He walked over and gave her an awkward hug. “You have every right to be irrational.”
“Hey, I didn’t say irrational.”
“Not in so many words,” and he grinned. He was determined to put her in a better mood. She seemed very distracted these last few days. “So, what is causing your angst?”
“I’m so close to getting all my projects off the ground. And everyone – not just the Sisters and my advisors – but most of the citizenry are psyched and getting involved.”
“You have created an unprecedented ground swell of enthusiasm. The air is electric with energy and passion. You have been Queen for not quite eight months and you have worked miracles.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you ridiculous man. It’s like giving a kid a new toy. The toy gets the credit, not the person who gives it.” As we all know, it was, and always would be, her nature not to understand the recognition she deserved. If you need to find the origin of this, look back to when she first became Flying Girl. She learned early on that the deed – and not its acknowledgment - was all the satisfaction she needed. It is one of the reason her legend would last a thousand years.
“Whatever you say, dearest,” and he gave her an exaggerated smile. “So where does the angst come in?”
“The last two things I need to get done before my daughters make their grand entrance are organizing the training for the next generation of young women for the sisterhood. Then I need to redefine the Sisterhood itself to meet the challenges of the future – one where I may not be involved. And the clock is ticking. There’s at best six weeks left till I come to term.”
“What difference does it make if you resolve it before you go into labor or do it afterwards?” Egg’s response was a shrug and for some reason that sent a shiver of fear down Benny’s spine. “Wife, what are you not telling me? Have you had your dreaded goosebumps whenever you think about giving birth?” The thought caused his heart to race.
“No Benny, it’s not that.”
“Then what?”
Egg put her face in her hands . . . and her eyes became moist. “What happens if my stupid luck runs out?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I always succeed. Always. But it’s mostly because of my good luck. I’ve had more than my fair share of it. What happens if I’ve used it all up? Giving birth to my daughters is my biggest challenge. What happens if I’m not up to the task? What happens if I let them down? What happens if . . .” but the rest was lost in sobs.
Egg’s mood swings were getting more pronounced as she approached her term. Benny didn’t need a doctor to tell him why. His wife had been pushing herself relentlessly since the day she was crowned. If a hundred major projects weren’t enough, the two children she was growing inside her made it all that much more difficult. She was exhausted – mentally and physically.
But she was Egg – and getting her to slow down was simply not possible. She carried the weight of the world on her shoulders (technically it was the seven worlds of the Commonwealth) and she would never put her well-being above theirs.
He had enlisted everyone to talk some sense into his wife but to no avail. Not Grammy, her mother, his mother or Sylvia could get her to listen.
“It’s just a few more weeks. I can do this.”
“I’m your Feminion – you have to listen to me.”
“Ha. You’re just a busybody trying to boss me around. Why don’t you go get married if you have nothing better to do?”
Syl pretended to give that some serious thought. “No. Can’t seem too eager.”
“Don’t put him off too long. He’ll come to his senses and call off the wedding.”
“Never. He’s head over heels in love . . . with my daffy ducks.” She stuck out her tongue and they both laughed way harder then was warranted. “Come on Egg. At least let Meggy and I deal with the new recruits.”
“You have school.”
“Just my finals. Big Bird can do me a favor and reschedule them.”
“Syl, thank you, but I can’t. I have to finish what I started.”
“Why?”
“What happens if there’s no tomorrow?”
“I don’t know what that means?”
Like she did to Benny, Egg just shrugged and her friend reacted the same way. “Not goosebumps?” The horror in her eyes was evident.
“I think they both ran out?”
“What did?”
“My luck and my goosebumps – I can’t count on them anymore. I’ve used them up.”
“How do you know that?”
Another shrug. “I just do.”
Syl stared at her lifelong friend – fighting hard to hold back her tears. “Listen to me, Eloise Grace Graystone – I will not allow anything to happen to you. Do you understand? Nothing for as long as the sun shines and the stars twinkle.”
*****
The First Meeting of the New Initiates
Egg decided that she wanted to be in the room and seated before the girls arrived. At this late date in her pregnancy, carrying all that weight made it awkward to walk. She didn’t want that to be their first impression of her. She felt it was important that today wasn’t about her being pregnant; it was about these young ladies who had made a life changing decision.
As to this first class of recruits, the sisters had decided it should be small and manageable since it was to be a learning experience for them as well as the girls. To that end, they chose two from each race. Aerianna, therefore, had eight – dragons, humans, serpents and Gek’a. Kallous had four – Klat and the original Kallousians. The Outer Reaches had two from each planet. Zynn-Zaz’zia should have had four but the Nauti initially had declined to participate. But Zazzi, in his new role as their representative, convinced them to read the history of the Hameggattic Sisterhood. Shortly thereafter, they reversed their decision and two of their kind had been accepted.
Splendora and the Solaxis Amalgamation each had two.
There had been some debate about the later. Some of the Sisters had argued that only Commonwealth worlds should participate. Egg had other thoughts but deferred to Meggy to argue for their inclusion.
