Flower Readings

by Lilliana Rose

  The Queens had their means of finding people using the pathways of the Energy. Even he knew that. It wasn’t safe here, or really anywhere else as long as the Queens could find them through the Energy Field. He figured they would’ve locked onto Triena’s Energy print or his. There was a chance they were too far away and that chance kept him hoping they could escape.

  Braklen felt a tug at his heart and breathed in sharp. The chip. Something was wrong with Triena. He jumped up and ran out of the room. The others followed him.

  “Fuck the Queens,” said Braklen as he saw her thrashing about on the floor.

  Marory pushed him out of the way. “Hold her.”

  Braklen sat down and took Triena in his arms. He struggled to stop her from thrashing about. “What’s wrong?”

  Marory saw the vial on the floor. “We can’t do anything.”

  “There must be something you can give her.”

  “Me, no. You, maybe. Hold her tight and think of something peaceful.”

  “That’s not going to be easy.”

  “Try.”

  Braklen embraced Triena tight. He couldn’t think of anything peaceful.

  The rabbit hopped up next to her.

  “Are you helping her?” asked Braklen.

  The rabbit twitched his ears together.

  Braklen closed his eyes. Triena was a mystery to him. There was something about her that stung at his mind. He wanted her, but the sting kept him thinking of a loss he experienced when he was young. A danger to his life. A knife. A poison cup. The memories floated like a broken mirror in his mind. The Queens rescued him, gave him a life path he wouldn’t otherwise had. It was Triena who threatened him, not the Queens. Yet that thought didn’t seem right anymore.

  Triena stopped convulsing. He continued to hold her close to his chest. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The weight on his shoulders eased. She had been close to death. His muscles ached. He refused to let go, determined to pull her back from death. She might have tried to kill him but he wanted her in his life.

  “I’ll get something for her to drink to help calm her,” said Marory.

  Triena’s arms burned against his skin, as if a fever had taken hold of her.

  Marory returned with a damp cloth. “Put it on her forehead.”

  Braklen pressed the cloth on Triena’s forehead.

  “Come on dear, come back to us. It’s not your time.” Marory dropped liquid into Triena’s mouth.

  She stirred and mumbled.

  “That’s it. Come back.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered open.

  “You’re too brave and daring for your own good, dear.” Marory held up a cup. “Drink this.”

  Triena didn’t protest and managed to drink some of the liquid before swallowing became too big an effort. She slumped back into Braklen’s arms.

  ~

  “What happened?” Triena stirred. She remembered taking and drinking, the liquid from the vial, enduring the animal energy, keeping her balance between the planes, and then returning back to her body. There was more. A struggle with the animal energy her body rejected.

  “You had a bit of a fright that’s all.” Marory turned on a speaker and soft music began playing. Strings combined with the sounds of the ocean, an old music from earth.

  She knows why. The rabbit’s voice in Triena’s mind was a welcome comfort. She’s not going to tell you.

  Braklen stoked her hair. The movement helped her to relax and she closed her eyes. The notes of the music pulled old memories together, but she was too exhausted to pay attention. She let the thoughts come and go, and concentrated on the embrace.

  Tightness formed in her chest. Her skill with the Energy had just reached a dangerous level, one she wasn’t expecting, and she didn’t know if she could handle this. She’d removed the animal energy and knew it was wrong to use. But, who’d believe her? She was the one with the abnormal ability. Besides, she’d absorbed Pernally’s Energy. She needed some help, someone to teach her about this part of the energy she never knew was possible. But who?

  “You won’t be able to travel today,” whispered Marory.

  “We need to,” said Braklen.

  “It’s going to take a while to organise your travel. I can’t do this today. Tomorrow is only a slight possibility.” The Priest stood in the doorway, watching, as dark expression slid across his face.

  “We have to keep moving, they’ll find us,” said Braklen.

