Thea blanched as he demonstrated with his hands. These creatures had grinders for mouths. “Holy crap. Are they mean?”
Tre’nan spoke up, “Not really. They are very gentle, but territorial. We try to avoid them because they have never been very receptive to us. It is said that they lived here before the Ta’e’sha.” He turned to face Thea, his face full of animation. “I’m going to study them when I finish college! There’s so much we don’t know about them. They have a rudimentary type of psychic ability we don’t understand. They use it in conjunction with body language, I think. My professor is very interested in my theories; she says I have fresh ideas.” He beamed.
“That’s great! What do they look like?” She rubbed slow circles on Daeshen’s back, silently urging him to relax. She cuddled closer, letting him take comfort in her touch.
Tre’nan fairly bounced with enthusiasm. “They have small hollow bones like a bird, but each bone is tiny, no bigger than the tip of your finger. This makes them light and streamlined in the water, but they can also fly short distances in the air. The way their bones fit together gives them a range of motion completely different from ours. Every bone is jointed so they can move in ripples. They have short brown fur that is lighter and darker in unique patterns. I have pictures in my room I can show you. They are beautiful! And so fluid in the water that you would weep to watch them. They live in small colonies and seem to farm several types of fish.”
“They farm? Really?” Thea couldn’t think of any animals that farmed. She vaguely remembered some speculation that certain types of dinosaurs had a rudimentary form of farming, but their colleagues had laughed the scientists who had thought up the theory out of the field. She felt Daeshen bury his face in her neck and smile against her skin. He was relaxing as he listened to her talk with his brother.
“I think so,” Tre’nan looked uncertain. “My professor says that it is a wild idea and to keep my mind open when I begin studying them because I might get so caught up in the idea that I won’t see anything else.”
“That’s good advice. It’s easy to see what you want to be there instead of what is actually there,” she replied. “Just look at them like you have never seen them before and you might learn more than you could imagine.”
A knock on the doorjamb made them all look. Tweet stood in the threshold, her eyes fixed hungrily on Tre’nan. “Can I come in?” she asked softly.
“Of course,” Daeshen replied.
Tweet gave them a blinding smile before launching herself at Tre’nan, who quickly caught her up in a bear hug.
“I’ve missed you!” she sang, kissing her brother’s cheeks. “When did you arrive? How is school? Are you dating anyone? What classes are you taking? Did you bring me a present?” The words burst from her. She kept hugging and kissing her brother.
Tre’nan laughed and twirled her around the room. “Just now, it’s good, no, biology and yes.”
Thea had no idea how he remembered all that. She glanced up at her husband who was beaming at his younger siblings. In that moment Thea didn’t care about Chisha; she was just glad she had met her husband’s brother and sister. She still hadn’t met his father or second mother, but, she thought, he must be quite a man to raise such wonderful children in spite of his evil-tongued wife.
Tweet was giggling when Tre’nan set her down. He pulled a small package out of his back pocket and presented it to her with a flourish. She beamed and ripped the paper off it. It fell to the ground like snowflakes as she opened the box inside.
She gasped with pleasure as she pulled free a small pendant on a braided cord. “It’s so pretty! Thank you, Tre!” She quickly put it on. “Look, Thea, it’s a chrystarea!”
Thea took a closer look. The pendant was made of glass and contained swirls of colored glass. It was a small flower. The center was a deep purple. Five petals flowed out from it; wide and curving, they began as a pale peach and deepened to pink and then narrowing into spiraling tips of blood red.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“They only bloom once every seven years,” Tweet informed her, still admiring it. After several moments she looked up and finally noticed the bags. “Where are you going?”
Daeshen cleared his throat. “We are going to stay at a hotel until the trial is completed.”
Tweet went very still. She carefully examined Thea and then Daeshen. “What happened?” she asked quietly.
“Better you don’t know, hon,” Thea broke in before Daeshen could say anything. “Some things are best left alone, okay?”
Tweet nodded slowly, her face still full of questions. “May I visit you again? I would like to learn more embroidery.”
“Of course,” Thea said, hugging the girl. “I would be delighted. As soon as I know where we are going I’ll have Daeshen let you know, all right?”
The girl nodded and smiled shakily before turning to trail out of the room. She stopped at the door and turned back to Thea. “I would like to learn weaving, sister. Will you teach me?”
Thea nodded gravely. “I’ll get what you will need tomorrow, love.”
“Thank you.” Tweet smiled again, with more confidence, before leaving them.
Tre’nan was watching her curiously when she turned to help him fold clothes. “What?” she asked self-consciously.
But all he said was, “My sister likes you.”
“I like her too,” she replied and changed the subject back to meechas.
Chapter Fourteen
Thea nervously brushed an imaginary speck off the severe black suit she was wearing. Her fingers trembled slightly and she quickly clasped them together. She and her husbands were waiting to be called into the courtroom, as were the other women who had been attacked by Barik.
The women all had a faintly sick cast to their features and their husbands seemed torn between anger, sadness, and fear. The ramifications of today’s trial would echo through the Ta’e’shian culture for a long time.
