“Thank you,” Olaf said. “We have made our decision, and promised not to change our minds, but your words help us to feel more confident that it was the right one to make.”
“We are happy for you,” Garen said. “You have waited longer than most for the woman meant for you, and you deserve this.” Garen cleared his throat and returned to the more serious matters at hand.
“I understand your personal need to accompany Aisling, of course,” he said. “I admit though, to recover her father’s data, I would send an entire war fleet after this man if I could. However, Class D planets can be tricky. If you’ve no objection to my iintervention, I will contact the Welfare ship for that sector and request assistance for you.”
“That would be most appreciated,” Olaf replied. “We have no wish or desire to interfere with the local populations, but it is certain that Urwin will not be so circumspect.”
“One person can cause much damage,” Garen said. “Which is why I suspect the Welfare ship will be willing to assist. If there is anything you, or Aisling, need, please do not hesitate to let us know. She has provided an invaluable service for all of the Thousand Worlds and is important to us all.”
Olaf started to speak, but paused when there was a knock at the door.
“Enter,” Garen called. The door opened and Lady Anne entered the office. All of the warriors rose to their feet and bowed.
“Excuse me, please,” she said. “I just wanted to tell you that I received a call from Saige a few moments ago, asking that I meet with a young woman named Karma.” Lady Ann turned to Olaf. “I believe she is with your party, is she not, High Consul Gryphon?”
“That is so, Lady Anne,” Olaf replied. “Is there a problem concerning Karma?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Lady Anne replied. She turned back to Garen. “Saige told me that, at Riata’s request, Karma has agreed to speak with me concerning Lariah.”
“To what purpose?” Garen asked with a frown.
“Karma is able to communicate with those who have passed to the next plane,” Lady Anne said, shocking everyone in the room.
“Ah, you did not know this?” she asked Olaf.
Olaf shook his head. “No, we did not.”
“Well, apparently it is a new and uncomfortable talent for her, and she is hesitant about using it. I believe that I am to convince her to try helping Lariah.”
Garen’s first instinct was to refuse to allow it. Lariah was in bad enough shape.
“Riata suggested this,” Lady Anne reminded him.
That did it. He trusted Riata absolutely. He looked at Trey, who nodded, then Val, who hesitated a moment before agreeing as well.
“All right, Mother,” Garen said. “If you think it’s a good idea, then I suppose it cannot hurt.”
Lady Anne smiled at her eldest son, then turned and left the office, closing the door behind her.
“Princess Lariah is still not doing well, I take it,” Olaf said.
“No, she isn’t,” Garen said. “For a time, seeing Ellicia’s sons seemed to help her, but now, nothing does. Not even our daughters are able to make her smile any more.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Olaf said.
“We are beginning to think that we will lose her,” Trey said from the back of the room.
Olaf’s heart leapt in fear. Surely, it couldn’t be that bad? Could it? He studied Garen more carefully and realized that, yes, it was that bad. He shook his head slowly, unwilling to consider the consequences of such a tragedy. Karma had to help Lariah. There was simply no other choice.
Chapter 26
“Wish me luck,” Karma said to Aisling as she headed for the front door of the guest house.
“Good luck,” Aisling said, meaning it. “And don’t worry so much. You already know what it is Riata and Lady Anne are going to ask of you.”
“Yes, I know,” Karma agreed. “I’m just not sure if it’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” Aisling asked.
Karma shrugged. “I don’t know,” she hedged. “I’d better go now.”
“All right,” Aisling said, knowing that Karma was hiding something. “Karma, do you want me to come with you?”
Karma hesitated with her hand on the door knob, very tempted by Aisling’s offer. “Yes, I would love it,” she admitted. “But I think I need to do this on my own. Thank you, though.”
“If you change your mind, just vox me, and I’m there,” Aisling said.
Karma smiled, feeling more confident somehow. Then she opened the door and stepped outside.
She paused a moment on the porch to take a deep breath and look around. Even though she’d been on Jasan for weeks now, she was continually surprised by the beauty of the place. The lavender skies and blue grass were sometimes a little startling, but she was getting used to them.
She walked down the stone walkway to the gravel road and turned down it. Lady Anne had given her directions on how to reach the Dracons’ home from the guest house, and had agreed to meet her half way, so Karma was surprised to see a woman walking toward her before she’d gone a dozen steps down the road.
The woman was just a little shorter than Karma, perhaps five feet four or five inches, with a full, womanly figure and a graceful, swaying walk. Her face was round, with high cheekbones and a strong nose, her eyes a dark, sparkling brown, her smile so gentle and kind that Karma couldn’t help but return it.
Karma studied the older woman as they approached each other. Without understanding why, she sensed that this was the calmest, kindest and most serene person she had ever seen. She was also among the most utterly feminine and self-confident women she had ever met.
When they were only a few feet from each other, Lady Anne stopped and bowed to Karma, causing her long, thick braid of glossy black hair to fall forward and touch the ground. Karma copied the gesture politely, though she felt a bit awkward doing it.
“Lady Anne?” she asked.
“Yes, and you must be Karma,” Lady Anne replied, smiling warmly.
