Naatos removed the gold band from his wrist, and AaQar removed his as well. They passed them to WroOth. WroOth placed all three golden bands on the center crystal. The sound of rushing wind swirled through the room though not even the slightest breeze brushed past Amelia. The hazy light intensified and the bands vanished. After a few moments, they reappeared. A small symbol was now etched on each of the once bare surfaces. The sound vanished.
"Excellent." WroOth lifted the bands and passed them back to his brothers. "One down. Two to go."
Naatos motioned to the guards and then back to Theol. "Escort him back to his chamber." The guards seized Theol and marched him out.
"Wait," Amelia said, grabbing Naatos's arm. "What are you going to do with him? That's all you need, isn't it? Just let him go now."
"That will be dealt with later," Naatos said. "He won't be harmed. Besides, it isn't my decision."
"It's my world now, dear heart, and that is my choice." WroOth clapped his hand on the back of her neck. "And we have words to speak, I think." He looked over her head at Naatos. "Do you want me to bring her back when I'm done, or are you going to find us, Naatos?"
Amelia shrugged down, trying to squeeze out from his grip, more uncomfortable than pained. "WroOth, let go."
"I'll find you when matters are finished here," Naatos said. "Second or third level?"
"Third. It's quieter there." WroOth turned Amelia toward the staircase, his grip like a vise on her neck. "Come along, little sister. There's much to say. You don't get to interfere without consequence."
33
Bitter Memories
"WroOth, stop pushing me." Amelia struck at his arm as he took her out into the hall. "WroOth!" Twisting around, she grabbed his middle finger, wrenched it back, and spun around. "Do we have a problem?"
WroOth winced and glared at her. "Ahh!"
Amelia released his hand. Though relieved to have found a semi-weak point, she eyed him cautiously. He was angry, all right. A sharpness tinged his words and his look. "What's going on, WroOth? What do you want?"
WroOth's expression hardened as an attendant passed by. "This conversation should be continued in private."
"Then show me where to go. Don't march me there like some prisoner." Amelia glared back at him. She didn't feel safe, but she refused to be bullied. "If I am indeed your sister, then act like it. And if this is how you treat your sister, then you are a bad older brother." Amelia hadn't anticipated getting off without any repercussions from helping the Machat. Yet this reaction was both less and more than she had expected.
"We have things to discuss." WroOth reached for her arm.
"You're angry. You're not touching me while you're angry," Amelia said, sidestepping him. In a hall this large with so many statues and doorways, she could certainly keep ahead of WroOth so long as she played the sharp turns and inconvenient angles. "You can either tell me what's wrong, or you can chase me. It's up to you."
For a long moment, WroOth just stared at her. The anger seethed within him. It had been building for a while, growing with each joke and avoidance. Amelia braced herself, preparing to run. His hatred of the Machat was toxic strong. But then he looked away, letting out a deep breath through his teeth. "Walk with me," he said.
Amelia studied him. It was more than the Machat. She remembered the children's toys. The evidence of his weeping. She softened her voice. "WroOth, what is it?"
WroOth's face twisted. "Just come with me." His voice sounded thick. No hint of laughter reached his eyes. The anger smoldered, but somehow Amelia did not feel as if it was directed at her. He still needed to talk. "Please. Just come. We need to talk."
Amelia nodded. "Why somewhere quiet?" It wasn't as if he was afraid someone would intervene. Both AaQar and Naatos appeared fine with this arrangement.
"Because this is personal, and it is not common knowledge." WroOth gestured to a side hall. He set his jaw. "I'm not going to hurt you. I wouldn't hurt you. No matter how angry I was with you."
Not intentionally anyway, Amelia thought. But she walked with him.
WroOth stayed half a step ahead of her, his gait stiffer than usual. He did not look at her even now.
Amelia brushed her thoughts against his, but all she felt was that smoldering anger and frustration, a deep vulnerable pain that seemed to grow rawer and more apparent with each moment.
WroOth led her into another hall and then up a broad staircase and into another. With each additional flight, the hustle and bustle of preparations faded. Even the scents of roasting meat and incense torches faded.
