Queyanna was already inspecting the horses when Rhiona
approached the group.
Rhiona sensed the horse’s apprehension. She reached out to
him and gently stroked his face. Her inner-song also reached out and touched
his. The notes blended in a song of tranquility, where the meadows were green
and the grasses sweet. It soothed the beast. Within moments, the gelding
relaxed under her touch.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Queyanna was
doing the same thing to a cream drafts hitched to the wagon. Her daughter also
had the gift to speak with horses, a long standing tradition in their family.
She felt pride at knowing her daughter was so proficient at it, maybe even more
so than her.
Rhiona noticed Ean watching them, though mostly watching
her. She showed him her back as she joined Queyanna in soothing the other
horses. The rest of the Fostering Group continued to pack the wagon and tie
their bags to their respective saddles.
Once everyone was ready, Rhiona offered a few words. “We
are about to embark on a new mission, one more dangerous than previously
thought.” A brief glance at Ean was enough to explain why. “The people of this
world do not realize the threat they pose on themselves and their world as they
stretch the limits of their Order and Chaos magics. It will be up to us to
teach them to curve their appetite for one or the other to achieve a balance.
In that, I hope they will understand the benefits and let go of their
traditions to embrace new ones. We must be their example in everything we do.
Our inner-song must be strong that they may blend with theirs to show them a
better way to live. In so doing, we will release their dependence on such
corrosive magic-practices that they may become something more. Hopefully, this
will entice them to accept their greatest potential as a people and a world and
embrace Transcendence. Doing this will cause us to expand our own measure and
grow stronger in Harmony.”
She looked at the younger faces surrounding her—those who
had only a few missions under their belt versus those only beginning their
calling as a soldier of Harmony. There was so much potential in each of them,
just as there was potential for this world to achieve Transcendence. “I won’t
lie to you and tell you this will be easy. In fact, it will try you more than
anything else ever has. But the rewards when your charges accept harmony into
their lives will outweigh everything else. You will experience a fullness of
heart and know your struggles and trials were well worth the effort. So prepare
yourselves for the challenges ahead, but never lose hope. Keep your eyes
focused to the skies and remember you are part of a great universal
consciousness. You are one with Harmony.”
The little speech seemed to bolster the Fostering Group’s
mood, as she had hoped. Such speeches were common when embarking on a new
mission, but not always effective. Thankfully, this one was.
Ean stood nearby with arms crossed. Despite putting him on
the spot during the speech, he was gracious enough to help her up onto the
wagon bench. However, he gave her backside a good smack before it hit the seat,
which caught the attention of several people in the Fostering Group.
She scowled up at him.
He jumped down and walked away with a smirk.
The edge to her anger faded when she watched him help the
other men load the last items onto the wagon. Under the blazing sun, he began
to sweat immediately which made his tunic cling to his muscular form. She found
herself envying that tunic.
Queyanna wiped her forehead with her handkerchief and
mounted an elegant brown.
He climbed over to the wagon bench and grabbed the reins.
“It’s not as comfortable as a coach, but I have plenty of water and the cooler
prairie lands are not far.”
Rhiona edged over in the bench to give him room, feeling
like a young maiden once more. The glance he gave her told her he was looking
forward to this as well.
Their brief reverie was interrupted when Queyanna
injected, “I’ll drive.”
Before either Rhiona or Ean could object, her daughter was
off the brown and stepping onto the wagon. Rhiona had hoped that after all
these years her daughter would accept their relationship. Clearly, she had not
and it wasn’t just because it was against the rules. Queyanna didn’t approve of
Ean.
Queyanna handed him the reins to the brown. “You can ride
this one, Scout.”
Irritation punctuated each inflection of his words when he
replied, “Yes, Admiral.” He jumped down and mounted the brown.
Queyanna did love her uncle, but there was the past she
wouldn’t let go of. Rhiona didn’t understand why her daughter held onto the
past with such determination. Queyanna’s father had done terrible things to
both of them, but that didn’t mean her daughter was defined by it. There was so
much potential there, but Queyanna didn’t see it. Like her father, she was a
perfectionist. Failure wasn’t an option.
Rhiona regularly reminded Queyanna to be patient and kind
to herself. These were traits important to have if she were to ever become an
ambassador like her. But it didn’t seem to matter. Her daughter had her own way
of doing things, things that got her into trouble. Rhiona tried not to think of
that, as well as the intergalactic professorship she had forfeited in order to
save Queyanna from a terrible situation that changed both of their lives. She
didn’t mind helping her daughter, but her life seemed like one long string of
sacrifices where she got the short end of the stick.
Ean’s expression was stoic, but under that reserve she
could see the regret. He adored Queyanna, had spoiled her when she was a child,
and gave her all his attention whenever he was at home between missions. And
she seemed to adore her uncle as well. There were even times when all was quiet
and the three of them sat together under the stars that their inner-songs
blended so well one would think they were a family and that Ean was the
patriarch. But sadly, he wasn’t. That time of bliss ended abruptly too, when Markham
Queyanna’s chiding voice cut through her thoughts,
speaking in her mind. “Mama, this is the last place you and Uncle Ean should
be reminiscing.” Her expression remained impassive, but the tone of
her thoughts to her mother cut deep. “Someone is bound to have noticed the
portal-jump variance, and I don’t want our hosts suspecting any romantic
ties between you and Uncle Ean. They will claim subterfuge, like Gelone.”
