Skyside: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

Elena guided the launch across the bay, pleased that it had a motor and she would not need to row. Thompson looked out across the open water towards the ship yard.  While on Earth, the few channel riding shipyards looked like large warehouses, with all of the operations taking place indoors. Here there was no need for the extensive cover. 

 

The side facing the settlement of Elena’s people appeared to be untouched jungle. It was only after they rounded the edge of the island that the yard came into view. To Elena it looked like something out of a nineteenth century engraving. Men worked using hand tools, the hulls of new ships slowly forming around them. Several of the men wore only wide canvas pants, their bare chests glistening with the sweat of their efforts.  Their approach was noticed and by the time Elena pulled to shore, Akashi was waiting.

 

“Captain, a pleasant surprise,” he said offering her a hand to help her step onto the sandy shore. “Does your arrival have something to do with the increased activity we have been seeing?”

 

“It does actually. Do you have the time to speak with me?” Elena asked.

 

“Of course,” he said.  “Please, come with me.” Akashi led them to a small tent set up with a table and chairs.  There were rolls of paper that Elena guessed to be ship designs and she could almost feel Thompson’s eyes watching the pages as Akashi gathered them and set them off to the side. He offered Elena a seat while he took the other.  Thompson stood behind Elena’s chair and as she sat she realized that Akashi was treating Thompson the same way she would treat her grandfather’s bodyguard Marcus.  She shook the thought away and smiled at Akashi.

 

“Some of my people needed a quick relocation at the end of the season,” Elena began. “We brought them here.”

 

Akashi nodded. “I had heard that your people were being watched by the government because the Council asked you to be the liaison for the Guild.”

 

“Yes,” Elena said, letting the explanation stand.  She had no desire to further expose Kiera’s people to view. “Unfortunately many of my ships are in need of off season repairs. We will be ferrying goods between the DF and here during the off season.  I was wondering if we could come to an arrangement.”

 

“We would assist with your repairs and you would assist with our supplies?” Akashi asked.

 

“Yes,” Elena told him.  “I know that you are probably well stocked for the season already…”

 

“But more would not hurt,” Akashi finished for her.  He smiled. “Because we have no pilots who can open and close the new channel, we have limited supplies to last the season.  An agreement would be of great benefit.”

 

“That would be great,” Elena said.  “We have established a harbor master at port.  His name is Sam Harris. You can drop lists of requested supplies with him when you are ready.  And for the future, if you don’t have enough ships to bring you supplies, let me know.  We can easily help you out. There is no need to run on starvation rations.”

 

Akashi laughed. “I will remember that. Do you have a list of ships needing repairs?”  Elena pulled out the list she had compiled and handed it to him. Akashi took out a notepad and began copying the information down. He nodded and muttered to himself in Japanese as he worked. Elena remained silent.

 

“Okay,” he said when he was finished, returning to English for her benefit.  “We can accommodate all of these.  We will get a schedule to your Harbor Master as soon as possible. We will drop off the supply list at the same time.”

 

“Excellent,” Elena said, relieved that her ships would be taken care of.  As she knew Akashi had work to do and she didn’t want Thompson to linger any longer than necessary at the ship yard, Elena said her farewells and returned to the launch.  As they headed for open water Thompson turned to her.

 

“They do not have pilots to open the channel?” he asked.

 

“They focus on building the ships not piloting them,” Elena hedged.

 

In truth most pilots couldn’t open or even see the new channel.  Only pilots afflicted with the Calling could do so.  Since the Calling tended to ground pilots making them of limited use to the Guild, many families shunned the afflicted pilots.  When Elena, herself a pilot grounded by the Calling, found ways to return to the ship and started to form her own House, a large number of the similarly afflicted pilots joined her hoping for a cure. That the Calling turned out to be less a disease and more of an evolution in abilities was something that required an adjustment from the entire Guild.

 

While she had arranged escorts for several of the supply ships Riko sent to the yard, Elena had not taken into account that they had no pilots of their own who could open the channel for emergencies.  The elderly councilor had not mentioned it and until Akashi mentioned it, Elena had not realized how cut off they were.

 

“We should probably set up a schedule,” Elena muttered to herself.  “No sense in starving them out.” Thompson seemed satisfied with her answer and remained quiet for the remainder of the trip.

 

Once back at the docks, Elena talked to Sam, told the pilots that he would be the point of contact for the schedules and made sure that everything she was responsible for was settled.  The entire time, Thompson followed her around as though he were her shadow, never straying more than three paces behind her.  Mateo found it amusing.

 

“You know it’s a good thing we are shipping out soon,” Elena told Thompson as they settled in the mess hall for dinner.

 

“Leaving so soon then?” Benjamin asked, joining them at the table.  Elena nodded and looked around.  Jennifer had also joined them, looking much better for her long rest. Mateo, Kiera, Lucas and Melanie filled out the rest of the table.  Both doctors had been relieved when her symptoms faded on their own and she had been asked to write up a detailed account for their records on the off chance it recurred, either with her or another pilot.

 

While Elena had no intention of ever trying that trick again, she knew there was the possibility that someone else might so she had agreed to write down what she knew and hope it was never needed. Since everyone who needed to hear the conversation was present, Elena continued.

 

“Tomorrow we’ll settle the last few things and get a bit more rest.  The following day we will be shipping out with the morning tide,” She announced.  “I want to try to get some trade agreements in place before the others arrive at the DF.  I think it will be easier that way. Will you be coming or staying here?” she asked Benjamin.

 

“I’ll be shipping out with you,” he told her.  “Consuelo has already taken control of the kitchens and doesn’t need another minion.”

 

“I will be going too,” Thompson said.  “So don’t try to leave me behind.” Elena shook her head.

 

“The only time I’ve been out of your sight today has been when I went to the latrines,” she told him.

 

“I’ll get the list I made for supplies to you after dinner,” Kiera said, cutting off whatever comment Thompson was about to make.  “Will you be sleeping on the ship tonight?”

 

“I’m going to let the ship air out another day but tomorrow night I want everyone shipping out with me sleeping on the Storm Chaser,” Elena said. “That way we’ll be up on time and be saved the morning hike. Are there a lot of emergency requests?”

 

“It’s mostly basics that are needed,” Kiera told her. “Very few people grabbed a change of clothes.  And if they did, they didn’t grab more than one.”

 

“And people get dirty fast out here,” Mateo commented.

 

“How are we doing on space for people?” Elena asked.

 

“Still have plenty of room,” Kiera said.  “We still haven’t filled up all of the worker’s houses let alone touched any of the larger homes.”

 

“So plenty of magical gumdrops to go around?” Elena said.

 

“I am so glad I am not the only one who thinks they look like gumdrops,” Mateo said. “I was beginning to think I was just candy deprived. Oh speaking of which. I wouldn’t say no to something heavily featuring refined sugar if you want to bring me back a treat.”