Amelia remained guarded, her gaze fixed on WroOth. The rigidity of his posture worried her as did this strange turn in his personality. Naatos had warned her that WroOth was not himself. Yet clearly Naatos was not concerned about WroOth hurting her…
Amelia pushed that thought aside, realizing it was irrelevant. Naatos could heal her. He could bring her back from almost certain death, so it didn't matter what WroOth did to her. Yet still…would Naatos allow WroOth to harm her after what they had agreed to?
Eventually WroOth led her to a large stone room in the eastern mountain. Here the walls were simple polished stone. No torches burned on the walls. The only light came from the broad arched windows on one side. A large stone table sat in the middle of the room surrounded by stone chairs. It smelled old and heavy.
WroOth paused in the doorway. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He flexed his hand, drew in a deep breath, and walked inside. "Your little stunt with the Machat…it was very clever, Amelia. I even thought it amusing." He reached the table and set the puzzle box on it with a sharp clack. "I thought it would be like your other plans. Enthusiastic. Idealistic. Brazen even. But impractical. Ultimately resulting in your failure. Such a funny thing."
Amelia couldn't tell what the room had been used for. The ceilings and halls here were wide enough to accommodate one of WroOth's dragon forms. If she screamed for help, no one would hear her. It certainly seemed far away from everything. She remained near the door. WroOth hadn't even bothered to close it. "But I didn't fail."
"Thus our problem." WroOth folded his arms. "Of course we were always going to have this conversation. Just perhaps not this way. But do you know what made it all so much worse? You did what you did, and then I realized how much you were my sister. How much I wanted you back in our family. How much we needed you. I was so happy to see you again. It wasn't even a question whether I would go looking for you. And I knew full well why you were playing your little game. You played it well by the time all was said and done. That trick with the spices." WroOth inhaled, shaking his head as if amused though his eyes did not share the emotion. "It was quite the chase. It was only afterward I realized how brilliant it was. The Machat were gone. Completely. There wasn't a single one left. Not even one!" WroOth knotted his fists. Anger flashed in his eyes and then faded. His eyes remained bright and sharp. "But, of course, you thought that what you did was right. Of course you did. Sacrificing yourself to save them. You don't even know them. Not like I do. You don't know what they did. Let me assure you…they are worthy of death."
"And I should take your word because you think of me as a sister?" Amelia watched him. "I can't imagine how any race, let alone the Machat, could possibly do anything to deserve genocide. I wouldn't even wipe out all the Vawtrians if I could."
"I'm not asking you to take my word." WroOth pulled out two of the chairs and sat on the one farthest from her. "If you're to make a valid decision, you must know the full story. Sit."
Amelia pulled the chair back a little farther. "So obviously I'll have to pay attention. Make sure you're telling me the truth. You three are masters of spin and manipulation."
"You're right. Which is why I'm not going to tell you the story. I could always bend the truth to further persuade you." WroOth placed his hands on the table. "I'm going to show you what happened?"
Amelia tilted her head, surprised. "We're going back in time?" The Tue-Rah did transcend time and space. "
But if you can do that, why not go back and change what happened?"
WroOth chuckled, his voice cracking for a moment. "No. It's not that simple. Traveling through time is impossible for sentients. The Tue-Rah can be forced to move forward in time, which is forbidden. And as soon as another sentient goes through, it locks into that time. Theoretically, Elonumato could set it back, and who knows what happens to one who pushes it forward. So, to make matters simple, no, we won't be going back in time. I'm going to show you my memories."
"You want me to read your mind and…" Amelia stared at him in silence, wondering if there was something she was missing. "Why does this matter to you so much?"
"Because you are my sister, and I care about you. You see…we will destroy the Machat. It is inevitable. Perhaps not this day. Perhaps not tomorrow. But soon. And when that day comes, I hope that your distress will be soothed once you have witnessed the truth."
What could the Machat have done? Amelia tried to envision anything that might lead to such a response. There had to have been hints. She hesitated. "The deep mindreading?"
"If you take my hand, it will be easier."
"Would Naatos object to this?"
