Spring Changes, page 17
“So you’re not going to tell us?” Miquel asked.
“Mmm,” I tried to say, swallowing the fish-tasting snack. “Tell you what?”
Imehia put a hand on her hip. “That our brother finally took the queen upstairs for the right reasons.”
I almost choked on the fish. Miquel slapped me on the back, and I coughed it into my hand. “That’s not for me to say.”
Imehia sighed. “Half of the reason Ohara fell out with him was because he wouldn’t admit he loved our queen.”
“Can you take more than one mate for life?” I asked. “Faith and Xirob did make that bond.”
“Yes,” Imehia said. “Though it’s not common, and I’m sure no one else needs to know that.”
“Won’t go down well for them?” I frowned and had at least finished filling my plate.
Miquel eyed my piled-high plate.
“I’m hungry!” I said.
You still haven’t put an ounce of weight on, Hiroto piped up.
So I grabbed another fish thing and happily shoved it in my face, moving to the dessert table. There was chocolate pudding. I looked to my plate, wondered where I could squeeze it, and decided I’d eat and go back for it.
“So where have they gone?” Imehia asked.
“I would presume the queen has gone to freshen up,” I said. “Xirob is just making sure she’s okay.”
Imehia rolled her eyes. “Okay. Go, sit down, eat. I’ll be with you in a moment.”
I went to sit and began to eat, savouring every morsel. This was good, the ingredients meant for denti out on the field.
Miquel sat next to me and Imehia finally took the seat in front. “I’d never seen dissent in the ranks as there was when Xirob closed out the queen’s personal chambers to every single one of her consorts,” Miquel said.
The door opened about halfway through my plate, and I was given a cloth and a fresh shirt.
“They thought what?” I asked, wiping off the blood. Imehia helped me reach the parts I missed.
“That he’d killed her. That he was abusing her and her power. The rumours were wild.”
“But she was the one keeping everyone out physically, right?” I asked.
“Yes. No one had a clue how they could get in to see her. Many tried, but her sheer power was too much. Xirob was very selective about whether and when people could see her, just so they knew she was alive.”
“All the orders still came from her,” Imehia said. “There was no mistaking any of the codes or her presence when she made an appearance.”
“I can see that would at least benefit everyone around here. Things needed to get done, even if the decisions were hard.”
“Exactly, but there was great chaos. Our family argued, even we argued.” Imehia glanced over to Miquel, but he just smiled at her. “It was hard, because other than Borix, no one else had seen much of Xirob for a cycle, maybe more. We presumed he was doing her business, that was his job.”
“The rumours got to us,” Miquel said. “We both wanted the truth. Not just for our family’s sake, but we did really care. We all do in our own ways.”
“I’ve seen you over the last few years.” I smiled at Imehia, taking a drink. “Your family bonds are strange, but you never back down.”
“No, we don’t,” she replied. I heard footsteps, and we all fell silent. Xirob entered with the queen in tow. No, not in tow—he held her hand gently.
Aww, that’s just adorable, Hiroto said.
She was freshly showered at least, and there were no stains of blood this time. That was good. Both Miquel and Imehia traded glances, but she never faltered in her step beside their brother. They moved to the food table, filled their plates, and then came to sit with us. I scooted along and Cassie sat next to me, with Xirob to her side. She put her hand on the table and he took hold of it once again.
“I don’t need to say to you two how much this means to me,” Xirob then said. “Cassie has finally accepted me.”
Imehia smiled, then giggled. “Can I get to plan a royal wedding then?”
Cassie’s face fell. “My council would not approve at this moment in time. But I am not going to hide this anymore. I pushed him away once and into the arms of another.”
Xirob squeezed her hand and put it to his lips, kissing it lightly. “Even if we had been together, there would have been nothing that would have helped me out in the field. Faith still would have taken my child.”
“I know, and your daughter will be a beautiful woman.”
“Was this the family reunion you had planned?” I looked at Xirob, still munching food.
“There’re some other members of the special guard I believe coming in. Ohara and Eles. Then Brun.”
“Brun didn’t join the military,” Miquel said.
Curious, I asked, “What does he do?”
“He’s a doctor here, into research for the pods, the system. He is one of the reasons we understood the meld as much as we did. Especially how it could work and what the effects would be.”
“I bet I know someone who would like to chat with him,” I said.
Miquel raised an eyebrow. “Denn, yes. I’m sure even Hiroto.”
Of course! Any knowledge is good knowledge, Hiroto said.
“We’re meeting with them in the morning,” Xirob added. “Before this gets out.”
“Do you want it to get out?” I asked him. “I’m sure it doesn’t need to, not right now.”
Cassie looked at Xirob, squeezed his hand. “I’m not denying anything I want anymore.” She leaned forward and kissed him. It was the most tender and beautiful kiss I’d seen.
“Damn,” Miquel said. “I hope I find someone to kiss me like that.”
Imehia slapped him. “Watch your tongue. She is still our queen.”
