Close Obsession (16 page)

“As much as I’d like to support Loris’s quest to protect his son,” he said, “there is no doubt that all the witnesses interviewed thus far – from human Resistance members to the guardians involved in the operation – told a very similar story. And unfortunately, Loris, the story substantiates the recordings.” There seemed to be genuine regret in Arus’s voice as he was saying this.

“Witnesses can be bribed –”

Arus shook his head. “Not so many. We have gathered over fifty testimonies from completely different individuals, both human and Krinar. I’m sorry, Loris, but there are simply too many of them.”

“Then how do you explain the memory loss?” Loris asked bitterly, staring at Arus with resentment.

“I can’t explain that,” Arus admitted. “The Council will have to investigate the matter –”

“I can perhaps venture a guess,” Korum said, and Mia could practically feel the buzz of anticipation in the crowd. “There is a human trial defense strategy that’s frequently utilized in developed countries. It involves trying to prove that the accused is insane, mentally incapable of standing trial. Because, you see, if they are judged to be mentally ill, then they can’t be held responsible for their actions – and instead of getting punished, they are sent for treatment.

“Now the Protector is fully aware that the evidence points to the guilt of the accused. Of course, he can’t claim that his son is insane and therefore didn’t know what he was doing. No, he can’t claim that at all – but he
can
say that his son’s mind has been tampered with, that he’s had his memories forcibly erased. Of course, the fact of the matter is there is only one person who would benefit from Rafor and the other traitors losing their memories – and that’s neither me nor Saret.”

“Are you accusing me of violating my own son’s mind?” Loris asked incredulously, and Mia could see his hands clenching into fists.

“Unlike you, I don’t accuse without evidence,” Korum said, giving him a cold smile. “I am merely venturing a guess.”

The noise from the crowd grew in volume. Curious to see how Saret was reacting to all of this, Mia turned her attention to his podium. He was watching the proceedings with a slightly bemused look on his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe he’d gotten dragged into this. Mia felt bad for him. Not that she knew much about Krinar politics, but Korum’s friend seemed like someone who didn’t enjoy getting caught in the crossfire.

Her lover, on the other hand, was clearly in his element. Korum was enjoying his enemy’s helpless rage.

“All the guesses and accusations are useless at this point,” said Arus, and the crowd fell silent again. “The Council will have to examine the results from the laboratories before we can proceed in that direction. In the meantime, we’ll show the testimonies from all available witnesses to shed further light on this case.” And with a small gesture, he called up a three-dimensional image, just as Korum had done yesterday.

More recordings, Mia realized, sighing at the thought that today’s proceedings were likely to last even longer. If they were showing testimonies from fifty witnesses, then the trial could last well into the night.

Settling even more comfortably on Korum’s podium, Mia prepared for a lengthy and potentially boring viewing session.

* * *

The Krinar watched the recordings with satisfaction.

It had all worked out so perfectly, just as he’d hoped. No one would know the truth, not until it was too late for them to do anything.

He was glad he’d had the foresight to erase the Keiths’ memories. Now they would never be able to explain, to point to him as the leader behind their little rebellion.

He was safe, and he should be able to implement his plan in peace.

Particularly if he could manage to keep his mind off a certain human girl.

Chapter 11

After about five hours of watching the recordings, Mia had finally had enough. Exiting the virtual trial, she got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to get something to eat. It was truly exhausting, paying attention for so long, and she had no idea how Korum and the other Ks sat there so attentively this whole time.

As before, the house gladly provided her with a delicious meal. Feeling daring, Mia asked for the most popular traditional Krinar dish – provided that it was suitable for human consumption. When the dish arrived a few minutes later, she nearly moaned with hunger, her mouth salivating at the appetizing scent. It appeared to be a stew again, with a rich, salty flavor that was vaguely reminiscent of lamb or veal. Of course, she hadn’t had those delicacies in over five years, so that could be simply her imagination. Like all K food she’d tried so far, this stew was also entirely plant-based.

It was still light out when Mia got done with her meal, so she decided to venture outside for a bit. Putting on a pair of boots and a simple ivory dress, she told the house to let her out and smiled with satisfaction when the wall dissolved for her, just as it usually did for Korum. Grabbing the tablet-like device Korum had given her yesterday and a towel from the bathroom, Mia headed to the waterfalls, looking forward to spending a couple of hours reading and learning more about the early history of the Krinar.

Arriving at her destination, Mia located a nice patch of grass that didn’t seem to be near any ant hills. Spreading out her towel there, she lay down on her stomach and immersed herself in the drama of the end of the first Krinar Golden Age.

“Hello? Mia?” The sound of an unfamiliar voice calling her name jolted Mia out of her absorption with the story.

Startled, Mia looked up and saw a young human woman standing a few feet away. Dressed in Krinar clothing, she had a vaguely Middle Eastern look to her, with large brown eyes, wavy black hair, and a smooth olive-toned complexion.

“Yes, hi,” Mia said, getting up and staring at the newcomer. At first glance, the woman – more of a girl, really – seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties, but there was something regal in the way she held herself that made Mia think she might be older. Although she lacked Maria’s vivid looks, there was a quiet, almost luminous beauty in her heart-shaped face and tall, slender figure. Another charl, Mia realized.

“I’m Delia,” the girl said, giving her a gentle smile. She spoke in Krinar. “Maria told me she’d met you yesterday, and I wanted to stop by and welcome you to Lenkarda.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Delia,” Mia said, giving her an answering smile. “How did you know where to find me?”