 

“We have sweet things,” Kiera told him.

 

“I know,” he replied.  “We have fruit and honey and sometimes we even put the honey on the fruit. What we don’t have are chocolate bars. I’m starting to have fantasies about Willy Wonka.”

 

“You can keep your oompa loompa fetish to yourself,” Elena said with a laugh. “I’ll see what I can find, but no promises.”

 

“Excellent,” Mateo said.  “Try for something with a caramel center.”

 

After dinner Elena retrieved the list from Kiera and gathered her gear. By the time she exited their quarters, Elena found she was more than ready to go to bed. As much as she needed the extra day of rest, Elena found herself moving around the small village, checking on her pilots and making sure everyone was settled.  Word had spread through the group of her stretching the Marta and Elena had given a detailed explanation of events. Despite the fact that soon, many of them might be able to pull the same sort of trick off, they all stared at her with barely concealed awe.

 

As she packed up the few things she had removed from her bag and readied herself to head back to the ship, she found herself eager to escape.  The starry-eyed looks they had given her when she first told them how to deal with The Calling, giving them back the ability to pilot, had faded and she was not thrilled to see it return.

 

She picked up Akashi’s supply list from Sam Harris and led her small group, consisting of Benjamin, Thompson and Jennifer back to the ship. Once on board, any window that could be opened was, allowing the ship to air out from the smell of too many passengers. Elena pulled fresh sheets from the cabinet and re-made her bed as the fresh wind blew through her cabin. On the trip out she had given her cabin over to a large family and camped out with Jennifer in the pilot house.  She was pleased to once again claim her own bed. Spin likewise seemed pleased that things were back to normal and settled herself on Elena’s spare pillow.

Skyside: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

Elena dropped off Jennifer’s gear, placing the duffle next to the sleeping girl’s cot. While asleep, she looked younger than her eighteen years and Elena realized she had been through a lot in the last couple of days, more than most apprentices went through in several years. She left the small quarters and noticing the line for the bathhouse was gone, she let herself in eager to be clean.

 

The bath house was essentially an array of stone tubs filled and emptied with a series of sluice gates. Several mesh grates kept random debris like sticks and leaves from the bath, but the water was icy cold.  Elena picked one of the empty tubs, opened the gate to let the water pour in and moved the privacy screen so that it shielded her from view. She stepped behind the screen and peeled off the clothes she had been wearing for three days.  Merely having the cloth away from her skin made Elena feel divinely happy. As she closed the gate she wondered if there was a laundry set up or if she would have to wash her clothes with her.

 

“Something to ask Kiera and Mateo later,” she said to herself, her voice echoing off of the stone.  She pulled a small bottle of biodegradable, chemical free body wash, shampoo and conditioner from her bag along with a wash cloth.  She nearly yelped as she slipped into the icy tub of water.

 

“At least I’ll know how to wake up without coffee,” she said as she started to scrub herself clean of the sweat and grime. The frigid water shocked her system.  She finished with her body and washed her hair, rinsing it by reopening the sluice gate.  Once again clean, Elena stepped out of the tub, rinsed it clean for the next user, dried off and put on a clean set of clothes.

 

Feeling human again, she put everything back into her bag and pulled the privacy screen to the side. Hearing a noise, she looked up as she swung her bag to her shoulder and caught sight of a naked Thompson quickly ducking behind a screen.  She blushed even as her mind registered a tattoo on his rear end.

 

“You know you are supposed to pull the screen before you take your clothes off,” She called.

 

“I didn’t realize it was co-ed,” he called back.  She could hear the laughter in his voice.

 

“There’s only one bath house on the planet that I’m aware off,” she told him.  “Try not to flash the children.”

 

“I’ll do my best,” he told her.  Elena heard the splashing of water and an exclamation as the cold hit him.  Laughing to herself, Elena left Thompson to bathe.  Despite the cold water, she could feel sleep pulling at her. Her headache was starting to fade and she felt a million times better as she returned to the small house that was to be her on-shore quarters.

 

On the outside, the building looked like a sand colored gumdrop with a rectangular door cut into the side. She had to step over the threshold to get inside as well as duck under the lintel.  From everything else in the ruins, the archaeologists had determined that the alien inhabitants of this planet were a great deal taller than most humans.  Elena could only surmise that the small doorways were designed as safety precautions.  Several large predators, many resembling the large jungle cats of Earth were common in the area and smaller openings could be better protected. 

 

Or at least that is what she told herself as she shifted the wooden platform that served as the door for her quarters.  The door was actually several planks nailed to two cross beams and re-enforced with bracers.  It had handles on the interior making it easier to shift.  Elena moved it into place and cursed at her lack of forethought. With the doorway blocked, the interior was pitch black.  Elena felt around and grasped the small battery powered lantern that the one room quarters came equipped with. 

 

She snapped the light on and dropped her bag at the foot of the cot.  The circular room contained a small cot with a sleeping bag and pillow, the lantern, a bottle of water, and a container of bug spray. “All the comforts of home,” she said to herself as she sat on the cot.  Off to the side, she could see a small hearth.  From pictures she knew that the chimney was merely a vent carved into the side of the stone gumdrop and as she removed her shoes, Elena tried to picture someone living and cooking in the small room.

 

With her shoes and socks removed and set aside, Elena realized she didn’t have many clean clothes left.  She carefully removed the fresh clothing she had just put on so she could wear it in the morning and unable to find a clean t-shirt to sleep in, she slipped into the sleeping bag wearing only her underwear. She clicked off the lantern and set it to the side of the cot.  The interior of the room was night dark and Elena could feel sleep sucking her down into its warm depths.

 

’I wonder if I’ll dream,’ she thought as she closed her eyes.  For months now most of her dreams had been versions of the same dream.  In it she had seen herself stretching the channel and bringing both the Storm Chaser and the Rover through the channel. With the exception of a dream about fighting dragons she had when she stayed with her family for Nate’s wedding, the dream had been the only one she could remember for a long time.  It had stopped playing a few days before the emergency evacuation and thus far, she had not had a single dream.

 

Her thoughts flashed on the glimpse she had seen of Thompson. ‘Not a bad image before falling asleep,’ she thought to herself wishing she had gotten a better look at the tattoo.  Wondering what it actually was would bother her until she found out. She couldn’t deny the man looked good naked though. ‘Not that I’d tell him,’ She thought as she stifled a yawn. ‘He’s already insufferable.’  Moments later she was asleep.

 

Sometime later she awoke to the sounds of thunder and rain.  Small flashes of light from the lightning popped through the small chimney.  Once she identified the sound, she rolled over and went back to sleep.  If she dreamed, she didn’t remember it.