“Please,” Cassie said. “I may be your queen, but here in my chambers where your brother and I will share our love, our life, I want you to think of me as family, nothing else.” She looked at me, her smile there, but sadness too. “Kyle asked me today what I wanted and those words were the kindest I’d heard in years.”
“I’m sorry.” Imehia lowered her head. “I had no idea.”
“It is no one’s fault,” she said. “It is the life we have to lead.”
“It still hurts,” Imehia said. “Knowing you were both in so much pain.”
Cassie’s eyes brimmed with tears once more, but with a squeeze from Xirob, they stemmed. “Not now, but I’d like to know you both better. Start fresh.”
My vision faded slightly. Kyle? Hiroto asked.
Something tugged at my mind.
“Kyle?” Cassie asked. “Are you all right?”
“No,” I said. Nausea swept through me.
“Ate too much?” Miquel laughed.
“No, something’s wrong.” I struggled to swallow the bile that rose up my throat. “Yun. He’s in pain. Serious pain.”
“What?” Xirob said. Cassie looked at Xirob, and then Miquel.
I held my chest. “You think I can reach the Sitha from here?”
“That I’m not so sure of,” she replied. “They’re really far out on the opposite side of the universe.”
“I have to try,” I begged. “Please.”
17
Cassie took us to a private office at the back of the sitting room. She brought up the ship’s communications system.
Nothing’s happening, I said to Hiroto.
Give it some time. I think it is redirecting us.
A moment later and the comm request was answered. “This is Lenko Tala, commander of the Sitha security force. Who are you?”
“Kyle Ranz,” I replied. “I’m trying to get through to Yun.”
“The king’s pre-occupied at the moment. Is it possible I can get him to comm you back?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to be here for. I wouldn’t be comming from the other side of the universe if this wasn’t important.”
“I’ll see if he will take your call,” Lenko replied.
“Thank you,” I said and finally breathed in properly. The comms went quiet.
“I’ll leave you to this,” Cassie said.
I nodded at her. “Thank you.”
Cassie left and I sat there staring at the screen before me, hoping Yun would come and it would be something and nothing.
A moment later Yun’s familiar face appeared on the screen. “Kyle, I did not think this would project to you,” Yun said. “You are very far away. How are you talking to me?”
“I’m on the Soteria, the denti queen’s world ship,” I said. “Tell me what’s going on?” I asked. “Why are you in pain?”
His face flickered in and out of our world and I struggled to read anything from him. He was trying to block me. “You have met the queen, Cassie?”
“Yes, quite the leader.” I paused, shook off his deflection. “What’s going on?”
“Someone tried to kill me.” He sighed.
“What?” The heavy food in my stomach flipped.
“I am okay. I’m healing. I do not know if you’d follow it even if I tried to explain,” he said. “It’s very political.”
“Try. I can follow pretty much anything.” I was reaching—I was rubbish with politics even on Earth, let alone any other from other species.
“Some are against me taking the throne,” he said, and I watched him squirm.
“What? I don’t understand. Why?”
“Tiftia’s been fighting the council for the last month, and some are relenting. The others, they’re getting desperate.”
“But why are they against you taking it? It’s your right.”
He couldn’t look at me, but answered, “Because we’re bonded. They don’t know you—or trust you.” His eyes flashed. “What happened, Kyle? Something changed. You are no longer tainted?”
“I fought him,” I said simply. “He is now no more.”
“You fought the darkness? How is that possible?”
“Look,” I said. “This is you time, not me time. What will happen if you can’t take your place as Sitha king?”
“Our society is already breaking down. More so now. I do not know. I do not want them to split, to fight—we are so few.”
“I’m on my way,” I said.
“You can’t,” he said.
“You and me,” I said. “No matter what you need, right?”
“If you come here, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I will take whatever it brings.”
I agree, Hiroto added. We will not leave him out there like this.
“This is for you, for us, right?” I asked.
Yun lowered his head. His eyes paled. Where there had been such fire in them the last time I saw him, now there was only a flicker. I had never seen him with that much doubt before. He closed his eyes and then he spoke. “I’m sending in coordinates for the council. Just you and Tyto to the planet. I can’t promise there would be safety for anyone else.”
The location came through and Hiroto whistled in my ear. That’s going to take quite the journey to get there.
Is that even possible, with Artemis?
Err, maybe. Will just be time consuming and will take a lot of kenosi.
“We’re going to work out how to get to you,” I said to Yun. “You need me.”
“The front line needs you,” he replied and looked away once more.
“The front line needs the both of us. We have other responsibilities, but we have some time. There’s nothing I can do with them out there with you like this.”
I heard shouts from the other side of his room, a door, office or something. “I must go,” he said. “I will await your next message.”
“Talk soon,” I replied and cut the comms.
I sat and gazed at the blank screen for a few moments, then pulled up the energy to move and return to the others.
Xirob’s smile lit up the room. More than I’d ever thought possible, especially after seeing him with Faith. I’d thought they were meant to be together, but it seemed it really was just hormones and feelings they weren’t sure of. Now it was clear who he was meant to be with. Cassie’s hand rested on his leg and she almost nestled into his side, his arm draped lightly over her shoulder.
