Laura Jo Phillips (16 page)

“Nothing new,” Jarlek replied.  “It will be weeks before he arrives, at least.”

“I hate this place, Father,” Darck said, lowering his voice.  “There is nothing here.”

“Worse, we are nothing here,” Jarlek said.  “It’s better than being dead though, which we would have been had we remained on Earth.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Darck replied.

“Which?  The part about being dead, or this being better than dead?”

“The second part,” Darck said.

“Have you seen the watcher today?” Jarlek asked, changing the subject. 

“No, have you?” Darck asked.

“No,” Jarlek said.  “He never seems to be around when the sugea comes.”

Darck thought about that.  “He was there two days ago, and the sugea came that day.”

“Yes, but the sugea came in the morning, and the watcher did not show up until after noon.  When the sugea comes late in the day, the watcher does not come at all.”

 “You think that the watcher is hiding from the sugea, don’t you?”

“I think that it’s a possibility worth exploring,” Jarlek admitted. 

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Darck said.  “Is that it?”

“I did not say that Magoa was our enemy,” Jarlek said. 

“What is he then?”

“I do not know,” Jarlek said.  “But I think we should find out.  Sooner rather than later, and preferably before Stalnek arrives.”

“If any of us are still alive by then,” Darck muttered.

Jarlek looked at him sharply.  That was not to be spoken of, and Darck knew it. 

 “I think that I shall go for a walk,” Darck said.  “Perhaps I will meet someone interesting.”

“That’s a good idea, Son,” Jarlek said.  “Be sure to return before the sun sets.”

Chapter
16

Aisling removed the headphones and shoved her chair back from the desk.  An entire week of translating Xanti, and she still wasn’t used to listening to the high-pitched, screechy sound of it.  Her absolute limit was twelve minutes at a time, and if she tried to increase that by even a few seconds, she immediately got a headache.  

She stood up, stretched, and headed to the chiller for a cold drink, passing Karma who was curled up on the sofa with a reader.  Karma glanced up and frowned at her.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yep, fine,” Aisling replied as she opened the chiller and grabbed a bottle of juice.  “I’m hoping this last bit will do it.”

“That would be great,” Karma said, putting her reader down.  “I hope it won’t take as long to translate the writing.”

“I don’t think it will,” Aisling said.  “After listening to that screeching for so long, I think there are variations based on not just tone, but volume and pitch as well.  It’s very complicated.  But, I think that the Xanti stole their written language.  If I’m right, it will be more like languages we’re used to with a set number of letters. 

“I hope you’re right,” Karma said.  “Even if you aren’t, at least you won’t have to stop every few minutes while reading it like you have to now.”

There was a light knock on the door before it opened and Elder Vulpiran stuck his head in.  “May I come in?” he asked.

“Sure,” Aisling said. 

Elder Vulpiran entered the office and closed the door behind him.  “I have some news,” he said.  Aisling waved him toward a chair, then sat down beside Karma on the sofa.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“First, preliminary results indicate that we have enough information to do a full translation on the audio data we took from the Xanti bio-suit,” he said.

“Preliminary results?” Karma asked.

“We’re running a full translation now,” Elder Vulpiran explained.  “If we need more input, we will at least have specific sections that need work.  We’ll know more by morning.”

 “That’s really good news,” Aisling said.  “Do you want me to start on the written data now?”

“No, no,” Elder Vulpiran replied, shaking his head.  “Its well past noon already.  Go on home and rest.  Tomorrow is soon enough to start on that.”

“Yippee,” Karma said, leaping to her feet. 

“I keep forgetting how boring this must be for you,” Elder Vulpiran said to Karma.  “If there is anything in particular that interests you, perhaps we can provide it to help pass the time more quickly.”

“That’s thoughtful of you,” Karma said.  “The truth is, the thing I love best is teaching small children.  But I don’t think you can bring a bunch of seven year olds here just to entertain me.”

“No, I suppose not,” Elder Vulpiran chuckled.  “If you can think of anything else, let me know though, will you?”

“I will,” Karma said with a smile.

“Will you call the Gryphons to pick you up?”

“No,” Karma said.  “I thought we’d walk into town and do a little shopping, then call them for a ride later.”

“I’m afraid that may not be safe,” Elder Vulpiran said.  “How about if I assign a male-set to drive you into town and keep you shielded until the Gryphons come for you?”

“That would be very kind of you,” Aisling said, jumping in before Karma could complain.  They had both told the Gryphons that they would be careful of their safety.  Karma was chaffing under the reality of what that meant, but Aisling was grateful that she didn’t have to worry about the Xanti all the time.

“Thank you,” Elder Vulpiran said.  “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll have a male-set meet you by the front door.”

After Elder Vulpiran left, Aisling turned off her terminal while Karma collected her empty drink bottle and snack wrappers and put them in the recycle bin.  Aisling watched her, trying to make up her mind whether to ask the question she so badly wanted an answer to.  If there was anyone she could trust, it was Karma.

“Karma, do you know how a male-set knows if a woman is their Arima?”

Karma shook her head, surprised by the question.  “I’m sorry, but that’s one bit of information nobody has thought to share with me.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t think it happened with the Gryphons, do you?” Aisling asked, throwing caution to the wind.

“I have no idea,” Karma replied.  “If it has, it’s possible that they’re waiting for you to act like you know they exist.”

Aisling swung her head around and stared at Karma in surprise.  “Wow, am I that cold?”

“Not cold,” Karma said.  “You are never cold, Aisling.  But you are reserved, and distant.  Even though you’ve shed your disguise, I think you’re still hiding.  When you asked me to teach you, I thought it was because you wanted to attract the Gryphons.  But you don’t act like you care about them other than as our hosts, so I changed my mind.”

