CHAPTER 9
The temperature outside was a chilly minus two degrees Celsius, made worse by a biting wind, and a stratum of thick, grey clouds hung low in the sky, releasing icy prisms that pelted Ellovene's face as she stood outside in the cold and damp with her parents, along with Jenissa and Boran. The sombre group watched a transport ship make its descent and land in front of the open-air bay leased by Boran. Ellovene welcomed the privacy it would afford them, because it was away from the hustle and bustle of the main terminal.
As the transport ship powered down its engines and lowered its ramp, a figure appeared at the aft doorway. Ellovene suddenly felt the strength in her legs begin to give out. The moment she had been dreading the past few days was finally upon them. This was the day her brother Trujilon was coming home, but it wasn't he who was walking off the ship. Instead it was a man named Lysgen Prakolin from the planet Inosa.
Ellovene recognised him immediately. She noted that he was taller than she had imagined; however, she only had Lysgen's holographic image to go on.
Ellovene stepped forward, and Lysgen greeted her graciously. She then introduced Lysgen to her parents, Ginthun and Unne Berneth, as well as Jenissa and Boran.
Lysgen offered his condolences to the small party of mourners. "I deeply regret the circumstances under which we must meet."
"Will you take us to my brother please?" Ellovene asked.
"Certainly," Lysgen replied. "This way."
They followed the Inosan man up back up the ramp. The casket holding Trujilon's body rested on a platform in the middle of the cargo hold. Lysgen approached it, but Ellovene, who was leading the rest of the group, stopped about three metres away. Something was holding her back – a last hope that this had all been a mistake.
"Would you like to see him?" asked Lysgen.
Ellovene hesitated for a moment to reply and then said, "His face."
Lysgen nodded and then pressed a button on the side of the casket. The top half of the container slid down halfway, revealing Trujilon's head and shoulders.
The man from Inosa stood off to the side, and Jenissa and Boran remained a respectful distance behind the Berneth family, giving them a moment or two alone with Trujilon. Ellovene's parents made no movement to draw closer. Instead, Unne Berneth buried her face in her husband Ginthun's shoulder and quietly wept. The sad duty of identifying the body was left to their daughter.
Ellovene remained stoic and resolute. She alone drew closer to the casket and stared at the lifeless visage that was once her brother. She was taken by how peaceful he looked. It reminded her of the time when Trujilon was nine and she was eleven. Trujilon had fallen out of a tree and hit his head hard, enough to knock him unconscious. Ellovene remembered staring down at his body wondering if her brother was dead. She shook him to try and wake him up then, and it worked. He did come to and everything was all right – just a concussion.
Ellovene felt an overwhelming urge to reach into the casket and shake him again – to shake the life back into her little brother. However, she fought the impulse. The waxy and mottled complexion made it clear to her that this was no longer her brother, just a lifeless shell.
She nodded to Lysgen, who stepped up and closed the container once again. He and Ellovene re-joined the others.
"He was a fine young man," Lysgen offered. "I hope I was like that... I mean I wish I had been like that when I was his age."
"Like what?" Ellovene asked, refocusing her attention.
"Brave. Committed. Selfless."
"Yes, that was my brother," she confirmed. And foolhardy, stubborn, and impetuous, she thought. It got him killed. Ellovene had tried to explain to her parents as much of the details as she remembered about how their son had met his end, but her memory had been clouded by grief at the time, so while they waited for the mortician's people to come, Ellovene asked Lysgen to retell the story. "Could you relate the story of what happened again, for my parents' sake?"
"Of course." Lysgen addressed his remarks to the careworn couple. "Trujilon and I met that morning for breakfast. He then went on to another meeting with a wealthy businessman named Arthon Rassin."
"Oh?" Boran seemed to recognise the name.
Ellovene looked at him. "Do you know him?"
"Yes," he replied.
Ellovene noted that Boran's tone was not one of congeniality. The journalist in her wanted to question him further about his dealings with Rassin, but that would have to wait for another time.
She prompted Lysgen to continue. "Then what happened?"
"Shortly after arriving at Mr. Rassin's estate, slave raiders landed in the nearby village of Emanon, they started rounding up their victims and shooting anyone who tried to stop them. When they attacked Rassin's estate, Trujilon was caught in the crossfire and was shot and killed."
