by K. Aten
The doctore left after that and a little while later Lt. Savon came back. He informed her that the team would be packed and loaded for the trip back to Tesseron the next morning. He was leaving six of the best rested guardians at the med center for her protection and would return in the morning. When Castellan was wheeled in a few oors later, Olivienne had to hold back tears. Her brave officer was pale as she lay on the bed. Tosh’s hair was in disarray and she had disconcerting dark smudges beneath each eye. The Connate missed the blue of her lover’s eyes as they looked upon her with mirth and she missed Castellan’s smile. She spent oors by the unconscious woman’s bedside, just holding her hand, until exhaustion pulled Olivienne back to her own bed for much needed rest.
“’Vienne.”
The Connate woke the next morning with Tosh’s voice in her head. She moved carefully to get out of the med center bed and made her way to once again sit next to the commander. She took Castellan’s hand and gently stroked the pale skin. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
“Head hurts.”
“I know, love. The doctore says you burned your channels. Do you remember?”
Castellan shifted in the bed and moaned as her hand clasped tightly to Olivienne’s. “Don’t leave me!”
Olivienne gently ran her fingers through her lover’s hair, straightening the oddly mussed pale strands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
THE RETURN TRIP to Tesseron was miserable for all. There was no light-hearted banter within the unit at each stop. No one liked the fact that their sovereign had been injured and the entire team was distraught about Castellan’s more grievous seeming ailment. They had come to love and admire their commander in just a short time and all felt partially responsible.
Despite the depressive atmosphere in the haulers as they headed east along the speedway, they made better time returning than heading out. It was eighteen hundred oors when they hit the city outskirts. Per the Queen’s instructions, Lt. Savon directed the haulers to head straight to the main hospital facility within Tesseron where there waited a team of doctores, including one with a telesana channel. He worked on Olivienne first and within twenty meens all her injuries were healed. Then he spent another two oors of healing on Tosh, but was not able to bring her up to full strength in one go. He said he’d have to rest and complete her healing the next dae. It was enough to have her awake and ready to return home, albeit more grumpy than normal with a persistently throbbing head.
Later that evening found Tosh lying in her own bed, cursing her impulsive foolishness and nursing that aching head. A knock sounded at her door and her crankiness caused her to be more terse than normal. “I told you I’m fine and I don’t need more coddling!” She thought it was Olivienne coming to apologize again and she didn’t need that. One thing Castellan had realized as she came out of sedation was that she would risk everything again and again to save the Connate. Olivienne had thoroughly and definitively found her way inside the commander’s defenses and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. But Castellan also hated being so weak and pained, and as a result she was a terrible patient.
The voice through the door was muffled but Cmdr. Tosh blanched when she recognized it. “I have no intentions of coddling anyone, especially not an experienced, if cantankerous, officer of the Shield Corp. May I enter?”
Castellan attempted to straighten her appearance as well as she was able without aid of a mirror or comb. “My apologies, Queen Olivara, you are more than welcome.”
Olivara walked through the door wearing tight riding breaches and a flowing white shirt. Her hair was pinned up in her usual coif. She seemed comfortable and relaxed but it was her intense violet eyes that gave Castellan pause. They were so like Olivienne’s, yet the Queen’s eyes were not full of guilt like her daughter. “I would ask how you are but I already know.”
Cmdr. Tosh saluted from her bed but did not attempt to stand. “My apologies for not greeting you properly, my Queen—”
The supreme leader of Psiere waved off her apology and pulled up a chair next to Tosh’s bed. “It is of no matter, Commander. I’m quite aware of your doctore’s orders. So, how are you?”
Castellan felt the slightest pressure from the Queen’s telepathic probe and winced in pain. “Please don’t. I’m afraid I can’t stop you todae and it is exceedingly painful.”
“It is I who owes you an apology but rest assured I would not have breached your privacy. I only meant to perform my own assessment of your condition.”
