“Sim’Sci,” I said. “You’re a pleasant sight.”
My Sim’Sci’s smile broadened, and then she glanced at M’Tek. “Your Fae is in good health?” she asked, nodding to M’Tek. M’Tek raised an eyebrow at being referred to as my Fae, but then her eyes lit up as she seemed to find the description humorous.
“I’m in excellent health, thank you, Sim’Sci,” M’Tek replied directly to my Sim’Sci. My Sim’Sci’s gaze travelled over M’Tek as if determining the truth of her statement, before shifting back to me.
“Come this way if you will, Lore,” my Sim’Sci said, leading me. “Please, bring your Fae along if you like,” she offered politely, smiling at M’Tek.
“Sim’Sci,” I said as I followed her. “You know my Fae has a name.”
“Yes, Lore. You have called her M’Tek,” my Sim’Sci said in a pleasant voice. “It is a very good name for her,” she observed.
“Thank you,” M’Tek replied with a wry smile. “I’ve always believed it suited me well.”
“Would you mind calling her M’Tek?” I asked. “I believe we would be more comfortable if you did. And please address her as you would me.”
“We want you to be comfortable,” Sim’Sci replied, opening the door for us, and leading me over to a bed. I glanced at M’Tek, noticing the expression of amusement on her face.
“Most people call me Queen M’Tek,” she pointed out to me quietly. “But I suppose I can make an exception for your Sim’Sci, even though they’re well within my realm, and therefore my subjects.”
“I don’t remember Sim’Nu calling you Queen M’Tek,” I retorted. M’Tek raised her eyebrows and looked away from me.
“You have mentioned this lost Sim’Nu before this day,” Sim’Sci said, turning to help me up onto the bed. M’Tek appeared almost irritated as the Sim’Sci usurped her position at my side, gently herding M’Tek a few steps back from me in the process. M’Tek raised her hands and met my gaze with a bemused smile. The Fae Queen was unaccustomed to being jostled about.
“Yes I have,” I said, watching as the Sim’Sci took a needle connected to a tube from the pocket of her white coat. “You said the Sim’Nu were all decommissioned.”
“Sim’Nu 46 was unaccounted for, and recorded as lost,” my Sim’Sci said. “We had no reason to question that status until you explained that the unit had injured you,” Sim’Sci continued. “We believe the programming in Sim’Nu 46 is compromised,” Sim’Sci said, as she pressed the needle into the crook of my arm. “It came here, trying to gain access to the compound, not long after you left with your Fae,” Sim’Sci said.
I looked over to M’Tek, but she didn’t appear amused anymore. She took a step closer to us. “Then you’ve seen her,” M’Tek said. “Was she alone?”
“I have not seen Sim’Nu 46, M’Tek,” my Sim’Sci replied. “The unit was denied access by order of Loredana Castelyne, CEO,” Sim’Sci replied. “When we updated our system to reflect current corporate hierarchy, Sim’Nu 46 was inadvertently removed from the system. I hope you do not mind. Sim’Nu 46 will not gain access to this facility in the future, unless you authorize it,” my Sim’Sci finished. “There are notes from our previous CEO about Sim’Nu 46. They are encrypted, and available to you if you wish to read them.”
“What is a CEO?” M’Tek asked, putting voice to my own thought.
“CEO is an acronym for chief executive officer,” my Sim’Sci explained rather unhelpfully. “Loredana is our CEO.”
“I’m familiar with the term chief. The Fae fought some nomadic people, centuries before I was born, the Painted Ones, they were called. A chief led them. Though the title is different, we determined that he was their king. What does a chief executive officer do?” M’Tek asked, trying again.
“Lore is responsible for all decisions made by NGE, Corp. She determines the direction our research takes, and the allotment of our resources,” Sim’Sci elaborated. “Our current exploration into the use of ancient Fae technology on non-Fae subjects is a good example of her leadership.”
“In effect, Lore is your Queen,” M’Tek observed.
“You’ve made an interesting connection, M’Tek. There are similarities between these roles,” Sim’Sci agreed. M’Tek grinned at me. “I suppose she is, in a sense, our Queen.”
