Laura Jo Phillips (17 page)

When they were all seated and had served themselves from the dishes on the table, Olaf opened the wine and poured them each a glass.  Aisling picked up her glass and took a sip.

“That’s very good,” she said, a little surprised.  She usually didn’t care for wine.

“I’m glad you like it,” Olaf said.  “I feel a little guilty that we did not take you out shopping ourselves.  You’ve done little more than work since you got here, which does not make us very good hosts.”

“You’re not really hosts,” Aisling argued gently.  “You’ve been kind enough to allow me to stay here and guard me so that I can translate.  Without your kindness, Karma and I would be staying alone in the Bearens’ home.”

“I believe we will have to agree to disagree on that point,” Olaf said.  “How are the translations going?”

“Good,” Aisling replied.  “I think we’re done with the audio portion.  Elder Vulpiran said if there is any more that needs to be done, it won’t be much, and it will be specific sections, which will help.”

“That’s a relief,” Olaf said.  “Will you start on the writing next?”

“Yes, that’s the plan,” Aisling said.  “I’m actually looking forward to that.”

“Any particular reason or are you just glad that you won’t have to listen to that screeching any more?” Olaf asked.

“Both,” Aisling replied with a smile.  “Not listening to Xanti will be a relief, that’s for sure.  Mostly I’m very interested in seeing the writing, but Elder Vulpiran won’t let me see it until I start the translations.”

“Why are you so interested?” Rand asked.

“The only Xanti writing I’ve seen was what Prince Garen showed me that day, at the Bearens’ home,” Aisling said.  “Even so, Somehow, I’m sure that the Xanti use different languages for writing and speaking.  I’m interested to see more of the writing so I can discover whether or not I’m right about this.”

“I wonder why they would use two different languages,” Olaf said.  “I know that they’re completely alien to us, but I can’t see a reason for doing such a thing.”

“I have a theory,” Aisling said.  “I think that the verbal language is pure Xanti.  But, like the technology they use, I think their written language belonged to someone else.”

Olaf, Rand and Rudy stared at Aisling for a long moment, then Olaf shook his head and chuckled softly.  “Now that you’ve said it, it seems an obvious explanation, especially given the things you’ve already told us about the Xanti.”

“It seems the most probable conclusion to me,” Aisling said.  “The most probable conclusion is not always the right one, but very often it is.”

“You like numbers?” Rudy asked.

“Yes,” Aisling replied.  “I love numbers.  When all else fails, numbers, statistics, data, known facts and figures can provide information that perhaps no one has thought of.”

“I have to agree with that,” Olaf said.  “We too like numbers.  Which, considering our duties, is a good thing.”

Aisling smiled as she reached for her wine and took a sip.  She swallowed, then took another sip, and another before setting the glass back down.  “I would like to ask you something, and it’s rather personal,” she said, her mouth dry in spite of the wine.  She did not like being nervous, but she had to ask this question.  She just couldn’t take wondering about it any longer, and there wasn’t anyone else she could ask.

“You may ask us anything like you like,” Olaf said.  “I promise you that we will do our best to answer you.”

“I know little about Rami and Arimas,” Aisling began.  “Very little.  I would like to know more.  What I want to know most is, how do you know if you have found your Arima?”

Olaf was surprised by the question.  He glanced at Rand and Rudy, then back to Aisling.  “When a male-set scents their Arima the first time, they have a physiological reaction.  That is the most significant sign, and it is undeniable.”

“Can you tell me what that response is?” Aisling asked.

Olaf hesitated.  This was information given only to one’s Arima, or chosen mate. 

“I can see that you would prefer not to answer that question,” Aisling said before Olaf made up his mind.  “How about a different question?”

Olaf nodded, still not sure whether he should answer the first question or not.

“What is the response for the woman?  For the Arima?” Aisling asked.  “What does the woman feel, if anything?”

Olaf was very curious as to why Aisling was asking these questions, but he saw no reason not to answer her.

“An Arima usually feels a connection to her male-set,” Olaf said.  “She may sense their presence, particularly when they are close by, and she will feel their emotions to some degree.  She will feel as though she knows them, even if she has never met them before.  She will also have a sexual attraction to them. All of these things vary in intensity, but in general, the longer she is with her male-set, the stronger her connection will become.”

Aisling took a long deep breath and reached for her wine glass again.  When she set her glass back on the table she looked straight at Olaf. 

“I feel those things for the three of you.  The connection, the sense of knowing you, your emotions when I’m close to you.  Does that mean that I am your Arima?”

Olaf was shocked, as were Rand and Rudy.  How was this possible?  And what did it mean?  After a moment, Olaf realized that he was also pleased that Aisling had such feelings for them, which made him feel a little guilty.  Why should he be happy that she had feelings for them that they could not return? 

Olaf had more questions than answers, a situation that was unusual for him, and one he did not like.  The one thing he was certain of was that he had to be honest with Aisling.

“We don’t know what it means that you feel the way you do,” Olaf admitted.  “We are very attracted to you, and we sensed your pain the other day, which is not usual.  The truth is that we feel as though you
should
be our Arima, Aisling.  We wish that you were.  Unfortunately, you are not.”

Aisling felt the blood drain from her face.  She had never had feelings like the ones she had for the Gryphons, and she knew that they cared for her.  She’d been feeling their emotions for days now and she was certain that they were attracted to her, and that they wanted her.  She’d thought they were just hesitant about telling her that she was their Arima.  The last thing in the world she had expected was for them to tell her this.  How was this possible? she thought.  There had to be a mistake.  It couldn’t be right.

