“It bothers me too, but they’ll be safe here on the ranch, or in the Hidden City if it comes to that. And, with the jump points Faith has found we’ll be gone only a couple of weeks instead of years, like we thought. That helps a lot, too.”
“Yes, it does,” Lariah said before narrowing her emerald eyes on her friend. “Just keep those boys of yours where they are, Saige Shira Lobo. I don’t want you to have to decide between leaving them behind, and taking them into battle.”
“Don’t worry,” Saige said, her hands spread protectively over her abdomen. “These guys are staying put.”
***
Glory sat on the porch of River House, enjoying the fresh air, the lavender sky, and the sounds of the rushing river below the house. It was so peaceful and quiet here. She wondered if the Jasani would allow her to live on Jasan when she was finished with her quest. They seemed more tolerant than her own people, and they’d displayed none of the shock or disgust at her differences that she was used to. Of course, they hadn’t seen all of them, either.
A newly familiar sound reached her and she tilted her head back to watch Lariah’s dracon touch ground a short distance from the house. She smiled to herself as she watched the formidable dracon with razor sharp claws and fangs shift into the petite princess.
“Good morning,” Lariah said brightly as she walked toward the porch. “You look rested.”
“Good morning,” Glory replied, half rising from her chair before Lariah waved her back.
“Don’t get up,” she said. “I have a few things I’d like to tell you. After that, I want to ask you a favor of sorts.”
“If there’s anything I can do for you, Lariah, I will, and gladly,” Glory replied.
“I appreciate that, Glory, but it’s not that kind of favor, so you might not want to agree just yet,” Lariah said as she took a seat beside her.
“All right,” Glory agreed. “I shall wait until you tell me, then I’ll agree.”
Lariah laughed, liking Glory’s subtle humor. “There are several Arimas who live here, on the ranch,” she began. “All of us have a psychic talent, most of us have two. It’s very common here.”
“Psychic?” Glory asked. “Like Nica?”
“Yes, though we all do different things,” Lariah replied. “For example, I can communicate with animals, Aisling Gryphon can understand any language she reads or hears, and Summer Katre can control computers and electronics. That’s how she’s able to help the women with Controllers, by the way. She can take control of the nano-bots injected into their brains.”
“That’s more than a gift,” Glory said soberly, “it’s a blessing, as well.”
“Yes, truly it is,” Lariah agreed. “Without her and Saige Lobo, there’d be no way to remove the Controllers, and all of those women would be lost forever, including Summer herself. Anyway, Hope Bearen is a Keeper, which means she’s able to identify objects of power, and match them with the people they’re meant for. Dr. Honey Vulpiran is able to identify psychic powers in other women. I’m hoping you’ll agree to meet with both Hope, and Dr. Honey.”
“That’s the favor you would ask of me?”
“Yes,” Lariah replied, noting Glory’s sudden wariness.
“May I ask why you want me to meet with the doctor? I’m not psychic.”
“From some of the things you told us yesterday, I suspect that you might be, and just don’t know it,” Lariah said. “That happens a lot more often than you’d think. If I’m right, Honey can identify your ability, and that may help you in your search for the Tigren. Does the possibility of having a psychic talent bother you?”
“No, that doesn’t bother me at all,” Glory said. “Anything that will help in my search for the Tigren is welcome. I would ask though, what is required of me during this identification process?”
“She needs to touch you for a few moments, perhaps as long as a minute. That’s all.”
“I am not overly fond of doctors, Lariah,” Glory admitted. “In truth, I never allow them to touch me. However, since this doctor is female, and a friend of yours, I will agree to submit to this identification.”
“I’m sorry to ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, Glory, but I really do think it’s important,” Lariah said. “I promise I’ll stay with you the entire time, and if you want to stop at any point, all you have to do is say so. If it helps, Honey’s an obstetrician.”
“I’m sorry,” Glory said with a frown. “This is not a word I know.”
“She’s a doctor who specializes in the care of pregnant women,” Lariah said. “Her first, and strongest talent is an ability to communicate with, and heal, unborn babies.”