“If Lore asked you to do something which was within your abilities, you would have to obey, am I right?” M’Tek asked.
“We are pleased to obey all requests made by Lore,” my Sim’Sci said, offering an indulgent smile to M’Tek. “She is not only our CEO, but in this age, in the absence of a market for our services, she is our sole purpose.”
M’Tek started laughing, a light, silvery sound that floated in the room around me. I smiled at my Sim’Sci as she filled another tube with my blood.
“Sim’Sci, M’Tek and I have been discussing the possibility of having a child. Can you help us with this?” I asked.
“Certainly, Lore,” my Sim’Sci replied as she gently removed the needle from my arm. “There is only one difficulty. Our genetic samples were lost while we were offline. The offspring can only be engineered from your tissue. We can produce either clones, or some amalgamation of the two of you. Which would you prefer?” The language was strange to me, and I doubted I understood her correctly, so I grinned at Sim’Sci and tried to check my understanding.
“Could I have one with M’Tek’s dark hair and my blue eyes?” I started. “Or maybe one with my light hair, and her striking grey eyes?” I asked, testing my Sim’Sci with the impossible request.
“These will be female,” Sim’Sci informed me. “We have no extant male tissue.”
“All right,” I replied, confused.
“We need a sample from M’Tek,” she added. “Are these the only traits you wish to mine?” Sim’Sci asked.
I was suddenly speechless, and M’Tek looked surprised. “Will you need a lock of my hair?” M’Tek asked, drawing my Sim’Sci’s focus away.
“A sample of skin would be more effective,” Sim’Sci said. “Don’t worry, M’Tek. This will not hurt,” Sim’Sci added, in an effort to reassure M’Tek.
That little crease appeared between M’Tek’s dark eyebrows as she started pacing the room. After a moment she must have felt my gaze, because she stopped and turned to face me. Just then the male Sim’Sci who had cared for M’Tek during her recovery walked through the door and made his way over to her. He offered her a wrap identical to the ones we wore during our previous stay, when these Sim’Sci had saved M’Tek’s life. More Sim’Sci appeared rolling another bed into the room. M’Tek hesitantly began removing her clothing, without the benefit of privacy. My own Sim’Sci took a wrap from one of the others and held it out to me.
“We must assess fertility, Lore, and prepare you for implantation,” she said, as the flurry of activity around us mounted.
The Sim’Sci were busy for a while, handling us, and pressing needles into our skin, explaining very little, but being both polite and gentle. Sim’Sci then informed me that they needed an additional thirty hours to finish their work. She waited for the other Sim’Sci to complete their tasks before leaving me alone with M’Tek.
“This will be our child,” I said to M’Tek the moment we were alone. “She will be made from us.”
“No, Lore. These will be our children,” M’Tek corrected. “You asked for two,” she observed.
“We don’t have to accept two,” I said. “I’d rather not carry twins.”
“Your Sim’Sci intends for me to carry one,” M’Tek pointed out. “They gave me that fertility potion, too,” she observed.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked, laughing.
“Because, I don’t mind,” M’Tek replied. “I never imagined we could actually have children together. They’ll be both Noge and Fae, and look like us, and they’ll be Lemu,” she added. “We’ll be pregnant together, experiencing the same ordeal,” she added.
“Shouldn’t one of us remain fit? We’ll be de
fenseless if we’re both pregnant. I’m not certain this is a good idea,” I said. “Do you think we can handle it?”
“We’ll be safe at Lareem, my love,” she said gently. “It’s wonderful. The Fae people will be ecstatic. After so many years, there will be new blood in the royal line. And the Noge will have a new Prince or Princess,” she said.
“Princess,” I corrected. “She said these would be girls.”
“Even your sullen Vilkerlings will be pleased, in spite of themselves,” she added. “Maybe they’ll stop trying to kill you,” she added. “We’ll have to find a way to make the children legally legitimate, but that shouldn’t be too difficult. Pet’s good with writing law. She’ll see to it.”
“You’re really pleased about this?” I asked, the weight on my chest lifting.
“Yes, I truly am,” she replied.