"But I thought you said he picked up an IPB and helped save the lives of others," Ellovene pointed out.
"Did I? Oh yes, of course. Yes, he was very brave." Lysgen turned to Ellovene's parents. "Again, on behalf of the government of Inosa, we are grateful for what your son came to try and accomplish, and I will see to it that the cause to which he gave his life continues, namely a combined PPG alliance between Trengos and Inosa."
Ellovene's intuition and journalist's instincts were telling her that there was much more to the story than Lysgen was telling her, but now was not the time to ask more questions. Now it was time to lay Trujilon to rest.
~~~~
They stopped outside a door. This is a mistake, thought Tehvay.
Perhaps her thoughts were transmitted to Kikola, because the dark-haired woman turned to Tehvay and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "It will be fine."
"I wish I had your optimism."
"Do you want to cancel?" asked Kikola.
"No. Nothing will be resolved by running from it." Tehvay drew strength from Kikola's hand. Then gave some of the strength back. This couldn't be easy for Kikola either.
Kikola gave Tehvay's hand one final squeeze and pressed the chime.
A moment later, the door opened and the imposing frame of Kikola's cousin, Trin'hale, filled the doorway. She wore a short white tunic with black leggings that accentuated her long legs. The tunic was adorned with geometric patterns in green and orange, a style that Tehvay had noted on some of the younger women and men in the compound. She's too old for it, Tehvay opined.
The tall woman offered the briefest of forced smiles and stepped back. "Come in."
Tehvay and Kikola entered the suite. Two easels were set up side-by-side facing a chair. They were here for Trin'hale to give Kikola an art lesson, something Mariantha manoeuvred Kikola's cousin into giving.
"I have already mastered painting a chair," said Kikola.
"It's for Peltric. We're going to paint him. Since your visit to Gatlor, I have started doing more portraits. And, well…" She gestured to the windowless walls. "There is not much landscape to paint in this tullcooth."
Peltric appeared from an inner room carrying Rufen. He was smartly dressed in a dark brown suit with thin white vertical lines on the arms. "Kikola. Tehvay. Good to see you." He placed Rufen on the settee and handed him a toy. "Stay there and play quietly," he told the boy.
A man came from the kitchen area and stood just behind Peltric's left shoulder. He was wearing a plain white short-sleeve high-collared jacket and black trousers. Tehvay could immediately tell from his posture that this was the Willenths' former personal slave.
Peltric acknowledged the man's presence and introduced him. "This is Marsak our…." He paused to carefully choose his words. "Valet."
"Glad to meet you, Marsak," Tehvay said solicitously, knowing that this was all new to him as well. They had seen each other on Gatlor, but they were both slaves then and introductions were not required.
Peltric turned to Tehvay. "Would you like a drink? Dyodpeth or—"
"Dyodpeth would be nice," said Tehvay, answering Peltric but addressing her request to Marsak.
"Kikola. Anything for you?"
"Just some water, thank you."
After the drinks were served, Peltric invited Tehvay to have a seat in a large armchair near Rufen, and gestured for Kikola to join his wife. He then went over and sat on the chair facing the easels.
Trin'hale, who had been seated on a stool, turned her attention to Kikola. "First thing is to decide how much you are going to capture. Just his head, or head and shoulders, or his top half, or whole body. I recommend doing his whole body first, that way you don't need to worry about capturing the detail of the facial features."
"What facial features?" Peltric chuckled. "It's all beard."
Tehvay tuned out as Trin'hale continued her instruction. She almost felt like a slave again – sitting off to the side, uninvolved in the activity going on. She took a sip of her dyodpeth and for something to do watched Rufen play with his toy.
Several minutes later, as Kikola and Trin'hale were sketching with graphite markers, Tehvay saw Rufen climb off the settee and walk over to his father. "Please sit back down, Rufen," Trin'hale called. "Your father is not to be disturbed."
"Be a good boy," said Peltric.
Rufen looked around, spied Tehvay, and walked up to her.
"Rufen!" Trin'hale started to move towards the boy.
"Trin, it's all right," said Peltric. "Leave him."
Rufen stood in front of Tehvay and stared up at her. "I have a ship," he announced and held up a toy spaceship.
Tehvay ignored the other people in the room and concentrated on the boy. "That's nice. May I see it?" Tehvay held out a hand.
