Heart Search (31 page)
Mica watched Camellia make a circuit from the rounded top of one of the furrabeast chairs, paws tucked under her and purring softly. The dinner-altar room was clean and ready, a pan of three large stuffed tubers and stew sent mouthwatering odors throughout the house from the kitchen.
Camellia couldn’t settle. She found herself standing at the threshold of the bedroom, staring at the holes in the wall around her safe. The place where she’d put the wardrobe.
Glyssa arrived on the teleportation pad first from her job at the PublicLibrary, and Tiana a few seconds later from the Temple. Both were full of the news of the day. Having them here felt good, felt like Camellia’s life hadn’t just shot in the wrong direction.
They ate and drank and she let her friends talk of men first. Tiana was in a desultory affair with another Temple student. Glyssa stated that she was occasionally testing the small thread that ran between her and her HeartMate, but otherwise was unaccustomedly closemouthed.
Finally desserts had been consumed, Mica was snoozing with half-lidded eyes on her pillow, and Camellia cleared her throat.
She sat huddled in on herself, hands cradled around a mug, looked at her friends over the rim as she sipped the strengthening tea.
“First thing you should know is that Laev, um, discovered that we were HeartMates and he walked away from me and the problem.”
“How did he—” Glyssa started.
“It was my fault. He asked me to accompany him to the Great Labyrinth Fair. I, ah, hinted that we’d been sharing sexual dreams.” Camellia straightened, managed a casual shrug to try to hide her feelings. “He knew then we were HeartMates.”
“You panicked,” Tiana said matter-of-factly.
“Yes.”
There was a hissing gasp from Mica. She stood arched, all fur sticking out.
What? No! Everything was planned and plan was working!
What? No! Everything was planned and plan was working!
“I wondered about that,” Glyssa murmured.
“How was it planned?” Camellia asked, knowing she’d finally get answers.
Old man knew about you and talked to Black Pierre who told Brazos and Me. We DESERVE to live in Residence like Brazos.
“So you only wanted to be my Fam because you wanted to live in a Residence.” That hurt, too.
No. I love you.
“I love you, too.”
But you make Me angry!
Mica hissed.
Mica hissed.
“Ditto.”
Mica lifted her nose.
I will go talk to Brazos. He can make FamMan come back.
I will go talk to Brazos. He can make FamMan come back.
“Good luck with that,” Camellia said but didn’t think that the young cat heard since she’d teleported away with a pop.
Tiana was there, patting Camellia. “There, there. It will all work out.” And Camellia realized she was weeping, harsh, hurtful chest-sobs.
“The priestess is right. It will work out. You have all your lives.” Glyssa took Camellia’s teacup from her hands and substituted a wineglass. “Drink up. It just hurts, and Lady and Lord we’ve all been hurt by men and HeartMates. We’ll get over it.”
“
Through
the hurt to a brighter future,” Tiana said.
Through
the hurt to a brighter future,” Tiana said.
“Yeah, of course,” Glyssa said.
Camellia wept another couple of minutes until all her hurt was gone, then mopped up her face with a softleaf and drank the wine. “Enough of that,” she said in a froggy voice. “Not what I really wanted to talk about tonight. Must get on with . . . stuff.”
“Secrets,” Glyssa said, toasted her with her own glass, sipped, then her face crinkled in a smile. “Mica will be peeved to miss it.”
“Just as well,” Camellia said, finishing the wine and going back to the tea. “I don’t trust her to keep an important secret.”
“Who knows with cats?” Glyssa shrugged but looked wistful.
“You’ll get a Fam,” Tiana assured.
“You are very optimistic and annoying tonight, Tiana. What was in your incense today?” Glyssa said.
That made them all laugh. As soon as they were back in their usual places and her friends were watching her expectantly, Camellia translocated a bundle of papyrus copies of ancient documents to the low table.
Glyssa blinked, sat up quickly, reaching for and thumbing through the sheets. “What do you have there? Lady and Lord, these are copies of
Earthan
documents! You have the originals?”
Earthan
documents! You have the originals?”
“Safely tucked away at T’Reed’s.”
Tiana frowned. “Where’d you get original Earthan documents?”
“I found them in a small box in the attic when our home was taken from Mother and me.”
“Your father and uncle weren’t around.”