 

A loud banging woke her again and Elena mumbled something incoherent at the sound.  Taking her noise as invitation, the door was shifted to the side and sunlight streamed into the small room.  Elena rolled over and looked at Thompson as he stepped inside.  Elena sat up, forgetting she wasn’t wearing anything but underwear.   The sleeping bag slid down exposing her to view and Thompson looked up at the ceiling.

 

“Damn,” she said grabbing her t-shirt and bra.  She pulled them both on quickly as Thompson turned around to give her privacy.  She slipped her jeans on.

 

“You can turn around,” she told him when she was dressed.  She smoothed the sleeping bag back and sat down to pull on her shoes and socks.

 

“Sorry about that,” he said. “I didn’t think…”

“At least we’re even,” she said quickly, wanting to drop the topic as thoughts of a naked Thompson flashed through her mind.   She pulled a comb from her bag and started setting her hair to rights.

 

“The other pilots have gathered their info on their ships and wanted to speak with you, so I volunteered to get you.  They are in the mess tent if you want to get breakfast.

 

“Great,” Elena said. “How late did I sleep?”

 

“Not terribly late, the first wave of people ate and the second are just settling in.” he told her. “Most of the quarters don’t have windows and with the doors blocked for the night it is hard for anyone to really tell the time so all of the new comers are a little off.”

 

“Great, at least it is not just me,” she replied. 

 

“I’ll meet you outside,” he said.  He stepped back through the doorway and Elena put on deodorant and realized she was ready to go.

 

“I’ll need the latrines soon though,” she thought. She stepped outside and saw Thompson waiting for her.

 

“Sleep well?” he asked as they walked towards the mess hall.

 

“Yup,” she told him realizing that she was a lot less achy and her head no longer hurt.  Apparently Lucas’ prescription of food, rest and water was appropriate. She decided to be a little less snarky about his common sense advice in the future. “You?” she asked.

 

“Fine,” he replied. 

 

“You get a full report from your men?”

 

“I did,” Thompson told her with a smile.

 

“And have my people been up to nefarious deeds since the last time you checked?”

 

“No they seem to be on the straight and narrow,” He replied.  “But I told them to keep their eyes open in case that changes.”

 

“Gotta stay sharp,” Elena answered.  “You never know when we’ll try to slip an alien invasion force past you.”

 

“That was Smith’s paranoia not mine, if you recall,” He told her.  At the mess tent he lifted the tent flap for her as though holding open a door.  Elena stepped past him, got a tray of scrambled eggs, toast and jam , and a mug of tea from the serving line and settled down at one of the tables.  Thompson joined her and in a few minutes the table filled with her pilots.  As she ate, she received reports of supplies and needed repairs.  She took a sip of her tea and desperately wished for coffee.

 

By the time breakfast was done, Elena had a good idea who could be shipped out to the DF with basic restocking of provisions and who would need to stay at port for a while. She also needed desperately to find the latrines.  With the pilots cleared out and waiting to be called for instructions, Elena escaped to the latrines with a sigh of relief. Task complete, she looked around for a quiet place to sit and compile a schedule.  To her surprise she found Thompson following her.  When she settled herself at an outdoor picnic table, he sat down right across from her.

 

“If you’ve decided to try out a new occupation as my shadow, you should realize that with the angle of the sun you should probably be sitting over there,” she told him, gesturing towards where her shadow fell on the ground.

 

He smiled.  “Just making sure you commit no nefarious deeds, Captain” he told her.  He laced his fingers and rested his chin on his interlaced hands.  He blinked in a mock flirtatious manner. Elena sighed realizing that Thompson was going to be sticking to her.  She began compiling a schedule for the ships not needing repairs to begin leaving port.  She then dated the supply list to give to Mateo so each ship could be supplied in an orderly fashion before they left. Hauling goods from the village to the ships would take time. She estimated the amount of travel time, time at the DF and the return trip to give an estimate of arrival dates.

 

“We really need a harbor master,” she muttered to herself as she worked.  Realizing that she would need to be one of the first ships to leave in order to set up agreements for goods, she knew she would not be able to do the job.  “Too bad Victor isn’t here.”

 

“Your assistant is very good at organization,” Thompson said.  Elena jumped.  He had been so silent while she worked that she had forgotten him.  He smiled wickedly. “Perhaps someone from your shipyard would make a good candidate for harbor master in your absence.” Elena blinked at him wondering when he had learned of the shipyard.

 

“It’s not my yard and they aren’t my workers,” Elena told him.

 

“But you are going to talk to them about repairs,” he said gesturing to the list she had made of ships needing work. Elena frowned.

 

“I wouldn’t take it so badly if I were you,” he said reassuringly.  “We are very good at finding things out. It’s kind of what we do.”

 

“I suggest you not let Peter know how good you are at your jobs,” Elena said dryly.  “Not only is he fond of Smith’s ineptitude, but he’s already complimented me on keeping the few military personnel with knowledge of the planet sequestered here so that if they learn too much an accident could be arranged.”

 

“I suspected as much,” He said growing serious. “It’s why full reports are sent back every trip.”

 

“You thought I would kill your men?” she asked.  She sighed and rubbed her eyes thinking of her recent conversations with various Councilors.  “Why does everyone think that I am plotting to kill people? Do I just have the look of a psychopath or did someone see the ‘1001 ways to get rid of a body’ book in my nightstand?”

 

“I don’t think you’d kill my men,” he replied with a smile. “And if it is any consolation I don’t think Mateo, Kiera or Benjamin would either. I don’t think Evan would have a problem killing them to be honest, or more than likely ordering one of his people to do the deed, although he seems content to let you run your operations separately without too much interference.  Peter would kill all of them and me without a second thought.”

 

Thompson’s voice held a note of conviction and she wondered what information he had uncovered about the notorious Baranov.  Elena had heard stories for as long as she could remember and Peter had confirmed that some, if not most of them were based in truth.

 

“Why do you think he and his House haven’t been guests on the planet lately?” she asked. 

 

While Peter’s people had never been frequent visitors, she had eliminated them from arrival once Peter started mentioning accidents for Thompson’s men.  After the Matrovean raiders cut off some of the more lucrative trade routes and several of the ships sailing for Peter’s House decided to work with her on a temporary basis, she had made certain they worked routes where goods could be traded off at the DF instead of bringing them on planet.

 

“That had to cost you,” Thompson replied. “Peter wouldn’t have let his House be cut out so easily.”

 

“It was handled.” Elena said, uncomfortable with the conversation.  She had allowed Peter’s ships some of the more lucrative routes in order to keep them off planet, but had no intention of telling him that.

 

“Of course,” he replied.  Elena sighed and stood, Thompson mirroring her action.

 

“I need to find Mateo and arrange supplies,” She told him.

 

“I think he is in the maintenance area,” Thompson replied.  As expected, he followed her to the open sided tent where Mateo was bent over a bunch of metal pieces. He was humming to himself as he fitted the pieces together like a giant three dimensional jigsaw puzzle.

