by S. W. Gunn
She nodded eagerly as she replied, “I would.”
“Do you have a color preference?” He asked.
Jarron interrupted, “She’d look wonderful in a dark blue.”
“My husband has spoken, dark blue for me.”
The man nodded at her and then gestured for them to follow. He walked them through the clearing and to a large building in the center. Jarron could tell immediately that it was the main building of whatever this village was. The man opened the door and then guided them in.
He pointed at some nearby chairs as he instructed, “Please sit here, I will check on the Speaker and then return.”
After he walked away Elyse said, “I’m so nervous, I’d spent so many nights dreaming about my father and now finally I’m about to meet him.”
Jarron reached an arm out and gently pulled her close for a hug before saying, “I’m here for you.”
“Honestly without you I wouldn’t have had the courage to come and see him.”
She leaned close and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. They sat there quietly for a few minutes before the man returned. Jarron was shocked by the man with him. He looked like almost a carbon copy of Elyse! He had the same light hair and hazel eyes. His skin was the same color and his facial structure was very similar. It was very obvious to Jarron that he was indeed her father. Jarron looked at her and could see the surprise on her face. She must have as immediately recognized him. The man smiled at her as soon as he caught sight of her.
“It is her.” He stated happily.
As Elyse stood up Jarron rose to his feet. She did not say a word as her eyes started to well with tears. He felt joy emanating from her about finally meeting her father. She ran to hug the man. The man initially seemed unsure how to react but then finally wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Jarron could hear her sobbing as she held him. Her father smiled widely as he softly ran his hand over her head to try and comfort her. She hugged him tightly for some time before finally releasing him. Since she had no handkerchief to wipe her face Jarron gently used his sleeve to wipe away her tears. Her face was written clearly with joy.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet the daughter that I never knew I had.” Her father said.
Jarron noticed how calm and even the man spoke, it was evident that the emotion of the moment did not affect him in the same way it had Elyse. She nodded at him.
They stood there awkwardly for some time before Elyse finally spoke, “How did you discover me?”
Her father gestured to her and said, “If you and your friend,”
She interrupted him by saying, “My husband.”
“Husband… could follow me.” The man continued with a brief nod.
He turned away and they both followed him as he walked through the building. He opened a pair of double doors that led into what Jarron assumed was an office. It had multiple chairs that surrounded a small wooden table. The window behind them was massive and faced directly towards the forest. The walls of the room were the same red lacquered wood that seemed to be popular with the Eal’tain. This room however had several odd tapestries. Jarron had to admit that he was fascinated by the design of the Eal’tain rooms and buildings. Her father gestured for them to seat, which they did immediately.
He spoke, “I apologize for you having to live so long without knowing me. I am afraid that your existence is due to a youthful indiscretion and I did not know of you for until recently.”
Cheerfully Elyse replied, “I’m just happy to have found you, I spent many nights wondering about you. I want to know all about you father. What do you do for a living? Are you married now? Do I have any siblings?”
He grinned at her eagerness before replying, “All excellent questions, I will start by telling you about myself. As you know my name is Iaeth and I am the Speaker of Sethinalor.”
She interrupted, “What’s a Speaker?”
He smoothly replied, “I am the leader of the entire planet. My job is to coordinate and organize everything that the Eal’tain do here.”
She nodded at his answer. Jarron was impressed as it seemed that Elyse was related to a powerful man.
“And to answer your question about marriage, I have to ask how much you know about the Eal’tain.”
“Almost nothing.”
“That makes sense since you have probably not interacted with our kind. For our kind we do not form martial bonds in the same way that others do. Instead of some sort of legal or binding agreement we simply choose a partner and live together. Either party may break the arrangement at any point but that rarely is done.”
Elyse nodded at his words. Jarron knew immediately that she would not want a marriage like that. He had to agree because he was quite happy with the arrangement that they now had.
“And as for siblings, indeed you have many. We Eal’tain had an issue many centuries ago where over half of our kind left and became the Magial. Since then all families are obligated to reach at least four children. We have found ourselves barely back to the numbers of Eal’tain when the Magial left. You have seven siblings.”
Elyse’s jaw almost hit the floor. Jarron had to admit that it was a significant number of children as humans rarely had more than three children.
“Wow that’s a lot of siblings.” She stated.
Her father chuckled before replying, “I would guess that going from none to seven would be a shock.”
“Could I meet them?” She asked curiously.
“Of course you can, although you are much older than any of them. My oldest child, other than you, is only sixteen years old. They all live here with me, along with my mate.”
“Will I be an issue for your mate?”
He shook his head and replied, “It is quite common for children from outside the current mating to be there. In fact my first three children are from another mate.”
Jarron chuckled, which caught the attention of both Elyse and her father.
He took their looks a cue to speak, “It seems to me that having so many children and mates could be both confusing and expensive.”
