Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Deacon

S arah snored next to me after I finally let her drift off to sleep. I was too happy to see her. No way I could have been satisfied with just fucking her once. Thankfully, she had similar feelings.

Watching her sleep, I couldn’t stop smiling. Despite the pain her leaving had caused, I understood her reasons. She was a civilian who had never been in a fight on that scale before. She had no frame of reference to understand the feelings one is consumed by after a battle. Part of me worried about her return—would she leave again, if there was another fight?

No, not if. When.

Ladrian life was not like her American life. What little I knew of them, Americans were cushioned by distance from their enemies, and civilians did not face the horrors of war on a common basis. My Sarah had lived with a wealthy paramour, which brought even more distance from crime.

But I knew that somewhere in her past, she had faced violence. Upon our first meeting, she had cowered from me when I was angry, as though I would strike her. Nothing could have been further from my mind, but she recoiled like a beaten animal. It had broken my heart. I wanted to ask about her past, but I did not wish to dredge up a painful memory, either.

Sarah smiled in her sleep, and it made my own smile broaden. Then she snored loudly, and I couldn’t stop snickering at the obnoxious sound, so I got off the bed for fear I would shake it. She remained asleep, thankfully. What is she dreaming of that makes her so happy? Is it me? I had so many questions for my once and future consort, but they would all have to wait until she was awake once again.

I dressed as quietly as possible, then left my quarters. I sealed the lock on my door, so no one would disturb her. My crew was polite, but they were accustomed to being able to wake me at all hours, and I did not want them to barge in on her. Nothing will disturb her sleep.

I strolled toward my father’s cottage in the early morning amethyst light, hoping to find him awake so we could chat. Silence Bateen was still ununited, which left both her and their children at risk of possession. A dangerous status on Halla. Many ghosts respected my father, and so far, our luck had held out. But it wouldn’t be long before that was not the case.

As much as the ghosts of Halla enjoyed toying with the bodies of the living, when the living had the gall to set up residence on the micro-planet, they became a favorite target of the ghosts’ unseemly sport. We must find Silence a new companion .

My father’s usual routine started with checking on his flower garden in the early morning light, but with two infants in his home, I imagined his routine would change. When the front door opened, it was not him, but I smiled all the same.

Omen was one of two ghost conduits that I trusted. Her generously curvy form was my former type, and I understood why she and Jac had their connection so long ago. Unlike the living, ghosts had no sheen when the light hit their skin, but I remembered Omen’s had been pink against her tan skin—much like my own. She had a narrow face for someone with her frame, but a nice smile. It was her gray eyes that told the truth about her. Beneath her soft exterior was the hard heart of a warrior and the steel spine of a spy. We were lucky to have her on our side.

“Omen Ayext. Good day to you,” I greeted her.

“And to you. You must be very relieved Sarah returned. I know I am.”

I tipped my head curiously. “I know why I am relieved by it, but why are you?”

“The contra should be here on Halla. Orhon, Earth,” she shook her head in a negative manner. “There is no other planet for her.”

“You are so certain Sarah is the contra. Why?” I asked.

She quirked a smile. “You’re not?”

“I don’t know much about the contra.”

“The holy text says she will come in the guise of an ally but be unlike anyone born on Orhon,” Omen said. “She will be of royal blood. She will be strange, but we will know her by her essence. Predict’s murder attempt on Sarah is what sealed it for me, though.”

I frowned, trying to see her point of view. “How do you mean?”

“The contra is foretold to bring an end to the power of conduits. Predict, as her name suggests, had a foresight. It was not infallible, but it was usually on the mark. That is why Mother Portend renamed her that at her initiation. I believe she saw Sarah’s future. Her power yet to come. That is why she tried to murder her.”

I did not know how to gently ask what was on my mind. So I chose bluntness. “If Sarah will bring an end to your power as a ghost conduit, why follow her?”

Omen smirked. “I am a conduit. I cannot change that. Conduits are born with their powers. But I never agreed with the politics of the faith. Wielding our power for those who could pay. Aligning ourselves with classed families to maintain our power and authority…all of it was nonsense. We weren’t created to rule or to lord our ability over others. We were created to help people. That is all. My sisters lost sight of that long ago. Plus, those bitches were really mean to me.”

I chuckled. “Also a good reason to follow Sarah. I do not believe she has it in her to be mean.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Omen agreed.

Another curious question sprang to my mind. “Why did Portend rename you Omen, if you are gifted with illusions?”

“Jac told you about my house?” she asked in surprise.

Omen’s house was a ship she kept hidden through an illusion. A terrifying notion for the unsuspecting visitor. “He mentioned it, yes.”

