The Balance (The Stone's Blade Book 2)

by Allynn Riggs

  “Melli gave it to me. She had saved it for me. After Mother died, all I could think to do was throw away everything that belonged to her. It was grief behavior, not good sense. Melli was holding it safe for me until she thought I was ready. She never read it either, but then, it was written in Lrakiran.” She waved him silent. “Yes, I realize that having a bio-teacher would have enabled me to read it, and I might yet change my mind. Let me adjust to one alien thing at a time, okay?” She saw him catch his bottom lip between his teeth before he nodded. This was one choice she could control, and she wasn’t ready to make it yet. “I asked Renloret to read the entry around the day of my birth.”

  She hesitated, her hands on top of the journal, and then explained that she’d never once heard mention from her mother or anyone else that there had possibly been a twin until Melli’s confession that verified the Stones’ announcement of a twin birth. She assured Yenne that Melli seemed confident that the twin had died shortly after birth and that Taryn was her own child. These things would have to be dealt with in some manner once they returned to Teramar. She then opened the journal to the flagged page and slid it across the table, poured more liquor into her father’s glass, and watched him read the entry.

  He cried for a bit before whispering that he could forgive his wife for her decision. Even the Singers assumed The Balance was female, and he knew how much S’Hendale had wanted her friend to have a successful full-term pregnancy after her miscarriages. It was so like her to make such a sacrifice. Some moments of shared silence followed.

  More liquor was ingested as Ani told him about the kidnapping and subsequent torture while Taryn was in a mechanically induced coma. The identity of the culprit stunned Yenne.

  “He is a brilliant man,” Yenne admitted, “but something always made me hold him at blade length. I was unwilling to get too close.”

  He seemed pensive for a moment before continuing. “You know, Fairaden, Treyder’s wife, was one of the three Lrakiran women from the original research team. I tried to dissuade her — unsuccessfully — from joining hands with Isul the year before the attack on the research center.”

  “She died after an eleven-year coma,” Ani said.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Something highly irregular happened not long before the attack on the research center. S’Hendale … that is, Shendahl, as you knew her … told me that Fairaden was pressuring her to create a vaccine from your blood, even though you had only just turned five. The woman was eager to have a child and hoped the vaccine would allow her to do so safely.”

  Though this new information was intriguing, Ani thought the subject could be looked into later, after Taryn was cured and had saved the Stone.

  Ani then told Yenne how they had enlisted Mroz in the successful snatch and grab caper. A knowing smile lit his face at the mention of Mroz, and Ani wondered what kind of stories Yenne could tell about the Mroz he had known years earlier. She filed away that thought for a later discussion as well.

  Ani shared information from Treyder’s notes that confirmed he’d used a second coma device on Taryn. At first Yenne sat back in his chair in amazement and then he leaned forward to catch every bit of her narration about the blade healing. “So you could feel each of the wounds healing?” He was examining her once-broken wrist.

  She nodded. “It was surreal, but I had to do what I could. I was not going to let him heal slowly and possibly badly. It seems like magic but it worked, and for that I’m grateful, though I hope there is no need to do it again.”

  “Well, magic or not, considering the alternatives, I am indebted to you and Renloret.” Yenne shifted in his chair and took another sip of his drink. “What explanation did you give to the local authorities about their missing sheriff, and what did you tell Melli and Gelwood?”

  She got up from the table and paced the room as she gave him an abbreviated version of how she and Renloret had left things with both the local authorities and Taryn’s parents. Of course, that raised the issue of how Taryn’s true parentage would be divulged and whether or not Yenne should be near Taryn after the device had been removed.

  “Yenne, I have an important request.”

  He sat back in the chair, a neutral expression on his face. The look reminded her sharply of Taryn when he was in full sheriff mode. Not to be intimidated by this, Ani plunged on. “I think you should wait to meet Taryn until after he removes the blade. He’s going to be under enough stress that meeting you, face-to-face, any time before he removes the blade from the Stone may be just too much for him. Removing the coma device comes first, then telling him who he is, and then, hopefully, he will believe us and save the Anyala Stone.”

  Yenne was silent for a few breaths, a frown scrunching between his brows. “From your tone of voice, this is not a request but a demand?” His voice rose slightly making the statement a question.

  She pursed her lips and gave her head a firm nod. “No matter how he reacts to his identity, I have promised the Stones that my twin will remove Diani’s blade from the Anyala Stone and give it a chance to live. And we will not overwhelm Taryn in the process. He may be more open to change than I am but … this is more change than anyone, alien or not, should expect a person to accept all at once. Don’t you agree?”

  “Personally, I would prefer to meet him when he wakes from surgery, but you state the situation clearly and yes, I will agree to wait to meet my son. But may I have your permission to visit with him during our return flight to Lrakira? There should be no harm in that, should there?”

  “Ani? Is Commander Chenakainet still with you?” Renloret’s disembodied voice over the communication speaker filled the room, startling both.

  “Um, yes. I think we have just finished our discussion.” She tipped her head toward her father in silent question. He nodded and sipped the last of the alcohol from his glass.

