Chapter Four

The orb scanned her brain for the codes, and around the world, the ground shuddered. Towns and cities rose from under the surface. Landing zones cleared and unfolded from under the soil. The mechanisms that made this place look like a green growing expanse of the world sprang to life and turned it into the high-tech sphere their people had been waiting for.

Neffa heard the sounds of fighting as she focused on giving every activation code she had memorized since she was a toddler. Her eyes were closed as she rippled through the hundreds of codes to get the world ready. Some of the rising facilities would take days to get into their final position, but everything had started, and the machines could not be stopped. They had a cycle to complete.

Neffa slowly opened her eyes and saw a shocking sight. Bodies surrounded the base of the throne, and Morro was facing the doorway, his tunic shredded and blood dripping from his hands. She returned the orb to the arm of the chair and stood up.

There were over two dozen unconscious guards and nobles on the floor.

"Morro? It's done. The facilities are rising, and landing zones are coming out."

He turned slowly, and she saw that he had been clawed up by someone and had taken a lot of hits. She hissed and went to him, pressing her punctured hand to his face. Neffa watched as the cut under her palm began to seal. "Oh, dear. I forgot I could do that."

His eyes changed, and his expression softened. "Did you just call me dear?"

She snorted. "If it helps your deluded little brain. Yes."

The claw marks on his face healed, and she cleared her throat. "Where is the worst injury on the rest of you?"

He shrugged. "I scuffed my knuckles."

Neffa took his hands and focused on his wound. She couldn't heal herself but heal others if she didn't mind showing her mixed heritage. Her father had been known for his healing skills until he disappeared into the village.

She had inherited skills from both parents. Physical skills from her father and her mother's amazing mind. He flexed his hands when she released them, and he smiled. "That's a nice trick."

"Thanks. My dad taught me." She smiled. "He prefers to kiss it better, but at this point, I don't believe that would be appropriate. Are they dead?"

He looked around. "No, but they won't be able to eat much more than soup for a while. The healers will also be busy."

She stared and blinked. "Oh, dear. Orvalik?"

"He led the charge. Someone intercepted the communication and spread the news about an hour into whatever you were doing."

"I was waking the mechanisms below the surface of the planet. My mother could have done it as well." She smiled and looked toward the window. "The other cities are rising around the globe, as are the greenhouses, research facilities, and spaceports."

He blinked. "Really?"

"This is how the Keedon seed themselves into the stars. We find empty and desolate worlds. We remake them to our purposes with all the flora and fauna that we find familiar, and then we plant the cities and let the worlds heal. It takes about seven hundred years." She smiled and rubbed the puncture mark on her hand.

"You know a lot about a people you have never met."

She snorted. "There are fifteen hundred of us in that village, and the monarchy here kept us all together. I learned all the myths and legends of my people, as well as the way we work."

"You don't consider yourself one of your father's people?"

Neffa looked at him seriously. "Did they consider me one of them?"

He blinked. "Right. Fair enough."

"The Keedon raised me, trained me, and birthed me, not necessarily in that order. I am Keedon with Orumel guardianship. My dad is fine with it."

"Why?"

"We are matriarchal as well. The female line is the one that matters. Despite my father holding the position of imperial highness, he knew my mother's role trumped his, mostly due to the fact that this is our world. He understood that. I did wonder why he had an imperial title and the king didn't."

"Different fathers. Kesen was the first child. Arewen was the child of the second husband."

"Oh. Right. Did Kesen's father die?"

Morro nodded. "The queen had him killed. He was too popular."

"Shit. No wonder Dad doesn't talk about it."

"From all accounts, she was not a pleasant monarch." Morro grimaced. "My father was scared to death of her. Well, not really; he died ten years ago."

"I am sorry for your loss."

"My mother died a year later, and she is the one who I mourn."

"You inherited the title?"

"And the house in town, though I guess they are all yours now."

