The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga (25 page)

Honey’s eyes closed even though she tried to keep them open.  She struggled to lift
her eyelids again, wanting to ask about Nica, and Michael.

“Rest,
zetia
,” Vikter said.  “Michael and Nica are both safe.  We will ask no more questions of
you now.  Just rest.  Your care is in our hands.”

They watched as Honey sighed softly, her body relaxing as she fell asleep, and still
they watched her. 

“You were right, Vikter,” Hunt said after a while.  “Things were different than they
appeared.”

“Yes, they were,” Vikter replied, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Honey. 
“I confess, I never expected them to be this different.  It’s almost too good to be
true.”

“We must be cautious,” Lance said.  “Already we are allowing our emotions to get ahead
of the situation.”

“What do you mean?” Hunt asked.

“Vikter called her
zetia
, more than once,” Lance replied.  “I nearly used an endearment myself, and we all
feel as though she is now ours.”

“She is ours,” Hunt said.

“No, she is not,” Lance cautioned.  “She is still married to Michael.  The circumstances
of the marriage do not erase it.  In the eyes of all she is still Michael’s wife.”

“Their marriage is no more than a technicality,” Hunt argued.

“No marriage is a technicality,” Vikter said.  “They did not make vows to each other,
but they do have a contract and we must honor it.  Until the marriage is dissolved,
she is not free.”

“How do we behave as though she is not our Arima when we know the truth?” Hunt asked. 

“I don’t think we can,” Lance said.  “I know that I can’t.”

“I don’t know if I can or not,” Vikter said.  “Nor do I trust myself enough to risk
it.  One kiss, one touch, one unguarded word and we risk her honor as well as our
own.”

“I think those who know of the situation will not judge us,” Hunt argued.

“I agree,” Vikter replied.  “But there are many Clan Jasani on the ranch who do not
know the situation.  Will we announce to everyone the things that Honey has trusted
us with in an effort to make our own lives easier?”

“No, of course not,” Hunt said with a sigh.  “What will we do then?”

“We must keep our distance from her until their marriage is ended,” Vikter said. 

“Honey said that Terien will never grant them a dissolution,” Lance said.

“It is fortunate, then, that they are not on Terien,” Vikter said.  “I think that,
under the circumstances, Prince Garen would readily grant a divorce.  We cannot ask
for it ourselves, of course, but I think it would be acceptable for us to approach
Michael on this matter, so long as we are discreet about it.”

“In that case, we probably will have to stay away from Honey for only a matter of
a few days,” Lance said with relief.

“If all goes well, yes, I think that’s a safe guess,” Vikter replied.

“That’s good,” Hunt said.  “I doubt I could manage to stay away from her any longer
than that.”

“Shall we go now?” Lance asked hesitantly.

“No, not yet,” Vikter replied.  “We will stay with her until she is fully healed. 
Then we will throw ourselves into clearing the rubble from the explosion and rebuilding
the Research Center and the Infirmary.  It will give us something to do while we wait.”

Day Seven

Darck Winicke stepped out of the small hut he shared with Thelba and looked around
at the rest of the small village.  It was difficult to tell whether it was day or
night since the entire village was hidden inside of a massive cave, but he didn’t
care.  Never in his life had Darck felt as content as he had since coming here to
this hidden village on Onddo.  Never had he been more accepted.  That the village
population was entirely female made his acceptance all the more remarkable to him. 
On Earth women, all women, young or old, had looked at him with nothing but disgust. 
Except his mother.

“What is troubling you, Darck?” Thelba asked from the doorway behind him.

He turned to look at the female Narrasti, amazed, as always, at the depth of his feelings
for her.  Raised on Earth, he had a human’s idea of female beauty, which Thelba could
never come close to meeting.  Nevertheless, from the first moment he’d met her he’d
thought her the most beautiful female he’d ever laid eyes on with her light green,
scaled skin, and warm yellow eyes.  She looked like a female version of himself, which
was interesting considering that he was only part Narrasti. 

“You no wish to tell Thelba?” she asked.  “You could tell Marqex.  She listen good.”

“Of course I wish to tell you,” he said, reaching out to caress her cheek.  “I was
just thinking about my mother.”

“She makes you troubled?” Thelba asked.

“No, the way I treated her makes me troubled,” he replied.  “She was the only person
in my entire life, aside from you, who loved me unconditionally.  But I wanted to
be accepted by my father’s people, so I turned my back on her, treated her as they
treated her.  Only now do I see how I must have hurt her.”

“How did they treat her?” Thelba asked.

“Badly,” Darck replied.  He couldn’t think of a way to explain to her that his mother
had been a prisoner of the Brethren for her entire life, that she’d been forced to
give birth to him.  How could he tell a being as gentle and compassionate as Thelba
that he had not only accepted that situation as normal, but that he had become one
of his own mother’s jailers? 

“Does your mother still live?” Thelba asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.  “She was very old when I last saw her, before we left
Earth.”

“You must make peace with her
shadi
,” Thelba said.  “If you do not, it will haunt you for all time.”

“What does that mean? 
Shadi
?”

“
Shadi
is the part of her that you carry, inside of you,” Thelba said, struggling to explain
a concept she was born knowing in a language she’d only recently learned.

“Like her soul?” Darck asked.

“No,” Thelba replied.  “Her soul is her own. 
Shadi
is the part of her self, her heart and feelings, that she shared with you, that you
carry within you.”

Darck frowned in thought.  “I think I see what you mean,” he said.  “But how can I
make peace with such a thing?  She is not here.  I cannot tell her how sorry I am.”

“That is why you must make peace with her
shadi
,” Thelba replied.  “Once, when you were young, your feelings were good, yes?”

