The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga (26 page)

“I am not pleased by the loss of the clone
makina
,” she said after several minutes.  “However, all things considered, you did not do
too badly, Xi-Kung.”

Xi-Kung wanted to shout for joy, but he resisted the temptation.

“I thank you, Xaqana-Ti,” he said carefully.  “I wish that I could have found a way
to retrieve it, but in the end, destroying it was the best I could do.”

“Transfer the data to me at once,” Xaqana-Ti said.  “Then you must return to Jasan. 
I have another task for you there.”

“As my Lady wishes,” Xi-Kung said smoothly, allowing no hint of his reluctance to
sound in his voice.

Xaqana-Ti laughed again, and he was reminded of that moment of madness when he considered
lying to her.  He could not even hide his true feelings from her. 

“You are the most gracious and cunning Ruling Female of all time, and it is a great
honor to be of your brood.”

“You have a silver tongue,” Xaqana-Ti said.  “Luckily for you, I like it.”

A few minutes later, after he’d sent the data she’d requested and received his new
orders, Xi-Kung closed the connection with Xantara with more than a little relief. 
It was always stressful when one had to speak directly with one’s Ruling Female. 
He allowed himself to relax a little as he pulled up his new orders. 

His first reaction was frustration.  His second, anger.  His third, fear that such
an impossible task would surely end in his destruction.  In the end, he sighed and
tapped the com on his desk.  After giving the captain orders to return to Jasan, he
exited his
makina
and climbed up into his favorite corner.  He needed, and deserved, a good long rest. 
After that, he’d eat.  And then he’d worry about how to actually fulfill his new orders. 

Day Ten

“
Mana
, who’s Shari?” Nica asked.

Honey looked up from the vid-terminal and frowned.  “Who?”

“Shari,” she repeated.  Honey studied Nica’s face for a long moment, noting the little
line between her eyebrows that always indicated she was worried about something, which
didn’t happen often.  She turned off the vid screen and turned in her chair, giving
Nica all of her attention.

“I do not recall ever knowing anyone by that name,” she said.  “Why do you ask?”

“She confusdeds me,” Nica said, her face too serious for Honey to tease her about
her mispronunciation.  Besides, something told Honey this was not a light subject. 
Nica saw and heard things sometimes that could be very serious indeed.

“Tell me how she confuses you, Nica, and maybe I can help,” Honey suggested.

“Well, sometimes I think she’s very nice,” Nica said.  “But sometimes she’s not nice
at all.  I think she wants to be nice but can’t because it hurts.”

“It hurts to be nice?” Honey asked, feeling a little
confusded
herself.

Nica nodded emphatically, her long glossy braids bouncing over her shoulders.  “I
think I should hide from her but I don’t know who she is so I don’t know who to hide
from.”

“I see,” Honey said, carefully hiding her sudden worry.  “Why do you feel you should
hide from her?”

“Because she wants to do bad things,” Nica said.

“I’ll ask around and see if anyone knows who Shari is,” Honey said.  “If you figure
out who she is, or where she’s coming from, you let me know, all right?”

“All right,
Mana
,” Nica said, throwing her arms around Honey’s neck and hugging her tightly.  “Thank
you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Honey said.  “Now, would you like to go play with the boys
for a little while?  I have to go see a patient at the clinic, but I won’t be gone
for long.”

“Okay,” Nica agreed brightly.  “I like playing with them.  They’re fun.”

“Good,” Honey said, smiling as she stood up and held one hand out for Nica.  “You’re
so good with the little ones, Nica.”

“I like them very much,” Nica said.  “They’re so lucky to have three daddies even
if they don’t call them daddy.  Why is that,
Mana
?”

“What do they call them?” Honey asked, perplexed.

“They use different names for each one,” Nica said.  “
Ata
,
Dede
, and
Popi
, but I think they all mean daddy.”

Honey thought about that for a moment as they left their room and headed toward the
stairs.  “I guess each one means daddy or father, but if they use the same word for
each of their fathers it would get confusing.”

“Oh,” Nica said, accepting that explanation and moving on to another subject.  “
Mana
, are there kids here my age?”

“No, Sweetie, I don’t think so,” Honey said. 

“When I go to school I can meet other kids my age, right?” Nica asked hopefully.

“Yes, but the closest school is very far away,” Honey replied.  “It would take us
two hours to get there, and two hours to get back every day.”

“That’s a long time isn’t it?” Nica asked, crestfallen.

“Yes, it is a long time,” Honey said.  “After I drive you to school, I’d have to come
back to work, then drive two hours back to get you.  So that would be eight hours
a day of driving, which is really too much.”

“How come I can’t go to a school that’s not so far?” Nica asked.

“There isn’t one, Sweetie, I checked,” Honey replied.  “But don’t you worry.  I’ll
figure out something, all right?”

“You won’t forget?”

“No, I won’t forget.  I promise.”

Nica smiled, then released Honey’s hand as she sped the rest of the way down the stairs
and headed for the garden.  Honey followed behind her at a more sedate pace.

“Hi Honey,” Hope greeted her when she stepped out onto the patio.  “How are you feeling?”

“I’m great, Hope,” Honey said.  “When Jareth does his healing magic, he does it up
right.”

Hope grinned.  “Good thing.  I hear the Vulpirans stood over him and growled the whole
time.”

Honey blushed, but didn’t reply since that is exactly what they’d done.  “Do you mind
keeping an eye on Nica for a couple of hours?  I’m need to go to the clinic to see
a patient.”

“Carly Gryphon-Hiru?” Hope asked, her smile fading. 

“Yes,” Honey replied.  “I was supposed to see her the day of the explosion, and I’ve
been worried about her.”

“She’s the one who took five doses of the vitamins,” Hope said.  It wasn’t a question. 
Everyone knew.

