"Thank you, Gram. I've never seen one like it before, and I love it." Ethan and Sydney joined us, and Eliot and ZeeZee soon followed.
"What would you like to do today, Teagan?" Sydney asked.
Sheepishly, I said, "Truthfully, I want to snoop around your house. I've only seen four of the rooms, and I'm curious." Sydney and Gram were delighted.
"That might take all day, Teagan," Eliot warned.
"Why? How many rooms are there?"
Sydney said, "Well, there are nine areas on the first floor. There are three rooms on the second floor and five rooms on the third floor. Then, there are the servants’ quarters, the garage, and various other buildings scattered about the property."
Surprised, I said, "Oh, that is a lot." After breakfast Ethan and Eliot excused themselves.
Sydney and Gram began to give me a tour of my home for the next few weeks. We walked to the living room and under the staircase to the foyer. They decided we would go to the left and travel in a circle around the first floor. They led me through the arched entrance under the stairs into the sitting room, resplendent in creams and yellows. The wood floors kept their luster through each of the rooms. From the sitting room, we passed into a hall with a small corner restroom, and toward the right, I saw the lift. I followed them down the sunlit hall decorated with sitting areas and plants, and to the right where the hall continued down to the sunroom. Doors to the right opened into two large rooms. The first held a large pool in the center surrounded by groupings of chairs and tables. Unlike Simon's courtyard pool, this one had no decorative plants or landscaping. It had been constructed of the same stone that had been used to create the home's walls. "This looks like a nice way to spend a day," I said.
"Do you enjoy swimming?" Gram asked.
"I don't know how, but Stewart gave me a float to use at Simon's house."
"We can teach you to swim," Sydney assured me. The room next door held all manner of exercise equipment.
Looking around I said, "Yukihyo, Hiroshi, and Phillip would love this room." The sunroom was at the end of the hall, and we turned to walk along its side and behind it where another sitting area with couches and bookshelves made a relaxing looking place to hide. Gram said the sitting area shared the back wall with the foyer. We passed a door that led into the back of the living room and walked down the other side of the sunroom and took a right where the sunlit hall continued. Sydney knocked at the first door to the right and then entered. It was a large office and Ethan and Eliot each sat at massive wooden desks immersed in work. We peered inside and then left them in peace. The next room held a large vid-screen and a lot of comfortable seating. Plush silk rugs were scattered across the floor. The next room ran the length of the house. It had only one support wall dividing it that remained open at each end allowing us to see from where we stood at the back and all the way to the front. The butlers, maid, and chef all occupied the space which contained a laundry and storage area on our end and a beautiful kitchen at the other.
Sydney said to them all, "Please don't mind us, we are just giving Teagan a tour around the house." At the end of the kitchen was another corner restroom. We turned through a door that led us back into the dining room and living room. Then, we were back in the foyer.
"Wow! That was a good walk. Instead of using the treadmills, we can just walk through the house."
Gram nodded and said, "We have done that, but let's take the lift upstairs." We walked back through the foyer and sitting room to the lift.
The lift took us to the second floor and opened up on the balcony overlooking the foyer. The door to the left as we stepped out, belonged to Gram. Gram's room, while arranged similar to mine, contained beautiful mementos she had collected over the years. Instead of one large painting across from her bed, she had a collection of paintings in different sizes. One had me gasping. It was a portrait of Gram in her early thirties. Gram was beautiful, but the man standing behind her chair was gorgeous. "Wow, Gram! You look beautiful, but after seeing your husband, I can really see where the men got their looks." Gram smiled at his image with pride.
"Lord Alaric was a fine man, an excellent husband, and all of the other girls were so jealous. I had a very enjoyable marriage." From Gram's room, we passed the stairs and entered the single door in the center of the wall that led into Sydney and Ethan's master suite. Their rooms spread across the entire back of the house. Their bedroom contained a small breakfast area near the door and to the right. Opposite it to the left was a couch and vid-screen. Their bed and side tables were against the back wall. Two doors were to the left. One led to a closet half as large as mine and Gram's combined bedrooms. The door next to it led into a bathroom of equal size with a beautiful stone bath, shower, and sinks, and with private waste units. The door on the right side of the room opened into Ethan's private office, held a safe in the far corner, and a small corner restroom across from it. We went back out to the balcony and passed the second set of stairs to look inside of the other bedroom on the floor. It didn't belong to anyone and contained only a bed and side tables.
