Her father hugged her mother tight, and then they both turned damp gazes to her. “We love you very much, too. Must you leave?” begged her mother.
“I believe it is for the best. I wish to popularize Multiplicity to others.” She smiled. “And I know those who have already purchased plots and had homes designed. I will fit in with them.” None of them would ever think her lesser. “My house is scheduled to be built in two days, on the day of First Quarter Twinmoons.” She looked up at Muin with a smile. “But I assure you I will be fine to officiate that ceremony with you for the Vines in the evening.”
After a considering gaze, her mother said, “No, Avellana.”
She raised her chin. “About moving? I am an adult.” Avellana straightened her spine. “Here in Druida City, in our circles, everyone knows my background and believes I am fragile.” Again she sent a glance around at each of the others. “At other places where I have lived, that is not so, like on Mona Island. I like being taken as I am; I have become used to that, and I do not wish to be treated like the child everyone hovered around.”
Coll raised her brows and allowed herself a tongue-click. “We are all defined by our past, and what people who’ve watched us grow up believe of us.”
D’Hazel smiled with approval at her older daughter. “That’s right.”
Coll continued, “So you don’t intend to mingle in our social circles? That will be hard on Vinni, and the Vines.”
Avellana clenched her lips together at the denigrating comment, then loosened her jaw and gave a little laugh. “I have irritated my sister, Coll, and she snapped at me.”
Everyone stared.
“Instead of Coll treating me like a baby.” Avellana nodded. “This is a very good first step. Thank you all.”
Her parents seemed to blink in unison. Coll laughed, too, and flung up her hand in a swordfighter’s gesture of touché that made Avellana eye her narrowly. Coll had a HeartMate, a lower Noble, who fenced well. She and he would wed after all the FirstFamily negotiations with the Vines finished and Muin and Avellana had married.
“We love you, too, Avellana. It is just that we have always feared losing you,” her mother said.
She could only repeat her stance. “I want to be a real part of this Family, an equal, not a delicate person who must be shielded.”
“By leaving us?” Coll whispered with a rasp. Her eyes appeared a little watery.
“I think it might be best if I visited often, but lived elsewhere.”
A long silence fell on the group, despite the stares aimed at her, the fluctuating emotions of her Family throbbing through all their links. Closing her eyes with the effort, Avellana met the wariness and worry with love and smoothed out the Familial bonds. Linked with her, Muin helped.
“Oh, very well,” her mother said.
Nearly overtalking that agreement, Coll spoke abruptly. “You will take some special stones from D’Hazel Residence for your house, so it can become intelligent in the future.” A rush of feelings came from Coll that Avellana had no time to sort through, except that she sensed her sister had made some sort of basic internal adjustment with regard to herself. To accept her as an adult.
Triumph! But she kept her expression mild.
“Yes, I would like to take a HeartStone from D’Hazel’s store if it can be spared,” Avellana said. She waited, but the Residence did not comment, either aloud or telepathically to her individually or them as a Family.
“You should also take any furniture you might want from our storage rooms,” her mother said reluctantly.
Her father shot Muin a look.
“Since I haven’t seen the project, and I am concerned with your—” Muin stopped and coughed. “Let’s go inspect the area. You can show me your plot.” Muin patted her shoulders.
Avellana slanted him a look. “Do you not have other appointments?”
He shrugged. “They can wait.”
At that moment, his calendar sphere appeared, flashing, pinging, and stating, “Saille T’Willow wishes to have an immediate and short appointment for you as Oracle for his daughter. The last waves of her First Passage are subsiding and the Willows understand this is an optimum time for prophecy.”
“You must go, Muin,” Avellana urged. “This is time sensitive.”
His jaw flexed, and then he dipped his head. “Yes, I must go.” He swept the room with a glance and bowed to her Family. “Please excuse me.”
“Of course,” everyone echoed.
“I’m ’porting to Saille’s. Do you want me to leave my glider for your convenience if you wish to visit your land tract?”
“No, thank you. I told Antenn I would wait until tomorrow to view it again, since he is currently handling the preliminary tasks before the construction.”
“Right, I’ll order it back home.” He brushed a kiss on her lips, so fast she could barely taste him. She did experience a spiraling excitement from him at the thought of the Willows. “Muin?”
But he just lifted his hand in farewell and vanished.
Twelve
Vinni arrived at the teleportation pad in Saille T’Willow’s ResidenceDen and found the man pacing the room. “Thank the Lady and Lord you’re here. The swells of Alba’s Passage are fading, and you insisted—”
“I know,” Vinni said. “Show me.”
Saille snorted, grabbed Vinni, and the next thing he knew he landed in the gloom of a darkened chamber filled with the herbal incense to aid Passage. A girl, small for her age of seven, whimpered on her bedsponge, her hand held by her mother, Dufleur Thyme D’Willow.
Dufleur sighed, then smiled. “Is it true?” she asked.
The boldly colored vision surrounded Vinni, flickered through several images of the girl as girl, young woman, wife of a young man, then faded. He wiped a hand across his eyes until they cleared to normal and nodded. “Yes. She will be my son’s HeartMate.”
