“I’ll be home for Christmas,
If only in my dreams.”
I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Traditional
Jonathan Greyer watched through the glass as
the ship settled gently on the landing pad outside. Snow was mounded
around the taxiway and runways in the distance, and jets roared in and out
of the busy airport. Here, in the newer spaceport area, his party was
the only group in evidence.
An employee joined them from the check-in desk.
“That’s your ship,” she said unnecessarily. “It will just be a few
minutes for routine security checks and refueling and you’ll be able to board.”
“Thanks,” he replied woodenly. The agent
left them, going over to unlock the terminal doors, allowing the ship’s flight
crew to enter and collect the pre-scanned luggage.
“It’s not too late to change your mind, Jon,”
said his lawyer. “The UESC can send the information and we can just
wait for the results here. There’s no real need to travel across space
to some completely different planet.”
“We already talked about this, Anthony,” Saoirse
Greyer said from her husband’s side. “If this is Jon’s son, we need
to see him and decide what’s best for him. We can’t do that here.
The poor boy was hauled across the galaxy when his mother died. There’s
no need to do it two or three more times just to satisfy our curiosity.
And space travel is perfectly safe.”
Anthony wrinkled his nose. “If, you say
so, ma’am.”
He doors to the landing pad opened again and
a man in a burgundy and green uniform came in, walking quickly over to the
group. “Mr. Greyer?” he asked.
“Me,” Jonathan said, stepping forward.
“My wife, Saoirse Greyer, and Anthony Chandler, our attorney.”
“Yes, sir,” the pilot said. “Any time
you’re ready, we can load up. We just need to scan your hand luggage
first.” Quickly, their carry-ons were scanned and returned, then they
trooped out to the ship and boarded.
Once airborne and underway, the pilot made
a brief announcement. “We’ll be making two quick stop for pick-up,
then it’s a straight shot to New Eden. Go ahead and make yourselves
comfortable. Even with light-drive, the trip is still several hours.”
Jonathan woke from a doze as the ship settled
on another landing pad. The pilot was already making his way to the
hatch. “No need to get up yet, folks. We’ll just be here a moment.”
He took the opportunity anyway to stretch and visit the ship’s well-appointed
lavatory.
The hatch was still open as he returned to
his seat, and he stepped out onto the rolling staircase, hoping to get a
sense of where they were. Terminals and runways dotted the snowy scenery,
but the planes were all fighter jets and cargo transports. “What base
are we on?” he asked a member of the flight crew.
“The Air Force Academy in Colorado,” she replied.
“We’ll be leaving in just a few minutes, though, sir, so you should return
to your seat.”
He nodded absently, taking a last breath of
the chilly air when the door to the nearest terminal opened and the pilot
emerged, holding it open as a woman walked past him. Jonathan felt
his blood chill. He recognized the woman, heavy coat, fur hat and all.
He watched in stony silence as a man came out after the woman, heavy coat
belted closed and sun shining off blond hair. He hugged the woman and
kissed her, then stood near the door as she walked toward the ship.
She handed her overnight bag to the crewmember and started up the stairs.
Jonathan waited where he was until the woman
was on the small platform with him. “Merry Christmas, Aurora.”
She looked at him. “Jonathan. I
might have known.” She turned away to wave to one last time at Steven
where he waited by the door, then boarded the ship. “Come on, Jonathan,”
she said from where she was removing her winter coat. “Let’s get this
disaster underway.”
The pilot and fight crew re-boarded, and they
was soon flying again, and Aurora studied Jon from her seat. “Please
tell me why I’m on a ship heading off-planet this close to Christmas.”
“It’s not my fault,” he protested. “I
didn’t ask them to involve you.”
She sighed. “It’s never your fault, I’m
sure. Good morning, Mr. Chandler. Nice to see you again,” she
said as the lawyer woke up.
“Commander Stargazer. I didn’t realize
the UECS would select you. I thought you had retired after the Merino
case.”
“I took Reservist status just before I married.
It’s Landon now, by the way,” she told him. “So why am I heading off-planet
to guard some documents?”
“It’s a sensitive matter, Commander Star –
sorry, Landon. There is a question of paternity to be resolved.”
Aurora looked pained. “Oh, Jon.
Not again. Once is one thing, but if you’re going to have a line of
mothers knocking at your door…”
Saoirse sat up. “It’s hardly that.
But if this is Jon’s son, they deserve a chance to meet and talk before anything
is decided.” Her voice was firm and resolute.
Aurora opened her mouth to disagree, then closed
it. “I can’t argue with that,” she said at last.
The pilot’s voice broke into their uncomfortable
silence. “We’ll be over California in just a little while, and after
a brief stop at UESC HQ in Mojave, we’ll be underway to New Eden.”
The travelers were all quiet until the ship
set down and the door was opened. Aurora unbuckled her restraints and
stood up. “I’ll just be a moment.” She looked at the drizzly
rain spattering on the tarmac. “I hate winter,” she murmured.
“You could snowbird to Florida every year,”
Jonathan suggested.
“I hate hurricanes more than snow and rain.”
She slipped into her wool coat and clattered down the steps.
She was back a few minutes later, a slim black
attaché clutched in one hand.
“Did you see Mike?” Jon asked as she shrugged
out of her coat.
“Didn’t look for him,” she replied, resuming
her seat. She looked over to Chandler. “I checked with the records
clerk. The file they gave me has a RFLP scan in it. Did you get
one from the child’s representatives?”
He nodded. “They’ve been very forthcoming
about all the information they have.”
Aurora nodded to herself. “All right,
then. I would like to ask, respectfully, to see the information they
sent, and in return, I would be willing to let you have a look at the RFLP
scan before we get to New Eden.”
“A trade, of sorts?” Chandler asked.
“Yes. I can’t let you leave the room
with anything in the folder I have, but I’m authorized to use the file however
I feel is best.” She lifted an eyebrow. “And of course, service
personnel are entitled to view their file at any time. Unless it’s
checked out, naturally.”
Chandler looked to the Greyers. “Do you
want to know?”
They exchanged a look of their own. “Yes,”
Jonathan said at last. “I think we need to know what we’re getting
into before we arrive.”
“Forewarned and all that,” Saoirse put in.
Chandler pulled out a large folder and withdrew
a sheet of gray plastic, then offered the rest to Aurora. “Commander
Landon.”
She accepted it, handing him the file from
her attaché at the same time. “Mr. Chandler.”
“It’s nice to be working with you rather than
against you this time.”
“I’m not for or against anyone, Mr. Chandler.
If forced to pick a side, I’ll go with the best interests of the child.”
“Jason,” Jonathan said suddenly. “His
name’s Jason.”
“Not your first choice?” Aurora asked.
“Not really,” he replied. “But I didn’t
have any say, so it’s fine.”
“Hmm.” Aurora buried herself in the file.
Anthony pulled the plastic sheet from the folder
and aligned it with Jason’s. “Are you sure you want to know?”
Saoirse nodded. “I think we ought to.
It’s gone too long as it is.”
“Jon? You agree?”
“I do. Let’s know what we’re walking
into.”
Chandler lifted the stacked sheets to a light.
Dark splotches were arranged in rows, laying out complex gene groupings in
neat rows. Even to a layman’s eyes, it was clear that many of the splotched
lined up; too many for coincidence. “We should do tests when we get
there, but I think it’s pretty clear that he’s your son.”
“Congratulations,” Aurora said dryly from across
the aisle. “It’s a boy.”
"Mac, am I doing the right thing?" asked
the woman sitting behind the large dark wood desk. "I know it's too late
to back out now, but..." She turned her chair to face the person sitting
behind a second, smaller desk.
The person set the pen that he had been
using down and leaned back in his chair, turning to face her as he did. "Hmm...
yes... No matter what happens it is the right thing to do. Yes... the right
thing."
"No backsliding, you," she said in a
mock serious voice.
Mac grinned and hunched forward, rubbing
his hands together. "Oh yes, yes...I mean, no Phantom, I mean Duchess Zannatasia,
I won't"
Chuckling, she shook her head "Silly
Snake man!" Picking up a piece of paper and crumpling it she threw it at
the former mobster. The person once known as Yesman.
With a laugh he caught it and tossed
it into a wastebasket. "All right Zan, Enough brooding. They will be here
in…" Looking up at the trio of clocks that hung on the wall, "Several hours,
give or take a few minutes." Picking up the pen again and adding a notebook
to it, he got back to the business at hand. "Now, how many are we expecting?"
He had to be serious when doing his job. He was the Seneschal of the Ducal
Palace.
"Hmmm…. Not sure. Let's go with at least
four suites. One for Mr. Greyer, a second for his lawyer, the third for whom
ever USEC sends and the fourth just in case there is an extra person."
He nodded and jotted down some notes,
"How about dinner tonight? Keep it the usual informal meal or would you prefer
to make it formal with the guests?"
"Let's go with semi-formal. Formal can
wait till later when the Queen and family arrive for Christmas."
"Are the Fledglings included tonight?"
"Yes. No need to exclude them right now,
Lord knows they will find a way to find out what is going on." she said chuckling.
She didn't call the children under her guardianship wards or orphans or even
fosterlings. She preferred to call them her fledglings.
"All right. Now, you," he pointed the pen at
her, "Go. Do something, anything, but get out of this office for a while.
All the business can wait till after the holidays and if it is an emergency
I can find you."
"Yes SIR!" she said as she stood, picking
up her black and silver wolf’s-head walking cane. Chuckling she headed towards
the large double doors. Before she was even half way there Mac was already
calling in several servants and staff members to start things going. She
took a final look at the trio of clocks and shook her head. One was
set for local time, one for Earth time, and the last for Limbo time.
And all three agreed that there wasn’t much time for everything that still
remained to be done.
A gentle touch on the shoulder woke Aurora
from her sleep. The crewmember smiled reassuringly. “We’ll be
landing soon, ma’am. Please raise your seat back and refasten your
restraint harness.”
She had scanned quickly through the file
on Maggie and Jason O’Ferral, noting with a frown that the mother had multiple
convictions for prostitution and other offences, both on Earth and in Limbo.
The drugs, theft and hooking all made sense together, but the manslaughter
charge made her wonder. His file also contained all the correspondence
involved. Anthony Chandler’s first reply had been cast in the kind
of challenging lawyer-ese she despised, but it was a smart maneuver, getting
the other side to give up a great deal of information. She looked again
at the picture of Maggie holding her toddler son. She didn’t look like
a typical hard-edged, in-it-for-money girl normal for Fense. “She was
pretty,” Aurora had said softly. “Not made up and looking to party.
Just…pretty. Wholesome. Like she wanted a different life.
What’s with the manslaughter conviction?”
Jonathan looked over at her. “You really
want to know?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to snap at
him, but she held herself back. “Yes,” she said evenly. “I’d
really like to know.”
“She mixed it up with a jo—with a client.
He got forceful; she said no and pushed him away. He tripped and wound
up hitting his head on a corner. Just one of those freak things.
She pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was given probation and relocated
to Fense after that.”
“That’s self-defense,” Aurora protested.
“She should never have been charged.”
“I’m not the judge, Aurora, or the jury
or the prosecutor. I was just the officer on the scene. It was
on Bedlama. And you know the Bedlamians. They like peace.”
“Hmph,” she scoffed. “Yes.
Peace, order, and all the illegal things on another planet so it’s not their
problem. Most peaceful planet in Limbo, and chief exporter of criminals.”
“They’re charming people,” Saoirse protested.
“Governor Xander was extremely forthright with me about their cultural groups.”
“They’re deluded,” Aurora countered.
“You can’t deal with problems by shipping them off somewhere and pretending
they don’t exist. At some point you have a large population of people
who will do just about anything to get what they want, with a grudge pointed
right at you.”
Saoirse leaned forward across Jonathan.
“The Bedlamians have the right to develop their social system as they see
fit. We can’t come in with our own preconceived notions of how things
ought to be and just—“
“Ladies, please,” Chandler interrupted.
“It’s a fascinating subject, I’m sure, but we should save it for another
time. We have a long trip ahead of us, and we should probably take
the opportunity to rest.” He offered Jonathan’s personnel file back
to Aurora. “If you’re finished, Commander?”
Aurora closed the folder and exchanged them
with Chandler. “Thank you, Mr. Chandler. I appreciate your sharing
with me.”
“Anytime, Commander.”
She returned the file to her attaché,
closed it, then loosened her restrains and tilted back her seat to sleep.
Now the ship skimmed low over snow-covered
mountains, then turned slightly to the left, and she could see snow-covered
fields outside her window. “Is it winter?” Aurora asked the crewmember
on her way back to the front cabin.
“Yes, ma’am. The seasons in Huntington
track fairly close to those in North America.”
Aurora nodded and the crewmember continued
on her way. “I should have brought my skis,” she murmured, digging
sunglasses out of her purse. The shining blue sky promised intense
glare from the snow below.
“I thought you hated winter,” Jonathan said,
tilting his own seat up.
“I hate winter in Colorado, where I’m stuck
indoors with energetic dogs and business people who don’t know when to cut
their losses. I see ski resort written all over this place.”
She sighed. “Oh, well. It’s just as well that I have a file to
baby-sit. I wouldn’t enjoy it without Steven.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t haul him along.”
“Someone had to stay home with the kids.
Jareth started kindergarten in August, and they don’t break for holidays
until the 24th.” She sighed again.
“You really don’t want to be here,” Jon said.
She shook her head. “No. Not really.
Much as I hate wet dog smell and pushy executives, it’s home.”
