Euthara (39 page)

Jon blinked for a second. How did she know?

“I knew almost the minute it happened,” Opellissa said.

Jon took a step back he hadn’t said anything and now he was starting to worry.

“No need to worry,” Opellissa said. “I’m not going to harm you. I can see now that my elders were wrong in what they thought, and now I’ve decided to serve you. So, again, why didn’t you let them remove my father and his followers?”

Jon swallowed to wet his throat before he answered. “Because it’s very important the Ga’sahde stay a neutral party in these dealings. If they had taken action, it might have turned into a war and turned the Eutharan people against them. That would have, in effect, turned the people against me too,” Jon said.

“So, you slipped out of a trap laid by my father,” Opellissa said.

“I guess if that really was his intention,” Jon said. He was still eyeing her suspiciously trying to figure out her game and how she knew so much. Was she a telepath or was she able to access the computer systems on
Atlantis
and glean information from the computers and his nanites? She had nanites of her own and if they were altered that could be a real possibility.

“Excuse me for a second”, Jon said. He turned to leave back into the guard room.

“He’s trying through my sister,” Opellissa said.

Jon stopped and looked back at Opellissa. “You sure know a lot for someone who has been locked up the past week and doesn’t communicate with her father,” Jon said. “Why is that?”

“There’s a prophecy about the one who will restore the Eutharan people and bring a peace to the galaxy,” Opellissa said. “It talks about a man who wields light and darkness as well as fire and ice.”

“Yes, I’ve heard it before. Ice was mentioned as cold though but ice seems to fit better,” Jon said. “What does that have to do with me?”

“The correct translation is ‘ice’ not cold. You already wield darkness,” Opellissa said. “Nefeit is the darkness and Deatra is the ice. Nefeit helps you do the things you can’t bring yourself to do. The light you seek is close and will help temper the dark soon.”

“Nefeit has done nothing dark,” Jon said. “Deatra, if you believe in the prophecies, is the light, or so I’ve been told.”

“You have been told wrong, and Nefeit has done nothing dark, yet,” Opellissa said. She let the last word hang in the air for a second before she continued. “She has suggested that dark things would have to be done, right?”

“Maybe,” Jon said. Jon let the comment about Deatra slide. “All war is dark, though, and we all do things we don’t like.”

Opellissa arched an eyebrow. She still hadn’t looked at Jon and it was starting to bug him. “So, you’re at war?” Opellissa said.

“Of course,” Jon said. “The Crystari have attacked and destroyed one of my ships. I think that puts us at war.”

“You haven’t officially declared war though,” Opellissa said. “So, officially you’re not at war yet you are unofficially at war on two sides.”

“Do tell,” Jon said.

“Unofficially, you’re at war with what’s going on here on Euthara, and you’re at war with the Crystari,” Opellissa said. “You need to choose your path, and let those who follow you know what your intentions are.”

“Does it really matter?” Jon said. “Most, if not all, of the people know what is going on.”

Opellissa smiled as she spoke, “That’s your problem, you try to ride the fence and hope for the best. You should be speaking out and making your intentions known. It gives the people who depend on you a heads up to be prepared and ready for anything. You lack the fire you need to push forward and do what must be done.”

The hairs on the back on Jon’s neck started to rise as tingles raced up his spine. There was something not right and he couldn’t put his finger on it. Somehow she was making sense to him and he understood what she was saying. He had been leaving everyone’s ass just hanging in the wind as he waited for the hammer to fall. He had been playing games and people were getting hurt because of it. He needed to start taking decisive action and let people know what his true intentions were. It was time for the ADF to stop reacting to things and start acting on its, his, agenda.

Opellissa smiled again and slowly stood up. “There’s more to that piece of the prophecy.”

“I’m sure there is,” Jon said dryly.

“As I’ve said,” Opellissa said. “Deatra isn’t the light she’s the ice. You haven’t been balanced which is why things haven’t been working out right for you. You must have balance to see clearly the things you must do.”

Jon decided to play along. “Ok, Nefeit is the dark and Deatra, according to you, is the ice. So, who are the light and the fire sides then?”

