Laura Jo Phillips (17 page)

“What is it?” Darleen asked as she watched Summer lay the suitcase down on the floor and open the latches.  The top popped up and Summer flung it all the way open.

“You’ll think it’s silly,” Summer said as she removed a couple of layers of folded clothing, exposing a bundle wrapped in what looked like a section of quilt.

“Maybe,” Darleen admitted.  “But tell me anyway.”

Summer smiled.  Darleen was always honest, and she liked that about her.  “It’s a music box,” she said, unwrapping the bundle carefully.  “My great-grandmother left it to me when she died.  I was seven years old at the time.”

“Why would I think that was silly?” Darleen asked. 

Summer opened the last fold of the quilt, exposing a black cloth bag.  She dropped the quilt into the suitcase and climbed back onto the bed with the much smaller bundle, holding it reverently. 

“My parents thought it was silly,” she said.  “They didn’t understand why it was so important to me.  Why it’s always been so important to me.  To be honest, neither do I.  I just know that the first time I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to have it.  I felt as though it was
supposed
to be mine.”  Summer shrugged again and began working at the knot in the drawstring at the top of the bag.  “Whenever we visited my great-grandmother, she would ask me what I wanted to do, and every single time I told her I wanted to see the music box.  She always smiled and got it out for me.  When she died, she left it to me in her will.  I’ve always felt as though it were the most important thing I owned.”

The knot in the thin cords came loose beneath her patient fingers and Summer opened the bag.  She hesitated a moment.  “Okay, here’s hoping it isn’t damaged,” she said before reaching into the bag and pulling the music box out.

“Its perfect,” she breathed as she turned it around in her hands.  She felt a little foolish about it, but she had missed this thing over the past year, and had often worried about what had happened to it.  The idea of it being chucked out into space with the rest of her luggage had nearly made her physically ill on several occasions.  But here it was.  As perfect as the day she had packed it.

In spite of the size of the original bundle, the music box itself was small enough to sit in the palm of her hand.  It was round, and covered with little, intricately cut pieces of stained glass in a rainbow of colors.  In the center was a porcelain figure of a girl with dark hair dressed in a pink ballerina costume, standing on her toes, her arms up over her head in a graceful pose.  Around her sat three golden panthers, each on a golden pedestal. 

Summer turned the little key in the bottom of the music box and set it carefully on the nightstand beside the bed.  A soft, hauntingly beautiful tune began to play as the ballerina slowly turned, the golden panthers seemingly watching her intently.

“What is that tune?” Darleen asked.  “It’s beautiful, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”

Summer smiled.  “No one has ever heard it before.  That was one of the things that bothered my parents about it.  They asked everyone who came to the house for years to listen to it, but nobody ever recognized it.  They finally just gave up.”  Summer frowned.  “I made up words once, when I was really little, to sing along with the tune.  My mother hated that, though I don’t know why.”  She shook her head.  “I quit singing them because it upset her.”

“Well I think it’s a wonderful little music box,” Darleen declared.  “Not in the least bit silly.”

“Thanks, Darleen,” Summer said.  She watched the music box for a few more moments, happy that it was safe and sound after so much time.  When the music ran down, she got up again. 

“I guess I better see what clothes I have in here,” she said as she went back to the suitcase.  “Then I’ll take a shower and we’ll get this day started.

Chapter
22

“You may disembark now, Mrs. Katre-Hiru.”

Mara started to frown, remembered herself and smiled for the cabin camera that she knew was trained on her instead.  “Thank you, Captain,” she said politely as she stood up and began gathering her things.  She hated the name Katre-Hiru even more than she hated having to catch flights with these young, wet behind the ears pilots.  She had waited hours to catch a ride on this flight, which had taken most of the night.  But it was the only way she could get to the Dracon’s ranch without having to pay her own way.  And she was not going to spend her own money on this venture.  She had three very high-ranking sons, and the Jasani Military Air Transport Command could darn well ferry her across the planet to visit them.  They owed her that much at least.  Which reminded her.

