Quiet tears streamed down Laney’s face. Jim was looking at her as if she was a porcelain doll who could break at the slightest touch. She quickly brushed the tears away with the backs of her hands and took a deep breath. “Thank you for that story,” she said to Artem Vank. “When can we meet to discuss how I am to survive on Vaka?”
“Tomorrow,” he replied and stood without hesitation. “I will find you. Get some rest.” As he was walking out the door, he turned. “Alis and Karn were so proud of the person you have become, Laney.”
He nodded once at Jim and then left. Jim was still looking at Laney sympathetically. She thought she might explode from the inside and swallowed back the torrent of emotions. “Where can I sleep?” she asked calmly. “I do not wish to take up your room the entire trip.”
“I’ll bring you to your family’s suite,” he said.
Jim dropped her off at the set of two bedrooms and shared living space that was supposed to be for a family of three, but he looked as if he didn’t want to leave Laney alone.
“It’s OK,” she said and smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
“OK. Well…let me know if you need anything,” he said awkwardly.
She kept smiling until the door was completely closed. Laney didn’t know what she needed. For her entire life, she had never known her true heritage. Now she was on a ship hurtling through space away from Earth—the only home she had ever known—and her new home, Vaka, might very well kill her.
42
Will could feel Preda’s exhaustion radiating off her in waves. She had insisted on being debriefed at the Vank council meeting, a continuation of the meeting that had been interrupted the previous day during the Soundless attack. It would be the first meeting to have a Vozia present in over eighteen years.
Preda sat at the head of the room as if she had always belonged there. Her back was straight, and she was engaged in what was being said, though she refrained from speaking herself. Will smiled as he thought about the young girl hiding in her own clothes at school. She had changed so much in the short time since then. Even her face had changed. She looked like a Vozia—except for the feline remnant of Earth asleep on her lap beneath the table.
The makeshift council room on the ship was unadorned. The long table occupied most of the room, and there was barely the width of two Vakans between the table and the walls surrounding it. The walls, unlike the rest of the ship, had been left gray and metallic. The reasoning behind the sterile design was to avoid distraction during council sessions. Will thought it was only further incentive to leave the room sooner.
The conversation had so far been largely about the status of survivors and losses from the attack. They had left behind many pieces of knowledge and research that had been performed during their time there. Will couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a tragedy that everything had been destroyed in a volcanic explosion for no one to ever find. That same explosion had likely prevented any detection of the Feria leaving Earth’s atmosphere.
Will tuned out the droning of monotonous numbers and was busy analyzing the room and the people in it. He found it second nature now to identify an escape route as well as the most hostile elements in an environment. The fight on Deception Island had left him acutely aware of just how much of a weapon he had become. There was no second thought to killing someone now—not for her. He felt no remorse.
A raised voice drew his attention back to the conversation at the meeting. A particularly young Vank was yelling at Artem about a trade policy still in place on Vaka. He was the same one who had declared to Preda that this was war.
The council had left Vaka in a state of emergency and martial law under a skeleton government. They had thought it was important for them to be on Earth when Preda came of age. This meant the Kait family still held sway over most policy decisions. Now that the Vozia family was back, the Vank were moving back into power over such political maneuvers.
The young Vank was heated over some decision to remove produce trade regulations. Will thought he remembered that the young man’s name was Frak. His father, Percin, was one of the current heads of the council. There were eleven heads of council—seven Vank, two Ceren, and two Kait. One was Al, who was still recovering from the injuries he had sustained.
Percin Vank was a formidable player. When he spoke, the rest of them fell in line. As a direct result, Will figured, Frak thought he deserved the same treatment. Being the son of Tamron “the Fox” Kait, Will thought he had some perspective on this. He found that the privileges of the father did not automatically extend to the son.
“The outer islanders can’t think they can just come and go as they please!” Frak practically spit at the older Vank.
Artem sat calmly with his hands folded on the table in front of him. After a moment of silence, Frak sat down. Artem nodded in slight deference to the point and said, “In point of fact, they have never done so. They are simply looking to return to their previous trade routes as they were before the state of emergency. I think putting those trade routes back in use could represent a significant show of strength to the opposition. Now that there is a Vozia back in power, they should know we will not be cowed into hiding.”
Will saw many men and women around the table nodding in silent agreement while Artem spoke. Frak, however, was not alone in his stance. Many younger council members started to protest loudly as soon as the older Vank finished speaking. It seemed that Frak had recruited a following since he had last seen him. Two, a man and a woman sitting on either side of Frak, looked particularly passionate in their support. Will resolved to learn their names after the meeting was finished.
Frak stood wordlessly and looked as though he was about to walk out of the meeting. The two next to him stood just a second behind him. They towered over the older Vank sitting across from them.
This display did not move Artem. He smiled at them. “Leaving so soon?” he asked. His voice was dripping with false sincerity.
Will sensed Preda’s agitation and stood before speaking. He cleared his throat loudly to silence the room. She looked at him, and he felt her use him as she would a bulwark. He was already soaking in her emotions, but it was acutely amplified. This was not the first time she had done that.
