by Gun Brooke
“Of course you do,” Dalanja murmured. “I realize you need to keep it somewhat a secret, but I’ve been dying to meet this woman and talk to her. Her intuition when it comes to understanding people and sensing their emotions has helped so many, and even I, despite my privileged background, suffer from our experiences in the camp. I want so badly to feel better, to perhaps rid myself of the nightmares, and I’ve heard from several sources that she has made that possible for so many. After talking with her, they seemed to intuitively know how to deal with what hurt them.” Dalanja looked imploringly at Adina. “Please, Commander. It would mean so much to me, and as wife of the Gemosian president, I need to be strong.” She shrugged and looked impossibly young. “And I’m not.”
“And you believe this Red Angel you talk about can help.”
“Yes. I know her name, and I could of course approach her on my own, but as you are a close friend of hers, I thought—hoped—you might help me.”
“Are you talking about Nurse Lindemay?” Adina asked bluntly. “She has never conceded to being the person behind this moniker. Granted, she’s a warm and caring person, but I’ve never heard her claim to have such a gift.”
“But it is her. She’s the nurse who walks through the corridors in those parts of the cubes most people avoid since they’re afraid. Nobody would dare harm her, as she is Red Angel. She’s far too valuable. Revered, even.”
“I can’t guarantee anything, but if you want to meet Briar and she agrees…well, I can at least ask.” Not entirely comfortable with being the go-between, Adina thought she might at least give Briar the opportunity to decline. Then again, if Briar accepted and met with Dalanja, it would be the same as acknowledging the nickname. Red Angel. Somewhere in her heart, Adina knew it was true. Briar was special and quite intuitive, and at times Adina had felt Briar put a restraint on what she picked up on when it came to the people around her.
“Thank you, Commander. I’m most grateful. Here’s the privacy code to my communicator.” Dalanja pushed a small computer bit across the table.
“Thank you.” Thinking quickly, Adina returned the favor. She actually liked the obviously vain woman. There was more to her than the glamorous shell, and Adina thought it was a good idea to get to know the spouse of the Gemosian president.
The food consisted of three dishes all taken from each participant’s allotted meal ration. Adina wasn’t hungry, but she tasted each meal as it had been cooked in the traditionalist way like Briar sometimes did. She listened to, rather than engaged in, the conversation at the head table. Many of the people around her tried to get President Tylio’s attention, but a mere glance from the powerful woman was enough to quiet them if the president wasn’t interested in the topic—or the person.
Taking the opportunity to observe the president and her spouse, Adina found it hard to understand what the charismatic woman saw in the man, at least twenty years her senior. He complained about a great many things during the dinner. The food was too bland, too cold, too little of it, and the wine wasn’t strong enough. His neighbors looked ill at ease, but the president acted as if she hadn’t heard a word her husband said. Perhaps that was what kept their marriage going, her ability to tune him out?
Gassinthea Tylio was in her early forties, of average height and with a slender frame. Almost always dressed in bright colors, she was elegant and impeccable. Her commanding presence was palpable, and she had a unique way of tilting her head when she focused on someone, making the other person feel utterly special and chosen.
Tonight, the president kept her white-streaked blond hair in a low silver chignon and, as usual during special events, wore the presidential ribbon across her chest. Her trademark ten-row pearl necklace gleamed in an understated way around her neck. On any other woman, this would seem too much, but Gassinthea Tylio carried it all with natural grace. Adina found herself pondering how a woman of Tylio’s caliber could have fallen for a man most people loathed for being demanding and downright whiny. Perhaps this just showed that love found ways between people when you least expected it.
She would know.
*
Briar sat two tables away from the leaders. She could easily see Adina, but the angle didn’t allow Adina to spot her. Briar’s table was circular and accommodated ten people. The same went for the tables around her, which made for a head count of approximately four hundred guests. Caya was placed with her back to Briar, four tables down. Briar kept glancing either at her or Adina, while also trying to follow the conversation at the table.
