Keeper: First Ordinance, Book 2 (31 page)

"I've looked into that—I saw nothing that would not be
suitable as far as food crops go," Willow replied. "There are a few
other plants and such that might not work, but only because they would
overpower what already grows on Morningsun."

"What are those?" Berel asked.

"Goldleaf Ivy," Willow said. "First and
foremost. Kondar's soil is more acidic, keeping its vines small and
containable. Morningsun's soil will allow it to grow rampant and cause problems
for farmers."

"I think we can live without goldleaf ivy," Berel
laughed. "The farmers here hate the stuff."

"There are only a few other things of the same nature—you
call them weeds," Willow said. "Morningsun will be better off without
those things."

"What about the animals?" I asked.

"I saw nothing that wouldn't thrive on Morningsun,
including the tiny leafmunk," Willow said. "All serve a purpose, and
if taking those things will make the people of Kondar and Yokaru more
comfortable in their new surroundings, then there is no need to leave them
behind."

"First we have to convince the people, and that means
Berel and I have to write the best interview we can," I pulled my hands
away from Pink Paws. He grumbled about it, so Willow lifted him and returned
him to the cage.

The birds, too, weren't pleased to be removed from my wings,
but Willow eventually convinced them. With the cages sitting at one end of the
table so the creatures could watch me as much as they liked, our midday meal
was brought and Berel and I began the task of writing our interview.

Again.

Chapter 16
 

Kondar

High President's Palace

Quin

"These are the topics Willow would like to cover,"
Berel handed a tab-vid to his father. "These," he handed a second
tab-vid over, "are the ones Quin and I want to talk about."

"I'll look them over with my vid-experts this
afternoon," Edden nodded to Berel and me. "Quin, do you have
something suitable—and comfortable enough—to wear for this?"

"I do. Queen Lissa sent some things."

"She has a blue silk tunic and trousers, Father. She
looks wonderful in them."

"My team wants the interview to take place where you had
lunch that day—in the garden," Edden said. "The image taken by the
journalist who sneaked in that day has been shown everywhere, including the
newsvids, alongside images of Quin at the border war."

"I'd prefer not to discuss that," I shuddered.

"I know." For the first time, Edden pulled me
against him and kissed the top of my head. "I've already warned them that
this troubles you—Berel says so."

"How soon do you think a vote can be taken?" I
asked.

"That is a more serious subject," Edden pulled away
and shook his head. "It must be debated in Council before the Presidents
present it to the people. I hope this interview eases the way through these
arguments. My scientists say there's not much time and deaths among the very
young and the elderly are already rising rapidly."

"So we have the scientific vote already?" Berel
grinned.

"Nearly all of them are on the side of evacuation. Much
of what we'll face is fear of the unknown," Edden agreed.

"I hope Willow can convince them, then," I sighed.
"I have no idea whether I can."

* * *

Avii Castle

"What did you expect would happen?" Dena took a seat
next to Justis. He sat on his terrace, head in hands, the midday meal Dena
brought untouched.

"I suppose I wasn't expecting that," Justis let his
hands drop before leaning back with a sigh. "I suppose I just wanted her
to say that she'd had something to do with Jurris' change of heart. I've never
seen him so—so," Justis fumbled for words.

"You mean you've never seen Jurris so reasonable?"
Dena asked.

"Yes. That's as good as anything I can come up
with."

"Look, I overheard Kaldill and Willow talking. They said
something about DNA—I know that much, although I still don't know exactly what
that means. They talked about evil being passed from parent to child. I can see
that it happened in Yevil and Halthea's cases. Treven was terrible." Dena
shivered. "At least that's what my mother and father say."

"Did they say that Quin may have had something to do
with—well, you know?"

"I heard Kaldill say that if she did, she likely didn't
know it—that her intent was to heal him. You have to understand though, that
she can only heal what's wrong with the body. Remember that Omina's prejudices
remained intact after Quin healed her."

