The Star Whorl (The Totality Cycles Book 1) (23 page)

     “I – I was interested in
someone else,” she said, reluctantly. “So I ended my association with
Kreceno’Tiv.” She also stopped at some unseen cue. The panel of officials was
patient, waiting another measure of time before turning to Hytiro’Vel.

     “Hytiro’Vel?” the Magistrar
prompted again, looking to the third group.

     Hytiro’Vel slouched, not
meeting anyone’s eyes. “Last term, Pelani’Dun made her interest apparent to me,
and we became Geni’vhes,” he said gruffly, stopping on his own.

     “Now that that has been
established, what led to the events of this turn?” the official on the left of
the Magistrar asked patiently.

     Kreceno’Tiv did not feel a
prompting touch, and gladly forwent speaking up first again. Let Gotra
Pelani’Dun explain herself, if she could. But she, too, stayed silent, her gaze
lowered.

     The Counselor to the left of
the Magistrar sat forward, and the sense of authority coming from her was
subtle yet overt. Kreceno’Tiv allowed himself to shiver once more. She was
obviously highly placed in the Gu’Anin Magistrate Council, and commanded much
power and respect. She might even be from the Solidarim, itself.

     “One of you had better begin
explaining,” she said, her voice stern. “We have not had an incident such as
this in a generation, and it is inexcusable. Who began it?”

     Kreceno’Tiv did not want to
speak up.
He
had not started it, and felt no urge to take any of the
responsibility. But there was that touch, prompting him. Why? Was it because of
Vespar-Drelano’Sev’Tiv’s place in the Solidarim?

     “Counselor Dem, here is what
I know,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “Pelani’Dun turned her favor to
Hytiro’Vel. I was distraught for a time, but I cannot rekindle interest where
it is not, so I repined, then recovered. I did not try to interfere in their
association, I did not cast aspersions or instigate any conflict. She wanted
someone else, and there was nothing for me to do about it.” They listened
intensely, but he only told the truth, from his own perspective. “It hurt. Then
it did not hurt so much. Over the break between terms, I recovered. I – also
bloomed late, came into my second growth. I returned to Secondus, and...” There
was the touch. He cut off his words, mid-sentence.

     “And?” the Magistrar
gestured for him to continue, but his father kept a hand on his elytra-pace,
holding him silent. There was more going on than he knew, something, perhaps,
to do with the Solidarim? “Well, young Tiv? And what?”

     Kreceno’Tiv did not glance
at his parents, but did not continue. The overt gesture from his father was too
much to ignore. He merely gestured noncommittally.

     Gesturing exasperation, the
Magistrar finally turned to Gotra Pelani’Dun. “Young Gotra Dun? We have that
you had interest in the Tiv son, then transferred to the Vel son. Then, what?”

     Gotra Pelani’Dun looked from
side to side but not at her parents. She said nothing.

     “Someone had better answer
me,” the Magistrar said, her voice full of warning, not that she could do
anything to Kreceno’Tiv directly, he was almost certain. Not just because he
had not instigated it, or because he had not answered the challenge, but also
because of his famiya’s position.
But I didn’t do anything wrong,
he
reminded himself. That was the most important factor.

     The Secondus Head looked
around, then centered on Hytiro’Vel. “Young Vel?”

     Hytiro’Vel sat up as if
stung, then slouched his head forward again. “Pelan, she... I mean Pelani’Dun
said, at the start of the term, that she did not want to associate closely with
me, anymore. When I asked her why, she said – she said she had to leave me,
that she...” he looked at Gotra Pelani’Dun, and the puzzlement and hurt in his
face was painful to see. Kreceno’Tiv looked away. Much as he did not like the
other male, he knew that pain, and did not want to remember it.

     “She....?” the Magistrar
looked from Hytiro’Vel to Gotra Pelani’Dun.

    
How long is she going to
drag this out?
Kreceno’Tiv thought, angry and tired.
I have assignments
to do. Just say it, and have done!