Will hadn’t realized what was happening when she had done it at the entrance to the cavern on the island. It had nearly brought him to his knees. A mixture of euphoria and pain had filled his head and chest cavity. Since then he had recognized what she must be doing, and it had become easier to handle.
She could use him and his bond to temper her ability. It was as if she was adjusting the knob on a faucet to make the water flow more strongly or barely trickle. He had no idea if she was conscious of doing this, but it was ingenious. Not for the first time, he wondered if her predecessors had used their guardians in the same way. He would have to remember to ask Tamron.
After strengthening her connection to Will, she turned back to the council members, who were waiting with bated breath. Frak and his two compatriots were still standing. Though it looked disrespectful to stand while Preda addressed them from a seated position, it would appear weak for them to sit back down. The longer she looked in their direction, the more uncomfortable Frak’s friends looked. He, on the other hand, was staring right back at her. Will’s hackles rose, and the silence lengthened. Finally Frak turned his eyes away ever so slightly, and Preda addressed the room as though the silent exchange had not just occurred.
“It seems certain council members do not appreciate the value of all citizens of Vaka. Where does this feeling of inequality and disparateness for the outer islands come from?” she asked innocently.
Will kept his expression neutral, but he was beaming on the inside. Preda, as it turned out, had been paying attention to every word that had been said as well as every word that had carefully been avoided. The reactions of the council members were priceless. Artem and several older me
mbers were smiling, and Frak and his cohorts were slowly turning several shades of red.
Tamron’s soft chuckle broke their silence. So far he had been silent during the exchange. “Why don’t you fill our new leader in on the distinction between Mainlanders and Outsiders, Frak?” he asked.
Will flinched. “Outsiders” was a derogatory term not usually used in civilized company. When the Vakans were first learning the English language, it was deemed the most insulting word that could be used to refer to the people on the outer islands. Since then it had become almost taboo. Frak’s face flushed, and he scowled at Tamron in blatant disrespect. “I do not have to answer to you,” he said.
Tamron laughed even harder. “Well, that’s good!” he said. “For a minute there I thought I would have to engage in a conversation with you. Luckily for us,” he continued seriously, “the Vozia asked you the question.”
As he finished his sentence, a dark scowl took over his face, and his casual posture was suddenly threatening. Will noticed Preda stiffen. She was clearly aware of the sudden change in atmosphere. Unfortunately Frak seemed unaware of the implied danger.
He threw his arms out as if Tamron wasn’t even in the room, and asked his friends, “Does anyone else here think I should have to answer to this man? His family’s rule is clearly no longer a necessity.”
Tamron had slowly stood while Frak was speaking, and Will could see the barely restrained anger in his clenched jaw and tensed neck muscles. Will moved to stand closer to Preda and was about to whisper a suggestion to draw the meeting to a close when Frak addressed her directly.
“Madam Vozia, do you feel as though you are so incapable of making decisions that you need the continued advice of a soldier?” Frak had a slight sneer on his face as if it would be unthinkable for a Vozia to continue to allow the Kait to have so much control.
Preda met his gaze calmly and betrayed no emotion in her response. “You yourself informed me this is war. Who better to listen to in such a state of affairs than a warrior?” To Will’s relief she stood and let Fiver jump off her lap. Once standing with her back straight, she said, “This meeting has given me much to research. With your permission I would like to adjourn until tomorrow to educate myself on Vaka’s topography.”
When she stood, all others stood with her, and the meeting was closed. Will noted she had added a trace of command to the request to end the meeting. That made it nonnegotiable. While they were walking out, Will caught a hint of bemused disappointment on his father’s face. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have thought the old man had wanted an excuse to kill Frak with his bare hands.
43
The quick escalation of hostility in the room had intrigued Preda. After the past forty-eight hours, she had almost wanted to see how it would play out. It was just the first of what she assumed would be many council meetings.
Her insistence on being there had visibly surprised the council members. She couldn’t tell if it was because they thought her too young or just too weak after everything that had happened. She was determined they would no longer make either assumption about her.
Preda was nervous and exhausted, but she hoped none of that had been apparent. Having Will by her side was like having a pit bull in perfect tune with her. She could feel him tense at certain moments and warn her of the volatility in the room. He also seemed more perceptive about when to draw her voice to himself. She was eternally grateful for this unspoken arrangement. Preda hadn’t been sure at first, but after that meeting she could tell he was aware of what she was doing.
She held her head high while they walked out of the room amid the rest of the council members, but she indicated she wanted to say something to her now ever-present guardian. He leaned down, and she asked, “Where is Laney staying?”
He looked straight ahead. “I’ll take you there.”
“Do you think she wants to see me?” she asked.
Preda was genuinely worried the girl would no longer want to be her friend after her parents had been killed in the name of Vozia. She had been avoiding Laney under the excuse of letting her grieve. Will gave her a reassuring crooked smile and said, “Jim has been leaving her food and knocking on her door. I imagine she’ll be grateful for a less awkward visit from a friend.”