“Yes,” Darck said, smiling slightly.  His childhood had been lonely, stuck with his
mother in her desert prison, but she had worked hard to keep him busy, given him things
to do and think about, given him the only education he’d received.

“Then they become poison, yes?” Thelba said.

“Yes, that’s a good way to put it,” Darck said.  “Poisoned.”

“You must make peace with the poison,” Thelba said.  “Only then will it lose its power
and fade away, leaving the happiness and beauty behind.”

“How do I do this?” Darck asked.  “How do I make peace with poison?”

“That is inside of you to know,” Thelba said sadly.  “None can tell you that.  It
is your poison, your peace.  But you do not have to do this alone.  We will ask Marqex
to do ceremony and all will help.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to share this with everyone,” Darck admitted.

“You are not asked to do that,” Thelba assured him.  “We lend you our hearts, our
shadi
, to help you heal yours.”

“You are so good to me,” Darck said.

“No, I selfish,” Thelba said with a smile. “I want good father for children, happy
father.  That is all.”

Darck laughed.  “I have lived with selfish people my entire adult life.  You don’t
even know the meaning of the word.  How are the little ones doing today?”

“They are warm and safe in nest,” Thelba replied.  “It will not be long now.  A few
weeks.  Then we shall have little ones running through the village bringing joy to
all.”   

Darck smiled.  It had freaked him out at first when Thelba had laid three eggs, and
announced that he was going to be a father in a few months.  But it had seemed perfectly
normal to everyone else.  The entire village had celebrated the coming event and eventually
he’d grown more accustomed to the idea.  Especially after watching Thelba’s happiness
grow with each passing day.   

“Darck!  Darck!”

Darck and Thelba both turned to see Beleth running toward them from the cave entrance. 
Darck tensed.  Beleth had taken over the regular run to the Brethren encampment a
few weeks earlier.  Darck still went himself occasionally, but he didn’t like leaving
Thelba behind, and she had to stay to watch over the nest.

Beleth skidded to a stop and reached into a small bag she carried around her neck. 
She pulled out a small cylinder and handed it to him.  “This was in watching place,”
she said, panting from the long run.  “Is message.”

“Thank you, Beleth,” Darck said.

“Would you like to rest and drink?” Thelba asked politely as Darck turned the metal
cylinder over in his hands.

“I thank you, Thelba,” Beleth replied.  “I shall seek Marqex now.”

As soon as Beleth trotted away, Darck twisted the tube in the middle and it broke
open, revealing a thin sheet of rolled paper.  He unrolled it carefully and read the
brief message.

Stalnek arrives in three weeks.  Sickness is worse.  Only forty one left.  Must speak
with you.  Meet me at rock in seven days.”

Darck was stunned.  Only forty-one Brethren left?  Counting himself and the other
three young males he’d convinced to come to the village, that left only forty-five
Brethren out of the one hundred and three that left Earth.  They were not a dying
race, he realized.  They were already dead.  Thelba and this village of women who’d
snuck out from beneath Magoa’s rule in a bid for a peaceful life, were the only future
available to what was left of the Brethren. 

Darck read the message again, wondering what his father wanted.  Surely he couldn’t
expect him to return to the encampment because Stalnek was arriving.  Everyone already
thought he was dead.  Besides, there was nothing that could ever induce him to leave
Thelba, or his unborn children.  What he really wanted to do was convince more of
the Brethren to come here, to this village.  It was the only future left for his people,
and it was the best future of all.

“Why do you smile, Darck?” Thelba asked.  “Is good news?”

“I smile because I have you, and the children,” Darck replied.  “I have a family,
and you are more important to me than you know.”

“You are of importance to me, too,” she replied. 

“I must go and meet my father,” he said.  “My uncle, the leader of the Brethren, is
almost here.  Once he arrives, I can never risk going back there.  He cannot discover
that I am still alive.”

“Why?  Does he dislike you so much?”

“I don’t think Stalnek likes anyone,” Darck replied.  “Except his own son.  But William
is dead now, and Stalnek wants me to rule after him.  I will never be like Stalnek,
and eventually he will kill me for that.”

“Do not go, Darck,” Thelba said, suddenly frightened.

“Don’t worry, Thelba,” he said, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug.  “Stalnek
isn’t here yet.  I need to see my father before he does get here.  If he doesn’t return
with me after that, I’ll probably never see him again.”

***

Xi-Kung mentally reviewed his report to Xaqana-Ti one last time, confident that he’d
done everything possible under the circumstances to control the nightmare situation
the idiot Xi-Tarq had placed him in.  He was not as confident about Xaqana-Ti’s reaction,
but then, she was a Ruling Female.  One never knew what they thought, how they would
react, or what they would do about anything.  That was just one of the great mysteries
of females, he supposed.

“Xi-Kung, I sincerely hope for your sake that you have good news for me this day,”
Xaqana-Ti said, the lovely, erotic notes of her voice filling his quarters.  Xi-Kung
shuddered uncontrollably, but refused to allow himself to succumb fully to Xaqana-Ti’s
deadly charms.

“I have news,” he replied, choosing his words carefully.  “Whether or not you, most
beautiful and wise Xaqana-Ti will find it good or not is not for one such as myself
to say.”

Xaqana-Ti’s soft laughter had him shivering inside his
makina
.  He shook his head, forcing himself to think. “Speak then, Xi-Kung, and I will decide
for myself.”

Xi-Kung took a moment to clear his mind, then gave Xaqana-Ti his report.  As he spoke,
she remained silent, though something within him tightened and shook when he told
her about the imprisoned Xanti and captured
makina
.  Before she had a chance to react to it, he immediately told her of his plan to
destroy both, and its success.  When he was finished he fell silent.  There was no
more to say.