Sands of Sorrow (5 page)

“You will need to recalibrate it, but it should be up and running again.”

Salika fought the urge to touch it again and overload the system. She swayed a little, and Imron took her arm.

“You are overdue for a meal and a rest. Come on; let’s get you fed.”

Saluk growled, but Imron merely glared back, and Saluk blinked in surprise. Imron led her out of medical, and Saber hopped up to them, chattering in irritation.

“Grab your beastie, and I will get you something to eat. What colour code are you?”

“Red and black.”

“Interesting. Find a seat, and I will bring you something.”

She nodded and headed into the dining area, finding a corner seat where Saluk and Saber could cuddle with her. She was feeling better by the minute.

Imron brought her a tray, and one of the Citadel staff followed with a beverage set.

Salika smiled. “Thank you both.”

Imron grinned and sat across from her. “My mother would expect nothing less of her son. I had to take etiquette classes.”

“I would never have guessed.” She smiled.

He tsked and sighed as he handed her a cup of caf. “I suppose that our first meeting wasn’t very successful.”

“It taught me some things that I needed to know. I took what I learned and acted on it.”

“What did you learn?”

“That the scars of the past can cast shadows on the present. They do more than close a wound; they harden you and make you less flexible.”

“So, what were your actions?”

She sipped at her caf and smiled. “I regained my flexibility.”

Under the table, Imron’s leg touched hers. She paused; her mind and body froze for a minute before she decided not to move away.

Saluk growled, but Imron ignored him.

Salika took a few items off her plate and held them out for Saluk. He turned his nose up at the offering.

“Oh, good grief, Saluk. Imron just brought it; he didn’t make it.”

Her companion opened his jaws and took the pieces daintily. It was a gesture of consideration for her, and she knew it.

Imron grinned. “Saluk really does not like me much.”

“You are another male. He is protective of me.”

“Is there a reason for it?”

“Yes, there have been times when it was not possible for him to be next to me. The incidents were difficult, and it took us some time to get over them.” She tried to change the topic. “So, your mother was a fan of etiquette?”

He inclined his head. “She was, indeed. Still is, probably.”

She smiled and noted the cup of seeds for Saber. She set the Yaluthu on the table and held a handful of seeds up where they were accessible.

Now that her companions were fed, it was time for her to eat.

“What about your parents?”

She coughed on a loose-grain salad. “My parents? I don’t know who they are. I am a bastard.”

“I see. How did your society deal with that?”

“I was surrendered to the public welfare system, and I was educated until I was seven or so. After that, I was ejected from school and left to fend for myself.”

“That sounds difficult.”

“It was not easy, but after a few years of scavenging, Saluk called me to his rescue, and we have been together ever since.” She stroked Saluk with one hand.

Imron sat back and cocked his head. “How old do the sand dogs get?”

“Some have been seen nearly two hundred years in a row. When the priests go out to give them offerings once a year, they record which of the sand dogs are there. Their biggest source of mortality is reproduction.”

Imron nodded. “Any natural enemies?”

Saluk lifted his head until he was glaring at Imron above the edge of the table.

“No. The sand dogs are the intelligent species on that world. They are the apex predator.”

“How do your species and theirs coexist?”

“We remain behind our walls, including our agriculture and manufacturing, and they have the rest of their world. It was part of the pledge made by our ancestors. They would live on a world and not become part of it. They wanted to suffer in order to give their descendants strong character.”

“Did it work?”

She thought about it. “I think that the confinement caused degradation of the social order around the third generation.”

“Did they teach that in your history classes?”

“I stole books. I knew how to read, so I stole the books I needed. It also kept me busy when the weather kept me in the city.”

“Tell me about where you grew up.”

“Only if you agree to the same.”

He smiled and sat back. “Agreed. Tell me about your environment.”

“Desert. The entire continent that we were on was desert. It made for interesting and rather creative moments in the wild.”

He nodded. “I grew up in forests and lush fields. I was running through the trees and bush as far back as I can remember.”

She cocked her head. “How long do your people live?”

“The oldest member of my family was two hundred and twenty. How about yours?”

Salika sighed. “I don’t know, and I was not close to any of my people.”

“Right. Apologies.”

Saluk slid off the bench and followed a riot of Yaluthu out into the fresh air.

Saber was content to snuggle with Salika.

Imron gave her a sober look. “I do not think that Saluk likes me.”

“He does not like any males near me. Not bipeds anyway.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

Salika smiled tightly and nodded. “Yes. I was considered fair game due to my social status. Saluk had to come to my rescue.”

Imron scowled. “Did it happen more than once?”

“Yes.”

Their conversation seemed to have run aground for the day.

Salika got to her feet with Saber in her arms, nodding to him. “Thanks for the training. It was helpful.”

She walked in search of Saluk, fairly sure that Imron’s interest had just been quenched. From what she had seen in her life, men didn’t want damaged women. It went against the teachings of the priests.

Her schedule was blinking when she returned to her quarters. She frowned and touched the screen. Every morning was lit up with talent instruction.

“That is odd. Imron has signed up to teach me how to use my talent. I didn’t think... well, I guess I thought he wouldn’t want to be around me anymore.”

She looked to Saluk and Saber, but they didn’t have any commentary for her. Deep inside, a tiny part of her was pleased and happy. It was a very small part, but it was definitely there.

She headed for bed with a smile on her lips.

“Today, we are testing how much you can absorb and how long you can hold it.” Imron smiled encouragingly.

The generators that were facing her had small leads that ended in metal grips.

Salika inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “Will the charge be quick or slow?”

“Slow. We are trying to test your tolerances. Tomorrow, we can deal with speed.”

