“It’s possible, but that’s silly. How would you know that she survived by not even being on that thing?”
“I know because I saw her as we were leaving the party and waiting on our ride back home. She entered another stiern-boat that belonged to someone at the party as though she had gone there with them.”
“That would suggest that one of the delegates, or their guests, is associated with the Hulda’fi. Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“I expect it to get crazier. You remember the device you found in Admiral and Lady Fjorfolia’s quarters, right? And you spent a fair deal of time with one or both of them.”
Tong-Chang shook her head slowly. “You can’t be serious.”
“I saw them enter that same craft with Soror Valide. The worst part in all of this is that I don’t have any proof of what I saw or heard, nor do I know for certain what would happen to Il’lyse if this gets out. I really don’t know what to do, and I hate it. Ever since last night, during my encounter with Soror, I’ve felt like I was going to break down again; like it’s still a matter of time. I can’t . . . I can’t . . . !”
Her body went numb and mixed of hot and cold. Tong-Chang wrapped her arms around her and rocked her back and forth as they sat on the bed.
“We’ll figure this out,” Tong-Chang said. “I promise.”
[ 32]
Zoey walked into the condo unit with the same box as was now the norm for all of her belongings. She set it down upon the counter and walked to the second window overlooking the park with the hedge maze. It was a simple emblem on the ground from four floors high.
Its serene air and presence reminded Zoey of the nerves she held within her. Since her talk with Tong-Chang, she had managed to hold herself together and recover little by little. Still, a run through the park was tempting if it would have helped. She would laugh if she found more lewd pieces of fiction on that bench.
Her focus on the park was interrupted when she heard Dasos clear his throat.
Dasos said, “I talked to Mom a moment ago. She agreed to cutting what I owe her in half for the next month if I helped you with acquiring a bed.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Zoey said.
“Of course I did. I can’t have my little sister sleeping on the floor when it can so easily be helped. We can go shopping a little later. First, I should set some rules since the two of us are going to be roommates.”
“Fair enough.”
“It will fall on you to clean your own room regularly, such as using the diffusion cleaner on the carpet. We have one in the hallway closet that you can use. You’ll see what it is and how to use it.”
“I wonder if it’s anything like the vacuums on Earth.”
“Second, I generally ask that shoes be taken off at the door here. My previous roommate had a stool to sit on while you take them off, but he took it with him, as well as the couple of rugs we had in here. Now, you don’t have to keep the shoes there like Mom and Dad have it, but try not to trek the dirt and grime from outside all over the floor.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. What else?”
“You get to be the one who washes the fridge and kitchen sink once every two weeks, or more often than that if you feel up to it. We clean our own dishes or put them away when they’re dry. Before you ask, yes, we have a dishwashing machine, but the thing is loud, so I use it as a pair of drying racks until I can replace it with a quieter model.”
Zoey burst out laughing at that one. It was one of those things that was totally the same in an advanced civilization so many light-years away from where she grew up.
“Sorry, yes, that’s fine,” she said.
Dasos rolled his eyes and said, “You are welcome to have one or two guests over, but try not to be loud about it. I know how Tonny can get at times, but try to be mindful if she ever comes over.”
One of her hands held on to her waist, and the other arose to the side. “Wow, dude, how many times did the two of you have sex with one another?”
“As awkward as that question is: twice. I’m not even going to ask about the two of you. Also, what’s this ‘dude?’”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not sure I can explain that one if I tried. Are there any other rules?”
“Yes, please no adult channels on the living room monitor. Tonny once played a prank on me by doing that when Dad was supposed to get back to me on something, and he was able to see what it was that was playing in the background. She had it on mute and everything so I couldn’t tell until it was too late.”
“She has a devious side!”
“When Il’lyse was around it was endless torment between the three of us. I think the three of us were disciplined together in school more times than there are stars in the known galaxy. Naturally we were called in on a couple occasions that neither of us had anything to do with.”
“Sure you did. Didn’t the three of you run off at night to go to some arcade?”
“That we did. I wish you were there with us back then.”
“Yeah, right. I’m the kind of person who runs forward into action with barely any forethought, and then sometimes goes in the opposite direction than intended. If I tried following the three of you to the arcade, I probably would have found my way into the universe’s loudest broom closet and get you caught on the way there.”
Dasos laughed. He stepped into the kitchen and grabbed something that Zoey couldn’t see at first, but it was small. It wasn’t long before he brought it over and handed Zoey a key.