     The official to the left of
the Magistrar gestured directly at Gotra Pelani’Dun. “Young Gotra Dun daughter,
you will give a full account of what happened. You are the Genus-inducer for
whom this young male was wearing battle-colors, and the entire responsibility
of this mess can be attributed to you, and very selfish and dangerous
machinations construed as your motive, if you do not explain. Do you understand
what will happen to your branch of the Gotra Dun famiya if you are found to be
responsible without any mitigation or explanation? Do you understand that your
own mating-rights are in serious jeopardy at this time?”

     “Magistrar,”
Gotrar-Teriso’Cor’Dun finally spoke up, as if goaded, “we found Hytiro’Vel to
be – not quite an acceptable association for our daughter. We wanted only what
was best for her.” It was as open an admission as they were likely to get from
her parents, of having put her up to this.

     “I see,” Fel said, sitting
back. “But that explanation only ends the association between Pelani’Dun and
Hytiro’Vel. That does not explain the situation of this turn.” She turned her
eyes back to Kreceno’Tiv.

     He gestured ignorance of
what could have been the instigating motive. He had a pretty good notion, but
he would not be volunteering it.

     “Pelani’Dun?” the Magistrar
turned to her again. “You have the most to lose in this. You
will
explain
how Hytiro’Vel came to be displaying your Gotrar-battle-induction and was ready
to fight a mating-challenge. You will explain, or we will judge summarily
against you and you will bear the full brunt of the responsibility for it!”

     Gotra Pelani’Dun began to
cry. “I – I did not want to be with Hytiro’Vel anymore,” she said, as if her
words were rehearsed. “I – realized that I still liked Kreceno’Tiv. When I saw
him again at the beginning of the term... I tried to let him know that I was
interested again. But he did not seem to notice,” she said between sniffs.

    
Now
that
was a
lie,
he thought angrily.
I noticed,
I
just wasn’t interested. You
made it so obvious, a corpse would have noticed!

     “So I approached him, to
apologize, and he – he snubbed me,” she continued.

     Kreceno’Tiv stiffened in
indignation, but a touch from his mother kept him from refuting her claim. A
slight tinge of –
something
– began to form around Gotra Pelani’Dun.
Contravening the truth-glyph? He relaxed again.

     “Did he, in truth?” the
Magistrar interrupted, her expression and voice flat. “In what way did he snub
you?”

     “He – he used his famiya and
Genus lineage,” she said, the large tears that had gathered in her eyes
beginning to slide down her face. “He told me to wait for another male who...” she
did not continue, leaving the inferences up to the panel. The tinge of
deception around her deepened, for, while in essence, most of what she said was
accurate, the intent was false.

     “I see,” the Magistrar said
again, her voice harder. “Well, regardless of what was said, how did Hytiro’Vel
come to have the challenge-rage?”

     She looked around, cornered.
“I was... Hytiro’Vel came to me, and I was upset... I... did not mean...” She
stumbled through a few more half-formed sentences before halting. But in the
final glyph-vuuing, she could not defend enflaming Hytiro’Vel and then sending
him after Kreceno’Tiv. It was obvious to him that her parents had put her up to
trying to reacquire him as a potential mate, but even they could not have put
her to making Hytiro’Vel challenge him. Their faces were stiff as she tried and
failed to excuse herself.

     “I was so upset... I – I
didn’t know what I was doing... Then I was in Hytiro’Vel’s arms, and he was
kissing me, and I guess it went too far... I – I tried to recall the
chemi-induction, but... he got upset again, when I told him why
I
was
upset... he flew into a rage, but I... I didn’t think...”

     “Enough,” the Magistrar
said, scowling. “Obviously you have never been thwarted in your interests,
before. Hytiro’Vel, you should have known better than to try to reacquaint with
Gotra Pelani’Dun once she made it clear that she was no longer interested –
that left you open to just this form of manipulation. Please wait with your
parents in the waiting area, you will receive our judgment in a moment.
Kreceno’Tiv, as you are not directly responsible for initiating this situation,
and you did not respond to the provocation presented by Hytiro’Vel, you are
excused, with no imputations against you. You may leave.”

     Kreceno’Tiv stood, relieved,
and followed his parents out of the chamber. He was glad he would not have to
see the punishment meted out to Gotra Pelani’Dun or Hytiro’Vel.

Whorl Seventy Two

     Vespa Kareni’Tiv turned to
him as their transport headed through the congested avenues for home.