They all jumped when the door swung open. A guard stepped out and announced they were to come in and take their seats. The men guided their wives into a huge room barren of softening décor. The seats were heavy wooden benches with very little carving to soften their imposing build. The walls were painted a soft gray with lighter gray marbling.
Life-size statues of the God and Goddess of Balance stood with regal dignity in each corner of the room. Their blank eyes seemed to watch the room soberly.
At the front of the room eleven people sat behind a long curved table. A high asana of each sex represented each of the temples. A still, imposing woman sat in the center. The sight of her made all the Ta’e’shian men draw in a startled breath and quickly bow toward her respectfully. She nodded regally in return.
She had her hair twisted into an ornate set of twining braids. Her skin and hair were a light golden yellow with a faint sheen. Her eyes glistened like newly minted gold coins as she watched the room without expression. She wore a dark gold robe embroidered heavily with the symbols of the Lithen, Gods and Goddesses of their race.
Daeshen had told Thea that because of Barik’s place in the royal families, a member of the Royal Council would probably be present for the hearing and trial. As she watched, a younger version of the woman slipped quietly out of a side room and silently took a place behind and to the left of the woman. The newcomer did not have the same expressionless visage, but she tried. She was dressed in a less ornate set of robes with the same set of symbols. Her coloring was the exact shades of the woman seated at the center of the table.
Thea looked at the other people in the room. All of the guards were Warrior Chosen. They were dressed in black livery with dark gold trim and a gold wave crest over the left breast. Two guards stood at each door and four guards stood at attention behind the Council. Several people were seated along other benches, there to witness the hearing and trial.
An older woman with the same features and coloring as Barik sat like carved marble. Her mouth was compressed
into a tight line. Her eyes were glassy with emotion. Far in the back of the room Daeshen’s mother sat. Her gaze was cold as it collided with Thea’s. She sighed to herself in resignation. There didn’t seem to be any hope that Chisha could ever accept Thea’s place in Daeshen’s life, let alone like her. Her own actions had probably made the situation worse, but Thea couldn’t live her life trying to make everyone else happy. Besides, if she gave an inch, Chisha would take a mile and still bitch about it.
Two guards escorted Barik into the chamber and sat him at a table along the wall opposite Thea and the other women. He glared at them with baleful hatred.
A choked sob sounded behind her. She did not turn to see who it was. It was all she could do to keep from crying herself. The blood drained from her face in a cold rush, leaving her pale and trembling.
An assistant of the courts stood and called the hearing to order. “Please stand while the Council is announced and the charges are read.” The occupants of the room stood. The assistant named the members of the asana. “Judgment shall be passed at the end of this trial by Shayateen, High Queen of Ta’e.”
Thea’s head reeled. The High Queen would be passing judgment? What would that mean? Why was she showing an interest? She pulled her attention back to the charges the assistant was listing. Her husbands trembled as the list ended with the death of their child, miscarried due to the beating Thea had received.
Other than a tightening of her lips, the High Queen remained expressionless through the recital of charges. The older woman in the audience, identified as Barik’s mother, sobbed softly and covered her eyes with one hand. She turned blindly to the man beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders, his features tight and gray with grief.
The hours passed slowly as each woman was called forward and questioned by the asana. The impact of their shuddering, terrified answers was seen on the faces of the asana asking the questions and the people watching the proceedings. After each woman was questioned, evidence was presented to the Council.
Unlike human courts, they would not be dismissed until all the victims were heard from; then, depending on the time, Barik would be questioned and the verdict would be given the next day. Much of the legal wrangling so common in Earth courts was missing and as a result the hearing passed much faster.
Finally, late in the afternoon, Thea was called before the Council. As she stood and walked toward the table where she would sit, two points of light appeared before the table and slowly coalesced into two human forms.
Their eyes were black as night and their hair faded from pale blond to the rich brown of newly turned earth and finally to silvery white before beginning the cycle again.
The Council gasped.
Skye and Gaia turned and smiled gently at Thea who quickly knelt before them.
“Rise, daughter.”
She straightened and stood, her gaze downcast respectfully.
They turned back to the Council. Gaia spoke. “Forgive Our intrusion. We come on behalf of Our daughter, Theadora.”
The High Queen swallowed visibly before speaking. “What would you have of us, Lith of Theadora Auralel?” It was the first time she had spoken through the entire proceeding. Her voice was low and heavy with the vibrations common to her race. It was the quality that gave them the ability to ensnare the human mind. Kyrin had told her that the High Queen had the ability to halt a mob if she chose to exert her full vocal range. It was a trait that always appeared in one of the Queen’s daughters each generation and denoted who would be heir to the throne.
“We have come to give Our testimony as witness of the attack on Our daughter, as she requested during the attack,” Skye replied gravely.
The High Queen nodded slowly in response. “Please proceed.”
Gaia turned and faced Skye. “We would show you. A picture is worth one thousand words, as Our daughter would say.” She raised her hands, palms out to Skye, who copied the motion. The room was silent other than the fast breathing of the shocked audience.
The air shimmered gently between their hands, and after a moment, an image of Thea walking in a hallway appeared, her hand cradled her stomach and a small smile graced her lips.