“Captain, will you be going back to Berria soon?” she asked sweetly.

“No, Mrs. Katre-Hiru,” the disembodied voice said over the cabin speaker.  “I expect to be here for several days, at minimum.”

Mara gritted her teeth hard enough to crack them.  What she really wanted to do was tell the stupid Clan Gryphon to stop calling her Mrs. Katre-Hiru.  She knew her Clan rank had dropped from first female to third after the death of her male-set.  She didn’t need to be reminded of it every single time someone said her name. 

Mara took a slow, deep, calming breath.  It could have been worse, she reminded herself for the thousandth time.  If not for the fact that her eldest sons were Consuls of Clan Katre, her rank would have dropped down amongst the lowest in the Clan.  She was lucky it had dropped only to third, and even luckier that she had been promised that rank for the remainder of her life. 

She looped the handles of a couple of bags up over her shoulders, picked up another with her free hand and began making her way towards the exit.  Since this was a troop ship, not a passenger liner, there were no luxuries or amenities on board.  Nobody to serve her drinks or snacks, nobody to help her with her bags.  In the beginning, when she’d first started making these trips, some of the young males had helped her on and off the transports, offering to carry her luggage for her and other such things.  But, for some reason, they had stopped doing that recently.  Now, if she wanted her bags off of the transport, she darn well had to carry them herself.

Mara had to turn sidewise to get through the cabin door with all of her bags hanging around her.  She nearly stumbled on the top step of the metal staircase someone had rolled up to the transport for her, but strong hands caught her.  “Here Mother, let me help you with some of those,” Ran said as he began sliding the straps off of Mara’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Ran, honey,” Mara said.  “I am so glad that someone came to help me.  Otherwise I’m not sure how I would have managed, though I’m sure I would have fallen down these horrible stairs and broken my neck.  Not that anyone would have noticed.  I don’t think any of the crew came back to check on me even once the whole trip.  I could have jumped out the window or fallen over dead and nobody would ever have known, but that’s the price I pay in order to come and see my sons.  I just never know how any of you are as you never vox, never vid, and I’m all alone now with your fathers gone so if I want to know how my sons are doing I have to come here to see for myself.  Of course I’m sure that you are all very busy doing important things and don’t have time to stop what you’re doing and let me know how you are, but that’s fine, I don’t mind coming here to see you.  That’s what a Mother is for, isn’t it?  To fly half way around the world every few weeks to make sure her sons are well and eating right and taking care of themselves?  I don’t know if anyone would even tell me should anything happen to you.  I suppose not, I don’t matter after all, I’m just a widow now, nobody of importance, so if I want to know how you are I have to come and see with my own eyes, don’t I?”

By the time Mara stopped talking they were down the stairs and across the field to the ground-car that Ran had brought out when the incoming transport Captain had radioed ahead to let him know his Mother was on board.  Ran didn’t bother trying to halt his Mother’s tirade, or attempt to correct any of the more outrageous things she was saying.  He just let her go on, listening with half of his attention as she talked.  When they reached the ground car he opened a door for her and helped her in before unloading her bags and satchels into the trunk. 

The moment he opened the driver’s side door she began talking again, rambling along in essentially the same vein as before.  Ran started the vehicle and pulled onto the graveled road, wondering idly how long it would be before the engineers got around to paving the road.  It was getting so much traffic now that the gravel wasn’t holding up well at all.  He drove past the cluster of new buildings that housed the rotating male-sets stationed on the ranch for guard duty, the armory, barracks, cafeteria, training facilities, medical center and armory before turning off on a smaller side road that led to a group of guest houses meant for important visitors and higher ranking warriors.

