Thinking about the other Elders made him realize it had been several weeks since the convocation voting in Rasa as the successor to Elder Wilken. With how terribly the dissenting Elders had behaved, he was surprised no repercussions had been noted. He would have to check in with Rasa soon to see how she was faring in her new post.
In a way, he was thankful to have Rasa blaze the trail for other women to become Elders. After being with his granddaughters for several days, he could easily see either or both of them becoming an Elder one day. Certainly, they were talented enough, and the fact they had both been selected and trained by Jehoban gave them impeccable credentials.
He leaned back in his chair, musing on the possibilities of their futures. Jena and Juila both possessed their own samaras, something which even he could not claim for himself. Daven wondered if Amanda’s assumption about all of them from Jehoban’s meeting were to get their own samara. So far, each of the known samaras had been claimed by the attendees only.
Thinking about how Captain Ahn had received his, gave him the idea of trying to call his own samara to him. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize the crystal skull resting in his palms. For an instant, he felt as though he could feel a tingling sensation, and he redoubled his efforts. He breathed deeply and focused his thoughts to the exclusion of all else.
Several hours later, a noise startled Daven into opening his eyes and had to laugh at himself because, apparently, he had fallen asleep. Obviously, the idea of calling a samara was more complicated than he had imagined. He stretched the kinks out of his joints and promised himself, one way or another, he would get his own. Right now, however, he had to get ready for lunch, or he was going to be late. His wife hated it when meals were delayed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freya asked an innocent question to Agetha, “What do you think Ozian means by visiting with Vinia so much?”
“No doubt, he’s after something. She is the only one with a patil in the village. Maybe he’s trying to find a way to get back home since he’s discovered there’s nothing here for him.”
“I don’t think so,” Freya mused quietly to herself. To her mind, it looked like Ozian had found more than enough to keep him around. She had to admit to herself that she was slightly jealous but then chided herself. Vinia had a small child who needed looking after, Ozian would be a good father for her and a helpmate for Vinia.
“What was that?” Agetha asked unkindly.
“Nothing. I was just talking to myself. Do you have enough firewood, or should we go gather more?”
“I’m fine. You should run along home now; it’s getting late.”
Not really appreciating being told what to do, Freya held her tongue as she turned and began walking toward her home and away from the mean and spiteful Agetha. If Agetha were not her nearest neighbor, she probably would not have become friends with her. Freya shrugged and told herself it was best to get along with everyone since the community was so small. They all needed one another to get through the hard times.
Freya turned and saw Agetha had gone into her own house, so she kept walking until she found herself nearing Vinia’s cabin. She really did not have any intention of overhearing Vinia’s conversation, but once she was within range, she found she could not turn away either. Freya covered her mouth to keep from making any noise as she listened intently.
“I really am serious about marrying you, Vinia. Please say you’ll accept,” Ozian pled one more time.
“What would you do if I said yes?” Vinia asked offhandedly, not really believing Ozian would take it as an acceptance.
“Did you just say yes? Oh, I’m the happiest man alive!” He jumped up from the bench and picked up Vinia and turned her in jubilant circles. “We can have the ceremony tonight, or tomorrow, or as soon as it can be arranged. I want you to have everything you’ve ever wanted. Tell me what you want to do?”
Seeing she had made a serious error in her choice of words, Vinia did not have the heart to deny his words. She realized she would like to be with him; she only wished it would have come later when she had more time to mourn the loss of her previous relationship. Ozian did not have to pay for her past, and she owed her daughter a future with a father in it.
“I will make the arrangements,” Vinia spoke with a silly grin on her face.
For the first time, Ozian leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips. He forgot about everything else, as he lost himself in the feel of her body under his hands. He began pulling on her shirt, and his kisses trailed across her cheek and down her throat.
“No, Ozian, we can’t do this yet,” Vinia said as she finally came to her senses and pushed him away from her. “I want this done properly or not at all. Do you understand?”
Looking slightly downcast at being denied his prize, he suddenly grinned and said, “I’d do anything for you, Vinia. I’m going to go home now before I forget what you asked. I’ll be back tomorrow to help with the planning. I love you, Vinia!” He turned and rushed out of the cabin. He never even saw Freya standing in the shadows near the corner of the house.
She felt tears dropping down her cheeks as she realized Vinia had accepted Ozian’s advances. No longer was it just an idea; it was going to be a reality…and soon. Her hopes for a future with the new man in town were dashed, and she felt herself wilting inside with the loss. She picked up her skirts and ran back to her cabin to cry herself to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
THE IDEA OF Ozian wanting to marry her kept Vinia’s mind from being able to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. It was utterly preposterous for him to be serious, yet every time she tried to deny it, Ozian gave her a look otherwise. Vinia blushed like a schoolgirl when she thought about what would happen if she were to give in to his request, which also made her scoff at herself for her foolishness.
