by Jaleta Clegg
He nodded. "I heard about the will. She left quite a bit for Caid. He left it to me. You think you could make a few stops to check on my holdings?"
"For crew? Certainly," I said and grinned. "It's good to see you, Beryn. Really. Welcome aboard." I stuck out my hand.
He shook it and gave me a grin back. I caught a glimpse of his watch.
"Blast," I said, hurrying past him to open the hatch. "I'm going to be late. Jasyn is going to kill me." I ducked through before it was completely open. "You got something formal to wear?" I called over my shoulder to Beryn.
"Why?"
"Because we're going to be late for a wedding if we don't hurry."
"Wedding?" He looked confused.
"Jerimon and Larella. You've got exactly eight minutes to change. Take the end cabin."
We entered the ship to find a tumble of kittens playing tag through the chairs. Ghost was on her high perch over the cleaner watching. The kittens stopped wrestling each other and scrambled over to investigate Beryn's feet.
"I see Ghost had her kittens," he said. "How many are there? Twenty?" They pounced on his feet and played tag around his ankles. One clawed its way up his back.
"Only five. They're going to Onipas with Jerimon and Larella."
"Good. If you said you were keeping them all, I'd look somewhere else for a job."
"They're not bad. Not really."
He gave me a suffering look and picked a kitten off his shoulder, wincing as the claws came loose.
I laughed. "We'd better hurry and change or Jasyn will chew me out good for being late."
He dropped the kitten back into the pile of wrestling fur. They followed him into the end cabin, mewing and jumping around his feet.
Seven minutes, forty two seconds later, I was back out of my cabin. I'd changed to the dress Jasyn had left out for me. It was long and flowing and very green and it looked good on me. I jammed my feet in a pair of sandals she'd left out. She'd tucked a note in one. Wear these or be in a lot of pain later. No boots!
Beryn wore a pale gray tunic and black leggings. I gave his boots a jealous look.
He whistled. "You clean up nice."
"So do you." I headed out the hatch.
We didn't have to walk far. One of the cargo haulers stopped and gave us a lift to the gate. The policeman nodded and passed us through. We caught a cab. I gave it the address.
The sun was setting as we landed in front of a wide lawn. We were in a section outside of town that was all big estates and rich houses. One of Larella's distant relatives owned this one. He'd made all the arrangements for hosting the wedding. We hurried around the house to the formal garden behind it. Lights glittered in the shrubbery along the path.
Jasyn caught me as we rounded the corner of the terrace. "You're almost late," she whispered to me. "Hello, Beryn." She dragged me away by my elbow, whispering instructions the whole way.
We ended up at the front of the crowd. There was music playing. People talked and laughed as they waited for the ceremony to begin. I leaned closer to Jasyn.
"I hired him," I said.
"Who?" she asked. She watched the doors that led into the house. She twisted her fingers nervously together.
"Beryn. He's our new engineer."
"At least he knows something about engineering. I hired a new pilot this afternoon."
"Who?"
"Remember Twyla? Clark's sister? She just got her license. She's over there, in the pink flowered dress."
I glanced where she indicated. Clark's sister was tall and blond and poised. I wondered if I'd be able to stand being in the same ship with her for very long. She must have sensed me watching. She looked over and waved.
"Jasyn," I said, trying to catch her attention. She deserved to know about Caid from me, before she heard a rumor somewhere. She'd never forgive me if I knew and hadn't told her.
"Not now," she said as the music changed.
The doors opened with a flourish. Clark slipped up beside Jasyn. He took her hand and winked at me. Jerimon and Larella came out of the house, hand in hand. They both looked happy, nervous, excited and scared all at once.
The ceremony was short and happy and full of smiles. Jerimon and Larella barely looked at anyone else.
They were planning on emigrating to Onipas. Jerimon had sold us his share of Lady Rina's holdings. Our holds were full of equipment for them to set up their own delivery service on the planet. We also had several full crates of seeds. Clark made arrangements for live plants to be delivered right before we lifted for Onipas. A week of plants all over the ship was possible, and not even unpleasant. And Omar would be very grateful to us.
People laughed and danced and ate and talked and congratulated the newlyweds. I stayed long enough that Jasyn wouldn't be mad at me later. I took a drink and wandered into the garden where it was quieter.
A river flowed a hundred yards behind the house. I found a spot near a drooping tree where I could watch the water, smooth and wide and quiet under the stars. The party was loud behind me. I wished them well, I truly did. But to be honest, I felt lonely and jealous of their happiness.
"I thought I'd find you out here."
"Go away, Lowell," I said. Of all the people I expected to come looking for me, he wasn't one of them.
"Dace, I'm sorry about what happened. I did try to keep you out of it." He came to stand beside me, watching the starlight ripple on the water.
"I know," I said with a sigh. Much as I wanted to, I couldn't blame Lowell. I couldn't stay mad at him any longer. "Just do me a favor and don't ask me again."
"Clark told me what your plans are."
"And what are your plans?"
"Go back to my job, until I retire in a few years. And no, it won't involve you again. I promise that."
I turned to face him. "Can I trust your word, Lowell?"
"I do what I have to, Dace, you know that as well or better than anyone. I will do my best to keep that promise, but I can't guarantee it. You're too good at what you do."
"Why are you here, Lowell? So you can ruin what happiness I still have?"