“Don’t tell me that I am to be delegated to a guest house again,” Mara said angrily.  “I just don’t understand it.  I called that silly little Vulpiran several times, what’s his name, the one who handles guests, and I told him specifically that I did not want to be put in a guest house.  I’m a widow now, and I don’t like being put out here all on my own.  I told him straight out that I expected to be given a room in the main house.  Why am I being treated this way?  I’ve been here several times now and you can’t tell me that there is no room in the Dracons’ home for me.  It’s just rude, that’s what it is.  That little upstart redheaded piece may be good enough in bed to keep the Dracons happy, but it’s more than clear to all and sundry that she hasn’t got any manners at all.”

Ran was shocked.  He was used to his mother’s wagging tongue, and she was often unkind, but this went too far.

“Cease,” he growled.  His growl was soft, but there was something in it that silenced Mara immediately.

“You speak treason Mother, and I will not abide it,” he said.  “Princess Lariah is a very kind and generous woman, and does not deserve your insults.  You have never even met her, and have no cause to insult her.   

“Further, you speak nonsense.  The guest houses are specifically set aside for important people, and it is an honor that you are offered one every time you visit.  Other family members are assigned beds in the guest barracks, or must make their own arrangements in town.  As for the Vulpiran Quartermaster, he does not take orders from civilians, he is not a hotel manager, nor is the Dracons’ home a vacation resort.”

“Well, I did not think that it was,” Mara said huffily.  “And since when does my own son take sides against his mother?” she demanded. 

“When she commits an act of treason, punishable by banishment at the least, and death at most,” Ran snapped.  “I sincerely hope you did not insult the Quartermaster when you spoke to him.  He is a respected veteran and not in the least bit
silly
.”

Mara suddenly realized she had gone too far.  Never had Ran spoken to her in such a manner.  He was the gentlest and most understanding of all her sons.  Clearly she had crossed a line with him, and she knew him well enough to know that if she didn’t fix it quickly, he would not soon forgive her. 

“I’m sorry, Ran honey,” she said contritely.  “I know I should not have said such things.  It’s just been a very difficult day for me.  I was thinking about your fathers on the flight over here, and how long it’s been since the accident.  It’s not easy for me to be alone after living with the three of them for so many years.”  Mara reached into her pocket for a handkerchief and dabbed her dry eyes gently. 

Ran sighed.  “I know it’s been difficult Mother.  It’s been a hard year for us all.  But there are some things you cannot say, no matter the reason.  You are lucky I am the only one who heard you.”

“I know Ran honey, and I appreciate that.  Sometimes my mouth runs away with me and I don’t even know what I’m saying.  Please forgive me.”

“Of course I forgive you Mother,” Ran said.  “And please, stop crying.  Here we are, you get the biggest guest house this time, the one you like with the best view, remember?”

Mara sniffled a few times, patted her eyes again and put her handkerchief away.  “Yes dear, it’s lovely,” she said.  “Perfectly lovely.”

An hour later Mara stood at the door of the guest house and watched as Ran drove away, waving gaily to him until he turned out of sight.  Then she stepped back inside and slammed the door shut as hard as she could, causing the front windows to rattle alarmingly. 

She stomped across the wide, lavishly furnished living room of the Dracons’ best guest house, then turned and stomped back, before turning and retracing her steps again, and again.  She was so angry, so frustrated and so worried she didn’t know what to do. 

This was her tenth trip to the Dracon’s ranch in as many months and she had counted on staying in the Dracons’ home this time.  She had worked on that damned Quartermaster for weeks, but clearly it had done no good at all.  She didn’t know how she was going to manage her end of the bargain with Winkie if she couldn’t get closer to the Dracons’ than a damn guest house.  She might as well have not bothered coming at all. 

When she had turned to Winkie for help she had known that he was a powerful and ruthless man.  Otherwise, why would she have gone to him?  Her mistake had been in thinking of him as her sweet little baby brother who would, eventually, give in to her wheedling.  Do the thing she had asked, and forgive the debt.  That was what she’d expected.  That was what she had counted on.  But now she knew that it wasn’t going to work out that way.  Not this time.