Chapter Five #2
Her mother smiled. “Skylar is not what I expected as the carrier of souls, but she’s a good sort. She is Harwin’s cousin.”
“Oh, Mom, this is Orex. I am... involved with him.”
“And will be for hundreds of years. This is a good thing. I am hoping that Skylar remains close so that I can continue to be close to my girls. Where is Aretta?”
“She’s coming back from the village.” Zelda no sooner said it than her child was running toward her.
“Grandma?” Aretta skidded to a halt. “You are dead. I was at your funeral.”
“I know, and you were wearing that dark blue dress and the gold brooch. You were lovely. Now you are stunning, just like your mother.” Her grandmother reached out and stroked her dark hair.
Aretta said, “How can I feel you?”
“That bundle of robes over there is the Terran Dyturan. She carries the souls of all those who died within her lifetime. She can access the souls that are needed.”
Zelda blinked.
“Including me.” She bowed gracefully.
Zelda hugged her again, and the three of them went to one of the couches and sat, chatting and catching up. Orex watched with a smile, and then he went to speak with Skylar.
* * * *
“Thank you for bringing her to them,” Orex said softly.
“It is my purpose and my duty... apparently.” She chuckled.
“When did you die?”
“The same day Zoey burned. It was the same event, actually. Well, a different part of the same event.” She laughed. “She burned, and I froze.”
“Did you see her in her tank?”
“No. We can’t effectively communicate until she’s breathing oxygen. At that point, we can chat.” She looked at Orex. “So, how much does one of your long-range slips go for?”
“Two million.” He looked at her. “Why?”
“Because I am about to do something that will probably be broadcast far and wide, and I get the feeling that something will be following me if that happens. I tried Nebel, but he claims to have gone through too many experimental vessels this year.”
“Follow us home, and we will set you up. I believe you would not be affected by dimensional slips.”
She chuckled. “How did you guess?”
He laughed, and they looked at the ladies, all three showing a very strong genetic stamp.
“I don’t think there is a Hmrain with heterochromia.”
“I feel our genetics will duel. I look forward to one day greeting the outcome.” He smiled.
“Eighteen months. It will be eighteen months before the result will be seen.” She sighed.
“Wait. You are a seer as well?”
“Yup. Me and about half a percent of survivors.”
“How did you die then?”
“I weighed my life against that of three hundred men, women, and children. And I had to honour Zoey’s sacrifice.”
He nodded.
She sighed, and her veil fluttered.
Orex asked, “Did you meet your own people?”
“Sure. And Harwin looks great. She and I are cousins. We shared grandparents, so she has already had her moment. My grandmother is talking at me fairly constantly.”
“Your parents?”
“They left the moment they got a look at me. The Dyturan transformation is rather intense.”
“I have never seen a Dyturan who could make the dead tangible.”
“Well, I have never seen another Dyturan. I am picking this up as I go, and it isn’t taxing for me, so I guess I am doing it right.”
He smiled. “I guess. I will contact my fleet and get a ship ready for you.”
“Nice. I will send you the funds after a brief inspection.”
He nodded and glanced at Zelda’s blindingly happy expression. “I will give you the total after the discount.”
She nodded.
“How many worlds have you been to?”
“Seventeen in total. All with Terran consorts. None were told I was of their world.”
“Why not?”
“My appearance is disturbing to my own kind. I resemble a creature of human myth, and it makes them uneasy.”
“All Dyturans look the same, more or less.”
“How do you know?”
“Uh...” Orex paused. “You are right. I don’t know.”
“Yeah. All Hmrain know about them, but few, if any, actually know details about them.” She shrugged. “No documentation on them either.”
“Well, Dytura is the creature in charge of your people. I am surprised that you haven’t met him.”
“Oh, I made a run for it the moment that I woke up. I had shit to do.” She chuckled.
He frowned.
“Terran reference. It means that there is an urgency and tasks to complete. I was not dead, and then I was moving. I didn’t see any medics or attendants, so I followed the directions on the tablet on top of my robe. Got dressed and got in the shuttle that responded to my commands.”
Orex blinked. “There was a vessel waiting?” He had a hand in front of his mouth.
She had never seen a Hmrain look appalled before. “What?”
“Did you wonder if it was someone else’s vessel?”
