by Zen DiPietro
“Hah. Part of it is that her looks have changed. It’s been ten years or so, and her hair’s all long and straight now. Plus, she wore clothes suited to a day of hanging out in trees, and no makeup.”
“It makes sense that she wouldn’t dress like a rock star to hang out in trees. I wonder what she was doing out here, and where she lives. Even the closest little town is over two hours from the forest.” He shook his head. “So what would you have said to her if she’d stuck around long enough for you to recognize her? Doesn’t seem like she’d be interested in a heart-to-heart about her life.”
“Yeah, I guess. It’s just the mystery of it. And I’m processing the fact that she’s a manahi. That definitely wasn’t public information. Maybe that’s how she’s managed to stay incognito.”
“According to her, she’s not a manahi. That adds to the intrigue, doesn’t it? Too bad you look like a major pervert and scared her away. Now we’ll probably never know.”
Justin closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, trying not to smile. Smiling would only encourage Arc. “Pretty sure the pervert thing was an excuse. She just didn’t want to talk about who she is.”
“Or—” Arc raised his eyebrows. “You are one serious creeper.”
“What does that even mean? Is it the same as a creep?”
“Grab your hand comm and look it up.”
“No.” His arms remained crossed over his lap.
“Then you’ll never know why girls don’t like you.”
He snorted with laughter. “Like you’re such a ladies’ man.” Actually, he knew perfectly well that Arc’s good looks and genuine warmth effortlessly won over people of both genders. It would be annoying if the guy weren’t so darn likeable.
“Hah. Does the name Kassimeigh mean anything to you?”
He paused, considering the woman at the other end of Arcen Wilding’s soulbond. “Right. You’ve got me there.” He shuddered to think of a person more formidable than Kassimeigh, Justice of the shiv order and manahi of scary-awesome ability.
As a justice, she wielded unilateral authority to adjudicate legal matters. She served the order and the planet as a one-woman judge and executioner. She topped off all that authority and ability with remarkably good looks. Justin couldn’t quite fathom a relationship with such a fearsome creature. Simply serving in the Guard, before it officially became the Guard, had been intimidating enough for him.
A tingling sensation in his ankle interrupted his musing. He leaned forward to rub it.
“Painful?” Arc’s forehead creased in empathy.
“Tingly. How far out are we?”
“We should make it to the monorail in about ten minutes.”
“Good. I’m thinking this should be an easy fix. Even easier if I get a manahi. We could be having dinner within the hour.” Justin wondered if the station’s restaurants were good.
“I could use a good meal. A comm panel, too.”
“To contact Magistrate Trewe?” Arc’s aunt served as the leader of the Council of Magistrates. Justin hadn’t realized it before, but it seemed Arc made a habit of close relationships with intimidating women.
“Yeah. She wanted me to relay our findings immediately. I just wish we had more to tell her. I hate coming back with the news that she needs to repeat this process. I feel like I’m letting her down.”
“You can’t give answers you don’t have. And we did confirm that it’s not a satellite problem. Maybe the samples will be the key.”
“We can hope.”
For once, Arc seemed disinclined to talk further. They fell into silence and Justin felt a wave of relief when the monorail station emerged on the horizon. The sun hovered just behind it, preparing to slide out of view for the day.
After returning the cart to the depot, Arc helped Justin through the small hub of transportation and commerce. As much as Justin appreciated the hinterlands, he appreciated the comforts of a monorail station far more. A guy couldn’t want for anything in the mid-lats if he stood in a station and had a few credits to his name. Thanks to having steady work with the Guard, his account boasted more than a few.
As he limped down a long corridor beyond the hubbub of travelers and shoppers, he concentrated on his destination and the help that awaited him. All but the smallest stations had at least an emergency medical facility. Anyone without an emergency could handle a short monorail ride to a more appropriately equipped hospital. Finally, he and Arc stepped up to the door of the hospital, and it whisked open. As soon as they entered, he focused on a familiar face.