“I’m sorry you’re mixed up in this.”
“Too late to worry about it now.” She
looked past him to where Saoirse was still sleeping. “You should probably
wake her. We’ll be getting off soon.”
The exited the ship into a winter wonderland.
Snow sparkled while along cleared streets, with no sign of soot or exhaust
to darken it. Near the bottom of the staircase sat a beautiful sleigh,
painted burgundy and green, with a crest emblazoned on the side. As
the reached the ground, a man in a heavy coat approached them from a nearby
building.
“On behalf of the Duchess of Huntington, welcome
to New Ziveu,” he said, joining them. “I am Lord Nathanial White, Duke
of White Wood and the Head of New Eden Family Services.”
“Anthony Chandler,” the attorney said, stepping
forward and shaking Lord Nathanial’s hand. “It’s good to meet you.
And let me introduce Mr. and Mrs. Greyer.” They shook hands all around.
“And Commander Aurora Landon, who came out from UESC with the file.”
“Thank you for coming, Commander. The
UESC must be very careful with its files to send an officer along.”
“Thank you, Lord Nathanial. We are very
careful. And parts of the SilverHawks program are still classified,
so the entire file will not be available. But I am certain that the
question at hand can be answered.”
“Well, that’s excellent. Now, ladies,
gentlemen, if you’ll make yourselves comfortable in the sleigh, we’ll be
underway to the castle.”
The sleigh moved smoothly through the streets,
other vehicles and pedestrians moving out of the way and waving cheerfully.
“I’ve seen very few powered vehicles,” Aurora
commented over the jingling of the harness bells. “Is there a limited
amount of power on New Eden, or is it simply confined to this region?”
“Not at all,” Lord Nathanial assured her.
“New Eden is literally a paradise, and the people here are very aware of
it. Energy is obtained in abundance from a number of carefully managed
sources. We have hydropower, geothermal energy and solar power.
And in some areas we have fields of windmills harnessing the power of the
air itself.”
They passed into a stand of trees, then out
into a grassy park with a castle at the center. It was a blocky granite
affair, with square towers set at intervals along the exterior wall.
Aurora felt her heart twist. The castle wasn’t identical to the one
she’d lived in so happily, but it was close, and it made her homesick all
the same.
They pulled up into a curved drive near the
door, and the driver hopped down, helping them out onto the cleared path
to the door. Lord Nathanial escorted them up the walk, then lifted
the massive wolf’s-head knocker and let it fall. They could clearly
hear the echo from inside.
A few moments passed, then sounds could be
heard, a key in a lock, turning, and the distinctive click as the latch was
lifted. Then the door swung open. The face the stared out at
them was familiar and so completely unexpected that for a brief second, everyone
froze.
Aurora acted first, stepping between the figure
in the doorway and the rest of the party and pulling a small energy pistol
from behind her back.
“Do as I tell you, Yesman, and you won’t be
hurt. Open the door very wide, put your hands up, and back away slowly.”
“Commander,” Lord Nathanial began, “I believe
you are mistaken. This is—“
“I know who this is,” she interrupted.
“And I’m afraid I have to arrest him and arrange for his transport back to
Limbo. He’s an escaped prisoner from the Penal Planet.”
“He’s not a prisoner here,” came a familiar
voice from the back of the room. “Crazy Lady Hawk. Always acting
before you think.” There was a touch of admiration in the amused voice.
Aurora looked past the former Mobster into
the entry hall. “Phantom.”
Lord Nathanial cleared his throat. “Ladies
and gentlemen, the Duchess of Huntington, Lady Zannatasia Izzabella Vernadeua.”
“Oh, shit,” Jonathan murmured.
She was originally going to meet them
in her office, but had changed her mind since Lord White had called to tell
her that he was meeting them. Good thing that she did. The guards came to
alert the moment Aurora made her move. She had to do something to break the
tension. It would be a disaster if one of the group before her were to be
injured. Not to mention a possible political hassle with Earth and UESC
"He's not a prisoner here. Crazy
Lady Hawk. Always acting before you think" The lady still had all her
wits and training about her, even after all this time away from active duty.
With a soft chuckle the Duchess waved a hand
at the Guards. "At ease men." Poor Mac. Still getting picked on
after all this time with me. Nearly 5 years of loyal and dedicated service.
Has it been that long? Hard to believe, she thought to herself with amusement.
As she started forward to properly greet her
guest, her chief security officer silently joined her. He was also her personal
bodyguard whether or not she wanted one. She paused just a moment and looked
at him. He just smiled blandly as he paused next to her. Rolling her eyes
with a sigh she continued forward.
Zan was dressed in the official colors
of her Fiefdom, wearing a deep burgundy long sleeved shirt with a high collar
and hunter green leather pants. She had on knee high black riding boots,
with silver chase work on them as well. Crossing over from her right shoulder
to her left hip was a silver-blue and white sash that said proclaimed service
to the Royal Family. Dangling from a ribbon about her neck was the Star Cross
of New Eden, along with the Chain of Office. To top off the outfit, was a
floor length gray cape with her Ducal seal emblazoned on the back. She also
had a silver and black wolf head walking cane with her.
"Lord White, It's a pleasure to see you again."
"Lady Zan," he replied with a nod. They
were meeting as equals so he did not bow, "it's always a pleasure to be here.
Especially at this time of year." He turned to the tall fellow standing behind
and to the right of the Duchess and greeted him. "Kit."
"Your Grace" the fellow said as he bowed.
Zan tilted her head to the side and studied
Aurora a moment before speaking. "Please, Aurora, let my Seneschal go. He
does have duties to attend and I would hate to incur the wrath of his wife."
She didn't wait to see if she would or not, but turned to the rest of the
group. "Let me introduce my keeper. Or rather I should say my Chief of Security
and personal bodyguard, Kit Walker."
Kit stood right at 6'7”. Dressed in dark
gray clothing, he had a pair of katanas strapped across his back and a pistol
at his side. His waist length hair was back in a braid, tied off with the
fief's colors. He nodded to the party. "A Pleasure." It was all that he said
in his deep, rich but soft baritone voice. Kit Walker was an albino.
Lord Nathanial looked slightly disturbed.
“Commander Landon, I’m certain you were questioned about weapons before boarding
the ship. It concerns me that you were worried enough about your safety
to lie to the pilot.”
“I didn’t lie,” she said. “I was questioned
about weapons in my luggage. No one asked if I had weapons on my person.
It doesn’t do me any good if it’s in my suitcase.”
Zan laughed. “No, it doesn’t. Technically,
she didn’t lie, Lord Nathanial. But I think I’ll make sure that the
pilots ask more carefully in the future.” She stepped back, and they
trooped inside. It was beautifully decorated, and Christmas trimmings
hung from the upstairs railings. Introductions were exchanges, with
Jon and Zan nodding coolly to each other. “Kit,” she said at last,
”why don’t you take the Greyers and Mr. Chandler up to the suites in the
east wing, and I’ll take Commander Landon over to the west.
The Chief of Security looked at Aurora as if
she were a poisonous insect. “You’re sure?”
She smiled. “I know the Commander.
I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
He glared once more at Aurora, then gathered
his charges. “This way, please.”
Zan led Aurora in the opposite direction.
“So it’s Commander Landon now. It suits you, I think. How have
you been?”
“Good,” Aurora replied. “Busy.
I have too many hats, and not enough time to devote to them all.”
“Your Fledgling told me in an e-mail that Hondo
and Babycakes finally got lucky on the baby front.”
“Fledg- oh, Adry. Yes. Krys made
it through corrective surgery, and before they could start IFV, she got pregnant.
So the majority of the settlement money went into a pair of college funds.
I sneak money in from time to time, but if I go overboard, they start protesting.”
She looked around as they climbed the stairs. “This is really beautiful.
Almost like home. Have you given up couriering?”
“More or less. I might take the odd job
as a personal favor, but it’s a job for the young, really. Like space
defense.”
Aurora smiled distantly. “I suppose so.
When are we getting down to business?”
“Tomorrow we can all sit down and talk about
it.” She studied Aurora carefully. “How did you know I’m the
one who wants to adopt Jason?”
“Why else would we be here? It makes
the most sense to get all the parties together at once. I’m hoping
it won’t be a drawn out issue myself.”
“We are talking about his future. It
deserves a certain amount of careful consideration.”
“I know that. And I’m not for rushing
unduly. But my kids are at home, I’m here, and Christmas is just around
the corner. Adryanna thought she might wander in sometime after the
23rd, even, and it’s a rare privilege to have her around for holidays.”
“She probably wants what we all want; to be
with her family.” Zan opened a heavy wooden door. “This will
be your suite as long as you’re here. I hope it will do.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Dinner is still about
an hour off, so you have time to freshen up and change if you want. We won’t
be very formal tonight.”
“Okay. Thank you. I’ll see you in a bit,
then.” She closed the door as Zan left, then dropped her attaché
in a chair and dug her cell phone out of her purse, hitting the speed dial.
“Hi, honey, it’s me. I made it…Yes, you did see him…Well, let me tell
you….”
She met Mac on the way to her office
again, and saw Kit coming from the other direction. "All right gentlemen,
time to make some fast decisions."
Both nodded and followed, one on either
side of her. Before she reached the doors the guard stationed outside had
them open for her. As she passed she murmured a polite “thank you” to them.
Little things like that made her popular among the guard, staff and servants.
"How.."
"Many will be at the table? With yourself,
the children, Kali, and out guest, 23. I'll be supervising the servants."
Mac responded before she could even complete her sentence.
"I'll be supervising security so I won't be
joining you tonight. I can eat afterwards." Kit said as he walked about the
room, going over it with a critical eye, ever the vigilant one.
"You’re just mad because she slipped
a weapon past your security." Zan said with a chuckle as she went to her
chair and sat down.
Kit just snorted softly as he took up
his position next to the window.
She just smiled behind a hand and propped
her elbows on the desk. "So, how shall the seating be arranged? Obviously
Mr. And Mrs. Greyer next to each other. Mr. Chandler with them. That leaves
Aurora and Nathanial for the other side. Mac?"
"Hmmm…." He paced, or rather slithered
back and forth across the office as he thought it out. "Lord Nathanial to
your immediate right, Commander Landon next to him. To your Left, Mr. Chandler,
then Mr. and Mrs. Greyer. The oldest children will be closest, with the youngest
next to Kali. I hope the Commander doesn't mind Gypsy sitting next to her,
his manners still need improving. I'll stagger the children's placement down
the table. But that will still leave one seat open."
"Then place that empty seat next to the Commander.
One never knows who drops in around here."
Aurora was touching up her make-up when
the dinner bell sounded, followed almost immediately by a knock at the door.
“Coming,” she called. She gave one last critical glance at her lipstick,
then capped the tube and set it aside. She slid her uniform jacket
back on, covering the holster and gun at her back.
“Lord White. Good evening.”
“Good evening, Commander Landon. I thought
I would escort you down to the dining room. We don’t want you to die
of starvation lost in a hallway somewhere.” He smiled.
“Well, in that case, I’ll take you up on the
offer. I’m just ready now, as it happens.”
“I’m going to ask you straight out this time;
are you armed?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Yes. Is
it a problem?”
“You are perfectly safe here,” he assured her.
“The repercussions should you be injured are unthinkable.”
She chuckled. “I’m perfectly safe no
where,” she replied, “but I will make a gesture of good faith about it.”
She slipped the gun and holster from the small of her back, then unloaded
the gun and locked into the attaché. “Better?”
“Much. If you’re ready, then.”
He held the door open to allow her to pass.
“Thank you.”
They joined the others in a sitting room downstairs.
Saoirse had changed to a dress, and the men were wearing ties and jackets,
sitting and talking casually with drinks. Zan was present also, seated
in a chair with a glass and her bodyguard looming over her. He scowled
when he saw Aurora and moved to intercept her. “Commander, are you
armed at this time?”
“I took care of it already, Kit,” Lord White
said quietly.
“I would like the Commander’s answer in her
own words, My Lord. She has deceived our people once today already.”
“Kit, the Commander is a guest-“ Lord White
began, but Aurora interrupted him.
“I don’t mind, Lord White. I have no
weapons, Mr. Walker. If you wish to search me, I will not object.”
He glared at her some more. “I will accept
your word, because, as you said, you did not lie.”
“Thank you, Kit. I think you’ve embarrassed
us enough for one night. Commander Landon won’t feel welcome if you
keep this up. Come in, Commander, Your Grace,” Zan called. “We’re
just waiting for the children to be ready before we go in. Sit down,
Commander. What will you have to drink?”
Aurora took a chair across a low table from
Zan. “Club soda with lime, if it’s no trouble.”
“Not at all. Won’t you join us, Lord
Nathanial?”
He took a chair as a servant offered Aurora
a glass.
“Do you have many children, Lady Zan?” Tony
Chandler asked.
“They’re not mine,” she replied. “Not
exactly. But I have 15 kids in my care, with the help of a governess
to look after the younger ones.”
“That’s quite a responsibility,” Chandler said
smoothly.
“Her Grace is very capable,” Lord Nathanial
put it. “The children in her care all score very highly within their
age groups on our standardized tests, and they are involved in various athletics,
as well. We certainly don’t have any concerns about their well-being.”
“It sounds like your mind’s already made up,”
Jonathan said.
“It isn’t my decision,” Lord Nathanial replied.
“Lord Stefan Vovar will be arriving in a few days, and he will hear the statements
and make a decision. Alternately, if we come to some kind of settlement,
he will approve it or send us back to work more on the agreement if he feels
it isn’t in the child’s best interests.”