“You are correct,” Glory said, nodding. “That does help. Of course I’ll meet both women. When and where?”
“If you don’t mind doing it now, and if you’ll agree to speed-travel, I can vox Trey and Val to come and get us,” Lariah said. “Or, if you prefer, we can do it tomorrow. Please keep in mind that we’ll be leaving Jasan the day after tomorrow, and neither Honey nor Hope will be going with us, so it has to be soon.”
“Now is fine,” Glory said. “However, there is something I’d like to discuss with you first, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” Lariah said.
“As I mentioned yesterday, on my world information is very restricted for females.”
“Yes, I remember,” Lariah said. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been.”
“It was frustrating for me, especially when I was a younger, because I was always curious,” Glory said. “I eventually learned to accept that I would always have questions, but no answers. Until I left Ramouri a few weeks ago, and mingled with other people aboard the passenger liner.” Glory grimaced. “I rarely had any idea what the people around me, both men and women, were talking about. I felt crippled by my own ignorance. So, I took advantage of the small library on board the passenger liner. Passengers were restricted to one hour a day on the vid-terminals since there were only a few of them, but I made the most of what time I had. That’s where I learned what little I know about the Jasani, and your culture. To be honest, you’d be shocked at the things I don’t know, Lariah.”
“I don’t want to insult the customs of your world, Glory, or you, personally,” Lariah said. “But, as far as I’m concerned, you’re a grown woman and more than capable of making decisions for yourself. There’s a vid-terminal in the living room of all our guest houses, including River House, with full StarNet access. You’re welcome to use it as much as you like.”
“That is exactly what I wished to speak with you about,” Glory said. “I have no wish to violate Jasani customs by using the vid-terminal without permission. Since the terminal’s access is unrestricted, I assume I’ll need a tracking code so that my usage can be monitored. If possible, I’d like to learn whatever is available for women on this world while I’m here.”
“You don’t need a code, and your access will not be monitored,” Lariah said. “There are some subjects that are restricted for children, and there are some aspects of Jasani history and biology that we prefer to keep to ourselves. Otherwise, there is no censoring of information on Jasan.”
Glory was so stunned that for a long moment she could only sit and stare at Lariah in disbelief. She’d hoped the gender restrictions would be less severe on Jasan. It hadn’t occurred to her that there wouldn’t be any at all. “This is a gift more precious than you can know, Highness. I thank you.”
“Before I became the Dracons’ Arima I was a librarian,” Lariah said. “Helping people find the knowledge they seek has always been important to me. Because of that, I have some small idea of what this means to you. I’m very happy to be able to help you in this regard.” Then, because she could see that Glory was becoming uncomfortable with the strength of her own emotions, she stood up and moved to the porch railing, giving the other woman a moment of privacy. When she heard Glory stand, she asked, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I am,” Glory replied, coming to stand beside her. Lariah was surprised to see Glory smiling, and couldn’t help but return it.
“I’ve spent many years developing the ability to hide my emotions, Lariah, and after less than a day, you are ruining all of my hard work.”
“I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry,” Lariah said unrepentantly. She really wanted to ask Glory why she felt hiding her emotions was important to begin with, but she sensed that Glory wasn’t ready for that yet. They’d only just met, after all. She reminded herself that they’d have plenty of time to get to know each other better over the days and weeks to come, and kept her questions to herself.
***
A few short minutes later, Glory was sitting beside Lariah in the Bearens’ living room, struggling not to stare at their hostess. Hope Bearen was one of the most striking women she’d ever seen. With her turquoise eyes, the gold and silver winged mark that she and her Rami bore on their foreheads, the three different colored braids on one side of her head, and the stylized birds encircling one wrist, Glory had a difficult time not bombarding Hope with questions.
She sighed softly to herself. The tight grip she’d learned to keep on her innate curiosity was, apparently, falling by the wayside even faster than her ability to hide her emotions. Fortunately, her desire not to embarrass Lariah was greater than her blossoming curiosity, so she remained silent.