“Nope. It was mine. It responded to my touch and voice. My ship.”
He nodded. “Fair enough. Someone had programmed it for you.”
“Yup. It wasn’t me. My programming isn’t nearly that good. Well, it wasn’t. One of the ghosts I carry has been giving me tutorials when we travel.”
“Interesting. How are you adapting?”
“Well, the horns are annoying, but if anyone sneaks up behind me, they are going to get a surprise.”
He stared, and she reached up and patted the tip of her horns, inches behind her head.
“I see what you are referring to. Since you can see part of my future, what can you see about Zelda and myself?”
“Hundreds of years of joy, a few loud fights, seven children, and Aretta will make you a grandfather in a decade and a half with a third-gen Hmrain guarding one of your worlds.” She smiled under her silks. “He treats her well, and you scowl at him every chance you get.”
Orex smiled shyly. “I had not thought to get a family all at once.”
“But then you found that Zelda was consort class, and that all went out the window.”
He shrugged. “I was drawn, and when we came together, she understood what I needed.”
“She likes sex when she can trust her partners. Hmrain don’t destroy their partners because they consume energy from them. So she was safe with you, and pleasure was the goal.”
He looked sheepish. “She was so different from the other female of her kind.”
Skylar laughed. “Yes, deluding herself into believing that sex with a human was the same as sex with a Hmrain. It was not something she could have imagined. There is only one other female to be that stupid, and she did not survive the experience. He was hungry, and she was weak. He is now very hesitant to seek another companion.”
He stared. “She died?”
“She had heart failure and had nothing left to support her health.” She followed his gaze and laughed. “Zelda is fine. The first thing you did was heal her.”
He frowned. “What does that matter?”
“Her physical state came before your hunger. That means a lot.”
He smiled. Pleased with himself.
She chuckled, and then Zelda’s mother stood up and came over to her. “Did the others stay?”
“No and yes. When the girls are all together tomorrow, you can stand with them again.”
“Fair enough. Thank you for bringing me to her.”
“I watched you try to fly my shuttle. This is better for both of us.”
She grinned, blew an air kiss to her daughter and granddaughter, and became the data that was contained in Skylar’s pointy head.
She looked to Orex. “Did you want me to get your items off the fabricator?”
He blinked and nodded. “I will come with you. There is a lot of it.”
She snickered. “You just want to see it.”
“Yes.”
She got to her feet and led the way to the fabricator. She removed the items that she had printed and smiled. “This is going to get me into so much trouble.”
Orex gathered the fabric over one arm and the metal over the other. “Why?”
“I am going to show my face and a lot more. If Zoey is alive, she deserves a party.” She sighed. “And so do I. After that, I will meet you wherever you state, and we can negotiate for that vessel.”
They started back to the main hall.
“What do you think will be chasing you?”
“Whatever I avoided on the Education Station.” She shrugged, holding her performing equipment under her robes. She had a night to practice, and that would hopefully be enough. She hadn’t used fire in a few years.
“Did any of the other Hmrain or consorts know you were transformed?”
“Nope. I didn’t know any of them either. There was no reason to show my face. They think I am an alien race with an affinity for Terran souls.”
“So, only the consorts here know who you are.”
“And I will let Zoey and Zani know. Well, everyone will figure it out tomorrow.”
“I must confess to curiosity.”
“Tonight, Zelda will dance. I am the one they are clearing space for in the sand outside.”
He chuckled. “I look forward to it.”
“Yeah. I bet.” She snorted.
That night, Zelda danced for twenty minutes, and when she took her final bow, Orex picked her up and tossed her over one shoulder. Aretta howled with laughter, and Cori kept an eye on her for the rest of the night. Skylar sat alone on her couch and applauded the retreating couple.
She smiled behind her covering, pressed a kiss to Harwin’s cheek, and caressed the baby. “I am going to go to the villagers and see if any wish to speak to loved ones.”
Ra looked at her. “There are cruisers if you need air support.”
“No, I will just glide there. It’s a fun way to get around.”
She got up, bowed to them, and glided over to the other side of the room where villagers scattered. She turned back to Harwin. “Looks like it’s going to be an early night.”
Harwin belted out a laugh, and Harran cried, so, chuckling softly, Skylar just let the related ghosts go.
The gliding was always a showstopper.