“You two!” Azure Keats’ eyes widened with surprise when she saw them enter the sleek, modern waiting area. If Justin hadn’t known he was at a hospital, he might have assumed he’d stepped into a top engineering firm. No aging facility in need of repairs and a paint job for this station. Even the air carried a pleasant woodsy scent, rather than the antiseptic bite of some medical facilities.
Azure set down a portable comm and stepped around the nurse’s desk to greet them. “If you’d asked me what might happen today, I would not have guessed that seeing you two was on the list of possibilities.”
Justin reached out to clasp her hand in greeting. “Hi, Azure. Done any baking lately?” He hadn’t seen her since they’d left the Apex fortress months ago, after Meli had tried to kill them all. He and Azure had volunteered for kitchen duties, and he’d enjoyed her wit and willingness to work. She’d even managed to recruit Will into some cooking efforts.
“Not since the last time I saw you. What brings you two here?”
Arc waved in the general direction of Justin’s foot. “This guy busted up his ankle out in the hinterlands. We managed three weeks out there, and he goes and breaks his foot on the last day. I brought him here so you can diagnose him as a clumsy oaf.”
“I see. Do you need a wheelchair?” Azure studied Justin with concern.
“No, I’ll make it.” Justin ignored Arc’s teasing. Arc had a way of using humor to distract people from their troubles. A pretty efficient tactic, really. Justin had noticed Arc’s compassion many times, though the archer usually shrugged it off with wisecracks.
“This way, then.” Azure led them down a wide hallway to the nearest exam room and indicated for him to sit on a long, narrow table.
Azure carefully peeled off Justin’s boot and sock, gently touching the bones of his foot.
“Where does it hurt?”
He indicated the entire ankle, and she manipulated the joint while he did his best to remain stoic. Then she wrapped her hands all the way around his ankle and closed her eyes in concentration.
Watching her practice medicine fascinated Justin. He’d never actually seen her do it before. Arc waited unobtrusively in a minimalist chair pushed into the back corner of the room, but Justin’s attention focused entirely on Azure. He’d only seen her use mana to do simple tasks like closing doors without touching them or floating kitchen utensils across the room to him.
What she did now clearly took much more effort. Her angular face, somewhat plain yet appealing in its earnestness, hardened with effort. She’d been one of the manahi to train Kassimeigh, so he knew her mana talents must be significant. A faint ache reverberated through his ankle and up his leg, along with a warmth that he might or might not be imagining. Or maybe the warmth was from Azure’s hands. Either way, the ache was short-lived and left relief in its wake. Azure lifted her head and pulled away.
“Try that out.” She stepped back so he could stand.
Justin rotated the ankle experimentally, then rested his weight on it.
“Walk around the room?” Azure whirled her finger through the air in a circular motion.
“Hop on that foot,” she instructed after she was satisfied with his tour of the room.
Obediently, Justin balanced his weight on that foot and began hopping.
“Now, bark like a dog.”
Justin froze on one foot, mid-hop. Arc grinned.
“Just kidding.” Azure chuckl
ed. “You’re all fixed up. Looks like you had a clean break and someone did a patch job for you. I detected someone else’s mana signature.”
“Yeah.” Justin searched for an honest-but-careful answer. “We met up with someone in the hinterlands who apparently had some basic healing skill.”
“He or she did an okay job, but clearly was not a medical practitioner. Most days that would make me fighting mad, but I’m guessing it was an emergency because you were so far from help?”
Justin nodded.
“You’re lucky it worked out okay. You do not want to know about the horrors I’ve seen, when some manahi without medical training thinks repairing a human body is the same as manipulating any other substance.” Her nose wrinkled. “They should know better, but emergencies and egos sometimes prove a compelling combination.”
