CHANGELING: Book Two in the Weaver Series Read online

  Cassandra slammed truculent beams of dissent outward. “Never mind, let’s deal with this later. Kal and Mez are getting twitchy.”

  Now I was angry. “You bet your ass we’ll talk, Sister.”

  Out loud my twin turned to Kal and raised our eyebrows in query as if we’d been waiting on him the whole time. He almost smirked but stilled the curve of his lip as Vel came through an arch with two Aniy women trailing behind him. We recognized both of them from the day we’d been questioned in the zebra-striped judgment chamber. The female that looked related to Sil had her dyed brown hair piled atop her head in a coil of complicated braids. Her blue-black skin reflected the dim light as if she’d rubbed oil all over it and the pale violet of her gauzy layered robes only accentuated the effect.

  The other female was older but her eyes made her age irrelevant; they sucked your attention to her face and petty things like wrinkles became beyond notice. This was the woman who’d requested updates on our progress from Sil. Her robes were heavy cloth with every color in the rainbow represented and her hair streamed past her shoulders all the way to her waist with lines of gray in the otherwise dark straight mass. What now?

  Vel made a beeline for Kal and on the way, in front of his body, curled his fingers at his waist in a signal that meant something to our guardian because he stood taller, all emotion evaporating from his face. Cass glanced at Mez through our lashes and saw he had adopted the stiff formality he’d used to confront Fid Tal.

  I was in a mood. “Screw that. We’re being ourselves and if that isn’t good enough these ladies can kiss it.” My twin sighed but cocked a hip and crossed our arms over our nearly nonexistent breasts. We felt grubby in our ragtag school robe compared to their intricate and intentional attire. At least one of these women was an Elder and our money was on Rainbow Bright with the creepy black hole eyes. Where were their guards? What with all the rebel activity you’d think they’d be on high alert.

  When they got within a foot of us Vel clasped his hands at his back and let them pass him by. Rainbow Bright had her robes gathered in her fists but she released the vibrant cloth as soon as her feet stilled. Her eyes sought us out but her words were for Kal.

  “Why are you here?” Her voice was multi-layered and musical.

  Kal shifted sideways, as if he was prepared to fight and his gaze darted between two different places in the gloom. Perhaps there were indeed guards we couldn’t see.

  “The likelihood that Baelc will attack again so soon is slim, Elder Nyt, and my wards could not leave the lab without my assistance.” A thread of care, as one would take with a mentally unstable person, was woven into his tone.

  Elder Nyt rotated her head like an eagle on a perch surveying its territory, as she stared off behind us at the quiescent tree roots and the rich coffee ground dirt they were entrenched in. Even though they were well fed on a regular basis now, Cass and I still didn’t trust the venomous vines. An edge of wary danger always simmered in the back of our head until we entered Denu.

  The gauzy lavender-robed relation to Sil folded her hands gracefully in an upside down prayer and addressed Kal. “It would be best, Agent, if you left now to resume your duties. Your wards will be cared for in your absence.”

  Kal rubbed his knuckles on our bicep and we gave him a double blink. In the after flow of his bend the air smelled singed. Mez bumped the length of his body against our other side in wordless reassurance. Elder Nyt fisted her multi-hued robes again and made her way toward Denu like a ghost. Our tongue was thick and a tickle went down our throat at the dry clicking swallow we managed. Vel waited for Mez and I to draw even with him and we all followed Elder Nyt and her handmaiden into Denu as if we were the guests.

  They vanished to the right about ten yards down the tunnel into an opening that had never been there before. Beautifully molded rock glowed with muted blue glory twenty feet up into the stalactite covered ceiling. A sparkling horseshoe loop of mounded stone was the center piece to the formal cavern and staggered rows of stadium-like benches hugged the walls. The gray clad citizenry of Denu filled every available slot. No children were present so some adults had to be missing but the turnout was massive. The men all wore their best, biggest necklaces and the women had their heads crisply wrapped. If we unfocused our vision at the crowd, tiny dashes and blobs of color danced like swarms of fairy lights. This place could have been conceived and built in less than an hour by the Imini to host the Aniy, or it could’ve been sealed away for an occasion just like today—there was no way to know. It was an impressive expression of Imini gifts and a not so subtle reminder to the Aniy that they possessed a power of their own.