“Of course they weren’t. Mother and I would have tried to make
them
deal with their creditors.”
them
deal with their creditors.”
“The NobleCouncil stepped in to help you and so did the Temple,” Tiana said.
“Enough to pay the bills and charge it against Father’s and Takvar’s accounts, and to find us a place to live.” Camellia tried to keep her tone light. It had been a terrible time, and she’d hated leaving the Family house that was in poor shape.
She’d also hated the place that the Temple had put them into. For a building that had been constructed by the colonists themselves, it had had little charm. Everyone there had been beggars. She’d worked hard to get out of the place but hadn’t made it until after her mother had died.
Glyssa scowled at the papyrus, choked, and with a wild movement knocked over her glass of wine. Camellia yanked the papyrus from the table while Tiana said a cleansing spell that sucked the liquid from the rug and dispersed it into the atmosphere of the house. The air suddenly smelled like good red wine.
Continuing to cough, Glyssa doubled over and Camellia and Tiana hovered, ready to teleport her to a HealingHall. Finally Glyssa gasped and waved a hand, croaked, “Water.”
Camellia ran to the kitchen, came back with a tube of water for her friend. Glyssa drank it down, handed the tube back to Camellia, and wiped her eyes and nose with a softleaf, then collapsed back on her pillow.
Her gaze drilled Camellia. “Those are copies of a subscription to fund a starship to find and colonize a planet.”
“Yes.” Camellia tossed the tube into the deconstructor, sat up straight.
Another cough from Glyssa, who eyed the papyrus. “And,” she whispered, transferring her awed glance from Camellia to Tiana, “the appointment of Netra Sunaya Hoku, a man who subscribed to the fund to colonize Celta, as Captain of the starship,
Lugh’s Spear.
”
Lugh’s Spear.
”
“Yes.”
“Your Family is a FirstFamily, those who financed the colonization. Your ancestor
was the Captain of
Lugh’s Spear
!
”
was the Captain of
Lugh’s Spear
!
”
Twenty-one
H
eat flooded Camellia, then faded, leaving her cold. She’d known
this would be difficult. “That’s right. But
Lugh’s Spear
crashed and he never got over that. Then he had to lead the remaining colonists from the crash site to here, where Druida was being built. Too much responsibility broke him. He didn’t want to be of the FirstFamilies, take a FirstFamily name. He wanted obscurity. So he didn’t take a plant name at all, but one that reminded him of his roots on Earth.”
eat flooded Camellia, then faded, leaving her cold. She’d known
this would be difficult. “That’s right. But
Lugh’s Spear
crashed and he never got over that. Then he had to lead the remaining colonists from the crash site to here, where Druida was being built. Too much responsibility broke him. He didn’t want to be of the FirstFamilies, take a FirstFamily name. He wanted obscurity. So he didn’t take a plant name at all, but one that reminded him of his roots on Earth.”
“Darjeeling,” Tiana breathed. She’d settled onto her pillow.
“That’s right. And, like other things between then and now, his papers were misplaced and lost.”
“What else do you have?” Glyssa asked sternly.
Camellia licked her lips. “His journals from when he was Awakened from the cryogenics tube to the landing and the trek to Druida.”
“And?” Glyssa pressed.
Camellia didn’t look at her friend, mumbled the last, the most important, find. “Maps and blueprints of
Lugh’s Spear
, including his own notations of where the storage areas were, and his quarters.”
Lugh’s Spear
, including his own notations of where the storage areas were, and his quarters.”
“Cave of the Dark Goddess!” Tiana squeaked, put a hand to her temples as if to control the pounding of blood. “By Celtan salvage law, a Captain who has invested in a ship that is lost is entitled to a third of the amount of all retrieved salvage. He or his heirs,” Tiana quoted. They’d all learned that at the time of the lawsuit of the sunken ship.
“Fortunes. Fortunes could be yours! Especially since they’ve found
Lugh’s Spear
and are beginning to excavate!” Tiana said.
Lugh’s Spear
and are beginning to excavate!” Tiana said.
“No,” Camellia said. “All these things could be my
father’s
or my
uncle’s
. They’re first in line. Not me or Senchal. The only reason that I got the tea set is that I was the one who found the documents and pressed the case.”
father’s
or my
uncle’s
. They’re first in line. Not me or Senchal. The only reason that I got the tea set is that I was the one who found the documents and pressed the case.”