“The worlds of the Federation are intensely jealous of one another. If Solaxis is participating in this program, they will eventually all wish to participate. Granted it would be for the wrong reasons. However, we would not be recruiting government representatives. We would only choose young women with the character to make good Sisters. Eventually, the Sisterhood will be represented by every sentient species in this sector of the galaxy.”
No one chose to argue with their Sister’s impeccable logic.
But the addition of the two Solaxian sisters brought a smile to Egg. Meggy would now have an opportunity to know the girls better. More importantly, she would get to help mold them much like a mother who influences a daughter . . . thus filling a void in her life. It would also give her reason to continue to see their father.
The other reason she smiled was because of Zazzi. By convincing the Nauti to participate in the program, the number of girls was twenty-six – which meant that each of the other thirteen Sisters would get to mentor two each. As Queen – and as the leader of the Sisterhood – she thought it wise not to personally get involved with this. Such action might inadvertently give the girls she would pick a special status that would be unwarranted.
Egg gave the signal and the twenty-six new recruits were led into the room. They were smiling nervously, glancing at all the Sisters and whispering to each other. Some pointed at Egg – their eyes wide with excitement.
When they had settled into their places, Egg – on the spur of the moment – decided to address the ‘elephant in the room’ . . . namely her large belly. She stood up and the girls went deathly silent.
“Welcome everyone. Before we get started, there are two small items to discuss. First, as long as you are with the Sisters or the other initiates, you will call me Egg. Not Your Majesty. Not Lady. Not “hey you with the enormous stomach
” and she smiled. It took a second for the girls to realize she was teasing and they all laughed. “I assume you all know that I’m pregnant with twins. It will be only a matter of weeks before they’re born. What you may not know is a secret that the Myst Tree at Sighing Whorl told me about them. The younger of the two – Syl’kie – will be the next Flying Girl.”
Most of the girls gawked at the news. Feather, Jayde and Kaylyn had already known.
“Her older sister – Ellie Rose – will be her Feminion. For humans such as myself, it will be six to eight years before they’re ready to begin their training. And in part, that will be your responsibility. They will spend time with each of you to learn what you will have learned. Can I trust you to do that?”
A chorus of affirmations greeted that question.
“That’s great. Thank you.”
One of the girls – obviously from Zwam’s home world – raised a hand.
“And what is your name?”
“I am called Zabralta, your Majesty.”
The girl next to her, one of her compatriots, tugged at her arm and whispered something.
Zabralta put her hand over her mouth and her eyes went wide. She looked at Egg as if she had just accidently eaten one of her daughters. “I am so sorry, Lady . . .” and that was greeted by groans from most of the girls. This time Zabralta hid her face in both hands and sat down.
Egg smiled at the embarrassed girl. “Zabralta, do me a favor and come up here.”
The girl reluctantly did as she was asked.
“If you put your hand on my stomach, you can feel my daughters kick. Would you like to try?”
The girl could only nod. Egg took her hand and placed it where the kicking was most pronounced.
“Oh goodness. I felt it.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s Syl’kie. She’s very anxious to get on with her life.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s just a guess. Anyway, why don’t you turn around and tell everyone my name.”
“Sorry about that.”
To the girl, and to the others, Egg said, “Mistakes only matter when the outcome is life or death. So as we say on Earth – don’t sweat the small stuff.” To Zabralta she said, “Introduce me to the rest of the girls, if you would.”
“Everyone, I would like you to meet my good friend . . .” and she paused. Then a big grin broke across her face. “. . . my good friend Syl’kie and her mother Egg.” She turned to look at Egg who had barked a laughed.
“And that’s what I’m talking about. Fantastic job, Zabralta.” She gave the girl a hug and sent her back to her seat. “While we’re at it, there are four young ladies here that I know personally and I would like to acknowledge them.
“First is Rosie from River’s Edge right here on Aerianna. Have you been playing any dodgeball since we last played?” It was the same girl she had met when she was on her wedding tour.
The girl beamed at being recognized. “Yes, Your Majes . . . yes, Egg.”
To the others, Egg said “this young lady beat me at a game for which I almost never lose. Tell them what your prize was.”
“You took me flying,” and the others broke into excited twittering. She needlessly added, “It was amazing.”
“And we have Jay’de and Kaylyn from the Solaxis Amalgamation. They are the only representatives from a non-Commonwealth world. There are two very good reasons they are here. First, they earned the right like the rest of you. However, they did something so spectacular that it deserved special recognition. From a very early age they followed the exploits of the Sisterhood. So dedicated to what we do, they convinced their father that we were worthy of his trust. It was that one fact that allowed me to defeat the Federation, save the worlds of the Outer Reaches and to create the Commonwealth. Please, everyone stand and give them a warm ovation.”
The two girls turned scarlet at the recognition while off to one side Meggy beamed with pride.
“Finally, this is Feather, Sky’lord of Splendora (and Egg pointed). She was with me when my sisters and I helped rescue her people from the Reverie Glass. A friend of hers inspired Feather to apply to the Sisterhood. A very special woman called L’elle. L’elle would have made a wonderful Hameggattic Sister, but she died.” Egg let that sit there in the silence for a moment. “She sacrificed her life so that her people might live. It was an act of bravery that I hope none of us will ever have to face. In her memory, when you have the chance, ask Feather to tell you about her friend.”