“I stopped by Korum’s place, but no one seemed to be home,” Delia explained. “So I was actually taking the scenic route home and saw you reading here. I hope you don’t mind – I didn’t mean to interrupt . . .”

“Oh, no, not at all!” Mia reassured her. “I’m very glad you came by! Please have a seat.” Gesturing toward the other end of the towel, Mia sat down on one end of it. Delia smiled and joined her, gracefully lowering herself onto the fabric.

“Have you been living in Lenkarda long?” Mia inquired, studying the other girl with curiosity.

“I’ve been here since the Center was built,” Delia said. “You could say I’m one of the original residents, in fact.”

Mia’s eyes widened. This girl had been a charl for almost five years? She had to have met her Krinar right after K-Day. “That’s amazing,” she told Delia earnestly. “How do you like living here?”

Delia shrugged. “It’s a little different from what I’m used to. I prefer our old home, to be honest, but Arus needed to be here –”

“Arus?” Could this be the same Arus she’d just seen virtually?

“Yes,” Delia confirmed. “Have you already heard the name?”

“I have,” Mia told her carefully, not sure how much she should say to someone who was apparently with Korum’s opponent. “He’s on the Council, right?”

Delia nodded. “Yes, and he’s also in charge of relations with the human governments.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Mia said, trying to figure out how much the girl knew about the apparent tension between their lovers.

As though reading her mind, Delia gave her a reassuring look. “You don’t have to worry, Mia,” she told her. “Even though our
cheren
have had their share of political differences, I’m not here as Arus’s representative or anything like that. I just thought you might be feeling a little overwhelmed with everything and could use someone to talk to –”

Mia gave her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply –”

Delia smiled back. “You didn’t. Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to clear up any misunderstanding and set your mind at ease.”

“So how long have you and Arus been together?” Mia asked, eager to change the subject. “And is that what you would call Arus, your cheren?”

“Yes,” Delia said. “Cheren is what a charl would call his or her lover.”

“I see.” Now she had a Krinar term for what Korum was to her. “So when did you meet Arus? Was it when they first arrived?”

“I met him a long time ago.” Delia gave her a calm smile. “What about you? Have you been with Korum long?”

Mia shook her head. “Not at all. I only met him about a month ago in New York, in Central Park.”

“When you were part of the Resistance?” Delia asked, staring at her with those large, liquid brown eyes.

Mia flushed slightly. Everyone in Lenkarda seemed to know her involvement with the attempted attack on the colonies. “No,” she said. “I only met the Resistance fighters later.”

“So you became Korum’s charl first and
then
joined the Resistance?” Delia seemed perplexed by that sequence of events.

Mia sighed. “They approached me soon after I met him, and I agreed to help. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.”

“I see,” Delia said, studying her carefully. “I guess Korum is not the easiest cheren, is he?”

The color in Mia’s cheeks intensified. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she said, staring at Delia with a slight frown on her face.

“I’m sorry.” Delia looked apologetic. “I didn’t mean to pry into your relationship. It’s just that you seem so young and vulnerable . . .”

“I can’t be that much younger than you,” Mia said, somewhat offended by the girl’s assumption.

Delia laughed, shaking her head ruefully. “I’m sorry, Mia. I put my foot in it again, didn’t I? Look, I didn’t mean to insult you in any way . . . All I wanted to say is that I know how difficult it can be in the beginning, being involved with one of them. Your cheren also has a certain reputation for ruthlessness, and I guess I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay –”

“I’m fine,” Mia said, frowning at Delia again. She didn’t need to hear about Korum’s reputation from this girl; she knew better than anyone just how ruthless her lover could be.

“Of course,” Delia said gently. “I can see that you are.”

“How did you meet Arus anyway?” Mia asked, wanting to shift the conversation in a different direction.

Delia smiled. “It’s a long story. If you’d like, I can tell you sometime.” Getting to her feet, she said, “Arus just told me that the trial is over and he’s on his way home. I should be getting back. It was really nice to meet you, Mia. I hope we get to see each other again soon.”

Mia nodded and got up also. “Thanks, it was really nice to meet you, too. I should probably head back as well.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Delia said, still smiling. “I’m sure Korum will be wondering where you are.”

Mia waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, he knows, with the shining and all.”

“Of course,” Delia said, and for a second, there was something resembling pity on her beautifully serene face. Before Mia could analyze it further, the girl added, “Listen, Maria is organizing a little get-together on the beach in about three weeks – a picnic of sorts, if you will. It’s her birthday, and she mentioned that she wanted me to invite you if I saw you today. Most of the charl from Lenkarda will be there, and it might be a good way for you to meet some more of us and make some friends . . .”

A charl beach party? Mia grinned, excited at the idea. “Oh, I’ll definitely be there,” she promised.

“That’s great,” Delia said, the smile returning to her face. “We’ll see you there then.” And raising her hand, she lightly brushed her knuckles down Mia’s cheek in a gesture that almost seemed like a caress. Surprised, Mia lifted her hand to her cheek, but Delia was already walking away, her graceful figure disappearing into the trees.

* * *

Entering the house, Mia heard rhythmic thumping sounds coming from the kitchen. Curious, she went to investigate and saw that Korum was already there, chopping up some vegetables for dinner. Mia’s stomach grumbled, and she realized that she was quite hungry.

Seeing her walking in, Korum looked up from his task and gave her a slow smile that made her feel warm inside. “Well, hello there. I was just beginning to wonder if I’ll have to go searching through the woods for you. You didn’t get lost, did you?”

“No,” Mia told him, grinning. “I just met another charl, actually. A girl named Delia . . . and she invited me to a beach party!”