A little humor came back to the commander’s face, even if the color had yet to return. “Oh ho, so are you a doctore now, my Queen? Perhaps that is where Olivienne inherited her penchant for claiming abilities she does not possess.”
Olivara smiled and let the dig slide, after all, Castellan was destined to become part of the family. “I see your spirits are high enough even if your capacity is low. Have no fear though, Commander, the doctore will be here first thing tomorrow to finish up your healing.”
Castellan nodded. “That is what your daughter said earlier.” There was an awkward pause before Tosh prompted the Queen about the reason for her visit. “Have you come to see Olivienne?”
“Actually, I’ve come to see you. It seems I chose well when I begged you to take control of my daughter’s Shield Corp unit all those lunes ago. Not only have you put together a top-notch team, but you’ve once again sacrificed yourself to save my daughter. That is an action for which I can never truly repay you.” She reached over to gently grasp Tosh’s hand. “Thank you for bringing her back to us.”
Uncomfortable with the Queen’s words, Tosh shrugged. “I only did what I was trained to do, my Queen. I would give everything I have for my home and country.”
“I’d like to think it was more for Olivienne than for Psiere that prompted you to accomplish such impossible feats.”
Tosh looked at her uneasily. “I beg your pardon?”
“It’s quite simple, Commander. I know of your dalliance. After all, I was the one who promoted it to you. And I am more convinced than ever that the bond you have forged is what saved you both on that beach. Tell me, Castellan Tosh, do you have feelings for my daughter?”
The officer stiffened at such a personal and difficult to answer question. “Ser!”
Olivara narrowed her eyes shrewdly, knowing that she was putting the officer on the spot. “I asked you a question, Commander Tosh, and I expect an answer.”
Castellan swallowed thickly. “Of—of course I have feelings for her! Your daughter and I have become lovers and we’ve grown close as friends. As a matter of fact, she is one of the best friends I have ever had.”
“That is not what I meant and you well know it. Do you love Olivienne?”
Tosh’s anger grew at the Queen’s sheer audacity. “I cannot answer that.”
Olivara wasn’t just a sovereign, trained all her life to rule and understand the nature of the people around her, but she was also a politician and knew how to get the answers she sought, sometimes pushing on a stubborn door just right in order for it to open. “I think you can.”
Piqued by the continued request for her innermost thoughts, Castellan forgot who she was speaking to and slammed a fist into the bed at her side. “I will not then! My feelings for Olivienne are for her to hear before all others!”
“Thank you.” Castellan abruptly paled as she realized she had erred two-fold, first with her tone toward the Queen and second with the words that slipped from her mouth while anger blinded her. Rather than call her out for the disrespect, the Queen nodded, smiled at her, and stood. “The doctore will return early tomorrow morning to finish your healing. At nine hundred there will be a meeting in my private chambers for everyone on the task force that is currently in Tesseron. More documents have been translated and my husband will present the location for the Key of Illeos. I estimate you will have two wekes to prepare for the next adventure once the meeting is finished.”
Dread washed through the commander at Olivara’s wor
ds. “My Queen, are you certain that is wise? This last adventurist mission ended with poor results.”
“On the contrary, Commander, it has taught us a lot. I will go over the reasons and other problems you will face tomorrow at the meeting. Until then.” She nodded her head in clear dismissal and Tosh was left to salute the retreating figure. She had much to think about and time slipped through her fingers like sand. A conversation with Olivienne was imminent but she didn’t see the Connate again until the following morning when the doctore arrived.
It took less than thirty meens for him to finish the healing and Castellan was ever so grateful for his attention. She stood tall and held her hands out to her sides as she explored the boundaries of each one of her channels. He did a deep healing, not like what Gemeda had performed on the railer during her trip to Tesseron. In order to repair all her channels, he had drained his own capacity significantly, which was why he had to do it in two different sessions.