Maybe they just didn’t want her.  Her lessons with Karma had proven to her how different she was from other women.  She had a very difficult time moving the way Karma did.  Was that it?  She knew how she felt, and she also knew how they felt.  And yet, even feeling the way they did, they did not want her. 

“Excuse me,” she said, pushing her chair back from the table.  “I need to...I can’t...excuse me,” she stammered before standing up and limping quickly out of the room.  Olaf stared after her, suddenly feeling as though he was watching their future walk away.  They sat silently, listening to the distinctive sound of Aisling’s footsteps as she crossed the living room, went up the hall and  entered her bedroom, the soft snick of the door closing causing them all to wince.

“This makes no sense,” Rand said.  “She senses us, as we do her.  We want her, as she wants us.  I do not know why our mating fangs have not descended and to be honest, I no longer care.  I love her, Olaf.  Arima or not, I want her to be our mate.”

“I do as well,” Olaf said.  “But what if...,”

“Don’t ask what if we find our Arima afterward,” Rudy interrupted.  “Like Rand, I just don’t care any more.  This is the woman we have all dreamed of.  I know she is, especially now that we know her feelings.  This is the woman we have waited centuries for.  Will we turn away from her now only because our mating fangs have not descended?  Do you want to continue living the way we have been, always waiting, always wanting, always dreaming but never doing?  Never having?  Never living?  I tell you now, my brothers, I do not.”

Rudy rose to his feet, crossed the dining room to the garden doors and threw them open.  He stepped outside and took three running steps, transforming into his gryphon as he leapt into the air.  Rand and Olaf listened as their youngest brother’s wings cracked in the still night air as he sped high into the sky.  When he roared, the pain, frustration and anguish were plain to hear. 

Rand pushed his chair back, nodded briefly to Olaf, then followed after Rudy.  Alone now, Olaf waited, counting his own heartbeats until he heard Rand’s roar join Rudy’s.  As much as he wanted to join his brothers, he could not leave Aisling alone in the house, unguarded.  He poured himself another glass of wine instead, then focused on the problem before them.  Every problem had a solution.  He just had to find it.

Chapter
18

Aisling awoke to the sound of rain pinging against the garden doors.  She climbed out of bed and crossed the room to watch the rain, feeling as though the dark, somber skies matched her mood.  After a few minutes she sighed to herself and reached for the hand terminal on the night stand beside the bed.  She turned it on and checked her messages, not really expecting anything.  When she saw the message from Jessi she hesitated before opening it.  She was expecting the personal specs for her weapons and work wear that she’d asked for so she could have them made, and she didn’t really want to think about that now.

After a moment she decided to read the message anyway, just in case Jessi had something important to tell her.  When she opened the message and read it, she gasped in surprise.  She read the message again, then saved it carefully before turning off the terminal and returning it to the night stand.

She watched the rain for a few more minutes, then went into the bathroom.  She turned on the shower, took off her pajamas and stepped in, adjusting the water until is was as hot as she could stand it. 

“Now what?” she asked herself as she reached for the shampoo, deliberately selecting the bottle Karma had picked up for her rather than the honey and cinnamon shampoo the Gryphons had given her.  She lathered her hair, ignoring the too sweet, flowery scent of it.

She did not want to stay with the Gryphons any longer, but she had to finish the translations.  She could not break her word and even if she could, she wanted to finish them.  It was too important not to finish.  Maybe Elder Vulpiran would have a place she could stay for a couple of days.  She didn’t think it would take longer than that.  It had taken a week to get through the oral translations, but if she was right about the written language, and it was stolen from another race, there was a very good chance it wouldn’t take more than a day to provide enough information for the computers to crack the language. 

She still had to do the translation of
The Book of Knowledge
, but that was not nearly as important as the Xanti.  She’d ask Elder Vulpiran if she could take the data with her, and send the translation back.  If he refused, then it would have to wait.  It was time for her to get back on track and focus on her own life and responsibilities again. 

By the time Aisling was finished with her shower and had dried her hair, she knew what she was going to do and was ready to start putting some plans into effect.  She opened her closet and frowned at the new clothes that Karma had helped her select the day before.  They were nice outfits, but they’d been bought for a reason that she didn’t want to think about now.  She spotted something green and unfamiliar at the far end and reached for it, smiling when she saw that it was the sweater Berta had made for her.  It was thick, soft and warm.  Perfect for a cold wet day.  She donned the sweater and a pair of new black pants that actually fit her, swept her hair back into a pony tail and called it done.  

She left her room and reluctantly headed for the dining room, wishing she had a ground-car of her own so she could just leave without having to ask for anything from anyone.  She considered walking to the Council Complex, but one glance through the living room windows was enough to dissuade her from that idea.  It was pouring rain out.

She took a deep breath and entered the dining room, disappointed to find that Karma was not there. 

“Good morning, Aisling,” Olaf said, standing politely as she entered the room.

“Good morning,” Aisling replied as she took her seat.  She tried to smile at Rand and Rudy but it was a wasted effort.  She reached for the coffee carafe and poured herself a cup, wanting the caffeine more than the food this morning.

“Aisling, we would like to discuss something with you, if you don’t mind,” Olaf said.

“All right,” she said as she added cream to her coffee and wrapped her hands around the thick mug.

“We want you, Aisling,” Olaf said.  “We want you to be our mate, our wife, the woman we spend our lives with.”

Aisling was so surprised she didn’t know what to think.  She started to raise her coffee mug to her mouth, but her hands were shaking too badly.  She kept them safely around the mug.

“Why?” she asked when she was sure she could speak.

“Because we love you,” Olaf said simply. 

“You said that I’m not your Arima,” Aisling reminded him.

“That is true,” Olaf said.  “But we don’t care.  You are you, and Arima or not, we want you.”