“The light is easy,” Opellissa said. “The fire won’t be so easy for you to accept.”

“Let me guess,” Jon said. “The light is Kelly, the caring loving mother.”

“Correct,” Opellissa said. “Everything happens for a reason. Your friend nurtured that side of Kelly and brought her back from her despair for the losses she suffered on your home planet. He was a catalyst to prepare her for something greater when she was ready. The universe removed him so that she could take her place by your side you could fulfill your greater destiny.”

“Maybe,” Jon said. His voice told of his skepticism of the whole thing. “Kelly is just a friend and right now she needs me, so I’m trying to be there for her.”

Opellissa smiled as she spoke, “You’re doing a good job of that. However, do you make it a habit of sleeping with all your friends?”

‘Ok’ Jon thought there was something going on here and he was starting to get a bit freaked out. How could she know he had slept with Kelly? His guards sensed his distress and started to get nervous. They all seemed to focus on Opellissa as they fidgeted with their weapons.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Opellissa said. “Shall I continue or do you need a break to think about all this?”

“A break, just when things were getting good?” Jon said. “No way, I’m waiting for you to explain the fire and how Deatra fits into the whole ice thing. I mean, I know your sister and she is anything but an ice queen.”

“You misunderstand,” Opellissa said. “Light, dark, ice and fire just describe their jobs to you. Each one balances the other out for without balance there is no reason. Fire shows you the path you must take and lights the way for you, protecting you, blazing a trail before you, helping you reach your goals and sweep aside those that may oppose you. The ice tempers the fire as she puts out the fires left behind so that people can walk with you on your path. Darkness shows you what must be done to gain your goals while the light shows you how to temper the dark and is the beacon of hope for you in the darkness ahead.”

My sister has always been there to temper your thoughts and help guide you on the path before you, while keeping those people who follow you safe and on the right path. My sister is no longer at your side and it has made things difficult for you.”

“It was a choice we had to make at the time so she didn’t lose her position,” Jon said. “It’s a situation I plan on correcting in the near future.”

“You were both manipulated by my father,” Opellissa said.

“Oh?” Jon said.

“My father doesn’t have the power to remove the last legitimate heir to the throne,” Opellissa said.

“Then why did Deatra go?” Jon said. This revelation confused him. Why would Deatra go if she knew she couldn’t be removed?

“It’s one of those closely guarded laws that very few know about,” Opellissa said. “I know of its existence only because of my position within my order.”

“If it’s a closely guarded secret I don’t understand how your order would know about it,” Jon said.

“My order protects the King and his interests,” Opellissa said. “Secret might be the wrong word, it’s more of a forgotten law. The King has to have approval of his council and the Queen before he could remove the last heir from the line. He also must have a replacement in mind and name them at the time of the removal.”

It’s a very rare thing to have happen and only under extreme circumstances. It has only happened one time in our history and that was when my family took over the crown thousands of years ago.”

“So, you work for the King and yet you have decided to change sides,” Jon said. “That’s a bit contradictory isn’t it?” Her closed eyes finally got the better of Jon. “Are you trying to hide something by keeping your eyes closed?”

“No, not really,” Opellissa said. “First to answer the question of my loyalty, you are now the rightful King and I serve you.”

“I’m not the King, I don’t really want the throne but I’ll take it if I have to,” Jon said. “I find that watching people’s eyes tells me a great deal about what they’re saying. The fact you’re keeping your eyes closed tells me you’re hiding something from me. So, if this conversation is going to continue you’re going to have to open your eyes and look at me.”

“According to the prophecy, you’re the King, you were the King the moment you stepped foot on Euthara. My eyes being closed has to do with the other part of the prophecy I was talking about,” Opellissa said. She raised her head but kept her eyes closed. “You know how bonding works for Eutharans right?”

“Yes, one bond mate for life,” Jon said. “Under the right circumstances other wives can be accepted, like in my case. Siblings can also share a limited bond due to their close nature but it’s nowhere near what a bond mate feels or how they’re even affected by a bond.”