“Mother Portend thought my skills with foresight were better than they are. She liked knowing what was coming, so she wanted us all to focus on those skills to the detriment of others. But illusions were always my thing, ever since I was a little girl. She had her priorities. I had mine.” She shrugged.

“You and Jac, back when we were all younger, you two…” My voice trailed off because I didn’t know how to ask the question delicately.

“We fucked. You can say it.”

I appreciated her bluntness, and was the same in return. “Are there any lingering feelings?”

She laughed sharply. “No. Not at all. We were just two kids having fun in the temple. That’s all it ever was.”

Her words set my mind at ease. “Thank you for telling me, Omen. It is none of my business, but I wanted to know because—”

“You and he and Sarah are a thing,” she said before I could. “Or at least, you will be when he returns. I know.”

I chuckled. “Perhaps you do have some foresight?”

“No foresight needed for that.” She grinned. “It is all over the three of you. Hell, I knew before she was willing to sacrifice herself to Portend to save Jac. When he came to see me, it was obvious things had changed for him. I am glad of it. The contra should not be alone.”

“Why do you say that?”

“She is the most powerful conduit. Someone like that should be able to pull whatever tail she wants.”

I laughed at her crassness. “I wish I had your confidence, regarding her status. You know of Silence’s power, yes?”

“She can steal her enemies’ voices,” Omen said. “It was quite a thing to see during the fight here.”

I nodded. “Sarah has her blood in her now, and after she woke from the coma, she could also steal voices. Ode Hrimp said it would likely fade, as her own blood replaced Silence’s, but she did it again when we were intimate. Accidentally, but still. It happened.”

Omen gave me a knowing look. “Sounds to me like you’ve got a contra on your hands, don’t you think?”

“I am not sure, but I would like to be certain. She is unique and special and amazing, but I view her through the eyes of love.”

Omen paused before she carefully said, “There is a way to know for certain, I think. The Mother Test.”

“There is not a test for the contra?” I asked, confused.

“The ‘contra’ is a story conduits tell to each other late at night, when they are trying to spook one another. Most of them never believed she was real. So, there are no tests for the contra. But there is a test of the Mother. Powerful conduits would test their mettle and try things they had never done before to prove their worth. The successful one became the Mother.”

“You think Sarah would pass the test?”

“Without question,” Omen said confidently. “She hasn’t been raised at the temple. She doesn’t know all the cina waste they put in your head there. If anything, her upbringing on Earth would likely make parts of it easier…” Then she paused, before finishing. “But there are elements she would need to learn, as well. As I said, the test is dangerous. I know you love her—”

“More than I knew I could,” I admitted.

“Are you willing to risk her safety to know if she is the contra?”

I exhaled a deep breath. “I am not willing to risk her safety for anything. But it is not my decision. If Sarah wants to take the test, I will support her. If she does not want to take the test, I will support her.” Thinking about it, I asked, “Why would she want to take the test, outside of knowing for certain whether she is the contra? What is in it for her?”

“The power,” Omen said as she smiled. “A conduit has innate powers at the time of her birth, but the Mother’s powers grow exponentially once she has taken the test. If she survives the test, Sarah would have to learn to navigate her newfound powers fast, as she has not had any training. There could be mishaps—”

“How so?” I asked, trying not to worry.

“I am not certain. But a suddenly powerful human seems like an interesting proposition to me. Most of all, she would have the power to control the conduits to some degree, and that could come in handy if the runaway conduits try to attack her, or any of us, again.”

She must take the test, then. “It sounds like another way to keep her safe.”

“Assuming she passes the test, yes.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

I jumped and turned around at the unexpected female voice behind us. There was my Sarah, wrapped in her dress once more. I couldn’t stop my tail from swishing from pure happiness at the sight of her. “You snuck up on me.”

She laughed and my heart felt lighter. “Wasn’t sure if I could.” She wrapped her arm around my waist and gave me a squeeze, turning herself to face Omen.

“It is those tiny feet of yours,” I teased. “They make you so quiet.”

She glanced from me to the ghostly form next to us. “I am interested in taking this test thingie, Omen—”

“But it is dangerous,” I pointed out.

Sarah smiled up at me. “One thing I have figured out is that everything on Halla, and probably everything on Orhon, is dangerous in some way. So, it would be smart to become one of those dangerous things. Right?”

I grinned down at her as I threaded my fingers through her silky hair. The thought of my tiny human becoming dangerous was amusing, but I did not want her to think I did not take her seriously. “That is wise thinking.”