****
M’Tek and I were both pregnant when we returned to Lareem. As a rule, I was throwing up every morning, while she was usually sick in the afternoon. We took turns comforting each other, while gossip circulated through the palace about a sickness we shared, contracted among those savages in Vilkerland, of course. Poison was also suspected. M’Tek’s unwillingness to be within twenty feet of anyone but me, and her inability to eat most of what was presented to her, only exacerbated the rumors.
When no one around us contracted our strange affliction, the gossip started morphing. For a while, people claimed the love spell M’Tek had placed on me was degrading, and making us both sick as a result. When we remained steadfastly in love, rumors began circulating that we had sampled some rare and still poisonous torppa. That rumor only lasted a few days, however, as my morning sickness finally abated. M’Tek continued to suffer every afternoon, but the fascinating link in our conditions had ended, and so M’Tek’s tummy troubles lost their mystique.
As the evening of the first ball of the new season approached, Pet wanted to have dresses made for us. M’Tek wouldn’t even allow her cousin to enter our rooms to discuss the ball. I was forced to go out into the hallway to talk to Pet.
“Why is she being so difficult?” Pet asked, tossing her head in irritation, sending her bright hair tumbling across her shoulder. “I haven’t been allowed near you in weeks. I can’t perform my duties under these conditions. She won’t let me choose your dresses without her approval, and she won’t let my dressmaker come to measure you,” she observed, ticking off her grievances. “Is she sick again? Has the Diminishing Sickness returned?” Pet asked sounding worried at the thought.
“No. She’s healthy, I promise, Pet,” I said. “She’s just slightly irritable, and a little moody at the moment,” I admitted.
“But why?” Pet asked, straightening. And then she did something strange. Pet leaned close to me and sniffed. “Deus!” she exclaimed. “What have you done?” she asked. “Please, tell me you had her consent. Is she worried about you? Are you having difficulties? Is that why she’s so prickly lately?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked nervously.
“Deus! It’s her, not you. I didn’t know that was possible after the Diminishing. But there’s a distinct Fae scent. I only smell it on you because you’re with her all the time. That’s why she’s been throwing up for the past month,” Pet observed. “But you’ve both been sick,” she added. “Deus! Deus! Deus!” Pet shook her head. “It’s both of you, isn’t it? You have to tell me these things! I expect this sort of concealment from my cousin. She enjoys making my life difficult. But not from you, Lore,” she said sharply. “I thought we understood one another. It falls to me to explain this. Now I have to start managing this catastrophe, before someone else finds out.”
“Pet, I don’t think we should be speaking in this imprudent manner while standing out in the hall,” I observed, as a guard walked past us and continued down the hallway. “There are Fae ears everywhere.”
“You’re right,” Pet agreed, opening the door to our sitting room, and entering uninvited. M’Tek frowned at Pet as she entered.
“I already told you, I’m in no mood for talking about party dresses,” M’Tek said sharply.
“Pet knows,” I said quietly.
“What does Pet know?” M’Tek asked in a menacing tone.
“Oh, nothing of importance, nothing you might have shared with me, cousin, except that you’re both pregnant,” Pet snapped, clearly aggravated with the both of us, and uncharacteristically, taking no pains to hide her feelings.
“Lore, I thought we agreed to keep this between the two of us a little longer,” M’Tek said, her gaze shifting from Pet to me.
“Don’t be angry at Lore, she didn’t say a word,” Pet replied.
“I’ve no intention of being angry with Lore. If she told you, it was only because you forced it out of her,” M’Tek snapped.
“How long do you think you can keep this a secret?” Pet challenged. “You both reek of honey. In fact, this entire area of the palace has that sweet sort of smell. If it weren’t for the citrus scent tainting it, and the rumors of contagion and plague, everyone would know already.”
“Pet, M’Tek usually gets sick around this time,” I said, trying to convince her to leave.
“No, my cousin gets sick around three. It’s four. She’s already been sick,” Pet corrected.
“How do you know that?” M’Tek asked.