Aisling sighed.  “I think hiding has become a habit.  A habit that has saved me more than once, but if its keeping me from the good things, then what’s the point?”

“So, you do care about them, and you want them to know how you feel,” Karma said.  “Is that right?”

“Yes,” Aisling replied.  “And I want to find out how they feel.”

“Sounds to me like you should have dinner alone with them tonight,” Karma said thoughtfully.  “When you aren’t wearing that disguise of yours, what do you generally wear?  What’s your normal style?”

“Leather and kevlex,” Aisling replied.  Protective clothing that fits close to the skin, moves easily, and doesn’t get in my way.”

“I get the picture,” Karma said with a grin.  “I have to say, I’m relieved, too.  I was worried you liked the sort of things you’ve been wearing.”

“Ugh,” Aisling said as she looked down at herself.  “Not hardly.” 

“Good,” Karma said.  “So, in spite of your current appearance, you are not in the least bit afraid to hide that great body of yours.”

“I’m not sure about the great body, but I do prefer clothing that actually fits me.”

“I bet you like to have lots of little hidden pockets, belts and loops to carry your weapons, right?” 

Aisling nodded.  “It’s what I do for a living.”

“I know, I get it,” Karma said.  “I bet you also wear your hair in a ponytail or braid, and either don’t wear makeup or you don’t wear much of it.”

“Partly,” Aisling said.  “You got the hair right, but I do wear make-up when I’m not trying to blend into the wallpaper.  To be honest, Karma, my style is somewhat bolder than you might think.  Probably not a good look for trying to attract the Gryphons, is it?  They seem a little conservative for me.”

“I don’t know about that,” Karma said.  “They seemed to really enjoy watching you work out with those weapons of yours.”

“I suppose,” Aisling said doubtfully.  “I don’t have either those clothes, or my weapons, so its a moot point.”

“Even if you had them, I think it might be better if you tried something a little less battle-ready tonight.  Something that will compliment some of those moves I’ve been teaching you without hiding who you really are.  Good thing we’re going shopping.”

“I’m not sure I know what the right look should be though,” Aisling said worriedly.  “I can do disguise, and I can do warrior.  I can also remember how I dressed as a teen.  That’s about all I know.”

“Well, lucky for you, you have me,” Karma said. 

“How do you know all this stuff?” Aisling asked.  “Fashion, makeup, how to walk and move so...,”

“Sexy?”

“No, beautifully.”

Karma smiled.  “The short version is that I was born and raised on New Levant.”

Aisling’s eyes widened in surprise.  Karma nodded.  “I know, right?  Even worse, I was born a
Chanapor
, a wanderer.  Females are trained from birth to attract men, care for men, clean for men, cook for men and have babies.  If the babies are male, they are raised by the father.  If the babies are female, they are taught to attract men, care for men, clean for men...you get the idea.  It’s a life that most women like, believe it or not.  I just wasn’t one of them.  So I ran away, went to Earth, and got an education.  I was also disowned by my family.”

“Ouch,” Aisling said softly.  “I’m sorry Karma.”

“I’m not,” Karma said.  “I did what was right for me, and I never looked back.  Now, let’s go find that ride into the village.  We have lots of work to do and not much time to do it in.”

Chapter
17

Olaf, Rand and Rudy heard Aisling’s guestroom door open, then the sound of her footsteps as she walked along the curved hall.  The moment she entered the living room the three of them froze for a long moment, stunned by the sight of her. 

She was wearing a dress that clung to her curves and flowed with her body as she moved.  It was the same shade of green as her eyes, with touches of gold embroidery along the v-neckline and hem.  She wore an enameled belt that exactly matched the dark red of her hair, with matching bracelets on each wrist.  Her hair shimmered in the soft lights like a living flame, framing her face.  She had used just a touch of make-up to highlight her eyes and lips, and a bit of blush to add color to her pale complexion. 

Aisling hesitated at the expression on the faces of the Gryphons as she entered the room.  She had to remind herself that she didn’t look as she usually did, and that the way they were looking at her was a compliment.

It had been a very long and eventful afternoon, shopping with Karma.  Not only had she ended up with several new outfits, all of which fit better than anything she’d worn in the past year, but she’d also had her hair trimmed and nails done.   

The Gryphon brothers stood up, their eyes never leaving her for a moment.  “You are so beautiful, Aisling,” Olaf said, his voice a little hoarse.   

Aisling’s nerves eased a bit at his words, replaced by growing confidence.  She’d been confident for most of her life, but she had never felt so...so...
pretty.
 Feminine, yes.  And strong.  And intelligent.  But not pretty.  She was surprised to discover how much she liked the feeling.  She was going to have to think of a way to repay Karma for her help.  Especially for the tips on how to walk to minimize her limp.

“Thank you, Olaf,” she said, saying his name out loud for the first time, which sent a little shiver through her.  “Is dinner ready?  I’m starving.”

“Yes, I believe it is,” Olaf replied.  “Where is Karma?”

“She said she’d grab something to eat later from the kitchen,” Aisling said.  “She’s tired from shopping this afternoon.”

Aisling felt her skin heat, but since it was exactly what Karma had said to her, it wasn’t exactly a lie.  Not on her part anyway. 

“In that case, let’s go have dinner,” Olaf said as he walked toward Aisling and offered her his arm. 

Aisling swallowed hard, then gathered her courage around her and placed her hand lightly on Olaf’s wrist.  She immediately felt the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his shirt and it made the breath catch in her throat. 

Olaf guided Aisling across the living room, into the dining room and over to what had become her chair.  Rand collected a couple of candlesticks from a sideboard and placed them in the center of the table.  Aisling smiled as she watched him use Fire magic to light them.  Rand went into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine.