Laura Jo Phillips (27 page)

Summer rolled her eyes at Maxim, but she was no longer offended by his imperious tone.  She had spent a lot of time working closely with the Katres over the past several days, and had come to realize that was actually his
concerned
voice.  She was also getting better at understanding the emotions she was feeling from the three of them. 

“Okay, okay, we are going to eat right now,” Summer said.  “Are you guys coming with us?”

“No, we’ve already eaten,” Maxim replied.  “When you are finished, there will be a ground-car waiting outside to drive you to the airfield.”

“How much time do we have?” Summer asked.

“As much time as you need,” Maxim replied smoothly.

Summer shook her head and turned to Ran, who grinned.

“As long as we are out of here in the next hour, we will reach the spaceport in time for the shuttle to keep its schedule,” he said.  “On the other hand, if we are late, they will wait.  So as Maxim said, you have as much time as you need.”

“We will not need an hour,” Summer said.  “Twenty minutes, tops.”

“I do want to take a moment to thank Saige,” Darleen added.  “But that won’t take long.”

“Very well, we will meet you at the airfield when you are done,” Maxim said with a short bow before turning and heading back down the hall with Loni and Ran behind him.  Summer stood there for a long moment, watching the three men as they walked away from her, unable to tear her eyes from the sight. 

Darleen cleared her throat.  “Let’s go get some food,” she said, turning toward the kitchen. 

“Yes, um, good idea,” Summer replied, though she waited until the Katres turned the corner out of sight before turning around and catching up to Darleen.

When Summer and Darleen reached the kitchen they were pleased to see Saige already there, sitting at the table with Eldar Hamat. 

“Good morning Saige, Eldar Hamat,” Summer said, smiling at Eldar Hamat, whom she liked very much.  She now knew that he was the eldest of all of the Jasani, and had actually lived through what they referred to as the
Dark Time
.  Since Jasani did not age, he didn’t look old, but he did look worn and tired, though his eyes were usually bright and lively.  This morning however, they looked a little sad.

“Good morning Summer, Darleen,” Saige replied.  Eldar Hamat looked up and smiled warmly at them both. 

“Darleen, it’s so wonderful to see you walking without a limp,” Saige commented.  “How are you feeling?”

“I feel great,” Darleen replied.  “No pain at all.  I think Doc is a miracle worker.”

Saige smiled and waved them toward a couple of chairs.  “Come and sit down,” she said.  “There’s plenty of food, so help yourselves.”

Summer took a seat and began filling her plate.  “Eldar Hamat, are you well?” she asked.  “You seem a little unhappy today.”

“I am well enough,” Eldar Hamat replied.  “I am just old, and it seems that my responsibilities take a greater toll on me now than they once did.”

“Your responsibilities?” Summer asked. 

“Eldar Hamat will be handling the interviews with Mara Winicke,” Saige answered.  “It will be difficult for him.  I’m trying to convince him to let someone else handle the matter.”

“I see,” Summer said, realizing at once who they were talking about even though she’d never heard the woman’s last name before.  “It’s none of my business, but I agree with Saige.  Why not let someone else handle it?”

Eldar Hamat sighed heavily.  “I cannot,” he said.  “It would not be right.” 

Summer opened her mouth to ask why not, but a short, sharp shake of Saige’s head warned her to leave it be.  She closed her mouth, nodded and began eating her breakfast though she hardly tasted it.   

“Saige, I want to thank you, and your Rami, for your hospitality,” Darleen said.  “You have been very kind to allow me to stay here.  Especially after all I did in the past.”

“Yes, I add my thanks as well,” Summer said.  “You and your family have been very generous, and I am very grateful to you.”

Saige smiled.  “It has been our pleasure to have you both,” she said graciously.  “For all that the two of you have already done, and are still doing to help in our fight to stop the abductions, it is the least we could do.  Without you, we would not have known about the slave compound here on Jasan, let alone the one on Li-Hach-Cor.”

“I would like to ask you something, if you do not mind,” Darleen said hesitantly. 

“Certainly Darleen,” Saige said.  “You may ask what you will.”

“That day, that bad day, when I did...what I did,” Darleen began, struggling to find a way to express herself without actually naming the things she’d done.

“Yes?” Saige said, letting Darleen off the hook.

Darleen’s shoulders relaxed and she gave Saige a grateful look.  “That pendant you wear all the time, the heart?” 

Saige nodded as one hand rose automatically to touch the large heart-shaped pendant that never left her neck.

“I touched it that day, held it in my hand for a moment,” Darleen said.  “Do you remember that?”

“Yes,” Saige replied, keeping her voice gentle for Darleen’s sake though the memory of that day was always one that made her angry.

“Well, I think something happened to me when I touched it,” Darleen said.  “And I was just wondering if you could explain it to me.”

Saige’s brows rose in surprise.  “I’m not sure,” she said.  “Can you tell me a bit more?  What happened to you?” 

“Well, first, I felt dizzy and cold, then scared.  More scared than I’d ever been in my life up to that moment.  All I wanted to do was get away from you and that pendant as fast as I could.  But when I drove away, I had this strong feeling that if I didn’t turn around and go back and free all of you, something really bad was going to happen to me.”

Darleen fell silent for a long moment as she stared at the table in front of her.  Summer, Saige and Eldar Hamat waited patiently, knowing that she had more to say.  When she raised her eyes to Saige, she looked sad and confused, but determined.

“Well, of course something bad did happen to me,” she said.  “But the part that is strange to me is that the whole time I was there, in Lio’s office, I kept thinking that I deserved at least some of what was happening.  And that if I ever got free, I had to do something worthwhile with my life.”  Darleen sighed.  “The thing is Saige, you met me.  You know those are not thoughts and feelings that I would normally have.  Regret and altruism were never a part of Darleen Flowers’ makeup. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that I feel differently now.  I actually kind of like the person I am now.  But I would like to know if it was the pendant that changed me.”