“That’s correct for the most part,” Opellissa said. “You can’t bond with another Eutharan because of the bond you have with Deatra. She has opened and allowed you to take another bond-mate because the situation demanded it. Kelly hasn’t bonded because it takes Deatra’s acceptance of her…”

“Uh, Kelly a bond-mate,” Jon said.

“Of course why do you think she’s so attached to you,” Opellissa said. “You two already share a limited bond and even Nefeit shares some of the bond. But, for it to fully establish and not die away Deatra has to accept her as does each of the other mates. The nature of the bond will never allow another Eutharan into the union though. We don’t know why but it just never accepts the connection.”

“I knew about the Eutharan thing,” Jon said.

“Did you know that there had been a double bonded Eutharan before?” Opellissa said.

“No, I thought it was impossible,” Jon said.

“It was a Duke,” Opellissa said. “He was a very strong man who was the one who lead the war that united all the races in this part of the Galaxy. He was the one who forced the Crown to change hands and allow my relative to sit on the throne. He could have taken the crown but he had no such desires.”

“And this has what to do with me?” Jon said.

‘He who wields the four shall walk side by side with the sisters of fire and ice,’ Opellissa said. “That was the part of the prophecy not told to you. It goes hand in hand with the other part.”

Jon took a step back as he started to register what she was saying.

Opellissa nodded as she opened her emerald and gold flecked eyes and looked directly at Jon. Jon’s mind exploded as she released the connection between them. Suddenly his mind was on fire and he stumbled back as he grabbed his head. The guards reacted immediately every one of them pointed their guns at the cell.

“Put your guns down,” Opellissa said. “I’m not harming him; I just released the bond so it would fully establish itself.”

The Eutharan guards lowered their weapons and then knelt. The other guards were in conflict as they tried to decide what to do. Jon was still groaning as he tried to fight for control. The pain was starting to subside as Opellissa finished speaking.

Jon could feel a slight presence of Deatra, Nefeit, Kelly and Opellissa in his mind as it cleared. He couldn’t get anything but a sense they were alright but he had never really been able to do the things Deatra was able to do through the bond.

Jon looked up at Opellissa and shook his head as he tried to clear it. “How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick?” Jon said as he started to regain his feet. The pain had been so great he had fallen to his knees.

“It’s no trick and if you look hard enough you’ll know,” Opellissa said.

Jon didn’t have to inspect the connections in his head as Deatra confirmed it.

‘Opellissa?’ Deatra’s voice said in his mind.

‘Yes, it’s me sister,’ Opellissa’s voice responded.

Jon sat in his room with his head in his hands. He was trying to decide how he got himself into his current situation. His three wives, Kelly, Nefeit and Opellissa were just chatting away at the common room table. All of them seemed happy enough, Kelly especially.

Jon shook his head, Kelly was going to give birth to Bill's twins and now she was bonded to him. His best friend’s wife bonded to him, how in the hell did this happen to him and why? Jon looked up at the beaming Kelly, it was the happiest he had seen her since Bill's death.

She had even seemed overly happy during the funeral service for Bill and the many men and women who had died during the battle. Admiral Breq had awarded Bill the Invaru Cluster of Might, the highest honor that a captain could receive in the Invaru Navy. Oddly enough the Eutharan high class had also awarded Bill with the Eutharan Distinguished Battle Wreath, another honor among the Eutharan people that hadn't been given out in the past hundred years.

The King had been against it but the high class had all voted against his wishes, even some of the ones opposed to the ADF and what Jon was doing. The King had raged and threatened the ruling council against the honor but in the end the rants and threats fell on deaf ears as the people made their wishes known. The King had little choice but to back down or have a full scale riot on his hands.

The ceremony had taken place on the station with the wreck of the Earth's Revenge sitting in a berth in plain view. Several higher ups had taken the time to give a speech about the bravery of the crews and Captains in the battle. The King and Queen had even been in attendance along with a large armed force. Jon wasn't happy about it but he felt secure enough when Mark showed up with three times the number of troops than the King had.