“I guess it was my lucky day.” Justin was glad he didn’t have to boast of having his ankle permanently ruined by Élan Gray. “If she hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have walked out of the hinterlands. Too bad she disappeared and I didn’t get her name.” It wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t given them any name.
Azure reached toward the sink and activated its motion sensor. As water gushed out of the faucet, she scrubbed her hands with efficient thoroughness born from years of practice. “I’m sure she knew you appreciated it. I’m just glad you came in today instead of tomorrow. I wouldn’t have been here to see you.” She grabbed a towel and dried her hands.
“Where are you headed? Vacation?” It seemed unlikely, but Justin was hopeful for Azure. Doctors, whether manahi or not, were known to be relentlessly dedicated and took little time off work.
“Nope. Up to the fortress in Apex. You’ve joined the Guard, haven’t you, Justin?”
At his nod, she continued. “Then you know that Will is moving mountains getting the troops trained and the administration set up. He’s developing emergency relief protocols and wants my input for the medical side of things. I’m thrilled that Terath will have that kind of resource.”
“That’s great.” Arc was impressed. “Sounds like Will’s really moving ahead. I haven’t talked to him in a few weeks. I’ll have to send a message up with you.” He nodded at Justin, then shifted his gaze back to Azure. “How’s the progress on getting a comm link established for the fortress?”
“I keep hearing ‘soon.’ Though there’s never any indication as to what that means.” The look on her face left no doubt that she was unimpressed with the estimate.
“That’s the same response as three weeks ago. I’d hoped to hear something more specific by the time we got back.”
Given that Arc’s aunt was the leader of the Council, Justin held back the complaint that wanted to roll across his tongue. Instead, he checked the time on his hand comm.
“You know, the hour is almost up and Arc owes me some dinner. Can you take a break and join us?”
Azure brightened. “Let me check the case board and see how busy we are.”
Back out in the lobby of the hospital, she conferred with a nurse regarding their current patients. “I’m going to get some dinner. I’ll be back in an hour or so. I have my hand comm if you need me sooner.”
“Yes, Dr. Keats,” the nurse acknowledged. Her eyes appraised Arc, who gave her his customary friendly smile. Justin managed not to smirk. Arc was as unavailable as a guy could get, but never failed to earn an inordinate helping of female attention. It was one of those universal injustices.
Azure pretended not to notice the nurse’s interest, and neglected to make introductions. She steered the two men toward the hall, promising, “The pizza place here is great!”
2
“The samples were delivered to the lab. They’ll run a barrage of tests and let me know what they come up with. And thank you again for going out there.” Aunt Ina smiled at Arc from the viewscreen of his comm panel.
Arc sat on the sofa in his home. Though his aunt’s dark hair was secured in its customary chignon, the warmth in her brown eyes belied her cool, sophisticated style. To him, she was much more than one of the most politically powerful people on the planet. She was one of his very favorite people.
“I only wish we’d been more productive.” Arc picked up a textured coaster that rested on the synthetic wood table and absently scraped his fingers over its nubby surface.
“Stop that fiddling, dear. It’s distracting. You did exactly the job I asked of you. Based on the images you sent, the horticulturists have suggested some kind of pest or blight. They also suggested the idea of toxic material contamination, but that seems unlikely, given the random pattern and wide spacing of the affected areas. Once we have results on the sample tests, we’ll have a better idea of how to go about further investigation.”
“Let me know when something turns up.” He shook off his bemusement and relaxed into a smile as he gently set the coaster on the table and scooted it aside. “How have you been?”
Aunt Ina rarely managed to resist his infectious smiles. She let her professional veneer slip and her lips turned upward. “I’m well, thanks. Luc and I enjoyed a wonderful vacation after the trouble in Apex. We’re making up for lost time and squeezing everything we can out of every day.”
“I’m still not sure how to feel about you and Luc being a couple.” Arc slanted a teasing look at her.
“Happy that I’m happy. Of course.”