Rufen shook his head. "It's mine."
"Okay." Tehvay grinned at the simple logic the boy expressed.
The young lad tottered forward and climbed into Tehvay's lap. "My ship." He thrust the toy at her chest and let go.
Tehvay caught it before it fell to the floor. Rufen shifted position to lean against her, and she put her arm around the boy to support him. She examined the brightly coloured toy. Whether it was an accurate model of a real ship, she had no idea. It was not like any she had seen before: disc shaped with four engines at what she assumed was the back. The engines glowed bright red and made a roaring noise as she turned it in her hands. Rufen found that funny and laughed. He snatched his ship back.
Tehvay looked up and noticed everyone else was looking at her. Trin'hale looked embarrassed to be caught watching and turned away. Kikola smiled. And Tehvay was convinced that Peltric actually winked at her.
"So," said Trin'hale, continuing her instruction. "After we have the graphite outline, we need to add a few more lines where we are going to have some shading." She leaned across to Kikola's easel and started pointing at the sketch.
Kikola turned her attention back to her lesson. Tehvay watched the interaction between Kikola and her cousin. It almost looked like that time on Gatlor – easy and relaxed, but with a certain Elit formality to it. Yet there was an underlying tension between the cousins that Tehvay knew was because of her.
Tehvay turned her attention back to the boy in her lap, recalling the time she had last seen Rufen on Gatlor. The boy had barely acknowledged her then. Now, he seemed happy to sit on her lap and swing his toy ship back and forth to make a noise.
"You do it," said Rufen and handed the toy back to Tehvay. "Make it go!"
Tehvay moved the ship around in front of the boy, much to his delight. However, after a few minutes he was starting to feel very heavy in her lap, not surprising considering the size of his parents.
"I need a bit of a break to stretch my legs," said Peltric.
Tehvay looked up as he approached her. He reached down and relieved her of the boy. She flashed him a grateful smile and stood up herself. She walked over to the easels to view Kikola's progress. Her effort was good, but Trin'hale's was a lot better. Kikola's lines looked simple and more defined in comparison to Trin'hale's, which seemed to contain more detail and were lighter, as if she had barely touched the paper with the marker. Both had started adding colour with paint. Kikola's use of colour seemed almost two-dimensional compared to the subtlety Trin'hale had applied.
"Your painting is very good," Tehvay said to Trin'hale.
"I don't need a slave to tell me what my paintings are like."
"Trin—" Kikola started to interject, but Tehvay held up a hand to silence her.
The years of conditioning were still hard to shake, but it was important for her to stand up for herself. "I am not a slave," Tehvay stated simply. "So, don't act as though my opinion doesn't matter."
"You're a slave." Trin'hale kept her eyes on her painting rather than meet Tehvay's gaze. "You always will be." Trin'hale turned to Kikola. "And you are a soldier. I can tell that by your painting." She stood up to her full height and crossed her arms. "Lesson over. I want you to leave. Both of you."
"Trin'hale, you do not treat guests that way," said Peltric.
"If I have to call these handful of rooms home, I will treat guests as I see fit." She gathered up her son and stormed off.
Everyone avoided eye contact with everyone else.
Eventually Tehvay broke the silence. "We should go."
"Yes," Kikola agreed. She took her painting off the easel and started towards the door. Peltric followed behind Tehvay to show them out. "I am sorry," he said. "I would like to see you both again – if you wish. I am sure Rufen would like to see you again."
"Maybe it is best we stay away," said Tehvay.
"You and Rufen are welcome to visit our suite," Kikola offered.
"Please don't judge my wife too harshly," Peltric implored. "All this has been very difficult on Trin'hale – the loss of her home, her prestige." He glanced behind him towards the bedrooms. "I will speak to Trin'hale. See if she will reconsider… apologise."
"Change is hard," Tehvay replied. "But if she wants to survive in the new times ahead, she must learn to adapt."
~~~~
Ellovene stepped out of her vehicle and glanced upwards to take in the sight of one of Dansek City's most famous landmarks, the Gennard Hotel. It had stood on this spot for over two hundred and twenty years. The building's façade was ornate, reminiscent of a gilded past, when the Gennard Family ran the city. Ellovene remembered as a child coming here with her parents and Trujilon every year on Dansek's Founders' Day to watch the parade. They would watch the parade and come to the hotel for a meal afterwards. It had been many years since they had done it, and she often thought they should do it again, but now it was too late.