 

“It always disturbs me to see how much you enjoy that,” Elena said. Mateo looked up with a grin and picked up a rag to wipe grease from his fingers.

 

“We can’t all function on the premise that everything mechanical works by pressing a big red button,” he told her.  “Some of us have to make the things that go behind the big red button.”

 

“Of course,” she said, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

 

“So what do you have for me?”

 

“I don’t suppose you’d have anyone you could spare for the position of harbormaster?” She asked.  “With so many ships coming and going, we’ll need someone to keep track and assign docking space so we don’t end up in a muddle, especially if I get Akashi and his people to do repairs.  We’ll need a contact point.”  Mateo looked to Thompson and Elena sighed.  “He already knows about the ship yard.”

 

“Don’t let Peter know,” he said dryly.

 

“I’ve been warned,” Thompson replied. Mateo nodded and turned his attention back to Elena.

 

“Sam Harris might be a good person for the job if Kiera can spare him.  He is organized, somewhat of a stickler for rules and he doesn’t look like someone you’d want to cross, which seem to be the primary characteristics of every harbormaster I’ve met.”  Mateo smiled.  “He’s a good sort though.”

 

“I’ll talk to Kiera about him then,” Elena said. “Although I have to say a good sort is not how I’d describe most harbor masters. Most seem to fall into the category of mean bastards.”

 

“True enough,” Mateo replied with a laugh.  “Do you remember that one on Dewras? I swear he got meaner every time we docked.”

 

“Drunker too,” Elena added.  “You could get a buzz from breathing too deeply around him while making arrangements for docking.”

 

“Ain’t that the truth.  So do you have anything for me?”

 

“Supply lists, including mine.”  Mateo took the sheets Elena held out and scanned them.

 

“You shipping out soon?”

 

“As soon as you can restock me.  As head of House I’ll have to arrange for the goods that all of us will transport.”

 

“Fair enough.  Two days work for you?”

 

“Yeah,” Elena replied.  “That’ll give me time to check with Akashi and get repairs started if he is willing as well as to organize the pilots and run through details with a new Harbormaster.”

 

Elena left Mateo with the supply lists and went to find Kiera, Thompson still following her.  Kiera agreed to release Sam for duty if he was willing.  Once Sam agreed, Elena ran over the basic schedule and left him to find a space to use as an office.  Realizing that there was no way to put it off any longer, she turned to Thompson.

 

“I need to speak with Akashi,” she told him.

 

“And I need to see an actual channel rider ship yard,” he replied evenly.  Elena sighed.

 

“Just don’t let him know you aren’t Guild.  I don’t know how he’ll react. He is not of my House.”

 

“I’ll concentrate on being the strong silent type,” he told her with a wink.  Shaking her head, Elena turned her steps toward the shoreline intending to take one of the launches to the ship yard.

 

“I just hope their sentries speak English,” she said.

Skyside: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

In the center of the village, they found Kiera directing people to their new accommodations, giving directions to the bathhouse, mess hall and latrines as well as checking her clipboard to make sure people could find their way to their families.

 

“I think we found Julie, the activities director,” she commented to herself.  Evan gave her a strange look, but didn’t ask for an explanation.

 

“We’re it,” Mateo told his fiancé.  Kiera smiled tiredly at Elena.

 

“From what I’ve heard I can guess what happened and all I can say is thank you,” Kiera told her.

 

“A bath and a place to sleep will be thanks enough,” Elena said. She noticed Thompson eying Kiera and knew he had figured out who would need to approve his inclusion in the explanations.

 

“Almost everyone is settled,” Kiera told her after directing a couple with a young child to the already packed bathhouse. “You might want to wait until the activity dies down before bathing. At the moment the line is pretty long.” 

 

“With so many just reaching shore I imagine it will take a while to get everyone clean. Perhaps we can talk before then.  That way I can bathe, grab some food and pass out until I feel human again.” Elena suggested.

 

“Works for me,” Kiera looked around and realized their group was the only one left.  Mateo led them all to the open sided tent he frequently used for repairs.  Elena looked around as she sat down.  She could see milling groups around the bathhouse and the space they used for the mess hall and figured anyone not in either of those places was getting settled in one of the small buildings being used as housing. Mateo bent to whisper something in Kiera’s ear and Elena watched the woman’s gaze shift from Evan to Thompson.  She took a deep and shutter y breath.

 

“Before Elena gives us the details there is something both of you should know. It is a secret that we have kept for a long time and should word of it leak beyond this place, every one of my people will deny it and give you no proof. In fact we will do everything in our power to make you look insane.” Kiera said. “Trust me when I say, we have a great deal of practice.”  Thompson nodded slowly as he took a seat.  Evan merely looked attentive. 

 

“My people have abilities with plants similar to the way the pilots have skills with ships,” she said.  Kiera took a seed pod from her pocket and showed it to them.  She closed her hand over the pod and a moment later, vines began to descend from her hand, shooting out around her fingers.  Leaves unfurled and grew turning glossy green, flowers budded along the vine and blossomed into blousy white flowers. Kiera uncurled her hand and they could see small rootlets wiggling in her palm.  She moved to the side of the tent and placed the pod on a patch of bare earth.  She patted it down and the roots sunk into the ground.  Kiera shifted the vines so they wrapped around the tent pole, using it for support.

 

“Oh my, that was lovely,” Evan said breaking the silence. “Can you make anything grow?”

 

“Yes,” Kiera replied, seeming a little relieved by his response.  “We can also tell what the plant needs to thrive as well as the properties it contains.”

 

“Very useful.  I can see why you were included in this venture,” Evan said with a trace of awe. Thompson reached out and ran a finger along one of the leaves. He didn’t say anything but Elena could tell he was thinking hard.  When he seemed inclined to remain quiet, Kiera continued.

 

“At various times people have suspected things about us but we have always managed to dissuade them.  Sometimes we convince them that they saw an optical illusion, other times we simply disappear and reappear in another town. This time when there were those who started to suspect, Elena allowed us to come here so that we could remain out of sight for a while.”

 

Thompson looked at Elena as though studying her. “I suppose that is my cue for an explanation,” Elena said, growing uncomfortable with Thompson’s scrutiny.  She took a deep breath.  “We arrived home, docking at Grant’s Inlet. We were scheduled to begin winterizing the ship the following day as the season was nearing its end.”  Elena saw Mateo lift an eyebrow. He more than the others would know that the season was closed and not nearing the end, seeing her smoke screen. He nodded slightly and Elena knew she would need an additional explanation for him later.