In a daze, she stared at the door where Ozian had just left. Had she really just agreed to get married? Surely not! She could not get married until after she talked it over with her other three children. They were old enough to have an opinion on the matter.
She walked over to the patil and turned it on. She tapped the messaging button and composed a quick note to Riccan to pass along to her children. There was no good way of writing what was happening and she struggled to find the right words. “What a mess!” she said out loud to herself. “This can’t be happening right now!”
Danika began to cry behind her, and she abandoned her message in favor of soothing her daughter. She settled the baby on her lap and offered her breast to Danika, not sure who would be more comforted by the gesture. Peace descended upon them both as the only noises in the room were the suckling sounds and small grunts of pleasure coming from the little girl. Danika had no idea what was going on in her world, and Vinia envied her for it.
It had only been three weeks since Nealan had been forcibly taken from her life. In such a short amount of time, she had gone from being completely dependent on someone for support, to becoming the leader of a community. No longer did she mourn the loss of her three older children, since they had also been restored to her life, although not in the manner she ever imagined.
Danika had fallen asleep, and her lax mouth had lost its grip on her breast. She pulled her away and covered herself, but remained rocking in her chair for a few more minutes, enjoying the serenity of the warm bundle in her arms. Did she want to give up this private time by marrying Ozian? There really was no rush in moving forward.
Maybe she was even making a mistake with Ozian by letting her old fears control her future decisions. She needed to take some time for herself and her daughter before she made life-changing choices like getting married. With a newfound resolve, Vinia decided she would tell Ozian in the morning that she wanted more time to decide, she owed that much to her children.
With a sigh, Vinia stood up and gently placed Danika back in her cradle by the bed. She tucked the covers carefully around her and stared at her for a few more seconds before
she straightened up and walked back over to the patil. She resumed her seat and read what she had already written and decided nothing needed to be said at the moment.
Vinia tapped on the delete key, and the whole message disappeared. For some reason, it felt wrong to dismiss the whole thing so easily, so she immediately opened another message and wrote:
Riccan,
It would be great if the kids could spend some time with me while they are on winter break. Do you think something could be arranged?
Thanks,
Vinia.
She hit send before she changed her mind. Then she hit the compose button again and wrote another note:
Elder Daven,
Ozias has asked me to marry him. Please advise me on this matter.
Your humble subject,
Vinia.
There was nothing more she could do for the night, so she turned off the patil and wandered around her empty house, cleaning dusty corners, and straightening the folded linens. Some human interaction would be nice in times like these, she thought to herself. With the fire banked for the night, she stripped off her clothes and got under the covers. Even though it was still rather early in the evening, her mind was tired from all of the turmoil she felt inside. She turned on her side to face the crib, should Danika need anything during the night, and swiftly fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riccan had stayed late at work since there was nobody to come home to anyway. Things had definitely improved on the work front, yet it still was less satisfying than it had been before the blowup with Ela Nena. There had never been an apology from his boss, and he had to come to terms with the idea that there likely never would be.
He sauntered through the kitchen on his way in from the garage. He toyed with the idea of making himself something to eat, yet he was still pretty full from lunch. The place seemed oddly quiet without the girls being home, and he wondered how they were faring at his parents’ house. Thinking there might be some response from his father about Amanda’s question over Shemalla, Riccan strode to his office and uncovered his patil.
Once it was powered up, he discovered he had two unread messages. The first one was from his father letting him know Shemalla was exactly who she claimed to be. He had also written that if Amanda felt compelled to discuss matters with her, then it was probably the right thing to do. Riccan smiled at his dad’s obvious infatuation with his wife, and he was thankful his father thought so highly of his wife’s skill at reading people.
The second message caught him by surprise as he discovered it was from Vinia. His father had been handling the situation involving the Roanoke Colony, so he was curious to see what she would need from him. Surely it would have to do with Jena or Juila; otherwise, she would have contacted his father. He clicked the message open and then sat back in his chair, tapping his finger to his pursed lips, trying to decide what he could do with her request.
Without fully thinking the matter through, Riccan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked up the Wilson’s phone number. Thankfully, the girls spent enough time over at their house to warrant being put into his phone. A male voice answered his call.
“Behn, is that you?” Riccan asked.
“No, this is Jon.”
“Oh, sorry about that Jon. This is Riccan Stel. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Are you somewhere private?”
“I can be, just a second.” Jon rapidly moved out of the kitchen where his parents were preparing dinner and through the living room. He gestured at Behn and Valentina to follow him as he moved down the hall and into his bedroom at the other end of the house. He pulled the phone away from his ear and pushed the speaker button so everyone could hear. “Okay, I’m in my room with Behn and Valentina. Is something wrong?”
“I don’t think so, but I just got a message from your mom. She is asking for you to come and see her while you’re on break. Her request is simple enough, but it feels like there’s something she’s not saying. The problem is about how you’d get there. I have to be at work and Amanda is still in New Mexico dealing with her sister.”