She shook off the cold as she entered the hotel's heated lobby and headed straight for the lift. She knew Lysgen's room number and had arranged to meet him there. The lift deposited her on the fifth floor, and after a short walk, she found herself in front of room 516. She took a moment to settle her nerves before pressing the door chime to announce her presence.
The door opened and the lone occupant of the hotel suite greeted Ellovene warmly. "Please, come in."
Ellovene stepped across the threshold while noting that the gentleman from Inosa was smartly dressed in a cobalt blue suit with a high black collar, and his hair was neatly combed. That told her he had style and cared about his appearance. She dismissed those thoughts, reminding herself that she was here for information.
"Thank you for seeing me," Ellovene replied.
Lysgen took her coat. "You look lovely this evening," he said. "Red suits you."
"Thanks." Ellovene glanced down at the formfitting garment. It was the new red dress that Jenissa had given to her and insisted that she wear to this meeting. Now she felt a little self-conscious. She smoothed out the material over her hips to try and lengthen it, because the hem was cut asymmetrically and was a bit short.
Lysgen regarded her with a smile as he hung up her coat and ushered her in. He directed Ellovene to a sitting area. "Have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea or dyodpeth? Something stronger?"
"Maybe both," said Ellovene. "Dyodpeth and a large shot of durmywid."
While her host went to see to the drinks, Ellovene took a moment to peer out of a large picture window where she could see the streetlights illuminating Dansek's city centre. Although she had been a yearly visitor to the Gennard Hotel, she had never stayed in one of its suites. The view is spectacular. I wish Trujilon were here to see this.
Ellovene had made herself comfortable on the sofa when Lysgen re-joined her with two cups of dyodpeth and a shot of durmywid.
She took the proffered cup and saucer and shot glass from Lysgen. Ellovene dumped the liquor in the dyodpeth and took a sip. She ignored the bitter taste and allowed the hot, strong liquid to warm her up.
"So, tell me, how may I be of service?" he asked cordially, after taking a polite sip of his drink.
"I need answers," she said. "I need to know what really happened to my brother."
Lysgen seemed surprised by the question. "I have already told you."
"Forgive me, I am a reporter," Ellovene explained, "and my instincts are usually spot on when people aren't telling me the whole story."
Lysgen quickly turned his gaze away and stared out of the window.
"Please, I need to know. You gave me some details, but you also said you weren't there. Who told you what happened? What did they tell you?"
Behind the beard, his mouth twisted in a grimace. "I should have been there," he whispered. He turned back to face her and cleared his throat. "Trujilon and I met for breakfast before he left for a meeting with Rassin. I should have gone, but I don't like Rassin. We needed his money, but the less I have to deal with him the better. I made an excuse not to go. Rassin wanted to see Trujilon and not me anyway. The last time I saw your brother, he was leaving the café with Rassin's pilot." Lysgen stared into his cup, then climbed to his feet and walked to the dispenser. "I need something stronger. Would you like another?" asked Lysgen.
"Yes, please," Ellovene replied, draining the cup before handing it back to him. She waited for him to return with the drinks and mulled what he had said. That explains why he wasn't with my brother when he was killed, she thought. That detail had not added up for her during the first telling of the story.
When he returned with the drinks, Ellovene dumped the liquor into the dyodpeth and took a sip. "Go on," she prompted as he sat down on the sofa.
"About an hour or so later I heard the report that raiders had hit Rassin's island. Oh, Rassin was fine by the way! He at least had the decency to pay to bring your brother back home." Lysgen paused to take a drink and reacted to the alcohol's burn. "Twelve people were taken, five people were killed. I spoke to the pilot who had collected Trujilon from the café. She said the attack happened just after they had landed. There was weapons fire and Trujilon ran off to see what was happening. He was told to stay where he was, but he didn't listen." He lowered his gaze. "If I had been there, maybe I could have stopped him."
"No. I don't think you could have. Trujilon is—was the type to run towards danger."
"I didn't know your brother well, but I could tell he was a man of action."
Ellovene took a sip from her second cup. "You said he tried to protect people. What happened after he ran off to help?"