We went back to the lift and up to the third floor. The lift opened near my room, which I learned was right above Gram's room. As we walked along the third floor balcony, I stayed close to the stone wall and away from the curved endings of the banister leading down the stairs. Three rooms were along the back wall and above Sydney and Ethan's room below. The one in the corner next to mine was empty with the exception of a bed and tables. The center room belonged to Eric. The room on the other side was also uninhabited. The room, on the other side of the balcony and across the open space overlooking the foyer and directly across from my room, belonged to Eliot. I heard Thunderdrop chittering. I held onto the railing and leaned out a little to look for him. "Hey! I'm up here. Stay there. We're coming down."
"Chirp." We walked back to the other end of the balcony and took the lift down. Thunderdrop crawled up my dress to my shoulder where he nuzzled my neck.
"Oh, you finally started to miss me?"
"Chirp." Gram sat down on one of the couches in the sitting room.
"Sydney, you three go on without me. I will order tea for your return."
Sydney took us through the kitchen, out of the main house, and down a lengthy enclosed walkway that connected to a two story building. It had been constructed of the same materials as the main house and was just as beautiful. A long hall ran the length of the first floor. There were eight doors on the first floor. The three on each end were two bedroom apartments. The two doors in the middle led into a kitchen and an entertainment room. On the second floor, the first two doors contained a doctor's office and an infirmary. "Lady Alaric, are you well?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, I'm just giving Teagan a tour," Sydney told her. I recognized the doctor. She had been nice to me during all of the genetic scans.
"Teagan, this is Dr. Perry. You have met once before."
"It is nice to see you again, Dr. Perry." She appeared to be around fifty years old, had short brown hair, brown eyes, and was even shorter than me.
Dr. Perry said, "It is nice to see you again. Please don't hesitate to call for me at any time should you need me."
Sydney showed me the spacious area next to the doctor's office where there was a living area with a magnificent view of the grounds and the forest. The last two rooms were apartments being used by Eric's soldiers.
From that building we walked through another covered walkway to the two story garage. With the exception of the large doors on the first floor, the building appeared almost identical to the one we had just left. A man was busy cleaning silk lines from a transport when we entered. When he heard Sydney as she described the second floor with its apartments for the driver, mechanic, and groundskeepers, he turned and bowed. Sydney waved hello to him, and we walked back to the main house. "Other than family and Eric's men, how many people live here?"
"Ten," Sydney answered. By the time we got back to Gram, I felt tired.
Gram sat with a tra
y of tea, sandwiches, and little cakes. Thunderdrop moved from my shoulder to sit on the couch's back behind me. "What do you think of the house?" Gram asked.
"It's beautiful and so big. There is so much to do." I finished the two tiny sandwiches on my plate and had a sip of tea. Gram placed two more on my plate, so I ate them, too. After we had our fill of the little cakes, Gram stood.
"Teagan, please excuse me. I usually have a nap after tea." I felt really tired, too.
"That sounds like a good idea, Gram. I could use a nap. Is it okay with you, Sydney?"
"Yes, of course." As Gram exited the lift to her room, she gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll see you in a bit," she said. Thunderdrop and I entered our room. I found a gown and changed, crawled under the soft blankets, and immediately fell asleep.
When I woke up, Thunderdrop blinked at me and rubbed his feeler against my cheek. I yawned and stretched. "That feels better." I got up, used the bathroom, washed my face, and changed. Thunderdrop stayed in the hall when I entered the lift. "You're not coming down?" He blinked four of his eyes at me and walked off. When I entered the sitting room, I was shocked and embarrassed that it was getting dark outside. No one was in that room, so I walked through the foyer where I found Thunderdrop hanging upside down from a line of silk from the third floor balcony.