“Do you think it will be a long case, Lord
White?” Aurora asked. “My son’s birthday and Christmas are getting
close.”
“The details of the case may not take long
at all. But this area is well-known for severe winter storms that can
last a week. If one hits at the wrong time, you may be enjoying more
hospitality than you intended,” he explained.
Aurora frowned. “Well, no offense to
Lady Zan, but I hope not. I have a date with three good-looking men
for hot chocolate and a snowball fight.”
“I can provide snow and refreshments,” Zan
said, “but finding dates is your own look-out.” There was a certain
amount of commotion in the hall, and Zan stood up, followed almost immediately
by Lord White. Jonathan and Chandler rose somewhat more slowly.
“That’s the kids now,” she said. “I’ll have Kali bring them in to meet
you all.”
Children trooped in, more than a dozen when
Aurora lost count. The were all human, except for the oldest, felinoid
with creamy fur, brown hair and greenish-blue eyes. He was introduced
as Gypsy, and licked both her hand and Saoirse’s by way of greeting.
Saoirse, with her background in xeno-ethnography, took it much better.
“Steady on,” she whispered when Aurora looked
ready to bolt. “It’s a very common greeting in the child’s culture
unless I miss my guess. Something like a social kiss.”
“I don’t generally kiss on the first date either,
but it’s been a while, so I guess I can make an exception,” she whispered
back.
She shook many hands before noticing the snake-woman,
who looked something like Yesman, but golden-brown and marked with the spectacles
of a cobra on her back. She eventually herded the majority of the children
through another door, presumably to the dining room. Only one boy was
left behind, Jason, she presumed. He had the dark hair his pictures
promised, and now that she saw him in person, she could see Jonathan in him.
Saoirse moved over to join her husband, and Aurora hung back. It was
nothing to do with her, she reminded herself.
“Jonathan and Saoirse Greyer, meet Jason O’Ferral,”
Zan said. “Jason and I have talked about all this; why you’re here
and what it all means.”
Jon seemed stunned, but Saoirse stepped in
with aplomb. “Hello, Jason. My name is Saoirse, and I’m very
glad to meet you.” She offered her hand and the boy shook it quickly.
“Hullo,” he said softly.
“Hello, Jason,” Jon said, returning from his
daze. “Is there...anything you want to ask me? I imagine I owe
you some answers, at the very least.”
The boy stared at him for a long minute.
“Why’d she have to die?!” he burst out.
Jonathan seemed taken aback. “Jason,
“ he said at last, “your mother was in a very dangerous profession.
It’s not uncommon for women who…did what she did to find themselves on the
wrong side of an angry client-“
“That wasn’t what happened!” Jason shouted.
“It was about you. They knew she’d been close to you! They thought
she knew something useful, but she didn’t, and they killed her for it!
It was your fault, and you didn’t do anything!”
Jonathan was taken aback. “Jason…” he
began, but there was nothing he could say.
Aurora thought about it for a long minute,
then decided to step in. If there was any chance for this boy to be
reconciled with his father in any way, it couldn’t start with hatred.
She stepped up.
“Hi, Jason. I’m Aurora. Your--
Jon and I worked together for a long time, back before you were born.”
He nodded. “I heard of you. You
were gone. Everyone on Fense was talking about it.”
“I was gone for a while,” she said. “But
that’s not really what I wanted to tell you. The job Jonathan had,
when your Mom died? It’s a really hard job. I know because it
was my job for a while, and I left. I was having a hard time, and I
missed my family, and I couldn’t seem to get anything done. And in
part, it’s probably my fault your mom got killed, too. I was the bozo
who let the Mob use her like a poker chip and break out of prison.
When I got the job, they were locked up. So I left him with that big
mess. And if you lived on Fense, then you know how it is, that there
are things the SilverHawks could do, but we’re not allowed to because of
the Light-Year Limit. So it’s not all any one person’s fault.
The ball got dropped, and that’s a crime in and of itself, but when you add
up all the facts, there’s no one to blame but the people who did the beating,
okay?”
He stared at her for a long minute, then looked
over at Zan. “May I be excused to the table, Mama Zan?”
She nodded. “Go ahead. And please
tell Mac that we’ll just be another minute.”
“It was nice to meet all of you,” Jason said
woodenly, then turned and left the room.
“Thanks, Aurora,” Jon said once Jason had gone.
“That was great.”
“It wasn’t just for his benefit. We all
let the ball drop every time something happened on Fense.”
“Weren’t you forbidden from getting involved
that far out?” Saoirse asked.
“That’s the problem. We should have fought
harder to change the boundaries. And honestly, Jon, how could you leave
him out there, whatever the deal was with his mother?”
“I swear, Aurora, I never knew. It was
that really bad year, and I just let it go off the radar. I never knew
he existed.”
She sighed. “That’s always the problem.
We never know until it’s too late.”
Zan cleared her throat. ‘Well, why don’t
we all go in for dinner. Things may look better over some food.”
The children were all clustered at one end
of the table, standing behind their chairs and speaking quietly. Even the
youngest stood near their governess, waiting to be seated. The men
quickly sorted themselves out, Lord White holding Aurora’s chair, Jonathan
holding Saoirse’s, and Tony Chandler holding Zan. She sat, and the
girls at the far end of the table sat, and Aurora did likewise, and the men
followed. Kit took his place behind Zan’s chair, still scowling.
Aurora had just about decided it was his normal expression. Servants
trooped in with food, and everyone started eating.
“Are we expecting someone?” Aurora asked, indicating
the empty seat next to her.
“No one in particular,” Zan said, “but I find
I get drop-ins frequently. There are 8 kids in my family, so it’s a
pretty rare week when I don’t see at least one of them in here.”
“Jon said you were in private shipping.
How did you end up with such a marvelous house, or does transport just pay
really well?” Saoirse asked.
Kit stepped forward and casually leaned over
the top of Zan's chair. "Oh, the normal way one does things around here.
Help run the resistance when the Demon Clan over ran the place about oh,
14-15 years ago, nearly got killed while protecting the Late Queen. Accepted
the titles while doped out of her mind on the painkillers."
Zan muttered, "Thank you ever so much,
Kit," and slouched in the chair with a glass of wine in hand.
"You’re welcome, Your Grace," Kit smirked.
He frowned when the sound of the heavy door knocked thudded faintly into
the room. “Excuse me a moment, Your Grace.” He returned a few
minutes later with another man in tow. “The late Mr. RunningHorse,”
he announced. His voice dripped with sarcasm, but the corners of his
lips twitched in mirth.
“Hey Zan, sorry I’m late. Good to see
you, Mac. Lady K., beautiful as ever. Hi, kids.” There was general
clamoring as he passed the children on his way to the open place beside Aurora.
Zan smiled. “David, you’ll be late to
your own wedding.”
“Not at the rate I’m – Hey, love. How
did you get here?”
Aurora turned to face him, and his hopeful
expression fell. “Damn. I’m sorry. I though you were someone
else.” He took his seat. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”
“Not at all. You must be the mysterious David
I hear so much about.” She offered a hand. “Aurora Landon.
Adryanna is my daughter.”
He shook it enthusiastically. “David
RunningHorse. I am really honored to meet you. Adry talks about
you all the time. Have you talked to her lately? I’ve been on
patrol with my unit, and I couldn’t get near a terminal to check my mail.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I’m not making a great first impression
here.”
Aurora smiled. “Don’t worry about it.
I’m certainly impressed.”
After dinner, Zan stood, and the voices of
the children fell silent. “You kids have some time before lights out.
What do you want to do with it?”
There was some anxious whispered conferencing,
and a quick hand vote taken. Then the oldest of the human children
stood.
“On behalf of Team FireFall, we challenge the
FreeBirds to a round of War Games.” There was more urgent whispering,
then he continued. “That is, if our honored guests don’t mind.”
More than a dozen pairs of eyes shifted to
Aurora. She blinked, uncertain of what she’d done to garner so much
attention.
David took pity on her and leaned in close.
“You’re the highest-ranked female guest. It’s up to you,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” she whispered back. “It sounds
very interesting. Jon, Saoirse, what do you think?”
“We’re interested, yes,” Jon said after they
exchanged looks.
“That’s settled, then. Children, you are all
excused. We’ll start in the Game Room in ten minutes.” Zan stepped
away from the table and everyone rose.
“Can I escort you to the Game Room?” David
asked as Aurora stood.
“Certainly.” She followed him out after
the children.
“I’m not being totally altruistic here,” he
confessed. “I’m hoping to pick your brain about Adry. How is
she?”
“Busy. She’s been California for quite
a while now, singing in one club or another.”
“I’ve heard her. Does she…mention me
at all?”
“Frequently, with choice invectives about the
disparities in your schedules. She has, and I quote, ‘never spent this
much time trying to get together with a guy.’ It makes her day when
you make it to a show.”
“I wish I could make more. But New Eden’s
military is still small compared to Earth’s, and we’re training all the time.
I was hoping I could catch up with her during the holiday leave, but….”
“But she’s going to be in Colorado and you’ll
be with your family,” Aurora concluded.
“Yeah. Well, here, really, since everyone’s
planning to come visit Zan this year. But still…”
“It’s never fun to be away from people you
care about during the holidays.” Aurora sighed. “So what are
we going to see tonight?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Zan has the older kids split into teams, and
they play various simulation games against each other. I don’t know
what battle they’ll do tonight, but it’s always entertaining. And Jason’s
brilliant. He’s won World War II as the Germans a couple of times.”
“Why would anyone want to?”
“Just to see if it could be done. Then
they get assignments in class like writing essays about what Hitler’s biggest
mistakes were from social, political and military perspectives. I’ll
tell you something, these kids don’t miss much.”
“David, I’m not here to decide anything.
I have a file to look after, and that’s it.”
“I know. It’s just that Zan really loves
these kids, every single one of them. It would kill her to have to
give one up.” He opened a door. “Here we are.”
The room was huge, and filled with computer
and communication technology. “They play in here?” Aurora asked
incredulously.
“It’s used for high-power stuff, too, but these
systems are the only ones in the house that will run the kind of software
we’ll see tonight.” He led her around the terminals to a staircase
“We’ll be up here, in the booth. The kids can only see what’s going
on from their own side, but we’ll have an overview. And there’s a station
that allows for random events. Changes of weather, earthquakes, volcanoes.
In these games, anything can and does happen.”
Aurora stared down to the control floor through
the plate glass windows. “It’s like a shuttle command center.”
“We haven’t tried that, yet,” he laughed.
“Can I get you something, coffee, tea?”
“Coffee, please,” she replied, distracts.
“Black.”
He joined her and handed her a cup. “Adry
likes lattés,” he said absently.
Aurora smiled. “You know her well.”
“I’m getting there.”
Aurora had the feeling she should be asking
David about his intentions when the phone in her pocket rang. “Excuse
me a minute.” She moved to the corner and pulled it out. “Hello?”
“Mom, what should I give David for Christmas?”
Aurora glanced over to the young man quickly,
then away. “’Hello, Mom. How was your trip?’ Oh, just fine.
“How long will you be?’ I’m not sure yet. How are you? ‘I’m fine, Mom,
but I need some advice.’ Do we need to review the basics?”
“Mooooooommm… ‘Cause I was thinking about
copying some of the videos of my gigs to a disc, so he could just listen
to them, or watch them, but I don’t want to look like I’m all the time blowing
my own horn…”
“I just met the man, dear. I’m hardly
in a position to--”
“WHAT?!”
The shriek was loud enough that Aurora winced
and pulled the phone away from her ear. Even with the distance, she
could hear strident demands that the phone be given to him. She held
it out. “Adryanna wants a word with you.”
He took it politely enough, but once in his
hand, he clapped it to his ear faster than a starving man could shove food
in his mouth.
“Hey, you….I know. I hate it too….No,
only 24 hours. That’s why I didn’t go all the way home….Not until the
24th, and then I’ll be here with the clan….Not until the 2nd, but don’t you
have a job on the 31st?…Okay, where?” Aurora watched him dig out a
pen and scribble something on his hand. “Got it….Opening, huh?
So you don’t actually have to be on-stage at midnight?…Sounds great….Wild
horses, okay? Yeah. Me, too.” He handed the phone back to Aurora
and mouthed ‘Thank you.’
She smiled and nodded in return. “Adry?
You still there?”
“Isn’t he wonderful? He’s so tall, and
handsome, and those eyes…. And oh, Mom, you should hear him sing.”
“I’ll concede to your greater knowledge in
those areas.” She moved toward a corner as the others started piling
in. “Are you sure he’s the one?”
“Oh, gods, Mom, I hope so. I’d hate to
think all this effort isn’t going to pay off.”
“You’re all he’s talked about, if it’s any
consolation.”
“Yeah? That’s great. Look, Mom,
I have to go. I’m on in ten. I’d tell you to kiss him for me,
but that might be too weird.”
Aurora laughed. “That would be very awkward,
true. Have a good night, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye, Mom. Love you.”
“I love you, too.” She hit end and went
over to join Zan. “Sorry about that. Family in need of gift advice.”
Zan nodded. “The Fledgling, unless I
miss my guess.”
“Yes. How did you know?”
Zan tipped her head toward David, who was staring
at his palm and grinning like a madman “He got some good news.”
“New Year’s Eve date.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll ask her and get it
over with.”
Aurora lowered her voice. “He’s planning
to propose?”
“Agonizing over it is more like it. ‘What
if she says no? What if she doesn’t want to live so far from her family?