"No. It's common for family to share memories in this fashion when one is Neyeb. The reason you'll have to hold my hand is because the connection isn't as easy to establish as it would be with Naatos. But don't put your palms on mine if you can avoid it."
AaQar had mentioned that earlier. "Only lovers do that?"
WroOth wobbled his hand. "When combined with mindreading, it causes a far deeper connection that should probably only be experienced between lovers. It makes imprinting far more likely as well, which is something we want to avoid. This is complicated enough as it is. Now…will you?"
Amelia didn't know whether this was safe, but curiosity compelled her. She placed her fingers over his and looked into his eyes, focusing intently on his pupils. For a moment his pupils expanded, and the blue intensified. Then blackness shot around her. She dropped down into the black chambers as tapestries trimmed with cerulean wool slid around her.
"Over here," WroOth called.
Turning, Amelia saw him in the second line of tapestries to her right. She slid past a tapestry of him carving a bone in the jungle. "What do you want to show me?"
WroOth bowed his head and then drew in a deep breath. "Come on." He guided her down the line and finally stopped in front of a tapestry. Here a beautiful woman with smooth skin and thick coffee-black hair stood in front of a marble countertop, kneading dough. She wore a fitted lavender dress with a slightly misshapen red sash.
"She always wore that sash. She shouldn't have done it, but she cut it from the inner lining of my ceremonial Para cloak. That was Mara." WroOth smiled. A look of intense longing filled his eyes. He blinked, pressing his hand to his face. "She constantly surprised me."
The tapestry WroOth walked into the room, holding an infant in one arm with a little girl clinging to his leg.
"That is Ephalon." WroOth's voice caught. "He was only seven months. Vawtrian babies stay younger and smaller longer than most other races. He was particularly small. And that is Leslo." He smiled, tears shining in his eyes. "By your understanding, she would be the equivalent of seven."
The little girl tugged on tapestry WroOth's sleeve. "Hold me, Daddy. Pick me up now!"
"Daddy, Mama, look at what I can do!" a young male voice shouted.
"No, I'm first. I'm the oldest. That means something!" An older girl called out. "You learned it because of me."
Two other children ran into the room, a boy and a girl between the ages of ten and twelve. To Amelia's surprise, the boy had streaked green and yellow skin with hints of blue speckles and the girl had striped hair and intricate geometric designs and patterns of green, blue, yellow, and purple on her skin.
Mara's mouth dropped open. She leaned against the floured countertop. "Were you in the Machat's paints again or is this some new skill?"
WroOth raised both of his eyebrows. "Oh no. These are breakthroughs in shifting I see."
"Yes." The older girl picked up Leslo and swung her around as the little girl protested and giggled simultaneously. "I'm going to be a mermaid tomorrow, and I'm going to use this design for that shape too."
"I'm sure your uncle would approve," WroOth said. Pride shone in his eyes.
"Can Uncle AaQar be a mermaid?" Leslo puckered her lips in a fish face as her older sister slowed. "You ask him, Sadyr."
Sadyr rolled her eyes and put Leslo down. Flipping her hair, she gave her sister a superior look. "Uncle AaQar cannot be a mermaid. He would be a merman. Aunt Rasha can be a mermaid."
"Me too!" Leslo grabbed Sadyr's face, pushing her lips into a fish face as well.
Sadyr glared at her sister, but her frown melted into a smile. She easily lifted her sister up with one arm and threw her in the air. "Maybe Uncle Naatos will be a mermaid. You should ask him tonight." She caught and tickled her.
Leslo squealed and laughed, grabbing at her sister's hands. "No! You ask him."
The boy jumped on WroOth's back. "Look at what I did." He leaned over WroOth's shoulder, grabbing a fistful of his father's hair for balance as he extended his other arm. "I've got crocodile stripes."
WroOth staggered slightly under the increased weight, but he still held onto the baby. "Well now." He motioned toward Mara and held out Ephalon.
"WroOth." Mara held up her flour covered hands, but WroOth thrust the baby into her arms anyway. She sighed.