“Here’s your copy,” he said. “Don’t worry about paying for the first month. Now then, let’s find you a bed.”
* * *
They found the public trolley system that ran in a loop through a few city blocks, with the university on one end of it. The stop nearest to them was a four-minute walk from the park. They boarded a passing trolley, at which point Zoey saw that they didn’t have to pay anything.
Many of the passengers carried bags with a digital pad, and sometimes a book or two of similar height and length. At least one was musing over the ceiling, which was decorated with an abstract art. At a few points below the image were signs that said, “Your donations help us maintain these vehicles and the streets they run on.” There was an address listed below that, and it reminded Zoey of the Internet on Earth.
Now that she thought about it, Zoey had never once browsed the Internet, or anything like it, since waking up in this body. What was it like on this world?
Zoey and Dasos got off in the middle of a shopping center. Stone setts and cobblestone planters lined the walkways, and lanterns hung from the series of diagonal poles overhead. The buildings on this street never exceeded two floors in height, and some had roof structures that held the diagonal rods in the air.
Dasos whispered, “We used to call this street ‘Arcadia,’ when we were kids.”
“Did you?” said Zoey.
“Our favorite arcade still sits down the road one way. The best places for pies and comics were back the other way, though I think the restaurant is still there with a new name and owner. We found so many fun little places to hide through here too.”
“Again, loudest possible broom closet.”
“To be fair, it took seventeen rotations to find you.”
“Now you’re being cheesy, and I love it. You know? I can picture the three of you running and hiding in a few places. It makes me wish I was here at the time. So where’s this bed place we’re going to?”
“It’s not far at all. Come along.”
The store was to their right, across the walkways and track from the arcade that Dasos had mentioned. Zoey almost wanted to run over and see the inside of it, but feared that her joke about the broom closet might come true by some twist of fate.
Inside the bedding store, Zoey saw more designs for ornate bedframes than she ever thought she would find, with a third of them on display and the rest in a catalogue.
Simple, Zoey. Keep it simple.
She
followed Dasos into a room with sample mattresses. Zoey pressed into a few of them with her fingers. One was hardly any better than sleeping on the floor, and another offered nothing in regards to resistance against her fingers, her imprint lasting for seconds after she withdrew.
A salesperson came and asked if they needed any help. Dasos declined, but then turned to his sister. He said, “Are you more of a side sleeper, or what?”
“I don’t really know,” Zoey said. “It’s not like I pay a whole lot of attention to what position I am in when I’m not awake. Just about any position is fine, I think.”
“Well, let’s try a few out and get a feel for what works best for you.”
Zoey prodded a bunch of mattresses and sat on a couple. The differences between them were so minor that she fell backward against the second one she had tried. Why was mattress shopping as difficult as it was?
Her brother joined from the other side of the mattress sample, so now they both lay across its width, staring up at the ceiling.
“This one’s nice,” Dasos said.
“This one smells of popcorn,” said Zoey. “Please tell me this world at least has popcorn.”
“Clearly we stuff our beds with it, and chomp on wool when watching our movies.”
“Of course you do. How could I have not realized this sooner?”
They shot glances at one another and chuckled.
“Mind if I ask you a question about the other night?” Zoey said.
“What’s that?” said Dasos.
“What exactly happened, during and after the uninvited guests showed up? Like, what became of them once they were all in custody?”
“Good question.”
“I hope it’s not anything confidential. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble sharing anything.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. They came in, like you saw. The bouncers and one attendee were bound and injured on their way into the club. Mom played one of them into trying to fight her on the dance floor, where she took them down with disturbing ease. Some vigilante in a cloak knocked out a bunch of them at their stiern-boat, and then took off separately from it. We spent a few days trying to get answers from them, but they’re either really good at their silence or are really dumb.”
“Did you ask them about their leader?”
“We’ve tried. Every time we manage to capture a Hulda’fi alive, we try to get a name. All we do know is that they’re a cult that worships one woman – the same woman for longer than any Aelfen lifespan I ever heard of. They call her a goddess or hallowed lady. It doesn’t make any more sense than that. Long ago they started small and detached from the rest of the alliance. Lately they’ve become larger, more daring, and sometimes violent.”
“Lady Toon-derek?”
“What was that?”
“I asked a certain someone why she turned on the ones outside the club. She mentioned a name. I think it was Lady Tunderek. Maybe I heard her wrong.”
“That’s not a name you should say out loud,” said a woman sitting on the neighboring mattress.