She nodded in agreement. “Omen, I would like to learn more about conduits, after I discuss a few things with Deacon. Do you mind giving us a little time?”

“Anything you want, Contra.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at the formal title. “Please call me Sarah, not contra. It seems safer that way and I’m not really comfortable with being a title and not a person.”

Omen smiled. “Anything you want, Sarah .” Then she left us to each other.

I turned toward Sarah, still holding her in my arms. “What do you wish to discuss?”

“Tell me about Halla. I know about the ghosts, and that they like to possess the living. But what about the land here? Does Justice Bateen rule the entire planet of Orhon?”

“His sister, Thunder, rules Yesanol in his name.”

Her brows furrowed in thought. “Right, and when I’m mogged to look like a Ladrian, I’m supposed to be Star Qvia from Yesanol, but I don’t know anything about anything here . Tell me about Halla. Do you have a map?”

I smiled. “I apologize. I should have briefed you on all of this. Let us go to my quarters and—”

“If we go there, you have to promise not to sex me up again,” she said in a stern tone. “There are things I need to know, and I won’t learn them if we can’t keep our hands off each other. Plus, I’m sore.”

“Anything you want.” I placed a kiss on her temple and led her to my quarters, and she had a point. I had the hardest time keeping my hands to myself.

When we arrived and were standing in front of the monitor, I said, “ Allegiant , show us a physical map of Halla.”

The map of the micro-planet displayed on the screen, with a red dot near the forest.

“That dot is where we are right now,” I told her.

Her eyes were glued to the map. “So the forest is east of your father’s house, and west of us is all this land, until you get to the Diamond Sea…” She glanced at me in confusion. “I thought the Diamond Sea was on Orhon.”

“It is also there. It is believed that Orhon and Halla were once one planet, called Oodural,” I explained. “When the god Shorlun hatched from the center of Oodural, Orhon and Halla were what remained, dividing the Diamond Sea and two continents.”

“Is that what you believe?”

“There are mineral deposits that line up with the story.” I stared at the map, too. I had often wondered whether the old myth was true. “I am not sure if I believe Shorlun hatched from Oodural, or if something struck the planet, causing Halla to crack away from it, but the maps are accurate.”

“Do you believe in Shorlun?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes, though if you want more in depth information on him, you would get better answers from Omen Ayext. She knows the holy texts.”

“Hmm.” Sarah’s gaze returned to the map. “So we’re kind of in the middle of the continent here, with the river to the south of us almost breaking the land into two pieces there. And north of us…is that where the conduit temple is that we visited to speak to my mother?”

“Yes, just before you get to the Craggy Mountains. Everything south of there is The Freelands. There is no one ruler, though some classed ghosts have taken it upon themselves to exert some amount of authority over the other ghosts around.”

She tipped her head curiously. “And what about north of the Craggy Mountains?”

“To my knowledge, it is sparsely populated. I do not know much more than that.”

She looked up at me with a glint in her eye. “Sounds like the perfect place for the runaway conduits to hide, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps. Though as I understand it, the lands there are hostile. Given that is the case, almost none of the living would inhabit the area. There are large, aggressive animals, some volcanic structures, has extreme weather…it is doubtful anyone stays there for long.”

“Would any of that affect a ghost?” she asked. “Particularly a ghost with powers?”

I smiled at the sparkle in her eyes. “You truly believe they are there, do you not?”

She nodded. “If I were them, I would be there.”

I considered her thoughts. “The animals could injure the ghosts. As they can be penetrated by bone, and teeth are bones, they can be bitten. However, animals do not generally care for their lack of taste and texture. The volcanoes…I do not believe the ghosts could be harmed by them. However, they are affected by the gravity of Halla, so the trembling of a volcano would shake them, too. The weather…” I thought about all the ghost lore I knew and came up short. “You would need to speak to Omen regarding such things.”

“Then she and I have a lot to discuss,” she said with conviction. “Do you mind sending Omen in here? I’d like to have the map available while we chat.”

I studied Sarah’s face, while she continued to study the map. “Are you asking me to leave my own quarters to fetch her for you?”

The corner of her mouth twitched with a smile. “If you don’t mind.”

I smoothed my hand over her hair to flirt, but it did not have the same effect on her human form as her Ladrian form. Then I remembered—kisses, and where those could potentially lead. I bent down and brushed my lips across hers, but much to my disappointment she did not let it lead anywhere.

I sighed at my inability to distract her. “Very well. I will play fetch, though I am unaccustomed to such things.”

“You are too spoiled by having people do things for you,” she teased. “Playing fetch for me builds character.”

I chuckled and left to find Omen, because I truly didn’t mind being her errand boy.