"I don't want all the houses; I just want the Orumel to be prepared to be second-class citizens when the Keedons arrive. Until my people are settled, the Orumel will be confined to the city and university." She smiled. "Their skills will be assessed by age and household structure, and they will be sent to the different cities that are rising around the world. Those who wish to return to school can." She chuckled. "Keedon settlements only have time for the useful."

"What happens if they are not useful?"

"They will be settled into menial positions and given the chance to learn. If they choose not to learn and become part of a proper society, they will be put in an enclosure, fed, cared for, and they can live their lives out. You know, like the village. It was built to hold twenty thousand retirees who no longer wanted to live and push hard for an active life. Here, they can garden, go on short journeys, and live until they pass."

"So, that is why the village is so close to the city?"

"Yes. It is a place for artisans to continue their skills until they pass, to teach others, and the memorial centre will be rising up against the city wall by now."

"Oh, you keep your dead?"

"Yes and no. We live long, so we preserve our dead, and those who can anticipate their end can link to a database to preserve their knowledge for the future. If any of the Orumel have compatible minds, they might be able to gain a skill that way."

Morro exhaled. "That is a lot of information."

"Sorry. The orbs dumped it into my head. The ships will be here in a day and a half, so all of the prep information is recent."

He smiled. "Well, it was informative."

"I know six hundred women who will be delighted when the ships arrive. With the restrictions that your people have against muddled blood, there was no way that the majority of the ladies were going to let a heat happen. So, they have been doping for a few decades. Only sixty Keedon kids have been born since the ship landed. I am one of them."

"Wait. Only sixty?"

"Only. We have a female-heavy population, and the men who came on the first ship were artisans with partners. Some of them were already in later years. Not many, but the population levels were skewed in the favour of females. We did get fifteen Orumel males, including Dad, but not every guy matches every woman. If the match isn't right... no next generation."

The doors thumped, and the bodies on the ground began to move.

Morro said, "Would you like to get to safety?"

"Yes, please. I wish to update my mother."

He said, "May I carry you?"

"Uh, yes?"

He smiled, picked her up, and took off, lifting off and then moving into a channel in the ceiling that she hadn't seen. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying not to look like she was sniffing him. She was absolutely sniffing him. Damn.

He smelled nice. Very nice. Her mother was not going to let her live this down. When she was a teen, she had asked her mom how she could have fallen for an Orumel. Now, it was becoming clear. The right guy smelled like the right guy, no matter the species.

Morro tapped a wristband, and a door opened for him. They soared into the king's study and settled. He put her on her feet.

Neffa nodded. "The world is in motion, and the Orumel are safe for now, as long as they don't try and pull weapons on the incoming troops. The mechanisms are moving well, and by the time they start landing, everything should be in place."

Her mother smiled, and she delivered a tremendous hug. "Good girl. Are you ready for what happens next?"

Neffa smiled. "I hope that my instructor covered everything, or this is going to get overwhelming."

Isar stroked her cheek. "She did. Take all the elders foraging in their areas. It will confirm your competence, and you can share knowledge of the last three decades."

"What will you and Dad be doing?"

Isar smiled. "We are going to see our world properly. And improperly. How many details do you want?"

"Oh, wow. Thanks for that."

Her father chuckled. "We have waited a long time to just be together without stresses. We intend to take a trip round the world."

"Oh. Nice. Sounds pleasant."

He patted her cheek. "When things are settled, you will have a chance to run away screaming as well."

She wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for that."

Isar grinned. "You know we are not going to abandon you. We both will be excellent advisers after we have some time off. You are made of everything to be an excellent monarch to this new world."

"Yes, I know. It is still going to be a lot of work. The Orumel are bullies, and the Keedon have a plan."

Her father ruffled her hair. "I know, but you don't have to do it alone."

"Really?"

Morro cleared his throat. "I would be delighted to assist."

Neffa looked at him and contemplated the benefit of having him fly her. She remembered the feel of his arms, and it wasn't a bad memory.