What if she just wants to be friends?’ I told him no woman invests
that kind of effort in being friends, especially with the record they have
for missing connections.”
“Well, she considers him just about perfect.
I think she’d go for it. But I need to find out how much she’s told
him first. Our family is not one a person should walk into blind.
I’ll catch her over Christmas and make sure she’s not leaving out anything
important.”
Kit came in as she finished. “They are
ready, Your Grace.”
“What did they pick?”
“The Legions and the Gauls.”
“Excellent. Zan stood and turned to face
her assembled guests. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to present
to you to The Freebirds and Team FireFall in a battle between the Roman Legions
and the Gauls of Germania.” She sat down and the lights dimmed, bringing
the monitors outside the booth into sharp focus. The children involved
in the mock battle, five on each side, sat in the main room at consoles,
watching text messages and battle maps simultaneously. The two team
captains, David and Jason, sat at larger stations with multiple screens and
a clearer view of what was happening.
Blocks of troops led by the team members lined
up on opposing sides of a tree lined clearing, and after a few false starts
and a flurry of arrows, the battle was launched. They watched quietly
for a few moments, then Jonathan stood and walked over to the glass, staring
out at the monitor. “Well, that’s never going to work,” he commented
to himself.
“What?” Aurora asked, getting up to join him.
He zoomed out on the scene, showing more of
the surrounding forest. “He’s got a trooper out here in the woods.
What’s this guy doing? Picking wildflowers? And he seems to be
short a regiment of soldiers.”
Aurora zoomed the view out again. “Here
they are,” she said, pointing. “He’s planning to send them in from
behind. Should be very effective.”
“You don’t think the other side is going to
notice they’re fighting a reduced force in front?”
“It’s ground fighting, Jon, with no advanced
communication. Pure chaos. The Gauls aren’t going to notice anything
until that troop is right in their midst. And if Jason’s really smart,
they’re mounted cavalry. Men on horses with swords versus ground foot
soldiers? Unless they drag pikes from somewhere, the foot soldiers
won’t be going home.”
“You sound like someone who knows,” Zan said,
joining them.
“A pike’s never ruined my day, but I’ve seen
it happen. Horses become useless. It’s not fun.” Aurora
sipped her coffee. “Hell, no battle is ever fun.”
“No. It isn’t,” Zan said softly, and
Jon could only nod in agreement.
The virtual cavalry swept through the electronic
forest and into the back end of the Gauls, and within moments the barbarian
troops were surrounded David and the rest of Fire Fall fought valiantly to
break free, then once it was clear they couldn’t retreat, the young captain
signaled his surrender, and it was graciously accepted by Jason and the Freebirds.
There was applause all around as the teams
came into the control booth.
“Congratulations, Freebirds,” Zan said, smiling.
“Tomorrow afternoon’s activity is your pick. Talk about it, and let
me know tomorrow.” She signaled to Lady Kali, what gathered the kids
up. They politely said goodnight and filed out.
“Should we plan to meet tomorrow morning and
see where we are with this issue?” Zan asked.
“That’s fine with me,” Aurora said. “But
if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed. Good night, all.”
Aurora entered the meeting room at five minute
to nine with her locked attaché and a large cup of coffee.
“We were starting to wonder if you would make
it, Commander,” Lord White said. “We missed you at breakfast.”
“I’m not a breakfast person,” Aurora said,
setting her burdens down. She slipped off her uniform jacket and hung
it on the back of the chair. “So are we ready to talk about the file?”
“We need to verify the child’s relationship
to Mr. Greyer before we can discuss any custody issues, yes.”
Aurora unlocked the case and removed the file,
then sat down, moving the attaché out of the way. “All right.
Here’s the deal from my end. I have been given certain guidelines concerning
the contents of this file. Some of the information I can share, and
some is still classified. A great deal of the medical information falls
into the second category, but there is a genetic scan of Mr. Greyer, pre-modification,
that I can allow you to see. I understand there’s a similar scan of
the child?”
“We have all his available medical records,”
Lord White confirmed.
Aurora slid the scan out. “They why don’t
you start by looking at this, and we’ll go from there.”
“Can we wait just a minute on that?”
Chandler asked. “I’d like to confirm that Mr. Greyer was even present
in Limbo during the time the child was conceived.”
Lord White opened a folder of his own.
“We took statements from those who knew the mother before her death, including
the duchess. She stated that she witnessed Mr. Greyer speaking with
Ms. O’Ferral on a night the last week in January 1989 on Fense. I‘m
sure if pressed, the UESC would produce reports filed by Mr. Greyer at Hawk
Haven during that time. Was that during your tenure there as well,
Commander?”
Aurora considered for a moment. “Let
me work out the conversion, Lord White. I could never flip between
Earth Years and Limbo years easily.”
“January 2842,” Jonathan supplied. “You
weren’t there. You were-“
“On sabbatical,” Aurora said quickly.
“I had leave, and I took it.” She looked at her calculations, the Limbo
year now filled in. “That’s the year…”
“The bad year.” Jon said it with defeat.
Aurora stared at him in silence. “Lord
White, would you excuse us for a moment? Jonathan and I need to have
a private word.” She stood and walked out, waiting for Jon to follow
her.
“How could you?” she said sharply when he came
out.
“What?”
“God, Jon, it’s bad enough that you slept with
a prostitute, but it didn’t hit me until I saw the years together like that.
You got Krys pregnant, then you went out a fucked a whore and got her pregnant,
too. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“This isn’t the place to get into this, Aurora.
And it’s long since over.”
“Over? I’m standing here, on another
planet, days before my son’s birthday, because of this. It’s far from
over.”
“I thought we were done blaming each other
for everything that’s gone wrong in the last 15 years.” He glared at
her. “Have you ever done it?”
“Done what?”
“Slept with a prostitute. Paid someone
for sex,” he clarified.
Her expression was horrified. “No!”
“Did your precious Steven?”
“What?”
He was implacable. “Did Steven ever ‘fuck
a whore’ as you so eloquently put it?”
“I-“ Her mind reeled at the thought,
but she rallied. “I don’t know. I never asked. I was so
happy he was alive that I didn’t care. I don’t care.”
“I know the truth, Aurora. I know what
you don’t tell other people. I know that the girl I saw with you in
that courtroom is the same child you were carrying when Krysten had the first
miscarriage. I know she’s your daughter, no matter how often you say she’s
your husband’s daughter, your step-daughter. And I know your beloved
husband is the same prick who stole you from me. I know it all.
Through whatever means, you were living in the past, and Steven, or whoever
the hell he really is, was there with you. And I know what you were
doing. Now you tell me, is he going to wait for you for 800 years or
whatever the hell it was? You’re good, Aurora, I’ll grant you that.
But not that good. So you think about that, one night when you’re lying
there next to him and can’t sleep. Is he really a better person, or
just a better liar?” He turned and took a few steps away, then looked
back. “And just for your information, I have talked to Saoirse about
this, when we first received the information about Jason. She asked
me, and I was able to tell her honestly that I’d never paid for it again.
She knows you and I slept together once. Why don’t you ask the rarified
General Landon and see if he’s as honest?” He turned away again and
walked back into the room.
Aurora was staring into nothing when Zan came
out a few minutes later.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, shaking Aurora’s
arm a little.
“I…he asked me…did he…” She shook her
head to clear it. “I’m fine. Probably should have had some toast
or something this morning.”
“He never mentioned Maggie to you before, did
he?”
“Why should he have?” Aurora asked. “It’s
none of my affair.”
“But it was his. I was there that night.
He was tearing drunk, mourning for his lost love. And he paid a pretty
girl to help him forget.”
Aurora snorted. “After he got another
girl pregnant.” She walked over to the window, staring out at the sparkling
snow. “I seem to be the one that dodged that bullet.”
Zan joined her. “You and Greyer?”
When Aurora nodded, she asked, “What happened?”
Aurora shook her head. “One of those
things. More than a year ago, almost two. Steven and I fought
about something, and I went to Krysten’s house to calm down. Jon was
visiting, and we spent a day just being friends. We got to talking
about the past, and wound up in bed together. Just dumb.”
“But you didn’t get pregnant.”
“No. Because I can’t. Not anymore.”
She sighed. “Jon asked if I’ve ever paid for sex. Not like he
meant, but I’ve been paying in guilt since that night with him.”
“What did Steven say when you told him?”
A fleeting smile crossed Aurora’s lips.
“Steven…is Steven. He has a unique perspective on these things.
He understood.”
Zan stared at her a moment. “I think
a lot of people would offer a mountain of body parts for what you have.
Feeling guilty because you’re as human as the rest of us is pointless.
And crucifying someone for it is just as bad. Do you want to take a
break?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want me to go back in there and ask
that we take a break until after lunch?” Zan clarified.
Aurora shook her head. “No. I’m
fine. Let’s work on this.” She walked back into the room and
sat down at her chair. Zan dismissed the guard hovering over the folder
with a nod and a word of thanks.
“I’m sorry about the disruption, Lord White,”
Aurora said. “Most station reports are classified, but there are dated
documents available that show then-Lieutenant Greyer present in Limbo on
active duty with the SilverHawk Unit stationed there. The UESC acknowledges
his presence at the time in question.”
“I was there,” Jonathan said.
“Jon,” Chandler warned.
“No. I’m not going to deny it or try
to maneuver my way around it. I was continuously present in Limbo Galaxy
from late February 1986, which was 2839 by Limbo date, to May of 1993, or
2846. Commander Edward Stargazer became seriously ill at that time,
and Commander Thomas Greyer was put in temporary command. The original
team members were spending most of their time at HQ with Commander Stargazer.
Aurora wasn’t able to join us until June.”
“So that brings us to the matter of the genetic
scans,” Lord White said. “Commander, if there are no more objections?”
Aurora handed over the plastic sheet.
Lord White stacked it with a similar sheet pulled from the file in front
of him, and lifted them to the light. “There appear to be a number
of similarities,” he commented. Then he looked to them, noting their
lack of reactions. “And this doesn’t sound like news to any of you.
Commander Landon, can you explain?”
She shrugged. “Mr. Greyer is entitled
to view his personal file at any time when it’s in the record office.
Once it’s checked out, as it is in this case, access is at the discretion
of the officer in charge.”
“I see. Well, the paternity in question
having been established, I think we can move on-“
“Excuse me, Lord White,” Chandler broke in,
“but all we’ve determined is that there are similarities between the records
provided, which may be inaccurate. I think, with an issue this important,
we should discuss the option of taking fresh tests and getting a report we
can all trust. Buccal samples are non-invasive and painless, and provide
the best material for testing.”
Nathanial looked over at Zan. “What is
your opinion, Your Grace? As Jason’s guardian, it’s your decision to
allow him to be tested.”
“It’s fine with me. Phoenix Medical can
have the results back in a matter of days.”
“We might discuss using an independent lab,
Your Grace,” Chandler said.
“No,” Jon disagreed. “I’m sure Phoenix
will be fine. Sending the materials to Earth and back would take unnecessary
time.”
“Commander?” Lord White asked. “Does
the UESC have a position on fresh genetic tests?”
“None what so ever. Though we would request
to have a copy of the results, should they prove pertinent to Mr. Greyer’s
file.”
“That sounds fine. We can have the test
material here this afternoon?” Nathanial asked, and Zan nodded. “Then
I suggest we reconvene after lunch to take samples, and we’ll go from there.”
It was still several hours before dawn
when someone came into her room and woke her.
"Your Grace, wake up, we have a situation
brewing."
"Hmm.. wha..? Mac? What time is it?" she asked
waking slowly, mumbling.
"I swear you sound like Mumbo Jumbo when
you’re waking up. Yes it's me. It's about 4:20 am. Come on Zan, wake up.
You’re needed." He said as he brought the lights up slowly, then going to
her closet and pulling out several outfits and tossing them onto the end
of her bed.
Yawning she sat up and stretched, not concerned
about what she was or wasn't wearing. "What's wrong?" Throwing the covers
back as she sat up.
Since he was married and not even human, her
nudity never bothered him. "We received an emergency report. There's a Storm
brewing and it's heading our direction. Weather Services forecasts that it
will be in the range of a Gale Force 4 or 5. There's a lot of ‘steaders in
its path and no way to let them know."
"Shit!" That woke her up. She got up
with a wince as bones twinged and ached with the pressure change. She grabbed
what he was laying out and started to put it on. Undergarments, followed
by thermals then regular clothes.
Lady Kali came gliding in as she was dressing
and took care of her hair for her, braiding it tightly then coiling it about
her head and pinning it in place. "Take care my lady and come back safe."
She said.
"Don't worry, I will. I have guests and more
coming. Speaking of which, what's the status on those guests?" Zan asked
as she put on her heavy moccasins. She'll wait till she gets to the stables
to put on the over boots.
Mac had her snow-suite and heavy fur
overcoat, gloves and hat in hand. "So far everyone has accepted. But I'm
afraid the storm may prevent them from landing here. That leaves the space
port in Paradise City or the one at the Military HQ then traveling here via
the Mag-Lev trains." He was heading out the doors with Zan right behind him.
Using the tunnels below the castle they entered
the stables. Already the Storm Teams had formed up and was making sure they
had all their gear with them. When she entered the stopped and bowed to her.
"Gentlemen and Ladies. We have a storm brewing.
I'm sure you have heard that it is forecasted to be Gale Force 4 or 5. That
means it will be a killer storm. I want people accounted for. If you have
time, help with the livestock, but don't endanger yourself or the people
your helping. Livestock can be replaced. People can't. Make one final check
of your gear then mount up. You have your assignments. We leave in
10 minutes."
