Hannah sat down opposite Anna, shifting in her chair. She prepared an eye roll for whatever mischief caught Hannah in its teeth so badly she couldn’t sit still. Brendan chose to have breakfast with his friends among the crew and the guards in the mess hall. As soon as Varick sat down for breakfast, the door chimed. Her brows knit together, and she touched the comm panel beside her.
“Yes?” Her eyes flicked to Varick. She wasn’t expecting anyone
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry to disturb you, but this is Trexin, the ship’s engineer,” replied a cheerful voice on the other end
“What do you need?” She rested her chin on her hand
“The computer told me the Protector is in your quarters, and I need to speak with him. It concerns a matter that he wanted me to address,” Trexin replied
“You can come in.” She tapped the comm panel.
Trexin entered. At least a head shorter than Anna, she had blonde hair, and large, luminous golden eyes with very prominent cheekbones. She reminded Anna of a Christmas elf, but she tried to suppress the thought as the woman came toward her.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt you at breakfast, Your Majesty.” She bowed her head. Anna waved her apology away.
“What do you have for me?” Varick gestured to the device in her hands
“You asked me to look into the matter of the Vadana’s door and why Ms. Hannah can open it. I ran tests and diagnostics before the Star Alliance imprisoned us. I’ve just now been able to review them and I found out the cause.” Trexin smiled, clasping her hands together
“What was it? Can it be fixed?”
“Yes, it can be fixed with some re-calibration. Ms. Hannah could open the door because the doors are calibrated to respond to several distinctive DNA markers. Since we didn’t know that Ms. Hannah and the Vadana are twins, we did not re-calibrate it to respond to more complex variations. We knew the Vadana had a brother, but we were not aware she had a twin. It’s not even mentioned in the history texts.” Trexin shrugged, a grin plastered across her rosy face.
Silence followed her explanation. Anna and Hannah’s gaze locked. Varick shifted in his seat, and Councilman Meroca ducked his head, and turned to stone
Her heart raced. It wasn’t possible. “What do you mean Hannah is my twin? We are not twins. We’re not even sisters.” Anna took a hard swallow
Trexin’s cheerful smile faltered. She stared at Anna and then Hannah and finally Varick.
“It’s not possible. I have samples of your DNA. They are nearly identical. The only way that identical DNA could be possible is if you are twins.” Trexin held up the device in her hands.
Anna appraised Hannah in a new light, as if seeing her for the first time. Hannah’s eyes were a mottled hazel, and her hair naturally a brassy blonde when she wasn’t dying it jet black. Like her father.
She never thought about it or noticed it before, but Hannah had her father’s fair hair and hazel eyes. Hannah also had her mother’s delicate chin and pointed nose, the same as hers. They were both the same height, though Hannah was more willowy. Most of the Sparta townsfolk had joked they were like sisters.
“Trexin, thank you for looking into this matter. Please make the necessary adjustments to the door. You are dismissed.” He gave her a pointed look. “Additionally, Trexin, what we discussed here is in confidence.”
Trexin nodded, uneasiness written on her face. The young woman crept out of the room. Varick studied Hannah in silence. Councilman Meroca hadn’t moved or commented since Trexin made her grand observation. His eyes darted about the table, but breath barely whispered from his body. He was prey that sensed a predator. Anna pounced on him
“Councilman Meroca, do you have some knowledge in this matter?” She spoke to him, but she kept her eyes on Hannah.
He tensed and shrunk into himself. It confirmed her suspicion. Both she and Hannah faced him.
“Is this another family secret you’ve been keeping?” She arched an eyebrow at him
The councilman regarded Anna warily, a hint of fear growing in his eyes. His hand stroked the glass table. He glanced up at Hannah’s anxious face. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you were their daughter. You have your father’s eyes.” His lips twisted into a small smile
Hannah stared at him for a long moment, poised at the front of her seat. The color drained from her cheeks, leaving her cold and mirthless. Tears misted in her eyes and she gulped hard, fighting to keep them at bay.