He stiffened when he saw me though, and she moved away slightly.
“Someone tried to assassinate him.” I pulled up a chair and sat close. “I need to go.”
Miquel and Imehia traded glances. “What?”
Xirob held my gaze. “Whatever path you need to follow, I am right with you.”
“The Sitha are very important for our future,” Cassie added. She looked up into Xirob’s eyes. “If you need to go with him, you can.”
“No,” I said. “I can take Artemis. You must return to the front line.” I held his gaze. “My team needs to keep going. They need to keep training and help the others learn to use Remote Control.”
“They never thought it was going to be possible. You showed them something else,” Cassie said. “You gave them a lot to think about, and everyone will want to learn this. Though I think your team will have some explaining and showing to do.”
“Miquel, I think we can do that,” Imehia said. “We can take them in sets. Show them the skill, what it takes to learn it. Some won’t ever have the skill, but we can try. Those who can, we can train, right?”
“Yeah, not everyone will be able to do it,” I admitted. “You’ll get a better idea when my team can section everyone off.”
“We can make a start,” Miquel said.
“I’ll comm for Tyto and speak with Jai. We’ll be gone in the day.”
“You can’t take Artemis,” Cassie said. “They must stay. They have other tasks.”
I frowned. I had no other way of getting to Yun. My mind started to panic, thinking I could lose him again. I couldn’t deal with it right now.
“However.” Cassie’s face softened. “I will lend you one of my best ships.”
“You’d do that?”
“Kyle.” She smiled and leaned forward. “My species owes you more than anything. If I can’t help you by lending you one of my ships to go help someone you love, I don’t know if this world is worth fighting for . . .”
“Fair point.” I smiled back. “Thank you. How much of the crew would have to come?”
Cassie looked at Xirob. “I think they can get away with minimal staff. They’re built for speed, cruisers. Easy jumpers, too.”
“I’m not sure Jai will want to let me leave them behind either.” I sighed, not wanting to leave them either; I trusted them. A ship with strangers . . . I wasn’t sure.
“My family don’t need to meet you tomorrow, but it would have been nice.” Xirob tugged Cassie back to him.
When she looked up into his eyes, she said, “We will deal with all of them and the politics here tomorrow.”
“We must unite everyone,” I said. “There’s no room for differing sides right now.”
“I’ll speak with Borix. He’s been managing everything over on Flaoer, the misguided factions and people surrounding the planet. He’s been doing a lot of damage control.”
I sighed. “I’ve not been keeping up with any of it there.”
“You’ve had a lot to deal with, that’s fair,” Xirob said. “We’re all managing things, bringing everything and everyone together.”
Cassie lowered her head. “You are correct. We do not have the resources to be arguing amongst ourselves. There’s much more strife to come if we cannot quell the people around us.”
“Bringing them to our cause is a must,” Imehia added.
“Together we’re stronger,” I said. “Always.”
The soft mattress enveloped me, yet I lay awake for quite some time, going over the last day again and again. I couldn’t get all of these things out of my head. I missed Shion. Xirob and Cassie’s love. Who tried to kill my familiar? Yun’s family and his species in general, their politics.
I accepted the quest to help Yun while you were talking with him.
I pushed myself up on one elbow. You did that without even asking?
Of course I did. I know where our loyalties lie, and that’s with those we care for.
I couldn’t really say anything else, could I? He was more than right; even I wouldn’t have hesitated on clicking that button and accepting it no matter how long it would have taken us to get there.
I drifted a little in and out of rest and Hiroto ran all the numbers, did the digging I knew he would.
When I woke the next morning, it was clear he’d done more than that. He ran me through the updates, the things he’d discovered.
Tyto will meet us and we can travel to the ship.
You’re all so sure of this, I said. Yet jetting off to the other side of the universe suddenly fills me with fear.
Because you’ve gotten used to all the others being around you, that’s why.
They’re some of the most skilled people I could ever have around me, and I’m honoured for it, but yes. I already feel out of my depth before I even step foot on the cruiser.
We got this, Hiroto said. Tyto is also one of the strongest people I have ever met.
Stop drooling. I laughed.
Hey, I have Dylan now, you know.
Still drooling . . .
I could feel his pout, and it made me smile on the inside.
I wasn’t sure if Xirob would go with Cassie. I’d watched him as he walked with her in front, essentially guiding him to her room.
They have a lot to catch up on, Hiroto had said. They are worlds apart in the war, and she can rarely leave the world ship.
That has to be one of the hardest things they’ve to deal with.
Not as hard as not being together, Hiroto added. There’s no stronger pain than that.
I’d forgotten just for a moment the feelings I’d had when he was thinking about Dylan, but they flooded me then and they hit hard.
It’s difficult to feel the things you do, I said. I know you must feel it when I think about Shion, or anyone else in my life.
Our joint feelings are complicated as hell, yes. I don’t know if we can separate it, or wonder if we actually should do. It’s something I have grown to accept, though it is strange to look at Shion and feel what you do.
