The Dracons' Woman (33 page)

Jasani did not age as humans do since their bodies regenerated at a rapid rate.  But Eldar Hamat did show signs of deterioration.  Garen was never really sure how much of it was due to the man’s advanced years, and how much was due to the many trials and hardships of his long life.

“My Princes, I greet you,” Eldar Hamat said, his voice light and thready. 

Garen lowered his head, holding it down for a long moment, as close to a bow as he could come.  “We greet you Eldar Hamat Katre,” he replied formally.  “We would ask for your counsel.”

“Of course,” he replied at once. “How may I be of service?”

“As you are aware, we have found our Arima,” Garen began. 

“Yes, I am aware,” he agreed. “I am also aware that she is human, but different.”

“Yes,” Garen said, relieved that he would not have to relate the entire story.  “It is not known what will happen if we begin the mating ritual with her,” Garen explained.  “We are willing to forego it entirely rather than risk her,” he admitted.

Eldar Hamat’s eyes sharpened. “You already love her,” he guessed.

“Yes, we love her,” Garen replied.  “We ask that you tell us more about Serat Katre’s prophecy.”

“What do you wish to know?”

Garen thought a moment.  “We know of the prophecy,” he said slowly, “but we could not recite it to you.  We never knew if it was about us, or our brothers.  Because of that, we did not wish to dwell on it word for word.  I know that was irresponsible of us,” Garen admitted.  “Now we wish to hear the whole thing, if you do not mind.”

“Do not be too hard on yourselves, my Princes.  The truth is, aside from myself, there is no other living Jasani who has heard the full prophecy as it was spoken, and even that may not be the full prophecy as it was meant.”

Garen was stunned, as were Trey and Val.  “I do not understand,” he said finally, after discarding several other less polite statements.

“I know,” Eldar Hamat replied.  “That, in fact, was the intention.  It was decided very long ago that only the male-set referred to in the prophecy itself should hear it in its entirety.  I believe that is you three, therefore, the reason for my long life has finally arrived.”

Garen’s sudden worry must have shown on his face.  Eldar Hamat held up one hand, palm out.  “Please, Highness, allow me to tell you my story.  Then I will answer your questions.”

Garen could only nod in agreement. “Of course,” he said.

Eldar Hamat lowered his eyes, his brow creased in thought.  After a long moment, he looked into the vid screen, and began to speak.

“My brothers and I were the Seers of House Katre in the years leading up to the Dark Time,” he began.  “I am the eldest of us.  I am an Atzean, a Past Seer.  I am able to remember every detail of the past in perfect clarity.  I need only see, hear or read a thing for it to be etched forever in my mind.”  Eldar Hamat paused a moment and smiled.  “Therefore, you may trust that what I tell you now is perfectly accurate.”

“My next youngest brother, Timat, was an Orain, a Now Seer.  He was able to see all of the details of a current situation, the most probable effects it would have, as well as what needed to be done in response to it.  When it was discovered that a plan to destroy Narrastia had been set in motion, Timat was able to see that the Narrasti had done the same to us.  Our own planet, Ugaztun, would soon be destroyed, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.” 

“My youngest brother, Serat, was an Etorkizu, a Future Seer.  It was he who saw that we must create escape pods for as many of our people as possible, as quickly as possible.”  Hamat’s eyes filled with sadness.  “Unfortunately, we were in a battle at the time that foresight came to Serat.  Before he could speak further, he was severely wounded by a weapon of magic.  He lay unconscious for many days, his wound so grave the healers we had available to us could do little for him.  We did not have Healers such as Riata then.  We could only keep him still and quiet, and wait to see if he would live, or if he would die.

“In the meantime, Serat’s warning was heeded, and escape pods were created as quickly as possible.”  Hamat stopped speaking and raised a glass to his lips.  Garen had the strong sense that the man had stopped more to brace himself than to drink.  After a moment he set the glass back down, took a deep breath and looked back up into the vid screen.  “Timat and I could not leave our brother, but we insisted our Arima take our three young daughters and board a pod with some other women.  We promised her that we would follow as soon as we were able.” 

Eldar Hamat’s voice broke on the last sentence and he bowed his head, one palm up in a silent request for patience.  Garen, Trey and Val remained silent, unable to fathom the pain the Eldar had to be feeling.  Garen was about to suggest that they continue the conversation at another time, as much as he hated to do it, when Eldar Hamat raised his head once more and cleared his throat.

“Forgive me,” he said, his voice weaker than before.  As one, Garen, Trey and Val raised their right fists and placed them over their hearts.  Eldar Hamat bowed his head in silent thanks, and continued with his story.

“Timat and I waited as long as we could, but eventually, we were forced to move Semat in order to board one of the final pods.  He remained unconscious until our pod landed here, on Jasan.  Our landing was quite rough, and Semat took further injury.  Because his body was already weak from the first injury, he was unable to withstand the mundane injury caused by the landing.  He awakened for a time near the end, and that is when he spoke his final words.” 

Eldar Hamat cleared his throat once more. When he spoke, his voice was stronger and clearer than before.

“Semat’s last words were these, exactly,”

In the fullness of manhood, the patience of the royal sons of the third generation beyond this day, shall be met with their soul’s fulfillment in a daughter of a distant sun. 

Have they faith in the three, by the three shall all be blessed.

Radiant with the glory of lau-lotu shall they descend from the sky in flame before the people, and the people shall be renewed.

Shall faith be denied, so the people shall be lost, forevermore.

Garen was, once again, stunned.  He had never made an effort to memorize the prophecy, but he remembered enough to know that he had never heard the last line.  He was just about to begin asking questions when Eldar Hamat began speaking again.