"I only have the pilot's account of what she knows and what she was told. Rassin's estate is at the edge of the village, so it was close to the location of the attack. The armed guards at Rassin's estate ran to help. The raiders fought back."
Ellovene's host paused again and took another sip of his drink. "Trujilon was found dead next to one of the guards. He had the guard's IPB in his hand. The pilot later heard from a villager, who witnessed what had happened, that Trujilon picked up the weapon after a raider killed the guard. Trujilon was hit before he could get a shot off. He was killed almost instantly."
Ellovene listened to Lysgen give a more detailed and shocking account of her brother's last moments with a journalist's dispassionate objectivity. However, she found herself breaking down and sobbing when he said 'killed almost instantly'. She somehow managed to put her cup down without spilling the drink.
A strong arm settled on her shoulder. After a couple of minutes, she dried her eyes and looked into the face of the man who was offering her comfort. She couldn't help but notice that he was more handsome than she realised, and that his suit matched his eyes.
An overwhelming urge for contact overcame Ellovene. She leaned forward and kissed him. For a moment, he responded. "Hold me," she breathed. "Make love to me." She brought her hands up to cradle his face and found empty air.
"Woah, stop! Stop!" Lysgen backed away. "You don't know what you are doing."
"I do. I need someone. I need you."
He stood up and moved to the other side of the room. Ellovene stood up to follow him and halted when he held up a hand. "Don't. I don't want you to do something you are going to regret."
"What's the matter? Do you not find me attractive?"
"Ellovene, you are a beautiful young woman, and any other time I would be flattered." He uttered a hollow laugh. "Never mind being flattered, I would be more than willing. Believe me, the opportunity does not come up that often."
"Then what's the problem?"
"You have been drinking."
"A couple. It's nothing." She took a step forward.
He took a step back. "You are grieving. You are in a highly charged emotional state. I will not take advantage of you while you are like that."
"You're not taking advantage. I'm offering." She took another step toward him.
Lysgen put up both hands. "Ellovene, stop! Whatever you are feeling right now is irrelevant. Tomorrow you will be mortified, and I will feel ashamed for dishonouring you and the memory of Trujilon."
Mention of her brother's name stopped everything. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Don't apologise. You have nothing for which to be sorry." Lysgen approached her slowly. "Maybe when everything has settled down and you feel the same, then and only then will we talk about this. Otherwise this never happened. I will never mention it."
"You're a true gentleman."
A worried expression flickered across his face. "I try to be."
"I should go." Ellovene picked her coat off the hook and left.
When the lift disgorged her into the lobby. Ellovene was going to head out into the cold night air, but instead she called Jenissa. "Don't wait up. I'll be late."
"How late? I don't mind waiting." Jenissa said.
"It's okay. I… won't be too late, but late enough. I'll be ready to crawl straight into bed when I get home. You go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
Ellovene said goodbye and headed towards the bar. She sat on a stool and crossed her legs. It didn't take long for a suitable candidate to approach her and chat her up.
She didn't want to know his name, but he gave it anyway. "Varnik."
"Jenissa." She surprised herself at how easily the lie came.
"Unusual name. Doesn't sound local." He smiled. "Let me buy you a drink and then you can tell me more about yourself."
"I'm good. Are you a guest in this hotel?"
"Yes."
"Then why don't we go up to your room?" Ellovene said with a knowing look.
The man reacted like he had just won at the gaming table and waved off the bartender. "Sure, let's go."
They rode up on the lift in silence. There was no need for small talk or personal histories. It wasn't that kind of encounter. When they got to his room, he called for thirty-five percent ambient lights – enough to see each other's features. She moved to kiss him. He returned her kiss, full-mouthed and urgent. She reached up to push his jacket over his shoulders. He broke the kiss only long enough to free his sleeve from his wrist. His hands roamed down to her knees and pulled her new red dress over her head and discarded it.
She put her arms around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. His tongue tangled with hers while he pressed himself against her. She felt his bulge stiffen. With their lips still locked in a kiss, they fell onto the bed.
Ellovene stripped off her panties and lay back. Varnik frantically pulled off his trousers and faced her with a full erection. He positioned himself over her and kissed his way down to her breasts, taking them in his mouth. He sucked on her nipples, which sent a scorching flame of arousal from her sensitive tips to her core.
