Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle) (19 page)

She then looked at Connor
with both of her large golden eyes.
“What is your first question, Connor?”

Connor sat with his legs crossed as well a
nd he too commanded his own air
of authority
which seemed to supersede
that of
the Keeper’s
. He rested a gentle hand on Sarah’s
lap, but kept his penetrating hazel eyes on Veronica. His voice was clear for everyone to hear.
“Just to be clear, I’m ignorant about what I might eventually say
or ask
, but I would like to learn.
Do not take offense if I make a careless question out of my lack of experience
because I
truly
mean no harm.
”

Her strong mind entered every person’s in the room, but it wasn’t
nearly as strong as Connor’s. Sarah
was able to keep
most of their
secrets by picturing his tattoo as a mental block that no one may access
certain memories or thoughts
without
permission
.
She
remember
ed
Connor’s warning about w
aiting until meet
ing
the Elders
. Her golden eyes looked closely at
Sarah’s
mate, but she didn’t hold any anger in her ageless eyes.
“Spoken like a
sentient
creature seeking the truth
s
of the world… Very well I will hold no anger towards you unles
s you pester me, Hatchling
.”

“That is all I ask, Veronica.” He took a deep breath. “My first question is
,
How did the avalanche actually begin
?”

Her eyes closed for a moment as she sighed.
“You are direct are you not?”
Connor made a one sided smiled as he nodded once.
“Very well,
I was in a rush to get to the
meeting and I got a little over
zealous. I started my journey
once summoned
and have
practically
traveled
almost
nonstop since.  I jumped over some trees and landed
on the mountain
to warm up my egg
. I was wrong in my assumption
to land
upon
snow wasn’t as hard as I
originally
surmised
. The snow shifted
under my weight
instantly
and covered me and my egg. I was trapped in the mountain until you all found me.”
She cocked her head.
“By the way… how did you avoid the avalanche?”

Without blinking Connor said “We almost became trapped ourselves. We were lucky
,
that is all.”
Then he fired off another question. “Why didn’t your mate travel with you?
I’ve been told Keepers mate for life as well.
”

Her eyes became solemn
, distant
and temporarily withdrawn.
“Like you
said
we mate for a lifetime, but we won’t die if our mate does. My mate was killed
over a
year ago by being
heavily
poisoned by an arrow from a tribal civilization
of humans
.”
She stroked her egg softly.
“He was killed before I could tell him about our second hatchling.”

Connor interrupted her. “That’s a dark way of seeing it.” Her eyes focused again and blinked. “He didn’t completely die.” Her golden eyes widened as Connor reached over and touched her egg with the tips of his fingers. “He is still a
part of your life through this child.
In that way he is still alive in some way.”

Her eyes softened a
s she
gently put a clawed finger on his shoulder. Her throat rumbled as she spoke through
the
mind
“I needed that, Connor. You have a way of saying things in a new way. That is a rare quality.”

Sarah smiled and Veronica’s
attention t
urned
to
her
. “Why do you think we are together? He is very unique.”

“
The both of you are.”
She corrected and smiled with her long and sharp teeth.
“I can tell that you two are Balancers, but I cannot read you
r minds
like I can
with
them.”
Her eyes looked at the center
Sarah’s
chest for a moment
,
then
turned upon
the ceiling and finally rested on both Connor and
her
self
.
“What are you?”

Connor spoke up and his voice l
aced
in
warning. “Veronica,” H
er large eyes shifted back to Connor. “that is our secret and one that is taboo for you to ask again.” He then added “And please don’t access their minds for any answers
for that too will infringe on our agreement
.”

He didn’t say it in malice, but
Sarah’s
worry escalated because it was foolish to anger a being such as Veronica. Keepers aren’t always known for compassion.

She studied an unmovable Connor as his eyes were locked on hers. She let out a rumbling sigh.
“I understand. I will not touch that subject again.”
She regained her composure and sat straight back up.

“Is it allowed if I ask about your physiology and growth patterns?”

Veronica showed him
a one sided grin as she
moved her leathery lips.
“That is permissible. I’ll start with our growth.”
She laid a claw on top of her egg.
“This little one will take another year before it breaks
out of
its shell. The shell is very durable as you
’ve
witnessed during the avalanche. The child’s sex is determined by the temperature. A male will be born with a temperature of over one hundred of your degrees and anything else below that will be a female. I already have a son so I want a daughter this time. Also the shell will not allow any temperatures to cook our children because the microscopic holes in the egg will allow the temperature to dissipate.