  Jaz stood in the very center of the horseshoe, legs spread, bare tan feet firmly planted and arms hanging loosely at her sides. Her headdress was a beautiful blood red that accentuated the warmth of her flawless skin. As soon as Elder Nyt and her visible entourage of one got out of our way, Vel led us to his wife’s side. He brushed Jaz’s shoulder with his and motioned with an arm for us to sit. Where was Lil? If she was in the crowd we couldn’t see her. The smooth mounded stone was slick but comfortable as our posterior settled into a shallow dip and Mez invaded our body space to our right. If he got much closer he’d be on top of us and Cass flashed him a glance accompanied by a grunt of annoyance that he studiously ignored.

  The Aniy remained standing. Elder Nyt raised her chin and made a sweeping gesture to encompass the whole grand chamber, turning in a tight circle to end facing Jaz. Her voice erupted from her throat like a chorus and reached all ears in a compelling caress. “We are gathered today to recall events that involved the death of an Aniy at the hands of an Imini. Sadly, this is the first recorded violent act of your people against ours but not of ours against yours. Annis could not be happy with the way her children treat one another. We are imperfect, as is life, but we may strive to be more than we are and that is all we may do.”

  A strange whispering hum began as the floor under the soles of our feet vibrated for a period of moments and then ceased, leaving our feet tingling. No one besides Cass and I tensed.

  Mez leaned down to whisper, “The Imini communicated their agreement with her words by singing the cavern.”

  We shifted away from the tickle of his breath in our ear as Nyt continued her address. As enchanting of a figure as she painted, this was still the stump speech of an accomplished politician and our trust was nil.

  A random memory of our father, Declan, sputtered to the surface. While our mother had been alarmed and even a bit frightened of our advanced understanding of the world around us, Declan had secretly taken every opportunity to offer us his experience and opinions to digest. One night, wherever we’d been, on the local news a sensational case about a much beloved minister stealing from his congregation had been showcased. We were nestled in his hard arms with our legs curled on his much larger ones and the rough wool of his green sweater scratched our cheek as we looked up at his downturned face. His eyes were grave deep with a weary disappointment as he pitched his voice low, “Never trust power. Those that lead, rarely do so out of the goodness of their heart, even if they intended to in the beginning.”

  The remembrance shattered like imploded glass shards as Nyt’s words penetrated our unexpected sling shot into the past.

  “Our people have become too segregated. We live together but seem more separate than before we were allied, thousands and thousands of years past. This should not continue or I fear the violence will only escalate. I would propose, instead of punishment, we pursue congress.”

  Cass gave a jolt of humor. “Does she mean everybody should do the nasty to get over their mad or they should intermingle? I think our translator is busted.”

  I suppressed a grin with effort at my twin’s attempt to lighten our bad mood. Maybe we would be okay. Our eyes were drawn to movement in the ‘stands’ as Lil made her way down to the bottom. Lil’s headdress was the neatest we’d ever seen it and the cool green made her skin look soft like cocoa powder dil
uted with cane sugar. Vel and Jaz weren’t pleased at her apparently unexpected arrival. Elder Nyt held her arms out in welcome to our friend and Lil went willingly with an accepting neck weave. This was so staged I wanted to puke.

  Rainbow Bright’s voice was cajoling as she addressed Jaz directly. “I would propose an exchange—daughter for daughter—in an effort to expand our trust and understanding of one another.” Nyt’s face was a carefully crafted message—a bit of compassion, a bit of sympathy all with an underlying ultimatum.

  At a negligent flick of her fingers the light fields that we’d suspected hid her guards faded and dematerialized. It was a blazing delightful display meant to entertain; a fireworks show without the danger. Four out of the six revealed Aniy were willowy females dressed in gauzy layered robes of yellow and blue. Their heads were piled high with crowns of midnight braids and their darker skin seemed to shine with an inner glow as they bowed to the crowd in unison. Two actual guards were present, most likely as an intentional combined message of strength and implied trust of the Imini.