“Because it’s my responsibility to know every finite detail of your lives,” Pet replied, sounding exasperated. “Just like it’s my responsibility to know when you first get the brilliant idea that one of you might consider producing an heir. That’s when you’re supposed to talk to me about it,” Pet explained sharply. “All right, who’s the father?” she asked. “I’m assuming it’s the same man for the both of you, that you planned this, that you shared him,” she added. “So who is he? I need to deal with him.”
“There is no father,” I said.
“You’re pregnant, Lore,” Pet said with restrained frustration. “Obviously there was a man involved, if only for a few seconds. I have to announce his identity, and name him the royal surrogate. He will need an estate and a honorary title, something as payment to keep him under control,” she added.
“There’s no father,” M’Tek said calmly.
“Deus! Call him what you like. Just give me his name,” Pet snapped.
“I do not appreciate your tone, cousin,” M’Tek said sharply. “Have you forgotten with whom you are speaking?”
“Lore, sweetie, will you accompany me on a walk?” Pet asked in a saccharin voice, ignoring M’Tek.
I was about to agree when M’Tek stood from her chair and came over to stand between Pet and me. “Lore will remain with me,” M’Tek commanded. “And you, cousin, will not be in our presence again until you are summoned.”
“No. M’Tek, it’s fine. You’re overreacting,” I said gently before taking her arm and leading her back to the sofa. “I don’t mind taking some fresh air with Pet. I’ve been too much in these rooms lately. I’ll try to explain this to her.”
“All right, my love,” M’Tek said, capitulating easily as she leaned in to kiss my forehead. She then sat on the sofa, and glowered at Pet. “Do not bully her, Pet’Wyn,” M’Tek added as Pet took my arm.
Once we were out in the hall, Pet hurried me, wanting to gain as much distance as possible between herself and M’Tek, I assumed. She led me out toward the cliffs, without speaking until we were nearing the edge.
“You’re the Queen of three nations. If you observed proper protocol, you’d call yourself Empress, and yet my cousin thinks I’m going to bully you,” Pet said sharply, clearly irritated. “I’m the one who’s always being bullied. No one gives a damn about my feelings in the matter. I’m only here to sweep up after the mess is made,” Pet said tersely. “So, tell me, how the Deus did this happen?”
“I’m not certain I can explain it,” I replied.
“I’m not asking for the details of your little orgy, Lore. In fact, the last thing I want to
imagine is some sweating man humping away at you. Now, just give me his name so I can deal with him,” she said, clearly upset.
“I’ve only been with M’Tek,” I replied. “And M’Tek has been with no one, except me, for almost five years.”
“Lore, sweetie, we both know that’s not possible,” Pet said, trying to remain calm, though her eyes were getting red. “Please, tell me the truth. You know I love you. Just this once, I’m asking for something from you. For all the love I feel for you, grant me this one request. Give me his name.”
“Our children were conceived through magic,” I said.
“Deus!” she exclaimed. “Fine!” she snapped, turning away from me. She was storming off.
“What do you think happened, Pet?” I called after her. Pet stopped, and spun around to stare at me with the most pitiful expression. For a moment I was tempted to go to her, to wrap my arms around her, but then she spoke.
“If you’re telling me the truth, Lore, and I’m inclined to believe you are, I think my cousin probably had you so high on torppa you don’t remember that she brought a man to your bed,” she suggested. “Maybe she was kissing you gently, or whispering a love charm in your ear, while he was making you pregnant,” she said.
I took a deep breath, my fists tightening as I fought back my reaction. I spun around and started walking toward the point of the headland, away from Pet. It had been a long time since anyone, besides M’Tek, had made me so upset. I wasn’t willing to lose my temper over something I should be happy about. When I reached the edge of the cliffs, I gazed out at the Luminous Gulf, and noticed two dark shapes gliding through the water. The high winds whipped the clips from my hair, and I didn’t bother to try to catch them. My hair flitted around me as I stood at the edge, staring out at the dark shapes. And then Pet’s arm came to rest across my lower back.
“I’m sorry,” she said. I didn’t reply, but continued to watch the water. “You don’t have to tell me anything.” I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm as my gaze followed the sea creatures below me.
The Changeling Page 36