"I recall. Now. Why didn't you say that before I ruined
my relationship with Quin? Everything in her bedroom is gone—it's moved into
Kaldill's suite. He isn't speaking to me either, as you know."

"You didn't ask me," Dena snorted. "You just
flew right off that terrace without spreading your wings, first. Now, Quin's
hurt. You're upset. Over what? That Jurris is suddenly making better
decisions?"

"You make me sound like an idiot. Yes," Justis held
up a hand. "I've already thought it myself. I don't know how to fix this,
though."

"I don't either." Dena stood and stretched. "I
have to dust Library shelves this afternoon. See that you stay out of
trouble." Dena spread her wings and flew toward the Library terrace.

"Easier said than accomplished," Justis muttered as
he watched her go.

* * *

Le-Ath Veronis

Queen Lissa's Private Journal

"Look at this," Kooper tossed a comp-vid on my desk.

"I already know," I said, looking at him rather than
the tablet now lying in front of me. "Trik and Nissa sent mindspeech."

"How the hell did Cayetes manage to kill three Belancour
wizards so easily?"

"You know there are still warlocks and witches for hire.
Rylend has a list longer than your lion snake, filled with names of Karathian
rogues."

"He's targeting the entire family, isn't he?"

"I think so," I said. "I just hope he doesn't
target Trik, although Trik can take care of himself. I just hate the fact that
someone has the idea to come after him."

"The records of your adoption are public, Lissa,"
Kooper reminded me. "He's married to your daughter. You may ask him to
stay on Grey Planet until this blows over. I have as many people as I can spare
on Cayetes' trail, but I wish the fucker would just go ahead and die, already.
Maybe that will eliminate this spate of revenge killings."

"I'm concerned about what he might do to stay
alive," I said, tapping my temple.

"You don't think," Kooper immediately looked
worried.

"Yeah. He has enough money and that is a powerful tool to
convince someone to perform illegal surgery."

"How long do you think it would take for the new body to
sicken?"

"No idea—it may depend on whether the mind is already
affected. If not, then we could be looking at another full lifetime of Vardil
Cayetes' criminal behavior."

"I'll see if I can pull more agents off other
projects," Kooper rumbled, raking long fingers through his hair in
frustration. "Who the hell would do this kind of shit?"

"Ask Reah—she dealt with the last known incidents,"
I said.

"I'll do that," Kooper said and turned to leave.
"Any word on the Siriaan vote?" He swung back for a moment.

"They haven't even started the debates. You know how
politics go—nobody's in a hurry until it's too late, and then it's all
finger-pointing and blame."

"You'd know better than I would," Kooper agreed.
"Keep me posted. Something about all this bothers me, but I can't say what
it is."

"Me, too," I muttered. "Me, too."

* * *

Kondar

High President's Palace

Quin

Queen Lissa knew precisely the right person to send. Willow,
with the aid of a special comp-vid, had three-dimensional images presented to
the vid-journalists, who recorded everything shown and said by Morningsun's
representative.

Berel and I were seeing Morningsun for the first time—the
shape of its continents, which ones were reserved for Kondar and Yokaru, and Willow
provided information on the already-inhabited continent of Cloudsong II.

Willow provided a short, concise lesson in geography,
politics, zoology and botany. Soil quality was discussed, as well as
climatology and geology. The continents were much larger than those currently
occupied by Kondar and Yokaru, with samples of how to split the Kondari area
into Five Sectors.

Willow had done so much with very little time. I worried that
Berel and I hadn't done a tenth that well. Our interview was scheduled next,
and my hands betrayed how unsteady I felt.

* * *

Vogeffa I

"Lord Cayetes, I have good news," his assistant
beamed.

"What good news? I feel like excrement," Vardil
complained.

"We've started a list of surgeons and wizards, we only have
to choose one and convince him," the assistant announced first.
"Second, three of the Belancour wizards are dead and third—the weapon is
ready to fire."

