This
couldn't be real; at last, after all these years, she would meet
her real mother; but her real mother had given her up. She looked
down at the bracelet, all the questions lumping in her
throat.
"Enough! Where is it?" Salos snatched
Krissa's wrist and pulled her close to his disgusting body. Krissa
didn't have a chance to think about pulling away until he held the
bracelet to his face. One of his free hands traced the symbol on
the stone of her bracelet.
She swallowed her anxieties while he
turned her wrist around in his hands to study the
bracelet.
"I have no idea what you mean," Ramini
said.
"The shard. You entrusted Naperi with
one of the shards." In his rough yank, Krissa tried to pull away,
but he only pulled her next to his disgusting body. "Don't try to
deny it. Where is the shard?"
"I don't know what you're talking
about," Krissa said.
"Then what is this…this Inari symbol
doing on your wrist?" He held it before her and the woman leaned
close.
"Protection," Ramini said and shrugged
it off. "A gift to Naperi in the Onduun-Inari Alliance nearly forty
years ago. An heirloom."
After several seconds of fuming and
tightening his grip on Krissa's wrist until she whimpered, his
other hands squeezed her shoulders and free arm. "Tell me where it
is or Naperi doesn't see her daughter."
Ramini's eyes went cold with those of
her colleague, but she put a hand aside in a signal to her guards
that had them cease reaching for their weapons. Or was it something
else? The marks on her hands glowed as they had in healing Karik.
"The shard was not meant for you."
"Where is it?!"
Afraid of what he might do, Krissa
tried to pull away; but the four hands tightened on her.
At a move by Torik to come to her, one
of the blue-gray hands went to her throat. "Don't!"
"The consequences for killing the
child would be far more devastating for the Tah'Na."
Krissa held her breath. She had come
to sacrifice herself for the Lereni, thinking the Tah'Na would be
reasonable, but they couldn't be trusted, even with the Inari
present.
But Karik had expressed a fear of her,
and Torik had said she had the power to influence others. It must
lie within her. If she was truly one of the Onduun, there must have
been a way to use that to convince Salos.
In the thickening silence, she took a
deep breath and focused within, clearing her head and fighting the
panic to find the calm.
"You should listen to the Inari,"
Krissa said. "You have this empire but risk it all for one shard
that isn't here."
"Even if it was, the Starfire chooses
its Keeper. One must be blended to even be considered," Talees
said, lifting her hands to show the marks. "We were not considered
worthy, and we are Keepers."
Keeper…Karik had addressed Ramini as
"Keeper". Was that what it meant?
Something more Krissa hadn't known.
Although she didn't understand, she assumed there was far more to
this than they were saying. If she survived, maybe she'd
learn.
"You lie! Inari will do anything to
keep the power to themselves."
"It is not our choice but the
Starfire's," Ramini said. "The shard would be useless to you, but
you would start a war that could end with your people losing
everything."
"Release the Onduun, Salos," Torik
said with a quick glance to catch Krissa's eyes in reassurance.
"Release Leisil. Honor the agreement of your house. We brought the
child as requested. We have fulfilled our part of the
agreement."
"Is this true?" Ramini still held out
her glowing hands as if ready to do something, her head aside to
address the Lereni while keeping an eye on Salos. "You swore to
remove your occupation of Leisil in exchange for the life of
Naperi's child, because you thought it would get you a Starfire
shard?"
Salos was silent, but by the movements
of his fingers where they gripped, he was thinking. Krissa watched
the others, hoping this didn't end in darkness for her.
She caught Torik's eyes for a hope of
some way to save her. The Inari stood with their hands
couldn't be real; at last, after all these years, she would meet
her real mother; but her real mother had given her up. She looked
down at the bracelet, all the questions lumping in her
throat.
"Enough! Where is it?" Salos snatched
Krissa's wrist and pulled her close to his disgusting body. Krissa
didn't have a chance to think about pulling away until he held the
bracelet to his face. One of his free hands traced the symbol on
the stone of her bracelet.
She swallowed her anxieties while he
turned her wrist around in his hands to study the
bracelet.
"I have no idea what you mean," Ramini
said.
"The shard. You entrusted Naperi with
one of the shards." In his rough yank, Krissa tried to pull away,
but he only pulled her next to his disgusting body. "Don't try to
deny it. Where is the shard?"
"I don't know what you're talking
about," Krissa said.
"Then what is this…this Inari symbol
doing on your wrist?" He held it before her and the woman leaned
close.
"Protection," Ramini said and shrugged
it off. "A gift to Naperi in the Onduun-Inari Alliance nearly forty
years ago. An heirloom."
After several seconds of fuming and
tightening his grip on Krissa's wrist until she whimpered, his
other hands squeezed her shoulders and free arm. "Tell me where it
is or Naperi doesn't see her daughter."
Ramini's eyes went cold with those of
her colleague, but she put a hand aside in a signal to her guards
that had them cease reaching for their weapons. Or was it something
else? The marks on her hands glowed as they had in healing Karik.
"The shard was not meant for you."
"Where is it?!"
Afraid of what he might do, Krissa
tried to pull away; but the four hands tightened on her.
At a move by Torik to come to her, one
of the blue-gray hands went to her throat. "Don't!"
"The consequences for killing the
child would be far more devastating for the Tah'Na."
Krissa held her breath. She had come
to sacrifice herself for the Lereni, thinking the Tah'Na would be
reasonable, but they couldn't be trusted, even with the Inari
present.
But Karik had expressed a fear of her,
and Torik had said she had the power to influence others. It must
lie within her. If she was truly one of the Onduun, there must have
been a way to use that to convince Salos.
In the thickening silence, she took a
deep breath and focused within, clearing her head and fighting the
panic to find the calm.
"You should listen to the Inari,"
Krissa said. "You have this empire but risk it all for one shard
that isn't here."
"Even if it was, the Starfire chooses
its Keeper. One must be blended to even be considered," Talees
said, lifting her hands to show the marks. "We were not considered
worthy, and we are Keepers."
Keeper…Karik had addressed Ramini as
"Keeper". Was that what it meant?
Something more Krissa hadn't known.
Although she didn't understand, she assumed there was far more to
this than they were saying. If she survived, maybe she'd
learn.
"You lie! Inari will do anything to
keep the power to themselves."
"It is not our choice but the
Starfire's," Ramini said. "The shard would be useless to you, but
you would start a war that could end with your people losing
everything."
"Release the Onduun, Salos," Torik
said with a quick glance to catch Krissa's eyes in reassurance.
"Release Leisil. Honor the agreement of your house. We brought the
child as requested. We have fulfilled our part of the
agreement."
"Is this true?" Ramini still held out
her glowing hands as if ready to do something, her head aside to
address the Lereni while keeping an eye on Salos. "You swore to
remove your occupation of Leisil in exchange for the life of
Naperi's child, because you thought it would get you a Starfire
shard?"
Salos was silent, but by the movements
of his fingers where they gripped, he was thinking. Krissa watched
the others, hoping this didn't end in darkness for her.
She caught Torik's eyes for a hope of
some way to save her. The Inari stood with their hands
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