“I think something needs to be done,” an older woman said before sipping her wine. “I can’t imagine the authorities meant for the jumper system to be used the way they do.”
“How do you mean, madam?” Briar asked, guessing the subject was jumper cruising.
“These young people misusing the jumper system for their pleasure. They act as if the jumpers are there for their entertainment, and they roam the cubes like…like nomads!” Looking appalled, the woman stabbed a purple vegetable most likely grown in the hydroponics bay. She chewed on it, swallowed, and then speared another. “It bothers me when people take things for granted.”
“My sister has been known to jumper-cruise, and believe me, I made sure it’s not against Pathfinder’s rules and regulations. The thing is, the jumpers automatically follow their schedule whether they have one passenger or a hundred. The only time they go dormant is if nobody is inside or at the gates—which hasn’t happened yet and never will. As long as the kids are polite and behave themselves, I don’t see the harm.”
The other woman’s ire went red-hot instantly. Her volatile nature would normally intrigue Briar, but this wasn’t the place for an emotional standoff.
“And you say this so calmly? I guess it’s hard to realize when a family member lacks good manners. Your parents ought to have instilled this quality in you and your sister.”
“They did.” Briar lowered her voice. “And when they died in short succession, I had to explain to a heartbroken little girl that they were never coming home again. To see her happy now, sometimes jumper-cruising, I’m so relieved she has the opportunity to have a fresh start with me on our new homeworld. We have so much to be grateful for. These vegetables, for instance.”
The woman looked at her plate and then back at Briar, her contempt radiating off her in wave after wave. “Vegetables? These? Nothing very special about them, if you consider what they used to grow back on Oconodos.” She glared at Briar.
“I thought you said it was a bad thing to take things for granted. These vegetables are grown by an entire family of Gemosians in one of the hydroponics bays. They work down there in shifts, and when they get back to their quarters, they take care of their five children, the youngest of whom was born aboard Pathfinder.”
“You’re making that up. I’m not interested in any fairy tales.” The woman huffed and cut her square piece of synthetic meat.
“I can assure you I’m not. These greens have been especially harvested for the presidential dinner as a token of the Gemosians’ appreciation for us rescuing them from Loghia.” Briar stopped to sip her wine. “As for the jumper-cruising, if this activity keeps our young people entertained and curious about the different cubes and the people inhabiting them, we should be grateful. This is how they learn and build a foundation for understanding and agreeing. They could do much worse things.”
The woman sneered but refrained from saying anything. She picked at the greens on her plate as if Briar’s revelation about their origin made her worry they might be poisoned. Briar sighed. Some people just didn’t want to understand. They only wanted to cling to their complaints and preconceived ideas.
The idea of people changing made her think of her sister. As they had gotten ready for the dinner event, crowding around their only full-length mirror, still in awe to have received an invitation from the president’s secretary, it had dawned on Briar just how much her sister had grown in the last fifty-some days.
; Thinking back, she realized something had happened with Caya at the time Adina helped her erase the religious sub-ink. Afterward, Caya had in fact stopped going on the jumper cruises as much and become interested in the historical database. Poring over vids and texts, she had actually made Briar worry that she was isolating herself. Once in a while, some of the Vantressa youngsters came over and they piled on Caya’s bed and discussed different topics while drinking herbal tea. Briar gave them their privacy, relieved Caya hadn’t given up socializing altogether.
Another thing they turned out to have in common was meditation. For Briar it was a way to keep her sanity when it came to being an empath. Perhaps it did the same for Caya? Briar knew it was easier to fall into the state of trance and focus on the candle when Caya joined her. The utter calm surrounding her sister then was new, or at least she thought so. Briar had always been sensitive to other people’s feelings, but not at this level when she sometimes could see watercolor-like images when someone projected strong enough emotions. Now, around Caya, Briar found she could relax more than around anyone else.