"Chirp." I gave him a gentle push and watched him swing. He chirped at me, and I laughed at him.
"You're a silly spider baby."
Eliot caught us as he entered the foyer. "You seem in good spirits," he said.
"Yes, but I'm ashamed of myself for sleeping all day." Eliot placed my hand on his arm and walked with me into the living room.
"Don't be. You have been under a great deal of stress for the past few weeks." Eliot sat next to me on the couch. Thunderdrop appeared and blinked at me before sitting on my leg. ZeeZee just sat and blinked. Ethan leaned back against a couch opposite us.
"What did the two of you do today?" I asked.
"We made sure to pay all of our employees and staff today. With over a hundred employees, it takes a while."
Surprised I said, "That many people work for you?"
"For our family, yes, they do. We employ web harvesters, silk cleaners, weavers, designers, seamstresses, rangers, and security personnel, not to mention our staff here at the estate," Ethan answered. ZeeZee came right to my knee, blinked at me, and rubbed his feeler against my hand.
"ZeeZee you are being so sweet," I said as I stroked my hand down his front leg.
Gram and Sydney entered the living room. "You really did need a nap," Sydney said. I shrugged. "I thought we would have a quiet dinner at home tonight. Gina has invited us all over to her house for dinner tomorrow," Sydney said. After dinner as we sat in the living room, the vid-screen beeped. Eliot activated it and smiled at his brother.
"It's good to see you Eric," he said.
"It's good to see you, too. How is our little cousin?" Eliot turned his head to look at me. I walked over to him, with Thunderdrop back on my shoulder.
"Hello, Eric. Any news?" Ethan asked as he and Sydney joined us. Eric clenched his jaw and looked at me.
Then he said, "The Galaxic government received confirmation from the Parvac Empire that their operatives took Nathan Green into custody on kidnapping and murder charges." My heart began to pound, and I grabbed hold of Eliot's arm. "The Parvacian high court ordered Nathan Green's execution for his crimes against Neema Valen, the daughter of a prominent Parvacian general." My other hand shook where I held it against my mouth.
"Neema Valen is my mother's name?" I asked.
"Yes, Teagan. The Parvac Empire has not released any information to us other than her name." I moved my hand from my mouth to my throat.
"Thank you, Eric. It means a lot to me to know her name." Gram sat down carefully.
"So, Ettie had a daughter named Neema Valen. Is this General Valen the one who took her from us, Eric?"
"I don't know that for a fact yet, Gram. I wish I could tell you more."
"You've found out more in a few weeks than we did in seventy years. Thank you for giving me some answers," Gram said. Eric dipped his head.
"Mother, you look well."
"I miss you. When are you coming home?" Sydney asked him.
"As soon as I can, I will come for a visit. It may be a few weeks. I will contact you with any new information that I can share." Eric and Eliot's eyes met briefly. Then, the communication ended.
"He knows more than he was able to tell us," Eliot said.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I know that look he gave me," Eliot answered.
"My mother's name was Neema Valen. He took her from me. I wasn't allowed to ask about her. He would get really angry." Eliot pulled me into his arms and held me tightly against his chest. "Eliot, she didn't leave me. He killed her. He told me she left because she didn't want me. I hope the Parvacs made him suffer." I pulled away. "I'm going to call Yukihyo." I took the stairs up to my room from the foyer.
Yukihyo answered from the bridge. "What is wrong?" he asked.
"You can tell that just from my expression, husband?"
"Are you alright?" Yukihyo asked as tiny veins of color began to creep into his eyes.
"Eric called with news. Is it okay for me to tell you?" Hiroshi and Phillip walked over to stand behind Yukihyo, who tapped a few times at a display that they could see and I could not.
"Our end is as secure as I can make it," my husband said.