With that she turned to Mac and he helped her
into her snow-suite, fur over boots, her hat and finally the heavy fur overcoat.
"Take care of the place while I'm gone. I hope to be back by lunch or sooner."
A groom led her horse over to her so
she could mount up. It was IronFoot, her Clydesdale and Morgan mix. Perfect
for this type of weather.
"Take care your Grace," was all he said
as she led the Storm Teams out of the stables and into the oncoming storm.
The meeting room they had been using was deserted
when Aurora reached it in the morning. A blur of grayish white
obscured the windows, and it was noticeably chill near the exterior wall.
She moved to stand near it, watching individual flakes scour the glass as
the wind roared and lightning flashed.
Lord Nathanial found her there a few minutes
later. “We’re not going to be able to meet today, Commander.”
She continued to stare out the window at the
swirling snow. “I guessed as much.” More lightning struck and
thunder rumbled a few seconds later. “How long?” she asked.
“Tomorrow, or the next day. Her Grace
is out with the teams gathering up the homesteaders. And she’s not
at her best during foul weather.”
“How long do the storms last?”
“A week, usually, plus or minus a day.
Then we dig out, which can take almost as long.”
“So two weeks.” She sighed. “I
won’t make it. Do you ever hate your job, Your Grace?”
“I haven’t yet. I like the challenge
and variety, and I feel like I’m doing some real good for children.”
“I’m babysitting a folder, Your Grace.
It’s not very challenging. My son’s birthday is coming up, and without
a miracle, I won’t be there.”
“Miracles have happened here before, or else
we wouldn’t be free. And this is the season for them, is it not?”
“Maybe…but my miracles are so far away.”
She shook her head. “I hope you’ll excuse me. If we’re not going
to work, I need to make some phone calls.” She picked up her attaché
from a side table and left.
It was past sunset when the last of the
Storm Teams came back. The other teams had managed to make it back between
lunch and dinner. Everyone was worried. The storm was near a Gale Force 3
by lunch. By dinner it had reached Gale Force 4.
The kids had sensed something was amiss before
the adults did and was showing it. The youngest were upset easily yet refused
to go to sleep. Lady Kali had sense not to try and force them. The older
kids were short tempered and more then one fight had started over little
things of no importance. Each time a fight broke out Kit took the offenders
down to the gym to settle matters. It was a temporary fix to the problem
at best.
When Mac wasn't dealing with keeping
things running smoothly he was either pacing in front of a window looking
out, or down at the stables, he was watching the screens in the Game room
as constant updates came in.
A chime sounded over the PA system. "Team
1 is coming in!"
That got everyone's attention. The kids
took off at a run to get to the stables and Mac was not far behind.
Once they reached the stables everything was
chaotic. The members of the other teams were helping the team one members
to dismount and get them out of their frozen clothes. Stable hands raced
about to take care of the team horses as each member dismounted. The last
member to enter the stables was Zan herself, hunched over in her saddle,
the outside fur of her garments caked in ice. Exhaustion and pain could be
seen on her face as she lifted her head up.
IronFoot came to a stop in the middle
of the isle, head down, eyes closed in weariness. The head groom came up
to him and took the reins from Zan's numb hands. She nodded her thanks as
she swung her leg over and slid out of the saddle. If someone hadn't been
there she would have collapsed. Her entire body was numb from the cold and
bones ached fiercely from the weather.
She let her eyes slide closed.
She came to as Mac placed a cup of something
to her lips and told her to drink. It burned all the way down, but blessed
warmth spread outward at the same time.
Her eyes slid shut again.
Blinking she realized she was no longer wearing
most of her clothes, and was wrapped in a warm blanket, being carried somewhere.
Again she awoke to Mac bidding her to
drink something. It was syrupy sweet and warm.
Sweet painless oblivion claimed her as she
fell into a dreamless sleep. Unaware of the fact several of the younger children
were curled up with her in her bed and Gypsy was curled above her head on
the pillows, like an overlarge house cat.
Sometime before dawn the next day she
finally awoke. All the children but one was gone, and he was curled up next
to her. It was Gypsy Kitty. With a slight smile she reached out and ran a
hand though his silky soft hair. “Good morning Kitten.”
He yawned and stretched in pleasure then
woke fully when he realized she was awake. He snuggled up to her, nuzzling
her neck, purring softly. He was very concerned about her yesterday and was
showing it today.
“I’m fine, really. Just over taxed myself.
Now come on. I need to get dressed and be about or else I will get so stiff
that I can’t move.”
He sat up and nodded then scampered off the
bed to her closet. Opening it he looked though the selections. Finding one
he held it out and looked at her, ears cocked in a question.
“No, not that one. The soft gray dress and
my sheepskin slippers.” She said after looking at what he chose. She threw
back the covers and grimaced. She needed a bath first. “Lay things out for
me while I bathe, please Gypsy?”
He nodded and set about doing just that.
Jon had decided to look about the place
on his own. He told Saoirse that he was going for a walk to think. She understood
and let him go. “I’ll meet you at breakfast.”
When he came across one room of the Palace,
the sun had barely risen. The room was still dark, but not completely. Candles
in glass covered wall brackets flickered softly, giving the room a soft ethereal
look. As he paused in the doorway, taking stock of the room, he noticed a
single person kneeling in front of what looked to be an altar, though there
were not religious symbols on it or the wall behind it. Only a couple of
candles and some incense burning in a holder.
Not wanting to disturb the person he waited.
After about fifteen minutes, that person got up, with the help of a walking
cane. He realized it was Phantom. She exited out of the room by another door,
not even knowing he was there.
Stepping into the room to look around,
he turned noting pictures lined the wall. One group in particular caught
his eye. Above them was a squadron banner. Just below it was a large poster
sized picture of a group of ten people. Behind them were fighter ships. Below
that picture were nine smaller ones, about the size of a medium sized portrait.
A space for the tenth was left bare.
Each photo had a name below it on a plaque.
He read each one as he studied the face before him then the group picture.
Commander David Wheaton, Call Sign – BlackMoon, Status –
KIA 09/22/1986
Nate Summers, Call Sign – MoonDoggie, Status – MIA 11/17/1986
Steve RunningHorse, Call Sign – Coyote, Status – KIA 05/14/1986
Lizzie Carson, Call Sign – Howler, Status – KIA 12/30/1986
Jake Davidson, Call Sign – Thunderpaw, Status – KIA 10/19/1986
Mike Davidson, Call Sign – Lightningjaw, Status – KIA 10/19/1986
James Lunder, Call Sign – PreyHunter, Status – MIA 02/07/1987
Mavis Heart, Call Sign - Sky Song, Status – KIA 01/29/1987
Cathy Leons, Call Sign – Sharptooth, Status – MIA 02/07/1987
The empty place had a plaque below it also.
Zannatasia Vernadeua, Call Sign
- Star Wolf, Status –
He raised an eye then looked at the group
photo again, this time looking for the one that did not match the rest.
“She is third from the left.” Came
a deep baritone voice from behind him.
Jon stared at the image. She looked
young, proud, free from any understanding of pain or grief. “Her whole
squadron?”
“Yes,” Kit said, stepping up. “Her
friends, her family.” He pointed to the plaque for the first lost officer,
Coyote. “Her uncle.”
“We never knew,” Jon said softly.
“We thought she was just a wash-out from the Academy. We were so full
of ourselves up there. The first full team, the first rapid modification,
the first fully reversible procedure. We thought… I though we were
the lords of creation. I thought she was just arrogant.”
“There is more to her story, but it is
not my right to tell it. If you ask her, she may speak of it.
But it is a tale better told when young ears are not around.” They
could clearly hear the children coming downstairs. “We should go now.”
“Just a minute.” Jon selected a stick
of incense, lit it, and set it in the holder with the others. “Anyone
who has served is my comrade.”
Looking over the children that morning
at the breakfast table, Zan leaned back in the chair. “Well, since things
have been going good, and the Winter Gala is going to be in less then a week,
anyone up for a trip to Paradise City for some Shopping?”
The silence at the table was thick.
Until Victoria let out a whoop. “YES! Shopping Trip!” That was it, all the
kids were cheering.
Zan just chuckled and waited for
the noise to die down. “Remember the rules. Everyone has a stipend card.
Those that spent it all last time shall not get an increase this time just
because others have saved up. No complaining that one has more money then
the other. Outfits for the Gala shall of course come from my personal account.
But that does not mean you can go for the most expensive. Lady Kali has last
say on all clothes. Mine included.”
That got a chuckle from everyone.
“But of Course your Grace. I will
not allow you to disgrace yourself by wearing clothes that does not do you
or your status justice. And that includes Master Walker.” Lady Kali commented
from the other end of the table.
Kit just made a face. “I choose my
own clothes thank you very much.” He returned.
She just gave him this look. One that promised
him a hard time if he went against her.
“Never argue with my wife, you will
lose. Trust me,” quipped Mac as he made his way about the table, refilling
glasses and generally checking on things. He stopped behind Aurora’s
chair. “Can I get you more coffee, Commander Landon?”
“Please,” she replied automatically.
He started to move toward the sideboard and she put a hand on his arm, stopping
him. “Listen, I know we’ve never been on the same side in the past,
but I can see what you’re doing here, and I just want you to know, I appreciate
the effort it takes. It’s never easy to start a new life. As
far as the UESC records go, you left Limbo for parts unknown. I’m not
going to make any effort to change that.”
“Thank you, Commander. And I’m sorry
about that time, right after your father died. It wasn’t my idea.”
“Forget about it. It served as a
wake-up call, the first of several.” She released his arm and he slithered
off, returning with the coffee pot.
“Can I bring you cream or sugar?”
“No. This is just fine.” She
buried her face in the aromatic steam. “Zan, do you import the beans
from off planet, or are they indigenous to the planet?”
“The original seeds were imported years
ago, but one of the duchies has some absolutely perfect land for growing
coffee, and they’ve mixed some strains to get that particular variety.
Most gourmet food stores in Paradise City carry it.”
“I may have to come along on your shopping
trip just to get some.”
Jonathan stood on the balcony watching
the wind carry masses of swirling white through the chilly air. He
didn’t open as the door behind him opened.
"What are you doing out here?" Zan’s voice
asked.
"I should ask you the same thing," he replied.
"Mac doesn't let me smoke inside
most of the time, besides the storm is dying down."
He raised an eyebrow then looked
beyond the building’s edge. The snow was still flying thick. "You call this
dying down? I've seen northern blizzards that were tame compared to this."
She just snorted. "This is just a light
flurry compared to the middle of the storm. Normal winter here." She took
another drag off her clove cigarette and slowly exhaled. The wind whipped
it away before it could linger any length of time.
"Smoking isn't good for you."
"So Mac says, so everyone says. But
it helps."
"Helps what?"
"Do you always ask questions? Last
time I remember you tended to demand answers."
"Things change."
She just snorted again.
"You don't think people change?"
Her mouth twisted in a wry grin.
"Let's just say I believe a lot more in what I see."
"I wanted to talk to you about settling
this."
"Oh?"
"I can see what's happening here.
There's no compelling reason to take Jason away. His marks are excellent,
he's well-adjusted, and he's happy. I couldn't duplicate all this on
Earth."
"Are you afraid to try?" she asked.
"I'm afraid to fail him again.
Listen, my son is a stranger to me, and I don't know if you can appreciate
just how painful that is. But I still want the best for him.
And When I try to step back and look at it, I may not be the best thing for
him. I'm newly married, moving back to Vermont, and I'm honestly not
sure what I'll be doing when I get home. Inflicting all of that on
a 12-year-old who doesn't want to be there is cruel. But I still want
a chance to know him."
She crushed the cigarette under her boot.
"So what are we talking about here?"
"I'm willing to sign over my right to custody.
I'd like to work out some kind of visitation agreement, but it would be up
to you. I want to do the right thing here. I'm just not sure
what it is right now."
“Are you going to come on the great consumer
expedition with us? We could talk about it some then.”
“No. Saoirse and I need to talk about
it. About how it’s going to affect our plans, then things we wanted
to do. We thought about traveling quite a bit. We’ll have to
talk about how that’s going to change.” The corner of his mouth lifted
in a small smile. “Watch out for Aurora. She treats shopping
like a full-contact sport. Rugby with credit cards.”
“You might cut her some slack. She’s
doing a good job of covering up how miserable she is here.”
“I didn’t ask her to come. I didn’t ask
her to tangle herself in my life again.”
“No, but she is here, and it is your life,
and she is tangled in it, and all she wants is to go home.”
“We all pay a price for the job,” he said.
“That’s true, and you’re being asked to
front a big chunk of it yourself. But there should be a limit.”
“She’s free to go whenever she wants.
I can always take the paternity report to HQ myself. She doesn’t have
to wait for it.”
Zan shook her head. “It’s too late
now. The weather still isn’t good enough to leave from here, and there
are no outbound ships from Paradise City until the day before Christmas.
She’s pretty much stuck. And I know it wasn’t your intention.
But still, you might think about that.” She looked at her watch.
“I have to leave if I’m going to catch the train with the kids for Haven.
Make yourself at home.”
15 children bundled up in coats and boots
poured out onto the main platform at the Mag-Lev station in New Ziveu, with
six adults following.
