9
(Vasanaday)
Irola – Park 207
“Thank you for meeting me!” Sipper exclaimed as he approached the A’mara waiting for him in Park 207. It was one of the more secluded parks, with a high-degree of privacy. Sipper let his face fall again, with the gravity of his situation.
“What troubles you, Yidal?” Saraca asked him.
“It’s my daughter! She needs rescue in Joton.”
“Surely that’s a matter for police, not A’mara,” Saraca said.
“Not when she’s being held by Uugli!” Sipper cried desperately.
“How did this come to be?” Saraca asked.
“I… I got into some trouble with them… they are feeling threatened… I’m creating a philanthropist organization to assist the rich to help the poor…,” Sipper said. He realized as he said it that it actually sounded good.
“Why would they feel threatened by that?” Saraca asked.
“You’d have to ask them! All I’m doing is trying to work some good on Irola and they steal my daughter! They’ve asked for ransom or proof that I’ve disbanded!”
“How many are in your gang?” Saraca asked.
“We’re not a gang!” Sipper protested. “Just five founders. My daughter is the sixth, the Namer...” He broke off abruptly.
“Then what is the name of your non-gang?” Ja’tel asked quietly.
“She … she called us Neví – the old word for...”
“Friends. Yes, we know some old Almaran too,” Saraca said.
“What took your daughter to Kri’enden?” Ja’tel asked in his low, soothing voice.
“School. Her grades weren’t high enough for Towani or Avicen, her preferred schools.”
“But school doesn’t start until next month.”
“I wanted her to have plenty of time to adjust and explore before classes started,” Sipper said.
“When was she kidnapped?” Ja’tel asked.
“Yesterday, I think. I got the demand last night via PCS Link. She’d only been there a day!”
“Do you have a recording of the message?” Saraca asked.
“Hindsight is perfect, isn’t it? I had no idea I would be getting that kind of message, else I would have!” Sipper replied.
“Do you have something of hers that I can handle?” Saraca asked.
“She took most of her belongings with her… but she forgot her hairbrush,” he said, handing it to Saraca.
She took the brush. “May I keep this?”
“Sure.”
“Yidal, I got the impression of a dark-haired girl,” Saraca said.
“Yes.”
“But then it went red.”
“She dyes her hair. Many girls do.”
“Yidal, did you ever tell her about your affiliation with us?”
“N...no. I was sort of embarrassed to share that with her,” Sipper replied.
“Your gifts are strong. Surely, she has them too. Was she ever tested?” Saraca pressed.
“N...no. I wanted to keep apart from the A’mara… with the way I left and all.”
“Tell me the truth now. Does she know she has red in her hair?”
He looked down at his feet. “No. I didn’t want the questions. I always meant to tell her, but it didn’t happen. When her mother died, it was just easier to keep things the way they were.”
“But that was a façade, Yidal. That girl has the right to know about her gifts… the right to attend A’mara schools if she wants. And now, she’s sitting in a dangerous situation without the tools we could have given her – which could’ve helped her to get out! What kind of father does that make you?!” Saraca pushed the point home.
Tears spilled from his eyes now. “I only did what I thought was best!” A sob escaped his lips. “So will you help her? For her sake, not for mine.”
“Of course we will!” Ja’tel said. “She’s A’mara! We will rescue her no matter how or why she is in danger. We will leave on the next flight. I know Joton like the back of my hand.”
“Saraca, can you… uh… keep this, uh, quiet?”
“That is our job,” she replied. “Obviously, I must inform Jerreck of our task, but we will keep the details to ourselves except as necessary in order to rescue your daughter.”
“Thank you!” Sipper paused. “But I meant to come with you – to help!”
“And become a Neví hero? I think not, Yidal,” Ja’tel said sternly. “I caution you to think twice about treading on the Uugli’s self-proclaimed territory. I have no love for the group, trust me there, but we have not been able to shut them down yet – and they are dangerous. Next time, there may be no rescue possible.”
With that warning, Ja’tel and Saraca took their leave.
Sipper stood up and smiled, thankful to have secured the release of his daughter without sacrifice on his part – save for a few caballus tears.
Towani City
Vanti’s work in the greenhouses had kicked up several levels. Several younger A’mara were helping, including Murin Colí, Cyanus’ chola. They had to get ready for the new plants which would start arriving any day.
Cyanus was trying to secure funding for a new, state-of-the-art climatibule dome for handling the huge firthorn which soared 100 meters into the air. No one on Terrenden had ever done what they were attempting now.
Samek appeared at her side without warning.