She picked up the handles and nodded. “Right. While I am charging, tell me what your talent is.”

He chuckled and went to the machinery; it started with a whir. “My talent is speed. That spark that I used to restart the med scanner was generated by my moving my fingers together. It looks like electricity, but I don’t keep it inside me.”

“So, when you were assigned to me, it was because a shock from me would just glide off your skin?”

“Sort of. I create a field that allows things to move around me. It is completely on reflex.”

A tingle was starting in her hands and moving up her arms. “Can you turn it up?”

He smirked. “My speed or the generator?”

“The generator.”

“No. This is the baseline for your body, so we are going to simply let it do what it wants to do.”

She held her hands still, but her body wanted to move. She wanted to grab the generators and hold them, taking all the power they could offer, but instead, she was restricted to a trickle of energy.

“This is going to drive me crazy.”

Imron nodded. “I know. Just keep going for as long as you can.”

She shifted from foot to foot as the charge continued to build. No matter how much built up, she wanted more.

“Tell me about your parents, your early education. Anything. Just talk to me.” She was nearly begging.

Imron spoke about his mother, his grandmother and the matriarchal society that had spawned him. He had met his father a few times and been given a land grant when he graduated. His schooling had been administered by a series of caring instructors in the company of others of his kind. He played with other children and learned social skills.

She nodded, and finally, she felt her hair beginning to lift.

“Does that hurt?”

Salika shook her head. “No. How will you know when I am at capacity?”

Imron checked the machines. “When you either feel it or start arcing.”

She brought her arms close together and felt the crackle of energy but no visible sparks. She could go a little further.

“So, what is your species?” Salika was gritting her teeth, but she felt it necessary to keep talking.

“I am an Ormor. We come in a number of skin shades and sizes, but a psychic or physiological focus is common for my species.”

He was watching her as he spoke.

She looked at him and chuckled. “I am only a little small for my species. Our society is pretty much my height as adults. Both male and female.”

“Can they all fight like you?”

She chuckled. “No, I am self-taught. Violence isn’t encouraged.”

“Well, you do it very well. I was serious about the speed, though. If you go on assignments, you will need it.”

“Do you really think that I will get to travel? I can’t withstand jumps.”

“There are ways around that. You can be sedated for the journeys. That works for many folks with jump issues.”

She could feel the prickle of power on her skin. “I think I am just about at capacity.”

He looked her over. “Your hair is standing on end, so release the handles, and we will see how long you can hold the charge.”

Salika bit her lip and let the grips fall. “What do I do now?”

He held up a hand for her to wait, and he disappeared for a moment.

When he returned, he was pushing a cart, and it had a full tea set on it, as well as a stack of plates and cutlery.

“I am going to begin a theoretical lecture on etiquette. It should occupy us for an hour or more. If you can hold the charge for that long today, we can go for more time later in the week.”

She nodded and braced her feet, settling her weight. “Very well, Instructor. Instruct.”

He set about showing her how to make a proper cup of tea and then how to pour it. After that, it was how to set a table for a number of the more common species in the Alliance.

She turned her head now and then, but her hair was still standing on end. Her state of charge seemed to be stable.

“It is nice that you have shown me all of this, but at this point, I need to sit down. My muscles are quivering.”

Saluk got up, but he approached her and sneezed when he got a few feet away.

Saber tried as well, but the hot pink fluff stood on end.

“I will see what I can find. I would rather that you held the charge.”

She glared at him. “It has been more than an hour. I have an excellent sense of time.”

Imron nodded. “Very well. You can kneel on the floor, but grip these handles and slowly let the power leave you.”

Salika made a face, but she watched him lay out the leads and attach them to points on a plate with a metre directed toward her.

When he was clear of the connections, she took a deep breath, exhaled it and knelt before gripping the leads.

She kept her body loose as the extra energy drained off. It took hours, but kneeling let her close her eyes and her mind to what was happening.

The moment she was safe to touch, she felt Saluk on one side and Saber on the other. The rest of the drain went easier when she had company.

She opened her eyes, and the levels showing on the metre were in the red zone. Imron was sitting near her, his legs folded neatly under him. He was as at peace as she was.

She felt normal again, so she cleared her throat. “I think it is done.”

He opened his eyes slowly, looking at the metre. “I believe you are correct. You can let go now.”

She dropped the grips.

Imron smiled. “Would you care to head for lunch? You have been at this for five hours.”

“Did I pass?”

He looked surprised. “Of course. You did what was asked of you and followed the orders to the letter, even when your instinct was to rush things.”

“It seemed the politer course of action.” She rubbed her hands together before stroking her fluffy and scaly companions.

She wasn’t drained like she had been after the previous instance, so she considered it a success.

She smiled at Imron. “Lunch sounds nice. Though, I do think it a little odd that food is so accessible.”

“The wonders of living in a study environment. Food is a constant that unites many—if not all—species.” He gracefully got to his feet and put away the equipment with efficient motions.

The teacart had disappeared while she had been meditating on silence and immobility.

She got to her feet, wincing at the awkward feeling to her movements. Stretching made things easier for her.

When Imron was ready, he came back and held out his hand. It was an expression of trust as well as a polite gesture. If she were still harbouring a charge, he would feel it.

She took his hand, and his fingers closed slowly over hers.

Her first day of training was a definite success.

Three weeks later, she had a defense capability as well as the concentration to power a succession of equipment without burning it out.

Salika sat in Veera’s office, and it was actually business being discussed instead of the Yaluthu.

“I have an assignment for you, Salika. It would mean an elevation from novice to specialist if you are interested.”

Salika looked to Saluk and cuddled Saber. “Can I bring Saluk and Saber?”