“Indeed, but we Eal’tain live a very different lifestyle. The only money we acquire and use is for dealings with others outside our culture. We gladly barter with each other freely and no one is left without a home and food.” Her father stated evenly.
Jarron thought it sounded like a wonderful system but he also pondered how it could ensure that people were honest and did not take advantage of the system.
Her father continued speaking, “On that note I am curious what happened to you. I had spent a significant amount of effort tracking you to that far away church only to discover that you had gone missing.”
Elyse sighed before saying, “I was kidnapped.”
Her father looked confused. Jarron could not blame him. Kidnappings usually only happened to those with excessive wealth.
“Why would someone kidnap an orphan on a faraway planet?” Her father asked.
“Because I have the Gift.”
“I had heard and I was honored when I heard that one of my children had the Gift. In our culture those with the Gift are highly revered but I wonder why having the Gift would cause you to be kidnapped. Are people with the Gift so rare on your planets?”
He directed the last question at Jarron.
“No the motivations of her kidnappers are much more sinister.” Jarron replied.
“How so?” Her father asked.
Elyse answered, “Because the man who kidnapped me was using me as a test subject.”
Her father looked aghast at her words.
Horror was on his voice as he asked, “A test subject?”
“Yes, the man who kidnapped me was looking for Jarron.”
Her father looked at Jarron and said, “Interesting, although I am confused. Did you know each other before then? The man I spoke to at your church seemed to indicate that you were living with them the whole time.”
Elyse shook her head before answered, “It was not un
til he exposed us to each other that we ever met.”
“So what is the reasoning behind his action?”
Jarron was very unsure if it was a wise idea to expose Tiberius’ motivations. He did not know how the Eal’tain would react.
Elyse looked into his eyes and asked, “Should we tell him?”
Jarron answered, “It’s up to you.”
In a very curious tone her father asked, “Tell me what?”
Elyse looked away from Jarron and at one of the nearby empty chairs. The electrical pulsing began to wave through Jarron again. He could not move. The chair slowly rose into the air.
Her father stood and with his face thick with shock he exclaimed, “He is a focal point!”
Elyse lowered the chair and said, “Yes.”
Jarron could move again.
“This is not good.” Her father said.
“Why?” Elyse asked with a frown.
“Focal points need to be protected and kept away from those with the Gift for long periods of time.”
“Why?” She asked yet again.
Her father sighed and then answered, “Because if they are not kept apart they will bond to each other and then that will be one of only a small number of focal points lost forever. Only that person will be able to use them, ever. Nothing can break that bond, even death.”
Jarron chuckled. He had suspected their bond was quite strong.
He father then asked urgently, “Have you had sex?”
Jarron was slightly shocked he would ask the question, as it seemed as though their sex life seemed a popular subject with strangers. This time however Jarron would not answer, he simply turned to Elyse. She was blushing at the question.
She nodded bashfully as she answered, “He is my husband.”
“Then the bond is set,” Her father said, “Which is most unfortunate, we have so few focal points of our own.”
He rubbed his chin and after a moment of thinking he spoke, “Well I must contact the Green Council, they must know of you. I wish to invite you both to stay with me until they respond. I will have Laquil take you to my residence. He will introduce you to my mate and she will help settle you in our guest quarters. I must speak to the Green Council and then afterwards I will meet you there. Is this acceptable?”
Jarron turned to look at Elyse, who looked back at him. He nodded at her and then she turned to her father and agreed.
“Very well,” He said, “Please follow me.”
Her father stood up and guided them back out to the entryway where Laquil was waiting.
Her father instructed him, “Please take them to my residence and introduce them to Uaera. Let her know to set them up in my guest quarters. Also, please ask her to introduce my daughter and her husband to all of our children. They might all find the experience pleasant.”
Laquil nodded and then gestured for them to follow him. Elyse gave her father another hug, which he returned softly, before turning and following Laquil. She reached out and took Jarron by his hand. They walked through the clearing and towards one of the large buildings along the outer end of the clearing. He was certain that this building was her father’s residence. Laquil stopped at the door and knocked. After a few moments it opened and an Eal’tain woman opened the door. Jarron was surprised by how lovely she was. It had seemed to him that beauty was a common trait in all of the Eal’tain. This woman had soft long brown hair, which she wore loosely in a ponytail. She wore the same dress of her people, except this one was a light orange color. Her light complexion was similar to all of their people. She spoke in a language that Jarron did not understand. Laquil replied to her in the same language.
After they had a lengthy conversation she turned to Elyse and said, “Hello, my name is Uaera. I am the mate of your father, please enter.”
She gestured for them to enter. Elyse stepped through the door, releasing Jarron’s hand as she stepped in. Jarron followed behind her into the building. Uaera guided them through the residence and to a circular large open area in what Jarron believed was the center of the building. It looked like some type of meeting place that had a large low lying table and no chairs.
Uaera indicated the floor next to the table and said, “Please have a seat.”