“How do you do that?” she asked. “With the leya, no one can sneak up on me – except you.”
“Just a cool trick. I’ll teach you sometime,” he said suavely. He was so near her… she was very aware of him. She continued shifting things into storage. He followed her, carrying a couple of watering cans.
An image of him kissing her entered her mind. She mentally put her arms around him, ignoring the danger of letting him share the image.
She reached the storage and put the heavy pot away. The next thing she knew, she was against the wall, Samek’s lips covering her own. She started to protest, but then she gave in, putting her arms around him and kissing him back with a hunger she hadn’t known was there.
“And all this time, you pretended not to want me like this!” Samek muttered accusingly.
“I didn’t know, honestly!” she breathed back.
His hands groped her tunic until there was a shuffling noise coming into the room. Samek pulled away reluctantly as Murin brought in more pots.
“Over here, Vanti?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” she replied. “I need to get back to work,” she muttered to Samek, leaving the storage room.
Samek left the greenhouse, but not before Cyanus brought Nina in. Again, she visibly flinched as Samek passed her.
“There’s something wrong with that one,” Vanti heard her tell Cyanus. He said nothing in reply.
“Vanti is in charge of the project,” Cyanus explained to Nina as he approached.
“We are going to host as many plants from around the world as we can,” Vanti explained to her.
“It’s going to be amazing!” Cyanus said. “I told you she was my chola once. I am very proud of her.” He smiled and Nina seemed to flush slightly. Vanti wondered what he had made her think. Did he send mental kisses to Nina the way Samek had done to her?
Murin joined them, looking meaningfully at his maqla. Cyanus nodded at him gravely.
“Give me a moment, Nina,” Cyanus said and took Vanti’s hand to lead her aside.
“Never let it be said that I interfere with matters of the heart, Vanti,” he began. “I promise to let you choose who you bond with. But, I will warn you one last time that Samek is not a safe choice – for you, or anyone.”
“Then why is he A’mara?” Vanti asked.
“Despite our training, every A’mara is free to take their own path – for good or for bad. It is rare to expel an A’mara. It takes very serious misdoings – not simple worries for his character.”
“So he hasn’t done anything wrong, right?” Vanti confirmed.
“That is correct, but Nina has very good instincts. So does Zarma. There is something wrong with him. As your former maqla, it is my duty to share with you. As your friend, I worry that your heart is leading you into serious danger.”
“Thank you for your concern, my friend,” Vanti said curtly. “Thank you for sharing with me, but my heart is my own to bestow.”
“That it is,” Cyanus agreed. “I will interfere no more.” He returned to Nina with a sad expression and left the greenhouse.
Vanti returned to work thinking about Samek, wanting his kisses, his touch.
Supplemental Materials
Character Guide and Glossary
Terrenden Atlas pages
Please catch up!
Rebound of Power –
Meet Iyva, a homeless teenager in Irola with a strong connection with the leya. Totally untrained, her power rebounds catastrophically, leaving her close to death. A Nameless hero saves her life, but hides. Anyone would be proud to teach her, but will she choose the safe, trustworthy A’mara or the shady ones who teach her what she wants to learn? Can she trust her hero… the Nameless One?
This story actually wraps around four other stories: Friendship on Fire,Courage to Trust, Elect to Change and Ocean of Empathy. Currently, they're only available separately, but I do plan to republish the collection as a whole - I just haven't got there yet.
Don’t forget!
I’m still offering 1 Steem Basic Income share for any minnow who asks me a question which prompts an “Ask the Author” post! I’m thinking about putting these into a Dbooks ebook all its own, actually.
Image Credits:
Birth of the Neví cover art based on:
Shaze divider based on:
- Sword image from Wikipedia Commons
All maps/editing by myself on GIMP and Photoscape, both free programs.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Although the penalty of knowing me in real life is that you will influence the creation of my characters; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Writing and artwork copyright myself 2005-2018 – all rights reserved.
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Author's Commentary:
A couple of interesting segments today.
You see another glimpse into Yidal Sipper's personality - he must have been a difficult one to be a daughter to. At least Ja'tel can see through it!
And poor Vanti. What has she got herself into? Thing is, this is so very true to life. The person infatuated with the "bad news boy" is unlikely to listen to anyone other than the teacher of time. It is equally difficult to be the loving observer. Cyanus is helping one love come out of a bad relationship, but another person he loves (his former chola) on the verge of entering one... And there is almost nothing he can do to help at this stage! When the loved one pushes too hard at this stage, all they do is push the wedge between themselves and the one they love... It's so hard!