  “Hush, the melody of the Earth covers our energy. It will depend on the strength of the Queens’ skill if they could still read the imprints in the energy. Be assured, they would have a Queen looking out for you two.”

  “I don’t see why. We’re pretty ordinary,” said Braklen. “Well at least I am.”

  “You two have to be careful,” said Marory.

  “Yeah, we got that part. So what’s the hold up?” asked Braklen.

  “Things have gotten a little rusty,” said Priest Junqi.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Braklen raised his voice in frustration.

  Triena shifted. She felt the fire burning in Braklen. She wanted to get away from it, but her body was weighed down. Damn, she’s given grentii to me again.

  “Let her rest.” said Marory, standing up. “We can talk about this later. Priest Junqi, help us move her to the bed.”

  The men carefully lifted Triena to the bed. She hated being so vulnerable. The grentii stopped her from fighting, and physically she was tired, energetically drained, but she was still conscious and aware of what was going on.

  Braklen helped her to sit forward as Marory fluffed up her pillows. “There, rest now,” said the old woman.

  That’s strange. Triena felt dizzy as Marory patted her on the head. Is she using the energy against me? She wasn’t sure because she’d consumed grentii and her use of the energy was distorted and unreliable. She looked around the room and saw the Priest, and began reading his energy. Cool green with shades of pink formed transparent and weak around him.

  Safe enough. Triena wasn’t convinced. She wasn’t really in the right state to read someone’s energy and she didn’t trust herself to get it right. Being like this, unanchored in the use of the Energy almost felt worse than being space-sick on the ship. Almost.

  “I’ll go and organize your trip then,” said Priest Junqi.

  Thank you, thought Triena. He snapped his head back at her, realised his mistake, and quickly turned away. She felt his energy cool. And hurry.

  She wasn’t exactly sure why she spoke to him through the Energy, but his response suggested that he’d heard her. If men could read the Energy, then the Queens would have to change. Everything would have to be re-established and she knew the Queens wouldn’t like that. A set of experiments formed in her mind to begin to carry out, later when she’d regained her strength. There was one more she couldn’t resist trying now.

  Thank you, Braklen. She watched him, but there wasn’t any change in his energy. Instead, he helped her to lie backwards onto the pillows. She exhaled deeply and welcomed the chance to sleep.

  She felt them leave room and she wished they would stay with her, at least that Braklen would stay and hold her hand. His energy would be a comfort. Instead, she had to satisfy herself with the company of the rabbit, who sat on the bed looking at her, and the sound of the music.

  The breath of the ocean soothed her. She’d never seen the oceans, only the scrublands and the mountains. By the time she was old enough to remember, her life had only been with the trees and then the castle. The sterile walls of stone hadn’t felt like home to her. There was so much life elsewhere now extending out from Earth as they went forward exploring the Universe.

  Her breathing returned to the rhythm of the sea. She tried to find an ocean scene and imagined what it would be like. She could almost feel the soft fine sand on her feet, the salty breeze kissing her skin and the sound of the ocean breathing life into her lungs. Then she fell asleep.

  ~
<
br />   Triena woke up to the touch of something on her head. She opened her eyes and saw Marory next to her. The old woman sponged her forehead and bare arms.

  “You got too hot.” Marory rinsed out the cloth and placed it back onto Triena’s forehead. The smell of lavender floated from the fabric and she breathed in the essential oil. The music still played in the background and the room was lit with scented candles, their flower perfume made the room more homely and less like a dungeon under the ground.

  She felt groggy. I need to make my own tea.

  “I have more tea for you.” Marory held a cup to Triena’s lips.

  “No.” She moved her head away from the cup.

  “Dear, this is good for you.”

  “No. You keep putting the plant grentii in it.”

  Marory stopped trying to get Triena to drink from the cup. “How do you know about that?”

  “Doesn’t matter, but I won’t be drinking anymore of your tea.”