“Yes,” Karma replied. “I am glad to meet you.”
Lady Anne laughed, a deep, rich sound that made Karma smile.
“You are not truly glad,” Lady Anne said without animosity. “But you are here, and that is appreciated. Come, let’s walk.”
Karma nodded and the two women fell into step side by side as they walked along the gravel road. Karma wasn’t really sure what to say, so she remained silent.
“I’m sure that you know why Riata asked you to meet with me,” Lady Anne said.
“Yes, I think so,” Karma replied. “You want me to speak with Lariah, try to give her a message from Ellicia.”
“Yes, in short,” Lady Anne said. “May I ask, why do you seem so hesitant?”
Karma glanced at Lady Anne, and decided to be as honest as she could be.
“There are a couple of reasons,” she said. “The first is, I am not used to doing this, speaking to dead people or ghosts or whatever you want to call them. It just suddenly happened to me a few months ago, and frankly, it scares me.”
“Yes, I surely understand that,” Lady Anne said.
“You do?” Karma asked in surprise.
“Oh yes,” Lady Anne said. “I cannot imagine what it would be like to see people who you know are no longer on the plane of the living. To hear them, to talk to them, would be quite frightening to me. They are no longer the same as we are, flesh and blood. Who knows what they have seen and what might tell you? What may seem normal to their new state of being might well give you nightmares for the remainder of your life.”
Karma felt a painful lump in her throat. This woman seemed to understand a fear that she hadn’t been able to put into words herself.
“Yes,” she whispered when she was able to speak. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Before I came to Jasan, many years ago, I was a woman of The People. It doesn’t matter what tribe, or what language. In our language, we were simply The People. We were very sp
iritual, very in touch with the plane we lived in, and aware of other planes as well. My aunt was one who was able to touch the spirit world, and I remember how difficult it was for her. She learned things that she disliked knowing, especially knowledge of the future of our people. It was not easy for her.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Karma said softly, knowing full well what had befallen the Native Americans in the Early Modern period.
“But there was a good side to it,” Lady Anne continued. “When a visitor came, asking for young women willing to come to a new world to save his people from extinction, my aunt insisted that I go. She promised me that I would be treated with honor, as all women would be on this new world, that I would live a long life, and be loved beyond my wildest dreams.” Lady Anne laughed again. “She was certainly right.”
Karma smiled. She didn’t know how old Lady Anne was, and she would never ask, but she knew enough to know it had to be many centuries. The Dracons were several hundred years old, and she was their mother.
“Anne seems a strange name for you to have,” Karma observed.
“Yes, I know,” Lady Anne agreed. “I have lived for more years than I care to reveal, but the beliefs and superstitions I learned as a child still carry weight with me. One of which is that it is not wise to make your true name freely known.”
“Yes, I was raised with that same belief,” Karma said, surprising herself with her own admission.
Both women fell silent as they walked to the bottom of the hill and turned onto a narrow foot path that cut through a grassy field.
“I never met Ellicia,” Karma said suddenly. “If not for her, I would either be dead, or a slave to a bunch of reptiles.” Karma shuddered, feeling cold in spite of the warm sunshine.
“I see,” Lady Anne said. “You feel responsible for Ellicia’s passing.”
“Not completely responsible,” Karma said. “But partially.”
“Is it Ellicia you are concerned about, or Lariah?” Lady Anne asked, cutting straight to the real problem.
“Lariah,” Karma admitted. “Her sister lost her life in her effort to save ours. How could Lariah not resent us? Even hate us. I don’t know how to face her.”
“Lariah has met Hope several times, and does not hate her,” Lady Anne pointed out.
“I know,” Karma said with a shrug.
Lady Anne nodded. Sometimes fear had nothing to do with logic. It simply was. Karma was a good person, for all that she put on a stoic and unfeeling face. Lady Anne didn’t know why, and she didn’t really have time to find out. Her goal at the moment was to convince Karma to take a chance, for Lariah’s sake.
“Are you aware of the struggle between Jasan and the Xanti?” she asked.
“More than that, I am aware of the struggle between the Thousand Worlds and the Xanti,” Karma replied. “I don’t know all of the details of course, but I know enough to know it’s getting ugly.”
“Yes, it is,” Lady Anne agreed. “And you are right, there are more worlds involved besides Jasan. But Jasan will play a crucial role in what is to come. Lariah is more important to the Jasani than even she realizes. She is our Heart, in more ways than one. If she is lost to us, I fear that the repercussions will be devastating for all of Jasan, and eventually, the Thousand Worlds as well.”
“Truly?” Karma asked in surprise. “Do you think that she will...that you will...lose her over this?”
Lady Anne nodded solemnly. “Oh yes. I would not exaggerate such a thing. If Lariah does not soon accept her sister’s death and recover from this grief, we will lose her. In losing her, we will also lose the sons she carries, and I fear my sons will soon follow her in their own grief, leaving Jasan with neither leadership nor heart. It will be a blow from which Jasan may not recover.”
“That is a lot to place on my shoulders,” Karma said.
“Yes, it is,” Lady Anne agreed. “I would not do such a thing if there were another choice, but there isn’t. You must understand how important this is to all of us.”