Saige considered Darleen carefully as she thought about everything she had said.  She knew that this was a very important matter for Darleen, and she deserved a real answer.

“Darleen, this pendant gives me the ability to see the true hearts of those around me,” she said.  “Whether or not it caused a change in you when you touched it, I cannot say.  However, I see that this is an important matter for you.  If you like, I will try to summon Riata, and ask her.”

Darleen paled.  “Riata?” she whispered.

“Do not worry so,” Saige told her.  “Riata has no anger toward you.”

“All right, but please, tell her for me that I am so very sorry for that day,” Darleen said, her blue eyes bright with sudden moisture.  “I promise, I never meant such a thing to happen.”

“All right, I will tell her if she comes,” Saige promised.  “Now, if you will give me just a moment.”

Saige bowed her head and closed her eyes, sending herself quickly to the place of gray fog.  She looked around, but there was nothing to see but the dry gray wisps.  She was about to close her eyes and go back when suddenly Riata stepped out of the fog and bowed to her.

“Greetings, Saige Lobo,” Riata said.

Saige returned her bow, and her smile.  “Greetings Riata,” she replied.

“I am concerned for Darleen,” she said, assuming that Riata knew the reason for her visit.

“Yes, as am I,” Riata replied.  “I thank you for telling her that I hold no anger toward her.”

“You are most welcome,” Saige replied.  “Do you think that the pendant caused Darleen to change?”

“I think that the pendant showed Darleen her true self more clearly than any mirror ever could,” Riata replied.  “But the decision to react to knowledge must be made by the one who learns the knowledge, not the knowledge itself.”

“Thank you, Riata,” Saige said, relieved.  She hadn’t liked the idea of the pendant making people change who they were, whether it was for the better or not.  People had to make up their own minds about such things, make their own choices.

“I appreciate you taking the time to help with this small matter,” she added.

“If it were a small matter, I would not have come,” Riata pointed out.  “Darleen has her own part to play in events to come.  But first, she must grow into the woman she was meant to be.”

Saige wanted to ask what that meant, but she was learning a few things about these visits with Riata.  She could ask the question, but she would not get an answer.  “I will refrain from sharing that with Darleen,” she said.

“Of course you will,” Riata said with a grin.  “Otherwise, I would not have told you.”

Saige laughed softly as Riata faded away, liking the woman greatly.  Then she closed her eyes and returned to her kitchen. 

When she looked up at Darleen, she could see the worry and fear in her eyes more clearly than she had before.

“Be easy, Darleen,” she said.  “Riata has answered our question, and no, the pendant did not change you.  It only gave you knowledge of yourself.  The decision on how to use that knowledge was yours alone.”

Darleen blew out a long, slow breath of air, her entire body seeming to relax as she did so.  “Thank you Saige, more than I can say.”

“You are most welcome Darleen,” Saige replied.  “I would add one thing myself though, if you do not mind.”

“Of course not,” Darleen said calmly, though her shoulders tensed again.

“You were wrong, Darleen,” Saige said gently.  “You did not deserve what was done to you.  No one deserves what was done to you.”

Darleen nodded her head slowly, though she didn’t look particularly convinced.  “Thank you Saige,” she said again.  “For everything.”

Summer cleared her throat, breaking the long silence that fell after Darleen last words.  “We best get a move on,” she said.  “We don’t want to keep the Katres waiting too long.”

Darleen nodded and reached for her fork.  A few minutes later Darleen and Summer finished their breakfast, said their last goodbyes to Saige and Eldar Hamat, and hurried out to the ground-car, eager to be on their way at last. 

Chapter
31

Slater watched the welfare ship from a short distance, waiting for just the right moment.  There was a part of him…a very big part…that wanted to stay on Onddo and use the sugea to destroy the village and all of those who had turned on him.  But mostly he just wanted off of Onddo.  He did not like sleeping in the wild.  He did not like worrying about his safety.  He did not like feeling hunted.

So here he stood, as he had years earlier, waiting for the right moment to sneak aboard the welfare ship and escape from those who wished to kill him.  He watched as the small group of people who had been gathered near the entrance to the ship wandered away at last.  One more quick look around to be sure the area was clear and he transformed into the figure of a male human he had devoured long ago on the Jasani skyport.

“So, you’re going to sneak aboard the welfare ship and leave again, are you?”

Slater jumped at the sound of the voice and spun around, already reaching for the sugea.  He froze in shock when he saw who had spoken.

“No, don’t pull out the sugea,” Magoa said.  “That would bring all sorts of attention that neither of us wants.”

Slater was so surprised that the great Magoa was standing there talking to him that he couldn’t decide what to do.  So he did nothing.

“Good,” Magoa said as though Slater had agreed with him.  “I think it would be better if you did not leave just now, Slater.”

Slater blinked.  Had the great Magoa actually addressed him by name? And how did he recognize him?

Magoa sighed.  “You have the most potential of all of my offspring,” he said.  “Unfortunately, you are not the brightest of the lot.” Magoa shrugged.  “Well, one must use the tools one is given.  And right now, you are an important tool.  Therefore, I cannot let you leave Onddo at this time.”

“Offspring?” Slater repeated, unable to think beyond that one word.

“Yes, yes, offspring,” Magoa said, waving a hand dismissively.  “Now, when I arranged for you to run off on the welfare ship the first time, I did it for a reason.  I had no idea it would take you so long to return with a little help for your home world, but that’s fine, that’s fine, it took as long as it took.  The point is you learned a lot and you came back as you were meant.