Chapter Nine #2
“We would have to let the guys in eventually, or it would be a very short empire.”
Syrella sighed. “Right. Well, when I find a guy who can hold a conversation past the heat scent, can you help me fine-tune myself?”
“Of course. Right. I think I am missing dessert.”
“Go, have dessert. Thanks for expunging them.”
“No problem. Go catalogue more naked statues.”
“Yes, ma’am. I have found a few guys, but they are always slightly behind the ladies. The Khaskik had a serious female bias in their rulers.”
“Good. Make a full report. Oh, and the Khaskik aren’t a dead race. They went to Renovik to protect themselves and their future.”
“Oh, can I talk to them?”
“I will ask.”
“Wait, you know one?”
“He’s courting me, so... yes.”
Rella howled happily. “This is too good. He gets to be the little statue.”
“Shut up and call me if anything happens that you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty, Diena of Alody, first of their name.”
“You are really working on that.”
“I am. They refer to mothers in their titles. Moms are super important.”
“Having given birth once, I can appreciate that no one in your life will put out more effort for you. Okay. Hugs and keep me posted.”
Rella nodded formally and sighed in relief. No more reapers staring at her with hot eyes. That was unnerving. Dealing with Maro for years had been demoralizing and irritating, but the day his head flew off, she had been free. She owed Diena, and that debt was for life.
* * * *
Diena returned to the party and dismissed the blocking wave. Jennella looked at her ruefully. “That was effective.”
“I know. You are too nosy for your own good.” She looked down the table. “Salat, the reapers have left the site. If they come back... poof... crispy critters. It would be best if they consulted me about the status of my citizens.”
Salat nodded. “I will pass that along to the guild.”
She smiled. “Good. Syrella isn’t completely immune to her own effect, but she doesn’t want to turn it off until someone can muscle through it and actually have a conversation with her. When that happens, I will reset her system.”
Alody looked at her. “Reset her system?”
“Yes. The same way I did for myself. Different situations, similar outcomes. That is the reason I wanted to experiment with someone else’s embryo.
I would have freaked out if something was happening to my own child.
Having that emotional distance let me alter things until I had it right.
Now I am good if I want to have my own.”
The folks around the table began to ask, and Alody looked at her. “How?”
“When you are ready, I will show you. It is hella disconcerting if you don’t get pregnant right away. It requires meditation. Four hours a day to convince your body not to lock the child in your slow age cycle.”
There was a wave of silence in the room, and then Diena smiled. “Or you can set your reproductive organs to contemporary time for most of a year. Your choice.”
Alody blinked. “Set them to time?”
“I will show you. It’s astonishingly easy if you work at it.”
Salmet said, “Control time?”
“Only for my particular hourglass. I can slow the sand or speed it up.” She shrugged. “Or for those who share blood with me. I am guessing that it is one particular bloodline that has this issue. Lucky us.”
Alody asked, “There are others? Aside from Aluhara?”
Diena nodded. “With myself, you, and Aluhara counted, there are seven. Syrella and Avik are two, and the other two are waiting for my message to return to the city. They are recovering in the islands. Sethir-born with Khaskik genes a few generations back.”
Jenaki sat up. “You knew?”
“Yup. While I was at Z-Corp, I had basic access to their systems, and you wouldn’t believe how far that can take you if you know what you are looking for.” She shrugged. “And I went to the library.”
He paused and laughed. “Of course.”
She could have told him she ripped the information from the stone of the palace, but she would mention that later.
She settled at the table next to him and smiled. “All the bad men are gone, and some are slightly poached.”
Salat exhaled. “Good. I was worried there would be an issue.”
“My friend indicated that the empress was active and that she was raising the heat. They left at that point.” She looked at the dessert platter. “If anything else happens, she will call me, or she will let me know after Avik has dealt with things and how badly we need cleaning drones.”
Salmet blinked. “So, you are really the Lorn empress?”
“Well, we are going to bring back the original name, so the Khaskik Empress. Yes.”
“I think I need to host a gathering between you and some other ambassadors.”
“I wouldn’t mind speaking to the Sethir and the Hyreno, but I haven’t really been able to think about the start of the conversation. Neither is going to enjoy the chat.”
Salmet nodded. “The Sethir?”
“Sold their daughters because their main concern was alphas.”
Rico said, “The Hyreno?”
“Need to be spanked. They banned air-only Hyreno from their cities, which sent Maro in search of a country to rule. I know that Juro has changed the edict, but I want him to understand what happened because his father was a douche of a second son who got enough backing to kick the true psycho out of the country instead of splitting power.”
Khytten raised a hand. “Can I watch you spank Juro?”
Diena peeled a cupcake. “No. Pervert.”
The folk at the table laughed.
Alody was still fielding questions about her travels, and Ithal crawled onto her lap and dozed off.
Eskin remained next to her, got a com link, and grinned. He leaned in and whispered in Alody’s ear. She carefully checked her com and smiled. “So tomorrow morning at the academy.”
Diena spoke from down the table. “I will take Ithal to the playpark and probably Kessie and Vaken.”
Jenaki said, “After you go to Z-Corp for your last appointment.”
“Ah. Right. That’s okay. Alody, when is your appointment?”
“Ten thirty.”
“Now, I just need to check to see when I can get in at the clinic.”
Jenaki smiled. “You can see the doctor at eight in the morning, before standard appointments.”
“Nice. Very accommodating physician.”
He smiled and kissed her.
She set an alarm on her com and sighed. “Right. Ithal, I know you are awake. Cereal, eggs, or pancakes?”
“Pancakes.”
“Ah, a hot breakfast fan. Okay.” She smiled and looked around at the gathering of folks who had gone into battle with her mother as their medic. There was love and trust there. Joy that she was finally home.
Diena smiled.
Jenaki slid his arm around her, and she leaned on his shoulder, like it was the most normal thing in the universe.
Salat and Khytten’s coms started flaring, and they stared and then laughed.
Salat smiled. “The new baby is freaking Kritz out. He’s not good with that many biologicals.
Arcady is laughing, and Klauz is over, trying to help them get the best formula mix as practice for his.
He’s wearing most of it. The nanny is trying not to help. ”
Salmet asked, “Diena, would you have another for them?”
“No. The next thing that comes out of me, I am keeping.”
The folks gathered laughed, and the toddlers were asleep in a pile next to their parents. Their Hyreno nanny didn’t look nervous, and Ithal hadn’t commented. Perhaps he strictly reacted to Alody. That was becoming very likely.