“They were my parents?” Hannah’s voice cracked as she spoke.
“Yes.” Meroca raised his eyes to meet Hannah’s gaze. His expression was kind as Hannah reeled back as if struck by his words.
Anger blazed to life inside her. The injustice of Hannah being abandoned by her parents—their parents—was further compounded by them living so close at hand all this time. They had never said one word about it, not one damn thing. Not even on their deathbeds.
“I don’t understand. Why, in the universe, would our parents not raise us together? This doesn’t make any sense.” She balled her hands into fists
The councilman’s eyes softened, and when he responded, he spoke the words as a plea
“You must understand that your parents did not wish to give Hannah up at all. When they learned they were going to have a child, they were not the only ones rejoicing. The Vadana at the time was old and frail. Many people feared she might not live to see another girl named as Vadana. When your parents learned they would have twins, it was…terrible news, not for them, but for Dahrel. There is a law forbidding the Council from choosing a twin as Vadana.”
Anna shook her head. The antiquated social rules of this world were lost on her.
“Our last world wars were fought between two twins—one who was chosen to be the Vadana and one who was not. Each claimed the right to rule. Those wars lasted six decades, and millions of lives were lost. There was no way the Council would select either one of you to be the Vadana. Yet, Dahrel needed a new ruler to be named. So, your parents paid the doctor to keep silent and tell no one of the other girl they would deliver.”
Councilman Meroca looked on Hannah kindly, but she shrunk back, her face an ashen mask
“Then your mother contacted me. She confided in me, and asked for my help. I made plans with them to smuggle Hannah out of the palace. When you were born, I returned for the birth celebration, and took Hannah to Assis with no one noticing. I gave her into the care of a cousin of mine who wanted children but couldn’t conceive. She didn’t know who you were. The only people who ever knew of this were your parents, myself, and the doctor who delivered you.”
Anna sat in stunned silence. Hannah blinked back tears, and her gaze fell away from the councilman. Anna touched the necklace around her neck. Her parents were virtual strangers to her now.
All this time, she only knew the surface that lay over shifting secrets and mysteries within mysteries. She had hoped this journey would bring her closer to discovering them and where she was from, but now they seemed further away.
“Your parents asked me about Hannah all the time, especially your mother. I would give them any updates I could after visiting with my cousin. When the darkness began to affect Assis from the science station, your parents panicked. I went to Assis and extracted Hannah from the planet as it descended into chaos. I took her to the palace. Your parents took both of you, and left in their escape pod, and I went to meet them with this ship.”
She chewed on her lower lip. Hannah cried, fat tears streaming down her face. She didn’t snivel, or sob, or bellow; but that quiet crying broke Anna’s heart. She gripped the necklace hard, and welcomed the metal as it bit into her hand
“But why?” Anna sat forward in her chair. “Why did they separate us when they went to Earth? They didn’t need to abandon Hannah at the local hospital. They could’ve kept us together.”
“To what purpose? You were the chosen Vadana. They expected to return to Dahrel with you. The reason why they broke you up on Dahrel was the s
ame reason they separated you on Earth. And…” Meroca’s wary voice trailed off.
He looked at Hannah with a shrug of apology. “They were not sure if Hannah had been touched by the darkness. The last time I spoke to your mother, right before they left, they were worried about that. You were still babies then. Any malice or imbalance caused by the darkness would be difficult for them to detect. They were afraid Hannah might have been…altered.”
Hannah’s head sunk into her palms and she cried in earnest. Anna rose and went around the table to embrace her.
“I think we’ve had enough revelations for one day, councilman. Please return to your quarters. I will want to discuss this with you more later.” She glared at him over Hannah’s head.
The councilman hesitated, his eyes dropping to Hannah’s distressed form. He started to protest then thought better of it and nodded. He trudged to the door.