Rhiona felt her face flush. “Gelone was the direct
result of a corrupt politician wanting to use Harmony Magic to gain an
advantage over his rival. It had nothing to do with my relationship with Ean.”
Queyanna argued, “We can’t afford another mistake,
Mama. This Fostering Group is already getting too much flack for our low effective
rate. If we don’t return with a Recommendation for Transcendence for this
planet, my days as a Fosterer will be over and your reputation will be in a
sink hole.”
Rhiona shot Queyanna a glare. “You think I don’t know
that? I wasn’t just hatched yesterday.” Her daughter was about to say
something, but stopped her by declaring, “We better move on before we
experience more discord from the warring factions.”
Ean nodded, nudged his horse and took the lead.
The entire entourage rode across red rocky terrain where
the dirt was dry and hard for hours. Canyon after canyon, it all looked the
same. Rhiona had never liked the desert, unlike Ean who found it fascinating.
It amazed her how they could be such opposites and yet love each other so
passionately.
The sun bore down on her, enough that her robes became a
second skin. The red rocks and sand eventually gave way to sage and prairie
grasses. When they reached a stream, they stopped.
Ean dismounted and then helped Rhiona down. He handed her
a clean handkerchief, which she made good use of around her neck and on her
face.
The rest of the Fostering Group took the opportunity to
let their horses drink from the stream and to spread out some food for lunch.
Rhiona handed the handkerchief back to Ean. “Thank you.”
He winked and untied his canteen that he then handed to
her. “Drink this.”
She also hadn’t noticed how dry her mouth had gotten.
Gladly, she accepted the canteen and took several long pulls of the clean harmonized
water. Even as it touched her lips, she felt her body renewed. “How is it that
you know what I need exactly when I need it?”
With a lopsided smile, he leaned close and whispered,
“Because I take care of my baby.”
His bravado made her chuckle. She handed him the canteen,
which he accepted and drank from as well. Watching him retie the canteen to his
saddle, she realized he was right. He had always taken care of her. Even when
he wasn’t around he made sure she was cared for. She might feel lonely for him
or resented the fact he loved his work at times more than her, but he almost
never failed to be there when she needed him. Almost. The one time she needed
him most, he was gone. But it was her fault, after all. She was the one who had
abandoned him first. A question burned in her mind, one she had to voice. “Why
did I ever let you go?”
The question caught him off guard. He paused at the
saddle, thought for a bit and then asked in a low voice, “Does it matter now?”
He rested his hand on the saddle and turned to her. “I could blame my brother
for going to the High Council to petition them to switch our link from me to
him, but I won’t. I could blame the Council for trying to manipulate me into
giving up my work with technology without magic, but I won’t. I could even
blame you for not believing in me, but I won’t. The truth is it doesn’t matter
anymore. Our souls merged once, and I still carry that with me, but that is in
the past.”
Her eyes burned. Didn’t he realize she did believe in him
now? “So all this flirting is just a passing fancy?” Bitterly, she added, “You
know what? Don’t answer that.”
She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand and
pulled her close, completely disregarding protocols. Typical Ean.
“It’s more than that and you know it,” he said for only
her to hear. “I love you, that hasn’t changed. What I meant was that I can’t
change the past. I can only look to the future.”
“And what future is that?” She looked up at him, afraid of
the answer but needing it anyway.
His features softened as he touched her face. “A future
where no one will ever question my claim to you and you will be mine and only
mine.”
The blatant declaration was shocking and insolent, as well
as exciting. “Truly? This is what you wish for?” she whispered.
His fingers ran along her jaw to her lips. He leaned
closer, his eyes half closed, as though preparing for a kiss. He stopped short
of her mouth and breathed, “Yes.”
She could almost taste him through that warm rush of air,
even feel his tongue probing and exploring her mouth. She wanted it, needed
it.
“Ambassador Rhiona!” Queyanna called from the wagon.
“Whenever you’re ready, we can depart.”
The intrusion broke the trance. It angered Rhiona enough
that she was ready to quit the mission, drag Ean back home to have her way with
him and scream ‘to hell’ with her daughter’s objections.
Just then another rippling set of discordant flats
undulated through the ground, this time stronger. Then they heard the
screeching sharps filling the air with such intensity that the world seemed to
lurch back and forth. The crashing of magic from Order probes and Chaos scries
threatened to pummel the Fostering Group with discord. These magics were being
sent by the warring factions to investigate the magic rifts caused by the Fostering
Group’s portal-jump into this world. With each passing, excruciating moment,
Rhiona felt her body weaken. Her legs gave out under her and she grabbed for
Ean’s tunic.
A single Chaos scry was easy enough to contend with, as it
wasn’t as invasive as an Order probe, but together they were destructive to the
point that a Harmonic could go mad.
Ean held her against him firmly, his feet rooted to the
ground. Somehow he had managed to learn how to survive such onslaughts
virtually unscathed.
There was the slightest of adjustments in her inner-song,
something she hadn’t done herself.
She looked up at his face where the strain of his efforts
was plainly evident. Even so, he remained in control and through him she was
able to withstand the rest with no further negative effect.
The music she heard within was familiar, patient and
gentle, yet unyielding. It was a portion of Ean’s inner-song, masculine and
true. And it strengthened hers to where she could stand on her own again.
Looking around to the others in the group, she realized they too had been
touched by his inner-song and were staring at him with dismay.
She turned back to him and blinked. “How…”
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