Barik’s mother cried out as the God and Goddess showed Barik slip up silently behind Thea and inject her with paralytic venom. Every moment of the attack was shown to the Council and every other person in the room in clear, brutal, detail. Every word that spewed from his lips made the men and women listening flinch. Several women sobbed as they watched the beating, Thea’s rescue, and entrance to the medical center. Thea moaned as she watched her child emerge into the world, already dead, not even identifiable as a child. The scenes ended with Kyrin and Daeshen huddled around Thea’s still form. Her eyes stared blankly as tears leaked from the corners in silvery trails.
Tears streamed down Thea’s cheeks and she struggled to breathe with lungs that felt too small. She had felt every moment and relived the trauma again. She was embarrassed so many people had witnessed her humiliation and pain.
A member of the asana cleared his throat. “You may return to your seat, Theadora Auralel, I do not think we will need to ask you any questions.” He swallowed convulsively.
She nodded gratefully and returned to her husbands, who immediately cuddled her between them. One of the other victims touched her shoulder. Thea met her tear-filled gaze and shuddered at the compassion and understanding she found there.
Skye and Gaia nodded to the queen and Council before taking seats near Thea. Their eyes slowly faded from black to gray.
The other women edged back a bit, eyeing the God and Goddess warily. Their husbands nodded respectfully, but without fear.
As the assistant began to call for Barik to give his testimony and defense, two more lights appeared before the Council. They formed into the God and Goddess of Warriors. The Ta’e’sha quickly stood and knelt in Their presence.
Except Barik. He lounged back in his seat and glared at them insolently.
Kashka looked at the Council for a moment. “We would not interfere were We not also attacked by this man. We would draw it to the attention of the Council that Theadora would not have been attacked had she not been marked by Us. His actions insulted Us and shamed him. He harmed these women, Our nieces, for things they could have no control over and were not to blame for. We will make reparation to these women. We wish Our children to make reparation to them as well.”
Vosh nodded. He looked directly at the High Queen and spoke. “Do not return to Earth for more women. We accept the ladies Our sons have taken into their hearts, but you will not tear more women away from all they know. Barik has taken the extreme attitude of what already floats through the minds of others. Do what must be done, daughter; only you have the power and influence to do so.”
They both faded away silently.
Shayateen shivered then composed her face back into a blank mask. She motioned for the assistant to approach her and whispered in his ear for a moment.
He nodded and turned to face the room. “We will be adjourning early this evening and will continue tomorrow morning at the same time. At which time the defendant will be heard from. Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen.”
People began gathering their belongings and slowly filing out. As instructed beforehand, Thea and the other women waited until the room was empty before leaving.
Skye and Gaia stood and faded quietly away.
* * * * *
Thea ran for the bathroom again. She made it just in time and vomited convulsively. Her empty stomach continued to vainly expel the taint Thea felt from having to watch the attack. They had returned directly to their hotel room after the hearing. Watching Daeshen quietly weep while Kyrin paced the generous confines of the room like a caged tiger had not helped the nausea. It helped even less that their child’s casket had been very carefully placed in the evidence. All during the hearing Thea had been aware of its presence. The Council had informed Kyrin that they wanted it displayed to impr
ess upon those watching of the gravity of the charges being brought against Barik. Thea was sickened and horrified that her baby was an object, a tool, to them. She wanted, needed, her child to be laid to rest. She had wondered bitterly if they would have halted the rites of a fully Ta’e’shian child.
The heaves slowed and then finally stopped, and Thea leaned weakly against the toilet. She finally flushed the contents and dragged herself upright to rinse her mouth. After staring at her haggard face in the mirror for a few minutes, she dug a small bottle out of her toiletry bag. She quickly swallowed one of the small purple tablets it held and then shook out two more.
Walking back into the bedroom she offered them to her husbands. “Hey, Corvin gave me these before we left the ship. He said it’s a mild sedative. We need to eat dinner then go to bed.” She wiped the tears from Daeshen’s cheeks. “The hearing will start early tomorrow.”
Kyrin refused with an angry shake of his head. “I don’t want to relax. I want to feel his blood sliding over my hands like a river.”
Thea went to him and curled her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. “Stop,” she whispered softly. “It will be over soon and then we can move on.” She didn’t know how long it would take, but she would get beyond what had happened to her. His arms slid around her, his muscles trembling with tension. “I know it hurts, Kyrin, but you have to let it go.”
He buried his face in her hair, his breath warm against her scalp. “How can I let it go, Thea?” he whispered raggedly. “I saw it all; those images will never leave me. I know how much it hurt you; still hurts you.”
Thea rubbed his back soothingly while her own stomach roiled. “Time is the great healer, my husband. Let it do its work. If you don’t, it will fester and rip us apart.” She felt Daeshen join them, his arms sliding around them both.
After several minutes, Kyrin relaxed and let them comfort him. “As soon as this is done we’re going to Sya’s home, right?” she asked eventually. Since Sya’tia wasn’t yet married to them she had been excluded from the people allowed into the hearing. She would really like to know how Chisha had managed to get in. And she intended to find out as soon as she had time.
The Ta'e'sha Chronicles 2: Shards of the Mind Page 11