     “We are proud of you,” she
said, smiling at him. “You behaved with great discretion, and admirable
control, to a very inflammatory situation. And while it was obscenely obvious
that the Gotra Dun daughter was very much to blame, as were her parents, you
did not directly implicate her. Well done.”

     He gave a tremulous smile,
though his insides were in a tumult. He had never been in so much trouble,
before, and never wanted to face a panel of officials like that again.
Though
the Ministries are probably as much of an ordeal,
he thought, and resolved
to use the experience to armor himself.
Better to experience it now, with
Mother and Father able to be here with me, than meet such for the first time,
alone!

     “Thank you, Mother, Father,”
he said, moving his elytra-pace as he tried to unknot the bunched
shoulder-muscles underneath. “I am sorry this came to such a pass. I tried to
avoid embroiling myself with her, again, but she pushed the situation to this.”

     Vespar-Drelano’Sev’Tiv
gestured understanding. “You spurned her advances. Most girls are not used to
that, most males being unable to resist. But you have admirable control – it
was almost inevitable, although regrettable, that she would lose control
because of it. But once thwarted, she was nearly bound to come to this pass.
Her parents should not have put her up to trying to regain your interest – the
fault lies with them.”

     Kreceno’Tiv did not argue,
though he did not think that her parents, alone, were responsible for her
renewed interest. He had seen the covetousness in her eyes, once she had seen
him again at the beginning of the term. When she had seen how he had developed,
the wish to repossess him had taken full hold. Her fault was persisting when he
had made it clear that he did not want to renew their pre-mating.

     “We’ve decided that your censure
is over,” Vespar-Drelano’Sev’Tiv said. “You may again use your Nil’Gu’ua. And
you may resume your activities outside of the domicive.”

     He looked from his mother to
his father. He tried to smile.

     “Thank you,” he said again.
They both gestured assent and called up tasks from their work, in which they
involved themselves.

     He sighed and leaned back,
closing his eyes as they crept through the crush. They would not get home until
late, he had many of his assignments to complete for the next turn.

Whorl Seventy Three

     Gotra Pelani’Dun was not on
the transport, or in any of the lectures for the next few turns. Nor was she
anywhere to be seen around the outside of the
Bustani
, Kreceno’Tiv noted,
when his friends and Pavtala Ralili’Bax took him there to mock-celebrate. He
was not sure how to feel about that – what had befallen her? The Magistrar had
implied that her mating-rights could be revoked if they thought her offense
serious enough. He did not want that – he had not wanted any of this.

     When she returned, she was –
crushed, chastened. There was a subtle difference about her, and when he
engaged his vuu’erio to his secondary retinas, he saw that a glyph of
suppression had been put on her glyph, disallowing her to exude a chemi-scent.
Her Gotra colors were also dimmed, almost back to pre-secondary growth, though
her physique had not been forcibly regressed.

     Despite himself, he felt a
little bad for her – what she had done was forbidden, but she was young, and
foolish, as they all were. And she had been used by her famiya, to try to snare
him, for their own political gain. This suppression was – cruel.

    
But then, she practically
mated with Hytiro’Vel, all except the Geni’vhor, and then sent him after me,
he
reminded himself, not following her with his eyes or senses. But though she had
been the instigator of the entire situation, he felt partially responsible,
somehow. Just by ignoring her, he had somehow set her on this path. Should he
have just responded, waiting for her to tire of him again? But she would not
have – she would have tried to make him her full mate, eventually, if her
parents were really behind this debacle. So, now, she had to spend the rest of
the term like this, and he felt a tightness in his chest whenever he saw her.
But
there’s nothing I can do, now, except avoid her.

     Hytiro’Vel also returned,
and he looked as crushed as Gotra Pelani’Dun. He had been forcibly un-induced,
and his ability to respond to chemi-scent had also been blocked. He cast one
fulminating glance at Kreceno’Tiv, then did not look or acknowledge him again.

     The rest of Secondus was
abuzz over the whole thing. Even pupils in the lower terms were shooting him
glances, which he ignored. Everyone speculated and asked each other what had happened,
but no one quite dared to ask any of the three involved.