 

“That night or rather early the next morning, around three am, Stephen called,” she continued still hearing the panic in his voice. “He claimed word had reached them of a raid on a day care used by Kiera’s people. He said that the plan was to claim some sort of outbreak or contagion and use that as an excuse to give the children blood tests and sequester them away for a time. He did not want this to happen so I called an evacuation.  All pilots of my House were called to the docks along with everyone who needed passage. Knowing the Evangeline was still open, I sent the ships towards that channel.  I was the last to leave and since I was known by the military and I could not tell if we were being followed, I sailed to the Marta.”  Elena paused and took a deep breath.

 

“My intentions were to lead off pursuit and then circle back to the Evangeline. However when we arrived at the Marta I found it was still passable and not yet closed for the season, so I entered the channel.  The Rover, shot a grappling hook onto the Storm Chaser and were pulled through the channel with us.”

 

“I thought the Marta was closed for the season,” Thompson said.

 

“It should have been,” she replied. “My only explanation is that the storm may have aided it in its unseasonable depth.”  It was a weak explanation and she knew it, but explaining that she had been able to stretch the channel was not something she wanted to do. It was technically speaking, not something she should have been able to do. Several days after stretching the channel she was still feeling some of the effects.  Her muscles and bones ached as though she ran a marathon without first stretching and since waking, a headache had come and gone in periodic waves. Stretching a channel was something she hoped she would never have to do again.

 

Thompson didn’t question her answer and knowing he was watching her for any sign she had lied, she tried not to sigh with relief.

 

“Both the Marta and the Evangeline are closed now and we will need to stay skyside for the off season.” She finished.

 

“So there is no way home until the season opens again?” Thompson asked.

 

“No, for the next eight to nine months, we are essentially cut off from Earth,” Elena told him.  She turned back towards Mateo and Kiera. “I know there will be an increased need for supplies.  Most of the ships will be as low as we are.  Tomorrow morning I will gather the pilots and we will do an assessment.  Those that can, will make supply runs to the DF and on local trade routes. Some of the ships will need off season repairs.”

 

Mateo nodded. “We can take care of repairs,” he said and Elena knew he was thinking of Akashi and the shipyard located further up the coast. “And as I told you we have enough food and medical supplies. Other things will be in short supply.”

 

“I’ve asked the new arrivals to start making lists,” Kiera said.  “I should start getting those in tomorrow.”

 

“A couple of days down time wouldn’t go amiss,” Elena said.  “It will give us time to rest as well as assess.”

 

“I would like to send messages to the DF if you are willing to carry them,” Evan said.  “It would be nice to have consistent communication again.”

 

“I think we can manage that,” Elena said with a smile.  “I’ll have each pilot check with you or a person designated by you before shipping out to collect any messages.  We’ll stagger the runs so we aren’t all arriving and leaving at the same time.”

 

“Excellent,” Evan said. He turned to Kiera.  “And I would like to speak more with you about your abilities my dear when you have time.  I believe we have some documents that may interest you. There are stories of the Pelson from the Clovian Sector, you know. They have some legends that ware very similar to what you’ve shown me.  Or at least sound similar, it’s been a while since I read them. I’ll start compiling a list.”

 

“When there is time,” Kiera promised, looking tired.

 

“Wonderful,” He said.  Evan stood and nodded to them all. “I believe I will head back to the archives then. My thanks for allowing me into this discussion of your House and for the trust you have placed in me.”  Evan walked out.

 

“I think the mess tent has cleared out some if you want to eat before bathing,” Mateo said.  He glanced at Kiera and she smiled.  Kiera gestured to Thompson’s duffle bag.

 

“I’ll show you to your crew’s bunk so you can drop off your gear before you eat,” She told him.  Kiera stood and Thompson picked up his bag, swinging it to his shoulder as he stood.  Elena and Mateo stood as well, but let Kiera and Thompson get ahead of them.

 

“Only engaged and you and Kiera have that couples telepathy down,” Elena said.  “Very impressive.”

 

“Not as impressive as taking two ships through a closed channel,” Mateo replied.  Elena explained what had happened, how she had seen the edges of the channel like the layers of an onion and how she had peeled them back, making the channel deep enough to pass.

 

“Any after effects?” He asked.

 

“Exhaustion,” she replied.

 

“Like when you first opened the channel to this planet?”

 

“Worse,” she confessed.  “I barely managed to stay conscious between the Marta and this channel. I pulled us through and then pretty much passed out for two days straight.”

 

“And now?”

 

“Achy, tired and hungry,” Elena told him.  “I also have a headache that comes and goes.  Each time it comes it gets less so that is encouraging.”

 

“Mmm,” Mateo said.  “I still want Lucas to check you out.”  He gestured to a small building on the edge of the village. “They’ve set up a basic office there, if my brother isn’t there, Melanie will be.”  He pushed her towards the building. “I’ll tell Thompson you are saying hello to family and we’ll save you a seat in the mess hall.”

 

“All right,” Elena conceded.  At the moment, the headache was back and she thought if nothing else she might be able to convince either her cousin or his girlfriend to give her an aspirin.  She headed to the infirmary while Mateo joined Kiera in distracting Thompson.

 

When she arrived at the infirmary, both Lucas and Melanie were present and after describing her symptoms and their cause she was subjected to their differing opinions.  Since it was a rather unique case they had no definite answers. She was given two aspirins and told to eat, rest, drink lots of water and monitor her symptoms.  If things got worse or didn’t get better, she was to return.  She thanked them and left, the two small pills in hand.

 

“Kind of common sense advice, but at least they gave me something for the headache,” she said to herself as she joined the others. At the mess hall she received a roll, a bowl of what looked like stew, a small salad with fresh greens that only slightly resembled lettuce and a glass of water.  She took her meal to the table and settled herself between Mateo and Thompson.  Kiera had been called back into service as several folks had gotten turned around and didn’t quite know where their quarters were.

 

“Maybe we should print up maps,” Elena said.  She popped the two pills into her mouth and washed them down.

 

“What was that?” Thompson asked suspiciously.

 

“I had a headache and Lucas gave me some aspirin,” She told him. He nodded and turned back to his meal. 

 

Elena ate, listening to the chatter around her.  She had to admit, the food made her feel better. When she was through, Kiera returned to show her where she would be staying as well as the quarters assigned to Jennifer.  Elena checked on her apprentice and found her sprawled face down, fully dressed on her small cot.  Jennifer was sound asleep.  Deciding not to wake her, Elena and Benjamin returned to the ship to collect their personal gear.  As all of the cabins had been packed with passengers, Elena and Jennifer had slept in the pilot house and both of their bags were still there.  Elena grabbed Jennifer’s gear as well as her own before they headed back.

 

“So how is Thompson taking the whole evacuation thing?” Benjamin asked as they headed back to the village.

 

“So far, not too badly,” she replied.  Elena thought about it.  “He seemed a little surprised that we are skyside until the season opens but not terribly upset about it.”