Elyse immediately set next to the table on the floor. He slid down on the floor next to her. He was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the padded floor was. Uaera then loudly spoke again in the language that Jarron was sure was Eal’tain. After a few moments several Eal’tain children of varying ages began to come into the room. Many of them looked very much like Elyse and her father. It was clear that they were stunned since they all stopped when they initially saw her and Jarron. After another moment they all slowly took seats around the small table. Uaera was the last to sit.
In a clear voice Uaera spoke, “Everyone this is Elyse and her mate,” She paused and then continued, “I am sorry, your name is?”
He answered, “Jarron.”
She then turned again to the children around her and said, “Jarron. Elyse is your oldest sibling.”
One of the youngest ones said loudly, “How come she does not look right and why is she mated with a human?”
Jarron chuckled. He had heard somewhere that small children would say whatever popped into their little minds and this one just proved it.
Elyse then said softly to the child, “Because I’m half Eal’tain and half human. I’m with Jarron because I love him.”
The child spoke again, this time with a look of disdain, “Ewww human? I thought that humans were big, clumsy and slow witted?”
Jarron was appalled that this is what the Eal’tain had thought of his kind. It was no wonder that the Eal’tain did not wish to associate much with the Galactic Union if they felt this way. It reminded Jarron of something that Hain had said, the Eal’tain were arrogant and selfish.
Elyse just chuckled at the small child’s comment and then said with a giggle, “Well I do agree with you that humans are big and clumsy but I can tell you they aren’t slow witted.”
Uaera said, “Elyse I apologize, sometimes small children to say the most interesting things.”
“It’s fine.” Elyse replied.
Jarron grunted and stated grumpily, “Easy for you to say Elyse, you’re not the one who was just called big, clumsy and slow witted.”
Elyse reached out and gently rubbed his shoulder before saying, “Well I disagree with the slow witted, but even you have to admit that humans are bigger and much clumsier than the Eal’tain?”
Jarron grunted again before saying, “I bet I could fly circles around any Eal’tain you bring forward. Wouldn’t be calling me clumsy then I bet.”
Elyse laughed before she replied, “Alright my dear, I’ll concede that point. I do remember you attempting to evade my pokes and failing horribly though.
He begrudgingly admitted, “I guess you have a point there.”
She nodded at him.
Uaera then said, “Elyse please let me have your brothers and sisters introduce themselves.”
The one who Jarron could tell was the oldest stood. He guessed that she was around the sixteen years that her father said she was.
“My name is Yeavi.”
The next one stood, a boy, and he said, “Maelu.”
Then another boy stood, “Olori.”
A girl, “Riena.”
Another girl, “Beune.”
A boy who made the comment about humans, “Peilu.”
And finally the youngest, who Jarron guessed was around five years old announced, “I am Kikae.”
Jarron knew there would be no way he could keep track of them all.
“It’s so wonderful to meet each of you. Until today I had no father, no siblings and no family of my own,” Elyse said and then after a short pause continued, “Outside of my wonderful husband.”
She looked over to Jarron and gave him her softest smile. He returned her smile with a big grin.
“Elyse I have a question for
you.” Uaera said.
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that you have the Gift?”
Elyse nodded at her.
Uaera beamed a smile as she declared, “Well then this family is truly blessed. There has been no member of Ierth’s line to ever have the Gift. It is considered a very significant thing. The news of his eldest daughter having the Gift could actually push him to join the Green Council.”
Jarron was curious so he asked, “Is it really considered that important?”
“The only more significant thing would be to have a child who is a focal point.” She replied with a nod and then continued speaking, “But to even meet someone who is a focal point is next to impossible. There are only six in all of known Eal’tain space and they are kept away from the public.”
Jarron chuckled at her comment. Elyse looked over at him and grinned.
She said with a giggle, “I actually believe there are now seven in Eal’tain space.”
Jarron laughed at her words. Uaera looked confused at the comment.
He raised his hand up as he announced, “I’m a focal point.”
Uaera quickly rose from her seated position and said with a look of her shock on her face, “You are?”
Jarron nodded.
“But I do not understand. How is it that you are even here, and that you are mated to someone with the Gift? It is against the rules.”
Jarron chuckled before saying, “I’ve never been one for rules. I always just do what I want.”
Elyse grinned at his comment. She reached out and softly held his hand. Jarron was a little put off by the reactions of the Eal’tain children. They almost all frowned at the moment she held his hand.
Uaera must have seen their reaction because she said, “I apologize again for the children. In our culture we do not usually see much physical contact between others.”
Jarron chuckled. He could only imagine the reaction that her father must have felt when Elyse hugged him. She started to pull her hand away from him but he clenched his hand tightly to keep her hand there.
He declared in a confident manner, “We humans love physical contact, it’s how we show affection to each other. Also we believe that we shouldn’t hide who we are because others may not like it.”