“After the child emerges from its shell
,
it will take about one hundred years to
become sexually mature. Until then, the child achieves its full height in about fifty years. During those hundred years the young Keeper is trained by its parents.”
Her golden eyes pointedly locked onto Connor’s.
“You may not ask about our training methods or how we raise our young
because that is a closely guarded secret we share with none
.”
Connor took
Sarah’s
hand into his and nodded at her rule.
“As I was saying…
at the end of their first century,
whe
ther
they are deemed worthy of a mate
or not,
they will leave the nest and make their own territories somewhere
else
in the world.

“Now I will answer your question about our physiology.”
She took an unneeded
and
deep breath as she continued.
“As you can see I have scales instead of your skin and claws as well.
We still have a heart and organs to regulate our systems
just like you
.
Unlike you though we are both warm and cold blooded
.”

Connor couldn’t contain his excitement hearing this. “
Endo and exothermic!
You mean to tell me that you can be cold blooded in the summer and not overheat
,
while in the winter you become warm blooded so you won’t get as cold!”

She showed her teeth and grinned.
“Exactly, Connor.
T
hat is
precisely
what we do it for. We can tell our bodies to turn it on and off like a
switch
.
”
Her smile slowly went away as she continued her lecture.
“Our diet usually consists of meat, but we can also process plant life. It isn’t as filling though. Our bodies are fast and strong, plus we can regenerate any damage to our bodies relatively quickly
…
”

Connor then spoke after she finished that little biology lesson. “Before
,
you said that a child spends time with its parents as it matures.” She nodded once with her large head. “Since you
’
r
e
now a single mother, does that change anything?”

“Somewhat.”
She had a look of longing in her eyes for only a moment.
“
Since we l
ose mates so rarely there is little need for this, but I will have to find a
new
compatible mate
who is willing to aid in the teaching of my young
. If I am deemed worthy of breeding again I will be given the opportunity to choose my new mate. The mate must be strong, powerful and patient.”

Connor reached out and patted her leg. With a
wry
smile on his face he said “Sorry Veronica, but I’m already taken.”

Her scaly brow furrowed until she got the joke and started laughing. Her wide and massive jaws opened and exposed her exquisite and menacing teeth. Her laugh
grew
deep
, rich
and boisterous.
Sarah
could even feel her
throaty
la
ugh through her
entire
body.
What made it even funnier was the echo that came from the cave.
Then
everyone
all joined in her laugh
,
feeling the atmosphere lighten.

The laugh
ing
died out and she said
“Thank you for the laughter. I have been worrying about what I was going to do and for some reason I’m no longer
as
worried.”

“That is what Connor does.” Mark said
,
gaining everyone’s attention. “No matter the situation
,
he can fix it.
If he can
’
t, we’re
all
screwed…
”

Veronica looked from Mark to Connor and then back again.
“That I do not doubt… May I ask you a question… Mark?”

“Fire away!” He said smiling and leaning back using his arms behind him to keep him propped up. His silver eyes danced with the firelight.
When she didn’t understand his meaning he clarified.
“What’s on your mind?”

Veronica shifted her hip for a second and twisted her egg on her lap so that the fire could warm up a new side.
“You’re a Changer.”
Mark smiled even brighter.
“Then why are you and your mate traveling with Balancers? I’ve seen what your kind does
to those who associate with them.”

Mark was ready for that question. He didn’t shift his weight with the uncomfortable situation. He
remained
completely relaxed. “Because I’m not traveling with Balancers, I’m traveling with
…
my friend
s
.”
He said carefully.

She considered his words carefully.
“Are you prepared for the worst case scenario?”

Kara’s voice became dark. “We don’t need to worry, but the other’s will
need to worry about us
.”

Suddenly Kara’s eyes began glowing. She lifted her left hand up and then came the sounds of bones breaking. She then flipped her wrist back and the skin at her wrist became
stretched and
white. Then the skin separated and a rounded bone protruded from her wrist. It then thinned somewhat and became a perfect cylinder for about four inches until the cylinder began flattening
like a leaf
as the bone kept rising out of her wrist. The flattening then became sharpened edges
. The bone kept growing for the next six inches until it thinned to a small point. Kara then grabbed the top of the bone with her right hand and broke the bone at the thin tip at her wrist. Her wrist then came back up like nothing ever happened. There wasn’t even a single drop of
shed
blood.

Sarah’s
eyes were fixated on Kara’s bone she held in her hand. It was a bone short sword. She twirled it around for everyone to get a good look. The only person not stunned at her was Mark.