“Mind where you’re going,” Lady Kali called,
slithering forward to round up the more rowdy of her charges. “Everyone
stay with your partner.” The children had sorted themselves into pairs
with practice, the elder paired with the younger and those closest in age
together. The exception was Gypsy, who walked close to Zan, rubbing
her jacket with his cheek every few minutes.
“Come, children. Into the train to
Haven. No dawdling. That includes you, Your Grace.”
They took up a whole car by themselves,
and it looked like Kit preferred it that way. ‘So tell me about Paradise
City,” Aurora said, taking a seat next to Saoirse, across from Zan.
Saoirse had told Jon she was in favor of whatever he thought best, kissed
him on the nose, and pulled on a green wool cape with a hood that made her
look like a character from a fairy tale, wrapping a tartan scarf around her
neck to keep the hood close.
“It was designed by architects the Royal
family invited from Russia. The Draconavars and Vovars were descended
from members of the surviving Russian Royal family. They wanted everything
to be what they had loved best about Russia. Fortunately, they left
the political system behind in everything but name.”
“So the monarchy is a figurehead government?”
Saoirse asked.
“A little more powerful than that.
But the will of the people is heard and followed. It was the people
who decided that they would take the inconvenience of walking and riding
in favor of keeping the environment as unaffected as possible. There
are certain powered vehicles, in case of emergency. And medical facilities
are state of the art. But there’s no reason for everything to be as
cutting edge as possible. People enjoy the natural beauty of the planet
and participate in a variety of outdoor sports, as well.”
“So will we be hiking cross-country from
store to store?” Aurora asked. “Because if so, I’m wearing the wrong
boots.”
Zan laughed. “No. There’s quite
a mall in Paradise City. I’m sure even a shopper of your caliber will
be overwhelmed.”
“I don’t know about that. I tackled
Edmonton, but I had to skip the amusement park to do it.” The train
slipped into a tunnel and the lights cam on, then the found themselves under
the ocean on the west of Huntington. Strange fish and other creature
whizzed past, in view for mere seconds. “How do you keep the trains
from affecting the wildlife?”
“It’s electro-magnetic, so there’s no exhaust,
harmful or otherwise. And we’re actually encased in a transparasteel
tunnel, so nothing can get on the track and into danger.”
“We used that at Haw Haven, in the dome
so we could see out in Central Command. It’s pretty sturdy stuff.”
“It has to be down here. The pressure
from outside is tremendous. We’re not quite on the ocean floor, but
we’re pretty close. And even at high speed, the trip takes about an
hour, once the train gets up to speed. It takes about a half-hour total
to speed up safely and decelerate into the station.”
“Is this how everyone travels?” Saoirse
asked.
“Just about, if you’re going from one duchy
to another. Inside the duchies, just the way you did, in sleighs, carriages,
or on horseback. Mostly horseback in the Wind Walker Plains.
The only people flying anywhere are pilots, either working for the various
duchies, the Royal Family, or the military. There’s no casual flight.
We don’t really need it.”
The train pulled into the Paradise City
station a little more than an hour later, as predicted. They exited
the train car into a beautiful central area, heavily decorated with tile
and gold leaf. Kali, Mac and Kit moved everyone outside into the clean-swept
streets.
“How do they keep it so clean?” Saoirse
wondered aloud.
“Anyone who can’t find anything better
to do is welcome to pick up a broom. In fact, adults without regular
employment are strongly encouraged to do so, and they are paid a fair wage
for it. Kids who volunteer are welcome as well, and they are paid the
same. Anyone who shows initiative and good work habits can be promoted
to a supervisory position. A lot of out of work folks have found themselves
with comfortable government jobs at the other end of a broom.”
Kit stalked up to the first of a line of
horse-drawn trolley cars. “The Duchess of Huntington wishes to go to
the Ivory Center.”
“Come aboard, good sir. It would
be my pleasure to drive Her Grace.”
Kit inspected the interior of the trolley
carefully, the returned to the waiting party. “It is safe, though not
the newest or best I have seen.”
Zan rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’s
fine. Come on, kids. All aboard.”
The children surged forward and climbed
on, Mac and Kali keeping them organized. Aurora and Saoirse followed,
then Zan, Gypsy and finally Kit. He stood in the open door, blocking
the entrance and keeping Zan from sight.
“He hates these trips,” Zan confessed.
“He feels like he has to watch everyone who gets within ten feet.”
“It would be safer for you to shop before
or after regular store hours,” Kit growled.
“Yes, but I want the children to have practice
managing themselves away from home. How hard would that be with the
whole mall to themselves?” Zan countered.
“You do not need to shop with them.
Lady Kali is more than capable of managing.”
“Leave me out of this, if you please, Master
Walker. I am pleased to have Her Grace along for company,” Kali called
from where she sat with the children.
Gypsy snuggled against Zan, trying to tuck
his head under her chin, and she scratched him between the ears.
“Sorry, Kit,” she said. “There are
many things I could live without as Duchess of Huntington, but this is not
one of them. Besides, if I were to stay in the castle all the time,
I wouldn’t need you, would I?”
Kit snorted. “I doubt that. You could
be in danger in your own bedroom.”
“Depends on who’s in there with me.”
Aurora and Saoirse stifled laughs while
Kit turned crimson. Grumbling, he turned and faced the street again,
muttering to himself.
Moments later, the trolley stopped in front
of a three-story building painted a creamy yellow with rows of wide white
arches on the façade. Kit studied the street for a moment, then
drew back inside. “I believe it is safe.”
Zan nodded, then stood and faced the rear
of the car. “All right, kids, we’re here. Everyone remember what
I said about your stipend cards. Be sure to see Lady Kali early if
you need new formal clothes. She has shopping of her own to do, so
try not to hold her up. Those of you in charge of younger kids, there
is no trading of charges, and be sure to let them pick some of the stores.
Have fun, don’t eat too much junk food, and above all, act like the polite
ladies and gentlemen I know you can be.” She looked at her watch.
“We meet at this entrance in four hours.” She sat down again as the
children filed off with barely contained excitement. Aurora noted that
each of the elder children took the hand of a younger one, except for the
four in the middle, who could have been a group of pre-teens anywhere.
Once the kids were inside, Zan stood again.
“I think if we take our time, they should be cleared out by the time we get
inside.”
In the entry, they were divested of their
heavy wraps and given claim check tickets for them. Then, unencumbered,
they were able to proceed into the mall itself. The blocky exterior
belied its beautiful interior. It was light and airy, with terraced
levels, each walkway over the store below rather than the open space, leaving
the ground floor open to the skylights three stories up. Planters and
fountains dotted the common areas, and a complicated structure near the center
served to connect top to bottom and side to side. Christmas decorations
were everywhere, and carolers strolled the floor, pausing away from the shop
to launch into longer numbers.
“It’s beautiful,” Saoirse gasped.
Aurora nodded. “It reminds me of
a place I love to visit in LA. Really nice stores, open design.
It’s almost relaxing.”
“Well, ladies,” Zan said, “you’re welcome
to come with me, or wander around on your own. This exit is One North,
in case you get turned around, there are maps everywhere and anyone who works
here can direct you.”
Aurora looked at Saoirse. “How brave
do you feel?”
Saoirse looked around. “I think we
could manage. It’s striking, but the layout looks fairly simple.”
Aurora looked back at Zan. “We’ll
see you around. If we get overwhelmed, we can have you paged.”
“Page me,” Kit instructed. “I do
not wish to have Her Grace’s presence openly known.”
They nodded, and Zan lifted an eyebrow.
“Have fun.”
“Oh, Aurora, look at that!” Saoirse
lifted one purchase-laden hand to point at a store window. “You have
to try it on.”
Aurora looked where she pointed, and had
to admit to herself that Saoirse had excellent taste, and considering the
other things they had purchased already, an eye for a good deal. In
this case, it was a dress, garnet red with a high neckline that left the
shoulders bare, and spangled with silver glitter.
“It is nice,” she said, “but I have a closet
full of evening gowns at home. What would I do with another?”
“Well, unless you just happened to pack
one before you came, you’re stuck for a dress for the Gala the duchess is
throwing on Christmas. Jon and I plan to stay through Christmas, whatever
happens, so I need a new dress. Coming?” She shot Aurora a challenging
look, then marched into the store.
Aurora sighed, then followed her in.
“Saoirse, I’m not staying for the Gala. I’m trying to get home before
Christmas, not go to some-“
Saoirse wasn’t listening. “My friend
wants to try on the red dress in the window,” she told the clerk over Aurora’s
faint objections. “What do you take, Aurora? A six, maybe?
Or an eight, you’re so tall. Bring her both, and some heels so she
can get the length right. I’m going to look a bit. I’ll get back
to you when I’m ready.” She wandered off, leaving Aurora and the clerk.
Aurora stared after her a moment, then
looked back to the clerk. “Where’s the fitting room?” she asked, handing
over her various purchases.
It was silky velvet, and the minute she
put it on, Aurora knew it was going home with her. She was hard-pressed
to take her fingers away from the soft fabric, and the close waist fit her
like it was made for her, the long skirt widening and falling into soft folds.
She took her time picking shoes, and finally settled on a pair of three-inch
velvet heels the same shade as the dress, with the same pattern of glitter.
She was perusing lingerie when she heard Saoirse’s voice in the fitting area.
“So is it perfect?” she asked, voice slightly
muffled as she slid something on.
“It’s as close as it’s going to get, I
think.” She handed the dress, shoes and some lingerie to the clerk
assisting her. “Put these at the desk for me,” she asked. “I
want to look around some more.”
Finally satisfied that she’d seen everything
she liked, Aurora headed back over to the counter, where Saoirse was signing
her credit slip. “Will you ladies be shopping more in the Center today?”
Aurora looked at her watch. “Yes.
We’re with a group, so we’ll be another couple of hours in the mall.”
“We can have your purchases sent to any
of the center’s information desks and held for you until you’re ready to
leave. Do you know what exit you’ll be using?”
“One North,” Aurora replied, handing over
her own credit card as the clerk rang up her order.
“We can send everything to the desk there
under your name. All you’ll need is a photo identification and the
ticket to retrieve them.”
Saoirse and Aurora exchanged looks.
“What do we do?”
She handed them both slips, and the filled
in their names. “We can send everything you’ve purchased today to the
desk, or just the evening wear. It’s entirely up to you.”
“Oh, the whole thing, please,” Aurora said.
“It’ll be like starting over.” Saoirse
and Aurora took the small slips the clerk offered them.
“Thank you for stopping by, and have a
nice day ladies.”
It was Aurora that stopped next.
Saoirse had to backtrack past two shops to where Aurora stood, transfixed
by a display in a jewelry store window. It was easy to see what had
caught her attention. The sole item on display was a necklace, with
diamond zig-zagging up and down around it. There was a small card with
it, giving the designer’s name and describing the piece as being 27.3 carets
in weight with white-gold mounting.
“There’s no price listed,” Saoirse noted.
“That means if you have to ask, you can’t
afford it.” Aurora continued to stare at it. “God, it’s beautiful.”
“You want to try it?”
Aurora sighed. “No. That is
something I really do not need, beautiful as it is.”
“Can’t hurt just to see how it feels.”
Aurora considered. “Maybe.
If there’s time on the way back out. I’d still like to pick up some
stuff for the kids”
“Like half the last toy store wasn’t enough?”
“They have to have something to read, too.
Can’t let their little brains atrophy.”
“Not like that’s likely.”
Aurora didn’t say anything about it, but
as they were heading back to the rendezvous, she made it a point to pass
the jewelry store.
“It’s gone,” she said, a touch disappointed.
“Let’s go ask,” Saoirse said impulsively.
“Saoirse, no. It’s not that big a
deal.”
“Oh, come on. You stared at it for
5 minutes. The least you can do is see where it went.” Saoirse
dragged her in, considerably less reluctant that she had been at the dress
store. But the news was not as good.
“I’m sorry, ladies. That was an original
by an artist from Huntington, and it’s been purchased and packed for shipment.
If there’s something else you’d like to see though, I’d be glad to help you.”
The manager looked hopeful.
“No, thank you anyway. We should
get going. Don’t want to be late.” Aurora practically dragged
Saoirse out of the store.
“I’m sorry,” Saoirse said as they walked
toward One North. “You really liked that necklace.”
Aurora shrugged. “Que sera sera.
I hope whoever gets it really enjoys it.”
“Find anything good?” Zan asked as the
Mag-Lev raced back toward New Ziveu.
Aurora looked at the plethora of bags around
her. “A little too much, I think.”
“And this doesn’t even include the one
that got away,” Saoirse put in.
Zan raised and eyebrow. ”Oh?
I didn’t realize that things could run away when you’re shopping.”
“They do when you don’t act fast enough,”
Aurora said. “There was a really nice necklace that caught my eye.
Alas, it is gone forever. But the artisan lived in Huntington, so maybe
if there’s a time before the case wraps, I could hunt him up. We shall
have to see.”
Tony Chandler stuck his head in the door
as Aurora was sorting and packing her purchases. “Jon’s going to settle.”
Aurora sighed heavily. “He didn’t
really have any choice, did he?”
“No. He’s been so long out of the
boy’s life that even in the States they might forcibly sever his rights.
So he’s going to work out something with Her Grace so that they can spent
time together. Lord White and I are going to talk about it tomorrow.
You’re welcome to sit in.”
She thought about it for a long minute.
“No, I don’t think I will. It’s not really any of the UESC’s business.
But thank you. Have the test results come back?”
“We got e-mail notification. The
actually results won’t be here until the Prince Consort arrives. He
should be here the 24th.”
“I see. The day after tomorrow.
May I ask?”
