Christie Meierz [Tales of Tol Daughters of Suralia (epub)

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.You see the result.”He turned to the room and raised a hand to dismiss the guests.As they began to drift toward the doorway, he assisted Marianne from the dais.“Does that always happen?” she asked.He kept a firm grip on her arm as she stepped down – she sometimes failed to take account of her body’s shift in balance, and he would not allow her to fall if that should happen.“No, her fatigue is a mistake of the very young and inexperienced.As an adult, she will be able to perform at that level without exhausting herself.”She shot him a questioning glance as she headed for her quarters, but he shook his head and didn’t immediately follow her, accompanying Kyza instead.Confused emotions were reaching him through the parental bond he shared with his daughter; she would need his help sorting through them.He’d not expected Thela to have such empathic depth at such a young age, or he would have kept Kyza away from the performance.He seated himself comfortably on the veranda of Kyza’s quarters, where he could watch the moon rise over the far mountains.She climbed into his lap, curling up and nestling against his chest.He put his arms around her, reaching through the bond.She was even more profoundly stirred by the music than he thought – some of the emotions she had experienced during the performance troubled her deeply.He wrapped her senses up in his and helped her to quiet and calm her emotions.The moon was visibly farther up in the sky before she was soothed enough to drop into slumber.He waited until she was in a deep sleep before he rose from his seat.Carefully, he carried her to her mat and laid her on it, covering her with a light blanket.He watched for a moment to be certain she would remain asleep.It had been too long since he had communed with Kyza.He had allowed the poor excuse of a busy schedule to distract him from his responsibility to her.With an almost inaudible sigh, he resolved to spend more time with his daughter and left her to make his way to Marianne’s quarters.His beloved was already asleep, but she stirred when he slipped under her blanket.She mumbled something and molded herself against his side.Then her eyes slitted open, small whirls of jealous suspicion lighting up in her.“Where were you?”“Kyza needed me,” he murmured, unperturbed.“She was disturbed by the performance, and it had been too long since I last communed with my daughter.”Surprise washed away the sleepiness and the suspicion, and she shifted onto her side to look at him.Moonlight lit her face.“Is she all right?”“She will be.It may take a little time for her to become settled and peaceful again.”She ran a finger over his lips.“You’re a good father,” she whispered.He smiled under her finger.She leaned over to kiss and nibble his chin.“Cena says that we can resume behaving like ‘digger squid in warm water.’”He pulled her more tightly against him.“So she informed me.”She pouted.“I wanted to be the one to tell you.”He grinned and set himself the task of erasing her pout.Chapter SevenThe Sural woke at first light.After extricating himself from the tangle of arms and legs without disturbing Marianne, he washed, threw on a clean robe and trousers, and mentally reviewed the upcoming day while a servant brushed and knotted his hair.When his hair was presentable, he padded into the sitting room, planning to start on his morning reports.The flashing light of Marianne’s comms unit met him.He took a seat at her desk, blocking the light from her view, and pondered.After banning humans from Tolari space, he’d offered to have the unit removed to his guards’ communications plexus.She’d resisted the idea, saying she wanted to have “as much of home” about her as she could.It did seem to give her comfort, even after the unfortunate incident with Admiral Howard, so he had not pressed her to remove it.Tapping a panel on the comms unit got him a notification that a long-range communication was incoming.He stifled a snort and checked his tablet to confirm it.The signal originated from the human-maintained space station at the star they called Epsilon Indi.He rubbed his chin and nodded.They were staying out of Tolari space this time.That was promising.After signaling a guard to close the door to the sleeping room, he accepted the connection.The very surprised face of a human male appeared on the monitor.The Sural waited.Had this human been briefed on the protocol of communicating with a member of the Tolari ruling caste?“Sir,” the man said, in English.Apparently not.The Sural raised an eyebrow.Earth didn’t know that Marianne was a member of the ruling caste, but they knew she was “married” to their leader.Either this human had never been briefed – which he should have been, given the circumstances – or he was pretending not to have been.Either case was an insult.The human cleared his throat and began again, in heavily accented Tolari.The Sural let his other eyebrow join the first.“High one, my name is Michael Gould.I call on behalf of Earth Central Command.We attempt to contact Citizen Marianne Woolsey, but she fails to answer her comms.Will you honor us, high one, and inform us where she is?”The Sural waited, keeping the amusement off his face.As the silence stretched, comprehension dawned on the human’s face.The man swallowed and remained silent, lips pressed into a thin line.The Sural finally broke his silence.“Speak,” he commanded.The man’s face took on an almost nauseated expression.The Sural suppressed more amusement.Most humans were not accustomed to waiting for permission to speak.“High one,” Gould said, carefully, “you honor me.I request permission to have conversation with Citizen Marianne Woolsey.”“No.”Gould swallowed again and looked up past the screen, at some unseen prompter.“Central Command needs proof of life, high—”“You need what?” He let menace into his voice.Gould backpedaled.“We are concerned for her.Her family is concerned for her.They want to give her their love and best wishes.”“Marianne has no living relations.”Gould went pale.“High one, I—”“—merely speak the words you are being told to speak.”The man gave an almost imperceptible nod and swallowed hard [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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