  “The captain has given the order for us to proceed directly home to Lrakira.”

  “Good.”

  “The report from the medic center states that despite being in a coma, Taryn is otherwise healthy and has been made comfortable.”

  “Do they have the results from the genetic test we requested?”

  “Yes. Commander Chenakainet is to be congratulated on his son. And you, Ani, can be congratulated on having a brother.” Ani heard the smile in his tone and raised her glass to her father. He responded with a smile of his own.

  The com speaker crackled once again as the ship’s commander requested that all be made ready for departure. Yenne rose from his seat, arms stretching out to Ani, and she quickly grasped both of his hands, holding off a full embrace, but giving him a small smile. “I’m not quite ready.” Her voice was soft with regret.

  He nodded in understanding. “I should get back to my station, Ani. Ten days to home.” Yenne gave her hands an extra squeeze and left.

  “Your home perhaps, but not ours,” she said to the door as it slid closed, and she knew she meant hers, Kela’s, and Taryn’s. It was also ten days until Taryn’s life changed forever, and there didn’t seem to be any way of stopping that. At least Yenne would stay out of the way until after the Anyala Stone was saved. She realized that they were putting the life of an intelligent crystal, a species of creature Ani had never before considered, ahead of their own desires.

  She contemplated the fact that she had accepted the importance of the Stone to the society of Lrakira to the point that she would threaten Taryn’s life if he refused to save it. Was it duty or something else? Perhaps she was beginning to accept herself as a Stone Singer. She realized it wasn’t really a new identity — just something added. And she found she was okay with that. She wasn’t quite ready to look ahead. Her brother had yet to save her Stone. Then they could look to the future — together, as a family.

  Two days into their travel, Ani found Yenne sitting next to the long-sleep capsule containing his comatose son. She hadn’t seen her father since that first stunning conversation in the debriefing room and to be faced with the man
’s raw grief over the situation troubled Ani to the core.

  Over the next eight days Ani made it a point to have several conversations with Yenne. With each discussion she understood more about the pain and loss he could no longer hide. They often cried together. She told him how it had been to grow up without a father, even though she had been surrounded by a loving mother and uncle. She even confessed that she had difficulty accepting him as her father, mostly because the time bubble had created a mere ten-year difference in their ages, though she also confessed that the age difference was becoming less of an issue.

  They also discussed how close she and Taryn were. Ani told him about Taryn’s proposal and explained why she’d broken it off, describing their relationship as more like that of siblings than lovers, though Taryn had been upset. Yenne was quite relieved at that news and seemed to be less shocked about their overall relationship when he realized that nothing more than some kissing had transpired between them.

  By the time they were halfway to Lrakira, their scheduled discussions had wandered away from immediate familial concerns to why there was an apparent need for a male Singer and if it had anything to do with the disease that had killed so many women. While there was the logical thought that at least one male Singer would bring a sense of balance to the Stones’ connection with the people after a thousand years, Ani didn’t see any way the Stones could be responsible for the disease. Her impression was that the Stones were only interested in the health and well-being of their charges, much like parents with their children.

  Both were confident that their many questions could be asked and answered after Diani’s blade was removed from the Anyala Stone. Though Ani wasn’t as confident, Yenne seemed to think that neither Layson nor Diani would have a problem with a male Singer. The only thing they couldn’t figure out was if Taryn would replace Ani as the Anyala Stone’s Singer or Diani as the Pericha Stone’s Singer once the blade had been removed. They assumed that the Stones would inform them of the next step. Then, depending on what that next step was, they, Taryn, and the two Singers would help the Stones break the news to the rest of the Lrakiran population.

  They surmised that though there had been early indications of impending changes, the Singers had not paid appropriate attention to their own history. If they had, they would have known that The Blood and The Balance would be twins, one a girl and the other a boy. And S’Hendale, as Yenne continued to pronounce his wife’s name in the Lrakiran manner, would have made a different choice the eve Taryn and Ani were born. The only way to get through the situation was to be objective.

  “We need to think like the Stones, Yenne.” She blushed. Though she knew he was her father, after almost nine days traveling, she still could not yet call him that. It would take more time and many more conversations.

  He cleared his throat as if trying to speak, but no words passed his lips. He was clearly uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Think like the Stones? What exactly are you suggesting?”

  “We can ask them all sorts of questions after Taryn removes the blade. If we ask them direct, clear questions, I believe they will give us direct, clear answers. They are not emotional in the same way we are. We have to remain neutral while holding firm to the belief that the Anyala Stone will survive and we can get those answers.”

  Yenne gave her hands a firm squeeze and stood. “The last communiqué stated that the Anyala Stone’s condition appeared unchanged, but the Singers remain anxious and are adamant that The Balance — I mean Taryn — must remove the blade for the Anyala Stone to survive and recover. Even though I sent them a message asking that they locate the book Renloret had found in the library, they don’t seem to be unduly concerned, so perhaps they are prepared for a male Singer. Perhaps we are overly worried for no reason.” He gave her a thin smile and, continuing to hold one of her hands, edged around the table to embrace her.