“There were two problems with the prophecy,” Eldar Hamat went on.  “The first problem was that Semat did not finish it.  He drew in one breath, as though to speak further, then breathed no more.  We could not be certain that Semat would have said more, but that is what we believed.

“The second problem was the last line Semat spoke.  As soon as Timat heard it, he knew that it would be the one line remembered most strongly by the survivors of our race.  Rather than foster hope, it would cast a pall of gloom that would have destroyed what was left of our people within a few short years.

“Only Timat, and three others were present when Semat spoke the prophecy.  Together we agreed that the last line should be held back, but that the people should hear the rest of the prophecy to give them hope.  It was also agreed that the possibility that Semat had not completed the prophecy should be held back as well, for the same reason.  Finally, we agreed that when the time of the prophecy came about, providing that the male-set concerned asked, they would be told the entire story, and the entire prophecy.  Otherwise, fate would be allowed to take its course, and what would be, would be.”

Finished speaking, Eldar Hamat folded his hands on the table before him and gazed patiently into the vid screen.  Garen needed a few moments to decide what he wanted most to ask.

“Why was it decided to tell us this only if we asked?” he asked, surprising himself with the question. 

“I am not surprised that you ask the most complex question first, Highness,” he said to Garen. 

Garen blinked.  He had thought it was a rather silly question to ask first, but had not been able to help himself. 

 “Before the Dark Time, there were several Seers aside from myself, Timat and Serat,” Eldar Hamat explained.  “There was much debate about prophecies, and how they should be used.  Some were of the opinion that they should be followed to the letter, that to ignore them was to tempt fate. 

“Others believed, myself and my brothers included, that they were a glimpse into the future, the most probable future perhaps, but by no means absolute.  They might serve as warnings, be harbingers of hope, or even act as guides, but they should never be used in place of living itself. 

“For example, you three, my Princes, accepted that the prophecy may be about you, and because of that, you refrained from taking a wife for far longer than you otherwise might have.  In that, you allowed the prophecy to guide you.  However, you did not want the prophecy to dictate to you, so you avoided more complete knowledge of it.”

Eldar Hamat’s eyebrows rose as he noticed the expressions of growing shame on the faces in his vid screen.  “Please understand me, I approve of that decision completely.  In my opinion, you acted correctly.  If you had never asked me to tell you more, I would continue to believe you acted correctly.  I believe that what will be, will be, whether you hear a prophecy or not.”

“Eldar Hamat,” Garen said, “I think I understand, but I would like to think on it some more.  Would you mind speaking with me on this subject further at another time?”

“I would be happy to, Highness,” Eldar Hamat replied, the light in his otherwise dull eyes suddenly bright with genuine pleasure. 

Garen smiled at Eldar Hamat’s response, then went back to the real problem.  “Do you understand the line in the prophecy concerning faith in the three?”

“I am sorry, Highness.  I have pondered that puzzle since Serat spoke it, even more so of late since your Arima was found.  Yet I do not understand it.  What exactly were you looking for?” Eldar Hamat asked curiously. 

“Something to give us a hint as to what we should do,” Garen replied. 

“I thought that you had decided to forego the ritual?”  Then, it came to him.  “Ah, your Arima does not agree with your decision,” he said.

“No, she does not,” Garen replied.  “In fact, she has told us that she is not, in truth, our Arima.”

“Can this be so?” he asked.

“No, absolutely not,” Garen said firmly.  “She says that she is only a
potential
Arima, whatever that means.”

Eldar Hamat chuckled, surprising Garen greatly.  “She is wise, your Arima.”

“Do you know what will happen if we perform the rite?” Garen asked.

“I am sorry Highness, but no, I do not.”

“Why, then, do you say she is wise?” Garen asked.

“Because she is correct,” Eldar Hamat pointed out.  “She is human, and as such she cannot be your Arima.  Yet.  Therefore, she is your potential Arima.”

“I had not thought of it that way,” he said.  “Still, there is a chance that performing the ritual with her could harm, or even kill her.”

Eldar Hamat remained silent.  What Garen said was true, and he would not encourage them one way or another in this.  No matter what anyone else thought, this was a decision that must be made by the Princes alone.

Garen stood and bowed deeply, Trey and Val doing the same at his sides.  “We thank you for your wise counsel Eldar Hamat,” he said.  “You have given us much to think on.”

Eldar Hamat stood, and returned the bow, touched by the honor done to him.  “If you have any questions, or wish to discuss the matter further, I am always at your disposal,” he said sincerely before reaching out and closing the connection.

As the screen went dark Garen sat down and looked to his brothers.  “Eldar Hamat has given us much to think about that is interesting.  But nothing has changed.  I still cannot bear to risk losing her,” he admitted.

“Nor I,” Val said.  “But she is correct.  We did not ask her what she wanted.  I had no idea that she wanted children and a family so much.  How is it that we did not know that about her?”

“Because we did not want to know it,” Trey said.  “She was also correct that we made our decision based on what we want, and we want her above all things.  We do not want to know or hear anything that will risk her.”

“That is true,’ Garen said, “but even knowing that our decision hurts her and is unfair to her, I cannot change it.  I cannot risk her.  I love her.”

“We all do,” Trey said.  “Just as we all know she will call Sanctuary the first chance she gets and then she will be lost to us unless we break our own laws.  We must think of a way to change her mind.  Or at least compromise with her.”

“That is not going to be easy,” Garen argued.  “We need more time.”

“So, let’s ask her to give us more time,” Val suggested.  “What is the hurry? “

“You are correct,” Garen said.  “There is no reason to rush this.  It is a decision that can be made at any time.”

“Good,” Trey said.  “Let’s go and ask her to give us time.