There was no further need for foreplay. Ellovene spread her legs wide and made it clear what she wanted. "I want it hard and hot!"
Varnik looked down at her with a knowing grin. "Happy to oblige."
She let out a moan, when with one swift motion he buried his cock as deep as he could. Yes, she thought. It feels good. Human contact feels good.
Her breathing became more laboured as he rocked his pelvis, dragging his shaft in and out in vigorous thrusts. She could feel an orgasm building inside her. Her groans encouraged Varnik to quicken and deepen his pace.
"Yes, yes, faster. That's it!" She grabbed his buttocks and held him inside.
Varnik let out a guttural moan and ejaculated, continuing quick thrusts until he was fully spent. He let his body go limp on top of her.
Her body relaxed, her building orgasm retreated, leaving Ellovene feeling empty and unfulfilled. He sighed, pulled out, and kissed her.
Varnik held himself there as he slowly disengaged from the kiss and met her gaze. On closer inspection, Ellovene noted that he wasn't all that attractive, at least not to her. He was too thin, and his lank hair fell down around his face making him seem even thinner. However, it wasn't his face that she had been interested in.
"That was good," he whispered.
"Yes." She almost believed her lie. She considered asking him for more, but she suddenly felt unclean. It wasn't the act of picking up a stranger for sex, but the reason for it. Lysgen was right.
Ellovene made some excuse and started to get dressed.
"I'm here for three more days," said Varnik. "Could I see you again?"
"Sorry." Ellovene smiled at him. "I'm leaving in the morning. It was nice to… um." She moved to the bed to give him one more kiss. "Goodnight."
She hurried to the lift. It was slowly coming down from a higher floor. She saw it stop on floor five. Lysgen's floor! What if? She ran for the stairs.
The cold night air hit her like a hard slap, and Ellovene paused to catch her breath. She walked to her vehicle and drove home hoping Jenissa had gone to bed, and that by the morning she could forget what she'd done and why she had done it.
~~~~
One of the Trengosian culinary delights Boran had discovered was shobular, small balls of renjur meat mixed with herbs. They were tasty and versatile. They could be served with all manner of sauces. Served hot or cold. Eaten as a snack or part of a main meal. Best of all they could be wrapped in pastry. Rikana had revealed that particular delight to him. The young security officer had heard him praise shobular. She had just smiled and shook her head. She offered to take him to a market in Dansek City. There, in amongst the labyrinth of stalls, she pointed to a purveyor of shobular pasties. Not only were they delicious, they were handy to eat while he was working.
Food fit for Orion. He was just savouring his first bite when Asta and Pallin entered his study and placed a stack of electronic documents on the desk in front of him. He quickly brushed some crumbs from around his mouth and wiped his hands.
"Here are the last of the lease agreements," said Asta.
"The management company didn't give you any more trouble, did they?" Boran asked.
"No, not once you intervened," Pallin chimed in.
Boran came around from the other side of the desk and gestured for them to make themselves comfortable on the couch, where he joined them. "Good," he replied. "What else can I help with?"
"At the moment nothing," Asta said. "You've been very generous. All thirteen former slaves from the Fearless have been set up with furnished apartments in the same building. This way, they can all be close to each other."
"Actually, there is one thing," said Pallin. He looked at Asta. "Tehvay. There has been no word from her since she and Kikola left for the Hegemony. We were hoping you might have heard something. Anything?"
"Not yet," Boran replied.
"It has been weeks. We're worried about her," Pallin explained.
"Can you get a call through to her or some kind of message?" asked Asta. "We need to know that she is all right."
Boran knew the anguish and frustration Tehvay's parents were feeling in not hearing from their daughter in three weeks. He felt the same way. It reminded him of how he felt not being able to contact Tehvay when she and Kikola went into exile. He had no idea where they were or how to contact them. He was sure he would never see them again, and yet he did – if only for a short time. Now they were gone again, with no way to contact them. It was maddening.
Boran leaned forward and patted Asta's hand. "I'm afraid not."
"What about your associates – Tremothen and Marleen?" Pallin offered. "Surely they could relay a message to Tehvay."
