The Starborn (2 page)

Wia left the roof of the Citadel in a rush of power and flew into the stars, her grief building to a fever pitch until it burst in wave after wave of light energy. Flying without atmosphere took some getting used to, but she had been doing it since she was eleven.

Her silent scream rippled through the sky as she let her loss light the sky.

* * * *

“Each situation you enter will call for a rapid understanding of the culture. You are Readers, and you must use not only your talent, but also your eyes and knowledge of standard evolution.”

Wia stood at the front of the class and addressed the six students in front of her. One of the new Readers raised his hand. “Is it correct that you were at Halash?”

Wia nodded. “It is off topic, but yes, I was at Halash a year before it was destroyed.”

“Did you see evidence of the Hirn?” The young male was wide-eyed.

She nodded. “Yes. There was plenty of evidence of the Hirn, considering that it was their stronghold for several thousand years.”

“What did you see?” He was fixated. There was no doubt about it.

Wia sat up straight. “Ancient races still have surviving members and descendants today. The Hirn may be only an arm-length away. Why are you so interested in them?”

He blushed. “My mother said we probably had some Hirn in our background. There was no way to check as their genes are similar to many other species.”

Wia nodded and did something she rarely did. She let her Hirn out. A delicate rack of horns appeared out of her skull, and the tip of her nose darkened. “Hold still.”

She leaned forward and scented him, his neck, his armpit and a light smell near his groin. Wia sat back and let her horns recede. “You are not Hirn. You have some designer genes, so it may have been a species that was spliced to give the appearance of the Hirn.”

He reached out and touched her hand quickly.

She winced at the screech that he let out as his mind was overwhelmed with understanding of her mind and body. “And that is why Readers should not touch strange species without asking.

“You will learn soon enough that I am half Hirn and half Nyal in my origins with my father being a stellar Avatar at the time of my conception. I am much older than I look.”

She quirked her lips. “Now, follow me to the mock up and tell me what you see before you try to read anything.”

Wia walked the halls with her class, the curious one was still holding his hand as if it was wounded.

The mock up was designed to train the Readers to look before they began touching things. The first day, it was a simple room, but as education continued, it would be booby-trapped.

She opened the room and led them inside. “Take a look around and tell me what you see.”

Her heart thudded in her chest as she took a look around a replica of her childhood home. It was a room decorated for what Danyer called
Wia’s Day.
It wasn’t her birthday, it was a holiday designed one week after her birthday. It was a Hirn holiday that highlighted family and friends. The house was always alive with colour and lights on Wia’s Day.

Her students began to tell her what they saw while she tried to figure out who the hell had set this up. The date was correct—today was Wia’s Day.

“It is a celebration.”

“There are presents addressed to other folk, so it isn’t a birthday but rather a more community-based holiday.”

“Bipedal and humanoid. Average height is about two meters.”

“The ceilings are tall and there are grooves on the walls. This is the house of someone with claws or horns.”

She shook her head. “Excellent. You have guessed it. You can now begin touching items around the room.”

The six Readers spread around the room and picked up objects, their eyes closing as they read provenance.

The design of the room was still freaking her out when she took them all back to the class to find out what they had learned.

“What did you find out?”

The Readers got together. “Everything in the room was a copy except the mirror on the wall.” Lakianta of the Rgos spoke softly.

“What did the mirror show?”

Lakianta smiled, “Wia’s Day. The holiday was embedded in the reflective surface, but the surface was old. Over a thousand years old.”

“Well done, Lakianta. You get full marks for observation. What did you see?”

“I saw a family of Hirn and women of mixed races gathered around for dinner, everyone doting on the little girl that slowly grew up as the image progressed through time. You were very cute.”

Wia swallowed. “That is a high-accuracy rating, Lakianta. I will mention it to the headmaster, and yes, I was very cute.”

Lakianta tilted her head. “I did not realise that your facial markings were permanent.”

“Yes. They are marks of the Hirn that appear in every few generations.”

The eager boy from before, Ulidar, spoke. “So, you really are a Hirn?”

“No. Half a Hirn, or a third if you count Suek as the third donor of my DNA.”

A low voice rumbled from the door. “Suek does count. You are made of thirds, a perfect tripod of power, strength and intelligence.”

Braenar had changed dramatically since Wia saw him last. For one thing, he was wearing a Sector Guard uniform that highlighted every inch of thick muscle in a dark purple that did not look the least bit feminine.

“Braenar, last Avatar of Suek. Welcome to Citadel Aria.” She inclined her head.

“Instructor Wiali Suek, please come with me, I have an offer that I wish you to consider, and you will want to hear this in privacy.” Braenar smiled, a lock of dark hair slipping over one icy blue eye.

“Class dismissed.”

The students nodded. There had only been five minutes left in the class anyway.

The Readers slipped their grey gloves on and filed past her visitor.

When the doorway was clear, Braenar entered the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

She wasn’t sure what he was up to, but she knew he was determined to have her as an active participant.

Chapter Three

“What can I do for you, Braenar?” She gathered her data files and image generator.

“You are being reassigned by the Citadel to a new outpost they are creating in conjunction with the Sector Guard Base Udell.” He sat at the edge of her desk and crossed his arms over his impressive chest.

“Really? I thought I was an asset to Citadel Aria,” She quirked her lips as she loaded her bag.