  “Braklen never mentioned you could use the energy with flowers. Your gift is unusual. No wonder you reacted to the liquid in the vial.”

  Triena turned to look at the woman. “You read the Energy?”

  Marory’s face paled and she held the cup tight.

  “But I absorbed human energy.” Triena wanted answers before her mind fogged up with too many questions.

  “That’s different.” Marory paused. “Different enough.”

  Triena felt Marory’s Energy Field around her, but again she couldn’t feel anything personal. The old woman had strong boundaries and wasn’t letting anyone get close to her. Confused, Triena had always been able to read people’s energy and she was uneasy without this as a guide.

  Marory abruptly stood from the stool.

  Triena smelled it. The distinct perfume of roses, burned from one of the candles. Her memory joined pieces together. Could it be?

  “Mother?” Triena’s hand moved to the pendant around her neck and held it tight as if it would help her remain strong.

  Marory dropped the cup and it smashed on the floor. She stood there, her face white, her hands frozen in front of her as if she was still holding the cup of tea.

  Thank you. The rabbit jumped down and began licking the liquid.

  Druggie. Triena kept her focus on the old woman. The pieces of her memory were coming together, thanks to the rose scent in the room. She was sure now. It was the only explanation she could think of why she couldn’t read Marory’s energy, why the woman would be intent to keep her.

  “No.” Marory bent down and began to pick up the fragments of the cup. They clinked together over the sound of the ocean that still played in the background. “Where did you get the pendant?”

  Triena released her tight grip on the green stone. It felt on her chest, cold to her skin despite being held in her hand. “A Queen.” She wondered if she should get rid of it.

  “It suits you.” Marory stood up slowly, as if her back pained her. “It will help you if you take on any more energy of people.”

  “I won’t be.” Triena’s stomach turned from the reminder of what she’d done.

  “Still, keep it with you. It’s not very powerful, but for now it will help, until you get stronger with the skill.”

  “What do you mean?” Triena hated the way Marory talked about the future. It was just what the rabbit did. “Don’t hold back information from me.” Her voice tightened with the hollow threat.

  Marory shook her head, then gave Triena a motherly smile. “I’ll go make you up some more tea.”

  “I won’t drink it.”

  “It will be tea, just tea.”

  Frustration bubbled in the Energy Field around Triena.

  The woman placed her finger to her lips to silence Triena. “You will learn to come to terms with this change.”

  What change? Triena kept quiet. The Queens’ reach was far and they needed to be careful with what they said. This talking in code gave her a headache.

  “Thank you.” Triena paused. “Mother,” she added trying to determine is Marory was really telling the truth.

  Marory paused at the door. Triena waited for a response, but the old woman left without turning around.

  Fuck the Queens. She rested back into the pillow and looked at the grey ceiling. She placed her hand to her head. It was hot and stuffy here. She wanted to get out and stretch her legs. If the situation had been different, she would’ve gone back to the markets, looked around, and tried to find some more flowers to use. She could set up a witch stall and earn a small income, stay here for a while, make this her home if she wasn’t on the most wanted list. She’d been cooped up too long, the ship and now this room. I’m not drinking anymore of her tea. That’s for sure.

  Triena threw off the blanket.

  Not a good idea.

  Neither is drinking that liquid. She sat up and looked down at the rabbit. He kept licking up the last of the tea. You’ll cut your tongue.

  Worth it. I’m going to sleep for a week, or at least long enough for us to get off this awful planet.

  That bad here?

  She swung her legs over the other side of the bed to avoid any shards of china embedding in her feet. She braced herself ready to stand. She felt better, but she wasn’t sure she’d keep her balance.

  “Sit back down.” Marory came back in holding a tray of food.

  Triena looked at the old woman and then stood up slowly. Her vision blurred a little, but she managed to keep her balance.

  Marory placed the tray on the table. “You can’t go anywhere, so sit back down.”

  “I’m not drinking your tea.” Triena took a step forward, taking a deep breath.