"This is going to be a problem, Kelchon," WroOth said, looking back at his oldest son. "You see…there's no such thing as crocodile stripes. Which means I'm going to have to eat you." He roared and pulled Kelchon over his shoulder, holding him upside down.
Kelchon tried to roar back but dissolved into red-faced laughter.
"Come on, Kelchon. Bite him!" Sadyr jumped on WroOth's back, tickling his neck and pulling his hair.
"Chase me, Daddy. Chase me!" Leslo ran to the opposite end of the kitchen, jumping up and down on the tips of her feet and waving her arms.
With another roar, WroOth started after her, only slightly slowed by Kelchon, still upside down, and Sadyr on his back.
"Stay away from the dining table," Mara called. She placed baby Ephalon in the woven green basket fastened securely to the counter and dusted the flour off the blanket. She set her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face though her eyes twinkled and the corners of her lips turned up. "You'll all settle down now, or you'll deal with Momma Dragon. Dinner is almost ready, and everyone will be here soon."
"Oooh, Momma Dragon. How terrifying. Whatever shall we do?" WroOth righted Kelchon and then pulled Sadyr off his back. He crouched, extending his arms around all three. They looked at him expectantly, giggling. Though they all had the dark eyes of their mother, they clearly had their father's energy. "What do you think?"
"Well…" Sadyr straightened, suddenly becoming more serious as if she remembered her age. "We could go outside so that we don't cause any problems."
"We could help Mama set the table." Kelchon gave Sadyr a look that clearly said he had come up with the superior suggestion.
"I like both those ideas." WroOth stroked his chin.
"I like the second," Mara said. She flipped the dough and punched it down. "Momma Dragon could use some help."
"An excellent point. Leslo, what do you think we should do?" WroOth asked.
"Eat cake. Eat cake now!" Leslo jumped up and down.
"There's cake?" WroOth's eyes widened. "Then that changes everything, doesn't it? So we should definitely set the table, and then after dinner we can go outside. But we will definitely eat cake. There is one other thing we must do before all that." He leaned forward, whispering loudly. "Everyone attack Mama now! Get your mother, children."
"Get Mama!" The children shouted. Even more chaos erupted as they converged on Mara, laughing, giggling, and shrieking. Mara pretended to be angry, shaking her head and lifting up loaf pans defensively.
"Traitor." Loose strands of hair fell in Mara's face. She playfully tapped the loaf pan on his head. "You swore you'd protect me."
Grabbing her from behind, WroOth feigned innocence and shrugged. "The children promised me cake. How could I refuse?"
"I make the cake! I made the recipe. I bake it. I am the possessor of all cake knowledge."
"The children implied they already had cake. If you were to bake me a cake, I would have to wait. And you know how I feel about delayed gratification."
"Hm. I suppose I'll just have to make it worth your while then. Here's my counteroffer." Reaching up, she gripped WroOth by the collar and kissed him firmly on the lips. "Now whose side are you on?"
WroOth kissed her neck. "I'm afraid I have bad news, children. I'm on Momma Dragon's side now."
"Chase me, Daddy, chase me!" Leslo climbed to the top of the chest of doors beside the broad arch.
"Stop kissing." Kelchon tried to separate his father and mother. "That's gross."
"Leave them alone." Sadyr pushed him away.
"There should be more chasing and less kissing," Kelchon said.
"Uncle Naatos!" Leslo leaped into the air as Naatos walked through the large arch.
Though he looked surprised, he did catch her. And Leslo landed on him as if this was something she had done many times, grabbing his head and digging her feet into his belt. "Play monster with us."
"Hurry, Naatos," WroOth said, stretching out his hand in an imploring fashion. "There's too many of them. I don't know how much longer we can hold out against the children."
"You're the ones who chose to be outnumbered," Naatos said.
"Will you please play monster with us?" Leslo tugged on his hair, her eyebrows arching. She was rather small for her age, but she was quite insistent.
"Or what?" Naatos asked.
"Or I will bite you." She grinned.
"You've left me with a difficult choice." Naatos held her with one arm and stroked his chin. "It is hard to decide."
Leslo leaned back and forth and side to side, speaking in a sing-song voice. "No, it isn't."
Enemy Known Page 31