 

“Maybe he figures that with Peter and the rest of the Council earthside, he can learn more.” Benjamin guessed.  Elena nearly stopped in her tracks as a thought hit her.

 

“Not only is the Council earthside, but so are most of the Heads of House. There is no one to pull me into politics when I go to the DF,” she said with a smile.  “And Therese is earthside too,” Elena laughed. “As are Andre and Smith for that matter.” 

 

Elena did a short little dance in place as Benjamin laughed at her.  They continued to the village, Elena feeling lighter with every step.  All of the people giving her problems were far, far away and she had eight full months where she didn’t have to deal with them.  No one to push her towards taking a seat on the Council, no one to try and kill her because they thought she was stealing their place. Life was looking up.

 

Skyside chapter 1

Hi everyone.  Considering the extended delay on getting Skyside out, I am going to be posting the first five chapters of my upcoming book Skyside here.  I'm working the last few snags out now and hope to have it out soon. Thanks for the interest and sorry for the delay.  Enjoy Chapter 1 posted below. Chapter 2 will post monday(3/25), three on Wednesday(3/27) four on friday(3/29) and five the following monday(4/1) with the full book out soon after. Again thans everyone for your patience and comments. valerie

Skyside

Chapter 1

 

As the Storm Chaser weighed anchor at the main port of Planet RJ457, Elena saw several people emerge from the jungle.  A couple took a good look at their approach and then raced back into the trees.  Elena nodded to herself; satisfied that word of their arrival would soon be passed.  She turned to look at the other ships, some already at port and others still approaching.

 

“We look like an invasion force,” Elena said.

 

“We can tell them that we come in peace when we land,” Benjamin told her with a smile.  Elena looked at the big man.  He looked as travel worn as she did. They hadn’t planned to ship out, especially as the season was almost fully closed, but they had been forced into an emergency evacuation.  Gear had been grabbed and ships put to sea quickly.  Elena noticed that Benjamin’s normally spotless wardrobe was showing salt stains and he looked as though he had lost a little weight.

 

In addition to the lack of personal gear, supplies were rather limited.  Careful rationing had kept them all mostly fed, but this morning Benjamin had cooked up the last of the bacon he managed to unearth from the back of the freezer and brew the last of the coffee.  Somehow he made it stretch to feed the crew and the many families they were bringing to port so that everyone could have a little something in their bellies. At the moment they were left with one onion, a jar of olives and a two day supply of fresh water.

 

Elena knew that the Storm Chaser would most likely spend the off season ferrying supplies between the planet and the Docking Facility, the space station that served as the human centric hub on the intergalactic trade routes, but they would need to stock up before their first run to the DF.  Elena looked at the row of people standing at her railings, looking at the jungle and the people coming out to greet them.

 

“Maybe we look like a cruise ship full of tourists instead of an invasion fleet,” Elena amended.  Admittedly, some of the tourists were still wearing pajamas and had been since the evacuation. While most of them brought gear of some sort very little of it proved to be practical. The batteries for the electronics had all been depleted and while Elena conceded the paperwork, photographs and other personal keepsakes were important, at the moment she thought it was of less use than a fresh change of clothes.

 

She shook her head and saw the familiar presence of her cousin Mateo on the shore. He and his fiancé Kiera were jointly in charge of the on planet operations and Elena knew he would want the official story to go with the bits and pieces the earlier arrivals would have given him.

 

“Let’s start ferrying our passengers in,” Elena said. 

 

“Looks like they are planning to help with that,” Benjamin said.  Elena looked past the row of passengers and spotted several small launches making their way towards her.  The first pulled up alongside the Storm Chaser and Elena went to the railing, Benjamin following closely behind.

 

“Good morning Captain Calabrese,” a man called up from the small craft. Elena recognized him as one of Thompson’s men.  The sinking of the military’s first working craft had brought them here and once on site they had remained to watch and report.

 

“Good morning,” Elena called down. “I have some people who would like to get to shore.”

 

“That’s what we’re here for,” he replied with a smile. “Each of us can take fifteen at a go along with limited personal gear.”

 

“Limited personal gear is all they have I’m afraid. We’ll get them into groups.”  She answered.  Elena turned to Benjamin.  He nodded and turned to the gathered people.

 

“You heard the captain,” her cook and default first mate called. “Form up into groups, no more than fifteen to a group.” 

 

There was a mass of movement as everyone on deck tried to shift at once.  Some grabbed their families, lifting small children into their arms while others went to fetch what gear they had managed to bring along.  Those who thought ahead or who had spent the last few nights on deck pushed to the front, ready to go. 

 

Elena stepped back as Benjamin began counting people and sending them down the ladder and into the waiting launch.  When the launch was full, another one pulled up and the process began again. Elena looked out at some of the other ships and saw that the Storm Chaser was not the only one unloading passengers. 

 

The sea around the port was alive with small craft winding their way around the larger channel riders.  In the distance Elena could see that three of the large ships the Librarians used were still docked.  Even at a distance they dwarfed the merchant class channel riders.  She knew there were at least twelve more ships the librarians had at their disposal and thought it was probably a good thing that not everyone was at port at the same time. 

 

“You know I’ll have to check with Mateo, but I don’t believe we’ve ever had this many ships in port at once before,” She said, mostly to herself although Benjamin smiled at her comment. Instead of looking like a random outpost in the middle of nowhere, the port looked like a major trading center. She did notice there was one ship that no launch was approaching.

 

While there was a great degree of difference between all the ships at port it was clear that all but one came from the same basic shipbuilding tradition whether they were merchant class channel riders or archive class vessels, they blended as variations on a theme.  Not so with the smaller ship Elena could see docked off the Storm Chaser’s starboard. She sighed as she took in the ship called the Rover.

 

The Rover was the latest attempt by the military to design their own version of a channel rider.  It looked like it had been put together by someone well versed in modern military sea going vessels, but who had only a passing familiarity with sailing ships. Elena could imagine a grumpy ship builder tacking on a mast and sails under protest.  The resulting concoction was a graceless vessel that looked odd on its own, but rather grotesque docked with the rest of the fleet. On deck, Elena could see Will Thompson, his arms crossed as he scowled at the scene in front of him.

 

After riding the channel into planetary waters, Elena had been utterly spent and had slept for the better part of two days.  Not wanting to deal with Thompson when signaled, Benjamin had merely signaled back that they should wait until docking for answers. All of the other ships sailed for Elena’s House and were more than content for her to deal with him so they ignored all of the Rover’s attempts at communication.

 

‘He has to be ready to explode,’ Elena thought. ‘Won’t that conversation be fun?’

 

She pushed thoughts of Thompson away as she assisted with the disembarking passengers.  She stopped a three year old from running after Spin when his parents tried to corral him.  Elena smiled at her ship’s cat as Spin skulked off to the pilot house to hide out with her apprentice Jennifer.  Spin had been cautiously optimistic of the passengers at first as many of them used the rods and reels to bring fresh fish into her range. However as many of the passengers were five years old or younger and she was the only small furry animal on board, she quickly became disenchanted with the lot of them.