When he left, Anna knelt beside her friend—her sister. She took Hannah’s face into her hands.
“I’m sorry, Hannah. I’m so, so sorry. I wish…I wish I could undo what happened.” She was on the verge of tears herself. She swallowed the ball of raw, hot anger in her throat. Hannah’s hazel eyes filled with despair.
“I…I was terrible news to them. I was terrible news for everyone.” Hannah trembled beneath her hand. Anna strengthened her grip, willing Hannah to listen now that it mattered the most.
“You weren’t terrible news to them. We were terrible news. I was conceived at the same time as you. They would have been just as happy if I hadn’t been born and you had been named Vadana.” Tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes.
Hannah shook her head, two teardrops rolling down her cheeks. She sniffled wildly, and licked her lips through the thin veil of salty tears.
“I used to…pretend they were my parents and that they loved me and now…” Hannah’s jaw went slack and her eyes drifted shut.
Her face crumbled, and she sobbed. Anna crushed her in her arms. When the worst of Hannah’s tears subsided and she sniffled, Anna cupped Hannah’s face in her hands. “Hannah, no matter what my parents may have decided, we can be a family now. We have always been the best of friends, closer than sisters. You, and Brendan, and I can all be a family. A real family.” Anna pressed Hannah’s hands together between her own.
“What about the Council? They don’t want a Vadana that’s a twin, remember?” Hannah gave her a bitter smile
“Do you want to be the Vadana?”
Hannah let out a puff of air and a sound of disgust. She swiped at the rest of her tears with the palm of her hand. “God, no. I’m glad you drew the short straw for that job.”
“Good. We’ll put it in writing, or a contract, or chisel it in stone, or whatever the hell they want, and there won’t be much for them to complain about. I’m not going to let their preferences keep me from Varick. And I’m certainly—certainly—not going to let them keep me from my sister.”
Anna’s words hit their mark, and Hannah’s eyes clouded with tears. “You are the only person I’ve ever been able to count on. I love you, Anna.” Hannah produced a feeble smile.
“I love you too.” They hugged each other for a long moment
When they broke apart, they both rose. Hannah wiped away her tears with an open palm. “I’m going to go to my room for a little while. I just need to think things over by myself.” Hannah rocked on her heels.
She gave a rueful smile. “I know how you feel.”
They hugged once more, and Hannah left. Anna sank down into her chair. She crumbled like a ragdoll wrung through the washing machine. Melting into the floor or crawling into bed sounded like good options at the moment. She fixed her gaze on the wall sightlessly until Varick covered her hand with his.
“Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?” His eyes darkened with concern.
She put her head in her hand and tried to find the right words to explain. “Every part of my life has been tossed up in the air and come back turned upside down and inside out. I’m not even sure I’m living my own life anymore or if I’m living the life of someone else.”
Varick smiled. He moved behind her to massage her shoulders. She groaned in satisfaction as he kneaded her tense muscles.
“It has been a draining time for us all. There are even more trials ahead. I think today, you and I should rest. The crew can take care of preparations for our mission. I think we should stay here, and do nothing more.”
“I think that sounds perfect,” she murmured as his fingers hit a knot in her muscles.
As the knot eased, his hands moved lower, dancing along her spine. His thumbs stroked along her ribs. The heat from his hands warmed her, her insides burned to liquid. As his hands slid lower, her breath hitched.
“You’ve just learned a lot about your family.”
“I don’t know my parents at all. I never knew them. God, why would they abandon Hannah like that?”
His hands stilled, before they caressed her in soothing circles.
“They thought they were doing what was best for Dahrel. They were right. A Vadana needed to be named and no twin would have been chosen.”
At times like this, Anna was reminded that she and Varick were raised in different worlds. Worlds very far apart. Solar systems apart. She wondered, with a growing sense of urgency, just how much he sympathized with her parents.
“What about what was best for me or for Hannah?”