Feather had tears in her eyes but held her chin up. She gave Egg a small head nod of thanks.
“As you know, you all will be our guests for four weeks. In that time, which isn’t as long as you might think, your assignment is to get to know each other – and each Sister – to the point where you can stand up here and tell the rest of us their stories. As importantly, each of you must insure that the other girls can do the same. If one of you fails, you all fail. Any questions?”
No one did. Well, if they had one they were too embarrassed to ask.
“Since there are no questions, let me ask one. Why? Why be able to tell each other’s stories? Why if one fails the assignment, you all fail? Anyone?”
To Egg’s great pleasure, almost all raised a hand, wing, tail or some other appendage. To her surprise, that included the two Klat girls – a species better known for their single-minded dedication to a military objective. Social interactions were not a big part of their culture. Naturally, Egg called on them to stand. “What are your names?”
“I am called Xyla, Most Exalted.”
“I am called Ayla, Glorious One.”
Those appellations got the other twenty-four girls to groan which didn’t cause the two girls to react. They just stood – at attention (like any good Klat would).
“For those who don’t know, these young ladies are from the species they call the Klat. They now live on Kallous but they came to us on the Ark of Forever.” That got the other girls a bit excited. “The Klat are great warriors . . . soldiers par excellence.” Again, the two girls showed no emotion. “Their leader is Waldo – once an Artificial Intelligence program but now of flesh and blood. He is also one of only two males who are honorary Hameggattic Sisters.”
“It was his wish that we apply for membership, August One,” said Xyla.
“I know you are trying to be respectful, but I much prefer if you call me Egg.”
They glanced at each other. Simultaneously they answered “Yes, Egg.”
“Thank you. Now, knowing Waldo as I do, I bet he has given you some insights into the Sisterhood. So, can you share with the rest of the girls what he told you.”
Xyla replied, “One of the basic tenets of the Sisterhood is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
“Very good. Anything else?”
“In the vernacular of Earth, our motto would be ‘All for one, and One for All’ answered Ayla.
Egg smiled. “Waldo is a great honorary sister. I suspect you two will do him proud.”
“We will die trying.”
“No, no. No, dying. That goes for everyone.” She made eye contact with each girl to emphasize the point. “Okay. Let me quickly tell you how the next four weeks will go. Aeri’elle will tell you about some courses she has designed for you. They cover a wide range of subjects from philosophy to politics. All the Sisters will be conducting general discussions on whatever topic they choose. You’ll be broken into random groups and rotate through these sessions. There will be many games we’ll be playing. One of the objectives is fun – but more importantly, is building teamwork and giving each of you a chance to know the others. Each species is very different. Finding common ground and mutual understanding will be a real challenge. Any questions so far?”
“Will we be disqualified if we aren’t very good at the games?”
“And you are?”
“My name Talz.” She was obviously from Gilly’s home world.
“Absolutely not. On the o
ther hand, your effort to learn and to be a good teammate will be important to us. We all have different abilities. It’s that diversity that makes us stronger. Anyone else?”
There were no more questions.
“You will also be broken into random groups at meal times. This will give you a chance to know your fellow initiates. And, we will have a couple of guest lecturers. One will be Queen Mother Rose’Alynnia. I’ve asked her to tell you about her childhood up to the time Mobius sent her into exile. You can read about history – or you can talk to the person that made it. And, my grandmother and biological sister will conduct a question and answer session. You get to ask them anything you want about me and my best friend, and Feminion, Sylvia.” That brought smiles to their faces.
Feather raised her hand.
“Yes, Feather?’
“After the four weeks, what happens? When will we be considered for admission into the Sisterhood?”
“As to the second part of the question, there is no one answer. Some of you are older with more life experiences than others. Those individuals will be considered sooner rather than later. Others are very young and it maybe a number of years . . . or never. That’s something you need to consider if you plan on sticking with this.”
“And as to the first part?”
“The team working on the black hole project is way ahead of schedule. Within six months we’ll have space tunnels connecting all the worlds of the Commonwealth. That means you guys, and my Sisters, can travel back and forth to each world whenever you like. So, each of the Sisters will be assigned two initiates that they will mentor. Every few months, these groups will be reassigned. The only exception will be Jayde and Kaylyn. Since they will not have the availability of a space tunnel for the foreseeable future, Meggy will take up residence on Solaxis. If and when we can, we will find a way to change these arrangements to match what the others will experience.”
“Will we be evaluated at the end of the four weeks?”
“And you are?”
“Zendi from Kallous, Egg.”
The girl had features not that dissimilar from Mobius. “The short answer is yes. The long answer is that we hope to give you a list of what we see as your strengths . . . and your weaknesses. Improve on the former, and try to eliminate the latter. Just remember, we – the entire Hameggattic Sisterhood and initiates – are resources you can call on to help.”
Gracie - Box Set #6, Part 2 of Ever After [an Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood novel] Page 41