After Lariah made the introductions and they were all seated, Hope turned to look at her Rami, who stood behind her just as Trey and Val stood behind Lariah. “Jackson, would one of you please bring me the gem mosaic?” Hope asked of the gigantic man who bent over the back of the sofa when she turned her head. “You know the one I mean?”
“Of course, Niha,” Jackson said, kissing her warmly. “I’ll be right back.” Glory blinked, but otherwise was careful not to reveal her shock. She’d thought that Lariah and the Dracons were unusual in their obvious affection for one another. Apparently, that was not the case. She’d witnessed more public kisses between men and women in the past twenty four hours than she had in all the years of her life on Ramouri. Jackson took one step sideways and vanished, which Glory was also becoming accustomed to.
“I assume that Lariah told you I was a Keeper?” Hope asked.
“Yes, she did,” Glory replied. “She also explained what that means.”
“Good, that helps,” Hope said, smiling at Lariah. “The Jasani have a number of artifacts from their original home world that they keep in a vault. At the council’s request, I went through them recently and set aside those I felt were meant to be given to some unknown person, at some unknown point in time.” Hope shrugged. “Psychic abilities are not always precise. Now that I’ve met you, I’m certain that one of those objects, a mosaic made of gemstones, is meant for you, Glory. Jackson has gone to get it for you.”
“Does this object have power?” Glory asked. “Will it be able to help me find the Tigren?”
Hope shook her head regretfully. “I know the object is meant for you, but I don’t know why, or what you are meant to do with it. I have the ability to read objects, but I’ve been warned not to read those things meant for others.”
Jackson reappeared with the mosaic in his hands. It was about eight inches high by ten inches wide, set in a one inch deep polished frame fashioned from some extremely hard but transparent material. Jackson looked at Hope, who nodded toward Glory rather than risk touching the object herself. He crossed the room and held it out to her.
Glory accepted the mosaic with both hands, surprised at its weight. When she lowered it to her lap and looked at it, a gasp escaped before she was able to prevent it.
“Glory?” Lariah asked, concerned by what was, from Glory, a very strong reaction.
“It’s them,” she said hoarsely, then cleared her throat before continuing in her usual cool tone. “This is Kyerion, Kirkeon, and Cadeon, though I do not know which is which. I only just learned their names, and I could not see Kyerion when he told them to me.” She paused for a long moment while her stomach did an uncomfortable roll before adding, “And a female.”
“You are certain?” Trey asked in surprise, looking over Glory’s shoulder as her fingers stroked the gemstones that made up the three dimensional mosaic.
“Yes, Prince Trey, I am certain,” she said. “The males I’d know anywhere. I’ve seen them in my dreams for years in this form, but I’ve no idea who the female is. I have no memory of a female in my dreams.”
“We only saw one tigrenca in the image,” Hope said as she got up and crossed the room to where Glory sat so that she could look down on the mosaic. “We had to look at it from a certain angle to spot it. You see four?”
“Yes,” Glory said. With gentle fingers she indicated the three male tigrenca arrayed in a half circle, blending into the myriad shades of yellow, orange, red, and black of the jungle flora with their striped fur and short curved horns. One had gold eyes with matching gold stripes, another had silver eyes and stripes, and the third had copper eyes and stripes. Then she pointed at the fourth tigrenca, in the foreground, that she knew with absolute certainty was female. That one had orange and black stripes, and blue eyes. They were all as plain as day to her, though no one else seemed able to spot the males until she pointed them out.
“Glory, why do you say the blue eyed tigrenca is female?” Trey asked.
Glory stared at the mosaic in silence. That was a very good question. “I don’t know, Prince Trey. I just know the one with blue eyes is female.” She pulled her gaze from the mosaic. “I thank you, Arima Hope,” she said, standing up and bowing formally. “You have given me a gift for which I shall be ever grateful.”