“Do you really think that I can help her?”
“Yes, I do,” Lady Anne replied. “I would not be here, talking to you, if I did not.”
“What if what I do doesn’t help her?” Karma asked, her voice a shaky whisper. “What if I make things worse for her?”
Lady Anne bowed her head, acknowledging Karma’s second and deepest fear, and the trust Karma was offering her in sharing it.
“There are never guarantees,” Lady Anne said. “True failure is in not trying. I promise you that you will not be held accountable, no matter the outcome.”
Karma took a deep breath and made her decision.
“I will do this, but I ask that you be there.”
“Of course, if that is your wish,” Lady Anne agreed. She stopped walking and turned to Karma, placing one hand lightly on the younger woman’s arm. “Thank you, Karma.”
Karma nodded, pretending not to see the tears in Lady Anne’s eyes.
“I hope you feel that way after we’re done.”
Lady Anne smiled and patted her lightly before starting back down the path, her pace a bit quicker now. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I will never be sorry that you tried.”
A little while later, Karma sat tensely on the Dracon’s patio, gazing at the beautiful garden spread out before her without really seeing it. Lady Anne had gone into the house to get Lariah several minutes earlier, and Karma was beginning to rethink her decision. What if, after all of this, Ellicia didn’t show up? What if she did show up, and was angry at Karma for costing her her life? What if Ellicia said something that made Lariah worse than she already was?
The door opened behind her so suddenly that Karma jumped. She forced herself to take a deep breath before turning to see Lady Anne step out onto the patio with a small, delicate woman right behind her.
Lariah was about the same height as Lady Anne, but she was far smaller in spite of her advanced pregnancy. Her skin was so pale that the red-gold freckles contrasted too sharply with her complexion, as did the dark circles beneath her eyes. Her long, red-gold hair was unkempt and snarly, her green eyes dull and disinterested as she allowed Lady Anne to guide her to a chair.
A gigantic dog with black and gold stripes followed Lariah out of the house and sat next to her chair, a worried expression in his intelligent eyes as he gazed at his mistress. Lady Anne patted the dog gently before taking a seat herself.
“Karma, this is the daughter of my heart, Lariah, and her companion, Tiny,” Lady Anne said.
“Lariah, this is Karma, one of the women that Ellicia rescued.”
Lariah looked up, a spark of interest in her eyes at mention of her sister’s name. Karma met her gaze, watching as the spark died as quickly as it had come.
Suddenly, Karma felt more anger than pity. Before she knew it, her mouth opened and she began to speak before checking her words with her brain first.
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “This is Lariah? Princess Lariah? This is the sister of the woman who risked everything to save the lives of women she didn’t even know?”
Lady Anne glanced at Karma in surprise, but she held her tongue. What would happen, would happen. It was out of her hands.
“I never got to meet Ellicia,” Karma went on. “She died before I had the chance. But I did meet the man she loved, the father of her children.”
Lariah frowned at Karma, a flash of interest in her eyes. “I thought Harlan died before Ellicia.”
“He did,” Karma replied. “But he didn’t let that stop him from loving his cousin, Hope, or from giving me warnings that saved her life. Nor did it prevent him from staying with Ellicia through all of the pain she endured so that he could welcome her soul to the next plane when her body ceased to function.”
“You spoke with him, though he was dead?” Lariah asked.
“Yes, I have that ability,” Karma replied without hesitation. “That’s why I’m here.”
Lariah flinched, which brought Karma up sho
rt, her anger fleeing as quickly as it had come. She recognized fear when she saw it.
“You have a message for me?” Lariah asked, her voice quavering, but her eyes steady on Karma. Obviously she expected something horrible, but she would not run from it, whatever it was.
“Not exactly,” Karma said. She shifted her gaze to the figure that was now standing beside Lariah, watching her younger sister with sad eyes, then back to Lariah.
“Ellicia wants to know why you are doing this to yourself,” she said, gentling her voice.
Lariah shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry, I do not understand. Doing what to myself?”
Ellicia and Karma looked at each other in surprise.
“Why have you given up on your life?” Karma asked.
“I have not given up on my life,” Lariah denied. “Why do you ask such a question?”
“Look at yourself,” Karma said. “Look around you, at the people who love you. How long has it been since you’ve eaten a decent meal? Brushed your hair? Played with your daughters? Thought about the babies you are soon to give birth to? Frankly, you look like you’re at death’s door to me, and to Ellicia as well.”
Lariah’s eyes widened as one hand went to her hair, the other to her stomach. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said. “I’m just a little confused about something is all, and I’ve been trying to understand it. But I’m fine, really.”
“You are not fine, Lariah,” Karma said. “You are far from fine.”
“Lariah, you are wasting away before our eyes,” Lady Anne said gently. “We no longer know how to help you.”
“My sister just died,” Lariah said with a frown. “It’s normal to be unhappy.”
“Ellicia did not just die,” Lady Anne said. “It’s been four months now.”
“Four months?” Lariah asked in disbelief. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Daughter, I am sure,” Lady Anne said.
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