"Why didn't you tell me the last item first?" Vardil
growled. "Has it been loaded onto the ship? Are we ready to go?"

"The moment you give the word," the assistant
smiled.

"The word is given."

* * *

Kondar

The High President's Palace

Quin

"The people of Fyris watched their children die—if they
weren't stillborn," I said. "Crops withered or were stunted at first.
At the last, nothing grew that could be consumed." Berel tapped his
tab-vid, matching appropriate images with what I said.

"You already know the fish pulled from the seas are contaminated.
It will only grow worse. Your scientists have already warned you that there is
no cure for this poison—it will only continue to spread."

"What about the gods?" One journalist interrupted my
speech.

"What if this is their way of providing help?" I
answered. "To take all of you to a safe place? Is there a set of rules
that your gods must abide by—a single, specific way spelled out to save the
people?"

"Well, no, I suppose not," the journalist—a young
man—replied.

"This is the best solution to the problem so far. If
there is a cure found someday, I'm sure you'll be welcome to return to
Siriaa—nobody else wants to come near it."

"What would you do—if you could?" another
journalist—the only woman—asked.

"I wanted to heal Siriaa, but that is not my ability,"
I said. "Therefore, I want to save its people by any means possible. Now.
Before the poison worsens and more people die."

"Do you feel confident that we'll be safe on this other
world—Morningsun?" the third journalist asked. He was older and carefully
considered his questions before he spoke.

"Yes. Willow has lived there for more than one hundred
sun-turns. You see he is healthy enough. The people on the third large
continent—Cloudsong II—are still recovering from the effects of the poisoning
of their world two generations back, as Willow explained," I said.
"They understand what it is to be displaced and will be most sympathetic,
I believe, to the plights of Kondar and Yokaru."

"Where are the people of Fyris, now?" the woman
asked.

"They are on another world called Harifa Edus," I
said. "Their health and well-being improved immediately, now that they
have enough food and access to medical care." I didn't want to explain
about the attempted coup—that would dismay many. Kaldill's last word on the subject
was that Amlis was now firmly in control—with a bit of help from Torevik Rath
and a few others.

"What would you say to the Council if you could?"
the young man asked.

"That there is little time. Differences must be set aside
in order to protect the people of Kondar."

"All Sectors of it? Remember that someone from Sector Two
nearly killed you," the woman said.

"All Sectors. I have no blame to levy and no grudge is
held," I shrugged.

"Who were those blue men?" the older man asked.
"The ones who helped you after you were injured in the border war?"

"I understand they are called the Larentii Wise Ones.
There are no other races like theirs—they are unique. I am fortunate they chose
to help me."

"I'd never have believed that such powerful beings
actually existed, without such overwhelming proof," the older journalist
said.

"The Larentii have visited the Avii for
generations," I shrugged. "Master Gurnil, the Librarian for the Avii,
has seen Larentii many times."

"They've been coming here all along?" the young man
asked.

"You'd have to ask Master Gurnil—or a Larentii, to get
the best answer," I replied. "They only come to study Siriaa—and
until recently, when they helped me—have never interfered in any way with it.
That is not their purpose. Mainly, they are curious, and with the power they
have to visit worlds, it is understandable that they would do so."

My interview went on for two more hours, until I was nearly
hoarse and barely able to speak. Edden and Melis, at Berel's urging, ended it,
saying the journalists had more than enough material.

At the end, though, I was asked to speak directly to the
people of Kondar.

I did.

Perhaps it was because I was so weary by that time, but I wept
as I begged them to save their lives and the lives of their children. I pleaded
with them to set aside their fears of the unknown—because what awaited them
when the poison consumed Siriaa would be so much worse. Their lives would end
in pain and suffering, and I begged them not to let that happen.

I knew about that pain—had healed many from it including
Yissy, the youngest survivor from Fyris.

Berel dropped to the grass beside me at the last, while the
recorders were still going, and pulled me against him. Clutching at his shirt
and burying my head against his shoulder, I sobbed.