“Another Earthan name, all of the men’s,” Glyssa muttered.
“Yes.”
“We can’t let your father or uncle have any of the salvage. Ever.” Glyssa was fierce.
“That’s why I’ve kept the papers a secret, why the originals are with T’Reed. But the documents could help so much with the excavation. I know it’s a dangerous undertaking. Maybe they could save lives if people knew where to work and such.”
“This is like the tea set. We need to circumvent your elders so you can claim it,” Tiana said.
They stared at the papyrus, then each other. “This isn’t going to be easy,” Tiana said.
“No,” Camellia said. “I’d hoped to be able to present the documents to the proper authorities at this point. After the survey of
Lugh’s Spear
was done and before the earth-moving began. The ground caved under the ship once, it could continue to do that under our machines. It’s still dangerous. If the excavators had an exact map, they could go directly to the places most interesting to them.”
Lugh’s Spear
was done and before the earth-moving began. The ground caved under the ship once, it could continue to do that under our machines. It’s still dangerous. If the excavators had an exact map, they could go directly to the places most interesting to them.”
She drew in a breath, “And, of course, I’m proud of my ancestry, of Captain Hoku. I wanted him to be honored more, his contribution to be more. I want him recognized as the great man he was. Providing his documents at this time would help the excavators and keep Hoku’s name in the forefront of history.”
“The Cherrys’ play isn’t enough?” asked Tiana.
Camellia waved a hand. “The Cherrys’ play is about their ancestress. Captain Hoku is a remote figure.”
“But heroic,” Tiana pointed out.
“It’s not
enough.
He was changed, nearly broken. No one knows the cost to him.”
enough.
He was changed, nearly broken. No one knows the cost to him.”
“All right,” Tiana said.
There was a moment of silence. “I was hoping that my father and uncle would be out of the picture.” Banished. Gone. Anywhere but alive and thriving in Druida City.
Glyssa hissed out a breath, then tucked her hands under her armpits and rocked herself, laughing humorlessly. “Such treasures and we can’t claim them. I sat in on a consultation of an inheritance legal problem with my parents and a client and the SupremeJudge. It concerned a donation to the PublicLibrary. The end result was that the law doesn’t care if the inheriting person is a bad person. As long as she or he doesn’t do anything terrible to receive the inheritance, it is hers or his.”
Camellia and Tiana stared at Glyssa, then Camellia flopped back onto her pillow, staring up at the mural of starry galaxies on the ceiling. “I thought so. If I put a case before the SupremeJudge again, the inheritance would come to my father and my uncle first.”
“They’d do dreadful things with the huge amount of gilt they’d get from the artifacts,” Tiana said.
“Or ruin the artifacts themselves,” Glyssa said.
“If I ever truly own the documents, I’ll give them to you, to the PublicLibrary,” Camellia assured.
“The question is how do we get your father and uncle out of your life?” Tiana said calmly, surprising them all.
Camellia cracked a laugh. “Something I’ve been working on since I was fourteen and they showed up again.”
“They’re evil men,” Tiana said. “Someday they’ll go too far.” Her forehead knit. “Your father’s scorn of the Sheela Na Gig should adversely affect him.”
“What kind of ‘adverse affect’?” asked Glyssa.
Tiana leaned forward. “There’s been some speculation by the FirstLevel Priestesses and Priests that his health would be affected. Not that I hope that happens, of course.”
“Of course not,” Camellia and Glyssa said at the same time.
“So Camellia’s father might have serious health problems, and they both are criminals just waiting to be caught. You’ve been recording all their thefts from you?”
Camellia smiled brittlely. “Oh, yes. Down to the last steak.”
“Sooner or later . . .” Glyssa said.
“Yes. Let’s just hope it’s sooner, for everyone’s sakes.”
“They can’t press their luck forever. Someday their crimes will catch up with them,” Tiana said.
Camellia shrugged. “It never has so far. I’m not counting on that. When Druida City becomes too rough on them, they move back to Gael, or wherever else they cycle through.”
Still frowning, Tiana sipped her wine and said, “I really wouldn’t want to be them when they pass on to the wheel of stars and reincarnate. Karma.” A shiver went through her.
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