With his exit, Tosh found herself in high spirits and she felt calm enough to probe the emotions that the Queen’s words had stirred up the night before. When Olivienne knocked on her door and entered her private suite meens later, she saw the Connate through completely different eyes.
Olivienne was distracted, both by her feelings for the commander and her fears about the upcoming meeting. “Tosh, I—” She looked up abruptly when she felt a gentle pressure along her telepathic channel. “What is it?”
Castellan could only stare at her as emotion hammered at the walls she had erected to keep such things away. “You’re beautiful.”
“Are you mad?” Despite her exclamation, Castellan’s words caused the Connate to suck in a surprised breath.
Tosh shook her head and smiled. “No, I’ve not gone off the rails. I’ve got all my wits and faculties about me. Everything seems to be the same as it was before the incident on Mater, with the exception of one thing.”
The doctore had warned that with severe channel burn, sometimes the person never fully recovered their previous strength. The channels would be permanently damaged. She stepped close in concern and took Tosh’s hand in both her own. “What is it?”
“I’ve realized something important in the past dae and a half of recuperation.”
“And?”
Taking a chance, Castellan brought Olivienne’s hands to her lips and kissed the back of each. “Despite my best efforts against such an impossibility, I’ve gone and fallen in love with you.”
Violet eyes widened and Olivienne pulled a hand away to cover her mouth. “Oh!”
Tosh’s pale brow furrowed. “Oh? Is that all you can say when I make a declaration of heart to you?” Her eyes grew bright when Olivienne still hadn’t spoken and she attempted to pull her hand away. “I see. Your ‘oh’ was your way of saying my depth is not returned. My apologies, Connate Dracore. I did not mean to be so forwar—”
Her hurt words were cut off by Olivienne’s passionate kiss. When the Connate pulled away again she had tears in her own eyes. “That was merely an ‘oh, she feels the same as I,’ you frustratingly handsome woman!” With Olivienne’s words of reassurance, Castellan dropped those walls she had been clinging to so tightly. They both sucked in a breath when the emotion rose between them. Despite neither being an empath, they had somehow formed a connection. Dalliance was no longer their game, things had gotten decidedly more serious. Unfortunately they couldn’t spend any more time in consideration of their feelings for each other because they had to rush to make the meeting across the royal estate. The Queen and King would be gathered with the other members of the task force, waiting on them to arrive.
They stole one last kiss before heading out the door and Olivienne cast her thoughts out to her lover. “My mother is sure to be pleased.”
Castellan laughed aloud, startling both the Connate and the guardians on duty as they exited the residence. At Olivienne’s questioning look, she replied. “The Queen already knows. Who do you think told me?”
KESHIEN DRACORE MOVED his gaze back and forth between his daughter and the good commander. His wife had told him they had deep feelings for each other but he initially scoffed at the idea. Olivienne had never been known for pursuing anything meaningful in a relationship. Even as her father, he had to admit that his daughter always held a part of herself separate from any of her dalliances in the past. Then there was the Queen to consider. It was a lot of pressure to have one’s mother as Divine Cathedress, and Olivara never made a secret of how much she disliked her daughter’s past acquaintances. His thoughts were interrupted when Olivienne met his gaze with eyes so like her mother’s. It was eerie the way she seemed to read his mind but in truth he had been looking back and forth between them so his thoughts were fairly obvious.
“I love her, papan.”
He smiled as General Renou finished reporting on the state of unrest on the southern continent and the Queen began to speak again. The same unrest that Keshien had become convinced had its stirrings much higher up. He shunted his thoughts back to the conversation with his daughter. “Does she love you the same in return? I have heard many good things about her.”
“She does and all the things are true. Castellan is the most honorable person I’ve ever met, her spirit shines more pure than any other.” Their private conversation was interrupted when the Queen finished out the meeting.