If he and Avellana weathered the next few months, but he masked all his concerns.
“And her Flair?”
Vinni scrutinized the child on the bedsponge before him and narrowed his eyes. This time he shook his head. “I don’t know. Still in flux perhaps, though definitely strong enough to be FirstFamily Flair.”
Alba opened her eyes. “Maybe I can fly.”
A shudder ran through all three of them as they remembered Avellana.
“People don’t fly. We teleport from one space to another,” Dufleur told her.
Alba’s mouth turned mulish.
Her mother continued, “We are descended from spacefarers who used dimensional portals. And we use dimensional portals to teleport. It’s easier for us than moving our mass, takes less energy and strength.”
“Perhaps you should take her to be Tested for Flair,” Vinni said.
Dufleur, mistress of time, shrank a little in her chair, coughed, and said, “I don’t think she’ll follow in my footsteps, with my power.”
Saille let out a breath, clapped Vinni on the shoulder. “Good, that’s good.” Saille’s gaze cut away from meeting Vinni’s eyes, and a false smile brightened his face. “You and, ah, Avellana, don’t need any more, ah, strong and peculiar Flair, like shaping timestreams.”
And Vinni wondered what Saille knew of Avellana’s secret.
“Peculiar!” Dufleur protested.
Saille crossed to her and kissed her temple. “You must admit that manipulating time is not the same as . . . uh . . . smothering fire or raising stones to construct buildings or moving earth . . .”
Dufleur sniffed. “My Flair for time is an interdimensional Flair. More like yours—”
“My matchmaking Flair is a very human Flair, human relations,” Saille interjected.
“—or Vinni’s,” Dufleur continued, “or Avellana’s.”
“Avellana’s Flair is for three-dimensional holo painting,” Vinn
i emphasized.
“Of course,” Saille said.
“Of course,” Dufleur repeated.
But Saille seemed to take on an uneasy air as if he went along with the lie about Avellana’s primary Flair. He moved defensively to block his HeartMate and daughter from view.
“I’ll be going now,” Vinni said quietly.
“I’ll pay—”
“Not necessary. This was my personal request of you and I am glad for any help I can provide.” Vinni summoned a natural smile. He flicked a hand. “Our children will marry, after all, and we will be in-laws. Later.”
“Later,” Saille and Dufleur replied.
Once again Vinni ’ported quickly away from a scene, this time arriving in the corner of his bedroom . . . shuddering with reaction to the powerful but brief vision and teleporting twice within a septhour. He staggered to his favorite chair and sank into it.
His head pounded, an unusual occurrence, but he understood that his blood rushed through his body as a reaction to simple fear. Or not-so-simple terror.
He and the Hazels had tried so hard to keep Avellana’s secret from getting out, but Saille and Dufleur knew.
Probably all the FirstFamily Lords and Ladies knew.
No wonder his premonitions of danger to Avellana had been so prevalent. Hard for two people to keep a secret, let alone, Lady and Lord, at least twenty-five, not counting those members of his own Family who knew what happened seventeen years ago.
If every FirstFamily Lord and Lady knew, then that knowledge might be—most probably was—communicated to the remaining hidden fanatics of the Traditionalist Stance movement.
Extremists who had no compunction in killing children whom they believed “too different” than themselves.
He hunched over and put his head in his hands.
Soft patterings came to his ears as Flora left her basket and hopped over to him, onto his chair, and squeezed under his arms to comfort him. His loved Fam.
The Fam who had died.
And whom Avellana had brought back to life.
That was her primary Flair. Bringing the dead back to life. And Flora had been very newly dead, her spirit still accessible to Avellana. And bringing one small young housefluff back to life had drained every member—animal, Fam, and person—in a FirstFamily Residence, including affecting the intelligent house.
No, no one wanted Avellana to practice her primary Flair.
But every person who lost a beloved would want Avellana to bring back their newly dead.
Avellana’s psi power stood against the true beliefs of their basic religion—that each soul cycled on the Wheel of Stars between lives. That people had more than one life. Reincarnation.
Vinni recalled that the man who’d attempted to murder Avellana had called her an abomination due to her Flair.
He had absolutely no doubt that other fanatics out there believed the same and wanted to kill his HeartMate.
She’d been threatened most of her life, and he’d shielded her, sent her away as much as he could, hurting himself and their relationship, and now had forged a woman who wanted to live on her own in a new community.
What he had done had succeeded in the short term but failed in the long term and complicated his life.
His mind flailed around, trying to find options, solutions, how to protect her here in the city where the fanatics were based.
I will help. Flora snuggled close.
And you are not alone in this, Muin. Why do you never ask ME to help? Avellana chimed in telepathically. I can feel your distress.
He straightened to lean back in his seat as he marshaled his thoughts but held Flora.
A sigh whispered from Avellana along their link. You do not trust me. Her mental note took on an all-too-familiar irritated note. You do not trust me to recognize danger, to avoid it, to defend myself. Now a sucked breath Vinni could nearly hear instead of the sigh.
I find the fact that you do not trust me in those matters highly offensive.
Oh, Vinni replied telepathically.