  Jaz parted her lips but Elder Nyt addressed those gathered in a triumphant ringing plea. “As a leader of the Aniy I would accept volunteers among you to nurture three more of my precious children and I will welcome yours in return. Let us turn this unpleasantness into an opportunity for Aniy and Imini to grow together rather than apart.”

  Cass muttered, “Hostages, she wants hostages. In return we get spies.”

  The cavern shook with dissonance in a shrieking cacophony and even the horseshoe mounds on which we sat vibrated enough to send aftershocks up our spine. Jaz stood with her arms vertical and her fingers spread. Vel rose to back her with a supportive hand to her waist. The noise died.

  Jaz took Lil’s face gently by the pads of her work-roughened hands and stared into her daughter’s glossy eyes as if nothing else existed. “You are loved though I cannot claim you forever to myself. I have had the pleasure to watch you become who you are now and I hope for more. The world is waiting for you and whatever path you choose. Should you ever have need of me, only the Will of Annis or death will stop my coming.”

  Lil’s mouth trembled for a second after Jaz withdrew her touch and then she recovered. “I go of my own will, Modor.” She turned dry eyes to the crowd. “Who among you would send your adventurous children to join me?” Her bravado-saturated entreaty bounced and echoed from the pointy ceiling above.

  Elder Nyt was suspiciously silent and her expression was carefully benevolent as she waited. It began as a tremble and then gathered into the sound of rapids tumbling over a waterfall to hone itself into a synchronized symphony of bass drums that beat without end, as if we all sat inside the ribs of a giant beast and its heart was pounding after a mighty bellow. Mez had a grip on our side and his fingers were digging into our hip bone. Cass turned to wiggle out of his grasp and get a better view of the audience. All eyes were closed as the Imini made their decision in the Web. Vel’s eyes were closed as well. The only Imini not participating in the debate were Jaz and Lil, who stood giving one another hesitant smiles.

  A fade began, and the time between each thrum of the stone became longer until it disappeared, with only phantom aftershocks trying to trick the ear drum. Vel came out of it and gave a shallow bow to Elder Nyt. Six Imini, three women and three men, came forward from those gathered. Cass and I weren’t familiar with any of them. At a finger snap from Nyt’s lavender-robed handmaiden—we’d just call her Violet since we didn’t know her name—the waiting Aniy girls gracefully made their way to a couple apiece. There commenced a lot of neck weaving and awkward bows. After a few moments the main entry arch became occupied by three shy, fidgeting Imini girls, one of which we did recognize. The way she covered her mouth as she tittered nervously behind her hand let us know she was the same girl Mez had flirted with on the way to the bazaar today. Huh, small world.

  Violet snapped her fingers again and the two guards that had been stationed by the arch acted as an escort for the three terrified girls. Elder Nyt smiled at each of them in turn when they arrived in the open horseshoe and then addressed the crowd in her mellifluous voice. “My hope is for a better future for our youth. A stronger, more united Axsa could hardly be a bad thing for our children’s children to inherit. Although our progeny are always just a thought away, I would not stand in the way of personal visits. I do, however, ask that you give sufficient time for them to become acclimated to their new life before the first visit. Change can be difficult and the temptation to give up in the face of the unfamiliar is strong.”

  Murmurs broke out among the crowd. That took care of Jaz’s punishment—the Aniy took her daughter hostage for an indeterminate amount of time as a guarantee of her good behavior all in the name of an exchange of good will. Neither Vel nor Jaz could complain lest they look like they didn’t support good relations between their people. So what was Nyt’s master plan for us? Why were we here? As if she could read our mind her face angled our way as she spoke to Vel in a voice pitched only for the ears of our small group.

  “I have one more boon to ask of the Imini. You have welcomed a Singularity from a developing planet into your home. The idea for this interchange of our youth came from their agreement, born from necessity, with Fid Tal after a blessing of Annis involving her son.”

  She must be referring to the Bindao. Cass sat straight and Mez stiffened at our side. What was Rainbow Bright up to?

  “During the period that Fid Tal’s child is above in Bleo I ask that you allow the Singularity a place in my home as well. I feel there is much to be learned and I cannot let the opportunity pass The Elders by.” Her eyes were wide and beguiling, pleading her oh so reasonable cause.

