackson asked.
Hope shook her head in confusion. “I just feel that it’s important that we do it now, today, on the same day as our wedding. I’m sorry, but I can’t explain why.”
“Do not worry, Niha, we will do it today,” Jackson soothed. “We need to discuss a few things with you before we begin.”
“All right,” Hope said a little nervously.
Over the past week they had told her much about Jasani history, physiology, government, customs and people. She had learned about their ancient war with the Narrasti, and had a better understanding of the significance of the events that had taken place at the Brethren compound in Texas.
They had also told her about the other three Arimas, their special abilities, and the prophecies that had been revealed to them. And lastly, they had told her the full story of the Controllers, and their use on abducted women being used as sex slaves throughout the galaxy.
It was a lot to learn, but she didn’t have any trouble with it as she found it all incredibly interesting. She was intrigued by the things that Saige had said to them before they set out on their journey to Earth, particularly those that seemed to be about her, and those spoken in Greek.
That they had more to tell her made her nervous only because they had, apparently, waited this long to tell her. Why not tell her when they had told h
er everything else?
Clark reached up and gently ran a finger across her forehead. “Your forehead gives you away, aspara,” he said with smile. “There is nothing to be so worried about.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, what does aspara mean?” she asked.
“It means gift,” Clark said. “That is what you are to us, a most precious gift.”
Hope was uncertain how to respond to such touching words, so she kissed Clark instead of speaking. From his smile, it was response enough.
“What we wish to discuss now is information we received just this morning from our High Prince,” Jackson said.
“You can’t suddenly read my mind now, can you?” Hope asked with a frown.
Jackson, Clark and Rob grinned. “No, we cannot read your mind, but we can feel your worry,” Jackson reminded her.
Hope smiled back. She wanted to pretend she was not amused, but she was. She was also ridiculously happy.
“That’s better,” Jackson said softly, leaning in to kiss her lightly on the lips. “I love the feel of your happiness.”
Hope smiled as she blinked back tears. They were going to think she was a cry baby if she didn’t stop leaking at the eyes all the time.
“So what did your High Prince have to say?” she asked.
“He wanted to remind us of certain important issues regarding the Soul-Link Triad,” Jackson said. “He is concerned about us doing it so far from help should anything go wrong.”
“I thought we went over everything and had it covered,” Hope said. “Karma has agreed to put me into a deep sleep and we already tested to be sure that would work. Is there something else we need to worry about?”
“Nothing to worry about, no,” Jackson replied. “But when our Prince commands us to be careful, and review everything, we obey. Especially when his primary concern is for you, as is our own.”
Hope didn’t think she would ever get used to being worried about and fussed over so much. But she was willing to try.
The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga Page 46