“Positive. Better than 99%, which
is as good as it gets in these things.”
She chuckled. “Yeah. Allows
for the possibility of Jon’s evil twin being the dad.”
“What?”
“Never mind. It’s not important.”
She shut the suitcase. “What did he say when you told him?”
“I didn’t yet. It just came through.
I was going to-“
“Let me,” she said.
“Do you think that’s wise? I know you two
don’t always get on, and this has been an especially tense time.”
“I think we have some common ground here.
Thanks for the information.” She slipped past him out the door and
walked away.
She finally found him in the memorial room,
sitting on the floor and staring up at the wall of pictures. She stared
at him a moment, and when it was clear that he wasn’t moving, went to sit
next to him.
“I sent them,” he whispered.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I sent her squadron to its death.
It was a house-cleaning thing, one last order to sign as the head of Interplanetary
Force 8. I sent the first available squadron to defend the planet.
Not the best, not the most well-equipped. Just whoever was available
first. Because I didn’t want to leave it hanging. I had to close
out the file, get it over with. And they’re almost all gone.”
“Did you know they were going to die?”
“I didn’t know anything. Not who
they were, or where they were going, or who the enemy was. I just left
it as ‘first available squadron.’ Couldn’t leave it half-done.”
“You made a decision, Jon. It was
probably a bad one in hindsight, but you did what they paid you to do.
You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“I could have asked more questions, done
more research. Nine people are missing or dead because I just wanted
it over. It’s not right.”
Her face hardened. “Nothing about
war is right, Jon. There’s no honor, no glory, no nothing but filth
and pain. It wasn’t pretty 1000 years ago, and it won’t be pretty 1000
years from now. So those of us who give a damn get in the way and hope
to slow down or stop the bad guy. It’s never perfect.”
“I’m quitting again, you know,” he said.
“I can’t win, so I’m walking away before it gets really complicated.”
“It’s already complicated.” Aurora
stared at the ceiling a moment. “Tony got an e-mail about the test.
Jason is your son. 99% sure.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I knew as soon
as I saw the pictures. I remembered everything then, though I was damned
drunk at the time. I was…pretending she was you. It didn’t work.”
“No. I imagine not.” She was
silent a moment. “You’re right about Adryanna. Steven introduces
her as his daughter to save my reputation. It’s fine for him
to have a daughter her age. For me, it’s different. But she is
the child I had 12 years ago. Her birthday’s just a week and some after
Jason’s.”
She watched as he did some fast mental
calculation. “Your birthday’s in February.”
She chuckled. “Your math was always
better than mine.” She sighed. “Oh, Jon. I know how you
feel right now. I stared at a piece of paper for hours, trying to write
down something, anything that would explain what I was doing, why it was
better for me to be gone. I didn’t sleep the night after my father’s
funeral, trying to explain to my daughter why I wouldn’t see her for a very
long time. I must have left a ream of half-finished letters lying on
the floor. I didn’t even have the courage to face her or her father.
There are no good words, Jon. Not for this. There are only good
actions and good intentions. If you can look at your son and say to
him that this is the best for him, as you understand it, then that
will have to do. It doesn’t make you evil or cruel. You just
get to be human like the rest of us.”
“Don’t you mean most of us?” he asked,
giving her a pointed look, and she knew immediately who he meant.
“Steven makes his share of mistakes, though
he might not admit to all of them. He just gets more chances to fix
them again later. You have to do this right the first time.”
Jonathan pushed himself to his feet, then
offered a hand to help her up. She accepted, and he lifted her to her
feet. “Thanks for the advice.”
“You’ll think about taking it?” she teased
lightly.
“Gotta go with the expert.” He opened
his arms wide, offering a hug, and carefully, she accepted. There was
nothing in it of a former lover or former adversary, though. He was
just a friend who needed a hug, and so was she.
Lord Stefan skimmed through the closely-typed
pages. "And this agreement is acceptable to you both?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Zan said, standing.
Chandler nodded. "It is, sir."
"I see. Mr. Greyer, you seem to be
relieved of a great potential burden with this course of action. Are
you pleased by that?"
"Not at all, sir. I can't give him
half of what her Grace could provide, and I can't love him anymore than she
does. I would very much like to get to know him. I hope that
in time he would look to me as a close friend and adviser. But I have
been too long out of his life to force my way back in now and not have him
resent me forever."
Stefan nodded. "Commander Landon,
has the UESC any input in this matter?"
"None of consequence, sir.
Although as a child of a retired service member, he will be entitled to the
same benefits as any child would. If he wishes to attend the UESC Academy
on Earth and his marks are commensurate with their requirements, he will
be welcome."
"Very well, then. At this time, and
according to the agreement before me, I hereby sever all parental right of
Jonathan Greyer over the minor Jason O'Ferral. I further place him
in the sole custody of the Duchess of Huntington, Zannatasia Vernadeua, as
her son and heir. It will be her decision, upon his 21st birthday,
what titles and honors he shall bear until his time as Duke. We stand
dismissed."
Zan watched from the doorway as Aurora
closed her suitcase. “Are you sure you want to leave? There’s
no guarantee you can get a flight out from Paradise City tonight.”
“I know how to make a pest of myself until
I get my way simply to get rid of me. I have no problem with annoying
officials until they get tired of it. I can still get back to Colorado
by Christmas.” She picked up the suitcase and her attaché.
“I don’t want you to think there was anything wrong with your hospitality.
Everything was great. I just can’t be away from my kids anymore.
I’ve already missed Vincent’s birthday. I’ve got to go on the next
train to Paradise City if I want to get home by tomorrow morning.”
Zan sighed. “Well, I can understand
wanting to get home. Let me walk you down to the platform.”
The Mag-Lev platform was as warm as the
house, the subterranean tunnels holding heat well, but Aurora had pulled
her coat and gloves on already. “I hope you’ll call after the holidays,”
she said, watching for the train. “We sort of lost touch for a while.”
“We were both busy. It happens.”
She glanced at her watch. “The train should be here any minute with
the Christmas Gala guests. Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay?
That dress you bought would be perfect.”
Aurora shook her head regretfully.
“No. I have to go home. I can’t be away from my family any longer.”
Zan heard the familiar rumbling of the
Mag-Lev. “Well, in that case, you have to do what you have to do.”
The train pulled in, and a complement of guards exited the first car.
The majority fanned out, scanning the platform quickly, and one approached
Zan and bowed.
“Just a preliminary check for tomorrow,
Your Grace.”
“Everything’s in order?” she asked.
“Yes. The Royal Family will arrive
tomorrow after attending service. And the rest of your guests are on
this train.” He gathered his troop and they re-boarded the train.
Once they were back aboard, the other doors opened, and passengers came pouring
out. There was a flood of tall, dark-haired people surrounding Zan,
and Aurora guessed that they must be David’s family. She waved to Zan,
then picked up her luggage. “I’m gonna go. Merry Christmas.”
She was boarding the train when a voice
called out fro the platform. “You mean I came all this way and don’t
get a kiss?”
She whirled and saw Steven and Adryanna
on the platform, the boys straining against Adryanna’s grip. She shed
her bags and flew into his embrace. Moments later she was mobbed by
Krys, Michael, their kids and the Hart Twins.
It took her half an hour to exchange hugs
with everyone and say hello. Then, with Vincent clinging to her, she
managed to get over near Zan again.
“So is this why you were trying to keep
me here?” she asked, Vincent’s head resting on her shoulder.
Zan just smiled at her and shrugged.
“Merry Christmas?”
Aurora sat on a loveseat watching the swirling
crowd with a smile, fingering the diamond necklace Steven had presented her
with that morning. The same one she had admired in the store earlier
that week,
“Do you really like it?”
She looked up to see Steven standing just
to one side, watching her as she watched everyone else. Her smile widened.
“Absolutely. It’s stunning.”
“Not as stunning as you.” He sat
next to her and she leaned against him out of long habit. “Where are
the kids?”
“The boys are with all the other kids,
MaJor and Lyssa included. They went running past a few minutes ago.”
“You’re not worried, O Queen of the Unforeseen
Disaster? Not fretting that Jareth might break a nail or Vincent might
skin an elbow?”
“Strangely enough, no. I’ve seen
how these kids look out for each other over the past week. If anything,
they’ll get more mothering than even I am capable of.”
“Not possible. What about the eldest?”
Aurora glanced over to the window she’d
seen Adryanna staring out last. David RunningHorse, who had arrived
after the rest of his family, had joined her. “I think her holiday
is looking up.”
“That’s the young man?” Steven asked, a
touch disgruntled. “I notice he didn’t come over to introduce himself.”
“Let Adry do it. And he did introduce
himself to me the day I arrived. She was the sole topic of conversation.”
He seemed unconvinced. “Huh.”
“Steven, no one will be well-served if
you decide that no man is good enough for your daughter. She’s been
seeing him for more than 6 years. There must be something there.”
“And there are girls out there good enough
for your sons, I suppose?”
“Nope. I’ll suffer in silence.”
They watched in silence as David brushed
Adry’s hair aside with careful fingers, revealing her back. Her black
velvet dress was modest enough in front, but the back scooped low enough
to almost be considered indecent. He ran a reverent finger down her
spine, then took a box out of his pocket and wrapped his arms around her
from behind, offering it to her.
“Is that what I think it is?” Steven whispered
in Aurora’s ear.
“I don’t think so. The box is too
big. But I’m sure it’s significant.”
Adry opened the box and lifted out a delicate
silver dream catcher on some kind of black thong. She exclaimed happily,
and implored him to put it on for her. He kissed the back of her neck
when he was finished, and she leaned back against him, admiring their reflections
in the window glass. After a few moments, he whispered something in
her ear and she nodded, then he slipped away toward the refreshments table.
“I’m going to have a quiet chat with Adry,”
Aurora said, rising. “I don’t want her slipping off for the evening
before she and I are clear on some matters.”
“You think it’s that serious?”
Aurora looked over to where her daughter
stood, staring into the glass. “I know that expression,” she replied.
“That’s a girl who won the biggest brass ring on the carousel. Whatever
he thinks, she’s serious.” She smiled at her husband. “I remember
feeling like that. I still feel like that.”
“Good. Go see if you can get through
to her. But I doubt she’ll be listening to you.”
“No, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway.”
“Hi, honey.”
Adryanna turned from her contemplation
at her mother’s voice. “Hi, Mom.” She was still smiling the victorious
smile.
“That’s a lovely gift David gave you,”
Aurora noted. “Did you get the CD you were working on for him finished?”
“Yes. I should get it out from under
the tree for him.” She moved to walk away, but Aurora caught her arm.
There was no way she could keep her grip if Adry chose to break it and leave,
but the girl’s training held and she stopped. “Walk with me just
a minute.”
“Why do I think I won’t enjoy this discussion?”
Adry pouted, walking next to her mother.
“Because you probably don’t want to hear
what I have to say. Darling, you have to decide how serious this relationship
with David is.”
“I’m serious,” Adry replied sharply.
“I guessed as much. But if that’s
the case, Adry, you have to tell him about your father’s side of the family.
You can’t just let him walk into it blind.”
“What if I don’t want them to be any part
of my life with David? What if I want a life completely apart from
all of that?”
“You are too much your father’s daughter
to ever turn your back on the gifts you have been given.” She stopped,
holding Adry with a gentle hand on her arm. “I’m not saying don’t marry
him. I’m not even saying don’t stay with him tonight if the opportunity
presents itself. But you know the rules.”
“If I have a child, I’m committed.”
“It’s not your worst option, Adry, and
it’s certainly not something I regret. But it’s not the best way for
you. Do you remember what your father always says about battle, large
or small?”
“Pick your ground, pick your weapon.
Make the enemy come to you.”
“Yes. But a child is a gift, not
a weapon. And you know better than most that a child has to live with
any stupid thing you do.” She hugged her daughter tightly. “I
want things to be easier for you, sweetheart. I don’t want you to make
the same mistakes I did.”
Adry hugged her back. “I promise
to make all new ones.”
“That’s not precisely what I meant.
Look, there’s Krys and Emily. Let’s go get between them before they
fight about something.”
“That was over years ago, Mom.”
“So sue me if I prefer the past.
Let’s go.”
“Hey, Will. Is this a private reverie
or can anyone join in?”
“Hey Phantom, I mean Zan, I mean, Your-”
He started to bow, but Zan cut him off.
“Zan is fine. Why do you think I
didn’t drag all my titles with me to Limbo? It’s hard to be friends
when people bow to you al the time.”
“I guess. I meant to thank you for
the invitation sooner.”
She smiled. “I’m just glad you could
come.”
He looked away. “I wasn’t going to,
not at first. Emily made me. Said she wouldn’t go without me.”
“Did you have some other plans? I
didn’t want anyone to interrupt what they were doing. I just thought
it would be nice, since Lady Hawk and the Golden Boy were here already.”
“It’s not that. I didn’t have any
plans. I—Emily thought I should get out again, that I had been keeping
to myself too much.”
“Will, what happened?” Zan asked, concerned.
“It… Someone I knew died. Someone
I was...close to.”
“Oh, Will, I’m sorry. It was an...unexpected
death?”
He swallowed tightly and nodded.
“An accident. I don’t really want to get into it right now, if you
don’t mind.”
“No. I understand. It’s too
soon to talk about it.”
“Yeah. But thanks anyway. Everyone’s
always asking about it, how we met, how it happened…”
“And you don’t want to share. But
if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I could do with a friend.”
“I’d like very much to be your friend,
Will.” She stood silently for a moment. “So, do friends hug?”