“You are. The negotiations for your services have been intense, and they just culminated after six months. The moment I got the all clear, I grabbed a shuttle and headed here to collect you.”

Wia gave him a look. “Collect me? I am not part of a collection. I am one of a kind.”

Braenar grinned. “I would agree. This is why I pitched you as a likely addition to the new Citadel at Lowel.”

Wia leaned on the desk next to him. “Lowel hasn’t been completed yet, and it is not habitable to the majority of species.”

“There are quarters designed for you that have already been completed in the central hub.” He smiled and chuckled softly. “Add that to your physical resilience, and the Lowel Citadel is the perfect place for you to complete your dissertation.”

She gave him a sidelong look. “How do you know about that?”

“When Suek was with us, studying your status on a daily basis was required. It was a habit that I was not eager to break when he left.”

That confession surprised her. “Why?”

“You are a fascinating creature. One of a kind, as you stated. Did you really have the entire Archive running through your mind for fifteen hundred years?” Braenar’s tone was warm.

“I did. It was especially rough as my physical development was restricted by the stasis generator.”

The chime told her that it was time to exit the classroom. “We need to take this conversation out of here. There is a pyro class in here next, and they tend to be a little sloppy.”

Wia slipped her bag over her shoulder and walked to the exit with her companion following her. It was strange that the reason for her familiarity was gone, but she still felt that she knew him better than any man she had ever met before.

“The commissary is fairly open at this time of day. We can get something to drink and take a seat in the gardens.” Wia looked out the wall of windows and smiled.

“It sounds like a good idea.”

Tally waved at her and came over. “Wiali, who is this handsome creature next to you?”

Wia blinked and fought the urge to step between them. “Tally, this is Braenar, the ex-Avatar of Suek. Braenar, this is my roommate, Tally.”

Tally extended her hand, and Braenar took it politely. “A pleasure to meet you, Tally.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Braenar. Tell me, do they have to paint that suit on, or do they stitch it in place?” Tally went from curious to predatory in an instant, her eyes flared red and her nails extended.

“Before you get your fangs out, aren’t you late for class again?” Wia raised her eyebrow and snickered as Tally shifted back to normal and disappeared with a wave of farewell.

“Wow. She is very intense.” Braenar tucked her hand around his arm, giving the impression that they were a couple. “This is for my safety.”

She laughed out loud at the idea that he needed her assistance in keeping him safe. When she sobered, she realised that most of the women in the room had turned to watch Braenar with a strange intensity.

“Why are you attracting all this attention?”

“You are bad for a man’s ego.” He smiled as they walked to the beverage station.

“No, seriously. Every woman in here and some of the men are staring at you like you are consumable. What is up with that?”

“It is a side effect of my genetics. I am sexually available right now and therefore exuding a pheromone that attracts possible mates. When I was working with the star, he kept the reaction subdued.”

“Really? That was part of your arrangement with my father?” She took a cup of tea and some small biscuits, placing them on a tray that was suddenly carrying another cup before it was tugged out of her hands.

“Part of it, yes. You know that he chose me for you, right?”

She shrugged and led the way into the garden. The tables were set in surrounds of hedges, allowing a separation and illusion of privacy. She selected a private location and took a seat, settling her instructor robes around her.

“I am aware that it was his intention. He was fixated on my not being alone.” She picked up her tea and blew on it for a moment before she pulled heat from it with her fingertip and flicked it onto the stones next to her boots.

He grinned and did the same. “I was wondering how you were working your talents into everyday life.”

“Not a talent, a birthright.” She smiled and drank her perfectly cooled tea.

“Ah, yes, I keep forgetting you are a complete master of your power. So, why don’t you use that power for good rather than simply instructing Readers in how not to stumble into traps.”

She leaned back. “I am listening.”

“You have tremendous power and enough control to remove heat from a cup of tea without freezing everything around you. That is excellent for anyone who has never served as Avatar, and since most Avatars die with their stars and planets, someone with your skills is in high demand.”

“Where?”

“Right now, a planet is facing an attack from a violent neighbour who intends to expunge every living being on the surface. You could not only help those who are fleeing from the attacks but stop the ships in their tracks if you wished to.”

Guilt rose in her. “Is this situation really happening right now?”

Braenar nodded. “Does it change your opinion of being traded from one Citadel to another?”

She frowned. “Are you saying all this just to get me to agree?”

“The deal is done whether you agree or not. The only thing I am after is some enthusiasm.” Braenar ate one of her biscuits and smiled.

She sighed and grabbed for one herself, munching with resignation. “When do we leave?”

He arched a dark brow over his ice-blue eyes. “How fast can you pack?”

Chapter Four

“We could just fly there directly.” She drummed her fingers on the edge of her chair.

“Not at the speed we travel. We need to run through three jump sites before we get where we need to be.”

Wiali scowled. “I hate flying in shuttles. It’s so confining, and I have had enough confinement for an infinity of lifetimes.”

Braenar nodded and their pilot ignored her. He continued his flight with the band on his forehead, allowing him to interface with the ship.

Braenar took a different tactic. “Were you conscious in the stasis chamber?”

She twisted her lips. “Yes and no. The logic centre of my brain was active but my emotions and exterior awareness were asleep. The moment that I woke, I started crying and I didn’t stop for a week.”