Olivara rapped her knuckles twice on the table as she gazed around the room. “Finding the first key is proof that generations of rumors are true. We are on the cusp of great change, I can feel it! However, we need more answers on some of these new questions before Olivienne can pursue the next lead in our search for the Temple of Antaeus. That is why I would like Commander Tosh to head up to the Academy on Instrucia. She will remain in Scola for a weke while she goes through re-testing. The rest of the unit, under my daughter and Lieutenant Savon’s command, will resupply for the trip south to Navis. Commander Tosh will instruct her unit todae and leave on the northbound railer first thing in the morning.
“What?” Olivienne’s voice cut through the small room like a pistol shot. The thought of her lover leaving for a weke after only just confessing her feelings filled the Connate with dismay.
The Queen glanced from her husband to her daughter with a scowl on her face. “If you’d been paying attention you’d know the details. I think you can ask Commander Tosh when you leave because this meeting is now finished.” She sent a mental request to Keshien, requesting that he escort Cmdr. Tosh outside while she took a meen to speak with Olivienne alone.
People filed out of the Queen’s chamber and the King gave a slight nod to his wife then turned and winked at his daughter. “Commander Tosh, a word if you please.”
Castellan paused to look at Olivienne, then turned her attention back to the King. “Yes, ser.” They walked out together leaving the two sovereigns behind.
“I asked your father to speak with Commander Tosh because I need to discuss something with you.”
With a final glance at her departing lover’s back, Olivienne moved to sit in the chair near her mother’s desk. “Is it really necessary for you to send her north? And if so, why can’t I go with her? Savon is fully capable of handling the prep for Navis.”
Olivara leaned forward and rested her elbows on the desk, her fingers folded below her chin. “You know, when I first discovered your dalliance with the good commander, I was fully prepared to dislike her. You’ve never chosen wisely in the past, ’Vienne. You don’t tend to pick your acquaintances for their heart or their head.”
A sigh came from the Connate’s lips. “Maman, I dallied with plenty who had good hearts or heads, and all had fine stamina.”
“And Commander Tosh?”
A smile washed over Olivienne’s face, transforming it to a shape her mother had never seen before. “Castellan is—” The breath seized in her throat as she thought about all that Commander Castellan Tosh had become to her. “She is everything!” Fearful violet eyes turned toward the Queen, well awar
e of her mother’s usual disapproval. “Please say you understand because I’ve never been serious about someone the way I am her.”
Olivara melted at her daughter’s frightened and unsure look. “Oh my love, I said I was prepared to dislike her, not that it would be at all possible. If I had to choose one person in all of Psiere that embodied the qualities I would wish for you in a royal consorage, it would be Castellan Tosh. But I do have one last warning, another vision about your commander.”
Those violet eyes went dark with real fear. “What is it?”
“I have seen how Commander Tosh is, and how she values duty and honor above all else. In my dream last night, these words resonated through me over and over ’til I woke. In the dream I was here in my office, partaking this exact wisdom to you. But make no mistake about it, the dream was about your Castellan Tosh.” Olivienne leaned forward a bit in anticipation and waited for her mother to speak. “Duty will best be served if you never let it come between you and the one you love. Honor will always be upheld if you don’t grasp it too tight.”
“That’s it?” Olivara nodded. “But what does it mean?”
The Queen shrugged. “Like most prophesies, you won’t know until you know.”
Olivienne rubbed her temple in frustration. “And why does she need to travel north for testing again?”
“After hearing the story of Castellan’s actions with the leviathan on Mater beach, General Renou asked the doctore to probe her channels to see if he could discern any changes. There was nothing he could report other than your commander had full capability after her second healing. But the general raised a point that I had not considered before, Commander Tosh seems to be getting more powerful. The instructors will run tests and study her channels at the Academy and compare them to her original test results. Then they will report back to me and the general when they’re through. Instrae Greene herself will be overseeing the tests. Rest assured, daughter, she will be in good hands and will return to you before you even know she’s gone.”