“Yes,” Honey said.  She wanted to reassure Hope that the woman and her babies would
be fine, but she couldn’t.  Not honestly. 

“Of course I don’t mind watching over Nica, Honey,” Hope said.  “My thoughts will
be with you, and Carly.”

“Try not to worry,” Honey said.  “I’ll let you know how she is as soon as I can, all
right?”

“Thanks, Honey,” Hope replied.  “See you later.”

Honey waved at Nica, then left the house and headed for her new ground-car, a cute
little red one with a convertible top.  The Dracons had given it to her when they
learned that her other one had been destroyed.  She’d tried to tell them that it hadn’t
been her car at all, that the Vulpirans had loaned it to her, but they didn’t seem
to care.  Then, Aunt Berta had whispered that she was bordering on rudeness, so she’d
given in as gracefully as she could and accepted the gift.

That had been yesterday, two days after the explosion.  She’d accepted the Bearens’
invitation for her and Nica to stay with them since she knew that Michael had to stay
in the guesthouse.  They’d agreed that, since the cat was out of the bag concerning
their marriage, and everyone knew that she was the Vulpirans’ Arima, it would be best
if they lived apart. 

Still, she hated imposing on the Bearens so much.  She wanted a home of her own, for
herself and Nica.  She’d hoped that they’d be offered another guesthouse, but that
hadn’t happened so she had no choice other than to accept the Bearens’ offer, for
which she was thankful.  But they couldn’t stay there forever.

Honey thought about the Vulpirans as she drove.  She hadn’t seen them since she’d
been released from the clinic.  She knew, through Michael, that they had a lot of
work to do down at the garrison.  They were overseeing the clearing of the rubble,
and salvaging the few things that were salvageable.  Everyone was working hard and
fast, so the rebuilding wouldn’t take long.  She tried to convince herself that was
why she hadn’t seen them, but it wasn’t easy since she didn’t believe it.  She strongly
suspected that their absence was related to what she’d told them about herself and
Michael.  It was the only reason she could think of.

She parked her car outside the clinic and went inside, forcing a smile onto her face
when Michael looked up from the receptionist’s desk.  The procedure to remove the
device from his skull had gone well, with no side effects.  He’d accepted a permanent
position with the Jasani, so she’d accepted the position Doc had offered her.  Until
the Research Center was rebuilt, Michael was working out of the clinic.

“Hi Honey,” Michael said.  “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, Michael,” she said, giving him a brief hug.  “How about you?”

“I’m great now that I no longer have mysterious devices inside me,” he said with a
grimace.  “I have good news for you.”

“I could use some good news,” she said.  “What is it?”

“We are no longer married,” he said, handing her a large white envelope. 

“We aren’t?” she asked, opening the envelope and sliding the documents out.  One was
their marriage contract, signed by a Terien marriage clerk, herself and Michael. 
She’d deliberately misspelled her name, as had Michael, in a childish hope that it
would matter later.  It didn’t. 

“Where did you get this?” she asked.  “Is this the original?”

“Yes, it is,” he said.  “I got it two years ago and don’t ask me how.  I’ve been carrying
it with me ever since in hopes that someday, it would come in handy.”

“And it did, huh?” she asked as she set the contract down and looked at the other
document.  

             
I, High Prince Garen of Clan Dracon, by the authority vested in me under Jasani law
and custom, and as the Chief Executive Authority of Planet Jasan under the Interspecies
Convention Relating to Recognition and Dissolution of Domestic Relationships (hereinafter,
“the Convention”), hereby find based on credible and competent evidence that the Contract
of Marriage entered into on Planet Terien by Michael James Davis and Honor Vinia was
obtained by force, threats, or coercion as those terms are used in Article IX, Section
2, Paragraph 15 of the Convention. Accordingly, the aforesaid marriage contract is
declared to be an absolute nullity, is invalid and void
ab initio
, and is totally without any force or effect of any kind on this world or any other. 
Further, the child Monica Jean Vinia, (currently known as Monica Jean Davis) is recognized
as the adoptive daughter of Honor Vinia, said adoption effective
nunc pro tunc
to
the date upon which the child’s birth mother departed this plane.

Thus given by my hand and seal at Dracon Ranch on Planet Jasan.

“This is amazing, Michael,” she said around the lump in her throat.  “Our lives are
our own again.”  She hugged him again, tightly this time.  “I’m so happy for both
of us.”

“So am I,” Michael said as he released her and stepped back.  “I know that you and
Nica are going to be happy with the Vulpirans.  They’re good men.  I only hope they
won’t mind me coming to visit now and then since you two are the closest thing I have
left to family.”

“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself there,” she said.  “Right now I’m staying with
the Bearens and no other plans have been made.”

“Don’t let love pass you by, Honey,” he said soberly.  “It doesn’t come along every
day.”

“I know,” she said softly.  “I want you to be happy too, Michael.”

“I’m not living a lie anymore,” Michael said.  “That’s enough for me.  Maybe someday
I’ll find love again, but in the meantime, I get to do my work, use my psychic talent
without fear, and I don’t have to lie every day.  I’m content.”

“Content is not a bad thing to be,” she said.  “By the way, I have something to tell
you.”

“What’s that?” Michael asked, sitting back down behind the desk and waving Honey to
a chair next to it.

“The other day, before you came back from Berria, I got a message for you from Saige
Lobo,” Honey said.  “It’s complicated, but lets just say it has to do with her special
gift.”

“Okay, I understand,” Michael said, smiling.  It was so nice to be open about such
things for a change.  “What’s the message?”

“Let me think,” Honey said, frowning as she tried to remember the exact words Saige
had used.  “She said to tell you this:
Time is running out.  The spectrum puzzle must be solved and the knowledge shared
before the fateful path is chosen
.”