 

As she handed a backpack to a couple struggling with twins, Elena wondered if cats could have nervous break downs. She was distracted from her thoughts of her cat’s mental health by a small boy who walked over and planted his feet firmly on the deck in front of her.  Elena looked down at the serious looking child.

 

“Thank you for saving Rufus,” he said when she looked down at him.  He held out a salt-stained teddy bear whose fur had dried into stiff spikes. If teddy bears formed punk bands, Elena was sure this one would qualify as a good front man. There had been a storm before channel entry and Elena had kept the bear from being washed overboard.

 

“You are very welcome,” she told the boy. “And I hope you and Rufus enjoyed your trip.”

 

“You didn’t have any orange juice,” he told her with a very serious face.  Behind him Elena could see his approaching mother shake her head and sigh.

 

“We’ll try to get some before the next trip,” she told him. He nodded and held out his hand for her to shake.  She put on her serious face and shook his hand firmly, making him giggle.

 

“It’s time to go Chris,” his mother said placing a hand on his shoulder.  “You and Rufus come along now. I hope you thanked the Captain.”

 

“I did,” he told her with all the injured dignity he could muster into two words.

 

“He did,” Elena confirmed.

 

“See,” Chris flashed Elena a smile of victory and she tried not to laugh.

 

“Very good then. I think we are in this next group,” his mother said. “Thank you again Captain.”

 

“My pleasure,” Elena said feeling like she had somehow been sent to an episode of the Love Boat. “Just call me Captain Stubing,” she said as she watched Chris and Rufus make their way to the launch.

 

“Would that make me Julie or Isaac?” Benjamin asked.

 

“Which one do you think you could pull off?” she asked.  Benjamin smiled tiredly.

 

“Not sure I’m up for either,” He said, stifling a yawn. “That’s the last of the passengers, though. I’m going below to do a sweep just to make sure.”

 

“Good,” Elena said.  “After that you can decide if you want to claim one of the bunks shipboard and catch up on some sleep or head to shore with me and catch the dramatic conclusion.”

 

“Oh I’m going to shore,” Benjamin said with a laugh. “Even if I pass out in the launch.The explanations will no doubt be epic and I cannot wait to hear Will’s response.”  Elena glanced back to where Will Thompson stood as Benjamin disappeared below deck.  He hadn’t moved since the last time she looked.

 

“I’m glad someone is looking forward to it.” She muttered. Spin and Jennifer cautiously emerged from the pilot house, both looking equally relieved by the lack of passengers on deck.

 

“Wheel’s locked, Captain,” Jennifer said.  Elena nodded.  During the season, Jennifer had relaxed enough to start calling Elena by name, however the evacuation made her look at Elena with something akin to awe.  Elena smiled and nodded, hoping the effect would fade.

 

“Excellent,” she told her apprentice. “Once Benjamin finishes his sweep below decks we’ll head to shore for a bit.”

 

“Yes Ma’am,” she replied. Elena tried not to sigh at the stiffness. Benjamin emerged from below decks, a cardboard box in hand.

 

“Found several items left behind,” he explained.  “I figured we could take the lost and found to shore in case they are missed.”  The three of them moved to the Storm Chaser’s dinghy.

 

“Are you coming,” Elena asked Spin. The cat looked at her as though she were crazy, turned and stalked away across the deck. “Guess that’s a no.”

 

“I left extra food for her.  Her food was the only kind we didn’t run out of. What about Will and his men?” Benjamin asked.  “I don’t think they have transport to shore.” 

 

Elena sighed. “And I doubt anyone left food out for them. Might as well get it over with,” she said.  “Let’s pick them up on the way in.” The dinghy was lowered to the water and they made their way to Thompson’s ship.

 

“Do you need a ride in?” Elena called up.

 

“Well it would save us swimming,” Thompson called down.  Having no ladder, a rope was lowered and Thompson followed by three others joined them in the dinghy. One of Thompson’s crew took the oars from Benjamin and they made their way to the stone pier projecting into the sea. Benjamin tied the small boat off on a projection of stone and everyone piled out and began walking down the long pier to the shore. Small groups were still coming ashore as Elena led her folks up to where Mateo stood.  He looked her over with worried eyes as he directed a group inland.

 

“I’ve heard bits and pieces as the others came in,” he told her as he pointed out the trail to the village to a group of new arrivals.

 

“Kiera has a list of current occupants if you are joining family,” he told them. It sounded as though he had already repeated his instructions too many times to count.  “If you aren’t joining someone already here, she will assign you quarters. Just head straight through the cross roads and take a left to the village.” He turned back to Elena.

 

“I’m guessing you’ll have something more detailed?” he asked returning to their conversation as the newcomers moved away.

 

“Yeah,” she replied running her hand through her hair and desperately wanting a bath.

 

He nodded and glanced at Thompson. “It looks like most of the ships will be unloaded and settled by mid afternoon. My questions can wait until then.” He told her.

 

Elena nodded, knowing that none of them wanted to talk in front of Thompson. Even if he learned why these people had been evacuated, it was a secret that didn’t belong to them and they weren’t going to be the ones to tell.  These were Kiera’s people not people of the Guild of Families and Elena had promised to keep their secret.

 

“How do the supplies look?” she asked, knowing all of the ships would be as depleted as the Storm Chaser.

 

“So far fine,” Mateo said.  “We calculated the amount we thought we would need to make it through the off season and then doubled it when we did our initial stocking.  In addition many of the …support staff have been adding to our supplies with small gardens. The new folks will alter the calculations, but not drastically.  We should be okay, especially if you can set up a series of runs.  We may be able to feed them all, but most of the new arrivals will need other things to get through the eight month off season. They don’t appear to be well stocked with personal gear.”

 

“Once everyone is settled we can start making lists of what is needed. I’ll set up a schedule of runs.” Elena told him. “A few days on shore will do all of us good and allow us to take stock of the ships. I doubt anyone had time to do off season repairs.”

 

Mateo nodded and Elena wondered if the folks at the shipyard could be induced to make any necessary repairs. The shipyard was officially under Councilor Inoue Riko’s purview, but Elena had spoken to Akashi, the man leading the group here and thought they might be able to come to an arrangement.  She was certain Riko would make her pay for it later, but it might become necessary. 

 

“Your previous crew has a space set up like a barracks,” Mateo told Thompson.  “We moved extra beds in so you and this crew can join them.”

 

“Thank you,” Thompson said. Elena watched as he scanned the crowd. He gestured towards his men, working alongside the others. “Can you spare one of them so my men can drop off their gear before pitching in?” he asked. 