“So you don’t think it’s anything urgent?” Behn asked for clarification.
“No, it’s just a feeling I have. I hate to dump this on you and then leave you with no way to get over there to her.”
“There might be a way,” Valentina chimed in. “You still have Mrs. Stel’s telepod in your garage, right?”
“Yes,” Riccan confirmed and then laughed. He had the feeling they were going to say they could fly themselves there. “I know the technology is really advanced, and it almost flies itself, but I can’t in good conscience allow you to try to get yourselves there.”
“No, no!” Valentina denied immediately. “I wasn’t suggesting that at all. What if there were someone who did know how to fly it available. Would you let us borrow it?”
“I’m afraid I’m not following,” Riccan replied, more than a little baffled by what she was suggesting.
“Willian could fly us there,” she offered.
“Willian? As in Jena’s Willian? Why would he do that? How do you even know him or how to get in touch with him?”
Now it was Valentina’s turn to be flustered. There was no good way to answer Mr. Stel about what had been happening, so she temporized by saying, “He’s been teaching us to use our crystal skills while the girls are away. We’ve all become friends of sorts.”
Jon snorted and had to turn away from the phone at his sister’s lame explanation. Behn covered his mouth to keep from making any noise as well. Valentina glared from one brother to the other in her attempt to remain focused on the solution to the problem.
“I guess that would be fine. I’d need to show him how the controls work. Do you think he might be able to come over this evening for a quick tutorial?”
“I’ll call him right now and find out,” Valentina offered.
“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you shortly. Goodbye.”
Thrilled with the idea of an off-world adventure with Willian, Valentina grabbed the phone out of Jon’s hand and rapidly dialed Willian’s number. When he answered, she told him what was happening and then asked if he could help.
“I’d be more than happy to be of assistance except for the problem that I don’t have any transportation out to the Stel residence,” Willian answered.
“That’s no problem, I can take you over there,” Valentina offered.
“I’ll take him,” Behn interjected hastily. He knew it would be a terrible idea for the two of them to be alone in a dark car together. They would definitely need a chaperone. “What time can he go?”
“Did you hear Behn?” Valentina asked Willian.
“Yeah. We were just sitting down to eat dinner. Do you want to go in about an hour?”
“Sure, we need to eat, too. Okay,” Valentina looked at her watch and said, “We’ll pick you up in one hour from now.”
“Sounds good. Bye.”
“Bye.” Valentina clicked off the call and handed the phone back to Behn. “Can you call Mr. Stel back and let him know?”
“Sure,” he replied as he looked carefully at his sister. “Are you afraid to talk to him?”
“A little, I mean, wouldn’t you be if you were in my shoes? I’m planning on stealing his daughter’s fiancé from her, and he’s being so nice to us.”
“It’s something you’re going to have to live with for the rest of your life if you move ahead with it,” Behn admonished.
“Don’t remind me!”
Behn raised his eyebrows and then turned his attention to dialing the phone. After a short conversation with Riccan, he hung up the phone and announced, “It’s all set. We move out in one hour. Let’s go get some dinner!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
VALENTINA WAS BOTH thrilled and nervous about the prospect of being near Willian again. The day had been dreadfully long without seeing him, so this unexpected trip over to his house was jus
t what she needed. She felt like a little child, practically jumping up and down in her seat as they pulled into the driveway of his house. Neither of them even had the opportunity to get out of the car before they saw the front door open and Willian come jogging down the walkway to their waiting vehicle.
He opened the back door and sat down. “Thanks for picking me up.” Immediately, he could feel the electrical energy from Valentina and wondered if she felt it as strongly as he.
“No problem,” Behn replied as he unconsciously rubbed his arm where the hair stood on end. He hoped the couple would be able to tone down their connection when they got around Mr. Stel. It could potentially be an awkward conversation otherwise. He pulled away from the curb and sped down the main road.
Willian remained quiet in the back seat, curious about where Jena lived since he had yet to ever visit her home. It seemed a moot point since meeting Valentina, but Riccan would not know anything about that yet. He would have to be on his best behavior with Valentina so Riccan would not suspect anything until after he had had a chance to discuss everything with Jena. It was the least he could do with his betrothed since he was planning on breaking it off with her when she got back home.
Soon enough, Behn turned the car off the road and into the Stel driveway. He paused as the gate registered his vehicle and slowly opened. Willian’s eyes grew bigger as he realized Jena lived in a place much different than himself or even Valentina. This grand home was more fitting as a Residence back in Tuala. Actually, it was even bigger than most of those, he realized as they pulled up into the circular driveway.
Willian was glad it was dark outside so it would hide his astonished expression until he could control his thoughts. He had had an idea that Riccan was considered wealthy, but this was more than he would have imagined. There was only a slight twinge of anger toward Jena before he realized it no longer mattered because he had found Valentina. She was worth more to him than any amount of monetary gain which could have been realized with his union with Jena.
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 45