"I understand how you must be feeling," he said. "I miss her too. But it would be too dangerous for us to try and make contact with Tehvay and Kikola, however discreetly I might try. Any communication might be picked up by the enemy and give away their position. We cannot risk it. We will just have to wait patiently for Tehvay to contact us."
Asta hung her head. Pallin took his wife's hand and said to Boran, "You are right, of course." He stood up and helped his wife to her feet. "We should let you return to what you were working on before we interrupted."
"You are no interruption. I—" Before Boran could finish, his comm unit buzzed. He saw that it was coming over a secured channel. "Excuse me a moment," he said. He stood up and walked to the other side of the room.
"Hello, Boran…"
Though the sound was faint and the connection not great, Boran's heart leapt to hear the unmistakeable voice of Tehvay on the other end of the comm. "Good timing. Asta, Pallin, and I were just talking about you."
"My parents are with you?"
"That's right."
"May I speak with them?"
"Of course!" Boran exclaimed with delight. He brought the comm unit back, placed it on the table, and activated the speaker, audio only. "It's Tehvay."
"Tehvay!" the Veilans said in unison.
With a mother's instinct, the first thing Asta asked was how Tehvay was doing and was she eating properly. With a father's concern, the first thing Pallin wanted to know from his daughter was she safe and well.
"Yes, Ita, I am safe and well, and yes, Ima, I am eating."
"Good," Pallin replied.
"How is Kikola? And Rikana? Are they well?" asked Asta.
"We are all well. I can't talk long. We can't risk this comm being intercepted, and I need to speak with Boran."
"Of course, we understand," said Pallin sadly.
"It was wonderful just to hear your voice," said Asta.
"I don't know when I will be able to talk to you next, but don't worry. I will contact you again when I can."
"Be careful," said Pallin.
"We love you," Asta added.
"I will. Me too," Tehvay offered. "Bye."
Boran switched off the speaker and picked up the comm again.
"We'll see ourselves out." With that, Tehvay's parents left Boran's study.
Boran watched them leave, very glad that their concerns were put to rest. As soon as he was alone, he said, "It's me again. Are you sure your communication is not being intercepted by the other side?"
"Yes. Tremothen and Marleen arranged for a secure, untraceable transmission with an associate of Ilistan. But I can't stay on much longer. How are they doing, my parents?"
"They are fine. Keeping busy with the former slaves."
"That's good."
"Missing you, of course."
"I'm glad I called when I did. It was good to hear their voices," said Tehvay.
"Don't worry. I'm looking after them," Boran assured her.
"It's not just a personal call. Have you got any supplies to send yet?"
"Yes," Boran replied. "I can have a ship loaded and ready in about twenty-hours."
"That's great. Have them go to the co-ordinates I am sending you. Don't worry, it's on the Graelands side of the border."
A beep signalled the receipt of the co-ordinates. "Got them."
"Your supply ship will be met by a warship, the Valiant, and will make contact on the secure frequency."
"Can I trust it? Or I should ask can my pilot trust it?"
"Can you trust your pilot?" asked Tehvay.
"The price I'll have to pay them, I hope so."
"Then they can trust the Valiant. Well, that's it really. I just wanted to let you know we were here and things are okay on our end. Tremothen and Marleen send their best, as does Kikola and Rikana. How is everyone else back there? Are Trujilon and Ellovene busy with the PPG?"
"Uh…"
"Boran? Are you still there? What's wrong?"
Boran didn't know how to say what he wanted to other than to just come out and say it. "I'm afraid Trujilon is dead."
"What? How?"
"He was on Inosa. Slave raiders attacked the village he was visiting. He was shot trying to help. I'm so sorry."
"How is Ellovene taking it?"
"Badly, as one would expect."
There was silence. Eventually Tehvay spoke. "Thank you for letting me know. I have to go. Give my regards to everyone. Especially Ell."
"Will do."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Boran listened to the null connection for several seconds before turning the comm off and picking up his pasty. He thought of the events going on around him. Tehvay was light years away and in potential danger. Asta and Pallin were missing Tehvay and still mourning Yuniph, and helping organise the ex-slaves. Then there was Trujilon. Boran had barely got to know the young man, but he had found him charming and full of ideas. Another life snuffed out far too early. He took a bite. The once delicious pasty suddenly didn't seem that important or tasty any more. He put it down and pushed the plate away.