You must learn this, Muin, to trust me. She sent the sound of her own heart pulsing, slowly, along with an ache. It hurts that you do not trust me and have never trusted me to take care of myself.
He stopped the words that he didn’t think she could take care of herself, she was fragile, to be protected.
But that standard emotion of his must have pulsed through their bond, because her stormy emotions slapped at him. I am STRONG, Muin. A pause, and he sensed her controlling her ire. When the red of anger faded, she continued. A WOMAN who has been through what I have, my injury as a child, my Passages, the deadly threats, is STRONG. A woman who never practices any aspect of her primary Flair, and evolves her secondary Flair to take the place of that Flair, who keeps huge secrets, is strong. And being sent away again and again means I had to deal with new people and new places on a regular basis, develop my own resources, does it not? Now she sounded bitter.
Avellana, he soothed.
A mental sniff. Are you saying you trust me? Do not lie to me with words, Muin. Do. Not.
I am sorry I sent you away, that I damaged you and US.
That is surprising, she returned mildly, as if he’d finally chilled her annoyance.
What? he questioned.
That you admit guilt in this matter. You hardly ever do. I have noticed that men do not like saying such things and rarely apologize. He felt a pulse of pure curiosity from her.
I don’t like being at odds with you, arguing with you, and it’s time I admit my faults so we can put this behind us.
Now a hint of suspicion laced her feelings, as if she thought he might be manipulating her.
No, Avellana, I am sincere in my apologies. You said we should be partners in this—
In this as in all other areas, dear Muin.
He let his own sigh out. Between the two of them, Flora and Avellana . . . well, and with his own brain tired and emotions wrung, he’d come to accept that their old style of relationship had vanished. The one where he’d been in control.
Now they must move on as partners, whatever shape that might take.
We are in this together. Promise me, Muin.
Yes. Together.
A wave of sweet tenderness and relief poured from her to him.
It has only taken you a few days, Avellana said admiringly. You are such a very satisfactory HeartMate, Muin.
Thank you, Avellana. He kept his tone humble.
You will no doubt continue to try to manipulate me, she said.
And you will continue to be direct, he replied.
That seems to work the best for us. But we ARE partners, Muin. A hesitation. Like the Lady and Lord.
Yes, he agreed.
And you will walk my journey with me from now on? she asked.
Yes, absolutely.
I have been lonely.
Me, too.
I will walk with you and Vinni, too! The astringently smug cat tones of Rhyz jumped into the tender moment.
And I will hop along on all our journey together, said Flora, wiggling in approval.
Hmmm, came a considering purr from Avellana’s FamCat. Perhaps I will saunter as I accompany you on your journey. Or traipse. I like traipsing. Sometimes I might prowl. Or zoom—
Skitter, Vinni said drily. I have known you to skitter.
I do NOT, Rhyz insisted.
Perhaps it is because he spent so much time with the FamFoxes when we lived in Gael City, Avellana stated. He moves somewhat like a fox at times.
Not true.
Yes, it is, she replied.
And Vinni’s insides tightened with aching hurt at the byplay between the three of them, and the memories that Avellana and Rhyz shared that he was not part of. Images flashed between those two that he barely caught. Years of
time together. Without him.
He had protected his love, but he finally realized the extremely high cost.
• • •
He spent some time in the afternoon speaking with various members of his Family about the First Quarter Twinmoons ritual that he and Avellana would officiate as Lady and Lord. Several appeared surprised that she had agreed. He blandly handed out the ceremony he’d received from Tiana Blackthorn-Moss, informing his relatives that since Avellana would be taking part in their rituals permanently, as with the addition of any spouse, songs and prayers would be updated and changed.
Though he kept his smile to himself, he enjoyed the fact that he had stymied the ill-wishers in his Family who’d tried to confound him, and had done his own smooth manipulation. Yes, he’d ensure that his relatives supported him and Avellana, or the ones who didn’t would be gently encouraged to live on one of the other Vine estates.
So he believed that he and Avellana had handled the first bout thrown at them as the leading couple of the Family. Her status would soon be cemented when they performed the ritual.
Another error on his part, not including her in the Family gatherings during the last few years.
In the couple of septhours before dinner, Vinni approved his portion of the marriage and alliance contracts with the Hazels—and hoped Avellana never learned that he had been one of the people stalling the agreements.
He took a turn in the top-story sunroom of one of the secondary towers attached to his personal square tower—opening the petals of the glass dome to the air, leaving only the shieldspell against any bugs that would make it up three stories.
From here he could easily see the walls of Druida City a half kilometer away, and, to the southeast, the spires of the Intersection of Hope Cathedral. He walked the circumference of the room, checking on the plants and small two-person pool in one quadrant, and then, still restless, he took the stairs to his workroom below his bedroom suite.
There he crossed to his workbench and studied the three wind chimes projects he’d laid out on the long counter—one of glass, one of large metal tubes in the ancient gamelan tonal scale, and the final one of small solid rods of polished precious metals—gold, silver, copper, and glisten that he’d gotten from T’Ash. Vinni eyed the various sizes of the cylinders and wondered if they would work at all for sound.
Heart Sight Page 11