“They are from the eight families, Anna. They don’t have the luxury of thinking about themselves or their families. They have to think about the realm first and everything else second.”
She tensed. Varick sighed. He rested his hands on her shoulders.
“I can’t live like that.” She faced him. “I won’t live like that. There has to be a balance. A balance between what’s right for the realm and what’s right for an individual and their family.”
Varick chuckled. He stroked the silky skin at her nape. Then he bent over her shoulder and kissed it. “I looked up the prophecy given at the ceremony I told you about. Do you know what it said? It said you would restore order and then balance. No one knew what that meant, and now I will be the first to reap the benefits.”
Anna grasped his hands and kissed each of them. Her gaze searched his. “Am I wrong in this?”
Varick smiled. “A Vadana asking her common-born Protector for advice on ruling the world.” He stared deep into her eyes. “You are amazing to me.”
She smiled, but his pretty words didn’t answer her question. “Am I wrong?”
He caressed the side of her cheek with his thumb. “No, I don’t think you’re wrong. We’ve had such rigid social structures for so long. So many have suffered to serve the idea of Dahrel’s perfection. Your mother, your father, Councilman Meroca, and countless others. It’s time for a change.”
Anna closed her eyes, relief softening her mood. What Varick thought mattered to her a great deal. More than she expected. He was a good, kind, and decent man who had a fair mind. He was well respected and revered. Those characteristics played a part in her need to have his support. More importantly, she wanted to build a life with this man, and she just couldn’t imagine doing it with the same sense of self-sacrifice as her parents.
“How will you tell Brendan about everything?”
Her eyes snapped open. Her brother. She would need to tell him everything. She tensed just thinking about that uncomfortable conversation.
“Not today. Today, we rest. It will make no difference if he learns the truth today or tomorrow. Hannah might want to tell him herself anyway.”
Anna let out a breath of air. She tried to relax, letting his touch sooth her, as he stroked her shoulder. “You’re right. Today, we’ll stay here. We’ll try to relax.”
“I think I can help you with that, Your Majesty.”
Varick leaned over her to nip at the top of her right ear as his hot breath fanned her neck. Tiny pinpricks of pleasure skittered down her skin. She smiled. He scooped her
up in his arms and carried her to the bed while she laughed at him.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Anna called Brendan to her room and explained about Hannah. She decided to keep their mother’s relationship to Councilman Meroca to herself, but Brendan needed to know Hannah was their sister.
Brendan was surprised, but not half as shocked as Anna thought he’d be. In fact, by the end of their conversation he claimed he knew it all along and Hannah had always belonged in their family. When he raced off to Hannah’s room to tell her that, Anna shook her head in bemusement.
“He took that very well, all things considered.” Varick put his hands on her shoulders.
“He’s always liked Hannah. We’ve always treated her like family.” Anna squeezed his hand, glancing at the comm panel. “It’s time,” she said.
“Are you sure you still want to do this? Oman may have misinterpreted the prophecy.”
“Varick.” She shot him a warning glance over her shoulder as she stood. “We have to do this. After everything we’ve gone through to get here, I’m not turning back. This crew is counting on us. The colonies we’ve created throughout the galaxy, they’re all counting on us. We’re going.”
Varick drew her in for a gentle kiss. He touched his forehead to hers before he squeezed her shoulders in one final gesture. “You’re right. We should go.”
He led the way to the elevators, and they shot down to the docking bay. He strode toward the open hangar doors, with Anna a step behind him. The five starcrafts that the scouting party had used were parked on the side of the wide bay, and two larger star speeders were now in the center of the bay being prepped for launch by a dozen members of the ship’s crew.
The isolation units were empty, and the scouting party huddled together with the Guards of the Realm at a table off to the side. They would now become part of the mission, leading the landing party straight to the science center. Decana stood in front of all of them, waiting for everyone to arrive before she explained how to operate the pulse shields.
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