  Vel pulled on the sides of his tunic and the silver chain linking the turquoise bits on his necklace glittered as the polished stones rolled. The Imini leader motioned us toward him discreetly with crooked fingers. Mez followed, glued to our backside. We almost tripped when he kicked one of our heels accidently. Cass gave Mez a darting evil eye and he looked embarrassed but unrepentant.

  I didn’t wait for niceties, plowing ahead to interrupt Nyt’s polite neck weave. “So The Elders assigned Kal to active duty again so he would be out of the way when you asked the Imini for us? What do you really want?”

  Cass exploded, “Silver!”

  Jaz and Lil hissed out a shocked exclamation, Vel’s black eyes looked like they might protrude out of their sockets, and Mez was a frozen block of boy. The only person not alarmed was Elder Nyt. She crossed her forearms neatly, one atop the other and the sleeves of her multi-hued robe gave an opalescent shimmer.

  “You are refreshing—and intelligent. I want to know you both better than the sparse statistical data Guild Master Sil allows The Elders to read. Say yes and you will be closer to your Bindao when he would otherwise be out of your reach.” Tiny wrinkles appeared all along her top lip when she pursed her mouth.

  Cass shot at me, “We shouldn’t agree to anything without Kal, Silver.”

  Irritated I shot back, “No duh, Sister. I think we’re in a damned if we do, damned if we don’t spot though. It’s on the tip of our tongue for me to tell Rainbow Bright nothing is ever out of our reach. I say no then we’ve made an enemy; I say yes and we blunder into a situation we know zilch about.”

  Cass cocked our head sideways and took over our mouth. “If we consent without our guardian present, it’s rude. Should we turn you down, Elder Nyt, we may have made an enemy we can’t afford. The only upside would be if we got to stay with Lil.”

  Nyt snapped a finger at Violet, who jumped to attention like a well-trained dog. “Ela, contact the Singularity’s guardian and ask his approval for their stay at my home effective immediately. Please reassure him that I take personal responsibility for their safety.”

  Ela placed her hands in the same upside down prayer position, gave a bow to Nyt and closed her eyes. Mere seconds later she was back to gravely incline her head at us. “Your Kal has expressed his consent to our a
rrangement with good will. He has asked that I convey you should trust us implicitly in all matters.”

  Cass felt the same way about that relayed message as I did. She snorted internally, “Today must be opposite day, huh?”

  Out loud my twin copied the Aniy short bow and touched three fingers of our left hand to our forehead. Jaz pushed Mez out of the way and enfolded us in an uncharacteristically enthusiastic hug. Her breath was humid on our neck.

  Jaz whispered, “Watch out for one another. I am less and more worried, now that you will be with Lil some of the time.” She gave a final hard squeeze then looked upwards at Mez. “Your warren will be ready when you return to Denu.”

  Mez bobbed his head in a fast bow at Jaz. It all became a blur of excited energy and babbling girls as Ela separated her new charges from their loved ones to line us up like ducks. In a flurry of sashaying filmy lavender Ela tried to shoo Mez to the back with one of the guards. He shooed her in return and she gave up with a scowl. Cass spared a smirk for his wordless rebellion. Mez would stay with us as long as he could. Elder Nyt went to each of her daughters and rested her forehead on theirs. There were no tears for them, only straight pleasant masks and formality.

  A sweet tone, almost too high in pitch to be comfortable to the ear, sounded from the stone. The vibrations sang through the soles of our feet and made us want to sway in time with the crescendo. Beautiful would be a good word for the song of stone but sad would be just as spot on. The haunting serenade accompanied our steps all the way out of Denu and into our new life.

  Chapter Twenty One: On High

  The roots of our hair hung on for dear sweet life as a sharp pain shot up our neck and our head was yanked from behind—again. Cass had had the bright idea that we should let Ela, aka Violet, make an attempt to braid our thick hair as a peace offering since we usually failed to comply with any other request she made. The poor woman was at her wits end, as evidenced by yet another tug that felt like our scalp was being lifted from our skull. If she didn’t take it easy soon we wouldn’t have any hair left.