Their sisterhood, and perhaps their similar DNA, was soothing, and Briar debated whether to enjoy it, no questions asked, or worry about what might be happening to them. She had made up her mind to let Caya know about her empathic gift after the presidential dinner. It wasn’t right to keep it from her, but until now, Briar had been fully occupied trying to grasp what being a changer meant for her. Also, she hesitated to burden Caya with the fact they were now both in danger of discovery and punishment.
Caya’s visions had become less frequent, but Briar knew they still had to be careful. She also had to put a damper on her empath ability, as it attracted so much attention. The whole Red Angel business was proof of that.
Tuning out the other dinner guests, Briar merely enjoyed the food and how stunning Adina looked in her dress uniform. The blue-and-silver jacket and trousers, the vast array of medals on her chest, and the silver rank-ribbon across her chest all added to her beauty. Briar acknowledged it was becoming too hard not to allow Adina into her heart…and her bed. Only the conviction it would break both their hearts at some point kept Briar from throwing herself into Adina’s arms once and for all.
Her few previous physical encounters had been short-lived and rather unfulfilling. She had learned she found women attractive rather than men, but until Adina, her few lovers had not been able to get more than a few dates at best. Caya’s safety was always paramount, and having sex, albeit nice, wasn’t important enough to risk their plans for leaving Oconodos. Now she found herself in a perpetual semi-aroused condition whenever Adina was close by.
No wonder she relied on meditation.
*
Once the dinner ended, the tables in the middle of the large hall folded down into the deck, leaving room for people to dance. Soft music had streamed from the audio system during dinner, but now musicians made their way to a small dais, bringing their instruments. Adina moved along the outer perimeter, scanning the crowd for Briar. It took her only a few moments to find her, and she couldn’t help but stare. Briar was normally a very pretty woman, but the majority of people who saw them together would say Caya was the striking beauty of the two sisters.
Here, in this moment, Adina wholeheartedly disagreed. The woman sauntering toward her was the most beautiful creature Adina had ever seen. Briar wore her hair piled on top of her head with small, soft curls framing her face and caressing her neck. She wore an emerald-green, long, close-fitting dress, the skirt parting along her left leg all the way to her hip. Sparkling stockings shimmered against her skin, and her shoes, heels at least a hand-width tall and made from synthetic glass, made Briar look like she was floating.
“You look amazing. Stunning.” Adina took Briar’s hands and kissed her cheek. “Where did Nurse Lindemay disappear to?”
“Oh, she’s right here, hiding under all the glamour.” Briar crinkled her nose but looked happy at Adina’s compliments. “Looks like it’s time for the dancing to commence. Will the Tylios start as usual? I hear that’s how it’s done.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve managed to avoid these gatherings in the past, but now that I’m some sort of role model, I’m expected to be here. I have no idea in what order people begin to dance.”
“When it feels like the appropriate time, will you dance with me?” Briar asked, looking bashful.
“I would be honored to.” Adina hoped she hadn’t forgotten how. Her mother had insisted she take classes with the rest of the Vantressas, but that had been a long time ago.
“I look forward to it—oh, look. There she is. I wondered where she went to. Isn’t she gorgeous?”
At first Adina thought Briar meant President Tylio, who was indeed the first to dance with her husband. She swayed to the music very gracefully, whereas he looked discontent for some reason. Then Adina realized Briar was referring to a woman standing at the other side of the dance floor.
Petite, her hair loose around her like a golden-blond cape and pushed up from her face by a bright-blue headband, Caya wore a long, flowing dress in the same color. Other guests gave her plenty of space, which made her especially visible where she stood, following the president’s every move on the dance floor.
“Caya looks otherworldly,” Adina said.
“She’s been trying on dresses like mad the last two days. In this light, she looks like someone else, almost. Someone older.” Briar sighed. “After the sub-ink incident, she’s turned a corner. I’m not sure what happened, but she’s been home most evenings.”