“I think so, especially when one of the
friends really needs a hug.”
It was a careful hug, ginger, neither party
wanting to push too far. But it was a good hug nonetheless.
There was the sound of clinking glass,
and the hum of conversation dropped. Lord Stefan, Prince Regent for
his daughter, Queen Makala, stepped into a cleared area.
“Lords, Ladies, Gentlemen and woman all,
new friends and old. I lift my glass and ask you to do likewise, to
our host, the lady of the evening, Lady Zannatasia Izzabella Vernadeua, Duchess
of Huntington.”
“The Duchess of Huntington!” the
crowd repeated with glasses raised.
“And now, I call for the musicians to take
the floor. Your Grace, will you lead us off?”
Zan looked quickly at Will. “Do friends
dance?” she whispered.
“I think they better,” he whispered back.
“I heard he runs the military. I’d hate to have them after me.”
He took her hand to lead her out.
Once the pair was out on the floor, with
a nod from Lord Stefan, the music started.
There was a small gathering of ladies off
to one side, who were speaking quietly amongst themselves.
“They make a lovely pair, don’t you think.”
“Indeed.”
“How long is he going to be staying?”
“Why? What are you plotting?”
“Oh… Nothing…”
Laughter from most of the ladies gathered
at that comment.
During the dance, Zan glanced past Will
to the gaggle of ladies and frowned ever so slightly
"Something wrong?" he asked
"Hmm? Oh, No.. I just can swear that Lisa
is humming Matchmaker Matchmaker from Fiddler on the roof right about now"
She lets out a soft sigh
"That bad?
"You don't know the half of it with all
the ladies of the RunningHorse clan about. I will just about bet that there
will be at least 3 pairings that come out of this Gala tonight. If not more!
He just chuckled as they kept dancing.
“Come now, Mother. You are as bad of a
Match Maker as any I’ve seen”
Before much more could be said several
others joined them.
“Mrs. Landon, Miss Landon, Miss Hart, Mrs.
Merino.”
“Please Mom, last names are so formal.
Especially when RunningHorse is repeated about a dozen times!” quipped Jessica.
“I’m Jessica, that’s Elizabeth, Lisa, Melissa, And Jenny. Oh, and Mom is
Lisa too” pointing out each as she spoke their names. Each one smiled or
nodded.
“Jessica! You’re as bad as your father.”
Lisa said with a parental sigh.
There was polite laughter from the four.
“I’m Aurora, this is my daughter, Adryanna,
That’s Emily and Krys.”
The first set of music came to a close
but before anyone could really bow out of the next dance, the music started
again. Several men approached the group. One by one each of the ladies were
claimed for the dance. Michael RunningHorse claimed his wife Lisa, Steven
claimed Aurora, David and Adry paired up. Prince Marcus asked Melissa to
dance. James and Jenny, Jessica and William, Michael and Krys. Elizabeth’s
date took her out on the floor, and the younger Lisa’s date appeared as well.
Everyone had a partner, even the older
children. Queen Makala was dancing with her father, Lord Stefen, Jason was
dancing with Princess Katrina, Prince Stefan was dancing with Victoria. Even
Mac and his wife Lady Kali were out there.
Soon only Emily was left without a partner
for the dance. She sighed, turning towards the doors to leave. If anyone
asked why she had left, she could make up an excuse.
“Care for this dance my Lady?” said a tenor
voice from behind her.
Turning she looked up at the auburn haired,
green-eyed young man. He was nearly as tall has her brother, but more slender.
She was about to refuse when he just grinned, placing a finger against her
lips to silence her. He then swept her out onto the floor into the dance.
David stood near the giant fireplace, glass
of wine in hand, eyes fastened on Adryanna where she danced with her father.
Steven had asked to cut in, and mindful of his manners and the impression
it would make, he had graciously stepped aside.
He was starting to wish he hadn’t.
Adry had somehow found time to twist her hair up into a complicated knot,
pinned with a pair of sticks, and now the line from shoulders past her waist
he couldn’t stop thinking about was visible to all.
Zan appeared from nowhere next to him and
nudged him in the ribs. “If you don’t roll your tongue in, you’re going
to get footprints all over it.”
"I can't make up my mind between
wishing there were more of that dress or less of it...."
Zan rolled her eyes and regarded her wine
glass with an unhappy expression, wishing it were a bottle of wine cooler
instead. “I’m sure.”
David was still staring at Adryanna’s back.
"I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate the view, but everyone else is
appreciating it too. I don't really feel like sharing. And I have too many
unmarried brothers."
"Don't worry about your brothers, At least
they know when to back off. It's the ones not related to you that you had
better watch out for making a move on her. Remember, I always get young men
showing up looking for potential wives whenever I throw a gala."
David frowned. "They can go talk
to my numerous tardy sisters. She's mine."
"If you ever bother asking her, maybe.
But I haven't heard anything about that from either side."
"We spend maybe 15 minutes together a couple
of times a month, Zan. I count it as some kind of miracle if we manage to
get an hour together. I don't want her to think I'm some kind of nut."
"I've seen stronger relationships built
on far less and with even fewer moments of time together. If it was meant
to be, then you have nothing to worry about."
David stared into his wine.
"I'm working up my courage."
"You're not going to find it at the
bottom of that glass. Get over there and spend time with her." She
plucked the half-empty glass from his fingers. “Go on. I didn’t
haul her out here for you to moon from across the room.”
He had almost reached her when a pair of
small blond whirlwinds crashed into her, and he was able to catch her hand
to keep her from falling.
She smiled warmly. “Thanks.”
Then she bent and scooped up the smaller of the two boys. “Here, hang
on to him,” she said, passing the boy over.
David found himself in possession of a
young child with serious brown eyes. “Hi,” he said, a little uncertain.
The brown eyes just stared at him, then
turned to look at Adryanna.
“It’s okay, buddy. That’s David.
David, meet my youngest brother, Vincent. He just turned three.”
“Did you get a lot of good toys?” David
asked.
Vincent nodded. “But Mommy hadda
work.”
“I heard about that,” David said.
“She was really sad she couldn’t see you.”
Vincent seemed satisfied with that statement,
and leaned against David’s shoulder.
Adry lifted the other boy. “And this
monkey, who’s really too big to be carried, is Jareth.”
“I’m five-and-a-half,” he announced. He
started to squirm, and Adry gave him a sharp pat.
“Hey, stop that. My dress is going
to fall down if you keep that up.” She cast David a knowing look as
he wished for just that. “So why are you heathens running around this
late?”
“Mom said bedtime,” Jareth sighed.
Vincent blinked and rallied from where
he rested against David. “Not seepy,” he mumbled.
Adryanna turned and waved to her mother,
indicating that they would put the kids down for the night, and Aurora waved
back a grateful acknowledgement.
“Tell us a story, Adry?” Jareth begged
as they carried the boys up.
“I didn’t bring any of my books,” she said
regretfully. “This was a kind of spur of the moment trip.”
“I know a story,” David said. “Should
I tell it?”
“Yeah,” Vincent mumbled from his shoulder.
Working together, they got the kids cleaned
up and into pajamas. Once tucked in, David sat down on one of the beds
and started his story. “This is a true story that all our people know…”
Adryanna leaned against the wall, listening
as David’s carefully cadenced voice related a tale about little boys who
didn’t listen, mothers determined to get their attention and how the lesson
got out of hand.
“…And the pigs who were once boys flew
up into the night sky, where they became the six pigs in heaven.” There
was no sound from the boys, and he stood up slowly. “I think they’re
asleep,” he said, joining Adryanna.
She caught his hands and pulled him through
a connecting door into another bedroom. “Come in here and talk to me.”
His fingers skimmed the border between
her dress and her back. “What do you want to talk about?” She
was warm and close in the dim room and smelled of something very tempting.
“I don’t much care.” She wove the
fingers of one hand through his hair.
They were there, alone at last. No
time like the present, he reasoned. “I wanted to ask you something
earlier,” he started. Please, don’t let me sound stupid, he prayed.
“Oh?” Her voice was soft, and her
lips extremely distracting.
“Yes.” He tried to focus on the task
at hand. “I wanted to catch you alone, though. And we never seem
to be alone.”
“We’re alone now. Better hurry up.”
She shifted artfully and his hand slipped around her waist under the dress.
“Are you trying to get me to compromise
you?”
“Is that really what you wanted to ask
me?”
“No. I wanted to ask if you would-“
“Adryanna!”
Adry bit her lip until it turned white
at the sound of her mother’s voice.
“Hey, don’t,” David whispered.
“Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!” Adry muttered.
She heard her mother crossing through the next room, and dragged David across
the room to the other door. “It’s a miracle my parents ever had kids.”
‘What?”
“Their timing sucks. Go back down
to the party. I’ll be down as soon as my mother finishes with me.”
He started to protest, and she silenced him with a kiss. “I’ve wanted
to do that for a long time. Now please, go. Don’t make this more
difficult.” She manipulated him out the door. “Love you.”
David watched as she vanished behind the
solid oak door. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
Twenty minute later he was on his way back
to the party, face and hair damp from the water he’d thrown on them trying
to regain some sense of composure. Crossing the main hall back to the
party, he ran into his brother Nathan and his date.
“Hey, Big D. Back so soon?”
He was in no mood for the constant teasing
about his love-life, no matter how good-natured it might be. “Shut
up, Nathan.”
Nathan spotted the beads of water in David’s
hair. “Another cold shower? You’re gonna die of pneumonia at
this rate.”
David only growled in reply.
“Oooh, bad timing. Better luck next
time.” Nathan sailed on towards the door with his date in tow.
Entering the main room, David picked up
a glass of wine from a tray and drained it swiftly, then traded the empty
glass for another full one. He leaned against a wall, eyes sweeping
over the multitude of guests.
“If you drain that one like you did the
last, I’m cutting you off,” a voice said softly.
“Not now, Zan. It’s the last thing
I need.”
“So what happened?”
“Proposus interruptus. Her
mother came looking for her.” He sipped conscientiously at the wine.
“Maybe I should talk to her father.”
“Maybe you should take to her. She
was in here a few minutes ago, then slipped into the library. I’m pretty
sure she’s alone in there.”
He sighed. “How many times do you
think a person should try to propose, Zan?”
“Until you get the answer you want or you
give up. Did you get the answer you want?”
“I didn’t even get to ask.”
“Are you giving up?”
He leveled a look at her. “I don’t
give up.”
“Then you don’t need to be standing here
asking me these questions. She’s in there,” she said, giving David
a gentle push toward the library. “Go get her.”
Adryanna heard the door open behind her
and felt David’s presence in the doorway. She dropped the avoidance
compulsion she’d woven to create some peace, raising it again once he was
in the room. She listened to his footsteps as he crossed the room,
felt his hands come to rest on the back of the love seat she occupied.
“I’ve been looking for you.” He bent
down to whisper in her ear. “Alone twice in one night. Christmas must
be a miracle.”
“Must be,” she echoed. “Come sit
with me.”
He saw down beside her, and she leaned
her head against his shoulder. “This is nice,” she said after a moment.
“We’re always rushing. Rushing to meet, rushing to get somewhere.
It’s nice to just sit.”
“Hard to think of 6 years as rushing.
I’m surprised your father hasn’t asked about my intentions.”
“I’m sure he knows your intentions.”
She curled further into his embrace. “My mother took the opportunity
earlier to remind me of some things.”
“Like what?”
“David, my family is a mess. I’m
not sure you, or anybody, would want to get mixed up in it.”
“I don’t know about that. You’d be
worth a lot of mess. My family’s not prefect, either, by any stretch
of the imagination.”
“Please, let’s not talk about anything
serious. Let’s just sit here and pretend we don’t have to carve time
together out of other things we ought to be doing.”
“How long are we going to ignore reality?”
“I’m going home with my parents tomorrow.
Stay here with me til dawn. Watch the sun rise with me.”
He pulled her closer. “Anything for
you, love.” He kissed the top of her head and settled her more comfortable
against his shoulder waiting for the black window to turn gray.
He woke with sunlight on his face.
Adryanna was gone, and a note had been left in his hand.
Forgive me, love. You know
I hate to say good-bye, and I hated even more the idea of waking you only
to take what you most desired.
You know where I’ll be the 31st. If this
is too insane or weird for you, or you’re too angry to talk to me and decide
not to come, I’ll understand. But if you’re willing to wade into the
chaos that is my life, I’d love to see you. There’s no one else I’d
like to kiss at midnight. And as a resolution, I’ll try to answer any
questions you have about my messed-up relatives.
Hope to see you soon.
Adryanna
Aurora watched Adryanna across the aisle
as the ship pushed off from the ground. They hovered over the city
a moment, and the castle was visible in its entire snow-covered, fairy-tale
splendor.
“Adry, honey, are you okay? You’ve
hardly said two words this morning.”
“I guess. I don’t really want to
leave.”
“You said you were seeing David again
on New Year’s Eve. It’s only a week.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Aurora tilted her seat back. “Well,
I for one will be glad to get home.”
Adry stared out the window, watching
the castle shrink in the distance. Home. Lately, it seemed less
like a location, and more like a state of mind, or a state of being with
someone in particular. “Yeah. I’d like to be home.” The
ship pushed through the atmosphere, and the city disappeared. Adry
tilted her chair back to catch up on her lost sleep the night before.
Come home, love, she thought, drifting off. Come home
to me.
In the castle, a young pilot, staring
at the spot where the ship had vanished, smiled. Soon, love.
Soon.
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