Zoey and Dasos looked over at her and saw the laeknar, Veran’uvia, looking at them. Zoey sat up hurryingly, her head feeling the sudden change in gravity.
“Laeknar Saludalta?” she said. “What are you doing here?”
Veran’uvia said, “Please, Zoey, call me Veran. I heard from a few acquaintances that you were at the party, and that you met with her again.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I also heard that you won the experimental lottery that my grandfather helped pass. Congratulations.”
“You told him about me, didn’t you?”
“Whatever do you mean? I’m a random passerby at the moment. I happened to see two young people that I know, and I figured that slipping in here to see what you’re up to might be a good idea.”
“Now you’re watching us. Why?”
“Again, young Lady of Earth, I don’t have the slightest clue what you’re talking about.”
“I think I like you better when you’re treating patients.”
“Yes, so do I. Being in public life can paint a target on my back because of this side of myself. I would put the blame on my father, and his father before him, but we each made our own choices. I can’t tell you how glad I will be to be back on the Marslou in a couple days. We’re taking our newly reformed crew on a simple mission that should take three months at most.”
“Then you can tell people all about their conditions and treat them, rather than deny anything, but I suppose you don’t know about that either.”
“Not entirely accurate, but I see you are learning as fast as Captain Druvvin and Commander Consilius both say you do. Congratulations on getting into the university, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
“Tell me something, Zoey. Have you experienced any seizures or mental breakdowns lately? My laeknir under me should have asked about that.”
“The last breakdown I had was about a week ago. I almost had another one since, but I’m doing fine now. Why do you ask?”
“My grandfather has a theory that had also crossed my mind. It can’t be possible, of course, but the whole of the science and medical communities thought for the last couple centuries that the original synthonectar would never be seen again. Never you mind. As long as you aren’t suffering due to something internal that you can’t control then I suppose that all is well.”
Dasos said, “OK, what do you not know about that you aren’t telling us?”
“Now, now, we can’t have the both of you prying this out of me. There’s far too much speculation and hearsay, besides, but if we’re right, then Dylan was injected with something unrefined and dangerous. I cannot, in any level of honesty, say that I know about this one. Then again, I cannot confirm or deny that there is a target on my back the longer that I remain here.”
“If you fear for your life then it’s my duty to get you somewhere safe.”
“What a generous thing for you to say, but I still don’t know what you’re talking about. I should go, actually. There is one place where I know all that I ought to know, and perhaps being there would be best for me right now. Until next time, young ones.”
Veran’uvia picked herself up from the mattress and took a long way around the store to get out. Her words and behavior were certainly odd. Zoey and Dasos shrugged at one another before getting up, themselves.
Not a moment later Zoey heard a loud bang outside of the store, followed by some screams. She ran out to see what had happened, but all she could find were Aelfs and Ginserei who seemed to be looking in a particular direction. Veran’uvia was nowhere to be seen.
* * *
Soror Valide awoke suddenly. The wildest dream came at her with everything it had, knocked her conscious, and then went running into the sunset, never to be seen or remembered again. Now she was in bed with a brother and few sisters, all as nude as she was, but each one still sleeping.
This was the second time in recent weeks that she’d woken up from a dream that she could not recall. Soror Valide got out of bed and walked toward the door. She needed to go out and clear her head.
She opened it and caught Lord Tunderek passing a threshold in the distance. He was humming happily to himself.
That was a sign of good news, but what was it?
[ 33]
It was a cool Elftemane morning of revolution 203 when a pair of twins, one boy and one girl, were born to a pair of Aelfs working for the military. The captain and commander, who was coming up for a promotion of his own, weren’t ready for one child, let alone two. They still tried. They still loved.
They chose the names for their children. One was inspired by a forest rich in bloodstone deposits in the soil. The girl was named for their mother’s favorite oak tree that stood in defiance in the middle of a chain of small, sunny islands.
Soror Valide adjusted her combat suit. A simple walk around the manor wasn’t going to soothe her wanderlust, and tonight she
was going to borrow one of the stiern-boats. The coast was clear from manor to hanger, and from hanger door to vessel entry. She stepped inside the craft and took the pilot seat. Her hand twitched for a moment before she activated the controls and left Dereskoo into the oblivion of outer space. She didn’t know how soon she might return.
Elysium IX had raised its security detail patrolling the area around the planet’s satellite orbit. Had the stiern-boat been either lighter in color or ill-equipped to handle cloaking, then Soror Valide would have needed to rely on chance and patience. She still found a good opening to reduce detection for when it came time for the atmospheric threshold of fire.
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