  I don’t think you’re really up to walking around. The rabbit hopped out of the way.

  “I’ve got to keep strong,” said Triena.

  “Yes, but maybe try this after you’ve eaten something. You’ve spent the best part of the day sleeping.”

  “Thanks to your tea.”

  “You would’ve done the same in my position. Now sit.” She stood with her hands on her hips glaring at Triena.

  Triena wasn’t intimidated, took another step, but then paused. Her muscles trembled from the exertion. Where was I going? She took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to do was give in, but she didn’t feel physically strong enough to walk, or even to keep standing.

  Then there was the problem with her mind. It was a bit muddled still from the tea she’d been given, or maybe it was from the animal energy. Or a bit of both. She had questions, which really needed answering. She fumbled at the green teardrop shaped necklace around her neck. It pulsed with soothing warmth.

  “Fine, I’ll sit back down, but only if you answer my question.”

  “No.”

  Triena took another step. Her energy was draining fast. She couldn’t keep standing for much longer. “I deserve an answer.” She took a few more steps. She was nearly at the door.

  “This isn’t a good idea,” said Marory.

  “So then answer my question. Are you my …”

  “No.”

  Triena swayed. A wave of bile began to rise and she swallowed, her mouth moist with mucus. She looked at the old woman. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  The taste of bile in her mouth made it difficult for Triena to think. There’s something not right. She’d lost her balance and knew she couldn’t argue. Not right now. She sat back down on the bed. A few more hours rest.

  Marory helped her to lie on the bed, then rearranged the pillows so Triena could sit up.

  “I don’t believe you.” Triena’s balance realigned now she was sitting down. Her physical strength began to return. She was frustrated at this inconvenience. She wanted to be out there organising herself off this planet, and not leaving up to Braklen, or Marory, or some Priest who had turned against his own beliefs to save his life when the Queens came to power. “You knew my mother then?”

  Marory handed her a fresh cup of tea. Triena
sniffed it. She didn’t want to drink tea made from someone else, especially if that someone had been lacing her drinks. She could hear the heavy breathing of the rabbit by the side of the bed. He’d probably be having some rather vivid dreams now.

  “Drink up,” coaxed Marory.

  Triena lifted the cup to her nose and took a deep breath, savoring each of the scents wafting in the steam. Ginger, mint, and black tea. She breathed in again. A hint of Quem, a touch of cinnamon tickled her nose. Was there something else?

  “Stop being paranoid and drink.” Marory turned up the music. The sound of the waves kissing the sand filled the room.

  Can I trust her? She sat holding the tea in her hands, watching the old woman as she sat down on the stool near the bed.

  “I’ll be quick. Then, you must rest.” She shifted her overweight aged body trying to get comfortable on the short stool.

  Triena still held the tea, unsure whether or not to take a sip.

  “We have to be careful,” said Marory.

  Triena could barely hear her because of the sound of the sea, which was the point. She didn’t think the ears of the Queens could hear her down here, just under the surface, but she wasn’t going to argue. They could read the Energy. Maybe I should focus on manipulating the Energy so they can’t find us? Her head pounded at the challenge.

  What was the color of my mother’s eyes? She could never remember. The memory of her mother faded so quickly, replaced by the coldness of castle life, the studies by the Priestess and a strict routine. Besides it was easier to forget about the mother who had just left her with the Queens. Her whole disgrace and exile could’ve been avoided if she’d just stayed with her mother. Forgotten questions reformed in her mind.

  Marory’s hazel eyes looked at Triena intensely. She couldn’t help think the woman was being cautious about what to say. “Are you … ?”

  “No, I’m not your mother. But, yes I knew her.”

  Chapter 12

  Triena gripped the cup, trying to supress the boiling anger in her, and feel excitement of finally meeting someone who could fill in her memory of what her mother was like. The mix of fierce emotions brewed inside of her.