"Eric told us my mother's name." Yukihyo's eyes calmed. "Her name was Neema Valen. She didn't leave me. He killed her." I took a deep breath. I heard a gentle knock at my door. "Come in." It was Sydney. She sat down beside me on the bed and put her arm around me. I held her hand. Sydney filled them in on the remainder of what Eric had relayed to us. "Will you please call me back tonight?" I asked.
"Yes, my lady wife. I regret that I am not there to comfort you myself. Lady Alaric, thank you." She inclined her head to him and ended the call.
"Ethan called Sherman and Simon. Are you okay?"
I said against her shoulder, "I don't feel like bursting into tears. I'm sad, but I'm glad they punished him. He killed her and might have ended up doing the same to me during one of his rages. Also, I have her name now and not just the one memory of her humming that melancholy version of the song from the music box." The music box rested on my vanity in my room on Tora. "I kind of feel like a weight has been lifted from me. I don't have to worry about him finding me or hurting me again." My stomach growled loudly. Sydney and I locked eyes and laughed.
"You did sleep through lunch. Let's see if dinner is ready."
When we entered the living room, we saw Ethan with his arm around his mother. She dabbed a silk square to her eyes. ZeeZee rested a claw on her knee and clicked at her. Sydney rushed over to hug her. I walked forward and sat at her feet, leaning my side against Ethan's legs to avoid pushing ZeeZee out of the way. Gram reached down and pulled some of my hair through her fingers. "What is this? I am crying and you are not?" Gram asked. I looked up at her and rested my chin on her free knee.
"One of my biggest fears has been executed and the source of my greatest pain was one of his lies. He told me she left because she couldn't stand me, amongst other things. He lied. I'm not sure how I feel, but I don't feel like crying. I feel more like my mother and I both got justice." My stomach growled loudly enough to make ZeeZee jump and Gram laugh. She patted my hair.
"We should go to the table," she said. Dinner was a somber affair.
"I wonder if there is any way Eric can get us a picture of her," I said later as we sat together in the living room.
"Eric will get every bit of information he can. He is relentless when he puts his mind to something," Sydney said.
Sydney helped Gram to her room. Eliot walked up the stairs with Thunderdrop and me. "You have handled this news very well," he said.
"Thank you. Do you think Gram is okay?"
"Yes, but
she needs some time. She has lived with uncertainty for years and now has some answers." Eliot kissed my hand and walked to his own room. Rather than jumping to the bed, Thunderdrop climbed to the top of my head while I filled the tub.
"You don't have to worry. I'm okay. Why don't you go get your transport? You can play with it on the floor in here and keep an eye or eight on me at the same time."
"Chirp." Thunderdrop jumped from my head, to the sink, and from there into our room. I took advantage of the minute or so of privacy. After my bath, I found a pretty gown and matching robe to put on. Thunderdrop did not let me out of his sight.
"What is going on with you? Are you sick?"
"Chitter." My vid-screen beeped. I tapped it expecting to see Yukihyo, but it was Eric.
"Hello, Teagan. I wanted to make sure that you are alright."
"I am. Gram seems shaken though. Thank you so much for finding out the truth. You were right when you told me I could trust you."
"I will always be here for you. If there is ever a problem, or you just need a friend to talk to, know you have me," Eric said.
I picked up Captain Ice Bear, made him salute Eric, and said, "Aye, aye, Captain!"
Eric laughed and said, "I have a surprise for you."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Something for you to play with, so you don't get bored. I'm loading it into your menu as we speak. The rainy season begins soon."
"Thank you, Eric. Sydney and Gram gave me a tour of the house today. I needed a nap afterwards. There is a lot to do here. You and Eliot must have had lots of fun growing up in your forest palace." Eric grinned.
"We spent most of our time in the pool and in the trees."
"I'm hoping to get to play in the pool tomorrow." Eric met my eyes with his pale blue ones.
"I hear you haven't left the estate. Is there a reason for that?" I rolled my eyes at him.
"I know everyone is making it as safe as possible, but I'm still afraid. I can't help it. If they could take him so easily, they could take me, and being ripped away from everyone I love would destroy me. I'm trying not to think about it."
"Please don't be afraid."
The Space Merchants Page 40