 

“Michael,” Mateo called out.  One of Thompson’s men looked up from helping an elderly woman out of one of the launches. “When you have a moment.”  The man nodded, saw the old lady to shore where three small children were waiting for her and walked over to join them. The tropical sun had tanned him well and brought out a spate of freckles across his nose since his arrival. He looked from Thompson to Mateo and Elena realized he had gotten accustomed to taking her cousin’s orders.

 

“Can you show the other military personnel to quarters and then have them report to Kiera to see what is needed?” Mateo said deliberately making it a question instead of an order so Michael would be in a little less awkward a position. Michael glanced to Thompson who nodded slightly.

 

“Yes sir,” Michael said.

 

“I’ll join you once things are settled,” Thompson added.

 

“Yes sir,” Michael replied a little more confidently.  He turned and Thompson’s three new crew members followed him down the path. Mateo gave Elena a nod and moved off to assist another group.

 

“All these people will need to be fed.  I’ll go see if Consuelo needs a hand,” Benjamin said. Jennifer looked from Benjamin to Elena.

 

“Why don’t you go with him,” Elena told the girl.  “See if Kiera has a place for us on shore tonight or if we should head back to the ship. And get something to eat if possible.”

 

“Yes, Captain,” Jennifer said.  She and Benjamin headed for the trail leaving Elena alone with Thompson. Elena watched the new arrivals.  The pilots that came ashore spotted Elena and walked over.

 

“Go talk to Kiera and see if she can settle you on shore tonight.  Get food and rest,” she told them adding to Mateo’s comments.  “We’ll take stock in the morning.”

 

“So it is clear this wasn’t planned,” Thompson began once they were alone again. Elena looked at him but didn’t say a word. “Why the emergency evacuation?”  Elena lifted an eyebrow.

 

“There really isn’t any other name for something like this,” he chided her.  Elena turned back to watch the last of the people step to shore.

 

“I suppose there isn’t,” she admitted.

 

“So why?”

 

“Why does any emergency evacuation occur?” She replied. “Because there was an emergency.”

 

He frowned.  “Elena,” he began.

 

“It’s not my secret, Will,” she told him. “It’s not my decision to tell or not.”

 

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  Elena noticed he looked nearly as beaten down as she felt. “So they aren’t Guild? Not Pilots?”

 

“Not Pilots,” Elena told him.  “But only a little less Guild than you are.” 

 

A few months prior Elena had learned that Thompson was part of one of the lost families of the Guild.  After his appearance as Elena’s escort at Mateo’s engagement party, the Council was re-evaluating his status as well as the status of the other lost families, many of whom Thompson was in contact with.  Elena was certain that when the Council met on the Lorenzo, a council owned ship that served as neutral meeting ground the lost houses would be discussed at length. Elena didn’t envy them the discussion. Peter Baranov, one of Elena’s business partners as well as a Council member, was not thrilled with the events and she had the feeling he would try to deny Thompson status. Idly she wondered which way her grandfather, Alexandro Calabrese, who was also a councilor, would vote.

 

“Admittedly they haven’t irritated Peter, so maybe their standing is higher.” Elena told him with a tired smile. 

 

With Mateo’s elevation in status to a Head of House in his own right, he was planning to use an old Guild law to claim Kiera’s people as part of his house, thus giving them official protection once he and Kiera were married. It was one of the reasons Elena was holding back from getting involved in the settling of the new arrivals. These people would soon be a part of her cousin’s House and she did not want to usurp his authority. She wondered if the new events would push the wedding date up.

 

“Ah,” Thompson said.  “So none of them have asked you out on a date and incurred the wrath of Peter Baranov. That’s good to know.” He replied with a smile.

 

“You didn’t ask me out,” Elena reminded him.  “You were my escort to a public family function.”

 

“A fact that would have been remedied during the off season, I assure you.” He told her.  Elena looked at him with surprise remembering how after the party he had kissed her goodnight and spent the next few weeks pretending the kiss had not occurred.

 

“Really?” she asked.

 

“Really.  Look, I think the last of the people are in.  Shall we see if I am to be allowed to know why they are here?” Thompson started walking towards Mateo and Elena had to hurry to catch up, hastily pushing thoughts of Thompson and his intentions aside for later contemplation.

 

“I think that is the last of them. All the ships known to sail for your House have been accounted for and Kiera found them berths for the night.” Mateo told her.

 

“Excellent,” Elena replied, pleased that her count matched his. With his tan, the scar running through his left eyebrow stood out in sharp relief making him look slightly dangerous. The three of them started walking towards the village. “I’ll need to talk to Evan,” she told them, knowing the head of the Librarians would want to know what was going on. 

 

As he was as clueless as Thompson about Kiera’s people, she would have to let Kiera decide what he was to be told. She really hoped Kiera was in a sharing mood as she knew Evan would be even less receptive to an evasive answer than Thompson. Not bringing him into the loop could also have serious political consequences later down the line.

 

Sure enough, when they reached the cross roads, Evan stepped out of the shadows of one of the massive buildings to greet them as though he had been waiting.  The cross roads consisted of five huge and ancient stone buildings, one located at each of the cardinal directions and one placed in the center.  The Librarians had converted these cavernous structures into archival storage.  Having seen the many massive ships the Librarians had used prior to finding a permanent home, she wondered if they would have enough space or need to find additional locations.

 

Evan smiled as he approached and Elena noticed he was wearing his grandfatherly guise. Despite being the leader of one of the most powerful factions of the Guild, a faction so strong and separate from the rest of the Guild that it tended to function semi-autonomously, few looked into his twinkling blue eyes, welcoming smile and pleasant demeanor and felt his power.  His charm was disarming and one of the best social weapons Elena had ever seen.

 

“Finally,” He said smiling at Elena. “Answers at last. I’m sure the reason for this influx of unexpected visitors will be fascinating.”

 

“Hello Evan,” Elena said.  “We are going to join Kiera and make sure everyone is settled before sitting down for lengthy explanations.  Would you care to join us?”

 

“Nothing would make me happier.”  Evan turned to one of the other librarians. “I will be up at the village,” he told the younger man. “I am not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency.”

 

“Yes Senior Librarian.” The young man replied with a slight bow of his head. He moved off, no doubt to spread the word.  Elena exchanged a glance with Mateo and noticed that Thompson was smiling.

 

“Something amusing?” she asked.

 

“I’m just glad I’m not the only one in the dark.” He said.  Elena shook her head as they began moving towards the village.

 

“I do like that young man of yours,” Evan told her in a loud, conspiratorial whisper as they moved. “I think you should keep him.” Elena saw Mateo stifle a laugh.  As Thompson was next to him, Elena knew he had more than likely heard Evan’s comment as well although he gave no indication. She smiled and shook her head, amused by the fact that no matter what else was going on Evan would still take delight in her love life.