“You know, I could tell she was mulling something over when we took off the first symbol and then created her other sub-ink. I never knew the significance of the one she finally chose, but she seemed to have experienced an epiphany.”
Briar nodded and stepped closer to Adina. “The pair of eyes she chose…you painted them beautifully. There’s something oddly familiar about them, though. Placing them on her hip was a good choice.”
“The design was hers. I just cleaned it up and made it suitable for sub-ink.” Adina regarded Caya with the pride of an older sister. “Yes, she’s a stunning young woman, but you, you are more than that. And you look like you need to dance. If I don’t ask you, someone may come and steal you away from me.” Adina was trying for a humorous tone, but Briar seemed to see right through her when she accepted by taking Adina’s hand.
Other people had begun to fill the dance floor around the presidential couple when Adina put her arms around Briar and began to dance. The bittersweet nature of the moment didn’t escape her. She had hugged Briar before, in camaraderie, and also chastely kissed her cheek, but this, dancing slowly to a classic melody, lights muted around the hall, was entirely different. Adina’s heart thundered, thrashed within her as if it wanted to break free.
Briar gazed up at her, those transparent turquoise eyes locking onto hers, not allowing Adina to pull back into her much-loved shell.
“If you keep looking at me that way, I may forget my place,” Adina murmured.
“And what place is that?” Briar sounded as dazed as Adina felt.
“You know what I mean. I may forget my place as your friend and Caya’s sister-by-choice.” Her voice trembled now, and as the music went from slow to sultry, she held Briar even closer. “Am I being too cryptic?”
“Not in the least.” Briar swallowed. “You’re being quite clear. I should say something funny or acerbic and laugh your words off, but for some reason, I can’t.”
“Then don’t.” Adina’s pulse accelerated, and she let her hand slowly caress the skin on Briar’s back that her dress revealed. Briar sighed and dropped her head onto Adina’s shoulder.
All the other people around them seemed to move as one single entity, creating a wall between the two of them and reality. Adina knew that as soon as they left the dance floor, the moment would be over and Briar would keep her at arm’s length again. Adina would then fall back into her role as friend and protector.
“You don’t have to worry right now,” Briar murmured. “For now we’re dancing and we’re right where we want to be. This is one of those magical moments when nothing else matters.”
“Then I have to kiss you.” Adina was pushing things, she knew it, but if Briar would allow it, she had to. This moment was indeed magical, and she knew she’d never get this chance again, not like this.
Briar took the initiative from Adina and slid her hands up her chest, around her neck, and cupped the back of Adina’s head. Pulling gently, she tilted her head to the perfect angle, and Adina forced herself not to close her eyes as their lips met. Adina hadn’t counted on her own hunger. Pent up, for many days and nights, her desire soared at the feel of Briar’s satin-smooth lips. They didn’t deepen the kiss—they didn’t have to. The emotional connection was almost sending Adina’s mind on overload. She could tell Briar had longed for this moment as well, and the way she moved her lips against Adina’s mouth, breathing inaudible words, sent tremors through every part of her.
Adina had stopped dancing and they merely swayed to the melody. Rich with percussion, the music matched her heartbeat again.
A female voice, shrill and filled with panic, interrupted the kiss, and the musicians stopped playing. Thrust from pure bliss into reality, Adina looked around them, blinking rapidly.
“She’s having a seizure! She needs a doctor.”
Briar flinched, her face going from flushed to pale in an instant. “Caya!” She tore her hands from Adina and pushed through the crowd. “Don’t touch her! Caya!”
Adina hurried after Briar, sensing the urgency. The full-on panic in Briar’s voice made her fear for whatever might be wrong with Caya, if it was indeed she who was ill.
It was. Caya lay curled in a fetal position in the same spot where Adina and Briar had seen her before they began to dance. The young woman was shaking, her eyes shut tight and her mouth moving. Next to her, President Tylio was kneeling, keeping one hand on Caya’s shoulder and warding off people with the other.