“Sure, there’s that. But Luc seems such an odd choice for you. He’s so . . .” Arc waggled his fingers in the air chaotically. “Intense and mercurial.”
Ina laughed. “Only because he’s cerebral and motivated. I’m sure you learned that his gruffness only masks how complex and deeply caring he really is.”
“Maybe.” Arc held in his chuckle, but he was pretty sure his aunt was aware of it nonetheless. Not much got by her.
“What about you?” Ina challenged. “Do you think it was my dream for you to end up with a justice? Or a ridiculously powerful manahi?” She made an undignified pffff sound that Arc was pretty sure the other magistrates on the Council had never heard from her. Fortunately for him, he was among the tiny minority of people who had the pleasure of seeing his aunt’s other, more playful side.
This time he did chuckle out loud. “Fair enough.”
“How is Kassimeigh?” Ina’s eyes filled with warmth. In spite of her teasing, Arc knew she loved his bondmate.
“Fine, so far as I know. I haven’t managed to talk to her directly since I got back. We’ve been passing messages back and forth. She’s supposed to call me this afternoon for a real conversation.”
“Luc’s kept her busy with advanced mana training. Just as she’s kept him busy. Between you and me, I think she’s taught him almost as much as he’s taught her. Her ability has gotten him thinking about the world in a different way.”
Arc leaned back on the couch, considering that. “I never really imagined having a long-term relationship with a manahi, much less one who’d make history.” He rubbed his fingers over his goatee.
“Does that upset you?”
He shrugged. “Nah. Since the day I saw her breasts, I knew I was destined to be with a woman who would change the world.” He gave her a wicked grin, daring her to ask.
“Since you . . . what?” Ina’s eyebrows had traveled up to her hairline.
“You know, because I thought she was a man when I first met her.”
“Right.” Aunt Ina made a visible decision not to inquire further about the particulars. “Well, I guess the reveal was a bit of a shock.”
“Yes, but a good one.” He winked with all the naughty ambiguity he possibly could.
Ina laughed. “Arc, if you don’t stop that, I’m going to tell your mother the next time I talk to her. No. I’ll tell Kassimeigh.”
He affected a look of horror, then hung his head in contrition, as if he were still ten years old. “I’ll be good.”
Ina laughed again.
“Seriously, though, Kassimeigh’s abilities don’t concern or threaten me at al
l. I trust her completely. Implicitly. With my eyes closed and my guts out.”
Ina’s lips parted with some variant of surprise, then smoothed into a bittersweet smile. “So do I. If I didn’t, I never would have entrusted her with your care when I assigned her to work with you to begin with.”
He laughed at the implication. “So she was my bodyguard?” He hadn’t known that.
“Among other things. Not just for you. I also wanted to keep Luc, Will, and Izzy safe. Kassimeigh was the justice I most trusted for the job.”
“Did you know then that she was a woman?”
Ina’s eyes sharpened and the silence before her response stretched out an extra beat. “I had some suspicions.” The magistrate was known for her uncanny ability to notice nearly invisible details and fit them together like a puzzle no one else could see. She was the leader of the Council for good reason. Arc had learned as a young boy that he would never succeed at hiding anything from her.
“Little did you know that because of that assignment, I’d find a soulbond and your go-to justice would become a manahi.”
“Yes, there were a number of surprises along that path. I guess I’m the bringer of fortunes.”
“There’s no one I’d rather have ordering the universe.”
Ina rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress her smile. “I need to get going. I have a meeting with the Council in a few minutes. We’re working on budgeting for the Guard.”
“Things seem to be going amazingly well with its development.”
“Yes, but I’m not surprised. Will continues to rise to the occasion.”
“He needs to stop being so awesome all the time, or we’ll forget to be impressed.” Arc recalled the last conversation he’d had with Will. “He asked me to help with some archery training later in the year. He already has a lot of long-term plans in place.”
“Make sure you let me know if you head up to Apex. And dress warmly.”