"I was cleaning out my desk." He stopped to watch a ripple of light play over the river.
"I don't really care." I turned away.
"I think you do, Dace." He held out a hand to me. "I thought you might like to have this back."
Curiosity won. I turned to him, holding my hand out. He opened his hand to let something slide through his fingers. I caught the sparkle of gold in my hand. A cat, curled up sleeping but with a hint of mischief on its face.. The necklace my father had given me what felt like years ago.
"The clasp was broken. I had it repaired."
"Thank you." I tried to soften my earlier words. "Thanks, Lowell."
"I also found this, tucked into my files." He held out a card. "You want to explain it?"
I took it and held it up. It was black paper, thick and heavy. I turned it over. There was a note scrawled on the scrap of paper. Dace will understand. No name, nothing more, but I recognized the handwriting. I started to shake. The paper had a simple drawing, a mythical pig drawn in gold ink. I blinked back tears. Whether they were due to surprise or relief or happiness or not, I couldn't have said.
"So?" Lowell asked.
"Tayvis."
"I figured out that much. Well?"
"Your curiosity is just as bad as mine," I said. "You'd better be careful or it will get you in a lot of trouble."
He laughed, throwing back his head. "I deserved that," he said when he was done.
"We promised to meet when his enlistment was up," I said. "At the Golden Pig on Proxima. This can't be for me, not anymore. I shot him, Lowell. And he arrested me."
Lowell stopped me. "He understands duty, better than most. He knows you had to do what you had to do. That note was left on my desk on Linas-Drias after we landed your ship there."
"Where is he, Lowell? " I wanted to rush to my ship and fly to wherever he was. I wanted to see him, to tell him how sorry I was. I wa
nted to feel his arms around me again.
"He was transferred to Exploration. Before I could stop it, his ship was gone. He should be back in about three months."
I bit my lip. It hurt. But at least I had the card, I had his promise. I had something to look forward to. Three months had never seemed so long.
"Dace," Lowell said, dragging my attention back to the present. "There's a party. Do you really want to miss it, standing here by the river?"
I studied him in the silvery moonlight.
"There you are," Everett said as he came down the path to join us. "I hope I'm not interrupting?"
"No, I think Dace is finished with me," Lowell said. He turned away. There was something in the set of his shoulders that touched me. He really did care about me. He really hadn't wanted to drag me into his trouble. And I realized that I cared about him just as much.
"Lowell," I called. He stopped and turned back to face me, hands in his pockets, looking casual and relaxed. But I could see the hurt in his eyes. "Thank you," I said holding up the necklace and the card. "Maybe someday I'll come visit, just to visit."
"You do that." He smiled, it reached his eyes. His silver eyes. We had more than curiosity in common.
"Thank you, Grant," I said, using his first name for the first time.
"You're welcome, Dace," he said.
"You promised to tell me the whole story," Everett prompted as Lowell walked back up the path.
"The whole story?" I wasn't sure I wanted to share the whole story. But I could give Everett the version he wanted to hear. "Where do you want me to start?"
Epilogue
They gathered quietly in the evening light. The tumbled ruins of Jericho were softened by spring growth. They moved as one, drawn to the bank where mounds of earth marked gravesites. Myriassima presided over them, standing farther up the hill. Her silver robes draped around her, shrouding her in light. She waited in silence for them to gather, the ten that held the future of the Hrissia'noru in their hands. She lifted her head and spoke, her words echoing in minds more than through the soft spring twilight.
"We must move. There is little left for us here."
"Jericho is dead," one man agreed. He nodded towards the graves.
"It was only a matter of time before they discovered us," another man said. He shifted his feet, his silver eyes troubled. "We hoped to be strong enough before that happened. We moved too soon."
"We were too close," a woman answered. She was short and slender, her hair an intricate mass of golden braids on her head. "We did not flee far enough before. Jericho was too close."
The first man spoke. "We settled here hoping to find the Lost Ones. Not all are found."
"We may have to leave them behind," Myriassima said, her voice whispering through their minds. "It is time to honor our ancestors. It is time to follow their dream."
There was a long moment of silence.
"Some will choose to stay, not leave," the second man spoke again.
"They will be given a choice," Myriassima spoke. "Measures will be taken to assure they will not pose a danger, to us or to others." It was not a threat, it was a promise of compassion. "They will be given the right to choose their future, with us or with their adopted peoples."
"And the lost ones?" the first man spoke. "Three escape ships are not accounted for. Where have they gone?"
"We have waited two hundred years," the woman answered. "We cannot wait longer. We have waited almost too long."
They turned their eyes on Myriassima, watching her, waiting for her decision. Myriassima looked away, up to the evening sky of Jericho. They felt her power stirring, reaching for the answers they sought.
"One year," she spoke. "We will gather those who will come and we will leave. The ship is already under construction."
"Where will we go?" the woman asked.
"Far," Myriassima said. "We will go where our frezhria leads us. We will travel until we find sanctuary."
They nodded, accepting her answer and her vision. None of them spoke as they walked away to their waiting ships. One year was not much time. They had much to do.
Author Note:
I hope you enjoyed this sixth installment of Dace's misadventures. I certainly have.
For more information on the series and to buy exclusive logo merchandise, please visit http://www.altairanempire.com
For more fun stories, please visit my website: http://www.jaletac.com
And look for the further adventures of Dace to arrive shortly with book 7: Obsidian Tears