Preda was surprised, but she didn’t know why she should be. She had always thought of Jim as a flirty guy who deftly kept multiple girls hanging on a string. She had thought it would be the same with Vakan girls. “Awkward” and “Jim” were not synonymous. Maybe his behavior had just been part of some act.
Will echoed her thoughts and shook his head. “I’ve never seen Jim like this. It’s as if he doesn’t know what to say to her.”
Preda didn’t think she knew what to say to Laney either. The two separated from the crowd once they reached the main living quarters, which were separate from where Preda was placed. She felt nauseated with the opulence of her rooms. They were practically mirror images of the rooms back on Deception Island. Just having more than one room was upsetting and unnecessary. Fiver hadn’t seemed to mind, though.
Will was given a room separate from but adjoining hers, which apparently came standard for guardians. Preda felt guilty that he was forced to stay somewhere apart from his father and Jim. It was ridiculous. They were on a ship full of nothing but loyal Vakans. At least his suite looked nice from the outside.
Preda was so lost in her thoughts that she almost tripped over Fiver when Will stopped abruptly in front of Laney’s door. He knocked once, and they waited. No one answered. Preda could hear movement behind the door. Clearly the girl was awake but avoiding other people.
Preda called out to her. “Laney? It’s OK if you would like us to come back later. I just wanted to say hi.”
They both turned to leave after another moment of silence, but the door opened. Laney peeked out from the small opening and asked with a croaky voice, “Preda?”
“Hi, Laney,” she said and tried to smile encouragingly.
Laney’s hair was so unkempt that it looked suspiciously like a squirrel’s nest. Her curls had always been enormous, but now they were out of control. Laney opened the door all the way and practically ran to her. She wrapped her arms around her tightly and sobbed into Preda’s long hair. Preda had practically never been hugged before, and she responded awkwardly at first. She didn’t know what to do, and Will pantomimed hugging off to the side. He wore an amused expression. She eventually relaxed and hugged Laney back. She held the girl for what seemed like minutes after that. Preda started softly stroking Laney’s hair and whispering reassurances to her. She hadn’t even realized she was projecting with her voice until the girl pulled away. It was as if a spell had been broken. Laney looked better than she had peeking out from behind her door. Her eyes looked less drawn. “I feel better,” she whispered and looked slightly awestruck.
Preda felt uncomfortable. She hadn’t even been trying.
Will broke the silence, much to Preda’s relief. “May we come in?”
The three went into Laney’s rooms, and Preda had to blink to adjust her eyes to the darkness.
“A little light, OK?” Will asked, and he turned on the ambient lights in the room.
When the lights came on, Preda could see the place was a wreck. Blankets and clothes had been strewn across the floor. Food, presumably brought by Jim, had been left to sit out in the open, mostly uneaten. Preda wasted no time standing there. She immediately set about furiously tidying up.
Laney looked horrified that Preda was cleaning her room, and she started to protest. Preda turned to her and ordered, “Just sit down and relax. Will can make you some tea…or whatever Vakans drink to relax.”
Laney immediately obeyed, and Preda realized she must have projected some command into her voice. It needed to be done, though.
The cleaning didn’t take as long as Preda initially thought it would, and she instantly
felt better after it was done. Laney was quietly sipping on something warm and sitting cross-legged on her bed. Fiver was curled up in a ball next to her, and Laney was petting him absentmindedly. Preda and Will pulled over chairs to sit next to her.
“What is that?” Preda asked Will, pointing to the glass in Laney’s hand.
“It’s a drink called klaf,” he said. “It’s from the skin of a plant grown on the outer islands on Vaka. It contains a property very similar to caffeine. Only more addictive. We try to reserve it for special occasions.”
“It’s amazing how similar Vakans are to humans,” Preda murmured.
“So similar you wouldn’t even know if you were a human,” Laney snapped, and she looked a little angry, although at no one in particular.
The outburst confused Preda. Apparently it confused Will as well. “What does that mean, Laney?” he asked.
“Jim didn’t tell you?”
“Tell us what?” asked Preda.
Laney looked down at the klaf in her hands as if she was debating something. When she looked back up, she had tears in her eyes. “My parents adopted me from a human. I’m not Vakan.”
Preda and Will sat in stunned silence. Preda didn’t know what to say.
Will asked a question Preda hadn’t even considered. “Is it safe for you to come with us?”
“I don’t know,” Laney practically wailed. “Artem has been working on a water filter, but the rest should be OK. No one knows, because we’ve evolved differently. A human hasn’t been on Vaka since the very beginning, when we were all the same.”
“The very beginning?” Preda asked. “You mean when Vakans were first brought there from Earth?”
“Yes,” Laney said. “We have no idea yet how much our physiologies differ. The Vanks on Deception Island had been studying humans since you were first brought there, but there is only so much we can learn without actually bringing one back with us.” Laney paused to drink the klaf. “I guess we’re bringing one back now.”
Preda's Voice (Guardians of Vaka Book 1) Page 17