  Ani stepped into and finally accepted the fatherly action she had missed since she was five. There were still plenty of problems to be worked out, but this was a start. She squeezed his chest.

  “We should be arriving on Lrakira soon. I am guessing we will need to speak with the Singers immediately. I will send a request that they meet us.” Her father planted a kiss on her forehead before releasing her and leaving the room.

  Ani was halfway through a sigh of relief that he had not called her “little one” when she realized she had been wanting him to say it. She touched the damp spot on her forehead where her father’s lips had left a healing impression.

  Renloret watched Commander Yenne Chenakainet pause to wipe his cheeks as the door slid shut to the conference room Ani and the commander had used almost every day while traveling. For the first time, he saw a smile on the commander’s lips as he turned away. Perhaps, finally, there had been a breakthrough in the relationship. That would help Taryn with his upcoming transition. Renloret waited at least a chime before moving to the door. Ani had not left. Was she upset? He palmed the announcement pad. “Ani? It’s Renloret. May I enter?”

  After three breaths of waiting, the door slid open and Ani pulled him in. They hugged and she led him to a pair of chairs facing the observation panel. He took one and she claimed the other. A surprisingly comfortable silence followed as they watched the myriad of stars streaming past. Ani clasped his hand, her thumb stroking across the back of his. He heard a sigh but didn’t turn to look at her, just squeezed her hand to let her know that he was attentive. He wanted Ani to be the one to speak first.

  “Yenne is sending another message to the Singers telling them to meet us when we arrive. We expect they will want to discuss the book you were reading prior to your first meeting with them, particularly that part of it relating to the Blood and The Balance prophecy. We’re hoping they will be prepared to accept Taryn by then. Yenne also has a copy of the genetic testing in case the Singers question our word. Do you think they will demand a second genetic test to confirm his identity?”

  “Perhaps,” he said.

  Her chuckle made him turn his head to look at her.

  “Now that I think about it, Mother was always frustrated with how slowly people embrace technological advances. I well remember an argument with Uncle Reslo about a year before the Northern Blade Ring Championships. She wanted to announce some type of research results before Uncle Reslo thought it prudent.

  “His reasoning was that Northern politics would not allow such breakthroughs to become general knowledge until the Star Valley Research Center shared all of their technological advancements with the military. Mother was furious that politicians could govern advancements in health and medicine, and Uncle Reslo cautioned her about bending blades beyond repair with her obsession. Oh, that really set her off. I had never heard Mother curse before. Back then, I thought she was cursing in Southern, but now in retrospect, I recognize some of the words as Lrakiran. By the blades, she was angry.

  “They were in the kitchen at the lake house. You could hear them even though the back door was closed. I waited until she had stopped shouting before bursting in as if I hadn’t heard a word. Uncle Reslo was hugging her, telling her they would figure out how to get her home even if they had to appeal to Southern for help. I thought he was referring to getting Mother home to Southern, not getting me back to Lrakira.”

  “You were about twenty then?”

  “I was twenty-two, and I had come home from the university to tell her that after months of thinking and talking with Taryn, I wanted to enter the next year’s spring continental championships in the short blade singles divisions. You had to be over twenty-one to enter as adults, and both Taryn and I had aged out of the youth divisions. The two of us were overconfident then, having won many competitions. We planned on celebrating our twenty-third birthdays with shared adult championships. I also mentioned that Taryn and I had decided to enter the pairs division. I was afraid to tell her the pairs entry was Taryn’s way of proposing.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper. “Or that I had told him I would consi
der accepting his proposal on the grounds that the topic of marriage would not be discussed until after the championships. Mind you, I hadn’t officially accepted his proposal in any way. I just said that I would consider it.”

  Renloret didn’t know how to respond so he just kept listening. This helped explain the marriage proposal she had mentioned earlier, which she had said she had refused. So it had been Taryn, not Ani, who posed the question, and Ani had subsequently refused it.

  She sighed. “In the end, I never told her about Taryn’s proposal, though I think she suspected. She kept introducing me to all sorts of other bladers and young men of good reputation. Once, she even mentioned we should go to Southern to meet ‘the rest of the family.’” Ani laughed.

  “Well, suffice it to say, my competition news seemed to overshadow frustrations with government pressures, and she never mentioned it again. Within a few weeks, she and Uncle Reslo had designed a rigorous training schedule for both Taryn and me, starting after my last semester. Taryn had just completed law enforcement training and had been appointed the new sheriff of Star Valley. For the previous couple of years Star Valley had been using the same sheriff as the next valley over, but Sheriff Driton really wanted to stay in his home jurisdiction and not split time between the two. Once he found out that Taryn was interested, he encouraged Taryn to apply and offered to mentor him through his first year. The other deputies were also young and neither of them wanted the responsibility of the office at the time. I found it interesting that no one ever brought up how young Taryn was. Everyone seemed to like the idea and it just seemed right, like Taryn was meant to be the sheriff of Star Valley.”

  “Does Commander Chenakainet know this?”

  She cocked her head at him. “I’ve told him about our growing up. He was relieved when I told him that I refused Taryn’s proposal.”

  “Why did you refuse when you didn’t know your true relationship?”