“You’re welcome, Glory,” Hope said, returning to her seat. Two of her Rami helped her to sit, the love in their eyes when they looked at their very pregnant Arima causing Glory’s throat to feel tight, though she didn’t understand why. “I must point out that it was not mine to give,” Hope continued once she was seated. “It belonged to the Jasani people, and it was the Fates who decreed it yours.”
“Then I owe them a debt of gratitude as well,” Glory replied.
“I think that your efforts to return the Tigren to the Jasani are thanks enough,” Hope replied.
“I hope that I do not let you, or your people, down,” Glory said. “If I do, it will not be for lack of trying. That much I can promise.”
“No one can ask for more than that,” Hope replied.
“Thank you for helping us, Hope,” Lariah said, crossing the room to give Hope a quick hug. “Tell my nephews that I’m sorry I missed them, please. Give them hugs from me and tell them I’ll pop in this afternoon for a visit.”
“I will, Lariah,” Hope said. “But, you don’t have to leave so soon, do you?”
“I’m afraid so,” Lariah replied. “We’re off to see Honey. She was kind enough to set aside some time between patients for us, and we don’t want to be late. Get some rest.”
The Dracons spoke with the Bearens for a moment, then Trey placed a hand on Glory’s shoulder, and Val wrapped Lariah in his arms. In the blink of an eye the four of them were standing outside the clinic next to the Lobos’ home. Trey opened the door to a newly constructed waiting room for Lariah and Glory, who took seats while Val spoke with the nurse behind the reception desk.
“Honey’s with a patient, but she’ll be finished soon,” he said before taking a position that placed his body directly between the door and the women. Glory nodded approvingly. Even though the Dracons were on their own property, they did not take Lariah’s safety for granted.
Glory wasn’t surprised by her protective feelings toward Lariah. Protectiveness was a part of who she was, and always had been. She was surprised, however, by how much she genuinely liked Lariah after knowing her for so short a time. No one had ever tried to get to know her before, or befriend her. None of her fellow female warriors, few as they were, had responded to her attempts to breach the barrier of her royal blood in an effor
t to get to know them. As a result, she had no real idea how to be a friend. But she wanted very much to try.
Lariah had made all of the overtures so far. It was Glory’s turn, but she wasn’t sure how to go about it. She decided that making an effort to show interest in Lariah personally, as opposed to Jasan in general, would be a good place to start. She considered and discarded several ideas before choosing one that she was curious about anyway.
“I hope you don’t think me forward, Lariah, but is Hope Bearen your sister?” she asked.
Lariah blinked at her, obviously startled. “No, she isn’t. Why do you ask?”
Glory flushed, worried she’d asked an inappropriate question. It was too late to take it back, especially since Lariah had now asked her a question which she couldn’t refuse to answer. “You referred to her sons as your nephews. I was curious because you look nothing like her, or her Rami.”
Val and Trey stiffened slightly and Lariah reached over to place one hand on Trey’s arm while sending a reassuring smile to Val. “It’s all right, guys,” she said.
“I apologize,” Glory said, noting the tension in the men. She wished very much that the floor would open up and swallow her. “It was not my place to ask such a personal question.”
“You misunderstand, Glory,” Lariah said, reaching out to touch Glory lightly on the shoulder. “I’m not offended by your question. My sister, Ellicia, was the boys’ birth mother. Before she died, she asked the Bearens to raise her sons, and they agreed. Do you remember that we told you there were Lost Clans?”
“Yes, of course,” Glory said.
“There are two, of them,” Lariah said. “One is Clan Tigren, as you know. The other is Clan Owlfen. By some miracle, Ellicia’s sons are Owlfen. Hope’s cousin, Harlan, was their father, and the only family member Hope had left, just as Ellicia was my only family member. Now that they have both passed to the beyond, the boys are the only link I have to Ellicia, as they are the only link Hope has to her cousin. It took me many months to accept the loss of my sister, which is why Trey and Val become worried whenever the subject comes up. My grief was extreme, and caused much heartache and worry for them.”
The Tigrens' Glory (Soul-Linked Saga) (Volume 9) Page 5